my baby, the now one year old...

my handsome guy

Your big day started out as every other day. We waited for daddy to get home from his early early morning shift, made some birthday pancakes, one of your favorites for breakfast. After playing with some toys we decided that it was time for your first, yes first, haircut! Two firsts on one day! Your hair had gotten really long, but is so fine and blond that you couldn't really tell, but it was driving your mom crazy! You didn't cry but kept ducking when dad would put the clippers on your head. Now your hair looks very cute!

daddy cutting your hair

sitting by your birthday cupcakes

cute balloons, obviously we've got a farm theme going on

the masterpieces, the chicks were my favorite

with gigi, the only person i got a pic of him with :(

opening presents

with all his gifts: a book, a hat, a ball, tub toys, a baby bullet, and a bag of clothes

 i know what your thinking, a baby bullet for a one year old. let me explain this kid has a gag reflex like no other. one chunk of something that is in a smooth food like, stage 3 foods, and you're going to get a gag followed by a giant barf! he does fine with finger foods if he doesn't shove too many pieces in his mouth, so we are working on textures!

happy birthday to you

the cake, he ate the whole cupcake, couldn't have been more happier. did i mention he's a little piggy?

the sister, her day is coming soon

our family picture. after everyone left i noticed we didn't actually get a picture of all of us, hello timer.

 it was a nice day, a fun party, thanks everyone for coming! and i'm so very very grateful that you did not barf in your crib after your birthday party, like your sister!

onto other happenings before sawyer's birthday....

okay i'm slow at posting this stuff!

sawyer is 11 months! we celebrated with an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. he loved it!

 okay so i wanted to write about him turning 11 months because he grew up during his ten month old span (if that makes sense). I swear he just started to do everything in that one month and i don't want to forget it. here's the list:
* gave up rolling, moved to army crawl
* gave up army crawl, started real crawling and fast
* started pulling up on everything
*figured out how to climb the stairs
*claps
*waves bye-bye
*dancing like no other, to EVERYTHING, including my terrible pitchy singing
*says uh-oh
*gives high-fives
*gave up his bottle at 11 months, drinks from a cup! big boy!
and now i'm not sure if that was it, hello, should have done this a month ago!

onto the most exciting news...

this little girl is finally potty trained!!! whoo hoo! she did awesome, which i knew she would if she just tried! makes my life a lot easier! we are going on three weeks now of panties! and isn't she just adorable!

you'll be hearing from us soon, since it is birthday month...next stop v-day, and then Charly turns 3 (gasp)

the days to follow...

Christmas goes by so fast, but now we have been enjoying the calm. Sawyers been sick this week and so was I yesterday. Now that we're on the mend I can catch up. here's just a couple pics of things to follow Christmas and i wanted to post all the blankets I made....

i was busy sewing, here's my hard work!

the kids blankets

Stacie & Maria's blanket

my mom and dad's blankets

charly sledding the day after christmas

boompa pulled her behind the tractor and she didn't even get scared!

Sawyer playing with toys the day after Christmas!

This picture is to show Charly's new haircut she gave herself on the 23rd. she took some good chops off in front so she's got spikey spots and really short bang pieces.

Since the weather's so mild she got to test out her trike outside!

she's pretty good, just needs to get that steering thing down.

that's our after Christmas report. we had a great holiday season hope you did too!

christmas day...

this was our first Christmas morning to spend at our own home. It was so much fun! The kids loved opening presents and playing with their toys! We got up at about 5:45, i know you're thinking that's early, but i didn't sleep well, and then Sawyer woke up then and I just thought what the heck lets get a going! After daddy went down to turn on the Christmas tree lights and make sure santa had come, we all got to run downstairs and see! i think Charly like Sawyers toys just as much as hers, but it was a fabulous morning followed by waffles for breakfast!

Sayer Christmas morning. Santa brought him: The Lion King movie, a new snow hat, the B. zany zoo cube, some cars, balls, jammies, an outfit, sippy cups and a book.

Dad opening his gift from Santa. Rip 60 so we can get ripped in 60 days. (today was day one of rip 60 and i wanted to puke and pass out at the same time!) Santa also brought him a beaver mountain day pass and some cocoa.

This was sawyers favorite thing to play with Christmas morning!

Charly opening gifts. Santa brought her: an easel, chutes and ladders, the tickle monster book (SO FUN), Winnie the Pooh movie, a dress, an outfit, and a nerf dart gun.

mom Christmas morning. Santa brought me some new toe rings, some pomade for my hair, and some cute shorts!

she told me her new barbie was her favorite present!

Sawyer opening his new blanket mommy made him!

what in the cotton candy maker. it's rad!

Charly opening the blanket that mommy made her too!

she loved it, thank heavens!

not very many pictures of Corey, he had the camera!

my rad new purple running shoes!

this was Charly just after she jumped up and shouted, "it's a bike!!!"

Charly cruising on her sweet new TRIKE!

ok, now the boring part, i've got to record or try to record what everyone got!

Sawyer: clothes, drum filled with instruments, remote control car for babies, blocks, little cars, car dash, helicopter, phone, jammies, blanket from mom, blanket from grandma, stuffed polar bear and a farm.

Charly: rapunzel doll to fix her hair, trike, barbie volkswagon, baby barbies with elephant, puzzles, critter clinic, jammies, magic moon dough, lace up cards, lacing beads, a magnadoodle, blanket from mom, blanket from grandma, clothes and a stuffed panda.

Brandy: Toms Shoes, Reebok shoes, Boots, shirts, pants, clothes pin picture frame, rachael ray bubble and brown dishes, purse, foot spa stuff, sub to food network magazine, hat/scarf/gloves, snowflake necklace, beads from italy, cotton candy maker, the Holiday, pocket knife and a Bose docking station.

Corey: Brown dress shoes, gray sunuks, shirts, warm up pants, basketball shorts, Heat Wave book, The girl who played with Fire book, Harry Potter Series on Bluray, Down Vest, sub to field and stream mag, bullets, hiking saw, water filter for camping, a pocket knife, scarf, gift cards to Cabellas and Harbor Freight and a Gloc40.

I seriously think that's it, we were all so spoiled!

So after all the present opening and breakfast, we got ready and packed. Went to see the Monson's and open our gifts there. Watch Corey's dad open his new gun from all the kids and Stacie told us her and Carl are expecting another baby in July. How exciting! It was a quick visit because they were headed to church and we were headed to Bear Lake to visit my family.

So first we stopped to see my grandma for a while and then finally went to relax with the fam. That's when my dad gave us more presents and our pocket knives of course. And we finally let them open our presents from us. Which i took no pictures of :( maybe they did! We ate a fabulous dinner of prime rib, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pie! Played some fun games (guesstures and bananagrams) and then went to bed! too bad Sawyer sleeps like garbage over there! And that's our Christmas day in a wrap for anyone who is still reading, since this post is FOREVER long!

christmas eve 2011...

We spent the morning of Christmas Eve at our house trying to get all four of us ready. that can take some time! i'd been wanting to take some pictures in front of our tree and the pretty twinkling lights (that picture on previous post) so i made everyone sit for some timed pictures. they actually turned out pretty good, couldn't get Sawyer to smile though!
Then we went over to the Monson's for our annual Christmas Eve party. we had such a great time eating yummy food and visiting with each other. the kids had so much fun, they got to open a toy and pajamas from grandma and grandpa. and then we all sang Christmas songs while the kids chimed bells!
When the party was over we came back home to open one more gift for Christmas Eve, and then put the kids to bed. It was early but neither had napped that day, so they were ready for some sleep! We put out cookies and milk for Santa, read our new book and went to sleep!

Christmas Eve Night

opening their Christmas Eve gift

a new Christmas book! super cute one by the way!

Christmas Eve 2011

holiday shoot....

click HERE to see more of this cutie and his sister......

the kids, an update...

CHARLY

seriously this girl is a crack up! can't get enough of her sometimes, and wanna pull my hair out others! she's just busy, always has been, i'm sure always will be! so she's always getting into something, pushing her brother down, taking his toys away, and sassing me around! right now she's really obsessed with making sure sawyer does NOT touch any of her toys. if he does she says, "he doesn't want to play with that!" and therefore its ok to take it away from him. or she says, "it's too small, sawyer will choke on it!" okay that one is my fault because she tends to throw everything on the floor so i have to get after her about it! things she loves, movies, and movie! playing with grandmas and grandpas! eating pie! playing abc games on the computer! the snow! the christmas decor! shooting dart guns with boompa! watching dancing with the stars with me and then danging with her puppy dog around the room! i swear i could probably go on and on about her! she is such a sweet girl, super smart, very much full of life and always leaves us with smiles on our faces!

and yes, her dimples are deep!

oh ya, she also doesn't like to smile normal!

sawyer adores his sister, he looks at her with complete adoration! we are in trouble then!

 SAWYER

9 months, 19 lbs. 1 oz., 27 1/3 inches

 has this kid gained a personality since the last time i wrote anything about him! i can't believe he is 9 months old! my time flies! sawyer has got a little temper that just erupted recently! he was so mellow, and still can be at times, but others he just throws tiny little fits! just like his sister used to! oh great i really am in trouble! he doesn't crawl, can't quite get the mechanics down for that one, but he rolls and rolls and rolls wherever he wants to go! and he's fast! sawyer has a hook finger (i'll have to post a pic of that another time) that he reaches out to touch anything! it's hilarious! he also has 7 teeth as of today. three on top, four on bottom, and he's got another on the way! teeth really screw up his sleeping! lately we haven't been getting any! however, sawyer is a joy! he is always smiling a cheesy grin our way and laughing with his sister! it's been so fun to watch him grow and learn! next stop, 1st birthday, cue the tears now!

he's one solid boy!

all things halloween...

my skeletons dressed up when we first got their costume/jammies

masquerade party at the neighbors

we look totally different with the same mask

then we tried on this sweet mask

and carved pumpkins at our annual monson carving party the face is charly's, snow white is mine, and mike wazowski is coreys

my spooky skeleton who let me paint her face twice that day!

and the two cuties! i wasn't even going to attempt to paint sawyers face!

what a fun holiday we had! lots of treats, parties, friends and family time! charly loved halloween this year and trick or treating!

doubles...

for more of this sweetness click  HERE....