I'm 1!

Brynlee had a little birthday party on Sunday night with some friends and family. Cake and Ice Cream was the main course at this party, but Brynners didn't like it so much....

Happy 1st Birthday, Brynlee!

Today, my baby girl turns 1! Oh how the time flies when you are watching the world through the eyes of children! She has brought such a light and a sweetness to our family. We are so blessed to have her in our home! We love her so much!

Happy Birthday, Brynlee!

Brynlee arrived at 4:13 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19 in. long! Tiny little lady!

Her blessing photo! She has the biggest and most beautiful eyes! Oh, and let's not forget about her infectious smile!

1 year old, a few teeth, walking, and fun pigtails! Oh, what a joy this little lady is!

May the Lord continue to bless this girl with a love for people and the gospel!

Halloween Festivities of 2011!

Can I just say that I forgot how excited we got as kids when we got our halloween costumes on. I didn't think this phenomenon was going to happen to us for a few years, but Ethan and Brynlee surprised us this year.

We had originally picked out a "Thomas the train" costume for Ethan and it has been sitting in his closet for weeks, but last week we went to Walmart and he saw this costume and went bizerk! It was hysterical! So, needless to say, we have changed our minds on our costume this year! Brynlee, because she is so cute, her mom couldn't decide which costume to go with, so she has two! Yep!

So, last night we had our ward Halloween Carnival. So, for Brynlee we decided to pick one outfit and Ethan got to choose his. Unfortunately, I think that Thomas the train is going to have to wait in the closet for another year, before he comes out again! So, this is the runway display before our Halloween Carnival...

Our Purple Butterfly & Buzz Lightyear

Our Purple Butterfly- so excited to show off! Buzz is a little preoccupied!

Butterfly showing us her back....which kept making her fall down!

Brynlee- so excited to wear her costume! She kept giggling and dancing around!

Ethan- giving us his best, "To Infinity and Beyond!"

More photos from our Halloween festivities to come...

Happy 6th Anniversary!

Wow! Can I just say that time flies when you are having fun doing all the things that life has in store for you! 6 years today, I knelt across the alter from my best friend and chose him to be my companion for eternity! It was a very nice day, sunny and pleasant. (Just like it is outside right now?!)

As a bride, I think we are always so naive of all the things that life will throw at you, but for that one day--your wedding day, life is perfect. Life is bliss! And you can't imagine anything but how awesome that day made you feel.

But, as we all know, the honeymoon ends and life just begins to transform the two of you into something much more wonderful than you had envisioned that day. That is how I view my marriage with my best friend, Mike. On that day, 6 years ago...I never would have imagined all the awesome, sacred, exciting and challenging experiences that we have gone through together. We truly have grown together as a couple, experiences each other's strengths and weaknesses.

I am so grateful to have him as my best friend, my lover, my children's father, my boyfriend, my listening ear, and especially my husband for eternity! Thank you for being the man that makes me a better woman. Thank you for being my other half, especially when my half is struggling! I love you more today, six years later than I did (or thought I did) on our wedding day!

May we continue to work together and strengthen one another throughout the trials and experiences that will come!

CALIFORNIA....Here we came....

Oh my...can I just say that we have had one heck of a week! It has been so much fun to spend time with my family. I think it gets funner and funner as we get older and the more people we add to the mix. We got to spend the week in Oceanside at a beautiful beach-front condo. We got to wake up every morning to the sound of the waves crashing. It was just awesome! I will try and give a good run-down of our trip with the photos...

Here is Brynlee and I on the beach on Sunday. We had to walk down and see the sun set! It was gorgeous! I am not opposed to living by a beach. I think I would quite like it!

Here is the family photo on Sunday night at the beach...needless to say, I think Ethan was still a little stir crazy from driving the day before! But, he had no fears of the water! It was great, where we were there was a little playground by the beach. He even made a cute little friend while we were there!

The view! (Let's just take a minute to enjoy this, shall we?!

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Grandma and Brynlee! Cute girls!

Ethan at the playground by the beach! He was having the best time.

DISNEYLAND: Wow, can I just say that you really can spend days (plural) there. We spent 3 days there and we still didn't get to see and ride everything we wanted to. We gave it a good shot, but came very close! It was so fun to go with Ethan, because he was so curious and awe-struck. It was just cool to see this through his eyes! He was a good sport and tried most every ride he could go on! He still was too short for most of the roller coasters, but we figured that. But, we still had a blast! And, it was fun because it was Halloween time there. I have only been to Disneyland once (when I was 12) so, it was fun to go again, because it was like the first time for me too! Plus, they have changed it so much!

Our family photo with the Halloween Mickey! It was so cute how they decorated the front part. We were expecting a little more decor, but it was mostly the front Main street.

Ethan going on the Auto ride in Tommorowland. His first Driver's License photo! We were a little afraid of how his driving would be, and we were right...he will wait until he is 16!

Brynlee spent the 3 days in Disneyland in a stroller. She was such a good sport! And, she was teething...so, to take all those things into consideration-- she was wonderful! She even got to go on a few rides too. Her favorite things were "It's A Small World" ride and the "Sensation Parade" at night. She would just laugh and point and things. She was a wonderful baby!

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE: Ethan loved seeing the characters. He was so excited when we saw Lightning McQueen and Mater. He thought there was more to see, but this attraction won't open until 2012. So, we will have to put that down for our next trip someday...

This was probably our favorite ride/game of the entire place. Toy Story! Ethan just loved it. We all thought it was really fun!

We got to meet Goofy! And this was so funny, because we waited in line for a few minutes, and of course there was still a line behind us. So, as we get up to meet Goofy, Ethan goes right up to him and hugs him. He was hugging him so long that I thought he was crying, but nope! He was just taking him sweet time to absorb what was going on. Then, as a concerned parent was, I tried to get Ethan to turn around to take a picture with Goofy...and Goofy shook his head at me and put up his finger (gesturing: "just a minute"). So, I got scolded by Goofy and my child got a very extended period of time with Goofy! It was awesome!

Mike thoroughly enjoyed himself. He especially liked the roller coasters. (No surprise to anyone who knows him!) He always enjoys getting a good shot of himself as the roller coaster comes down!

The Dumbo ride. Ethan was excited to fly up in the air! It was fun to go with him!

Grandma got to go on a lot of rides with Ethan. They had such a good time together!

The Tea-cups! Oh, how my family loves this ride. Ethan and I rode this ride without spinning ourselves sick!

This ride: (The Bug's Life Bumper Cars) was the favorite of our 3 year old. He loved it so much that collectively for 3 days he rode this ride 7 times. Yep, 7 times! He loved just driving it around. We didn't bump into many people, but he loved it!

This is the thumbs up because he survived the Muppets 3D movie. We attempted the Bug's Life 3D movie, and we had to escort Ethan out, because he was flipping out during the part where the spiders come down from the ceiling! Yeah, I don't blame him on that one! But, he kept trying and successfully made it through this one!

Oh my gosh! This is what parents go to theme parks for and endure the pain of making sure you bring enough wipes for everything, your feet hurt, you are so hot and sweaty....your child meets his favorite movie character of all time....WOODY from Toy Story. Ethan went with Mike to the bathroom and I kept walking and saw Woody...I HAD to stand in line for Ethan to meet him. So, as Ethan came up and saw me and Woody, he just smiled from ear to ear and jumped up and down and was more excited than anything else in the world. You would have thought Ethan was a teenage girl meeting Justin Beiber for the first time! It was hilarious!

Brynlee loved the parade at night. She just pointed and laughed at the characters. She was such a good sport! We just had so much fun!

Ethan took the parade in, like he did with everything else there. He just sat and watched everything. Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) even came up to him and gave him a high-5 and told him he was so handsome!

FRIDAY: AIR SHOW at Miramar: When we got down to California, we were told by my dad that there was an air show. Well, Mike loves air shows. And, it goes without saying that my dad and brother do too! So, we planned to separate on Friday. The girls would go shopping and get pedicures while the boys (including Ethan) would go to the air show. And boy, was that the right decision! Ethan loved every minute of it! He is big into airplanes and helicopters, so this was his christmas...

Here he is in a Jeep. He loved playing with all the buttons and stearing wheel.

My boys got to sit in a jet and a helicopter. There was quite a few on display that day! How awesome!

Ethan giving up his A.O.K. thumbs up! He is ready to be a pilot like his grandpa!

Tanks...jets...helicopters...airplanes...what more could a 3 year old boy ask for?

So, needless to say, we have had so much fun over the last week. We are a little sad to leave and come back to our normal lives, but we are so happy to have these memories for our little family that will last a lifetime! I am so thrilled that we get these little moments of joy from our children!

Happy Birthday to my 3 year old!

Happy Birthday to my little man! Ethan turned 3 this month. I can't believe how fast time flies. It seems like only yesterday that he was small and cuddly and fit in my arms so easily. Now, he is running, talking, singing, laughing and playing! I love this little guy so much! I am so blessed to have this bright, smiley boy in my life!

He began so small at only 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 in. long.

Dad gave him a piggy bank for his birthday! If you notice, Daddy is trying to sway the vote in his favor! We'll see if this guy becomes a Y fan or not!

His request for a birthday cake: CARS with Lightning McQueen and Mater on it. He was so excited when I brought it home!

So Excited...

And the countdown begins....

3 days!

(Photos and recaps to come...please stand by!)