January 2012

Well, I kind of bombed on keeping this up to date at all last year. I had good intentions, but with Kiley deployed for half the year & then coming home & life going full speed, I just couldn't keep up. So my goal for this year is to blog once a month, at the end of each month. I will update for January in a few more weeks. 2011 was a good year for our family. It was so nice to reunite & be a whole family once again. We took lots of trips, drove thousands, THOUSANDS of miles this past summer. Got to visit with family & friends. Had visitors. Went to Great Wolf Lodge twice. Lots of BYU games. Good family fun! Looking forward to what 2012 will bring!

Easter Sunday Pictures!

Had to get some pictures of my cute kids! Livy can not help buy make faces when ever she has her picture taken! Sometimes it is so funny, but other times I just want ONE normal pictures! I know, I think in most pictures I am pulling some sort of face, but if you tell me to stop & smile, I will! This girl beats to her own drum......and we LOVE it! :)

EASTER Festivities...

Honestly, I didn't have it in me this year to be too crazy for this holiday. Although we did go to 4 easter egg hunts & spent some great time with friends, I just was a bit down all weekend! I really have missed Kiley & although we only have 8, maybe 9 weeks left, it seems a life time away! I am really kind of tired of having to be the one do do everything & make all the decisions about everything & just really can't wait till I have my trusty side-kick back & helping me with everything! I know, whine, whine, whine, right?!!??!?! But hey, I'm just sayin!

We did manage to have some fun & Brayden said yesterday, "This was the best day ever, but would have been better if dad was here!" Amen Brayden!

Pictures with mom! My boys like to think they are good photographers & took some shots of me & the girls! I think there were like 4o of them! Yikes!

The girls in their adorable Easter PJ's! Liv's came with a mini night gown for her baby doll!

Our wonderful friends invited us over for a yummy easter feast! I didn't get pictures taken of all the yummy food, but believe me, it was tasty!!! The kids had a blast playing & being crazy with their friends! I enjoyed sitting back & relaxing with great friends!

Kids eating their favorite Ring Pops! I detest those things, but what do ya do!!!???

We let the eggs dry over night, so Easter morning we colored & decorated them!

The Family Readiness on Base had someone donate 25 easter baskets. So I just put all that I had in with the ones from the military! Quite the loot!

Teagen's was on the basketball hoop, one of his most favorite past times!

Brayden's was in the game closet!

Livs was hidden in the dryer!

Brielle found hers in the closet with all the baby dolls!

Easter Morning! First clue in the annual Scavenger hunt for the easter baskets!

Brielle made messes with the tupperware & was trying to throw everything in the garbage while we were all distracted with the egg dying!

Coloring Easter Eggs! Always a fun event!

My friend invited us to her Church Easter Party. I didn't get any pictures of the boys! They were too dang fast!

Livy was not too thrilled about it, but Brielle was very interested!!!

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt!! Always a lot of fun!

Luckily my good friend Laura had her iphone & took some pictures for me!

Liv's MDO Easter Egg Hunt....I brought my new camera to take some fab pictures & of course, didn't have the memory card in it! So had to take a few pictures at the car!

The birthday Girls!!!!

ThE bIrThDaY gIrLs!!!

I knew that I had some pictures of Brielle & I on the EVE of our birthdays! I had been shopping all day long with Kathryn at the outlets, so I look WORN out & believe you & me....I WAS!!

Cutest OnE year old EVER!

Of course I had to thrown in a picture of Brielle with our most favorite Kathryn EVER! And Anna Banana, too!

SnOw DaY!

Yes, It snowed here in Texas in the wee hours of the night. Woke up to a "dusting" of snow on the ground. The Schools are closed, the YMCA is closed, major roads are closed, banks are closed! Now I do have to say that the roads may be a little bit icy, but really, such extreme measures for such an extremely disappointing winter storm! Any how, took a few pix to show y'all our first real snow fall since living here (been over 4 1/2 years now)!

Cute pix of the newly turned one year old.....

These are just some fun pictures I took on Brielle's birthday! She is such a funny little stinker! She loves the IPHONE & can actually play with some of the apps on it! So cute to watch her swipe the screen to change it to something else! Are we in trouble or what!?!?! I love this little girl & have enjoyed having her as my last! Now if only I could slow the hands of time down & keep her cute & sweet forever!

My Baby is OnE!

January 18th, 2010-With our Fave Dr. & Friend, Kathryn

A year later...such a cutie bug!

Brielle Kathryn Mortensen was born January 18th, 2010----which just so happens to be my birthday as well! It was sort of a bitter sweet day....my dear friend & the one who happened to deliver Brielle, showed up a few days before with her girls to surprise us & be here on our birthday to celebrate with us...that was the sweet. The bitter was obviously the fact that Kiley is in Iraq & not here to celebrate & also that my baby is oNe! I want her to stay little FoReVeR!

At the age of one, Brielle:

*still has NO teeth, not a single one, but can pretty much eat what ever she wants!

*hasn't really taken ANY interest in walking--she'll cruise around the furniture, but has no desire to let go! I'll take that....want my baby to stay a baby for a little longer!

*is a GREAT sleeper! Takes a good 2-3 hour nap & goes down to bed around 6:30pm & sleeps until 7am!

*isn't quite 20 lbs yet, smallest child in our family by far--I'll take it cause like I said earlier, I want her to stay a baby as long as possible!

*loves to cuddle & rock her baby dolls-she's gonna be a good mommy one day!

*adores her big sis except when she is being carried around like a baby doll!

*is starting to throw little mini tantrums! Hard to not laugh when she does cause they are so cute & come on, she's one years old! Tantrums shouldn't start for a few more months! :)

*loves to play with any phone & will put it up to her ear & say HI!

*knows how to work my iphone! I need to get it on video....pretty darn funny & cute!

*loves to skype with daddy on the computer! She literally gets so excited when she sees him & she just gives him her best cheesy toothless grin!

*has been my BEST baby! So easy going, fun, & sweet!

I love that I get to share my birthday with this special little girl! I truly am so blessed to have such wonderful children & so grateful that my LAST baby is so sweet & so good! What a good way to end! :)

We went to Texas Roadhouse with Kathryn & her girls for our birthday dinner. That was interesting! Too many crazy kids to take to a place like that! But we survived & came back home for cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches & presents! Brielle was above & beyond TIRED & so she really was grumpy. In fact, Teagen tried to help her with the cupcake & she lost it! It was pretty funny!

Kiley was very sweet & sent me a few fun gifts & had my favorite flowers delivered on my birthday! It was fun to skype with him & share part of the day with him....even if he was just a face on the computer screen!

Skyping with her daddy on her birthday! Thank goodness for Technology!

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since my last birthday! What a crazy year it has been!

Rolling back a few months.....

So I let myself try & get it together the first month of the new year & then when February comes around, I PLAN to get all my new years goals a rollin! Obviously like every single year, keeping the blog up to date is one of my "must do's". Hopefully I can keep up with it, especially since our lives are SO exciting (hint of sarcasm there)! I am thinking these first few catch up posts are gonna be pictures cause I know that is pretty much what most people want to see when they check out blogs.....who knows, you may not even be reading this lovely paragraph that I am typing right now! :)

Kiley put this play set together just before he left to Iraq. I did my best to help him, but then he needed to call a friend over to help....I just was too much for him! :) Actually, I had to keep the girls distracted & out of the way. But I like to think I was just too good at what I do & he needed someone more on his level! :)

One final project for Kiley the day before he left.....I have a tendency to hit the side of the garage every now & then when trying to park my beastly car. Luckily there is never a whole lot of damage, just have to replace the strip you can see him doing in the pictures. I've only done it twice now! Hopefully twice is enough! Isn't he so dang cute!? I sure miss him!

We had this cement pad put in right before Kiley left & had them cement in a basket ball hoop for the kids. TEAGEN LOVES IT! Can't wait to show his dad how much he has improved since he's been gone!

Had to decorate the Christmas Tree BEFORE Kiley left, so we litterally did it 2 days before he took off to Iraq. Teagen was the lucky one to put the star on with his daddy!

Brielle enjoyed stuffing her face while we all decorated the tree!


Took the kids bowling after we went to Build A Bear! Always a fun family activity!

We took the kids to Build A Bear shortly before Kiley left to Iraq. We weren't sure the boys would really appreciate it, but turned out they LOVED it, especially Teagen! Kiley recorded sweet messages to each one of the kids. It was a fun night, one I think we'll all treasure

Random pics...I think these were taken right before we went to Build A Bear!

The story of my life! It looks like Brielle is smiling in this pic with Olivia....however if you could hear her, you'd know that was not a smile! Liv thinks she is the mom of Brielle & therefore thinks she can tote her all around the house! Brielle is not a big fan!

Dinner with our favorite Nelson Family! We sure had a good time! It was beautiful weather when we first got there, but then an hour or two later, it dropped 20 degrees! It was COLD!

Thanksgiving morning at the annual Turkey Bowl. Kiley felt like he was the bomb diggity! He played a good game for a man pushing 35! :)

Kids Turkey Bowl! My good friend Aubrey decided to head up the kids turkey bowl. Teagen is so competitive & so I had to beat him up a few times! All in all, they had a lot of fun!

Had our family photos taken by a good friend of mine. These shots are at the park afterwards. The kids did a great job participating! The photo shoot will be on a separate post!

Teagen & Brayden had their first piano recital with their new teacher. Teagen had a soccer game before hand, so hence his attire for the event! They both are doing excellent....if only they understood now how wonderful it will be in their futures to be able to play the piano. Don't think there is a day that goes by that they complain about having to practice! I think Teagen tells his teacher at every lesson that he is quiting. Wow! Where did this kid come from!?!?!

The beginning of November, we went to the Air Show on Kelly Air Force Base. It was a beautiful day & was a lot of fun to see & hear all the air planes! The kids had a lot of fun climbing into a helicopter!