The Snyders

Family Pics!

2011-07-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

My sister in law did us the favor and took our family pictures. It had been 2 and a half years so it was about time! I am so grateful and love her for that! It am amazes me how fast time is flying and how big my little peeps are getting! 

Eli's kindergarten graduation!

2011-06-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

They performed some counting, ABC and some funny songs for all of us. So cute

Eli got to read his own paper that he wrote about his kindergarten experience

Eli's teacher Mrs. Bagala. She is THE BEST!!

The 4 of us

Chuck E Cheese!

2011-06-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

Lilly had such a great birthday party this year. It was wonderful to have her friends from church come and celebrate with her. I didnt have to clean my house, cook or clean up!!! I love that place (and hate it all at the same time.)

Lilly's 4th Birthday

2011-06-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

I really dont know how this happened but 4 years has flown by! Lilly has gotten so big and has changed so much within the last 6 months, it amazes me everyday!

For the love!

2009-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

I love these sweet faces!

My final for class

2009-11-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

For my final at college, I had to create a magazine ad...My teacher is nowhere near specific so I have no idea if this is anything close to what she was asking but I guess I will find out this week!!

Eli's sacrament talk

2009-11-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

This was taken during a practice for the primary sacrament program last Sunday. He is so funny!! Hes a mumbler like his daddy!! Ill translate for you "Can I say brothers and sisters? Brothers and Sisters, Fathers preside over, provide for and protect the family. Mothers nurture the family......amen" Thanks Jenny for taping this for me!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Best Buds Forever!

2009-10-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

These guys are so stinkin cute together!! Macey and Lilly are actually going to be in the same grade but Eli and Macey adore eachother and have so much fun together. It will be interesting to see if they like eachother later when girls and boys have cooties! I think that they will remain friends for a long time! Or at least I hope!!

Preschool!!

2009-10-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

My little Man started preschool and he could not be more excited about it! He LOVES school! He has a friend named Ethan that he hangs out with and it happens to be the son of one of my very good friends all through Junior High and High School! Am I really that old!?

The sun was really bright so he is hating me at the moment because I am trying to take his picture!! :) Thats what moms are for!!

Seattle Aquarium

2009-10-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

For our last outing before Eli and I started school, we took the kids to the aquarium. Its a pretty small one but they have a lot of touch areas which the kids didnt really like! They got a little freaked out by it but they loved looking at everything. They had seals, otters, a ton of birds and fish. They have done quite a bit to that place since I had been there last- it was a ton of fun!

Can you believe how tall these kids are! It amazes me that Eli is almost 4 feet tall!!

This lasted a whole 2 minutes for Lilly and about 20 minutes for Eli! They looked like a blob of blue when we got home!

CHARLIE SAFARI!!

2009-10-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of the coolest places! It is the most giant jungle gym ever!! The kids LOVE it! They have mini golf, big giant inflatable things that they can climb in and jump around in! They have an arcade section and a place where you can eat! Its in Lacey so its a bit of a drive but my sister lives over there so the kids can go play there! They dont ever stop talking about it!

Happy Birthday Brant!!

2009-10-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how Brant's Bday was in AUGUST!! I thought I would finally post it! I had been at Girls Camp all week before his birthday but left early so that I could make it for at least the last half of it!! I didnt feel right leaving the kids out of it since I had been gone all week so because Brant is such an awesome dad, he chose Chuck E Cheese!! One of Eli's most favorite places on earth! They had a blast!!

Then of course, we went a few blocks over to DQ!! I think the kids really died and went to heaven!! Chuck E Cheese and DQ all in one day!?

You cant go wrong with $1.50 ice cream sundaes!!

Pink Concert

2009-10-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

I went to see Pink with my BFF and LOVED it!! I would see her again in concert any day!!

Notice how freakin ripped she is! Amazing!

She hung from this and sang one of her slow songs. It was so crazy when they opened up the floor of the stage, dipped her down below and she came up dripping with water!!

Bryant and Kristen

2009-08-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is only a sneak peak Kristen!

2009-08-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

These are the only ones you get to see until Im done with them!! I hope you like them! Thank you again for letting me do your wedding!!

Eli and Lilly

2009-07-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

I finally took them out and got better pictures of them!! I love these little monsters!!

Some cutie patooties!!

2009-07-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Engagements

2009-07-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Kristen and Bryant

2009-07-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

Engagement portraits

2009-07-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends Kristen is getting married!! She asked me to do her engagements and wedding for her and Im feeling the pressure!! Here are some of her engagements- Im sure there will be more to come...

Go WWU!!

2009-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Brant finished at Western Washington University!!! We drove up to Bellingham for his graduation ceremony- it is a relief that this part is over. Now on to the next- grad school!!

I let Eli borrow my point and shoot camera while I used my other one with the good zoom lens- these are some of the pictures that we ended up with. I do have to say- he's pretty good with a camera! :)

We had Brant's little sis and her hubby come up from Arizona for graduation. He was glad that they were able to come up. Thanks Lish- it means a lot!!

I am such a dork but I really think that this is a huge deal. I mean, its college!! Anyway, I got him the roses and that huge gigantic balloon while we were in Bellingham for the ceremony but the rest was waiting at home for him.

More graduation

2009-06-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

The receiving of his diploma- The funniest part is that darn tassle that was on top of his head like the whole time!!

The turning of the tassle- It is official!!

A few of my favorite things...

2009-06-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

I love my kids, I really do. I decided to post just a few of my favorite things....

I love love love and am very jealous of LillyAnnes beautiful, curly hair! Even the color is amazing!

I also really love Lil's teeth! Gap and all!! The best part of it is her lisp that comes along with it! I sometimes make her say words with the letter 'S' just to hear it!

Eli is my little love muffin! He loves to cuddle and kiss you and tell you that he loves you! His personality is SO funny! He takes care of his sister and always tries to make her laugh. Here he is doing a little "acting" while walking!

This is my favorite picture of us. For one, he took the picture himself with my help of course. And second, what the heck is he doing!? I do love those baby blues!!

Miss Lilly...

2009-06-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, she is finally 2 and I am finally getting to her pictures! I got so many of her but here are just some of my faves!

The kids...

2009-06-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am really going to have to take them out again and get some better ones of the 2 of them. Both were pretty emotional and not wanting to sit still for anything!!

My little Man

2009-06-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY took the kids out to do pictures! (Inspired by you Jill!) Eli has definitely entered an awkward stage, especially with pictures but I do what I can!!

I LOVE this picture!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

2009-06-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

I seriously had an awesome Birthday this year! I am so grateful for wonderful friends and my determination that my dad blessed me with to fulfill dreams that I have. I went with my friends to Port Angeles the night before my Birthday and rented a hotel. We asked the hotel girl where an Italian restaurant was and she then gave us some directions... Um hello!! Bella Italia!!

I of course was freaking excited! Could it get any better!?

Diane and me

Rachelle and me

My Half Marathon

2009-06-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

These girls I work with at my salon. I love them and have a ton of fun with them! The one in pink is Diane and she ran a half marathon back in November and REALLY wanted to run one. But with my asthma, November in Washington is not a good time for me to run 13.1 miles!! And so we decided June 7th, my Birthday!! What a perfect time!

These are some pictures of right before the race...I was freaking out a little, okay, ALOT!

These are some of during the race. The kids and Brant met me at mile 8 1/2 to cheer me on and then at the finish line. I was seriously moved to tears as I ran. I have come so far in training for this and here I was doing it!! It felt really good...Rachelle came in at 2 hours 20 min., and then me at 2 hours and 40 min., and then Diane at 3 hours! Wierd how we were all 20 minutes apart!

A few of after. I felt really dizzy after I stopped running so they put me on a table to eat some oranges and get hydrated! Did you notice my number? 2728!? It was on my Birthday. I was 27 and turning 28 on that day!! Crazy huh!? Brant pointed that out to me, this race was totally mine!

I finished!! And now on to the next!

Cant believe youre 2!!

2009-06-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

She kinda has a sweet tooth like somebody I know!! (okay, so its me!)

Mrs. Potato Head from her big bro and a cradle for her babies from mommy and daddy

Lets go to the zoo!!!

2009-05-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our weather has been so amazing, we just had to get out today. My BFF Abby and I took the kids to the zoo. They were so excited and SO good for us! What a fun day!

Lilly and her brother, I mean, a gorilla!

I really like this zoo because of the giraffe! My personal fave! I did miss the whale from the other zoo but sometimes its good to have a little change from the norm...

A collage of the craziness! We really did have fun!

And there is my little man with his personal favorite, the penguin. (A new exhibit at Woodland Park)

Bowling with the Chandlers

2009-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Summer and Glen were in town for a weekend so we went bowling!! I really love bowling even though I only score like 100 but do you know how expensive it is!? The 4 of us paid $42 for 2 games!! Unbelievable! It was so worth it to see them...Nothin like a game of bowling with cheap yummy nachos and some genuine friendship!

Oh Solmer....

My love monkey...why do I look asian in the top picture!?

Dylans here!

2009-05-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is a photoshoot that I got to do for my friend. He is so stinkin cute! You may remember them from a previous post, only she was huge and prego!! :) Thank you Meg for letting me take your pictures! I hope you like them!

Mom, what are you laughing at!?

2009-05-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how can you look at these kids and NOT laugh!? I find it to be the funniest thing, mainly because they have no idea what they look like!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of Easter

2009-04-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid coloring Easter eggs. Eli had been asking for weeks when we were going to to eggs so we finally did and they loved it! I am all about simplicity when it comes to doing all these traditions with the kids so all we did was dye and stickers. Lilly loved putting them on as well and they had so much fun with it!

So I didnt notice her shirt until after I developed some of these! I swear my kids wear clean clothes but apparently we spilt some grape juice during dinner!

She was so proud!

And so was he!

Coloring Eggs

2009-04-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Just a little video of the chaos of coloring eggs! Eli cracks me up!!

Britney Spears!!

2009-04-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, I went to the Britney Spears concert!! It was a blast to take a night off and go out with the girls. I went with the girls from work and my BFF Abby (AKA Aberino)... The Pussycat Dolls opened up for Britney- they were awesome!! Britney of course, I dont think really actually sang but that girl can dance!! If only she liked wearing clothes! hahaha

More Portraits

2009-04-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures I took of my great nieces! It makes me feel old saying that but its the fact of life!! My brother John has 2 girls that have cute little girls. The top one is my niece Emmalee's-her name is Gabriella and the one to the left of that is Lauren's- Kynnedy. Too adorable!

I miss you!

2009-04-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

There are days when I really miss my dad. It is the most I have ever missed anyone before- To hear him talk and to hear him laugh for just a minute would be the best sound. Its been almost 6 years now since he left and I try so hard to keep the memories really close but I get scared that I will forget. That I will forget what he smelt like or the sound of his voice- The gospel is an amazing thing, I am so thankful that I will see him again!

I love these old pictures of my dad with his white chicken legs and big ole boots on! hahaha

This picture is such a perfect picture when I imagine what it will be like when we see eachother again! But in all white- he will probably have a missionary tag on then too! :)

Pregnancy Portraits

2009-04-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

I hope none of you thought I was pregnant!! This is my friend from work that let me do some portraits for her. I really have been wanting to work a little more with my camera and build up somewhat of a portfolio. It worked out for both of us!

CHICAGO!!

2009-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who I have actually been searching for for 6 years. I met her in 4th grade and she is one of those friends that are instant. Your hearts will forever be tied together. We lost touch and for the longest time I looked, if anyone knew better, they might have titled it "stalked". But I was really worried about her and hoped I could somehow find her. Anyway, one day I finally did and I went to see her. Just me!! It was a fun 5 days with her to catch up and again find out that everything picks up where it leaves off for us.

I know all of those who have facebook have seen some of these pics but this seriously is the coolest art piece EVER! It is so huge- you can see a guy standing there next to it, he looks miniature!

Me and my friend Brooke at the Field Museum. We went and toured the "Aztec World" exhibit

Say Cheese!

Brant visits the Broseph in Ohio!

2009-01-11T22:06:00.000-08:00

Brant was really missing his brother so we sent him to Ohio to visit him. It was in between quarters so it was just what he needed to de-stress and have a little brother time. I was sad that I couldnt go but really happy that Brant was able to. This was in October but I think its better late than never!!

Smashing Pumkins

2009-01-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

While there in Ohio, Marc and Candace took Brant to a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Cleveland. He had never really been to a concert before but he liked it. I think his words were, "It was really cool. Way too loud, but cool"

Happy New Year!

2009-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

I havent gone outside to make noise at midnight on New Years Eve in YEARS! It was hilarious! And raining of course!

Um, so we ate a lot of stuff! I dont even know how we managed to play a game on this table!

We had my sis and her daughter come over New Years Eve! They got here at 10:15ish and we played games until midnight! We then didnt go to bed until 2:00! It was way fun!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited! Eli was especially. This was such a great age for Christmas! He left cookies out for Santa the night before and thats all he could talk about! He still does!

I LOVE this outfit! I told her to smile, this is what I got! Thanks Lil!

Christmas Shopping!

2009-01-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

Lilly came in the kitchen and plopped herself down on the floor to look through her Walmart ad. She stayed a long time on the baby doll page. It was so cute! I was happy that under the tree waited her little baby doll!!

And we thought it was over!!

2009-01-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

Eli was in heaven!

I finally was able to open the gate! Now you can really see how deep it got!

Our 7 foot snowman. I should have had Brant stand next to it for a size reference! hahaha

Family Pics

2009-01-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

I know this isnt the best quality of pictures but the actual ones look way better! My scanner wasnt working so I took pictures of the pictures! We went to Penny's for the first time for pictures. I wasnt overly impressed but its a good place to be able to just go and get some taken. I always like the outside ones better than the cheezy backdrops but they turned out pretty good!

The only real complaint that I have is this...If you have 2 small kids in a family, why in the world would you only take 4 pictures!? We didnt have too many to choose from for the family pictures but this was the only one that Eli didnt have his hand in his face!

Our first snowfall...

2009-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

We got all decked out and went and enjoyed our first snowfall. In Washington, we have learned that when it snows you go out as soon as you can because within a few hours it has turned to rain!! Little did we know that it was only the beginning and that we were headed for 13 inches!

Eli attack!!

Lilly really hated everything about being outside! She hated the cold and she hated the snow. If you held her, she wouldnt whine but as soon as you put her down, it was over!

Happy Birthday Eli!

2009-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

Eli turned 4 this year. I find it pretty amazing that I actually have a 4 year old. I feel bad that he has a Birthday so close to Christmas. I think he may get the shaft every year because of it. We try to have his party pretty early in the month so people can come but he was sick and then there was the snow the next week. Lets just say it was a pretty small party! Luckily he still doesnt know the difference!

We started singing and he kept telling us to be quiet! It was hilarious!

Totally LOVES Diego!

A Diego game, no way!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a potluck with our friends for Halloween. Unfortunately, Brant is out of town but I decided to go and let the kids have fun with their friends and I too with my friends. It was in a nice, safe neighborhood with lots of houses! And tons of kids! It was a true Halloween night with the fog and everything!

There were a lot of kids just in our bunch but it was great. Lilly, by the way, is not a cow- she is a panda bear! And if one more person calls her a cow, I will punch them out!! :)

Notice Lilly not being shy about helping herself to some candy!

Eli was really funny, it took him a while to realize...say "trick or treat", recieve the candy, say "thank you" and then WALK AWAY! He would just stand there and wait. Um, dude, they arent going to give you more! WALK AWAY!! It was hilarious, he got it by the end thank goodness...

The Loot!

Halloween at work!

2008-10-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

So yes, I was Strawberry Shortcake! And yes, we made this costume too! But no, my hair is not red again!

Edward Scissorhands, me, Sandra Dee, an 80's chick, Dorothy and a flapper!

The funny thing it, Rachelle is really from Kansas!! Born and raised!

Trunk or Treat!!

2008-10-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

So this is the Deigo costume that my mom mostly made for Eli. I just did the detail stuff like the patch and the "rescue pack's" face. All of that I did with felt pieces. It turned out really good and Eli transformed into Deigo as soon as the zipper was zipped!

This is Lilly's smile when you say "Say Cheeeze!" Way to cheese it Lil!

And of course Eli's friends, Audrey and Macy! (I still claim that Eli and Macy are getting married!)

Tagged!

2008-10-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

This picture was obviously Christmas 3 years ago. It is amazing how small Eli is in this picture! He had just turned 1 a few days earlier! Crazy! And now I have another about the same age! I tag Jill, Diana, Misty, Kaela, Summer and Annie. Post your 4th picture from your 4th folder in your "my photos" and tell a little something about it.

Pumpkin Time!

2008-10-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

We have kept many of our same traditions this year with Halloween. Another one being, painting our pumpkins. We, of course, had Eli's pal Macy over to paint with us. We had pipe cleaners, puff balls, eye balls and paint! They were so creative, it was fun to watch. (Except for when Macy tried to eat it! :) )

They seriously are so cute when they are together. I think they might hate us for trying to hook them up now but maybe not!! Eli will get home from his mission a little after Macy graduates highschool! (not that Ive thought about it or anything!)

Showing our pumpkins and flexing our muscles!!

Pumpkin Walk

2008-10-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

In Bainbridge Island, they have a pumpkin walk where they have hundreds of pumpkins along this trail in the trees and they are all lit up. We invited Eli's friend Macy (who he LOVES)! It was a little light out still but the trees helped darken it a little. Its a good thing we went earlier though because the parking and the lines to it were horrible when we were leaving!

They held hands almost the whole time. Macy had a death grip on Eli so he couldnt go wandering off. Thanks Mace!!

Lilly was a little tired through this whole thing but she was a trooper!

They had some little kid games throughout this thing. One of them being this hay maze. The kids had a ton of fun in it. Eli kept jumping out and screaming at me to scare me which is a game him and his daddy play frequently at home! What a blast!

Icky Carpet!

2008-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

The kids have been sick for a few weeks now with coughs and I was beginning to wonder if maybe it was allergies...I was talking to one of my guests at work and she was talking about her daughter who has asthma and the things they needed to do to help her. One of which was to replace the carpet in their home. We decided to try it out in their room...

We were under the impression that the carpet was just layed down in there but come to find out, it wasnt which was fine but it was just a lot more work than we were expecting. We had a lot of fun with it.

The carpet was really damp and way too old to be in there. Underneath it was a thick layer of dirt! No wonder they are coughing and all congested when they get up in the morning! I feel so bad about it.

Beautiful wood floors underneath!!

Here it is pretty much finished! It looks and feels so much better in there. And with the air purifier in there, the air is cleaner and the kids sound so much healthier!!

Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

I dont know if you remember our pumpkin patch post from last year, but we went again. They have a bunch of activities for the kids there but the kids have so much fun running around that we decided to skip all that and explore the patch. Only this year we went a little earlier so there were actually pumpkins this time!

I have no idea what Eli does when we say smile but he does this funky pose and smiles! I guess whatever it takes right!?

Again with the pose- what is up with that!?

She actually was kinda grumpy when we went but Brant was behind me playing peek-a-boo! Again, whatever it takes!

Night out with the Girls!

2008-10-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

So I finally got to go out with the girls! Yes it is a bar but it was a pretty cool bar! I really didnt know what to expect, I was kinda thinking it would be like a restaurant with a bar but it was the other way around. It is called chopstix and it is pretty much a piano bar. Two people go up onto this mini stage and take requests and play your songs. It was so much fun and yes, I think I may have been the only sober person there! I went with the girls from work and Rachelle's mom, who was in town from Kansas.

Peek-A-Boo!

2008-10-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

Lilly loves to hide! If its time to change a diaper, or get P.J.s on, she off to hiding! Luckily she is really not very good at it and I can find her easily but its still really cute. One of the places is in the kitchen. Especially when Im in there cooking! I have to say, "Where did Lilly go? I cant find her! Lilly, where are you?" She thinks its pretty funny! And, of course, so do I!

Do the Puyallup

2008-10-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

We love the Puyallup Fair! We have gone 5 years in a row now and plan on making it a tradition forever!

Lilly's favorite part was definitely the petting barn! She was going crazy in there! Petting every single animal in there. If you notice, there was this huge sheep in there that she just walked right up to and gave the biggest hug! Eli on the other hand would reach out most of the time and touch them for .2 seconds!

Eli's favorite part was seeing Tyrone and Pablo from the Backyardigans! He LOVES them! He was so excited to see them until he saw them! We got our pictures done and as you can see, definitely EXCITEMENT written all over his face! I get a little freaked out around people in big giant suits. Pablo kept touching me and Lilly and I wanted to hit him a little but witheld my anxiety! Eli didnt want to leave the tent and would have rather stood there and stared at them all day but life continued at the fair...

Its good to have friends

2008-10-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

We got to have Little Miss Audrey over one night to play. Apparently, she doesnt like to smile when the camera comes out. But Lilly on the other hand has no problem. What a ham!

Ahhh caught her when she wasnt paying attention. Theres a smile!! :)

I love Luna!

2008-10-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

New Mexico has some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life!! This is all just one sunset when we got to Luna to see Brant's grandparents. Luna is an awesome place to be...a little piece of heaven on earth!

Horses roam free and they have pigs!! Eli couldnt have asked for anything more! He was in heaven

Grandma and Grandpa Snyder. We love you!!

Bubbles!!

2008-10-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

It is the simple things in life that are so much fun.

Uncle Marc!!!

2008-09-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Eli really adored his Uncle Marc and it was so cute to watch them together. So this isnt the best picture of Lilly but it is pretty funny!

One of my favorite pictures of them together.

Arizona with the cousins

2008-09-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

This was hiliarious to watch. This is our niece Taren. They definitely had a love/hate relationship! She is about a year older than Lil but the same size! They were cute!

I say make a face and this is what I get...That is Aura Lee, Zach and Kaleb.

Nice to meet you! Finally!

2008-09-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

This was Lilly's first time meeting Grandma and Grandpa. Lilly was totally in love with her Grandma! It was really cute to see her following her around. And Grandma was of course a sucker!! :)

Mesa Verde

2008-09-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

This collage is super small but the pictures are really cool. This place was amazing! To imagine that people lived in these places is crazy to me! The shadows is my fave, thats me, Brant and his brother Marc. It took well over 2 hours to get there but it was worth it. With no kids, you can do anything!!

Brant and his big bro Marc

Look Who's Blogging!!!

2008-09-24T12:36:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...Its about time! There have been a million reasons for not blogging for the last 4 months. One being the computer crashing and then not having the internet...blah, blah, blah. But here we go catching up. Lets go back to June and work our way forward. We went to New Mexico in June which was a little stressful traveling with both but we actually flew there seperately for timing issues. It was really good to see all of Brants family, it of course had been too long! So blogging- here we go!!

Happy Birthday LillyAnne!

2008-06-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Oh the cake! Why do we make our kids suffer just to have the satisfaction of taking a few funny pictures of them with frosting all over their faces!

They are growing up so fast!

Beautiful Babies!

2008-06-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

So Cute!

My handsome little man!

Could he be any sweeter!

The Haircut

2008-05-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

So people were starting to comment on Eli's hair. They either loved it like we did- or hated it and told us he was starting to look like a girl! We figured since the summer was coming and it was starting to get TOO long, we would cut it. What do you think? Here is the before....

So I couldnt resist! I was totally tempted to keep the mullet for a couple of days and go to the store but Brant wouldnt go for it. Plus I was feeling the guilt!

That is so much hair for a little guy!

There's the handsome guy I know...

Pottery with the Girls!

2008-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is the second time the girls have gone together to paint pottery! So much fun. It was Melenda's Birthday so Mandi brought a bunch of good snacks and we had yummy cake. It is so much fun to just sit around together without kids and be sisters with our mom!

This is what I did! It is a spoon holder so you dont put your slimey spoons down after stirring something and get it all over the stove! It reminds me of the 'Wonder Bread' bags...

Friends Forever

2008-04-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me that you can be close to somebody for so long. I have known Annie Wells my whole life and now we are married and are having babies! Its crazy! Our kids will be forever friends because knowing Annie has been the greatest and Lilly being friends with Elaine will be too!

Why am I so much bigger than her?

The girls!

Taking a Stroll

2008-04-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Lilly is no longer content army crawling around. Our day consists of picking stuff off the floor and putting them back on the side table. Then again and again. It has become a regular game for our little Ms. Lilly. She cruises back and forth along the couch and stands wherever possible. She is growing up way too fast!

She has the cutest wave!

Hands on Children's Museum

2008-04-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

My sister took us to a hands on museum in Olympia and Eli had a blast! I highly recommend it. Eli got to play with his cousins and just run around and touch and play with anything and everything in there. We had so much fun, we are definitely going again!

There were so many different activities. You could drive different types of cars or boats, play in the water, build things, play dentist or doctor, make meals in the kitchen, go shopping in a grocery store. It was like a huge place to play make believe!

Just wait Lilly, you'll be able to play soon!

EASTER!

2008-04-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Eli is getting so big and independent. He did a good job "helping" all by himself!

Checking them out

He had his first easter egg hunt this year. Too bad it was inside! He found all of them and still had a lot of fun

Poor LillyAnne feeling so left out!

Nothin Like Grandma

2008-03-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

I really love my mom! I just think that she is the greatest person in the world. I can never really express how much she really means to me just because, really, theres just not enough words.

Playmate, come out and play with me

2008-03-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

We finally got the kids together again. It had been a while but they had fun together. We are amazed at how big they are which made us think back to when the 3 of us were pregnant. It goes so fast. The girls are VERY mobile now and Tyler is ever so content playing alone. Oh how I wish I had that!!

They are so cute!!

The girls- Lilly and Audrey

Ty was very curious as to why these 2 things on Lilly's face kept opening and closing. "Hello, those are my eyes!!"

Oh no, she's mobile!!

2008-02-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, as you can see, she is officially mobile and has been for some time. The oh so famous army crawl! It amazes me how fast she can get across the room. It almost looks like she's swimming. The time is flying by.

The world of many faces

2008-02-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

This is her new thing now. Its the "how cute am I?" face. Its way too adorable

Look at this face!!

Okay, I think she's done

At the waterfront

2008-02-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

My favorite place is either on the water or anywhere near water. Im happy to say that Eli loves it too. He would probably stay there all day if we would let him. The other day it was so nice, we couldnt resist. I really love Washington!

Here comes a good throw!

Man, are they cute or what!?

The wonders of a cardboard box!

2008-02-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

We finally got a new stove and with that new stove comes the best part...A cardboard box. We cut a door and a couple windows and there it was, the best new toy imaginable.

Snow Days

2008-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

We have had so many snowy days here in Washington, but if you know Washington snow, you know that it doesnt last long. I feel bad because when it snows, its usually at night time and Eli gets so excited to go and play in it. When he wakes up in the morning, to his disappointment, it is all gone. This time though, even though it was already raining, we went and played!

He loves his gloves!

Mr. Snowman, sad I know. We made it in 2.5 minutes!

Our Family Picture...finally

2008-02-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

So this is the very first picture we have ever had together as a family. Its really nothing professional but the one we have and I thought I'd share it with you. Now, just for clarification, my hair really didnt look that red in person. It must have has something to do with the camera but its not even this color anymore anyway so it doesnt matter!

T-Shirts for Charlie!

2007-12-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

We are doing a mass fundraiser for my nephew Charlie! He is 5 years old and is fighting cancer. It is a big financial burden, of course, and because of that- we are selling T-Shirts to help as much as we can. They are awesome shirts and they fit Charlie to a "T"!! ( I just made that up) Anyway, you can check them out on his blog ("Charlie", obviously). The sizes and all the other info is also on there. Its a great opportunity to come together and make just a little bit of difference in someone's life.

Ive been tagged! (Thanks Annie!)

2007-12-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. On the dance/drill team
2. hanging out with my friends
3. waiting to get my drivers license
4. always talking on the phone
5. stressing my parents out!

5 Things on my to-do list today

1. wrap presents
2. finish making presents and send them out
3. make chocolate covered pretzels
4. go visiting teaching
5. finish Christmas cards

5 Snacks I enjoy

1. smoothies!
2. chocolate (which I cant have because of Lilly)
3. grapefruit
4. cookies
5. brownies (again with the chocolate!)

5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire

1. pay off parent's debt
2. buy a house
3. buy a bigger car
4. travel everywhere!
5. quit my job

3 of my bad habits:

1. putting too much on my 'to do' list
2. interrupting Brant in the middle of his story
3. getting really impatient

5 places I have lived

1. Bremerton, WA
2. Philippines
3. Provo, UT
4. Seattle, WA
5. Lynnwood, WA

5 Jobs I’ve had

1. Noah's Ark Restaurant
2. JoAnn's Etc.
3. Rite Aid
4. Blimpies Subs
5. Gene Juarez
6. Kenneth L Salon (so I added one!)

5 Things people probably don’t know about me

1. I am really scared to death of bees
2. Ive never even been stung by a bee!
3. I too am claustrophobic and freak out in tight spaces or even in stores like Costco when its super busy. (Brant hates shopping with me when its busy!)
4. I am in the process of starting a photography business with my sisters
5. I am in love with sleep!

I tag, Summer Chandler, Kaela Fisher, Michelle Bierman, Diana Holyoak, Jill Holyoak

Yay for solid food!

2007-12-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

I dont know what it is but I have been stalling with this whole solid food thing. With Eli, I was counting the days for 6 months so I could give him cereal and now here Lilly is almost 7 months and we are just getting into the groove of things. Oh well, someday I will realize how fast time is really flying!

Before

My favorite part of the whole thing is watching Brant open his mouth while feeding her. It is so hilarious!

Oh the after is always the funnest!

Jump, Jump!!

2007-12-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

I love the jumpers! And obviously, Lilly does too. We usually put her in it while we are eating at the dinner table. She can hang with us (literally) and we can eat really fast (literally) before she realizes she isnt getting the attention she deserves!

Happy Birthday Eli!!

2007-12-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Eli's Birthday is actually on the 22nd but we decided to have it on the 2nd instead. We dont have any signs of Christmas in our house yet so it could really feel like a Birthday party. We had some family over for dinner and cake. I had a scare that morning when we woke up to it dumping snow outside! It finally started raining as it usually does after our snowfalls but then it turned into a brutal windstorm. I took Eli out of nursery early so we could go home and get dinner going. I was putting him into the car when the wind started blowing my skirt everywhere! Im sure everyone got a great view. I was getting frustrated with Eli since he was taking his sweet time getting into his carseat so I snapped at him -he started crying. All this was happening while the wind still was blowing my skirt! Oh did I mention we got the closest parking spot to the church! All of the sudden Eli starts throwing up! EVERYWHERE! I didnt know what to do! Is this really happening? Of course he was fine after but could anything else happen? Luckily the power stayed on!

Im 3 years old! Well, not technically

Its crazy the difference between 2 and 3 years old. Eli blew out his candles all by himself this year!

We got some books, Mr. Potato Head, P.J.s, Playdoe and some Little Einstein stuff!

Me, my sister Melenda and her daughter Brittney. They are so much fun!

2 New Milestones!

2007-12-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

I dont know what it is about this kid. Eli was still rolling at his first Birthday so it is so much different to me to have a kid who cant and wont just sit still! As you can see, she is trying really hard to get on her hands and knees! Her belly has been leaving the floor quite often and it is making me really nervous. Im definitely not encouraging this one!

Our newest thing as of the end of November is sitting up. She loves to be able to sit there and get a new view of things. She occasionally falls over but its one of those slow motion things so she doesnt slam her head into the ground anymore- thank goodness!

Olive Boy

2007-11-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

I totally caught Eli snatching olives from the veggie tray. The funny thing is how he steals them by putting his finger in the holes. I left and by the time I came back he had eaten almost a whole can of olives!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Lilly with her cousin Adam. They are only 2 months apart, hopefully they will be best buds.

Lilly with her Great Grandma (my dad's mom)

We tried really hard to get a good picture of the grandsons together. This is probably the best one that turned out. Eli, Charlie, Dillon, Calvin (on the couch) and Adam and Ethan (in front)

Oh Lilly!

2007-11-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Lilly loves her Bumbo most of the time. Today was not one of those days. She is a high maintainance girl and always strives for attention...or else...Well, here is a little taste of what I go through. Notice her working it!

Bath night, Prepare to get drenched!

2007-11-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

So, bath nights are pretty stressful on my part. Usually it begins with me starting the water in the big bathtub for Eli. I get him in and while thats filling up, I get Lilly's bathtub filled on the counter. I go get her in the tub and turn Eli's water off. I bathe her and then get her out, dried, and dressed. I then bathe Eli and get him out, dried and dressed. By this time, I need a shower because Im drenched and sweaty!

Squishy Face

2007-11-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I always crack up when Eli blows on the shower door. Of course he cracks up too when I blow back!

Prunes

2007-11-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Usually we result in Pruney feet by the time we get out of the tub

Finally, we have bathtime success and are in our jammies!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2007-11-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was going through some of my baby pictures and came across this picture. I obviously was a little bit older than LillyAnne but I was pretty amazed. We even have the same tuft of hair in the back that sticks up! I still need to upload some of Brants so we can compare him and Eli. It always just amazes me to think that my kids are actually mine but what amazes me even more is that they look so much like us. They are a part of us- It is awesome!

Look-a-likes

2007-11-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

So I dont know if Eli could look any more like his daddy. He is definitely a mini Brant!

Everyone has been telling me that Lilly looks a lot like me, I guess we will see the older she gets. She is SO cute!