Independent Litte Bum!

Brynlee has become quite the independent little thing. She insists on dressing herself. I took a couple pics to show you the result of some of her attempts.

This is on Thanksgiving. She insisted on wearing this Halloween shirt that has a black cat on it. I told her no and went into the other room and when I came out this is how she had put it on. You know you're skinny when the neck of your shirt fits around your waist. She totally posed for me too. I didn't even tell her to. This would be the next attempt. She decided that she could put her own underpants on. Obviously this isn't giving her much coverage:) Funny little buggar!

Last pics taken!

Here are the last pictures I took of Justin before his passing. This was Saturday November 21, 2009. He died on Nov. 24, 2009.

Justin, Josh, and Jared

Justin and Josh
Justin and Brynlee. He loved her to death, she was a little stinker at that moment though.

I think Jaxon was his favorite. And Justin was Jaxon's favorite uncle that's for sure!

Trying to rest while Aunt Margy gets the Will taken care of.
We sure do miss him but know that he's in a better place doing the Lord's work. We love you Justin!

Two Very Special People!

So this last week and a half has been a very trying one for our family. My brother-in-law, Justin, passed away on Nov. 24,2009. He was such a wonderful person. My kids absolutely adored him. They loved going to his house and playing with all of his bears and stuff. He was very courageous and loved life. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and especially by our family. The funeral was Sat. and it went very well. Josh and his dad spoke and there were 3 beautiful musical numbers. It was a time when you just knew that this is the way the Lord had planned it. It was Justin's time to go and he is so much better off there than here. He was in a lot of pain and now he is not. We will miss him forever and can't wait for the time we will be reunited with him once again:) We love you Justin! And just last night we got word that Josh's Aunt Joy passed away at her home. She too was a very wonderful person. I remember as a child hearing Cami and Taylor talk about Aunt Joy and how great she was. I always wanted an Aunt Joy for myself, and I got it when I married Josh. She was just a wonderful as they had always said. She never married or had children of her own but that never seemed to get her down. She treated all of her many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews as her own children! She loved every one of them and spoiled them all. She will be greatly missed and loved forever! We miss you and love you Aunt Joy!

Halloween!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween this year! We sure did. I struggled this year trying to come up with something for my kids to be. I like to have them relate in some way but not be the same exact thing, so I had a few ideas but nothing Jaxon liked. Then after talking to my sister-in-law Kirsten, she gave me the perfect idea! And I loved it! Jaxon liked it too! So I started searching for tutorials online and happen to come across 2 that I loved. So I set on my way to making their outfits. Jaxon's was pretty difficult from the beginning, first trying to find the right fabric in the right color and then trying to sew with that fabric. Man that stuff is messy and it slides all over the place! Anyhow, Brynlee's was pretty simple. So here are the pics! Hope you enjoy! (P.S. They are Cookie Monster and a Cookie if you can't tell. There were a few people that were a bit confused.)

This was the picture we tried to get of the cousins together at my Grandparents house. Didn't work out that well with Brynlee being the stubborn child she is.

Here they are at the trunk-or-treat with Jaxon's friend Bronson as a headless Elmo!

This and That!

Well the month of October has been kind of a crazy one. We have had to be home for some of it because we are getting our basement finished and we have hired some of the stuff out. That means us being stuck in the house while workers are there. But we have managed to fill our time. Here are a few pics of what we have been up to.

This was what happens when the kids don't get naps during and day and you happen to be out past bedtime. This was them after getting them out of the car! They totally didn't move!

I have been experimenting with Brynlee's hair a bit. I don't do it unless we go somewhere because it's breaking off and I'm trying to give it some time to toughen up but I thought this turned out too cute!

Jaxon playing with his trains on the couch since he has no tracks right now. When the basement is done I will go ahead and pull those out too:)

Brynlee thinking she's a little cowgirl. Don't mind the non-matching outfit here. We have been potty training and so she gets to wear whatever I have clean at the moment! She's doing quite well with the whole "Potty" thing but she still won't go "stinky" (that's what we call it at our house) in the toilet yet. If any of you have any suggestions please send them my way!!!

Two cute kids watching cartoons first thing in the morning!

I know I haven't blogged in forever so here I am trying to get started with what we have been up to this last month or so. We went to Gardner Village with my mom and the kids had a great time! Jaxon loved the witches for the most part this year but Brynlee HATED them! Maybe next year she will like them a little bit more:)

Jaxon was so proud to have eaten that whole popcicle!!

Brynlee enjoyed her push-pop thing

This was us eating the treat grandma bought us. The kids thought she was the greatest!

Don't I have the cutest kids EVER??!!!

Cute little stinker

My cute handsome man Brynlee didn't like it at all if you can't tell

But as long as I was sitting by the witch Jaxon was ok to get a little bit closer

Jaxon did NOT want to sit by the witch

Brynlee hated the witches

Kids say the funniest things!!

Last week while trying to figure out what the kids were going to be for Halloween I came across a picture of a Sully costume from Monsters Inc. I asked Jaxon if he would like to be Sully and then showed him the picture and this is how our convo. went:

Me: Jaxon would you like to be Sully? (Showing him the picture at the same time)

Jaxon: NOOOOOO!!!!!

Me: Why?

Jaxon: Because that monster will scare the crap right out of my belly!!


Hahaha! I laughed so hard! I could believe he would come up with something like that. I love that he's getting so big that he (sortof) understands those kinds of comments:) He says something almost every night that I can't help but laugh at. What a funny kid!

My Etsy!!

So I have decided to sell some of my "projects" on a website called Etsy. I have been making different things throughout the last few years and been giving them away as baby gifts, but I thought why not try to sell them too?!! I have had many people tell me I should sell them and so I finally am doing it. Right now I'm selling carseat canopy's, nursing covers, and coming soon I will be selling diaper/wipe holders and maybe a few other things as well. So if you know of anyone having a baby, visit my shop and you can check out what I have available. Also tell your friends to visit my Etsy shop for their baby/mommy needs:) I have posted the link to my shop at the top of my side bar to the right. Thanks! (BTW, you can look up my etsy on the etsy website by clicking on seller and then searching for Shoelace624.)

This little thing went potty in the toilet today!! I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast! She is so tiny but so big:) It makes me want to stop time so I can keep her little forever! I just had to document it so I didn't forget that it can be done, when on those days of potty training (not anytime real soon) it seems as if she thinks it's some foreign concept I'm trying to teach her:) I love her so much and was so proud of her when she did it!! Yea for Brynlee!

What's new?

Well I still don't have a camera so I'm sorry, no pics! I just thought I would get on and post what we have been up to. This last week was so crazy for us. Every day we had something going on. Monday was Labor Day and so we did what we do best, spend time with family:) In the morning we went riding with my dads side of the family. It was so much fun and the kids love it out there! That afternoon we went to my grandma and grandpa Fullmer's house for a family BBQ. We always have tons of fun there:) After that we went to RC Willey and bought ourselves a sectional for the basement and a 50" TV. I can't wait to get the basement done so we can put those 2 to good use:) Tuesday we had a playdate with a little boy in the neighborhood. Jaxon just loves friends! Wednesday was my cleaning day and then we had the priveledge to watch my cousin (Cami's) little boy Carson. He slept over and everything! Jaxon thought he was in heaven! The next day we played and I packed and then that night we left for Cedar City! On Friday we headed down to Mesquite, NV for Josh's family reunion. We always have a great time down there, it's nice to see his family that we only get to see once a year! On Sunday we made the long drive home! The kids are really good travelers though so I'm not complaining at all! This week we are trying to get the basement ready for sheetrock! Yea for that! I can't wait. Anyhow, I just thought I'd give an update to you all. Hope you had a great weekend as well. Be back later:)

Little Turd!

Ok so I know it's been forever since I've been on here. My camera broke and it's really not fun taking pictures with my video camera so I haven't taken many at all. I will be getting a camera soon hopefully though. Anyhow, I just thought I would post this little bit of info for you all. I was quite the proud mama. Last monday night I was getting the kids out of the bathtub and had noticed that Brynlee had been letting a few stinkers escape her behind while in the bathtub. After drying her off I proceeded to put her on the toilet to see if she would go. After alot of coaxing she pushed and pushed and poped a little turd out! I was so excited! I kept telling her what a good girl she was and she got a chocolate chip! I don't think she quite understood why she got the chocolate chip but I didn't care. She's not quite ready to be potty trained just yet but that's one step closer! That's all for now but hopefully I'll have something new for you in a few days! Have a good weekend!

Devastating!

Well this last Thursday we learned that my brother-in-law, Justin (Josh's brother and best friend), has colon cancer. He had a large tumor in his colon that had started to grow into the bladder. They removed what they could of the tumor in the colon but couldn't touch the bladder. They also discovered he has cancer covering other parts of his organs and bones in the lower abdomen. This ofcourse was a huge shock to us (and him). It has been a rough couple of days for everyone in the family. Josh is especially having a difficult time with this news. The doctor said that 1 in 10 people with the kind of cancer and as much as there is can live up to 8 years. We don't know what's going to happen next. It's all a waiting game right now to see how Justin's body reacts to the Chemo. Ofcourse we have high hopes for him and want him to be healthy. I am putting this on here because I figure the more prayers that go out on his behalf the better. He has been such a great uncle to my kids and wonderful best friend to Josh. We love him so much and wish him the best in recovery:) We love you Justin!!!

New Invention!

What are these you might be thinking????? Well well, let me just explain! Brynlee, since birth, has sucked her first 2 fingers and with the other hand plays with her hair. Everything seemed fine until we were on our Yellowstone trip. I noticed that there were chunks of hair all over her lap. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from until I noticed the chunk of hair caught between her fingers as well. I soon realized that when I thought she was just "playing" with her hair, she tugs while she twirls/twists/etc. Therefore pulling out her hair. I have noticed the past few months that her hair on the top of her head on the right side has gotten quite thin but didn't think too much about it. Well I decided this had to stop. I tried putting socks on her hands and the first few nights it worked quite well. That was until she realized she could just pull them off with her teeth. That's when I decided to do something a little more drastic. I went to good old Walmart and got these little things, cut them in half, and sewed them onto each side of the sock. I'm really hoping she can't get these off cause if she does I don't know what I'll have to do next.

She really wasn't as happy as she looks in this picture. She doesn't like them one bit. But I would rather have an unhappy baby before bed and in the car then a bald baby all the time! We'll see how this works. Wish us luck!!!!!

Nesting

Ok so I know that most women go through a nesting period when they are pregnant to get ready for upcoming baby but have any of you gone through a nesting period when they weren't pregnant at all??!! Well I think that's what is happening to me. I am definately NOT pregnant and that is the only thing I can think to call it. I feel the need to clear all the clutter from my home so that I can (possibly) feel some sort of relaxation. I know that "relaxation" may not be a word, and if it is it probably isn't the right word to describe what I mean, but you get it right??!! I hope so. If any of you have been to my house lately you can attest to the MESS that my childrens room was. Well not anymore! I went through and finally organized and cleaned everything up. Including the closet. I know, for me that is huge but I just had to get it done. I was driving me nuts! I also thought it was time to move the crib out and put Brynlee in the toddler bed. That meant that I had to sand down Josh's old bed, stain it and then put it back together. I did and I think it turned out quite nice if you ask me:) Anyhow, the kids love all of the new "free" space that they didn't have before. Boy it sure does feel nice.

First day of "High School"

Well this last Thursday was Jaxon's first day of Preschool. He calls it "High School". He absolutely LOVED it! He came home so excited to show me the new bouncy ball that was given to him from his teacher. When I asked her what her name was he says "Misbis Partner". Her real name is Mrs. Parkin. He loves his new "pack pack" too. It was so fun seeing him having so much fun and so excited to come home and tell me all about it. After getting home and going through what the teacher had sent home with him, I was going through some of her rules. I was telling him that he needed to share the toys and he proceeded to tattle on himself, telling me all about how he didn't share because he was playing on the bridge first and James came up and he told him he had to go a different way cause he was there first. I thought it was so funny. I'm glad he will tell me these things and not hide them from me, yet anyway:) Hope he continues to have as much fun as he had on his first day.

The Crowther Adventures!

This last week we took a week long trip up to Yellowstone and then went on to Montana to the Cooper reunion (Josh's mom's family). We headed off Monday morning for the 5 1/2 hour drive. My kids are great to travel with so it wasn't that bad at all. When we got there we still had plenty of time to go into Yellowstone and have a look around. Monday was really really windy and kind of chilly to say the least. Then Tuesday we had a fun filled day with many many stops and lots of beautiful scenery. We didn't really see tons of wildlife out and about. We saw some buffalo and elk and a bald eagle and it's HUGE nest! On Wednesday we headed up to the northern part of Yellowstone to see what was up there. There's not much up there so that day wasn't all that exciting. We did however get stuck in and hour or so of no moving traffic and so the guys got out and played a little football in the middle of the road. A little bit later we say a buffalo that was limping walking along side the road. It almost crossed in front of us but decided to cut in right behind us instead. When it walked by our car I could have stuck my hand out and pet it as it went by but decided against it with it being crippled and all. It might have been a bit testy, who knows!!! On Wednesday my camera also broke so I didn't get any pictures up at Grandma Coopers house or anything. I was so bummed. We had a blast though and can't wait to do it again. We were all worn out after the long 8 hour drive home and slept well that night. I am finally caught up on laundry and I can't tell you how good that feels!!!:) Pics are below. I hope you enjoy!

4th of July Festivities!!!

Well well, it's been a while hasn't it. I have so much I want to blog about but no motivation at all. I made a slide show (below) with all of our pictures from the 4th of July! There are alot but what's a girl to do when you have such cute kids??!!! Here's the run down of what we did on the 4th. First thing in the morning we got up and went up to hike Donut Falls. We had lots of fun, except that we left my cousin and his wife and kids thinking that because we were a little late they had already headed up the trail. Little did we know they were only 3 minutes behind us. We met up at the top. Sorry Shay and Tiff. Maybe next time we can hike up and down together:) After the hike we headed home to shower and change. Next we were off to Josh's parents house for a BBQ and a few rousing games of volleyball. After we were all tired out there we went over to my Grandparents house to wait until it was time for fireworks. It's always nice hanging out with my family. We just can sit around, relax, mingle, and the kids love playing with my cousins that are about the same ages. We roasted mallows over my grandpa's new fire pit and made s'mores. Then it was time for the fireworks. Jaxon loved them! Brynlee did too:) She was screaming (a happy scream) and putting her hand over her mouth the whole time. Ofcouse there were some acrobatics over the fountains that made it that much more enjoyable:) The kids loved doing sparklers! When all was said and done we headed home for a much needed round of let your head hit the pillow. Both kids slept in a little bit the next morning so it was very nice. Thanks to all that let us come and hang. We really enjoyed the company! Hope everyone else had a great holiday!

Brynlee is 18 months old!!!

Brynlee turns 1 1/2 today! I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday I was bawling my eyes out because my water had broken and I didn't want to have a baby on Christmas. She was worth it though and I'm sure glad she waited a few hours so we didn't have to try to celebrate a birthday on Christmas day!:) Anyhow, we went to the doctors on Monday and he is kind of concerned about how small she is. So we'll see what happens with that. She is off the charts on all of her %'s. This is how she measures up:

Height: 27 7/8 inches
Weight: 17 lbs. 1 oz.

She is right where she is suppose to be devopementally so that's good. She is such a good natured little girl. We love her to death in our house. (She has daddy wrapped around her little finger. She gets whatever she wants from him:)

Also my sister in law Lindsay has taken up photography. She does a fabulous job and so I asked her to take Brynlee's 18 mo. pictures for me. She happily agreed and so here are some of the shots that she got. I think they turned out awesome!! Also if any of you need a photographer I'm sure she'd be happy to take your pics for you. Just let me know and I'll get you in contact with her. Thanks again Lindsay!!