Brooks-Mandy-Braxton

Santa Visit

2011-12-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

Well December is flying right on by.... It has been crazy going back to work full tie i feel like the Christmas season is going to quickly to enjoy it. We have done a few fun things, the first of the month we did our annual Norwegian Christmas cookie baking wit all of the girls in my family. Then last weekend mom and i dipped over 250 Pretzel rods in Carmel and chocolate for gifts. (i of course did not take pictures of either of these events) we have enjoyed watching Christmas movies together as a family as well. Yesterday we went to Hinkley Dodge cause my mom had heard that they were doing free Santa pics all month long so we got the kids dressed up and headed over. It was perfect there was no body there and the kids got about 10 minutes to themselves with Santa. They loved it. They also took pictures for us for free and then just emailed them to us. It was a great experience and the kids were on cloud nine.

Deck the halls...

2011-11-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend we finished putting up our Christmas decorations (except the outside. Im not sure I have it in me to fight that marital fight this year) We got the tree up and the ornaments out. Every year as we put the Disney ornaments on the tree (yes I have a disney tree and a Disney Village....would you expect anything else?) we say each characters name as we put it on the tree. Brooks is getting better and better with his Disney Characters. And Brax, well he of course is being raised right and knows most all of them!

and the village...I would love to live in this little village it looks so fun!

Let it snow

2011-11-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday we got a little snow. After Braxys day out with Grandpa Steve we came home and Brax immediatly wanted to go out and play in it. He reluctantly put on his coat and snow suit and headed out with his dad. They played for about an hour in the snow and ate some too. Brax thinks snow tastes yummy!

October Activities

2011-11-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

After our trip our October was full of fun fall activities...We went to the Black Island Farms pumpkin patch with the Kramers, Went to Cornbellys with my mom and Macie, Carved pumpkins, Ward Halloween Party, Enjoyed fall soups and went trick or treating on Halloween. Brax was not too interested in trick or treating (he Preferred to hand candy out at home)

Black Island Farms:

Pumpkin carving

San Diego/Disneyland

2011-10-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

I figure I better get this post up before I forget all the fun details about our trip...We had so much fun on this vacation we talk daily about wanting to go back. In fact Scotty is already planning and mapping out our next Disneyland trick or treat trip.
We left Friday afternoon around 1:00 and drove to Las Vegas where Brooks, Brax, Macie and I stayed at my stepmoms and mom and steve stayed at the Palace Station hotel. We got up Saturday morning and went to breakfast with my stepsister and got on the road and met up with mom and Steve at the state line. Brooks and I were in need of a Break (yes already) from the crazy 3 year olds so they moved over to Grandma and Grandpas car and we headed to San Diego! We arrived around 6:00 and walked around and checked out our condo. The kids of course wanted to get right in the pool so Brooks and Dad got in their suits and took the kids swimming and mom and I hopped back in the car and headed to costco to get groceries for the week.

Checking out the pool and play area

Sunday we got up and decided to just hang around the condo and my moms cousin Mary who lives about 2 hrs away and her husband were coming for dinner. So we got up and went and walked around some more and found out that just a couple blocks away they were having a chalk art festival so we went down and walked around for a while then came back and swam some more until Mary and Walt got there. We had a yummy dinner and visited and then turned in for the night.

Monday we were off to the San Diego Zoo
we had fun seeing all the animals and walking our tushes off. The kids were such great sports and walked the whole way all day. The weather was Perfect and we saw some fun Baby animals as well. Including a baby hippo sleeping under water with its mommy.

Tuesday we decided to relax and head to the beach. We probably could have saved the money and not even done the extra parks and taken the kids to the beach every day and they would have been happy. Braxton was in the worlds biggest sand box with his tractors which was HEAVEN for him. And Macie loved chasing the birds and playing in the water.

Wednesday we headed back out to the Wild Animal park. We went on the safari tram and walked around a little bit. We were not completly impressed with this place and the kids were a little dis interested so we decided to leave. We stopped at Old Town and had lunch (the best mexican food I have EVER had) we walked around old toan a bit and then headed back to the condo to swim and relax cause we had a busy day ahead of us with Uncle Scott flying in and a long day at Sea World.

Old Town

Thursday we all woke up super early and got ready and headed to the airport to pick up Scott. Macie was so excited that her daddy was finally coming to play with us and so were we. We picked scott up stopped and had breakfast at Dennys and headed to Sea World. It was a little warmer at sea world but we had a blast. The kids loved the Seasame Street play are and we rode the rides over and over. We went and saw the walrus show, the shamu show and the dolphin show which we all thought was the best show. Uncle scott bought fish for the kids to feed the sea lions which they thought was so cool.

Friday we headed back to the beach with uncle scott. The kids were in heaven once again and we spent most of the day there. Scott rented a wet suit and boogie board and he and brooks played around on those for a while but the water was CHILLY. After the beach we headed back to the condo and bbq steaks and started packing up to head out saturday to Disneyland.

This is My favorite Beach Picture with my mom and dad with the kids.... so cute.

Saturday we got up, finished packing, cleaned the condo up a little bit and packed in the cars and headed to anaheim. We stopped at a Disney discount store and bought some sweatshirts and shirts and a few toys for the kids (so we didnt have to pay the high prices at the parks) and had lunch and headed to the hotel to unpack, freshen up and head out. The kids were so excited they could not STAND it. We decided once we got there that we would hop on the train and hit toon town first so we stopped at Mickeys house and met him (a good way for us to see how the kids would be with the characters)and they loved Mickey. A little hesitant at first but then loved meeting him.
Grandpa Getting the kids all Riled up for Disneyland

We ended the night with fireworks of course!

And this is how Brax watched the Fireworks!

Sunday we got up and headed to California adventure for a while and then back to Disneland. California adventure had a few good rides and some good shows but with all the consruction going on there with the new Cars Land it wasnt some place we needed to stay at all day. My moms cousin Mary came and spent most of the day with us as well so it was fun to visit with her. It was HOT and HUMID on Sunday as well.

Monday we took our time getting ready since we could not be to the park unitil 3:00 for Trick or Treating. Trck or treating at Disneyland is sooo worth it. There was not a lot of crowds and the kids got sooo much candy and there were lots of character greetings. It was well worth the money and we will definatly be doing it again.
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Grandpa was not going to leave Disneyland until Macie saw the princesses. So after the fireworks scott macie and grandpa went to find the princesses while mom and I went to get seats for the parade. After seeing the sweet pics of Macie meeting them we were bummed we didnt go with.

And of course this is how Brax watched the parade and fireworks. Wore the kid our every night!
And the proof that Trick or treating was successful at Disneyland!

Spaghetti Sauce

2011-10-09T16:16:00.001-07:00

The weekend before our big trip to California I scored an awesome deal from Bountiful Baskets for some cases of roma tomatoes So of course I got them and Mom and I busted our fannies and canned spaghetti sauce for days. It is so Yummy and we are now restocked for the year!

Grandma And Grandpa Angus come to visit

2011-10-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

The First part of our Busy September My Dad and his wife Linder came to stay with us a couple of Days. It was a busy and relaxing few days with them. On thursday we took them to the Utah State Fair with the kids. It was fun we were there for 6 hours and could have stayed longer if the little one would have held out
We ate at del taco twice and in and out twice (these are 2 of my dads favorite places to eat that they dont have back home) then on Friday nigt Brooks, Dad Linder and I went to the Rascall Flatts concert. Despite getting completly rained on and totally drenched before the concert we were moved from grass seats to reserved seats and had a fabulous time. It was a great few days.

Little Hands on the Farm (My Favorite fair exhibit and the kids LOVE it)

Our Cousin and talented photographer Whitney entered a pic of Brax in the fair. I think she should have one a blue ribbon but the judges must have been blind or something

Braxtons Birthday

2011-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Monday the 29th was Braxys actual birthday. He and I got up and headed to the zoo for a few hours. It was so fun to just be me and him. We rode the train 3 times went on the merry go round and had ice cream and a cold drink together.

After we went to the zoo we came home and brooks and I gave Brax his present which of course was a big set of tractors. The three of us sat and played tractors for a hour or so and then headed to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Beattie.

After dinner Grandma Joy took Brax to Build a Bear and he made a camo bear in a fooball outfit (cant find those pics will post when I find them) We had a fun birthday with Brax and cant believe he is 3.

Braxton turns 3!!!

2011-08-31T09:59:00.001-07:00

I have other things I need to blog about to but lets start with what is recent and I can remember ;) This past Saturday we had Braxys Birthday party. It was so much fun. Brax decided he wanted to go with the cowboy theme so we did. We decided to have dinner and just feed everyone. We had yummy pulled pork sandwiches, salads, chips, bottled root beer (I originally wanted bottled but couldnt find it anywhere so I decided to make homemade but when we went to costco saturday to pick up the cake brooks saw the bottled and it made my day so we bought some and it was a hit)
We also had the usual bounce house we borrowed from Grandpa Lane. The kids always have fun with it. All of our family and friends we invited came. (we did however miss grandma and grandpa Beattie who had prior engagements, Sarah who had another party to go to and Hank and Whit who had a busy Saturday!) The kids broke open a pinata full of treats and Brax got more trucks and tractors then I know what to do with however he plays with all of them every day. It was so much fun. We are sp greatful for the support of our friends and family and are so blessed to have this sweet child in our home.
The Watering Hole (and a special thanks to my sweet cousing Whitney Hutchins for making my Darling signs for me because I am not Savy like that. She also made Braxys adorable invitations!

The Food Table
The Cake Table
The Gift Table

The Guests

Presents (we should have done this last cause Brax did not want to participate in the pinata after opening all his gifts)

Sally and Dave always pull through with someting UTAH RED for Brax! They know which team he likes!!! (and notice it has a 3 on it!)

The Cake (bought at Costco, Decorated by Me!)

Brax Became quite shy when everyone was singing he didnt want to blow out his candles so Dad helped

The Pinata

More August Birhdays

2011-08-28T07:19:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Macies 3rd Birthday. It was pretty low key. We headed out to my moms and went and saw Kung Fu Panda and then went to dinner. Brax gave her a Princess learning laptop. It was a fun evening.

Grandpas Birthday

2011-08-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

Saturday we had a little Family get together at my house for my dads bday. We had a bbq and visited. I of course ended the night doing everyones toes and fingers and putting on glitter tatoos. Even miss Macie Kay got one and she thought she was pretty cool. It was a fun night with the fam!

The John Tractor Store

2011-08-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday We took Brax out to Bluffdale to the John Deere Tractor Store. We were told there was one and knew he would love to see it. We went out and of course he wanted every toy in there and loved looking at all the tractors. After I finally talked him into one of the Cheaper toys Brooks was trying Hats on him and I asked the salesman how much the hat was and he said they are usually $14.95 but he can have it. We then asked him if we could go out and get on the tractors and check them out he said feel free to drive any of them and he proceeded to pull up the BIGGEST tractor they had on the lot and took brooks and brax for a spin around the lot. This guy, Alan was his name was so cute with Brax and so nice to us. He has a 3 month old son and said he didnt have a very good experience at a tractor store when he was little and swore if he ever worked in one he would make sure the kids that came in felt special and had fun, and he succeeded Brax was grinning ear to ear all day.

Bountiful & Days of 47 Parades

2011-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday the 22 we went to to the Bountiful Parade. We were lucky enough to score some seats with my sister in laws family. It was HOT but a fun parade none the less. The kids walked away with plenty of Candy and little toys.
Then Monday morning we headed to the Down Town SLC Days of 47 Parade. We always have great seats and parking for that parade in front of the Ken Garff Delearship. It was especially fun this year because Brooks's Aunt Raylynn had a float in it that she designed and made for her Stake. It won Childrens Choice award. It was very cute.

Aunt Rays Float

Days of 47 Rodeo

2011-08-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

I was able to score some awesome prices this year to the Days of 47 Rodeo so we went and my parents and Macie decided to join us. The kids had so much fun and Grandpa and Grandma as always enjoyed Spoiling and Spending time with them. At one poing in the evening Grandpa came back and said they were waiting in a LONG line for ice cream and my mom said to him "then dont get it" and his reply was "The kids want ice cream so they are going to get ice cream"! So cute.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Phew this Past weekend was BUSY BUSY BUSY....
We started off by heading up to the Oakley Rodeo on Friday night with Brooks's Parents, and his Brother and Family. We had a fun Picnic dinner at the park then headed to the Rodeo. It was a little warm out but we had fun none the less. We were sitting right above the Bucking Shoots so behind us we could see all the Bucking horses and Bulls before they headed out. Brax had so much fun watching the rodeo and of course looked so cute all Cowboyed up!

After the Rodeo we headed back to the Cabin to sleep, got up and headed home to get ready for Eaglewood Fireworks with my family. We headed to Eaglewood played with the kids ate cotton Candy and watched the fireworks and had a great time.

Then Sunday we headed back up to the Cabin for Dinner and to go to the Oakley Parade on Monday. The kids played and the adults visited all night. Grandpa make ice cream cones for the kids which Brax LOVED. It was fun to all be together however we missed Bre and Talmage and Holt who were in New York!

After the Parade we headed back for lunch, Jumped back into the car and headed home then to Rachelles for a BBQ! While we were at Shells we took the kids to the Splash park by her house. It was so fun the kids played and we laughed. We went back and had a yummy dinner then lit off some fireworks. It was such a fun weekend but I must say I am POOPED!

Fathers Day 2011

2011-07-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty relaxing fathers day. We got up and braxy gave Brooks his Present which was a picture of the 2 of them in a cute hunting frame and some beef jerky. We had Breakfast and took a lil nap and then headed to Brooks parents for dinner.

Guess who is a Big Boy

2011-07-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ok Since a few of you still look at this I will Keep posting! (I would have kept posting anyway for my own documentation sake and for Lindsey!)
About a month and a half ago we decided it was time for Brax to move into a Big Boy bed! I have been working on his cowby quilt forever and finally finished it so we decided to make the transition and it was a breeze! He goes to bed so much easier and naps so much better than when he was in his crib. We are still working on getting his room pu together I got it painted a few weeks ago but still need fix my cut ins and I am searching for Shelves to put all his fun decorations on.

Blog Poll....

2011-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Really Who still looks at this thing? (Besides you Syd) Just curious.

The Wild Wild West

2011-06-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the adorable pics Our cousin took of the kids last week at my In laws. They turned out so cute I cant wait to see the rest!

Hey Cowboy Hey!

2011-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I have a bunch of things to blog about but since I am stuck at work and my pics are at home I had to share this cute pic of My Cowboy. We had his pics taken on Friday by the Very Talented Whitney Hutchins and I can not wait to see the professional ones but here is one from my phone. He looked so cute in his wranglers, hat and boots!

Precious little one

2011-05-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

I had to share this sweet pic of my little neice Eve. She is the cutest thing ever. And I cant stop saying it she has the most perfect little lips!

Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

We had a nice relaxing Mothers Day. On the Thursday before mothers day I had Macie for the afternoon so we went and got a stepping stone to make for Grandma Kay. The kids had so much fun doing this and putting the rocks in the stone for her. Sunday we got up and Braxton brought mommy a bowl of cereal and Diet Coke in bed (yes he knows what his mom likes) we got up and got ready and headed out to my Moms for a yummy brunch. We relaxed out there most of the day and visited and watched movies and enjoyed her new master bedroom. Then we left and headed to Brooks's sisters house for dinner. It was a fun day and my boys got me a cookbook I have been wanting and a cute bird house for my yard and my sweet mom gave me a beautiful hanging basket.

Baby Eve Arrives!!

2011-05-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

On April 30th our little niece joined the family. My sister and Brother in law had their first girl after 4 boys and she is only the 2nd granddaughter for Brooks Parents. Brock called us at about 8:30 am and said can you come up here and be with the boys Michelle is in labor. So we threw on some clothes and headed up. Michelle had Eve around 11:30. She went natural and did awesome! Later that night I could not stand it any longer so we went to visit. She is so dang cute. Has the cutes little lips and long fingers! We are so excited for Brock and Michelle and the Boys! She will be one Loved Little Girl!

Catching up with Linds!

2011-05-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Brax and I went to lunch with Lindsey and her Boyfriend Kyle. It was so fun to catch up with her and visit. Brax of course was shy but warmed up a little by the end of lunch. After hugs and loves goodbye I got in the car and was overwhelmed with gratitude at how lucky we are to have her as our birth mom. She is so mature and so sweet and never has or shows doubt of her decision. We talked about the whole adoption process we went through and our feelings and she just always says that she knew he belonged to us. As Brax gets older we have been teaching him a little more about adoption and where he came from. We are so blessed!

Catching up with Friends...

2011-05-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago our friends the Flowers were in town and they were able to set aside a few hours to spend with us. We went to dinner at Zupas and laughed and visited and got to meet their darling new baby girl Audree. We miss our little trio we used to have and hope that they will move back one day soon.

Eve Michelle Beattie

2011-05-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you Beattie Family members that would like to see pics of the new Baby girl Beattie go to:
www.bellababyphotography.com/login
and the pass word is
0430babygirlbeattie

these will only be up until May 15. She did just have her first Professional Photo shoot yesterday so I will post some pics when Michelle gets them back. Michelle is not savy on the blogging or facebook posting so I told her I would put this up for her. (not to mention she is a little busy as a Mom of 5!)

What Braxton is saying....

2011-05-04T07:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more funny things our little guy has been saying as of late.
Instead of Holy Smokes he says Holy Snakes!
Any time he sees something little or a baby something he will say "Oooh Cuuute"
He often tells me that I look Beautiful which makes my day he will say "beautiful Mamma"
and my favorite of the week....
Yesterday we were driving home and we passed by a house that has some little people that live there (aka Midgets) one of them was taking out their garbage yesterday and Braxton says to me: "Mom look Ooompa Loompa" I had to bite my tounge from laughing but thought it was pretty funny. Where do kids come up with this stuff!

Easter Weekend!

2011-05-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend was full of fun activities. Friday night we headed out to my Moms and colored Easter Eggs with the two Rugrats. They had a lot of fun throwing the eggs in the colored water and decorating them with stickers!

Then Saturday Morning we got up and headed up to the Woods Cross Easter egg hunt. Brax got his pic taken with the easter bummy amd also made a cute easter egg magnet. Macie walked into where the Easter Bunny was and freaked out and ran out. Guess she is still afraid of Holiday Characters...

Saturday afternoon we headed to my families easter egg hunt. We had yummy food and a fun hunt. My Aunt always has such fun prizes for the kids and adults. This year there was a Golden Egg that the adults could find. We all spent a good 20minutes looking all over for the golden egg. My cousin found it finally under the burner of the BBQ!

After my family Party we headed over to Brooks's parents for dinner and an Easter Egg hunt. The kids had fun hunting for eggs. And as you can see Brax had more fun teasing the horses with his treats then finding eggs!

Sunday morning we woke Brax up and he headed down to his Easter Basket. The Easter bunny left a trail of eggs to his basket. One colored egg then one football egg how ever the way the candy was put in the foot ball eggs you could not see the lines so if you asked Brax about the Easter Bunny he says that he pooped. (typical boy)
He loved his new power tools, books, pjs and bubble bath the easter bunny left. After playing for a while we hurried and got ready for church. Grandma and Grandpa and Macie came out and went to church with us then we came home and had a late lunch, and relaxed the rest of the day. It was a busy weekend but lots and lots of fun!

Easter Cookies

2011-05-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

The week before Easter I got a little ambitous and made sugar cookies with Brax. He helped me cut them out and frost and sprinkle them. We packaged them up and took some to our neighbors and family.

Swimming Swimming!

2011-05-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to take Brax over to the Rec center and go swimming. He is just as big of a fish as he was last year. He loved jumping in the water and had no fear when going under (which makes me a little nervous!) We spent a couple hours in the pool and will be going back very soon.

The Queen and King of Country!!!

2011-04-07T16:35:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday Night Brooks and I were able to go to the George Strait, Reba McEntire, & Leann Womack concert. Brooks's Dad used his connections and bought us tickets. We had Awesome seats! We were on the first row from the floor. The concert was so much fun. Reba was awesome she is so cute and has so much energy. George was good he just went from Mic to Mic singing he is not alot of entertainment but still fun to see live. Probably one of my favorite parts of the concert was when LeAnn Womack and Reba sang "Does he Love you" together! Melissa Peterman who co stared with Reba on her tv show also came out during Rebas performance and did a 20min comedy set with Reba that was pretty dang funny. Thanks Dad for a FUN night!

The Duet

Rebas Encore was of course her hit song Fancy!

And Cute ole George, He has always made Wranglers look good!

Sports Expo and Baby Bears

2011-04-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Brooks looks forward to the International Sports Expo every year. And every year we take Braxton and we all get our picture taken with the Baby Bears from Yellowstones Bear World. This year Brax was really into the expo he loved the tractors and 4 wheelers and Snowmobiles. He would get on one and say mom wheres the key and i would say I dont know and he would get off and say Broken. He did that with every single one it was so cute. He did finally get into one that had a key in it and he turned the key and Brooks stopped him. We got off and the man in charge went right over and took the key out!

Its A GIRL!!!!

2011-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Brooks's family consists of 7 grandsons and one granddaughter. Well After 4 boys Brooks Brother Brock and his wife Michelle are gettting a little girl. I am so excited for them. Michelle has always said if she has a girl it will be in pink all the time and always be decked out in "girly stuff" We had a shower for her a few weeks ago and I made her this cute diaper cake with all sorts of fun hair bows on it. I also made her a hair bow board to keep all her bows on so they are not all in a drawer getting smashed. The shower was so much fun and she got a ton of cute things all that were mostly pink but definatly girly!

Binkys Broken

2011-03-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have decided that not only should I be making a photo record on here of things Braxton does or we do as a family I need to write down and retain the non photo events or sayings so I will remember them.
Such as: Braxton refers to Chocolate milk as Motnudo
or the other day when I said holy moly and he repeated Holy moly dada or how his prayers currently go like this "heavenly father, thank you for this day, amen" I have to chime in and help him with the rest.
About a month and a half ago we decided (well really I did cause brooks was just as attached to the bink as brax was, he wont admit it but he was) we decided to do away with the Binky. We talked about all the ways to do it and I decided it would just get broken. So one morning I snuck into Braxys room while he was still sleeping, grabbed his bink and cut the top off, set it back in his bed and waited for him to wake. When he woke up we changed his diaper and he went for pluto and bink. He picked up his bink, looked at it, looked at me and I said what happened, he said binky broken I said it sure is isn't it. He replies with "fix it mama" I said bud I can't its broken, should we throw it away and he said ya. Braxton walks over to the garbage can and stands there for a minute and walks away bink in hand. He then went over a second time, "throw it away mom?" I said you don't have to bud you can hold onto it or you can throw it away... he set it in the garbage can took a step back thought about it and took it back out. He held onto it off and on that day and a couple days later but did just fine without it.
Last week we were in the baby isle getting a few items for our up and coming new niece and Braxton saw the binkys and got all excited and said "mommy look binkys fixed" it was so cute I followed up and said yep but you are a big boy and you dont need one and he said yep.
Braxton has accused me of being the one that broke his binky, When my mom asked where it was he said "mommy broke it"
A few days ago he was at my friends house while I was at work and she was looking all over for his binky for his nap she said Braxton where is your binky and he said "binky broken" she said it is? does that mean you are a big boy and he said yep.
So that is the story of the broken binky!

Surgery....

2011-03-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little boy had to go in on Tuesday and have tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. I think that surgery is harder on parents than it is on kids. We headed to Primary Children's at about 10:00 we had to be checked in by 10:30. Braxy had a great time playing with all of the toys in the waiting room. We then went and did all the pre surgery stats and got brax dressed in his surgery attire. I was so impressed with the staff at primarys the nurses were so great and made us and Brax feel so at ease. They did everything to Pluto that they did to Brax which made him happy. After we got B dressed we went into another toy room where Brax played some more. While we were in there they came and gave Braxy his Verset to calm him a little before the Anesthesiologist came to get him. The nurse told us it would take about 5 minutes for the verset to work and then we would need to corral him and watch him close. It was about 5 minutes and braxys eyes glassed over and his head started bobbing and mom started crying. It was so hard to see him like that. The anesthesiologist came in and gave us the run down of what was going to happen next and he said lets just carry brax and then you guys can hand him to me so we walked down the hall and handed him over and turned and as we walked away i could hear Brax in his drunken state crying "Mommy, Mommy" and again I lost it.... Surgery took only about 30 minutes, the Dr came in and told us everything went great a nurse came and got me and I went into the recovery room with Brax as he was waking up. When I walked in he was crying "mommy and owie" We stayed in there for a little while until he drank some juice then he was clear to go to the next recovery room where dad could come and join us. We headed in there and Brooks came in and Braxy slept in his arms for about an hour and a half. He finally woke up enough to get dressed and go home. It was a long day but Brax was so brave and so good. We are just glad to have it all over with.
Playing in the waiting room before surgery:

All dressed and ready for the next toy room:

Playing in the toy room and check out plutos name bracelet. Also one if the volunteers came and let brax pick out a truck to color and take home with him.

And here is where the Verset Kicked in...

Recovery...

Homeward Bound Finally:

Viva Las Vegas Baby (Girls Only!!!)

2011-03-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I got to go down and spend a few days with my Step mom and Sister in Las Vegas. I left the boys home and away I went. There was a big jewelry show going on that My Stepmom can get passes too so that was another reason I went! I got there Thursday night and Mary and I went and looked at the dispay at the Billagio and then went home. Friday we got up and got ready and headed out for some shopping with Heather. We went to the outlets and just bummed around then came home and played some Wii bowling. Satuday we went to the swapmeet and lunch and Sunday we got up went to church then headed to the Jewelry show. It was 6 hours of pure fun. I got a ton of cute jewels and had a great time. Monday we shopped a little more and then it was off to the airport and back home. It was a nice and relaxing weekend we had fun just sitting around visiting and the boys survived without me. I think I will need to plan another trip very soon!!!
The Bellagio flower display:

We went and walked through this AMAZING 1.5 million dollar 10000+ sq foot house, we are still trying to figure out how we can all buy this and move in together!

Wild Turkeys

2011-03-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Brooks and Brax get to spend Wednesdays together while mom goes to work. They are always out and about. They go feed the Ducks, go to Papas and ride the tractor, go look for deer etc etc. A few weeks ago they were up on Btfl Blvd looking for deer and they ran across a ton of wild turkeys on the golf course. Here are some pics

Valentines Day

2011-03-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Our Valentines was quite uneventful the boys brought me flowers home from work and then we ordered in Cafe Rio and made sugar cookies and delivered them to a few friends and the Grandparents. Such is romantic life with a 2 year old!

Short Cabin Getaway

2011-03-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we decided to take a night and run away to the Cabin. I had a crazy week ahead of me with my bosses going on a cruise so we took the opportunity to run away. Of course we chose to do it when it was in the negatives down here and go to -13 at the cabin. We got there tuesday night had dinner and watched movies and played with brax. It was way to cold to go on the snowmobile but the boys bundled up and went anyway just around the property. Then we woke on Wednesday to no Power. Luckily there is a fireplace that kept us pretty warm however we called the power co to see how long it would be out and they said till about 3 so we decided to pack up and leave. It was a short trip yet fun and Brax cant wait to go back and ride on the snowmobile that he calls the BIG Cycicle.

Happy Birthday Grandma

2011-03-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ok its Catch up time. My moms bday was on the 29th of January. We got together as a family and had dinner and visited and enjoyed our newly decorated family room. It was so much fun. Rachelle made her moms famous Chile verde and we had all the mexican food fixings. I love this family of mine! Happy Birthday Mom!

I went to go check on the little ones and found this it was the cutest, Ryder reading to the kids!

Moms favorite cake Mint Chocolate from Dicks

Family Room Redo....

2011-01-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

So last weekend my Very Talented and Bargain Shopper cousin and best friend Rachelle says to me. Mandy do you ever use that living room down there. I said well no only when home teachers and visiting teachers come. She said why dont you move your tv down there and make it you family room, It would give you so much more room upstairs and thus began our day today. After our score of a $5 gallon of paint a few Furniture items at the DI (that i will be refinishing this week) and diet coke we did this.
Before pics (i forgot to take pics of the very crowded and cluttered upstairs area that is now open and spacious)

The Process:

The Result:(Still need to find Window Treatments and cut some vinyl lettering and hang a mirror or some pics butI LOVE IT!)

The Not so cluttered and Crowded Dining Room area. I will be refininshing that Sofa table so stay tuned...

Thanks Shell for all your Help. Next up. Redo Braxtons Room Western Style!

Christmas Morn

2011-01-04T20:08:00.001-08:00

Well Santa made it to our house. We got up at about 730 and got ready for the day soon after we were ready Brax woke up and was ready to see what all the commotion was about. I was in the living room with the camera while Brooks got Brax out of bed. Braxton walks out and heads right to his New 4 Wheeler Santa left him He could care less about the 17 horses and barn all set out on the floor or the Huge Chuck the Talking truck stunt set that santa scored for $0.79 it was all about the 4 wheeler he started driving it around right away. Brooks and I decided to not do a lot for eachother this year which was great we did stockings and a few little things and that was it. When we were done opening presents grandma and grandpa Beattie and Grandma and Grandpa Hadlow came over to see what Braxy got. After they left we headed to my moms.

My brother was so excited for the kids on Christmas Morning. He helped My mom do the shopping this year and they were SPOILED. They didnt know what to do with all their new fun stuff (most of which gets to stay at grandmas because they are there often) After the kids played a while we had a yummy lunch of ham and potatoes of course and then we watched a movie together. It was so nice to just relax all afternoon.

around 4 we packed up and headed to Brooks's parents for the evening. When we got there Papa Beattie had his horse and carriage hooked up so Brax got to go for a ride which I am sure was the highlight of his evening. Then we all had dinner and gathered in the Living room.
This year Lane talked to the kids about the true meaning of Christmas and about the Christmas Story. It was nice to have a little reminder of what it is really all about. After that we all opened our gifts this year they gave all the families passes to Lagoon. We opted out of Lagoon becuase we thought brax may still be a little too young so we got Cherry Hill Passes which I am very Excited about! All in all it was a Great Christmas Busy and I was beat by the end of the day but Christmas is SO much fun with a child!

Getting ready for Santas Arrival

2011-01-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

After our party we came home and got into our jammies. Brax and mommy fixed santas plate of Cookies and Chocolate milk and an apple for the reindeer (we were out of carrots) We put our Santa key out on the door so Santa could get in, listened to the Night Before Christmas from Grandpa Angus and to bed we went...Well Brax went!

Christmas Eve-Norwegian Style

2011-01-04T19:56:00.001-08:00

Every year my family gets together for a bug Norwegian Chirstmas Eve. We have yummy Norwegian food, the Ulenessen (Norwegian Santa) comes and hands presents out to the kids and then we also do a $5 DI gift exchange it is always such a fun night!

Little Miss Macie is TERRIFIED of Santa. She B-lined it up the stairs and out the front door and would not come back until he was gone. Its kinda funny!

Brooks's DI gift was a big tall horse. Lets just say Brax LOVES it.

This My cousin Grant modeling his AWESOME Boxer shorts he recieved!

Baking Cookies for Santa

2010-12-29T16:36:00.001-08:00

I wanted to start a tradition this year with Braxy of baking sugar cookies for Santa on Christmas eve. Brax had so much fun doing this and even though I am still finding sprinkles all over we enjoyed every minute!

Gingerbread Houses with the Beatties

2010-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

Last year we started a tradition with Brooks's Family of making gingerbread houses. The rule is to bake your own house (not buy store bought ones) some of us obeyed that rule this year others (BRE!) had a lot going on and opted for store bought. None the less they all turned out great and the kids had a blast!

My niece Haven is so good with Braxton and Luke she is like their little mother and they love playing with her. Here she was helping them get on papas saddle and pretend to ride the horse!

Zoo Lights

2010-12-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went with my Family to see the Zoo lights. The kids had so much fun. I was a little dissappointed that they didnt have the inside animal encounters open but the lights were awesome and It was so fun to be with my family. My mom has focused so much this year on just doing all the fun little things around town and it has been great. Thanks mom and Dad!

Dickens Festival - Meeting Santa

2010-12-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

A few Weeks ago we went to the Dicken Festival to watch our friends little girl sing in her little singing group. I had heard that the Santa they had at the festival was a cool old world looking one so we planned to let brax see him and snap some cute shots. Brax has loved everything Santa this year... just not the real guy but the pics are cute none the less!

They had a free Horse Carriage ride which of course we had to take advantage of since Braxy LOVES horses.

This is the Ghost of Christmas Past.... Freaky huh!

And here is Cute Jentry. She loves to sing. I know one day we will be seeing her in the MOTAB!

Build a Bear, Temple Square,Elmo and Grover

2010-12-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

Whew the last 2 days have been busy. Last night we met my mom and Brother and Macie and Aubrey at the Gateway I had some build a bear certificates I bought on a good deal so the kids each built them a Reindeer Brax is Rudoloph and he talks and Macies is Clarece Rudolphs girlfriend. They had so much fun bathing their new friends and looking at all the fun accessories for them. After that we went and saw the lights and temple square it was a little crowded with mutual kids but fun none the less. Then we headed back to gateway for some dinner. It was such a fun night. My brother works nights so we dont get to see him as much as we would like and it was a lot of fun.

Today was a really fun treat. My Brother works at Channel 4 and he was able to let us come and watch the taping of Good Things Utah where Elmo and Grover made a special apprearance. The kids had so much fun. Well for the most part. I was a little nervous that Braxton may Freak out but he did pretty good. We had to sit quietly through the first 15 minutes of the show which was difficult with 2 excited 2 year olds. When Elmo and Grover came out Brax and Macie were so excited. After they were done taping they came over to the Audience and Macie got scared and cried. Braxton gave elmo five and said hi to him a billion times. I wish that we could have gotten a pic with the kids but they didnt want to get that close! While we were there i recieved a message on my phone from Grandma Nancy saying she saw us on tv. I didnt record it but my mom did so it will be fun to watch it and see ourselves on there. Thanks again Scott for thinking of us and letting us join u!

Christmas Tree Decorating

2010-12-08T21:59:00.001-08:00

Ok our Tree has been up for over a month.....Not sure how I missed these pictures of us decorating it together!

Brax and Daddy making cookies one night together

Im Thankful For.....

2010-11-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

As the Thanksgiving Holiday quickly approaches it is time for me to take a moment and talk about those thigs I am Thankful for
First and foremost I am thankful for these two:

I am thankful for a wonderful Husband who works so hard to help provide for our little family. I am thankful that after 10long hours at work he comes home and asks what can I do to help. I am thankful that he loves our son so much and is such a great daddy to him and I am extra thankful that he has the faith and courage to boost me up and keep us going when times get tough.
I am thankful for this sweet little boy who brings more and more happiness into my life each and every day. Even thogh he is busy and into everything I would not change mother hood for anything in this world. I am thankful that he is healthy and growing. And I am thnkful that he likes the Utes better than BYU!

Next I am thankful for this young lady who had the strength and courage to place her baby into our care. At such a young age of life I have never met anyone more mature. Thank you Linds for placing your baby in our arms and letting us be his Mommy and Daddy. Forever we will be thankful and grateful to you!

These 3 should be at the beginning because if it were not for 2 of them I would not be here. I am so greatful to my parents that have raised me to be the person I am today. I am greatful for a mom who has taught me so much, how to cook, clean, be a great mother and love other unconditionally. I am greatful for a dad who no matter what you can talk to about anything and is there for you with open arms and an open mind. Although he lives far away and we dont get to see them much I know if I need him he is there. I am also greatful for such a wonderful stepfather who was introduced to us at an early age and came in and helped where he could in our lives. Although he is rough and tough on the outside he is truly a Teddy Bear on the inside and I love to see that face of his light up when his grandkids run to him yelling "papa"

I am so lucky to have such great inlaws that do so many things for us. Even tho they lead such busy lives they make time for Family. We have had many fun and memorable vacations together and weekends at the cabin. They love their grandkids unconditionally and I am so lucky to have married into such a great family.

I will always have a special spot in my heart for Grandma Lucy. Grandma you taught me how important it is to work hard, how fun it is to bake and cook and how important it is to give and live life to the fullest. I love you and miss you Every day.

Lets be honest I am greatful for everyone in my life these ones just deserve a little special spot in this post, So yes Jeanene you belong on the list and Scotty and Sally, Aubrey, Kiaya, Macie, Linder and everyone else Thank you for having an impact on my life in some way or another
Now that I have tears in my eyes from my quick reflecting here is a picture list of those material things I am so greatful for as well.

And of course there are many more things I am thankful for but i Better stop there.
Happy Thanks giving!!!

More pics

2010-11-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

I recieved the rest of our pictures last night and I continue to LOVE all of them. Whitney you are Truly gifted! Bear with me I cant decide which ones to share so I will Probably go a little overboard on this post!

We of course had to have Pluto in our Pics He is a staple in Braxys Life right now.

2 Years and Fam Pics

2010-11-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

My Cute and VERY TALENTED Cousin Whitney Was kind enough after many date changes and time changes to fit us into our schedule for Pictures. We did our Family pics on top of Braxys 2 year pics. I love how they turned out and this is just a sneak peak tease she has a few more for us! Thanks Whit We LOVE THEM!!!

Heavy Pukin Carving

2010-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Heavy Punkin Mom Heavy Punkin" is what Brax says whenever he sees a pumpkin. So tonight we took Our "Heavy Punkins" to the Grimsteads to Carve them. It was a lot of fun we spread newspaper on the floor and spread out and carved. I helped braxy do his and brooks cut opened and gutted one other pumpkin that I will carve sometime this week. Braxy loves his lil girlfriends Jentry and Hayley and had fun helping them gut and draw on their pumpkins!

Visit with Papa and Grandma Angus

2010-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

This last weekend My dad and Stepmom were here for a visit. It was a short, way to short visit but none the less it was great to see them. Sunday night we went to the Channel 4 news station and watched my brother work. It was pretty cool and Brax had run of the News set for a little bit before the news started.

Neighborhood Kids Movie Night!

2010-10-26T20:49:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday our neigbors the Hunters had us over for a Kids Movie night We watched How to Train your Dragon. It was so much fun. All the kids had a blast together and Jen and Chris were great Hosts. They had little treat bags for the kids and popcorn and Drinks for the adults. We decided we needed to make it a monthly activity. We are definatly looking forward to the next one!

Sunday Naps........

2010-10-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Are Priceless! Need I say More

Been Feelin Crafty

2010-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks I Have been feeling Crafty! My friend and I got together last weekend and made these cute canisters, Halloween plates and mummies. I have been working on some baby gifts as well that I finished up today. Made some of the BEST burp cloths and cute Car Seat covers. My friend I am making them for is a huge BYU fan and her Husband is a Huge U of U fan so you can see I did a BYU/UTAH one HOWEVER I put the ribbon on the Utah side so she will have to use that side! (Brice you can thank me later) I am sure there will be more crafts to come!

Build a Bear

2010-10-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Brax to Build a Bear. He made a cute lil dog named Remington. We dressed him in a Utah Jazz outfit however Brax prefers him undressed.

Salsa Salsa Salsa

2010-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago mom and I were up to our elbows is Salsa! It is Delish we have since also made Spaghetti Sauce and bottled it. I am grateful to have such a great mom that teaches and does all these things with me. Thanks Mommy!

Utah State Fair

2010-09-14T19:49:00.001-07:00

Last night we went with our friends the Kramers to the Fair. The Kramers had never been to the Utah State Fair so we were excited to have them join us. When we first got there we took the kids to the Helping hands on the farm. I heard about this last year and knew the kids would enjoy it. They got to do all sorts of farm like chores then when they were done they earned a pretend dollar and got to go buy something at the store. They loved it. We of course then went and saw the animals and walked around. We ended the night listening to some entertainment and dancing and clapping.

And of course we had to stop by the tractors so our little tractor lover could check them out up close and personal!

Labor Day weekend! @ Powder Mountain

2010-09-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my Mom got a Condo up at Powder Mountain and we all headed up for some fun. It was so pretty up there and the weather was PERFECT. We watched movies went swimming, the girls sewed some cute baby gifts and ate lots of yummy food of course! Brax and his best bud Macie had so much fun together. Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun weekend!

This is my favorite pic of the weekend! Is this a Happy Grandpa or what? Look at his smile!

We had some little Racoons that visited the deck nightly. We started feeding them so they would come back. They didnt show up one night so mom went coon hunting!

this is where the girls spent most of the time....at the sewing machines teaching eachother the latest cutest baby gifts!

Best Buds

The Birthday Party!

2010-09-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Braxy had a great 2nd Birthday. We entered his room that morning singing Happy Birthday. Then we came into the Living room and gave him his presents he got some tractors, books and elmo legos! He had fun playing all afternoon while mommy and daddy got ready for the Big Party. We had all the Grandparents over for Tri Tip dinner and to visit then had the rest of the family over later for cake and ice cream. Braxy had so much fun playing in the bounce house Grandpa Beattie let us borrow for his party. The kids played and then we did a pinata that only lasted through the first 3 youngest kids.
It was a great day and we are so greatful for the support of our wonderful family and friends.

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Braxys Tractor Cake!
I bought the cake from Costco and Decorated it myself! (I was pretty proud it turned out cute!)

Dinner with the Grandparents and Playin in the Bounce house with Grandma Joy before all the other kids came

The cake again.....its cute! lol

Braxy loved his cake...and shared some with Grandma too!

The Pinata

Opening Presents. Brax loved everything he recieved except the BYU shirt of course! Just Kidding Kramers!

Brax got a few nerf guns so after the party he and Papa Folkerson had a shoot out it was so cute. Papa would say Sick em Up and Brax would hold up his hands.

My Baby is 2

2010-08-28T22:15:00.001-07:00

It is so hard to Believe that our little Bug is 2! Braxton is such a fun, energtic and of course entertaining little boy. He keeps us smiling every single day. He is talking so much now it blows me away. Being a mom is the BEST thing in the entire world especially being Braxtons mom. We love you buddy now stop growing up so fast and of course HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last minute get together

2010-08-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

I got a text from Linds today saying that her and her Boyfriend were coming up to Bountiful to eat at ElMatador cause they had a gift certificate so we decided to meet them after for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. It was so fun to see her and catch up with her. She is doing great and has a jobs at Chick fil A and loves it. Brax was being super shy and would not say much but had fun anyway. We love you linds as always!

The cute things he says....

2010-08-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Brooks and Brax were looking at the newspaper and there was a picture of Zuri the Baby elephant at the zoo who had a birthday this past weekend and Braxton points to the picture and says.
"oooohhhhh cute baby efalent" Brooks and i looked at each other and just laughed it was the cutest thing ever!

August....A Busy Birthday month!

2010-08-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

August is a Busy Birthday month in our family. We have my dad, Macie, Brooks, My nephew michael lane and Braxy. This past week we have been celecrating Miss Macies birthday. Brax and I went and visited her on thursday her actual birthday and they played and we went to Mc Donalds for dinner then back to my moms to open presents. Then today was her Birthday party. First we went to Michaels birthday party then headed out to macies. It was lots of fun and she got a ton of fun Girl things. Happy Birthday Little Princess!

From cute and cuddly......to 60 and STUDLY!

2010-08-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had a 60th Birthday party for my stepdad Steve! We did a Rock n Roll theme. It was so much fun even tho after spending 5 hours decorating with Rachelle the wind came and whisked some of our Decor down. None the less a great time was had by all especially dad!

Braxy LOVES Motorcycles so when my Uncle showed up on His Harley Brax was so excited. We could not get him off the thing. Dave started it and let him rev it up a little and he thought that was the coolest! Brax Cried and Cried when uncle Dave headed home!

Visit with Grandma Toodie!

2010-08-05T19:59:00.001-07:00

Last thursday my Stepmom was in town from Vegas! I went and picked up Macie and the kids and I headed to her sister Dollys house to visit for a few hours. It was so fun to see her and be able to spend time with her. She has always been so good to us and is now continuing on with our kids. Not a holiday goes by that she doesnt send them a little gift or a card! Thanks Grandma Toodie we miss and love you!

Date night with Tim

2010-08-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday Jeanene and I headed to the Tim Mcgraw concert for our Monthly Scentsy commission night out! It was SUPER hot that night and the concert was sold out but none the less we had a blast. We went especially because we wanted to see Lady Antebellum Tim was just the Dessert at the end! As Always he put on a great show! We had a blast Minus the 2 hours it took us to get out of the parking lot!
Thanks Jeanene for yet another fun night out!

Ending the Weekend with a "Bang"

2010-07-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight we got together with our neighbors and had a BBQ over at the Prestons house and then later did a Fireworks Show. It was so fun to get together and catch up on everyone. The kids all had fun playing together! We are so lucky to live in such a fun neighborhood.

Days of 47 Parade

2010-07-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

This Morning we got up and headed downtown to the Days of 47 Parade. We are kind of spoiled because we can park at the Ken Garff Dealership and we have seats saved for us when we get there. This year we took our EZ up with us and set it up and we were nice and shaded the whole time. It was a lot of fun and once again the highlight was watching the kids enjoy every minute of it!

Bountiful Handcart Days Parade

2010-07-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Friday Night we headed to the Bountiful Parade. It is nice because we just go park at Brooks's Grandparents house and walk down to Main. We sat at the same place as we did last year which was nice and shady and pleasant. The parade was super long and we left half way into it but we had a great time and it was fun to watch Braxton and Macie Dance along with the bands and wave at everyone!

Days otf 47 Rodeo!

2010-07-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Thursday Night the 3 of us headed to the Days of 47 Rodeo at the Maverick Center. It was a lot of fun and Braxton Loved it just as much as he loved the Okley Rodeo. He say through all 3 hours and watched and enjoyed. Not to mention he was the CUTEST cowboy there with his Bull Riding vest on and his cowboy hat! It was a great beginning to the 24 of July weekend!

And can I Say that there is just something about a Dodge Pick Up Man!

Best Buds

2010-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Are these kids the cutest or what! Love them