THREE plus ONE equals FOUR!

That's right.....come the end of January, another little munchkin will be joining our family. I wanted to wait as long as I could before announcing it, but I started showing when we decided it was time for another! So I couldn't keep it a secret for too long. Yes, what are we thinking????!!!!!?????!!!! They say once you've had three, you can handle anything! Is this true??? I guess we'll let you know when we figure it out for ourselves!

Easter Eggs, Cascarones, and BBQ!

The day before Easter, we were invited to a BBQ & Easter Egg hunt at our friends lake house. Molly made an adorable bunny cake! The kids scored big time & had enough candy to last the rest of the year!!!

Easter was an eventful holiday! I have been trying to come up with some fun family traditions this year for the different holidays. The day before Easter, we colored our Easter eggs. The kids really enjoyed themselves, as did Kiley & I! It was fun making them colorful & shimmery. It is tradition that the Easter Bunny leaves clues for each kid & they go on their own little scavenger hunts looking for clues that will lead them to their baskets. We have early church (8:30) so we waited until after church to go on the hunt. They loved their baskets! Liv got a cute little dress up dress in hers. I don't know who was more excited about that, me or her???? :)

Can't we get a decent picture!?!?!? Easter Sunday!

We had a few of our close friends over for a BBQ later that day. Kathryn made a nummy bunny cake that was a huge hit with the kids! She also brought over Cacarones (also know as confetti eggs, are festive, hollow chicken egg shells, filled with confetti, meant to be broken over somebody's head, usually as a surprise from behind scattering confetti all over the person. This tradition is most often carried out among family & friends. Cascarones derived from Mexico and have recently regained popularity in the southwestern United States. They are used for many different occasions, especially Easter. Having one broken over your head is said to bring GOOD LUCK!). The kids had such a great time with these eggs as well as the adults! It was so much fun & there was egg shells & confetti EVERYWHERE! If you ever join us for Easter, be prepared to have a good time!

Boys Piano Recital back on April 25th, 2009

I realized that there are lots of events that I have not blogged about & really want to include these events for history sake. So I will be doing a bit of back blogging!

Teagen & Brayden have been taking piano from a lady from our church since last September. She just moved back in May out of state & so they had their final recital back in April. They went every Tuesday to piano & even though there were days they (mostly Teagen) hated it, they really enjoyed it & grew a lot! So here are a few fun pics. I have some video, but for some reason it will not load. I may have to add it later!

Brayden's soccer season....

Brayden played soccer through the YMCA this spring. Today was his last game. We really weren't sure if he would like it---he is just not as quick on his feet like Teagen. However, he did surprise us! He is quite the little player! His teams name is the TIGERS. Several of his little buddies were on his team & this made it that much more fun for him. He scored a goal in today's game! We are so proud of him! Last week they had their team party! He was so excited to have his very own trophy! It is amazing how such a thing can make a kid so proud of himself!

Pictures from the Team Party & Parent's Vs. Kids game! Lots of fun!

Our Baby Girl is now 2!!!

Our Little Diva!

I know that I have been terrible at updating my blog-it seems to take over me when I do try to update it, but I felt that this was very post worthy-so here I am taking the time to jot this all down! :) Olivia turned 2 on May 20th! We had a fun homemade pizza dinner with our good friends the night before her birthday (Kiley left out of town on her birthday). She had a great time & loved having friends over.

This is Liv with our favorite OB Doc, Kathryn!

She is our neighbor & good friend! She delivered

Liv 2 years ago & they have a special bond that

is so sweet!

On her actual birthday, we didn't do a whole lot--she did get a new mini big wheel! So cute!

We had a big birthday party on Friday with all of her cute little friends. It was so much fun! We played outside, chased bubbles, colored with side walk chalk, jumped on the trampoline, ate snacks & cupcakes--it doesn't get any better than that!

When all the kids started to sing Happy Birthday to Olivia, she flipped out. Check out the video, it is pretty darn funny!

There are a million reasons why I love my little Liv & I want to take this time to share a few of those reasons with y'all and share a bit of the joy that she has brought into my life with y'all as well!

*She is my trusty sidekick! She pretty much follows me where ever I go. She mimics a lot of my actions--like talking on the phone, getting after the boys, etc.

*Whenever the phone rings, she yells in her cute raspy voice, "HELLO?"

*I probably tell her a dozen or more times a day that she is beautiful. I hear her talking to her babies & she is telling them that they are "beutibul". I love to her her say "beutibul"...I will be so sad when she can say it correctly! She will even remind me to tell her she is beautiful...this could be bad! :)

*She loves to stall at bed time! I try to have the same routine, some nights are better than others. She insists on reading books, singing songs, tickling her tummy, getting her a drink or two, talking, & of course, rocking in the rocking chair. She'll say, "Rock mommy! Book Mommy! I want dink (drink)!" Her favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle & sometimes we sing it 10 times in a row! Even though it can be exhausting, I love every second of it!

*Tonight as I got the boys into their beds, I turned out the lights & told Liv to follow me to her room. She started to walk out the door & then said, "Love yous, momma?" And I knew exactly what she wanted to do. She walked over to Teagen & hugged him & said, "Luv you Teagey!" Then walked over to Brayden & gave him a big hug & kiss & said, "Luv you Bebe (that is her way of saying Brayden)!" I watched all of this from the doorway & my heart was so full! Being a mom is not easy, but little moments like this one really make it worth it!

*She has the cutest little freckles just across her nose & cheeks! It is truly a beautiful sight!

*Last Sunday, her teacher at church told me that when they tell all the kids that it's time to clean up, Olivia jumps up & down & yells & is the best little cleaner-upper! She is only 2, but is by far my best helper in the house! :) Must be a girl thing!

*She is demanding, spoiled, bossy, temper mental, feisty, stubborn, adorable, funny, fearless-Kiley says she is just like her mother! Ah, come on now! That's why you love us so much, right!?!?!?

*She is really getting into pretending-especially with play food & tea sets. I love it when she tries to feed me & brings me my plate & cup so I can have a little tea party with her!

*She adores her daddy, but for the most part she seems to prefer me & for the most part, I don't mind!

Happy Birthday my sweet Livy Lou Lou! You have changed my life forever & I am so grateful for this time that I have with you!

Galveston Triathlon, April 4th, 2009

Thanks Babe for doing this with me!

(Disclaimer: I worked on this back in April, so it is pretty much old news! But I knew I still needed to post all about it!)

Kiley & I participated in our very FIRST & most definitely not our last, Triathlon. It was up in Galveston, TX-about 4 hours away from San Antonio. Kiley has been in Houston for the past two months & the triathlon just happened to be the day after his LAST day in Houston. So I drove up with some girlfriends & met Kiley up there (Houston is about 45 min away from Galveston). The ride up was great! It's always fun to sit in a car with a bunch of ladies who are pretty cool & just sit back & chat it up! We were able to stay at a friends house...THANKS FISHER'S!!!! They moved down by us in San Antonio & are trying to sale their house up in Galveston. It got hit pretty hard during the hurricane but is now all put back together & is seriously adorable! The house was maybe 3 minutes away from where we would be racing the following day. We went to dinner & then back to the house. We decided to do a bit of "practicing" for the big day. The pictures say it all! Kiley was such a good sport chillin with all of the ladies! We really had such a great time......lots of great memories!

Yes, we are all so tough!

All of us trying desperately to perfect our form!

Pretty much we rock!

Me & my pal, Molly! She and I decided

to do this Tri way back when & I am so

grateful for her intensity & dedication! Thanks

Molly for making this such a fun experience!

I am the goofy one with my hands up in the air!

Good Job Kiley, Jen, Molly, & Rebecca! We did it!

Eating some food!

Kiley & I getting our Post Massage! It was so

wonderful!!!

I was so proud of Kiley for doing this tri with me! He rocked it. I really wanted to beat him & I almost did, but he beat me by 19 seconds! He did AMAZINGLY well on the swim & kicked all of our behinds! The swim was not quite a 500 meter swim, the bike was 12.5 miles, and the run was a 5k. I was pretty nervous about swimming in the ocean-definitely not my favorite, but doable! The bike was all along the ocean-very calming & serene! Loved it! We had such a great time & will be back next year! I am so glad we did it & am grateful for all the support & help along the way! SO grateful for good friends who were so willing to watch my kids! Becky you are the best! Love ya! Who knows, maybe the Mortensen's will become Triathletes?????

Mother of all posts!!!!

So I am basically 2 1/2 months behind on my blogging! I have loads of pictures that I have been wanting to put on our blog, but Kiley has been gone for the past 2 months with the lap top & most of those pics have been on it. I have also been trying to figure out what the purpose of this blog is......I don't like to boast & brag, but I like for our family & close friends to see & know what we've done, accomplished, and enjoyed through out our days, months, years, etc. I also want it to be apart of our family history & plan to turn our blog into a memory book. With all of that, be prepared that this particular post is going to be enormous! ****Remeber that if you want to see the pictures BIGGER & BETTER, you have to click on them!****

SIDE NOTE: Kiley left to Houston back during the second week of February & just finished up this past weekend (April 3rd). EIGHT LONG WEEKS....although he was able to come home MOST weekends.

I am going to start with March & work my way backwards!
MARCH:
A fun day at the park!

Liv & I went to Walmart one day & she was so stinking cute I just had to take some photos!

Celebrating my friend Becky's birthday! Good Times!

Olivia jumping on the trampoline! So cute!

DAVID ARCHULETTA CONCERT!!!

I know I already posted a bit about this awesome event, but I had a bit more to add! Thanks to Susan, we really did get to meet this talented guy! He was so stinking cute & really fun to hang out with.

My little brother Shawn & his darling wife, Jessica came to visit in March for about a week! I didn't tell the boys they were coming, so I picked them up from the airport & the kids were at our friends house. I had Shawn & Jess go up to their door & ask for Teagen & Brayden. They were so excited to see them! It was so much fun to have them here & really helped me out a TON, especially since Kiley was gone. We had a good time hanging out, going to Sea World, the YMCA, the River walk, the Alamo, Dinner, making cookies, and Swimming! It was so fun & really they were such a great help to me! Kiley was able to come home that weekend & enjoyed a few days with them as well. While they were here, our little sister Ashley received her mission call and my little bro's wife had a baby girl on the same day. We were all sad to miss out on all the excitement, but we were glad we were here together to celebrate for them!

We had a fun day with our good friends the Platt's! We had a picnic at the park, which was FREEZING cold! We sure do love the Platt Family, they pretty much are family to us!

We were able to watch our good friends, the Tourtillott's dog, Ellie! We had so much with her! She is the best dog ever! Olivia ADORED her & was so sad when we had to give her back! I have never been much of an animal lover, but Ellie won my heart! I even let her hop in bed with me! Ya, I know......crazy! But I was all alone & Kiley was still in Houston & I needed someone to keep me company & she is so darn cute!

Liv & Brayden love to dance. So we turned on some tunes and away they went!

FEBRUARY:

*SIDE NOTE: My parents & two of my bro's & two of my nephew's came to visit this month. However, I am waiting for pics from my brother, so I will not post about that adventure until I have the pics!

The Second Grade students at Teagens school had the cutest little "Texas" themed musical at the beginning of February. It was so cute & I about fell off my chair when I saw Teagen up on stage singing & dancing! He did such a great job! What a cute little cowboy he is!

My sweet friend Emily has a FUN Valentine's Day tradition that she has done every year that they have lived here in San Antonio. She puts together a huge Progressive Dinner with couples in the neighborhood. The last stop is always at their house with nummy crepes for dessert & a fun Newlywed game! We always laugh our heads off, say things we probably shouldn't, and leave full! Kiley made it home from Houston just in time. My parent's & two of my brothers flew in to town that very day, so I didn't have to worry about finding a babysitter! It was a lot of fun!

These are some funny pictures of Olivia putting on one of the boys smelly socks! She worked long & hard at getting them on all by her little old self! Way to go Livy girl!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

We had a few friends over for the Super Bowl! We had a YUMMY BBQ with all the fixins & lots of good salads & treats!

End Of JANUARY:

These are just some darling pictures of Olivia one Sunday after church. She has been so much fun & her little personality has really started to shine.....Watch Out World!