Bryson's First Birthday

Bryson turned 1 today!  I can't believe it has been a whole year since I was so huge, uncomfortable and anxious to get him in my arms...that year passed faster than any year I've lived so far.  And I just love my little boyfriend :)  He doesn't seem like a baby anymore, because his personality is coming out and he has perferences now!!  One of the cutest things he does is initiating a game of peek-a-boo when he's getting his diaper changed.  He'll grab the pants I took off him and put them on his face.  He LOVES that game and giggles, wiggles and grins like crazy.  I'll have to get a video of it.  He also LOVES to play tag with me, and especially when I'm chasing him and then I stop and hide behind the furniture.  He turns back and comes to find me and is startled when I yell "boo".  I got him a few presents from Kid to Kid on Monday and just stuck them in my bedroom (one of them is really big) and he went in there, found them and just started playing.  No worries, though, because he's only 1 and he'll be happy when we get it out and put it in the toy room.

Bryson's favorite food: Ice cream!  Warm milk, graham crackers, black beans, french fries, chicken, pizza.  He isn't picky
Bryson's favorite toy: Rosy, cars or things he can roll along the floor, walkers
favorite game: peek-a-boo
favorite book: ones with flaps or moving parts
sleeps: 8 p.m. til 7 or 8 a.m. always cuddling Rosy
Naps: twice, if we're at home.  If I have to work in the morning he WON'T nap in a swing at the gym and then takes a 3+ hour nap when we come home

I love Bryson so much, and I will ALWAYS be glad that we went for baby #4 (and sometimes I think he makes me want a #5, because he's growing up to quickly and it makes me a little sad.  But we won't get a #5 unless it's God's will :)

Later tonight we are going to cook up some hamburgers, eat cake and ice cream, let Bryson smash a second cake, if he isn't too cool for that, and "open" his presents.  Then the other 3 can have their turn playing with the newest baby toys :/

Bedroom shift

We had some behavoral problems between Sienna and Riley that made us think they shouldn't share a bedroom anymore.  We put Cassidy in with Sienna and it's been going so-so.  It's harder because Cassidy used to go to bed all by herself in her room downstairs and almost NEVER got out of bed.  Now that she's with Sienna, she wants and talk and play and come down the stairs a lot.  Also, I have to lay down with her to keep her in bed for nap time...which I can't always do.  Part of the problem is that she also learned how to open the baby proof doorknobs so she can come out of the room whenever she wants to.  Love this stinker :)

Reasons 875-892 why my life rocks!

More summer school lunch, this time with a princess!!

Bath time buddies...these two are in the same size diaper, because she is SO skinny and he is SO chubby.  He'll probably be in a size 4 before her :)

Summer playtime.  I have a rule that they need to play with toys and read everyday before we can turn on the TV.  Some days it works and some days it sucks

 The Gleaves came to stay with us for a little more than a week!  Bryson was doted on constantly!

We went swimming (Sienna isn't happy because she doesn't want the floatie and mom didn't want her to drown.  Sienna won that one).

Doing fireworks at my parent's 50th wedding Anniversary party!

Little Chika thinks that my label maker is some kind of phone

 Right before Livvy left I took this picture.  Right after she left, Sienna started bawling :(

Bryson is kinda sorta mobile!  He's crawling all over but because we have so many stairways, I like to stick him in the walker

Sienna slept at Jade's house to celebrate Jade's 7th birthday!

This cheesy grin is my favorite.  Just try to not smile when you look at her!

Reasons 647-662 Why I love my kids!

Because who could resist playing Frozen Monopoly with this little lady?

Nuf said

Uncle Jason got married to Jana Lee on June 10 and they had the best treat ever at their reception.  Just ask these kids!

 Riley adores Bryson.  A little too much sometimes :)

Free lunch at the elementary school.  Sometimes it's a win and sometimes not...

This girl pretends to be interested in potty training but really she just wants me to turn on a movie for her first thing in the morning.  She doesn't really use the potty (she has 1 time to date).

In June I took these two to see Beauty and the Beast at the Kaysville Theatre.  I love them :)

Always giving his mommy some kind of flower/weed.  What a sweet heart!

Riley's 6th Birthday!

The birthday bedroom streamer trap tradition continues.  Dad and Mom couldn't find any steamers the night before Riley's birthday, so it ALMOST didn't happen but Dad is awesome and made a late night trip to the store for streamers and balloons.

 Riley was having a water party so his birthday cake had to reflect that somehow.  I tried to make it look like the ocean and did okay.  I think I deserve at least a B for this :)

Riley opened a present in the morning before Dad left for work:  water swords!!

 It was hard waiting for his party to start at 2 p.m. but he was very excited when his friends started showing up!  Mom had a bunch of water games planned out for them...

Sponge target practice:

Duck duck splash with water balloons:

But soon it became clear that these kids just wanted to PLAY and so Mom gave up party control (which was a big relief, actually.  Try being the only adult with 11 or 12 kids running around!)

 Once they popped all the water balloons, they created a water slide using the sprinklers!  An accidental benefit of that, was the mud hole created in the sandbox :)

 Afterwards, we came inside for ice cream/cake and presents!

Riley loved opening the presents and received some really fun ones!  He got a water gun, spiderman web squirters, kinetic sand, and shoot, I can't remember what else.  That's what you get when you don't write it down for almost 2 months!

After his party, we went out to eat to Chik-fil-a (his choice), where he opened a new wii game (Super Mario Bros) and this rocket toy: 

 Playing with his Kinetic Sand!

 Riley is such a generous, sweet, and fun boy!  Seriously, he ALWAYS gives half (or more) of any candy or loot he gets to Sienna.  He brings me a flower (weed) from the yard almost everyday, and has the silliest facial expressions of anyone I know.  I sure love my Ry guy!