Easter

We hope everyone had a lovely Easter Sunday! I thoroughly enjoyed our day. I did something new this year and we made Easter cookies on Saturday night. It was this great idea that I found online - http://www.dvo.com/recipes_archive/easter_cookie_story.html

It turned out great. The cookies weren't the best tasting (especially since I used walnuts cause I didn't have pecans). But I think our kids - especially Kaden - actually understood the meaning of Easter. We tried really hard to make Easter centered around Christ this year. It made the whole day extremely enjoyable for me.

After church we tried to take pictures of the kids. Man, it's hard to get a good picture with three kids to work with! The one above is the best one we got.  You have to know, though, that it was the best out of 31 shots!  Here's the other 30 if anyone is interested...  :)

We also took a couple pictures of just Ellie in her Easter dress.  And of course we did an Easter egg hunt.  Then we got to see some friends and family as well and had to take pictures of Ellie with her cousin Karlee...

All in all, it was a great day.  I hope you had a great day too!

Ellie

As you can see below, I was having fun with the camera as I took pictures of Ellie. The boys all left on Saturday (they had a boys day) and I was left behind with Ellie. It had been a while since I took pictures of her, so I went a little crazy. :-) Enjoy...

Interview with Kaden & Preston

Once again, this is for those of you who aren't on facebook....


What is something mom always says to you?
Kaden - “Stop doing that - When we’re in trouble or we’re doing something wrong.”
Preston - “Preston”

What makes mom happy?
Kaden - “When we don’t do stuff wrong and when we listen to you.”
Preston - “Jelly beans make you happy.” (I am not a huge fan of jelly beans)

What makes mom sad?
Kaden - “When you get hurt.”
Preston - “Sparkles make you sad and they make me sad.”

How does your mom make you laugh?
Kaden - “Tickles me.”
Preston - “Jumping beans.”

What did your mom like to do when she was a child?
Kaden - “I don’t even know cause I wasn’t even born. Maybe play on the playground.”
Preston - “To throw a big ball in a pile.”

How old is your mom?
Kaden - “28”
Preston - “6”

How tall is your mom?
Kaden - “I don’t know. I think 1 yard stick long. Thats what I think.”
Preston - “A little bit tall”

What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Kaden - “Mmmm, ‘24’?”
Preston - “Um, Spiderman”

What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Kaden - “Mmmm, exercise.”
Preston - “You just run around, and then you was sad”

What is your mom really good at?
Kaden - “Uh, Mmmm, you’re really good at exercising.”
Preston - “When I come back.” (?)

What is your mom not very good at?
Kaden - “Sports”
Preston - “When I leave.” (again, ?)

What does your mom do for her job?
Kaden - “Clean up and make us dinner.”
Preston - “When you work. You just work and be on the computer.”

What is your mom’s favorite food?
Kaden - “I think it is burritos” (Not likely)
Preston - “Jelly beans”

What makes you proud of your mom?
Kaden - “When you help me do my chores every saturday.”
Preston - “When the jelly beans was good.”

If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Kaden - “Spongebob.”
Preston - “Doctor. And then you got me an eyeball that looked like Kaden. But Kaden was a kid still.”

What do you and your mom do together?
Kaden - “We play together.”
Preston - “We do jump rope. That was when you was littler. And then you growed bigger and bigger. And then you was not a kid.”

How are you and your mom the same?
Kaden - “We both have white skin.”
Preston - “When we both was a kid.”

How are you and your mom different?
Kaden - “We don’t have the same color of eyes. You wear earrings and I don’t. You have long hair and I don’t.”
Preston - “When we just work on something and then we was different.”

How do you know your mom loves you?
Kaden - “Because she helps me when I’m hurt.”
Preston - “When we jump on the trampoline.”

What scares your mom?
Kaden - “When someone’s hiding and you don’t even know and then they pop out and scare you.”
Preston - “When I go upstairs.”

Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Kaden - “Taco Bell.” (Um, not really)
Preston - “When we go to the store.” (yeah, right!)

What is one thing you wish you could change about your mom?
Kaden - “That she would be a lot more nicer.”
Preston - “I want to change my mom into a witch.”

What would your mom do with a million dollars?
Kaden - “Spend it on things that she would want.”
Preston - “Go to my dentist so I could have a toy eyeball that sticks.” (Kaden got a sticky eyeball the last time he went to the dentist. Apparently Preston has been jealous ever since.)

What do you wish you could go and do with your mom?
Kaden - “Go to Jumping Jacks and play with you there.”
Preston - “Play with toys.”

What is one thing you hope never changes about your mom?
Kaden - “That she would always love me.”
Preston - “To be mom.”

Kaden is 7!

Kaden turned 7 last week.  He's getting SO big!  We enjoyed a small celebration with just our own family.  He wanted a batman cake, and I must say I think it turned out quite well!  The pictures don't even do it enough justice.  And he got heely's as a present (which he has wanted for 2 years now).  All in all, it was a successful birthday. :)

Feeling the Holy Ghost

Kaden's sunday school teacher stopped me after church yesterday and this is what she told me...

They were having a lesson on the Holy Ghost and what the Holy Ghost feels like.  She decided to do a little exercise with the children and had them all close their eyes.  After about 15-20 "uncomfortable" seconds she told them all to open their eyes and tell her what they felt.  Kaden spoke up and said that she just hadn't given them enough time to feel anything.  She, therefore, told them all to close their eyes again and to open them only when they felt like they should.  After about 3 minutes Sister Berg (the teacher) was still waiting for Kaden to open his eyes.  He was just sitting there with his eyes closed with a serious expression on his face.  Then after a while he got a huge smile on his face and then opened his eyes and said, "I felt it!" 

Then, later that day while he was changing out of his dress clothes, he told me that he had felt the spirit.  "When did you feel the spirit," I asked.  

"Just barely," he said.  "Right after I prayed, downstairs."

"What did you pray for?"

"I prayed that I wouldn't be scared when we move.  Then I felt the Holy Ghost."

"What did the Holy Ghost make you feel?"

"Really good inside."

I just absolutely LOVE these moments.  They seem to be coming more frequently with Kaden lately.  He is such a blessing in our home and in my life.  I am so grateful for his sweet spirit!

Check this out...

This is from Courtney Wilson at thedigichick.com   I love her kits... in fact my blog is using her "Guilty Pleasures" kit right now.  :)

Preston's "Life"

I have to write this story down before I forget it, so...

About a week ago I was trying desperately to get Preston in bed and to stay in bed.  Danny was gone to his brother's house and therefore I was on my own to get the little stinker to cooperate.  He kept getting up, coming upstairs, and telling me that Kaden was bugging him (which from experience I know that Kaden was not doing the bugging - more likely the other way around).  I finally went downstairs, tucked him in bed, and told him that he really needed to stay in his bed so that sleep could make his body stronger.  He then told me that his heart hurt.  To which I said, "that is why you need to go to sleep... so you're body can get better."  I left the room thinking it was over and that he would finally go back to sleep.

A few minutes later he made his way upstairs.  This was our conversation...

Preston: "Mom, my heart and bones hurt."

Mom: "Preston, you need to get back in bed and stay in bed."

Preston: "But, mom, my heart and bones hurt.  My life is just ruined!"

Mom (through a smile that was beginning to show): "Preston, you need to get back in bed and go to sleep"

Preston: "Mom!  My life is GONE!"

Mom (trying so hard not to giggle): "We'll find it tomorrow."

Preston (By this time he had figured out that it was buying him more time): "My life is easy.  But now my life is gone..."  (with frowny face and all)

Mom (giggles starting to come out):  "Preston, you need to go back to bed."

Preston: "My life is gone... Today it is gone and tomorrow it is gone and maybe Saturday my life will come back."

Mom:  "Preston, go to bed."

Preston: "But, MOM, we NEED to figure out my life!"

Mom: "We will figure it out tomorrow, now go to bed."

Preston (while sporting a very disappointed face): "OK, we'll figure it out tomorrow...  (sigh)"

The things that kid will come up with next!  I don't know where it came from or how he comes up with these ideas, but he continues to amuse me with his highly active imagination!  He has brought up his "life" a few times since.  Once it was with Kaden and Kaden explained that if his life was gone then he would be dead.  That helped, I guess, cause from then on Preston says, "mom, my life is back.  I'm not dead!"  :)

House Hunting!

Well...  We did it!  We have officially found someone that wants to rent our townhouse!  And what does that mean?  House-hunting, once again, for the Bradshaw household.  There are some GREAT deals out there and we just have to find the RIGHT one for our family.  I'm hoping and praying that it won't take too much searching in order to find that right one.  But we are looking anywhere from Lehi and Cedar Hills to Payson.  Quite a range to search through!

We start tonight and will go again with our neighbor/realtor/home teacher tomorrow.  And my WONDERFUL friend Angie will watch Kaden and Preston tomorrow afternoon so we don't have to take them.  THANKS Angie... You're a life-saver!

Oooops, I forgot one more important piece of info!

So I forgot one last thing on my list of updates yesterday...

Danny handed over the finances to me! Anyone at all who knows Danny and our relationship when it comes to anything monetarily related should understand how significant this is! I must admit that I'm pretty nervous. With Danny watching over my shoulder until I "prove" myself to him; it's a little intimidating! But now we both get the "allowance" treatment. I get my weekly allowance and he gets his; the rest goes to household expenses and savings.

Now I know what all of you are doing right now. (Especially you Megan.) :) Just pick your jaw up off the floor and think of how frustrating it would be to have your spouse (Justin) not only look over the groceries you bought to make sure they were necessities, but also look over your shoulder as you try to pay every single bill. Danny has already warned me that for the next few months he will ask me to make sure every single bill has been paid.

For anyone who may not know Danny as well as the rest... Let me just say that this is a HUGE step in our marriage. He doesn't necessarily think that I am unable to handle a household budget (I hope!) but he has kept a tight leash on the budget for 10 years now. And when I say tight leash, I mean tight.

I gotta love him though! :)

Miscellaneous Blog Post

I don't even know how to begin catching everyone up on my life, so I'll just start writing...

I booked our trip to the east coast. I am SOOOO excited!!!! Some friends decided that they would be able to join us so we get to enjoy the journey together. DC, NY, Boston, the coast of Maine - Since Danny and I haven't been on a REAL vacation since before Kaden was born, this is going to be a TREAT!!!! (Can you tell how excited I am with the use of exclamation points?) :) June 2-12 we will be enjoying a kid-free 10 days!

Kaden finished up his basketball "season" yesterday. He really loved going every Monday. He started to get a lot better and we will try to keep up with practicing that sport, since it is Danny's favorite one to play. Maybe we'll have to try out football too since it's Danny's favorite sport to watch. :) We actually got him a basketball and football for Christmas. I went out the other day with him to play football and he really liked trying to catch the ball when I kicked it to him. Maybe he'll be a receiver? :)

Preston is trying to grow up. He is starting to pronounce words much better. He used to say his name was "Meston" and now he says it's "Prrrrreston". He is also starting to be able to say Kaden better than "Tayen". He still has a hard time with his K's though. He has also become quite the little rugrat. He is so hyper and loud most of the time. His favorite thing to do lately is jump into the room and yell "SURPRISE". It's great fun unless Ellie's asleep.

Ellie is still the best baby ever! She sleeps like a dream, eats like a pig, and laughs every now and then. We have a ton of fun with her. She LOVES her daddy and he tries to keep a secret how much he REALLY enjoys her. But I can see right through his disguise - especially when I sneak a peek while he is changing her diaper. It's so fun to watch him with her! He acts a lot different with her than he did with the boys. Fun!

Other than that I have been trying to exercise every day - which I have been pretty successful at, other than having a minor pulled muscle; I have tried a few new recipes - some that were good (like homemade granola bars), some that were not so good; I have tried to keep up with the laundry and housework - any mom can attest to how fun and impossible those tasks are; and I have actually started to have a life outside of my family - I have a friend who has come over to "play" with me a lot the past couple of weeks. :)

In other big news, my sister now has a little baby boy! Beautiful little baby Noah Edward Wright was born last Friday and Jill & Spencer were able to take him home yesterday (Monday). I have been giving them a little space in order to let them bond with there precious little one. I am so anxious to meet him though.

Life seems a big blur sometimes and the past few weeks deserve that title. I keep going from one day to the next trying to figure out what happened to my big plans of cleaning the house or cooking a grandiose meal. The past few weeks I have tried to REALLY enjoy my kids, and I guess that is what we're supposed to do, right? The house can be cleaned tomorrow, the laundry can wait another day, and we can have another easy pasta meal tonight as long as I spent some "quality" time with my kids... At least that's what I try to tell myself! But laundry can only wait so long before your 1st grader REALLY needs some clean pants to go to school in! :-)

For Valentine's weekend, we went to Saint George with my sisters. It was a blast.

Here is some pictures of the cousins having fun together:

We spoiled our husbands by suggesting we go paintballing on Vday. Danny got me some flowers before we went out. (He's so sweet!) Then we headed down to the river bottoms to go paintballing. It was a lot of fun, but I sure got some good bruises this time. Then it took a while for the boys to clean up all of the equipment. It was still fun though:

My sister took pictures of our family for us while we were there. I think she did an excellent job!!! What do you think?

All in all, we had a blast! Thanks again to the Ruger's for letting us come with them and enjoy their beautiful home down there. You guys and the Wright's are the best! We had so much fun hanging out with you all!

What Love Means In The Eyes Of Kids

My mom sent this email to me and I really loved it...

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined

See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikkas on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

And the final one - The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

25 Random Things About Me

I was tagged in Facebook for this and since I know that some of you don't have a Facebook profile, I am posting it here too. Enjoy... (I won't tag anyone but if you do this on your blog, let me know so I can see!)

1. I feel lucky that my husband is truly my best friend. Our marriage has been an amazing 10 years!
2. I like video games... especially the old-school ones like Mario and Tetris. I even enjoy watching my husband play his video games and telling him that he missed something. :)
3. You may have heard of people with a sweet tooth, but I think I have the sweetest. I made 2 batches of brownies last week and am going to make carmel brownie cookies today. Really bad for my diet, but life is for enjoying, right? At least that's what I tell myself after eating the whole batch. :)
4. I was absolutely addicted to ice for about 3 years. I couldn't get enough of it from the beginning of my second pregnancy through my third pregnancy. Then after having Ellie, the craving suddenly stopped. I wish it would come back though because that is a better craving for me than my brownies!
5. I never used to like reading at all. I was the person that when a book was suggested to me, I would pretty much roll my eyes and say that I would wait to see if it came out on video. :) Now, though, I can't get enough. I love books!!!
6. Twilight was the first book (other than religious fictional books) that I read and loved! It opened up a whole new world for me in reading. (It's not just a teenage-girl book, right?)
7. I have the best family in the world! Between my siblings and parents and even my in-laws, they are AWESOME! I am so excited when I get to hang out with any of them!
8. I LOVE to digital scrapbook and I just wish I had more time to do it!
9. I like cooking for other people, just not my own family. When it's my family it seems like a chore. When I cook for other people, though, it feels more like an occasion than a daily chore.
10. I have many pet-peeves and one of my biggest is when the toilet paper is on the spool the wrong way. It is supposed to go over the top so you can find the end!
11. Many people dislike doing the laundry, but I don't mind... I just HATE folding socks!!!
12. I used to not mind a messy home, but now I can't stand it. I think my husband has turned me into a clean-freak.
13. I love being a mom. I really do! I just don't like cleaning up after bodily functions... especially when the one I am cleaning up after is over 3 years of age! That includes cleaning the toilets after the boys used it.
14. I find the most joy and peace when I am living the precepts of the gospel.
15. I love being in shape but hate the process. (Again, look at number 3)
16. I have a specific way to load the dishwasher. I'm not as anal about it as I once was, but I still sometimes rearrange things after my husband does the dishes.
17. Having a girl has been bad on my finances. Girl clothes are just way too fun to shop for.
18. I still wonder why I have a facebook profile. I mean, isn't a blog enough anymore? :)
19. I wish all my sisters lived just down the street so I could see them more often. (that does include sisters-in-law)
20. I have a really sensitive nose. Danny makes fun of me, saying that he has to brush his teeth twice, rinse with mouthwash, and still put a mint in for me to kiss him. I swear that's not true, but it's nice when he does. :)
21. I want to travel the world and hopefully we will be in a financial position to do so someday.
22. I love motorcycles and am not scared at all of my husband owning one. I just wish I could ride with him more. (Darn kids) :)
23. I am like my sister in that I do not like pain, but I love paintball. What is that about?
24. I am a shy person but love to have friends. Sometimes I find it hard to make new friends because of my shyness. It's pretty frustrating!
25. Me and Danny are planning a trip to the East Coast this summer for our 10-year anniversary. I have never been back there and I am super excited!

Kaden's First Basketball "Practice"

Last night Kaden really enjoyed his first basketball practice.  He did pretty good.  There was only one time when he just watched the other kids playing around him and just jumped up and down.  :)  Danny told him he looked like a little frog.  :)

Here are some pictures from his practice...

Playing In The Snow With Cousins

The boys got to play with their cousins last Friday.  They ended up playing outside in the snow and had a lot of fun.  Here are some pics...

Feeding Ellie

Feeding Ellie is a lot of fun.  She is a pro at using the spoon. :)  

Anyway, as you can see from the pictures, when Ellie is up in her high chair, Preston feels it is a necessity to play with her.  It's pretty cute, actually.

What's Up With Kaden?

Kaden starts basketball tonight.  He is so excited!  He has wanted to play all sports that are available to him.  We were going to sign him up for soccer, but we were too late to sign him up. We were bright and early on the basketball sign-ups though.  I'll let you all know how it goes and probably post a picture or two.

Another Funny Quote From Preston

Preston put the leapster on the chair where I had been sitting.  He left the room and then I sat back down.  When he came in he couldn't see the leapster.  He said, "Where's the leapster?"  I pulled it out from behind me and he smiled.  He said, "Oh, you were hiding it in your bum..." :)

I promise, it was NOT in my bum!!!  :)

Good Book!

I purchased this book on Monday (as per the recommendation by both my sister and sister-in-law), and I finished it today...  SUPER!  I'm just so bummed that it is part of a series and I have to wait for the next one!  

My Amazing Husband

So, it is ok for me to brag about my husband, right?  =)

Last weekend, when Danny could have been relaxing for a long weekend, instead Danny was hard at work.  What was he doing?  He finished our storage room and then helped to organize all or our tools/utility closet/food storage/and junk...  He's so handy to have around!