The Atwood Family

St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Atwoods!

This is the only day Liv is able to claim..."Pinch Proof." Every other day, I can't help but pinch those cute little cheeks of hers:) (thanks Linds for the cute T-shirt!)

I also thought I would post some updates....

Ryker, also known as: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, a dragon, a dinosaur, and many many more characters, is excited to turn 6 next month (crazy!) He recently dressed up as "The Man With The Yellow Hat" from Curious George for favorite book character day at school (pictured above). He is constantly drawing and has become an amazing artist taking after his grandpa Williams and Uncle Mike. He is growing like a weed, and eating us out of house and home:) He is taking off with reading and makes sure to get his 20 minutes of reading in every night. Still my great helper and amazing oldest brother!

Bridger is talking so good lately and is constantly cracking us up with the things that come out of his mouth, some examples are: "what the Heck! it snowed again today!!" and "I got hit right in the tenders!" He is also known as Buzz, Woody, puppy dog, dad, and Robot Helper (the only way I get him to clean his toys is if we pretend he is a Robot helper:) He has also been known to wear a pair of goggles he found in the closet all day long because he thought they were his glasses (pictured above). He is still mischievous, but always with the cutest smile so it is hard to get after him. He is also becoming a great helper!

Liv, also known as Livie Pie, sis, baby cakes, etc... is such a happy, easy going baby! Almost 10 months old, she loves to clap, wave, say da da, ma ma, and sometimes Uh Oh. She adores her older brothers, and loves when they include her in playtime. Her favorite pastime is eating real food, especially spaghetti (pictured above) and she gets as messy as possible because she knows it will mean she gets to have her 2nd favorite pastime ...bathtime!(pictured below) She is the princess of the family, and still loves cuddling her mommy which I don't mind one bit. :)

Liv...7 months old!

2011-01-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

It is crazy how grown up Liv is getting...WAY too fast! We just can't get enough of this little girly, she has us all wrapped around those cute little chubby fingers of hers. :) I love this age sooo much, I wish I could just freeze time for a couple of months. She is such a happy easy going little girl, and she always has a smile on her face. She has 4 teeth...kind of early but I love her little teethy grin! I tried to upload a video of her bouncing in her jumper but it didn't work so just go HERE to see it:)

Some pictures of her sitting up so big..

Bridger has sure come a long way with Liv these past couple of months, and I am so proud of him! He really had a hard time adjusting to the new baby and he wasnt very nice to her at times. Now he plays with her, gives her toys, makes her giggle, etc... Such a good big brother with such a big heart!
Ryker just adores this little one and treats her like a princess, always checking up on her. He is such a great brother too.

We sure love you Liv, how couldn't you love a cute little face like this?!

More Christmas Break...

2011-01-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

We had some visitors over Christmas break, the Freckletons who live in Washington, and the Kelleys who live in Vegas. It was so good to get together with them again! It is always so much fun whenever we see them!

The guys...

The kids (Liv was already in bed). That little Claire is such a cutie, her and Bridger are only a couple of weeks apart in age.
The girls....blurry picture:)
I love it when we get together with our good friends we made while living in Rexburg.
But we miss them so much when they leave again!

I also wanted to post a couple of pictures of some Christmas gifts I made.

A quilt for mom and dad Atwood...

And I also made some aprons for my cute little nieces.
I am so enjoying the new sewing machine Shawn gave me! LOVE IT!!!

I am singing, at the party.

2010-12-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

We went to Idaho for Christmas this year and had a blast. We had a Family Christmas party and the whole clan was there. Much laughter, giving, and food was had.

A picture of the whole clan...

(click to enlarge)

The grandkids acted out the nativity, my brand new niece Margaret was baby Jesus. This was the first time we saw that cute little girl.
another picture of the nativity

(click to enlarge)

the siblings did a white elephant gift exchange this year, and it was so much fun! Above is the gift that was the biggest hit. My SIL Shelby morphed everyone in this family picture (except for her fam) and framed it. It was HILARIOUS!

We also had so much fun with our annual family talent show. So much talent including: many wonderful musical numbers,some ballet dancing, moonwalking, an art exhibit, sweet saxaphone skills, and much much more!

This is Ryker's talent. He made a book about the many wonderful things about Christmas, but the best thing about Christmas being baby Jesus. He did so great!
For Bridger's talent, he memorized all the Book of Mormon pictures in the gospel art book and was able to recite what each one was.
Shawn, Bracken, and Bill were the grand finale. They wrote a song (a spoof of the Nacho Libre song) inside jokes about each one of us starting with my parents, and ending with Brack. It was a hit. In the video, it is hard to understand what he says sometimes so I am posting the lyrics above it.....ENJOY! HA!

I am singing at the party.
There’s nobody singing, it’s my turn to sing……at the party.
Everybody’s laughing…..happy……..party.
...Feliz Navidad happy happy Christmas party.

Grandma’s number one she is fantastic she has my vote.
But Grandpas a villain he chases pelicans in his boat.

Darrec is the Birthright he inherits all the moneys.
He has 2 kids in Snake River and Tiniel is his Honeys

Kyle is Romantic he has candlelight with Trevor
But Shelby says “No way Jose, He is mine forever.”

Natalie’s an angel, she has the purest soul,
Bill gets the stomach flu, goes poopies in a popcorn bowl.

Katie is the best she host a party at her place
Tracy runs out naked off the dock and lands near my face.

Megan is my woman and she likes a ripple chips
And when she plays harmonica I kiss her swollen lips

Lindsay cuts the hair and gets rid of all the afro,
And Josh gets a red face he ask Grandma how wedding night should go.

Bracken gets a stones in his kidneys on his mission
To ease his pain he has a stiff drink at the salon.

I’m done singing at the partys,
Feliz Navidad our family is awesome at the party

HALLOWEEN!!!!

2010-11-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

Ryker was "the real batman" for Halloween this year. That is what he told people anyways, so cute!
Bridger was an astronaut. Can you believe my sister made this costume...amazing!
I Love this picture of Bridger and his cute little face!
Liv was definitely a hit in her mermaid costume. She pulls off the long blond wig quite nicely don't you think?:)
Shawn was a.......................
Well, I don't really know exactly what he was.....
but it was kind of creepy:)
And I dressed up as a party pooper this year. Meaning I didn't dress up, maybe next year. Sorry no picture;)

All on a Rainy October Saturday....

2010-11-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago, our boys had a little bit of a stomach bug. It was a rainy Saturday, and for the first time in a long time we had nothing planned for the day. It was such a fun day though. We were all together, and we just enjoyed the day as a family in our home. We dehydrated apples in to "apple chips" as Ryker would say
Had some homemade bread
and apple crisp
We then helped the kids paint pumpkins. I have come to the conclusion that it is so much more fun to paint the pumpkins rather than carve them at this stage of life. I don't have to assist the kids at all, I just let them go at it and paint. They loved it.

Rykers scary face to go along with his scary pumpkin. He also painted a nice face on the other side of the pumpkin and would change it everyday:)

Bridger's pumpkin...I I told him to paint the nose, and he painted his nose instead of the pumpkins. If you look close, you can see the little dot on his nose.
Liv with her pumpkin....they kind of look like each other:)
such a sweetie!
Our pumpkin family....
At the end of the day when the kids were asleep, Shawn and I curled up to a redbox movie and drank hot chocolate. It was such a perfect day even if the kids were a little sick, sometimes it is so nice to just slow down and enjoy being together as a family and enjoy one anothers company.

Family Night at Corn Belly's

2010-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

We went to Corn Belly's at Thanksgiving Point for FHE last week. It was such a fun place, I don't know why we haven't gone previous years. Sorry about the picture quality, one of these days I need to get a new camera. But we had a blast, and we will definitely go again!

The huge rocking chair...

Steering the pumpkin princess's carraige

Riding the horse

Slides, Slides, and More SLides...

Driving the tractor and the truck...

Riding on the cow train...

Rock climbing...
They had these huge bouncing things the kids loved. I think Bridger is flying off of it in this picture:)

In the princess blow up jump thing....don't know what they are called.

Clips of Liv

2010-10-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of Liv. She is sure growing up lately and I am loving every minute with her. The video of her in the tub is only like one second long because my battery died, but you can still see how much she loves her baths. The other one is her talking. She has definitely found her voice, and she just jabbers like this all day. She is such a cutie, and you can see that she is a healthy little girl, she is getting so chubby, I LOVE IT!

Kindergarten and a New Calling

2010-09-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ryker started kindergarten! He absolutely loves his teacher, and he wakes up every morning so excited to go to school....I hope that his enthusiasm lasts a while:) I can't believe he has started kindergarten, but the fact that he loves it makes it a little easier on mom for sure:)

We have also had a very unexpected turn of events in our lives. Our ward was split a few weeks ago, and Shawn was called to be the Bishop of our newly created ward. Neither of us had any idea that this was in our future. In fact I remember a few months ago saying how excited I was that Shawn finished his schooling so that our lives wouldn't be as busy.........boy was I wrong!:) I must say though that we have both had some really neat experiences since he received this call, and we feel really blessed and supported by the ward members.

Elder Williams is Home!!!!

2010-08-25T21:25:00.001-07:00

My youngest brother Bracken came home from his mission in Ecuador this past weekend. It was so good to see him again. He was such a great missionary and he is such a great example to all of us.

Walking off the plane at the airport

reunited with mom and dad.

Such a handsome kid!

I think he grew a couple of inches:)

we all just sat around him and listened to his amazing mission stories.

Bridger was born the day he went into the MTC, he met Bridger at the hospital for a few minutes before he left for his mission. Bridger loves his uncle Bracken!
Bracken holding Liv for the first time

Cardston!!!!!

2010-08-25T20:42:00.001-07:00

We were able to take a trip to Canada this summer, we had such a fun trip! The weather was perfect, and it was so fun to see everyone up there again.

We went to a lake and the boys loved playing in the sand

Jana and Randy let us come boating with them....so much FUN!!!

Liv enjoyed the shade under a big umbrella, she did so good!

We also went canoeing at emerald bay in Waterton, this picture doesn't do the beauty justice. Such a pretty area.

The boys loved the canoes

Bridger steering the boat:)

We were finally able to meet our nephew Mason, he is almost 1 and such a cutie. He is sporting a sunscreen mo-hawk in this picture:)

We also went to the Cardston pool, Ryker was so brave, and loved jumping off the diving board

Liv with her cousins Cassidy and Jaxon

Ryker loved playing with his cousin Makenna

I love this picture of Liv with her papa. She was smiling at him and being cute, so he couldn't resist picking her up and holding her.

Ryker learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels while we were in Cardston as well. His cousin Jaxon spent so much time teaching him how to do it. Jaxon is such a great cousin, and such a good teacher.

Bridger is 2!!

2010-08-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Bridger's 2nd Birthday while we were in Cardston. He was spoiled with presents and cake and ice-cream, And he has sure been living up to his age lately as well:). He is such a fun little guy with the cutest most irresistible smile, and such a fun lively personality. We love you Bridger and the joy you have brought into our lives!

8 Years of pure bliss!!!

2010-08-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Cheers! to the best 8 years of my life, and the best decision I ever made!

coming out of the temple just after being sealed

open house in Cardston a week before the wedding

Fathers and Sons Campout

2010-08-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

The boys went on a ward camp out with their dad and had a blast. Here are some pictures of the fun that they had.

The group of campers

soaking their feet in the water after a hike.

playing in the water

They love sleeping in a tent, can't you just feel the excitement!

I wasn't planning on letting Bridger go on the camp out because Shawn needed to help with the cooking and I was afraid he would wander off. When we were packing everything up, Bridger put on his shoes, and a baseball cap and was ready to go camping. We couldn't resist that, so I decided to let him go. I was glad I did because they both had the time of their lives with their dad, and made some wonderful memories.

BLESSED

2010-08-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Liv Was blessed on Saturday, July 24. She was given an amazing blessing by her father, the spirit was so strong. Liv has an amazing little spirit, and I feel so blessed that she has come to our family, and I truly do believe that she has come straight from our Heavenly Father's presence.

My talented sister-in-law Tiniel took some photos of Liv's blessing day, and she did an amazing job. Some of the things recalled from the blessing......

Blessed to have a strong body and mind
Blessed to be a leader, not a follower
blessed to be a strong and influential person
Blessed to understand and cherish womanhood
It was an amazing day, and she is an amazing little girl. Thank you to all who came, and all who helped with the luncheon. We feel so much love from both Shawn's family and my family.

Picture Recap of July....

2010-07-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, July has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Summer is always busy with fun filled activities, and we have sure been enjoying our time as a family. Here are a few things we have been up to.....

Fishing in A.F. canyon

Reeling in a big one!

Liv, we are all loving this little cutie!

Liv's face she makes when she is hungry.....cracks me up:)

Bridgers smile that melts my heart!
Playing with cousins
Being a superhero....this kid always comes to my rescue:)
Rollarskating

Shawn accidentally shaved off his right eyebrow:)

Liv just being so adorable

Swim lessons, Ryker is such a fish!

watching fireworks from our balcony...

Sparklers for the fourth...Happy Independence day!
smores on the 1st of July for Canada day....thanks to the Boulters!

Visits to Bridalveil falls in Provo Canyon
Liv always along for the ride
Playing in the water.

Diamond Creek Camping Trip!

2010-06-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, we would go on a camping trip every year to Diamond Creek, ID. It is one of my most favorite places of all time. We were able to go this year and it sure was a blast! We haven't been for 4 years. The boys were in heaven, and Liv did so well! Everyone kept telling me I was crazy for bringing a 4 week old baby camping, but I think she really enjoyed it as well. She was a perfect little angel.

Liv in her little mosquito net. The weather was perfect for a little baby.

The boys thought it was so cool to sleep in a tent. They had so much fun having flashlight wars in the tent when it would get dark out:)

On a little walk, such a pretty area.

Motorbike ride with grandpa....the smile says it all.

4 wheeling with dad.

Campfires

just so cute!

Bouquet of flowers for mom:)

picking dandelions.

Riding down the hill, he got going pretty fast sometimes!

Having fun with cousins

This picture says it all. Ryker wore himself out, and he fell asleep in a camping chair right before we were about to leave.

In Love With Liv!

2010-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Liv is 2 weeks old now, and we are just loving every minute with her. She has been such a good baby, and the boys have actually adjusted really well. Ryker loves her soooo much and just smothers her with hugs and kisses. Bridger wasn't too sure what was happening at first, but he is showing more interest in her and loves giving her high fives:) It is so much fun having a girl, I just love getting her dressed every morning, and it is so nice not to be as outnumbered:)

First day of Church....

Watching the NBA finals with dad:)

Looking cute!

looking so girly (did I mention I am having so much fun with all the cute little girly clothes!:)

I put her down to change Bridger's diaper, when I came back to her, she was asleep like this.....
So CUTE!

Soaking up the sun rays, a little jaundice .....

We went to the Bean museum at BYU this week, and the boys loved it. Ryker got to pet a live snake and lizzard. What a fun place!

Introducing...

2010-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Liv Josie Atwood
May 26, 2010
7lbs 4oz
19 1/2 inches long
and very, very lovable

Graduation!

2010-05-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally caught up on my blog, we have had a lot of things going on lately. One major accomplishment is that Shawn graduated with his Masters in Education with a degree in Educational psychology. It has been a long road with many sacrifices, and I am so proud of all his hard work!

Shawn's parents came down from Cardston. It was so good to see them, and we are grateful for their support.

This is Shawn's professor Dr. Zehng. Shawn can't say enough about him, and he is grateful he had such an amazing professor who helped him so much.

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

Ryker had his preschool grad this week. He LOVED preschool and will miss it a lot. His teacher was so amazing, and she helped him so much. I am so proud of my Ryker and how much he loves to learn.

Ryker with Miss Suzee.

Getting his diploma...

Ryker and the graduating preschool class of 2010!

I Blinked....

2010-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

.......and my Ryker turned 5 years old. I still don't know how this happened, and I am still trying to come to grips with my boy going to kindergarten this fall. Ryker is so grown up, and such a great kid. I just can't help but love him to pieces......and I can't believe he is 5.

Lehi City Expo

2010-05-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

We Went to an expo where the boys could see all the people that help our city of Lehi run. They had the Police men (and police dogs too), firetrucks, the city power department. Ryker and Bridger were in heaven.

Here they are sitting in the firetruck. And yes, Bridger had an ultimate meltdown and tantrum when we had to get out of the firetruck. They loved it.

Ryker's favorite part was when he got to ride in one of the power boxes in the power department trucks.
He couldn't believe how high he was. He kept saying "mom, I was higher than the trees!"

Wonders.....

2010-05-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million."
-Walt Streightiff

Playing with bubbles...

Feeding Horses...

I am so grateful for my two boys who help me see the wonderment and amazement of everyday life.

Always an Adventure with Bridger!

2010-04-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

My little Bridger.......so full of life, such a love of adventure, a risk taker, a tender heart, and very very lovable. He has recently developed a love of climbing....any and everything he can climb. He will move the kitchen chairs to where he wants to go, and starts his climb, often resulting in many anxiety attacks for his mother. This past weekend he climbed up on a kitchen chair, and then onto the table. I walked into the room just in time to see him fall off the table. The result was a broken arm and a very guilt ridden mom. Poor little guy.
His cousins brought him this cute bear with a bandaged arm too, he LOVES it!

His first broken bone at 1 year of age...lets just say I am a little concerned about what our future holds:)

Think Pink!

2010-03-30T21:29:00.001-07:00

This past little while I have been working on making some crib bedding for the baby, I never realized how much fun pink is! Thanks to the help from my amazing mom and sister, we finished this past week.
I still need to add some ties to the bumper pad...

This bow quilt will hopefully be a keepsake for our little girl. The bows were actually made by my grandma who passed away in December for a quilt she was going to make. I was lucky enough to be able to use them and make this quilt top with them. I think of my grandma whenever I look at this quilt.
As you can tell, I am very excited for the arrival of this little girl! Only 9 more weeks to go!

February...

2010-02-21T19:43:00.001-08:00

Well, It is official......Bridger had his 1st day of nursery today. He did really well! I have been sitting in there with him for the last couple of weeks to warm him up. Today I left him, and he didn't cry at all. I actually went to meetings today, what a great day:) I can't believe how fast Bridger is growing up though, and his little personality just makes us laugh constantly.
His smile just melts me. Happy 18 month birthday Bridger!

I know that Valentines day was a week ago, but I had to post this picture of Ryker. He was writing names on his valentine cards for preschool, and the cards came with some heart stickers. I went out of the room, and when I came back.....this is what Ryker looked like (hee hee). Honestly, who wouldn't want to be his valentine!

And here is a belly shot...26 weeks prego. Sorry about the flash in the mirror, or maybe it is just my pregnancy glow:) We went to Idaho a couple of weekends ago, and my brother works in the radiology department of a hospital and does ultrasounds. He confirmed that it is for sure a GIRL! HOORAY! We are so excited!!

Drum-roll Please...........

2010-01-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

IT IS A....

GIRL!!!!!!!!.......................................................................................

we think:)

I had an ultrasound on Fri. And the Dr. said he is almost positive it is a girl, but the baby wasn't cooperating very well (being a little shy). They are going to double check at my next dr's appointment on Feb 19th just to make sure. Anyways, for now it is a girl. And we are excited!:)

Happy 30th!

2010-01-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it is Shawn's birthday today, and I thought I would give him a little tribute. Shawn is the best husband ever, he seriously needs to get the best husband award. He is so kind and thoughtful and gives me butterflies still after 7 and 1/2 years of marriage! For instance, when he comes home from work or class, one of the first things he does is go to the sink, fill a glass full of water, and bring it to me. Now some of you may think hmm... that's a little odd. But he does it because when I am pregnant/nursing, I struggle with kidney stones and really need to keep myself hydrated to prevent them. So this little act of kindness is very very sweet to me, and even a little romanitc:) Honestly, he does little things like that all the time, I could go on for a long time with little things like this, such a sweetie!!!

Shawn is such a good dad too. Our boys love their dad soooo much. Even though he isn't home much right now with work/class/homework/meetings. When he is home, he makes the most of his time with the kids. Just this past weekend, I walked into the living room to find this........
A fort made out of blakets, pillows, the kitchen table, and probably other things. When I peeked inside, the boys were reading books with flashlights. Probably a memory they will cherish for a long time.

Honestly, I am such a lucky person to have Shawn in my life. He is such a hardworking, funny, knowledgeable, talented, very handsome, lovable person. I hope he has an amazing birthday, no one deserves it more!

Made with Love....

2010-01-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last week was my birthday, and when Ryker woke up that morning, I told him it was my birthday. He asked me who was going to make me a cake, and I told him that dad probably would when he got home from work. Ryker then asked, "mom could I make you a cake?" I told him sure, and our conversation then went a little like this....

Ryker: "What kind of a cake do you want?"
Me: "maybe chocolate."
Ryker: "No, you need a special birthday cake." How about a Princess cake.
Me: that sounds like fun!"

Later that day, I took Ryker to the store, and we bought a cake mix that came with a few princess decorations. He was so excited, it was so cute. When we got home, he insisted that he make the cake himself and that I couldn't help because it was my birthday. So I let him go at it. He cracked the eggs, he sprayed the pan with cooking spray (almost using the whole bottle), he frosted and decorated it. All by himself. And the end result...

It may have had a few egg shells in it,

and it may have had just a touch too much oil,

but it was the best birthday cake I have EVER had.

Because it was made with love by someone wanting to make my birthday extra special

Christmas Break Continued again

2010-01-04T12:26:00.001-08:00

We went rollerskating a couple of days after Christmas too. We were going to go ice skating, but it would have been hard to take Bridger. We found this place that lets you push strollers and little kids can use scooters as well. Ryker had the time of his life, and Bridger just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Our nieces came and joined in on the fun too. And below is Shawn with his sister Cindy.

In this little video clip, Ryker is the little boy in the track suit on the scooter. And at the end Shawn rides by pushing Bridger. It is hard to tell who is who because of the lighting.

Christmas Break continued...

2010-01-04T12:16:00.002-08:00

The boys at the play land in the mall, just look at Ryker's amused face. He is so into dinosaurs right now. His favorite ones are the tiranadons sp? the ones that fly.

Here are the boys in their Christmas pajamas. Ryker is Buzz and Bridger is Woody.

Ryker asked Santa for a piano and a drum for Christmas. The elves must have worked really hard to pull off this toy for him. It is a piano/drum/spinner thingy/microphone headset. He has been jammin ever since!:)

Christmas Break...

2010-01-03T20:05:00.001-08:00

We stayed in Utah this year for Christmas and started some of our own traditions. Here is Ryker drawing a picture for Santa to go along with the cookies and milk and the carrots for the reindeer. He thought Chocolate milk might get him some extra points with Santa this year:)
Our humble little nativity. We didn't have a doll so teddy was baby Jesus this year, and Ryker's stuffed dog was the farm animals:) I was Mary, Ryker was Joseph, and Bridger was a Shepherd. Shawn was the inn keeper/donkey/angel:)
We went sledding the day before Christmas as well.
And made snow angels...so much fun!

My Amazing Grandma...

2010-01-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Owens passed away over Christmas break, and we were able to attend her funeral in Preston, Id. She has suffered from Alzheimer's the past few years and hasn't been able to talk at all. I am sad that she has left this life, and will miss her greatly. I am also happy for her to be free of the disease she had, and to be able to be reunited with her eternal companion after 7 1/2 years. I am sure my grandpa had the best Christmas present ever in heaven being able to be with her again! I love this amazing woman, who raised an amazing family including 11 children. Some words that I would use to describe her are: Faith, Strength, great cook!!!, Amazing quilter, gardener, Christlike, and courage.

This was her funeral announcement I love the picture and the caption, it tells you exactly what my grandma's life was centered around, Christ. She is one amazing lady.

December Happenings

2009-12-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ryker and Bridger on Santa's lap at our ward party. This was just before Bridger realized what was happening and started crying.
Ryker talking with Santa, he was so excited to see him...such a fun age for Christmas!

This is at Ryker's preschool Christmas program, they combined morning and afternoon classes. I tried posting a video of some songs but my computer wouldn't let me. The program was so cute though, and Ryker sure belted out the songs:)

One day, we wanted to go outside and play in the snow and I pulled out this old hand-me-down snow suit. Bridger was not a fan of wearing it at all. Shawn and I were cracking up because he reminded us of the kid on the Christmas story, he was not a happy camper when he fell and coudn't get up:)
This face says it all..... "mom will you please take this rediculous suit off me?!!"

Exciting News!

2009-12-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

My boys have some very exciting news, and they wanted to spread the word....
Yep, they are going to be big brothers! HOORAY for a new baby coming our way! Due June 1st, I am 14 weeks along, and I just got to hear the heartbeat today (I love that sound). Anyways, we couldn't be more happy and wanted to let everyone know.

Such a Big Helper:)

2009-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

Bridger is so good at making sure all of my drawers and cupboards are cleaned out. He goes on his cleaning sprees multiple times a day, making sure nothing is left in the drawers and cupboards.....and leaving it all on the floor:) Just yesterday, I couldn't find my deodorant and had to use Shawn's. Later that day, I found that Bridger had decided to reorganize and place it very neatly in the cupboard with all our DVD's. Bridger also thought all of my dishcloths, hot pads, and oven mits needed to be rewashed and put them in the dishwasher.
Such a considerate little guy, always wanting to help where he can:)

Halloween!

2009-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Ryker was captain hook this year for Halloween. He was so funny when he would put on this costume, he wouldn't let me call him Ryker... I had to call him cap'n. Cute:)
I couldn't decide what to have Bridger be this year, I thought I had a little warm puppy outfit but I couldn't find it anywhere. So instead, I took this old hooded sweatshirt of mine that I never wear, and some brown fabric I had on hand and made him into...
Peter Pan. Needless to say, there were some major sword fights at our house:)
He didn't like keeping the hat on, but he loved playing with the little sword.

Pictures...

2009-10-25T19:04:00.001-07:00

My sister came to visit from Twin Falls this weekend, and we hosted a class to make these temple pictures. I love how they turned out! I still need to touch up the frame in a few places and distress it just a little bit. but for $46 and a very large beautiful picture to hang in my home, it was way worth it!! If you would like more info on these, go to http://poppyseedprojects.com/Temples.html

My sister also took our family pictures for us, THANKS LINDS!!! I love how they turned out too!

Cutie #1:)

Cutie #2:)

I love this picture because it is Bridger in his element. We kept trying to get Bridger to sit down and take an individual picture, but all he wanted to do was this.... You can tell how happy he is to be running:)

I married such a hottie!!!

My Kids Have Sweet Skills!

2009-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Need I say More?.....

Preschool and other stuff

2009-09-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here is Ryk on his first day of preschool. I was a little worried because lately he has gone through a very clingy stage, not even wanting to go to primary by himself. But he LOVES his new teacher Miss Suzie, and he asks me everyday if he gets to go to preschool. I also think it helps that his class is all boys:) He looks so much like Shawn's younger pictures in this picture.
Here he is walking out of preschool on the first day, saying goodbye to miss suzie.
We got to see our good friends the Feckleton's over Labor Day. Their little daughter Claire turned 1 and we were invited to the party. It was so good to see them again. I wish they didn't live so far away.
Here is just a picture of my little stud. I can't get a good picture of him looking at the camera because he won't hold still for 1 second, I swear he went from crawling to running! But I just thought he looked so cute all ready for church I had to post this picture
And here is michael phelps....I mean Ryker after a good swim:)

Tegan

2009-08-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is Tegan. She is such a miracle for her family. Her mom and dad waited years to be able to have her. Tegan is now in need of a miracle. She is only 2 years old, and has been diagnosed with a very rare, and very aggressive type of cancer. She is undergoing very intense treatments in Salt Lake where she is temperarily living in an appartment with her mom and grandma. Her dad stays at their home in Idaho where he continues to work, but he visits them on the weekends. If you would like to help this family in any way, go to http://teganlyn.blogspot.com/ .

Yep, he is 1 years-old

2009-08-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

My little Bridger Turned 1 on the 19th. He is at such a fun age.. exploring, discovering, and into EVERYTHING:) Here he is emptying our DVD's. As you can tell, he thinks he is pretty funny. Look at that innocent face though, what a cutie!

Opening presents, he was way more interested in ripping the wrapping paper.

Ryker got in on the present fun

His first taste of the frosting on his birthday cupcake...
Frosting is so much fun to squish between the fingers:)
He liked the cupcake
Bridger has started walking as well, here he is strutting his stuff (keep scrolling)

Trip to Cardston, Alberta

2009-08-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post contains a lot of pictures...but we had a BLAST!!! We went to Shawn's hometown for a little getaway, and had so much fun with family. What a beautiful place he is from I just love going there.

Cardston days parade
more family at the parade
Missionaries float....go Elders!
Red rock canyon, one of our favorite places!
Bear....we saw 3 of them
Blackaston falls (gorgeous!)
Hike to Blackaston falls (just as gorgeous!)
View from Prince of Whales hotel (breathtaking)
Cameron falls
My boys on a little path to cameron falls (cuties)
Having fun with family at Waterton
"Quading" as they say in Canada
Our fam at Shawn's parents house
Boys with grandma and Papa
Boys with the Jensens
Our pit stop in Idaho to visit my family (everyone except Brack).
Just look at the wonderful men in our lives:)

A little tuckered out in the car, but we had SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

Bridger's Favorite Pastimes

2009-07-17T16:53:00.001-07:00

It is so funny to me how different siblings can have such different personalities. Bridger and Ryker are definitely little buddies, but they are so different at the same time. Ryker has always had the biggest imagination, he is also very organized and he likes things done his way. Bridger on the other hand....well, I will just say that he is very much a free spirited little guy (and I love that about him) but he really enjoys spending most of his day getting under Ryker's skin....

This is him taking the pictures off the fridge of letters that Ryker has so carefully drawn and placed in a specific order. Ryker tries so hard to put them out of Bridger's reach, but Bridger always finds a way.
It is so much fun to crumple up papers!
Clapping the papers together...

Knocking over Ryker's block tower....
Ryker loves to line up his cars in order. He has never been one to crash cars together. He likes them organized. Bridger just thrives on unorganizing and crashing his line of cars.
I can't help but smile when I see these two play together, Bridger just loves being a part of it all. All in a days work I guess:)

I also wanted to post a couple of pictures of Bracken (my youngest brother) on his mission in Equador. Next month he will have been out for a year. I love seeing pictures of Bracken with the people in Equador, he kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. Here he is with his companion and a family they were teaching......Bracken looks like a giant!
My boys miss their uncle Bracken, but it has been such a great teching opportunity for them. He is such a great missionary!

July 4th weekend, and temple open house:

2009-07-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend this past week. We went to Idaho for the 4th, and had a blast. We were sad it went by so fast, and wish we could have stayed longer! Our kids got to play with cousins running through sprinklers and just playing. We had a hot dog roast, watched amazing fireworks from my sister's front yard, stayed up late playing card games, etc....

Looks like there is room for one more in the pool, too funny!

Ryker drawing with cousin Skye

The 4th of July with grandma and grandpa ( they look so AMAZING!) I love the red white and blue outfits.

We also tried to celebrate Canada day on the 1st (Shawn's home and native land:) I made Canada flag cookies, but don't look to closely, I was in such a hurry to get them to the seminary before Shawn came home (it's the thought that counts anyways....right?) We also had spaghetti for dinner, the only red and white meal I could think of.

This week we were also able to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It was so beautiful. Ryker absolutely loved it. When we walked out the doors the first thing Ryker said was, "Can we go in again" it was so cute! We are so blessed to be surrounded by temples, literally.

The Boys

2009-06-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of the boys. I have been a major blogging slacker, but keep scrolling, I tried to catch up, and posted a few times.
Bridger's first haircut. You can see that he got his top two teeth!
I love the video with Ryker making Bridger laugh, they love to play and wrestle so much. And Bridger can hold his own pretty well! The other video is of Bridger crawling and standing himself up. He has been doing it for a while now, Just haven't posted about it yet:)

Date YAY!

2009-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Shawn took a day off work last week and we went on a much needed getaway. It was so much fun to have him all to myself! We drove up Provo canyon and walked up to Bridalveil falls, we had a picnic, and just enjoyed each other. What a beautiful area, and what a hot guy to enjoy it with!

Fun at the pool

2009-06-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

We go swimming in our pool almost everyday, the boys love it (especially Ryker)

Ryker gets some good air when he jumps in, I love how he is sticking out his toungue in the picture, you can tell he is having the time of his life!

Bed Time

2009-06-28T18:07:00.001-07:00

Shawn has been so busy lately with school, and sometimes the boys don't get to see their dad before they go to bed. But sometimes, he is home for bedtime. My boys LOVE it when their dad is home for bedtime, they can always count on stories and songs, and they just eat it up. A lot of the time, Shawn puts himself to sleep:)

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-29T17:38:00.001-07:00

This video is the #1 video on YouTube right now, His name is John Schmidt, and he is a member of the LDS church. He is also an AMAZING pianist. We had the opportunity to listen to him at a Seminary inservice. This song is Taylor Swift's "Love Story" meets Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". I LOVE the arrangement, you may even go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness:)

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Bridger is learning to crawl. He just started taking steps with his hands. He doesn't go very far yet, and he still sometimes face-plants, but I know it wont be long before he is emptying all my cupboards and drawers. I am really enjoying this little guy. He is still such a cuddler and I LOVE IT!

This weekend we said goodbye to a very faithful old friend named Gwenners (our gray car). It was a sad day, we have had that car since we were married, and we have been through a lot together. We took it to a pick a part place in Orem. Our favorite thing about that car was the 94' cool mix tape that was stuck in the stereo. Everytime we started the car, we had the pleasure of listening to Ace of Base and Boys II Men, and yes we would often turn up the volume and base and roll down the windows and rock out:) We will miss you great old friend.

We also went to temple square and visited the sites there. Ryker loves the "I am a Child of God" section of the CHurch History Museum. We had a fun day.

When we got back from temple square, ryker ran through the sprinkler with some neighbor buddies. They were also having squirt gun fights.He loves playing with these two boys. One the boys comes from a spanish speaking home, and whenever he sees Ryker he always yells "HOLA RYKER" I think it is so cute.

Joyschool Graduation

2009-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ryker graduated from joyschool this week. He looks so grown up to me in this picture.

Here they are, future class of 2023:)

One of the moms made these little treats, I thought it was very creative and fun!

Mother's Day (I posted twice, keep reading:)

2009-05-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind on blogging, but I wanted to post about mother's day...I was soooo spoiled! Shawn brought home the most gorgeous roses I have ever seen, I love the bright colors. I also got breakfast in bed, french toast, my favorite! When I went into the living room, Shawn's laptop was on the table and he had a little presentation for me. He went to so much work, making a power point for me about mother hood, it made me cry. He also gave me some money for a shopping spree, Fun! And He made some cupons that the boys gave me...they were so cute and creative! Shawn made them on the computor, and they looked just like real cupons with a barcode and everything, they said things like: Free! mom and me date..dad will pay the bill, may be combined with any other offer. Another one said: In-home savings cupon, get an extra 10% off your day, this cupon is good for an uninterupted nap. I just thought it was so cute, and Shawn went to so much work. I love that guy!!!!

Here is a pic of me with my boys on mothers day. I feel so blessed to be their mom. I love being surrounded by boys, cute boys at that!

I also went on a girls night out, and we treated ourselves for mothers day! I went to the Cheesecake factory with Cindy and Tracy. It was the first time I had ever been there, and It was soooooooo good. I am still dreaming about those avacado eggrolls we had. Yum!

What we have been up to...

2009-05-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we drove up the A.F. canyon for a picnic. It was so nice to just get away from everything and play in the water and enjoy each other before Shawn starts his summer semester. We live in such a beautiful area, I love it!

My sister had her 4th this week as well, and I took the boys to Idaho for 2 days to see the little (not so little) guy. He is one of the cutest little newborns I have ever seen, he just makes me giggle. Chase Michael was born at 9lbs. 8oz. he is such a little butter ball!
Can you believe those cheeks! Perfect for kisses!

We spent some time in Firth, and Ryker took some golfing lessons (along with some cousins) from his grandpa. They had such a fun time.

Birthday Boy!

2009-05-05T08:20:00.001-07:00

Ryker turned 4 last Thursday, it is so weird to me that he is 4. We had such a fun weekend. My parents came to visit, and my brother and his family came as well. Ryker had such a fun time with his cousins. Here they are watching a movie together.

I made Ryker a "Tow Mater" cake from the movie cars. It isn't perfect (I am not an artist by any means) but Ryker sure loved it!

He has been wanting a scooter for a while now, so the lucky boy got one for his birthday.

We went to this fun indoor amusement park with his cousins. they had a blast!

Honest Ryker

2009-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ryker is at an age where he says the funniest things, he is constantly cracking us up with the things that come out of his mouth. He is also very, very honest. I just wanted to write a few things he has said lately. I keep telling myself to write them down so here I go...

The other day, Ryker woke up from a nap, and was still a little tired. He came and laid on my lap for a few minutes while he was trying to wake up a little better. I was looking down at him and telling him what a good and special boy he was, and he was looking up at me with a very thoughtful look on his face (tender moment). A few moments of silence then Ryker, still looking up at me says..." Mom you have a booger up your nose." Okay, so apparently I was the only one having a tender moment:)

Another instance of my honest little Ryker... I had just got done putting my hair in a pony tail. Ryker comes in and says... "Mom, I like your hair......It looks like a squirrel" I don't really know what he meant by that, probably that my ponytail looked like a squirrels tail. Anyways, I still laugh about that.

Another time... It was this fall that we were visiting my parents. Ryker walks up to my dad who is sitting on the couch and says.."Grandpa, you have a big belly." I was very embarrased and proceeded to take Ryker to another room. I gave him a little talk about how we don't tell people that they have big bellies because it could hurt their feelings, and it isn't polite. We go back into the living room, and Ryker walks straight up to my dad again and says..."Grandpa you don't have a big belly" While he is rubbing my dad's belly. We all started laughing:)

Another time we were visiting my family again, and my grandma was at my parent's house. She has alzheimer's, and is not very responsive. She doesn't talk at all anymore and her lip quivers a bit. Ryker told me one day.. "mom you know that grandma that goes like this" He starts quivering his lip. I said "yes" He then said.." she has the most beautiful eyes." I felt as though he could literally feel her amazing spirit. I think children know so much more than we think.

I love my little Ryker. I love the age he is, and the things he comes up with. I love his honesty, how he makes us laugh, and I am trying everyday to do as Christ said and become more like him.

Bridger

2009-04-17T19:01:00.001-07:00

8 Months Old,

On the move,

And SO.....

MUCH...

FUN!!!

The Easter Bunny Came!!!

2009-04-12T20:04:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny visited our house! He always leaves a trail of jelly beans that lead to the baskets. When we woke up, Ryker had a mouth full of them:) He was so excited, he is at such a fun age for holidays!

Here he is checking out the goods.

This is when he followed the trail and found Bridger's basket. He looked like a little detective trying to find the baskets!

Bridger didn't know what to think....either that or he was just so excited he couldn't contain himself, the picture just cracks me up!

As you can see, he was very happy with all the goodies he got.

Easter

2009-04-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here is an Easter message from Elder Holland. I hope everyone has a great Easter! Just click HERE to view this amazing video put out by the church.

New bed, New Trick!

2009-04-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ryk is learning to write his letters, this is his page of R's if you couldn't tell. I love how long they are, he is such a great artist!

Ryker got a bunk bed this weekend, and he was sooooo excited! The picture doesn't have the side rails up yet for the top bunk, or the ladder. Actually, I kind of like it without the ladder, then Ryker can only get up there when supervised:) He sure loves his new bed!

And Bridger has a new trick! He loves to clap. He claps whenever Ryker sings or does tricks, he is Ryker's biggest fan. I love this age!

On the Mend

2009-03-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a month! I am feeling better today than I have for a month and a half. I had some problems with kidney stones last month, and it lasted forever. Just when I thought I was done passing them, more would come. Until one day......(dun dun duuuuuhhh!!!) One was too big to pass, so I had to go to a urologist and he had to go in and get it(sorry no pictures;). Pretty crazy, I am glad it is over with! Meanwhile, Shawn had strep throat, and Bridger an ear infection. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who helped us in any way during this past month. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who care about us! I was in Idaho for part of the craziness, and my sister Linds took a couple of videos that I wanted to post. The first is Ryker singing his favorite song in the world..."Apologize" he would listen to that song all day every day if I let him, I love when he belts it out. As you can tell in the video, he is a little tired, and almost dozes off in the first chorus, but don't give up on him, he has a very strong finish! The second video is Bridger and his cousin Cyrie. They are only a couple of months apart, and as you can tell, Bridger loves her, and loves giving her kisses:) To view the videos, just click on the links below, and enjoy!

http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj231/jazmai23/?action=view&current=RykApolagize.flv

http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj231/jazmai23/?action=view&current=BridgeKissers.flv

Mr. Independant!

2009-02-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

Ryker has decided he likes to get dressed all by himself. I love that he is growing up and wanting to do things on his own.... he just doesn't even want me picking out his clothes anymore. The other morning, I was getting Bridger dressed for the day, thinking Ryker was eating his breakfast. Little did I know that he was getting himself dressed for the day as well, he came out looking like this.......

Yes, his shirt is backwards, and he also decided that he wanted to wear a T-shirt as pants. Pretty creative right, looks like he could start a new trend, half shorts, half pants:)

We also had preschool at our house this week, here he is with his little preschool friends. He is a little outnumbered, lots of cute little girls to play with.... I say he is one lucky little boy!

6 months old!

2009-02-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

My baby is growing up way too fast. He will be 6 months old tomorrow, I love this age so much! He loves bouncing in his Jolly Jumper. He loves baths. He loves to eat "real" food.....as in baby food. And he is just such an easy going little guy, he is so happy all the time.

He has been rolling over for about a month now. He is now learning how to sit up all by himself (with the help of the boppy pillow that is).

You can tell he is a healthy little guy.....look at those rolls! Love it!

I posted twice, so keep reading.

L.B.

2009-02-18T12:01:00.001-08:00

Shawn is the youngest in his family, this is him with his 3 sisters, (he has 3 brothers as well) who sometimes still call him LB (little bud). He will probably be mad that I put that, but I think it is so cute! We had such a fun time while Jana was visiting....

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I think this one is worth a thousand laughs! I laugh out loud every time I look at it! You can see where Shawn gets his good looks!:)

Valentines Day Date

2009-02-15T23:21:00.001-08:00

We had such a fun Valentines Day this year, We were able to go on a triple date! We went to Outback Steakhouse (mmmmm) with two of Shawn's sisters and their spouses. Tracy and Mark, who live about 5 min from us, and Jana and Randy, who are visiting from Cardston. Cindy and Brent would have been there as well, but they had quite an eventful day. It was so much fun to have a little get away from the kids, and enjoy each others company. I can't remember the last time we have been on a group date. I love Valentines Day, it is one of my favorite holidays. Shawn was such a sweetie and got me flowers and chocolates as well. I married such an amazing man, and I married into such a great family.

Melt My Heart Bedtime Stories.....

2009-01-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

It is so much fun as a mom to see my little boys becoming such great buddies. I love how Bridger can't help but smile whenever he sees his brother. I love how Ryker is so protective of Bridge. I love little moments like this when they are just so happy to have one another. Now most of you probably won't think these pictures are as cute as I do (I am a little biased) but it melts my heart when my boys have moments like this....

I love being the mom of these two amazing boys. I am so blessed!

Vegetables and Fuzziness

2009-01-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

My baby is growing up, and loving his vegetables! He always watches us eat, and licks his lips. He has been eating rice cerial, but not loving it. I gave him some vegetables, and he LOVED it. He thinks he is in heaven when he gets his yummy grean beans and sweat potatoes. I just wish his older brother was as enthusiastic about his veggies!

Bridger was born with a full head of hair, he then lost it, and it has recently started growing back in. It just grew in very very fuzzy! His hair cracks us up, it sticks straight out on both the top and the sides. These pictures are of his hair after his bath, and extra fuzzy:) Keep in mind I have not used any hair products whatsoever! I wish my camera could convey its true fuzziness, it is actually fuzzier in person, if you can believe it. I love my little baby, especially his fuzziness!

My Little Man...

2009-01-21T09:53:00.001-08:00

Ryker has had a lot of mile stones this month, and he is sure acting so grown up lately. He started sunbeams, and loves it. He also just started preschool. He is in joyschool, a bunch of moms in our ward with preschool age kids take turns having preschool at our house and doing the lessons. Ryker loves it, and he is making some good friends! He is acting sooo grown up lately too, and he always has a way of putting a smile on our face. Some things I love about Ryker are: he is such a generous tender hearted person, he has such an AMAZING imagination, his little prayers melt my heart, he loves being a big brother and has a way of making his little brother laugh, and he cracks us up with the things he says. I love you Ryker, and I am so proud of the little man you are!

A few of my favorite things......

2009-01-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just thought I would blog about a few of my favorite things....I feel like bursting into the song on the sound of music (I love that show!) Anyways, Grilled chicken strips are a fav at our home. They are fully cooked and lightly seasoned to perfection, so all the hard work is done! Lets face it, sometimes I am really in the mood to cook and love being in the kitchen, and other nights I just want something fast, and ready in a jiffy. I use these for Fettuccine chicken alfredo, chicken fajitas, chicken enchilladas, cubed on a green salad or pasta salad, the possibilities are endless! I ablolutely love them:)

As you can tell, I love things that make my life easier, and these Magic erasers definately do that! I use these all the time. I especially love them for bathroom cleaning...bath, sink, counter tops, etc... I feel like I should write a poem or something to express my gratitude to Mr. clean...it's a work in progress (jk). Or maybe I just have a thing for a guy with a shaved head:)

And last but not least, I have recently found a love for dried blueberries! Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits. We sampled these at Costco, and I had to buy them. Ryker calls them yummy fruit snacks (and they are much better for him than fruit snacks). Love these!

I survived:)

2009-01-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just had to post what happened to me today, it was crazy and hectic but now it is kind of funny. I went to take Bridger to his routine Dr's appointment and as I was getting the kids out of the car, I was contemplating whether or not to bring Bridger in with his car seat or without...... have something to set him in but struggle carrying the whole thing up the stairs and into the huge building, or just carry him and have to hold him while trying to write etc... I decided to just carry him, no car seat. (I know I'm rambling) Anyways, I get up to the Dr's office, the nurse calls us back, and I look down and he has blown out of his diaper... all over! The worst baby blow out I have ever seen! seriously, not only was it up his back, but it was also down both legs, and because I decided to carry him without the car seat, it was also all over my shirt!!!!!!! I then realized that I had forgotten to pack an extra outfit (Oh crap!....literally) as I was trying to clean up the mess (using every last wipe I had) Ryker started doing his potty dance and saying "I'm going to have an accident, I am going to have an accident!!!!". Any of you that have 3 year old know that when they start doing a dance, it is time to hurry to the potty or there will be a mess to clean up. I pick up naked bridger, run out into the hall, and ask the nurse where the bathrooms are. She then informs me that they are in the waiting room........oh no! I had to walk through the room full of waiting people. I must have looked like a crazy mom, naked baby in one arm, poop down the other side of my shirt, and a dancing 3 year old screaming that he is about to wet his pants. By the time I saw the Dr, I was a little flustered to say the least. What can I say, my kids keep me on my toes! (note to self......use the carseat:)

Toe jam and pacifiers

2009-01-05T13:03:00.001-08:00

Ever since Easter, Ryker has been playing with the plastic Easter eggs. He uses them as pacifiers for his little stuffed animals when they get fussy:) Anyways, the other day I was sitting on the couch paying some bills or something, and I put Bridger next to me and put a pacifier in his mouth to keep him happy. Next thing I know,Ryker is doing the same thing. He put his animals on the couch next to Bridger, put pacifiers in their mouths, and got a pen and paper and started paying his bills. It was too cute so I had to take a picture.

And Bridger has a new trick! He has figured out how to eat his feet. It is quite amazing, he definitely doesn't get his flexibility from his mom!

I posted a few times, keep scrolling down!

2009-01-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

WII PARTII!!! We had a get together with Shawn's sisters Tracy and Cindy and families. We had a potluck dinner (yum!) and played the wii at Tracy's. It was so much fun, and things got a little competitive:) It is so nice to live so close to both Cindy and Tracy, we love getting together with them, and our boys love playing with their cousins as well!

Christmas!

2009-01-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas this year! We were really spoiled by Santa and his "helpers" (you know who you are ;) The kids had a great time and so did we. Spending time with family was a blast as always.
Thanks grandma and Papa! You made our Christmas so special, and you did so much! Ryker and Bridger love their new Cars pajamas, and their new toys. We miss you!

I love my boys and their matching outfits, thanks grandma and grandpa! We sure had a fun time at your house over Christmas, thanks for everything!!! Miss you!

Thanks Lindsay and family, Ryker absolutely loves the book you made, it will be so nice for church! He also loves to play basketball in the tub too:) Miss you!!!!

Thanks Aunt Jana and family, you spoiled us so much! we love and miss you so much! (Bridger really loves his little puppy, he is just tired of taking pictures here:) And Ryker loves the movie, we watch it all the time (I think Shawn and I enjoy it just as much:)

Ryker had so much fun with his roller skates, we went over to the high school my dad works at and let him skate up and down the halls. His cousins came and tried their new scooters too.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our little nativity we had on Christmas Eve. We had such a fun night, each family did a talent for the program then the grandchildren dressed up for the nativity. Ryker was Joseph, and Bridger was a baby sheep....he started to cry so he isn't in the pictures. We also took a family picture, and pasted Bracken into it (he is in Equador on a mission). We got to talk to Bracken on the phone that night as well, it was so fun to hear him and hear how pumped he is for missionary work.

Ryker

2008-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ryker is saying the funniest things lately, and we are constantly laughing. I need to preface this story by saying that Ryker loves to help me make cookies, and he has asked me a couple of times this week if we could make cookies together. I didn't have chocolate chips on hand, so we made snikerdoodles twice. Anyways, we were having family prayer the other night and it was Ryker's turn. His prayer went a little something like this....."Thank you for my many blessings, thank you for my family, thank you for temples, help us to sleep good, please help mom to put chocolate chips in our cookies......" right about then, both Shawn and I are trying to hold in our giggles, and we all ended up bursting into laughter. I took Ryker's subtle hint that he likes chocolate chip cookies a lot better than snikerdoodles:) What a cutie!

Visitors!

2008-12-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Jeff and Aubry (friends from when we lived in Rexburg) came to see us yesterday! They came to Utah from Spokane to visit family, and stopped by our place for a while. Their little girl Claire is sooooo cute, and was born only a couple of weeks after Bridger (I think he already has a crush on her:)
We had so much fun seeing them again after almost 2 years! We talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company.

Here is Bridger trying to show Claire his sweat singing skills

I think he is trying to hold her hand in this picture:)

Santa!

2008-12-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

We had our ward Christmas party over the weekend, and Ryker was sooooo excited to see Santa!

Here he is trying to hold in his over excited emotions as he finally got to sit on Santa's lap. I love this face he does when he is trying not to smile!

Here he is telling Santa what he wants for Christmas, roller skates! Ha! He watches this cartoon on tv where one of the characters wears roller skates, and he has wanted them ever since:)

P.S. does anyone have a white elephant gift idea? We need one for one of Shawn's coworkers.

Family Pictures

2008-11-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving, my very talented sis-in-law took some family pictures of us. I love how they turned out, and I am so excited to have some pictures with Bridger in them. Thanks again Tiniel!

3 months old!

2008-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Bridger is 3 months old today. He is at such a fun age, he loves to cuddle, he loves to give big slobbery kisses, and he actually likes to sing! Seriously, I will sing him a song, and he tries to sing back to me, it is so cute! He just does very long coos, but I swear he is trying to sing:)

He also loves his bath time. He goes crazy in the tub, kicking and splashing, I think it's his favorite thing to do.

He is such a cuddle bug! I love it so much! When he gets fussy, I will put his cheek against mine, and he stops crying. When he is tired, he just want to be wrapped up and cuddled, and I just melt into a puddle of mush! I love that boy!

Crazy Day!

2008-11-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had a really crazy day the other day, and looking back now it is kind of funny, but at the time it was crazy! I thought I would share:) It was a typical Thursday evening about 7 o'clock, Shawn was at his night class in Salt Lake (doesn't get home usually until about 10pm), and I was home with the boys and I was just about to start getting Ryker ready for bed when all of the sudden, I can hear water running, usually a calming sound, but this time it caused a little anxiety (we live on a 2nd floor condo, people live above us and below us) I run to the hall bathroom, and water is pouring out of the bathroom light fixture and fan. Right then, my initial thought is
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Literally, I was thinking AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! I then get buckets and towels and anything I can find to stop the water from doing any damage, bundle up my boys and haul them upstairs, and knock on the door. I was greeted by the single lady that lives above us, she was very frantic, and told me how her water faucet blew off when she was going to take a shower and she couldn't get the water to stop. I went to her bathroom to look and water was shooting out very forcefully like a fire hose. I had no clue how to turn the water off so I haul my boys from door to door looking for someone to help. One of our neighbors was home and came to help. He went to turn the water off by her water heater, and the handle broke off as when he went to turn it. I then had the exact same thought pop into my head as earlier.... AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! The lady started trying to call the maintenance people for help, and I haul my boys back down to our apartment only to find that the water was now coming out of my hall lights and laudry room, and I could hear it running down the inside of the walls. I turned off the lights as to not get electrocuted, and tried to stop the water with the last towels we had, all while both of my boys were screaming. About an hour later, the police came, and my neighbor picked the lock and shut off the water to the whole building.....finally. When Shawn came home I think he was a little surprised at what he saw:)Needless to say,they had to rip up some of our carpet, and are going to have to replace our ceiling and walls:)I am just glad that we are renting, a lot of people own these things. Anyways that is my story, I hope you enjoyed:) MORAL OF THE STORY: life is an adventure, enjoy the journey!

Too Fast!

2008-11-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Bridger is growing up way way way toooooo fast! Last night he laughed out loud for the first time, it was so cute. Shawn was playing peekaboo with him and he didn't just giggle a little, he was laughing so hard it was the cutest thing! I wish I could have video recorded it! This picture is of him in the walker. He loves this thing even though his feet don't touch the ground. When I put him in it, he gets this look on his face like he is so big and proud of himself. And he loves it when Ryker pushes him in it.

This is what we woke up to this morning....6 inches of SNOW! Ryker was so excited so I thought we had better go play in it before it melted.

PILLOW FIGHT!!!!!

2008-11-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is Ryker and Shawn's almost nightly ritual. On the nights Shawn doesn't have class, when he walks through the door, Ryker usually goes and gets a pillow and starts the attack. Usually ending in a lot of wrestling and sweating and a ton of fun! They sometimes even come after me as you can see in the last picture:) Shawn is such a great dad!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-11-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, Ryker dressed up as a duck, he was so excited to be a duck. We borrowed the costume from his cousin Jaxon. Bridger's costume was kind of last minute. It was three hours before our ward trunk or treat, and I didn't have a costume for him. I ended up cutting up an old pair of my black pants, and making a spider costume. I cut a ping pong ball in half for the eyes, I only wish I had a black shirt to go under it....oh well.

New Addition

2008-11-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

Bridger Cameron Atwood was born on Aug 19, 2008, he weighed 7lbs, 11oz. 19 1/2 inches long, and we blessed him on Sept 27. We had a ton of support, and it was such a fun day.

I BLOG!!!!

2008-11-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, I feel like Bob on the movie "What About Bob" when he is strapped to the sailboat and he is yelling "I SAIL, I SAIL!" I feel like I have finally faced my fears and become a blogger. I BLOG!!!