Catch Up Part 2 - Hooley

When Gma and Gpa Hooley came into town we were SO excited to head up to beautiful Strawberry Reservoir to spend some quality outdoors time with them!  Brandon at this point was with us for good until we made the big move, so I was especially happy to have us all back together again! :)

The kids talked me into a early morning "hike" if you will.. all the way to the top of the biggest hill. :)  Little did they know when we got up there they would be able to see an even bigger one!  Nothing like a morning stroll with the kiddos and comfy pjs!

 There is nothing I like more than watching the kids have some fun daddy time.

 When Grandpa told the kids there were fish to be caught they were all over it!  Sadly we didn't get lucky standing on the side of the bank, but they were content to just hold the poles. :)

The fish didn't bite, but this big guy did!

I love how Peyton is the excited one and the BOYS look nervous! lol

 Peyton sure enjoyed loving on her Grandma.. who can resist that little face?!

 Sometimes it's just nice to put everything aside and be together with no other agenda than just that.  I could love on these kids all day every day and be content to do nothing else!

We even got to celebrate Hunter's birthday early!  Thanks Gma and Gpa Hooley for an AWESOME time! :)

Catch Up Part 1 - De Groot

WOW.  Looks like I have a lot of catch up to do!  After packing up in Michigan, the kids and I spent 5 amazing weeks in Utah visiting family and friends while Brandon tied up loose ends and traveled back and forth from Brazil.  This is part one of the "vacation" (if you can call packing up and saying goodbye to loved ones a vacation)...

I got to see my two best girls from the good ole HS days.  Man alive do I miss these girls!  xoxo

The kids of course had plenty of opportunities to be doted on by Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins!  They are pretty cute I'll admit.. ;)

Our good friends and neighbors that live next to my parents have horses and were kind enough to let the kids feed them, swoon over them, and eventually RIDE them! :)

Bailey of course LOVED every second of it! ..both the horse, and the attention she got while on it! :)

Hunter loved the horses more from a distance and although was willing to ride them, he chose to pass on a 2nd opportunity to go again.

 

Little Miss Peyton wanted a turn as well.. sadly she has mean parents who only let her sit atop the horse for a few seconds until a picture was taken and back off she came! ..best few seconds of her life or so it seemed!

And of course mister "go with the flow" was completely chill about the entire experience.  Even when he started falling off it didn't quite seem to phase him! lol

We went to Elko for a boating trip with the whole De Groot clan.  Gma had shirts made up which turned out SUPER cute!

Brandon rocked it out and got to show off a bit on the wakeboard.  He had a blast!

I would have shown off if I knew how.. sadly this was the best it got for me, but HEY!  I got up for the first time EVER!!!  Look at that concentration! lol :)

Peyton was content to just chill on the boat.  She probably would have enjoyed it more without the life jacket.. they weren't the best of friends..

"Chicken" De Groot style looks somewhat painful, but that didn't stop anyone!

Hunter went tubing with Grandma.  I was so proud of his cute little self! :)

I didn't know you could surf behind a boat until this trip.. it's pretty awesome.  Especially when a hunky man is the one on the board!

The shocker of the trip was when little Bailey looked up at me and exclaimed, "I want to try that".. ummm, okay..  I agreed not thinking she would go through with it, but the littl thing got out there like a pro on the kneeboard and got up on the FIRST TRY!!!  Did I cry?  A little.. but they were the overly excited tears of a proud mother.. it happens! :)  Eventually we had to tell her to let go because she never got tired of holding on!

She was almost as proud of herself as I was of her!

Although Brandon was out of town for Father's Day, and that was REALLY hard for me, we were able to spend it with my dad which made it a little easier. :)

 

It was so much fun hanging out with all my family before the big move to Brazil.  Bill, Whit & Nina were living there too and we LOVED getting to spend time with them too.  It was a GREAT trip! :)



Minutes for Mama

So I have decided to write a seperate blog following our journeys abroad.  It's called "Minutes for Mama".  I hope you enjoy! :)  http://www.minutesformama.blogspot.com/  I will still upkeep our family blog here, but this is more for our everyday adventures and my own personal experiences.

Wall Photos

My amazing friend Sharon took some pictures of my kiddos for me to display on the entry wall in our home. I am ashamed to say, I haven't had a picture of Peyton up yet, so this was a LONG time coming!!! 3 cheers for uber talented, and amazingly sweet friends! :)

Now I just have to choose my favorites! :)

Easter Festivities

After one "hoppining" (lol.. what?! I'm tired ok??) egg hunt, the kids DEVOURED every single piece of candy they had by days end! Do you think maybe they are a smidge sugar deprived?? Not because I have intense health food beliefs, but rather because if it's in my house, I eat it.. love, self control and sharing are all things that we are hoping will become strongly ingrained as I gain wisdom with age. I guess I'm just not old enough yet! ;)
Anyways, Hooley sugar dilemmas aside, it was a FANTASTIC Easter weekend! One of the highlights was of course the new Sunday clothes.. I hope my kids always want to match for special occasions! SOOO cute!!! :)

Miss P

Little Miss P turned O-N-E this month. AHHHHHHH! Okay, I'm good. Well, sort of. :( What a joy she has been in our lives! I wish I could explain just how stinkin cute this kid is - she is the sweetest, craziest, funniest little dare devil you've ever seen! She loves to make us laugh. From growling, blowing bubbles, rolling on the floor, crawling backwards, you name it! If you'll start laughing, she'll start performing! :)

Bailey and Hunter just adore her and both "take care of her" which of course is incredibly sweet to watch. Landon still thinks she's just a growing play thing, so needless to say he won't be babysitting any time soon.. ;P

Bailey insisted that she wanted a pink on pink birthday cake (of course!), and Hunter insisted she wanted rainbow ice cream (who wouldn't right?). I must confess that she didn't get anything "fun".. what does a one year old need when she already has everything from 3 older siblings?? I could use a few less toys in this house! So, we opted for the very practical (doesn't that sound so much better than boring?!) things: clothes, books, and squeezable applesauce for kicks.

What would a birthday be without a special breakfast?? Breakfast in bed starts at age two in our house.. for now, we believe a glass plate is risky enough for the 1st Bday celebration!

Apparently Peyton was insistent on having hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for her birthday dinner.. I am SO lucky to have kids who can translate her baby babble for me and make everything so clear! :)

Bailey was more excited for Peyton to start digging in than Peyton was!

With how much food this kid can pack away, we were shocked when she barely picked at her lovely pink cake. Apparently strawberry isn't the flavor of the month! But alas, her sweet brothers were so considerate as to help her mess it up a bit.. what good brothers! :)
Miss P, aka Miss Priss, Sassy Frass, Crazy Little Thing, and MANY others, we love you one million purple butterflies! Happy birthday sweet thing!!! :)

A Belated Birthday

I have been putting this off trying to figure out why my scanner zooms in on Bailey's Birthday pictures to the point where you can see her brain through her left nostril and that's about it?! Apparently cooperation isn't in the agenda, so I am opting to share the only two pictures that scanned decently (they are pretty darn cute if I may say so myself!).

Bailey turned 5 in January. FIVE!!! I think I just got a new wrinkle under my left eye... We surprised her by taking her to Jeepers - a cross between Chucky Cheese and an indoor kids theme park at the mall here. It was SO much fun!


Brandon opted to take Bailey, Hunter and Landon on the biggest ride FIRST. Since it was only two to a row, Bailey and Hunter had to sit by themselves with no mommy or daddy to help them be brave.. Hunter now has a phobia of all rides and refused to go on any more. Bailey loved every ride accept that one (she cried if we got too close to it). Landon on the other hand couldn't have cared less (granted he was the one sitting by dad)! He went on whatever we told him to. He was emotionless about the whole thing - didn't get scared or excited.. not sure if he's just super tough, or if I should be worried about that.. All in all it was a GREAT day!

I am SO thankful for this sweet girl. She is truly my saving grace! She is the most responsible 5 going on 16 year old you'll ever meet! ;) I think she thinks the baby sitters are actually her friends (not sure how she'll take the news when she finds out I pay them to come over?? lol). On numerous occasions she'll change Peyton's diaper and get her dressed in the morning before I even know they're awake! She is my ears, eyes, and many times, brain! She loves music, animals, dressing up, and dreaming about getting married and having babies (YIKES!). :) Always good for a laugh, and in tune enough to know when you could use a hug.. I have been one SPOILED mom with her for a daughter! I love you Bailey girl!!! :)

"Just touch your elbow!"

BOYS.. as a youth I never quite understood them. As an adult, I REEEALLY don't understand them! Now that I'm a mother of two adorable, charming, cuddly, crazy, messy, destructive and yet still "perfect" sons, I am anticipating wisdom coming my way any day now.

Hunter is 3 1/2, and after a few failed potty training attempts which included peeing on the front window and a call from a neighbor telling me my "napping" son was bearing all standing tall and proud in his bedroom windowsill (what is it with boys and windows?!), he has been the proud owner of underpants for a few months.

Something about the new found freedom of underpants has him "fiddling" more than ever these days... drives his mom C.R.A.Z.Y.!!! I've yet to determine the cause of this phenomenon.. perhaps he's just making sure his little buddy is still in tact, or maybe he just likes the look on my face and the extra attention it gets him?? Either way.. NOT cool (or sanitary!) little man! After embarrassing mom one too many times (like making the poor missionaries in our ward turn redder than a chili pepper, and giving Grandma and Grandpa an eyeful on Skype), I decided to take a more desperate approach: "Hunter, bud.. privates are not for touching. If you feel the need to touch something, just touch your elbow."... Seems pretty fool proof right?? Accept now I have a little boy walking around all day with his hand on his elbow, a distraut look on his face, and swiveling his hips around like he's got ants in his pants! Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking this may be a tad bit more difficult to explain at the grocery store...

Ready? Aim. FIRE!!! ...oops...

Once upon a time we had a little girl who potty trained herself two weeks before her second birthday. No reminders were needed, no stickers or prize buckets. Just some princess underwear and a john and she took care of the rest! Then we were blessed with boys.. boys with boy parts.. boy parts that well, need more practice on their aim!

My favorite is Landon's poor facial expressions. "Dude.. what'd I ever do to you?! So NOT cool bro.." LOL ;)
Just in case you were wondering what happened...

The moral of the story? Steer clear from the line of fire!!! LOL :)