Brody's First Tooth

After months of Brody's tooth being loose and him saying it hurt to brush his teeth. We finally made him take it out. He cried and threw a fit because he did not want it out. Gavin cried on the couch because he felt bad for Brody. But it took only a second and he said it only hurt a little. I think he was just more scared because Gavin made it scary for him. He got his dollar and tooth and is now a happy camper. One down lots more to go.

Gavin Baptism

Gavin was baptized Sep 21, 2013. He was so excited for this. I think he loved all the attention that he was getting. Some of his thoughts when asked about being baptized. "It feels good and am so lucky that I got to be baptized. Others should get baptized to feel the holly spirit and be happy." Then next day he says "I am just so happy I got baptized." We love that Gavin made the choice to be baptized and he got to be baptized with his friend Wesley. Gavin had lots of family come and share this special day with him. Both grandparents came. Grandma Barrett give the baptism talk, Dad did the baptism and confirmation. Grandad and Grandpa were the witnesses. Cousin Samantha was the music leader and Grammy Parker gave the prayer. Gavin had fun deciding who to ask to help and calling everyone and asking them. It was a perfect day!! I was so happy watching him growing up.

Gavin Birthday and Summer Fun

Gavin Turned 8

What a fun challenging Son we have. We learn lots from Gavin and at times it is getting easier the older he gets. He is a sweet boy who loves to play with friends and siblings. He still has lots and lots of energy.

 Gavin is not a cake fan so he wanted brownies instead.

 He asked for a glow pet and flashlight and a bunch of other things that we didn't get for him. Those were his top choices. Grandma gave him money and he got a blanket from Grammy.

 Gavin gets to be in church wolf group now. He likes scouts a lot.

 For the Raingutter Regatta, mom is in charge of scouts and we did a pirate theme boat race. So pictures of my cute pirates.

 Gavin did well on his races.

 Brody got free tickets from the Library to go to Wet and Wild. We thought about not going because it was a long drive and Paris was staying with her cousins all day. But we went and the boys loved that place! We stayed all day.

 This was the scary ride.  Gavin said "It wasn't scary, but so so scary!" Brody said "It made me sick a little" He looked sick when he came off the seat during the ride. Dad didn't even want to go, but the boys had no fear, at first :)



Paris Preschool

Yea!! Paris first day of Preschool with Mrs K. She has been so excited to go ever sense the boys started school. She is doing well in school and not getting in trouble, I like that. Now talking about it a month later she is not as excited to go to school, but prefers to stay at home with mom all day. But she is learning lots and we like that. She has lots of friends in her class.

May, June & July Catch up

In my busy schedule the Journaling as gone to the back burner. And thinking of all the stuff that has happened I haven't had to want to think about it. Here is my attempt to catch up with 2 months of fun.

School ended
Gavin Finished 1st grade. His teacher gave him the "most creative" award. He got a spiral art maker.

I forgot to write about mothers day. The boys made me gifts. Gavin made me a clip board that he glued pictures on and wrote me a letter. Brody answered questions about me and made me a flower picture.

Brody's Answers:

Mom's hair looks best "When she tangles it all up"

Mom likes me to call her "Helena"

Mom is as old as "10"

My mom always says please "Can we have chocolate"

My mom looks prettiest "When she wear bows in her room"

My mom says never ever "Play on the computer"

I make my mom laugh when I "Swing all by myself on our swing"

My mom likes to eat "Fruit"

My mom favorite place to go is Lyndon's"

My mom is great at playing "Soccer"

My mom works the hardest when she "Does the dishes"

Before my mom had kids, she "bought some stuff, like baby toys"

My mom likes to use her money "for toys"

My mom cooks the best "cookies"

"Love is pushing me on the swings. You should never ever make bad stuff, like putting too much salt, but always remember to make good food like fruit and sandwiches. Most importantly, Mom, I can't push myself on the swing." Love Brody

 

Brody talks lots about me making him push himself on the swing. Yes I make him do it all by himself it is good exercise for him to do it. But he is wrong I don't do dishes, maybe because it is the hardest job so maybe he is right :) Chris Parker gets dish duty. Brody also says I cook the best cookies, let me just say I never cook cookies. The bakery cooks the best cookies. It probably just be that is what he likes to eat.

 

Gavin wrote a sweet letter that made me cry about being the best mom because I tuck him in at night and sing him a song and rub his back. I have to remember how much the kids love this because most nights I feel grumpy about wanting to take the time to do it. He also wrote about taking him on his first kite day with scouts. No matter how much I struggle with him I do love him to pieces. I love all my children differently and so glad to have all three of them.

 I put all the kids work on the board throughout the school year. Usually I slowly throw stuff in the garbage that I don't think they care about. At the end of the year. I wanted to clean up the board to get ready for the next school year and only keep their favorites. They had a very hard time with this and didn't want to get rid of anything. But we took pictures of their favorites. Which I will not post all of them here, but it should help them remember.

 

Brody's preschool graduation pictures. He is so ready for kindergarten. My goofy, very smart boy!

 

No school is out and the craziness begins.

 

Grandpa had a birthday in June. We had a fire dinner. Which Chris didn't understand why we were having a fire in 115 degree hot weather. But the kids love it and the food was delicious. We had tin foil dinners and cooked smores. And Brody always has to have Cake with everyone getting a candle. So we always do that. 

We decided to go to the public pool once a week for all of June. We had Samantha go with us so she could help me watch the boys. Both boys wanted to do their own thing and well we can't be 3 different places at the same time. So I let Gavin who is a confident swimmer go and do his own thing. It made me a little nervous at times, but with all the life guards. I tried to calm my nerves. So I got very few pictures of Gavin because he was hard to keep track of. Samantha went with Brody. Brody wanted to go on slides. All the time. He would go about 20 times in a day. He also found he loved the diving boards. I wouldn't even let him go the first 2 weeks because I was confident with his swimming to let him go. But after a few weeks he proved that he could do it and went off the diving board many times in a day. He is fearless just like Gavin is.

 Paris has not been my water child like the boys. She likes swimming, but does not like her face in the water. She will hold her breath and go down to her chin and that is a far as she goes. I did not push swimming for her this year. I know it will come in time. She needed constant watching from me.

 We also went to friends houses to swim and over to Aunt Amy's to swim. 2-3 days of the week consisted of swimming. You would think it would wear out all the kids, but they can just keep on going when I feel like sleeping.

Summer also consists of schedules. We would go to the school by our house for free breakfast and lunch. We would ride our bike to the school eat breakfast and then go to the park with our friends. Then went back for lunch then head out swimming or played at home.

Paris love taking care and talking to her babies, Barbies, and animals. In this picture she is feeding and taking care of her pictures. She will get a comb and brush her animals hair. She has lot of motherly instincts.

Paris sleeping with her baby. 

 

July

The 2nd half of the summer consisted of going to Utah to visit family. Chris came up for a week and the kids and I stayed 2 more weeks. I was a little worried that it would be a long stay if it was 3 weeks, but it went by so fast. Except Chris would claim the complete opposite from us being gone. We stayed busy and the kids had a blast. We stayed with Grammy and Grandad for 2 of the weeks first and last and Aunt Symony's for 1 week in-between. Even though we did stuff with both them no matter what place we stayed. We just stayed at Symony's so Mike and Amy could stay with Grammy and Grandad. Highlights from the trip. Keep in mind I was terrible at remembering to take pictures most the time.

 

Hyrum Dam for swimming and boating. The kids wanted to go fishing with Grandad. He took them out and let them fish for as long as they wanted which tended to be about 5 min. The second boating trip we stayed about a half hour and Gavin actually caught (reel in) a fish. He was so excited he almost wanted to stay longer. However, Brody was going to get to reel in the next one so he was less patient to wait for a fish. So after fishing we went to shore and went swimming and building sandcastles. Symony, Remi, Cheyane,  & Hudson did come along and played with us.

 

 Grandad let them go on the tube for one of the trips. Boys had a blast. Paris was nervous. Especially because she almost fell in the water in the tube and she does not like getting her face wet. However, when Chris asked if she wanted to get off she would shake her head no. The boys jumped around being crazy doing no hands.

We went a few days to the splash pad. I thought the kids would be board with a splash pad because they are used to go to pools. But they had lots of fun. I have found my kids have fun doing anything.

We decided to meet Travis and Symony so the kids could play at Mac Park. When we got there we found Amy with all her kids and Colton. So the only cousins we were missing was Braydan's who lives in Idaho, but they were having fun visiting in Montana on their vacation. It was crazy finding them there. Wish I would have taken a better picture of all of them. They had a blast playing.

 

 We also went to the fancy car show with Grammy and Grandad. They kids are not the excited to go look at cars, but with some cotton candy they were happy.

 

 We did sparklers and pops for fireworks at grammy's. I keep getting nervous they were going to burn themselves. Mostly because they burned my finger handing me a hot sparkler. But they were good and loved the huge sparklers I should have bought more of.

 Went to the Logan Fireworks with all the cousins. Travis and Chase came, Symony, Josh and Kids, Becky and Colton came. They played at the park for an hour before they started. I was pretty sure they were going to be sick from spinning on the tire swing so much, but all were fine. Paris fell asleep halfway through the firework show and the boys were grumpy fighting over glow sticks. Other than that it was way fun and the adults played game while the kids played at the park.

A mixture of cousins from my side and Chris side. Missing Braydan family and Mike & Amy family.

 

 Symony and I took the kids to the jump place. The kids jumped and played for an hour. I loved that I could just sit and watch them have a blast.

 Symony and I went to so many parks while we were visiting. Every day was filled to capacity with fun. This was one of our favorite parks it was huge castle park and with tons to do.

 

One day we took bread to the ducks at 1st Dam. While we there Brody went wondering into a bush and started screaming. Symony a few steps away found tons of wasps stinging Brody all over his body. Symony counted him to have at the very least 15 stings on his arms and face. We were supposed to go to a fun cooking class. But I ran him home gave him Grammy gave him Benadryl and put Lavender oil on the sting. Because I am writing this later I can put down that after a week his sting marks were still swelling and itchy. I called the nurse hotline and they told me if kids get stung with more than 5 stings they should be taken to the dr right away. So a week later I take him into urgent care and they gave him steroid medicine because of all the venom in his system. They also let me know that he might be allergic to bee stings now because of the large exposure he had to bees on his first time. So the Dr prescribed an epi-pen in case he ever has an allergic reaction that he needs it. I hope that this never happens.

I took the kids to the Logan Temple to touch it. I had told them you could feel a special feeling from the Temple. When we get there and the kids were excited to touch the special Temple. The first thing they say is I don't feel anything. Hard to explain to kids. But they walked around and had a good time. Glad we took time out to go there.

 

 We tried to get some family pictures while were in Logan. There wasn't a perfect picture that I liked. However, if I had to pick these two were probably my favorite.

We went to the Train station first to get some pictures. Chris and I both start to tell the kids not to touch anything. As we are staying this both boys are bending over to pick up the coal on the ground. Really?!?!? Not 2 seconds and no pictures into this and we are already all dirty!! But we tried to keep the boys from touching their clothes get some pictures and then go and wash our hands and feet before going to the park to get some more pictures. 

Because the kids don't do well with traveling we stayed in a hotel on the way to Utah and on the way home from Utah. The kids love staying at hotels. It had an indoor outdoor swimming pool that the kids loved swimming under the wall to go to either side. On the way there our room balcony faced the pool and loved that part. The way home was more of a challenge. Chris wasn't there to ride home with me, luckily Samantha came home with me to help with kids. We ate at Golden Coral buffet the Brody found himself alone at the strawberry fondue making a huge mess and getting 15 dipped strawberries for himself.  

 

Got home just in time to go meet their teacher 2 days later. School starting 4 days later. Gavin is in 2nd grade with Mrs. Coffinger and Brody is in Kindergarten with Mr. Mendoza at Eduprize School. Paris starting Preschool in 3 weeks.