Christmas is here....

I have been lacking in the blogging department lately. We decorated our tree after Thanksgiving and I still haven't put it on, so I guess I will do it now.

Just a couple of simple pictures of the boys decorating the tree....

Landon is completely fascinated with the lights on the tree. The first day we had them on he would stare at them with such wonder in his eyes, point to them and say lights. It is so fun to see the joy in my boys' eyes. This time of the year is so magical.

I don't know if we are more excited for christmas or to be going home for the holidays! The boys made a count down to "going home", 6 more days. We are looking forward to seeing so many of our family and friends.

Happy Holidays and SEE YOU SOON!

Gobble til ya wobble!

Well it is that time of the year again. The time when you find yourself undoing your button, because you ate way too much!

We just want to take time to wish you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We have so much to be thankful for and that includes each and every one of you. Thank you so much for being a part of our lives.

For us, today was a pretty relaxing day. We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner (cooked ALL by my wonderful husband). I know that we all say this, but I have the BEST husband ever. It is my birthday today, so Evan decided he would cook all of our thanksgiving feast. It was perfect! He even cleaned up the mess, WOW!

What is a thanksgiving without a little football?

And for E, a little skateboarding

Halloween....

So I guess I am a little late posting my halloween pictures, but it's better late than never right? We took the boys to the trunk-or-treat in our ward the thursday before halloween and still ended up going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It was fun to go around our neighborhood. One of the neighbors had actually decorated their house like a haunted house. They let the kids go through their haunted garage and see all the scary things and they also had people dressed up & standing on the lawn like statues. Braxton & Ethan got up really close to one of them and couldn't figure out if it was a statue or not. They just got done saying it was a statue and then it stepped toward them. It was hilarious to see there reactions!

Now to the costumes....

We have the cutest Einstein ever....

with the mustache (he hated)

The Doctor...

The Ninja...

And last, but not least, the Horse/Cowboy...

When all is said and done, we had a Spooktacular Halloween and we hope all of you did too!

Update...

Sorry it has been so long since I posted last, but life has been a little crazy around here. Crazy Good!

A little unpdate...

First, we had a great visit with Evan's dad & mom. They were able to come visit us for a week and we loved it. While they were here there was a lot of bike rides, football, baseball, and playing outside. We were able to take them to see duke gardens and I was able to go to the temple with them.

Grandma & Kaden playing baseball!

Grandpa & Landon playing in the sand!

Then, We had my dad & mom visit. They were with us for two weeks.

While they were here we were able to go to Washington DC. Evan had to be there for a presentation on a case that he was published for, so we decided we would all go with him.

We packed a lot of sight seeing in, but weren't able to see everything (of course). The boys had so much fun seeing and learning new things and can't wait to go back.

In a tree next to the Washington Monument!

Air and Space Museum!

Museum of Natural History!

Vietnam Memorial!

Standing against the Washington Monument!

Last, but not least, we went to the State fair. We all had a great time. I didn't want to over do it with too many more pictures, but I have to share this one.

Turkey Shoot...

The object of the game: There are 12 shooters, one bullet per target, and the one to shoot closest to the bulls eye wins a Turkey!

My mom convinced me to try it, so I did. And....I WON! I was so proud. I was the only girl and when they announced that I had won, you could see all the guys look at me and give me a look like "I lost to that".

Well, that is our past month in a nutshell. It was so much fun to have everyone here. Thanks to all of you for visiting and we hope you'll come again.

Goodbye walker...

After a few short months of Landon using a walker, we were able to say goodbye. Last week the therapist and I decided that it was time to take it away. He has been walking from one thing to the next and has been really close to taking off for awhile now.

Well, I can proudly say that he is walking! I am so proud of him for all of his accomplishments. He has overcome so many of his obstacles that they thought he never would. It is amazing to see him succeed!

Kaden is FOUR...

I can't believe how fast time goes by. It seems like just yesterday I was holding Kaden in my arms as a new born baby boy. Now, that little baby is 4. He has grown into such a little man. Kaden is such an outgoing, fun loving boy. He makes life exciting. He has brought so much joy into our family and we wouldn't be complete without him.

So darn HANDSOME, if you ask me!

Kaden has been going around telling everyone .... "when I grow up I am going to be a DR DAD". So today we had a little birthday celebration with a Doctor theme. Kaden asked for a birthday cookie instead of a cake, so we had the boys put together a boy. They assembled all the body parts (through surgery) including the heart, intestines, & lungs. Then we played "Give the Skeleton a Heart" (or pin the heart on the skeleton). The boys had so much fun!

Evan got the boys..surgery caps & face masks.

Kaden's new bike....

He thinks it is the coolest bike ever, because he says "it looks like a motorcycle".

Bikerides & Picnic....

Last week, we started taking family bike rides together. The boys love it. We pile Landon & Kaden in the bike trailer and Braxton & Ethan get to ride in the middle of us. We weren't sure how well the boys would do, especially Ethan since he hasn't been riding for long. However, all the boys did really well, so on saturday we packed a picnic and rode our bikes to the park.

Here are a few pictures (leaving the park)....

Special Delivery...

Landon found this box a few days ago and thought it would make a great toy. I think he was right! He played with it for hours.

I think I have said this before, but who needs toys???

Life & Science Museum

Yesterday was the Life & Science Museum's free admission day and it just so happens Evan was lucky enough to be done with work by 3:00. So we decided it would be fun to take the boys after school. They have so many fun things to do there and there was no way we could fit them all in. So, since it was a nice day we did some of the outdoor activities.

Here are a few highlights...

We started by taking a "Walk with the Dinosaurs"....

The kids are free to climb on this dinosaur. They thought that was pretty cool!

Went to see the bears, wolves, birds, & lemurs....

This is where the bears live.

Then we "sailed away" with the sailboats....

They have a place where the kids can sail a sailboat. I think this was one of thier favorite parts.

And last, but not least they played on the playground. It has so many fun things. They played the drums & chimes, slid down the fireman's pole, climbed in the play house, and so much more.

Landon doesn't get out of his stroller much because he cannot walk yet, but he had fun seeing all the animals and dinosaurs in the comfort of his stroller.

I am glad we decided to go, even though it was a busy night with homework, dinner, and bedtimes.

Busy, Busy..

I don't know about the rest of you, but life around here just doesn't seems to slow down. The last few weeks have been crazy!

The boys started school on a tuesday & by friday I got a phone call saying Braxton had fallin' and cracked his head open. It was only about an inch long, but it was deep, when I looked at it I could see his skull (yes, his skull). The Doctor confirmed my observation. Braxton has broken his arm several times, but this was his first time for stitches.

Landon got his new leg braces. I know they are going to benefit him, but they sure are making it difficult for him to walk. I am glad he has such a happy go lucky personality....and just keeps truckin'!

My shower door fell off. It is a good thing we have a Handy Man in the house, I mean Handy Woman! LOL! Evan is awesome when it comes to Medicine, but not so much when it comes to being Mr. Fix It. Luckily I have a Dad that has taught me a lot. My Mom held the door while I fixed it.

These are just a few of the things that have kept us Busy, Busy, Busy! Luckily my Mom was here to help us out! Thanks Mom, we couldn't have done it without you!

Evan & I were able to go on our first date in over a YEAR! My Mom was kind enough to spend the day playing and making cookies with the kids, so that we could go out. We almost forgot what it was like to go out with just US. We had a great time, even though we spent a lot of time talking about the boys!

Well, I can't say that my life has slowed down, butI guess I will just keep going & going & going....

First Day of School...BITTER-SWEET!

I always find the first day of school to be bitter-sweet.  Bitter, because it means my boys are growing up and also because there is less time I get to spend with them.  Sweet, because my boys are so eager to learn & get so excited to start school.  

This year I sent 2 off to school.  It is so cute to see how much Braxton loves his brother.  It makes me proud to see him walk Ethan to class & pick him up when it is over.  He is looking out for his little brother.  It is also fun to see Ethan get so excited to go to school with Braxton.  He looks up to him so much & is so glad to be able to go to school with him.

Braxton has always loved school!  He is so excited for the new school year.  He glad to be a 2nd grader.  He is excited about making new friends & a new teacher.  

It has been so fun to see Ethan come home so excited about his day.  He comes home singing new songs and telling me what he learned.  He has loved making new friends and getting to know his teacher.  

So all in all, it was a little BITTER... letting go of another one of my boys and watching both of them grow up, but it is always SWEET to see them happy and excited about learning.

A day @ the Park...

We decided to spend some time at the neighborhood park today.  Landon sat & giggled every time I pushed him in the swing.  I love the sound of a little ones giggle.

Ethan & Kaden love everything about the park, especially the monkey bars....sometimes I wonder if it is because they are actual monkeys.

On the GO....

Life for Landon has been a little crazy lately.  He has so many new things going on with his therapy.  His life through our eyes can be a little overwhelming at times, but all we have to do is take a look at his adorable smile and that overwhelming feeling goes away. 

He recently got a walker, to help him learn to walk,  and he is on the GO!  

Slowly, but surely...

He loves his walker & gets excited to use it!

His cast for his "good" arm.

Man, We Love this Kid!

The Red, White & BLUE...

I don't know about the rest of you, but for our boys the BLUE truly rang through.  

We started with a BBQ & a swim, and ended our day with fireworks & a movie.

For most of us our 4th of July was a success,  but for one of us.....  

(a picture is worth more than a thousand words)

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July.  Especially Braxton!  We miss you & love you!