Safe Kids Fair 2013

Last weekend was the safe kids fair at the weber county fairgrounds. Hallie was so excited to go and take her bike. Matt was busy doing Elder Quorum stuff so we decided to brave the rainy weather and see how it went. Hallie rode her bike to all the exhibits and was super excited about it.

 Gracie was content to ride in the stroller and accept candy at about every stop.

 One of Hallie favorite booths was the sleeping booties the knock off disney princesses that stand for something. They gave her a book that is so cute and funny. We are looking into going to the princess festival this summer.

 We got a little wet waiting in line for a couple things Hallie didn't seem to mind...Grace on the other hand preferred to be inside.

 They were smart and set up the bike coarse inside. Hallie got to go multiple times since she had her own bike which made taking it totally worth it.

 Enjoying the candy hand outs while Hallie got her face painted.

 This was actually one of the only things that we waited in line for and Hallie really wanted to have it done. She loved her butterfly and was extremely picky with the colors the girl used.

We had a great time and after quickly packed up and headed to Kyle's surprise party. It was a lot of fun with all of their friends and all of our little kids. It was a fun ad exhausting day.

Silly Faces

Recently Matt and I have both been finding multiple pictures of Hallie making many different faces and is quite comical so last week after Matt and I's date night. Hallie is at such a fun age. When I told her we were going to date night she asked if she could help me pick out my clothes. She climbed in my closet and quickly picked out the coral top I was wearing and said she hadn't seen me wear that in a long time and that I needed to wear it and picked out my black shoes. Once I finished my hair she informed me I looked like a princess and was the most beautiful ever. She is such a sweet girl..most of the time.

 Love this picture of Gracie dancing while Hallie was trying to take pictures of us.

Love our silly little family

A Day at the Laundry Mat??

I haven't been to the laundry mat since before Matt and I had kids but I had made Gracie a rag quilt for her bed and everything I read said it was better to take it to the laundry mat so it wouldn't clog your machine. So we decided to make a fun trip out of it. We picked up lunch after running some errands and headed to do the wash.  

 Gracie loved her cheese sticks and watching all the washers and dryers go in never ending circles.

 Hallie loved the video games and the laundry cart I let her ride in(I'm sure its against the rules but we were killing time)

After about an hour we finished and headed home for naps. It was a lot more fun than I had anticipated and definitely something new that we hadn't done.

Puppies

Yes we did it again! We decided to get the girls a dog. The Friday of conference weekend we headed to Preston to get Matt and road bike. I had actively been looking for puppies for a couple months but neither Matt or I was sure we wanted to cross that bridge again. We finally decided that it was mostly selfish reasons not to get a puppy and while in Preston decided to go see some puppies I had seen on ksl the week before. I called ahead and the guy said to come anytime we had quite the time finding his house in the middle of no where up by cub river.  Just before getting to the house I jokingly said to Matt what if we got 2 puppies one for each of the girls and then they would have a buddy. Matt gave me a look and we didn't discuss it further. Hallie was automatically in love with all 9 of them plus the mom & dad. They were a golden retriever/boxer mix but somehow ended up black with the boxer white markings. Some how after about 30 minutes we ended up with 2 puppies and 1 very happy Hallie. Gracie was a little unsure and would occasionally swat at it but once the showed her interested she wanted to be held away from them. We only paid 30 bucks for them which was a big prerequisite to getting them in the first place.

 Sunday we made conference cake, I attempted a gluten free batch that tasted pretty good but lacked some fluffiness and some regular ones for the rest of my family. We like ours covered in sugar and lots of whipped cream. We enjoyed conference just our little family. The girls were great and either napped or quietly played while we listened. In between sessions we played with our new additions and Gracie's favorite part...a lemonade.

 This is Gus-Gus he is named after Cinderellas mouse friend and is somewhat of a coward. He is pretty laid back and is "Gracie's" puppy.

 No they aren't dead but they sleep in the sun on the lawn like this quite often. The other is Oreo "Hallie's" puppy the more active energetic one. Gus-gus is bigger and wears the blue collar where oreo is the smaller one and wears the red. They are both boys and are the smartest dogs I have ever come across. They came pretty much potty trained the owner said they had been following the mom out to go potty so we designated an area for them and they would get out of their kennel up the stair and out to go potty. They don't walk very well on their leashes they prefer to be free spirits but we are working on it. They have been sleeping in the garage in a kennel it has been cold but we are currently building them a nice large dog run in the backyard with a dog house for them both. So far so good but Gracie now loves them and they are probably permanent fixtures at our house.

A Day at the Zoo...or Not! How about Gateway?

We headed off to go to the zoo and get out in the sun. About half way there we realized it was Spring break and a couple different school districts were out of school. We could tell about 1/2 mile from the zoo that we weren't even going to attempt the zoo so we quickly decided to head to Gateway to eat our picnic and play by the water. We more watched the water than played in it the weather isn't quite warm enough to get wet yet.  

 The kids got pretty brave and lucked out a few times and didn't end up wet. They loved the music that made the water "dance."

 After we had at least attempted to feed everyone(they mostly just wanted to play) we headed to do some shopping.

 After picking out a few things at Old navy we decided to brave the trax line. I haven't ridden it for probably 5 years but Hallie and Rigs were fascinated so of coarse we had to do it. Neither Nic or I knew what we were doing so we asked some teenage boys and they were able to give us some direction. It was an adventure for sure we ended up where the train stops and then goes back the other direction. Were weren't quite sure what to do so we decided to walk back to the next station which was probably not the wisest. 2 girls with 4 kids majorly out of their element in the ghetto. Luckily we got to a safe place and stayed together everything was fine.

When we got back to the car we put Rigs and Hallie in and then buckled the babies in after buckling Gracie in I looked in the back seat to make sure Hallie had gotten herself buckled only to find she wasn't even in her seat. I asked Nic where Hallie was and we immediately panicked looked throughout the car and around the car. A million thoughts went through my head as to what to do next. Nic stuck her heads over the back of the seat and Hallie was laying quietly on the floor. I wanted to kill her and Nic and I were shaking from our panick attack. I quickly pulled her up and not very nicely told her to never hide from me again. I don't remember the last time I was so frantic and terrified I had actually lost one of my kids. Oh man I love them and don't know what I would do if I didn't have them. It was a great day that was pretty laid back and time spent together. I love the relationship that Hallie, Rigs, and Grace have its like their own little club.

15 months-1st ponytail

15 Month Stats

20lbs 11oz(18%)

30.31 in(46%)

This active little girl is 15 months already. She at times is so busy and has recently decided she likes to climb. I now understand why people say their kids looked  like they were abused about this age. She has started talking a little more and now waves and says bye. She loves to eat and has started using silverware and does quite well. This girl LOVES food. I have a hard time even explaining how much but if she is in the front room playing with Hallie and I open the fridge she is instantly at my feet even if she has just eaten. I am hesitating taking away her bottle because its about the only time she will cuddle with me. She is getting more teeth all the time. She now has 10 with two more that have its little spikes through. She loves to brush her teeth and comb her hair. She gives some pretty dirty looks at times but has a smile that lights up her entire face. But also loves to give hugs and kisses. Now that the weather is warming up she loves outside and to play in just about anything dirty. For one she loves the sandbox. She and Hallie do really well together and I love to watch them interact. She is very independently minded and has started the stage of wanting whatever someone else has. She has really started to grasp the concept of reading and will sit on my lap for more than 2 seconds at a time. I can often tell her to go get a story and we will read and I love that. Matt just recently built her a bigger bookshelf and I frequently find her sitting on the floor or in her chair reading. We have started time outs and they seem to be working really well for her. I realized the other day her hair is plenty long to put in a pony but looks bald when I do it so I think we will continue to take advantage of her natural curl to make it look like she has more.

This little girl is such a joy in our home and its funny how when you have one you can never imagine making 2 work and once you have 2 it feels like you have always had 2. I truly believe that both of our girls were sent especially to us for all of us to learn and grow together. Love you Gracie Goo feel free to stay little as long as possible.

Easter Sunday

Since the Easter bunny had visited us on Saturday Sunday morning was spent sleeping in, hanging out, and getting ready for Easter dinner. Before I knew it it was time to get ready and head to church and oh coarse I forgot/ran out of time to take pictures. So this was our attempt after church...pretty pathetic.

 But Gracie seemed to cooperate if I held her to take the picture so that's what we did.

 Im not one to dress my girls the same I think its a little tacky but I have done it in the past and at some point may do it again but I enjoy picking different dresses for 2 totally different kids Easter is no exception.

 After we got home from church we had a few minutes to get the finishing touches done for dinner before Grandma and Grandpa Brower arrived for dinner. When they got here Gracie was asleep and Hallie couldn't get the door open fast enough. They had brought the girls an Easter basket, I got beautiful flowers, and Matt got some treats of his own.

 Our dinner was completely gluten free we had ham, cheesy potatoes, strawberry jello salad, and deviled eggs. But I think the thing we were most impress with dessert---the carrot cake! It was the most amazing delicious carrot cake I have ever had and it was beautiful to..like a "normal cake." I am finding I have better luck with regular recipes and converting them to g.f. rather than using g.f. recipes.

 It was an exhausting weekend celebrating Easter with family and friends.

Easter Afternoon

After some good naps and some lunch we headed to Nic & Kyle's for some fun and dinner. When we got there they had the grill fired up and were setting up the volleyball net and an outdoor eating spot. We worked on getting some pictures while Kyle cooked the burgers. My little brother Nate that will sooner than I think we all realize be heaed on a mission for a couple years. He is a great kid and my girls love him.

 Gracie has found that my mom will hold her some once we got there she found her put her, put her arms up, and became a semi attached part of my mom....silly girl

 Luke is the most mellow child you may ever meet just completely go with the flow. He seems to like my dad alot.

 We all took our turn in loving on Kinley luckily she seems to be able to sleep through most of it

 We got curious about how much the kids weighed so Kyle pulled out his fish scale and Gracie & Luke both got their turns in the blankie to be weighed.

 After we ate some food(no pictures but we did eat and enjoyed it) we played some volleyball. the weather couldn't have been more beautiful and some of us ended up sunburned namely my hubby.

 I love my little family

 The 1st new picture of all the grandkids

This car is a popular toy when we are there. But they have gotten very good at sharing or finding a way for all of them to use it..very creative

 After some relaxing we had cake and ice cream to celebrate Maddi's 13th birthday coming up this next weekend. And then everyone was re-sugared so we did an easter egg hunt.

I love this picture of Gracie every egg she picked up she looked surprised thrilled with what she had found.

 We had an amazing rest of an Easter Saturday and headed home in time for baths, pjs, and another good night of sleep. Happy Easter.