Congrats Steven!

Steven earned his first merit badge this month. He received the home repairs merit badge. Way to go Steven!

I am so SURPRISED!!!!

I am totally surprised. I started our blog so that family members who lived far away could keep up with pictures and how the boys are growing! Steven's aunt nominated our blog as a top blog that she reads. Which is totally sweet! So to accept this award who have to name five addictions. So here we go:

1: My Kids! I started very young with children and was told that I would never make it. However, Steven inspires everything that I do. And now with Bryce he just reiterates why God is so great! Children are such a blessing and I am so blessed with two wonderful boys. I hate going to work and I can't stand leaving them to do anything. I am totally addicted to staying around the house with them. I mean look at them! How could you not be addicted to them!?

2: Naps: Maybe I picked this up from the Steven's side of the family. When he was born MaMaw Linley always told me to sleep when he slept. She was a firm believer in naps and she told me time and time again how important they were. I listened and now I don't make it past nine if I don't squeeze some time to rest my eyes!

3: Swimming/Beach/summer: How can anyone not love the summer?! I love to swim or just float around. Plus Steven and Bryce are water babies or shall I say fish in training. My mother in law has a pool and just about everyday of not raining weather we are out and about in her pool. They are river rats so we don't collide too much. I never want to come home from the beach. We went to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for our honey moon and I wanted to move their for good.

4: Sweets are my downfall! I love cake, icing,candy, cookies, and anything that has sugar in it! I will have to add coca cola's in here but I am determined not to drink them! I have cut myself down to one coke a day and the rest has to be water! I'm trying!

5: I am for sure addicted to my husband. He is always there for me and is my best friend. I cannot imagine being without him. He has a humor that few get but I love it! We are two peas in a pod and I thank God daily for pointing me in his direction.

So I am supposed to nominate someone who I read. I do nominate The Angleas.

Class of 2015!!!!

I cannot believe how old my child is. It seems just like yesterday that I was sitting on good ol' 11th St SE playing in the backyard with my little toddler! He amazes me on how grown up he has become. He is even as tall as me when he has on his shoes!

He went to his first basketball game for school last night. I cannot believe that he is even old enough to do this! Cedar Ridge didn't do so well but it didn't matter for him. He had a great time even though around 8 mom was calling again making sure he was okay. For all you moms out there with small children. Love them dearly because you blink and they are grown up! He even has a shirt now that lists his graduation year on it! 2015 is not far away! GO BLACK BEARS!

No News is good News

Well, it's been pretty quiet on the home front! Steven and Bryce went back to school this week. I started my first full week of work since the second week of December. It's been tough but I guess we need to get back into the routine. Right now we are gearing up for a ski trip with the scouts that is scheduled for Valentine's weekend. The best news is that Steven stays in the room with the scouts so Blake and I are having a Valentine weekend! I can't wait because I have never gone skiing!

Bryce is talking more and more everyday. Last night he said, " Daddy, Tea, Please." He is starting to put more than two words together. The biggest thing we have accomplished is that Bryce is sitting with us and being more lovey! He goes, goes, goes and never would sit with us on the couch but he has started to recently and I am LOVING IT. Our next big endeavors will be potty training, getting rid of his friend paci at night, and moving to a big boy bed.

Steven started back to school this week and he is determined to make a little better on his grades. Now he doesn't make bad grades, their just not straight A's like I was used to before middle school. His reward for a decent report card is going to the basketball games tonight at the school. I remember doing this at Cedar Ridge a lot so I hope that he has fun.

New Year's Day

After an uneventful New Year's. Blake and Steven chopped up a bunch of wood we found in the paper. Steven had so much fun! I was tending to the baby all day inside. Bryce hated it because he wanted to be outside with brother and daddy so bad! After they were finished we let him escape to the back yard.
Here's what they finished and they have much more to go!

Here's my prett Sunshine!

Rosco is kinda bent over but he turned to walk to me as soon as I snapped!

Bryce working hard on his slide. Note the stick in his hand. He is all boy!

Christmas Part II

Okay, so we finished the first Christmas at our house early. My parents left at around 10:30 to head back home and nap while we re set-up for #2! It was like Santa revisited! Here is the tree with the gifts for Blake's side of the family and from his mom and step-dad. Before they got there Steven had to leave to go to his dad's mother's house! Now this is Christmas #4 for Steven. That is why I tried to condense all of ours into one Christmas. I think next year I will try to call their side and see if we can work out something because he always misses the same one. So at 3 we started again. Blake and I were also busy cooking a turkey, ham, and more than enough casseroles for dinner at 5! Here's Steven with his new bedspread! He has a queen bed since we moved and we never updated his comforter. Thanks Dena! He says that his bed is so great now. It must be because he has slept until 10 or later all of Christmas Break. LAZY BUM!

Here are all the boys without Brandon. Steven, Bronson, Bryce, and Blake ( who is trying to fish on the Wii). Aren't they all soooo handsome!?

I love this picture. Our two boys love tractors! Margaret looks so happy too! I love Christmas!

Here is Granny and my neice Autumn! She is the oldest of the great grandkids. I love this because I am a grandma's girl too! Of course there is Bryce sucking down some juice!

Here is Bryce unwrapping his first remote control car! It scared him at first. Now he has the hang of it and can get it going pretty good.

Bryce and Bronson received their very first radio flyer tricycle. It was perfect for Bryce because he can already pedal. Bronson is just a smidge from the pedals but he is a tall little fella. He is almost as tall as Bryce. Bryce thought he was hot stuff because brother received a new bike from Santa. Here's Steven trying to be a movie maker!Autumn is such a sweet little princess! She was so polite and well mannered the whole evening!I have NO idea what Brandon is doing! I think Blake is trying to throw wrapping paper but when these two are involved with anything who knows what they are doing!
Last but not least! Here is our house with the decorations. We have to do better next year. It looked really good at night. However, I need larger wreaths for the door and that huge window and then move the smaller wreaths upstairs. We are still trying to figure out how to decorate the larger house. I am not good at this at all either!

Christmas Finally!

Sorry it has taken soooo long for the lovely Christmas post. I have been really lazy with the computer. So we had a WONDERFUL Christmas! We started out on Christmas Eve by setting up the little man's train table. Steven had this when he was little and it is still in excellent shape. Bryce loves Thomas the Tank Engine. We watch Thomas and the Magic Railroad sometimes twice a day. So I figured that it would be the perfect gift for the little guy. Steven has way too many Christmas' to attend. On Christmas Eve, the Linley's get together and have their Christmas dinner. He went to that and was home around 9. He was just as excited as he used to be when he was little. Since Bryce is young, we wait for Santa to bring all of the presents. So he didn't get to shake, rattle, and roll all the presents prior to the big day like usual. Here he is waiting on his dad to pick him up! Isn't he big! ?

I was really proud of how my house turned out. I love Christmas and I have all kinds of decorations. However, we upgraded the house this last year and with all the added sqare footage mom was nice enough to let me enjoy some of her decorations too! These are her Santa's and a ceramic wreath that I had bought her for Christmas years ago. Of course, there are the stockings finally hanging from the mantle. I have never had a mantle and couldn't wait for the stockings to go there.

Here is Blake and my brother Michael putting the table together for Bryce. This makes #2 for Michael. He did the same thing for Steven years ago. I say this just makes him a pro! :)

And their finished product! It was great. Bryce had it apart in way less time than it took to be put together and I don't think that it has looked that good since!


Here is what Santa brought us! We are blessed. Some of this is also a lot of family gifts to various members who would be visiting throughout the day. Check out my topper! He is so awesome! I love that Santa head so much. Blake always asks me if I want a new topper and I swiftly tell him no.

My parents and brother came over on Christmas morning loaded with yummy hot out of the oven cinnamon rolls and my boss's wife had sent us some wonderful coffee beans. We were set for Christmas breakfast. As soon as the folks arrived Michael and I ran to grab the kids. Steven was about to have a breakdown because I wouldn't let him come out of his room until we were ready. As soon as we hit mid stair Bryce noticed the presents and out came a big, long WOW! It was what I wanted.

And here is Bryce checking out his trains! I have to run for now but I will finish later!