Our Family Blog

Family reunion...oh yeah we traveled..a lot.

2010-08-10T11:23:00.000-06:00

So we traveled, again, to Colorado Springs, CO. I had been planning a family reunion for two years. We were supposed to have it last summer but my sweet grandfather Reuben passed away suddenly and so the whole thing got postponed. So this summer was the summer and my family is so great and so much fun that I think we all, despite being weary travelers, had a ball!

Jassie Singin' away...so cute!!

We discovered Micah could belt it! Amazing!

Mary...so funny!

A little tired...

He makes sure he has the blond squad around him always.

Grandma the Great and Micah

Funny cousins!

Kristen, Erin, Ashley, Brenda

Outside the Glen Eryie Castle

Esther, Bob, and Eunice

Jassie, Brielle, and Ruthie

A whole lotta cousins!

He turned 9...

2010-08-10T10:54:00.000-06:00

Well I am way behind in my blogging but at least I am getting it done at some point...right? Hahaha! I know excuses excuses! We last month Micah turned 9...oh man that is hard to type and say. He will be a 3rd grader this year, which is another thing that chokes me up. I can't believe my sweet feather-haired baby is a big boy.
So for his birthday we decided to have a backyard water party which basically equates to a bunch of boys (and one sweet girl) running around like crazy people. The day started out with a swim meet and my Mom came up to help with watching girls and containing the chaos. It was a great day...

Micah is the one in the middle with the cap.

The birthday crew!

Decorating cupcakes!

Whole bunch of candles in 2 small cupcakes!

He begged to clean up the streamers...

Birthday boy enjoying some of his loot.

Dear Micah,
Wow nine years seems like a breathe, a fleeting moment I would like to rewind and hold you a little bit longer. I wonder when the last was that I did pick you up? What a handsome, funny, smart, young man you are! I love to watch you talk about your Savior and see the heart you have for telling people about Him. You are so amazing and your dad and I pray that your hunger for knowledge and a deeper relationship with Him only increases. You have this incredible knack for drawing people in, I am amazed at the amount of kids who stop by our house so anxious to play with you. Amazed, but not surprised because you are so fun! We love you Micah and I hope I can remember to slow things down and snuggle with you a little longer. We love you so!
Love,
Mom and Dad

Adventures ahoy Part 2!!

2010-08-09T22:31:00.001-06:00

Forth of July was a bittersweet day for me. I loved having Brad and the kids together and my dad's house but I also knew the next day we were going to have to leave, however making the best of it is easy to do when kids are around so we did...Micah and GrandPaul started the day by putting up the flag out of all my kids, Micah has a connection with this country's history, so it meant a lot to him to be able to put the flag up with my dad who is an Army guy.

The rest of the day was filled with water slides (as previously seen in the other post), boat rides and food. Of course everyone under 5 foot tall was very anxious for sparklers...they had a blast, well bad choice of words they had a ball!


GrandPaul handing out sparklers, notice all hair is pull back into ponytails.


She needs a little help keeping that sparkler a safe distance away.

Family and friends partaking in 4th of July festivities.

The night ended with a few mosquito bites, a lot of fire works, and a great tribute to our troops with a lantern. I was too busy staring at it to get a picture but it was beautiful!

The next day we were on the road for our trip across North Dakota to Montana. Our main stop was at my grandparents house and my Uncle John was there visiting so seeing him was definitely a bonus.

It was so good to see the three of them, hopefully next year we can stay a bit longer...

After time at Grandma and Grandpa's house we left for Grandpa Wes's home, we were definitly anxious to get out of the car...


Are we there yet?!

We got to spend to spend 4 days with Wes and we had a blast. Starting with a birthday party for Micah and me, it was fun and Brielle and Ruth loved having little cousins around.

Cate, Ruth, Brielle, & Macy

Going down to the river

Grandpa making sure Ruth's head was not in the line of fire.

4 Generations, Brad's Grandma Dorothy

Adventures ahoy!!

2010-07-22T00:17:00.000-06:00

Well our second annual road trip to Minnesota has been taken. I was a little nervous driving by myself and the four kids for 1500 miles, but they were amazing and it took us two and a half days of driving to get to my dad's house.

We are on our waaaaaaay!!

This was the first potty stop of many, but I made the kids run a few laps to get all the wiggles out...they make everything so much fun!

Our first night we spent with our good friends Ted, Jess, and their two boys Chase(3) and Treven. They were gracious enough to let us invade, because with four kids at your house it's more of an invasion than just staying over, and they feed all of us too! We were so grateful and had a lot of fun visiting with them.

Micah and Treven

Ruthie, Christian, and Chase

Ted taking on swing pushing duties

Beautiful Jess

Cute boys!!

The next day we made it to Bismarck, ND. We stayed with Mark and his wife Sue and I could kick myself for not getting any pictures of them, because also there was Evelyn, my grandfather's sister and her husband Milton. They are so dear to me and I loved chatting with all of them. So the pictures I did get were at the Bismarck Zoo...we had a great time, well most of us...

Ruthie did not want to walk and I did not want to hold her so she went to her big brother for help...

We ended our zoo trip at the farm animals. I normally do not take pictures of animals but this little guy was irresistible!

Then we were off to GrandPaul and GrAmy's house! Of course as soon as we got there playing, not resting, was on the kids agenda, and so the fun began!

GranPaul put together a monster slip n' slid down a hill, needless to say it was one of the favorite activities of the week...

Ready to gooooooooooooooo!!!

We spent sometime at the lake too. These pictures are from a couple different days...ahhhhhh summer at the beach!

Micah, Elise, Christian

Reid & GrAmy

GrandPaul & Reid

The kids got to go fishing as well and by kids I mean those big enough to be on a pontoon in the middle of a lake and not be a hazard to themselves. The fishing was good and the kids loved it!

Getting ready to load more fish on the hooks!

It was a little too windy to fish on this day...poor babies!

Fish were not the only thing caught on this trip...

On the 3rd of July Brad was able to make the big drive up to Minnesota to be with us for the 4th, so we were able to show him all the fun things we had been doing....including the water slide.

Micah getting a fly run at it...

GrandPaul and Brielle going!

Ruthi and Daddy taking their turn...

I have decided since I have a lot of trip left to show I will make a part two.

To be continued...

She's 3....

2010-06-12T22:54:00.000-06:00

Well Brielle turned 3 today, and she has been so excited as you can see...

We had a visit from my mom so she was able to give Brielle her birthday present from her and papa, needless to say the present was a big hit with both the girls and I think secretly the boys wanted to get into the action.

Dora anything is a big hit in our house right now and Dora dress-up clothes are a ton of fun! The kit came with little plastic high heels and Ruthie did not want to take them off, even though Brielle tried talking her into giving them up. ;)

We had a small family party for Brielle after supper. We had Brielle sit on the couch and cover her eyes because her first present was too big to wrap.

She really liked her Princess Castle kitchen, and of course so did Ruthie.

We also got Brielle a princess scooter, but Ruthie kind of took that over too, so pictures of that will come later.

I usually decorate the cakes but Micah asked if he could decorated this one. I was very tired so I obliged. the result was not too bad...

The following was of yesterday when Ruth was helping me bake the cake. She is very fond of the cake batter and also really like powdered sugar, yum!

Dear Brielle,
Mommy and Daddy cannot believe you are 3! What an amazing girl you are! You loved to make us laugh and you are always saying: "Mommy watch this!". You love to talk and ask questions. When we are in the car you cheer if I roll the window down for you. You call slivers, "sliberts", spiders, "piders", toilet paper, "paper toilet", swimming suit, "swimming soups", and airplanes, "highplanes".
Our prayer for you is that you continue to blossom in your friendly outgoing ways (like waving to people in the grocery store) and that your bravery would take you far. We pray for your compassion to deepen and wisdom grow. We ask God to give you such a desire to make Christ lord over your life that when people would see you they would know there was something different about you and you would be able to show them who your Creator and Savior is.
We are so thankful for you and your sweetness! We love you so much Tulha!
Mommy and Daddy

Sunday funday

2010-05-18T15:10:00.004-06:00

Sunday was a great day. We went to church, and came home, had lunch and the boys asked if they could get out the slip n' slide. It was so beautiful out there was no way we could say no, so we help them get set up. Before Brad and I knew what we were doing we had the whole family in their swim suits in the backyard and...fun ensued!

The following is the end result of Brad sending the girls down the slip n' slide...they were not too keen on the cold water.

So of course since the kids were going down the slip n' slide they were begging me to do it. I told them if daddy went I would go, I am not sure what I was thinking. Brad happily went down the slip n' slide, even though the weigh requirements said that he should not go. Secretly I was hoping he would break it so I would not have to go, yes I know that is selfish, but slip n' sliding is not my idea of fun. He did not break it and so I had to go, because I am a woman of my word...the fun was caught on camera.

Thankfully I did not break it either...whew!

I noticed while we were all having fun the dogs had different feelings about the water. Solomon had a great time watching us laugh and splash.

I love that he looks like he is smiling.

Esther was on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. She does not want to be around any of us when water is in play, especially Brad, and the kids too. ;)

Hiding under the grill cover.

Christian helping Ruthie walk through the slip n' slide, Micah and Brielle cheering her on.

I was able to get some great shots of the kids before all the playing was over.

We ended the day with ice cream before supper and needless to say it was a hit with with kids, although sweet Ruthie had a hard time enjoying it because she was soooooooo tired.

We came home to a beautiful double rainbow off our back porch. The kids were so excited to see it, but my little Ruthie was the happiest...

Ruthie making sure everyone knew where the rainbow was.

Off to the races!!!

2010-05-15T14:02:00.000-06:00

Friday was an exciting day for our two boys. They had their mini-track meet and were both looking forward to competing. It was a beautiful day, perfect for long jumping, jump roping, basketball shooting, bean-bag tossing, and race running. Brad and I are proud to say that the boys did absolutely amazing! They both came in second in the race for their age group...they raced against a lot of kids!

Unfortunately neither one of the boys thought it necessary to comb their hair all the way...

The nice thing about the track meet was there was a big play ground, and while Brielle had enough of the slides after awhile Ruthie didn't stop the whole time we were there!

Brielle needed to "take a break", from what we do not know, but she found things to do...

Micah on the ropes, he did a great job.

Christian made 3 out of 5 shots on the hoops, he let me know that it was the most in his class.

I like this shot because you can see the ball in the shadow getting ready to go in the hoop.

Christian had one of the highest jump counts for his age group, he was very good!

This is Christian's race, he is in the green shirt in the middle.

Here is Micah running the final leg of his relay, he was able to bring his team from last place to 4th place, he can really move!!

2010-05-13T16:30:00.004-06:00

Christian's birthday was a month ago and we celebrated, but it is just taking me till now to get this posted. He decided he wanted to go to Skate-land, I of course was secretly dreading Skate-land. I asked him if he wanted to go bowling, he said no. Movies, nope. Out to dinner? Not a chance. So we got a sitter for the girls and took off.

We got there and Skate-land truly lived up to everything I thought it would be. Stinky musty air smell, really dirty carpets, germ filled skate rentals, I dared not look in the bathrooms, and we did not get a snack from the concession stand. No we picked up our skates and as fast as they could the boys were on the floor. When I saw Christian's face I knew why we had come:

Micah of course was in skate heaven too! He likes to go as fast as he can and is pretty good at it, I was just worried he was going to smash into someone! He didn't, but there were a few close calls.

Not really sure what happened here...

My boys enjoying their skating time. Brad started out with roller blades and then decided to switch to old school roller skates. There were a bit hard to navigate on then he remembered, but I had a lot of fun pretending I was going to push him down. Muahahahaha!

After skating we went to Dairy Queen. Everyone got their own Blizzard and we all agreed that at that moment it was better than cake! Yum!! What a great way to end a very happy 7th birthday!!

Dear Christian,
You are growing so big! I cannot believe you are 7! Did you know that the day you were born you would not cry for the nurses? You wanted to take a nap! You were the sweetest baby and that sweet spirit is still with you today. You make your daddy and I so proud! You are a giver, a sharer, a helper, an athlete, a hard worker, and a boy who loves Jesus! You are amazing! Our prayer for you is that you hold on to your faith and follow the incredible path God has laid out for you. We know that you are going to do big things for Him. We pray you grow as big and tall as you want to be and you become who God intends you to be.

Love Mom and Dad

Busy busy people...busy everyday!

2010-02-21T21:57:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted something on here! We have been running like crazy people, although I must admit I have never seen a crazy person run, but I imagine it is...well...crazy. Christan is in basketball and is doing so well! He is coach-able, to a fault, and because his coach told him to not shoot and steal the ball he won't. We are currently in the process of trying to reverse this way of thinking, but it is not easy. He is playing through a Christian league called Upward. I think the coach thinks that because we are Christ centered we should never steal the ball and we should always pass. I am not in agreement with this methodology. I want him to be a team player and I want him to go for it. So with his last game approaching we are dropping hints that he just needs to play how he knows to play...fun and hard. We'll see if it works!

Christian

Christian is the only one in green.

Last weekend Wes (Brad's dad) came for a visit. It was so nice to have him here for a few days, although my insides hurt because he took us out to dinner every night...I'm not complaining, I love to cook but if someone wants to spoil me I will let them. We had a wonderful time and miss him already!!

Ruthie made a HUGE mess!!

This weekend my mom, Julie and my grandma, Eunice came for a visit. It was so nice to have them here.

Saturday night Brad, my mom, my grandma, and the boys went to a close family friend's basketball game. We had a blast and his team won!

BJ was high scorer for the game and played so well!!!

I am including some random ones of the kids...Enjoy!

Oh Christmas Trip! Oh Christmas Trip!

2010-01-02T19:55:00.001-07:00

This years Christmas was spent in Montana! Brad's brother Brian and his wife Barb surprised Brad's dad by making the big trip up from Florida. We arrived a few days later. It was a long haul for us as we spent 14 hours on the drive up, but it was go to finally get there, despite the cold. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Brian took the boys out for a little sledding on the first day. It did not last long because it was 10 below but they had fun anyway!

Lots of time was spent in out Pj's, we definitely had our far share of relaxing days!

We are hoping someday to have a State Champ girls basketball team. Four of the players can be seen below and they all come from the same family!

Ruthie(forward), Macy(Point), Brielle(Forward), Cate(Point)

Brielle decided the she needed to sleep with the boys, we were pretty sure it was a bad idea but when we went to check on them we found this...

Christmas Eve was beautiful! We went to church, enjoyed a great meal, and then opened presents. I was so busy trying to get the meal together I forgot to take pictures of Chet (Brad's great uncle) who is 94 and his son Loren. We were thrilled to have them with us and had so much food it was go to have two more people to feed.

Brian and Barb

The present of the night was the Wii that Grandpa Wes, Uncle Brian, and Aunt Barb gave our family, the faces below tell the story...

The rest of the night was full of great presents as well...

Santa came for a visit but the kids woke and opened all the presents from him before I could take pictures. He did eat the pumpkin pie we left for him though.

The rest of the trip was full playing with the Wii and outdoor adventures.

They did not ride them alone...ever.

The girls watching the boys on the snowmobiles.

One of the nights Brad had a class reunion, we went and it was really fun catching up!

Becky and Brad recreating their prom photo.

I had a little a little reunion of my own and ran into two classmates that I had in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Me, Phil, and Kendra

All too soon we had to say goodbye to Brian and Barb...we miss them a lot!

Brad's friend Morgan brought his family over for a visit! Lots of fun hanging out with them and their kiddos!

Notice all the stuff in their hands...nobody wanted to sit still.

On our last night I decided I better shoot the gun I got for my birthday a couple years ago, however it was cold outside, 20 below so we shot out the garage window...classy? Yes it is.

Wes was shining a light on my target.

Live Nativity

2009-12-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last night the boys had their Live Nativity at their school. Micah was a solider, that looked like a rooster and Christian was an angel, same as last year. It was a sweet and beautiful show that again captured the preciousness of the birth of Christ. I was only able to get a few pictures of the boys because Micah took off with his friends. The boys did a great job and had a lot of fun so did the girls and Brielle made sure to cheer after almost every song.

Cookies...for the glory of God?

2009-12-08T22:39:00.001-07:00

I made cookies tonight, for all the wrong reasons. No I did not make them so I alone could eat myself into a sugar induced coma, although I would like to put that on my bucket list. I made them because a mother from my kid's school probably thinks I won't. Let me start at the beginning. Over a month ago I was chewed out by a mother of my son's classmate in front of a group of people because I did not help out with the boy's school fundraiser. I tried explaining to her that I had four kids and I was going to school and really at my full capacity, but I was accused of saying my time was more precious than hers. I won't go into detail but the experience was to say at the very least humiliating. *Side-note* Brad helped a lot the night of the fundraiser and told more than one person to grab him or I if extra help was needed, this was not taken into consideration.

Anyway since then I have had run-in's with the Mom and her associates I know I am making it sound like she is apart of the mafia, she is not, however I have gotten the cold shoulder and been ignored on several occasions by several people in regards to this situation. Did I mention my kids go to a Christian school? Oh yes apparently God's Amazing Grace only covers those who help out. Can you tell I am still hurt? I have really been trying to lay this whole situation to rest but it became abundantly clear to me tonight that I am not trying that hard. That's where the cookies come in, and also a swift kick in the pants from God, it did not hurt...well maybe my pride.

These cookies are for the boy's school Live Nativity. So I started making them tonight and as I was making them I was daydreaming about showing up with my perfect cookies and acting sweet and humble in front of this certain person so she would feel guilty about treating me bad. I even had a sugar coated southern accent to make myself seem sweeter. I felt as though I heard a whisper that said; "You can act humble and sweet but if that's not in your heart, people WILL see through it." I choose to ignore that piece of advice and continue on to my next daydream about getting into a fight with her...yes I fight with people in daydream. I know I'm not the only one. And yes I know it's crazy, but sometimes therapeutic and I tend to clean a lot during these arguments. So back to my argument I was just about to give her what for when the whisper came back to me and said: "Why are you making these cookies anyway?" That stopped me. I looked at my boys having so much fun helping me and I realized I had missed out on the fun with them because of my daydream fights. I also missed the whole point of making the cookies. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 I was to make them for the glory of God, not the glory of myself. Making cookies for God's glory may seem dumb to some, but for me it lessens my propensity to be prideful.

After my revelation I made the rest of the batch and they turned out perfect...all of them I did not burn a single one, amazing. I will bring them to the school on Friday, happily, humbly, quietly, and for only He who delights in me.

I made more than four, but I just wanted to show how pretty they are.

6 months later...

2009-12-05T14:06:00.002-07:00

Ok it has occurred to me that I have not updated this in waaaaaaaay to long. I would like to say I was out saving lives, but I really wasn't, however technically because I have toddlers I was. I would also like to say that I was becoming a world traveler and taking my kids on culturally enriched excursions, but I wasn't. No I have been putting this off for sometime simply because I have been overwhelmed. So I am going to get caught up from here on out...hopefully.

Christian, Micah, and their best friend Simon.

10 family events since last post:

1. The kids and Dannielle drove to Minnesota to visit GrandPaul, GrAmy and kids.

2. Dannielle and kids drive from Minnesota to Stanley, ND to visit Grandma and Grandpa V.

3. Solberg Family Reunion at Fort Peck

4. Dannielle's Grandpa Reuben (kid's called him Grandpa the Great) went to be with Jesus...bittersweet.

5.Ruthie turned 1!!!

6. Dannielle started school

7. Brad started school on-line

8. Christian started Kindergarten

9. Micah started 2nd grade

10. Thanksgiving in Boise with Grandma and Papa(Vachal)

A date, a watcher, and a small harvest.

2009-06-17T11:03:00.001-06:00

Brad and I went out on a date on Monday. The kids and myself are going out of town for 3 weeks so Brad and I are trying to steal all the moments we can, it's not easy. We went out to dinner and talked about plans for the future, how time is slipping away quicker than we realize, and where we would like to be years down the road. Of course I started talking politics and Brad listened quietly. He's pretty good about letting me have my say.

Waiting for our fajitas to arrive!

After dinner we walked down to the canyon. We've lived here for two years and had never really gone to look at it. It really is amazing! I got some pictures of us by the bridge that goes over the canyon.

We don't get many "couple" pictures.

The other day the three "big" kids were playing outside and I started to hear Ruthie squeal. I thought maybe one of them had let her out. When I walked to the back door I found her watching the older ones play. I know that she wanted to be out there, but she also seemed very content to be watching from the safety of the indoors. In here there are no dogs trying to lick breakfast off her face, and no kitties trying to rub on her and play with her hands, (they get a little rough), and no scary chickens walking over to her to see what she is. She stood there for quite some time and would occasionally scream and coo. Micah and Christian caught on and started preforming for her, she loved it.

Awhile ago I showed posted the garden we planted. Well everyday since that day Christian has checked it to see if anything has grown. Of course it's been torture because he can't understand why plants aren't producing right after we put them in the ground. Well the day of harvest finally came! Two strawberries were ripe and ready to go. First thing this morning he was up at 7:30 going out to make sure they were still there. As soon as I got up he was asking me if we could go pick them. I used his excitment to my advantage and gave him some chores he had to finish before we picked the fruit. I've never seen him work so fast! Micah, Christian and I went out to the garden and they plucked the small, but ripened strawberries. They were so proud! We came in and washed them off and the boys goobled them up, in one bite of course. If two small strawberries were this big of hit I can't wait to see what happens when the tomatos ripen.

I had to throw this last one in. Ruthie fell asleep while Brad was working on the computer...what peace she finds in his arms!

Brad's surpise party!!

2009-06-16T21:06:00.003-06:00

I invited a few friends out to dinner and a birthday party for Brad, of course he knew none of this so it added to my excitment. I had our friend Dan pick brad up and bring him to the resturant. Brad had not one clue that we were there.

Terry & Jay

Monica, baby Macy, and Kami

Jen & John

Susie, Brielle, & Stacey

Kami & Dan (my helper)

Marcus & Amber

After the party we went to La Fiesta for a margarita and adult time. Brad got the La Fiesta "kool-aid" a very gross, very alcohol filled drink. He also got a beard of whipped cream. (see below)

Marcus was also included in on the fun!

It was a wonderful evening! I love celebrating my husband who is a helper with the kids and around the house. I know that I am not always great at telling him but I do appreciate all he does!

A little time.

2009-06-12T11:56:00.001-06:00

The kids are eating lunch so I have a little time for some actual word blogging and not just pictures. We seem to be so busy lately and yet at the same time I feel like I get nothing done, it can be a little defeating at times. :)

Today is Brielle's birthday, she's two and I'm feeling like she can't be that old, and at the same time that she's been with us always. Brad stopped at home for lunch and brought her a My Little Pony doll. Upon recieving it she said: "Ooooo a horehee!" She really likes opening cards and gifts. We are not having a big party for her this year because let's be honest, she doesn't have a clue what's going on, and forgive me, but she won't remember it anyway. I know the boys got way bigger parties at this age, but looking back I probably should have scaled back, well better late than never.

Ok I know she look like a feral child, but it is her birth day and she wanted to "pay" (play) outside. So she is covered in dirt, but at least I got her nose wiped...kinda.

Tonight we are having a surprise party for Brad's 30th. I think he might know, but he is being gracious and allowing me to think that he doesn't. Either way I'm looking forward to it. I made him a dinosaur cake lovingly titled: "You're old...like a dinosaur".

On a heavier note I am asking for prayers for Brad's cousin. Out of respect for her privacy I don't want to go into detail, but she has a heavy heart and I know that the Lord is the only one who will be able to restore it. She is a wonderful, sweet woman and I know that right now she needs prayer warriors. If you call or e-mail me I will give you her name so you can pray for her by that, but God is pretty big so I'm sure if you said Brad's cousin He would know. :)

I'll update tomorrow with party pictures and stories!!

Rain, rain, here to stay...

2009-06-10T18:18:00.000-06:00

We have had a lot of spring weather these past few days. The heat left and the cool came for a visit. The kids have been having fun playing in the rain so I got a few pictures of them outside. The only tears that were shed were when Brielle walked through the rain that was coming off the roof onto the porch. We also had a great rainbow right outside our door. Micah begged us to go look for the end of it. We tried to explain why we couldn't, but he didn't believe us.

Brad and me after he got home from basketball.

The boys in the rain

If you look closely you can see it's double rainbow.

That rain is a little cold.

It's better with a rain coat.

We are watching our friend's cat for awhile, but I'm not sure they are getting him back. Brielle and him have become close friends and now he follows her where ever she goes. She loves him and the fact the he doesn't bite or scratch her is even better!

Brielle got a new dress for her 2nd birthday from Grandma Julie. Yes we opened it a little early! :)

This morning we met my Mom for breakfast at McDonalds. She was on her way to Montana and we were happy to steal a few moments.

Brielle telling Grandma how great the food is.

She just dumped her hashbrown on the floor.

Grandma and the kids

An add on...

2009-06-05T09:35:00.001-06:00

I forgot I still had these pictures in my camera. These are from Crystal's graduation party. Of course I failed to get a picture of Crystal, but I got some great ones of the kids, great-grammie and great-grandpa.

Ruthie and Grandpa Burt really liked snuggling.

Me, my grandparents, and the girls

Great-grammie and the girls

For Christian's birthday my mom got him a two man tent. Last night the boys told us they wanted to camp out in the backyard. Brad and I thought for sure that they would get scared and come in at some point in the night. They are a lot more brave than we gave them credit for. They were asleep by 11:00pm and didn't get up till 8:00am! Both said they never got nervous. I was very proud, and sleep deprived because of course I worried about it more than they did. They are now asking me if they can sleep out there again tonight...storms in the forecast so we'll see, but I have a feeling there will be a lot of backyard camping this summer.

Proud campers!

Perfect size!

Goofy boys.

Up and running...finally!!

2009-06-04T15:39:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get these posted! I was having technical issues! We have had a lot going on since I last posted pictures...I'll try catching you up on everything.

Christian came running into the kitchen and told me Ruthie had fallen asleep with a book on her face. This is what I found in the living room.

That same week Miss Brielle decided to fall asleep while watch cartoons...

I got these of the boys and Ruth one morning before school..

Before school got out Micah had mini-track meet he was in.He was pretty excited about it, and even more excited to be running a relay with the bigger kids (2nd graders) because they didn't have enough runners and he was the fastest in his class.

Long jump!

Basketball

I planted a garden this year and had three great helpers! Christian, Gabby, and Micah It looks great and we hope to be feast soon! Christian checks eveyday to see if we have veggies. :)

These next batch of pictures are ones I snapped of the kids. I really like all the ones of the girls.

It's a loving choke-hold...I promise.

Shut your mouth when you're talking to me!

Best friends!

These were taken at Marilyn's house (Brad's great-aunt). Joshua graduated from high school so we had a family get together. It was great getting to meet more family and getting caught up with Sue and Marilyn.

Ruthie singing in the yard.

Joshua (the graduate) and the kids

Marilyn and Jerry (Brad's 2nd cousin)

A wrestling match broke out in the backyard, so of course at some point Brad had to join in. Josh gave him a run for his money.

The fellow on the ground is Josh's older brother, Joseph

The whole family!!

My grandparents were in town for my cousin's gradution. They hadn't been here in a year so quite a lot had changed!

4 generations!

Eggs, cake, and dancing

2009-04-26T09:28:00.009-06:00

Hello again! What a beautiful Easter it was this year. We went down to Boise and stay with friends(the Moore Family) on Saturday night, and then went to church and met up with my family. The girls were in matching dresses with flowers in their hair and the boys had matching shirts. When we got back from church we told the kids the Easter Bunny had set up an Easter Egg hunt for them...Brielle wasn't fully aware of what was going on until she saw some pink eggs "hidden" just for her. They all had a blast! As usual it wasn't enough time with Grandma and Papa...we always want more, but we enjoyed ourselves!

Papa and 3 of the kids

Ruthie slept through the big hunt.

Micah fillin' up the bucket!

Christian on the move.

Brielle on the hunt!

Grandma Julie (my Mom)

Papa and silly Liz

She talked Papa into helping her look.

My hunny and me.

All the kids!

Brielle and Mary watching the squirrels.

The next couple pictures are of the kids playing. I like catching them when they don't know I'm watch...it always ends up sweeter.

Brielle and the boys having a tea party.

Christian turned 6 this month so we had a sports themed party for him. We invited 12 friends, but 4 showed up. He was a little dissapoint, but still had a blast.

Christian and his football cake.

The birthday crew.

Brielle and I had a girls day yesterday. We went and watched our friend's daughter dance in a competion. Brielle loved every minute! She sat through a lot of preformances. Afterward I took her to luhcn and she was so happy to have me all to herself she could barely contain it.

Gabby dancing (she's in the middle)

Gabby and her team did so well! Great job Gabby Girl!!

Welcome to the family Luke and Yoda!

2009-04-09T20:18:00.006-06:00

This last weekend we got to calves. They are very young and have to be bottle fed. I wasn't able to get great pictures because my camera batteries died and we can't find the charger...bad combo! Anyway I got these taken with my cell phone. The kids are really loving farm life and Brielle is getting very attached to the "moos" aka cows.

I had to post this one because Brielle is taking her babies everywhere! She took over the sock basket and made it in to a boat or car...we haven't figured out all her language yet!

Funny faces and busy places.

2009-03-25T09:22:00.013-06:00

We have been on the go! What's new?! :) I've been snapping pictures of the kids in hopes that someday I would be able to get them posted. Today is that day!

This picture of Ruthie I got because she spent a half hour making faces at me...this was the one she made the most! Brielle was also in on the silly act and showed up in the living room with a shirt on her head...she knew how funny she was!

Silly little baby!

Funny girl!

Micah had western day at his school. We went to a second hand store and got him the hat and shirt...he tried to wear the same outfit the following day...Brad and I are sure he is destined to be a cowboy or farmer...either way we'll be proud!

We had Spring Break this last week and a couple of the days the weather held out for bike riding. The boys biked and Brielle watched.

Taking it all in...

She found her pockets.

Our friends Jeremy and Mamie came to visit so we took them to our favorite Mexican restaurant with our other friends Marc and Amber.

Brad, me, Mamie, Jeremy, Amber, Marc

These are the pictures I took during our Spring Break trip...We had fun seeing everyone!

Annie and Brielle

The 3 Amigos!

Simon

Drew doing what he does best... :)

Papa and the girls

Brielle and Christian love to do laps around a stack of pillows in the living room...I don't get it, but it's funny!

Christian also loves to jump over things.

On a lazy Sunday I went in to check on Ruthie...this is what I found.....

The cat didn't stay there long, I kicked her out, but I'm glad for the picture!

Dad and the girls

Micah and Suzie

Micah, Brielle, and Suzie

Circus!

2009-02-17T15:59:00.009-07:00

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! We have been very busy! This is the shortened version of the last month!

My Step-Dad, Jeff was on his was up to Helena, MT so he stopped through our town on the way there! We met him for breakfast at McDonalds, and Brielle was very happy to be with her Papa.

Waiting for the food...

Eat up! Yum!

Ruthie wants a bite!

Papa showing Brielle how to cut food.

Papa and Brielle talking about how yummy the food is.

A few updates on the kids: Micah is being home schooled through the rest of this school year, we are both doing well! ;) Christian is doing so great in preschool and is still a ball of energy. Brielle is talking a lot more and calls Ruthie, "Rupie". Ruth is rolling around and cooing all the time...she wakes up singing. "

Brad's dad, brother, and sister in-law came to visit for a few days! It's great to have help and to be able to go to the store kid free! They were here for 5 days, and we miss them already!

Brian & Barb

Wes & Ruth

Uncle Brian & the boys.

While Brad's family was here we had the girls baptised. We had them dedicated already, but Lutheran tradition holds on tight. Brian & Barb are Brielle's God-parents, and our friends Marc & Amber are Ruth's.

Waitin' for the dunk. ;)

Looking at Dad.

Barb, Brielle, & Brian.

Marc, Amber, & Ruth.

After church we had everyone over for food and fun. The next two pictures are Brielle cutting a rug with Grandpa Wes.

The boys with Marc & Amber's kids.

This last weekend I was in Boise and my Aunt Sharon and Uncle John watched the kids for a couple days. What a blessing! I got the flu and was able to sleep for one whole day and then Brad and I went to a wedding on Valentines Day and had a blast. We met up with Sharon, John, and their girls for breakfast that Sunday morning.

Our date night...

The boys made this snowman on their own!

Lil' Dribblers

2009-01-10T20:46:00.008-07:00

Over Christmas break Micah and Christian went to a basketball camp. The boys team were their coaches. Part of the camp was perform at halftime at a girls basketball game. So the family packed up and headed out to watch the boys preform their dribbling. It was so fun to watch how proud they were to be there, and they really did well! Daddy and Brielle getting ready to watch the boys.

Mommy and Ruthie also waiting.

Micah waiting for directions from his coach.

Micah on the move.

Christian showing off his skills.

Christian running off the court with his coach.

I wanted to include these pictures of Brielle. I couldn't find her the other day and the house was a little too quiet and so I went looking for her and I found her in her room having a tea party by herself. She was so sweet I ran and got the camera and snapped these:

Christmas and things

2009-01-05T17:57:00.006-07:00

Well what a wonderful Christmas! My family was here, and Brad's Dad was here and we were all so blessed! The boys and I sang in the Christmas Eve service and it was all very sweet.

The kids all ready for church!

Pretty girls

Handsome boys!

Singing in the choir...they did so good!

New leather jackets!

He's lovin' what's in that box!

So I thought for sure Brielle would be more than happy to rip paper this year, but she didn't quite get it...

Don't eat it!

His look says: "We are going to play for hours."

Ruthie happy to have a doll just her size.

Towards the end of the break we found out there was a basketball camp for the boys so we signed them up and they had a blast. This week they get to preform at half-time at a high school ball game. I'll be sure to take pictures!

Shootin the ball!

Doin drills!

Brad and I went out for New Years! It was nice to have alone time with him...we don't get much!

Pre-Christmas Festivities

2008-12-29T15:43:00.006-07:00

The night before Christmas Eve we had a little football party. My Mom, my brother Drew, Marcus, Amber, Gabbie, James, Maxine, and their kids Tory and Quinn all came over to our house for some food, beer, and football. It was fun!

Brielle trying on Marcus's boots.

Drew needs to eat more fiber.

He had his fiber and feels so much better!

Marc & Amber cuddling.

James & Maxine

All the kids watching a movie.

Ruthie didn't like what Drew fed her.

Daddy makes it feel alllllll better!

Amber got a hold of the camera.

The kids went sledding earlier in the day...The boys really liked dragging Brielle around. Everything was going well until she got dumped out of the sled and snow got on her face, then her day outside was over.

Micah, Brielle, & Christian

Christian pulling Brielle.

Getting it all in before Christmas!

2008-12-16T08:19:00.010-07:00

We have been on the go these last couple days. I wanted to get this out before Christmas so I won't have the length be triple in size.

The boys were getting Brielle to copy them. I know they love feeling like big kids when she decides to look up to them.

The boys decided it would be fun to jump over the clothes basket, so I snapped a few of them in mid air. They had a lot of fun!

The kids had a Live Nativity they were in for their school. It was very sweet. The school had recorded the kids singing and narrating the Nativity story and they acted it out complete with live animals. I got choked up at times watching the sweetness of the story of Christ's arrival to this world. What a way for a King to arrive...quietly and really only the Shepherd's in the fields being aware that their savior had finally arrived. The school did such a beautiful job of putting this together. I forgot my camera so my gracious friend Maxine snapped some pictures of the kids for me. Thanks Maxine!
Micah as one of the towns people.

Christian was in the "multitudes". This is him by some of the stable animals.

Ruthie trying to stay warm.

We took a trip into Boise to see family and friends and also pick up a truck for Wes. Brad had to head straight back home to ref basket ball games, but the kids and I stayed behind and visited. We were blessed with a snow storm and the boys headed out with Simon to build a snowman.

They used ores for shovels.

After fun in the snow they got to play in the hot tub...I'm sure they were miserable.

Micah, Simon, Christian

Simon's big sis Hailey dumping snow on the boy's.

This is Hailey...she didn't want me taking any pictures...so I did!

The kids and I also visited my family, and we got a bonus because Drew flew into town for his break.
My Mom and Drewyn.

Grandma and Ruthie

Kisses for Drew

Kisses for Papa

Helping Drew with his computer.

Posing in front of the Christmas tree.

When we got back into town we stopped at Brad's Great Aunt Marilyn's house for dinner. It's nice having family here.

Micah, Josh, Sue, Ruthie, Christian, Marilyn, Brielle, Dennis, and Mary.

Solomon came home covered in burrs yesterday...I've been trying to cut them out...not easy.

We woke up to a lot of beautiful snow. This is the back side of our house looking at the shed and coop.
The front yard.

The dogs begging to come in...I let them. :)

Potties, homework, dates, & angels.

2008-12-10T10:11:00.007-07:00

Preparing for Christmas is a lot of fun around here! However we are also preparing for a little girl to start using the big girl potty. Brad brought home a little toilet for Brielle and she loves it! Of course now when someone in the family toots she looks at them and says: "Poopoos?". I am hoping to have one out of diapers in the next few months. Pray for us. :)

Checking out the new "big girl" potty

She's shocked there's a hole in the middle!

Trying to finish homework...it's hard when all you want to do is talk.

I love this picture of Ruthie! She was so very tired, probably because she kept me up all night!

Daddy and Ruthie working at the computer.

Working together to get the job done! The boys are so great at done dishes and helping around the house!

Brad and I had a lot of Christmas parties to go to...It was fun getting out of the house!

At Micah and Christian's school they have Chapel every Weds. morning. It was Christian's class's turn to lead so Brad ans I went to watch. They recited a Bible verse and led us in a few Christmas songs. They were all dressed as angels. It was so sweet!

Thanksgiving and things...

2008-12-01T20:07:00.006-07:00

It's been awhile since I updated this. The kids have been keeping me pretty busy. Brielle is in the "please don't be more than a foot away from me" stage, and of course that coupled with Ruthie not being old enough to even roll over yet makes for some interesting days.

This Thanksgiving was just our family of six. We decided that since we had no other family coming we would just have a day of relaxing in our PJ's and playing games. The boys were more than excited.

The night before Thanksgiving Brad started a fire and we played a couple games of Yahtzee. It was nice to finally have some down time with the family.

Not to close...

Micah doing his impression of Esther.

Mom and the kids.

Micah teaching Dad how to do the Bunny Hop.

Ruthie watching everyone do dishes after the big meal.

Pumped up after watching the Thanksgiving games.

Brielle loved dessert!

Happy, full baby.

The day after Thanksgiving we got out the Christmas decorations and went to work, well Brielle had better things to do. (see below)

Putting the tree together

The lights go on!

And she's fine reading her paper.

Travelin' Fools

2008-11-17T20:12:00.009-07:00

What a whirlwind! On Wednesday Brad, the kids and I took off for Boise. He had meetings and the kids were out of school so it was definitely a great chance to visit friends and family. Brielle is always happy to see her Papa.

We arrived in the evening, but on Thursday we were able to visit with friends and see more of my parents. Grandma makes sure she gets extra time with the kids and she took the boys swimming before they went to play at their friends house.

She woke up after I snapped this..

Not happy to be woken up.

Brad and I went out to dinner at PF Changs with a group of his coworkers and the girls stayed with Grandma and Papa. The boys were with their friend Simon...we also call it heaven.
On Friday we took off for Montana! It was quite the drive and wasn't without car sickness. Christian mentioned one time that his tummy didn't feel well, and before we knew it he was blowing chunks in the backseat...Not pretty. We didn't get in too late, but we were so tired it felt late. We went up for several reasons; Brad's cousin is a senior this year and we wanted to see him play in his last football game, some of Brad's family had not met the girls, and we had not met Cate (Tawny's baby).
Dylan (Brad's cousin)

Sweet Cate

Tough times...

It got better.

Grandpa Wes and Ruthie

Great Grandma Dorothy and Ruthie

Four Generations!

We were also able to visit my Uncle Joe and Aunt Jackie while we were in Missoula. The kids were very impressed with them since they have a Wii, and the admiration grew when they discovered Joe is a clown with The Shriners. Give boys clowns and video games and they are in heaven. It was great to see those tow because they had never met the kids, and I myself hadn't seen them in almost 10 years!

Me, Jackie, Joe, and the kids.

Halloween!

2008-11-01T15:11:00.004-06:00

What a beautiful Halloween! Micah only had a half day of school so Gabby and he rode the bus home and hung out for awhile. We started to get everyone ready pretty early because downtown the businesses were giving away candy, and there was no way we were missing it. :) Gabby was such a help when I was trying to get the kids ready, she loves to take care of the girls. Micah and Christian were pirates, and this was the first year I was able to draw a goatee on Christian without him having a meltdown after it was on his face. For whatever reason it would absolutely wreck his day to see hair on his face, but this year he survived.

Ruthie was a flower, and this costume has now been worn by all the kids. Brielle was a bumblebee, this costume was also worn by both her brothers, and next year Ruthie will have the honor of being the family bee. Gabby was a cheetah, and she let me do her make-up...I was honored, and she looked so cute!

After downtown we went "Trunk or Treating", and then the dads and kids took off for the neighborhoods, we are stocked up on candy for quite a long while!

The weather held out, when we started it 65 degrees! It rained a little, but it never got the cold it was great!

A cheetah, a pirate, a bee, a pirate, and a flower!

Ready to go!
My sweet smiley flower!

A bee and a flower, how appropriate!

Little honey bee!She loves chocolate!

Twins!

2008-10-30T20:55:00.003-06:00

No we are not pregnant again! I have the girls in matching outfits, my good friend Annie gave them. I had to take pictures...Brielle was pretty proud to sit with her baby sis.

Light sabers, grape juice, and friends

2008-10-24T22:30:00.008-06:00

What a week! It's seem like we have been going non-stop! Although I'm pretty sure there are a few days in there that I refused to get out of my pajamas. I feel sorry for Brad on days like those. I'm surprised I haven't developed a permanent imprint of my pj's on my body. I love them, they are an article of clothing that I really can do anything in without the worry of ruin, stain, or the kids catching sight of my underwear, i.e. low rise pants and motherhood were never meant to meet.

Anyway back to our week. Our good friends came over for dinner, and Amber cut Micah and Christian's hair, they had school pictures. I have her cut their hair when it's picture time, I don't want the hack job that I could potentially create to be caught on film forever. One time I told my mom I could cut hair so she gave me a go at my brother's hair...I am pretty sure we both cried. OK back to our week. What is so wonderful about or friends is all the kids get along so well, even the big kids.

Micah(7), Gabbie(10), Christian(5), Trevor(16) video games are hypnotizing

Carli(13) texting...What else is there to do? :)

Brad got really dressed-up for our friends...they were impressed, you should be too!

(See picture below)

The kids and I went shopping for a winter jacket for Brielle. I really don't like paying full price for anything, but I am able to justify it a little more when I know Ruthie is going to use it, plus the stuff was marked down a little. Brielle wasn't to happy with me when I put her hat, coat, and mittens on her when we got home. I'm pretty sure she was toasty, but it's hard to feel sorry for her when she looks so cute!

That night my wonderful friend Amber, and her daughter Gabbie came over. Amber was helping me plunge into the wonderful world of canning. I have to say I kind of like the feeling of being "Laura Ingalls", Little House is a very inspiring show. Anyway we made and canned grape juice...so fun! What a feeling of accomplishment! Although it's not hard it is fulfilling.

My sweet friend Amber taking care of grapes.

We are so proud of the juice! And yes I am in pj's!

While we were canning the kids decided to go all out Star Wars, and we had the light saber fight of the century in our living room. Even Brielle got in on the act. Ruthie decided it was better to sleep in dad's arm. I caught the epic battle with my camera, I'm not sure if there were sides. I think it was every man for himself.

Watch out Esther!

Tonight we had family night. We decided since we had a coupon we would go out to eat. In all my life I never thought one coupon would determine if I went out to dinner or stayed home, of course I also swore up and down I would never drive a mini-van, and now I wouldn't drive without one. It's funny how having a couple kids humbles one opinion of themselves. I am not so proud anymore. :)

Ready for a night out!

Kisses for her date

We clean up nice!

The night ended with a sword fight. No light sabers this time, I think we were in medieval times. Brielle again was right in the middle.

A little quieter at the farm

2008-10-18T20:40:00.004-06:00

Well it's definitely a little quieter at the farm tonight, OK it's a lot quieter! :) Out of our 10 chickens we had 4 roosters, and the cock-a-doodle-do's were nonstop. So we made the decision that Brad would butcher the three most aggressive ones today. Micah called them the Three Rooskateers, and I named them The Three Tenors. (We named them today so there was no attachment.) The boys decided that they didn't want to help Brad as much as they did with the last butchering, so he was pretty much on his own. One of the times they did check on him he had just cut one of the roosters heads off and it got away from him and ran. Brad let them know the rooster was dead it was the nerves that were making it run. The boys kept saying; "Wow those are some nerves!"

Brielle showed us a new trick today. She has taught herself to climb up the boys slide in their bedroom. I got shots of all the action! She's pretty proud!

The Three Rooskateers
The Lone Rooster (Loner)
And she's off!
Almost there!
Keep going!Victory!!

A Wonderful Weekend.

2008-10-13T23:11:00.003-06:00

This weekend was a great one! On Saturday we woke up to a couple inches of snow and so Micah and Christian got on their snow gear as fast as they could. They were out by 9am! Brad pulled them around with his 4-wheeler while they were on the sled. They had a blast!

The girls and I were inside getting ready to head to Boise. My good friend Gabrielle was throwing a shower for Ruthie and me that evening so I was excited to get there quickly. The shower was so wonderful, and most of my good friends were there. It was so wonderful to be back in Boise, even if it was only for a couple days.

Brielle was very happy to see her Papa! They hung out quite a bit, and Papa doesn't mind one bit. I've posted pictures from the weekend! It was a great one!

I am going in for surgery tomorrow so we'll let you all know how it went!

This was taken in the morning!
All the wonderful ladies and me at the shower!
She's a ham!
Grandma and Ruthie
They love to be goofy together!

Brielle kicks it old school.

2008-10-10T10:16:00.003-06:00

So Brielle and I had a little fun with dress up time. I had found some of my old dresses and they are her size so we played model, something she is already very good at...Scary! :) Anyway I'm pretty sure my Gram got these for me so they are very special! Hope you all like them. Oh the last one is of Brad and Brielle doing yard work. She loves being outside with him, and she's a big help too!

A little bit of everything.

2008-10-04T21:01:00.006-06:00

Wow! What a week we have had! Wes came and visited, and what blessing that turned out to be. I ended up have a scan done on my gallbladder, and he watched the kids for me. I was also able to get a few naps in because he would take over for me...it was so great having him here! The kids loved having him here too because of course Grandpas are required to play unlimited games of Skip-O.

So I my test results back from my scan and Friday and it turns out that I will have to have my gallbladder removed. This is actually a relief for me because I've been not feeling well for awhile now and that is the reason why. Also Christian is having his tonsils out on Wednesday and I know he is feeling nervous so keep us in your prayers.

The pictures below were taken throughout the week.

Brielle in my old outfit.

Silly Girl!
Ruthie
Mommy and Brielle
Grandpa Wes and Brielle
Warming up before the game.

Go boys go!

Christian was goalie
Big time stuff!

Ruthie's pictures

2008-09-29T14:27:00.003-06:00

Ruthie and I had some quiet time this morning while Brielle was napping and the boys were at school, so I bathed her and took some pictures. She has started to smile a little, but I never have the camera with me when she's doing it. I think these turned out very nice despite having no smiles. :)

Snuggle baby and soccer.

2008-09-25T12:35:00.003-06:00

I finally got pictures of the boys game. Both of them played so well! The field they are playing on is way too big for them, but they manage. Micah is wearing the yellow socks, and Christian is right in front of the ball in the second picture. While we were there Brielle was sitting on the ground watching the game, and slowly kids started to gather around her. I took a picture of the huddle that ended up surrounding her. She was very entertained by all the kids.

The last picture is of Ruthie in her baby sling. She loves being in there, although Brad and I think she looks terribly uncomfortable. I remind both of us that she was more squished in my belly than in the sling. So Ruth does dishes with me while she's in there. :)

Busy Busy Busy...

2008-09-23T20:00:00.004-06:00

Wow have we been busy! This last week has flown by! I am finally settling down to get this blog updated, but in the back of my head I'm going over what needs to be done for tomorrow.

The boys have started soccer, and they are loving it! Christian has scored a goal in both games so far, and Micah is doing a tremendous job as goal keeper. I don't have pictures yet, but they'll come soon. Micah decided since he and Christian were in soccer they had to stay in shape so they started an exercise class...Micah's the teacher. Pictures are below.

This week we went to two different doctors. Christian saw an ENT and we found out he is getting his tonsils out...Micah is happy because it means Christian won't snore anymore. :) After the Dr. told us Christian was getting his tonsils' out Christian looked at me and said; "I'm not doing it." After I informed him of all the ice cream he would receive he changed his tune.

Then we went and saw a dentist and Micah had his first tooth pulled. He was thrilled to wake up to $2.00 from the tooth fairy, and he was also happy because now he's not the only kid in his class who hasn't lost a tooth.

I've also included some pictures of Brielle helping me make a cake for a baby shower. She's really great at cleaning spatulas. :) She's had a rough time lately, I discovered that she is getting in 6 teeth at one time! So we've been setting her up with soft foods and pain meds...it doesn't always stop her crying, but she's been doing better!

Exercise boys

Tired after riding motorcycles.

Thanks for the help!

Just the girls and me...

2008-09-11T19:01:00.003-06:00

Brielle, Ruthie, and I have found that we are getting a lot of time together now that school has started. The boys leave early in the morning, and we have sometime to snuggle and hangout. I'm trying my best to slow down and snuggle, but it seems housework and laundry try to pull me away more than I would like. I want to remember these sweet times so I have been taking pictures here and there trying to capture these irretrievable moments as they come. Usually it's easier said than done.

This is Brielle after a nap one day.

My binki girls.
Giving Solomon "mmmauhs" aka kisses
Proud to be walking!!

Flying by...

2008-09-06T10:06:00.004-06:00

These past couple weeks since we brought Ruthie home have flown by. The boys have started school, and Brielle continues to get closer to becoming a full time pedestrian. Ruthie is a very good baby, and for the most part has been sleeping through the night. I've been trying to keep up on picture taking because these moments I get with our babies are fleeting. It's becoming more apparent with every day that sprints by. As we get further into the school year the more activities we'll be involved in, and I will post those events as they come. For now here are some snap shots of the kids I've managed to get.

First day of school!

Sweet baby Ruthie and more...

2008-08-29T15:14:00.007-06:00

I know that it's been way too long since I last posted, but I guess being a mommy to four is a great excuse! I have been trying to catch up on sleep and laundry...it's quite the struggle. I guess I can tell you about the days leading up to little Ruthie's arrival.

My Gram and Grandpa Simmons came into town, and so did Wes and Kathy, Brad's parents. I got into town on Friday and picked up Kathy from the airport. My Mom, Kathy, Brielle, and I got to hangout for a couple days and it was a lot of fun! What a blessing that I get along with my mother in-law, and so does my Mom. Brad, the boys, and Wes came to town on Sunday, and that night my Gram made a big spaghetti dinner. It was so wonderful to have both side if my family sitting down and enjoying each other.

Brad and I sent the kids off in different directions, and we had the night to ourselves. It was so nice to have a moment of calm before the excitement of a new family member rushed in.

That Monday Brad and I were up early and off to the hospital we went. Kathy also went with us, it was her job to make sure the nurses were doing their job, since she's a nurse herself. However I think she made my nurse a little nervous and she couldn't get my IV to go in...thanks Kathy. :) They started the induction at about 8:30 and at 12:24 Ruth Anna Solberg was born. It was great having my Mom and Kathy in the room for that sweet moment...Of course Brad is my calming presence through it all.

The Lord has completely blessed us with a healthy sweet baby girl, and we are all enjoying her so much!

Me and the kids with Gram & Grandpa Simmons

Brad and me the night before the induction.

Last time being pregnant.

She's here!

The boys meet the new girl in town.

Grandma Kathy and Ruth

Grandma Julie and Ruth

"I want that binki!"

"Thank you!"

Quiet time with mommy...

A conversation between a girl & her Dada

2008-08-09T20:31:00.002-06:00

This is a video I shot of Brielle talking to Brad after he had gotten home from a convention. He was gone for 5 days and she really missed him. It is so much fun to watch the relationship between a girl and her daddy. She's learning that a man that really loves her should be captivated by her, and he definitely is!

Quick update!

2008-08-05T22:59:00.002-06:00

I haven't written in awhile we have been very busy with travel, and Dr. appointments, and farm chores. I never seem to be able to catch up. I think that's the complaint of most mothers everywhere. Brad has been out of town since Sunday, and he won't get back till Thursday. I don't like being a single mom, however it does give me an appreciation for what he does when he is here...like letting nap for hours.

Anyway I had a check-up with my doctor, and I haven't gained any weight in two months...It's wonderful! I have to attribute part of it to Brielle, she makes sure that I am regularly working on my biceps, triceps, gluts...you name it...she's a great trainer. I pray that she handles seeing mommy hold another baby well. She is going through a separation anxiety phase, and it seems to be a wee more dramatic than the boy's. Pray for us that all goes smoothly. :)

Micah also seems to be going through his own kind of phase. He rolls his eyes at me, when I ask him to do something he does it the way he wants to, not the way I want him to, and I've been catching him lying. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the countdown of new baby being here. I don't even think he realizes where his anger is coming from. We are working through it all, but prayers are a must! He's such a great kid and when he pulls attitude I tell him this is not who God created him to be, he usually says: "I know". We are all works in progress.

Christian is doing wonderful. I am attributing that to his brother being in trouble a lot. Christian is enjoying not getting in trouble and has really spurred him to be in his best behavior. Sometimes he likes to remind me of Micah's punishments...just in case I forget. I have to smile, because I too remember the feeling of elation when I was the "good kid". For the record I think I am currently holding that title with my parents. :)

Anyway I'll post pictures soon! Before we know it baby #4 will be here! We can't wait! Pray for us!

Helping hands

2008-07-31T21:45:00.000-06:00

Today was quite the day! The boys had their last day of VBS. They really loved it. I didn't really mind it either due to the fact they were gone from 9 to 3 Sun.-Thurs. Brielle really loved having her mommy all to herself! Back to our day...Brad took a big step for me and made sure that we are having no more babies. It really is a bag of mixed feelings for me. As I touch my big belly it's hard to imagine that this is the last time (God willing) that I am pregnant, this is the last baby we will raise. It is the end of one season and the beginning of another...sometimes I have to take big breaths not to get weepy.

I told the boys that dad was having surgery so that we would have no more babies. I cringed because I thought for sure they would ask me how that all worked, but they didn't. Christian just said; "No more babies!?" I said; "No. Isn't four enough?" He looked at me very sternly and said; "No mom, eight is enough." I had to smile, but there wasn't a lot I could say.

Brad made it through surgery well, and we brought him home. The kids are great helpers, although I acquired a new one tonight that I was not expecting. As Micah and Christian emptied the dishwasher Brielle crawled over to the silverware side and started handing them the silverware. It was really a sweet thing to watch. The boys were beaming, and informed me that they taught her how to be a helper. I told them that because they are such good helpers that is true.

I took pictures of my newest helper. She was proud to be apart of it all, and we're proud to have her.

Pantry invaders, Blue Angels, and family.

2008-07-29T12:47:00.000-06:00

We had quite the weekend! We held a two day garage sale, and it was so successful! The boys sold some of their toys and pop, they made a good chunk of money and were pretty proud of themselves. We were all pretty tired after the two days of selling, but Brad's Aunt and Uncle came into town on Sunday, and that seemed to energize all of us, especially the boys!

Terry and Carole got to the house and shortly after we all got to sit on the back porch and watch the Blue Angels. It was quite the show, and at one point they flew right over us. The boy's couldn't have been happier. The pictures below are a few short clips of our weekend. At one point Brielle got away from me, and took off her diaper. I found her in the pantry...

Lake side...sooooo fun!

2008-07-23T21:46:00.000-06:00

The kids and I spent yesterday at the lake. We had such a wonderful time! There was section where the boys could fish, and they both caught one. They went swimming, and on the water slide. They played for two straight hours. The water was not too cold so Brielle and I sat on the shore, she loved it!

Afterwards we got supper, went home and got ready to meet Brad downtown at a concert his company was sponsoring. The boys jumped in a bouncy house, and Brielle watched from her daddy's arms. We ended the day sharing milkshakes at the local soda fountain...marshmallow flavored...yum! The pictures throughout the day are below!

The belly is getting very very big!

Shes not happy, but we don't know why. :)

To my kids...

2008-07-20T18:57:00.000-06:00

As I sit hear and listen to you all play I can't help but get a heavy heart. You won't be mine forever, and in all reality you are not mine to begin with. You are His. This is a concept I know will struggle with all your lives. It's hard to imagine that someone would have a greater plan for your life than I do, but He does.

It's a bittersweet thing bringing up children. I become so full of pride watching you all grow and navigate this life in your own way, and at the same time I yearn to keep you small. I can't help but feel a mix of emotions at the years that have sprinted by.

Micah did you know you saved Mommy and Daddy from a life of reckless living? Because you were born we became better people. I know God gave you to us for that reason. When you were a baby and you were so sick and tiny we would worry about you, and yet every morning was full of smiles because your eyes were so big and blue, your hair would stand on end, and your head looked way too big for your sweet little body. As you got older we watched you become a friend to all you met. You knew, and you still do that everyone wanted to be your friend. I love that about you. For your birthday we gave you a giant Lego's thing to put together, it was for ages 13-17...You spent hours on it, with me only helping to find parts. You finished it in 2 and a half days, your dad and I were dumbstruck. You are so good at being patient. I pray for you that you would grow into the man you so long to be, and more. God's plans for you are immeasurable.

Christian when you were born you didn't want to cry. The nurses were rubbing your feet and chest, but you kept closing your eyes and wanting to sleep. I had a feeling while I was watching that once you made up your mind you'd do what you want. I wasn't too far off. You are such a good boy! Ever since you were a baby you'd like to be right next to Micah. You were such a happy baby! We didn't think you could talk until we took your Binky away, as soon as we did a flood of words came tumbling out. You amazed us. You continue to do that with the way you have that natural ability to pick up a ball of start a game and be great at what it is you're doing. You are also very good at making people laugh, especially Brielle. She loves to giggle with you, and we all love watching it. I know that God has instilled a drive for success in your heart, and if you continue to pursue Him He'll take you places you could only begin to imagine.

Brielle while I am writing this you have come over to yell at me. I can't help but smile. You are 13 months and getting your top teeth in, I'm sure that it hurts. You are also trying to summon the courage to walk on your own. I know that any day you'll be off and running. This past year of having you in our lives has been such a blessing. When you were born everyone in the room cried, it was as if we all knew how precious you are from second one. Sometimes at night I sneak in your room and watch you sleep. Lately you've been laying flat on your tummy with your face in the mattress, it makes your daddy laugh. You love music and it moves you to sway. It's like you know the meaning behind the song, Grandma Julie thinks it's so sweet. God's hand has been on you since before I met you. You've brought such joy to our whole family.

New baby Solberg my what a surprise you were! I can't wait to see your little face and get to know you. A lot of people are anxious for you to be here. Everyone is trying to guess if you will be a boy or girl. Mommy and Daddy are having a hard time coming up with a name that is just yours. I know God will give us one soon. Less than a month and you'll be here...I'm ready to see you now, but your lungs need more time, and I know you do too. I have so enjoyed this pregnancy! I know that I will enjoy you a trillion times more. I thank God for you!

I love you all more than you'll ever know...And it's hard to imagine He loves you more than I, but He does and so I pray His blessings and His will over all your lives.

Campfire

2008-07-16T07:56:00.000-06:00

The boys and Brielle enjoyed a campfire last night...the marshmallows were tasty, and the boys loved roasting hot dogs. Brielle loved watching. I think the funniest part of the night was when Simon informed all of us that he was allergic to fire. I got to thinking; "Aren't we all?".

Chickens, Birthdays, & Alligators

2008-07-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a very busy day for our family. Micah turned 7! It's weird to think he's becoming a boy...no longer a baby. Of course he'll always be MY baby, but it's strange to watch the transition from toddler to big boy. I have to admit I get a little weepy. At least once a week he is telling me his plans for the future....I start becoming a little prideful because all his plans involve telling people about Jesus, and how He died just for them. I pray this is the path for his life, not an easy one, but an adventurous one.

We have our sweet friend Simon over for a few days. I think all three boys are in heaven! They have kept themselves busy with chasing chickens, playing monster tether, pirates, and some games I couldn't even begin to describe because the rules change by the minute, per Christian.:)

Yesterday we took the boys to the pool, and alligator farm. The alligator farm is not really a farm, it's a pen with 3 gators, but it's cool never the less. We swam for a couple of hours, and then it was back home for Lego cake, and opening presents. The birthday parties this year are simple, but it's showing me the kids are good with simple...Which is great for me!

It's been fun trying to keep up with these energy filled boys...We'll have to do this more often!

Brielle's new pose

2008-07-14T09:57:00.000-06:00

I thought I would get this posted before I talk about Micah's birthday tomorrow. Brielle loves the camera, and now every time she sees it she says; "Eeeeee". A baby's version of cheese. So now to accompany the eeeeee she puts her hands under her chin. I managed to get a few pictures, I hope you all like them!

Poker, plastic hats, & monster tether ball

2008-07-12T10:34:00.000-06:00

These past few day been quite the mix of imagination and laughter. The boys were playing in their room and I peeked in on them because I didn't quite trust the quiet that seemed to seep from their room. When I opened the door I encountered what looked like a tea party with them, and several stuffed animals. However I knew better so I had to ask what they were doing, the reply: "Oh we're having poker night." I shut the door, smiled, and ran to get the camera.

Last night Brielle showed her creativity and grabbed a tupperware dish and used it as a hat. At one point she brought it down over her face and then pulled it back to give herself pig-nose. She crawled around with that tupperware on her head for a good half hour, until it was time for supper. Then the boys broke out their new monster tether ball, that GrandPaul gave them. They are having a blast with it. I don't think they stop laughing the whole time they are playing.

Right now the house is very peaceful the boys are cleaning their room, Brielle is napping, and Brad just got in from working outside. It's going to be a good day.

Busy teething baby

2008-07-09T21:11:00.001-06:00

Today was a long day for Mommy and Brielle. She is suffering from diarrhea, which gave her a diaper rash which is all due to cutting her top teeth, so she is in some pain too. Today was all about trying different ways to keep her comfortable. She had a Popsicle, a frozen waffle, pain reliever, and her family trying to make her laugh at every turn.

The boys haven't quite mastered the art of baby interaction, but they sure are trying hard. Christian loves to make her laugh, but has a tendency to over do it when it comes to knowledge of personal space. Micah would rather she sit quietly with him and watch TV. He can't understand why that is too much to ask for a 1 year old. I just let them give it the old college try until Brielle can't take it anymore, or I can't watch anymore.

So I allowed Brille to crawl around naked for awhile, because of the diaper rash, then we spent some time doing her hair. For the first time it's in piggy tails. She knew she looked pretty cute. The pictures are the day's highlights....I won't subject you to the low lights. :)

My professional photographers

2008-07-07T20:59:00.000-06:00

I let the kids have reign over the camera today. I took a couple, but they did the majority. I hope you all love them as much as I did!

Kids pictures

2008-07-07T20:57:00.001-06:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-07T10:19:00.001-06:00

An extended birthday party!

2008-07-07T09:28:00.000-06:00

My birthday is on the 6th of July, but Brad planned an extended birthday party this weekend, and it was so much fun! On Saturday the 5th we had worship practice with our good friends Marc and Amber Lutz. It went so well, and I have to say bringing this kind of music into a traditional Lutheran church is very exciting. After practice we all went back to our house and had lunch. Marc and Amber brought over a DQ ice cream cake (my favorite), and we hung out for awhile. Then we went to Nat Soo Pah, it's a pool that is heated by warm spring water. We stayed there for a few hours, and had so much fun! The kids were on the water slide over an over. Micah even got brave enough to jump off both the low and high drive. After swimming we came home and ate that wonderful ice cream cake! The Lutz's took off they had to get their daughter Gabbie ready for summer camp.

I sat on the couch just smiling, because it had been such a wonderful day. We ended it with putting all the kids in the tub for a bubble bath. That was enjoyed by all, Brielle was loving being with her brothers of course.

The day of my birthday we went to church and sang worship, it went so smoothly. I got to sing my favorite hymn, Be Still My Soul, of course we made it not sound so hymn-like. :) Afterwards we came home, and I watched as Brad and the boys did dishes. It's so wonderful watching Brad show the boys that household duties are shared, not assigned. Brad made a wonderful lunch of beef enchiladas, and I opened my gift. Brad and the boys got me a 22, for target practice. It was quite the surprise! But I love that he thought of me and took the time to pick something he thought I would really enjoy.

The rest of the day was full of relaxation...my kind of day. Family and friends called to wish me Happy Birthday and it really was.

Is it firework time yet?

2008-07-05T07:09:00.000-06:00

What a day! We started the day out at the parade in Buhl. It was a lot of fun. The boys stocked up on candy, and Brad, Brielle, and I watched. The only bad part was Brielle fell off her little chair and hit her head on the ground. She has a ugly little bruise on her head, but other than that all is well. We spent the whole day together as a family, what a dream! It was so wonderful having Brad around for and extra day, and all of us getting to relax and just be with each other.

Micah and Christian were so anxious for fireworks they asked us almost every hour of it was firework time. I tried explaining that if you light fireworks when the sun was out you wouldn't be able to see them as well. They looked at each other like: "yeah right". But it seemed to satisfy them for awhile.

When it got closer to light fireworks we had some of Brad's family over. Marilyn his great-aunt, Susie her daughter, and Josh, Susie's son. The boys love having Josh over because first and foremost he plays with them, and second he's a "big boy" (senior in high school) and he's an athlete, it's really and unbeatable combo. Maybe we should start calling him "Cool Josh". :)

We lit fireworks, threw the poppers, covered our ears for the screaming ones, and laughed while the kids held the sparklers as far from their bodies as they could. It was really a great day.

I included a slide show of the day below...Enjoy!

4th of July pictures

2008-07-05T07:08:00.001-06:00

Brielle loves to dance

2008-07-03T15:14:00.000-06:00