Happy 27!

We went to Johnny Carino's for dinner on my birthday! It was super yummy! They brought me a brownie topped with ice cream and a lit candle. What a treat to go out on my special day!

Baptism Day

Dear Braden,

I need to get pictures from everyone else! I didn't take enough!

You made a good and right choice to be baptised! We are so proud of you! Everyone came to the baptism to celebrate! The Avila's flew in! I think it was a successful event- even though the kids were a bit crazy including Kait who wanted to run all over when she was supposed to be sitting down quiet. Uncle Michael gave a special talk on baptism and Grandma Shanna gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost and showed us Brett's old shoe! We also had everyone over for a yummy dinner afterward and had a delicious Costco cake!

We love you! Thanks for being a Great Son!

Happy Birthday B!

Dear Braden,

Happy Happy Birthday! It was a super busy week for us! You had a sports themed birthday party! I planned games and we did them, but all you boys wanted to do was jump on the trampoline and shoot dart guns at each other. I guess I'm not at all surprised! Who want to hang out with Mom when your friends are around!

Love, Mom

Lots of Kids...

What happens in larger families? Children are more tolerant. They learn that they are one part of a whole much larger than themselves and that the common good usually takes precedence over their particular desires. They also discover the principle of scarcity; they learn to conserve. Their clothes are on loan and passed on to others when they are done. They have to share their toys. They cannot take more food than they can eat, or someone else will not have enough. They can't take long, hot showers, or someone else gets a cold shower. They learn that their singular behavior affects multiple people. They are not the center of the universe.

Children with multiple siblings are also more accepting. They practice living with a variety of temperaments, quirks, and ages. Older children cannot stay safely within their own peer group. They learn to hold babies, sing lullabies, and change diapers. A teenager cannot retreat, morose, into his bedroom every afternoon to listen to his music—his 3-year-old brother will jump on his back and demand a gallop around the room. A 16-year-old girl will trudge through the door from school, worry on her face, to be greeted by a flying 18-month-old jumping into her arms.

Children from larger families have to work together. Every morning, the grump, the overachiever, the early riser, the dreamer, the snuggler, and the toddler must negotiate their separate concerns toward a single goal: to get out the door and to their respective schools on time.

I liked this article http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/august/15.26.html?start=1 and this was my favorite part so I thought I would share.

Preschool Walk

Dear Kait,

What a time of wonder... preschool time! We do a home preschool three times a week trading off with the Mom's of your friends. You girls are so smart and interested in the world around you! You enjoy learning and you know all the letters of the alphabet and all of the sounds. You can sound out simple words and are on your way to reading! You love to make up your own songs and dances. You also have your own sense of fashion which usually consists of a lot of layers. You love to be silly and laugh and run wild! This includes dress up and jumping on the trampoline, playing Polly pockets, and lots of drawing. Today you showed us a picture of our family - that had 10 kids in the family! The Mom and Dad were the tallest then everyone was the same size except for one little short one who was the baby. You certainly have an imagination!!

I love you,

Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!

Dear Jeanne ~ Mom,

Happy Happy Birthday! Thanks for being such a wonderful caring mother & Grandma!

Thanks for helping out whenever I ask - like leading the music!

Thanks for watching my babies, mending clothes, and making wonderful family dinners!

You are a beautiful person inside and out and I love spending time with you. I would move even closer if I could! Thanks for all the phone chatting and emails. Thanks for being a wonderful example and friend!

I love you and hope you live 50 more years!!

Love, Nichole~

It's a BOY!

BEFORE...

Saving a lock of curly hair...

Before & AFTER!!

Dear Ryan,

I LOVE your baby hair. It is so soft, silky, smooth, and curly! It is many different pretty shades of brown and blond. I like to wash it and scrunch it to make it extra curly. Since I have never ever cut it, it has gotten a little out of control and very long. It is stylish for boys to have long hair and so I have let it grow and grow. Nevertheless, strangers old and young mistake you for a girl even in your boy clothes. Alas, I think it is time to say goodbye to the hair and turn you into a "real" boy! Brook & I used the flowbee to cut your hair and gave you a lolly pop and the TV to watch. You sat still the entire time even with the incredible noise of the vacuum and the flowbee. (www.flowbee.com It's awesome!) I thought I would be really sad (and I am a little sad) but mostly I think you look super handsome now!! Your hair still has wave and we can style it if we want! You are growing up so fast and are so fun to play with. I tell you "I'm gonna get you" and chase you around the house and you run with your little short legs, sometime backing up until you run into something and then you wait to be tickled. You have beautiful eyes and now they really pop out!

I love you! ~Mom

Happy New Year!

We kicked off our New Years Celebrating with a steak dinner cooked by the best steak maker ever, my hubby Jake! Lucky for him he now has a BBQ organizing bib!

We gave him a sour patch candy. Yum!

Then we played a really fun game for many many hours! Some highlights would be "dirty" dancing by Annie, stop drop & roll although I hit my head, "big" "butt" = Jennifer Lopez, and well that is all that I am remembering right now but it was a blast!

Candid Photos

Kait took her chance when I was not paying attention and took these pictures. Did you think I was going cRaZy?

Skagit Skate

We were SO lucky Jake's parents and sister came to visit us right after Christmas!! We had a fabulous time with them. One afternoon we went roller skating because Braden received roller blades for Christmas. Kait was so funny. She really wanted to skate but was having trouble balancing as you can see from the video. I would have deleted it since it looks like I am being mean but she thinks its very funny!



She did get better after some practice and could skate around the floor by herself!

B roller blading: