The Parsons Family

{Big News!}

2012-01-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

We are excepting our 3rd little one!

All of us are beyond thrilled.

I haven't shared very much about wanting to have another baby. But it took us an entire year to get pregnant with this little one after I had a miscarriage in Dec. 2010.

2011 was an extremely difficult year for me because I was so upset about having a miscarriage and then not being able to get pregnant again. I honestly thought that it wouldn't happen for us. That we wouldn't get the blessing of having another child and I took it very personal.

We tried multiple fertility treatments in Idaho and nothing worked.

So after we moved to Ohio, I gave it a few months. Come November still nothing had happened for us.

I made another fertilty appointment with a doctor out here. I was so upset at this meeting because my cycle was late, yet all the tests were negative and that wasn't normal for me.

We discussed fertility treatments and made a plan. The first thing she did was blood work.

I got a phone call the same evening as our appointment and the blood showed I was pregnant, to early to even pick up on a home test, but blood doesn't lie!

Can you believe that?!

Crazy how life works. I was so excited.

I loved working with this doctor. I had ultrasounds from 5-9 weeks, and then one again at 12.

Everything looks perfect.

I love great doctors who care and am so thankful for them. Especially this time around I have a ton of anxiety.

Summer could not come fast enough for us this year!

Keaton and Kailey have a daily argument over the gender.

They are so excited and it is very fun to watch their excitement grow. I think they will be great helpers!

Can't wait!

{Saturday Walk in Pickerington Park}

2012-01-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

I think like everywhere the winter has been unusual.
Its been so warm here. Last Saturday the kids played outside with friends and we went and took a family walk down in Pickerington park. There is a covered bridge that leads into a field and you can walk next to the river.

We had a blast. Kailey was cracking us up because she had to check for animals under each tree and poke her stick around. I am so thankful that nothing ran out from under the tree and attacked her!

Keaton always likes to find large walking sticks whenever we go out on a walk. He usually ends up beating the ground or other trees with his stick. Such a boy!

Next to the river was this huge hallow tree trunk. Keaton said it was smelly in there.

I took his word and didn't walk through.

I thought it would be nice for our family far away to see more pictures of where we live. Its a really nice little town. We like it here a lot.

So this is a little river and park by our house! Maybe we will get to show you some day!

{CINCINNATI Get away}

2012-01-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

During Christmas break we decided on a whim to take the kids down to Cincinnati and Kentucky and see a new part of the state. We stayed in the most amazing, my new favorite hotel ever! The picture of the river above is from our room. If you looked to the left you looked into Cincinnati and to the right you were looking into Kentucky parted by the river.

On the way to our hotel John got in his first ever fender bender. He was watching the navigation and not the cars around him. We blame Cincinnati for all the crazy one way roads. Poor John! He was so irritated.

During the day we drove around. We went to the Newport Aquarium which was awesome.
The kids got to see Santa scuba dive with sharks.

We walked around down town Cincinnati. Its weird because there are sky walks between all the buildings down town. I guess the winters are super nasty out here, although we still haven't seen that happen.

At night we went swimming, ate a ton of free food, and watched movies.

John and I finished reading The Hunger Games. Such an awesome book.

There is an amazing outlet mall on the way out of town and Ikea so we will be going back soon!

{Christmas Break}

2012-01-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

{ Christmas Day 2011 }

2012-01-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed having Church on Christmas morning. It really set the tone for our family on Christmas day.

Before church the kids were allowed to open one gift from Santa. Keaton asked for a football and Kailey asked for a princess castle. Those lucky kids got spoiled by Santa and got what they asked for.

After church we enjoyed yummy cinnamon rolls. I was so happy with myself because this is the first batch I made from scratch that tasted perfect.

The kids got one big present from us this year. Keaton got a DS with games and Kailey got a Leap pad. They were very happy campers.

One of my favorite gifts was from Keaton this year. He got to shop at a Santa store at school and he bought me a little ring. He was so proud of his gift. Just melted my heart. He kept telling me, "I hope you like it!"

I love it!

{Christmas Eve 2011}

2012-01-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Our first Christmas Eve in Ohio was a nice and quiet night.

Elmer the elf left the kids a bag of Reindeer Munch. They kids loved throwing it out on the lawn. We wrote letters to Santa. Opened Christmas jammies and one other gift. This year our tree was exploding with gifts because all of our family sent gifts our way.

One thing we do each Christmas eve is read Christmas stories.

I love to pick up new books each year to add to the pile.

The kids slept great and woke up happy as could be in the morning!

Thank you Emily for the cute coats, we will stay cozy!

{First Snow- Ohio}

2011-12-22T18:47:00.001-07:00

On the 20th of December we saw snow for the very first time here in Ohio.

Keaton and Kailey immediately got all bundled up to go play in the little snow flurries. It was cute. They were excited. We also spent the morning baking Holiday goodies together.
It was very festive!

We keep waiting for the nasty Ohio winter we keep hearing about to start...
So far, not bad at all.

I am not asking for a long frozen winter, I guess we have heard so much hype about it we are anxious to see how it is for ourselves...

But if this is how it is, we love Ohio winter :)

{Kailey's Preschool Xmas Program}

2011-12-22T18:24:00.001-07:00

Kailey had her first preschool Christmas program last week. It was adorable. She is a pretty quiet girl at school. But she did her best singing along and did excellent standing still and listening to the stories being told. I liked at school that they talked about Christmas as in Jesus and a more religious take rather than just Santa.

There was a felt board where the children helped tell the story of the birth of Jesus.

It was very sweet. I got a little misty eyed at times.

On another note- I am LOVING me some Kailey lately.

She is so easy going and fun to be around. She's been sneaking into our bed in the morning and just snuggling with me. It used to drive me crazy but lately I have been looking forward to it!
Am I crazy?!

{Christmas Tree decorating}

2011-12-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

{Zoo Lights!}

2011-12-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

I have kind of skipped over Thanksgiving. We had a great Thanksgiving. We went and saw a movie, which was odd but I guess that's what people do when they aren't preparing a huge dinner.

After the movie we were invited to spend dinner with some ward friends. We had ham which the kids loved. Everyone brought a few dishes and we ate, played games and enjoyed each others company.
Of course we missed our family, but we did enjoy the quietness of the day.

The next night was super warm so we went to Columbus Zoo Lights. This zoo is fabulous on its own, but going at night with everything... I mean EVERYTHING covered with lights was fantastic. Unfortunately we weren't the only family who thought of going on such a warm night. It was packed! We only saw one section of the zoo. We waited in a crowd to get into that area and out of that area. Not so much fun.

The kids enjoyed it. All the signs were Santa themed and we even got to see Santa's reindeer.

We plan on going again and bundling up so we can actually move!

{Sesame Street Tour}

2011-12-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

We got these tickets for free. It was a fun way to spend a Saturday.

Keaton didn't cry and demand to be taken out so that was a plus...

( I am still a little bitter about the other show...)

{Disney's Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!}

2011-12-22T14:42:00.001-07:00

check out the adult below in his awesome Agent Perry gear... {Pretty sure that's for the kids...}

When I saw this tour was coming and HAD to get tickets. Keaton loves, LOVES this show. I had it all planned out as a super surprise. We'd take the kids to dinner and then go to the show and they would be totally ecstatic and beyond excited.

I remember as a little girl going to Disney on Ice and I still think it was amazing...

I guess its life that it didn't happen that way. I am still bummed that my Keaton was a total grump the entire time. In the middle of the show he decided he'd be "scared" and cry and throw a fit to go out of the show. I swear all of the other 2 and 3 year old kids there were starring at him wondering what his issue was...

yea it was awesome!

Kailey on the other hand had a great time. Eventually, Keaton came back in to see the last 15 minutes of the show...

{Happy Halloween 2011}

2011-12-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

{ Apple Orchard }

2011-12-22T14:11:00.002-07:00

This Apple Orchard is another thing I have fallen in love with here in Ohio.

You pay per bag of apples and pick your heart out. We went this time with the Sharples Family. Keaton and Aliena are in the same class. Kailey and Sophie are besties too.

I want to have some family photos taken here next year!

Keaton was the only little boy around so he was the only kid walking around stomping and smashing fallen apples, gave everyone a good laugh!

On a different note these apples were amazing! I think I ate most of them all by myself.

Thank you friends for having us. Can't wait til next year!

{ Kailey starts Preschool }

2011-12-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

We found a preschool for Kailey to attend. I was not ready...

I knew she was ready because every day she would cry when we took Keaton to school. She also cried when we went to check out the preschool and had to leave!

Kailey got to pick out her own outfit. All pink of course.

Like her backpack? Its the pink-ist one we could find.

She has made many friends. Right now her best friend at school is Millie.

Millie also has very long hair like Kailey.

I am happy that Kailey enjoys going to school and learning. But I sure do miss her when she is gone.

{ Pumpkin Carving 2011}

2011-12-22T13:15:00.002-07:00

{LOL John cracks me up... so serious!}

This is the first year since John and I have been dating that I didn't win the carving contest :( I guess it was time for some one else to win.
I carved the owl, Keaton did the flying bat face and John and Kailey designed the weird face.
Funny side note, after John was done cutting the nose Kailey got upset because it was ugly and she didn't like it! That girl cracks me up.

By popular vote, Keaton won.

( I did draw and cut the design, so I win too, right?!)

I felt bad for Miss K because her pumpkin was rotting when we cut it open.. sick! It smelled so bad. Ew.

Bring on Halloween, we are ready.
The kids are dressing up as Hulk and Cinderella.

{ Pigeon Roost Farms }

2011-12-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that fall in Ohio is pretty amazing. Its been perfect. So many awesome fall days to get out and enjoy the new weather and season.

This farm is one of my favorite things here. We had a blast.

The kids just ran and ran. There was so much to see and do.

Kailey made her dads heart beam when she couldn't get enough of the goats! She loved to feed them. She was constantly calling out, " Come here Budd-yyy" and holding her hands out to give them a sweet little pat.

{ Halloween Party 2011 }

2011-12-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

We have been hosting a Halloween cookie decorating party since Keaton was 2! I debated if I was going to do it this year being new to OH and just moved and stuff, and I am so happy we did. We had a great time. We served lunch this year, Mummy Wrap hot dogs with lots of other spooky treats.

We played Halloween bingo with candy corns, mummy-mummy-witch aka duck-duck-goose, and watched Spooky Buddies.

Thank you to our new friends for sharing a spooky fun afternoon with us!

{Ice Skating}

2011-12-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

For our first time ice skating I think we did awesome! Keaton was a trooper. He fell down a million times, his pants were soaked by the end of it and he didn't want to go home.

When he took off his skates he has huge blisters on feet.

Kailey took turns going around with John and I but she wasn't to thrilled with it.

We will have to try going again!

{ Ms. K is getting so big! }

2011-10-22T14:09:00.000-06:00

{Summer Loving before the big move}

2011-10-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

Keaton and Kailey both got to do swim lessons this year! Keaton did great, he is working on his technique. Poor guy can move his arms and kick his legs with all his might and can barely move!

Kailey wasn't timid at all. As soon as she got goggles on she was fearless. She was the first in her class to jump off the diving board.

Papa got Keaton a swimming pool for his birthday that we blew up and played in ALOT.

We would mix up a batch of homemade slushes and get cool out side!

We got bike stuff this year for the whole family. Kailey got her own big girl bike, which she can now peddle.

{Keaton turns 6}

2011-10-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

Keaton turned 6 this year... 6! He is such a big kid now.

For his birthday he wanted a shark themed party.

To celebrate on his real birthday day we took him out to dinner at Red Robin and opened presents at home.

We got his a baseball bat, balls, and a shark and killer whale action figure set.

The next day was his real party. We did an all day celebration. First part of the day we did a friends party. Then a family dinner.

He had a great day! Here are some fun photos.

some cheesy decorations... Keaton said it wasn't scary enough.

I am proud of my shark watermelon! Pretty scary, right?

These handsome boys below are the friends who attended Keaton's party. They each got a chance to throw a water balloon at the others. Best part of the party!

For games we played toss the ring on the shark, pin the fish in the sharks mouth and water balloon fight.

I love at birthday parties when each kid brings the gift in and tells the birthday child what they brought.

His big gift was from his Grandma Cookie and he got a camera! He was taking pics of everyone and everything for months!

***6 AWESOME THINGS ABOUT KEATON***

* He is very protective over his little sister

* He has some really sweet dance moves

* He still lets me kiss and love on him as much as I please (mama's boy)

* Loves to read the scriptures and other church material

* Determined. Will practice something until he gets it down. Like headstands

* Loves to be active and as always is full of energy

***Changes this year***

* He lost bottom 2 teeth this year

* Excelled in Kindergarten 

* Decided he liked some new foods

( olive garden bread sticks, honey bbq chicken, frozen grapes) 

* Is very into electronics now

* Finding a balance between big kid and little kid. Attitude, back talking, pushing boundaries. All that good stuff

* Lots of questions about how things work, why we do certain things etc.

{Road Trip to Portland and the Coast 5/2011}

2011-10-09T21:22:00.000-06:00

At the end of May we took a road trip to Portland, OR to get out of Idaho for a bit. It was a long drive. I slept most of the time. John drove and the kids watched movies! After getting settled in we went to down town Portland and went to a street fair. Saw lots of interesting things!

I really wanted to stop and see what the questions were, but I resisted!

Lame boat ride the kids wanted to go on

This wild animal exhibit was a little scary. The tiger was not happy with the flash from cameras. And we didn't feel the tiger was very well contained behind this wobbly fence. Crazy to see a tiger so close and not be behind glass.

We spent the night in Portland. The kids were bummed that the pool at hotel was an outside one.

The next day we went to the Portland Zoo. There was so much to see, even DINOSAURS!

My kids weren't getting the funny photo idea...

Ahh, attack of the T-REX...

Keaton wasn't feeling normal, I was trying to get that boy excited.

Some of our favorite animals we saw. We also got to pet farm animals, ride a train and much more.

We didn't get to see the whole zoo, but after the train ride the kids were grumpy so we called it a day.

THE COAST

So the drive to coast ended up being a little farther than John thought... but it was worth it! We stayed at a hotel right on the coast. Here is the view from our room:

Kailey and John checking it out

Walking around on the beach and finding shells...

Waves got him!

Writing in the sand is the best!

That night we went swimming in an in door pool which was freeezing...

We all slept great! The next day we went to the Aquarium.

Keaton and Kailey got to touch a real snake.

We walked through a tunnel of sharks. Keaton is obsessed with sharks lately. Here he is again in the sharks mouth... another cheesy photo idea!

After the Aquarium we got lunch and headed home. It was a long drive home. We made it with only one speeding ticket.... John :)

{Kailey starts Ballet!}

2011-09-03T22:12:00.000-06:00

*waiting and watching for class to start....

She did so well! She was disappointed at the end of class when they didn't do any princess turns!

{Grass hopper hunt}

2011-09-03T22:02:00.001-06:00

{This is our back yard}

* Every morning the field behind us has been filled with geese. There are tons of them!*

{First day of school!}

2011-09-03T21:53:00.000-06:00

* Here he is! First day of school. He is totally excited but a little nervous too.

Things to have for school..

*back pack... check!

*Water bottle... Check!

*OSU shirt... um... pretty sure if John wasn't in DC he wouldn't be wearing that! Check!

* Snack and Lunch... check and check!

* The first day of school I took and him and picked him up. It was fun because on the way we got to walk with members from our ward. Defiantly helped both of our jitters.

One of the reasons we chose to live in Pickerington is because of the schools. This area is known for having awesome public schools. I am impressed so far. The school is brand new, and is on a hill that over looks houses. It is very clean. And most importantly they seem to have the best interest for the student at heart.

When I registered Keaton for school here the adminstration called me on the phone after receiving all the paper work and talked to me about Keaton. She asked what his strengths and weakness's are, about his personality, etc. BEFORE placing him in a class! Isn't that awesome?

His teacher this year is Mrs. Lindstedt. I am still practicing her name... haha.

She is so sweet. One of those people who are just nice.
She has taught for 6 years helping in math and reading and this is her first year teaching first grade. I kind of like that because she seems really excited about everything they are doing!

I hope this year is awesome for Keaton.

* First morning on the bus!

* Bye buddy! We will miss you.

* sweet paper and poem he brought home to me the first day.

I am proud of myself for not bawling when he sat down at his desk at school.

{First grade Photo shoot!}

2011-09-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

* We love our little man so much*

He has defiantly taken the plunge from little guy to big kid. He is very out going and does alot more things on him own, like pouring milk and cereal and big kid stuff like that.

He is also becoming such a big helper around the house. I can put him in charge of a lot more things.

Since school has already started I can say that I miss him so much while he's gone. I loved kindergarten for him but am not ready or used to first grade.

He is so handsome!

I am happy I got these taken before his 2 front teeth are gone, they are both wiggly.

{Exploring Columbus}

2011-09-03T21:13:00.001-06:00

We have had lots to do and explore since moving.

Here are some of our favorite things to do!

{Dublin, OH splash-pad}

this is a huge bunny statue. It at the top of a hill looking down on the splash pad.

{1800's working farm home}

this is a barn home that was from the 1800's. Its FREE, and there are people dressed in the clothing from that time and doing jobs around the home so the kids can see how things were done before humans got so lazy!

Keaton was shocked.

{The Jack Hannah Columbus Zoo}

Amazing. Our favorite. Its huge. We have never been to the zoo and seen everything in one trip!

That's okay, because we got passes :)

*Petting zoo in the farm land area. Kailey's favorite. She could spend all day there. You can walk around with the animals and brush and pet them all you want.

*MOOSE*

*POLAR BEAR FEET*
Our new zoo has an awesome polar bear exhibit. You can watch the bears above ground and below. When we went we were lucky enough to see this guy playing in the water with his ball. He was literally jumping up and down right above our heads and diving down and swimming.
John laughed at me because I got startled when he dived underwater. Its a really huge bear in my defense!

{COSI}

Columbus Ohio Science Institute

I can't believe how many fun family orientated things are here.

*Kid Spaces is the best place. Kailey always grabs a baby and shopping cart, then makes the rounds. Groceries, playing doctor, building a house...

* We were extra impressed with all the details that is put into each and every exhibit.

* Keaton showing off how buff he is pulling a car down. Kailey's favorite room the Ocean. Every time we see this room she talks about the Little Mermaid. This statue guy is enormous and looks over the whole room.

* Lastly, this was Keaton's favorite show. COSI also puts on live shows. In this live show the guy demonstrated how to make a cloud. Then all the kids got to go dance around in it and touch it!

The best ever!

Don't worry family far away we are keeping busy and love our new home!

{MOVING}

2011-09-03T20:18:00.000-06:00

All I can say is that when something is meant to be, it will work out perfectly.

Everything went so smoothly with our move to Columbus, OH.

John had almost a month off to help pack, travel, and get us moved literally across the country to OH. I honestly didn't even know where OH was. I had to google it!

Once we figured out when we needed to move by we put our house up for rent on craigslist. The very next morning we had many calls on our home. That afternoon we had our home rented with a 2 year lease to the perfect little family. It was such a great feeling to feel comfortable renting out our home. As they walked through our home we could see them falling in love with it.

Everything with Johns back ground check went very fast and very smoothly.

We knew that this was the right move for our family and felt constant comfort during the whole process.

We found a perfect rental home out here in Columbus. That most importantly was in our price range, in a great neighbor and school distict.

Our ward is amazing out here. The transition has been so easy and amazing.

{The Job offer & 4th of July Trip to Utah}

2011-09-03T20:05:00.000-06:00

The job offer:
* A few weeks before our trip John got a phone call from the NCUA {National Credit Union Administration} to come to Columbus, OH for a job interview. We were so excited for this job because it seemed like a perfect fit for John. We didn't tell any family that he flew out there because we weren't sure if the offer would come.

The week John came home from his interview he got the job.
We were going to move to Columbus, OH!

Utah Road Trip:
* On our way down to Utah John and I talked about the possibilities of us actually moving. I was so excited. I knew if it was meant to be everything would work out perfectly.
Once we got to Utah we settled into our hotel and then went and looked around the temple. It was hott out side!

*The kids favorite part of the night was running around in the fountains that night.

* We went to a local farmers market and the kids got their faces painted! I loved Kaileys it was so pretty.

*After the farmers market we went to watch the ski aerialists practice their jumps. It was amazing to watch. They can really move in the air. I was impressed!

* On the 4th we did the dinosaur museum and drove around to see some different temples.

Kailey was so funny when we saw the huge shark. John was pretending to feed Keaton to the shark and she was flipping out. Such a sweet and caring little Miss. So we didn't get to have a photo of that!

We had fun playing in the sand and water. Kailey and I were pretty proud of the island we built.

We watched fireworks at Sugarhill park. I didn't get any photos :( I think my kids were pretty sick of my camera at this point. We laughed a lot. I am always impressed with my kids during the fireworks show. Pretty sure as a child I was scared of fireworks but my kids seem to enjoy them.

*We got home and John gave his notice at Bailey CPA and then we started the move...

{ Lost hard drive & Update}

2011-09-03T18:36:00.000-06:00

It has been a long while since my last post.

WE HAVE MOVED TO OHIO!

I was planning on catching up tonight on the blog but I can't find my external hard drive that I keep all my photos on. I am really sad. Hopefully it will turn up soon and its not lost forever.

Just so I can remember how many things can happen in 2 weeks.
2 weeks ago John got on a plane to DC, he had a training class for 2 weeks there.
After I dropped John off, I had to take Keaton straight to the doctor.
* Both of my kids had HAND FOOT & MOUTH.... had to be kept in the house til blister in mouth were gone.
* John was in a earth quake and hurricane
* I had 2 positive pregnancy tests - not very exciting- because apparently after a trip to the ER they were false...

Such a fun week...
I am so grateful for my new friends and ward. They have been amazing.

{HEAD STANDS}

2011-06-25T01:49:00.000-06:00

Remember that Keaton was in wrestling?

Well, he saw that his friend Luke could do an amazing headstand.

So for a month this kid was working on his headstand. He never gave up. He even got John and I to try to do them too...

FINALLY

after much dedication and hard work he mastered the headstand! He can hold it forever!

Proud of this little man for working so hard to accomplish things he has his mind set on!

{Happy Easter! 2011}

2011-06-25T01:39:00.000-06:00

Our favorite shoes!

Isn't he a stud in his suit?!

Easter Day was awesome. We had family over for dinner. I made homemade rolls that I was pretty proud of :)

The kids looked adorable. In good moods. Got super spoiled with new swim suits, candy, clothes, flipflops and other fun basket fillers. Their favorite were the movies TANGLED and DESPICABLE ME.

After dinner we got to walk around lake Lowel and we spotted 2 real bunnies. That was so fun.

Then we all came home and watched Tangled together. The kids had been dieing to watch it all day.

It was a happy day!

{Treats and Egg Hunts 2011}

2011-06-25T01:28:00.000-06:00

Easter got here more quickly than I planned this year. I had good intentions to do all these fun Easter crafts with the kids and didn't get to many of them. One thing we did get to do was make Peeps nests. Kind of like rice crispy treats but use crunchy noodles instead... Add a few Peeps and eggs and you are good to go! They were tasty and fun. We had our good neighbor friends come over to "help" us out! After everything was made we even delivered some to others! Yay for thinking of others! :)

My sweet friend Sara invited us to her wards Easter Egg hunt and dinner. Okay, I totally sucked at being a good Mom and friend. First of all, I didn't bring a side dish to the POTLUCK- lame.

Then their were regulations about how many eggs each kid could get, I think the limit was 10 so that there would be enough. Well, since I was late and didn't hear the rules my kids didn't follow the rules, did you see their baskets?

Sara laughed and said we should pretend we are investigators! oh boy...

So on the way to visit the Easter Bunny my kids were so excited. Dancing and singing in their chairs, happy as could be... CAN YOU TELL? Um... not at all. Maybe they wore themselves out? Got to excited to quickly.... who knows!

well over 30 eggs for these two....

{A walk with the ducks!}

2011-06-25T01:07:00.000-06:00

Behind our home we have an awesome green belt packed full of fat ducks. We will walk this path every now and again. Sometimes I gotta admit the ducks are a little to much. They actually chase you and follow you and harass you til they have taken all they can get! It was great to get some fresh air, but still chilly. We didn't last long out side after the ducks ate our bread. Fun while it lasted!

{The Princess and Super Hero}

2011-06-25T00:45:00.000-06:00

So... I am getting super creative with ways to keep my busy body Keaton entertained during his super long springbreak! Today we did dress up. I encouraged my kids to use their imaginations and to play together for once... instead of fighting! They played great a good part of the afternoon. Maybe I should of kept Keaton from flying off the tramp and watching his cape from his 5th birthday party fly in the breeze but it was so funny!

{April Conference drive}

2011-06-25T00:33:00.001-06:00

We usually end up taking a drive the last part of conference. We ended up driving to Emmet this year and picking up John's parents. We drove up to the water dam there. The water level was so high so it was a neat thing to see. After conference was over we walked around and ate our picnic. We of course threw more rocks into the river. Then we drove around to show the kids all the new baby farm animals.

They were really excited to see these cute sheep and all the babies.

What a perfect way to spend the day!

{Skipping Rocks at Lake Lowel}

2011-06-25T00:27:00.000-06:00

Taking the kiddo's to Lake Lowel is one of our favorite things to do when we are all bored. The kids and Dad could skip rocks forever. Keaton is getting the hang of it. Definitely better than I am, lol.

We have been going up there a lot during spring break.

Thanks John for being such an awesome Dad. You are loved!

{Dear Kailey}

2011-06-25T00:17:00.000-06:00

My sweetest Missy Moo!

You are so loved by your family. Keaton, Dad and I simply adore you. You walk into the room and we light up and you make us laugh with such ease. Thank you Miss for making our life so bright and silly each and every day. We love the joy you find in the little things, like pink paint nails, bubbles, ducks, coloring, blow drying your hair. Thank you for helping me to slow down and play Princess's with you. It is often my most favorite part of my day.

You have grown from a toddler to a little girl right before my eyes this last year. You are beautiful. Your hair is light and perfectly shiny, gets longer each day. Some of your favorite things right now include Princess's and your castle, coloring, jumping on the tramp (cautiously). You are much less of a picky eater than Keaton. But you still love chicken nuggets and hot dogs. You love your milk still. Usually drink more milk than food you eat. Now that you are 3, you don't get to have milk in your bed!

As a big girl you are enunciating your words much clearer. You say Keaton's name now instead of Kee-Kee. I love the sound of your voice it is so sweet. Often people comment on how cute you talk.

Dad LOVES when you sing and dance around. I think you have been looking forward to turning 3 so that you can do dance classes.

At 3 you are very dramatic. Your feelings are very tender and even the slightest irritation in one's voice brings you to tears. We are always asking you to talk! Just talk! Tells us what you want!

Your favorite color is PINK

You favorite toy is PRINCESSES

You love all BOOKS - right now Pink-a-licous is the top pick

Your Favorite food - hot dog, milk, yougurt

You love getting your nails painted and your hair blown dry

You dislike talking on the real phone, Princess phones are a different story

You love following Keaton and playing with him. You miss him when he goes to school.

Lastly Kailey, I want you to know that I love you!

Love, Mom

{Someone Berry Sweet turned 3!} Family Dinner

2011-06-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Julie West and I made this cake for her. It ISN'T as cute as the photo I got the idea from. Oh well, I know I am no cake designer. It tasted yummy. Every year we have a family dinner in honor the kid's birthday. We BBQ this year. Kailey was happy to get a back pack from Grandma Cookies, coloring stuff from Uncle Bill and Aunt Marcie, pretty shoes and clothes from Mom and Dad and lots of other goodies. Thank you every one!

{Someone Berry Sweet turned 3!}

2011-06-24T23:34:00.000-06:00

Kailey wanted a StrawBerry ShortCake party for awhile before she turned 3. I was so excited for lots of pink, shabbiness! I think she was pretty happy with the out come too!

This was a special GIRLS LUNCHEON party that we threw while Keaton was at school.

Kailey felt pretty special.

John and I made sure everything was pink, bright and pretty! I made all the cupcake toppers from a kit I bought off Etsy. The gift boxes had a bracelet, strawberry swirled suckers,strawberry fruit snacks and lots of red candies. We also stocked the table full of yummy strawberry treat. Each girl also got a scalloped pillow to take home that was made out of felt! Super easy and pretty cute. All of them got to sit on the pillows during our story and coloring time.

For lunch we had heart shaped PB&J sandwiches, strawberry parfaits, strawberry fruit. We served fresh rolls and salad to the Mom's!

For our Berry Sweet Story time all the girls sat on their pillows and listened to a few stories. They all seemed to enjoy it!

Blow out your candles baby girl! Make a special wish!

Dad and I got here a dress up outfit. Pinkalicious! Let me just say she wore it til the last minute. Even brushed her teeth before taking it off. Savanna helped Kailey get all of her new princess attire on.

{Wrestling 2011}}

2011-05-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

These are the best photos I have from this years wrestling season. Keaton worked really hard at wrestling. His favorite part was playing Sharks and Minnows a game of tag. Once Soccer started he remember that he did much better at soccer than wrestling, and was okay to see the wrestling season end.

{St.Patty's Day}

2011-05-13T22:18:00.000-06:00

When Keaton got home from school he was surprised that the naughty leprechauns had picked on our home. Rooms messed up, things misplaced, AND a shamrock treasure hunt.

They kids followed the rainbow shamrocks to the treasure box filled with 2 smaller boxes of goodies.

For dinner I didn't do the traditional corned beef and cabbage. We made Roman Noodle Cabbage salad, leperchan jell-o and pistachio salad.

Keaton kept asking where the Leperchans had gone, and why they would come to our home.

{Sweet Snuggles}

2011-05-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

Peeking in a sweet sleeping kids is one of the greatest perks of being a parent. I remember when Keaton was younger than Kailey he would sleep with multiple trains lined up in row (OCD)

This night peeking in at our little Miss, we found Kailey snuggling up to her bear bear.

{Valentines Cookie Party and Family Feast}

2011-05-13T22:02:00.001-06:00

These are Pie Pops. I found the recipe at www.ourbestbites.com

That is on of my favorite blogs... Ever!

For our Valentine dinner we had croissant hearts filled with scrambled eggs, heart shaped pancakes,smoothies and strawberries. The kids thought that it was really fun. I did too.

Super rare moment caught on camera. Kailey letting Keaton touch her with out yelling at him!

I love the photo with Kailey, Keaton and John. Kailey loves her Daddy so much.

{Puppy Love Photos!}

2011-05-13T21:43:00.000-06:00

This little Miss Macy is Keaton's best friend! They get along so well. Its so cute! You can tell how much he adores her in these photos!

Valentines Day

2011-05-13T21:29:00.000-06:00

{Show and Tell with BigFoot}

2011-03-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

{Bringin' in the New Year}

2011-03-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the greatest photos from this night, but I had to blog about it because John was so amazing! He decided to set all the clocks ahead in the house.

After dinner we had a bringing' in the new years party.

We watched How to Train Your Dragon, popped pop corn, and made cupcakes. At "11:30" or (8:30 real time) we had a little dance party in our kitchen. Did the count down, toasted with sparkling apple cider and ate cupcakes. We even had party poppers.

Keaton kept saying, "My parents are so good at partying!" and " I am so good at staying up late!"

It was hilarious.

{Christmas 2010}

2011-03-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

To start off the Christmas spirit we had a special visitor Elmer the Elf came to keep an eye on the kids for Santa. Each night Elmer would find a new spot around the house to look after the kids. Kept them on their toes. Not sure if it helped with the behavior, but it was still fun! Each morning the kids would get up and look to see where he was.

Christmas Eve we went to Grandma Norwoods to celebrate with Johns family. Each child got a pillow pet. Kailey still sleeps with hers!

The best part of Elmer was xmas eve night he left a special Reindeer Munch for the kids to toss on the front yard to guide Santa to our house. Reindeer need a snack too! It was cold and windy but the kids had so much fun tossing it into the wind.

We are always spoiled on Christmas day! We ate warm and yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and dove into the gifts, After gifts we packed up and went to Grandma Marys and did gifts again there.

Lastly, Uncle Martin came over Sunday and brought gifts from my side of the Family. Finally Christmas was over. Keaton received his Big Foot from Grandma C that he'd been drooling over. Kailey got lots of princess's!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas too. ( I know its March, haha, but still!)

One thing I want to note for myself. Keaton and Kailey love watching Charlie Browns Christmas. I have never heard my kids laugh so hard. It was adorable.

{ We went to Hawaii!}

2011-03-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Where to start?! Hawaii was amazing! John and I went in the middle of December and it was so fun to see HI in Dec all decorated for Xmas. The palm trees had xmas lights wrapped around them.

Our hotel was fabulous. Ponds over flowing with those cute huge orange fish.

One thing we didn't expect to see all over, CHICKENS! Everywhere we went.

I still wish the weather would have been typical happy HI weather, but hey, RAIN is what you get when you go to HI in Dec. Right?! It rained 2 days out of the 4 we were there. I mean RAINED, as in 6 inches a day, flash floods, no pools opened, Rain. One side of the island was rain forest, the other had the Grand Canyon of HI totally different.

The beaches were amazing.

While we were there we went to a Luau for dinner. The food was so yummy! The dancers were amazing.

The next night we got to go on a dinner sunset cruise. The cruise took us to a side of the island where cars were prohibited, practically untouched. Breath taking views. We saw whales, and dolphins, and sea turtles.

Unfortunately I got so so sick I wasn't able to eat any of the yummy food!

Time goes by so quick on vacation. I want to go back, but it was an amazing get away.

Thanksgiving Day

2010-12-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

We always have a few Thanksgiving dinners. The first dinner we had was at my uncle Martins. I brought some yummy popcorn and spinach salad. Always a crowd please. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos.

The following Saturday we hosted Thanksgiving at our home. It was nice.

The best part was my Grandma Mary coming down from Buhl, ID. We recently lost my dear sweet Grandfather Dennis to alchzemeirs. I know he is more comfortable and it was time. But he will be missed dearly.

I cooked my own turkey this year. YAY for me! Not to be to excited for myself but it turned out so well. I even made homemade stuffing!

Reason for this post:

Cooking a turkey is not as scary as it looks!

{ I am especially thankful for these guys...}

2010-12-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

{The first snow}

2010-12-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

The kids were so so excited to see snow! I wasn't but that's okay!

Aren't they cute?!

Does everyone elses kids automatically eat the snow?

{Fall Photos 2010}

2010-12-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

While John was away I got an bored and decided to update the photos around the house! I really like how they turned out.

{A quick post about our October}

2010-12-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

To kick off October we a spooky dinner, mummy dogs and swap juice. Both enjoyed by the kids. Keaton loves to help me cook and I enjoy his help.

Keaton also had a fall break for school so he was off for 3 weeks. We had fun. One thing we did together was go to the zoo. He loved feeding the goats at the new petting zoo. Kailey didn't like it. She hates to get her hands dirty.

For lunch one day we made monster face pizza's for lunch. I think the kids enjoyed playing with their food.

We had a pumpkin carving party with a couple from our ward. We ate pizza (again), carved pumpkins and drank hot apple cider. The kids were able to decorate cookies while the grown ups finished carving.

Captain Hook and Tinkerbell!

Too cute, right?!

They both really enjoyed wearing their costumes.

We used a paint to black out Keaton's teeth and he kept asking if they were really gone! He is so funny.

We went to our wards Trunk or treat. They had games set up and got a ton of candy.

The next morning Dad flew to NY so for dinner we had a candy feast. By the time the trick or treaters came the kids handed out their own candy!

Fall Soccer 2010 {Thunder Dolphin Lightning Shooters}

2010-10-24T23:12:00.001-06:00

We {LOVE} soccer. Actually, we love Keaton playing soccer. It is always a good time of year to be outside fall or spring. He gets to run around outside 3 times a week. Learns to work with others, hand eye coordination, social skills, I could go on and on... We just {LOVE} Keaton playing soccer.

I requested the same coach from the spring. He really got along well with Laura and her son George. Plus, her little guy Daniel is awesome at soccer and I think it helps Keaton play more competitively.

We had a good run this fall season. I noticed a huge difference in the kids working together, handling the ball, and communicating.

PS to self,cannot find cute pictures with Keaton and his soccer buds. So bummed!

BSU hotel stay 2010

2010-10-24T22:39:00.001-06:00

Looks super yummy, right? We all enjoyed in and gobbled it right up.

Last year Johns mom treated us to a BSU game in a hotel room. If I am not mistaken it was the same day Keaton was officially made a Parsons. We decided it would be fun to keep up the tradition. We went on one of those name your price sites to see if we could get a good deal... long story short we were disappointed and next year will be taking advantage of our Marriott rewards card. We didn't even stay the night!

Ate, watched the game, and left! Kids had fun! Game was really good. BSU won, duh!

Part 2 { Grandma Norwoods Birthday Dinner }

2010-10-24T22:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Mary Lou from all of your family! I know that John has a special place in his heart for you. He often talks about you and how his childhood has is filled with many fond memories on your orchard. He often wishes our kids could have that same freedom to run around in the trees all day! I know you too have a special place for John in your heart. That is one of the things I thought was so sweet about John from my first encounters with him. He talked of you in such a sweet and kind way. Thank you for loving my husband and for taking such great care of him throughout the years!

Looking forward to another fun filled year!

{ Great Grand kids Cole, Jamie, Keaton and Kailey. }

When family comes to town Part One { Hawks Game }

2010-10-24T22:09:00.001-06:00

Keaton is so funny. He didn't watch much of the game but still had a great time.

We bought those donations balls to throw on home plate. Does anyone ever win?

Cole really likes baseball and plays for a school league in CA. He wanted to get his Hawks poster signed. He was so sweet to take Keaton with him. I know Keaton was thrilled to hang out with a big kid like Cole.

Johns Grandmother Mary Lou had a birthday this August. I feel bad because I don't know exactly how old she turned. Mid 80's... Maybe she doesn't want me sharing her age anyway! So for the occasion her daughter Pam and her children flew up to see her. It was a semi surprise. The night before the birthday dinner we all got together and went out to eat at FRIES. I was different. Burgers weren't that good. Then to a Hawks game. We had never taken the kids before. They really liked it. Keaton had a blast loving on baby Jamie. I think Jamie liked him too.
{ I had to post that picture of Kailey at the top because that is SO her these days. She is little miss priss. I can't say I don't LOVE IT because I do. Just thought I'd share. From her sunglasses and bows down to her purse and painted nails she is all girl!}

And he's off!

2010-10-24T21:51:00.000-06:00

Officially riding his bike without training wheels. It happened so quickly! We stopped over at Keaton's buddy Conner's house to pick up Kailey. She was over there so I could volunteer at kinder that day. Conner asked Keaton if he would like to learn on his bike because it was smaller. Keaton hoped on and with in a few tries pretty much had the hang of it. It was amazing!

{ Funny story... Keaton was riding his bike on the side walk and was calling out to me "Mom, I did it! I can ride my bike!" and he few short peddles later he crashed right into the mail boxes! }

He was so excited to show his Dad when he got home from work. We went on a walk to the school up the road and let me ride. He did great!

Homework Box

2010-10-24T21:44:00.000-06:00

For the first few weeks of kinder Keaton had to wear a certain color each day and his homework was to bring in something he made ( colored, painted, etc...) or cut out. The first few days he'd grab a piece of white printer paper and draw a stick figure with a marker. That got boring. So I decided it would be fun to make him a homework box that he could go to each time he had homework. We filled it with all sorts of goodies.

The best part is... He actually uses it!

Hooray!

If you want to make one..

*we picked up this box at walmart in the office supply area

* I stocked up on school supply stuff when it was cheap so I had extra to put in this box

*Stickers to decorate outside of box. I used vinyl letters to put his name on, but you could also use stickers or a sharpie

{ After School Treat!}

2010-08-26T20:12:00.000-06:00

I think they liked it... don't you?

{And he lost it....}

2010-08-26T18:52:00.001-06:00

When Keaton went to school on Monday the 23rd I told him to leave his tooth alone because it was super loose and was going to come out.

Guess what!? It came out at school. He jumped off the bus and he was missing his tooth! I was so bummed that I missed it.

Keaton said that he was talking and his tooth just popped right out in line waiting for the bus.

Seriously, him loosing teeth made me more sad that him going to school. He is officially a big kid. I am so glad that it wasn't a painful experience for him at all. He said his gum didn't even bleed.

When he got home he colored a special envelope to put his tooth in for the Tooth Fairy.

The tooth was so so tiny!

Ps: The tooth fairy brought him $0.50 and a
roll of bubble tape. No judging.

She had to come by after her nightly run and chevron wouldn't give her cash back

.

{ Wiggly Tooth}

2010-08-26T18:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday the 22, 2010 was a weird day.

Keaton woke up sick to his stomach. Couldn't keep anything down. So we stayed home for church. He took a nap. Woke up and felt much better. He decided to eat a peach. As he was eating he bit into the peach a little too deep hit the seed and his bottom tooth became loose. Just like that!

{I was shocked. I really shouldn't of been because the last dentist visit I was warned that his permanment teeth were close to the surface. }

Anyways, He spent the day wiggling and wiggling. Super excited.

Sometimes I would randomly ask, " Is your tooth still wiggly?" Keaton would get excited and say, "Let me CHECK!" and start wiggling it again. Like he hadn't had his finger in his mouth wiggling his tooth all day. "YES! it is still wiggly Mom! Today is my first day with a wiggly tooth!"

LOL this picture just shows how excited he was. " MY TOOTH IS WIGGLY!

Can you tell which one?

He was sad at the end of the night when his tooth hadn't came out when he predicted. He thought it'd be out by jamma time for sure.

Drawing Balloons with Kailey

2010-08-26T18:25:00.000-06:00

One of Kailey's favorite things to do lately is drawing or coloring. We always have markers and coloring books or blank paper out on the table. Little Miss always has marker marks on her hands and everywhere else! This morning I thought she looked especially cute with her princess panties on backwards, bed head and no clothes, just coloring away.

She said she is drawing balloons. Some were HUGE and some were TINY. She has this contagious adorable giggle that she does when she is excited about something.

This morning she was excited about her balloon drawing.

Keaton's First day of school

2010-08-13T22:58:00.000-06:00

Aug 10, 2010

Today was Keaton's first day of school. The night before he got to pick out a pair of special jammies so he could get a good nights sleep before his big day. He woke up way to early . We cooked a special pancake man breakfast with strawberry syrup.

He picked out his own outfit! I think he did great. We got his teacher a little "Thank you in advance" gift. Really easy, super cute. Candy jar filled with chocolate, and these little 3 layer stickers. That's it. She loved it. John asked me if my nose was brown... maybe?!

The morning was smooth with the kids. Well, until Kailey started freaking out because she wanted to go to school with Keaton. We had to make a stop at Wallie World to pick up some stuff, anyways, Kailey dumped an entire kids jug of chocolate milk down her shirt. RIGHT BEFORE we had to be at Keatons school... Great timing... What the?!
So, on Keaton's first day of school, I had to make my little Missy Moo like this.... ( does WT come to mind, anyone?!)

The best part was when one of Keaton's classmates asked me, "Why is your daughter naked?!" Kids say the cutest things... right?!

Here is Keaton getting in line, to go into the classroom....

There he goes!!!

I didn't cry. I SWEAR. I did tear up a little. I think the craziness / nakedness with Kailey distracted me from Keaton. Which probably was good for the both of us. He chose to ride the bus on the first day. Even though I really wanted to pick him up.

I have to say that I feel so good about him riding the bus. There is a boy in his class named Asher that he gets to sit with. The bus driver wont allow Keaton to step off the bus until he literally sees my face. Not my car. I have to be out side of my car before he can come off. Every day at school they give him a name tag and bus number and he gets walked to his bus line by his teacher. Super safe. Love this school!

When Keaton got off the bus he said,

"KINDERGARTEN IS AWESOME!!!"

He is in love with school. Which is so great!

So here is to a great school year!

Can't wait to volunteer and get to be in the class room!!!

After school we had a get together with my neighbors for after school snacks. I made this cake:

Shannah Snell gets Sealed!

2010-08-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

One of my dearest and sweetest friends Shannah got sealed in the Twin Falls temple on Aug 7th, 2010. I was honored to be there. I am so proud of her. She looked so happy.

I loved how many people were there to support her. She has a great family.

Big Boy going to school!

2010-08-07T00:53:00.000-06:00

Clean Happy Teeth

2010-08-05T17:14:00.000-06:00

First visit to the dentist happen today! Play area in the dental office. The whole office was pirate themed and nemo themed!!!

Both kids got the traditional x rays done! Kailey sat so good, the higensist was shocked!

She kept her mouth open the entire time while she switched the film.

watching Nemo up above

No cavities!!! Happy teeth here!

Quality time together at the Zoo

2010-08-05T17:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to the Zoo together. Keaton starts school this upcoming Tuesday. So I want to do some special things with him this week before school starts. The Boise zoo isn't that exciting. They have opened up some new exhibits. Like a farm animal feeding area, and a wallaby walk through. The kids had a blast. The best part for them was feeding the animals. Kailey kept calling them doggies, and the doggies kept kissing her hands.

After the zoo we were all dying of heat so when we went out for ice cream!

Red Fish Camp Out

2010-08-05T16:39:00.000-06:00

Red Fish is one of the most amazing camping sites ever. I am not really a big camper but I love coming up here yearly with my family for a night, maybe two...
This year it was so nice. We all had so much fun. We were just laughing the whole time basically. Even when Keaton decided not to wear his pull up and peed all over his air mattress and had to come and sleep with John and I! We went hiking and fishing, roasted hot dogs and s'mores and reallly enjoy being with one another.

Keaton trying to inch himself up a fallen tree on our hike! He looks like a caterpillar! We need to work on those climbing skills!!! The hike was my favorite part I think. Keaton whined all most the whole time, except on the way down, and Kailey was carried all the way up and down. I really enjoyed it. Thank you Babe, for taking us out on this trip.

Polly Bugs

2010-08-05T16:29:00.000-06:00

Finding rolly polly or "polly bugs" at our home is exciting stuff.

Both the kids jump for joy shouting for me to come and see what they have found.

Keaton loves when they are in a ball. I think he usually throws them in the grass. Kailey loves when they are in a ball as well but gets freaked when the bug opens up to crawl.

I will miss the days when Kailey starts prouncing things correctly. I love all of the things she says that aren't quite right.

For instance

* Polly Bug aka Rolly Polly Bug

* uge aka huge

* my nakies aks when she is not clothed!

* I do it!

* nigh nigh aka bed time blankies

* Vrroomm aka truck

* try again aka when she likes what you or she is doing she will say try again to do it more

there are tons more but she is asleep now and I can't remember!

Kailey Temple Photos

2010-08-05T16:09:00.000-06:00

Things I love about Kailey:

* this girl is funny

*She loves painting her nails

*She talks with an accent ( don't know where she got it from)

* Her voice is the cutest thing

* She is always singing

* Her giggle is so adorable

* She loves her brother and is very kind to him

* She loves to blow bubbles from the bath out of her hands

* She is very girlie- loves her babies, blankets and bow

Kailey gets excited about church. She knows what shoes are her church shoes. We usually paint her nails every Sunday so she can look so pretty. She loves to say the prayer with help. One of her favorite songs to sing is Pop Corn Popping, but she calls it "Pop Corn Chicken" song!

Every time she sees a church building she calls it a Temple!

Kailey you are a sweet girl. She already have the ability to light up those around you with your smile and sweet sense of humor.

Your Heavenly Father loves you very much. So do Mom and Dad.

Keatons Temple Photos

2010-08-05T15:59:00.000-06:00

Things I love about Keaton:

* He has taught me so many things about myself.

* He has the best laugh in the world, its contagious

*When he is sweet, he is very sweet

* He is determined in all that he does

* He wants to be around me all the time

* He is kind to his sister

* He does his best to please those around him

* He is creative

* He still loves to snuggle with me

* The way he draws is hilarious. Very unique stick figures!

I could go on and on. Because of course, I love my little bug.

* One thing I really love about Keaton is that he points out the temple every time we drive by. He is always asking me questions about the gospel and his Heavenly Father . He asks every fast and testimony meeting for one of us to bring him up there. Which in turns helps John and I to remember the things we need to thankful for and express it. He is always reminding me what it is all about. Helps me to see the big picture. I love him for that.

These photos are framed in Keaton's room now. I want him to know that he is a special child of God and Heavenly Father has a very special plan for him.

Hopefully these pictures will help him remember where he needs to be someday and how to get there!

You are very loved by all who know you Keaton!

Ice Cream date

2010-08-05T15:45:00.000-06:00

Dear Kailey,
Today you and I enjoyed a special date together while Dad and Keaton went fishing. We read many books, played up stairs together, and went for an ice cream treat. I think ice cream was your favorite part. On the way you told Mommy that you were going to get a HUGE ice cream and that it was going to be yummy! You picked out the green kind, which was mint chocolate chip. No toppings today. You decided to use a spoon sometime, or other times lick it straight from the bowl. Both entertaining to watch. As I was with you, I kept trying to remember everything you did. You are getting to be such a big girl, with your own ideas. It is very fun to watch you grow and develop into your own self.
On the way home from ice cream you fell asleep. I held you for awhile before I fell asleep too. So we took a great nap together on the couch. Before I dozed off, I was watching you sleep and gently playing with your hair. I was thinking and wondering about what you think about.
I love you so much my little princess. I do cherish the times well spent together. You are my sweet sweet girl.
Love,

Mom

Ward Camping Trip

2010-08-05T15:36:00.000-06:00

This year was the first time the kids and I have ever been to a ward camping trip.

A good friend of mine and I drove up together with her little baby girl. No husbands, just the kids and us. We didn't stay the night. We left right at nap time. The kids slept the entire way there, and we headed back home around 9:30 and again the kids slept the whole way home.

Michelle and I had great conversations on the drive. It was great!

Thank you for going with me Michelle.

The camp grounds were at camp High Cliffs. I think its a pretty popular spot. Of course the big hit was the water slid. That was the only thing Keaton did from the moment we got there til we left.

We enjoyed a super yummy dinner. My dessert dish was nasty and under cooked! Sorry Ward!

I had several nice conversations with other ward members and learned so much!

Thank you to all who were involved!

Kailey went twice. Once with Keaton, and once with Sis.Erickson. She was done after that...

After the water slide she found a friend and stomped in mud.

here is sweet Ava!

Dear new tree in our front yard...

2010-08-05T15:27:00.000-06:00

please don't die

Baby Lover

2010-08-05T15:24:00.000-06:00

Lots of friends I know are having little babies lately.

Keaton is so sweet with little babies. He is always asking to hold them. Always checking on them, finding their Mommies when the baby isn't happy.

It is so sweet as his Mom to watch him be so tender and soft with babies.

Thank you Sara for letting Keaton hold little Zaya!

McCall Trip 2010

2010-08-01T01:26:00.000-06:00

At the end of June through the 4th of July we went up to McCall for two little vacations. I say two because the first 2 days we stayed in a condo with my brother in law and his wife and my in-laws. Does that make sense?! Then the next few days we stayed in my Grandmothers Cabin right out side McCall in Cascade.
We had so much fun staying with everyone in this condo. John and I slept ~~terribly~~ GREAT in a twin bed in the same bedroom as our kid~~s who snore like bears and gnash their teeth. Probably the worst sleep I have ever gotten, EVER. But it was worth it.~~

We arrived to the condo on Wednesday night. Bill and Marcie treated everyone to dinner and cooked Greek Gyros. They were yummy! I have never ate lamb before. I am sort of a picky eater, but I branched out a little and tried it. It was good. Didn't mind it all. The baby fox that was prowling around the back balcony didn't mind us sharing a few slices either!
That night we went for a walk. We covered Keaton in a cloud of mosquito spray. I don't think he got bit. I was so surprised because there were swarms of them everywhere! Ask Marcie, she forgot her spray. Not good.

Thursday was my favorite day out of the whole trip. We rented a jet ski and played on the lake all day. The kids loved it, we loved it. John and I got to go out on the jet ski multiple times together. He definitely was the driver. We tried once with me driving but first of all I am a chicken and don't want to get hurt, and second John can't hold on to me very tight, I am not as anchored as he is. If he went flying so would I, and that isn't fun for me. We even got both of Johns parents out for a ride, and our two little kids. Keaton loved it. Kailey liked it.

We were all exhausted by dinner time. It was a perfect day, That night the adults watched a movie, and then we were out of the condo by Friday morning. One more thing, the last night Keaton got bit by a moquito on the face- ~~are you kidding me?!~~ inside the condo when he was asleep. So the rest of his pictures look so ~~funny~~ fabulous!

Cascade Cabin

I don't remember going up here as a child. Probably didn't. Wish I had though. I have been told that my Dad used to love it up here. We love this little cabin too. It is not fancy. But it is cozy, quiet, and sweet.
The first night we stayed here we went for a long drive up the mountain range across the street. John was on a mission to find a hidden lake. The property up there was amazing. We drove all the way to the very top. We were literally in the snow. John did have success and find a little lake that you would have to hike down to. It was getting dark so we didn't. But for future reference we know its there. On the way down we saw a deer and two moose! It was crazy. We thought we were lucky til everyone else we knew who went up there saw two moose as well. Apparently these moose aren't shy!

The next day was fun because we were able to take Keaton fishing. He got his first big boy fishing pole - no characters- and he caught his first fish that day. The only catch of the day. His face was beaming! Might of been the fish, might of been the swollen eye!

IT'S A ~~TINY~~ BIG ONE!

That night for dinner Tim and Shannah drove way to long to come down from some small town some where for roasted hot dogs. I am so glad they did though. Its always nice to roast hot dogs with good company!

That night we went to Cascade lake to watch the fire works. They were a little to close for comfort. I don't think the people igniting the fireworks were expecting the wind to be blowing. We had hot flakes of fire falling on us and mater shells from the "sparklies" as Kailey called them.

The last day we said good bye to the sweet little cabin and went to McCall for the street fair.

I got these fun pictures of the kids before leaving the cabin

I love this photo of Keaton because he is laughing so hard. Probably at something inappropriate that him or I said... he seriously has the best laugh in the entire world.

(notice his swollen eye!)

Last stop- Jump houses and face painting!

Patriotic Style of course-

I love how creative Keaton was when choosing the thing to have painted on his face. Most kids were asking for ~~LAME~~ red, white and blue flags and stars. Not our boy he picked an Alligator! I think it turned out perfect. I wonder if the lady painting his face noticed his swollen eye?!?

What a fun little get a way we had!

Thank you to all our family!!!

Cherry Festival 2010

2010-07-27T08:32:00.000-06:00

We do a lot of activities in Emmett because that is where Grandma and Papa Parsons are. One thing we do each year is the Cherry Festival.

It is fun for the kids. I will admit that.

It is fun for individuals who like to people watch as well, like me.

This year Kailey was a pill til we got to the rides.

Keaton got to pick out the ride he wanted to go on.

The Ferris Wheel,

Orginally I was asked to go on it. I am not a fan of the Ferris Wheel. I don't feel secure enough in it. I feel like I should have shoulder straps and everything to hold me in the bench.

So John got to go.

here the boys are checking out the ride

Kailey checking out how high the boys were

Kailey got to pick out a ride too. She wanted to go on the cars.

I don't think either of them were to impressed at the end of the ride.

Til next year Cherry Festival.

Playing catch up- Kids Photos

2010-07-11T10:44:00.000-06:00

We've done a lot of rearranging in our home the last few months, and we noticed that ALL of our photos are really out of date.

Here are some photos I took of my kids!

They are so big.

{ Look at Keaton and all his posing, is he being a super stud or what!?}

Playing catch up- Keatons 5th Birthday!!!

2010-07-10T16:04:00.000-06:00

Calling all SUPER HEROES

I had a blast planning this super hero party for Keaton's big 5th birthday celebration!

To start we delivered the invitations personally super "secret" style to most friends. The invites were attached to color coordinated balloons. Keaton had so much running up to the door, ringing the door bell, and jumping back into the car!

John and I set up all the decorations for Keaton's party the night before. We put a special amount of streamers over his room way so when he woke up he had to go through them to get to the living room. We had home made tissue pom balls everywhere. Different super heroes every where, and streamers every where.

hung from our light fixture in the kitchen was his birthday "super chandelier". We had cupcakes and squeeze-its because it was in the middle of the day, big kids only party.

For our super hero party it was training camp. The kids completed the following obstacles to earn their super hero identities,

* super strength- throwing water balls through spidermans web. They earned their capes.

* Good shot- spraying balloons and villains with silly string. For this they earned a power necklace

*Coordination- popping villain bubbles and protecting one another- for this they earned their super mask.

After each Super Hero completed each task they got to have their picture taken.

{thank you Em, it looked AWESOME!}

To give these super heroes a rest we had cupcakes and gifts.

The kids were able to play on the bounce house and trampoline for the remainder of the party.

{thank you Sara for the bounce house! It was a party savor!}

Keaton had a great time and was so happy that all of his best buds came. The kids got creative and played Red Rover! It was hilarious.

{ I have been told by more than one Mom that their kid LOVED the capes so much that they wouldn't take them off. Wore them for days! I am so glad to hear that! }

Thank you every one!

Playing catch up- Preschool Graduation

2010-07-10T14:20:00.000-06:00

This big guy Graduated from Preschool.

(All of my photos from the actual ceremony didn't turn out super well! Kailey was a pill, and I didn't have the greatest spot!)

During the ceremony the kids showed off what they learned such as counting in Spanish, colors in Spanish, rhyming, and the cutest thing- Alpha Rap. Keaton was the first kid in his class to memorize and recite the Alpha Rap! He is great at memorizing stuff.

At the end of the ceremony they wore graduation caps and sang the popular GRADUATION song, you know which one right?

It was so sweet. After that the kids got to have snacks with their friends and then we got to have a play date with everyone at Mc Donalds! Best day ever for Keaton.

That night I wanted to do something a little extra special for this big guy to show him how proud we are of him. So I made him a very special dinner.

Pizza, jello- with strawberries, and juice.

I went to the dollar store and grabbed him him own very special dinner plate, typed up a cute sign, and added some ribbon!

Looks like a happy boy.

I think he likes it!

The surprises didn't end there.

To celebrate the beginning of summer I surprised the kids with their own bag of activities to keep them busy during the summer. The bags had coloring book, bubbles, necklace kits, rulers to color, puppets to color and other things. The both that was really great. Unfortunately all the activities to keep them busy got played with in the first night!

Here are some photos of the kids chasing bubbles!

Keaton learned so many new things at preschool:

*his writing skills have improved so much

* he is reading so much more and able to sound out words much faster

*counting numbers in the right order up to 100 or more

*Rhyming- even if he has to make up his own words

*He learned to interact with children and follow directions very well

* learned about various animals, climates, habitats, and things along those lines

Playing catch up- Preschool trip to the Zoo

2010-07-10T14:04:00.000-06:00

We loved Tiny Tots this year for Keaton's preschool, and we were so glad they had a spot left for him. He was in the same class as two other friends Trey and Tyler. These 2 boys became the best of buds.

One thing I missed about our old preschool in Boise was the field trips we took and programs the kids did.

I was so excited when I heard that Mrs. Des and the kids were going to take a field trip to the Boise Zoo!

The kids had such a great time. Kailey loved this statue of a Komodo Dragon. She was giggling the whole time she was climbing on it.

The teachers took very good care of the kids and very good track of them all too. After a few exhibits they would line all the kids up for a count off, to make sure they were all there!

After walking the entire zoo we met across the street at the park for a sack lunch. It was very fun. We all had a great time.

Playing catch up- Happy Birthday to our Family

2010-07-10T10:10:00.000-06:00

To celebrate our anniversary as a family we had a family birthday party this year. Which I intend to make a new family tradition. The kids and I baked a cake complete with sprinkles, and I surprised the family with a board game that we could all play together. This year it was Apples to Apples. Its strange when playing that Keaton always wins, even though he can't read half the words and has no clue what the words mean.

We each are so thankful to be a family together.

On to Advanced swimming class 2

2010-06-20T16:49:00.000-06:00

Last week Keaton finished up his Advanced beginner 1 swimming class. He loves to swim so much! His Little face with swimming goggles on is hilarious! Love it.

He can hardly wait for his next class

Hello baby Zya

2010-06-18T23:48:00.000-06:00

My dear and old friend Sara { I say "old" because we knew each other back in the singles ward before marriage and all this fun stuff!} had her 2nd little princess last week, and was so sweet and kind to let me photograph her at ONE week old.

This little baby loved her Mommy and her fingers! I got to spend most of my day over with them and it was fabulous. Thank you Sara!

I had to share this last one because Zya was so sick of us waking her up each and every time she had fallen asleep!

Visiting Grandma Mary

2010-06-13T18:50:00.000-06:00

At the end of May I suprised Keaton with a special end of school mini trip to Grandma Marys!

I loaded up the car while he was at school. It worked out perfectly because he forgot his backpack on that day, so I filled it up with lots of fun things to do on our drive over to Buhl.

We love visiting Grandma Mary because she lives right on the snake river. Just farm and land surrounds her home. Lots of dirt to play in, rocks to throw, and places to explore.

Of course, the BEST part for Keaton is getting to play with Bowen and Riley. These boys are like 3 peas in a pod! We always treat these boys to a fun trip to the local bounce house!

We had lots of fun! Thanks Grandma.

Hello Summer, so nice to see you

2010-06-13T00:36:00.000-06:00

Swim lessons year 2

2010-06-12T23:31:00.000-06:00

Yes, we still are alive and well. I do have lots of back blogging to catch up on so I don't forget those little important details in life.

This last week Keaton started swimming lessons. We like to get them over with first thing. However, we always have poor weather. So glad the pool is heated! This day was especially nice. Keaton loved being in the warm water. I should add that this was the ONLY nice day last week, the rest were cold, rainy and windy.

Keaton is in this lesson with one of his best buds, Trey! They are such good buddies to one another. It is very sweet!

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY

2010-04-29T15:03:00.000-06:00

The kids and I are sick of this nasty, rainy, windy and cold weather!

two days in a row we've had some massive hail pour upon our home. We want sunshine, warm weather, shorts!!!

Summer, please come soon!

to end this post with a happy note, I really like this picture snapped of Keaton right before he got soaked from the rain...

{ Happy Birthday to me }

2010-04-29T14:07:00.000-06:00

Since my husband doesn't do the blogging, I am going to post about my happy birthday last weekend. It was a really nice weekend!

{If any one really knows me they know that I loathe birthdays and have since I was a young child. In fact, I remember very well being in first grade and thinking about how awful it is to grow older. I remember running and getting lotion and constantly rubbing it on my face to prevent wrinkles. I am crazy, huh?}

For dinner John and I went to PF Changs. I ate way to much food. I did opt for brown rice to make up for all the other stuff, that was good, right?

{ by the way prom is in full swing this time of year so I got to look at all the pretty girls in their very pretty dresses! I love people watching! }

John also treated me to a Boise Philharmonic Concert, it was tribute to Ballet Idaho. So it was the orchestra paired with ballet. It was so nice.

After the ballet, we went back to one of our (and everyone else s, I am sure) old dessert place, Perkins for pie.

Johns brother Bill and wife Marcie watched the kids for us. The kids had such a great time they didn't want to leave.

THANKS BILL & MARCI FOR TAKING SUCH WONDERFUL CARE OF OUR KIDDO'S!

John ordered me this great purse/camera bag for my birthday! I love it. Can't wait to use it.

If you want to check out the bag, he bought it from HERE

He also got me a gift card to ITUNES, cooked dinner Sunday and bought me this massive chocolate cake!

I treated myself to these super cute cropped jeans from the GAP

{ First soccer game}

2010-04-10T23:13:00.000-06:00

Very First Soccer Game

Today Keaton played in his first official soccer game!

He did great. John and I were nervous that the kids would be running around not knowing what to do but all of the kids did so great. They knew when the ball was out of bounds and everything. We were pleasantly surprised!

Each time Keaton plays he gets a little more aggressive. It is exciting to watch him grow and develop these skills. He didn't want to be taken out of the game.

He made a few goals too! { 3 I think!}

I think he felt comfortable because he was playing against his best bud Ty from school.

It was so cute, Keaton wanted to go say hey to Tyler during a break but he was to nervous to go because Ty was wearing blue and Keaton was wearing green. {he got over it and went over anyway!}

Of rourse the best part of the game today wasn't playing soccer but was the treat that came after!

Thanks coach for sharing with Kailey!

{ pock-eys}

2010-04-10T22:56:00.000-06:00

I want to remember this...

Kailey is very into pock-eys right now aka pockets.

She loves to find Mommies pockets and stick her hands in them. She loves to find pockets in her jeans, coats, shirts, etc and sticks her hands in them.

Her face gets so excited.

"HEY POCK-EYS!"

she'll exclaim with pure joy while sliding her sweet little fingers down deep into her jeans or coat.

Then she will walk around the house in pure bliss, hands in pockets of course.

I love this girl.