10 Years Baby! (Post 1)

Dave and I have been married 10 years. Wow, I am getting old! For our 10 year anniversary, my wonderful husband got right on top of the plans. In December he bought buddy pass tickets (with the help of some kind people) to Switzerland. Why Switzerland? Cause we have some friends living there and they offered their home for us to stay in. We are cheap!... and it was a good excuse to spend time with the Willis family.

Now we have 4 kids and Logan will just barely be one and if it were not for my husband booking tickets without discussing it with me, we would not have gone. We did find some babysitters aka Grandma and Grandpa Bramhall. I did fear for the well being of G&G B but knew my children were in the best hands with them and my kids love them so thats good. With a lot of hestitation (at least on my part) we just took off.

With buddy passes there are always concerns about getting on the plane that you were scheduled to fly on but we were very lucky and got the good end of buddy passes....First Class. We had good food, all the alcohol that we wanted (oh wait we don't drink) ok all the orange juice I wanted, large seats that extend all the way out for sleep time, my own tv, and comfy blankets and pillows.

That was not even the best part of the trip...it was touring Europe with Dave;)

Pictures of Freiburg, Germany (our first outing)

Beach Time

Our children love the beach and so do we.  So when the week of 4th of July came, we were off to the Ocean City with the Bramhall group.  We had so much fun playing in the sand and water.  The kids loved the boogie boards, and Taylor got so good at riding this year.  We often found him taking off on his own out into the large Ocean to boogie.  We had many long talks about why you need a partner at all times.

Logan did awesome this year.  He was content just sitting in the sand, splashing water and eating sandy snacks. 

Drew was a little timid with the water, he didn't like the waves too much but he loved to play on the edge of the water and run from the waves.

Lana just loves it all, that girl would just walk right in and want someone to take her out as far as we could go.

Besides the beach we enjoyed miniature golf, riding a surrey on the boardwalk, playing skee ball,  getting funnel cake...polish ice....Johnson popcorn, watching fireworks, riding carnival rides, flying kites, taking family pics, watching Grandma ride the waves and just being with family.  THANKS Grandma & Grandpa Bramhall for the wonderful vacation.

The Draper Reunion & More

We headed to Utah in June for our Draper Family Reunion.  I had the wonderful ;) chance to fly with all the kids by myself.  I was so stressed about it but it worked out pretty well, the 3 oldest were great and Logan wasn't too bad.  I guess all the prayers worked.  After we made it we had a great time visiting family and friends.  It was very hard to be at my parents home without them there.  I didn't get to wake up to Dad making breakfast or Mom playing with the kids.  I didn't get to watch Dad take 3 naps a day or help Mom out in the garden. I missed those moments so much.  Thankfully, I have wonderful brothers and sisters that kept us busy, getting out.

For the reunion, unfortunately, we had to switch up Carrie & Shane's good plans of Yellowstone to stay at our parents house and clean.  That meant a lot of people in my parents home but we squeezed in and did our best to have fun.  I know my kids just loved being around all their cousins and Aunts and Uncles.  And as difficult as it was to go through my parents stuff and throw things away, it was needed and we found a lot of treasures:)  There were some good laughs, a lot of noise and a whoppin' in the Kickball game.
 

Logan is 1!

Logan's first year went by so quickly.  We love this little guy.  He is so much fun.  He is full of smiles, hugs and screams.  He loves to eat fruit and destroy everything in his path.  He loves to do what the others kids are doing but don't get in his way or he will bite you. 

We love you Logan.  We love your excitement for life and the joy you bring us.

Happy Birthday on June 10, 2012.

We spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa Bramhall and the missionaries.  What a birthday celebration! :)

I'm back with a birthday post!

So, I decided to get back to posting now that the summer has settled down.  I didn't know where to start but I didn't want to forget all the birthdays. 

Drew & Lana turned 3.  It is crazy that life with the twins has gone so quickly.  I have to say, I enjoy this stage.  They can do most things by themselves and I get to play with them, instead of dress them or change their diapers. 

Lana broke the camera so I have no pics of our celebration at home and at Chuck E Cheese.  They had so much fun though.  They got some headphones for their birthday, some clothes, computers from G&G B, piggie banks from Cindy and a sandbox (that Dad built). 

We celebrated in NJ the next weekend and got some pics there.  The kids love to be with the cousins and Grandma and Grandpa in NJ.  We even got to see Jack, Lindsay and Casey.

Today

It aches to even look at pictures today.  I am not sure why today seems more difficult, but I think that is just how it works.  Some days are more difficult than others.  I have not been able shake the way things played out on May 6th.  I have been thinking of the phone call Nikki had to make, how I reacted, how my husband just took over (called his parents to come up, called a friend to give me a blessing, called the bishop in our ward), how I cried, how hard I prayed for Quincy and Kassidy, how I couldn't sleep, I couldn't make decisions, I couldn't pack, how I just wanted to see my Mom, etc.

With that said I had the oppurtunity to bare my testimony today and realize how much I have grown, how much my family has worked together, how strong my love is for each of my family members, how much my parents taught us, how amazing my husband has been, how much I love my children, how I know the Savior has His arms wrapped around all of us, what a miracle it is to have Kassidy with us and how supportive everyone is around us. 

Love you all! 

 I miss you Mom & Dad & Quincy.

Thank you to all for your prayers!!

5!!!

I can not believe Taylor is 5. Time flies!!! He had a Monster Truck party over the weekend and the Mike Bramhall family came all the way from New Jersey to celebrate. Taylor also invited all of his primary class and they all came. It was wonderful. I think they had a really great time. Taylor had such a great time and couldn't stop talking about his monster truck, all the new legos he got and how much fun he had. THANK YOU to all those that came. Also, thank you to all those who couldn't come to our home but sent gifts, cards, or called him on the phone. It made him feel so special.

Taylor is such a sweet boy and we love him so much. He is so smart and always willing to help. He loves his siblings and is so great with them. He can get Logan to smile anytime. He is so active and loves to race, play soccer, wrestle and work outside with dad. He is awesome :)

Family Love

Valentines is a great family affair now, it is fun to include the children. We had heart shaped French Toast for breakfast. The kids loved it and have included that into their daily lives. They want me to cut all meals into shapes now :)

For dinner Dave came home with donuts and these for mom...

and these for Lana...

I sent everyone to the back room before dinner was put on the table and decorated the kitchen with hearts and then set the table with glass dishes for the kids and china for Dave and I. Then lit some candles and turned off most the lights. I think everyone loved it. They all behaved nicely and we enjoyed a nice dinner at home. I loved it.

"Dawhouse"

Santa spent a lot of time on Lana's "dawhouse." I wanted to make sure to show all of Santa's work. He made most of the furniture and all the house. Dave and I (well mainly Dave) will need to make some more furniture for it but that will come later.

Christmas 2011

Taylor's school Christmas program. Santa came afterwards and once again all my kids sit on his lap and no one cried. YEAH!



We spent Christmas in New Jersey this year! We love being with extended family for Christmas but traveling is getting more difficult every year and with the more kids we have. We realized there was no way we could get all Christmas gifts and children in our van and tools (Dave had some projects to do in New Jersey and need his large tools). So, Dave's parents were so kind to come get the kids two days before we headed down. That was nice because we were able to finish up some projects.

Christmas Eve was wonderful. We did the tradition with the Bramhall family by having a favorite foods dinner. Everyone gets to bring their favorite food for dinner. We get a wide range of food and it was great. Taylor took ravioli, Drew took Edamamae, Lana took chips, Dave took Philly Cheesesteak, and I took Candy Cane Popcorn. Then we did the right left story and the Christmas story from Luke. The kids where so cute acting out the Christmas story.

Christmas day everyone slept in a little but once Taylor woke up he came in so quick and was ready to go and got everyone else excited. Taylor asked Santa for a race track that hooked to his Hot Wheels track, Drew asked Santa for a Lightning McQueen race track, and Lana wanted a "dawhouse" or dollhouse. They all got what they wished for and so much more. Thanks to everyone for gifts. Everything went over great and we had a lot of large gifts and we were able to get everything back to our house in the van due to a gift the in laws gave us. We got a large canvas bag to put on top of the minivan, it was great and it can fit so much stuff. We loved it.



While in New Jersey we got to go bowling, go to the Cape May zoo, the Philadelphia Aquarium, make gingerbread houses and play with cousins. Dave learned how to tile and tiled his brothers kitchen and redid some closet shelves for his parents.

Thanks to the Bramhalls for a wonderful Christmas time. The only thing lacking was snow, but they didn't have any in Utah so it didn't hurt too bad. Lana and Taylor were very upset though. They kept saying it wasn't Christmas because it hadn't snowed. Poor kids-I felt the same way.

Prep Time

I love prepping for Christmas. I love getting out the decorations, I love picking out a tree and I love love love Christmas music.

The kids were so great this year. It was fun to have three kids who were really into Christmas, especially our elf, Sticks. The kids loved running around the house in the morning looking for him and talking to him. I loved telling him was naughty and who was nice.

All the kids got to sit on Santa's lap a few times and tell them what they wanted. This was the first year that Taylor even would sit on Santa's lap and all of my other children decided to follow his example. Not one of my children cried this year and I was so so happy about that. Taylor, in the beginning, asked Santa for a Dollhouse for Lana or a Jeep for Dad. He didn't care if he got anything he just wanted gifts for others. It was so cute. After realizing that Santa needed to hear from him what he wanted or he was going to be surprised he decided on a race track that had fire. Drew wanted a Lightning McQueen racetrack. Lana wanted a dollhouse.

We got our tree from a tree farm not far from our house. We had a really good time walking through a field finding the right tree and then cutting it down. Taylor was so proud of himself for picking a great tree. I must say it was one of my favorites that we have had. I thought it fit perfect and was beautiful. Dave agreed with the exception that it was so pokey. It scratched his arms up, so bad.

It was a wonderful holiday season.

Thanksgiving 2011!

We headed to New Jersey for Thanksgiving Day. The drive was horrible as usual, 7 hours of driving with four kids in the car and no movies (I forgot the laptop). After the long long drive we were excited to be with Dave's family and I was excited because some of my family (Casey, Lindsey and Jack) were coming over for Turkey dinner. I love being with my In-Laws but it felt like a piece of home was there with me.

Thanksgiving morning Dave got in some football and ultimate frisbee while I dressed kids and then took them to watch for a little while. Taylor and I raced around the field about 10 times, so I got my exercise too. Drew was having a hard day so he got to race with me. I raced Taylor with Drew in my arms, that is a good workout, awkward but good.

Turkey dinner was wonderful, thanks to MaryAnn, my Mother In-Law. That evening we took the kids to a park cause the weather was nice. The next day we headed into Philadelphia and watched the Macy's Christmas light show, walked through Charles Dickens village, sat on Santa's lap and ate McDonalds with the homeless, Occupy protesters, and Mormons (inside story). We got to do all of this with Casey, Lindsey and Jack. Thanks for joining us in the fun.

On Saturday, Cecily was baptised. We got to be a part of that special day and my children really enjoyed seeing her getting baptised. Congrats Cecily!!!

It was a wonderful holiday. I love being with family and that is what we got to do.

One of the pictures is from Taylor's Thanksgiving preschool program. He was so cute and so nervous with all the people watching him. They sang about 5 songs and Taylor maybe sang 5 words. Afterwards his teacher said she was amazed because during the practices he was the loudest and best singer. That shocked me, he never sings at home. We will have to see how he does in other programs.

FLORIDA!!!

My wonderful husband decided to let me come on a work vacation with him. He got to go to work from 9-5 and I got to sit by the pool and on the beach. We spent the majority of time in West Palm Beach but did find some time to visit Miami and drive through part of the Keys. We didn't go alone, Logan got to come and spend some much needed alone time with us. The rest of the kids stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Bramhall in New Jersey.

It was a wonderful, restful week and we had a really great time. THANKS to my husband and in-laws for some nice time away from home.

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 didn't really happen but we had a good time planning for it. Instead of a Harvest Festival at the church with trunk or treating and walking from house to house getting candy we had a historical snow storm. We got to host another family that was without power. The kids aren't old enough to get upset that they didn't get candy so they just had a really really good time with the Nicolls. They stayed for 4 days and my kids were in heaven. Many people in Connecticut lost power for days even weeks. It was crazy. I always thought it was crazy that the Eastern States would miss so much school when it stormed. In Utah we were lucky if we got to miss school with 4 feet of snow. But I understand now, its the trees! With the amount of snow we received and a lot of leaves still on the trees we had many, many, many trees that snapped. There were trees down everywhere, all over the power lines, power boxes, homes, roads, etc. They are still cleaning up from it. So, Happy Halloween!

Rice Cereal Time!!

I really do not like the rice cereal and baby food stage of life. It is such a big mess and is so time consuming. But there is no way around it and even though its a mess it is so fun to see the curious, confused, funny faces that the child makes while exploring food.

Pumpkin Pickin' & Apple Pickin'

We went pumpkin pickin' and apple pickin' at March Farms. We had a really good time. Taylor got a huge pumpkin that cost a lot but hey he is the oldest and spoiled ;) After we found the perfect pumpkins we visited the animals at the Farm and the playground. Oh yeah, we got to indulge in some apple cider doughnuts while playing at the playground. Then we headed to pick some apples. Lets just say apple pickin' in Connecticut is difficult with young kids and a stoller. The rolling hills and rocky trails were quite a task but totally worth it. The kids loved getting in the trees and picking the apples and taste testing the apples. To end the evening we found a great spot to roll down a hill and look over the farm. It was a great day!!! I have wonderful children and a wonderful husband.

Handy Man

When I married my husband I was a little worried he would never be able to fix anything around the house or the vehicles or any tools we owned. He just wasn't the handy man type. After a few years around my family, and he desire to learn he can fix almost anything.

One of his last fix it jobs was his new grill. For some reason he could not get his new grill to work properly. He had to convert it from natural gas to propane but he believed he had done that properly. He could tell that the gas for some reason was not going through the pipes that led to the grill area. The burner on the side would work but not the grill itself. After two hours of working on the grill, a lot of frustration this is what he found.....

A SLUG!!!!

The grill works now :) Good job honey!!