Brayden likes the tubby!

Brayden just decided one day (one of those days) that he was just going to get in the tubby fully dressed. This is the outcome!! 

Windy WOW!!

The day after we bought our new patio furniture there was a wind storm. I woke up to having 2 of our HEAVY chairs blown in the pool. They were really fun to fish out. NOT!! That is just one example of how the wind is here.

Oklahoma Land Run

When you are in 3rd Grade here in Oklahoma, you get to participate in the annual Land Run at your school.  At Northern Hills it was a day of square dancing, butter making, dressing up, having a picnic once you stake your claim, etc.  It is a BIG day for everyone involved.  

Madelyn was insistent upon bringing our toy wagon to the Land Run.  I didn't realize it was going to be her groups main wagon.  I asked her if we needed to dress it up but she told me that she would take care of it.  Well, she did.......... with cardstock, tape, and a marker.  She told me when I got there that she felt silly because her wagon was so small and messy compared to everyone else's wagons and that people were teasing her.  I told her to lift her head, smile, and laugh with them.  It really WAS funny and that's okay to laugh at yourself a little.  I told her how she shouldn't get hurt feelings about it at all.  It worked.  We had such a fun time with her little wagon!  

Whew, we won't have to do this for another 2 years!  Maybe then I will remember to really "make" a covered wagon.  Sounds like a good Cub Scout project for Bryan and Andrew!

The little boys were so excited to have a picnic of their own next to Madelyn's picnic.  :)

I ran a 5K today!!!!!

I wanted to share this on all of my blogs today because I'm just so excited!!! I've been training to run this 5k for 3 1/2 months now and today was the day.

On the way to the run I was so nervous and didn't even think I would be able to accomplish it. My stomach hurt a touch and my leg was acting up. It was a long morning. When the race was about to begin all of the sudden I started getting really excited. Excited enough to embarrass my husband, too. :) I was majorly stretching, singing songs, and just acting so silly!!

The Race. This was super hard!!! I never really knew what to expect. There were A LOT of hills that I had to climb but, you know what? I DID!!! When I finished 1K I was amazed at how fast the time went by. By the 2K I was getting a little tired. When I got to 3K I knew that I was over halfway there. When I got to 4K I was hanging in there. I actually started crying during the last K because I couldn't believe I was really doing it. I kept thinking about my father who has passed on and how proud he would have been with me for doing this. It was so neat. My husband had finished a few minutes before me and came back to run the last 50 feet or so with me. I saw the finish line and then the clock next to it ticking the time. Something in me snapped and I ran with all my might the last bit! I finished the 5K at 30 minutes and 58 seconds!!! I ran the entire race!!!! I even passed people and for awhile there nobody was right behind me!!!

What am I going to do next, you ask?? Prepare to run a 5K in October for Susan G. Koman. This time I am going to raise funds and make it mean something incredible. My daughter, who is 11, is going to train with me this summer and run it with us. What a fun thing to do together.

Thanks for letting me share this. I knew some of you would be interested. :)

Before and After

Some of you already know that I have been on a journey these past 3 months but some of you might not be aware. I started on January 5th and have continued since then. Here is a before and after pic. I still have 15 more pounds to go but I already feel like a completely different person. I am stronger, have more energy, and have a totally new outlook on life. I also love to run now. I am running my first 5K with Bryan this upcoming Saturday. I can't believe I am really going to do it. I have never thought that this would even be possible for me. Wish me luck!!! I have lost 23 pounds since January 5th and 31 pounds since December.

This is the COOLEST thing EVER!!!

Sound of Music Train Station @ Yahoo! Video

Happy Easter

This morning I remembered to snap a quick picture before we all jumped in the car for church. I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter.

My Baby Girl is 11

I still remember the day she was born. I actually went into labor on General Conference and had to walk around the park with Bryan while we listened to it on headphones. What great memories!! I remember how she used to cry all the time but would stop if we just held her. She was held a lot!!! Here she is...

Our ear piercing rule had always been at the age of 12 but we changed the rules this year when we decided that 11 was good enough.  We want to make a big deal about going into Young Women and babysitting when she is 12.  

Katelyn was SOOO nervous to get her ears pierced but was so brave when she got them done!

So sick!!

I don't think I have strep but I am definitely very sick! I knew I was getting a cold yesterday and took some meds before bed but they kept me up until 4am!!! I will not be doing that again. This morning I am very stuffed up, headache, and I actually felt like I was going to throw up right after I ate breakfast. I just don't have time to get sick this week. It is very busy for me!! Katelyn's birthday is today and we are getting her ears pierced after school. Thursday is the boys Easter Party at Mother's Day Out. Friday night the girls have their "un"slumber party. AND.... I haven't even started getting my new song ready for Primary on Sunday. Oh ya, it's Easter, too.

I had thought about asking someone to come and pick up my boys but I will be okay. I am going to put Brayden down for a nap in a bit and put Thomas on the computer. Then I should be able to get some rest. Wish me luck!

Nothin' But Trouble!!

Thomas was not allowed to have a piece of chocolate cake for dessert tonight because he didn't eat his dinner. Looks like he found a way to taste it anyway!! Before I got mad I ran and got the camera. Thanks for the idea Linnea!

Scarlet Fever and Strep Throat

So Brayden was finally feeling better from his fall the other day when we felt him getting a fever.  I decided to take him in to the dr on Friday afternoon just because he had hit his head, too, during his fall and I didn't want to take any chances.  Well, right when we got to the dr's office he developed a rash over his entire body.  The dr took one look at him and said although he is very young it looks like Scarlet Fever.  She then took the test and it was positive!!!  That would mean that Madelyn had strep since she had stayed home from school for 2 days with a high fever and a stomach ache.  The dr sent me home with 5 prescriptions for all of my kids just in case I needed to fill them.  That pretty much sums up the beginning of our weekend.

Hope you are all doing well!!!  Did I mention that my throat started hurting yesterday during the 1st session of conference?  I think mine is just a cold, though.  Hopefully!!

Brayden got a boo boo

I guess it is bound to happen to every active boy but we sure were not expecting it at 2 years old!!! Brayden fell off one of our kitchen stools tonight and cut under his chin with his fork. He had to have 9 stitches!!!! I will not go into my emotions over it but let's just say, it was very tough on a mama. I am so glad that it wasn't worse. We are lucky that he is okay. :)

Pics of the week!

Since we were stuck inside most of Saturday morning due to cold/wet/snow, this is how Thomas kept himself busy. He made a fun fort!!

Madelyn and her friend Ashley decided they were going to make a snowman even though it seemed impossible at the time.  2 hours later they succeeded!

Confession

I have a confession..... I'm not very organized. I know some of you think that I am but it is all an illusion. For example I'm sitting here finishing up my lesson for Singing Time and I am thinking about how much easier my life would be if I had all my stuff in order!!! I think that will be one of my goals this year. I just want to be the type of person that pulls out my file box and says VOILA, here it is!!! But, I'm not!

No pictures today.

Sick Boys!

Yesterday morning Bryaden started throwing up and has continued doing it for 24 hours now. This morning we were awakened by Thomas getting in our bed and waking us up by throwing up all over us at 4am. It is now 5:22 am and we are going to start our 5 hour trip home early. We are expecting the other 3 children to get it, too, and would prefer that they do that at our house instead of at a condo in Branson.

I'll blog about our trip later.

Fantastic Caverns - Day 2

Today we got up early to start on our way to Branson. We stopped along the way at Fantastic Caverns and had an awesome time. Here are some pics. I'm too tired to say anything else. I have a lot to blog about for today so I'll keep it to 3 simple posts.

Branson Trip Day 1

Hello everyone! Today we left at 5:30 pm for our Spring Break trip to Branson, Missouri. We stopped at the Holiday Express Inn 2 1/2 hours into the trip. Had fun swimming and hanging out in the room. We all slept very well even though Brayden had a fever of 101. Here are some pics of us beginning our journey. My mom was able to fly to Oklahoma to go to Branson with us. What fun!

Another Day at the Zoo

Today was so beautiful that I couldn't resist rounding up some friends to go to the Zoo.

POTD- Bootie Boy

Yep, this is our cute little boy Brayden. I found him like this a few seconds after he got out of the tubby, dripping wet, with my high heels on. I had to run to get my camera!

POTD- Clues

This is what I saw when I arrived home from the grocery store on Saturday morning. The clues were right there in front of me on who did it. I saw Bryan's shoes but knew that he was too big to fit in that car. :) I imagined my sweet little 2 year old wearing his daddy's shoes all the way out to the garage, seeing his little car, getting in a driving around with the big shoes before finally taking them off when he got out. I solved the mystery!!



Here is the happy boy showing me how much he loves this little car.

Daddy Day

The kids got a big surprise today when they arrived for their dental screening only to find out that their dad was the dentist doing it!!! I came by to visit and was able to see him giving Katelyn a screening. She was a celebrity in her class for the rest of the day. :)

A Day at the Zoo

Today was supposed to be such a beautiful day that a friend of mine and I decided to take our kids to the zoo. When we arrived it was a bit chilly and breezy. It turned out to warm up a little and we had a great time. I was going to add a bunch of pictures but this is all my computer would allow today since my Hard Drive is full on my Mac. I am (im)patiently waiting for my new external HD to arrive.

Uh Oh!!!

This is what you get when you leave a 4 year old alone with a bowl of brownie mix. I was only gone for a minute!!!

The Recorder

Do you all remember using the Recorder in 5th grade?? Well, I do!! It's so fun that now my 5th grader herself gets this fun opportunity. She brought it home this weekend to practice. It was actually pretty funny. Those memories popped right up!

The Story Teller

Our Madelyn just loves to write her own stories and tell them to all her friends. We had our home teachers over last Sunday and one of them brought a couple of his kids. Madie just couldn't wait to sit there and read her latest masterpiece to them. I'll attach the story on the bottom.



"Seven Steps"
by Madelyn Cardon

Once when there was a nice family of seven, they were watching the news. They heard there was oing to be a twister. Amy was really worried. She was eleven. She was worried because the last time there was a twister her little brother died because he thought it was a game. So he went outside and ran away from the twister saying "You can't catch me". Then the twister caught up and he died. OH NO! Said Amy. What are we going to do? I don't know said her mom. Then we have Seven Steps. Wat are those? Asked Jhonny her little brother. Those are, said Amy, Lock all the doors and windows. CHECK! Get in the closet. CHECK! Make sure everybody is in the closet. CHECK! Ah wait a minute, we don't have Sally!! OH NO! I said! I looked out the window. She was out there screaming, "You can't catch me!" I could not believe my eyes! She turned into an angel! I tried to go out there but she came up to the door and walked right into the closet! She really was an angel. But how did this happen? I figured out that it was all just a prank, Joey, My big brother set up a prank T.V. Also he got into my clothes and made the twister out of it. And he dressed up Sally. I fell for it!! He probably had help with my big sister Donna. I liked her name but not her. She ruined EVERYTHING! I wish she wasn't my sister. But I have to Love my family. And I do love them even if they get in my way. I love everybody.

THE END!

Naked Popcorn Brayden

Yes, Brayden is in his birthday suit behind that popcorn bowl. Bryan had been chasing him around the house so he could get him dressed after his tubby. This is where he ended up........ sitting on the stool in the buff eating some popcorn!

Aren't sad babies cute?

I can't remember the reason but Brayden was a sad little boy today. It was so cute how he puckered up his face that I just had to capture it on film.

Andrew Blue Eyes

Isn't she a doll??

This is my friend's baby, Emma. I am just messing with some of the pictures from our photo shoot and I came up with this. :)

Did I do that??

It was very quiet around our house this evening, which is not normal, and we didn't know where Brayden was. Usually this means he is up to something. We were right! We found him in the dining room throwing our leftover corn all over the kitchen floor. This is just how our days go lately. He is a big mess maker but we still love him bunches!

Don't try this at home!!