May 2014

 Tanner has a darling personality.  He is charming, opinionated, and loves to have fun.  He wants to help Mom with everything--dishes, cooking, cleaning…he's a great little buddy to have around.

 He FINALLY decided he likes watching TV.  He's 2 1/2 and will now watch a 20 minute episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He calls it "Hot Dog" because the theme song sings, "Hot dog, hot dog, hot dignity dog". It's a double--wammy because he'll eat cereal and drink soy and I get 20 minutes in the morning to either get ready or get some things done around the house.  It's wonderful.

 First Sunday Mom tied the boys ties! I googled "how to tie a tie" and followed the instructions. I was so proud of myself! Maybe next time I'll remember to tuck in their shirts!

 Tanner's new favorite picture pose.

 Adam Orme and Reece on a school field trip. They are the greatest little friends.  Two peas in a pod!

 GARDEN TIME! Dad could hardly wait to plant his garden this year.  He braved it and started a little early and lucky for him the weather cooperated and stayed above freezing! We planted, corn, 5 tomato plants, zucchini, cucumber, strawberry plant, onion, carrots, peas, and a pepper.

 BEST MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT:

The boys decided to heart attack my door for Mother's Day.  They worked on their creations after I put them to bed.  I think they are priceless.  I love everyone of them. It was seriously the best present they could have given me.  I'm lucky to have these boys in my life. 

 Benson has caught the reading bug.  He is reading chapter books by himself and is so proud of himself.  He likes to read Flat Stanely, The Magic Treehouse, and comic books. Good job Benson! All your hard work is paying off.

 Benson and Carson Wilcox--Best buddies.  Benson calls Carson his "Teddy bear" and all the kids think it's hilarious.  It's become his new nickname.  They two are silly, goofy, and fun friends.

 Tanner is a coordinated little guy. He rides his scooter like he's five.  I think he's been watching his brothers for the past two years and now it's his turn to join the fun.

 Another Sunday picture before church.  The boys love climbing this tree and so we thought it would be fun to have a picture in it! Tanner thinks it's hilarious but is really scared to death.  He's holding on with the tightest grip!

 Como Zoo with the Rutledges and Allens. We have the greatest friends here in Rochester.  We went with two of our good friends to the zoo and then later that day met up with Drew Ableman at Chik-Fil-A.  It was a fun family outing and we were happy to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

 Benson and Reece both played Soccer this year.  Benson got a medal at the end of the season and was so proud of himself.  He said, "Mom, you've got to take a picture of me and my medal and sent it to Grandma!".  He's one happy soccer player and he did a great job improving and working hard on his soccer skills this season.

 Tanner loves wearing ties to church on Sunday.  He has three ties and is very opinionated on which one he wears.  He loves nursery and will talk your ear off about his tie, the hoop and ball, and the wise man.

April 2014

One of Spencer's favorite springtime activities is flying kites.  He has a sweet two handle kite that works great in Rochester thanks to all the wind we constantly get. 

And this was our announcement for baby #4.  We took this at the Orme's house right before Easter dinner.  We hadn't told the kids yet and I really didn't want them to know so I told them they just needed to hold the signs, smile big, and then they could go play.  They were so concerned about playing with all their friends they did just as I asked and ran off when we were done.  Heidi and Cassi thought it was hilarious they didn't inquire about the signs they were holding.  We ended up sending this picture to our families a couple weeks later. We also put it in my Mom's Mother's Day book that we make her each year.  Kristi had one similar that she put at the end of the book with our picture.  It was a great surprise.

Our wonderful friends.  Max and Sadie Allen, Adam and Sadie Orme, and Eliza and Sarah Rutledge.

Bike time! My kids can ride their bikes for hours outside. Tanner is an awesome kid and just follows the boys on his scooter.  He doesn't go in the street so it makes it a little easier for me to let him be with the boys in the front yard while I am inside cooking dinner.

Somebody figured out how to play angry birds…..and how to get into the Angry birds game.

EASTER EGG hunt! Just a fun little Easter Egg hunt at a community church.

Dying Easter Eggs for Family Home Evening.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE taking Sunday pictures! These are pretty classic for our family.  

One nice, one silly.

Benson's 6th Birthday!

Bensons birthday at school!

Benson wanted his friends to have chocolate oreos and golden oreos for his birthday treat!

It was sports day at school so he was wearing Reece's basketball uniform.  He was one happy kid!

Benson had a couple birthday parties.  We had a "late-night" birthday party with his best buddies: Max Allen, Carson Wilcox, Chase Hull, and Caden Gillette.  We made skylander element packs and filled them with candy!, played bingo, had a huge dance party, and played in the basement.  It was a hit.  While I was taking the kids home (around 9pm) two of them started to fall asleep in the car (it was less than a 3 minute drive).  I would say it was a big success!

Carson and Benson's birthdays are only a couple days apart.  Since they are best buddies they wanted to celebrate their birthdays together.  We decided since they have TONS of kids there age and it was was spring break to hold their birthday party at "Soccer world".  We rented out the place and the kids and their siblings got to run around for an hour in a half.  It was perfect-- especially since spring break was a little colder this year.  After their party we went to Carsons house for Pizza and opened our presents with just the two families.

5 things I love about Benson:

1. He calls me his beautiful mom all the time! He loves to take care of me and makes me feel special all the time.

2. After he gets off the bus from Kindergarten we put Tanner to bed and have time together.  We eat lunch, read, and practice the piano.  These moments have been precious to me-- we laugh, joke, talk, and just enjoy being alone with each other. 

3. He is passionate and loves life.  He is always up for an adventure

4. Benson is helpful and kind. He is a great friend and loves to play with all his buddies-- including his best buddies Reece and Tanner

5. He loves Jesus.  He just told me that his favorite song used to be the alphabet song but now it's "I am a Child of God".  Benson understands the gospel well and want to be like Jesus.

Love you buddy! Thanks for making our family happier by your contagious laugh, energy, and love for life. You are an awesome kid and we love you tons!

Love Mom and Dad

Spencer was super excited to give Benson his gift.  He got him two rockets! Spence put them together and then we went to an open field to launch them.  They were super impressive and soared through the air.  One of them went so high that it traveled so far we couldn't locate it when it dropped.  Both Spencer and Benson were bummed about it.  But it was a fun family activity.