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!

Classic Preston-isms

At 2:00 in the afternoon, when we have all been awake for hours...  Preston comes running up to me and grabs hold of my legs in a big hug.  "Mooommmm...  You are awake!"  And then he proceeds to do the same thing to Danny and then to Kaden.  =)

----------------

One evening as we are settling down for dinner...  Something was said about me already having made the kids' dinner or something and Danny made the comment, "She sure is a nice mom."  Preston doesn't even skip a beat and says, "mmm, yeah, and toot".  (For those who don't know the language Preston speaks, toot=cute)  =)

Kids...

Well, our kids are growing up...  

They are doing new things, reaching new milestones, and keeping us on our toes!

Ellie:

She is now four and a half months old!  She is eating cereal.  In fact, we went to the doctor yesterday and he said the "average" amount for a baby her age to drink per bottle is 5-6 oz.  Let me follow that "statistic" with what our little munchkin drinks - 8 oz!  He said that we should try cereal 2-3 times per day and try to reduce the milk consumption down to about 6-7 oz (per bottle).  The thing is, she still seems STARVING after 5 oz.  So more cereal it is, and she actually is doing really well with it.  She did get shots yesterday which resulted in a low fever, but nothing a little motrin can't kick.  And she is now over 16 lbs.  She is in the 96th percentile for her weight and the 99th percentile for her height!  She is definitely growing!

Preston:

Let's just say that he doesn't pee the bed.  :)  For the last 4 nights the little stinker gets up at approximately 4:00 every morning in order to wake us up to tell us that he needs to go potty.  Again, I'm not complaining... He doesn't pee the bed.  But Danny has been trying to train him to just go potty without waking us up.  I think I'll take what I can get.

Kaden:

Tooth-fairy, here we come!  Kaden had a dentist appointment today.  I guess I just haven't really looked in his mouth much lately because he had an adult tooth coming in behind his bottom front two teeth.  Therefore, the dentist pulled his two front teeth out of the way.  One of the teeth came really quite easy because it really didn't have much of a root.  The other tooth, however, was rooted down deep.  I swear the thing was OVER a half an inch long!  Anyway, he was a good sport with only minor yelps as the dentist yanked on that thing with all his might.  Needless to say, the tooth-fairy is feeling a little more generous with how these teeth came out.

Well, that's it for now.  Kids grow and we, as parents, get to experience each new thing.  Ya gotta love it! :)

Who Said December Is A Busy Time Of Year?

Well, I know I have a TON of pictures to show off. (~Yes I understand that blogs - for the most part - are just for showing off your kids :) ~)  We had a super busy December and we had a wonderful Christmas season.  But let's start from the beginning...

Ellie is getting so big!  Time goes by so fast and the kids just continue to grow - especially when they are from 0 to 12 months I guess.  But I am enjoying her so much.  She has recently discovered her voice and is making little squealing sounds that neither of the boys ever made.  She smiles and laughs all the time now.  She is the BEST sleeper ever!  She is always so content.  And she is becoming more and more separated from the boys as she continues to grasp her girly nature.  We love her so much!

The boys definitely have enjoyed the snow so far this season.  From having a snowball fight in the beginning snow fall to enjoying sledding with their dad in windy Idaho.  They have gotten a lot of use out of their snow boots.

We made sugar cookies on Christmas Eve.  The boys REALLY enjoyed that!  They were supposedly going to be for "Santa" but we forgot to set them out for him that night...  Oops! :)  It was fun nonetheless.

We all got to talk to my brother Wes on Christmas Eve as well.  He is in Japan on his mission and he sounds so good.  I couldn't stop smiling after I got off the phone with him.  It was just so good to talk to him.

Christmas was extremely enjoyable!  The boys truly loved the whole day, including eating dinner and playing with their cousins.

New Years Eve was AWESOME!!!  My wonderfully amazing sister put on a Vegas-themed murder mystery and it was one of the funnest things I've ever done.  My role was that of the floozy cocktail waitress and Danny was the bartender.  My whole family got into it and I haven't laughed that hard in a while.  We also had a poker tournament (how can you have a Vegas-themed night and not have poker?)  And guess who won the jackpot?  Yep, you're right...  I actually even beat my dad at Texas Hold 'Em!  Tons of fun!

Then the next day - New Years Day - we took our new paintball guns out for the first time.  We had so much fun with my family!  Thanks a ton again to Tresa and Chet for hosting a wonderful couple of days!

Then on Friday we had a game night with Danny's family, complete with all the food you could imagine.  I think I gained all of the baby-weight back that I had lost after Ellie.  It has been an extremely food-filled and fun holiday season. 

Anyway, that's our last month shortened for all of you to read.  Hope you had a wonderful holiday season as well!

'Tis The Season

I love this time of year. Thanksgiving for me includes family, games, food, laughter, games, and of course family. I love being able to sit down with those I love in order to laugh and play together. Such was the case last week. I was able to spend a small amount of time with my parents and then come home and spend more time with Danny's family. It was so much fun to play basketball and other miscellaneous games with them.

On Friday morning my sister-in-law and I enjoyed the shopping season of Black Friday.  It is always fun to witness those people that take the shopping SO seriously that they fight over things.  We even saw an ambulance in Wal-Mart, but thankfully they left with the stretcher empty - it mustn't have been too serious.  

Anyway, now it is time for Christmas parties, candy, gift buying and wrapping, and of course the all important "Dear Santa" letters with the kids.  

I love the different traditions that we continue to improve on and add to.  A couple of years ago we started the tradition of doing the 12 days of Christmas for someone in the neighborhood.  We are beginning the preparations for that.  We are also going to make the yearly batch of yummy fondant candy.  

And thus it all begins.  The time to think of the beautiful birth of our Savior.  The time to remember the importance of Him in our lives.  The opportunity to bear witness of Him to those around us.  The chance to show Christ-like love to everyone we come in contact with.  And the possibility to spend time with those we love the most.

May you enjoy this December and remember that which is most important.

Pictures

Just a picture update:

Family

It has been a while since I sat down to work on my blog. In fact, it has been a while since I even looked at others’ blogs. As most of you know, my sister-in-law, Megan, gave premature birth to her twin boys. Dex received his body then went back to be with Heavenly Father again; and Crew is at Primary Children’s Medical Center right now trying to get strong enough to come back to UVRMC’s NICU.

Throughout the past couple of weeks I have gone through an array of emotions. It has just taken me a while to sort through my feelings enough to deal with them as well as read other people's emotions on the matter. Let alone being able to sit down and write about them.

I guess what it all boils down to is that I love my family! I am so grateful for having them in my life and being linked to them for all eternity. I’m not just talking about my wonderful sweetheart Danny and my three beautiful and wonderful children. The family that surrounds me in this life are the greatest examples to me...

Parents: I have two amazing sets of parents who have taught Danny and I right and wrong. They have ALWAYS been there whenever we needed them and have sacrificed so much for our behalf. I could say they are the most loving and giving people on the planet.

MY SIDE

Traci and Rick: Strong family values and very, very talented in many, many ways. My sister is a wonderful homemaker and I always wanted to be just like her when I became a mommy.

Tresa and Chet: The funnest people to hang around! No matter what we are doing, it is always fun when it’s with them. I also look up to Tresa and the strong testimony she has.

Jodi and Felipe: The most kind-hearted and giving people. I could go on and on about their many kindnesses and the great friends they are to me. I love to just talk to Jodi and enjoy the wonderful spirit that she exudes.

Jill and Spencer: Amazing, giving, and wonderful family values. They are a complete combination of all of the above. Family-oriented, fun, kind, giving - all words that would describe Jill.

Weston: Great missionary! He has been blessed with all of the traits listed above as well - maybe due to having 5 sisters. :) I miss him so much, and am so proud of all he is doing for the Japanese people.

DANNY’S SIDE

Justin and Megan: Where do I begin... They amaze me! Their strength astounds me! Megan is outgoing and fun and super strong in the gospel. Justin is a great friend and an amazing husband and father.

Kayla and Adam: They also are the most giving people. They would give you the shirts off their backs if you needed them. Adam drove our Uhaul truck to Las Vegas for us - as a favor... What more can I say?

Matt and Kim: Spiritual, funny, strong, and giving. I love ‘em both to pieces! Matt worries needlessly about EVERYONE and EVERYTHING and therefore would be there for you at the drop of a hat. I love to hear his testimony, too.

I didn’t sit down expecting to write all of that... But it is how I feel. I have been blessed with the most amazing family members in the world and as I have observed them I can’t help but realize what a great blessing the gospel is. We DO have the opportunity to be an eternal family. When someone goes back to our Father in Heaven, we WILL have the opportunity to see that person again. How grateful I am for these people as they witness to me of this truth. I love you all!

Ellie's Baby Blessing

We had Ellie's blessing on Sunday.  It was a wonderful day!  Thank you to those who came and supported us...  And to those who couldn't make it - we missed you but understand.  Ellie actually has a little rash on her head but you can't see it in these pictures thanks to Photoshop. :)  But this is Ellie on her special day.

Ellie with Aunt Tresa and some cousins

Ellie with Grandpa Hyde

Ellie with Grandma Bradshaw

Ellie with Grandpa Bradshaw

Thanks Grandma Hunsaker

Grandma Hunsaker sent Ellie some money to go shopping, so Ellie and I went out on the town. Danny laughed that I called it a "Girls Day" - I'm just excited that I can say it's a "Girls Day." Anyway, we went shopping and found this cute little outfit. Isn't she cute in her new jeans and shirt? Thanks Grandma Hunsaker!

Wanting Attention

Ok, so I stole this off of my sis-in-law's blog.  While watching this, I laughed so hard!  This is Kaden to a T - I swear.  And it is always when I'm on the phone or talking to someone or even when I'm just trying to get some time to myself.  Don't you just love kids!

Ellie M Bradshaw

Nope, we haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. :)  It has been a crazy couple of weeks but we are all doing really great!  Ellie has changed quite a bit so I wanted to post some updated pictures of this beautiful little girl.  

Also, I didn't want to forget the details of her birth so I wrote them down below - mainly for myself.

PS. Girls are so much fun to dress! :)