Josh, Jacquelyn, Lincoln, Trey and Shane

Chillin' in his chair!

2012-01-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

I was trying to get out the door and I laid Shane down in the boys movie chair, came back maybe 2 minutes later and he was out! Then later that night put him back in it and he was all smiles, he loved it! Lincoln wanted to sit by Shane but then the camera came out and he then made sure not to smile, or at least try not to smile!

After Church

2012-01-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

I remember when my mom would make the girls all match and it drove me crazy. I remember saying "Ill never make my kids match" Now i find myself only buying stuff that matches, it just so cute! Yet. another moment of eating my own words!

Come and Ride the Train!!!

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

As most of you know we love trains at our house. Everything is a train, we have chalk train(that we draw on the chalkboard), money train, lego train, regular train, block train, and then today it was make your own train. Find any basket you could and dump whatever was in it out(fun huh). Then Lincoln the conductor rounder his troops to get in the train for a ride!

Like father like son

2012-01-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

We went to go to bed and I peeked over to look at him and found him calm and happy as can be sucking his thumb. Just a little p.s. Our little man is sleeping like a champ!! He likes to be held most of the day and does not take great naps but has be consistently sleeping from about 9 to 730!

Few New Family Pictures

2012-01-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

My mom likes to send a christmas card out every year and the only picture I had of the 5 of us was the one in the hospital. I was okay sending it out but it definitely was not a shinning moment for me. Also, Josh was still in the heat of finals so grabbing him to take a pictures was near impossible. But once he was finished and mom mom had not sent out the card we got a few outfits we had that semi went together and had my mom take a picture in the backyard. I will say the boys did great and we are happy to have a cute picture.

Shane's Blessing 1/01/2012

2012-01-06T13:18:00.001-08:00

This was the first blessing Josh did at the church and he did a great job. He was not big on the idea because he gets emotional, but he did a great job. Shane even cried through most of it and he kept his composure, stayed calm and really did a great job. I am so grateful that Josh is a worthy priesthood holder and he has been able to bless all 3 of our boys. They are so lucky and will one day really appreciate that. We are grateful for those that could make and wish that everyone could be there but understand life does not allow it, but appreciate the efforts made.

New Years' Eve

2012-01-04T19:57:00.001-08:00

Emma planned a great party for our kids, they really had so much fun! Of course our tradition is going to Benihanas, which was so much fun! Lincoln really liked watching them cook and of course loved the part when he make the volcano and then push it along like a "train". Then when he put the zucchini down he said "look there are all my freight cars". Shane was a little needy which made dinner a little difficult but it sure made for some good leftovers!

When we got home we had a dance party with glow sticks, hats and little air horn blowers. Then we played a few games with them. A little twister(but we modified it to make it a little easier for them). Then Emma would whisper to one of the kids an animal and they had to "act it out" and give the sound so the other kids could guess what animal it was. Then we had out own countdown at 9!! We put the kids to bed, played some games, busted out the martinelli and celebrate the real deal at midnight!

My Little Monster is 2!!

2012-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe trey is already 2!! He is so endearing to us right now! He has the best personality! He is always happy, loves his brothers but especially loves Lincoln. he loves and wants to do everything he is doing. Trey has a hard birthday because its right after Christmas, so everyone is tired from everything that goes along with that. Josh and I talked about how important it would be to make sure his birthday is just as special for him as it is for the other kids. I think it actually has positives with it too! So far we have been able to celebrate with extra family around which is really fun. This year John, Emma and there kids were here so we went to the aquarium(which i posted pictures of already), came home had cake and ice cream with our family and then grandma, pompom, jeff, Suz and their kids. Trey has been into diggers, and construction trucks so I thought a cake along that theme would be fun. Trey decided he wanted a train cake just like Lincoln. So train cake it was! You can tell from the pictures how happy our little Trey is. He is definitely mischievous but really a great kid!

Houston Aquarium

2012-01-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

waiting for the train

They had a little area you could touch the sting rays and fish! I was shocked that Lincoln did it but he loved it!

We found some coupons to the Houston Aquarium so on Trey's Birthday we decided to make the trip and take the kids. I think they had a ton of fun! I think the best part was the train ride into a tunnel to see the sharks. Of course my kids couldn't be more happy than on a train but it was really cool. You take a train ride into this glass tunnel and all around you are sharks swimming around.

Taking the Jeep for a Ride!

2012-01-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Grammy and Papa got Lincoln and Trey a Jepp for Chirstmas! They already love it! There is still a lot to learn but they have had a lot of fun on it already!

Christams Night at Grandma and Pompoms

2012-01-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

I love going to grandma and pompom's. They do such a great job! I think as I have gotten a little older and have kids of my own I can really appreciate all the work they go through to make this night special for everyone. Evything from the dinner the gifts(I can't imagine the amount of time shopping), the wrapping, the dessert, the gift exchange, white elephant and then I'm sure the clean once evryone is gone. We love you Grandma and Pompom, thank you for everything!

Christmas Morning 2011!

2012-01-01T19:51:00.001-08:00

Excitement doesn't get much better than this! By this picture you would have no idea he has a million trains already at home! I love it!

Littlest man taking advantage of Christmas gifts

Angry Birds--the game of the year!

(his rowing train)

The stomach flu had been going around our ward and friends i feel like for a about a month. We have tried to stay away because we really didn't want the kids, Josh during finals and especially Shane to get it. I guess we made it as long as we could because Trey was throwing up all night and then into Christmas Eve and Lincoln started on Christmas Eve and a little Christmas morning. Lincoln was not as bad but it was sad. He was so excited Christmas morning and did have a lot of fun but after about an hour into I think the excitement wore off a little and was not feeling well at all. In the middle of opening presents he asked to go to bed. It was so sad and the timing was horrible, but nothing we could do.

Lincoln wrote a letter to Santa asking for a rowing train (so of course so did Trey) and he was so happy to see that Santa was able to bring him a train! All the gift givers this year were very smart, two of everything!!

I think the more kids we have and the older our kids get the more work that goes into Christmas as a whole. I can;t imagine the amount of time, energy and work our parents went through and still go through! I'm amazing the older I get and the more experience I have with my own family how much more I appreciate my own parents. We love you guys, thank you!

Santa's Cookies

2012-01-01T19:41:00.001-08:00

I don't know if you can tell but Santa was extra lucky this year!! There was a ton of frosting on the cookies with lots of extra sprinkles!

Christmas Eve Pj's

2012-01-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Tradition in my family was to open 1 present on Christmas Eve, a pair of matching pj's! Because the 2 older boys are into to Thomas as much as they are, it was only perfect to have Christmas Thomas pj's. I found these pj's sets at target and of course didn't have Shane's size, so my new project this Christmas was making pj pants! It was actually pretty easy, definitely would of done some things different the second time around but kind of fun!

Josh also got me some new pj's this year and I love them. Some new sweat pants and then a U of H t-shirt(my typical pj set)!

We didn't get a picture with all 3 of them because Trey decided to be a chump, so we got one of him in the corner! Oh well, you win some you loose some! Maybe next year!

Christmas Visitors

2012-01-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

Papa getting suckered into watching train crashes, the boys favorite

(Lincoln taking Marian for a ride in his new car)

John, Emma and their 3 kids all drove down from Utah this year. They got here around the 21st and wont go back until the 3rd. We have had a ton of fun and the kids have all played really well together. These are definitely the moments we miss being by everyone and having cousin for our boys to play with. I think Josh and I have missed it too because we have been able to put the kids down at my parents and then all the adults stay up, talk, snack and play games.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2012-01-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

Candy trains--you know this one went over really well

Reindeer Food(muddy Buddies)

Painting Nativity

Watching Christmas Movies

Christmas Lights

Christmas cookies

This year Lincoln has been way into how many days until Christmas, so we decided to make a paper chain to help with the count down. Each day we did a new fun "Christmas thing". I think it was fun for the boys and something to look forward to. There were definitely some cheat days in there, like watching Christmas movie or singing Christmas songs that didn't require too much work, but all in all I really think it was a lot of fun. Being home with the boys has been so much fun for me. It has been busy and some days its 11 and I'm lucky if any of the kids are dressed for the day but it has been fun to just be with them and fun for me to plan fun activities during the day.

Our Buckeyes

2011-11-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

Shane's 1 Month old

2011-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

AT his 3 week appointment he weighed 11lb 4 oz and was 22 1/4 inches long!! Our big little boy!

Our sweet Boys!

2011-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

Trey was done taking pictures at this point! We just love our boys!! I think they will be great buddies!

Look who's 3!!!

2011-11-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Trey liked eating the candles more than the cake Trey loved this gift just as much as Lincoln, so much it was a fight over who got it. Trey didnt understand why he would get this and not him! So i guess grammy and Papa know what to get Trey for his birthday!

Our Little Lincoln is 3!! Sometimes I feel like he has been here a lot longer than that, but other times i can't believe he is 3!! With Shane so little we didnt do a whole lot on his birthday but we had fun! Im not sure if its the Polar Express movie, Thomas pillow, big train track, train cake or even the train puzzle and sweatshirt that gave it away but Lincoln is way into trains, so of course everything had to do with a train! Everyone was smart to give train gifts, because he was just as excited with each gift. Thank you to everyone!

Grandma Petersen

2011-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have Josh's mom come to help and visit for 9 days!! It was great and we all loved it. She came the perfect time. I know it ended up being ' lot of work and I'm sure she just crashed when she got home but about 2 or 3 days after she was here Shane got RSV. It was a little scary and very restless. The doctor told us to really watch him because there is possibility he could stop breathing(something no mom wants to hear about her baby). So most of the night I laid with him on the couch and made sure i could tell he was still breathing. Then come morning, Josh's mom would take him and the boys and I would go lay down for a little bit. It was rough but like i said I would not of been able to make it without her. We had a little birthday celebration for Lincoln while she was here too. She gave him the Polar Express!! He just died and I don't think there has been a day we have not watched it. Lincoln and trey just adored Kathie. She would play trains with them, draw, color, play play-dough, read books, you name it. It didnt take very long for either of them to realize that grandma would do anything for them. We were so grateful and super excited to have her. Cant wait to see her and Papa in May!

Our Little Monsters!

2011-11-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Trunk or Treat!

Legends are born in October!

2011-11-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

I normally dont mind being in the hospital but going through the night and Josh being in school was just not relaxing, so we left Tuesday night when Josh got done with school. It was perfect because my parents took the boys to there house so it was just the 3 of us and I felt like i was able to sleep much better.

I have to admit the shirt idea was not ours!! John mentioned to Josh when he was just barley up there how lucky we were to have a boy born in October because he could come home in the hospital wearing this shirt. Of course I loved the idea, so I made the shirt. For those that don't know the playoff baseball slogan is "legends are born in October" Cute idea huh!!

More Pictures in the Hospital

2011-11-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

Boys first visit

2011-11-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

The first time Lincoln and Trey came to see the boys they were so cute! Josh and I were so excited for them to see Shane for the first time we started to get antsy waiting for them to wake up from there naps! They had drawn cute pictures for Shane and brought the little stuffed animal alligator for him. They came in looking for him and it was so cute! They were a little nervous of me with the I.V. and the bed, but eventually came and sat with me.

Mom/ Grandma/ Pompom

2011-11-04T07:15:00.001-07:00

He had a few visitors in the hospital but only got a few pictures! Grandma and Pom pom got the first picture that he was here from dad and they came right over. I am so glad they live so close its really fun having them around!

SHANE LEONARD PETERSEN

2011-11-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

9LB 6oz 21 1/4 inches long

When deciding the name we had it between 2 names. We would ask the boys what they thought and it wasn't until Lincoln started calling him Shane all the time that I really decided that is what I wanted to name him. I thought it was so cute he would call him that. As far as the middle name, we like to use the middle name to name sake. We have been so lucky to have 3 boys to name them after Josh and our dads. When we knew Shane was a boy there was no question his middle name would be Leonard. I feel like Shane is so lucky to be name saked after his grandpa Petersen. I love everything about Leonard and have always felt loved like a daughter from him. He is such a great example of showing love of his family and most importantly Heavenly Father. There are so many attributes of Leonard that I hope all our boys will see and take after and I hope one day all our boys will realize how lucky they are to be named after the great men in there lives.

Going into Labor and the Delivery!

2011-11-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Finally I have had a chance to post pictures of our newest little one! We love him to death and can't believe we have 3 little boys! I want to write about the delivery but don't feel like you have to read it. i just want to have it so that one day if I ever wanted to we could go back and read it. So I was scheduled for my induction Tuesday morning and that was going to be perfect. Josh really shouldn't miss Monday and Wednesday classes, my parents were back in town and we had worked out a schedule with them and the boys and it was going to be perfect. I will admit I was a little disappointed because I felt like we wanted the sex to be a surprise and that went out the window when he was not shy in the ultrasound. So i thought well I really want to go into labor on my own and that will be exciting. But getting bigger each moment and not sleeping because I was uncomfortable the induction sounded much better. Of course a week before this I would of died to know i was going to have to wait until Tuesday morning but it was now Sunday night and plans were made and it was perfect. We had just gotten home from my parents and I decided to get in the bath. When i got out and was drying off I still had a little water running down my legs. I thought I have either completely lost control or my water was leaking. I went to the restroom and when i stood back up same thing. So I went to tell Josh, we called the doctor and she told us to go in. So we called my mom and she came right over. When I got to the hospital I was feeling some contractions but they were not bad. We got there at about 1130pm. The nurse checked me, and all the sudden my water actually broke, so of course they admitted me. The nurse called the doctor on call and because those doctors dont like to come into the hospital in the middle of the night unless they have to, they told me they would not start me on any pitosin until morning. My contractions were starting to get stronger and I was starting to have to breathe through them. One of the nurses I guess was watching my monitor and noticed the contractions coming pretty consistently and pretty strong. She told me the anesthesiologist was here right now but would be going down to the ER and they didnt know when he would be back. I figured I knew I was getting the epidural and didn't want to feel anything so decided to get the epidural then even though i knew it would slow down my contractions. I have to admit the epidural probably worked the best of any of the ones I have received but he did a horrible job of putting it in. I think he stuck the needle in at least 3 or 4 times. When I saw Josh stand up and start to pace I figured he was having issues. He did finally get it and it worked great. When he left the room, Josh was a little bugged and said "What is he Doogie Howser?"Of course we went through the night, getting woken up at least every 2 hours, listening to the alarm of my blood pressure going off. Morning came and they said they would start me on the pitosin about 830 and not until about 930 did they really start me. My doctor was at a different hospital and they didn't want me to go to fast. The nurse checked me and I was about a 4 and then about an hour and half later I was feeling some pressure. I called the nurse and I was ready, except he was still posterior. My parents had been there earlier but with my history decided to leave for a little bit to help with the boys and then would come back. Luckily they walked in the door right when the nurse said I was a 10. Although I was a 10 because he was still posterior she told me to labor a little longer to get him to come down a little. It would be better for the baby and I was less likely to tear. So about 45 minutes and I was really feeling pressure so the nurse had me push once and she said yup your ready. I pushed once and then she said okay we are calling the doctor and I want you to push but not hard. She said push only because you have to but he is close enough we want to give the doctor enough time to get here. Because of the pressure and contractions my body was kind of just pushing him out on its own. The nurse (which has been a patient of my dads for 20 years) was ready to deliver the baby. She was a great nurse. She was stretching me the whole time and just great, i really was not worried if she was going to have to deliver the baby. Right then Dr. Galvan walked in, not really knowing I was this close. The nurses hurried him to put on his gloves and I think I pushed one set and he was here!!! The nurses helping with coaching during pushing were great! I really couldn't of been happier with this experience. Josh cut the umbilical code and they handed us our little man!! Long dark hair, 9lb 6oz and 19 1/4 inches!!! He was strong and he was healthy. I guess with big babies they have blood sugar level issues at first but that was fine within an hour or so. They did and echo on his heart and everything was great with that too. We couldn't be happier for our newest little man!

Halloween cookies

2011-10-26T10:20:00.001-07:00

We decided to decorate some Halloween cookies to take to some people and BOO them!! After we finished the cookies they were great but maybe only appealing to a Grammy who thought they were so cute when really you wonder how much frosting was used on each cookie! The boys have really been into painting lately so I figured this was perfect but I can't tell you how funny it was when Trey figured out it was edible!!! Forget icing the cookies, he ate so much frosting!!

Painting Pumpkins

2011-10-26T10:14:00.001-07:00

This last week I was able to be home with the boys before our little man came. As ready as I was to not be pregnant anymore it was really good to be with the boys and do some fun stuff!

Brian's Fire Truck!!

2011-08-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

Lincoln has been asking for months to go on Brian's fire truck, so he of course took them and Lincoln and Trey just cried when we first got there!! Lincoln gets a little nervous but I was really surprised with Trey. Brian really made it so much fun for the kids. We all piled into the truck and took a ride around the block. He let them turn on the lights and climb up the ladder. It really was so much fun. Brian was really good to try and let Lincoln be the one to do the stuff because we don't live there but he was too nervous to do anything. He still talks about it anytime we see a fire truck. He will ask to go on Brian's fire truck so I hope next time we are there he will be a little more brave!

JB's Birthday!

2011-08-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Emma did such a great job with his party! It was airplane theme and that is Trey's thing so of course he loved it! The cousins really had a fun time playing together, I hate that we live so far! I cant tell you how many times Lincoln asks to play with his cousins, it makes me so sad.

The Candy Man

2011-08-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Brian to all the nieces and nephews up here is known as the candy man!! I think Brian was making up for lost time, becuase he took Lincoln to the store and bought him two 2-liter bottles of soda, ice cream, and i think at least 10 packages of candy! Lincoln was in heaven!!

Visit with Kam!

2011-08-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

This was a quick visit with Kam, but it was so good to see her!! You can tell Trey juts loved her!! Don't you just hate your cute friends, I look so huge compared to her! Love you Kam and thanks for making the effort to come see us!

Adam, Collin, Eden and Shannon

2011-08-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Playing a little cards!! Collin was so good with Linc Before we went to Idaho we were able to spend the day with Adam and the kids and then that night with Shannon. I don't know who was more excited to see who, Collin or Josh. Collin has always been Josh's little buddy and Collin just clings to him. He told Shannon before i got there that I always get to snuggle Josh so the night we have a sleep over its his turn!! What a sweet relationship they have, it really is so cute! Poor little E in her cast! That girl had a full body cast but as happy as could be. Very independent for not really being able to move. We had a great time, and were so glad to be able to stay!

Feeding the Ducks

2011-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

The last day we were there, i knew i needed to get the boys out before we sat in the car for 4 hours! Shaunie and Kel came with me to feed the ducks and show them the water fall/garden at BYU Idaho! Feeding the ducks was fun, until they started getting just a little too close! The boys loved it and I am so grateful for Shaunie and Kel, they were so good to play with the boys the whole time we were there. Lincoln and Trey really are lucky to have them as there aunts!

Making Boats with Papa!

2011-08-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

This was right up the boys alley!! Papa brought home some peas from the garden, showed the boys how to open them to eat the peas and then they made boats from the pods. It was so cute and loved watching every minute of the boys spend with there Papa Petersen! This is one of the main reasons we came. I love living by my parents and love seeing the relationship our kids have with them, but it makes me so sad that they don't get that as much with Josh's parents. I want to always try as best as we can to make it possible to allow them to have these memories, they mean so much to Josh and I, and Im sure will someday mean as much to our boys!

Pictures just around the house

2011-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

Grandma was Lincolns best friend Shaunie was the best with the kids! Trey loved his aunt Rachel!! We were also able to see Brett, Cory and there little one Lucian, except he is not so little. I hate how much we miss with these little ones. They grow up so fast. Rach, Steve, Hallie and Natalie stayed a few days at the house with us too which was great. We didn't think we were going to be able to see them so it was so fun to spend a few days with them. Lincoln and Hallie were able to warm up to each other by the end, and really play well together. Lincoln will still ask if we are going to play with Hallie today. It makes me so sad to not live close. And did you check out those checks on Natalie. I feel like I could of just squeezed here to death the whole time we were there, she was so cute!

A little time with Sam, Sheerstie and Jaylee!

2011-08-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

We just love these guys!! We wish we could of spend more time, but life gets crazy and they live a little further away now!! Jaylee is getting so big and we just love her to death!

Floating the River and FISHING!!!

2011-08-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

Working him too hard! Skipping rocks!! Boys will be BOYS! Packing up!! Under the Bridge! Lincoln would of done this over and over again! Tired boy!! Slept for almost 2 hours! Still went in the freezing cold water but wasn't patient enough to catch anything First fish caught for the day! Lincoln couldn't believe it! Fishing with Daddy! Happy as always Lincoln didn't really care to hold the worm Lincoln helping Papa get the fishing rod ready Trey was so excited to get in the water but didn't know it was so cold!! He only lasted a few seconds, and then wanted out! WHen we decided to come, Papa Petersen told Lincoln he would take them fishing. He has never been but all he did was talk about Papa Petersen taking him fishing. We were a little worried he wouldn't like it because he can get a little shy with new things but he loved it!! Oh and of course one of my favorite parts!! ICE CREAM on the way home, family tradition!

Idaho Trip!! Saying Goodbye to the Iona House

2011-08-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

When we first drove into Idaho, there was a little work that needed to be done on the house so we went and played in the yard. The boys just loved it. Shaunie and Kel played with them on the trap, and they played with the hose, the cat, the garden, and played on the swing. It was a lot of fun to go back on last time. Don't you just love the flowers they just planted!!

Astros Friday Night Fireworks Game

2011-07-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

While Christy and the kids were here we went to the Astros game! It kind of fit right in with what the boys did while they were here. Grammy had bought some gloves for the kids and every night they would wait for Papa to get home and have there own little baseball game in the driveway!

The tickets we had were so awesome! In the first inning there was a foul ball hit along the 1st base line, and Josh leaned over the rail, while holding Lincoln to catch the ball. It one hopped and hit his hand and landed right in front of them, so the ball boy came and gave it to Lincoln. It was almost the greatest catch ever. But either way Lincoln couldn't of been more happy to get a ball.

He of course loved the fireworks but i think because we were so close he got a little scared but them after a minute or so he kept pushing Joshs hands off his ears and just loved watching the fireworks

Train Museum!

2011-07-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

I had a coupon to the Train Museum, so we thought we would check it out! Nothing fancy but the boys, especially Lincoln keeps talking about it, so i guess definitely worth the 4 bucks!!

4th of July

2011-07-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

The boys absolutely just loved the fireworks. Nothing against being in Texas, but seeing how much they loved the fireworks I wish so bad we were in Idaho. If possible I would love to make it there next year so the boys can see an even better show!! We still had tons of fun! We told Lincoln the fireworks were coming at 9:30 so he kept going inside every minute to look at the clock, asking what time it was. It really was so cute. Then when the fireworks came he kept saying the colors and that there was a "crack and a pop". I love the face on Trey! It was almost like every time another firework would come it was just as new as the last one!

His and Her Birthday Party

2011-07-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

One of our good friends has a birthday a few days apart from Josh so we had a little BBQ and little swimming at my parents for their birthday! We had a lot of fun and are so grateful for all our great friends we have around here.

Happy 29th Birthday Josh ;-)

2011-07-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

The boys love helping make things right now, but especially like the sweet stuff because I let them each have something to lick afterwards!! We love you Josh and are so proud of everything you have accomplished in 31 years!! Sorry Im letting your secret out! We love spending every minute we can with you and can't wait to see what life brings us this next year together, love you!

Happy Fathers Day

2011-07-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Breakfast in bed... except half of Treys pancake to daddy didn't make it! I am so grateful for all the dads in my life! Josh is such a great dad! He is so busy with school and not able to be around as much as he would like but every moment he is, he just loves those boys to pieces! You see him light up every time he talks about them, and probably to other people talks about them too much! I am also grateful to Josh's dad for the example he set for Josh. I know Josh has learned a lot from him and I couldn't be more thankful for such a great father in-law. I am especially grateful for my dad and all he has done for me. As I parent my own kids I find each day i grow a greater appreciation for my own parents. I'm grateful for the close relationship I have with my dad. Grateful I am able to work with him and even more grateful I'm close enough with him to know my dad's little corks. Happy Fathers Day Dads!!

Summer Fun with Grammy and Papa

2011-07-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

These boys are such water bugs, they ove it so much! We pretty much just live in grammy and papas pool!

San Antonio's Riverwalk and the Alamo

2011-07-20T19:58:00.001-07:00

This was a lot of fun too! Josh had never been to San Antonio and the riverwalk was nothing like he expected it to be like. My mom kept telling us we better get down to eat early because it will fill up and will be too crowded and Josh thought that to be funny until be got down there and realized the restaurants were really right up against the river. This trip really was a ton of fun, and I would love to go again!

Hotel "water Park"

2011-07-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

playing hard!! Crazy Kid! Around and Around they went!

First Hotel Stay as family

2011-07-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the J.W. Marriott, which is this really nice resort in San Antonio. It was fun to be in the room with just our family for the first time, and I'm sure the first of many! These are some cute pictures of the boys with there daddy having there first pillow fight!

Sea World

2011-07-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I got a coupon in the mail for Sea World and with the boys both being free this year, i felt like we should really make the trip!! We had so much fun! The boys loved it! Lincoln loves trains and then of course because Lincoln loves it, so does Trey. The whole time they loved seeing the roller coaster because they thought it was a train! They really loved Shamu! We went to the show and sat in the splash zone which was maybe a little mistake. I didn't realize how cold the water was. We took the boys shirts off because we didnt want them to get soaked but once we got splash i think it surprised them both and they started to cry. They got over it really quick and still was so much fun!

This is Trey, Always!

2011-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture, it perfectly describes Trey and his normal mood!!

Fun Pictures with Daddy

2011-05-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Josh has been in final mode for the last 2 months but especially the last month, so he was gone a lot so had his computer with him, so i was not able to blog. Josh tried to really make a point to wake up early and study all day and then come home about an hour before the boys went down and play with them! The boys just ate it up! These are a few pictures I was able to get with them. (Except this morning, Lincoln convinced his Daddy to stay and cuddle)

Mothers Day

2011-05-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

I had a delayed mothers Day this year because of how Josh's finals landed. So this last sunday we celebrated! I got to sleep in and he made a really good dinner! The boys were probably as crazy as I have ever seen them that night but things dont change with them just because of the day! I still get to be a mom, and do all the fun things that come with it!

Easter Outfits

2011-05-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Shannon sent me a really cute pattern for little boys ties so I decided to give it a try! They turned out really cute, a few things i would do different next time and no one should look too close but they are cute and cheap! There was one small problem the boys heads where too big to have Josh tie the tie and slip it over there heads so he had to tie it on them. Surprisingly Trey did awesome which is why I was able to get a picture.

Easter Morning and at Grammy's

2011-05-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

of course mom's table was decorated so cute! Peeps... Daddy's favorite Easter treat, can you tell who agrees with him! I think the Easter "funny" as Lincoln calls him, did well this year with the swimming pool basketball hoop!

Dying Easter Eggs!

2011-05-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

This is always a mess but really fun to watch the kids! The big secret to get off the dye is toothpaste. Last summer when we were about to take family pictures I left the kids with Josh and he let Linc have red Kool-Aid, so we looked up ways to get that off his face and toothpaste saved us for that and also for this!!

Some Videos of Egg Hunting!

2011-05-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Hunting at the Church

2011-05-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

Helping Move!

2011-04-03T06:51:00.001-07:00

Chelsea one of my really good friends here just moved into a new house!!! It is so cute and I know its perfect for them! Josh went over to help them move yesterday so I took the boys to hang out, and this is how much help they were! Chels bought donuts and you know my kids were all over that!

Summer in Texas already!!

2011-03-29T18:10:00.001-07:00

I shouldn't even tell all the family away from us still suffering in the cold that we did cheat a little. We did heat the pool to take off the chill. For sure would of been too cold without but it was so nice outside! Trey is my crazy man! We definitely will have to watch him. Lincoln, not so much!! He is fine to float around in the float, or making sure someone is in arms length. He loves jumping off the end though so i think it will just take going out a few more times, but they both love the water and have tons of fun!

Houston Zoo with Aspen!

2011-03-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

We met Jennifer and Aspen at the zoo on Friday and the kids had so much fun! Lincoln and Aspen really played well together and had so much fun! I was surprised Lincoln even went into the petting zoo but he loved it. He walked right up to the animal, barley touched and ran away as fast as he could. Then of course Trey just stood there hitting hit! We had to make sure he was being soft. What different personalities these two have.

Daddy and his boys

2011-03-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

The weather was just perfect yesterday so we took the boys to the driving range, and of course they just loved it!!

4 years!!

2011-03-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Well we made it!! There are so many times I cant believe its been 5 years including dating and other times it feels like its been a lot longer. I will say we have accomplished a lot in 4 years. A bachelor and master in accounting, a dental hygiene degree, 2 kids, a move to texas, almost 2 years of law school, and we hope much more accomplishments to come. I love Josh so much and couldn't be happier. Life gets hard and I'm grateful he and I can fight through it together. We had a great anniversary, nothing big but a nice date, just the two of us, and we loved it!

I almost Forgot... the mani, pedi!

2011-02-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

I think for all the weddings, or at least the last few weddings, my mom has treated us girls to a manicure and pedicure! Its a fun girls thing we get to do! This little place was so cute! It was a really fun atmosphere and they had yummy food for all of us!

Lincoln was in Heaven

2011-02-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

Jeff and Suz just finished there backyard and part of it was a little putting green! It was a little cold and had snowed the whole day before, so Jeff and Ryan got off all the snow so Lincoln could play and he just loved it. Poor little things was so bundled he could hardly move but it was so dang cute to watch him pay!

More then just the Wedding in Utah!

2011-02-26T19:25:00.001-08:00

We were so lucky this trip because we were able to see a lot of Josh's family as well! Josh's mom drove down from Idaho to help us with the boys. Because we had so much going on and not a lot of it was meant for the boys, she was great to take them and they LOVED HER! I was a little nervous they would not go with her because Lincoln gets shy but they just clung to her, and they continue to just talk about her. I wish his parents lived closer but so grateful they come when they can. THANK THANK AGAIN

Shannon, Collin and Eden of course live in Orem still and we were able to see Shannon at the wedding and then spent the night one night at there house and spend a little more time with them. We wish it could of been longer but it was still great to see them. I think she took some pictures, so i need to get them from her. While we were at Shannon's Sunday morning it just so happened that Cory and Brett were in town as well. So we were able to see them and there sweet little Lucian. He has gotten so big I cant believe it. he is almost bigger than Trey! (our poor short little boys)

We were also able to see Steve, Rach, Hallie and Natalie. This was the first time for us to meet sweet little Natalie and she was so cute! She is a little chunk and I love it. She was so happy and so cute. And of course little Hallie, talking like crazy. I love her little personality and the things she comes up with! We wish so bad we lived by more of our family, but it was so great to see everyone!

Derek and Brittanys Wedding!

2011-02-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

Wallin's and the Butlers Waiting for pictures, you can tell Trey was super excited! the Butlers Derek and Brit with most of the cousins Our family Emma, Jenny and I Having FUN Getting Crazy the send off! I stole a few of the pictures from Emmas blog, and once I find more Ill post more! The reception was beautiful! My mom put in a lot of work and it turned out so well! We had a lot of fun dancing, and the food was great! Sad to say this is the last Butler Wedding!

the Wedding!! Daddy Daughter Dance!

2011-02-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

You have to check this out!! My dad and Britty had such a cute Daddy Daughter Dance!http://davidperryfilms.squarespace.com/blog/2011/2/21/fun-daddy-daughter-dance.html

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

For one of our RS activities we made these candy bouquets, which I thought was such a cute idea. After I made one for Josh and was thinking about what to do for the boys, i thought what better than to put together the same thing with some of there favorites! I think they turned out so cute! I was sad to not be able to be with the boys on Valentines Day but Grammy did a great job of spoiling them with lots of candy, and "cake pops" Lincoln's favorite! Grammy did such a good job I couldn't use candy as a bribe to save my life that night!

Trey and his Daddy!

2011-02-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

I love this video, it is so cute!! Trey is such a good baby(I'm not such I'll be able to call him a baby much longer, he is getting so big) I love that he just loves life, and that he laughs so easily!

Lincoln and Daddy

2011-02-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

Of course Lincoln is still a huge Daddy's fan!! He loves hanging out with him! Lincoln's new thing is to watch Toy Story 3 with a little Fruit Loops in the morning, and this particular morning he really wanted his Daddy to come in with him!

Back in January!! Sam, Sheerstie and Jaylee

2011-02-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

I am so behind... these next 5 blogs are just for Rachel!! All at once! Sam, Sheerstie and Jaylee cam about a month ago to vivit us. It was so much fun, we just loved it. I didnt take a whole lot of pictures which I was bummed about but we really had a lot of fun. Of course we had to go to some of our favorite restaurants, Taste of Texas, and Rudy's. We also made our way to the Galleria, Charming Charlie's and of course the boys played a lot of golf. We wish they could of stayed longer but were so excited they were able to come. Of course we loved them being here which then of course made it hard for them to leave. We wish we lived in a perfect world and we lived close to each other.

Birthday party! Ball Party!

2011-01-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Just like his brother he loves to play with any kind of ball, so we took the few ideas we were going to use for Lincoln's party last year and made a really fun, cute party for Trey. The decorations were a hit for all the kids! I forgot to get a picture of the ceiling but we had a bunch of the small blowup balls all hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen. it was my favorite decorations!

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My Baby is 1!!!

2011-01-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

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Look at how little he was! I really can't believe where this last year went! I feel like it was just yesterday and we were singing Happy Birthday to Lincoln on his 1st birthday! Well i guess we were! Really this last year has been busy but has been a lot of fun! Walking at 11 months and now all over the place. Now Josh plays football with the boys and when Trey gets the ball, he walks as fast as he can, laughing the whole time!(He thinks he is so fast) He loves Lincoln, and wants to do everything he is doing, except for eating. We wish Lincoln would take after his little brother and eat at least half of what he does! Definitely starting to talk a little, soccer, ball, thank-you(this is one is very new) momma, dadda, and tries to repeat everything. Now knows how to point at what he wants which helps. Sleeps in the same room as his big brother and one of our favorite things is listening to them laugh in the mornings when they wake up. Trey is a very sweet natured kid, and is always happy. Staring to voice his opinion but normally laughing. Trey was our happy surprise and I couldn't imagine life without him. He makes everyone around him smile!

Christmas Videos

2011-01-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

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Cousin Book!

2011-01-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

Shaunie, Josh's sister made this book for all the cousins on Josh's side. It is the cutest book. Each page has pictures of the different cousins and then a few pages in the back are pictures of some of the cousins together! With all the excitement, Lincoln sat and read this book i think 3 times through just asking "Who that"! It was so cute, thanks so much Shaunie!

Christmas Morning!

2011-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas with kids.. they get so excited and make the morning so much fun! All the cousins had fun showing each other what Santa brought! We figured Lincoln would be so much fun but didn't think Trey would be as animated as he was. He really was so cute and so much fun to watch.

CHRISTMAS EVE

2011-01-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

These are just a few pictures I took of Christmas Eve! One of the traditions in our house growing up, was dressing up and acting out the christmas story, of Christ's birth as my dad read from the scriptures. This year my mom and brother went over to Jerusalem and while there got some dress up clothes for each family to have for there own. It really is a fun thing to do with kids... we lost about half of them by the time we did it, so maybe next year we will do it earlier!

Christmas Eve At Grannys

2011-01-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to Granny's for Christmas Eve... and each year we add to the numbers! Lincoln loved Granny's, her backyard is a golf course!!

7/10th were 2 and under!

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

These 3 were TROUBLE! The three 2 year olds! 7 of the 10 kids were 2 and under! Crazy, huh! It really was so crazy, not a dull moment, not a silent moment but it was so much fun! I can't believe they were all able to be here for so long. It started to feel like they lived here!

Houston Museum

2011-01-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

My mom had all kinds of fun things planned for the kids, and the museum was one of them. I only took Lincoln to the Dinosaur Museum when we were living in Utah and this was so much fun. There was a lot more for the kids to do and perfect for all the kids!

Houston Zoo!

2011-01-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to the zoo one of the days and they loved it! They were all so goo and it really was a ton of fun! My mom bought a year long pass for the whole year so I'm excited to take the boys again!

Christmas in the United States

2011-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

We had the cutest Santa come to my parents house to celebrate Christmas in the U.S. He really was so good, he read them stories, gave them a little candy, and the kids didn't seem to be too scared to go and talk with him!

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Christmas in Different Countries! MEXICO

2011-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

My mom decided while we were all here for Christmas to do a theme each day! Would talked about different ways people in different countries celebrated Christmas! I dont think they really understood, or at least most of them, but I think the kids really had tons of fun! They expected a different hat each day! This was Christmas in Mexico!!

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Catch Up!! Trey Walking

2011-01-05T18:05:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened in the last month!! Towards the beginning to mid November this was our little man starting to walk!! He of course is now everywhere and doing so much better. Its amazing how one minute they are so unstable and the next walking across the room.

Lincoln Using the "Big Ones" golf clubs

2010-12-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

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Of course Lincoln couldn't wait to play with his new clubs after his birthday, but this was the day after, but of course took me forever to post!

Kids Party!

2010-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Lincoln wanted to of course go golfing on his birthday, so i took him and his friends, with of course a little help. Chels and her little baby Sadie came to help manage the 3 two year olds

The reaction we were hoping for

2010-11-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

Grammy and Papa bought his first set of golf clubs and his reactions was so cute!!

Dinner and cake

2010-11-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

(his first set of golf clubs... he knew the names of every club in the bag and was so excited to have the"big ones") already sharing with his buddy

(we know someone at least liked the cake)

My mom, dad and grandma and pompom came over and we had a little tri-tip and asparagus... i know you would not think a meal for a 2 year old but when he actually eats, he has a very mature palate. Opened a few presents and then had a little cake. We missed Lincoln's twin this year, maybe when they move here we will have another joint party.

The Cake

2010-11-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

I took Lincoln to the cake shop to get a few things for his cake and he was so excited, I would ask him" Lincoln who has a birthday on Friday?' and he would say"cake!" Golf is definitely one of his favorite things right now so we did a "golfing hole", with the golf cart and all his favorite characters as spectators. I thought it turned out okay!

Can you Believe 2!!

2010-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

It feels like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, and now he is talking, playing any kind of sport he can think of, excited about life and figuring something out new everyday. Lincoln is at such a fun stage right now. He loves to tell you colors of things, can count, can tell you his letters, and numbers, loves backyardagains, Sesame Street, Handy Manny, golf(going to the Alvin course and be on the golf cart), basketball, baseball. He loves airplanes and trains. He still loves his baths, and loves his music in the car. Most popular request is monkeys...#2 on the CD. Lincoln is very observant and picks things up really fast. We think this is why a 2 year old can swing the golf club as well if not better than his daddy. He loves Trey right now. Sometimes does not like him playing with his toys and can be a bully, but the best thing is to hear them playing together and laughing together. Right now he really loves his daddy. Sometimes I get a little jealous but it really is cute. Almost every morning he grabs dino(the little green dinosaur grandma and pompom gave for Christmas which he sleeps with every night) milk and pillow, walks up the Josh's side of the be and says"oh hi daddy" and comes in to cuddle his daddy. Josh is gone a lot at night and normally is not able to see Lincoln and so this is Lincoln's time to be with daddy. Loves going over the Grammy and Papas house. Sometimes i think he likes them better than me, but thats what a grammy and papa are for. Loves going on walks and playing soccer at Lost Creek, after our walks with Chelsea and Sadie. Talks about the temple and the airplanes he sees there. Loves to play with his friends Logan and Austin. Loves to say pray, and i love to see him fold his arms. He normally mentions everything he sees in the room, or something he did that day, and then of course at the end, throws his arms in the air and yells "Amen". This stage is just so endearing, and you love to see them grow, but hate to see them get older.

A few more of Marian and Lincoln going Door to Door!

2010-11-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

the Cru-Brooks!

2010-11-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Little Brooks was only a few days old, and in a room with 12 other grandkids could get a little crazy, but other than him we had all the grandkids! i dont think we have ever take a picture with that has gone this well. No break downs, they just sat there and smiled... it was great!!

Some Halloween Pictures of the boys!

2010-11-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

Halloween Videos

2010-11-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

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You can tell who we featured!! We just love the twins!

Cute Video with Christian

2010-11-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

I feel like I really didn't get the cute part of them playing, but still cute. I love to see My kids playing with there cousins. That is definitely one thing I miss about being in Texas, but Im so glad we are able to visit as much as we are!

Christian has always been a sweet natured kid, and Im sure has had to learn to fend for himself, over the years, so when Lincoln came to take one of the bowling pins, Christian was not having it, until I asked if lincoln could play with him, and then it was so cute. He of course said,"yes" and then when Lincoln would knock over the pins he would cheer for him. I just love Christian and love that he is still so sweet natured.

Of Course the Hodsons...

2010-11-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

When we were living there, Christy helped me with Lincoln while I worked, so Lincoln is kind of there 4th kid!! He loves the kids and they love him! It is really cute to watch. Now of course that Trey is there the feelings are the same. He is still too little but tries to get in there and play! Trey is almost too big for Morgan to walk around holding... I guess its time for another! Sorry Morgs, you will have to wait a little longer!