Jaden Turns 3 Years Old!!!

I can't believe that our baby boy is 3 years old! He is getting so big (and so mouthy, but we won't mention that.) He is such a joy to be around and really is a great boy! He is a good big brother and is always happy! We are sure glad that he is part of our family. He keeps us on our toes and always gives us something to laugh about.

We had his birthday party at the Pinedale Aquatic Center. Jaden wanted a Scooby Doo party, so that is what he got. We had cake and ice cream, opened presents, and went swimming. Brad and I had a blast swimming with everyone, it was quite entertaining. We are grateful to all of the family that came and missed the family that could not be there.

Jaden with his cake. He thought it was pretty cool.

The cake that took me FOREVER to make. But it was worth every minute to see how happy and excited Jaden was about it.

Jaden opening his presents. Thanks to everyone for making his day, we love you very much!

Valerie being the dork that she is............

Stefanie being the dork that SHE is....................................

Lots of the cousins, not all! We tried to get a picture with everyone but we all know how easy that is!

Lyxi enjoying the cake and ice cream!

Sadly we did not get any pictures of anyone swimming, we are all to busy trying to watch all of the kids. It was crazy but fun!!!

Thanks Jaden for the love you show me everyday and for making me want to be a better mom. We LOVE you soooooo much and can't wait for the many more birthdays to come!!!

Halloween!!!

We had a great Halloween this year. The kids had such a fun time. Thursday night we went to the PAC where they had a big party. The kids ran around and played and got lots of candy that night. On Friday, the church put on a carnival that was soooo much fun. It ended up being at Zane's shop, so Katie and I were lucky enough to help be in charge of putting it together. So unfortunately I did not get any pictures of that night. It was crazy but tons of fun. There were bouncers, cake walks, tons of games, and lots of food. There was a great turnout and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Then on Saturday, we went to the trunk-or-treat and then went to a few houses. For three days, we did nothing but party! It was great!

Lyxi was out little lady bug. Se looked so adorable. She had no idea what was going on, but she loved every minute of it. I could not get her off of the bouncer/slide. Brad just had to watch her and make sure no one plowed her over. She even wanted to walk around to every house we went too! It was pretty cute.

Jaden was Scooby Doo this year. He was soo funny. He was so stoked to go get more candy. He would say, "Trick or treat" and then try to go into their house and get more. We had to keep our eyes on him. He won a cake at the cake walk and thought that was pretty cool. He said he LOVED being Scooby!

The two munchkins taking a break after the trunk-or-treat.

Daddy with Lyxi trying to warm up! Luckily it wasn't that cold of a night!

Cousin's Halloween Party!

The Stevens cousin got together and were able to have a halloween party. It was so fun for the kids and even for us as moms! We ate lots of food, decorated sugar cookies and were going to have a treasure hunt, but they had too much fun with everything else.
Taycie and Hailey decorating cookies. The boys did one each and were outta there, but the girls spent lots of time on each cookie and made them look "beautiful."

Here are all of the cousins! They have so much fun together!

These are part of the appetizers. My mom, Stef, Sheri, and myself. I love my family. Valerie was too busy with classes to make it but we thought about her and Melanie and wished they could have been there.

Austin and Tyler with their snakes!

We sure love all of our cousins!

Suprise!!!

This ultrasound compared to my other two, was awesome. We were able to get it done in Grand Junction where they had a 4D ultrasound machine! I can't believe the difference between the black and white pictures and the 4D. The lady who was doing the ultrasound was so informative and showed me everything there was to know about it. It was the neatest experience I have ever had!

We decided to keep the gender a surprise! Brad wasn't too happy about our decision, but he was a good husband and gave into his pregnant wife. At this point I was only 20 weeks along and the baby still had not developed any baby fat yet. The best time to get a 4D ultrasound is around 25-30 weeks because the baby has fat and will look pretty much look the same as when he/she is born. Too bad we still didn't live there, we would get another one done, but oh well. We are so excited to welcome this baby into our family. The closer it gets the more excited I am to be able to hold a brand new baby and cuddle and love someone who is straight from heaven! We love you baby "White."

I call the baby a "SHE." So don't take my word for it, but "she" always had her hands near her face. This is a typical girl pose, and is showing me she has attitude already, could be a drama queen, but we will find out soon enough!

This is the picture with her legs crossed.

This is a picture of her face. It is kind of hard to tell but, that's what it is!

Hunting Already!

Hunting season always seems like it lasts forever and us (as wives) feel it can not end soon enough! But this year was not so bad. It seems like it came and went! I got an antelope tag this year and was able to shoot at pretty decent one. The kids had a good time and it teaches them a valuable lesson of what guns will do to something!

Unfortunately for Brad, hunting season ended yesterday and he did not get anything this year :( He is not very happy about it. He has been working so much that he didn't get to devote the time he wanted to hunting. He had the chance to shoot a few elk but it wasn't "The Big One." But all the same, he at least got to hunt a little and enjoy the outdoors!

The boys admiring the antelope. Jaden thought it was pretty cool. He even tried to hold up the head but it was too heavy!

I had to put this picture in because it is soo cute! Alyxis ran right up to Rob and wanted him to hold her. It was pretty sweet!

The men doing the dirty work!

Alyxis and mommy with antelope. Lyxi didn't know what to think. She wasn't scared and thought it was kind of cool. She kept running up to it and trying to touch it! It was actually kind of funny how much she was into it!

Snow Already!!!

It is the beginning of October and here we are. Look at this snow. We just left Colorado where it was still 70 degrees. It is the wrong time of the year to come back to Pinedale! But the kids loved it and I couldn't get Jaden to come back inside. Luckily it only lasted a few days and then it melted, so that wasn't so bad. Although I don't like to admit it, I am ready for the snow to come (now that it is November!)




The kids made their first snowman of the year! They had so much fun.

BRING ON THE SNOW!!!!

Where Does The Time Go?

All of my pictures are on the other computer so this post is without pictures! I feel like I need to write down these things or I am going to forget them. It is a long one, sorry!

The time seems to fly by and I don't know where it goes. Life just gets swallowed up with day to day activities, but life is great! The kids are getting sooo big. I feel like right now is the perfect time to be a mom. The kids.......................
except for a rare occasion, sleep through the night
they are playing so well with each other,
they entertain themselves,
we can communicate and understand each other
and they are becoming so independent.

Although this is a fun to see these changes, it is almost sad to see how much they are growing and one day will not need me as much as they do now! Jaden is already starting to do so many things on his own! Everyday he seems to say or do something that amazes me. He is not even 3 years old yet and is already bored at home. We have to keep coming up with activities and crafts that keep him busy for at least a little while! He has quite the mouth on him , sometimes I swear he needs an attitude adjustment. Some things he has said lately......

We were driving in the car and I can't even remember what I was telling him, but he looked at me and said, "Big Deal Mom!!!" I looked back at him and I was dumbfounded, I didn't even know that he knew how to talk like that! I had to laugh!

When we went to my Grandpa's wedding, Katie and Sam watched the kids for us, which we are so grateful for! Katie had just bought a new hat and she put it on and said, "Jaden do you like my new hat, does it look good." And he looked at her and said something like this, "No Aunt Katie, that does not look good, you need to take it off!" He has such a little smart mouth. The bad thing is I know that this is just the begining and it is only going to get worse! He does have a sweet side to him. He still cuddles with me and at least once a day he tells me he loves me, which melts my heart!

Alyxis is growing up so fast. She is learning from Jaden and is catching on fast. I can not keep her from eating the dog food, she must think it is good. She even lifts up the dog water and drinks from it. I am always sooo grossed out. She is talking so much now and I am starting to realize how much she is actually saying. The cutest thing that she says is "backpack." She can count to three and say grandpa, thank you, and the list goes on. She is definitely at the "busy" stage, where she is all over and you can tell exactly where she has been. We love having a girl, she is sooo sensitive. If Brad even looks at her wrong, she will start crying! We love that she is starting to grow some hair, so I can do something with it! She is such a joy to have in our family!

As for me, I am 24 weeks pregnant and am feeling pretty well, other than this cold that I have! We were able to get a 4D ultrasound with this one and it was amazing. Brad was soo upset that he could not be there. He was in Oklahoma, then Denver, and then had to drop his guys off in Pinedale. So he did that and was going to turn around and meet me in Grand Junction, but they were doing maintenance at the airport, so they closed the whole thing! So sadly he couldn't be there. On the bright side, I wanted this baby to be a surprise and Brad did not, so since he was not there, he did not have a choice, and I won the battle. So we are going to be surprised when this baby comes. I can not wait! I feel a little anxiety when it comes to having number three. I don't have three hands and Lyxi is going to have a hard time with this change, I can feel that! I just know the Lord will help me as long as I am doing my part!

Brad has kept busy with work, which is good for the company. They are now drilling in North Dakota which is where he is now! Hunting season has started and he lives for that. He has not gotten anything yet, but he is waiting patiently for the BIG one to come along! He is such a great man and takes great care of our little family!

A Funny Story!!

I just remembered this story about Brad and thought that I would post it so I will never forget the how hard I laughed!! So here goes.....

A little background, we went to Chucky Cheese earlier that day and Jaden had won a chucky balloon along with other things. We had a great time and Jaden thought Chucky was pretty cool. He kept hugging Chucky(which creeped me out a little because he loved hugging a mouse soo much, but that is ok, he got over it, haha.) So we came home and thought nothing of it!

We we laying in bed that night and I was almost asleep. Brad heard a noise and thought he better check it out! So he got out of bed to make sure everything was okay! It makes me feel safe that he at least got out of bed to check instead of saying it is nothing and actually have it be something we need to worry about. So he gets up and he walks around the corner in the kitchen and there he started swinging his right arm and his left arm he put infront of his face to defend himself and he is swinging away! I hear this gasp of breath and I thought something is wrong! I was terrified!!! So come to find out, Jaden left his chucky balloon in the kitchen with his big white eyes just staring out at you! It was hilarious! I have never laughed so hard and Brad just had to laugh too! I will never forget what a good that gave us!

I sure love my MAN!!!

Carnival Rides and More!

There are so many posts that I want to get to that have happened this summer, I just have yet to post them. This one was a fun one because of the carnival! It was the Mesa County Fair in Grand Junction, so Katie and the boys came down for it!

We had a great time. The boys weren't scared of any ride. Sammy and Colby we awesome with Jaden! Most kids would have left him in the dust, but not his cousins! Sammy waited for Jaden and let Jaden ride with him on the rides that he was too little to go on! We ate funnel cakes, snow cones, corn on the cob and lots more, but you have too when your at a carnival, right???

Colby and Sammy spent the whole weekend trying to catch the bull frogs in the pond! They lucked out and caught the frog a couple of times! Colby was determined, in the 100 degree heat to catch them and they did. The boys were so proud of themselves!

Lyxi and Howie watching the boys trying to catch a frog!

Jaden holding the frog! They thought they were pretty cool!

Colby and Sammy with their frog!

Alyxis LOVED the "Marry Go Round." She cried when it was time to get off!

Colby on the swing. Doesn't he look soo excited!

Sammy on the Dozer. They loved this ride!

Jaden on the Dozer. I can't believe that he rode all of the rides and was not scared. As long as Sammy was with him he went literally on every ride that we was allowed too. I couldn't believe what a big boy he was being!

Everyone on this fun ride! We all had a blast! So thanks for coming and visiting us Aunt Katie!

What A Man!!

I just want to let Brad know how much we love him! He is a great father and a great husband. This summer has been great but hard as well because Brad has been gone soo much. He works so hard for our family and does it without complaint! He is a wonderful man. When he comes home and the kids are still awake he always pays with them and lets them know that he loves them and misses them. On average over the past two months he has probably gotten 4 hours (if that) of sleep a night. I DO NOT know how he does it. But he does not complain, he is such a trooper! I love him with all of my heart! I love that he can fix anything. There is not one thing that he can not fix around the house, and he will figure if out if he is not sure what is wrong with it. I just wanted to let him know that we appreciate what he does for us, even though it is hard!

We Love You Daddy!

4th of July!

We went up to the Gorge for the 4th. Katie's family and my family came and we had a great time. We found the perfect spot, the water was rising a foot and a half a day so we were lucky to find such a good spot.

This is one of the many mortars we let off over the weekend. We put on quite a good show. The boys loved it and we couldn't keep them away from the matches after that. We are raising little pyromaniacs.

This is Sam preparing the mortars! The next night Stef and Lamar brought out a lot of fireworks, but I was too busy making sure the kids didn't blow themselves up that I didn't get any pictures.

We had a friendly game of texas hold em going on. Sam is still holding out on my mom to pay him the 40 dollars:)

Lamar and Austin on the wakeboard. Austin is soo tough!!

My dear sweet sisters, haha!

Alyxis chillin on the boat, eating her sandwich! She did so good wearing her life jacket!

Austin, Taycie, Val, and Jaden on the boat! Aren't they cute!

Sammy, Cindy, Colby and Jaden with their sparklers!

Mommy and Lyxi Lou on the boat!

Brad and Val on the tub. That looks like it was an easy ride, but they were being tossed like rag dolls on the water. Val got dumped three times and them Brad finally bit the bullet the last time. It was pretty funny to watch!

Our Newest Addition!!!

I have officially fallen off of the blogging wagon! This summer has been CRAZY! Up until this last weekend, we have been home for 2 weekends since the last of April. It has been nuts but full of lots to blog about, so stay tuned, I have much to talk about!

This is our newest addition, HOWIE! He is a miniature dockson! I have no idea how to spell it! But my sister, Melanie gave us Howie because she is now going to beauty school and will be gone too long!! It is soooo sad for her, but we LOVE him sooo much. Jaden and Howie will chase each other and Jaden will laugh hysterically! He entertains Jaden which makes my life easier and he is such a good dog. Melanie and Kyle did a good job raising him, so thanks Mel we love him!

What A Mess!

We were all craving brownies (okay, we all know it was just me), so we ended up making them one Sunday afternoon. This was the first time Lyxi got to sit on the counter and help with the process and she was enjoying it way too much. Jaden has always loved brownies and mommy is sure glad someone loves them as much as her.

I don't think I say enough how much I love my children and how important they are to have in our lives. Jaden is learning and growing each day. He in now tall enough that I do not have to hold him up so that he can go potty. He is so tall now. He loves to say prayers and will not let anyone else say them. He has to say every one of them. Alyxis is getting so smart. She can now show you where her eyes, nose and teeth are. She has the funniest personality. Even though it took her 13 months to walk. Actually it was kinda nice. At church I did not have to chase her everywhere, she stayed by me and she was so good. Now, on the other hand, I am a lot more busy chasing her. But at least I can put her down and my arm can get a rest. We love having her around, especially Jaden. They are playing with each other so well. We love both of them so much!!!