Happy Birthday Grandma Barbara!

Yesterday, my great-grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday....

We celebrated by having a wonderful dinner with all of the family that could be there.  Then, we surprised her by bringing in my brother (Tyler) via webcam to visit and help us sing to her....

She was pretty amazed with how the technology works.  We of course had to get some group photos while we were all together.

Here we are with Grandma.

Here is a photo of the 5 generations of females.  Lilian, myself, my mom, her mom, and her mom.

And, here is a group shot of everyone who was able to celebrate with us!
Top row from left: John (my step-dad), Lisa (my mom), Sharon (my grandmother), Dick (my grandfather), myself, Ron
Bottom Row from left: Doug (my 3rd cousin), Grandma Barbara (my great-grandmother), Lilian, Tammy (my great-great aunt), Braison, and Alfred (my great-great uncle, also my grandma Barbara's older brother)
Alfred, Tammy, and Doug traveled from the Tri-Cities to be here and we are so glad they were able to do so! We wish them a safe trip home.
Happy Birthday Grandma Barbara!
~Ashley

Carnival

We were out running errands this past weekend and happen to drive by a little carnival being held a few miles from our house.  We couldn't stop right then, but told the kids that we would come back.  Well, we decided to head back after dinner that night.  The wind was blowing about a hundred miles an hour, so we only got to ride on the merry-go-round, but we had a blast.  Seems how we were the only people at the whole carnival, we got an extra long ride, and the kids loved it!  Thank you Mr. Carnie for making our kids' evening :o)

It was...

...an itsy, bitsy, teenie, weenie, yellow polka-dot bikini that she wore for the first time today...

Happy Birthday Dad!

My (Ashley's) dad turned the big 5-0 this past weekend! His wife threw him a surprise party and a little bar in Boise called "Shorty's"

Everyone had a wonderful time....

My dad and his wife, Sue.

Leni helping test out his new "hearing aid" while also wearing his new glasses and fancy hat.

Some of the girls having a good time.

A bunch of friends showed up to help celebrate the occasion, it was really a wonderful night out!  Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa, we love you!

Easter

We had a very eventful Easter this year.  We started off the week by doing a craft project (crosses) and learning a little about Jesus and Easter.  Then we colored eggs...

And our final products...

Then on Easter morning the Easter Bunny came and left a few things..

We got ready for church after checking out the loot from him.  The kids were so adorable in their new Easter clothes!

Then we came home and got things ready to have some of the family over for an Easter dinner.  Here are some of the goodies that we made...

We had a wonderful dinner, then braved the chilly outdoors for an Easter egg hunt and to play with the new bubbles that we got.

All in all, we had a very wonderful holiday.  We are so blessed to have wonderful family around to celebrate with.  And, we are forever grateful for the sacrifice that our Savior made and what Easter truly means.

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... 

Bangs, Beaters, Rags, and Librarians...

So, we didn't think the day would come for Lilian to need a haircut for, oh, about 20 years, but that day came on March 25, 2010!  No, we didn't cut much, just her bangs as they were getting into her eyes...

Poor little girls wasn't wearing her glasses, so her eyes crossed pretty bad, but you can see what an improvement a trim of the bangs made! And, now she will talk your ear off about her pretty new bangs :o)

While making cupcakes for a dinner that we were having the kids were excited to get involved...

By licking the beater, of course!  They were quite enthralled with them for close to an hour, they were the cleanest beaters you ever saw by the time they were done with them!

Ron made Braison quite the dew rag, out of a piece of an old Halloween costume, he loved it....

And, I think we just might have a future librarian on our hands....

Don't you think?!?

Out of the mouths of babes

Daddy: Braison, who gave you your belly button?

Braison: Grandma Barbara.

Hiding in the grass

I got a call from my mother this morning, she watches Braison and Lilian while Ron and I work, to ask about a snake in our yard.  The kids were telling her about the snake that they found in the backyard yesterday, how it was in the grass, how they held it and pet it, and telling her the "sssssss" noise that snakes make.
Anyway, she called me to ask about the snake that we had found.  I asked her what she was talking about, and she relayed to me what the kids were telling her, while standing at the back door, reliving their experience.
That is when my laughter began, why you ask?  Because the "snake" that they were telling their Nana about was actually a 1/2" worm that we had found in the dirt.

Ponytails!

 

That is right...Lilian FINALLY has enough hair to put into a "ponytail" or two even today! It is a wonderful day!

CHEEEESE!

Lilian - (Holding her hands up around her eyes like she is looking through binoculars, or a make believe camera in this case) "Mommy! Look Here!
Mommy - Looks over to her
Lilian - "Say CHEEEESE!!"
Mommy - "Cheese!"
Lilian - "OH! Good one Mommy! One more picture."

Kids say the silliest things! Well, I guess grown-ups say the silliest things, we just don't realize how silly they are until they are mimicked by our children!

These Boots Are Made For Walking

 

What a couple of goofs, playing in their daddy's boots!

Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's Day. After church we just hung out. We wound up going to dinner, mexican food even!  We were able to get a family photo in...

We hope everyone enjoyed their day and got to spend time with the one's that they love.

A Snipit Of Our Year So Far...

 

  

The kids love love love their new Cruiser.  They have even been really good about taking turns driving it! But, usually it is Braison driving and Lilian riding, and they are both ok with that.

 

And, of course the kids are always being hams. Braison got a new booster seat and they have taken a liking to playing in it, just something new and exciting I suppose.  They were not pleased when it left to be put in the car, funny how it isn't so exciting when you are strapped to it! :o)

We had a decent amount of snow fall a few days ago and...

 

the kids made their first snow man!  They have been coloring snowmen for a while now, but this was so much better than a 2-D snowman!  Braison was in charge of carrying out the nose, eyes, buttons, and hat; he only lost one eye on the way, so all in all it was a success.   Lilian just wanted to hold his hand, they were both so proud!

Other than that, we have really just been living and loving life.  Until next time!

I Love Kids!

So, now that Braison is in a "big boy" bed, he tries to find excuses at night to get out of that bed (imagine that!). Well, last night we heard him talking and it sounded like he was standing right on the other side of his door. I go to look and he has his toes sticking out under the door. I put my ear to his door to hear what he is saying, and to my delight I hear, "Braison needs toenails clipped now." Hahaha! He was trying to show me through his door that he needed his toenails clipped, even though he had just got them clipped the day before. What a character, so inventive! I love it!

Christmas / New Year's Experience

I guess it is better late than never.  Wow, time has been going by so fast and there has been so much going on that we are just now catching our breath!

Christmas:

We spent Christmas Eve at home, just the four of us.  It was nice to have some quiet time and to reflect and talk to the kids about the reason for the season.  We had a nice ham dinner and then went to look at Christmas lights.  After we returned home we had some dessert and opened our gifts to each other.  The kids really have the hang of opening gifts now!

Christmas morning we woke up and found what Santa brought - Braison and Lilian's very own Cruiser! They were extatic! We couldn't get them out of it, even for breakfast.  Later on Christmas Day we went to Grandpa and Grandma Sue's for dinner and celebration.  We had a very nice evening with them and a few of their friends.

The day after Christmas we were able to celebrate with Nana, Papa, Grandma Barbara, Uncle Tyler, Uncle BJ, Aunt Krista, and Cousin Chloee.  We had a nice potluck style dinner and then had gifts there as well.
What a whirlwind of a Christmas, we are so happy to celebrate with family and continue to love and honor our Lord and Savior.

New Year's:

Well, as some of you might know this New Year's my mom, Lisa, had a milestone birthday...the big 5-0! So, we decided to surprise her and take her out for a New Year's Eve/Birthday celebration.  Her best friends, Renae and Rob were able to be there to celebrate with us as well. We went to dinner at Bardenay downtown and then went the the Rockin New Year's Eve party at the Boise Centre on the Grove. We had a wonderful time dancing the night away! Then, after everyone rang in the new year, they called my mom out onto the dance floor, all by herself, and the band serenaded her with a Happy Birthday song. It was a fun night that will not be forgotten by any of us! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM/NANA!! And, Happy New Year to everyone!
**I know the photos are not great, but I forgot to take my camera!!**

Meanwhile, Braison and Lilian enjoyed a nice quiet New Year's Eve with their Grandpa and Grandma.