Time Of Our Lives

Pouty Little Princess

2011-09-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get a picture of Brooklyn in the new dress Grandma Bateman got for her, but she was not having it! She still looks cute though :)

Fishing at Jeppesen's Lake

2011-08-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

While we were in Idaho, my parents friends, the Jeppesen's, were nice enough to let us come over and fish in their pond. It was sooooo much fun!! The kids got to catch their very own fish and the scenery was beautiful!!

Demolition Derby

2011-08-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Lancaster's Cabin

2011-08-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

Kids' Haircut by Aunt Chelsea

2011-08-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

hErE cOmEs tRoUbLe!!

2011-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

So true!! I can't even count how many things she does in one day! I am just not able keep up with this girl. I turn my back for one minute and she is into something new. Her favorite things are:

-unrolling the whole roll of toilet paper and putting it down the toilet
-drawing on the walls and herself with markers
-dumping out an entire bag of rice (or other messy foods) and continuing to spread it across the house and furniture
-putting our iPod Touch in the toilet (still coming to terms with this one)
-ripping apart books and papers
-playing with and ruining my (and Aunt Chelsea's) makeup
-climbing up into the cabinet where the candy is and eating as much as she can get her hands on
-filling up buckets with gravel and then proceeding to dump it on the living room floor
-pouring cup fulls of water out of the bath onto the floor
-pulling out all of the dvd's out of their case....

I know there are countless more, but these are off the top of my head, haha! You are a pill my dear Brooklyn, but you do have your sweet moments and that is what gets me through the day!!

I Hate Bees

2011-08-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Summer Movies 2011

2011-08-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Swimming Lessons 2011

2011-08-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to put Braden in swim lessons for a couple of years, but just never took the time. This year I finally got him in and I am so glad I did! He had such a blast and improved so much. He is quite the little fish!! Thanks Sherrell for the awesome pics :)

Pickles for Lunch????

2011-08-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

There is only one reason I would eat pickles and only pickles for lunch....

YEP! WE ARE PREGNANT!!

We are super excited to announce that we will be expecting another little bundle of joy in February!!

I am about 14 weeks and just getting past the sickest part for me. It has been rough, but I am looking forward to the middle three months, they are just the best!!

Other good news, I found my media card with all the pictures from our trip and so I have TONS to get caught up on. I have been so behind with my design business, since I haven't been feeling well, so my CT has been on the back burner for a few weeks. But I am slowly getting back into the groove of things and plan on getting all caught up. So be on the look out for lots of new posts!

Trying to Catch Up...

2011-08-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Remember me?? I know, I am getting so bad at this blogging thing. We have been doing so much fun stuff, and I am so sad that I am not keeping track of it all. Now that summer is almost over, I feel like life is going to get back on track, hopefully. We just got home from a two week vaca in Idaho. We had a ton of fun, and it was so nice to get out of this AZ sauna for a few weeks. I took tons of fun pictures and when I went to put my media card into my laptop today, I realized it was just gone! My heart completely dropped. I am so sick to my stomach thinking about all of the fun pictures I am never going to see....sigh. Well luckily I did get a few with my mom's camera of the kids fishing. Those are coming soon! Until then here are my most recent pages for my ct's. And as always you can click them to see the credits.

Braden's 2 Favorite Things

2011-07-15T18:15:00.003-07:00

CARS!!

and SPIDER-MAN!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-04T09:58:00.003-07:00

{Click image for credits}

Definitely a Pool Day!!!

2011-07-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Pool Party

2011-06-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

For Fathers Day this year Aunt Debbie rented this amazing water slide. Braden had the time of his life! They are both so comfortable in the water and I just had to record how cute they are...Enjoy mom :)

Band Geek Designs CT!!

2011-06-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have some very exciting news! I am the newest member of Band Geek Designs at ScrapMatters. I was so honored to have Liz (also on Chelle's CT) email me and ask if I wanted to join her creative team. Of course I jumped at the chance. She is a fairly new designer, but her stuff is amazing!! You can check out her store here. Can't wait to play with all of her fun goodies :) I have a lot more to do, but this is a layout I did a couple weeks ago with one of her adorable kits. (click image to see full credits)

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 6

2011-05-29T17:53:00.003-07:00

I have so much fun creating layouts with amazing new products each week! Here are some of my most recent pages for Chelle's Creations-(Images are linked for credits.)

{Life here has been super hectic and I promise to do an update soon!!}

Cowboy Boots

2011-05-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Braden just loves these cowboy boots that he got from his Grandma Carlson!! He makes a pretty cute little cowboy!

Fun in the Sun 2011

2011-05-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

First trip to the pool this year. They were loving life!!!

6 Years Ago Today...

2011-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

How do I begin to tell you how lucky I am

to have you in my life?

I'll start by saying what an honor it is

for me to be your wife.

You're my best friend in good times

and my rock in times of sorrow.

You're the reason for sweet yesterdays

and my promise for tomorrow.

I never thought I could feel this loved

until I became your wife.

You made this year and every year

the best one of my life.

Happy Anniversary my love!!

Easter Blessings 2011

2011-04-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

Buzz & Dora from Aunt Chelsea

2011-04-20T21:24:00.002-07:00

This is a little random, but I just found this picture today. It is from when we were visiting my family in Idaho last month. My sweet sister while shopping, found these adorable Buzz & Dora dolls and blankets to match. They love them SO much. Plus I just love the little pink and blue chairs and sippy cups :) Thanks Chelsea for being such a great Aunt. We miss you so much!!

Brooklyn's Birthday

2011-04-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

She's already two!?!?! I can barely believe it! We celebrated on Sunday morning with some strawberry pancakes with cool whip and bacon. (She is obsessed with wearing this fireman's hat.)

And here she is all dressed up for church. This is the adorable dress my mom bought her and the perfect shoes to match from Tom's step mom. So precious!

Then on Monday we headed to the Garlock's in Mesa to party some more! Here is the princess wearing her cute skirt from Tom's mom! She absolutely loves it...

Nothing better than fruit and chips for the birthday girl :)

Kylee thought it would be fun to put all of the toys on the high chair. Brooklyn was loving it!

Some of the party-ers!

Singing happy birthday! She is just loving all of this attention!

Lots of goodies from a wonderful family! Aunt Debbie got her a Tangled dolly, Grandma Carlson got her some fun hair bows, bubbles, candy, and pretend makeup. Uncle Grant got her a spiffy new life jacket for the boat this summer and Grandma Bateman hooked her up with this princess laptop and a pink and purple trike-

Wouldn't be a party without some bubbles! Thanks everyone for making it such a special day. I know she had a fun day!

We love you sweet girl! Happy 2nd birthday!!

Vacation to Rexburg and First Time Sledding

2011-03-18T18:13:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun visiting my family in Idaho. I was so excited when I saw that the Mesa/Phoenix airport was now flying right to Idaho Falls, which is only 30 minutes from Rexburg. No more flying to SLC then driving 4 hours to get to Rexburg- that was such a pain. Now it is {almost} stress free! The kids had never seen snow before. Braden was in heaven and Brooklyn....not so much. She is such a girl! Sadly I left my camera charger at home and these are the only pictures I got :( But check out this sweet video I made of their first time sledding, it is pretty hilarious!

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 5

2011-03-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Greek Spinach Melts

2011-03-17T17:28:00.004-07:00

I made this recipe a couple weeks ago for Relief Society. They are SO yum! Check it out-

1 baguette loaf cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 (9 oz) pkg. chopped spinach

1 plum tomato, chopped

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. dill weed

1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients (except for the bread).

Mix well. Drop mixture onto slices of bread.

Bake 10-12 minutes until heated through.

Serve immediately & enjoy!

What is my problem?

2011-02-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just can't seem to blog like I want to. I really do want to keep a journal of our lives, but our lives keep getting in the way, haha! I am trying though. I am just doing it in bulk. Keep scrolling down...there are 8 new posts below!!

Brooklyn's Words

2011-02-11T06:41:00.010-07:00

I have been wanted to make a page like this for awhile and Chelle's new Stitch Me Down Alpha was just the perfect fit! I tried so hard to get a smile from her, but she was intent on glaring at me, lol!

Too bad after I made this page I keep remembering more and more words she says. I just can't keep up with this girl!

My Sweet Valentine

2011-02-10T17:38:00.023-07:00

I am so in love with this kit!! It is called My Sweet Valentine by Chelle's Creations. I had so much fun scrapping all my pictures from when Tom and I were dating.

I made a page like this awhile ago, but I thought I would spice it up with new elements. For the first few months that I was dating Tom I kept a journal and wrote down what we did each night...and this is what I turned it into. Our Love Story-

And this is the little Valentine I made for the grandparents from the kids-

and for Braden's teacher-

and for his little classmates-

City of Blocks

2011-02-08T18:32:00.002-07:00

He is so proud of the city he built!

Scary Day

2011-02-07T17:54:00.038-07:00

It was 2:25 and I was just about to get ready to go meet Braden at the bus, when my phone rang...It wasn't a number I recognized, so I decided not to answer it. They left a voicemail so I check it and my heart dropped. Braden was in the health office with a pretty severe cut in the back of his head. He was on the playground at recess and smacked the back of his head on a metal pole. She was pretty sure he was going to need staples based on the amount of blood. I was freaking out. A million things raced in my mind....I really don't think he could have handled staples or stitches. They would have had to sedate him for sure! I grabbed Brooklyn and we rushed to the school. I walked in the office and there Braden sat with tears in his eyes holding some gauze to the back of his head. My heart broke for him.

We headed back home where I put him in the bath to try and clean off all the dried blood from his hair to see how deep it was. Luckily it looked a lot worse than it was. Apparently heads just bleed like crazy! Good to know. I put neosporin on it and wrapped it, and he is now taking a nice long nap. I am just so thankful it wasn't worse!

Superbowl Sunday

2011-02-06T17:56:00.007-07:00

My two boys watching the game....Go Green Bay!! Oh, who am I kidding?!? We mostly just chatted it up and ate delicious food. We may have a caught a few of the commercials though, haha!!

Remembering Brooklyn's Blessing Day

2011-02-04T17:41:00.006-07:00

Chelle's Creations came out with the most beautiful kit this week. I just had to share these precious pages of Brooklyn's blessing...

Toy Story 3 and some Mac & Cheese

2011-01-20T18:15:00.009-07:00

Can it really get any better than this?? I just love Braden's face, lol!

Just out of the bath, in nice warm jammies, eating mac & cheese, and watching Toy Story 3.

They are in heaven!

Dr. Braden

2011-01-18T17:41:00.006-07:00

I just love Braden's new pre-school class. He is always coming home with the funnest stuff. Today he had everything he needed to be a doctor, well almost :)

Our cRaZy December

2011-01-08T10:54:00.001-07:00

I promise, I haven't just been slacking. I have never been so busy in my whole life. I have 10 new posts for you to check out- all the way from Thanksgiving! Here is a little recap of December- not only is it the most crazy month of the year, we just have to throw in a whole bunch more! We have been wanting to move closer to Tom's work, and our lease was up on December 1st, so we started looking for homes in Chandler and Gilbert. We looked for a couple weeks and it was really tough. We would find one we liked and then we would fill out an application and then it would be gone. It was heart-wrenching. Then we found this beauty in Chandler and luckily we saw it the day it went on the market. We jumped on it fast and surprisingly, we got it!! I was so excited to finally be out of limbo and know what we were doing. Then my friend asked us if we could watch her boys (see below) until Dec.8. So, we changed our move date to the 11th. Crazy, I know!! So I ended up packing up our whole house in two days. It was pretty intense, but luckily I have some wonderful friends (Jen, Kasey, Heather) who offered to watch my kids- Thank you!! So we got all moved in and that next weekend I got sicker than I have ever been in my entire life. To this day, I am still not sure what caused it...food poisening, the flu- whatever it was, it was worst! I started feeling queasy around 9pm then went to bed and had horrible stomach cramps until around midnight when I finally just gave up and threw everything up. Then I felt better for about 5 minutes, then it was back with a vengeance. I was pretty much puking violently around the clock for 6 hours.Then the fever and body aches set it. It was pure torture. I did slowly get better, but it took a few days before I could eat anything and I could barely walk because I was so dizzy. Luckily nobody else caught it. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I seriously thought I was going to die. So, then my parents and sister arrived on the 19th and we partied with them until the 31st. We had a ton of fun! Make sure you check out some of the stuff we did in the posts below. It is so nice living close to everything. We are like 7 minutes from the 202 where you can find pretty much anything you are looking for.Things got back to normal on 3rd- I am back to designing and Braden is back in school and we are just loving life. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and heres to a happy and safe 2011!!

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 4

2011-01-07T10:53:00.001-07:00

Chelle just surprises me each week with all of her fabulous kits. I am so grateful to be part of her CT. Here are some of the layouts I have done with her new releases from November and December. (You can click the images to see the credits.)

Chef Braden

2011-01-06T17:54:00.002-07:00

Today was Braden's first day at his new school. He really loved his old school and teacher, so I was very nervous to take him out and put him in a whole new setting. But he did surprisingly well. We first went to meet with Mrs. Connie before Christmas and he seemed to like her a lot, so I was quite relieved. Then when he got home today, he was in good spirits. He just loves going to school! Today they must have learned about cooking because this is how he came walking out. I love this kid!!

Christmas Lights at Mesa Temple Square

2010-12-26T23:50:00.002-07:00

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T18:46:00.009-07:00

We had a great Christmas filled with lots of new toys and clothes, yummy breakfast casserole and lots of family to share it with. Thanks grandma and grandpa Bateman, Aunt Chel and Uncle Darin, Sam, and Grant for making this Christmas extra special!!

For Christmas Eve...

2010-12-24T23:21:00.003-07:00

we all went over to my cousin Mandy's house. Of course there was delicious ham, scalloped potatoes, and pie. Then we played some hilarious games and took lots of pictures with reindeer antlers on, haha!

Afterwards we went to a friend of Mandy's who lives in a mansion and loves to decorate for Christmas. Her entire house was covered with lights and Christmas decorations. It was so crazy- I wish I would have taken some pictures...We had such a great time!

Sorry kids, no pics with Santa this year...

2010-12-22T18:15:00.005-07:00

We decided to go to the San Tan mall to get pictures with Santa. The line was super long and we must have waited 20 minutes before I saw the sign that said their prices for pictures- $35 for the cheapest one! Then it said personal cameras were not allowed. I didn't even bother standing in the rest of the line and just let them play at the play area instead! Lol! I couldn't believe what a ripoff that was. Oh well, they still had fun!

New Home in Chandler

2010-12-15T17:49:00.014-07:00

I am just so excited to be moved and have a place where we can be settled (at least for a few years, lol). We absolutely love our new house. The community is so nice and the ward is just awesome! Plus it only takes Tom around 25 min to get to work, and we are so close to everything. Some of my favorite things about the house are the hard wood floors. No more stained carpet! The backyard is like an oasis, with turf grass, a playground with sand, and lemon/grapefruit/orange trees! (I got a juicer for Christmas, I am so excited to use.) The extra space, especially the third car garage with lots of storage shelves! Check it out--

Staying with the Herbert Boys

2010-12-08T18:07:00.004-07:00

I have watched these cute little boys on and off for the last four years! I just love them to pieces!! Their parents went to Vegas for work and asked Tom and I to watch them for 9 days. They have a super nice home in Seville and we just had so much fun! I'm not gonna lie though, it was tough. They both have super busy schedules and a pretty strict routine, not to mention I still had to watch my two kids. Thankfully they all got along pretty good- here is a picture of all of them at the park after school one day. At the time it all felt really overwhelming, but I know I will remember those days always! Love you guys!!

Kid's Christmas Party

2010-12-04T18:48:00.011-07:00

Our cousin Kasey was so nice to have a little Christmas party for the kids. They had a blast!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-25T21:45:00.001-07:00

Designs by Kassie Christmas Card Giveaway!

2010-11-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Check out the giveaway I am doing on my design blog- a free custom Christmas card!! You don't want to miss out on this! Click HERE to see the details. Thanks so much!!!

Johnny Rockets and a New Camera

2010-11-10T17:42:00.001-07:00

I am trying really hard to stay caught up. Things have just been really intense lately! But my birthday was last Saturday and we had some fun! First, we went to San Tan mall and walked around and decided to eat at Johnny Rockets. I had a strawberry banana shake, it was divine!

Then we headed to Best Buy where I picked up this little baby- I am in love!

Then we went to a Marshall's nearby and I got a sweet new Roxy jacket and Tom got some stuff for work. It was such a fun day! I almost forgot that I am 27 years old now, ahhhhh!!!

11 New Posts

2010-11-04T14:40:00.002-07:00

Phew!!! I did it! I hope you all didn't give up on me!! I have finally got all updated on the last month! Man, has it been a crazy one!! Make sure to keep scrolling all the way to the bottom to see all we have been up to :)

BOTCT Layouts

2010-11-03T14:12:00.002-07:00

This year I was able to compete in the Battle of the Creative Teams at DigiScrapAddicts. It has been a TON of fun! Each week they gave us different challenges.

For challenge 4 we had to use 10 products, make a list of 10 and use no photos and no frames.

For challenge 3 we had to use one color, scrap pictures of ourselves, only scrap in two corners, and tell about our usernames.

For challenge 2 we had to choose two different layouts from a member of our team and scraplift one thing from each layout and use the word today.

For challenge one we had to follow a recipe that they gave us from 10 hears to 1 font and use an equation.

Each of these challenges were crazy hard, and took forever, but I love the way it made me stretch and grow as a scrapper!

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 3

2010-11-01T23:55:00.022-07:00

Here are all my most recent layouts for Chelle's Creations. And I am very excited to announce that I am now on her CT full time!! Yeah! It is a lot of work, but I love it!! So this means I will be able to continue to use all of her wonderful products!! (You can click the images to see the credits.)

A Pirate and a Princess

2010-10-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was so much fun! On Wednesday we went to a Fall Festival in Mesa and then on Friday we went to our ward Trunk or Treat. Braden had the time of his life, while Brooklyn was a little confused...but for sure loving all the candy! lol!

Rick's Visit and Schnepf Farms

2010-10-23T23:39:00.012-07:00

Last weekend Tom's dad Rick came down for a visit! Such a fun time! Here is Tom and his brother Sam while we were on a walk Saturday morning. So sweet :)

And Rick was kind enough to take us to Schnepf Farms. It is the funnest place and the perfect thing to do in the fall. They have a petting zoo, playground, huge slides, pig races, a hay ride, a corn maze, and a pumpkin patch! It seriously was so much fun and the kids had a blast!!

Play Time with Braden

2010-10-18T11:51:00.011-07:00

Braden is so funny these days and has started being very creative with his toys!

And here is how I found him one morning....Cowboy boots and pj's on the porch playing with trains and hot wheels. Doesn't get any better than that for a four year old! haha!

Braden's Birthday Party

2010-10-17T23:52:00.012-07:00

We had all the family over on Sunday to celebrate Braden's bday and eat cake and ice cream and jump on the tramp! He got hooked up! Cowboy boots from Grandma Larry Anne, Air Jordans from Uncle Sam, coloring book and pencils from Kylie and Todd, a Toy Story figure from Uncle Grant! It was so much fun! Thanks to all who came, we had a blast!!

They have twin Air Jordan's!! I LOVE it!!!

Queen Valley

2010-10-15T23:50:00.007-07:00

Last weekend we went to Queen Valley with the Garlock's. We opted not to spend the night, but it was sure fun roastin' those s'mores! And going on quad rides!

Halloween Wreath

2010-10-14T23:46:00.004-07:00

While Aunt Debbie was on Fall break we all got together and made these fun Halloween wreaths. Aren't they sweet?!?!

Braden's Birthday

2010-10-12T23:52:00.024-07:00

Here he is getting home from pre-school on his 4th birthday!

We decided to take him to Applebee's to celebrate so that the waiters would come around and sing to him and bring him a sundae. They did not disappoint. Braden loved every second of it!! Sorry the pictures are so horrible. I was so sad when I figured out I left my camera at home. Luckily we had our cell phones for backup, but as much as I tried to photoshop them, the lighting was just too harsh. Waaahh!

This is the awesome train set that he got to open from his grandpa Rick and grandma Debbie! So much fun! He absolutely LOVES it!

Nursery and Primary Program

2010-10-09T13:24:00.004-07:00

Oh, they are growing up SO fast!!! Just slow down, please...

Ace of Cakes and Autzen Stadium

2010-10-07T21:14:00.013-07:00

When I accidentally booked Tom's flight for 8pm instead of 8am like I told him(oops), he had to kill a couple hours at the airport waiting for another flight....But it turned out to be fate!! Look who he ran into!!!! I know some of you are like, who the heck is that!?!? Well, I am a big fan and was so jealous he got to meet them. Tom gets to have all the fun, haha!!

And here he is in Eugene at the Duck game....You will be happy to know, he finally broke the curse, and the ducks actually won a game that he was at!! Yay!! National Championship here we come!

Braden's Birthday Invite!!

2010-10-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

Let's Go Ducks!

2010-10-01T15:34:00.005-07:00

Last weekend we went to the Duck game at ASU. Tom and I had planned to go, but when we went to buy tickets, we found out that if we wanted to actually see the game, the tickets were really pricey. So we were sad, but had decided to just BBQ and watch the game on TV.....But then Tom's brother saved the day and at the last minute got some tickets!! We were totally psyched!! We had the wonderful Rich and Lacee watch the kiddos and we were off to ASU. Even though the game didn't start until 7:30pm, it was a super hot day and there were so many people in that stadium, it made it a sticky mess. We were surrounded by ASU fans and at first it kinda sucked, but as we, I mean the Ducks, started to dominate them, they shut their mouths pretty quick. Haha. It was a really fun time and the Ducks killed it! I am so excited for this season! There is something about this time of year that is just so fun! Tom, that lucky duck (lol, duck, get it?) got to go to Eugene, Oregon to see them play Stanford this weekend! I am so jealous, but someone had to stay home with the children :) I will be back later for an update on that game. And just get ready to hear something super cool that happened to Tom at the airport....oh, you will just have to come back and see what it is....Until then, here is a layout (using Play the Game by Chelle's Creations) and a sweet little video from our time at the Sun Devil Stadium!!

They played this song at the staduim like 10 times during the game.....It was a good night for us, but not for them. Haha!!!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Week With My Mom and Sister

2010-09-23T14:55:00.003-07:00

(Most of you won't care to read all this, but I just wanted to remember the fun times we had when my mom and sister came to visit.) My grandparents are looking to move from their winter home in St.George to one here in Gilbert. So, they took a road trip down here to look at some real estate and they brought my mom and sister along! It was SO much fun! I just love my family! Lots of shopping and eating! The first day they got here we went out to lunch at the delicious Paradise Bakery!

Then came home, put Brooklyn down for a nap and while Chelsea watched the kids we went to Fry's to shop the ads!

Then we came home and my mom made my grandmas fabulous tacos for dinner. Tuesday morning me and my mom woke up early and took the kids for a walk then my sister colored and cut my hair for me. She does such an awesome job! Then another trip to Fry's and a lunch break at Jack in the Box. The funniest thing happened there- I was feeding Brooklyn a bite of an Oreo shake and a little bit dropped on the floor. Braden just couldn't let that go to waste, so what did he do?!? He licked it right off the ground! Ahhh! We almost died, and the people around us were laughing so hard! I had to have a little talk with him about germs :) Then we hung out the rest of the afternoon and then made grilled chicken with stir-fried red potatoes and veggies for dinner. Then we watched Price of Persia.

It was pretty good! On Wednesday Braden had school at 8am, so we took full advantage of this and headed to Khols bright and early for their big sale. My mom buys all the Christmas gifts for all the grandkids and great-grandkids for my grandma- so we had our work cut out for us! Plus my mom got Tom and I our Birthday and Christmas presents, lol! A sweet new bedding set and towels and bathroom accessories to match! I am so in love! Every time I walk in my room, I get a huge smile on my face! Plus check out what my receipt read - spent $253 and saved $450. Yes, you are reading that right. I spent $253 and saved $450! Can I say just how much I LOVE Khols?!?!

Then we came back home and picked up Braden and took them out to Chick-Fil-A to play on their play place. It is the closet thing they get to a park right now here in the desert. Then it was time for naps- hallelujah! That night my grandparents came over and we enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches. SO good! Then Brooklyn and Braden put on a little show for us in the living room while we just all sat around and laughed at them. They couldn't get enough of all the attention, haha! And, they both loved their great-grandpa! Braden calls him Grandpa Dee. So cute!!

Then Thursday my mom went house hunting with her parents and Chelsea and I (and the children) went to Ross and Tilly's. Then we came home a I worked for a bit until my mom got back and we made sweet and sour meatballs with veggies and brown rice. YUM! Friday we ventured out and went to the craziest store in Phoenix- Last Chance! Wow, was that place nuts! It was worth it though, we all got some sweet shoes for killer prices. I think Brooklyn's were the cutest of the day! Pretty much every time my mom comes down here we go to Last Chance and we always go to the Fuddruckers next door to it, but to m y horror, this time we found it was closed! So we put it into Chelsea's iPhone and found one that was on the way home! It was fabulous! I know they are known for their burgers, but I think they should be known for their cheese sauce that you dip their incredible fries in!

Once we made it home, we all crashed! It was a long day in the brutal heat. Then we ate some more (if you can believe it) I can't for the life of me remember what it was, but I am sure it was divine :) Then my mom and sister babysat while Tom and I went to the Temple! Then it was Saturday and Tom finally got to hang with us, so we went to his favorite spot, Marshalls. He got hooked up with some shorts, socks, work shoes, and a couple ties! Then we ate some pizza and Panda Express at the food court in the San Tan Mall. After that came home and relaxed for a couple hours then we went on yet another shopping trip to Fry's to get ingredients for dessert the next day. After that we got Sammy boy to babysat while we went out with my cousins to a fancy restaurant in Chandler called, Firebirds. It was AMAZINGLY good and fun to eat out without the kids screaming! Then Sunday we went to church at the break of dawn (8am) and then took it easy most the day (I got caught up on some design stuff) until we went to Gilbert to my cousins house for dinner. It was a houseful and the kids had a blast playing with all the cousins! And sadly, the next morning they were gone :( Braden must have asked me 300 times that day were they went. And Brooklyn just walked around wondering where her grandma and auntie had gone. I think that is the worst part. It is so sad to see them go! But I found out some awesome news yesterday and that is that the airport in Mesa is now flying to Idaho Falls for $49 each way!!!! I have been waiting for this day since the day I moved here 5 years ago, and I am so excited! Now we will get to see each other more! And that is good!!!! I miss you guys already--Thanks for the good times!

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 2

2010-09-10T10:56:00.011-07:00

I have some new pictures today! Since I can only use Chelle's Creations products for personal use, it has forced me to finally scrap some layouts for myself....Hooray!! It has been so much fun working on logos and blog makeovers all day, but I am happy to get back to just plain digital scrapping again :)

(You can click the images to go to my gallery and to see the credits.)

A couple weekends ago we went to the best water around, Lake Roosevelt. It is so huge and you hardley ever see any other boats, plus the water is pure glass! So much fun, and I actaully got up on the wakeboard and tried to do a couple jumps. Ever since I crashed badly last summer, I have been terrified to try, but I went slow and finally got in a couple sweet jumps! All four of us also all got on the tube and went for a ride as a family. Braden was more scared than Brooklyn was, haha!

Tom has been golfing a lot these days for work and so last Saturday I went to the shooting range and putting greens to hit some balls with him. We tried to get out early, but it was still scorching hot. But it was actually really fun and plus I got to spend some time with Tom w/o two monsters running around us. Thanks Sammy for watching the children :)

Then Monday (Labor Day) Tom had to go into work in the morning so I went to his Aunt Debbie's and messed around on the computer with her. She is like the only friend I have that likes to play on the computer as much as I do! Then everybody met there and we went swimming and had a BBQ. It doesn't get any better than that!!!

My mom and dad went on a little trip with their friends to Denver to see the Dodgers play the Rockies. I didn't have any pics for this kit, so I did this one for my parents :)

These next four, most of you have already seen the pictures, but here they are again, all scrapped up with Chelle's amazing kits.

Well, that's all from me. Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!!!

Layouts for Chelle's Creations Part 1

2010-08-27T13:03:00.008-07:00

My poor little blog is feeling so neglected.....I don't have much time, but I thought I would share some of the layouts I have done using Chelle's amazing kits....Most of them are older pictures, because I didn't have any recent ones that went with the kit. So yeah, I hope you like and I will try to be back soon with an update!

A Visit with Santa using Ho! Ho! Ho! kit.

Blankie from Grandma using Sew Crafty kit.

using Celebrate Brite kit.

using Celebrate Bold kit.

Happy Campers using Let's Camp S'more kit.

Hiking using On the Trail kit.

using Back 2 School kit.

Picking Pumpkins using Grandpa's Garden kit.

This one is a quick page I made using Chillin' and Grillin' kit.

Preschool and a New CT

2010-08-11T09:59:00.006-07:00

I am such a blog slacker! Lately the blog has been the last thing on my mind....My design business has been booming and I feel like it is all I have been doing. I am really excited about it though! It has been a lot of fun getting to know so many fun ladies around the country. Sadly though, I don't get the time to scrap my own pictures...Braden started preschool on Monday, and it is so fun! He absolutely loves every second of it and it is a nice break for Brooklyn. She doesn't have to watch her back to make sure Braden isn't going to steal her toy or push her down. Haha. It has been a struggle with those two...They do have their moments though, and it warms my heart to see them play nicely together.

And some very exciting stuff for me.....

I applied for Chelle's Creations a couple weeks ago and to my surprise-I got a guest spot on her Creative Team!! I couldn't believe it, because she is such an AMAZING designer. So for the month of September I am going to get all of her kits for free!! Oh my goodness, I am so excited!! This will be such a huge opportunity and I am so blessed to have the chance to work with Chelle and her team. So, look forward to some really cute designs coming soon.....

The Cutest Kids in the Known Universe!

2010-08-05T18:52:00.003-07:00

Special thanks to the talented and amazing Krista of Krista Campbell Photography for taking these adorable photos!

Baker City, Oregon and Rigby Lake

2010-07-26T15:15:00.005-07:00

It took a LONG 9 hours to get to Baker City,

But, boy was it worth it!! Brooklyn gives it a thumbs UP!

It was the annual Miners Jubilee and there was a LOT going on! A petting zoo for the kids-

and a street dance where Frank, Tom's step dad sang! He has such an amazing voice, and we had the BEST time dancing in the street:)

Enjoying some SWEET creamsicles on the porch!

The WHOLE gang!!

Playing at the park and eating YUMMY elephant ears :)

We had such a WONDERFUL weekend!! Thanks grandpa and grandma for letting us stay!! We miss you already!

These pictures are from our trip to Idaho, but I just had to post them.....Playing at Rigby Lake.
(Thanks Shalee for the great pics!!)

And one more of Brooklyn at Hanna's birthday party, on the slip and slide. This summer has been nothing but FUN!

Trip to Rexburg, Part 1 and More

2010-07-12T13:12:00.003-07:00

Wow, what a crazy month! I have been trying to catch up, but I feel like ever since we got home, I am being pulled 10 different ways. I have finally finished part 1 of our adventure to Idaho. I was really nervous about flying with two wild kiddos by myself, but it actually went pretty smooth.....

For my new brother-in-law Darin's birthday we all went out to Red Robin! It was so fun and very tasty!

Tom was able to join us for the last couple days of the trip and we took pictures of the whole family (even my parent's dog, haha).

My uncle rented out a whole theater for the Eclipse movie for his real estate business and he invited us to the midnight showing. We had to wait over an hour for the movie to start, but it was well worth it!! Such a fun night(early morning)! I cant wait to see it again when it comes out on dvd.

I didn't take near enough pictures on the 4th of July....but here are a few.

We flew back on Sunday and since Tom had the afternoon of the 5th off we went out on the boat for some wake boarding and tubing. Oh, I love it here!!

I found this picture on my cell phone from months ago, but I thought it was so cute. He looks like such a little stud!

This is also another random page, but I just had to include it...Braden is so obsessed with Buzz Lightyear!

So, that is all for now. We are going to Oregon to visit Tom's mom on Thursday.....This summer is just cruising by!

Staycation with Grandpa & Grandma

2010-06-11T17:28:00.003-07:00

Tom's dad and step mom, Debbie, came to visit us last week and the best part of it is- we got to stay at the Scottsdale Links Resort right by Toms work. It was the best!! It was just like a normal vacation except we only had to drive 45 minutes to get there! It was super low key and we just HAD FUN!! Debbie took lots of pictures, and I am so glad she did! I love an excuse to scrap :) For Memorial Day we went to the Garlock's and had some fun in the sun-

After a couple days we were all sunned out, so we headed to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. WOW, what a fun place that is! We had an incredible time. They had this cute little train that you can ride around the park and even under a tunnel. Braden was thrilled!

Grandpa even treated us to some ice cream in the cute little snack shop! Yum!

The carousel was definitely Brooklyn's favorite-

They even had this really cool playground that was covered and had a mist to cool off...Braden was loving the slides-

Braden kept stealing Tom's brother, Grant's sunglasses and hat. He is such a goofball-

Brooklyn would sneak into Rick and Debbie's room to play with them on their bed- Her hair is so crazy because she had some sunscreen in it that made it stick straight up no matter what I did. She is so funny!

And of course, it wouldn't be a vacation without a good game of Nerts!

We had such a great time you guys! Thank you so much for everything! Can't wait to do it again :)

Brooklyn Rae Garlock

2010-05-28T11:11:00.005-07:00

This post is all about you Brooklyn! You are 1 year and 2 months old. Here are your stats:

You are such a joy and a great addition to our family! You are so active and you love to play with your brother. You sleep like a champ and take at least two 2 hour naps and sleep 12 hours at night! Such a dream compared to your brother ;) You are a little monkey and love to climb anything and everything. You are always finding new ways to get stuck....You don't seem to be scared of anything, which scares me!

Your favorite things to do are play in the backyard, swing, take baths, look at books, and play with bubbles. Nothing makes you giggle and squeal like bubbles do. You are SO happy to be walking and love the new independence it brings. But you also love to be held (unless we are at church).

I think you understand a lot about what is going on around you. You seem to always be thinking about something. Despite all my efforts to try to get you to say mama, you refuse. Although you have said dada for months :) You love to talk even though no one can understand you.

You have a favorite blanket that is fuzzy and pink with ladybugs on it. I try to keep it in your crib, but most of the time you will sneak in there and grab it through the bars of your crib. You are a very determined little girl and if you want something, you normally get it :)

It took you a whole year to get some teeth, but it finally happened. So far, it hasn't been too bad for you...Your favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, eggs, hot dogs, grapes, and noodles.

You are such a sweet little girl Brooklyn and we are so blessed to be your parents! Please don't grow up too fast! WE LOVE YOU TO PIECES!!

Braden Thomas Garlock

2010-05-28T11:11:00.004-07:00

This post is all about you buddy! You are 3 years and 7 months old. Your favorite colors are blue and red. Your favorite movies are Toy Story and Cars. You also love to watch Noggin. You don't like to eat much, but I can usually get you to eat any type of fruit, carrots and ranch, pizza bites, mac and cheese, fish sticks, pb&j sandwich, and oatmeal. If you had it your way you would drink apple juice and chocolate milk all day long. You love to read books and your favorite toys are your hot wheels and Leap Frog Tag junior. You love to learn and can read over 300 words! You know all your colors and can count to 30 and can name all the letters and numbers and all the shapes.

You started preschool this year, but you were only able to go a couple of days before the school year ended. You will start again this August. Although you were only there for a couple weeks, you LOVED it and the teacher and children loved you! It has been a few weeks since you got out, but every morning you still ask me if it is time to go on the bus...haha.

You are such a funny kid and make your dad and I laugh everyday. The things you come up with are just hilarious. You are so full of life and have such an abundance of energy. I am always trying to think of new ways to wear you out. Your favorites are jumping on the tramp, chasing your sister around the house, and riding your bike for miles. You are such a happy kid and many times throughout the day you will run up to me and say "Mom, I am so happy!"

You are definitely a mamma's boy and I love it! I think this is because I know you best. You like things a certain way and get really upset if it is not done the way you are used to....You like things to be routine and structured or it throws you all out of whack.

You love to snuggle and give lots of kisses and hugs. I will miss these days in a couple of years when you are too embarrassed to be seen kissing your mom.....You are so sweet and your dad and I are so very proud of you! We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH BUD!!!

(CHECK OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH BROOKLYN BELOW.....)

We're going to the Zoo, that's right!

2010-05-18T17:52:00.002-07:00

The title of this post is the song Braden made up and sang a million times the morning I told him we were going to the Zoo. My mom and I took him to the Idaho Falls zoo last summer and he wasn't so into it, but this year he loved it! Tom's cousin Kasey was nice enough to invite us and Braden loved following around her two kids. It was on the verge of being too hot, but there is a splash pad there to cool off....Glad we got to go before the summer really hit!

Our New Summer Tradition :)

2010-05-15T09:49:00.001-07:00

You can't beat Sonic's happy hour!! Here are the kids enjoying their blue coconut slushy. And I just love their diet cherry limeade--it is divine!!

5 Year Anniversary & Mothers Day

2010-05-10T16:17:00.016-07:00

Has it seriously been five years already!?! It really is hard to believe. We had always said we would do something big for our 5 year anniversary, well things change:) It is just too hard with work and the kids...But it didn't really matter, we had a blast anyway! Since we hardly ever go out, it is a real treat when we do!! I went and picked up Tom from work in Scottsdale and we went to this Greek restaurant right around the corner. This was my first time eating Greek food, and it was fantastic! Tom knew just what to order-a Greek salad with a aegean club sandwich. I am usually not one to eat new foods, but I am so happy I did! It made it special:)

Next, we went to the Scottsdale Fashion Square and walked around. It was incredible! That place it so fancy and I felt a little out of place:) We went to Buckle and tried on a bunch of jeans (just for fun). Then we went to the theater, a place we haven't been since before Brooklyn was born.

I have been wanting to see this movie since I saw a preview of it months ago. I absolutely loved the first one, and the second one DID NOT disappoint! I am such a sucker for Robert Downey Jr.-he just cracks me up! And the writer-

Justin Theroux is a genius! I love the witty humor, plus it has some action and a little bit of romance. Such a a fun night! I am so blessed to have this handsome man as my husband! I love you baby! Here's to the next 50 years...

Just a shout out to the best kids in the world! I just love these two so much and I am so proud to be their mother.

I am incredibly blessed to be able to stay home with them and watch them learn and grow. These days are so precious to me! (This layout below is a quickpage I made for Pink Igloo designs, it will be available in her shop soon.)

Oh, and here is what they got me for Mothers day...

They sure are little bargain shoppers:) All this retail would cost around $250. I am so excited!! It will make this summer a little more bearable!!

Family Pictures -Twenty Ten

2010-05-07T12:02:00.006-07:00

Finally, we have new family pics!! It was definitely not the most enjoyable thing trying to get my 3 year old to smile for the camera and my 1 year to sit still for two seconds. But we did end up getting some cute ones, so it was all worth it! Here are a bunch of them. Caution: Picture overload:)

Tom trying to talk to Braden about how we behave....haha

My good friend Krista Campbell did these for us and she is so great!! You have to check her out here!

Desktops: April 2009-April 2010

2010-04-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post these before May....{there are a few missing}

Called to Serve Scrapbooking Kit

2010-04-28T15:06:00.003-07:00

Here are some layouts I have done using the Called to Serve Kit by Pink Igloo Designs. It is SO cute and has lots of missionary elements! You can pick up this amazing kit HERE!

(Thanks Marcey for the pictures, I think they turned out so cute)

A Little Obsessed

2010-04-26T17:33:00.020-07:00

I found these babies the other day and they are AMAZING!! I was eating them today and Braden came up to me and said "I want a pentagon." At first I was so confused, but then I realized he was talking about the crackers! Haha! He is such a funny kid. I don't even know where he learned that....Must have been from Noggin :)

Obsessed probably isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel about Ingrid Michaelson's music. She has been around for quite a few years, but I am a little slow...I haven't listened to anything else since I found her a couple months ago. Seriously, she is SO TALENTED. If you haven't already downloaded her four CD's, you have to check her out!

P.S. Family pictures coming soon...........!

Some Very Exciting News!!!

2010-04-22T15:52:00.003-07:00

I am now an official CT (creative team) member for Pink Igloo Designs!!! I am SO excited about this! For those of you who don't know what this is--Erika from Pink Igloo Designs creates these amazing digital scrapbooking kits-

and I scrap with these kits giving her samples and in return she gives me full access to her store! Sweet huh!?! Anyway, just thought I would share my very exciting news:)

Mother's Day Freebie!!!

2010-04-19T10:59:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone!! I have a Mother's Day card up on my design blog that you can download for FREE! You gotta check it out!!

Click HERE!

New Quilt and Old Friends

2010-04-13T21:42:00.004-07:00

This is the amazing quilt that Tom's mom made Brooklyn for her birthday. She did such a great job and it is SO soft! Thanks Larry Anne!

Yesterday, I met my good friend Lacee for lunch and we let our boys play so we could catch up:) It was such a great afternoon! Look how cute these boys are:

Easter Blessings

2010-04-05T17:58:00.005-07:00

This was such a fun Easter Sunday! I loved watching general conference and spending the whole day with family that I love! When the kids first got up we surprised them with some Easter baskets. Brooklyn finally got some cute bows and clips to wear in her hair and some candy. Braden got Monsters Inc., Toy Story coloring book and a couple of Hot Wheel cars and candy from Grandpa and Grandma Garlock! He was a happy camper for sure!

This is the best shot I could get of them together....I tried. Braden was just not cooperating. Oh well, I still think they are the cutest!!

After conference we went into Mesa and had dinner at the Garlocks. It was the nicest night and we just watched the kids play. We even got out the bubble guns--they were in bubble heaven!!

This picture is kinda random, but I wanted to document Brooklyn's first ponytail! It only took a whole year:) She looks so big so big to me now....

Why does this girl always have to have something in her mouth!?! Well, I am thinking it is because she has also finally cut her first tooth. Although, I have yet to be successful of taking a picture of it. She is not very happy about this tooth. I think she was completely content gumming everything:)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!

Surprise Birthday Stroller

2010-04-02T19:23:00.002-07:00

Brooklyn got a surprise birthday gift in the mail yesterday! She LOVES it!! Thank you Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Rick. You always know what to buy the little ones:)

Just Lookin' CUTE!

2010-04-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Love these kids!!

My Baby Girl is 1 and My Man is 30!!

2010-03-30T14:35:00.005-07:00

It has been quite the weekend--three birthdays in a row! Saturday night we went to Tom's cousins birthday party in Mesa. Then Sunday night we celebrated Brooklyn's birthday at our home. It was such a blast! I attempted to make a princess crown cake, it didn't turn out exactly like I thought it would, but it sure tasted good:)

She got LOTS of much needed new spring/summer clothes, her uncle Sam got her the little pink piano, and her grandma Larry Ann made her the most adorable quilt! So CUTE! Thanks to all you who came to party with us! Here is a little video of her getting her cake and all of us singing happy birthday....

Then yesterday was Tom's big day! He took the day off from work and we went shopping, he played basketball and golf, then we had his brothers over and ate Barro's Pizza while we watched new episodes of How I Met Your Mother (thanks Grant!!). Sam and I went in together and got him these sweet Jordans and an outdoor basketball. Grant got him a sweet grilling kit. Such a fun night!! This picture wasn't even posed, he was so psyched!

I have been waiting for this to arrive in the mail and it just happened to show up yesterday, so I let Braden open up a gift too. He was/is SO excited! He has already watched it 3 times today:)

Springtime and Cooking with Mom

2010-03-25T10:56:00.009-07:00

Okay, how cute are these shots!?!? I love this sweet little girl so much! I wouldn't say she is officially walking quite yet--but she is so close. This is her taking some steps in the backyard. Too bad I never have my video camera charged....

On Saturday we went out and got the kids this cute little frog pool that sprays. So exciting--

Well for a little while at least:)

Braden has been into helping me make dinner these days. Here, he is putting pepper on the eggs, I am glad it wasn't the salt ;)

Nothin' Like a Hard Days Work!

2010-03-16T21:29:00.005-07:00

My two favorite boys, hard at work. Braden LOVES helping his dad! And I think it is the cutest thing ever :)

Who's Interested??

2010-03-15T08:39:00.004-07:00

I was approached a few days ago to do a monthly visiting teaching handout that you can give to the sisters you visit. I thought this was an excellent idea, and wanted to see how many of you would be interested in signing up. The price depends on how many people sign up. If I get at least 15 people to sign up the price could be as low as $1 a handout. I made a sample of March so that you can see what it looks like. If you sign up you will receive this months handout FREE! Send me an email, or leave me a comment if you would be interested in signing up. Thanks!!

Brooklyn is Turning One!!

2010-03-12T18:11:00.004-07:00

I can't believe this time has already come! Brooklyn is going to be one year old on the 27th of March! Crazy how fast this year has gone....For all you AZ folks who would like to attend, here is the info for her birthday party. I will {hopefully} be getting them in the mail this week. I know I always say that, but I am really going to try this time :) We hope to see you there!!

Missing Miniature Pincher

2010-03-11T09:03:00.007-07:00

Our sweet dog, Roxy was lost yesterday 3/10/10 in the San Tan Heights Community. She is about 5 lbs, 4 years old, brownish-red color, neutered, wearing a red canvas collar, has bat ears and a docked tail. We love her so much and just want her home. Please contact me if you have any information about Roxy. $50 reward for her safe return. Please call 480-678-9630. Thank you!
**UPDATE**
We found her on Saturday night 3/13/10. A man who lives in Scottsdale found her off Power Rd and the 202. This dog is cRaZy! I hope she learned her lesson. We are SO happy to have her home!!!

I Need Your HELP!

2010-03-09T11:28:00.007-07:00

Hi everyone! I am trying to promote my design blog and I need some major followers. I am doing a special giveaway for people who follow my blog, but even if you don't want to win anything, I would appreciate it SO much if you would still become a follower. It would be such a huge help, you have no idea! All you have to do is go to my design blog and scroll down, on the left hand side, under the samples, there is a button that says follow. Just click that and follow the steps and you are done! It really is so easy and it would help me out so much! Thank you so much for your support!

Braden's Potty Party

2010-03-02T15:06:00.012-07:00

This post may be a little TMI (too much information) for most of you, so read at your own risk:) I just wanted to track Braden's progress....So, if you remember back a couple months ago I said I started reading this book--

I started to feel overwhelmed and put it off a little longer, since Braden was showing NO interest. Then I bought a huge box of Huggies at Costco and said to myself, when this box runs out, Braden is done with diapers. And that day came last Saturday. In this book it suggest that you throw a potty party. Braden woke up to his playroom and bathroom decorated with streamers and balloons. I had Tom take Brooklyn to his brothers house for some of the day, so I could have one-on-one time with him. His first present of the day was this drink and wet dolly wearing big boy underwear-

He named it Holly Dolly for some reason:) Funny kid. So then the rest of the morning Braden and I taught Holly Dolly to use the potty. When the dolly would go potty, Braden got to pick it out a sticker and treat from the treat tray and he got to eat the treat if he promised dolly he would go in the potty someday too. Throughout the morning I made dolly have accidents and even put smooched up tootsie rolls in it's underwear. In between potty breaks for dolly the only thing we did was read these books(thanks Marcey!)--

and watch these movies--

Braden loved all of it! He loved all the attention, treats, stickers, and presents. For lunch we had a party for Holly Dolly for being potty trained. Then it was Braden's turn....First he opened these big boy panties--

I did my best to help him understand these are big boy panties and we don't go poo poo and pee pee in them. We continued to watch the movies and read the books and had potty breaks about every 20 minutes. I had lots of Capri Suns and juice boxes (both of which he LOVES) so he had to pee a lot. He had a few accidents, but I tried my hardest to stay calm...After a couple hours of this we all got ready and and took Braden to a place I knew he would love. He has actually never been inside a Mcdonalds, so this was very exciting! Here are a few pictures I got with my phone--

When we got home I had him throw what was left of his diapers in the garbage. He was hesitant at first, but then he did it and was actually excited about it. After it was all said and done I felt like I had done EVERYTHING I could to get him to understand. I still have him in Pull-ups at night, but other than that he has been pretty good. I felt like he had pee down pretty good, but still hadn't been able to get him to poop. He would go outside and hide and the next thing I knew...So frustrating, but today he finally did it!! I was SOOO excited and surprised him with Hot Wheels cars and marshmallow Peeps. This is his potty chart for the last 3 days--

Let me tell you, it has been a very LONG three days, but I think he is getting it, so it is SO worth it. I just really hope he sticks with it. Anyways, Great Job Braden!! We really are so proud of you buddy!!!

Playing in Queen Valley and more

2010-02-24T13:30:00.013-07:00

For Presidents' Day we took the fam to Queen Valley to meet up with the Garlocks for some much needed quad and dune buggy riding. So much fun!! Look how filthy the kids are....oh my!

Braden had fun exploring the area....

These next pictures were just random, all taken with my new camera phone. It's so nice to have it because I don't always have my camera with me, but I always have my phone:)

Is he not the cutest boy ever?!?! Okay, so maybe I am a little biased, but you have to admit he is one handsome devil, even when he is in his jammies:)

**Click here if you want to see the before pictures.

Love Day

2010-02-15T20:17:00.008-07:00

I just love being married to this guy! He really is my best friend. For Valentines this year my sweet husband took me to four of my favorite places--Target, Paradise Bakery, Yogurt Jungle, and the Verizon store. The last place was the best because he let me use his phone upgrade so I could get this sweet new phone---

The LG EnV Touch! Plus he got me the cutest pink cover to go on it:) I absolutely LOVE IT, and I LOVE YOU BABE! Thank you so much, you are the BEST!

Designs by Kassie is being Sponsored

2010-02-13T09:49:00.006-07:00

I just did a blog makeover for a friend of mine, and now she is doing a giveaway and sponsoring Designs by Kassie on her blog- http://www.dangginagives.blogspot.com/. You should definitely check it out!!

Happy Saturday:)

Fun in the Backyard

2010-02-09T16:34:00.015-07:00

Ever since the rain stopped, we have been out enjoying our very GREEN grass in the backyard.

This is where Brooklyn insists on standing-

She isn't quite walking yet, and crawling just isn't fast enough for her. So, she grabs onto my leg until I pick her up. She is so clingy, but so cute, and I can't resist her.

Now for a couple random things....

For some reason Braden loves to clean the toilet....I will go in the bathroom and he will be scrubbing away. Oh, and Brooklyn really isn't doing the dishes, she just likes to stand there while I do them:)

This was my cousin-in-law's baby shower at Applebee's. I just love these ladies!

How i Met Your Mother

2010-01-30T10:57:00.001-07:00

Tom's brother Grant gave us the first season of this show for Christmas, and at first I must say I was kinda skeptical. BUT, we started watching it a couple weeks ago and have already watched all 44 episodes of the first and second season. I have season three in the mail and have been recording season 5 on the DVR. I never thought I would say there was another show equivalent to Friends, but this is it! I would definitely recommend it. Sorry this is so random, I was just so excited about this show, I had to share!

Weekend with Grandpa Rick

2010-01-26T08:56:00.006-07:00

Tom's dad came to visit us a couple weekends ago. It was tons of fun! We all went to the amazing Anthem park and took advantage of the beautiful weather.

To top it all off, we ordered Barro's Pizza and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Afterwards, we were all pretty exhausted....

It was a great weekend. Thanks for coming Grandpa Rick!!!

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!

2010-01-22T09:28:00.006-07:00

So, this is pretty much the only thing I have seen and heard the last four days (and nights). The entire state of Arizona is getting dumped on by waves of thunderstorms (snowstorms in the north). I haven't even seen the sun in three days! We've already met our total rainfall from all of last year in a span of 12 hours. And it isn't stopping there. It is pretty much constant rain until Saturday. The streets are flooded, people are having to sand bag their pools, not to mention all the flash flood warnings, avalanche warnings, and tornado watches and a state of emergency has been declared for the state. I know this stuff goes on all over the country, but this is definitely not something we are used to in AZ. The last month or so, we have been outside pretty much all day. Now that we are stuck inside, I am going crazy! Usually I wouldn't mind the rain, but I think this may be over doing it! Come back my sunny blue skies...