Brousseau Corner

My boys - getting in touch with their feminine side :)

2012-02-25T21:10:00.003-08:00

Couple of fun updates. These updates, stink you blogger, go backwards with the pictures. Picture one goes with number 4. Dang it.

First - this is what happens when we spend time at the Maile's house! :). Second, Addie's science fair project was chosen to go to the District Science Fair. She was thrilled! Third, we learned that Parents are invited to eat lunch with their kids at the school cafeteria. Who knew? I had no idea one that you could do that, and two that Jax would LOVE that and not be embarassed. We went and had the BEST time sitting at the "boy table". And Fourth, we were lucky enough to escape for President's day weekend to a cabin Heber. Gray got SOOO tired that he put himself to bed, with the lights still on.

Great few weeks for our family. Love to you all!

I'm back!

2012-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I've posted that I forgot I had a blog. Seriously. Here's to staying current with it....
We are sooo looking forward to spring - it brings Jackson's baptism, a dance recital, Addie turning 11, Emma turning 3, the boys playing basketball together for the first time, and warm sunshine. I think I get stir-crazy in winter. The list goes on and on for me. I admit - my life feels a little over-scheduled right now, and if it weren't for an amazing husband and nanny I would be toast.

BUT, I get to hold and kiss my kids and husband each night, we have food in the fridge and the best time together so I can't complain.

I've posted a few of my favorite pics from the last few months. I love Addie's goofiness and love for her cousins, my boys ability to let loose and Emma's incredible eyes. Not to my mention my handsome husband. :)

It's Been a busy few weeks!

2011-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy few months. Emma's graduated from her crib, Gray has turned 6 and had a great birthday! We had the greatest time at Nickel City (perfect place for a 6 yr old boy to go on their birthday) and then to have a bday party with his football team. Notice the TMNT in his bday picture? Courtesy of Ebay from China. True parental love. School has started, I've posted pictures of Father's blessings, first day of school AND of Matt's birthday trip to Texas. Notice how much taller Gray is than his class, again? Hope you like the update. No real order, just pure chaos, like my life right now.

SOOO busy. Loving it.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in FOREVER. So I thought I would blog about our 4th of July weekend. We packed in a trip to see the hot air balloons, a 5k/10k, Cowabunga bay water park, swimming at Matt's Moms and 3 sets of fireworks. I love this pictures of my kids. Addie will KILL me for posting the one with her sleeping. :) I love my not so little family and am a proud mama.

My favorite kind of Saturday - Baseball and Treehouses!

2011-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

This last saturday was my favorite kind filled with beautiful weather and activities that keep us outside! My two boys had a baseball game in the morning followed by a day of Matt finishing the kids new treehouse! Our friend Jake was a HUGE help and Matt couldn't have done it without him.... Once evening came we sat outside around a campfire while the kids sat up in their treehouse with a lantern... Magical summer nights - the best...

Maile Cousins

2011-05-29T14:56:00.001-07:00

I don't know if it's because I had so many sisters that I was able to be silly with but I often feel badly that Addie is the lone older girl in her house. She has her brothers, who drive her crazy on a frequent basis, and her little sister who is her shadow. Addie is incredibly sweet and thoughtful with Emma and I couldn't ask for more.

BUT, she has a special bond with her Maile cousins. Abby is incredible to allow her to have that relationship with her girls and to include whenever possible.... Addie cries when we leave them and tries to sneak home with them in their car, or to hide in their house so she can be left there. I'm pretty sure she would move in with them if possible.

These pictures are a tribute to her irreplaceable and tender relationship with them.

Annual Dance Recital

2011-05-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the big hoopla - the big annual dance recital for Addie and her Maile cousins (and Cristal, according to Gray his other sister :))! We were so lucky to have Grandma and aunties AND cousins Tori and Covelli come to town to watch and particpate. It was fantastic. I LOVE that there are opportunities to have my sisters all together as adults - still feels the same as when we were kids somehow.... Enjoy the pics!

Jackson's Birthday

2011-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

So I'm behind on blogging. Actually just a slacker. BUT, we had Jax's birthday and it was soo much fun. He is adorable and I cannot believe how fast he has grown. I can still remember heading into the hospital for an emergency delivery to welcome him into our family! Enjoy the pics.

Some explanation on pics.... Jax was able to go to the BYU football office on his birthday AND play around on the field. He loved it. In one of the pictures he is looking at the map of where BYU football players have/are serving missions. Thanks BYU.

My little Emma

2011-04-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today is her birthday. Today my youngest turns 2. Today I realize how blessed I am to have this spunky sweet little girl in my life. It would not be the same without her. She has been two in her mind for months. Today it's finally official. We love our Emma!

It's our anniversary!!!!

2011-04-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I posted this picture just because Matt hates it!!!! That's true love for you. We have been married for 11 years today - I cannot believe it has been 11 years already...

I just wanted to take a minute to tell my husband how grateful I am to have him in my life. I am blessed daily by the love he gives to me and our family. I would be lost without him. He makes me a better, more patient and compassionate person and he has taught me more than I thought was possible. Love you babe! Happy anniversary!

Our latest adventure

2011-04-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Nope - it's not Disneyland.... It's another set of stitches, courtesy of the FatCats playground.

Gray was such an adorable trooper, he tried so hard to be brave. 5 stitches at the top of his forehead and a serious scrape across his nose/face. Emma stayed occupied during the doctor's visit thanks to her fantastic older sister and Tangled, one of her current favorites. I'm going to start sending my kids out wrapped in bubble wrap. Stink.

Guess what!

2011-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

I am blogging from my gorgeous sleek new iPhone! Wahoo! Haven't figured out how to add pics from my phone yet. How do you do that?

Love this girl!

2011-03-31T14:46:00.001-07:00

This is Emma - in true form. She is such a riot and joy - we would be lost without her!

Update - our kids started Soccer this week - Gray had 10 goals in his first game - and Addie (who's soccer is much more competitive according to her, plays actual positions, gets called for off-sides, etc., resulting in a lower score in each game than the young kiddos) scored her team's goal yesterday. I'm so proud of each of them as they go out on the field to have fun while doing well at the same time (of course they do- they are Brousseau's/Davis' :) right?)
Jax's first game is tonight - can't wait....

Brousseau Kids

2011-03-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

So my kids keep me laughing and entertained lately.

Addie - She had her 10th birthday and since her style and my style are NOT the same I knew I should not be picking her presents.... I took her shopping on her birthday and after a few failed attempts looking at shorts and capris she admitted to me that she didn't want to wear them because of the hair on her legs. Long story short - Addie is shaving. Better said - I am old enough to have a daughter that is shaving. Long gone is my little girl - here comes shaving, makeup, and all of the joys of teenage drama.

Jax - Obsessed with basketball which is not new for him but now he plays junior jazz and it's warm enough to play outside on our hoop. He and his Dad drew a chalk line in a half-circle to show where "Jimmer-range" is. For every shot he makes from Jimmer-range he earns a marble. He plays the perfect role of point guard in his games in a kind of smooth natural way - can't explain it. Just crazy to watch. Scores at least 5-6 baskets each game - and likes to shoot only when his defender is in his face. Hm...

Gray - Has started karate lessons - for those of you that know him well this is PERFECT for him. I felt it was important for him to have an activity just for him that his older brother hasn't done - something he has bragging rights to alone. He LOVES it. However, it's moved into our daily lives. This week he had a conversation with Cristal that went like this - "Can I shoot hoops while you make lunch?" Cristal - "I don't want you outside by yourself. What if someone tries to steal you?" Gray - "I can handle myself. I know karate." Cute Stinker

Emma - After having had staples in her head has reverted back to using a pacifier. However, we do not want her to have it often. Matt plays a game with her using objects that she wants and pretends to pull it out of her ear. You know the game? Yesterday she kept crying and pulling on her ear and we worried she might have an ear infection... Nope - she was just trying unsuccessfully to make her pacifier appear and to pull it out of her ear. She has tried to find lollipops, Mickey Mouse, crackers and her pacifier in that left ear and is SOOO frustrated that she cannot. Cute huh?

Emma....

2011-03-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

Emma is a hands-on child. Let's just say you can't ever leave her alone and has a DYNAMIC personality. Today's post is dedicated to her - she really ties our family together and we ADORE her... Here are some pics of her...

At least someone had a good basketball game...

2011-03-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

I know we've fallen off the face of the earth... But spring is coming - I am sooo glad! I don't know about anyone else but I could use some actual sunshine! This spring also brings basketball (finally old enough) for Jackson. He has been so excited.....Last night was his first game and he had the best time. He is number 17 picked because of someone on the Jazz I think. Not to brag- but he had all of the teams baskets including a great shot from way outside and played some great defense. He is already looking forward to Saturday. I am so thrilled for him - watching him today with a spring in his step because of yesterday was just awesome.
Emma's staples came out on Monday and we have had some rough nights since then as it still hurts but it's getting better - can't ask for much more. Anyway - enjoy the pics!

It's been a while...

2011-02-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I've blogged. I think winter has gotten to me. I still don't feel like it and feel stuck in winter blah's but for those of of you that have asked...here are the highlights from the last little while-

1. I was released from Primary and am now the Gospel Doctrine teacher.
2. Addie has been working on her upcoming dance recital and as part of a company this year has two dances. She has discovered the love of Friday night late-overs with her Maile cousins which I LOVE because it means I get some time with Abby. One of my favorite times each week when we get to do it...
3. Jackson has been signed up for Jr. Jazz basketball for the first time and is SOO excited. Just finished parent teacher conferences and received straight A's - he was sooo proud of himself.
4. We have attended pretty much every Jimmer show and our kids LOVE it.
5. Emma has dumped mouthwash, shampoo. lotion, toothpaste and even gum into our carpet over the last 2 weeks. She is a handful but totally worth it. She's learned to speak in sentences and definitely knows how to demand what she needs from those older brothers of her's - they may be a little scared of her in fact.
6. Matt is still working 2 jobs and is loving it - staying busy which he loves and able to give back to UVU, his alma mater. He set a New Year's resolution to slim down and has lost 15 lbs so far. I am so proud of him when he comes down and runs with me in the mornings.
7. Gray was just registered for kindergarten and wishes that meant that he starts tomorrow. He is the best snuggler on the planet and loves to try and come and sneak into bed with us.
8. I have had a rough few months at work- not for me- but in staffing and tenant stress. Looking forward to some calm days for a while - fingers crossed. I still love running and run anywhere from 7-10 miles each morning. I plan on running a few half-marathons this year and am working up the guts to run a marathon.
9. We as a family are SICK of winter and cannot wait for spring to get here...
10. Our little family although SUPER busy just keeping up with life and so happy to be a part of our family and as happy as ever.

Grateful

2010-12-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

I don't have many words, or even momentous happenings to write about. I am simply grateful today.

Christmas is only 10 days away. My kids are excited, healthy and an incredible amount of fun. I am loving the time I have with each and every one of them.

My kitchen is finished. Although we lost a water heater and had a "small" gutter problem through all of it - we have a kitchen, a roof over our heads and the ability to pay our bills. I am grateful.

I love my job and the ability I have to feel fulfilled while working and to be a mother at the same time. My boss is fabulous in understanding who I am and what I need to make this work for me. I love going to work every day.

My husband is AMAZING. I am more in love with him today than I was ten years ago, althought it sounds like a cliche when I say that.

Simply grateful.

By the way - if you can hear the music I've chosen - we have fallen in love with this group. Merry Christmas!

Fall Break

2010-10-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

We've had a great fall break. We were lucky enough to fit in a trip to the zoo and a visit from our Idaho davis Family. This weekend we were able to take some time and honor Uncle Naki, as this weekend was the year-mark from his death. My mom and sisters came to Utah to attend a benefit concert for Abby and her girls. I have to say - that was an amazing experience. I was only able to capture one picture from the evening but you can visit Jr's facebook to see more. I hope Abby was able to feel the enormous amount of love for her and the girls this weekend. We love you Abby... I am attaching some pictures from the zoo because
1. I'm NEVER in pictures and I actually have one of me with the kids.
2. I never capture Emma smiling in pictures and I finally did.
3. My kids are too cute to not brag. :)

"One of these things just doesn't belong here, one of these things just isn't the same..."

2010-10-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

This picture was too telling to not share. Remember that song from Sesame Street? Grayson went on a field trip with his preschool class to the fire station today. This is a picture of him with his class. Granted, they are in their first year, so are 4ish but still?

Please Come!

2010-10-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Our little Brousseau family loves and adores our Maile family and wishes that we could do more to help them. This concert is one way for anyone else who feels the same way to do so. Please come and help honor Uncle Naki...

Gray-isms

2010-09-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Another week done. That's how I feel. I made it through one more week. Couple of updates - our kitchen needs redone due to a water leak. Should be started in 3 weeks. Can anyone give some advice on color of cabinets, counter and flooring. I feel lost and overwhelmed. All 3 kids had great weeks again with their sports, etc. Matt and I survived our work week. Nough said. Couple of things Gray said to me this week ---
I was mopping the kitchen floor and Grayson came running to the edge of the kitchen floor. He then began taking deliberate steps on the wet floor and said, "Look mom - I'm just like Jesus - I can walk on water!"

And- at the BYU football game I was teaching him all about the downs and when to yell, when not to, etc. I showed him how on 3rd down for the opposite team we all start yelling loud to break their concentration. A few minutes later he turned and started yelling in my ear, NOT at a 3rd down. I turned to him to nicely explain that we only do that on a 3rd down and he said, "I know mom - I'm trying to stop you from thinking." Perfect.

Grays' Birthday

2010-09-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

It finally came. I think to Gray it felt like it would never come. He's finally 5 and at least for a while when we tell people his age they won't look quite as shocked. Enjoy the pics - we sure love that kid! He's intelligent, strong, independent, loving and determined - Happy Birthday Gray!

What a week we've had....

2010-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I said earlier this week that we are crazy busy....but with good things! I am so excited for all of my older 3 kids as they have new and challenging experiences. Grayson had his first soccer game this week and scored a goal! It was really fun to watch him FINALLY be able to participate in what his older siblings have been doing. His time of watching from the sidelines is finally over and he is SOOOO excited. He wore his soccer uniform ALL day the day of his game - including the shin guards and cleats.

Addie has been advanced in dance and is loving having 2 whole hours to dance each week. She really loves it and definitely does NOT get it from me. She had her first soccer game this week too - her team won 3-2 and Addie had 2 of those goals. She has seriously come out of her shell in soccer this year. No more hanging back and watching her teammates get in on the action - you could see the determination in her face as she was ALL over the field helping on defense and leading the way to the goal. I sound like a dork but that is seriously how it was! Addie also is on her way to braces. We had a meeting with the orthodontist this week and gets some front toop braces next month....I all of a sudden feel old. I didn't before but when I realized I was old enough to have a daughter with braces?

Jax - he has had some fantastic milesones this week. He lost his first tooth and is beaming....He had his very first real test at school and aced it. He had his first soccer game and scored 10 goals. Um... Not sure what to say about that one. But - the moment I am most proud of is his football game. Here's why.

Jackson is a very sensitive and serious little man. He had his first football game last week. (He's number 23 if you are looking at the pictures....) He completed a 60 yard run, as the quarterback, handed the ball off on the next play to have his receiver fumble it and Jackson was tackled. Well - he cried, for the next 30 minutes and would NOT go back into the game, at all.
We discussed it with him and told him that if he hated it, so be it, but he did need to finish the season and then he could never play again if he wanted. BUT, we also told him that we think he is a child that wants perfection and when he gets tackled hard and things go wrong he gets nervous about failing again. So, he went to every practice this week, we didn't baby him and took him to his game today.

Today was a dream - he worked HARD... Their team lost 27-0. But, he was chosen as one of the team captains, he had a sack, some good tackles, he ran the ball for a first down, and most importantly he didn't quit. I am so proud of him. He got home and said - I am so proud of myself! I finished the whole game! As a reward - he's at the BYU football game with his dad right now.... I love that little man - he is seriously such a good kid. What a great moment to get to witness for him - the feeling of accomplishment and not quitting. This to me is what it's all about....

Look what I've got!

2010-08-26T20:31:00.003-07:00

Our family has a 4th grader, 1st grader, and...... a football player.

Jax has joined the Mountain View 1st and 2nd Grade football team and LOVES it. He is the quarterback for right now and has his first game on Saturday.

Could Addie have picked any cuter of an outfit for her first day of school? Love that that girl has her own adorable style. She's awesome....

Our lives are now September crazy. Dance twice a week, Soccer twice or three times a week for Addie, Jax and Gray (he's officially old enough to play and SOO excited), and football 3-4 times a week. I'm saying a big prayer that we make it through September without a melt down.

Out of Bed

2010-08-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

As I'm walking up the stairs to go to bed last night...I decided to stomp my feet or step really heavy as I went up. Thinking that my two boys were in bed and that it would be funny - to scare them a little bit, knowing that Mom was coming up and they'd better stay in bed.

Little did I know - Grayson was already out of bed and in the bathroom....with his shirt off posing and flexing in the mirror. When I started stomping up the stairs, his little cute head pokes out of the bathroom looking nervous and said, "I was just seeing how strong I was!"

Cute little man - flexing in the mirror. Wish I was a fly on the wall in that room.

It took something major to get me blogging again...

2010-08-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

So I've, we've, been busy. The Brousseau clan has had a crazy summer. It doesn't help that both Matt and my jobs are the BUSIEST in the summer. As a result, blogging has fallen off of my priority list.

Today... Emma received her first stitches.

Why is it that my girls end up injured but my kamakaze boys have yet to have anything happen to them? No jinxing myself here.

Emma was trying to walk down the stairs today while holding her blanket. She stepped onto her blanket and fell down the stairs, of course, landing with her forehead directly in to the small corner of the post of the banister. Our rounded, curved banister has a small corner at the bottom. She hit it right between her eyes but close to her left eyebrow. It looked like a great big dent.

We did slow the bleeding but it kept trickling and after 10 minutes decided that she would at least need one stitch because it just looked like this hole... The after hours pediatrician was fantastic. One stitch, some durabond and bandaid, $35, and a lot of Motrin later - she's all fixed up....Stitch stays in for 5 days, no bath for 48 hours.

She is all smiles now and really was a trooper.
Cristal, our babysitter/3rd daughter (it feels like, we LOVE you Cristal!!!) was fantastic under stress, put pressure and ice on it until I got there 5 minutes later. Can I just say that it is an incredible blessing that we have Cristal and that my work is literally 1 minute away.

I will post a picture later ---working on a new computer that has not been set up with my current camera yet.

Someone tell me this? How did I not know that I could go to the after hours Pediatrician for stitches when Addie needed them? $35 for Emma, $800 for Addie. Hmmm...

Sneak Peak Preview

2010-06-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

We finally did it! We had new family pictures taken a few weeks ago. Although we haven't selected our actual picture yet - here is a sneak peak of what they will look like!

Not a good idea...

2010-06-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

In case you were thinking of trying this... It is not a good idea to walk 100% percent reverently to Primary from sacrament. Because if you do, you just might close your eyes all of the way while walking. All of the way reverent means you hae your arms folded, head bowed and eyes closed, like during a prayer. And with your eyes closed, you might think you are walking straight, but really you are veering to the right and walking straight in the direction of the library door jam. My 4 yr. old tried this today and ended up with a HUGE goose egg on his forehead. Just sayin. Not a good idea. Sure made a loud noise though.

Tim the Silver Medalist

2010-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

We had the ABSOLUTE pleasure of attending Tim's Basketball tournament in Boise this past weekend. Tim was fabulous. He had some awesome box outs, rebounds, 3 POINTERS!!!!, and layups. He was fantastic and definitely one of the team allstars. We noticed that the team excelled when Tim was in the game...We had a blast.... So much so that Nathan, Connie's youngest fell asleep at the end. Thanks for inviting us Tim, we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Who's Really in Charge?

2010-06-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Who's really in charge at our house? Mom or Dad? Here's what the kids think....

We recently purchased new soccer balls for all 3 of our older children. For Gray, it was his very first own soccer ball. During Primary this last week, as I am doing my calling of the Primary Chorister, I can see Gray turning around in his chair over and over again to make the class behind him laugh. So, in my midsentence I said, "Gray you just lost your soccer ball." Well that did it. I have NEVER seen him so quickly behave and stay well-behaved for amount of time that he did. He even walked from church to the car with his arms folded and head bowed. It was hilarious. The point of the story is this....

Matt and Jackson were sitting in the car watching Gray walk to them, very reverently. Matt leans out of the window and says, "That is one reverent boy, looks like he's earned his soccer ball back."

Jackson pipes back, "Well, that's just Dad's opinion. Let's see what Mom has to say."

Enough said.

2nd Update!

2010-05-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Addie's Dance Recital .... We were lucky enough to have my parents and Uncle Tim here for the girls' recital this year. The Maile girls were FANTASTIC! Addie was such a delight to watch because of her love of the stage. To think that she was TERRIFIED of being on a stage several years ago, and then to see her up there in front of a large croud having the time of her life.... She's really come far. It's almost as if she's transformed from her mom's personality to her Dad's. My kids are constantly surprising me..... Well done Addie!

Update #1

2010-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

I THINK they are pictures of Jax's soccer team at his last game. They should also be new candids of Gray at his Preschool Program. He did fabulous. Not a lot to tell but LOVED these pictures.

What is different about today?

2010-05-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of our evening yesterday, Grayson really wanted to ride his scooter around the block. We really try to make an attempt to have our Sundays be different from our weekdays so that our kids recognize that we are at least trying to observe the Sabbath day.

Well, when he was told no to riding his scooter he got REALLY mad. Matt sat him down and asked him, "Gray, today is Sunday. What do we do different on Sunday than the other days of the week?"

This is the answer we got -

"We listen."

Awesome - now I know to not tell my kids anything important unless it's Sunday - cause that's the day they listen to me...

Jax's Birthday

2010-05-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

If I were a little boy turning 6 - then I would have had the best birthday ever.

Jackson is amazing - he is incrediby smart, sensitive, sweet and thoughtful. We were remembering the stressful moments surrounding his actual "birth"day and feel incredibly blessed and grateful to have him here in our family!

Jax decided to invite all of his friends to go swimming, go figure, and we had a chance to see that others think he is just as wonderful as we do! He had 17 friends come to his party. What a crazy party that was... He said the best moment of his day was going golfing with his dad.

Grandma and Grandpa Davis - he has been on his rollerblades EVERY possible second that he is allowed to be outside.... Thank you!

Emma...

2010-05-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Our last and final baby is not a baby anymore! Emma turned one on the 29th and I cannot believe the year has flown by. I can remember EXACTLY how I felt a year ago when I was admitted to the hospital. We cannot believe that our mischievous adorable Emma is a walking talking machine. She gets into EVERYTHING and isn't afraid of anything. Perfect. She had the best tempermant for the baby - she just putts around behind everyone else and does her own thing - except if you take her food or blanket away....
We stuck to tradition and gave her her own cake to eat out on the deck. I put one picture in here of me holding her because she was grabbing for hit and had some in her hand already - before I could get her outside.... Stinker. Love you Emma!

The last two pictures are throw-ins.... because Addie scored her first goal! Her competitive Brousseau, um maybe Davis side, is coming out. She got a taste of scoring and hasn't been the same since. I had a picture of her happy face after she scored, but thanks to what felt like being in my own episode of Everybody Loves Raymond episode, the pictures got erased by my helpful husband. He felt awful - I'm just giving him a hard time... And although when her hair is down she has a mullet- Emma's hair fits into pigtails finally! Had to take a picture of it....

10 Year Anniversary

2010-05-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

We did it! We made it to 10 years - 4 kids later, 8 different apartments/houses, a lot of laughs, definitely highs and lows. Definitely more good than bad. We feel old.... and onto the next phase of our lives. I surprised Matt with a trip to Las Vegas to see Phantom of the Opera (which was amazing...) We had the best time - that was the first time we'd truly gone out of town without our kids since we were married. . . Why did we wait so long again? It was so much fun! We were excited to come back and missed our kids, but just a little part of me hated to come back to reality.... Thanks to those that stepped in while we snuck away. Love you babe!

Sorry about the dorky pictures - Matt informed me that we never take any pictures with me in them... There's a reason for that. The statue of liberty in one of the pictures is 100% candy - took that one to show our kids. The picture of us by the Phantom Poster is funny. We needed a new one of us together (although we are taking new family pictures in June) and we both think we look funny. I love it though. Matt's suit jacket hung back behind him and doesn't give him justice of his skinny self and I am NOT pregnant contrary to to what you may think.... I can't wait for the next trip! My kids say it's to Disneyworld....Hm...

Parenting Moments

2010-04-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

You know those moments when one of your children does something that makes you so boiling mad that you physically need to take a step back or you will say all of these juvenile mean things to your child that you really want to? I just had one of those moments.

THANK GOODNESS I was able to take a deep breath and realize that my daughter's self esteem and her learning moment was more important than taking the verbal cheap shot I SOOOO felt like doing. I need to be the parent, material things are not as important as my relationship with my daughter. (I kept saying that to myself over and over and over again.) And you know what? We were able to calmly talk about why you DON'T paint your toenails with BRIGHT red nail polish on the carpet. Because it spills, and can spill for a while before you notice it. It can spill long enough to dump almost the whole thing so it seeps into the carpet pad.

And THANK GOODNESS that I have a mother who answers her phone when I call at any time to give me the sanity, calmness that I needed, and tips on how to get nail polish out of carpet. I call today a success. Addie knows that I love her and where exactly to paint her nails next time.

Here is a picture of our Mother-Daughter Activity Days lunch date. Each daughter was supposed to pick a piece of their Mother's clothing to wear in a fashion show. And we did their makeup and made face scrub. It was really so much fun - I can't believe my first baby is at this point.

See her fashion face pose? She wanted to look serious.

My cute Emma with her Dad at my work's pool and hot tub. That girl is a riot... Thanks cassie for the ponytail advice - I actually got it into pigtails in the back No more mullet!

During spring break we had an animal theme somehow. The aquarium, Farm at Thanksgiving point and the Zoo. At Thanksgiving point they had a small jail for kids to play in... Look at which of my kids wandered in there - Go figure.

BTW, Gray had his first true golfing experience today in a polo shirt and all. He, of course, insisted on having his shirt collar turned up, to keep the sun out, why else? He also liked to dive out of the moving golf cart, again, not surprised!

Spring Soccer has arrived! Jax is playing with the 7 and 8 year olds and having a blast, scoring around 3-4 goals a game. He LOVES it out there.

I just feel completely and overwhelmingly proud of my children right now. Our lives feel hectic and I worried that I would lose touch with them with how much time I am out of the home now... They are fantastic kids and I adore them - even when things are frustrating....

I do not think that word means what you think it means.... (Princess Bride anyone?)

2010-04-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a hair playing party. One of my kids sat on the couch behind me as I sat on the floor and brushed my hair. The other two of the olders laid down in my lap so I could brush their hair. Not that the boys have any hair to be brushed but still. We rotated spots at each commercial. It was so much fun. As I am "brushing" Gray's hair he sighed and said, "That feels soooo good, it feels like a wedgie." Hm......

Running, and running, and running

2010-04-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Running. That is the best word to describe my life lately. Both literally and figuratively. Since I went back to work, the only way I can get some exercise in is on the treadmill. I am very PROUD to say that I am now running 7-8 miles a day. 5 days a week. 8-ish minute miles. That is an accomplishment I didn't think would ever be possible. I love to run - but only after I get going.
This is how I feel when I'm done though.... Here's to training for a half-marathon - my next goal.

My life? Just as crazy. This week I have worked full-time, completed 2 childrens' homework and reading, done 20 loads of laundry, cooked all of the meals, gone to a soccer practice, two soccer games, one preschool field trip, one parent-table helptime at kindergarden, and one preschool reading time. That's at least what I can remember. Life is crazy. Good, but crazy.

I need a nap.

Wanna see something funny?

2010-03-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Go to Youtube and look for "explosion fail." Laugh your head off!

Videos - Prepare Yourself...

2010-03-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Jax and Gray - UVU Basketball

Emma = Spaghetti

Follow the Prophet - Can you tell what song we are working on in Primary?

Emma - love this girl!

Friday = Pizza

2010-02-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

There's something about the end of the week that makes my family crave PIZZA!!! We love to have pizza Friday night for dinner... Anyone else?

Disciplining is a funny thing...

2010-02-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

When working with my kids, I've found that there is no clear path or black and white with disciplining. Instead it's picking and choosing your battles, choosing when to harp on them or when to congratulate them. For instance, yesterday at bedtime Grayson was in trouble. Go figure, Gray + bedtime = trouble. He's tired, not a lot of self-control and I don't blame him. But, he had pushed Addie a little too much so was sent to bed.

After tucking him in, turning the lights off and going downstairs to finish running I heard a loud "MOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!" over and over again. At first I decided it would be better to ignore it. Not to give in and give him the satisfaction of getting a result from yelling. After 15 minutes of it, however, I could stand it no more. I went up there to find him in his room playing with the light back on. And somehow, mysteriously, the fingernail clippers on the floor of his room.

When I asked him how they had gotten there, he immediately fessed up.

"I did it. I brought them in here." Fingernail clipppers are like weapons of destruction in Gray's hands, he can do some damage. So as I proceeded to calmly, be proud of me for that, talk to him about how he shouldn't have them in there, he said,

"Well....., at least I didn't lie!!" And there it is. So, I needed to in the same moment, give props and support the honesty but somehow reprimand ALL of the other things he had chosen to do. Like I said, picking and choosing your battles. So, I congratulated him for being honest and focused on that. Told him we'd have a better day tomorrow that it was amazing he chose to be honest while in trouble, that choice is a hard one to make.

I am CONVINCED that we need to be noticed when we make good choices, even if we only make one good one in the middle of 10 bad ones. I mean, who really wants attention brought to all of their flaws when in the midst of those flaws there is a shining star?? That's how I want it to be with me. So at the end of the conversation - Gray and I just remember that he was honest and celebrated the good choice he had made... So when parenting, I have decided to bring attention to the GOOD choices. I will discuss the bad ones, but put the Good ones on the front burner to show my kids that those Good choices are noticed, right???

Updated Pix of Emma

2010-02-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

Feeling oddly cynical and blah today - not a lot to say, life is same as always around here! - but here are some pics of Emma! She is growing so fast - loved giving her our food at dinner and seeing her go to town on it.

Pix as Promised

2010-02-07T12:46:00.001-08:00

Here are the pix of our basketball hall of fame night. Bill Hoops' little boy Trey is on the far right. See his peace sign? Charles and Jimmer were fantastic and very sweet to come see our fam. Hope you like! New news at our house? Chaos and craziness. We feel a little overscheduled right now. Next week should be somewhat calmer I hope.

I was able to organize a fun night for my tenants this last Friday and had a full house - I loved it. Matt came with me and was able to appreciate my crazy other hundreds of kids. We held a competition night and Matt was the ref for the 3-3 water basketball which was hilarious. I have officially passed my trial/temp period with the Village and am officially permanent there and loving it. Emma has taken a few steps and is about to take off- seriously. Addie is the best helper as always and has straight A's. Jax is working on the balance between his love of sports and the necessity of reading and schoolwork. Working on that. Gray just told me I'm the best mom he's ever had because I game him peanut butter and fluff for lunch. Awesome.

The BEST night of my whole life

2010-02-02T14:37:00.001-08:00

We are so lucky. My little family is lucky because we have an outgoing networking fiend for a Dad/Husband. He is friends with anyone and everyone and that really has come to bring some awesome opportunities as a result. Let me explain. My husband has a friend he plays softball with that works in the Sports Marketing Department at BYU, or something like that. Anyway, he is the nicest friend and anytime has extra tickets to an event, passes them on to my husband.

Over the last few weeks, my husband has gotten to know Charles Abouo who plays basketball for BYU. For dinner last Sunday night, we invited Matt's softball friend and his family over, and a few days before Matt came to me and said - I invited a few BYU basketball players and roommates over too! I didn't hold my breath, wasn't sure if that would really happen, but was hopeful that they would come for my cute boys who love them. Well, sure enough at dinner time, not only did Charles show up, but so did Jimmer Fredette and his roommate Justin.

I tried to prep my kids to not be shy around them, and to also not overdo their excitement but to just treat them like normal regular people. Addie said, shocked, "Mom, they are not regular people! They are famous, and since they are coming to our house, we are famous!" Nice Addie.

If you've met Jackson - you know that he talks about Jimmer on a first name basis and has a shrine to him in his room including one of his shoes from last season. Can you even imagine my son's face and emotions through that night? Needless to say, it was amazing. They played basketball together and ate and talked for over 3 hours. Those players were kind and humble and simply amazing. I have a new respect for them after Sunday night. I believe that they will be coming every now and then for a good (um, not sure about the good part) cooked dinner on Sundays...since they don't have host families like they do in CDA! When they left I asked Jax, with a 10 being the best ever, and a 1 being boring, how he would rate his night.

He thought about, slowly smiled, and said, "This was the best night of my whole life." Perfect. A mother's dream. Thanks to Charles and Jimmer for taking time out of their day, the day right after a win over Utah, to spend with my little boys. Simply amazing. I took some pictures but they are on my camera at home... I will post them later!

Nights at UVU

2010-01-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

So our lives have become crazy busy right? Matt has taken on a second job working for the Alumni Department at UVU. One of his responsibilities is to attend the UVU basketball game to man an alumni table/booth. So... we all come with him - if you know my boys, you know that is totally up their alley. We go to the games and sit right in front of Matt. Now, the basketball court games are played on are in the center of the building with two courts on either side unused during the game. They keep up some hoops and let the kids play on them during the game. So... when we get there each night, Jax takes off to play basketball, Addie sits down to watch the dancers and cheerleaders, Matt heads to his table and Gray goofs off with me. Last time we were there Gray and I got silly with the camera. No laughing at my faces - I HAD to post these pics because the faces Gray made display his silly personality perfectly. I took a picture of Matt and his table too.

During that last game, I realized I hadn't seen Jax in a while. I knew where he was, but he usually comes to check in with me every couple of minutes. Usually he is playing by himself or just shooting around with a few other kids...This time I wandered over and found him in a full-on 4 on 4 game with kids twice his size. Not fazed at all, he was having the time of his life. Notice in the still picture the size of the kid he is guarding. Sorry there are no pics of Addie, she was at the concession stand buying candy, of course.

This picture is of Matt... Can you see him? We were at the Flash game on Friday night and he was picked for a time-out competition. He won us $10!!! Yea Matt!

On a side note- we measured the kids today... Jax who is 5 1/2 is as tall as Addie was when she was almost 7 and Gray, who is 4 1/2ish is as tall as Jax was at 5 1/2, and Emma is 8 mos old and in 18-24 mo. clothes. Hmm.....

I'm not having a good day...

2010-01-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have lost count of how many times I hear Gray say those words. The best of them all was RIGHT when he woke up one morning. He walked down the stairs and sleepily said to Matt and I, "I think we need to call the police." Why Gray? "Cause I'm not having a good day and I need the police to fix it. Let's call the police." Seems like an appropriate reason to call the police I guess...

So we have a relatively new ottoman that is leather in our living room. Apparantly our kids like to wrestle with the cat on it. I came home from work one day to see a nice BIG scratch on it. So, I called RC Willey to come have them repair it. I was hoping to avoid mentioning how I thought the scratch had gotten there, they would repair it and leave. So would the cat in my dream world. Anyway, the repair man came, and first off asked, "How did the scratch happen?" Gray just so happened to walk into the room at JUST that moment and said, IT WAS MY CAT! as loud as he could. Thanks Gray.

New Year's 2009

2010-01-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Every year for New Year's Eve we travel up to Matt's parents and spend a couple of days. Our kids look forward to it and plan out their time there months ahead of time. We have a few traditions that include breakfast in PJs on New Year's morning and a few hours at the Classic Fun center - roller skating, bounce houses and laser tag. Here are the pictures! Notice Emma in the big girl highchair!!! And Gray's face... can't explain it.
Classic Fun Center - Emma finally konked out.

Laser Tag... Gray and Jax loved it!

Apparantly so did Uncle Mark -

The Brousseau/Frank boys - most of the grandkids on Matt's side are boys - can you tell?

The crazies - I missed the memo that it was a crazy picture - My boys with their cousin Hyrum.

Addie on roller skates for the first time! Which by the way - Matt and I roller skated too and it was so much fun. I honestly don't think I had roller skated with a boy before...in the dark... I felt 13 all over again, and I only fell twice (thanks to Addie).

Bounce Houses - the boys love those things.

I love love love this picture of Matt with Emma.

Happy New Year everyone! Here's to hoping this year is better than the last. My motto this year - is that it can only get better. Optimism at its best...

Swimming...and sledding

2009-12-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be invited to Soldier Hollow with our friends last night... Our kids had a blast. Especially Gray who decided to not wait for us after riding down one time, but to instead head up the hill on his own, riding the ride that takes you ALL the way to the top, without his parents so he could ride down the hill again. It was a fast hill - I don't think the pictures give it justice about how big the hill is (ask Matt who ran up it to find Gray :))

This is Jax riding down - look at the later picture to see how squished into his sled he is... Gray -

The ride to the top!

Sorry - for some reason it uploaded it twice...

Swimming! Abby was lucky enough to get her feet and lower legs wet chasing after Eva who went for the hot tub WITHOUT floaties. Just what she wanted - wet pants in the middle of winter...

Swimming in the wintertime is one of those things that is so much more fun because it's in a time when you don't normally get it. Like eating chocolate during labor - you're not supposed to so when you do it tastes SOOO much better.. at least that's what I've heard. Well, my complex has an indoor pool and my kids love it. Today the Maile girls came with us! The older three are having a lateover right now (after swimming) and I have some serious MarioKart competition going on in my downstairs living room...

My baby isn't really a baby anymore...

2009-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've hit a milestone in my life - my baby isn't really a true baby anymore. She has a tooth! I know it's not a big deal, but knowing it's my last baby to cut his/her first tooth - it is to me! And she was not that moody!! Okay, maybe a little, but if this is how teething with Emma is going to be - no problem. She's also trying to stand unassisted and is into EVERYTHING... I have a mover and shaker. Emma also is fed up with baby food - she wants the real stuff. I can't believe it's gone that fast.

It's totally true you know? Don't take anything, not even a moment, for granted because you will blink and it will be gone. I'm trying to relax and enjoy the ride, which for those of you who know me, THAT is very hard to do. I am loving my kids and loving all of their different ages and stages because I know I will not have that with them ever again.

But, I am taking lessons from Abby and listening to her... Although it is not where she wants to be or have happen to her, I am learning from her, she is an excellent teacher and older sister. Abby - we LOVE you. Thanks for being such a great example and for carrying your trials with such grace. It just shows me that you, and even I, can handle anything...

Update

2009-12-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Okay - I know it's been forever since I've blogged... I don't really have any major news to post! I can tell you that we have crazy lives, don't we all, but that we are SOOO excited for Christmas this year. We had a small parenting milestone in that our oldest figured out the "truth" about christmas. According to Addie, it's just not realistic that Santa could make it to all of the houses in one night. Now she just wants to help eat the cookies and of course know what EACH present is. She's such a grown-up in a child's body.

Emma is almost walking I swear, and she won't be 8 months till next week. She is the HAPPIEST baby now that she can move around. We love that little crazy.

Jackson is playing basketball - as always. He's playing in the front yard, in the living room, has figured out how to bounce them on the top portion of our vaulted ceiling in the kitchen...he has also asked for a hoop that can go on the door in his bedroom. Go figure.

Grayson is so sick of waiting for Christmas to come. How many times does this 4-year old have to hear that he cannot have that toy today but should WAIT to see if he gets it for christmas. The wait is becoming unbearable. He told me today that christmas is never going to come... poor kid. If only he knew how awesome he's going to feel in 2 days.

Matt is loving having the best time starting his part-time job at UV. He will be at all of the bball games starting in Jan. and cannot wait to get his feet truly wet in marketing with them. Bless him right now because he is out installing fence and having a miserable time. Comes with having a job right? Not always the best time but is worth it in the end. We are so proud of how hard he works for us.

Me? I'm loving my job and have a lot, I mean a lot of work to do. I walked into a big mess. For those of you who know me well, you know that I don't mind it and love fixing it. I am basically a parent to my 4, and now 430 other teenagers... I have plenty of moments where I am torn wondering and worrying if I am doing the right thing and whether my kids will suffer from this and from having someone else watching them during the day. I also have moments of complete peace and answers from Heavenly Father that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing right now. I have moments where I feel supported and moments where I feel judged. You know the moments when someone finds out you work full-time and have someone else watching your kids, when they say "Oh..." like that. Love those moments. Actually I hate them...

We are missing our Grandpa Davis... He was here long enough that we got used to having him here! Lucky Idaho family...

So there's the update... I am so excited for Christmas! I have been walking around singing Jingle Bells for the last two weeks because I am so excited for the presents I know are under the tree! Thanks for the tradition Mom!

Sweet Jackson

2009-12-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know my Jackson - you know that he has a tender sensitive heart. A mom from another kindergardener from school shared this story with me this weekend about my sweet young man.

So - there is a bully at school - he is not in Jackson's class but plays at the same recess time. He has been a problem for some time - Jax in fact had some anxiety from this boy at the beginning of the year and we talked to the teacher about it.

Last week this bully came up to a boy from Jackson's soccer team and kicked him, when he fell down, he started throwing wood chips on him, and then kicked him some more. Jackson, saw this happen and ran over and laid down with/in front of his friend to take the brunt of the blow. He laid down on the ground and protected his friend, and in fact, was then kicked instead of Braden. When I asked him about it - he just said that he wanted to take care of Braden and shrugged it off.

I am so completely proud of my little man - I know now that when he is gone from me that he is making good choices - that he is learning the correct way to serve and love others. It just exemplifies what a truly good kid he is - I love love love that little boy.

---He also has figured out that when this bully runs by chasing after someone to torment that he can stick his foot out ever so slightly and trip him, or that he can lay in wait on top of the monkey bars during a similar situation and if he times it just right can drop down and take this kid out to protect whomever he was going after next.... Nice Jax.

Abby

2009-12-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

So I know that things are awful for Abby right now... And there aren't many times when she feels joy or happiness... However, at the Maile Thanksgiving dinner I was taking pictures of a game Mona and Junior were playing with the kids and caught a picture of this...

It was a breath fresh air to see true happiness - relaxed laughter from her.. We love you Abby!

Piece of advice

2009-11-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Do not, I repeat, do not give a 4-year old a piggyback ride up the stairs RIGHT after giving him cold and cough medicine. If you do - you might, just might, end up with puke in your hair and down your shirt. I'm just sayin...

The true alphabet

2009-11-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

So I know I'm overblogging about Gray - but I just couldn't pass this up...

Tonight I was educated on the true alphabet. It goes like this...

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K, I know why you pee. . . Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z...

Perfect.

Primary Program 2009

2009-11-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

I first want to say that ALL of my kids did a fantastic job with their parts and singing their songs in this year's Primary Program. I was truly a proud mother. Addie's class had a solo and she was fantastic and beautiful. Jax memorized his part all by himself and his class had a solo, which he proudly did. It was the sideshow that Gray provided, however, that I want to highlight this year. First, this year, the primary president placed all of the sunbeams in the front row, a row of little primary chairs in front of the bishop's row. At the practice, when the kids stood up to sing, we quickly realized Gray was too tall.. So, they moved him to the side of the front row so as to not block the view for those behind them. This did place him right beside the wood half-wall. You know? Right by the stairs?

So, in his new seat, during the primary program itself, Gray provided the WHOLE ward with a sideshow that included repeatedly trying to hang himself with his tie, making the noises, faces and everything. When that was done he began having a make-believe transformer war with his hands and the half-wall next to him noices and all again. Explosion sounds, men dying, you get the picture. And THEN, he began making out with the wood half'-wall next to him. What I mean was making fish faces on it, pushing his lips into it and talking loudly... I, being the primary chorister, was in the front row and kept yelling (under my breath) at Gray to stop. When I could not get him to do so - I had to call him down to me. He didn't like that one bit, and on his way back UP to his seat, stomped the whole way making loud mad noises. Then he sat back down in his seat and cried loudly, during the program. Last but not least, when it was his class' turn to get up and say their parts, instead of walking along in front of the small chairs, he decided to stand up on them, jump over them and walk behind them. At least that's how I think it went down in his head. What really happened you ask? He started to jump over the chair and caught his back foot on the back of the chair and bit it. Loudly... a loud thump onto the hollow stand by the podium.

This was definitely a primary program to remember. The show of '09, the year of Gray.

Change of Plans

2009-11-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

So just when you think you know which way you're headed - Heavenly Father throws a wrench in your plans. In looking for additional/new/second incomes for Matt, I came across a job posting for an apartment complex manager. So, I submitted my resume to find out more about it - the posting was really vague and stated it the job wouldn't be starting for a while. I knew that my days watching Covelli would be over soon so I thought I should at least look into it... Well, the property owners called and after a few meetings - offered me a position, immediately. After working out some kinks and making sure our kids will be well taken care of, loved and not able to fall through the cracks - I've accepted the job. I start on Wednesday! I am totally excited - I am hesitant and worried - but I am peaceful that Heavenly Father wants our family to do this. I'm going to try and see if it works for us. . Here's to being an adult and making the hard choice.

How Abby feels about Halloween...

2009-10-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. Abby - Halloween.

We had the pleasure of starting our trick-or-treating off with Abby and the girls. Abby has no problem letting you know that Halloween is her least favorite holiday. So, when Lose showed the same emotion when a house was not home to give her candy, I thought we should document it... Although Abby - my kids had a blast with yours. And somehow, your girls always look adorable and as if it was easy for you.
This isn't a Halloween picture but I had to throw it in. Can you believe this gorgeous boy? He was actually sitting there talking to me in this pose when I realized how adorable he looked. Can I please have eyes like that?

Maile and Brousseau kids. . .

We were lucky enough to have a last minute Zeller sleepover last night. . . The boys decided to fit all four of them on the air mattress in the living room - which didn't last long. . . They had soo much fun together though.

We were taking still shots of each of the kids but who knew we'd get the treasure of Line in mid-cheer too!!

Emma's costume was my FAVORITE this year. . . a little pink bug.

At the very end of trick-or-treating our neighborhood. Emma was a trooper and konked while we walked...

Supermodel

2009-10-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

So Matt says we grow supermodels around here. Isn't he sweet? Our daughters are our pride and joy, of course, but bias aside they are TALL. So Matt, to keep me from freaking out and thinking our girls will be freakishly tall so that they won't ever get asked out or have boyfriends, just tells me they are going to be his beautiful supermodels. Emma had her 6-month check up today. AND. . . Yea! Thanks to all of the love, support, and prayers - she does NOT need a helmet. Thank goodness. That is one more budget item I don't have room for right? She also grew 2 inches in 6 weeks. She is off of the charts in her height. Go figure. . .

Naki's Viewing and Funeral

2009-10-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are wanting a chance to say goodbye to Nox here's the info -

Viewing - Thursday from 7-9 pm at the stake center (150 East 1600 North, Orem)
Funeral - Friday morning at 11 am, same place (stake center as above) with a second viewing before from 9:45-10:45.

Thanks again for all of your love and support. . .

My Brother Naki

2009-10-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly this morning. Naki Maile, father of 6 young girls, my beautiful nieces, died early this morning in his home. He was only 32. He was simply amazing and a fantastic teacher and person. Our Brousseau family will never forget him or the lessons we learned from him. We love his girls, including his Abby. One of his best friends in life, his brother Carlton has set up a website in his honor. For those of you who are interested you can go to http://www.nakifamily.com/ to read more about him. For those out there that know the Maile family and would love to help them, aside from love they truly need financial help at this time. Abby now has the enormous responsibility of raising these 6 girls, ranging in age from 9 to 1. Any other donations can be made through Wells Fargo under the account name of the Naki Maile family. Thanks for your love and support...

That took too long. . .

2009-10-14T19:29:00.001-07:00

So during dinner this evening . . .Gray said he had to go to the bathroom and ran upstairs. . . .

and didn't come back for at least 10-15 minutes. You wonder, what were you the mom doing for that long and not notice he was gone??? I did notice - I was feeding Emma, and even commented to Matt - Gray's been up there for too long, that's not normal. So I yelled to him to see if he was okay. He yelled back, "I'm just going to the bathroom!" He did come back after a while and we moved on with our night of dinner, cleanup, bathing Emma, etc. It wasn't until I went into my bathroom and noticed the scissors and hair on the counter and floor that I realized what he had ACTUALLY been doing. Candy - sound familiar? Soo a new haircut for Gray happened tonight. . .

I also took a couple of new pictures of Emma. . . Enjoy!

I told Gray to show me how he felt about cutting is hair and this is what I got. . .

This is how he feels about his new haircut, the only solution to what he had done...

This is stressful. . .

2009-10-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

So we have a small dilemma at our house. Okay, it's a big one to me. Emma has a flat spot on the back side of her head. After our last pediatrician appointment they let us know that if it doesn't improve we will need to take her to a specialist and most likely fit her for a helmet. No problem right? Well, apparantly helmets are medical supplies and insurance does NOT cover it, any of it. Any guesses as to how much those cost? $2000. So, here's the deal. On top of that, Matt works in the construction industry. Enough said right? Money isn't exactly flowing, not even close. . . So - we REALLY need your help. Can you please please please pray for our family that either Emma's head will improve or some miracle will happen that will help us to afford the help that she would then need if it doesn't?

For those of you that know me. . . I hardly ever ask for anything. I'm at the point that I'm asking. I feel close to the brink of a stressful break. . . lots going on, don't need to complain, vent, or whine. Emma's little dilemma just feels like the straw that just might break the camel's back. Please add us to your prayers. . . .

Thanks everyone. . . .

Things I've Learned from Kids

2009-10-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

So I learned a few new things from kids this week -

First - Gray taught me that gardens are "places where we grow the food that we don't like."

Second - I learned that when burying an animal/pet you should break out into song, specifically the Star Spangled Banner. It helps with the tension and grief. It's the perfect funeral song.

Third - I learned that Bumblebee, the transformer, has a last name, it's Tuna.

Here's to a great next week!

Addie 2009 Soccer Photo

2009-09-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Okay - I apologize for way over-blogging this week or so. . . but I just got Addie's soccer pix for this year and had to post them - isn't she gorgeous???

Odds and ends

2009-09-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

So the rule at our house is when our kids are fighting they end up in a hugging timeout - for an indefinite length of time - that the parents get to decide. At this particular time - Addie and Jax were fighting so they had a 5 minute hugging time-out. Gray, was NOT in trouble or even involved. He did, however, walk through the room when it was happening and seemed to think it was just a big fun LONG hug, so he decided to get in on the action...

Gray has been waiting for his birthday to come forever it seems like and couldn't wait to have a "friend" party. Here are all of his little buddies at that party - he had the best time. Props to Bailee who was the ONLY girl there. . .

Matt found the build-a-bear helmet for a bear of the boys and decided to put it on Emma. . .

Poor Emma - she got tired, no pun intended, of waiting for her brothers to finish lunch so that naptime could start. . . Cute girl right?

Today. . . 54%

2009-09-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Walgreens, Smiths and Target. I spent $78.77 total and saved $92.19!!! Yea me!! I'm going to get better at this too. . . .This coupon thing takes some time to get used to but when you save 54% that's just plain great incentive. . .

A day of nothing. . .

2009-09-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever woken up in the morning and just hated the fact that you were up at all and that a new day had started? When that happens to me I just rebel, stay in my sweats all day, eat junk, and definitely don't exercise. DVR anyone? That's my day today. We all need a day like that every once in a while right? I'm sure it's a unwritten rule somewhere. So here's to nothing!

Gray's Day

2009-09-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Opening with a picture of Emma. . . I know - not what the post is about - but it's such a cute picture I couldn't resist. . . Matt took this with his phone yesterday - love this girl!

Gray turned 4 yesterday and we had the best time with him ever. He is the funniest kid - he told me yesterday that he is now too old to hold my hand. Stink. He got a Transformer BumbleBee costume and he wore it almost all day. . . See him fighting the imaginary bad guys?

His most favorite bday cake ever - TMNT. Thanks to all of the family who came down for his party yesterday!

Grandma Davis - these are the books which he LOVES!

Happy Bday Gray!

I love me some Matt. . .

2009-09-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today is my best friend's birthday. I love this guy. . . He is the kindest, sweetest, bluntest, toughest, most honest, hard working, best guy. We've been together for 10 years now and it just keeps getting better. Through thick and thin, lots of drama and hard times, and the sweetest most tender moments, Matt has been there for me. Happy birthday babe! P.S. Can you see how long my hair was? Dang it. . .

Remember when?

2009-09-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry the pic is so small - I can't figure out how to scan and enlarge it. Just click on it. . . So as school has started again for my kids - I pulled this picture out and couldn't help but remember when it was us! For those of you in this picture that have kids - can you see your kids in you? I can. . .

Finally!

2009-09-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Gray had his first day of preschool yesterday and he LOVED it. In his words, "It was totally awesome mom, just totally awesome." He was more than ready. . . Again, my pics are uploading weird. . . Jax's first soccer game of the season. . . Loves it as always. We moved him up an age group so he's playing with the 6-8 year olds and having the best time. . .

Popquiz

2009-09-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Pop Quiz - Can you decide who Emma looks the most like? Crazy isn't it??

This picture is Jax - Emma -

Addie . . .

And Emma again . . .

Haircut Part 2

2009-09-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

So the upside tonight? I emailed the girl that cut my hair (Matt's idea) and let her know how I was feeling and what I thought was wrong with it. . . She responded almost immediately and met us at the salon to fix it this evening - on a weekend, after hours. . . And is giving me a refund. Honesty with some humility pays off right? We'll see how the hair works when I try and do it myself tomorrow. . . Keep you posted if you want...

Bad hair cut. . .

2009-09-06T15:48:00.001-07:00

Have you ever gotten a really bad haircut? I have . . . yesterday. Let's just say I went in for color and a trim and left with a female version of a mullet. There's no fixing it either. . . My (in my mind) beautiful hair is gone by at least 3-4 inches, and I have this interesting mushroom top for the top layer. So here's to a ponytail for at least the next 6 months. . . What would you do or have you done when this happened to you?

Addie's 1st Soccer Game. . .

2009-09-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

So Addie finally played her very first soccer game! She was so excited but really nervous. . . which she told me afterwards... She was fantastic! She played both the defender and mid-fielder position. What was so much fun to see was that she actually understood each position and played it the way she should have! Her cute face was all bright red cause it was 90 degrees out and her team lost but she was awesome. She has never played any sports before, has never had any interest before now - so, we were really curious to see how this would go - and it was awesome! She even grunts every time she kicks the ball - Aren't the pictures cute? Little girls playing soccer is really fun to watch... I cannot figure out why when I upload pictures in one order the computer puts them on the blog in a different one. . . but this picture was supposed to be at the end. . . Anyway - this is what I found when I came into the backyard yesterday? The question is - was it on purpose or on accident?

Quite the gentleman. . .

2009-08-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

I drive a carpool to school in the morning so that I only have to drive to the school once a day. Bear with me, I'm going somewhere with this. . . One of the other children that I bring to school is in kindergarten with Jax. She is an adorable very girly girl little redhead. She loves her dresses and cute shoes and her hair done. We love little Taryn. Anyway, for those of you who know Jax, you know that he has no interest in girls. One asked him to be her boyfriend once and it did not go her way. .. He is into sports and all things boy and definitely not into girls.

Well, on the second day of school, I asked him not to run ahead, but to walk with Taryn. She was wearing a dress and little flats and didn't want to run. So, being the gentleman, he stayed behind. These pictures are of what happened. First she grabbed his hand to hold it and he let her for about 5 seconds and then took his hand back and put it on his backpack straps. That did not deter her, she grabbed it again anyway determined, of course. So next he thought if he ran really fast she wouldn't keep up and would let go. Nope. She held on with all of her might and kept up with him. So, again being a gentleman and not wanting to come out and tell her he didn't want to hold hands, he slowed down and just let her. . . Even when they walked through a group of much older kids who all looked at them and smiled (at how adorable it was!). Anyway, we girls are determined to get our "man" to hold our hands right! Taryn's persistence paid off. . . I was really proud of him for not hurting her feelings even though I could see that he was DYING inside. . .

Sorry about the picture of Gray uploading in the middle of these . . . He seems to think he's going to kindergarten too. Two more years Gray! And - can you see Taryn's hair bouncing from running in the second picture?

We girls don't give up. . . If you look closely, when Jax got to the playground he wanted to play until the bell rang. Taryn did not - but didn't want to part from Jax - so. . . she waited for him at the edge. What a cute cute little girl . . . Debbie - if you read this - she is so adorable - thanks for letting us take her with us in the mornings . . .I love the conversations I get to have with her. . .

Results of Emma's Haircut

2009-08-24T10:54:00.002-07:00

Here's the final result of Emma's haircut! These are the best picture shots I could get of her - it's hard to get her to sit still. . . .

School

2009-08-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again and I LOVE it. Some mom's are sad to see their kids go off to school but I seriously love it. I love seeing their independence, the opportunity to have something they do that is simply theirs instead of all 3 or 4 of theirs, and how they love being at school - at least my kids do. . . Here are the pictures from their father's blessings before school started. . . I feel so blessed that I have a husband worthy and willing to give that gift to his children. . .

Happy school year!

Look what I did!

2009-08-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Okay - couple of things. Emma had old man hair. Plain and simple. So, after a phone call to Auntie Candy I took matters into my own hands and evened some things out. Basically, a little bit off of the top and some evening out of the bottom back hair. See the hair I cut off? Pre-hair cut- see what I'm talking about?

PS - She hated hated hated the hair cut and was soo mad at me for awhile after that . . . totally worth it.

Addie's first day of school! School is FINALLY here, I love the school year for my kids. All three of the older ones will be in some form of school this year and I couldn't be happier. . . Why the pose you ask? Because it's Addie. . . enough said.

I did it!!!! I got Emma to go to sleep in her bed WITHOUT swaddling her. We've had a love hate relationship with it over the last couple of days and so I've decided to leave it behind altogether. Well today at afternoon naptime - she fell asleep like this within 2 minutes. Rock on. Is she a little Brousseau baby or what?

What do you get?

2009-08-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you combine a little boy who loves baseball, a rainy day, and a wall? This. . . "Sorry mom." Is what I heard. I'm still trying to find the humor in it. . .

A big girl. . .

2009-08-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

So a few new things have happened for Emma. She loves to stand so much that we got her a jumping toy. Even though she's not really tall enough for it and we have to put something under her for her feet to touch. This is her first day in it - she stayed in it for so long that she fell asleep there. . . I'm such a great mom. . . She was dressed and ready for swimming so I moved on to help get the other kiddos get ready. Poor 4th child right - totally neglected. (totally not - that girl is spoiled)

I love love love this picture. Emma is eating cereal! I started her this morning and she loved it. I could tell she was ready because she has been getting up during the night again instead of her normal sleeping for 8-10 hours at night. I wasn't sure how it would go - thought she might hate the cereal and gag on it but. . . She's a Brousseau and loves her food! Doesn't she look happy? Sorry the last picture didn't rotate - I was trying to capture the cereal on her face.

Lagoon

2009-08-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't have any pictures but we had the best experience taking the kids to Lagoon on Friday. . . Matt's mom was the best grandma and agreed to take Emma for the day so that we could take the kids without the littlest one. And, Matt's sister Michelle came along with her husband and kids. . .which meant that Addie had a riding buddy with her cousing Kenzie. That, long story short, meant that Matt and I could go with the Jax and Gray. It was the best time ever. Those boys went on every possible ride that they could and we stayed till it closed. Gray, no surprise, was tall enough for all of the roller coasters this year. We took him on the ones we thought his little stomach could handle. His favorite was the bat because according to him, he was flying like Buzz Lightyear. (The bat is the one where your seat hangs from the rail above you). Addie went on the "loop-de-loop" roller coaster that loops twice, 10, that's right 10 times. She also went on the free-falling ride. That girl has NO fear anymore I swear. Jax was my riding buddy for most of the time and we just had the best time. He wanted to try EVERYTHING.
There's just something about having reconnecting, making new memory time with your kids. Thanks to Grandma Kathy and a BIG thanks to Mona for the help getting there!

A Bad Moment. . .

2009-08-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

So - last sunday was a rough one for Grayson and I. . . he found himself in trouble in Primary - multiple times. Let's just say there was a little of him sticking his tongue out at me, a little NOT staying in his chair, a little scripture tossing, and a little of who knows what when in his classroom. So - Matt decided to have a man-to-man conversation with him and the two of them walked home from church while the rest of us drove. Here's how the conversation went -

Matt - "So, what happened during church today Gray?"
Gray - "Dad, I was just having some bad moments."
Matt - "Well, what were you doing?"
Gray - "I stuck my tongue out at mom, I wouldn't stay in my chair, and I was kicking."
Matt - "You were kicking? Who were you kicking, was it your teacher?"
Gray -"Dad, I wasn't kicking anyone (with an exasperated look and hand gestures), I was just practicing my karate!!!!"
Matt- "Gray, you are a great kid, you're right, you were just having some bad moments today. Let's work on not doing karate during church okay?"
Gray - "Okay Dad, I'll try."

How many 3 year olds will tell their parents they are just having a bad moment? That's the new saying around here, it's like the get out of jail free card. . . . Just having a bad moment. I've had some of those. . . .

Painting Part 2

2009-08-03T08:55:00.001-07:00

Here's the second half of our Saturday. . . Project - downstairs bathroom . The pictures make it look like black but it's really dark brown. . . We let the kids help with this one. . . One more to do - upstairs bathroom hopefully this week! Grayson was a great painter. He loved it. BUT - when he was done he felt the need to leave his mark on the wall. . . Can you see it?

Finally did it!

2009-08-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

We've talked about it for a while - and on saturday we finally did it. . . Notice anything different?

Just different. . .

2009-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you just don't fit in and maybe are a little different than everyone else? Maybe instead of feeling out of place, when we feel this way, we need to realize that we simply have a different type of beauty. No one person (or flower) is prettier or more amazing than the other - just different.

Addie brought a small flower home from school in a paper cup last May. . . We planted it along with our other flowers for the front of our house and weren't even sure it was going to make it. This is what has happened in the last week or so. It took it's own time to bloom, changed colors 3 times, from red, to yellow to a beautiful orange. Perhaps it was simply trying to decide who or what it wanted to be and only bloomed when it felt ready and comfortable. It was definitely worth the wait. That flower is my favorite out of the many planted on our front porch. Unique and magnificent. . .

Have you ever?

2009-07-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever ventured outside on a Sunday evening for a small fireside chat with some friends? I have - and gotten 42 mosquito bites from the knees down as a result. Needless to say - not sleeping much because of endless itching...

Two peas in a pod, Trip to Boise, and a Cinderella sighting! (among other things)

2009-07-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

So Addie and some friends were playing dress-up the other day and Grayson felt left out. . . Needless to say we know what's on his birthday list! Wandering hand during naptime anyone?

Some new pictures of Emma - long time coming. Sorry for the ones that didn't rotate like I thought they would.

In the mix- the only picture I remembered to take during our jaunt to Boise to drop off the girls. . . Bless Line's heart. She put up with A LOT on that car ride.

Two peas in a pod - I thought it appropriate that I take a picture of Emma's older twin. . . Anyone else see the resemblance?

Gray in the background trying to get Emma to smile for me. The one I didn't get was of him trying to hold her eyelids open. Nice Gray.

Pictures of Addie to come in the next blog. She, having had a liberating independent trip from her parents is now convinced that she can and will make dinner for the fam any night possible. She was making some mac and cheese in the kitchen while I was doing this. . . She rocks. What do I really need to do around here anymore that Addie doesn't want to do? Probably the toilets - she's got the rest down. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Piano Lessons

2009-07-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Not to follow Cassie's lead - but, now that Emma is a little bit older - I am ready to take on a few more piano students again! I have some students currently, so not all afternoons are open but. . . I'm ready for some new little ones! I'm mostly focusing on beginners - or those in the few beginning years. I'm also thinking of adding a piano recital around Christmas and the end of the school year for parents to attend. . . Call me or email me if you are interested!

Question. . .

2009-07-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the question - What do you get when you combine a pair of shorts with about 50 business cards in the pocket and a washing machine???

Answer- An unplanned confetti party in my laundry room. . . Yea me.

Remember when. . .

2009-07-20T07:36:00.001-07:00

Found these pictures as Matt and I were reminiscing last night. Is that how you spell that? Anyway, the first one you have to zoom in on because it's a shout out to Naki's hair. The second one we thought was perfect as those 4 little ones are all old enough for the retreat this year. . .

Look like anyone?

2009-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

I know it's hard to see, but I think if you double-click on these they can be enlarged. . . Anyway - looking through my baby pictures and thought that maybe it would help to show why we think Gray looks so much like a Davis. . .

Emerson

2009-07-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

For those that asked - Emma has gained over 4 lbs and has grown 4 inches in her two months with us. She is in the 95% for her weight. . . Not surprised of course. We love this girl!

Look what I got!

2009-07-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

I finally got a picture of Emma smiling! Okay - not this one - but it's on this blog post. It's funny how when they are little babies their pictures either look completely alien or adorable right? Anyway - here are some pictures from the 4th too. . . Hope you all had a good one.

Not this one -
Not this one either -

This one!!!!! Okay it's only a half smile but it's better than nothing. . .

Who does this remind you of?

2009-07-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

Does this picture remind anyone of Emma???

Things I've Learned

2009-06-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

So I've learned a few things over the last few weeks. Let me give some background. . . We just took a trip to CDA Idaho for a week and a half for my older brother's wedding/family reunion. We had the times of our lives. I've tried to post as many pictures as possible to let those who were there see them, and those who were not - to see what a blast it was. Okay, things I've learned while there. . .

-It's possible to have the best parents in the world as examples to show you how to successfully make it through 40 years of marriage.(my parents anniversary was also this weekend)
-Uncle Russell has NEVER ending energy and is completely entertaining to children of all ages. They flock to him and you know what? He always makes them feel special - whatever it is they are interested in doing - that's what they do. He's a great example to Matt and I of how we want to be with our kids.
-It's possible for 6 baby girls to be born in one year in one family. . . I got a picture of Harley and Emma who are 18 days apart but that's it. . sorry!
-It's possible, even at my advanced age of 30, to still put my foot in my mouth. And likewise, it is never too late and you are never too old to learn from your siblings and parents on how to be a better person and how to improve yourself. This week was eye-opening for me.
-Uncle Steven Daines has a never-ending sense of humor and brings out the little kid in my husband. . . literally.
-Aunt Cassie has the ability to plan and coordinate an amazing reunion - by the way - you must be exhausted.
-Candy and I have the ability to haul 7 kids up there on our own without any husbands . . . Including taking on a horribly mean guy in Dillon. I still wonder what would have happened if he had dared get out of his car. . .
-There is never an age too old to jump off a dock into a freezing cold lake.
- It actually is possible to get a huge 300 lbs (approx) person stuck in the sand. . . Who knew.
-I have amazing children and amazing nieces and nephews. It is always possible and awesome to add more to the bunch. This last week we got 4 new ones to our family and they are amazing!
-The term sister is not just defined by blood alone. Kami - we love you and think you are the perfect addition to our family!
-It is never too late in life to find true love after years of hardship... As cheesy as it sounds, true love does exist - we are soooo excited for Matt and Kami - the new and expanded Davis family. We wish we lived closer to you guys!
-There is never a wrong time to apologize to someone who is hurt and to make relationships better and improved. . . .
-My Davis family, all members, are amazing and giving people. We had the time of our lives and cannot wait till next years' reunion!

Hope you enjoy all of the pictures!

I posted this one simply for Tim's face. . .

Someday. . .

2009-06-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

So Gray just finished watching Karate Kid for the first time. This is what I heard right after -
" Daniel kicked that guy and won. I bet I'll be like that someday. I hope I can . . ."Awesome.