Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Funny Pages

 Some of our first harvest of the year - radishes!  They both enjoyed pulling on them as hard as they could and falling on their rear ends when they came out.  Tomato, broccoli, bell pepper, squash, and  cucumber join the radishes this year.
 Elias found another thumb.  He's babbling and smiling tons these days.....oh.....and drooling too.
Could you believe I took him out of the truck, transferred him to the van over the second row captains chairs, and buckled him back in without him waking up!  I had a good laugh.

Blessed Daddy!

Olivia (2 weeks shy of 5yrs), 
Elias (4 1/2 months), 
Isaac (3yrs 3months).

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Easter

The kids colored Easter eggs with Grandma and Grandpa this year.  We're still eating them...
 The excitement!
 My parents came to church with us and stayed for lunch afterwards.
 The Hunt.  
 Acrobatical skills to complete the mission.
 Odd findings in the garden. (it's a toothbrush)
 Elias relaxed in the nice weather. What a smile!
 They also got some colored bubbles.  Pink and yellow bubbles. Apparently the "may" cause "slight" staining on clothing.
 All of his laughing so far has been like this.
 Side note, the kids went to Dollywood with G&G too.
 I love everything about him!

The Painting

Ok, so here's the product of my Christmas present.  I FINALLY got around to it.  I think I worked on it for 3 days....and a little more when it was hanging on the wall.  I was super nervous with my first strokes!  I think the next investment might be an easel??? 
 It's now hanging in the kitchen bathroom.  I have a new respect for painters.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Random March-Ness

Maybe he could see better with the goggles while coloring on a black construction paper???  Or maybe he thought Aunt Katie was just really cool??? (see next blog post)
 Old haircut from winter.
 New haircut for spring.
 A garden has been planted! Tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, and cucumber.
 Justin crawling out of a hole at the zoo. We've had lots of fun zoo trips since our pass ran out at the end of March. 
 Isaac hugging a bird. He's been insisting on his socks like that. I have finally gotten some short summer socks, in hopes of warding off the pull-up sock with shorts.
 Stump climbing.
 Justin came out and asked, "Hey! Whatcha doin?" Isaac answers, "Sifting."  So matter of factly.
 Birdies in a nest.  (also at the zoo, just not with the other pictures)
 We sold our bike pull-behind thing.  We have 3 now.  And 2 kids are getting too heavy to pull. So we took one last ride back and forth in front of our house...where it's nice and flat.
 Blurry, but the best I could do to catch his smile.

J's Family Visit

Over spring break, Justin's family came to visit for a few days.  It was great to see everyone.  Kent and Sharon had already left by the time we rounded everyone up for a picture.
 Karsen really liked giving a concert behind the podium.  He sang a great peanut butter and jelly song! Nate and Aleah gave speeches.
 They fished from inside the boat.
 Everyone went to Home Depot to build.....I think a mini chalkboard. I stayed home with Elias while he napped.
 Isaac and Olivia learned some new trampoline games from the big kids. ...plus now they are calling their leapsters "tablets".  Hey, as long as he's not asking to buy one, he can call it whatever he wants.  Ha ha. 
 Justin just missed this picture, but it was still funny.  Kent opened his umbrella and it popped up inside out.  The reason for the umbrella was because we decided to go hiking at Norris Lake in the rain.  It actually turned out perfect and only rained for a short time.  It didn't downpour until we got home.
 Elias' first hike. He got a little fussy midway because he was tired, but nothing a little nursing while hiking couldn't fix! 
 Rest break.  Olivia was excited because she walked the ENTIRE time!  Whoo Hoo!
 Katie found the goggles that the kids got from Home Depot helpful while cutting onions!
 All the kids watching their cookies bake. 
Thank you so much Fords and Worzels for making the trip!  We all had a real fun time!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Sleepovers, Ice Cream, and other Celebrations

Olivia and I had her first sleepover.  Elaina's dad was out of the country for a few weeks and we took the opportunity to have a girls overnight....including Elias. We had blueberry pancakes for dinner that were delicious.
 This was good in theory.  However, once Elaina fell asleep...almost immediately...Olivia decided the floor was not for her.  She ended up sleeping in my bed, although still a treat I think, because she never gets to do that at home.
 A girly pose.
 Elias can grab on to things now. And he's been sucking his fingers a lot.  And drooling more.
 Brusters had their PJ Day where you get a free ice cream cone if you wear your pjs.  I thought this was a funny picture because mom started talking to this lady.  Two random ladies. In robes. Outside. Eating ice cream. Middle of the afternoon.  I still think it's funny!
 We all got giant cones. Olivia ate almost all of hers, Isaac not so much. We didn't need much of a dinner that night.
 This one I just had to share.... For those who might not be acquainted with MOHELA, it's a company that sucks money out of you every month and gives you nothing in return.  That's right. School loan. However, I'm SO EXCITED to say, it is now PAID IN FULL!!!!  I got the loan in 2004 for my masters.  According to my calculations, that's EIGHT YEARS!!! Hallelujah we're done!
 This is how all the kids are learning to read! (ha ha) But seriously, they are playing on the Starfall Reading website...totally cool for kids: songs, games, and lots of letters/reading.
 Heather...you know what we call this, don't you????
 This might be the last "booster seat" shot...them actually sitting in the car.  They can get out themselves and almost get in by themselves. How wonderful!
 This one I just had to throw in.  You can't see his tall black socks with the shorts, but he had quite the ensemble going on.  I hope he could see what he was doing! I'll have to remind Olivia to PUT AWAY fingernail polish when she's done!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Box Creations

Well, didn't I say that boxes are the greatest toy ever!  I turned the booster seat boxes into a couple fun things the kids could play with.
 The boat goes perfect with their fishing stuff...
and they both enjoy singing and performing.  
It's a podium!  What kid has a podium?!

How's that go again, "Don't Cry Over..."


Guess who made this mess?!?!

And the winner is......Justin!