It finally feels like WINTER!!

We woke up this morning to snow outside so of course the kids wanted to play in it! I know my first snowman looks a little pathetic but we made up for it with the next one!! Braden and Karlie looked cute in the Beanies their great grandma made them!! Thank You!!

Our next project!!

I must say that I am not too sad to say goodbye to my pink countertops!! Mike now started tearing apart our master bathroom. We had a his and hers bathroom, which might sound appealing at first. But when it comes to cleaning an extra toilet...yea, not so fun. So we are tearing down the wall that connects the two and making one big bathroom! It will be so nice when it is done, for the meantime...I hate not having a bathroom!!

A Project Completed!!!

Here is the final product!! Today Mike completed the finishing touches on his fireplace. He has done such a good job. He literally hand made the mantel and everything. He spent hours laying the cultured stone and it looks amazing! These pictures hardly even do it justice!! I am so grateful to be married to a man who is so good at all he does. He is my built in handy man! So now that this is finished...on to the next project!! Our master bathroom and laundry room our next and Mike will do all the work on those two rooms too. I am so lucky!!

I also just had to throw in a picture of my nativity. The first Christmas after Braden was born Mike and I went to Phoenix for Christmas to visit his family. This was the best gift that I could have asked for. It is one of my favorite things. It is so beautiful and always reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. It reminds me of the many things that I am truely thankful for. I love my family so much and am so grateful for them. My husband is my very best friend and we share the most wonderful thing in this world, our children.

Here are a few before pictures as Mike is working on the fireplace. I am so proud of him. He works so hard on our house and has made is so beautiful. This is the fireplace in our famly room.

Another Birthday Party!!!

Happy first birthday to my sweet Hailie!! I can not believe that my baby is one!! We celebrated her birthday tonight. She was not near as exciting to watch destroy her cake as Karlie. When Karlie turned one, she dug right in. Hailie was just too shy for the occasion!! After all was said and done, she hardly even had any cake on her shirt. We had a good time anyway!!

Happy Birthday Braden!!

We celebrated Braden's 4th birthday today!! My brother Jeff made him the most awesome 3D Spiderman birthday cake! Braden loved it. Jeff worked on it for hours and hours and created the design himself. The body and shoulders were made out of cake and the neck and head were rice krispie treats!! Yea...not good on the diet!! It tasted so good!! Thank you Jeff!! We also had a pinata and the kids all loved that...how can you go wrong with candy for kids!! Happy Birthday Braden and thank you everyone for the awesome gifts!

Playing in the leaves!!

Halloween!!

Halloween was so fun this year. Braden was the black spiderman, Karlie was a fairy princess and Hailie was a lady bug. We took the kids trick or treating from our house to my parents and all the way back. They just loved it. It was such a nice night we didn't even have to worry about the baby getting cold. Then after that we took them up to Mike's parent's house and of course got more treats there! It was the best Halloween we've had so far! Every day since the kids have been asking to go trick or treating again!

To start off the Halloween festivities we had a pumpkin carving party at the Martins. With as many kids as we had, it actually went really well! The kids all had their own pumpkins and did a really good job...with a little help.

Last pictures of Summer '08!!

These pictures make me so sad to see summer go! I just got these off my dad's camera. I just love them, especially the one of Karlie eating the popsicle. The picture just totally describes her. She has quite the appetite and loves her sweets just like her mom! I love her so much! She has such a sweet heart but really has been my most challenging child. Some people say it's the red hair!! I guess in this case it's true. She is just so independant. Karlie and Hailie are so cute together. I am so happy to have them as sisters because I didn't have a sister. Although now my sister-in-laws are just as close as real sisters!! I feel so Lucky!!

Coeur d' Alene Trip

Coeur d' Alene Trip '08

This summer we took our vacation in beautiful Coeur d 'Alene, Idaho. For those of you who have never been there, it doesn't seem anything like the Idaho we are used to! It is so pretty! We had fun swimming, paddle boating on the lake, and going to the Silverwood Theme Park. It was so much fun! They had everything for big and little kids. We hope to go again next summer. Hailie was only about 8 months old when we went so my mom watched her at home for us. It made the theme park much easier!! I'm sure she'll love it next year!

A Family of 5

Our family seems to grow every year!! I think you will see by our little children. Braden is 3, Karlie is 2, and Hailie is almost 1! We have so much fun with them. Some days are crazier than others but we know that each one is a blessing! This picture was taken a few months ago but it is one of my favorites!