Little Sweetheart...

Well our sweet little Brenner was blessed last week in our home. I am so grateful we were able to do it there. For one, with this season being the flu season and all, I try really hard to limit the amount of time any of my babies spend near a lot of people (Disneyland was a HUGE exception to my rule) and two, we have blessed the other boys at home so it is a nice family tradition.

Rusty gave the nicest, most beautiful blessing to Brenner. I am so grateful to him and all the members of the circle. We had the yummiest caramel corn for a treat after and enjoyed visiting with family. Welcome to the family little man.

Happiest Place on Earth...

So since both the big boys birthday fall in October, and with all the attention the new baby is getting, I thought it would be fun to take them to Disneyland for their birthdays. Fall Break fell the perfect time, and we were able to get both my sister-in-law's to fly in from Utah and Louisiana to come with us. I was a little worried about the drive with Brenner, since he hates the car. I mean HATES it! But he only cried for about ten minutes and was awake and happy more than half the drive. Thank heaven for small miracles.

I had heard about Mickey's Trick or Treat on facebook, and after looking into it, we thought it would be fun to do. SO after a few hours settling in tho the hotel, we all went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner and then went back to change into our costumes. We got to California Adventure at 6:30, right when it opened, got our treat bags and started to navigate the park. Once we figured out where the treat stations were, as well as the characters we finally got a flow and it was nice. We even took turns with the little ones so we could go on a few of the rides. Berk was so tired, and fell asleep while we walked around the park. So we didn't stay very late, but we had a good time. It was cute, every time the characters saw Berk they would say, "Oh hi Buzz!" he thought that was cool.

The next day we spent the entire day in Disneyland, with a break for "nap time" for Berk. "Nap time" just turned into "I really like the hotel and want to play with the stuff I have bought time." Braden is finally tall enough to ride every ride, and he bravely went on everything we tried. Splash Mountain was his favorite, and he rode it the most. It was really muggy, and I am used to the dry heat of AZ, so carrying Brenner in the sling or the Snuggli got really not fun. Luckily, we had lots of eager hands to share pushing the stroller, or carrying a kid or two or three. We left the park after dinner and put the kids to bed and Jill, Kelcie and I went back till closing to do some rides and shopping.

Saturday we started at Disneyland and then headed to California Adventure for a while. We did Bug's Life, which freaked Braden out completely and rode Grizzly River, which he loved. I got a little wet, but my FIL Russ got soaked! Braden and Rusty rode it again and Braden got soaked.

Saturday was my favorite day there because we got to do something really special. For lunch we were going to Club 33 at Disney. I linked a few sites that tell about the Club so you can read about it, but basically, it's a private club inside Disneyland where they have 5 star dining and a really cool atmosphere. We are able to go because of Rusty's work, and it is the second time we have gone. It's in New Orleans' Square and there is basically this door and a bell that you have to push to get in. Crazy secretive. There are all kinds of dress codes for there too. THe waiters are amazing, the menu is superb and everyone is so accommodating. They were so sweet and brought the boys out each a special dessert because they were wearing their Birthday pins! Our lunch was sooooo yummy, and the dessert bar was unreal. We had to get one of everything to try. My favorites were the lemon tart, that looked like a bird and the Smore's in a glass. So cute and creative! We didn't even have dinner that night because we were so full still (aside from a churro that is)!

After Club 33 we did a few more rides for the kids and headed back to the hotel to hang out. After a few naps we went back to the park for one more chance at using our fast passes and then headed to Downtown Disney to end the day. All three boys were good, especially Brenner who only had a few crying spells! Can't wait till he is old enough to go to "Mickey's House" and enjoy it!

Happy Birthday Berkley!!!

(My lil multi-tasker--Open gifts and smile at the camera!)

(His new DSi, he was so excited!)

(Opening the early gifts)

(His YUMM-O cake)

(His new Imaginext set)

(Trying to show me 3 fingers)

Well my Berkley is THREE! He is getting so big, but if you ask him he will say he is "middle" or "median" because Braden is 'big" and Brenner is "littler."

He has just changed so much in the last few months. He is a non stop chatterbox and generally the things he says crack me up. He wasn't so sure about the baby at first but now he is the first to tell me if Brenner is crying, or smiling/. He loves when Brenner "Miles at me." He still loves to "wing" outside and he shocked me speechless last week when out of the blue he told me he needed to "pee on the toy-let." He has been potty training himself ever since and I couldn't be happier about that! His favorite thing to do is play with his cousins- even tho they are 16 and 15. He loves when they come over. He gets the funniest look on his face when he is searching for a word and he finally will smile whenever the camera is around.

We did his bday in three parts- he got to open presents last Wednesday from the grandparents. He got a DSi and a case and accessories and games. Then Thursday thru Sunday we took the whole family to Disneyland for the boys' birthdays. (more on that in my next post). Then on Monday, his actual birthday, we had balloons, play time and a family party with even more presents, cake and ice cream. He is so happy for his "Berk-day" and that now he is old enough to go to "cool" with his "bap-pat." Berk we love you so much, you little comedian!!!

Makes My Skin Crawl...

I swear, this time of year is the worst for the creepy crawly things at my house. While I am beyond grateful that scorpions have yet to invade our neighborhood (knocking on wood and all those other superstitious things--insert here), we do have our fair share of other things I can't stand.

It started a few weeks ago, when I brought the little dirt devil in from the garage wall to clean up a mess in the boys room. It smelled a little funny after I used it so I went to dump it out and clean it. Boy was I surprised (screaming and hyperventilating and gagging--insert here) when I opened the little trash collecting part to see a dead field mouse. (shudder) And wait, did you catch the part about it being in the vacuum that hung on the wall??? That poor mouse must have been starving to shimmy up the wall and then get stuck in my dirt devil. And if you're wondering what I did with it--the vacuum-- not the mouse, I threw it in my garage and texted Rusty that he needed to empty the canister out for me. (Hee hee hee)

So then, naturally, with the doors and windows being open so much more with the weather being beautiful- a few of those pesky outdoors things have come in to places where they just DON'T belong. Like the 8 legged baseball sized spider that was laying in wait in my pool. Just waiting on top of the basket ready to pounce. (So it was really golf ball sized)And MAN, did it take a long time to drown that sucker.

Moving along to the cricket in the toilet, just swimming around. And around and around and around... thankfully easy to dispose of.

And just the other night, I had a moment straight out of Arachnophobia when I went to wash my hands in the bathroom and a monster was trying to hide in the corner, but I saw it (screamed- waking the baby) and skillfully trapped it under the plunger so Rusty could do his husbandry duties.

And what exactly is the need for earwigs in the grand scheme of things anyway?

My point?

I know it's Halloween, and so fun to decorate with cute glittery spiders like these ones. And even funner to bring them home from school and drop them where ever. But if I find one more freaking PLASTIC spider laying around my house, in my shower, my laundry basket, my closet, the kitchen floor, or in the playroom- I will freak. And please don't get me started on those obviously FAKE 3 foot spiders that are all the rage to decorate with, but they still give me the heebee jeebies! I'm just saying (Braden & Berk) feel free to have these (gross) plastic bugs if you want, just don't forget to tell Mommy where you left them (so she doesn't have a heart attack). Oh and BTW, I am on a first name basis with our pest control guy. (Ron, you'll be getting a call from me this week...)

Happy Birthday Braden!!!

Braden turned 7 years old today! It seems like we've been parents forever but I guess we've just crammed a lot into only 7 years! Braden had a fun friend birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and a family get together for pancakes, ice cream cake and presents on Sunday. He got a PSP, new riding boots and pants (the real ones, not snow pants & boots like we've been passing off for years...) and a bunch of cool other stuff.

Here's a little bit about Braden at 7...

• He loves to be outside with friends
• He knows just how to egg his brother into a fight
• He loves to hold Brenner
• He is a fantastic reader and loves math
• He is looking forward to snowboarding season and is happy the weather is cooling down enough to ride his quad.
  
  
  
  

I can't believe in just a year he will be baptized. Crazy. Hope you had a great day buddy, Mom and Dad love you!