Catching up on the ZZZZZ's

Well on August 16th Uncle Tanner came home from the Tampa, Florida mission. We were all really excited to see him. My kids were really excited and made him some awesome signs.

Here is are small but very excited group...anxiously waiting to see him!!

There he is....

Now like I said my kids were really excited to see him, but once they finally saw him Bailey didn't want much to do with him. She was a little nervous which was surprising if you know Bailey!!

Carson on the other hand, who is my VERY shy child, wouldn't leave him alone. Not that Tanner minded!! :) Once we left the airport Carson had to make sure that wherever we were going that Uncle Tanner would be there too!! It was pretty sweet!!

We sure missed Uncle Tanner and we were so proud of the missionary that he was and the wonderful example he set for our children!! They actually still pray for him in their prayers. We keep trying to tell them that he isn't on his mission any more, but they can't seem to remember! :)

We had another great trip to Newport this year with the Zylstra's!! We did some of our annual outings, and added a couple new ones. Our kids actually did pretty great on this trip. Sleeping was not too bad and I think we wore them out so much during the day, that they were happy to get to bed each night! Here are some pictures of our fun vacation!!

We went to a little zoo that was close by and the kids had a great time! Here are Carson and Bailey enjoying the merry-go-round. (I love Baileys foot in this picture.)

Carson of course loved the monkeys like always, but this little guy took a liking to Carson too. Whenever Carson would put his hand out the little monkey would grab it! It was hard to get a picture because Carson would pull away pretty quick, but it was pretty fun to watch and Carson loved it!

Brody was pretty chill this trip...he really is an amazing baby!!

Fun Aunt Maddy made a cool fort out on the balcony!!

We of course enjoyed frozen banana's and Balboa bars!!

One of the nights all the girls got to go see Mary Poppins. It was so much fun to have a night away from the kids and the play was great!! Ryan had a little bit of a rougher night but managed to make it through! There were a few moments he said of pure madness (lost spiderman head), but overall it wasn't too bad.

Poor Bailey was tuckered out all summer! These first two pictures are in Newport and the last two were just a few weeks later. One at our house and the other and Katie's!
She was falling asleep EVERYWHERE!

It is always so much fun to hang out with Ryan's family!! I feel so fortunate to have in-laws that I get along with!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great Vacation!!

This year my parents had their 30th anniversary. So on July 1, 2011 all of my brothers and sisters either drove or flew to California to surprise my parents with a weekend full of FUN!!


Since July 1st is Missy's birthday we told my parents that we were all going to go out to dinner for her birthday out by my house. By all of us, they thought we were talking about my family, Katie and Jessie, Missy and Matt. They didn't know that Chad, Laura and their kids as well as Markie, Paul and Danny had all come in to surprise them. They were so excited and very surprised to see all of their kids standing in my backyard.

It was such a fun weekend and I LOVE spending time with my family. We played games, had some competitions, ate some good food and just hung out talking and laughing together.

We sure Love you Mom and Dad!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

We blessed Brody on July 3, 2011

Ryan did such a great job on the blessing, and we were so lucky to have all of our family there. The only people missing were Sarah and Tanner (who was still on his mission)!

What a great day!!

On June 21st Bailey went with me to the doctors to get her ears pierced. She was really excited, but I think that is because she didn't realize how much it might hurt. But she kept telling me that the doctor was going to give her earrings, and she couldn't wait!!

(We decided to get them pierced by the doctor because then you don't have to worry about cleaning them or turning them all the time because the earring is made out of a clear plastic...GENIUS!!)

Here she is right after she got them pierced. She was actually amazing...she didn't cry at all. I was nervous that after they did the first one that she wouldn't let them do the second one because she knew it would hurt...but she did awesome and held really still while the nurse pierced them.

She loves her earrings!!
And I think she looks pretty cute with them!!

It has been WAY too long since I updated my blog...but I thought I would start by showing you how big my sweet Brody has become! Like the title says we do not have small babies...so here are some picture to show you just how fast my kids grow their rolls!! :)

Here is Brody just a few days old...
Weight: 8lbs 3oz.
Length: 21in
(5-24-2011)

Sweet Brody below is 1 months old...
Weight: 12lbs 1 1/2 oz.
Length: 22 1/2 inches
(6-18-2011)

2 Months
Weight: 15lbs 2 1/2 oz.
Length: 23 1/2 inches
(7-27-2011)

3 months
I didn't go to the doctor this month so I don't have stats...but here he is with Bailey

4 months
Weight: 18lbs. 9 oz.
Length: 26 1/4 in.
(9-13-2011)

5 Months
Again I didn't go to the doctor this month so I don't know his stats...but he is sure growing!!

6 Months
Weight: 20lbs 7 1/2 oz.
Length: 27 1/4 in.
(11-24-2011)

So there you have it...one BIG healthy loveable little boy!! It is pretty funny to see peoples reactions to how big he is. I remember when I took him into his two week appointment the doctor made me go and re-weigh him because he said there was no way he was over 10 pounds. But he sure was!! haha
So like I said earlier we grow big babies and WE LOVE IT!!

Well I can't believe it...Carson is 4 years old.

Oh how I love this sweet boy. He is such a great big brother and I know he will be a great example to his younger siblings. He has such a sensitive heart and must tell me he loves me at least 15 times a day. Bailey loves Carson and always wants to play with him. The first thing she asks in the morning is "Where is Carson?" Carson is a boy through and through. He loves playing outside, climbing, all superheroes, his pajamas, working in the yard, hotels, swimming, ALL animals, and anything sports related. He does not like bugs (I blame myself, but he is getting better!), getting too dirty, when Bailey ignores him, going to bed, sitting still, if his pajamas are twisted and being away from home for too long.

I don't know what I would do without this sweet boy in my life. He can always bring a smile to my face. I love his inquisitive nature and the funny questions he comes up with. I love how much he loves our family and how sweet he can be. I love watching him with Bailey and how he will try to help her!! I love that I get to watch this little boy grow up!!

We kept his birthday pretty low key since Brody was only a week old and I didn't have much energy! Carson's birthday was on a Sunday this year so on Saturday afternoon we went and saw Kung Fu Panda 2. Man was he excited! He invited a few friends to come along, including Morgan, Nathan and Jack and Eli (who aren't in the picture because they just met us there!) It was a pretty cute movie, but I liked the first one better. The kids did pretty good. But towards the end a few of them kept asking when it was going to be over. On the other hand, Carson did not move a muscle the entire movie.

On Sunday morning Carson enjoyed breakfast in bed...which he is beginning to LOVE!

Then after we got home from church we had our families over for dinner, cake and presents. Carson was SO excited to have everyone there! My sweet mother-in-law had this adorable cake made for Carson! He LOVED that Kung Fu Panda was on it!

Then it was time to open presents. Carson was waiting very patiently during dinner, but started to get very antsy when everyone was taking too long! :)
One thing I love about Carson are his facial expressions. He can make you feel so good about the presents you give him because every time he opens a present his face looks like this...

You would think that every present he opened was the EXACT present he had been dreaming about getting. I LOVE IT!!