The Hot Chocolates

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. I stayed home with Wilbur and Charlotte, my sister Gina took Woody and Buzz trick-or-treating, and Tony took the princess, the turtle and the zombie/ninja/wizard/parachute pants-er out to torment the town. Julius brought home nearly 200 pieces of candy!

The three big kids also had fun at school dressing up for the parade and having class parties.

Tony, once again pulled off an impressive Steve Urkel and won third place. Didn't get a picture of him, darn!

My favorite costume of the night was the little boy who knocked on our door with green hair and green balloons pinned all over him. He was GRAPES!

Edited to add: The cute blonde girl up above in orange is my adorable sister Gina.

First Day of School - August 2011

2011-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Charlotte's Blessing Day July 3, 2011

2011-10-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

Charlotte 2 months - 5 months

2011-10-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Amber edited the 3 month pic but I'm a not a whiz on the computer and can't figure out how to get that one on here....hopefully I'll figure it out soon.

Charlotte Hazel

2011-06-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

Born May 26th, 2011
6:41 pm
7 pounds 2 ounces
21 1/4 inches

May 28th - just home from the hospital:
Hudson, Henry, Braeden, Julius, Charlotte, and Bronwyn

She is one month old today....and we are loving every minute of it!

A Bridgeforth Christmas

2010-12-29T09:11:00.001-08:00

Decorating the tree - Hudson Decorating the tree - HenryChristmas Eve - PJ'sStockingsHudson and Henry - The Incredibles is their #1 favorite movieSanta brought Julius a 12-inch GodzillaSanta brought Braeden a 12-inch MechagodzillaSanta brought Bronwyn Gizmo from The Gremlins

We had an AMAZING Christmas. Thanks to all the family and friends who helped make it so special! We are now enjoying a quiet week sleeping in, snacking, and playing games.

Last Month - Braeden and Bronwyn's Birthday

2010-12-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

Braeden and Bronwyn turned 6 last month. We had a fun weekend celebrating their birthday - Braeden's choice was lunch at Red Robin and Bronwyn picked an afternoon of fun at Chuck E Cheese's. On Sunday we had cake and presents. Aren't the cakes lovely?!?! They LOVED them and that's all that really matters. Lucky me!

Announcement!

2010-11-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Baby #6 due to arrive May 30th 2011......

and yep, it's only ONE!

2010-07-28T20:25:00.001-07:00

Last weekend the three big kids went to a family reunion without us....it was fun to spend some time with just Henry and Hudson. We took them to the park to feed the ducks and play on the playground.

Tony and I had a fun time just hanging out with the two of them....that's never happened before.

Thanks to my family for taking the other kids camping - they had a great time - made lots of new "cousin friends" and got reaquainted with others.

Lavendar Waves Quilt

2010-03-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished this weekend....The back is flannel and it's so soft and comfy... I got the pattern from a tutorial at Oh, Fransson! Most of the fabric is Eden by Lila Tueller for Moda.

It's going to an old friend who loves purple. Isn't it perfect for Easter?!?

Just for Fun!

2010-02-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

Yep - we're all still alive over here. I've just been too busy reading blogs to update my own.

2010-02-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

I've recently found a couple of new blogs and I've had a great time looking through them....AND they're both hosting giveaways right now. Check them out if you're interested!

http://alittlebitbiased.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-lucky-winner-one-last-giveaway-for.html

http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

These are some of the things that I've been busy working on:

This is a mini wall hanging quilt I made for fall. It was my first time trying applique....and now I'm not so scared. The pumpkin, stem and bird are all appliqued and it only took me the length of one movie. I really experimented with the machine quilting on this one - lots of swirls and loops. I didn't like the quilting at first - but now I think it's fine.
This is another mini wall hanging quilt - for July, obviously. We have been working on this quilt in our church's Quilting Group. I machine quilted this in straight lines.
This next one is a baby quilt - front and back. I figured out the pattern by looking at a picture of this quilt online. I added a strip of pieces to the back which I love. I free motion quilted this with loopy daisies in each block....I really love how it turned out.
This quilt I made for Julius. I hand quilted stars in each block and hand quilted around each block. I love the orange batik binding.

I just started Henry and Hudson's quilts. I'm using Riley Blake - All Star. I'm going to use the funky pinwheel pattern again.

Our Monsters....

2009-11-02T08:06:00.001-08:00

The babies dressed up - but I didn't get pictures taken of them.

First Day of Preschool

2009-10-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded pictures and realized that I never posted Braeden and Bronwyn's first day of preschool....So here we go!

We are participating in a Co-op preschool this year. Which means that each of the moms take turns teaching. We also have a mom assigned as a helper and another mom available for childcare. It works out pretty well. Bronwyn and Braeden have a great time and really look forward to preschool days.

Lost tooth

2009-09-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

This tooth appeared on the scene when Julius was 4 months old...He made the most of it for almost exactly 6 years. It made it's way through nearly 500 apples in that time - core and all. What a tooth!

He's gonna miss this one!

Summer Fun!

2009-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't get much blogging done this summer....too much going on. Here are a few pictures from my friends Taren and Holli while we enjoyed a hot day at the local splash park: Henry

Henry and Hudson

Braeden and Bronwyn

His first day of 1st Grade

2009-09-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

My sweet Julius! He was so excited for his first day back at school. I thought I would cry....I didn't. I packed him a special lunch and made him a fun breakfast and waved goodbye. He came home super tired and without his new lunchbox....but thrilled as could be that school is once again in session. I sure do miss him though!

The Wedding

2009-07-27T10:32:00.001-07:00

Holly (my sister) and Don were married in the Boise Temple on Friday, July 17th. It was a beautiful day - I hope she thought it was perfect!

Here is Bronwyn posing like it was HER day Here is the bride with Julius, Braeden, and BronwynHere is Bronwyn with her cousin Here is the Bride and Groom with nieces and nephews
Here is our brother - doesn't he look great with the bouquet???

I made them a quilt for a wedding present...I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of it!!!

The highlight of the day for me was when Julius pulled the fire alarm at the church - just as the reception started. What a memorable story for Holly and Don to share! ;-) I've gotta get my hands on a picture of them posing in front of the firetruck....

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-10T10:09:00.001-07:00

We went downtown for the parade....parking was free, the parade route ran right through the farmers market and we got a shaded spot. Perfect. We snacked on fresh mini doughnuts, a hand held cherry pie, kettle corn and and tore off pieces of a garlic and herb baugette. Afterwards the kids ran through a refreshing water fountain to cool off.
Julius took this one!

We finished off the day with a BBQ and fireworks with some neighboorhood friends. AWESOME.

Happy Birthday Babies

2009-06-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind....Henry and Hudson celebrated their first birthdays last week.

We had a small family dinner and then let the birthday boys eat their cakes. Hudson dug right in!

Henry went at it a little more slowly....Here is Henry's first bite.And Hudson's bites were by the handfuls....HenryHudsonHenryHudsonHenryWhat a fantastic year this has been. These boys are delightful....that sounds like such an old lady thing to say but it is the most accurate way to describe them. They just make me smile! They are very different from each other. Henry is close to walking and Hudson will follow soon.

Hudson in a screamer...a very loud screamer. He also loves to eat - he shovels it in. He loves to drink water out of a sippy cup. Hudson screams when he sees someone drinking without him.

Henry is a laugher....he loves to be tickled and thrown up in the air. He loves his bottle still. We like to line them up and have them race for the bottles - Henry wins every time!

Happy Birthday Babies! We LOVE you!!!

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Julius graduated from Kindergarten.....and yes, I cried. I'm a bawl baby by nature so when my baby boy sang a song about growing up I lost it....rather embarrassing....but oh, well. The music program was great - sweet and funny!
Mrs. Henry also had a special program. She had the students show us some of the fun songs and rhymes she taught them to remember the stuff they were learning. There were songs about each of the shapes and one about the Days of the Week, but our favorite was the Month's of the Year done with the actions to the Macarena - it was super cute! They also counted by 5's, 10's and 2's. What smartie pants they are!

This was the gift we all chipped in for...one of the mother's painted each of the children's faces on the pot.

Here is Julius with his dear Teacher -Mrs. Henry. We feel really, really lucky that he was blessed with such a wonderful person for his teacher this year. He's missing her already!

I'm so proud of this boy! He makes me happy everyday. He is sweet and kind and super duper funny! I love him so, so much...

11 Months

2009-05-18T15:25:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it?!?Hudson and Henry are 11 months old today. Unbelievable.

What a lucky family we are...They are both standing now - but neither one is walking. Henry is getting close. Hudson still army crawls to get around. Henry has the crawling thing down pat. We've had to do some serious babyproofing around here. They also LOVE to eat - not baby food but real food. I just feed them whatever we're eating. Sometimes from a spoon - but they prefer to feed themselves with their hands. I don't mind the mess at all...but I can't say the same for my kitchen floor!Now that Henry and Hudson are moving and cruising the older kids really enjoy spending time hanging out in the babies room playing. They are constantly asking "Mom, are the babies sleeping or playing?" I even catch them hiding the babies in their own rooms to play.This is Hudson. He is hilarious! He recently learned to clap. I say "yay"- he claps. And grins...not just any old grin - it stretches from ear to ear. It makes me smile everytime.

He just learned to pull himself up to standing during the last week so he got lots of "YAYS" and lots of clapping. What a big boy! And Henry. Oh, Henry! Bender. Hender Bender. He is so darn cute with his new top teeth.

Be still my heart...

He does this thing when he's excited to see me he squeezes his eyes shut, shows his teeth, and breathes in and out of his nose really quickly. It works. I pick him up EVERY time.

What a love!

I'm coming out of the fog....the first year is a cloudy one with twins. Lots of joy, but so much work that my mind doesn't register much of reality. The fog is lifting.

We're looking forward to a magnificent summer ahead.

Happy 11 months babies!

May Showers

2009-05-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

FABULESS PHOTOGRAPHY Giveaway

2009-05-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

The gals at Fabulessly Frugal are hosting a giveaway from an amazing photographer - Shandy Vogt. Here is a link to the giveaway and here is a link to Shandy's blog. Check it out!

Happy Birthday to Julius!

2009-04-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Julius's SIXTH Birthday last week. What a day! He requested a Godzilla theme this year (he's a fan). This is what we used for the invitations: Godzilla gifts are hard to come by...I've gotta thank Amazon and Ebay. Julius loves the old 60's versions of Godzilla (we rent them from Netflix). But his favorite so far is Godzilla - Final Wars released in 2005 because it has loads of Godzilla characters in it. So I ordered that, and the Matthew Broderick Godzilla. I also found a great Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Soundtrack that we used during his party. We let him open one present before school - so he could wear it on his special day.

And then he got to open this one during his party:

During his partywe had lunch: grilled burgers and hotdogs, chips, and cut fresh fruit. We drank a yummy orange (his favorite color) punch. After lunch we played a few games such as Godzilla stomp and Don't drop the Godzilla egg.

Then we had the cake...made by me. Obviously. It looked terrible. But it tasted pretty good. It was orange colored and flavored inside with caramel between the layers.

After the cake the kids played outside on the trampoline and bikes for awhile and then they took turns swinging at the pinata. The pinata was homemade this year...my children were enthralled with the process. We made it into a Godzilla egg and filled it with candy, dinosaurs, and toys.

After the pinata we went inside for presents.

Then the kids went home.

Then I crashed. So, so tired. Still am.

But, it was a great birthday...I love our Julius so much!

9 and 10 months

2009-04-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Henry and Hudson were 9 months in March...I wasn't as good about getting their monthly pictures the last two months...this is them at a little more than 9 months. At this point Henry was army crawling all over and Hudson was still just rolling to get around. Hudson
Henry

And here they are at 10 months...Henry is crawling on his hands and knees and pulling himself up on everything. Hudson is army crawling and does this hilarious pushup stance. They are eating table food now and using a sippy cup.

Hudson Henry
We took them to a great park and put them together in the bucket swing...I thought they would be scared - Henry was a little freaked out at first but he enjoyed it after that. Hudson loved every minute of it!

Easter

2009-04-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm finally ready to tell about Easter...We dyed eggs on Friday. We all had a fun time. Henry and Hudson wanted in on the action so we gave each of them a plastic egg to play with - every time Henry dropped his on the floor he would scream...it was hilarious! We pulled out the video camera and got it recorded. The older kids handled the egg dying like pros this year...they looked so pretty. Sunday morning they helped me peel the eggs for potato salad. The peeling didn't go quite so well. Several eggs were peeled right down to the yolk! We'll have to practice that one some other time.
Here is Bronwyn - yes, she's still wearing pj's (boys pj's) at 4:00pm. That's how our days go around here sometimes....actually a lot of the time. Here is Braeden showing off one of his many green eggs. Julius was all about orange...surprise, surprise!And here is Henry - he had been crying because he wanted an egg so badly...luckily the Easter bunny delivered one a little early for him to chew on.Hudson thoroughly enjoyed his plastic egg also....I fell through on the Easter outfits again this year...I did grab a new dress for Bronwyn at Costco...Henry and Hudson wore something pretty new. Braeden wore his Easter shirt and vest for the third Easter in a row (that was a good investment!) I'm not sure about Tony in this picture...any guesses?Getting ready for the Easter egg hunt after church.JuliusBraeden and BronwynJuliusBraedenBronwynThe spoils!

Our Spring Break Vacation

2009-03-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

We made a last minute decision to go to Oregon for spring break...I almost thought we wouldn't make it when the day before we were scheduled to leave I found myself seated in the pediatrician's office. Henry had ear/eye infection and he and Braeden were also so suffering from Influenza. We made a couple of trips to the pharmacy and decided we'd still leave on our vacation as planned. (I had to pack a separate bag just for the medications and nebulizer.)
We left about 8:45 Thursday morning and arrived at our hotel in Portland at 2:45. The babies traveled SO well - hardly any fussing at all! (I can't say the same for the big kids though...)
Our hotel had an indoor swimming pool which we tried to take advantage of each night.
On our first morning we woke up early and spent the day at the Oregon Zoo. It was rainy and cold - but there was so much to see!
The babies didn't see much except these penguins - they were enthralled!

This one was my favorite picture...Bronwyn and this primate just staring at each ther...it lasted quite awhile.

When we got back to the hotel that night we discovered that Hudson was sick too. Poor babies! We slept in the next morning and got a late start to Newport. But the drive was well worth it. The coastline is just gorgeous there. We didn't have time to get down to the water - but we did take a few pictures along the beachfront.

From the beach we headed to the Aquarium. This was a first for all of us - and it was amazing! Everyone's favorite was the jelly fish. There were teeny, tiny white ones and big colorful ones. There was even a petting section in the aquarium where the kids were able to feel a small shark, a ray, starfish, anenome, and clams. That was super cool. Towards the end we walked through "Passages of the Deep" where we found ourselves in tunnels with water above and below...and the water was full of sea life. We stayed a long time looking at the sharks.

The next morning we drove to Seaside. Tony and I had been there twice before and we knew the kids would love it. It was super cold and rainy so we stopped and let Julius ride the bumper cars with Tony and then I took the three big kids one the "Tilt-a-Whirl". It was hilarious. Brady was SO scared but he toughed it out and didn't cry one tear. Bronwyn and Julius were a little scared at first but quickly learned that screaming helped them overcome the scary feeling.

From there we headed down to the water. Ahhh. It was so cold and windy but we braved it and got our feet a little wet while Tony stayed far away with the babies.

Here the kids are chasing a seagull.

Brady burying his dolphin in the sand.

Braeden didn't appreciate that his mean mommy made him get his feet wet...so, so sorry Brady boy.

Bronwyn just got right in and enjoyed it.

After we cleaned the sand off we bought a kite, did a little shopping, rode the merry-go-round and then had lunch at one of our favorite seafood places...Norma's. We ended the day with a trip to Tillamook for ice cream cones.

Then next morning we packed up and left the hotel. We planned to make a quick stop at IKEA before heading home. Well, no trip to IKEA is quick...I LOVE that store! We didn't get out of there until 2:30 - by that time every spare inch of space in our van was stuffed full.

We made it back home late that night and have had a nice quiet week. I think everyone is on the mend from their sicknesses...and we're already planning our next trip to IKEA, whoops! I mean Oregon...we made some great memories and had fun spending so much time together.

Halverson Photography

2009-03-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Amber has just started her photography business...I am SO exicted for her! You can check out her website here. And also stop by her blog.

Another project completed!

2009-03-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

In February I joined a quilting group through our church...I love quilting! This was our first pattern. It's called Wickedly Easy - the kids helped me pick out the colors...pink from Bronwyn, orange from Julius, and green from Braeden. I chose the multi-colored paisley and the brown. My favorite part is the quilting. I traced random and overlapping circles throughout and quilted them by hand. It's now our official "snuggle" blanket. We all love it!

I'm excited to make many more....

My Project

2009-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

So,this is what I've been working on:

I got the idea from Abby's blog A Feathered Nest (she has so many great ideas). I ordered the vinyl Tiffany at A Word to the Wise (lots of beautiful projects - but I had a hard time contacting her through her website -I have her email if you're interested). I took the pictures and printed them on my HP photo printer. I got the frames (with mats) at Costco - they were marked as 11 x 14 but the outer edge measures at 14 x 17. The pictures are 8 x 10. I am so, so happy with how it turned out. YAY!!!

Thanks for all your input on the pictures...I already knew that #1 was my favorite - but I wanted to see what you all thought. One nice thing is that because I printed them myself I can change them out as better pictures come along. For now though, I love them!

and more pictures

2009-02-19T15:34:00.001-08:00

Here is Julius...I need some help....which is your favorite?

#1#2 #3
#4#5 #6

Thanks again to my friend Amber who keeps my blog looking pretty...THANKS!!!

pictures, pictures, pictures

2009-02-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get just the right pictures for a display in our living room...a close up of each of their faces...here's what I have so far...

BRONWYN

BRAEDENJulius's didn't turn out at all - he wasn't in the mood. I'll have to try again another day.

8 Months

2009-02-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Hudson and Henry

February 18th, 2009

Eight Months

Cheerios and Exersaucers
big kid entertainment (jumping, laughing, craziness)
happy boys, we see smiling faces each morning
- kiss sweet cheeks at night

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T09:43:00.001-08:00

This is what the kids awoke to this morning.... (at 6 am)Then they opened their Valentine's while I made breakfast crepes....

Julius

BronwynBraedenHenry and HudsonThis is our spread...strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas, bacon, eggs, whipped cream, cheese blintz filling, nutella, and OJ.My favorite was the cheese blintz, nutella and berries....ahhhhh!This is how the kids felt about the crepes.... This is how they felt about their Valentine chocolates....
My sweet friend offered to take our kids tonight so Tony and I can go out for our Anniversary/V-Day....she must be a glutton for punishment! Seriously though, what a gift!

I love my life! ...a sweet breakfast with my little Valentine's and a night off with my sweetie....it's a great holiday.

Welcome to February

2009-02-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Not much going on around here... Last Sunday the Steelers celebrated my birthday by winning the superbowl. YAY Pittsburgh!

Plus, I had chocolate cake...what could be better? How about the red tulips my sister's brought me? Yep, they definitely brightened up my week. I had a great birthday - lots of new friends stopped by, family and friends called, I was serenaded all morning by the three kiddos who are old enough to sing, Tony gave me some fun new toys for the kitchen, I got 33 birthday kisses from Julius,....did I mention the chocolate cake???

I LOVE February! Next weekend we'll celebrate V-Day and our 7 year anniversary. It's a busy short month - but a great one.

We started out this week with 5 healthy children for a change.... ahhh. But now 5 out of 7 of us are sick. It's just how things go. The kids were starting to get a little cabin fever so Tony brought home a little surprise for them yesterday.

He found these fun bubble wands at WalMart yesterday for $1 each...they had so much fun with them!
Great thinking Daddy!

Hope the rest of you are enjoying a beautiful February weekend....

It's a Beautiful Day!

2009-01-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Spent a quiet morning in front of the TV watching Barack H. Obama inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. The First Family was stunnung...I have to mention Michelle's dress! WOW! And the girls were adorable too... The music and poem were fantastic and the President's address was uplifting. I must admit that I was disappointed when the crowd booed President Bush...so not necessary in my opinion. I'm excited to witness this memorable day... Yay for the Obama's and Yay for the next 4 years!

Happy MLK Day

2009-01-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Julius came in our room this morning and said "Tommorow's the day Barack Obama will becomes our 44th president!" (He actually learned this watching cartoons this morning...awesome.) I've been working on explaining the significance of the holiday today - not an easy thing to explain to my young kiddos - but I'm trying.

I thought we would spend some time today doing some community service to celebrate our National Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, this is what we are doing instead...

All 5 kids are sick and I started the morning with a migrane. So, we're continuing our "take it easy" weekend and spending the day resting and relaxing.

I read this great post on Bossy! this morning. She shares a great FHE outline for tonight featuring the Presidental Inauguration.

On another note, Henry and Hudson celebrated 7 months yesterday. Unbelievable!

Happy MLK Day!

Craft Bug

2009-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's the time of year or the weather or what...but I've been dying to have a little time and energy to craft something. I knew I didn't have the mental strength to pull out the scrapbook supplies - so I searched the internet (mainly the blogosphere) and found some great ideas. I found this adorable skirt this morning on this blog - it looked adorable and pretty easy.I LOVE the fabric she used - The fabric I used I've had since I was pregnant with Bronwyn...I just never got around to using it. I'd love to try one with contrasting fabric on the hem and waistband like the sample one. I just wasn't patient enough to wait for Tony to get home so I could run to Joann's.So thanks House on Hill Road! As of this afternoon Bronwyn has a new skirt and most likely a few more to come. She loves it and has been twirling around for an hour...

New Year's Celebration

2009-01-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Since the babies are still sick - we decided to stick close to home for New Year's Eve. We had a small celebration with the kids. We had yummy Nachos for dinner.

Then we all spent time coloring together. All the big kids love coloring - but Julius especially loves it right now. He was in heaven with Mom and Dad taking turns coloring with him. I think we watched a movie at some point...but I can't remember what it was.

It was fun just to relax and enjoy spending time with our children. At the end of the night the kids popped poppers of confetti and went right to sleep.

Happy New Year!

A Christmas Rundown

2008-12-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas celebrations started with Julius's Christmas concert at school. His class sang "Christmas, Christmas Time is Here" (not sure if that's the real title - think Alvin and the Chipmunks) and "Up on the Housetop". They did such a great job! My favorite part was when they sang "me I want a hula hoop!" Julius would swing a big hula hoop up and around with a big smile on his face. Melts my heart, that boy of mine! I can't count how many times I've asked him to sing his songs since then. It makes me SO happy! We had fun buying some new decorations to add to our tree this year and setting out the ones from years past. It took me a couple of trys but I finally managed to make and finish Henry and Hudson's stockings. We also got to use Mom's nativity to decorate outside this year...(thanks Holly!)

Our next family activity was making goodie plates to take to the neighboors. We made three kinds of oreo truffles (mint, regular, and blonde), almond joy, Russian tea cakes, Chex mix, snickerdoodles, and orange cream cookies. This was a first for me. I've never delivered goodie plates at Christmas before - always too busy. But this year I decided to forgo Christmas cards because we never got a good family picture taken and decided to make yummys instead. We delivered them for Family Home Evening. We were hoping to make it out to visit our old neighboors and friends from our last home - but time just got away from us. Sorry guys!

This year I volunteered to host our family Christmas party. We had it a few days early because those coming from out of town had other plans on Christmas. Amos and his family were the first to arrive on Saturday afternoon. Sylvia and Bronwyn headed straight for the dress-up and convinced the boys to join in. (Bronwyn has been dying for some "girl"time - thanks Sylvia!) We were expecting Mom and David to fly in from Alaska at 11 Saturday night. Gina got them a great deal at the hotel she works for - but to get the deal she needed to check them in before she left for work that night. We decided to leave Mom and David a little goodie basket to welcome them....well Tony won the most awesome white elephant gift at his work party and we decided to play a little joke on Mom and David. We set up the ResusciAnnie on the bed with a Diet Pepsi for David and Kettle Chips for Mom. I think I peed my pants twice from laughing so hard. When the lights were out it was super creepy!

We were disappointed when we found out that their flight from Seattle was cancelled and they couldn't get anther one until Monday afternoon. Our Christmas Party was scheduled for Sunday and Amos's family was scheduled to leave Tuesday morning so we went ahead with the party as planned.

That day happened to be Grant's Birthday so we had a little celebration for him in the middle of things. Happy 3rd Birthday Grant!

My favorite activity was decorating gingerbread men. I found a yummy recipe and borrowed some large cookie cutters from Amyjoy (thanks!) I think the kids really had fun - I know I did!

I found some pretty snowflake plates at the dollar store for the adult table which made it look really pretty. We had loads and loads of food. Two green salads, rolls, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, jello salad, stuffing, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni, and cheesy broccoli rice. We had enough left over to feed everyone again on Monday and STILL have leftovers. Holly and Heath put together and improptu Nativiy program with the kids - and it was AWESOME! Doesn't Grant make an adorable angel? I think he was really supposed to be a shepard or wise man but I had convinced him to play dress ups earlier and he was lovin' this angel dress (so sorry Heath ;-) On Monday all the ladies had a chance to go shopping together then Amos, Heath and Gina went shooting. Afterwards we all had dinner together again...leftovers! We expected Mom and David's flight to come in that afternoon - but around 4:00 they called and said it was cancelled again. They ended up renting a car and driving here from Seattle. Heidi and I met them at the hotel at 1:30 in the morning. After they got some sleep they headed over to my house to see everyone. We had pizza at Heath's house on Christmas Eve and came home to find that Santa's elves had stopped by and set up our Christmas train around the tree. They also left an early gift for everyone...Our Christmas jammies! Later that evening Julius spread out the Reindeer food so that Santa's reindeer would find their way to our home.

I snuck out after Santa came and took this picture... We definitely got spoiled this year. Thanks Santa! The kids woke up at about 7 on Christmas morning...I'd been up since 6...too much anticipation!This is Brady with his monkey "packpack".Here is Tony helping Bronwyn learn how to use her "laptop".Julius with his much anticipated GIGAN.

Henry with his stocking goodies.Hudson with his new mitten.

Bronwyn opening her Ponyville.Tony with the babies...They match! Practically triplets...Whew! Did you make it to the end? I barely did...On the 26th we lazed around all day... all the twins are sick so I spent my day holding the babies and wiping B and B's noses and watching old black and white movies starring Mickey Rooney. Ahhhhh.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Sugar Cookie Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-12-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Sugar Cookie Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

6 months x 2

2008-12-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

Hudson is 6 months today... Oh, how we love him!

He is a little flirt as long as strangers don't touch him...watch out!

Hudson has beautiful eyes and loves to kick around in the bath tub.

He started eating rice cereal this week and seems to really love it (that's a first for us).

Hudson enjoys swinging through the night - but doesn't sleep through the night yet.
This picture is so blurry - but I included it because it's the only one with him smiling. (He had just got up from a nap so he wasn't too happy with the picture taking)

Love you bunches and bunches Hudsy!

Here are our babies together...

The first 6 months has gone by WAY too fast. It seems like just yesterday and yet at the same time it's hard to remember when they weren't a part of our family...

6 months

2008-12-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Henry is 6 months old today...What a joy he is to us!

After his bath this morning (long overdue!) I stuck him in his exersaucer to play while I bathed Hudson. I came back 5 minutes later to this....It melts my heart! We call him Hender Bender - or just Bender for short. snuggle, laugh, tickle, toot, scratchy, hungry, bear cub, turkey drumstick thighs
We love you Bender!

(Hudson is still sleeping - watch for pics of him soon)

Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Whew - it's over. Not that I did much, since I was just recently asked to be on the Activities Committee every thing was already taken care of. Lots of sisters volunteered to help out and they did and amazing job - I am so impressed.

Tony stayed home with the babies (they weren't feeling very well) and I took the big kids with me. They had a really fun time with dinner, doing crafts, and seeing Santa. The night ended with a beautiful musical program.

Melinda, our photographer for the night already sent me an email copy so I had to share...

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

It's better late than never, right? We celebrated Braeden and Bronwyn's Birthday on November 28th. They had a small party - their first "friends" party. Annika, Mason, Kaisley, Tysen, and TOMMY came. (Bronwyn wants to marry Tommy-he's not so sure yet, but we've got a few years to convince him).

My children have come to expect four things for their birthdays: cake, streamers, balloons and a pinata.

Easy enough. (Thanks Elizabeth for the spider cake idea!)I tried to put a little more effort into this birthday considering last year they got a day old cake from Walmart and $5 Barbies from the black friday sales. I think they really enjoyed themselves and they got spoiled with lots of great gifts from friends and family - thanks everyone!

After cleaning up from the party we headed to the Botanical "Garden Aglow" which was AWESOME! (sorry about the pictures...gotta learn how to use the camera)Then we finished the evening at Red Robin - our family favorite for Birthdays. Happy Birthday my sweeties!

Thanksgiving Update

2008-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't know for sure if I was going to cook Thanksgiving this year or not. About 4 days before Tony let me know that he'd like to stay home and eat. With 5 kids I knew that I couldn't do it all on Thanksgiving day so I got a head start.

On Monday I made the mashed potatoes and stuffing (new recipe) and put them in the freezer.

On Tuesday I made the baked macaroni and cheese and froze it too. I also experimented with a different roll recipe and loved it. (We ate most of them so I knew I would be making fresh ones on Thursday morning. I also searched online and learned how to fold cloth napkins into pretty shapes. I washed, ironed and folded our napkins.

On Wednesday I made two types of sweet potatoes. One sweet, one plain. I also made three pies. Oh, I also went to Twilight and Johnny Carino's with my sisters.

I got up at 6 Thursday morning ready to pop the turkey into the oven and realized it would be ready by 9 if I started it that early. So, I started the collard greens in the crock pot. And then I started on the rolls. About 8:00 the kids and I began making our fruit gobbler - so much FUN! Then at 9:30 I got the turkey in the oven. I finished the rolls, started reaheating everything, set the table, changed clothes, made gravy from the drippings and we were ready to eat at 2:00.

It was just us and my two sisters. And it was perfect. Well, the stuffing wasn't and I'll never freeze the potatoes again. BUT we had a great time. I got out our wedding goblets and bought the kids some goblets from the dollar store to use for our "special" drink (aka sparkling cider).

All in all it was a great holiday...YAY!
Hudson...sorry sweetie...just milk for you and Henry.

Thankful

2008-11-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

First off I'm thankful for Family Fun - we had a great activity this morning...

I've been feeling a lot of gratitude for my sweet partner in crime...Tony - Thank you! What a lucky lady I am to have such a great guy in my life. He is thoughtful, kind, funny (he even laughs at my jokes too - gotta love that), he wants to do what's right, he listens, he's a great dad...I could go on and on...but I've gotta save time to make the rolls this morning.

And our CHILDREN. WOW. Could I ask for anything more?

That leads me to the big one. I'm am so blessed to have the Gospel in my life. I'm thankful for trials and adversity, repentance and forgiveness, and especially for HOPE and FAITH.

I can't leave out my Sisters in Zion....If you're wondering if that's you...it is!

Thank YOU!

BOSSY!

2008-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered a new blog that I'm really enjoying and I thought I'd share. It's called Bossy! . It's written by 5 sister's I love it because they are so down to earth, funny, and inspirational. I've just started to check out each of their individual blogs and I'm enjoying those also...So if you want a new blog to read ( I know, I know....) then check them out! (BTW - I have no idea who these ladies are...just followed a link on my SIL's SIL's blog.)

Nothing new to post

2008-11-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm just tired....wonder why???

dishes to wash

clothing to fold

beds to make

bathrooms to clean

floor to mop

vaccum to fix

hair to comb

kids to dress

bottles to prepare

noses to wipe

diapers to change

bills to pay

meals to create

homework to help

medicine to administer

pumpkins to toss

leaves to rake

office to organize

shower to take

blog to update - check!

just want to curl up in a chair and read a good book, drink a large diet pepsi, and finish off the night with a relaxing game of scrabble....

i'd better get busy

2008-11-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

Yes we can...yes we can...yes we DID!

My heart is so full of emotion....I don't think I can really express how I feel - yet. What a wonderful historic day....an incredible event for me, my dear husband and my 5 children to be a part of.

Yes, my sons and daughter, you can be anything you want to be!

I voted!

2008-11-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

I got up early and waited in line for 30 minutes....not bad, eh? So excited for today.

The kids and I are going to have an Election Day party....we'll make flags, watch the results come in and eat yummy food...
What a great feeling to be part of this historic day!

If you haven't yet...GO VOTE!!!

HOCUS POCUS

2008-10-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave for the "Trunk or Treat"... wanted to get these pictures posted while it was still officially Halloween. I hope the rest of you have a happy night of trick and treating!

Halloween meets Steve Urkel

2008-10-30T15:31:00.001-07:00

He's been talking about revisiting this costume from his college days...I never really thought it would happen. When I called to talk to him at work today the receptionist says "Oh, Tony's not in today but I'll transfer you to Urkel..." I didn't get it. I said "What do you mean 'He's not in today?'" in a really nasty voice.

When he left for work this morning he wasn't in costume. Turns out he detoured to DI, Goodwill, and Walmart this morning after he left. The costume is awesome and he plays the part well. (He's a natural).

Financial Crisis

2008-10-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

While perusing blogs this morning I came across some great info here. I recommend listening to the radio clips first (they're a little over an hour!) I thought the information was very helpful and eye opening. Oh, and it's also not favoring a presidental candidate or party. I learned a lot from listening to it and thought I'd share it with those of you who are interested.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night after Tony got home from work we headed to the pumpkin patch. This is our third year going and we were all pretty excited. The kids started off with the hay bale maze...Julius and Bronwyn made it out, but Brady had to be rescued.Tony stayed in the main area with the babies while I rode on the hay wagon with the big kids to go find our pumpkins. We got a late start so I didn't stop to buy tokens before getting on the hayride...I figured we would buy tokens when we got back. I just wanted to make sure we found our pumpkins before it got dark. Well the first stop on the hayride was at the petting farm...so we HAD to get off. Unfortunately the kiddos lame mom hadn't bought the tokens yet so they could pet the animals but not feed them. They also had a pony ride (needed tokens....I really tried to distract the kids from noticing that - I knew they would be disappointed to miss it). But, there were lots of fun animals for the kids to see... a llama, pony, turkey, emu, zebra, horse, goats, sheep, etc. The kids scavenged some feed from some kind strangers who were ready to leave (thank you strangers!) and got a chance to feed the goats and zebra (the zebra was a biter so we didn't stay long there). Then we finally headed off to find our pumpkins....it was getting dark so we had to hurry.

I think we carried out 15 pumpkins...the kids carried some in their hoods, I filled my pockets, and our arms were all full. We rode the hay ride back and found the freezing Daddy. We finally bought some tokens and let the kids have fun on the inflatable jump toys while I bought some burgers, fries, and hot chocolate. We gathered around the dusty table in the dark and quickly ate the warm food. And then we loaded up and headed home. It was lots of fun for the kids and a bit hectic for the parents...But we were glad we went. Bye, bye pumpkin patch! See you next year...

The Others

2008-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

I worry that I'm taking more pictures of the babies than I am of the big kids...but then I worry that I'm not taking as many pictures of these babies as I have for the others so there's no winning. BUT I did want to add some recent pictures of the big kids here too.... so here ya go!

Waiting at the bus stop

Braeden enjoyed helping me take pictures of Henry today
I've mentioned our fun shower before....this is how much fun we have been having with it!

So...yes I love my big kids too!

Henry and Hudson - 4 months

2008-10-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hudson and Henry This has been a super fun month with the babies...they have started to giggle and flirt a lot....it's so adorable! They're both sick today - the second cold for Hudson and the first for Henry.

HudsonHenry
Hudson
Henry
I think there is nothing sweeter than babies feet....these are Hudson's and these are Henry's Happy 4 month's babies - we're loving every minute!

Chicken Casserole Ole

2008-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sharing one of our favorite meals...

8 frozen chicken tenders (boneless, skinless)

2 C water

1 15 oz. can chili beans, undrained

1 C salsa

1/2 C green bell pepper, chopped

2 C instant rice

2 C Mexican style shredded cheese, divided

2 C bite size tortilla chips

Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken, cook over medium high heat 12-15 minutes. (I shred the chicken at this point) Add water, beans, salsa, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil, add rice and 1 C cheese. Cover, remove from heat; let stand covered for 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. ( I usually have to leave the skillet on low heat for 5-10 minutes to make sure all the liquid is absorbed) Top with tortilla chips and remaining 1 C cheese.

Let stand covered 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with additional chips, sour cream, guacamole, olives, etc.

Goodreads

2008-10-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

I met a new friend last night and she introduced me to a website called "goodreads". I'm all about reading new books so I stayed up late last night looking around the site. I'm looking for "friends" on the site so...check it out if you are a reader.

Since I've been thinking about books I thought I'd share the latest series that I just finished. I was introduce to this series about 3 or 4 years ago by my mom (I think). I started with volume 2 accidentally and then went on to read 1, 3-6. I finished the final volume 6 last week (thanks Gina!).

It is such a fantastic series that begins with the the war in heaven and then contines in book two with the same characters here on earth in our day. It is full of politics, terrorists, spiritual insights, and family dynamics. For me it's like 24 meets meets The Plan of Salvation. (Is that sacreligious???) Anyway... the author is Chris Stewart and the series is called The Great and Terrible.

Enjoy!

Remembering Grandad...one year ago today

2008-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Charlie Spencer Solomon (Novermber 9, 1926 - October 13, 2007)
After a long life of hard work and service, our beloved husband and father passed away peacefully at home on October 13, 2007 with his wife, Gay, and their six children by his side. Born November 9, 1926 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Nellie Cable Spencer and Charles Drew Solomon, Charlie was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served in many callings throughout his life.
He served in the United States Navy during WWII and, following four years of service, he was honorably discharged. Charlie was an avid scuba diver and loved anything outdoors, genealogy work, gardening, reading, and being with his sweetheart. He served his first mission as a young man for the LDS Church in the Western States Mission.
He was sealed to the love of his life, Helen Gay Little, on January 11, 1951 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple and they raised their six children to know and believe in hard work and commitment.
Charlie loved his Heavenly Father and Savior and wanted to serve as much as possible. He and his sweetheart served as missionaries for the LDS Church in the San Pablo, Philippines Mission where they learned to love very much the people they served. They also served as family history missionaries in Georgia.
Survivors include his wife and companion of 56 years, Helen Gay (Little) Solomon; six children: David LaVar Solomon (Peggy), Julie Ann Solomon Parker (Doug), Virginia Little Kington, Jeannette Little Simmons (David), Charles Little Solomon (Gayle), Timothy Little Solomon (Beverly); a brother, Kenneth Solomon (Jackie); and 29 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.
A viewing will be held Friday Oct. 19, 2007 from 6 to 8 pm at Eckersell Memorial Chapel in Rigby, Idaho and for 45 minutes prior to the service. Services will be held Saturday Oct. 20, 2007 at the Idaho Falls North LDS Stake Center on 955 Memorial Drive at 10:00 am with Bishop Charles Johnson officiating.

Still missing you Grandad...but it's wonderful to know that I'll see you again. I imagine you keep yourself busy sharing the gospel and working on family history. I'll try to do my part on this side... Love you so much!

next month...so exciting!

2008-10-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

I found this on Chris Peterson's blog and I really enjoyed it... scroll down to the bottom of this page and pause the music first.

WARNING!!! Lots of pictures....

2008-10-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

Conference Weekend - Ahhhh...

2008-10-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

When Tony and I got married my Grandad and Granny gifted us with a year's supply of wheat...I haven't touched it since then. Until today...I had some great whole wheat waffles or pancakes at the Allred's house many, many years ago and I remembered that Tiff's dad, Doug, made them in the blender. I've never remembered to get the recipe from them - so I searched online and found one that seemed like it would work...AND IT DID!!! I got up early this morning and dug through the chaos that our garage is still in since the move, I found the wheat and got to work. The waffles turned out really well. They tasted nutty and hearty. We had lots of toppings because it was General Conference Sunday and we wanted it to feel special for the kids. I think they enjoyed the waffles - I don't know how much they got out of conference, but during dinner when I asked Julius about the speakers...he did recall someone talking about jumping rope. At least something got through!
Thanks to Amyjoy for giving me a start to a conferece activity bag and another thanks to Brenda for some great ideas to keep the kids busy while we listen.
I wasn't looking for anything too specific...Just wanted to listen and feel the warmth of the Spirit. And I got what I was looking for and then some. The thoughts that have stayed with me are ones of HOPE, FAITH and PRAYER. Actually, maybe that was the message I was looking for! I'm thankful that Tony made dinner today and that Braeden made me laugh until I cried at his version of the song "Follow the Prophet" during dinner. After Tony's taco soup everyone went outside and played in the fallen leaves. Even the babies made it out for some fresh air! I'm thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the opportunity we had to hear from His prophet today.

Our House

2008-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Since my mom is so far away - this post is for her. I wanted to show her around our new home...

The front
As you walk in
The living room
view of living room from the kitchen
hallway leading to babies room, Bronwyn's room, bathroom, and 2 closets
Julius and Brady's room - right off of the living roomKitchendoors leading to backyard and patiominiature rock stars - (came with the house)skylight in the kitchen..love that! I also love the double oven with the glass stove top Outside patio
Yard, shed and garden (behind the little fence)
Another garden spot
our back neighboor has about 15 horses
we like to peek over the fence and watch them
Julius even got to pet one! Bronwyn's room was already painted pink and yellow - with butterflies and flowers (bedspread was in the washer)
Bronwyn's closet
Julius's side of his and Brady's room...yes, I let him hang his school work up on the wall...I need to get a corkboard for him....
Braeden's side of the room
Their closet - love the shelves in the closets in this house!
Babies room...hadn't unpacked it yet...will take another pic soon
View from living room/kitchen to hallway leading to laundry room, master bedroom, and family room

Laundry room and door leading to garagelooking into the family room from the hall - we set up this little desk for Julius to do his homework and coloringlove the shelves in here too! the desk - haven't set up a couch yet...
Master bedroom is still not unpacked...so here's a picture of the shower - it has a shower head on each side...I love to turn one to hot and one to cold...ahhhh!

And it's all on ONE level....YAY, YAY, YAY!!!

2008-09-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pics from this month.

Hudson and Henry

Hudson and HenryHenryHenryHenry and HudsonHenry and HudsonJulius, Me, Hudson and BraedenJulius and HenryTony with Hudson and HenryLast night in the wagon - Julius, Braeden, Bronwyn and Hudson (Henry was sleeping)

Peaches!

2008-09-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

Shortly after we moved one of my dearest friends brought me a bushel of peaches from our church orchard. I knew that I wouldn't be up to canning them so I had to figure out how to make sure I used them all before they went bad. I made lots of peach smoothies, peach crisp, I cut them up on my cereal, oatmeal and cream of wheat. I also blanched, peeled, cut and froze a bunch of them (smoothies all winter!). With the ones that were left I decided to tackle one of the goals on my list...homemade pie and crust. I researched it online a bit and I must admit it turned out so well. The crust didn't look beautiful but it was thin and flaky - nearly perfect! The filling was great also. The next week I made chicken pot pie and I wasn't quite as successful with the crust but it turned out pretty darn good also. So..YAY I made a peach pie from scratch!

Heath's Birthday

2008-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

My brother Heath's birthday was on the 10th of this month. We had his family over for dinner. My sister's Holly and Gina came also.

Happy Birthday Heath!

Heath with Bronwyn (my girl) and Melissa with their sons Truman and Grant

Grant, Julius and Braeden - LOVE this picture!

Henry and Hudson - 3 Months

2008-09-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Henry - HudsonHudson Hudson - I love this picture - it really shows his personality. He is squirmy and fussy - but he loves to smile and flirt (which totally makes up for the fussing and squirming)
Henry - Didn't get a good close up of Henry this time - but I did get some a few days later. I'll show them in another post.
Braeden and Hudson with Bronwyn and Henry
I can't believe I didn't think of taking this picture sooner...I looked at them sitting there and I said to myself "wow...TWO sets..." Gotta love them!

2008-09-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Henry and Hudson are three months old today... I try to take their "Birthday" pics each month on the 18th and this is the first time I've actually done it on the right day. Last month I never even got Henry's done. I'd post them here but somewhere in the move I misplaced my camera charger/dock and my laptop won't read my card...so no pics today. I got some cute ones though! I finally had the thought to take a picture of Braeden and Bronwyn holding Henry and Hudson...my big twins holding my little twins. Ahhh..
Tonight was the open house at Julius's school. I left Tony home with all the kids and had an hour of semi-adult interaction. It was nice to learn more about what he's doing at school and such. I've really felt like an idiot lately concerning his school stuff. I didn't realize he was supposed to be taking his "homework" back to school (yes - I know, how stupid can I be?!) and then he brings home a share bag and I've got no clue what to do with it. He threw in his favorite toy - Godzilla - and took it to school. Hope that works Mrs. Henry! I found out later that the instructions were inside the bag in a zippered pocket. Much to obvious for me to figure out! She's going to have to spend as much time teaching me as teaching Julius...
We're still working on getting settled in to our new house. Our new ward is awesome...we've had such a warm welcome. I'm excited to get to know everyone better.
Well...I've got a lot of emotions running through me right now so if this post is scatterbrained, whiney, and irrational - forgive me. Hopefully we'll have pictures sometime soon!

We've been busy!

2008-09-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hudson on the left - Henry on the right

So during the last two weeks my computer has been down, I've had pneumonia, Julius started school and we moved back to Boise. WHEW!

We made it and we are loving our new house. It's all on one level and much less chaotic. I didn't think I was going to survive - but with help from our friends and family we made it and I couldn't be happier. I will really miss our old ward... but I feel really good about our move.
I discovered that our neighboor three doors down has a son in Julius's class at school and that we go to the same church. They recruited several men to help us with our move AND she took my three big kids for a couple of hours while we got everything unloaded. What a sweetheart! Another great blessing is that Julius gets to ride the bus...YAY! That sure takes a lot of work off of my plate. He is really loving school and came home today and wrote nearly every lettter of the alphabet...each on a separate piece of paper!

The babies are getting big and smiling so much. I can't help but smile at their sweet little faces! I'll try to update some more real soon...

Julius's First Day of School

2008-08-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Julius started school on the 25th... what a sweet day. He really loves school and his teacher Mrs. HENRY. We had a good laugh about that one! I love watching him come out of class at noon with a huge grin on his face...it's priceless!

The Wedding

2008-08-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

August 9th, 2008

David and Ginny Sommerville

It was a crazy busy weekend...but the wedding was wonderful. They make such a cute couple don't ya think? The just seemed so incredibly happy. I'm glad we were able to be there for their special day...Congrats Mom and David!

Bronwyn got to hold the boquet for a few minutes...she felt like a princess.

The car...it caused a bit of controversy - but we had fun!

Hope you have a great honeymoon...call us when you finally get to Alaska...miss you already!

New Look

2008-08-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to Amber for making my blog beautiful AGAIN!

Blessing Day

2008-08-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Henry and Hudson August 3, 2008
Henry Anson Bridgeforth

Named after my great great grandfather - Charles Anson Solomon

Hudson Charles Bridgeforh

Named after my grandfather - Charlie Spencer Solomon

Our Family...believe me this IS the best picture we got...trying to take a family picture is war around here...
My mom and her fiance David came for the weekend - don't they look great?! I was really looking forward to this day...Henry and Hudson were given a name and a blessing (similar to a christening in other religions) by their father at church this past Sunday. It was everything I hoped it would be. They looked so sweet in their white outfits and Tony gave them each a very special blessing. I love to hear Tony bless our children...I'm glad I have a husband who holds and honors the Priesthood of God. Thank you Tony.

I am so pleased to have these special babies in our family. They are truly individuals and I love each of our children with all my heart. I am humbled by my responsibility as their mother...I pray each day that I will be strong and valiant - as my own mother was and is - so that I can teach them by word and by example. I thank my Heavenly Father for giving us this opportunity.

Asleep at the Sill

2008-07-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

The kids were SO tired tonight...they didn't get naps and threw a fit at bedtime. About 10 minutes after Bronwyn was put to bed screaming Tony opened the door to find her sound asleep like this:
Somehow she opened the window and my best guess would be that she was crying out into the street to anyone who would listen...my neighboors had to love that!
Sweet dreams my girl!

Some favorites from the last two weeks

2008-07-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

HenryHudson

HudsonHudson and Henry

Hudson
Henry
Henry
Julius with Henry
Bronwyn with Henry
Brady with Henry
I don't have much to say...except someone is crying for food every 10 minutes ... other than that here goes:

nursing, pumping, supplementing, changing diapers, replacing pacifiers, fixing food for big kids, wiping big kids hineys, listening to big kids whine, spanking big kids, hugging and kissing all the kids, bathing all children, making meals (mac n cheese and nuggets, frozen pizza, etc), and finally for ME eating banana splits and drinking Diet Coke.
Ahhhh....it's the life!

Mommy Dearest

2008-07-20T17:59:00.001-07:00

After 20 years of being a single mom of six children - my sweet mother has found the man of her dreams. They will become official on August 9th.

She spent the last week with me and we had a lot of fun...she took the kids to the lake nearly every day, held the babies, fed the babies, washed and cleaned, and entertained the big kids. WHEW! Thank you SO much! I was so sad to see her go today. But I'm looking forward to attending her wedding and reception next month.

She's going to spend the next year in a very remote village in Alaska with David. It's a little strange to think that she won't be close enough to visit and call whenever we want. But I'm really excited for her to have this adventure. We tease her about having shopping withdrawals and such - but I hope she and David have a great time.

Lots of love to you Mom and David!

Happy Belated 4th of July

2008-07-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

We obviously couldn't go anywhere - so we stayed put in our unusually quiet neighboorhood and grilled KABOBS for dinner and lit some fireworks...

I usually buy all the kids Red, White, and Blue outfits to wear on the 4th... however, this year I didn't get it done. I tried - but outfits for the babies were as far as I got. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of them in their matching outfits. And yes, I look worn out and tired...because I was...OK? But we had a fun night once the fireworks got started. The kids stayed up until 11:30 - which made for a nice morning for me...they didn't come get in my bed until 8:30 - ahhhhh.

Two Weeks Old

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

Henry and Hudson Henry and Hudson are doing so well...We're getting the breast feeding thing down. It's not perfect - but it's going better than I expected. I haven't had to use formula since we arrived home from the hospital. These two boys are as sweet as can be...I always find it so amazing how quickly I learn to love a new baby. While I'm pregnant I always worry that I won't have enough love in me to share with a new baby (or two). But it just comes so instantly - such a miracle to love someone so quickly... I'm sure there's a better way to put it - but, hey I'm sleep deprived! Not that I'm complaining - there's nothing like waking up at 5 am to 5 children and a husband snuggled up in bed with me! (It does get rather warm though...)

Anyway...I love them all and I am very blessed. A big warm thank you to all the friends and family who have helped with my big kids, cleaned my house, and brought meals over - what would I do without you??? I'm thankful that the Lord is watching over our family through our thoughtful family and friends. THANKS!!!!

Just some pictures...

2008-06-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Things here are going well...working hard at nursing...babies are healthy and strong...older kids are trying to be helpful...Tony is my SUPER HERO...he's taking care of the big kids

during the day and helping with the babies at night...Today he went back to work...wish me luck!

Hudson

Henry

Julius with Hudson - Bronwyn with Henry

Braeden with Hudson

Nap time

Braeden with the breast pump

They're HERE!!!

2008-06-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

The babies arrived yesterday...June 18th at 4:15 and 4:34 pm. They are doing very well - no NICU! And I was able to deliver them both without a C-section. Ahhhh...

Hudson Charles : 6 lbs 3 oz, 18.5 inches

Henry Anson: 6 lbs,19.5 inches

Welcome to the world my sweet babies!

Thanks to everyone for your help, your calls and your prayers...

No luck today...

2008-06-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still pregnant - so today I'm vacuuming and cleaning and going SHOPPING! Yay!!! No more bed rest...I'm ready for these babies to ARRIVE.

Today might be the day...

2008-06-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday in bed again...not many contractions to speak of until about 10 pm. They've been rather steady since then...not really strong though.

I played beautician for the kiddos while I was chillin' in bed... here are the results:

I also snapped a few more pictures of my ever expanding belly:

Julius and Tony had a great time jumping on the tramp while the twins were napping - I took these from the bedroom window ... they gave me a good laugh!

No babies yet...

2008-06-13T06:56:00.001-07:00

Just in case you're dying to know....I'm still pregnant. I'm planning on pushing them out Monday - Dr Young will be back from Mexico then. Wish me luck!

35 weeks today

2008-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

I had another Dr's appointment today and I fully expected them to tell me that I was dilated to at least a 5 and to admit me to Labor and Delivery. But I'm still at 3 and still waiting. It's a good thing - but I feel so anxious! The NP told me to stay in bed and eat, eat, eat. (I lost two pounds this week...weird because I feel like all I've done since I've been on bedrest is eat, sleep, and play Sudoku). I've got another appointment on Thursday so we'll see what happens then.

Here's a picture of Julius and I that Tony took on Sunday...

This evening I ran the kids through the McDonald's drive through for "half-price Happy Meals". When we got home Bronwyn discoved that they did not include a toy in her meal. She was bitterly disappointed and crying her eyes out. After a few minutes Julius looked at her and decided that she could have his toy. I was shocked... I had not prompted him at all. I almost cried because I was so proud of him.
Happy meal toys are like gold around here and he's been talking about getting his Kung Fu Panda happy meal toy for two weeks...It was a really big deal. I am so happy that he's growing up and that he was so kind to his little sister. It was a very happy mommy moment. I love you Julius!

Here is a picture of Julius and Bronwyn enjoying BEDREST with me...

Another update...

2008-06-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

I had another OB appt today...I'm dilated to a 3 now. And my doc is leaving for Mexico tonight and won't be back until the 16th. I'm not sure I'm going to make it that long... She introduced me to the doctor who is on call this weekend - she seems really nice. She told me she had two ladies scheduled for Sunday so if I come in that day we'll have a "baby party". Tempting.....For now - I'm still on bed rest and I'll keep everyone updated.

Here is Julius and Braeden in their new helmets and "astronaut legs". Why Brady calls his knee pads astronaut legs is beyond me - but I think it is hilarious!

Here are some more pics of the kids helping Tony fix up our front yard landscaping. This is Julius.
Here is Braeden.
And then there is glamorous Bronzy.

Still here...

2008-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Bed rest is going well...I think I'll finally gain some weight this week since all I can do is play SUDOKU, fold laundry, watch TV, and EAT! Laying around in bed sure makes me work up an appetite....I thought I'd throw in some pics from my May folder to keep things interesting.

Here's Julius, Bronwyn, Braeden and I - snuggled in Brady's bed. Here are the kids helping Tony with the yard work...we bought a couple of new shrubs and edged the flower bed.
And here is Bronwyn enjoying her Daddy's home cooking!
So far the babies are progressing happily and I am staying in bed as much as I can. The kiddos are having a hard time understanding why I can't be at their beck and call every second - but I do have some welcome help. Tony was a super dad/husband this weekend - he did all the cleaning and cooking and even took the kids to church by himself. My sister Gina came and stayed with me today and she and our sister Holly are coming tomorrow. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ladies from our church ward are helping out and my sister in law Melissa is ready to come help me do some cleaning as soon as I let her. I feel very blessed!

I've still got other sweet friends calling to see how they can help too - I'm sure I'll be accepting their service soon too...I'm a lucky gal!

Thanks to everyone...

33 Weeks and 3 Days

2008-05-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well, It's official...I'm on bedrest. Ugh! Started having contractions regularly on Tuesday night and at my Dr's appointment yesterday she found that I've started to dilate. They sent me to the hospital for a shot of Betamethasone? to help the babies lungs to develop quickly. I've also got a prescription to take to slow the contractions. She also discovered that one of the babies flipped positions again and is head up...I was really hoping they would stay head down so I could deliver them naturally. Oh, well! We'll see what happens.
About the picture...We bought the kids helmets this week... Bronwyn really wanted me to try hers on...Ain't I CUTE!!!!
I'll keep you posted...

I can't believe I'm doing this...

2008-05-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

So another shot of my belly...this time with my face included.

Augh... the AGONY!

But, I'm going to be brave and do it anyway.

By the way... this is NOT my typical attire...

just getting ready to jump in the pool with the kiddos!

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

2008-05-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well it's been close to 90 here the last two days so we had to break out the sprinklers and swimming pool...

Next time - I'm getting in too!

Mother's Day

2008-05-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

When you have a missionary in the family Mother's Day takes on a whole new meaning...it's not really about mom anymore. It's about the PHONE CALL. My mom and Granny decided to come visit those of us on the western side of the state last weekend...So on Sunday afternoon we all gathered at my house to make the long awaited PHONE CALL. Amos was the only sibling not there so he called mom's cell phone and listened to our visit with Sam that way.

It was so nice to hear Sam's voice and to hear how he's doing in Brazil. He's the only one in our immediate family to serve a mission outside of the US (so far...) and the process of talking to him was different from the others. We were only supposed to talk for 40 mins - but I think we were on the phone for nearly 2 hours. We put the phone on speaker phone and just listened to him chatting away.

This is Grant and Braeden...we tried to keep them occupied outside because they were so noisy!

Afterwards we did celebrate Mother's Day with a small BBQ and some super yummy Key Lime Cheesecake from COSTCO (you've gotta try it!) The grandkids also treated Grammy and great Granny to foot rubs.

It was nice to have them here - even though it wasn't long enough! Hope you come again soon...

New Look....

2008-05-14T14:50:00.001-07:00

Thanks Amber for the fun new look! You're the BEST!

Book Tag

2008-05-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Heather.

1. Find the nearest book near you.
2. Turn to page 123
3. Go to the 5th sentence.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.
5. Tag 5 people and post a comment on the person who tagged you when you finish.

My mom just returned this book to me - so it's sitting on my desk.

"It breaks my heart to even think about it."
I watched her silently, in the dim glow of the houselights. "I wonder if Mom knew how bad it was going to get," she mused.

I tag Camille, Amber, Mom, Kristi, and Shelly.

Happy Birthday Tony!

2008-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today is his big day and we didn't do much of anything...woke up, gave him presents (new jeans and a sleeping bag), sang "Happy Birthday", and waved him off to work. He sent me a message at 10:30 saying he was coming home early so we headed to Boise to meet him and go shopping (YAY for the stimulus package we found in our account this morning!) After shopping we had a super fun lunch at Fudrucker's and did a little more shopping. No big deal, but we had a good time together.

Anyway...Happy Birthday Baby! I love you with all my heart!

I think it's too big to be called a BUMP...

2008-05-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

I realized that I haven't posted any pregnant belly pictures yet... I've hesitated to do so in light of a good friend's recent loss.

But on Sunday as I was sitting on the couch staring at my big belly - I thought it would make an interesting picture.

I decided to share a few pictures and hope that it doesn't cause my sweet friend more grief.

I'm now 30 weeks along and hope to make it for 6 more weeks...

Julius's Party

2008-05-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

So - It's about time I document Julius's Birthday Party...

This is his quick and simple cake...

made by yours truly...

Julius only requested three things for his party #1 was a bag of small DINOS from Winco (I used them to decorate his cake)

#2 STREAMERS

And #3 was a PINATAHere are some of the party goers...

Julius, Kaisley, Russel, Hannah, Truman, Bronwyn, Tysen, Braeden, and Grant And the back of the head shot of him and his cake...

We had a great time with everyone that came...THANKS!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2008-04-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Julius turns 5 today! He ran into our room this morning and said "Am I five now?!"

He's so excited to go to school this fall and be a BIG boy like his friend Micah.

He is such a blessing to our family...He makes me laugh every day.

We let him open one of his presents early... this is him wearing his new apron.

I LOVE YOU JULIUS!

Happy Birthday - to YOU!!!

Spring Blossoms

2008-04-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Amber has some gorgeous pics of spring flowers on her blog and inspired me to take some pictures around our yard....

The first two are of our plum tree and the second two are of my phlox.

Finally some great weekend weather...

2008-04-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

The weather this weekend was so NICE! We haven't done anything fun on Saturday for a long time so Saturday we made a picnic and took the kids to the park. On Sunday after church and dinner we walked over to the school and tried flying kites. We had a really fun time!

Julius

BronwynBraeden