The Keele's

Photo Shoot

2012-01-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

We had a little photo shoot today and got some really cute shots. She is at such a fun, smiley stage and I am loving it!

Winter is Finally Here!!!

2012-01-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Daddy-Daughter

2012-01-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

Ry has always been a Mama's girl and always wanted me to hold her. She went through a period where she would cry as soon as Bert tried to hold her. But she is getting a lot better about it now and will hang out with him for quite a while before she notices I'm gone. He gets her ready for bed every night and I can hear her laughing at him the whole time.

Changing Time

2012-01-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

Rylee is a pooper! She always has been! It is very rare for me to change a diaper that is just wet. This evening I realized that I hadn't changed any poopy diapers the whole day so I asked Bert if he had. He couldn't remember changing one either. What a great day!! I hope there are more of these to come!

Hair

2012-01-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with Rylee I though a lot about what she was going to look like and I hoped that she would have hair (like her brothers) and long eyelashes (like her brothers). I thought it would be so unfair for the girl to be born bald and lashless. Thankfully she was born with hair and she had some short eyelashes which I hoped would get longer. Her hair thinned out quite a bit after she was born, but it is now starting to fill in again and her eyelashes have grown longer too. All that worrying for nothing!!

Testing The New Merchandise

2012-01-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cooper spent the whole day playing with his new stuff.

Lauren came down this evening and we ate, put the kids to bed, and watched "Something Borrowed." It's always fun when Lauren comes down!

Cooper is 5!!!

2012-01-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Cooper has been asking for pancakes for about a week now and I kept putting him off. I finally told him he could have them on his birthday, so he woke up to a yummy warm breakfast (which is rare in this house!)

I told him he could pick any treat to take to preschool to share with his friends and he wanted donuts. He was so excited!

Cooper wanted a blue party with Wild Kratts cupcakes. I got an idea on a blog to decorate the house the night before so that when Cooper woke up the house was already blue and festive. He seemed to like the decorations but sometimes it hard to tell with Coop. Then on the way to school, out of nowhere, he says "Mom, I really like my balloons!" The late night prep was DEFINITELY worth it!

We had family over for cake and ice cream in the evening and all the kids got to pick a mask to wear and take home. They were a hit!

Jacks picked out these cars for Cooper.

I can't believe he's 5! Life seems to be zooming by! Hope you had a great day Coop! We love you!!

Big Girl

2012-01-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rylee has grown too big for her tub and is now taking baths in the big tub. She was nervous at first but is enjoying all the room to kick her legs around!

Best of Friends

2012-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

The boys were playing in the hallway tonight and cracking each other up. When I first found out I was pregnant with Cooper, Jacks was only 10 months old. I freaked out a lot! And I will admit that the first couple of years were pretty hard. But, I absolutely love it now! They always have a buddy to play with and, when they're getting along, they have a lot of fun together!

Vacation Day

2012-01-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

Today was Martin Luther King, Jr Day and so my mom and sisters were out of school. We met up at my mom's for lunch and then sat around and visited while the kids played. Drew was sitting on Erin's lap and Ry was with my mom and he reached for her and wanted to hold her. After a little bit, my mom took her back and Drew reached out for her again! Hopefully they will be good friends because they are just 10 months apart.

Reading Time

2012-01-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Piano

2012-01-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

Jacks had his first piano lesson today. He was so excited and can't wait to tell everyone about it and play the new songs he learned!

Jessica's Homecoming

2012-01-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is Bert's niece, Jessica. She just got home from serving a mission in Argentina and her mom threw a party for her tonight. It was so fun to see her and for her to meet Rylee.

After the dinner stuff was all put away the adults started playing Speed. I don't think I have played that since elementary school. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Ry hung out with Grandma because Peggy had on some slippery boots so she couldn't play.

The boys had fun being chased by their cousin Jen. She is always so good to play with them and shower them with attention. They love her!

Haircuts

2012-01-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Boy did they need them!!

Carpool

2012-01-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

I have been so spoiled these last 2 years when it comes to getting the kids to and from school. My neighbor, Tania, and I take turns driving in the morning and then another neighbor, Lana, brings the kids home from school. Lana went out of town for a few days and so I was on pick-up duty. We had a very full and noisy car!

Smiley Girl

2012-01-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Rylee fell asleep while I was driving Jacks to school. She stayed asleep for a couple of hours and when she woke up she was so happy and smiley. I love that she always greets me with a huge grin in the mornings when I go get her out of her bed.

"Finger-lickin' good"

2012-01-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

Rylee has always got her fingers in her mouth! Or if she is holding your hand, she is trying to put your fingers in her mouth!

Bedtime

2012-01-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

My favorite time of the day!!

Movie Night

2012-01-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

Tiff set up the projector at my mom and dad's and we watched Dolphin Tale tonight. It was a good movie and the kids had fun being with their cousins!

Helmets

2012-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Bert and I gave the boys these NFL helmets for Christmas and they have really been enjoying them. They know all the teams now. If Bert is watching sports on the TV, the boys come and sit down and start watching with him and get really into it. I keep teasing Bert that he has ruined them. But I really think it's fun that they have the same interests as their daddy and can spend time together watching/playing sports.

Babysitting

2012-01-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

I babysat Tessa and Bree today while Ben and Becky went to a funeral. They brought them over right before we had to leave to take the boys to school. After we had dropped them all off I said to the girls that now that we had gotten rid of all the boys we were going to have a "Girl Party." We watched Sleeping Beauty, colored some pictures and painted our nails. Then we picked Cooper up from school and dropped Tessa off for Kindergarten in my mom's class. We hung out there for a bit because the class had PE so my mom was alone in her classroom. It was a busy, run-around kind of day and it flew by!

Disney Universe

2012-01-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

We have all been enjoying the new game Jacks' got for Christmas. It's called Disney Universe and it's been fun for the whole family to play. I have been getting annoyed with how often they ask to play and how loud they get while they are playing, but I have to remember that "Santa" brought it and they are having a lot of fun with it!

Back to School

2012-01-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas Break is officially over. The boys headed back to school this morning!

Cleaning Day

2012-01-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

We spent most of the day cleaning today. We put away all of our Christmas decorations and then cleaned up all the holiday mess. We weren't home much over the Christmas break and so we would walk in the house and unload our stuff and then turn around and leave again. Our table is right inside the front door so it acquires most of the stuff. It was nice to finally have it all cleared off.

Dinnertime

2012-01-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

Ry was able to join us for dinner tonight at Peggy's. We propped her up with blankets and she sat and played with toys while the rest of us at our dinner. I'm amazed everyday by how fast she is growing!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

The kids and I spent the night at my mom's. We had our traditional Chinese Dinner and then played games and visited until almost midnight. Bert was over at his family's playing games and then we met up at home right before midnight.

Can It Really Be December?

2011-12-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

I am loving this weather. It was a nice enough day for them to be outside playing!

Minnie Mouse

2011-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Rylee a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal and she is really loving it. She likes to chew on the nose. I was shaking it in front of her and she was just jabbering away and then out of nowhere she giggled a few times. Apparently Minnie is really funny!

Hedbanz

2011-12-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

Nick gave the boys a game called Hedbanz for Christmas and we cannot get enough of it!

Lego's

2011-12-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Bert and Jacks spent the day putting together his Lego Space Shuttle that Santa brought.

Christmas

2011-12-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ready to walk out and see what Santa brought.

Santa brought Cooper a Batman helicopter and Cars 2.

Santa brought Jacks a Lego spaceship and a PS3 game called Disney Universe.

I made Cooper an apron for Christmas because he is always wanting to be in the kitchen helping. Mostly he wants to help when I am making cookies so he can sample them. He was excited about it!

Ry hung out in the bumbo and watched the boys unwrap until her diaper leaked all over and then she had to go get in the bath.

We opened presents at home and then got ready for church. Our church was at 10. Afterward we headed over to Nana and Papa's to open more presents over there...

Jacks and Cooper got new sleds from Erin's family.

Bert got a new Weed Whacker because his wouldn't start this last summer.

In the evening we headed over to Grandma Keele's to open even more presents.

Peggy and Terri made these quilts for all of the couples. They pieced together Don's old shirts and made quilts for all of us. It's fun to look and remember the shirts he wore the most often.

It was a great Christmas! We were definitely spoiled!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of going to a movie on Christmas Eve and this year we saw Arthur Christmas. It was a cute show. Rylee was so good during the movie. She sat and watched for a while, then I fed her, and then she fell asleep.

My grandpa started the tradition of reading The Other Wise Man on Christmas Eve to my dad's family. My grandma carried on the tradition with my dad's family and now my dad has carried on the tradition with us. I have always liked that story and I'm glad my kids get to hear it now!

Opening their Christmas jammies.

Family picture right before we packed up and headed home. It was a nice night!

Christmas Can Finally Come

2011-12-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day wrapping and picking up some last minute things at the store. I think I am finally ready for Christmas!

4 Months Old

2011-12-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Rylee had her 4 month check-up today. She is growing so fast. Here are her stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. - 85%
Length: 24.5 in. - 70%
Head: 16 in. - 50%

She did not like the shots and was sad about them for a while afterward. She would just start crying again out of nowhere and it was a sad cry like "how could you let them do that to me mom?"

RS Dinner

2011-12-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

We had our Relief Society Dinner tonight and I am on the board. Melissa Hooley and I were put in charge of the decorations and I have been stressing about everything for the last week, but it all turned out SO NICE! I am so bummed that I forgot to take my camera. It was a fun night with good food! Glad it's over though and now I can focus on finishing up my last minute Christmas stuff.

Progressive Dinner

2011-12-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

My family has a tradition of having a Progressive Dinner at Christmas time. We each take a part of the meal and we visit everyone's houses and see their decorations and eat yummy food. Tiff had appetizers and I was supposed to have salad, but Cooper woke up with a fever and a headache that stayed with him all day so he had to stay home with Bert and we skipped our house. Ben and Becky had the main dish and Erin had dessert. My mom read the kids a Christmas story while we were at Erin's house. It's always a fun night!

Silly Boy

2011-12-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Letters to Santa

2011-12-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

The boys finished their letters to Santa today and mailed them out. We can't wait for Christmas!!

Christmas Concert

2011-12-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Peggy and Shirley belong to a choir named The Chauntenettes and every year they put on a Christmas concert. They always do such a good job and it's fun to hear all the different songs they sing.

Polar Express Day

2011-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today was Polar Express Day for the 1st grade. He got to wear his pajamas and do Polar Express activities. He said Santa came and told him he was on the nice list!

Tongue Tied Again

2011-12-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Still really into her tongue!

The Nutcracker

2011-12-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

The 1st Grade went on a field trip today to see the Nutcracker Ballet. I thought it seemed like a bad idea to take a bunch of 6-7 year olds to a ballet but Jacks said he liked it.

Twins

2011-12-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Rylee (3 mo.) Jackson (3 mo.)

When the doctor handed Rylee to me right after she was born, I immediately thought she looked just like Jacks. Bert and I couldn't get over how much she looked like him. Ben comments just about every time he sees her that she looks just like Jacks did when he was a baby.

Jacks Van Gogh

2011-12-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Jacks drew and painted this in Art. I love it!

4-Wheelin'

2011-12-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor, Mike Zamora, was out riding his 4-wheeler today and offered the boys a ride. Jacks jumped at the idea but Cooper was nervous, until he saw how much fun Jacks had and then he wanted a turn too.

The Roof

2011-12-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

Bert had a Christmas work party tonight at The Roof in Salt Lake. It's a nice restaurant that is on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and looks out over the temple grounds. The boys went to Steph's to play and Lauren babysat Rylee for us. It was a fun night to get out and visit with friends!

Holding Hands

2011-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Rylee has always loved holding hands! It comforts her in the car. Cooper will tell me sometimes that all he had to do was hold her hand and she went to sleep. Cooper loves it too and will follow me around the house trying to hold her hand.

Bumbo

2011-12-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

I got the bumbo out and she is really liking it. If someone asked me what my favorite baby gear is and what I couldn't live without, I would definitely say the boppy and the bumbo. I use them both so much!

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

2011-12-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's getting cold here! Rylee got this hat from her Boise cousins and she looks so adorable in it!

Finger Lickin' Good

2011-12-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

Rylee has never really liked her pacifier. I tried and tried to get her to like it because Cooper was a 'binky baby' and I loved that. But, she has a mind of her own and would push it out about every time. She has now started sucking on her first 2 fingers and I'm liking that even better because she can put those in herself and I'm not reaching back behind me while I'm driving trying to hold her pacifier in!

Birthday Girl

2011-12-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

I woke up to some beautiful flowers this morning. He snuck them in the house on Saturday sometime and hid them in the bathtub with the curtain closed. It was a very relaxing day (since it was a Sunday). It was nice to have everyone home with me. We went over to my mom's for dinner. I got 4 new scarves and some new jewelry. My family knows me so well!

Jackson Cooper

The boys drew these pictures for me. It was a nice day! My last birthday in the twenties. Next year will be a little depressing!

Snowflakes

2011-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of making snowflakes together as a family and displaying them throughout the winter. Our house definitely looks festive and wintery.

Sewing Queen

2011-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day at my mom's house sewing Christmas presents for the boys. It's a lot of work and time consuming but it definitely feels very rewarding to create something yourself. I hope they like them!

Helping Nana

2011-12-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

We've been spending a lot of time at my mom's house these past couple of weeks. She had knee replacement surgery and so we've been going down to help her out. It's nice having her around during the day and makes me really look forward to when she retires in the spring!

Christmas Books

2011-11-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

I pulled out some of our Christmas books and they are definitely enjoying them.

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland"

2011-11-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

All decorated! Every time I look at the tree I start to sing "Winter Wonderland" in my head. That is exactly what it reminds me of. Our house is all decked out and I'm loving it!

Sick Day

2011-11-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

Jacks' woke up this morning with a stomach ache, so he stayed home from school. He felt much better by lunchtime and was running around and acting completely normal the rest of the day. Cooper loved having him around all day to play with.

Cousins

2011-11-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

Krista, Samantha, and Cooper

Samantha was visiting for the Thanksgiving weekend and Cooper was with her almost the entire time. He loved having Sam here! We can't wait for her to visit again.

Christmas Shirts

2011-11-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

New Christmas shirts from Aunt Tiff.

Christmas Tree Shopping

2011-11-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up we always picked out our tree on the day after Thanksgiving. That way you were able to enjoy it that much longer. I have always liked that tradition and have continued it with my own family. We like to go down to Baum's, which is a nice family in Provo who sell them in their yard. Rylee fell asleep on the way there so we left her at Nana's house. Bert and Jacks wanted to get a flocked tree this year and Cooper and I voted for a green one. Bert and Jacks won.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sadly, this is the only picture I took on Thanksgiving day. We had Thanksgiving with the Keele family over at Peggy's Stake Center. It was nice to have all that room since Bert has such a big family. Rylee fell asleep on the way there and stayed asleep for 3 hours! She slept right through her first Thanksgiving feast. The kids played hide-and-seek and a lot of dodgeball in the gym. The grown-ups joined in and played a few games too. In the evening we headed over to the Williams house for pie. It was a nice holiday.

Papa's Birthday

2011-11-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today was Papa's birthday and we spent the whole day down at their house helping to decorate for Christmas (since Mom is out of commission because of her knee surgery) and making a birthday dinner. Busy, fun first day of Thanksgiving break.

Playing in the Stickers

2011-11-21T17:54:00.001-08:00

Toothbrush Timer

2011-11-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

The boys had dentist appointments last week and they got to pick a prize our of the dentist's drawer at the end of the appointment. Jacks picked this timer and it has actually been a really good thing. Before they got this timer they usually did a rush job and didn't do as good as they should have. But now they are brushing until all the sand has dropped down and getting their teeth much cleaner!

Cake

2011-11-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

Erin and I made this cake for our friend's wedding. We worked on it all of Friday evening while Tiff took care of Rylee. Then we transported it to the church today and stacked it and put on the finishing touches. It turned out really cute and we were glad to be done with it!

Thanksgiving Program

2011-11-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

Jacks had a Thanksgiving Program today in his class. They sang a couple of songs and had a Reader's Theater. They also had made these turkeys and they took turns telling the parents what they had written on the feathers. Jacks is thankful for: Moms & Dads, school, books, parents, siblings, and bodies.

Tongue Tied

2011-11-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

Rylee has really been into her tongue lately.

Mr. Cooper

2011-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Cooper has such a fun imagination and will sit on the bench in our living room and pretend he is a teacher at school or he is a leader in Primary. He reads books to his "class" and gives directions on the worksheets. If he is pretending to be at church he will tell scripture stories and even pass out the sacrament. It's very funny to listen to and I have to be careful not to smile because he gets embarassed and won't do it anymore.

Basketball

2011-11-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Basketball season has officially started up again.

Laundry

2011-11-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

What a day! It does feel good for it to be all clean and folded nicely. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to do it again in a week!

Fussy Girl

2011-11-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

Rylee was not a very happy girl on Sunday. She was very fussy in the evening over at my mom's. This was one of the only smiles they could get out of her.

So worth the work! What a cutie!

Breakfast

2011-11-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

The boys had dentist appointments on Thursday and I bribed them with breakfast at McDonald's if they were really brave. I don't usually have to worry about Jacks, he will lay up there and let them clean and check his teeth. The Coop definitely needs some help. He doesn't like going at all. I can't really blame him. It is not my favorite place. We made it through the appointment and so we got to go to McDonald's this morning for some breakfast and to play on the playground!

The 3 Amigos

2011-11-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Jackson and Cooper love playing with their dad. They watch and play all different kinds of sports. I'm glad they have such a good time together. Bert is an awesome dad! We're lucky to have him!!

Early Christmas

2011-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Rylee got an early Christmas present from her Nana and Aunt Tiff. They bought it for her a couple of months ago and thought it would be the perfect size at Christmas time. But they didn't anticipate how much Rylee was going to eat and how fast she was going to grow. It looks so cute on her! Thanks Nana and Tiff for the adorable outfit!

Mouse

2011-11-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Why are there so many kids movies and books with mice as the main characters? They always make them look so cute and lovable. They are nothing like that! I was helping Jacks get ready for school this morning and Cooper said he saw a mouse. I didn't believe him right away because my sister, Tiff, has had a mouse in her house and so mice have been the topic of many conversations lately. So I went over to look where he said and then he told me he saw it again run into the bathroom. I went over there and turned on the light and stood in the hallway to peer in and it came darting back out again and into their room. I screamed. I couldn't help it! I wish I hadn't because it scared the boys pretty bad and they started crying. I grabbed Cooper, who had jumped onto his bed to get away from the mouse, and we ran out of the room. I called Bert and told him, finished helping Jacks get off to school and then fed the baby (watching the floor the whole time.) Then I got an idea to stuff a towel under the door so it would be trapped and Bert could get it when he got home. It actually helped calm me down quite a bit to know it was trapped and not going to appear anywhere else in the house the rest of the day. But it apparently had gotten out before I put the towel up so my sense of security was crap. When Bert got home I sent him straight to the store for traps. Tiff came over to visit and while she was there I spotted it again in Rylee's room when I went in to change her diaper. I called Tiff in, put Rylee in her crib with her mobile on, grabbed a flashlight and a broom for Tiff to whack it with if it came running out, and I went to look in the closet. I was only going to move one thing, not dig around. Well guess what! It was under that one thing. It came running out at us. I screamed again! Which I wish I hadn't again because it freaked Rylee out and she started crying so hard! It ran under her crib. I would just like to mention right here that Tiff did not even try to whack it. She jumped back and used the broom to shew it away from her. I grabbed the baby and Tiff and I ran out of the room. This time we put the towel under the door right away. When Bert got home from the store he called Casey and they went in. They were in there for over an hour and finally came out with the dead mouse. Rylee's room was such a mess! The bookshelves were out and leaning against the wall, the crib was in the middle of the room, and the rocking chair was lying up on top of a nightstand we have in there. Nothing was in it's original place!

I hate mice! I think they are so disgusting! I didn't realize how big my fear of them was until it came running at me. I know its small and I shouldn't be afraid of it. So many people have told me that it is more afraid of me than I am of it. That is up for debate!!! I am now constantly listening for noises and checking corners and looking around for another one to appear. The boys don't want to play in their room anymore. This mouse has completely rocked our home life and if I never see another one I will be a happy woman!!

The Help

2011-11-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Cooper loves to help in the kitchen. Especially if I am making cookies because then he can test the dough and make sure it tastes good!

Say Cheese

2011-11-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Bert had her smiling so big and starting to giggle so I ran to get the camera. But as soon as the camera comes out she forgets everything else. This is what I ended up with! Still so cute!!

Sunday Best

2011-11-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

The kids after church on Sunday. We really enjoy our ward and have made some great friends here!

Car Soccer

2011-11-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

The boys love to play with their cars. They have a road rug to drive them on but they fight over the rug in the living room because that is their "soccer field." The cars are the soccer players and they have a little mini car that is the soccer ball. I'm glad they have good imaginations and can entertain themselves so well.

Rock-a-bye Baby

2011-11-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Rylee is definitely the best sleeper of all of my babies. Jacks was good and would just get up once a night. Cooper got up every 2-3 hours for a few months. I felt like a zombie. Rylee's first night home from the hospital she slept for 5 hours straight. As she got older she kept doing a little more. Right before she turned 2 months she started sleeping all the way through the night, every night. It's heaven! I know how lucky I am and I love it!!

Gingerbread Man

2011-11-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Cooper is really enjoying preschool. Today he made a gingerbread and couldn't wait to eat it. I told him I wanted to take a picture of it when I got home but he said he had to hurry and eat it before is got up and ran away.

After he finished it he told me that he could feel something moving in his tummy and it was probably the gingerbread man.

Look-Alike

2011-11-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

I put this sleeper on Rylee last night and it made me go back in time.

Rylee 2011 (2 months old)

Cooper 2007 (2 months old)

Ladybug Friend

2011-11-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Rylee loves this little ladybug on her bouncer. She stares at it and talks to it and I have even caught her smiling at it. I'm glad she likes her bouncer...it's the only way I can get dinner made.

Halloween

2011-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

We started our Halloween night with our traditional soup dinner with all of the Williams' family. Then we took pictures and went out on the town to trick-or-treat. We ended up at Grandma Keele's for a Halloween party. It was a fun night!

Rylee in the Halloween outfit her Nana gave her.

Cooper is Captain Hook, Jacks is a baseball player, and Rylee is a ballerina.

The Photographer

2011-10-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Cooper has always liked taking pictures and so whenever I have the camera out Cooper wants to take pictures too. These are his latest masterpieces.

Just let me know if you want to borrow him to take any pictures for you!

School and Soccer

2010-09-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe how grown up my little man is! He's old enough to go to school now!! It's still really weird. My friend Lauren was over the other night and mentioned how grown-up he is now and that makes me a little sad.

Of course Cooper has to get in on the action too! For the first few days of school he would ask me about 10 times if it was time to go pick up Jacks yet. He has adjusted better now and only asks twice.

This is Jacks' friend, Aidan. He is our neighbor and is in the same class. My mom is the teacher and his grandma is the aid. These boys are pretty spoiled!

Jacks was so excited to start Soccer this year. He has been practicing with Cooper and his dad a ton and has improved a lot. Last year was our first year and he was very reserved and didn't get a lot of ball time. He is still reserved this year but has a lot more skills to counteract that. He likes to wait on the outside when everyone is fighting over the ball and when someone finally kicks it out of the group Jacks will grab it and go.

He is having so much fun and is getting really good. He made 4 goals at his game last Saturday and was so excited that he's been telling everyone!

Demolition Derby

2010-08-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the Demolition Derby in Spanish Fork on Saturday. Bert and I went to one when we were dating 8 years ago, but i hadn't been to one since. I loved it and have wanted to take the boys to one for a while but i always seemed to hear about one after it was over. So when i heard about this one I jumped on board really quick.

We had so much fun. My 2 sisters came with us and Casey and Lauren (one of my roommates from college.)

Here's the group right before the final Champions round. My sister Erin has an almost 2 year old and he was only interested for so long, so they left early.

Cooper loved it so much and keeps asking over and over if we can go again! They have made up their own version of it here at home. It's quite funny to watch. They announce their cars, "Here comes Lightning McQueen" or "Here comes the brown car that kept going" and then they countdown. 5....4....3....2....1 and the crashing begins. Come on over for the show anytime :)!!

Summer Fun

2010-08-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

We have been swimming and slip-n-sliding a lot this summer. It's nice to fill up the pool and set up the slip-n-slide and the kids can go to town for hours. I don't have any good pictures of the slip-n-slide yet, but we have the perfect hill for it in our back yard. I have many fond memories of slip-n-sliding when i was a kid and I'm happy to pass that on to my kids.

Jacks got a bike for his birthday and we have been riding A LOT lately. We have a church really close to our house (I know...in Utah every church is close to your house :) ) He's getting pretty good at it. It shakes him up a bit when he falls but I just keep telling him that that's a part of learning and to get back on and try again.

Cooper has been riding this trike around but he could never keep up with Jacks and he just seemed too big for it. So I went out and bought him a bike of his own.

He loves it and thinks he is such a big boy. It's the cutest little thing ever. One of the challenges of having your kids so close together (19 months apart) is you can't wait around for hand-me-downs on everything. I'm glad we got this for him and he can be learning to ride at the same time as Jacks.

Cutest little biker dudes ever!

Primary Activity

2010-08-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Fireman/Policeman Primary Activity on Aug 6. It was great. This is an activity that we all look forward to. This kids love it and I had a few kids ask me about a month ago when it was going to be because they were so excited about it. And we leaders love it too because there isn't a whole lot we have to do. ;)

We have all the kids gather first and listen to some safety tips from Ben and Dave.

Then they turn on the water and the kids can run crazy for about 10 minutes. They get completely soaked.

Then we give them a Popsicle and they can walk home. Perfect summer activity! Thanks Dave and Ben! It was a lot of fun and I appreciate you coming over and helping with it.

Boise

2010-08-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Boise for a quick weekend trip in July. Bert has a brother that lives up there. We always have a good time when we go and the boys always want to know when they will be able to go up again!

We went to the zoo while we were there and had a great time.

The kids played in the water in the backyard and we headed out to the pool one afternoon too.

They loved having a sleepover with their cousins Josh and Samantha.

It was a fun trip! We went to the rodeo while we were up there too but I didn't get any good pictures of that since it was so dark in there. Thanks Dave and Julie! We had a great time!!

Jacks is 5!

2010-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

We started out his birthday celebration with breakfast at McDonalds and they played on the slides for a while. The boys had slept in until 10 that day so we had to hurry and get down there before they ended their breakfast. We made it just in time and we were there before the lunch crowd so it happened to be the perfect time to go because the playland wasn't busy at all.

My family all came over for cake and ice cream and presents later in the day. Jacks had requested a dinosaur cake so I found one online that i thought was cute and that Erin and I could create! He wanted it to be blue and green. It turned out super cute!

After cake and ice cream we headed out for a burger (I know that was backwards but it was the only way to work it out).

After dinner we went to see Toy Story 3. That had been the plan since we first saw the previews for it at Christmastime and saw that it was coming out on his birthday. He loves Toy Story and he loved the movie. They really did a good job with it and I have even heard some people say it was the best of all of them.

I can't believe he's 5. He's going to Kindergarten in the fall and will be going to my mom's class. I don't know who is more excited, Jacks or my mom!!! Jacks is very sweet and a huge helper. He's very sensitive to other peoples feelings and will never choose his favorite of anything (probably because he doesn't want to hurt anyone or anythings feelings). He loves to play sports with his daddy and is very good at all of them. He is very social and always wants to be at someone else's house instead of his own!! Happy Birthday Jackal!!!

Preschool Graduation

2010-06-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

I know I'm about a month late on this post...that's the story of my life lately!

Jacks graduated from Preschool on May 24th. He had a panic attack when we got there and wouldn't participate at all. Bert finally got him to go sit up in his chair as long as he was sitting next to him.

And finally by the end he warmed up enough to go up and get his diploma from his teacher. She asked all the kids what they wanted to do when they grew up and Jacks told her he wanted to be a race car driver. News to me! I'll have to talk him out of that one for sure ;)!

He got a cold sore on his lip 2 days later and I'm convinced it's from his panic attack and stress during the graduation!

Disneyland 2010

2010-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been in such a funk lately and so I'm really behind in my blogging. We were able to go to Disneyland for the Williams Family Vacation the first week of March. It was so much fun and we all had a great time. The weather was perfect. It was springtime there. Beautiful flowers and green grass. I can't wait for our spring to show up!

Cooper was a wimp when it came to the characters and some of the rides. He would not go near any of the characters and there were just a handful of rides that he would go on. He refused to go on Peter Pan but I knew he would like it and so I forced him into that line and he was not happy with me...but in the end he loved it. This picture above is him on the Ladybug ride in Bug's Land and it was one of his favorites. My mom can go on spinny rides without getting sick so she was usually his partner on this ride.

(Getting ready to ride the new Toy Story 3D ride)

We booked our trip through Costco and so as a bonus we got to go to a character breakfast. I thought this was so much fun and definitely something I would want to do again. We ate at Goofy's Kitchen and there were about 5 characters walking around. Cooper was very nervous the whole time but we kept him in the corner and no one tried to talk to him so he survived. The food was so funny because they had everything from scrambled eggs and waffles to chicken fingers and hot dogs. It was quite the breakfast buffet!

This was on the last day (we were there for 5) and he finally decided he would do it. He saw Woody and said he wanted to take a picture with him. So we took off after Woody to get our only picture with Cooper and a character. He looks pretty nervous but he was sure proud of himself and wanted me to show everyone the picture.

We had a blast! Jacks was tall enough this time to go on some of the adult rides like Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain and Soarin'. He felt so big and said they were some of his favorite rides. It was fun to take him on the "fast" rides. I never counted exactly but I'm sure we went on Small World atleast 10 times. It was one of Cooper's favorites!

The Boys

2010-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while Jacks was at school, this is what I found sitting in the hallway. He had gathered all of his stuffed animals and lined them in a row and then was talking to them in his "sweet baby voice". It was so cute!! If he was a girl he would play with babydolls all day long! I am sure of it! But, since we don't have any, his animals serve as his babies and he will put diapers on them, take them for rides in the stroller, wrap them in his blankie, and love them.

My boys are obsessed with shorts!!! I don't get it! Every morning, pretty soon after they wake up, they ask if they can put on their shorts and run around in them. It is a sad day if I ever say no! In fact, it is the ultimate punishment to make him put pants back on :). I just took this picture this morning right after they woke up and right now as I'm typing this they are running up and down and being crazy!! They have so much energy and are definitely all boy!!!

Cooper's Birthday

2010-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a long post with a lot of pictures because there were so many cute ones that I couldn't pass up! OK, here goes....

Cooper's 3rd Birthday was on Jan 19, but he really got to celebrate it for 3 days! (Hopefully he won't remember that next year and expect it again!) On Sunday, the 17th, we had birthday dinner with the Keele's and Cooper opened presents and ate cake.

Grandma Keele gave his Pete's Dragon which he was really excited about.

The next day we celebrated with my family. That morning Erin and Becky came over to help me finish up the cake. Bert and I had dyed and baked 6 different layers the day before, which was a process but not as bad as I thought it would be. So they came over early, with kids in tow, and we made Cooper a "Red Hi-Ho Cake" (That is exactly what he said when I asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted!!).

So here is what it looked like right before we frosted it. Cool, huh?

This is the final product and the happy birthday boy that got exactly what he wanted!!

Cooper and all his loot. He got a lot of stuff.

Cooper loves to play with his cousins stroller and so I have been wanting to get him one for a long time, but everywhere I looked they only came in pink. I happened to be in the baby Gap at Christmas time and saw this stroller. It's perfect because it's blue and green and totally masculine :)!!

So then the next day was finally Cooper's actual birthday. Bert had a basketball game that night so I took the boys to that, which they loved, and then we went bowling afterward. Casey and Peggy came with us.

After bowling we grabbed some ice cream and then made our way home. When we got there this is what we found in Cooper's room...

Nana, Papa, Tiff, and Tessa had come by to decorate his room with balloons. The boys loved it and didn't waste any time getting all tangled up in the balloons. It was a fun few days!

Candyland

2010-01-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Candyland for Christmas and the boys cannot get enough! We play it about 5 times a day! They have so much fun with it!

These pictures are kinda blurry but I wanted to post them because they were laughing so hard. They think it's hilarious to bonk the other person when you are passing them. I'm getting pretty sick of the game so if anyone has been having Candyland withdrawals you can get your fix over at our house...5 times over!! :)

School

2010-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago one of Bert's nieces, Stephanie, called and said she needed to take a 3-5 year old with her to class and she asked if she could take on of our boys. Jacks had school that day so I told her she could have Cooper. Jacks was very jealous and wanted to skip school and go with Steph instead. They both have a big crush on her and love to spend time with her.

Cooper was so excited for the chance to "go to school". He felt like such a big boy and had the biggest grin on his face when I got him out of the car and walked him over to Steph. It only lasted about an hour but it was a nice break for me without any kids!

This is Jacks and his pre-school teacher Mrs. Young. She is so great! We really love her! My sister knows her and hooked me up with her phone number last summer and we got Jacks on her list. He is really liking school. He has a hard time if I have to wake him up to go...but he always has a good time while he's there. He is always coming home with cute pictures or projects and is so proud to show them off. Pre-school has done so much for him in helping to get him out of his shell. He has always been an extremely shy boy but I think he is really starting to open up.

Playing in the Snow

2010-01-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas we got a ton of snow and so the boys of course wanted to go out and play in it! It worked out great for me that it was a Saturday morning so Bert was home to go out there with them! Lucky me!

Apparently it was really bright outside because I tried twice to get a picture of Cooper and they both turned out like this.

Jacks made this snowman all by himself!! Isn't it so cute?

Cooper got cold so he went inside to watch while...

Bert and Jacks had a snowball fight. Cooper gets mad if anyone throws snow at him. It's totally fine if he is the one doing the throwing but it's not okay if he gets hit by the snowball. I'm ready for it to snow again! It has been a while and now it is just the yucky, dirty leftover stuff and I love how beautiful and clean everything is right after a snowfall (as long as I don't have to drive anywhere that day ;)!

Crazy Kids!

2009-12-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

My friend came over the other day to interview me for an assignment she was working on. She brought her little girl who is a couple months older than Cooper. The kids all get along great and were playing really well together! After a while I commented that I hadn't heard anything from them (which is odd because when other people come over my kids think they have to show off by playing as LOUDLY as they can!) So I got up to look for them and this is what I found...

They had brought almost every toy we own and put it in the kitchen!! I could not stop laughing!

This is our toy room and this bookshelf is usually full of toys! They had emptied it out completely!!

Apparently they were getting ready for a football game...whatever that means! That's the only explanation I could get out of all three of them. It was sooo funny!

Birthday Trip

2009-12-09T23:53:00.000-08:00

My birthday was last Friday and I knew that Bert was planning a getaway for us. But that's all I knew! It was all a big surprise (which I love!) So I assumed that we were probably just going to head up to Park City or Salt Lake or something close by. Boy was I shocked when he got on the freeway and started heading south! So then I decided we were probably going to St. George. Which we did. We got off to eat at the Texas Roadhouse (which I also love!) and then I was waiting for him to find the hotel and all of a sudden there's a giant sign on the side of the freeway that says "Welcome to Arizona"! So, our final destination, after soooo much driving (I am totally impatient on roadtrips!) was Las Vegas!

Bert did a great job with all the planning! We got there late Friday night and checked into the Venetian. We had a beautiful room! It was the only thing that I got pictures of from that whole weekend! I'm weird about asking strangers to take a picture for me. I know, it's really dumb!

They had us up on the 30th floor so it had an amazing view! I know it's all blurry but you can get the idea!So we really only had one day to spend in Vegas but it was packed full of stuff so it felt like a full trip instead of just one day! We went to a spa and were able to see The Phantom of the Opera and the Blue Man Group. In between we ate some very yummy food and we did that all in our hotel! The shows and the restaurants and the spa were all in the Venetian so we never really had to leave and drive around!

It was a very fun trip and much needed too! I love my kids but I also love some time away to just relax and be with Bert! Thanks to my mom and dad for watching them over the weekend! The boys loved sleeping over at Nana and Papa's and they keep asking to go back again!