Memorial Day weekend...

Sunday at Tiffy's...

We got to spend Memorial Day weekend at Tiffiny's house and can I tell you how much they love to visit her! It was an extra special weekend because Grandma, Aunt Tammy, and Aunt Rachael were also there. They came to surprise Tiff on her birthday and we got to crash the party. It was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of the kids after church! Talia got her "eyes" at nursery and Noah couldn't wait to climb Tiffy's tree! Such a great day!

The birthday boy...

Okay so I lied and I actually did take a very FEW pictures of Noah's birthday party. Here is a picture of the birthday boy and his fishing pole and one of his pirate cake. He wanted a pirate ship cake and I really tried but it completely fell apart and ended up looking more like a shipwreck than an actual ship. So we headed to the store and bought a chocolate cake and he couldn't have been happier!

Noah's 4th birthday...

Here is a video of Noah's 4th birthday party! We were not smart enough to take any still pictures of his birthday so this is only a small part of lots of video that we took. We had a great day! Aunt Ashley and Aunt Tiffy came to spend the day with us! We really appreciate them driving so far to make Noah's birthday special! It is hard to believe it has been four years since this special little boy joined our family. So much has changed but Noah is always a bright spot in any day! We are so grateful for the energy and life that he brings into our family. Happy Birthday Noah! We sure love you!

p.s. the singing is some of our best...trust me...we will be keeping our day jobs!!!

Getting ready to go camping...

Noah got to go camping with his daddy for the first time. They left the day before his birthday and can I just say he was so excited. Noah started asking if it was time to go somewhere around 3:30 and they weren't leaving until 5:30. He asked roughly every five minutes until Nate got home at 5:15. At first I was sad to think that my baby was going to be gone all night...after about a million "is it time to go yet", I was ready to give him a kiss and send him on his way! He packed his own little backpack to take his special things in. He took his blanket, his monkey, some books to read, and some paper and pencils to color with. He had it packed before lunch and was so excited to finally put it on! I think he looks so cute...I wish you could have seen how excited he was! He gave everyone a kiss and hug and then said "come on Daddy, lets go or we are going to be late!" I can't believe he is getting so big!

Getting ready for bed...

Here is a video of Noah getting ready for bed on his camping trip with Daddy!

Fathers and sons campout...

Are we crazy or what...

That's right folks...we did it again! We are expecting another baby! I know what you are thinking...we need a new hobby right? Well, it came as a surprise but we are actually really excited. We had our first doctors appointment and everything looks great. We had an ultrasound and got to see our little squirt and hear its heartbeat. Still pretty cool...even though we have done this a few times before. Our timing is improving slightly as this baby and Aidan will be twenty months apart. Not quite the space we were hoping for but we figured the Lord must have other things in mind for us. Besides...we make really cute babies!!! The baby is Due Dec. 1, 2008 but my blessed doctor is going to induce me two weeks early! HOORAY...nothing better than a shortened pregnancy...especially on purpose! We are really looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for this crazy family! It's a good thing we all love each other because our apartment is getting smaller by the minute. Hopefully we can find a bigger place that we can actually afford! Keep us in your prayers...we can use all the help we can get!

Aidan's first "real" word...

We taught Aidan to say "baby" this week. My mom sent me a picture of my cousin's new baby and Aidan is fascinated by the picture. We told him that it was a baby...over and over and over! Now he can say baby when he sees the picture or any of Talia's dolls! As per Aunt Ashley's request we are now working on "Ashley"...it is a much harder word so I am not sure how it will turn out! We'll keep on trying...

Giving Daddy a push...

Talia said she wanted to swing but what she really wanted was to push Daddy! I think she underestimated the strength it would require to actually do the job!

The music man...

Aidan had so much fun playing with the xylophone at the playground. Check out that smile!

A sunny spring day...

Fun on the slide...

Aidan loves to go down the slide...even though he falls off half of the time! Hopefully you can see the joy on his face, but when he is done he just moves on to the next thing!

In honor of the draft...

I don't really know if this is in honor of the draft or if Talia just wanted to wear the helmet...either way I think it is pretty cute. She was really concerned about keeping the chin strap securely on her chin so she constantly holds it in place!

What teamwork...

We had a road cleanup activity with our ward this past week and the kids had a ball cleaning up garbage...especially Noah! He insisted on pulling this enormous bag to the side of the road all by himself...

It started to get heavy about halfway across the field...of course he can't accept help from Mom or Dad!

Luckily, it isn't too wimpy to let your sister give you a little push!

Talia got bored REALLY fast and so Noah was on his own again! He made it to the side of the road and was extremely proud of himself. The kids had a great time. Noah actually loves to pick up garbage and Talia loves any activity that involves playing in the dirt. Maybe we should get out more...

An "exciting" springtime activity in Evanston...

Noah wisdom...

Today Noah gave me some insight into the difference between night and day! Day is when the dark goes down and the sun comes up! Night is when the sun goes down and the dark comes up! Then when the dark is up it is time to take a bath, get our jammies on, say our prayers and then go to sleep! It was a long conversation that involved a lot of pointing and hand actions! I laughed quite a bit but I really thought the logic was GREAT! He is such a fun kid...the absolute best! How am I going to keep him on the "dark" bedtime schedule in the summer when it is light until 9:00? Hmmmm...

Nice and shiny...

To borrow a quote from Noah...Don't they look "nice and shiny" right after their bath. I love how they look fresh out of the tub...especially Talia's curls! CUTE!!

You can't tell that Aidan has outgrown his pajamas can you???? He is growing so fast!

Update...

Can you believe my baby is one???? Me neither!!!! Aidan turned one on March 13 and it was a fun day! I had great plans for a neat birthday cake and a yummy dinner! So...I made the cupcakes and put them into the oven to bake only to find out that the oven is broken! Super right? So we scratched our plans for pizza and took the kids to McDonalds for dinner! The kids were thrilled! Then we went to Walmart and bought cupcakes. I took them home and scraped off the frosting and then used our frosting to make his little basketball cupcakes. He loves balls and I was going to do baseballs and basketballs but since we had to buy them we decided to just make basketballs. Noah thought they were the coolest cupcakes ever! He always makes me feel better! Aidan was so excited to get his hands on one of his cakes but when he finally got it he wasn't quite sure what to do! He accidentally stuck his finger in his mouth and decided that cake was YUMMY! He is our first child to actually eat the cake after they have destroyed it! He had a great time! After baths, we let the kids "help" open his presents. You would have thought it was their birthday! They were so excited. He got a lot of fun presents and the big kids have had just as much fun playing with them as he has! Thanks to everyone who sent gifts for him...we really appreciate it! All in all it was a great day...even if it made mommy a little sad that he is getting so big so fast!

Aidan's 1st Birthday...

Love that laugh...

Here is our birthday boy just before we hosed him down! His laugh is the absolute BEST! He had a great birthday...can't believe he is so big already!

The "Almost Birthday Boy"...

Nothing make me smile more than Aidan's toothy grin! I love the way his little nose scrunches up when he laughs. I can't believe he is already a year old! Where does time go?

Indoor baseball...

The kids love to play baseball. Unfortunately it is too cold in Wyoming to go outside so we play in our living room...DANGEROUS!!! Noah is too into action to stop and pose but Talia has no problem in that area! Too cute!!!

So handsome...

I am sure I am somewhat biased but I think this boy is definitely one of the most handsome boys I know. I love his smile...it lights up his whole face! Precious!!!

Girl time...

Talia and Grandma got to spend some quality time together! Pretty cute girls!!

Just plain cute...

Aidan really likes to sit in the bucket. Not sure why...but just plain cute!

Princess Talia's Birthday...

Aidan's first pony ride...

Aidan got his first ride on a horse with Grandpa! I think it is only right that he learns from someone who really knows what he is doing. Glad the horse was easy to control...Aidan is still pretty little!

Big head...

Noah insists on wearing this shirt which he got two...count them TWO...years ago. He loves this basketball shirt! The only problem is that his head has become too large to fit through the neck hole. Being the independent boy that he is, he wouldn't let us help him get his head out. Although it is amusing watching him try, I think we will definitely retire this shirt!!!

Lucky to be alive...

I honestly had to take a breath and count to ten more than once so that I wouldn't kill her. The pile of clothing is the equivalent of EVERY drawer except for the last one that is only half empty. She thought it was loads of fun and was very proud of the pile she made. I guess that is what I get for not checking on her when she got too quiet!!

Pre-bedtime ritual...

We have found that if we let Noah play video games with Daddy before bed, we can bribe him to do almost anything. He LOVES to play especially when he wins...check out that smile! That is pure JOY!!

Marshmallow mouth...

Add marshmallows to the list of Noah's favorite things...along with chips and chips and more chips!