The May Crew: June 2011

FINALLY - the braces are off!!!!

On May 28, 2008, Hayden went in and got his braces on. We were told at that time that the repairs were extensive and he would need to wear them for quite a while. We didn't realize that "quite awhile" meant 3 years and 30 days. But, it was all worth it to see his gorgeous new smile and the confidence he has. We couldn't be happier.


Beautiful new smile - makes him even more handsome!

Up close and personal - they are gorgeous (I think)

Digital Scrapbooking

I have belonged to a Scrapbook group since before Bryson was born. Each month we get together with a CTMH consultant and she had all the supplies and we usually walked away with 4-6 pages completely done. All we needed to do was put on the pics and doing the journaling. I thought this was a great way to get pages done without having to put them together myself. But there were holidays or other events that I wouldn't have pages for and still have to buy more stuff and create them as well.

Well, then Joanna, my sister-in-law, told me about digital scrapbooking. I know that there are probably a ton of you who have known about this for years but for me - it has been like Christmas. I was reluctant at first but oh my gosh. You can not imagine how many sites there are for digital scrapbooking plus to you use the files for all kinds of stuff like cards, printables, and with your Silhouette SD as well (you just have to convert from a .jpg to a .svg file). Oh, and by the way - tons cheaper than scrapbook supplies and I don't have to store them anywhere except on my hard drive. I bought an external one just for digital images. So thank you Joanna for opening my eyes to the world of digital scrapbooking!

Memorial Day - 2011

4th of July Decorations

So I admit it - I have totally gone crazy with my Silhouette SD cutter. I love it. I have used it for labeling things, for wall art, for decorations, for t-shirt making and even for glass etching, which Brian said was the coolest thing I had ever done. I have done alot of crafting so that was a pretty cool complement. My latest decorations turned out sooo cute that I wanted to share! I can't wait to try same idea for other holidays.

Happy Father's Day


Happy Father's Day!

When Brian and I got married, I knew that he would be a good husband, provider and dad to our family. What I didn't realize was how great of a husband and dad he was going to be. Our family is so blessed to have Brian as the dad of our home. He loves his boys with his whole heart - he would do anything for them and loves them unconditionally. I remember when Hunter was born, the nurse handed this tiny baby to Brian, who had his ball cap on backwards, and Brian just lit up. He was made to be a dad! Our boys adore him. He is interested in everything that they do - music, shows, movies, bands.

One cute story that happened recently about Brian and his boys - Brian was on the 2nd interview at the company he works for now. The 2nd interview was a meet-and-greet with the boss and the other developers. Brian had heard that the other developers were really into gaming so Brian came home and solicited the boys help in learning the video game Halo so that he would at least be able to talk intelligently to that. The boys set it all up and explained the premise of the game. They spent the next 2 hours playing that game. At one point, Bryson had fallen back in the game leaving Brian's character vulnerable and the older boys started telling Bryson to hurry up because Brian was going to get killed. After another hour and not moving forward in the game at all - Hunter paused and turned to Brian and said "Dad, maybe you should just be yourself and not worry about being able to talk about Halo. If they don't like you for you, then they aren't worth it anyway." Now Brian tried to ask them if it was because he really wasn't good at the game and of course the boys were like "No, no... it's not that - we just think you should be you." Brian thought it was really awesome how they had tried hard to help him be prepared and you could just see how much they loved playing with Brian - even if he wasn't winning for them.

I love being the mom of this family but only because Brian is the dad! I love him more than he could ever know and I appreciate all that he does on our behalf. His plate is very full and has so many things going on but he is never to busy for us.

What more could I ask for?

Chloe's 6th Birthday!

How great is she? We think pretty great!!

Happy, happy birthday Chloe dear! This weekend, Chloe turned 6 and boy, did we party to celebrate. All of the people that love Chloe gathered at the Clubhouse Cabana/Pool. There was so much food including a fun sundae bar where everyone got to make their own sundae. There was swimming, relaxing, and lots of catching up.


Chloe making her wish

Abby enjoying her cupcake

Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Take-Home Treats

Chloe's Favorite Cupcakes - Chocolate with Strawberry Frosting

Birthday Sundae Bar

Chicken Fights in the Swimming Pool

Brady ~~eating~~ licking his cupcake

Colter showing his super hero face


Peyton just hanging out

Allyson and Peyton


Just relaxing together

The Birthday Girl

I can't believe that Chloe is already 6! I was lucky enough to be there when she entered this world and I have been lucky enough to live by her for most of her life which means I get to see her every day. I love the way that she captivates a room just by walking in, her infectious giggle and the way that her little mind works. Chloe has her 3 big cousins wrapped around her little finger as well as her Uncle Brian. For example, Hayden took her to see Ramona and Beezus last week at the movies. Not many girls could get a 15-year old young man to do that but they just can't resist her. We feel truly blessed to have her in our life and so grateful that we have such a special relationship with her. We love you Chloe! Happy Birthday!

Memorial Day - 2011

We just returned from our annual Memorial Day trip to Pinetop and as usual, we had a blast. The weather was gorgeous with the exception of Sunday when the winds were up around 60-70 mph - we truly thought the roof was going to blow off.

We got closer to the championship game than we have been in years past but it eluded us again this year but no one is ever too broken-hearted for long because that is more time for playing.. We had so much fun watching/playing softball, playing golf, fishing, hiking, playing cards, visiting and playing with cousins. Unfortunately, Hunter had really hurt his ankle before we left and was really confined to the cabin but wanted to still come even when given the option of staying home. We all love this trip and we already have our cabin reservations for next year.

Hayden golfing with the guys

Cousins acting crazy

Peyton cut 5 teeth on this trip and was not happy about it - we were able to catch her in this moment doped up on Motrin

Hayden and Chloe at a night game - I think they were trying to keep each other warm

Hunter and Hayden still enjoying watching their dad and uncles play ball

Brian making a run for it

Playing cards

Hayden fishing and I'm offering moral support

Bryson golfing with the guys

Rusty crossing home plate

Peyton trying watermelon - which she LOVED

Team Get-Together - Bryson racking them up

Brady wants to play too

Kyle's Home Run

Team Photo

Annabelle Turns 2

Happy Birthday Annabelle!

Brett and Joanna had a pool party to celebrate Annabelle's 2nd birthday and were gracious enough to combine all of the birthdays in May in one large celebration (Kim's, Kyle's, Jaqui's, Annabelle's and mine) We had so much fun swimming, eating pizza and yummy cake with ice-cream. I am so glad that we all live so close and can get together often as well as enjoy being together.