Walking!

So, our sweet Rylee has started walking. You know, the walking and falling and falling and falling type fo walking. She is so sweet. These two videos are taken a week apart- she has progressed quite a bit in a little under a week!

This video was taken about a week ago. She is still learning a lot, but never stops getting up no matter how many times she falls.

Finally, I am posting again. A lot has happened. Here is a summarized version....

Natalie started preschool! How can my little girl be so big? Here she is the first day of school at our house. So grown-up.
My big boy Braden has started first grade. I have to say that it was weird, yet VERY nice having him in school all day. I don't miss the mid-morning pick-up from kindergarten, my day seems a bit longer, and more productive.
Braden LOVES school. He loves his teacher, friends, and of course- recess. Love my Mr. B.



Our little baby girl turned 1!!! She had a fun birthday on the 2nd of Oct., eating cake and opening presents. We celebrated with our good friends, the Corrys, and my Aunt Kathleen.

Here is the little bug with Kathleen, so fun to have her out. Miss you Kathleen!

The cake- which Rylee ate with total gusto! The girl can eat.

Here is a clip of Braden learning to ride a bike without training wheels. As you can tell from the clothing that they are wearing and the colors of the trees, this happened a few months ago when the weather was much warmer. Today, he can cruise on his bike and is getting quite fancy in some of his moves.

The second clip is Natalie in her ballet class. She is last one in the line- playing up to the camera, of course. So darling.

County Fair

So, this Saturday we went to the St. Joseph county fair. We come from a much larger metropolitan area, so this fair seemed quite small to us and not crowded at all. However, the good ol' midwest fair had something that we have never experienced before. An elephant show and ride. Of course, for those who know my son, this was something that we could not pass up. It was worth the whole trip there just for this moment! That is Braden, Natalie and Clint on the back of the elephant.

I couldn't believe how huge that elephant was- Clint could barely hold on with his legs.

Watching the show. Obviously Clint is really enjoying the show- we know where Braden acquired his love of animals from.

Notice that tiny fence? That is all that separated us from those huge animals. Good thing they were so tame!

And I couldn't post and not include a pic of my Rylee. She is crawling like a crazy woman now. Nothing is safe in the house and she leaves quite a mess in her wake! How can a 9 month old crawl so fast? Seriously! She moves at quite the speed!

I have returned!

I know that it has been over a year since I last posted. I went non-blogger for a while. It seems that when I am pregnant or have a newborn, I will cut out of my life non-essentials. Some may argue that a blog is a must, but I just started to hate the computer. I didn't want to check my email- I didn't want to blog- I didn't want to be linked anywhere. I am a horrible pregnant woman. Totally hormonal and irritable. Poor Clint!

But, I feel that my life is becoming normalized again. So, I have returned. Here are just a few recent pics of my kiddies.

Natalie with her princess b-day cake. She is so grown-up at 4!! She is starting preshool in the fall and is totally thrilled to be going to school soon.

Braden did soccer this spring and loved it. I think he even toned up a bit- all that running non-stop! He finished kindergarten with flying colors, and is excited to start going to school all day as a first grader. He is reading like a champ, so proud of him!

My baby- my sweetie- Rylee. The most happy, and busy baby in the world. Most loved 9 month old I know. She is crawling, babbling, and follows her older siblings around the house like a puppy. She loves the beach, can you tell? She loves the sand in her toes and splashing in the water. Love my baby!

Longest Post EVER!!!

So, this is the world's longest post for me. There has been a lot going on, just not a lot of desire to spend the hours posting so I am just going to do it all at once. Here we go!!

My Sweet boy turned 5!! With a crazy superhero birthday party with 12 little boys, yes 12. It was a blast and very chaotic. Braden was in heaven as spider man, of course.


Had to have a Spidey bday cake. After only 2 hours and sore wrists, Braden was very happy with his cake. I am a slow decorator!

My little princess turned 3. She wanted a princess carriage for her cake. Anything pink, with princesses, or sparkles are her fav lately. She got her first big dollhouse and some awesome gifts from friends and family. What a loved little girl!

We went to Chicago for a CME (conference for Clint). We had a blast. The city was a ton of fun, the kids loved the giant bean, as you can see them holding it here!!

While in Chicago, we visited the Zoo. With Braden in the family, we couldn't have missed it. The Lincoln Zoo is free, amazing eh? The exhibits were great, but chilly. Chicago is still a bit cold this time of year.

The kids loved playing in the pool at our super posh hotel downtown. They can hardly wait for summer. Braden was swimming off all by himself. What a big boy!

Here are the king and queen with their room service. Pancakes, fruit, juice, milk, french toast. What a life!

After Chicago, we took a little family vacation to Nauvoo. Such an amazing place to visit. The temple was absolutely gorgeous. Clint was in heaven, of course. All of the historical sites and buildings. He has already contacted the center for history in Nauvoo 3 times with family names. They are going to know him by voice pretty soon.

The temple at night is very beautiful.

This is the monument they have across the street from the temple. It depicts Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith on their final trip from Nauvoo as they left the city for Carthage. Historic Nauvoo is behind Clint up to the river.

This was taken as the Old Nauvoo cemetery. We have family on both sides that were buried here. There are very few gravestones, of course, but a very cool monument and a listing of all the known names of those buried here during those early church days in Nauvoo.

Here we are in front of the Mansion house, Joseph and Emma Smith's home for the last few years while Joseph was alive. The Community of Christ has taken great care of the home and it was a very interesting tour.

Here we are by the oxen and wagon ride. The kids, Braden especially loved the oxen. They are such big animals, yet very gentle. Such a fun place!

After Nauvoo, we drove down to Carthage, where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. It was very neat to visit as an adult, with a better understanding of who these amazing men really were.

After Nauvoo and Carthage, we headed south to St. Louis to visit some family. We both have cousins in the city and it was so nice to see family again. The kids instantly bonded with all their cousins.

We had an Easter Egg hunt with Doug and Molly's family and their group of friends. The kids really enjoyed it. So kind of the Larsen's to include us!

The kids had a great time in the play zone/kids discovery room at the St. Louis Zoo. It was a bit rainy while we were there, but the zoo had a lot to do inside as well. Natalie tried on every single costume, what a pose!

Here we are with Doug and Molly's kids in the butterfly house. Their kids were so good to ours, Natalie really took to their oldest girl, Anna. She still misses her and ask for her. St. Louis was such a beautiful city. We really enjoyed our little vacation. Thanks to our cousins Doug, Molly, Jason and September for opening their homes to us. We really enjoyed seeing you all!!!

So, I had to post this. I took this video during our lovely winter here in South Bend. Can I just say that I will be taking a vacation SOUTH next feb. You will understand after seeing this video.

PREGNANT!!!

YES! We are expecting a baby the first of October! These ultrasound pics were taken at 12 weeks. Perhaps this explains our total lack of posting. The first trimester is a battle sometimes!

Christmas Fun!

This year in Indiana, our family enjoyed a White Christmas. Not only was it white, but freezing, icy, and full of fun. My parents and youngest brother Chad came out for a week to celebrate Christmas with us. It was the highlight of our month. The kids had such a great time playing with Grandpa and snuggling with Grandma. Uncle Chad was a lot of fun, totally the coolest uncle ever!! We are so lucky that they braved the wild roads and weather to be with us for Christmas.
Natalie and Grandma snuggle on the couch by the Christmas tree.


We went to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend with the family. Such a fun place. I think that the men were in heaven, the cars they displayed were amazing.

The men folk braved the freezing weather to tour some of the Notre Dame campus. Even though it looks beautiful in this picture, don't be fooled. The temperature was about 5 to 10 degrees with a wild chill on top of that. Love Indiana winters......

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner and little program that Clint organized. So fun to create some of our own traditions in our new home.

Of course, Christmas morning was crazy and a ton of fun. Braden was so cute, excited about every gift he got, even the socks! Natalie went through nearly all of her new dress-up outfits in between opening presents. The kids are just the right age to really enjoy Christmas morning.

Here is Natalie in one of her dress-up dresses and her new princess cape.

Braden loving his biggest Christmas present, Charlotte.

Our family had such a great Christmas. Thanks to all our family for their wonderful gifts and to our awesome parents (AND CHAD!!!) for coming to be with us in the cold Midwest! Hope that everyone had a very happy holiday!