Brady & Jarin

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2010-11-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

The boys dressed up like Thing One and Thing Two again from the Cat in the Hat.

The boys dressed up as the same characters 2 years ago when they will still babies! I was the Cat in the Hat that year.

This year I couldn't resist having Thing Three on my belly! Baby boy #3 needed to be included too!

Our friend Nancy from church was the Cat in the Hat this year (I borrowed this same costume from her 2 years ago).

Michigan Trip

2010-11-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

We went back to Michigan for our annual trip. It was a great visit with Matt's side of the family.
Cole family picture after dinner

We had so much fun at Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio

In the space exhibit

In the crooked room

Silly daddy!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

Jarin and I went along with Brady's preschool class to the pumpkin patch

The finished product: Pumpkin to Jack-O-Lantern!

Mountain Trip Pictures

2010-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

This was the first time our little family of 4 had my family's cabin in the mountains all to ourselves. It was a wonderful trip. We went on tons of walks/hikes and enjoyed a lot of good family time back in the cabin. The weather was very nice. The only bad part was that there was a big fire in the area and so everywhere we went, it smelled like smoke!

In the picture below, Brady and Jarin decided that they were going to fight dangerous animals with their sticks. They were supposed to make mean, fighting faces but Jarin's turned into a smile before I took the picture!

Daddy took us all on a lovely canoe ride on the lake. What a fun memory!

More Mountain Pics

2010-10-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

On our 2nd day there, we drove around in the Sequoia National Park to check out all the cool landmarks and try to find the base of the forest fire. We did end up finding it, it was mostly out by the time we came across it and all the fire fighters. It had started from a lightening storm! Here are the boys at the base of a waterfall.

A family photo in front of a different, much larger waterfall.

Even More Mountain Pics

2010-10-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

A family picture on the back porch of the cabin before our hike on the last day. The boys are great hikers and can go for long distances!

On our way home we stopped to see the General Grant tree which is now the 2nd largest tree in the world.

Ahhh, brotherly love at last.

Baby Boy #3

2010-09-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to be expecting another little boy in February!

13 Week ultrasound

Me at 13 weeks

18 weeks

Brady's 1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Brady started preschool a few weeks ago and this is him all dressed up for his first day of school! He is adjusting fairly well but still gets sad when mommy drops him off. I'm hoping that he will make friends soon and that it will help.

Jarin has been enjoying his time alone with mommy:)

Summer 2010

2010-07-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

We've been busy this summer with trips, birthday parties, BBQs and just trying to stay cool! The boys did Vacation Bible School this year and had a lot of fun. At the end of June, we took them to Santa Cruz for a couple days to meet up with some friends from Oregon. We enjoyed the beach and had a low key time there. A couple weekends ago we joined some friends up at Huntington Lake at their cabin. Again, it was great to get out of the heat and have a relaxing get-away. I didn't take any pictures on these trips but I've included some funny photos of the summer.

My dad, "Grandpa" eating watermelon with 3 of his 5 grandkids.

The boys with some of the harvests from our summer garden. We are growing cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, butternut squash, strawberries & carrots.

Jarin has decided that he's old enough to dress himself. However, this is what happens when he puts his own shorts on. It kinda looks like a miniskirt!

Our 2 boys are as crazy as ever!

Summer Video

2010-07-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Brady sings a lot in this video. If you don't know The Cheeseburger Song from Veggietales, you should probably check it out on the internet before you watch this. Brady and Jarin's versions are different but very funny, just the same!

2010-06-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Brady's 4th Birthday Party

2010-05-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a dinosaur theme for Brady's 4th birthday party. When Brady and I were looking at different cakes on the internet, he saw one with a volcano on it and said that was what he wanted. I did my best to copy the picture. It was very fun to make (it is actually 2 cakes, one was baked in a glass cooking bowl). The rocks were crushed cookies and hard candies.

We were going to just have a family party but we ended up inviting some families from our neighborhood. Brady wanted a pinata but we couldn't find a dinosaur one at the store. A strawberry was close enough (who really cares what it looks like anyway, its the candy inside that counts)!

My niece Kate is rocking her sun glasses!

The big gift from us was a bike. His first bike! You can see that Jarin was a little unsure about his big brother getting one and not him. We can't get two of everything! Brady rides his bike almost every day since getting it. He rides it in circles on our back patio. Jarin rides the 4 wheeler so he can have something to ride too!

The party was a simple pizza dinner, pinata and visiting with friends and family! It was fun to host it in our back yard. We've never had that many people over at once but the back yard had plenty of room.

Brady's 1st Trip to the Dentist

2010-05-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Brady is old enough to go to the dentist! A day before he turned 4, he had his first cleaning. His dental hygienist, Lisa, was very patient with him. Brady enjoyed the attention and didn't mind getting his teeth cleaned at all. Our little guy is growing up!

Monterey

2010-04-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

The next day of our trip was spent in Monterey/Seaside
We had dinner on Fisherman's Wharf overlooking the bay.

The boys enjoyed the beach earlier that day

When we first got there Jarin had a run-in with a wave. It knocked him down and freaked him out. He also wasn't feeling too well so he snuggled in my lap until he fell asleep and then slept for 2 hours on the beach! He looks like a baby here.

What a great trip. So nice to get away and enjoy our little family. The boys are really growing up!

Gilroy Gardens

2010-04-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

We had a great opportunity to get away as a family to Gilroy Gardens, a little theme park for small children. It was perfect for the boys since they could ride almost all the rides!

Here they are after running underneath a waterfall. Soaking wet!

Matt and Brady pretended to be scared of how high they are on the ferris wheel

Red tongues after sharing an ICEE

Easter

2010-04-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

End of Jan thru March Events

2010-04-22T09:09:00.001-07:00

I haven't added photos or blogged here in awhile. The pics added backwards, oh well! So what have we been up to? LOTS of stuff but here is a short summary:

The boys are goofy as ever!

They got to go on a bike ride with our friends while they watched them for our date night.

They called it the "Rocket Ship"!
Jarin turned 2 at the end of January and we celebrated at McDonald's. It was a great family party.

January Activities

2010-01-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

January was a month of trying new things for the boys.
First- they got some fun stuff to try in the bath from their Auntie Amanda: They love to shave like daddy!

Then they got a new play hut to hide out in. Here the boys are with their cousins, Mick and Vida enjoying a movie.

The next adventure was Jarin's coming of age: He no longer wanted to sleep in his crib. He started to want a big boy bed. In the meantime, before we bought them new beds, Jarin would fall asleep at the opposite end of Brady's bed.

Here is Brady in his new bed!

Here's Jarin in his new bed! It's been a rough week of teaching him not to get out but it is going well overall. He loves the independence of it. He wants to grow up so fast!

December Crafts

2009-12-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Since it has been too cold and wet to play outside in the mornings, I've been trying to do lots of crafts and activities with the boys. There are endless craft possibilities with the holidays so that helps since I'm not the most creative person. I let the boys help me cut snowflakes and then tell me where to hang them around the house.

They made these snowmen out of cotton balls, glue, construction paper and pretzel sticks. Even Jarin could do this craft easily!

We used popcicle sticks, paint, glue & beads to decorate these Christmas trees. I got this idea from a magazine.

Dress-up Time!

2009-12-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine gave me a great idea recently about using old Halloween costumes for dress-up play for your kids. I was happy to find a way to get more use out of all the adorable costumes we've collected over the years. The boys have really been enjoying it.Jarin the frog

Mr. Frog and Brady the turtle

Family Picture

2009-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

We took a family picture this week while visiting my grandparents in Arizona for Thanksgiving. It was extremely difficult for my brother-in-law to keep everyone smiling. Jarin fell right before this picture and was in no mood to smile. So here is the best we could do:

My sister Hannah and her husband Anthony and their two kids McKinlee (5) and Vida (1)

Soccer

2009-11-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

We signed Brady up to do a soccer league put together by some friends of ours. They made the uniforms and organized game days. It was very casual which was good for us because Brady would go but then never want to practice or play. We went to a little over half of the 6 games but Brady never actually played. I still had fun taking pictures and the team and individual photos came out so cute, I couldn't resist putting them on here. So even though Brady never officially contributed to the team in any way, here are some adorable pictures of him in his uniform. Jarin actually wanted to play more than Brady so he got to be in the team photo:)

Good Morning God

2009-11-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

Brady has been learning lots of new songs from Bible Study Fellowship. We've both been going this last month while my mom watches Jarin. He really likes his class and teachers. I love hearing him sing songs about the Lord!

Jarin likes to sing too, we just don't know what he is singing about yet!

Halloween

2009-11-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Man in the Yellow Hat and Curious George

While they are little like this, I can't resist dressing them up in pairs. Last year they were Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss. This year I did the characters from some of their favorite books. They also love the new tv show. They loved their costumes!

Harvest Fun Fest at church

2009-11-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

With Grammie who is all dressed up for the Hill Billy band. Grandpa and Grammie are so silly!

The boys with their cousins Mick (football player) and Vida (cheerleader).

Brady enjoying the blow-up slide.

Pumpkin Patch #2

2009-11-03T08:46:00.001-08:00

We went to Cobb's Ranch the night before Halloween with daddy. The boys mainly enjoyed jumping in the bounce house. It's the first year they can do most of the same activities together.

I front of the animals. It was dark by the time we got there.

Pumpkin Patch #1

2009-11-03T08:29:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from our annual trip to Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch with the mom's group from church.

I have to explain this picture: While we were waiting around to go on our little "nature walk", Brady found a stick, held it over his head. Then he started shouting, "LET MY PEOPLE GO!" I asked him what he was talking about and he told me, "You know, like what Moses says". My mom and I were laughing so hard. I don't know where the kid gets this stuff!

I really tried to get a cute pumpkin picture with both boys again like last year but I just couldn't get them to look at the camera at the same time:)

The boys with their buddy, Bailey.

Michigan Trip 2009

2009-10-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Michigan

Click on the picture above to view the entire album of pictures from our Michigan trip. It was such a great visit!

Bedtime

2009-10-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for bed can be an interesting time!
Jarin- AKA "slick"

Two little buddies

Crazy Man J

2009-09-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Matt enjoys fluffing J's hair after his bath. He calls him "Bay Einstein"
There are no words for the silliness expressed in this picture! He is such a clown.

4th of July 2009

2009-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

I forgot about these pictures from our 4th of July. We spent it at home with Joe & Lindsay and my other brother Dan. The boys enjoyed their first real involvement with sparklers. It was a nice, simple evening together:)

I love the excitement and on the boys' faces!

Beach Day Sep. '09

2009-09-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

Our little family got away to Avila and Pismo beach for the day during the Labor Day weekend. It was such a blessing to enjoy the beautiful weather and to have a relaxing and enjoyable day together.

Ray Charles

Sunblock hair!

Beach Day

2009-09-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Enter Sandman!

Jarin being silly

Making friends

I'll admit, we weren't the ones to create this sand castle masterpiece!

Brady with a fish tail that daddy made.

Dance Fever

2009-08-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

August Activities

2009-08-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to in August? Here are some of the highlights...Let's see...the boys got Batman tattoos from their Grammie (not real of course).

Matt has continued to work on fixing up our back yard. We've been getting more dirt to fill in low areas and he's been repairing our fence. He also started putting in a small fence for a vegetable garden. The boys were hitching a ride on the wheelbarrow.

Matt also went on a back packing trip and I've continued to move forward with my doula business. I have a birth coming up at the end of next month that I'm really excited about!

Big Shoes to Fill

2009-08-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

The boys have big shoes to fill- Matt's!

Brotherly Love

2009-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

These pictures of the boys just warm my heart. In case you are wondering why it looks like Brady is choking Jarin, this is what he does when I ask him to "put his arm around his brother". I can't resist dressing the boys in identical clothing. I know it is cheesy and they might not like it later but for right now, they don't even know. I got these cute pjs from good friends of ours. Their boys are close in age like our boys and their youngest is just a year older than Brady so we get tons of handed down clothes! What a blessing!

Dangerous Antics

2009-07-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

My boys are up to trouble again! This time I caught them on film doing cute and crazy things. The last section of the video is of all of us along with my brother and sister-in-law (they are expecting a baby end of October!) on our back patio on the 4th of July. Jarin and Brady both did sparklers and those popping things that you throw down. I was surprised that they weren't scared, actually, I was scared that they weren't scared...

Jarin's First Haircut

2009-07-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well the day finally came when Jarin's hair was long enough to cut. His hair has grown so slowly and unevenly. He had an awesome mohawk/mullet combo! So his first haircut was a few weeks ago! 17 month old Jarin finally has a little boy haircut.

Playing with Bradley

2009-07-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Dorothy and I switch off watching each other's kids while we have work meetings. It is nice to have that option since we both work mostly from home. Matt and I also switch off with Dorothy and her husband Gabe for date nights. Bradley is almost 2 so he is right between the ages of my boys. They get along great!

Brady's 3rd Birthday

2009-05-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

It is hard for me to believe that Brady is turning 3 next week. We celebrated his birthday at the park with a family BBQ. It was simple and fun. He is doing so many funny and wonderful things these days. It is time to think about preschool and eventually, where we want him to go to kindergarten. Who would have ever thought that we could go from diapers 24/7 and bottles to thinking about his education? Wow, time flies.

The Basketball cake didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it but all Brady cared about was that it was chocolate!

Grandpa gave him is usual "your growing up" spanking (He spanks his own hand instead of Brady's bottom).

Look at those handsome boys!

My Beautiful Niece

2009-05-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Vida is such a doll! I love the purple outfit. She is almost 10 months now and crawling and talking.

Summer is on its Way

2009-04-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the Kangaroo Climber

Our black lab Sassy

Our little dog Jake

Look at those blue eyes!

Brady getting wet at the water table.

Matt's Birthday Video

2009-04-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

Click above to watch the video I made for Matt for his birthday. I had a lot of fun making it! I had some music to it but YouTube won't let me put it on there with the music I chose for some reason.

Happy 30th Birthday Matt!

2009-04-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Matt is a laid-back guy when it comes to birthdays but this year I couldn't resist doing something a little more interesting. So I organized a surprise birthday party with friends from our church Sunday School class. He had no idea what was coming so it was even better! We had a great time just hanging out (most people got babysitters for the little ones) and playing an insanely late game of Spades!

Here is Matt walking in, "What's going on?" he said when he saw my sister-in-law start to come out of the kitchen and then walk back in when no one was following her for the surprise.

I bought him an inflatable walker. I know, harsh but funny.

Our friends who hosted have a special birthday hat that everyone in their family wears so Matt got the honor.

Looking for Easter Baskets

2009-04-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Matt grew up having an Easter Basket hunt on the morning of easter so we've kept the tradition in our home. When the boys wake up they have to find their basket in the house. My camera died by the time Brady woke up so we just got Jarin's hunt this year.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

The boys both enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt this year at church. They have outdoor play, snacks, singing and story time and then the easter egg hunt. This picture was taken afterwards as they went through their treasure.

Go Jarin, go!

Brady helping a little girl in the "Fun Roller".

Daddy helping Jarin make a shot.

Brady got some cool face paint!

Cute Kids

2009-04-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

These are just a couple of really cute pictures of the wonderful children in my life. My boys and my sister Hannah's son Mick and daughter Vida. I'll have a new niece or nephew coming this fall. My brother Joe and his wife Lindsay are expecting their first baby! The family just keeps growing...

Footloose

2009-04-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

You gotta love that mom put on "Footloose" for the boys to dance to! Dancing time cut into Jarin's nap time so he got a little fussy at the end...

Andrea's Birthday

2009-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Mom, Hannah, Lindsay and my friend Amanda and I went to lunch at the Japanese Kitchen for my birthday and then went shopping. It was a really special girls afternoon out. The cook doing our lunch at the table made our rice into a heart and our onions into a fireball. Tabanyaki is a lot of fun.

Disneyland

2009-04-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went to Disneyland for my 28th birthday and to celebrate our 7 year anniversary. We had a hard time leaving the boys behind but had a wonderful time to ourselves. We left Sunday morning and got down there and spent the afternoon at the beach. For dinner we went to Red Lobster and then walked from our hotel to downtown Disney for a movie. The next day was my birthday so I got into Disneyland for free!

Click on the picture below to see the picture album.

Disneyland

Morning in the Foothills

2009-04-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have 3 aunts and uncles that live in the nearby foothills, only about a 30 minute drive away. My mom and I recently went to visit my aunt and uncle for a morning with the boys. It was a little cool up there but we had a great walk in their "backyard" and a good lunch. We are so blessed to have family that we can visit in such a beautiful location!

Jarin- 13 months (TODAY!)

2009-02-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here is our adorable little 13 month old. Today is the day actually! He is so much fun these days. He really likes to ham it up for everyone. So it looks like both the boys will love to entertain people. I hope they don't get into too much trouble in school!

Cousin Mick's Pirate Party

2009-02-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

My sister's son, Mick turned 5 this month. They celebrated by having a pirate birthday party. I think the boys' costumes came out well. I used stuff around the house!

Who's This Weird Guy?

2009-02-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, this is how we blow of steam sometimes. Making weird faces. I know it sounds strange but having a good laugh can really lighten things up when you have rough evenings with small children. Matt is the king of weird faces. I'm starting to think he practices in the mirror when I'm not around:) See Matt, I told you I'd post these on the blog!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2009-02-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

These beautiful pictures of Brady were taken a year ago by our good friend and photographer. He came by when Jarin was just a few days old and captured both boys on camera. He just recently found these ones of Brady and sent them to me. It was so neat to see how much Brady has grown this last year. Becoming a big brother has really changed him in a good way. He has become a little preschooler this year where before he was still a baby to me. My boys are growing so fast!

February Video

2009-02-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun video of the boys this month. We've been working with Jarin on "where's your nose, eyes, ears, etc". However, as you'll see on the video, he's kinda stuck. Brady is still singing some of his favorite songs for any and all to hear. Right now his most featured song is "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah". He saw it on a Disney sing along video and loves to sing it over and over and over and over.

Jarin's First Stitches

2009-02-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Do not read this or look at the pictures if you get sick with the sight of blood or injury!

Okay, so here's the story: Brady and Jarin have this little game where Jarin chases Brady around and Brady runs and hides in rooms and shuts the door before Jarin can get there. Jarin laughs and thinks it is so funny. Well we've been telling Brady that he can't slam doors because he's smashed Jarin's fingers before. Brady didn't listen.

So on Wednesday of last week, I wasn't closely supervising the boys and they were doing this "game". Before I realized what was happening, I hear Jarin screaming. It turns out, Brady had slammed our bedroom door (hinge side) on Jarin's right pinky finger. To make a long story short, the finger was gashed very deeply. I was able to stop the bleeding but I was pretty much freaking out. Both boys were screaming because Brady saw what he had done. I called Matt and had him come home to help me get Jarin to the hospital. An hour later, we got out the door. My mom stayed with Brady and we took Jarin to the emergency room at the children's hospital here. We waited for an hour until he got stitched up but it really wasn't too bad. Jarin had calmed down by the time we left our house and I had bandaged it pretty well. He didn't seem to be in pain so that was good. The surgeon was great and Jarin cried a lot but was over it by the next day. There was no broken bone or severed tendons like I thought there would be. We are so thankful for that! He got 5 stitches in his little tiny pinky finger.

By Thursday morning he was back to normal, playing and running around with a big huge bandage covering his whole hand. I guess this is going to be the first of many in our household! I just pray for strength to handle it all! The pictures aren't the best but it is hard to hold him still!

Jarin's First Birthday

2009-02-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe he is ONE? This has been a great monument for him. He is walking and playing more independently so he seems content to be out of mommies arms:) He and Brady play together and can actually go about 5 minutes without fighting over toys. He's growing well. He weighed almost 21 pounds and was 50th in his height bracket when we took him to the doctor last week.

He is learning so much right now. He started to say mama and dada when prompted. He dances and waves hi and bye. He folds his little hands to pray when we do. He also loves animals and learning all their sounds. Matt and I have determined that he is going to be the clown of the family. He loves making faces at us and getting our attention by doing silly things. He even makes Brady laugh! We are so proud of our rambunctious little boys!

We had a lunch for him at my parent's house. We were supposed to host it on our back patio but it rained that day and the inside of our house couldn't fit the 16 people that came. It was mainly family but we also invited our friends Jason & Carrie and their son, Breck and then our friends Amanda and Jorge. We all had a good time visiting and watching Jarin chow down on cake. He isn't a huge eater so we weren't sure if he would be that into it. He did just fine though! Click the link below to see all the pictures.

Jarin's 1st Birthday

New Year's in Stockton

2009-02-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

We had a fun New Year's Eve trip to our friends Carrie & Jason's house in Stockton. We try to visit when we can. Their little guy, Breck is just 2 months older than Jarin so our boys play well together. Click on the link below to see the group of pictures from this trip.

New Year's in Stockton

Boys in the Crib

2009-02-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Recently, Brady has been in the habit of running into Jarin's room when Jarin wakes up from his morning nap and jumping into his crib with him before I get back there. Sometimes he'll toss in some books or toys and they'll just hang out in there together. Once in awhile they'll wrestle and that is when I'll come running since they tend to get a little rough (see earlier blog regarding Jarin's first stitches).

Jarin Walks and the Boys Dance!

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance for my persistent and annoying attempts to get Jarin to say "hi" in the first video. I guess I was trying to get him to do too many tricks for one video.

Little Charlie Brown

2008-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist this onesie from Target. Jarin's head is so bald, he looks perfect in the outfit!

December Videos

2008-12-30T16:53:00.001-08:00

I've included a link to watch a video of the boys' December activities. Jarin is learning to walk and Brady sang with his 2's and 3's class before the church kid's choir concert. He did well for being in front of about 150 people but he didn't sing to his potential. He seemed to forget his hand motions and words. It was cute anyway!

Just copy and paste the link (below) into your address bar:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05zVTv8JoI

Christmas

2008-12-28T14:48:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! This year we decided to get Brady something to ride outdoors on. I suggested something small and battery powered but M could only find (at the last minute) something a little bigger than I had in mind. We lowered the miles per hour to something a 2 year old can handle safely. I guess M had an actual 4 wheeler when he was only 5 so he's passing the tradition on. Be careful Brady!

Grandpa also got Brady his first tricycle so he's set for outdoor play! Thanks Grandpa! We both the 4 wheeler and the tricycle assembled and placed under the tree for Christmas morning. Brady still doesn't quite understand Christmas and gifts and Santa and all that but he had fun opening presents!

My sweet little boys were kind enough to stop moving for a rare kodak moment at church last week. Yes, I know, matching your kids is lame but I can't resist!

Jarin- 10 and 11 months old

2008-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

Our cheesy little guy

11 month photo

10 month photo

Thanksgiving in Arizona

2008-12-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

We drove to Arizona again this year to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving. The trip really wasn't as bad as it had been 2 years ago when Brady was young. We chose to drive all night this time and it worked out much better. The entire family came so it was great to spend some time with my brothers and sister and their families too.

My sister's little girl is so cute!

At the park with the gang (including my cousin Audrey- in the very front)

Harvest Banquet

2008-11-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

Our church has a Harvest Banquet every year and we went to it last night. The food was great and the fellowship was even better! It was a good time to reflect on how thankful we are. I know Matt and I are definitely thankful for our two little bundles of joy. They are getting so big.

Brady and Jarin loved the singing. They got to stay through the service part of the evening and they behaved very well! Brady tried to sing the songs (even though he didn't know them at all) and he clapped along too.

He Sings With All His Might

2008-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Brady loves to sing! One of his favorites is "Jesus Loves the Little Children". When he yells during the song, he is actually simulating the music that leads into the vocals. He is really into singing right now and playing instruments. I don't know if this phase will last so I've got to capture it while I can!

Thing One and Thing Two

2008-11-07T16:21:00.001-08:00

Recently I was thinking about my busy boys and I likened them to "little things". Then I remembered the Doctor Suess book, "The Cat in the Hat" and Thing One and Thing Two that are let out of the box and get into lots of trouble. Ah ha, I thought! That is what they should be for Halloween! And that is how it happened:)

I found the wigs and patches on ebay and then bought the onesies and sweats and socks from walmart, ironed on the patches and their costumes were complete. They didn't really mind the wigs too much and kept them on most of the night.

Matt planned to wear the Cat in the Hat outfit but the one we borrowed from a friend didn't fit him so I ended up doing it. The kids looked great and we got lots of compliments. I'll never forget these costumes!

We took the boys to our church's Harvest Fun Fest. It is a big gym with games and tons of candy. They also have a bounce house and a fire truck that comes. Everyone dresses up and there is food and live music (my parents played in a Hillbilly band for this). The boys had fun and Brady of course was most interested in all the candy and the bounce house. JJ just sat in the stroller looking at everyone. We had a great time, now let me think, what should we all be next year........

Gotta love em

2008-11-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'm a little biased to say this but I happen to think I have the cutest family in the world. The boys are just getting to that age where they are enjoying taking their bath together. They are starting to play and splash and Brady isn't trying to hurt him the whole time now:) JJ is also starting to have a special relationship with his daddy. It has taken some time since he has been extremely attached to me (more than Brady was) but they spend a lot of time together.

Jarin- 9 Months Old

2008-10-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Let's see, what are some new things Jarin is doing this month? Well he's cutting his 4th, 5th and 6th teeth and boy do we know it! He crawls almost as fast as we can walk and he does his best to wrestle with his big brother.

Pumpkin Patch #1

2008-10-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we decided to go just north of town to Cobb's Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze. We weren't up to the 2 mile walk through the corn maze (plus it cost extra) so we just rode the train, saw the farm animals and jumped in the bounce house.

Jarin loved to see the farm animals. The Alpaca (like a Llama) in the background is named JJ so we couldn't resist getting a picture of the 2 JJ's!

Family picture

Oh yes, Daddy rode the train with Brady and believe it or not, he could fit in this barrell:)

Pumpkin Patch #2

2008-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at the Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch in Reedley. I went with a group of mom's from church during the day along with my sister and her 2 kids and my mom. The kids hear a story about how the pumpkin patch came to be and then we go on a nature walk. This picture is of Brady staring out of the castle on the walk.

Cool Castle!
After the walk we stopped at a picnic area for lunch. Brady had to eat all his Lunchable that Grammie brought him before he could have the chocolate pudding that came with it. Boy was he excited for the pudding!

BIG BITE!!!!

Oh yeah

I think I'll have some more, thank you!

Pumpkin Patch #3

2008-10-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

On the hayride with cousin Mick

Pumpkin Boys

Changing diapers in the trunk of my car before the 45 minute drive home.

Washing all the dust off the boys.
What a fun time!

A Happy Moment

2008-10-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

The happy moments can be rare sometimes. Brady likes to give Jarin lots of hugs but after the hug he drags him to the floor for a little wrestling match. Needless to say, Jarin isn't quite ready for this yet and usually ends up getting hurt and crying. Soon, Jarin, soon.

Family Pictures

2008-10-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Family pics for Mom's Birthday

September Milestones

2008-10-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

Michigan Trip

2008-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Michigan Trip

Click on the link above to view an album of pictures through Picassa

September Milestones

2008-10-05T16:02:00.001-07:00

The link below is a video of Jarin pulling up to stand, of the boys "talking" to each other and of Brady practicing saying his ABC's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjIWWQ6SsD4

Jarin- 8 months old

2008-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our happy baby is crawling and pulling up to stand. Today he actually started cruising along furniture. I can't believe how quick he's been to get to this stage. He's trying so hard to keep up with his big brother. He has 3 teeth on the bottom and more will soon follow I'm sure. He smiles a lot at people and is good about going along with whatever is happening.

Little buddies:)

Family Trip to Cayucos

2008-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Our first family trip of the summer happened late in the summer this year. In early August we rented a house with friends in Cayucos and enjoyed 3 nights and 4 days at the beautiful California beach!

Brady and I at the playground we visited.

Great view!

We rented the house along with my good friend Carrie and her family. She and her husband, Jason have a little guy named Breck that is just 2 months older than Jarin. Carrie and her parents and nephew were also there while we were there. It was a lot of fun!

On the pier with my handsome little boy (well one of my 3 handsome boys:)

More Cayucos Photos

2008-09-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

This is the group from left to right: Gage with Jeff and Denise, Jason with Breck, Me with Jarin and Matt with Brady. Carrie is taking the picture

Little JJ on the beach

Brady got so cold his lips turned blue!

The house we stayed in had an awesome game room with a ping pong table. We took some time to get a little family game in.

Even More Cayucos Photos

2008-09-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

All the kids in a the pack-n-play

Little Buddies

Jarin is wearing his cute little sweat suit that Carrie's mom bought him.
We had such a great time, I think we'll make this an annual trip!

Jarin Video

2008-09-06T16:38:00.001-07:00

Jarin- 7 months old

2008-09-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Little Buddy is 17 pounds and 4 ounces and he's in the 90th percentile for height. Jarin is such a happy baby. He's doing a full-blown army crawl and he is so fast! He has 2 teeth and loves to play "big kid" stuff. He can't wait to catch up to Brady and do all the things he can do.

Cotton Eye Joe

2008-09-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Watch this funny video of Brady dancing to "Cotton Eye Joe".

Jarin- 6 Months Old

2008-08-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

For Jarin, this was the month of big milestones. He got his first tooth, began sitting up on his own, and started to crawl on his tummy! He just can't wait to be a big boy!

Trip to Stockton

2008-07-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

I met my good friend Carrie in college. Years later we have been through a lot together and now we are having kids together. She and her husband, Jason and little guy, Breck live in Stockton where Jason is going school to become a Pharmacist. The boys and I were able to go visit them last week since Matt was traveling for work. 2 hours alone in a car with kids under the age of 2 1/2 is not exactly easy but we made it! I also had a terrible cold the whole 2 days so I was in a fog. We did have a great time though, thanks Carrie for inviting us!Breck and Jarin woke up at the same time and were having a staring match. They were born exactly 2 months apart (Breck's older).

This was Jarin's first experience in a pool (I know, I sheltered him so far this summer). Cool glasses and hat! At least I can get him to wear them. Big brother Brady will have nothing to do with eye or head protection from the sun.

What you lookin' at?

At the zoo with our boys!

Very cute

My New Niece!

2008-07-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

My sister Hannah had a little girl: Vida-Hayes on Tuesday the 15th. She weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces. She is so beautiful!

Mick is 4 and proud to be a big brother!

Proud Auntie!

4th of July

2008-07-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

We decided last minute to go to Monterey for the 4th of July so we packed up our car that morning and headed out! We went to Chuck E Cheese's for dinner because we knew it would be child-friendly and a fun place for Brady to get his energy out.

Then we headed to Old Fisherman's Wharf to watch the fireworks. The boys enjoyed it even though the noise was loud.

Our first family trip since JJ was born!

Handsome Boys

2008-07-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Mowing the Lawn with Daddy

2008-07-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jarin- 5 months old

2008-07-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my happy little guy at 5 months. He is growing so fast! He really wants to crawl and play with big brother but for now he just rolls around everywhere. I think he'll be sitting up soon though. His favorite toy is his "Johnny Jump Up". He loves to jump in that thing!

Jarin or "JJ" as Brady nicknamed him at birth, loves to eat when we do. For now he is eating baby cereal and baby food but soon I know he'll love table food!

My little sweetie!

Silly Moments with Brady

2008-07-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

He found my shoes!
His first haircut by someone other than mommy. Thanks Debby!

What would a hot summer day be like without a fudgecicle?

Jarin- 4 Months Old

2008-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

2 Years of Brady Memories

2008-05-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE to see a video of Brady!

Brady's 2nd Birthday

2008-05-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

For Brady's birthday we had a party at the park and invited family and friends. The theme was firetrucks so all the kids got fireman hats as part of their loot bags. We had bubble toys, play dough and a small basketball hoop with basketballs for the kids to play with. After finger foods and cupcakes some of the kids and parents walked over to the nearby play area. It was a fun morning and a great way to celebrate Brady's 2nd birthday.

Jarin got a little bored:)

Play dough time with all the buddies

Brady with his friend Bailey in their cool fire hats!

Just Kickin It

2008-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

What a cute little man!