Happy 2nd Birthday, Brady!

Brady is 2!

It's hard to believe but our little nephew turned two a few weeks ago.

We were able to help him celebrate at his cute construction themed party.

I am always so proud of Carter and how gently he treats his cousins.  It's very sweet.

I love how Brady is eyeing the food ~ he was so funny to watch as he attacked the bowl of hummus!

Brady opened presents in shifts, a few here a few there.

He got several new trains to add to his train table.

Happy Birthday to you...

A much better reaction than last year!

He was calm and sweet and then dove into his cupcake, yummy!

Brady is such a mellow little guy, although the "2s" are visible every now and again.  He loves his cousins and loves to play.  His favorites are trains, diggers and Curious George.  He's so sweet and is growing and getting so big. 

We love you very much, Brady!  Happy Birthday, buddy!

a little bit of life, December edition

Whew, December has been one busy month!

  I feel like I need to go to work to catch my breath, but then I get home and am even more tired.  Thankfully the things that have been keeping us busy have been a lot of fun.  We've managed to do a lot of fun, festive Christmas activities (which I will hopefully get around to blogging about before 2013!)  I am trying in earnest to keep up with this online journal of our lives, so in keeping with that effort, I am combining lots of little memories into this one post ~ a December overview!

I just had to snap a quick picture of our guest room...this is pretty much how it's looked over the last couple of months.  Between planning the retirement party at church, shopping and stashing Christmas gifts and trying to maintain some semblance of cleanliness throughout the rest of our home, this is how our spare room ended up looking.  It's a little representative of how I feel about life at times...I try real hard to "appear" composed, pretty and put together but often feel like giant mess, in reality!

Thankfully we had guests who were planning on staying with us, so that was motivation enough to get this room into shape.  I can breath a little easier now that it's finally organized.  It felt great to purge and just toss a lot of stuff.  I hope to do more of that in the upcoming weeks.

Carter worked on his first school project ~ he had to make a poster board of his family's traditions.

I tried hard to offer little advice (which was really hard at times!) and let him determine how he wanted his poster to look.  It wasn't nearly as flashy as I would have made it, but he was proud of it and I thought it looked great.  He was excited to share the pictures that he had chosen with his classmates.

(Sadly, I didn't think to take a picture of him with his finished project)

Oh Jakey

My poor dog humors me most of the time, but he was not happy about his candy cane headband.

He's turning 9 at the end of the month...and he's really starting to show his age with that grey beard and those droopy eyes.

Kennedy had great fun playing with our nativity scene before we placed it onto the mantel

Our little one got a quick stomach bug and spent an entire day throwing up...she wouldn't hear of waiting to get our Christmas tree, though, so 12 hours later she was outside hunting for the perfect tree!

Dressing up for Christmas is so much fun!

a quick photo shoot was in order before we left for church

such a handsome little guy

seeing these pictures makes me a little sad ~ Kennedy got a little crazy with the markers during Sunday school and ruined her dress.  It was one of my very favorites of the season and one that I had planned for her to wear on Christmas...I tried everything and there's still a faint pink smear, right in front. 

All markers meant for children should be washable!!!

Such a sweet picture

Love!

Our annual Linfield girls brunch and book exchange

I love hosting this each year and really look forward to it as a way to kick off the Christmas festivities.

This year we adopted two children in need, a brother and sister who often don't have enough to eat and are sleeping on couches (breaks my heart to even think about it), and went crazy making their Christmas special.  It was so fun buying for a child who I knew had next to nothing.  Knowing that a new coat or a pack of socks would be greatly appreciated.  We were able to give lots of clothes, books and toys and hope that they will have a merry Christmas, indeed.  I love that we do this each year and I love this group of ladies ~ generous and loving hearts!

Happy birthday, Papa!

My father-in-law is a special guy ~ a wonderful papa, a great dad and just overall a good man.  He is generous with his time and loves his family very much. 

We are lucky to have him!

Fun times with Papa

A visit with the Simons

The Simons came to visit in September, and it worked out that they were here for a wedding during Bennett's 4th birthday.  This was the first birthday we've celebrated with B, so it was extra special for all of us.  We wish so much that they lived closer, because we always have so much fun when we're together.

Uncle Justin and Auntie Stacy came over to visit straight from the airport.  They indulged the kids with a tea party - water and gold fish, we do it high class around here

cousins having fun with the wagon

B loves his uncle

Kyle is so great with kids, they all love him.  It's a gift and I love to see it!

Oh, sweet Sloane

She is a doll, such a fun personality and is non-stop motion.

We loved getting to spend time with her ~ she is growing and changing so fast!

time for presents

Bennett's new stomp rocket was a huge hit with the kiddos.

They had so much fun!

Carter and B

Bennett really loves Carter and is content doing whatever Carter is doing.  It really is so cute to watch and I'm (usually) proud of Carter for how sweet he is to Bennett.

They are good buds

Now these two on the other hand have more of a love/hate relationship. 

They did really great this trip, so maybe we are turning a corner and we'll see more love!

B chose ice cream pies for his birthday treat and enjoyed it as we all sang "happy birthday"

Happy 4th Birthday, Bennett!

We love you, buddy!

Fun with Cousins!

Stacy and the kids made a trip up to Portland last week and we were lucky enough to see them three different times during their visit.  I'm not sure how it happened, but I didn't snap a single picture of my sweet little niece...sad.  She was sick towards the end of their trip and asleep in the car during our museum visit.  She's so cute and has grown so much and I'm sad I don't have any current pictures to post.

I know I've said it many times before, but I'm so thankful that Kennedy and Carter get to grow up with cousins who are close to them in age.  It's a fun little group of five!

On Saturday, Kyle took the kids and met his sister at the Children's Museum. 

Carter and Bennett in the dig pit - love their coordinating shirts!

Kennedy is such a turkey when it comes to having her picture taken.  Kyle marveled at how well B would pose for pictures.  You had to be quick, but he always looked to the camera and smiled his super cute smile.  He could teach his cousins a thing or two!

All three enjoyed the veterinarian area

In the reading nook

I love B's crossed legs...he's growing up way too fast!

The water room is always a hit

After a few hours at the museum it was on to lunch. 

What a special day!

We headed out to Hillsboro after church on Sunday and the weather was decent so we bundled up the kids and headed to the park.

Before dinner I took the kids out to ride bikes...I am still impressed by how well Carter is doing on two wheels.  He loves it!

The "big" kids

Kennedy, Bennett and Carter

These two are so funny together.  I'm not sure if it's their proximity in age or their strong willed nature, but they argue like crazy.  Today's argument was whether it was "raining" or "sprinkling".  It's hilarious to watch them together. 

There's so much going on with Kennedy's outfit...comfy jammies, rain boots and a winter coat.  Oh Kennedy, you are unique and I love you!  I pray that you always feel confident enough to be just who you want to be.

And not one to be left out, Brady came along for a stroll.  I just love those chubby cheeks!

Such a great smile!  B really loves Carter and was his shadow the entire day.  Carter is quite patient with him, as opposed to how he can be with Kennedy, and they get a long great. 

Joy!

And here's a cute picture of Baby Sloane, I just couldn't bare the thought of leaving this sweet little one out!  I love that she smiles with her whole face, just like Kennedy did at her age.  She is a doll - so happy and always moving!

{Photo from Stacy's blog}

Brady is 1!

Look at this little guy, such a sweet face and a mellow disposition to go along with it!

We helped celebrate Brady's 1st birthday with a little party and dinner at Grandma and Papa's house.  It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since this happy little boy joined our family...it just doesn't seem possible.

Cruising all around -
right on schedule, Brady is walking...and it's such a cute walk too, all toddle and pride :)

He didn't love his first try of cupcake the day before, so Val thought she'd try a little bit of ice cream instead of frosting...

Still not a fan. 

We went with a monkey theme for Brady's gifts after I found this cute hat.  A little backpack and lunch box to go with it and then some cool duds for his first trip to Cabo!

Brady is such a joy and is loved by us all! 

Happy 1st birthday!

Special Day

Last weekend, Kennedy was treated to a special day at Build a Bear with Auntie Val.  For Christmas, she was given a gift certificate and had been asking about it ever since.  I finally had to hide the little card, hoping for  "out of sight, out of mind" to kick it.  It worked...a little, but she was still so excited for this special day.  We had never been to Build a Bear before, and she had a wonderful time!  Although, now both kids want to go back.  And soon.  Maybe for a birthday treat.

 With her prized "stuffie" - she was so excited to show us what she had created!

 Helping "stuff" her (bright pink!) kitty cat

 A little TLC at the grooming station

I guess choosing Kitty's outfit took a lot of thought.  They had to lay all four choices out and then make a decision.  A pink ballet satin outfit was the winner :)  With a pink headband.  And pink sparkly purse.

 Sharing a chocolate milkshake with Kitty

She takes this cat with her everywhere she goes...what a fun and special day, thank you Auntie!

And while Kennedy and Auntie were out enjoying the afternoon, we got to spend time with this sweet little boy.  Brady is such a good baby - he was entertained by Carter, was cruising all around and was fascinated by what I was doing in the kitchen.  It was such a fun day for all of us!

sweet baby

Sweet, precious Brady Kellen was born on January 27th and Kyle and I were blessed with a second nephew and the kids another cousin. We were so thankful to be able to meet this beautiful baby just a few hours after he made his way into the world. It's been so fun holding and loving a little baby again...you forget how tiny toes can be and how instantly you can fall in love. Our family is growing and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Look at that beautiful face.

Perfect.

Just four days old, first day home

My baby holding his new baby cousin. It's so hard to imagine that Carter was once this small, and it's even harder to wrap my mind around the fact that he's now nearly five.

Proud Auntie

Kisses

How fabulous does my sister-in-law look? Just 5 hours post birth and she's glowing. Val has been such an amazing auntie to our kids and I know she is going to be a magnificent mommy, too!

Doesn't Brady look so tiny in Kyle's arms.

Bright eyed

Sorry sis, you're really outnumbered now :)