Almost Growing up

Lately that is what Brock has been telling people, "I am almost growing up!" and they are growing up too fast! I cannot believe it sometimes. Here they are all dressed up in their Sunday Best!

Pierce is wearing a tie that his cousin Braxton sent to him in the mail. It is a prized possession! Brock has to carry around this backpack everywhere we go. On this particular Sunday he packed 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese. You never know when you will need it right?

Can you tell he was pretty excited about wearing this tie! On this Sunday he was also Spotlighted. They talk about a certain primary kid and the kids have to guess who they are talking about. At the beginning they said, "This person was born in Pullman,WA." Pierce was so excited he about jumped out of his chair because he knew it was him as soon as they gave that clue! They also talked about his amazing smile and he gave a huge grin when they did! He got a coupon to go meet with the bishop. He was pretty excited and the bishop gave him a piece of licorice!

Little Lumps. So small in size, but huge in personality! Always has a come back! his latest include, I would rather kiss a toilet seat!

He does have a pretty amazing smile. He really can light up a room!

Hey Brock, ...... I mean Ironman

Now I know that Halloween is two months away, but this is no costume. Brock will be the first to tell you that he is the REAL IronMan. Watch out he will even shoot you with his Unibeam too.

He earned this costume for good behavior and has worn it just about everyday! He makes me call him Tony Stark by day and IronMan if I need help! It is really cute to see his imagination grow. I love this kid!

Mormon Night At the Orioles

On August 20th the Orioles had a Mormon night. We got to go for only $6 a ticket. The boys were pretty excited to go. Pierce cried pretty hard that day because we couldn't find his shorts to match his shirt. Brock was a good brother and let him wear his. Once at the game, it was awesome. They had a pretty neat Children's area.

They had an Air-Tee ball game. Brock was pretty excited about this. He made contact but it didn't go too far.

Pierce on the other hand hit a couple of good hits. I think he got a double and a Grand slam.

They had a pitching game. Once again I think that Brock was a little too small for this one, but he still tried pretty hard. It is cute to see him try!

Pierce got some right down the tube. A guy behind us in line yelled out," Sign him up, what an arm!"

Me and Jaida just hanging out.

The boys even got to meet Jeremy Guthrie. He is a Pitcher on the Orioles and LDS. What an awesome person. Each person he met he took a special interest in. Asking where you were from and other questions about you. He never assumed you would know who he was and was so polite. He took about a billion pictures and signed just as many autographs and not once complained. He served an honorable mission and is an eagle scout. I think he is an amazing role model for kids.

Brown Papa was there with all the missionaries too. He bought the boys cotton candy. Pierce and Brock took turns sitting by him.

Camden Yards is pretty incredible. It sits right in the heart of Baltimore. Trent and I couldn't have had a better time there. We left just after the 7th inning stretch. The boys had to sing, Take me Out to The Ballgame!

NYC in a day

On our way back home from Aunt Jellys house we stopped in downtown NYC. All the boys have been talking about for months is going to see Central Park and The Plaza Hotel. Lets face it my boys are absolutely obsessed with the movie Home Alone 2. We had a limited amount of time but we managed to fit in a picnic at central park, Thanks Aunt Jelly for making us a lunch!

The boys had a blast climbing all over these rocks. It was a pretty hot day and we didn't have a stroller, so it was quite an adventure. Trent and I took turns carrying Jaida and all her gadgets. She is extremely heavy with all her oxygen and monitor. We made it work though. We also had Gracie with us, so that made it even more interesting. I couldn't believe all the people that came up to us to tell us how beautiful our dog was!

The boys were really excited to get a balloon here in the children's portion of the park. They have a little children's zoo. We didn't go in because we had Gracie.

Although, the boys really had to go potty so Trent snuck them into the Zoo to find a bathroom. You will pretty much do anything when your kids have to go to the bathroom. They saw some seals and monkeys on the way. We are planning a return trip soon so we can actually enjoy it.

The boys were really excited when they saw this.. The Plaza Hotel. They asked if we could spend the night. hahahaha. One can only dream!

Taking a pit stop after a long haul through the park. We were so hot and sweaty! It felt good to just sit there.

They loved sitting on the front steps of the Plaza hotel. They are so cute. They pretty much have that whole movie memorized.

On our way out of town we headed over by the WTC Towers so I could see Ground Zero. Such an eerie feeling. We stopped also by the lookout of the Statue of Liberty. The boys were pretty spent by then. We can't wait to go back and see more! Next time I am for sure taking a stroller!!!!

Weekend Getaway

Well one major benefit to living on the East coast is all that there is to see and do. We decided to head up north and go visit my Aunt Julie who lives right on the Hudson River. It is truly amazing. The drive was great, the kids were great. The views were spectacular. She lives in Ulster Park, New York. The boys enjoyed the first morning by fishing off her dock. They didn't catch anything but sure had a good time.

Isn't that view awesome. Just across the way there is the famous Rhinebeck, yes! That is where Chelsea Clinton was just married!

Later on, Aunt Jelly (That is what my boys call her. I think it is adorable. It has kinda STUCK!) and Ashby took us over to this really neat park where they had all sorts of animals to feed and see. They also had a pretty cool playground.

The boys were also really excited for cousin Ross to take them for a ride in his Bronco. They had a great time with Ross. They enjoyed wrestling with him as well.

Brock loved it when they peeled out really fast! My little dare devil. We also went to a car show that night with Ross, his cute girlfriend Amelia, Ashby and Aunt Jelly. My Aunt made some fabulous dinner that night, shrimp linguine and clams. I am not a big seafood person, but Trent was so excited!

The boys could really spend hours out here just looking for things to throw into the water. What boy doesn't love throwing sticks and rocks into the water?

And of course we brought Gracie along with us. She had the time of her life. She absolutely loves to swim and this is her diving off the dock. I think she did it a million times. She had a friend there too, Feliz, my Aunt's dog. It was good to see Gracie have a good time. I feel like since we have moved here to our small town house she doesn't get as much exercise.

Another morning spent on the dock. We also got to see Ashby swim at a swim meet. It was great to see him doing something he loves and is good at. He is such a great person, and was always there to entertain the boys. My cousin Courtney and her boyfriend Collin also live nearby. They live in Kingston. We had lunch with her. We also made some yummy doghnuts. Wow, they were tasty. The boys loved them too. Don't worry Brock decided to throw one of my Aunt's ceramic mugs into the sink and broke it! Stinker! Courtney then took us over to see her new apartment. It was great, she is a hard-worker. It was great to see her in her element. I haven't been to NY for years.

Here is Aunt Jelly's house. What an incredible house. We stayed in the apartment above the garage. I say apartment, but it really is bigger that our town house. Hahaha. The accommodations were spectacular, couldn't ask for a better time!

After the swim meet, we decided to head over to Kingston. I had read online about a trolley museum there in town. It was pretty fun. The ride was about 45min long and the boys thought it was pretty cool. On one of the stops we were once again by water, so they got to throw rocks and sticks in the water... thy were thrilled to say the least!

We had a great time together as a family. I really have enjoyed that about our move. We spend so much more time together!

Do you think that Pierce was excited?

Family picture at the Kingston Rondout Park. There were ducks here and the boys had a great time throwing bread crumbs to them.That night we went to dinner at a pizza place to get some NY style pizza. Wow, we found a great place and boy was it WONDERFUL!

My Aunt Jelly on Sunday got up and made the most amazing breakfast for us before we left. French toast on chibatta bread, bacon, and omelettes. Wow she really spoiled us rotten. It was great to be around family and feel that love and warmth. They truly were all so great! It was really hard for us to leave. The boys kept asking if they could just stay and Trent and I leave. Haha.. guess we know how much we are loved, nah.. it is cute to see them having a good time. Plus Aunt Jelly spoils them, lets them have ice-cream and Popsicles. I am also so glad they took time out for us. They were so willing to do whatever we wanted and made the trip amazing. Thank you again guys... Loved every minute!

Collin, Courtney, me, Ashby, Ross, Amelia, and Aunt Jelly

Brock Turned Three

July 26, 2010 Our little Lumps turned three years old. The morning of his birthday we hopped on a plane to return home to Laurel, MD and be with daddy again. It actually worked out great, my parents were awesome and got us a flight on a non-stop flight which was HEAVEN! The kids were great on the flight and since we mentioned that is was Brock's Birthday the flight attendants were AWESOME! They brought him treat after treat, even some Ben and Jerry's!

Once we got home we headed over to Brown Papa and Gramsies house. Gramsie totally saved the day with an awesome Free Willy cake for Brock! We had pizza, cake and ice-cream.

Brock finally got his Spiderman costume, he has wanted one for a long time and he was so excited. He also got some Spiderman web shooters, he was thrilled! He pretty much got spoiled rotten.

Here is the big boy blowing out his candles. He has practiced this for about 3 months now. Constantly telling me that he could do it all by himself. Well he did an awesome job and blew out all three by himself!

My Brockie is an amazingly spunky, fun kid. Life just wouldn't be as fun without him. His always coming up with "great ideas, that will be so funny!". He spends lots of time in time out and is always looking for things to "destroy"! He always has a come-back that is going to shock you when it comes out. Sometimes I don't know where he came from, but I will claim him. He is a sweet boy too, he loves to snuggle with Trent and I, especially when he joins us in bed several times throughout the night. He is a good smootcher and tells us he loves us all the time. He thinks he is in charge, and most of the time he is. Love ya Lumpy, Happy 3rd Birthday!

Jaida's Photo Shoot

My Sister-in-law Lindsay is an awesome photographer and while we were in Utah she graciously offered to take some pictures of Jaida. This first one is my absolute favorite. She is 4 months old now, it has gone by so fast.

At her four month check up she weighed 14lbs. 2 oz. (50%), she was 25.75 in. long. She has started rolling over. We shaved off her hair so it didn't look like a comb over. Her bottom front teeth are threatening to come in.

We love to hear her laugh and she is doing it more and more these days. She is a happy content little thing and is still sleeping wonderfully.

She especially loves her daddy. When he walks into the room her blue eyes light up. Her brother are becoming more and more involved with her, they love to sing songs to her and try to pick her up. She is pretty patient with them and often yells at them for attention.

Pioneer Celebration

What would a trip to Utah be without a Parade? I absolutely love the month of July. I love the Parades, BBQs, family time, fireworks, etc. We woke up and went to one of my favorite parades for the 24th. It is always a wonderful time.

The kids got up front spots thanks to uncle Jussy (Justin). They really enjoyed the parade this year.

Mr. Lumps, he is getting too big. This kid is the best. I love him!

This year my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Guy and Morgie came. It was great to see them and have some good laughs.

Later that day my sweet Aunt Peggy had a get together. We always have the best of times with her family. I absolutely love my cousins and enjoyed every moment with them. My Granny and Butch came this year too.