Halloween fun!

For Halloween, we went to our ward trunk or treat where Brandon and Braylee received awards for their costumes. Brandon won for harriest legs and Braylee won for scariest costume. We had so much fun. We went with our great neighbors and decorated their trailer where we also won for best trunk. We then took the kids for traditional trick or treating. Here is a glimpse of our fun. Brandon was supposed to be Cher and I was supposed to be Sonny, but it turned out that he looks like a transvestite gone wrong and I look like my dad did in 1972. Anyway, enjoy....

Give me a minute mom!!

So everytime I have put Cooper in his high chair to feed him the past few days, he has decided to poop. His facial expressions say it all....I couldn't resist. The top one is the calm before the storm.

Jaxon and soccer

So Jaxon decided to play soccer this fall and guess who his coach is. That's right folks, it's me. Who would have thought that I would be a Utah soccer mom (just waiting for the minivan :) Anyway, he has enjoyed it and has done a lot better than he did at the first. Here's a few shots from a game. The bottom picture is Jaxon trying to get up from getting knocked down and me cheering him on. Sadly this happens a lot during the games. He doesn't understand that they are trying to take the ball from him.

crazy weather

Gotta love going from 90 degree weather down to 50!!! These pictures were taken Monday. My great neighbor Wendy and I decided why not one last hoorah with the pool. A little crazy with the pumpkins around.

Crazy Cooper!

Here are a few funny shots of Cooper recently. Dad and Braylee have been having fun with him.

Crazy Hair Day!

It was crazy hair day for Braylee's school. Here she is with her friends that she walks to school with. Yes that is Braylee's real hair, she loved it!

Jaxon's first day of preschool

Jaxon started preschool today and it's awesome because it is only 6 houses away. I can walk him there in 5 minutes, love that! He was sooooo excited. He has been asking everyday when he can go. He walked out of school and said I already have homework mom! I am hoping he stays that excited all the time.

1st grade...here I come!

Well, my baby is officially in school all day. I have mixed feelings. She is such a great help to me around the house and I think her brothers are going to miss her terribly. I can't believe she is ready for this. She is soooo excited and can't wait to start. Today is the day. She had her outfit all picked out last night and folded neatly by her bed. She looks so cute.

Fun in the sand

We enjoyed a fun day at a new reservoir about 20 minutes away. Thanks Maria for the find. The kids had a ball. As you can tell, they got quite dirty too. Braylee loved to be buried in the sand and Jaxon just love to play with it. Cooper was a trooper and hung out under the tent. He is such a good baby.

80's Flashback!!!

We threw an 80's party on Saturday night. We had so much fun with our neighbors. Everyone came dressed up and had a ball. Here are a few pictures from it. And yes, Brandon picked out his own outfit, I had nothing to do with it. I personally think he looks like a pedophile but that's just me. The top picture is Nate and Kristy; Next is Steve and Wendy; Kristy and I; Brandon and I. Both couples live near us.

I can sew!

O.k. so not really but I am learning. With the help of my sister in law, Michelle, I am learning to sew clothing. She is amazing with a sewing machine so I am learning from the best. This was my first attempt a dress for Braylee. She loves it and that's all that matters. I think in the process though, I was great comic relief for Michelle, she on a few occasions, asked me what I was making as I was starting to stitch down the wrong seam which would have ended with me sewing layers shut. Anyway, it was fun and I can't wait to learn more...

Jaxon's birthday!

Jaxon turns 4 on Tuesday but we had his party with family on Sunday. He wanted a Superman cake and this is what he got. As you can tell by his face he was pretty happy!

Cooper's 1st haircut

As sad as it was, it was time to give Cooper his first haircut. He just sat there in his chair as quiet as could be. I told Jaxon to pay attention because it is a chore to do his hair.

Kindergarten graduation

This took place on May 29. Braylee is officially on to 1st grade. I can't believe it. I am so not ready for the all day school thing, I missed her too much during the half days. Jaxon starts preschool too. I am just not ready. Anyway, she had a lot of fun with all the songs she had to sing, she was teaching Jaxon everyday. Here are a few pics...

Cooper's blessing

Here are a few pics from Coopers blessing. Thanks Mir for taking the pics. The family one cracks me up because everyone is looking somewhere different. Thanks Michelle for making his outfit...it is soooo sweet and thanks mom Finch for making the blanket I adore them both. It was a great day with family and friends. Thank you everyone who was able to come share it with us.

Sleeping baby

Cooper is so funny. He is a great sleeper at night 6-8 hours in his bed wrapped nice and snug, but during the day he has to be in a room with other people and not wrapped. He takes great naps, but not in his bed. If you lay him in is bed during the day, he will wake up. Here he is taking a nap on the couch, his usual spot, and the other one is of him with dad. I thought it was a very sweet picture. They were taken today.

Climbing anyone?

Brandon's company had a BBQ on Saturday at Thanksgiving Point. The kids had a ball. Here are a few pics from the event. We all tried the climbing wall, Jaxon was soooo excited to climb like Spiderman. He was the one that initiated the whole thing. He did get a little scared but he tried it. Braylee did awesome!! She actually made it quite a ways, I on the other hand, chickened out after 6 feet off the ground. It was more frightening than I thought. Brandon of course made it to the top just to show me. I don't think I want to try it anytime in the near future.

Cooper photo session

So you all know by now how incredibly talented my sister in law Miranda is, well here is why. Cooper was sooooo good during the shoot that she got a ton of great shots, way to many to chose from, I loved all of them. I need a bigger house to put more up. Anyway, thanks again Mir and I hope you all enjoy!

Crazy Brandon

Brandon took this picture of himself and every time we look at it, we can't help but go into hysterics. It is so weird to think that he made his face go that way, no photo editing done. He has tried to do it again but can not. I just thought you all needed a laugh.

Cooper update

Cooper is such an angel! I love him to pieces and all his crazy hair. This picture is crazy aunt Michelle with a balloon, it gives you a good idea of how long his hair is. Thank you Miranda for all the great pics. The title picture was done by her-Sweet Pea Photography. LOVE IT!!!

Braylee turns 6!

Braylee turned 6 on Friday...I can't believe it. She had a lot of fun. She insisted on a high school musical cake and a few friends for a party. The cake turned out cute and there's nothing like a bunch of 6 year olds sitting around the table burping. It was hilarious. Thanks to Grannys idea, they made bracelets with beads. (Thanks for the beads Granny)! Bray has been asking for months to go to Build-a-bear workshop, so on Sat, Brandon and I took her and let her make a bear, well a lamb. It was really cute and she had fun. It was a great birthday.

Lost tooth

So, I finally downloaded my camera so here are some things to catch you all up on our happenings. There are going to be a lot of posts so be ware!!!! This one is of Braylee losing her first tooth!! I can't believe how grown up she is. She was so excited to lose it. She had it out within an hour of realizing it was loose!!

photo

Just a quick update, Cooper is an amazing baby and doing really well. My sister in law, Miranda, took some great shots of him on Sat. She posted one photo with more to come, but it is priceless. Just click on the SweetPea Photography under my friends and family and he is the first one. I love it!!! I will post more pics soon as well.

New Arrival!!

Our little man has joined the world. His name is Cooper Max Finch. He was born on April 8 at 1:51pm, weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is so lovable and the kids are so happy to have him here. It was a long labor for me and pretty much natural but we made it through and I am very grateful it is over. We are home now and hoping to adjust to have a not to hard adjustment with 3 kids. Here are a few pics...

Baby update

Well, we are on the final countdown, a little over 4 weeks left! The baby, who is still nameless, is transverse breech right now. He is totally sideways and does not want to move. I keep praying that he does but he is apparently really comfortable where he is at. On Tuesday of this week, I was standing in the kitchen and felt a trickle and thought my water had broke. I was an emotional wreck since it was way to early and he is breech. I went to labor and delivery and of course it was a false alarm, I had just peed my pants which is about a daily thing now. When I got home, Braylee was asking lots of questions, this is the conversation.
"Mom, how did they put your belly back together?" She knows there is a lot of water in there. Braylee
"What do you mean?" Me
"Well since all of your water came out how did they get your tummy round again?" Braylee
"Well Braylee, mommy just wet her pants, it wasn't the baby coming." Me
"So you mean to tell me that you went to the hospital for no reason at all just because you peed your pants, well that was silly." Braylee
You gotta love the honesty of children especially when your 5 year old puts you in your place.
I'm glad everything so far is going o.k. Just help us pray the he turns in time and no complications come because of it.

A while

So it's been a while since I last posted, so I combined a bunch of pictures taken by my talented sister in law Miranda. These have been in the last 6 months. I have so many great shots to choose from. Thanks Mir for doing such a great job.

We are doing well. Brandon is enjoying his job so far and I am enjoying a normal schedule in my life. I have enjoyed spending time with my other sister-in-law Michelle. That's the nice thing about marrying into a big family, they are always around. I miss all of you in IF but am really enjoying my new life here in Utah. I never thought I would say that but here I am. Braylee has adjusted well to her new school and looks forward to doing her homework every night. Jaxon tells me often that he loves our new house. I will get some pics of that up soon as well.

My pregnancy is going well. I keep passing kidney stones but luckily they aren't very jagged so they don't hurt too bad. It is just the kidney and bladder pain that is really uncomfortable. I was able to pass some at the doctors office so they were able to tell me what they are made of so I will be seeing a urologist again here soon. Other than that I am doing well and large. That's about it in a nutshell. I will post a little more regularly now that I have a computer up and running.

Fun pics

New house

So, I guess it's time to let everyone know that we are moving to Utah on December 14th. It will be a whirlwind of a week. We find out what we are having on Dec 12, Brandon graduates on Dec 13, we move on Dec 14, Brandon starts his job on Dec 15 and we sign on our house on that same day. I know it's crazy right before Christmas but things are continuing to fall into place for us quickly. Here are a few pics of our new house. We will be about 2 miles from Brandon's sister Michelle which will be nice to have family around. Brandon has not seen our house yet, what a trusting husband to purchase a house that his wife picked out. Thanks to my brother in law Shawn that did the looking from a "guy" perspective. I am so excited to have a house again.

New Kids concert

So I had to post these pics to let you all know that I have achieved my lifelong dream of being touched by not only one but three members of New Kids on the Block, Joey, Donnie, and Jordan. I was in heaven. We had so much fun at this concert. Thanks Jenni for being just as crazy as I am and living the dream. The top one is Jordan, the second one is Joey, looking right at ME, the third one is of Joey's backside with his original smiley face coat that I saw him wear 19 years ago in concert in Provo and the fourth is of Donnie wearing a shirt that a girl threw up on stage for him, that's right it says I love Mormon Girls.

Should I be worried????

So we have these friends, Mike and Kati who used to be our neighbors in Nampa. Anyway, they live in Pocatello now so we see them a little more often. Well, they have an 8 year old boy named Ethan (Bubba). Braylee developed this little crush on him over a year ago when we stayed with them. It has been going on for some time now. I haven't thought much of it, but a few weeks ago she said she was going to marry him, no biggie right? Well last week, Jaxon really likes him too and kept saying let's go to Bubbas, Braylee says to me "mom, every time Jaxon says Bubba it just makes me go ooohoohh!" I about died. We went down on Friday to trick or treat with them and stay the weekend. Well, on Sunday Braylee was drawing like she usually does and came up with these drawings. They were completely on her own, we had no idea. If you can't read them, the one says Braylee Ethan I love you! The next one is of them holding hands and says Braylee and Ethan. And that's not all. They have a 9 year old girl that Braylee played with quite a bit and they did a Bratz match maker on the computer and she put her and Bubba in and they were a perfect match 7 times! Braylee came up screaming to tell me. Should I be a little worried since she is only 5?

Halloween good times!

So I decided to dress up and surprise Braylee in her class on Friday. I walked in and sat down next to her. She said hi and waved at me in a nervous way. I then pulled off my nose and she sat there and then screamed "MOM" she had no idea who it was. It was really fun. The funny part was that Jaxon was absolutely scared of me. He did not want to walk near me or hold my hand. I should have had a video camera.

We took the kids to Boo at the Zoo. They had a ton of fun and of course got a ton of candy. We love going there. The first picture is of the kids looking in a fun mirror. We were laughing so hard at Jaxons forehead. After I took the picture I realized how long Braylees body was.

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins for family home evening last night. The kids had a ball! Of course it wouldn't be complete without dad being silly with the seeds and strings. The kids were really scared of it for some reason as you can see on Jaxons face. Can't imagine why:)

Sleeping Bag Fun!!!

Braylee figured out how to have fun on the stairs with her sleeping bag with no help from mom. She included her brother for the fun. For those of you that know Jaxon, know he is a little skiddish of heights or speed but he had a lot of fun too. We laughed pretty hard and it keeps them entertained for hours.

Yes that's right on the right side of my blog is a pregnancy countdown. We are so excited! We are expecting in April. I wondered if I would ever experience pregnancy again and here I am. I am just glad that Brandon will be done with school by that time. Braylee told me that we need to leave the baby in my tummy for a long time because right now it looks like E.T.

I thought of another random thing about myself that is just weird. Maybe it comes from working retail for 12 years.

6. My closet is organized left to right and goes from sleeveless, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve then collars. It has to be colorize roy g. biv within those different styles. And my jeans are folded by color order as well. I know weird huh!

I forgot to post the rules at the bottom so they will be at the top. I also tag Kati, Shannon, Liz, Natalie, Crystal and Jenni.
The Rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let the person know you tagged them on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when you've posted.

So I was tagged by my sister-in-law Miranda and I am going to do it because it is pretty easy.
I am writing six random things about myself...don't judge :)

1. I absolutely love New Kids On The Block. I am actually going to their reunion tour concert in Las Vegas with 5 of my friends. I am so excited!

2. I love the smell of SKUNKS! Every time we drive by a dead one, I just have to take a big wiff.

3. I have to have some color of nail polish on my toes or it drives me crazy. Even in the winter when I am the only one that sees my toes, they have to be painted. I know weird huh.

4. I love to drink pickle juice. My husband thinks that one is crazy, but I will drink all of the juice before the pickles are gone.

5. Since I was born I have moved 24 times with 3 different states and I'm only 30. 12 of those times have been since I've been married which is 10 years now. We apparently don't like to stay in one place very long.

6. I have never seen the sound of music...this is another one that my husband thinks is crazy.

1st day of Kindergarten

This is Braylee on her first day of kindergarten. I can't believe it's that time already. She looks so grown up. She went to class without even looking back. She has been so excited to be in school. The picture of her in the tree was a tree we saw along the way to school and I thought it was a good photo opp.

Jax turned 3 yesterday. The only thing he really cared about was having a spiderman cake. Don't look at it too closely, I am a beginner. After the mess I made making it, Brandon told me to just buy the cake next time. It was fun to make it and even Braylee told me it was a good job mom.

The kids and I just spent the last weekend in Utah with Brandon. We had so much fun. We went to Lagoon and the Zoo. It was a great time just hanging out with friends and daddy. Brandon only has 3 weeks left in Utah. It is going to be so nice to have him home for good. It has been a great summer not working, but we have missed him so much. We look forward to a few down weeks before Bray starts kindergarten.

We went to Lagoon last weekend and the kids had a ball as you can see from their faces.

We went to Ross Park yesterday and had a ball. I thought this was a cool picture of Braylee under the waterfall. She and Jaxon had such a great time!

We were vising our friends Jason and Angela Mecham and Jaxon found this helmet. He wore it for quite a while that night. He is a boy through and through, anything to do with sports or balls he is game!

Well, as most of you know by now, I have taken on a new career as a stay at home mom. I was officially out of the work force on June 22nd. It has been very busy for me though. I took Braylee to Seattle with me to visit my brother Justin for his official graduation from medical school. We had a lot of fun. Jaxon stayed in Utah with his dad. Brandon has been doing an internship with Keiwit construction since April 28th. We miss him terribly. We are down to only one month to go. He will be done on August 28th then he returns to BYUI in the fall for 3 classes and graduates in December. Anyway, after Seattle it has been go go go. The kids and I spent a few days in Utah and then we have had a ton of family visiting. It has been a fun filled summer.

The picture of Jaxon is on Mother's Day, how can you resist that cute little boy holding flowers! The one of Braylee is on her 5th birthday...she turned 5 on May 8th. It's hard to believe that she will be in kindergarten this fall.

We went camping over memorial day and had a lot of fun. This picture captured a typical look from Jaxon.

iceblocking

We went iceblocking for family home evening with the Jenkins. It was a lot of fun. Maria made her own iceblocks. She did great, the kids had a ball.

Band wagon blogger

So those of you that know Maria, know she is very persistent. I spent less than 24 hours with her and ended up with a blog. My first experience with Blogging was last summer when I was interviewed by a Salt Lake City news crew at the Gateway mall. They stopped me and asked me if I would answer some questions on camera about blogging. They really should have aired it on Jay Leno for Jaywalking, because I had no idea what blogging was at that time. Look at me now almost exactly a year later and I have a blog.