You are my Sunshine

Guess who couldn't make it

2012-01-25T18:46:00.001-08:00

I guess I was taking to long between bites. It was just one of those nights....

She's ready!

2012-01-20T12:21:00.001-08:00

A few days ago I had Sierra put on the pretties she had received for Christmas from aunt Leauna, I then took a picture to send to her. Then, today because she was all dolled up in her pretty skirt with Benjamin's star wars t-shirt and little green men socks, I wanted to take her picture again.
When I asked if I could take her picture, she ran in her room! I thought she was running away, not wanting her picture taken. Yet, she came back a few minutes later all dolled up in shoes, sunglasses, bracelet, necklace and purse.
I love this girl! What fun she is!

CHRISTMAS MORNING

2012-01-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas around our house is actually pretty relaxing. We have the kids who don't get up early...we generally have to wake them up. Our kids are also the type who like to play with a toy after they open them. It takes ALL day to get Christmas done at our house. In fact this year, the tree was down before the presents were all opened. Most of those were Sierra's due to her afternoon nap.

We let them play with the Santa toys before breakfast and church. Then we headed to church for an hour, came home and let them open everything else.

Daniels stocking was full of Angry Birds. he LOVES them, they're just the right size for him to chew on.

The mass chaos that was our living room. You can't even see Andrew, he's buried behind all the wrapping paper!

Sierra's favorite this year...a doll with a binkie and cup, and a cradle for her doll to sleep in. She carries the doll with her everywhere and they both have to have their binkies and cups at bedtime. Ben really enjoyed her doll and cradle too:)

A Christmas story

2012-01-17T15:09:00.001-08:00

Just before Christmas the kids were able to participate in the Christmas Story. One of the YW put it together for one of her YW projects. They worked on it for several weeks before performing it for the parents on the 23rd.

Sierra was an angel, along with Amy Jensen, Ashlan Phillips, Gillian Ellsworth, Sara Jensen, Aubrey Miller and Mia Thomlinson.

Here's Andrew as a wise man with Conner Peterson and Jacob Miller
Our Little Shepherd Ben!

Sierra got her cast put on just a few days before the performance, here she is showing it off. I'm also glad I whipped together this angel costume, her arm wouldn't fit through the arm of the dress she was supposed to wear.Angel Gabriel (Davin Peterson) telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus

Our Angels Sierra's hiding, she didn't even want to go on stage, she was crying just before this.

The shepherds visiting baby Jesus (Daniel)Andrew proclaiming they're going to see the baby Jesus.

Wise Men visiting the baby Jesus

the cast visiting the baby Jesus....shepherds shepherding the shepherds and angels.

Mary (Abby Phillips) Joseph (Brayden Peterson) baby Jesus (Daniel) Star (MacKensie Peterson)

MacKensie, Austin, Sierra

"wheee!!! Rollercoaster!!

2012-01-14T17:42:00.001-08:00

That's what Sierra kept saying as we drove the 15+ miles of switchbacks through Sequoia national park today.
Andrew chose to try and sleep to avoid the nausea and Ben just chilled.

Our new "toy"

2012-01-12T15:03:00.001-08:00

At least that's how the kids see it;) I've decided it's time to get into shape. We bought a treadmill, and if you're going to play Dr. Mario, you might as well get some exercise!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-10T14:09:00.001-08:00

So, yeah, this is how we decorate our christmas tree.... making the peanuts "snow"

With a HUGE smile because "I can do it all byself!"

AND....half naked...yeah, this is Sierra most of the time....it's a good thing we live in Bakersfield where it's still pretty warm.

Sleepy girl

2011-12-22T14:41:00.001-08:00

Benjamin told me the other day that "Sierra is so pretty when she sleeps. I like to go in and look at her." this after he had gone in her room several times while she was asleep.
So, I decided I would take a picture of her sleeping. She is pretty darn cute:)

Ohhh Sierra

2011-12-21T22:08:00.001-08:00

Last week Sierra decided to climb out of bed. I had put her in her bed with a book. I later heard a thud, listened for crying, heard none so I figured she'd thrown her book out then gone to sleep. A while later we heard her crying so Bob went to check in her. He found her behind the door. I felt SO bad:( She was fussy on sunday, and I thought she was doing better on Monday. But by tues morning I realized she was compensating for a sore wrist, she was pulling herself up using her elbow. I called the DR and got her in for later that morning. After xrays, we found out she had fractured her wrist, in one possibly two places. Poor little thing:(

Here she is hanging out in the DR's office waiting for Dr. Grimm.

The Dr decided to splint her wrist so that she couldn't damage it anymore. She was NOT happy. now she couldn't use her hand. Here we are at the Xray place waiting for our turn. Poor thing, it was WAY past her lunch and nap time. What a trooper she was! She did NOT like having to lay down and have pictures taken....not a huge fan of laying on a table.Her pretty cast. We were able to get in the next day to put a cast on it. She was so good! Didn't even move while they wrapped it. I think it bothers her brothers more than her. Andrew was so worried about her because she couldn't move her elbow.

Ginger bread Houses

2011-12-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Last week for FHE we decided to decorate the last of our gingerbread houses. I say last because the week before, Bob's deacons were at our house decorating houses. I had made 8 plus Sierra's little one. Not all the young men showed up so we had 3 extras and gave 2 away to be decorated.

This was an intense process! Lots of candy to be eaten!

Sierra actually did a fantastic job! I put the frosting on and she would stick a piece of candy on the house. Even now when she points to the houses she points to the little one and says "mine" she's very proud of herself!

Sierra's little house that she's very proud of.

Andrew and Benjamin's house that daddy helped with.

A side shot a few days later after Ben took the little gingerbread men off!

Next year, I think we'll just do giant gingerbread men and women:) It sure was fun though!!

Ward Christmas party

2011-12-16T14:30:00.001-08:00

Andrew was able to play a few songs at the ward christmas party. He played little drummer boy and silent night. Before I could get the video rolling Ben had made his way to the piano and was looking cute.

Look who is growing up!

2011-12-05T13:06:00.001-08:00

Daniel's loving being able to sit up in the bumbo seat. The kids love it too, great new perspective for everyone involved:)

Oranges and Sierra!!!

2011-12-03T10:48:00.001-08:00

Sierra LOVES fruit right now it's mandarins oranges or tangerines...whatever they are:) when we would peel one for her and give her a few slices, she seemed ok with it, then one day that wasn't good enough! She'd figured out she wasn't getting all of it. She wanted THE WHOLE THING!! And don't break it into pieces! We had to give it to her whole so that she could eat it like an apple:)
Then yesterday she found one and decided to peel it on her own! She came to me with a nasty look on her face, a bite out of the orange peel confirmed why. She proceeded to peel it, which takes concentration, and drop the peeling on the floor while staring at a movie. I took a few pictures, figured it would take her awhile to get it all peeled, so I sat down to feed Daniel. Next thing I know the orange is GONE!! When asked where it was, she pointed to her mouth and said "mouf". So, sorry, no picks of her eating like an apple....she was just too fast!

Grandma came to visit!!!

2011-12-03T10:38:00.001-08:00

We got to have my mom come and visit is this past week!! The kids were so excited! I wasn't allowed to help them with ANYTHING!!! They all wanted grandma, or grammy as Sierra chose to call her, to do everything!! Get them dressed, give them baths, make their food, put on their shoes, buckle them into the car, everything that I would do for them, they wanted her to do;) I think it was more of a vacation for me than for her! Thanks for coming mom! Sorry we were so hectic and busy, but I sure got a lot done with you here....well, besides the laundry;) enjoy some pictures!!

Fall fun!!

2011-11-30T15:00:00.001-08:00

The leaves have finally started to fall! Last night while the boys were waiting to start practice for the Christmas Story they decided to play in the leaves. It was impossible to get them to slow down enough so they're blurry.

My first thanksgiving

2011-11-27T20:58:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Daniel's 3 months!!! He's so happy and easy going. What a blessing he has been to our family.

Video killed the radio star

2011-11-27T20:54:00.001-08:00

The kids LOVE to play dance party 3! I love their pose here.

Buddies!!

2011-11-19T22:59:00.001-08:00

Because Ben was having so much fun at Kid City, we left him behind with the Butlers and Sierra and I headed off to have lunch with Andrew. Once a year Stine Elementary has a family lunch where we get to go and eat lunch with the kids. While we were waiting to go through the gates Sierra spotted Andrew and got so excited that she couldn't contain herself!!
When we got to our spot Sierra found Mackenzie and this is what we found...they were watching the playground, it seemed as if they were protecting each other from the chaos.

I love the scene from behind:)

Kid City

2011-11-19T22:44:00.001-08:00

Friday Ben had one of the coolest field trips. We went to the Kern county museum, more specifically Kid City. A room that has everything a city would only kid sized. The ambulance was pretty popular, as well as the jail. At one point Ben ran past me and said "I want to stay here FOREVER!!!"
Sierra even had fun playing with the groceries and driving the cars.

Sierra and I had to leave early so that we could eat lunch with Andrew during the annual family picnic at school. Ben got to stay behind with the Butlers and keep playing. I told Amy I'd pick up Ben when we were done at the school, yet when I got to their house they weren't there. They were still at the museum having A LOT of fun. Ben can't wait to go back. I think we may have to get us a museum pass.

Dance Party!!

2011-11-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last month we hosted a Dance Party 3 for Kinects party through HouseParty.com at our house. It was a BLAST! We set up a tournament for each age group and had prizes for the winners.

Let the dancing.......BEGIN!! Up first was Josiah Henderson and Aubree Miller! Check out the kids in the background practicing.

Daniel just chilled on the couch....until it became too full, then he expected to be held all the time.

We had so many people, that we started the Wii in the other room, this way we had two groups going at once.

Even the little guys got into it, they're dancing to the "power rangers" song.

Go Ryan, Go Wes!!See, even the adults had fun!

Even Janna was enjoying herself.....way to get our of your comfort zone Janna!! Glad you felt comfortable enough.:)

Some dance moves were a little.....odd I don't even know what they were dancing too.....Bob picked it out:)

CHECK THEM OUT!!! How many kids can fit into one room dancing to Pump It!!

Conner can sleep any where.....but don't touch his CANDY!!

Our Ultimate winners!!

Thank you to all who came! We love having parties at our house!!

She cracks me up!!!

2011-11-14T22:58:00.001-08:00

She can actually make a whistling sound when she curls her tongue.

Little buddies

2011-11-12T13:33:00.001-08:00

Last night the Bankheads came over to play games. Their son Austin is a month older than Sierra and they get along GREAT!! Since Halloween she's been saying "trick o tweet! Aunin." telling me that we went trick or treating with Austin. Unlike her behavior when the other littles were here, she followed Austin around and had a GRAND ol' time playing cars with him. They were cracking up driving the cars REALLY fast on the bricks. What a great group of friends Sierra has. We love it!! It makes it even better when we like their parents!

Always fun...

2011-11-11T12:10:00.001-08:00

It's always fun to see who looks like who and who is who.

How Ben watches bball

2011-11-10T20:23:00.001-08:00

So tonight when Bob asked Ben if he wanted to go watch his basketball game he said "sure! Then I can play on your phone!" when Bob asked him how he was going to watch the game his response..... "dad I have two big eyes. I can watch you play and play on your phone."

It turns out, he found other fun things to do....read Austins books, watch Austins movie, and play with dodge balls.

Fashionista!!!

2011-11-10T15:17:00.001-08:00

Sierra LOVES to choose her own clothes. She's pretty opinionated about it too. I LOVE it! She can come up with some crazy clothes and I just roll with it.....she's not even 2, she can get away with it. Here are a few from the past month....

Look who came to play!!

2011-11-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

This past week Sierra was able to have her friends come and play! I have A LOT of respect for moms of multiples. It was a chore just getting them all in the car! And poor Mackenzie, when ever she would try to play with Sierra, Sierra would run away. And if Ethan or Brett would look at her or walk toward her she would run away crying. She spent the majority of the past 3 days on tears:( what a week to be emotional.

Brett Butler, Mackenzie Peterson, Ethan Miller

Feeding Daniel lunch

2011-11-06T19:02:00.001-08:00

The other day while I was getting ready to make dinner I found Sierra in the kitchen making lunch for Daniel. At least that's what she told me.
He wasn't to sure about the whole idea!
She made sure he had EVERYTHING he needed!
And you can't forget to bless the food!

Just chillin

2011-11-06T17:24:00.001-08:00

I set Daniel down to go and check on one of the kids. When I came back I found him like this. I guess I didn't really pay much attention when I set him down. He looks comfy though=)

Sunday morning

2011-11-06T11:46:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful Sunday morning. The air is chilly, heater is on, soft Sunday music playing and everyone enjoying doing puzzles together.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T16:05:00.001-07:00

We got to celebrate Halloween twice this year. The ward trunk-or-treat was on Friday night which allowed us to go door to door last night. The Bankheads joined us for a dinner of mummy's! We then got the kids ready and we headed out. We met up with the Petersons, Millers and Phillips. It was quite a sight! Sierra loved running up to each door. She caught on pretty quick. Austin wanted to go inside each house and play! The best house had what looked like a stuffed scary old man sitting on a wheel chair gaurding the candy. After much deliberation as to who was going to get the candy, Sierra REALLY wanting to be in front, and no one wanting to try to get the candy....Justin decided to be brave and reach for the candy. Well, the man in the chair moved, said BOO and scared us all. Andrew and Sierra along with many others cried. Ben laughed=) it was a fun night, one that will be remember for a long time to come.

Andrews first oral report

2011-10-28T22:48:00.001-07:00

Andrew had to give his first oral report this week. The assignment was to write a 5-7 sentence report on a book they had read, decorate a pumpkin to look like the main character, then give an oral report to the class about the book.
He had a lot of fun decorating his pumpkin (which he did all on his own). We coached him on the written part and he decided what he wanted to tell his class.
He did his report on Sunset on the Sabertooth. A magic tree house book. And he painted Jack on one side, Annie on the other and a magic flute.
I was able to go and watch his report. I was so proud of him! He doesn't get nervous in front of people and actually enjoys it.
Great job Andrew!!!

Pumpkin patch!!!

2011-10-28T22:47:00.001-07:00

We were a little early getting to the pumpkin patch on Friday so we decided to take a little detour to some cotton fields. Driving by these always reminds me of Georgia and I've been wanting to take a picture here since we moved here.

Then it was on to the Banducci's pumpkin patch where we were set up to learn a little about pumpkins and then go through the corn maze and end with Ben being able to choose his very own pumpkin!

Sierra, Ben, Ty Butler, Olivia Ammareal, Cammile Ammareal

The kids were so well behaved! I was very proud of them, they watched VERY intently too and seemed to really enjoy the presentation.

All of the kids at the corn maze. There were so many who wanted to be involved in the preschool groups this year that we actually have 3 that do field trips together. Today there were only 2.

Ben and his pumpkin that he chose. It looks like it has a pony tail.Sierra was wandering around and when I found her she was lounging in the pumpkins. She had a blast climbing all over them and exploring.So of course Ben had to have his picture taken!

Ben and Sierra

2011-10-26T19:19:00.001-07:00

Today while taking Ben to play with his friends Michael and Preston he asked if Sierra could stay too. I told him I would ask Michaels mom. When we got there Ben wouldn't get out of the car until I asked. Luckily Sis. Hunter said it was ok.
It was the sweetest thing to have Ben WANT his little sister to stay and play. The whole way over Sierra kept saying "Michael, Michael" she loves to play with Ben and his friends and I'll charis this time that he still loves to play with her and missed her when she's napping.

Preschool

2011-10-25T13:15:00.001-07:00

We have been doing a Joy School type preschool again this year for Ben. It has been FANTASTIC! We love the moms and kids that are all involved. Ben LOVES to go and is learning SO much. This week and next week are at our house. I thought their snacks turned our so cute so I had to post them. We made monster teeth with apples, peanut butter and then the kids chose either raisins or candy corns. The original recipe called for candy corns, but I tried raisins to be a little more healthy. I think they all pretty much chose candy corns.

We're also doing Zoophonics to help with their letters. IT WORKS AMAZING!! I have the letter I so these are our Inny the Inchworm puppets. With their triangle bats. I wanted to take a picture of the bats because they came up with different ways to put them together. I was so impressed!

Andrew piano recital

2011-10-23T15:40:00.001-07:00

Andrew had another piano recital today. With them being on sunday afternoons, once a month, we haven't been able to attend any this year. (we have church until 2). But, since his teacher was leaving church early and he hadn't done any all year we decided to let him perform today.
I also found out he practices better if he has a recital to work towards:)
He did AMAZING!!! I'm so proud of him and really enjoy hearing him perform. Great job Andrew! Next year we can do more.

Aagghh!!!

2011-10-23T15:30:00.001-07:00

Andrew wanted to move Daniel from his swing to the family room so that he could play with him. I told him I would do it but he asked if he could. I told him I would watch him to be sure he was doing it right. As I was walking behind them Daniel had a look of fear on his face. It was pretty funny, yet as I went to take a picture, he smiled!

Father Son camp out 2006

2011-10-22T09:48:00.001-07:00

We were going through flash drives and found some pictures from before we started our blog. I thought I'd go ahead and add them.

These are from the father son campout that Bob took Andrew on just after he turned 2. It was also just before we moved to Everett, WA from Greeley, CO. They went with my dad and our nephew Connor.

Andrew doing his favorite thing......Running!!

Chillin' with daddy at the camp fire.

They had a group campfire where they sang songs.

And they didn't just chill the whole time...

They brought out Bows and Arrows for the boys to shoot

And had a rope course for the boys to try out too. Andrew wasn't too sure about it. I don't think his face would be much different now....I think he may have a small fear of heights.

When they got back Grandma had a tricycle waiting for him. It's finally needing to be replaced. Not bad after 5 years!

Daniel is 2 months!!!!

2011-10-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

Daniel had his 2 month check up today. He was 7lbs 9oz when he was born and today he tipped the scales at 13 lbs 4oz and he's 23" long!! I'm tellin ya this kid can EAT!!
He has started to coo and smile at us which the kids LOVE!! Ben especially, when Daniel coos at him he gets SO excited and tells me all about what he's saying. My favorite quote of Ben... "he talked to me! He loves me" or "he smiled at me! He loves me!!"
Sierra won't let us leave him behind. (not that we would) but she makes sure he gets in and out of the car, and she loves to help burp him and hive him a bath.
Andrew just thinks he's the cutest baby and wants to hold him when he gets home from school.
How did we get so lucky to have such amazing kids who love and take care of each other.

Sierra and her "puppy"

2011-10-07T16:42:00.001-07:00

Sierra was playing outside when I found her "leash". She decided it went with the puppy on the front and now she won't take it off.

Benjamin

2011-10-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

A while back Bob wanted to try keeping his camping food cool with dry ice. He had quite a bit so he let Ben "play" with it. It entertained him for a long time!

Ben likes to get a hold of my phone and take pictures of himself

And not only take pictures,but make silly faces while he does. I actually have about 40 in succesion as he took pictures while making faces. I don't want to delete them because they're pretty funny when you can go through them fast.

I rarely know what's going on in that brain of his. He's so creative and actually enjoys playing by himself.

Ben is such a joy to have around. He's so SILLY! Yet he can also be pretty defiant when he wants to be. Lucky for us it's not very often. I've also gotten really good at ignoring him when he does, he gets over his defiance pretty quickly.

We love you Ben, thank you for bringing so much joy into our home. I think you will have us laughing and crying for a LONG time!

Sierra

2011-10-02T14:17:00.001-07:00

While unloading pictures from my phone I found several pictures of Sierra that I thought were too cute NOT to share.

Sierra learned last spring the joys of dipping your Wendy's french fries into a frosty. She LOVED it and will now only eat her Wendy's fries this way.

Her first pigtails and deciding to have some input in how she dresses. Unfortunately I haven't been very good at capturing them all. Even my favorite....her cute black and white skirt paired with Ben's starwars t-shirt and Little Green Men socks.

She loves the pool and loves her brothers. She had to have goggles on just like Andrew.

Check out that wild hair! This picture reminded me of a picture my parents have of me at about the same age.Trying out a new style to help control the wildness that is Sierra's hair.

This is what happens when Mommy is feeding Daniel, daddy's on his way out the door to get to the Priesthood Session of conference. He was wearing his clean white shirt and she was a little less messy, so he didn't want to get her down and decided to just give her more even though she had mentioned that she was done.

I guess she really was, when I went in to get her out this is what i found...spaghetti EVERYWHERE!

A better shot just before I hosed her down in the bath.

I was in the middle of making bread too so she decided she would 'help' me. She wanted her own bowl with some flour, I wouldn't give her any for this very reason. Well, I forgot to put the lid back on the flour so she helped her self. Note the clothing...Andrew had taken off his t-ball tshirt so she decided she needed to put it on. At least she had on clothes! She would run around naked if I would let her....and she does at times (well, at least with a diaper)

Sierra's so sweet and so helpful. We are truly blessed to have her in our family. I just can't believe how big she is and how fast she's learning new things. I love taking the time to slow down my life and marvel in what she has to say.

Daniel

2011-10-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

He's growing TO FAST! I

can't believe he's already 6 weeks old.

Waiting patiently to go home.What a happy peaceful little boy. He does LOVE to be held, and he's definetly finding his voice. We're so blessed to have you in our family and are enjoying watching you grow and watch the world around you.

Andrew singing/swimming

2011-10-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

During the last few weeks of summer Andrew took a singing class that was put on by Jessica Ellsworth while she was home from college for the summer. Andrew did it last summer too and LOVED it! This year his solo was I Don't Wanna Grow Up from Peter Pan. He did AMAZING! I wish I could get the video to load. If I ever figure it out I'll post it.

He also wanted to take swimming lessons again, yet the time that his class would be going on he was at singing. So, he was able to have his own private lessons at the end of classes. Because they were done at a friends house this summer there was a lot of flexibility. I think it worked out for the best. He really thrived having the one on one attention from Kaitlin and she has AMAZING patience with him when he wouldn't dive.So, she had him work on jumping in and touching the bottom of the pool. He almost did it! The Petersons pool is 10' in the deep end. He was so excited that he could almost do it, that it gave him the confidence to do it at home because our pool is only 6'.

I'm always amazed at how much they progress over the 2 weeks that they have swimming lessons. This year was especially fun because we were in CO at the beginning of the summer and both sets of grandparents could see that they were still a little timid...not quite remembering everything they had learned last summer.( I hear that's normal) But both grandparents were here at the end of the summer and were able to see how much BETTER they were and how confident they were in the water.

I'm so proud of you Andrew for facing some of your fears and for working so hard! We'll dive next summer...at least you'll go under the water now and get toys off the bottom of the pool. You wouldn't do THAT before Kaitlin worked with you.

Andrew Basketball

2011-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation Andrew decided that he would try basketball this year. We got him on a team at the local YMCA. He's LOVING it!

Andrew with his teammates, the ACES!!

Ari Torczon, Harman Sandhu, Donovan Toney, Coach Chris Toney, Clarke, Seth Henry

Ismael Cavazos, Anthony Henderson, Elijah Callahan, Andrew Borland, Adrian Fogelsong

Daniel was fascinated with the game and all the sounds. This particular game (which happened to be the first I went to) was actually pretty crazy. The other team was REALLY aggressive. A LOT more that 5-9 year old kids should be. But Andrew just kept smiling and having fun.

We're looking forward to watching Andrew get better and better. Some games I just laugh and shake my head then remember his only 7 and this is his first time playing basketball.

Fun Pictures of Daniel

2011-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

We're having LOTS of fun watching Daniel grow up!

Check out that TONGUE!!! I wonder if he'll be able to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue like I can. So far none of my kids can.

The boys love to try and hold Daniel like daddy does.

First day of preschool

2011-10-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Benjamin is off to preschool again this year! We're doing it with some of the same ladies as last year and he is having a BLAST!! There are 3 new kids this year, he wasn't too sure at first, but he's enjoying making some new friends.

SOOOOO BEN! Ben loves to make silly faces and make people laugh. Yet all the moms so far have said that he is VERY well behaved at their houses and sits and listens. Maybe that's why he has so much energy at home.

Good luck on your final year of preschool Ben! So many fun adventures await you this year.

Visit from the Autenreibs!!!

2011-10-02T09:59:00.001-07:00

A few days after Daniel was born Bobs sister Reagan came to visit with her 4 kids. She was had been in Fresno visiting Freds family and since she was only 2 hours away instead of 8 she decided to swing down.

Jacob and Natalie chillin in the pool.

Pretty Audrey

Andrew practicing his Kung Fu kick!

Ben and David chillin on the steps. David ALWAYS had someting in his mouth. I'm surpeised Ben isn't spitting out water....his favorite thing to do in the pool.

Jacob and Andrew had a blast swimming and jumping together.

They were racing across the pool...

We're so glad Reagan and her family were able to come down for a few hours. It was great to see them and let the kids play and get to know each other.

Hopefully it won't be another year and half before we see each other again.

The kids with Daniel

2011-09-30T14:25:00.001-07:00

Everyone is SO excited to have Daniel here. They ALL want to hold him and sometimes argue over who gets to hold him first. We've figured it out....Sierra only lasts about 30sec, so she gets to go first, then Ben...he lasts a little longer, then Andrew FINALLY gets his turn and he loves to hold him on his belly like mom and dad.

Ben and Daniel

Andrew holding Daniel while I get ready for church.

Sierra and grandpa. I thought this was the PERFECT way for Sierra to get to hold him....especially since he was only a few days old.

How grandma and grandpa spent their evenings while they were here. Sierra's still asking for them.....especially when mommy's busy feeding Daniel and can't help her right away. We loved having you here and all the help you gave us!

First Day of School

2011-09-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2011 Andrew headed off for 2nd grade! I can't believe how fast he's growing! He was so excited to go to school. He was REALLY excited that daddy was taking him this year instead of mommy. I think daddy was excited too.Good luck on a new year Andrew!

Meeting Daniel

2011-09-30T13:45:00.001-07:00

Friday morning after the kids woke up Bob brought them and my parents up to the hospital so that they could meet Daniel. Sierra was FASCINATED with him and HAD to sit next to whoever was holding him. She doesn't look all that excited in the pictures though.

My family

The Boys

Daniel James Borland

2011-09-27T14:10:00.001-07:00

On August 18, 2011 I headed to the dr's office DETERMINED that I was going to be sent to the hospital to be induced. Well, things didn't happen that way. There were no openings until Sat and so that was the soonest they could get me in.

With how sad I was, I resolved that I would just go home and enjoy the next few days, at least he'd be born before school started and that was what I really wanted.

Because my back was hurting, I decided I'd swim and relax and spend the time with my parents and the kids. I survived making dinner although my back was hurting off and on ( i attributed it to gas pains). Then after dinner the pains were getting stronger, I was beginning to wonder if maybe they weren't gas. Could they REALLY be contractions?!?!? The boys wanted to play a game, so Bob and I sat down at the table and played some Cars 2 Monopoly. All the while I kept checking out the clock. About every 5 minutes I would have pain in my back. But they weren't very consistent.

After the game Bob tried to put Sierra down for bed and she ABSOLUTELY refused. SO not like her. The boys were a little out of control and the whole evening looked like it was going to be a LONG night. My back was still hurting off and on and I was in NO mood to deal with the kids. I climbed on our bed and watched the clock with Sierra sitting with me watching tv. Bob was with the boys TRYING to get them to calm down and go to bed.

Around 7:30

Some sibling fun

2011-09-04T21:31:00.001-07:00

While I was trying to fold laundry the other day the kids decided to get into the laundry basket and have some fun. Sierra kept begging the boys to push her....so they obliged!

There were a few times when Sierra even wanted to push and not BE pushed.

They would start in the bathroom and race down the hallway to the living room.

Then on the few times when Ben wasn't pushing, he would chase Andrew and Sierra back down the hall.

Look at the joy and happiness! It was such a fun 30 minutes....not a care in the world! I love days like these.

My birthday!!! Lake Buena Vista

2011-08-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

This year for my birthday we headed to Lake Buena Vista with friends. We always have a blast when we go. My boys spend the WHOLE time on the boat. If it's leaving the shore, they're ON IT! And they come home wanting a boat. The Petersons are very kind to indulge us all. I know they enjoy going too and we always love it when they take us along.

Mommy and Sierra; Ben watching daddy wake board;Bob and the kiddos; Sierra not too sure about riding on the boat; Andrew holding the safety flag.

I figured since there would be NO WAY that I would be able to wake board this time....being 9 months pregnant, that I could at least ride on the tube....as long as we didn't go too fast.

Lisa Miller and I decided we'd take Ethan and Sierra on the tube with us. Ben thought he'd join us too. I think we weighed a little TOO much! We kept leaning backwards! It was SO uncomfortable, but Sierra and Ethan were enjoying themselves. Ben, not so much, so he got to go again later.

Here is Ben riding again since he didn't get much of a ride with mommy. He's riding with Jacob Miller and Hannah Bywater. According to Ben Jacob fell off! He thought it was pretty funny. And Andrew got on with Tim and Hope Bywater. They just wanted to go faster and faster and faster!Bob always enjoys going and wake boarding too. He's actually doing pretty good for only going once or twice a year. Yes, they wear helmets, last year Dan Miller took a pretty bad fall and ended up with a concussion and in the hospital, so they now take precautions.Thank You Petersons, Millers, and Bywaters for joining us at the lake and making the day so much fun!

Andrew on the kid ski!!!!!

2011-08-09T19:39:00.001-07:00

This year for my birthday we headed to the lake with our good friends the Petersons, Millers and Bywaters. I didn't get too many pics of everyone there, but I did manage to get some of Andrew taking his second turn on the kid ski. His first attempt was EARLY, before I got there. He was so proud of himself and he LOVED it!!

Here he is starting from the shore...which is supposed to be harder, the other kids generally start from the back of the boat...Andrew doesn't do to well this way. Oh well!

Look at the shear joy and happiness on his face!!! He was LOVING it!Check out that SKILL!!! We were so proud of him for not falling when the boat turned...not as easy to do as you would think.He was getting a little tired, he had been riding for awhile. And down at the bottom shows how it's done. Dad sits on the back of the boat and holds the rope. That way he can let the rope in or out, and pull them in when they're done.

These are a few cool shots Jeff took while standing up high in the boat. He just looks so calm and collected!

OOPS! Then he fell. With a smile on his face:) When we came back around to him, he was all smiles and was giving us a thumbs up!

What a HUGE accomplishment for Andrew this year. His water skills have REALLY improved this year. Last summer he didn't want to try the ski....afraid he would fall. This year...ALL SMILES!!!

Benjamin's Sports Camp

2011-08-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

This summer we enrolled Benjamin in a mini sports camp. Since Andrew had the opportunity to do soccer, Ben got his chance to learn several different sports. It was a week long camp and each day they played a different sport.

I forgot to take pictures the first day while they were playing t-ball. Oh well, he decided it wasn't his favorite anyway.

Here was the second day when they were playing soccer. Ben thought the passing the ball back and forth with his brother was BORING. But kicking the ball into the goal....AWESOME!!!

Then they played Basketball....NOT his best sport. He really struggled with bouncing the ball. He wouldn't hit it hard enough to get it to bounce back up. But he still says it's his favorite sport. So we got him a b-ball to practice with at home.

Day 4 was hockey. He just couldn't hold the stick right! He did have fun though. He was such a perfectionist too when it came to hitting the ball back and forth between the cones. If he missed a cone, he would pick up the ball and reset it.

Friday was track and field. He had them running backwards to the cones. I was very proud of him! We do need to work on his skipping though:( Then the coach set up a little track and they had relay races. TOO CUTE!!

His favorite of track and field was the hurdles. It was SO cute to watch them run and jump over them. What FUN!!

There was a park right next to the grass where Benjamin was, so I was able to watch Andrew and Sierra play at the park while I watched Ben play his sports. Andrew was SO good with Sierra. He LOVES his little sister, and she is SO in love with him.

Andrew's Soccer Camp

2011-08-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to keep these littles busy this summer. I want them to enjoy themselves. So, Andrew wanted to participate in a soccer camp. He had a BLAST! What was nice was the park near by to help keep Ben and Sierra entertained. His camp was 3 hours a day, so we'd play at the park, run a few errands, and then they always wanted to watch him for a little while, so here are a few pics of my cute littles entertaining themselves while they watch Andrew.

Here are a few pictures of Andrew's camp. I love the one in the middle where they have them stop the ball with their bumm.

He was actually pretty good. He picked up on everything pretty quick. I did notice that he sticks his tongue out when concentrating....like mother like son:) Oh yeah, see the one in the middle, this time they were stopping the ball with their head.

The coaches were a lot of fun and made the camp a BLAST for the kids. Now he wants to play soccer. We'll see what he plays this fall.

Swimming Lessons

2011-08-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

After we got back from CO the boys started swimming lessons. We have been fortunate enough to be able to have semi-private lessons for the boys at a friends house. Their teacher Caitlin is AMAZING! She was an assistant to their teacher last summer, but because she's not doing them again this summer, we snaged Caitlin.Before lessons Ben wouldn't go under the water, even though he knew how. And by the time we were done, he was spending lots of time under the water. And he opens his eyes....which Andrew thinks is AMAZING!!

Some how the only pictures I took were of Ben's class, but I did get a few of them all jumping in during free time.

Ice Blocking!

2011-08-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the youth wanted to go ice blocking. Because all the places to get the ice blocks closed before Bob got off work, we were enlisted to get the ice. This of course sparked the question of whether or not the kids could go. They wantedt to see what this was ALL about. After talking to Bob we decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea. They were told though that they had to wait their turn and let the youth go first since it was there activity. We have WONDERFUL youth in our ward who love our kids and who our kids love. They were so good to let them ride on the ice too. I got several fun pictures. We don't have many youth in our ward, so I was able to get shots of all that were there.

For Andrew and Benjamin's first attempt, Bob tied a rope to the block of ice and pulled them along the top of the hill and down at an angle. Crystal Henderson held Andrew's hand so he wouldn't fall off. Ben just ran along side until it was his turn. They LOVED it!

Bob was the only youth leader to go down the hill. Ben enjoyed chasing everyone down, then of course back up!

Andrew eventually ventured out on his own and took off down the hill! He was all smiles the WHOLE way!!

Ben took things a little slower and went down with Bob before he made an attempt at going on his own.

Even Sierra gave it a try. After spending the whole evening watching everyone else, she finally got her turn. She first went down with Austin Phillips then with Bob. Austin was actually kind enough to take her down several times. She just kept asking him "again?" I think Austin enjoyed it. Sierra's a little leary of the young men (the boys 12-18) and they're always seeing if they can get her to talk to them, or even acknowlede their existents with out running to Bob or I. So for her to play with Austin was a pretty big deal since we were around.

Crystal and Tyler

Alexis Phillips and Caitlin Williams....they started off wrong so the whole thing just didn't work for them:(

Kaitlyn Hunter and Jazmyn Helbush

Sorry Becca, my only pic is of you falling.

Wesley Hunter

Andrew's Birthday Update

2011-08-04T07:44:00.001-07:00

I tried to add this to Andrew's bday post, but I was unable. So, here is a picture of Andrew and I on his birthday at school. He had been asking for awhile if I would come and eat lunch with him. So, for his birthday I surprised him at school and we had lunch together. It was a great date!!!! Love you Andrew!

4th of July

2011-08-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures of our Fourth of July. We started out our day at the scout pancake breakfast ....

My Cuties!!!

Sierra and her friend Mackensie Peterson

Unfortunatley because Bob's the scout master, we never saw him. He was busy doing this....

Later in the day we headed over to our friends the Phillips for swimming, bbqing, games and fireworks. We always enjoy spending time with them. In fact, we were having so much fun, these are all the pictures that I got.

I love this one of Sierra with her crazy hair!

Four Corners and Grand Canyon

2011-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

On our way home from CO we decided that we would go to the Four Corners monument and make a quick stop at the Grand Canyon. The kids LOVED Four Corners. Funny since all it is is a big medalion in the ground where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona meet. But, they enjoyed standing in all four. So of course we ALL had to do it. Even Sierra, she jumped right in there and expected her picture to be taken too.

The kids enjoyed even just running around, each standing in a different state, and Andrew wanted to stand right in the middle. What a great way to stretch their legs!

After we went to Four Corners we made our way to the Grand Canyon.

Here everyone is in a watch tower. I couldn't believe how many stairs!!

Bob and the kids taking a breaj coming down...showing off the Indian art work on the inside of the tower. Bob and Sierra at the top..check out the view! Yeah, I move a little slower, even coming down, but you can see how steep the stairs are.

Andrew wouldn't get near the edge of the patio at the fort, Ben had NO problem!

When we were back down to the bottom Andrew was a little more willing to get near the edge and have his picture taken.

I love these little ones. They are so protective of each other. Ben always wanted to hold Sierra's leash. He's always worried she'll get away.

Here we all are at the rim. It was hard to get Ben to look at the camera, he wanted to see the view!

Daddy and his Girl!

2011-07-31T18:29:00.001-07:00

Yup, this is how it pretty much goes, if we go anywhere and Sierra needs to be carried...it MUST be daddy. Every now and then I can get her to let me hold her, but it's usually daddy.

Here they are all ready for church. Grandpa must have been near by with how close she's hoovering to daddy. She's pretty attached:)

So are Ben and Andrew. Where ever daddy is...they all must be too. I LOVE IT!!

More Cousin Time!!!

2011-07-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

After the aquarium we all headed back to grammy's for swimming and more playing! The kids LOVE the pool and we had a GREAT time! Bob, Andrew and Gavin enjoyed playing catch. Lily just wanted to swim, and Ben was still a little unsure of the pool....maybe it was too cold. Sierra was ALL about it too.

After swimming we headed back to grammy's and Andrew and Gavin decided that they would put on a little show for us. They got all of grammy's hula hoops and gave us a hula hoop demonstration. It was fun to watch them work together and I'd never seen Andrew hula hoop! They moved from one station to another until at the end they had 3 hoops each. They did pretty good! I was very impressed!

A few days after Ben threw sand at Lily, he must have decided she was OK, because they spent a better part of Sunday playing together.

Denver Aquarium

2011-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things we were able to do was go to the aquarium. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the different fish. And Sierra loved it because everything was at her level.Ben and Andrew in the dive suits.

Andrew Gavin and Lily showing off their "tattoos"

After spending time in the aquarium the kids wanted to ride the little train that ran around the property. As well as 'ride' the Dora and Diego 4D ride. It was FUN!!! They said it really felt like a roller coaster.

Gavin, Andrew and Ben....always together!

Grammy, Lily and Becky

And of course..daddy and his little Sierra....if daddy's around, he MUST hold her:)

Denver Zoo

2011-07-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of the big attractions when we go to Denver is the zoo. The kids really enjoyed getting to know each other again. (we haven't seen them since I was pregnant with Sierra...Aug 2009!!!) They enjoyed running around and seeing all the animals as well as riding the train!! ALWAYS a hit!!

Another big hit is the drums by the gorilla's. Lily doesn't know what to think about Bob drumming with her.....does she really want to share?

I love getting pictures of cousins together! I just love Ben's face in this one!

Sierra wanted to give it a try, so Bob thought he'd give her a turn, she HAD to be next to Lily.

Elitch Gardens

2011-07-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things we were able to do while we were in Denver was go to Eltich Gardens. An amusement park in Denver. The boys had a BLAST!!! Andrew was able to go on a few of the biger rides with Bob. He thought that was pretty cool. But, since Ben was a little too short he was quickly bored and so Grammy and I took him to the childrens area. He LOVED it!! His favorite.....the little roller coaster!

Here's Ben and grammy on the tea cups! He thought it was pretty cool that he got to go on a few rides with just grammy.

Look! When daddy came over with Andrew, he even took Sierra on the hot air balloons. I was surprised that she enjoyed it!

The train was a big hit with my kids. The would have gone on it over and over and over again. Well, that and the roller coaster.
I must say I was surprised they braved the Ferris Wheel! It's SO HIGH!! They did great though!

We even attended a little show and the boys got to participate. I think they enjoyed it.

Grandpa was able to join us in between work meetings and take a few pictures.
Ben wasn't too excited about riding the airplanes, he made sure it didn't do ANYTHING! Andrew on the other hand...LOVED it!

Then Ben wanted to go on the Tower, Andrew wasn't too sure about it.If you look closely, you can see Ben enjoying himself and Andrew gritting his teeth and waiting for it to be over. I was SO proud of him!

Fun with cousins

2011-07-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

While in CO we got to spend a lot of time with Bob's sister Becky and her two cuties Gavin and Lily. Andrew and Gavin are 9 months apart and play GREAT together. Ben and Lily are 3 months apart and aren't quite to the playing together stage yet. Sierra was sure thrilled though to have another girl around to hang out with. Although Ben and Lily did play 'with' each other, more like Ben followed Lily around.

Funny little story.....Bob and I came back from some place we'd gone with Bob's sisters and Ben was sitting at the top of the slide crying. Come to find out he'd been throwing sand and grandpa had put him in time out. Later while talking to Ben about his visit with Gavin and Lily, he told me that Gavin was nice, but he didn't like Lily. When I asked him why? he said that he couldn't throw sand at her. I guess he'd thrown the sand at Lily and that's why he was in time out. So....instead of being upset with grandpa for putting him in time out, he decided Lily wasn't fun because he wasn't allowed to throw sand at her.

THANK YOU!!!

2011-07-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

When I got off of the plane in Denver, Bob's mom was there waiting to get ON the plane and spend a week here in Bakersfield. So, while I was off having fun with my parents, she and Bob were at our house turning my kitchen from this.....To THIS!!!

We've known from the day we moved in that we wanted to do something with the cabinets. My MIL has been willing to come and help...it was finding when would be the best time. So, being that I'm pregnant and really shouldn't be around paint fumes, she decided she would come out for about a week, paint my kitchen cabinets, and then keep Bob company when he drove to CO to meet us!!How FANTASTIC is she?!?!? I LOVE my new kitchen!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

P.S. I had to all 3 pics because there was a different kiddo in each one:)

Visit with Cousins!

2011-07-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last summer my cousin Audrey moved to CO with her family. So, obviously...while we were in CO we HAD to visit with each other. I only wish we would've had more time. And that her husband wasn't in Haiti and mine still in CO. They would've enjoyed the visit as well. We realized that we haven't seen each other since we were roommates at SUU back in the late 90's!! Nearly 15 YEARS!!!Left to Right: Hyrum, Isabelle and Fawn, Andrew, Sierra, Benjamin, and Eli

This is her little Fawn, she is exactly 1 year younger than Sierra and so cute! They adopted her just a few months ago. It's a long and amazing story how they were able to bring her into their family. And I'm proud of the fact that I actually had something to do with it! Little did I know that when I introduced out other cousin Joy to her husband Jeff, that they would end up knowing someone who needed a good home for her baby.

I really enjoyed catching up with Audrey and meeting her family. Her kids are about the same age as mine and they got along FANTASTIC!! My boys can't wait to go back and play with them again.

Tiny Town!!!

2011-07-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

There's this great little place in the mountains near my parents house. It's called Tiny Town. They have these miniature houses that the kids can climb in as well as a train that goes around the park. The boys always enjoy going there every time we go to grandma's.Here the boys are on the caboose! They're most favorite place to ride on the train.

Grandma and Sierra waiting for the train ride.

These pictures are of the kids playing in the tiny little houses.

June 2011 Continued....

2011-07-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

When the kids and I flew out to Colorado the boys were AMAZING! I was so happy. And as worried as I was about having a layover, it actually worked because just as they were getting antsy, it was time to get off and we had time to stretch our legs as we raced to catch the next plane. Then, when they were done again...we were in DENVER!! Just outside of Denver we hit turbulence, it rocked Sierra to sleep.....FINALLY!! And the boys said it felt like a roller coaster and had a BLAST!!

Here are a few more pictures I couldn't get to add to the last post from when we were in WY.

This is how Ben listens to the Troopers practice...by leading the music and 'playing' the trumpet...the instrument the Connor plays.And here's Sierra enjoying some trooper music.

June 2011

2011-06-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

As soon as school got out..well, before that really, the kids and I hopped onto a plane and headed to Denver to spend some time with family. When we got to CO, we spent a night with grandma and grandpa, then headed up North to Casper, WY to spend some time with Connor before he hit the road with the Wyoming Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. While Connor rehearsed the kids were able to play on a playground near by, close enough to be able to listen.

Because they were rehearsing at Fort Casper, there was actually stuff for us to see. I can't believe this is the only picture of the three of them on a wagon. Really, getting 3 kids to look at me was ridiculous.

Here they are with Connor and one of his troop mates. That's his good friend Sarah standing next to him with Sierra, as unthrilled as Sierra looks, She would've been SCREAMING had it been Connor holding her. Apparently they're not to smile while in uniform...Ben sure doesn't care...there he is, being his silly self.

We attempted to get a picture with all of us...Sierra was exhausted and unsure of Connor, and Ben just wants to be silly. Thanks Andrew for standing and smiling so good.

there's more to come!

Bob's birthday!

2011-06-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

The only picture I have from Bob's birthday. And a typical scene at our house. All the kids wanting to snuggle up with daddy. I couldn't ask for a better man for our kids! They are so attached to him, I don't complain one bit when they'd rather have daddy. And I've never heard a complaint from him either. Ben and Sierra definitely fight over him, and Andrew waits his turn patiently to play games, he loves to play video games and board games with Bob. Ben just loves to be with him and do whatever Bob is doing. Sierra follows him around when he's home and expects to be held at all times.
We love you Bob!! Thanks for being a wonderful daddy and my best friend.

Benjamin's 4!!!

2011-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Ben!!! Well, actually it was back in May, but I'm just now getting around to posting about it. I've been waiting for all the pictures....then just gave up, if and when I ever get them....I'll post those as well. So for now, here we go! Yes, I buy my boys matching outfits for their birthday. It's fun too because their birthdays are only 11 days apart.

Ben wanted to swim on his birthday too, but it was too cold...so instead, they played trains!

And because I have no pictures of his PINK cake! Yes...ever since he could tell me what kind of cake he wants...it's been pink...of course that's because it's strawberry;) I only hope HE remembers that years down the road when he looks back and wonders why he always had a pink cake for his birthday. Pink was his favorite color for awhile. He was even convinced that Sierra's room was his because we had painted it pink.

Favorite color now...green, or sometimes pink. Ben will eat just about ANYTHING if it's green or pink! Favorite thing to do outside..swim of course...or just being outside if it's not to HOT. favorite thing to do inside...play with cars. He's ALL about his cars and loves to line them up and group them by style and size. Or, he will just chill and watch a super hero movie.

Ben, you make us laugh so hard with your silliness, and frustrate us with your little attitude. At least it never lasts very long, so I can just walk away and you'll soon be distracted and back to your silly self.

You love being just like Andrew and love playing with Sierra, she sure thinks you're pretty silly and loves to follow you around. I'm glad you don't mind.

We love you Ben! can't wait to see what the years ahead will bring us!

Congratulations Andrew!!!

2011-05-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just HAVE to post this, because Andrew is SOOOOOO Excited! Yesterday he came home and was in a HUGE rush to take of his backpack and show me something. I tried not to laugh at how excited he seemed. He then whipped out an invitation to a pizza party with his principal and the librarian! At his school they have an Accelerated Reader Program, or AR for short. The kids read books and then take a test on the computer about the book they just read, to test their comprehension. He had scored high enough enough times that he was invited to a special pizza party. He says he was the only one in his class that got one! Way to go Andrew!!!
I wish you all could see how excited he is to be able to attend this special party! He just BEAMS when he tells us about it and couldn't wait to tell Bob when he got home last night too. We're so proud of you Andrew!

Andrew's 7!!!

2011-05-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

For Andrew's birthday this year, he wanted pizza and to go swimming. Luckily it was warm enough! We have loved having a pool, it's a great place to go and relax AND of course have lots of fun together as a family. Sierra LOVES the pool...yes, she's tied to a rope. The water was a little cool for mommy so I sat on the edge, we have this GREAT step that the kids can play on, it's only about waist deep on Sierra, which is perfect, but she doesn't pay attention to where the edge is....obviously, she's only 1...so, we put her in her floatie and she can wander and play and walk off the edge, then all I have to do is pull her back to me! Don't worry, we made ABSOLUTE sure she can't tip it or climb out of it, and she's really never too far away.
Ben enjoys just floating and chillin'.

Look at my cute family! I love them! They are so good to each other. I can't believe Andrew's 7!!

For dessert he wanted an ice cream cake. We love Cold Stone's cakes so I was ALL for it! Great choice Andrew!!

He also got his traditional personal cake. Except this year instead of a number he wanted his first initial...so, that's what he got!

We Love you Andrew! We are so happy to have you as a part of our family. You're an amazing big brother and Sierra follows you EVERYWHERE!!!

I wanted to put in a few of your favorite things right now, but you have a love for EVERYTHING! Your favorite color would be blue...or is it magenta today? Outside you love to swim, or play soccer. Inside you love to play video games, or board games, or play with Ben and Sierra. You enjoy reading too and learning A LOT. I guess you could say your favorite thing to learn at school is Math, that and learning a new language. You've decided you want to learn all the languages so that you can talk to everyone...all over the world. You're a great friend and make friends easily.

Happy Birthday Andrew!! We look forward to another amazing year and helping you prepare to be baptized! One thing you're looking forward too....that and going to Cub Scouts!!

Disneyland!!!

2011-05-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we surprised the kids with a trip to Disneyland! They were very excited. It was a great day too, hardly ANY lines! We were having SO much fun, we didn't take too many pictures.

Sierra wasn't too sure about most of the rides...including the tea cups.Astro Blasters became a fast favorite. Not only does the line move super fast, but they get to shoot things!! A HUGE plus for my boys!! Ben had awaken around 5AM...in turn waking EVERY one up by 5:30. We weren't too sure how the day would go with no sleep. Ben crashed waiting in line for the jungle cruise...around 5 or so. Surprisingly, every one's attitudes were pretty good. Andrew got a little bored a few times, he's getting a little big for some of the fantasy land rides....but Ben's the perfect age, and with mom being pregnant and Sierra being so little, fantasy land had the best rides.

The tickets we had bought previously were for 2 days, but didn't have to be used back to back..but did have to be used by the 14th. So, on Sat we woke the kids up REAL early and back to Disneyland we went. We didn't tell them, we had hoped they would fall back asleep...no such luck. We knew they should be OK, since they had done Disneyland once before on no sleep. But since we were going on a Sat, we didn't expect much. Again the lines were almost non existent!

This time, we stopped a few times to take pictures. Here they are trying to pull out the sword in the stone.

Mommy and Ben on Dumbo!

Mommy and Sierra on the tea cups. This time, we rode separate from the boys so that they could go FAST! Andrew's getting daring in his old age and now enjoys going fast and really has no problem trying new things.

After the tea cups I told Bob he should take the boys on the Matterhorn, last time every time we thought about it, the line was to long. Today it was PERFECT! Ben's also tall enough, so off they went while Sierra got a chance to stretch her legs. When we're at Disneyland, she gets to be held by daddy ALL DAY! She doesn't complain ONE BIT!

Then we headed to the jungle cruise...another favorite. Sierra loves just taking everything in, the boys love the animals, and we like the break from walking. Yes...Ben is on a leash, he just gets so excited at candy land (as he calls it) that he doesn't mean to wander off. He actually LOVED his leash...it gave him some freedom. We even put Sierra on it a few times to let her stretch her legs...but she just wants to go where SHE wants to go.

Sierra was SO tired that FINALLY by 4:30 she crashed. She didn't even move when we got on and off the rides. Funny thing...right before we went on the Winnie the Pooh ride Andrew was complaining because he wanted to ride on more roller coasters, more big boy rides. he felt SO cool that he could ride something with daddy. He was even trying to walk in step with daddy. We got fast passes for big Thunder but had some time, so we went over to Winnie the Pooh while we waited. When the ride was over, Andrew wanted to do it AGAIN!! So much for his idea of NOT riding on anymore "baby" rides.

Another of his favorites was Mr. Toads wild ride. One of Ben's favorites is Snow White....he likes the witch and the crocodiles.

They both kept asking to do the Matterhorn again, so daddy obliged and they got to go on it again. They are so fun right now. Ben is just tall enough to ride almost everything at Disneyland which is nice, so by 5 we had ridden everything that we could/wanted to ride. What an AMAZING day! Of course we didn't leave though! We had to stay for the fireworks, so after some dinner and a change of clothes we were back at it! The boys were FANTASTIC! Andrew walked the whole time. Ben had a few melt downs but nothing that wasn't solved with some dinner and negotiating. I told the boys that because they are SO good at Disneyland, it makes it easier to want to take them back.

Because it was a celebration of their birthdays they each got to pick a hat.

I finally got some decent ones at home. Ben and his Kermit ears (because they're green)

Andrew and his custom made birthday ears!

More Spring Break

2011-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

All through spring break we had told the boys that if they could go to bed real good all week and do all the chores I asked of them, we could have a 'campout' in the backyard. Of course, that comes along with getting in the pool while dinner is cooking.

Earlier in the week I had let Sierra soak her feet, well that only led to her wanting to get in ALL the way. So, this evening, daddy obliged his sweet princess. She LOVES the water and can't wait to get in! She didn't want to get out, she kept shoving the towel away and would try to get back in.
Andrew got used to the water pretty quick this year too. Neither of the boys have gone under yet, they say it's just too cold. But they have been happy to just float for a little while.

Ben actually made it off the step tonight! He's been wanting to, but hasn't quite had the courage.

See, it's a good thing daddy was paying attention! We'd tried to get her out, but she promptly tried to get back in!

We ended the evening with tin foil dinners we had cooked in our fire pit, then, because the cold and rain started to move in, the tent was set up in the living room for the boys to sleep in. They LOVED it! In the morning we were off to spend Easter in San Jose!

Easter

2011-04-26T13:01:00.001-07:00

We were able to head up to San Jose and spend Easter with Bob's brother Steven, his wife Jen and their kids Dylan, Hazel, and Seth. We had so much fun just hanging out, playing games and letting the kids run WILD!!

They did have baskets, I just forgot to take a picture. They really enjoyed the books, they're really into reading right now.Here they are trying to wake up! Poor Seth and Sierra were so tired, so were Ben and Dylan, we woke them up so that they could get their baskets and hunt for eggs. We put all the eggs out the night before...I don't even know how many, we were so tired by the time we got around to it. I do remember some of them being in really odd spots...like the oven! The kids had fun though. Seth and Sierra just wanted to eat them.

Ben playing with his new Superman trio set.

Dylan and Andrew figuring out the Batman trio.
I tried to get a picture of all the kiddos dressed in all their Easter glory....they did OK.. Sierra wasn't having ANY of it. She was asleep for the first round, then we had to wake her for church and she wasn't to pleased.

She wouldn't even take a picture with her brothers!!At least Steven and Jen's kids know how to cooperate and take a fun picture! Thank you Steven and Jen for allowing us to invade your house for the weekend, we had a lot of fun!

Spring Break

2011-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

We had Spring Break last week. It went surprisingly well, while Sierra would take her 3 hour naps, the boys were able to play outside on their bikes, swim in the pool, watch movies...really, whatever they wanted to do.

Sierra spent most of her waking hours begging to get in to the pool, playing ball with the boys in the backyard, or escaping into the street! Yes, she has decided that it is fun to run into the street...needless to say...she's not allowed out front very often, she's just TO FAST! She can be down the driveway and half way into the street before I can get to her!

The boys LOVED spending the week in the pool. Some days they only lasted 30 minutes, but a few days they spent an hour or so. They pretty much LIVED in their swimming suits all week. If they weren't swimming, they were playing in the sprinkler or with their pirate ship water table. (which Sierra also loves and also enjoys CLIMBING into it).

What a fun week were able to have. We topped it off with a 'camp out' and a trip to San Jose to spend Easter with Bob's brother Steven and his family. (posts to come)

Such cute boys who LOVE the water!

Our Sweet Sierra

2011-04-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Sierra's now actually 13 months old, so this post is most definitely over due. But that's OK, because she just started doing even more cute things last week. She actually started walking at 11 months. She wasn't as steady and so I was trying to stop her....Silly mom!! Not at all possible. She's now running and loves to chase Ben down the hallway. We can't slow that girl down...except maybe with shoes...which she HATES! We were looking for shoes for the boys and I was trying to find some for her and she was SCREAMING before I could even attempt to put them on her feet. Oh well, she has really fat feet too and so nothing would fit anyway. A few of her favorite things: being outside and getting as dirty as she can. wandering into the street!!! Yeah, we have to keep a VERY close eye on her out front. being a girl...she loves her dolls and stroller and any thing pink, yet she's also in love with balls and loves to play cars with Ben. She'll even make a driving sound:) Her latest and greatest words/phrases: saying "tickle tickle tickle" and tickling your belly, or putting her feet on the table so you can tickle them for her; "Scooby dooby doo!!" At the breakfast table the other day, she just said it over and over! And looks at Ben (his latest fave..you guessed it, scooby doo and going up to people and saying "scooby dooby doooo!!!" She also says "MaMa" and "DaDa" and "MaMaMa" said with the inflection of banana...meaning she wants her favorite fruit...the BANANA!!! When she wants to know where someone is, she'll stand at the opening to the hall and yell "AHH" and look for whomever it is....generally Ben since they're the one's home together all day. When daddy walks in from work, he's not allowed to put her down. She's definitely a daddy's girl...just like my boys have always been. They'd rather be with their dad, I love it! She loves to color and can find a pen, a pencil or crayon ANYWHERE! But will walk around the house until she finds some paper to color on. WHEW!! Except lately it's been books, so we've been trying to teach her the difference between a coloring book and a reading book. Sierra is a true joy to have. I'm sure I've missed some of her cuteness, but will just have to record it later. We love you Sierra and are so happy that you're a part of our family.

Sierra's first Birthday!!

2011-04-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting about Sierra's birthday. I've been trying to get the video of everyone singing to her to upload, but it hasn't been working and I decided it was time to move on. Hopefully we can add it later. So, for now...here's the scoop....Grammy had sent Sierra's presents and they were burning a hole through the box! I couldn't wait for her to open them!!! So, the Sat before her actual birthday we threw her a LAST minute party. It didn't start until around 7, her bed time, but she still enjoyed it. We had our traditional cake, she got a small number 1 and we got cupcakes. She wasn't too sure about all the screaming...yes, they all SCREAM the happy birthday song. Fortunately she's been to enough birthday's lately that it didn't scare her too bad. I stood up to take a pic of some of those that were there and I MISSED IT!!!! See their faces! She put the candle out with her finger!!! You can see Lisa grabbing her hand. Bob got it all on video....she didn't want to touch it again so big brother Ben came to the rescue and helped her blow it out.

She really did enjoy every bite of that cake!

But as you can see was VERY tired by this point and we still hadn't done presents!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the presents. We got her a princess couch. She had been "sharing" Ben's Thomas one, so she LOVED having her own! Along with all the girlie stuff she got too...a stroller, purse and tea set!

Ben decided that he needed to sit with her. She loved every thing she got, she's still exploring this book The Wheels on the Bus.

I think she was done. I love Ben's face in the background..."AGAIN!"

The doll the boys got her quickly changed her mood.

I just LOVE these two pictures!

Sierra's so sweet and we LOVE having her in our family. She follows the boys where ever they go and the LOVE it! They will even play dolls with her!! Ben loves her Tea Set and will rarely share it with her!

Way back in January!!

2011-03-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Way back when.....in January, we headed to the fire station with Ben's preschool plus some. I think there were 11 little boys and they all had at least 1 sibling with them! It was pretty chaotic. Yet fun. Ben got a little nervous when the fireman starting putting on all their gear. They can look a little scary.

A favorite...the shinny hubcaps...yes, that's Ben checking out what his rear end looks like in the hubcap.

They then let them climb through the truck to see what was in there. And the highlight.....being able to spray the hose!!!

February Fun

2011-03-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

We had a few nice days in February, so we headed to the park! This was Sierra's first time in the swing. she did FANTASTIC!!!

With Ben's preschool, we headed to Wasco, CA on the train. Why Wasco? Because it's only about a 20min train ride!

But the highlight of the month was Valentine's Day. The Saturday before, Bob and the boys headed to get pizza, so I sent them into Von's for artichokes and steaks for V-day dinner. And to my surprise...the boys came home with these!!!

At Von's they were letting you decorate little heart shaped cakes. Bob let them each decorate one. They were SO proud of them! I made them save them until Valentine's Day and we ate them for dessert. They were REALLY sweet with all the candy the boys had put on them.

And I HAD to add this fun picture of Ben...the other day I heard him asking if someone wanted some pie, but that it was HOT! I peaked into the living room and saw him like this....with my socks on his hands, pretending to bake! Later that day...when I had put my socks back on, he asked me to take them off so that he could use them again!

Thanks for a fun and eventful February kiddos!!

CALM

2011-01-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

while my family was here we went to see the lights at CALM (our tiny little zoo, if you can call it that) They actually have a fabulous display, and we always enjoy ourselves.

Sierra and daddy on the train.

It was really cold and we are no longer prepared for cold weather!!! My boys don't even have a warm jacket! Just hoodies.

Ben was SO excited to be able to ride on the trolley! They had a little yellow trolley and he REALLY wanted to ride on it. Lucky for us we were able to ride it just before we left!

Christmas morning

2011-01-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was FANTASTIC! It was nice a easy. The boys woke up around 7:30 and we just took it easy. It was really nice to have my family visit. The kids all got pillow pets from Santa!! they were SO excited!!

Sierra was really getting into opening her presents. She loved seeing what was inside everything!

Ben LOVES his new bike...although it is a little big...he can grow into it! What a fantasitc day...we just took it easy. When it was time for Sierra's nap, we all watched a movie,played, or took a nap. Then got back to more presents. I love having a slow christmas.

Christmas jammies!

2011-01-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry, a lot of my pictures are blurry. I was messing with my camera and forgot to put it back on auto focus. OOPS!

They're all just so cute in their christmas jammies!

A few random photos

2011-01-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

I had a rare chance to get all the little ones that come to play...so I grabbed it! Usually we have just the boys (Jacob Miller, Conner Peterson, and Michael Hunter) Because we do a weekly swap so these boys can play and have fun together. The girls (Lacey and Hanna Bywater) we swap weekly with too...just another day. this day they were all over at the same time!! WHAT FUN!! They were enjoying making forts, eating cookies and just being silly. Sierra just looked cute in her Christmas outfit...the one the boys wore their second Christmas. Yes...at nine months my baby girl was wearing 18 month clothes.

So unfortunate

2011-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately these are the ONLY pictures that were taken this year in front of our Christmas tree:( I don't know what happened..other than life, but these are the only ones I have. These were taken while the boys were decorating the tree.

We actually set up the pack-n-play for Sierra so that she wouldn't get into the village, but Ben decided HE needed to be in it instead.

Oh, well...maybe I'll do better next year. I did get a few on Christmas morning...I'll post those later.

Sierra's Antics

2010-12-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

Sierra's been very busy lately! Her and her partner in crime!! BEN! She got into the cereal cabinet and was eating the trix. Ben showed her how to DUMP them all over the floor and then eat them!

The fireplace she did all on her own...well, MacKensie Peterson helped her up, but she climbed in all on her own.

She LOVES to help me in the kitchen, I give her a bowl, a spoon and some measuring cups and she's happy!

What can YOU do in November?

2010-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

I decided that I better be fair and post my falling. As you can see...we can go wake boarding!!!

I love the fact that the leaves have turned.

Bob got to go as the sun was going down...it STILL wasn't that cold!

Then, Ryan and Justin got out and showed us how it's REALLY done!

Sierra

2010-11-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Back in September I went to check on Sierra, and I found her sleeping like this...at least she's not sleeping on her left side anymore! I just don't think this will work once that helmet comes off!

6 months old and check out those thighs!!!!

In October I was working outside and Sierra decided to crawl outside. Ben was cleaning up his rocks. I wasn't paying very good attention.....Sierra decided to eat charcoal! I got her right away, but she was still nice and black.

Condors game!!!!

2010-11-03T09:37:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday night some friends called and said they had some Condors Hockey tickets they weren't going to use. We JUMPED on it! Got a sitter for Sierra and took the boys to the game! We were 4 rows behind the players! AWESOME seats! Andrew was worried about it being too loud and Ben was just excited!!! Because it was the day before Halloween, they wore their costumes. Good thing too, it's the only one I have of Andrew in his.

Andrew stuck his hands through the bars and got to high five the players on their way to the locker room. He can't wait to go back....something he and daddy can do together!!!!

As it turned out...Andrew was TOTALLY into the game and Ben was scared of the players. He didn't like all the pads on the goalies. Oh well, he didn't act too scared, he just kept hiding behind the chairs.

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-11-03T09:32:00.001-07:00

I was using a new function on my phone and didn't realize I had to save every picture that I took...so, this is the only one I have from trunk-or-treat. Ben was Super Why! Here he is chilling in the back of our new van. Andrew was Vert from Hot Wheels:Battle Force Five. And Sierra was a pumpkin...the same costume the boys wore on their first Halloween. It BARELY fit her, but it was good enough for one night. (it's a sweat suit and the sweats went to her knees)

Pumpkin carving

2010-11-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we finally got around to carving our pumpkins. We remembered from last year that if you carve them too soon, they get moldy and icky before Halloween even gets here! We had the boys draw what they wanted on their pumpkins so that Bob could carve them.

Benjamin's Pumpkin

Andrew kept starting over....next year, no permanent markers.

All aglow Halloween night. For it being on a Sunday we actually had several trick-or-treaters! The boys loved handing out the candy and fought to get to the door first. We actually shut down at 7:30 when Andrew went to bed, but heard kids out side long in to the night. Andrew said on Mon that there were a lot of kids missing from school....no doubt staying up too late and eating too much candy:)

Family trip to pumpkin patch

2010-11-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ben and I had so much fun at the pumpkin patch we decided we should take the whole family back. Sierra rode up high and LOVED every minute of it. She thought it was the BEST view!

This was my view the whole time...They were FAST and I had a hard time keeping up with them.

They were so excited to be at the pumpkin patch....and that we made it out of the maze!

They BEGGED to have these pictures taken! But according to Ben I must have been taking to long.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last week we headed to the local pumpkin patch with Benjamin's preschool. The boys had so much fun walking through the pumpkins and watching lizards. (Thomas Lamb, Christian Olsen, Ty Butler)
(Vaughn Forsyth, Benjamin, Kaiden Bergtanole)

Ben was in LOVE with this green pumpkin.

They were having a blast looking at their reflections in the pond.

Ty Butler, Thomas Lamb, Lucy Forsyth, Ryan Lamb, Kaiden Bergtanole, Vaughn Forsyth, Christian Olsen.

Ben was pouting and refused to join his friends to sing 5 little pumpkins.

Sierra sitting up!!

2010-11-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

My baby girl! These are actually from September when she started to sit up on her own. We love our little girl. She is so much fun to have in our family. She is now crawling like crazy and gets into everything!!!!

Andrew and Dana singing

2010-11-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Over the summer Andrew participated in a singing class. He LOVED it! He was the only boy but he didn't care. Here is his duet with Dana. They sang Zippadeedodah

Andrew's first piano recital

2010-11-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Andrew started taking piano lessons this summer. He had worked his way through one of the beginner books that we have and so I decided it was time. He's doing REALLY well. This was back in August during his fun filled weekend of a day at the lake, a piano recital, and a little choir concert. Hope you enjoy!