Families Are Forever

Neighborhood Fun

2012-01-21T19:38:00.004-07:00

I have said it before, but I will say it again. We live in the BEST neighborhood! The kids always have friends to play with and they all play so well together. Here is some pictures of fun they had over the summer.

BLOWING BUBBLES

Brynlee and Cayden decided to make the kids a treasure map. They hid their bikes at the end of the trails. They made one up for each boy.

These kids will spend every second of the day outside if I let them. I have to lure them in the house with homemade cookies in order to get them out of the sun.

Girls Camp 2011

2012-01-21T19:33:00.003-07:00

I forgot to make a June post because I did not have any pictures of it, but it is something I want to remember. I was asked to be the ward director for Girls Camp for 2011 and 2012. After being in cub scouts for the past five years, this was quite a change for me. We went for a week and I have to say that my ward has a group of amazing girls. We had 19 girls who went and we had so much fun. I was quite nervous while preparing, especially when trying to figure out the menu and do the shopping, but everything worked out perfectly. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the girls. I was also able to spend quite a bit of time with the young women leaders from my ward. It is an experience that I will cherish for a long time. I look forward to Girls Camp 2012!

July 2011 Happenings

2012-01-21T19:16:00.002-07:00

In July 2011, Bryce worked really hard and gathered together 1,000 cans of food for the local baseball drive. He won the contest they were having so they presented him with an I-Pod touch. I was proud of him and how hard he worked.

Here are some more baseball pictures of Cayden. His team won 2nd place at this tournament.

Here are the boys after a day of baseball.

Nana Cindy took the boys bowling a couple of times over the summer. They are pretty funny to watch bowl. They just have so much fun. There is always a lot of giggling coming from our lane.

June 2011

2012-01-21T19:10:00.002-07:00

I am terrible at taking pictures during my kids' sports events. Cayden had a baseball tournament in Evanston, WY and there were only two pictures taken.

This is what pictures look like after your cooler tips over with your camera in the outside pocket.

Shoshone Falls

2012-01-21T16:53:00.008-07:00

We went to Shoshone Falls with nana and pappy Cornell in June 2011.

The first thing we saw when we stepped out of the car was this awesome snake.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our day.

The boys hiked up to the top of this trail. It was a lot steeper than the picture looks.

We had a great time with nana and pappy!

Gavyn's Hair Cut

2012-01-21T16:48:00.002-07:00

When I walked into the bathroom and saw Gavyn cutting his hair, I decided to just let him have at it. He spent about ten minutes in the bathroom methodically cutting his hair and as soon as he was done, I got out the razor and I shaved off the rest of his hair.

End of school year, 2011

2012-01-21T15:57:00.005-07:00

At the end of every school year, the boys have a school wide track meet. Last year, Bryce was on the black team and Cayden was on the blue team.

Here are some pictures from the last day of school.

On to third and fifth grade.

Random pictures from May 2011

2012-01-21T15:15:00.005-07:00

Here are some random pictures from May 2011.

Gavyn is known for being an accentric dresser. He has definately got his own style. He also likes to go outside and ring the doorbell. This is how I found him one morning.

This is the entire 4th grade last year. Cayden got to go fishing with them for a day. He is in the front row, fourth from the left.

This year, Gavyn also decided to see if he could earn some money. He did this a couple of times throughout the year in different ways. This was the day he decided to sell his Easter candy. I especially like how he brought out his bank...nice touch!

While I was working at the school one day, I read this letter that a student had written to her teacher. It just made my day, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Cayden and Gavyn

Curtis won U2 tickets in 2010, but right before the concert Bono broke his back so the concert was rescheduled for 2011. Curtis and I got to go. I had no idea who U2 was and recognized maybe two songs. Unfortunately, we found that neither of us are big fans of U2, but I have to say that their stage was amazing. Also, it was great to go spend the weekend together.

This is Gavyn at one of his kindergarten plays.

Gavyn absolutely loved his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Crane!

Easter 2011

2012-01-21T13:53:00.007-07:00

Gavyn made an Easter bunny at school and I told him to find a place in the house to put it. This is where I found it. He told me the Easter bunny is looking at Jesus because that is what Easter is all about.

I snuck home during church to get the kids' surprise ready. This is what they came home to.

As they followed their designated string down the stairs, they found a maze that they had to go to in order to find their Easter basket.

I had a blast doing this. I think we might just make this one a tradition. Then, we went over to my parents house for the annual Easter egg hunt.

Easter is my favorite holiday!

March 2011

2012-01-18T17:09:00.006-07:00

The boys are dressed and ready to go out and about.

Cayden did his science fair project on the effects of playing and watching others play the x-box.

He took everyone's pulse and the beginning and the end of each experiment and charted all of his results.

They took turns playing and watching.

Here is his completed project.

Here Cayden is with his friends.

These pictures are from a field trip that the boys got to go on to Rexburg to watch a play.

During the summer, my boys can be seen outside playing baseball for hours every day. They love sports and it is something that they love to spend time doing with their daddy. On this particular afternoon, I walked out just in time to see something awesome. Cayden was standing by our driveway and Curtis was across the front lawn in our neighbor's yard. Cayden accidentally overthrew Curtis and Curtis went to get the ball and gunned it back to Cayden. Cayden jumped, but the ball hit the top of his mitt and went past. It hit the Tahoe window and the window shattered. Cayden did not say a word..he just looked at his dad. Gavyn started crying. Bryce just froze. Curtis said, "I cannot believe that just happened!" Meanwhile, I just broke out in laughter. Looking at all of their faces and their reactions was priceless. After I started laughing, Cayden joined in with me. Here are some pictures. I should have been taking pictures of the kids' reactions and not the Tahoe!

We got the Tahoe fixed a couple of days later and on our way home guess what we saw...

My kids were quite impressed and had me follow it around town until it parked. So...we had to take pictures to document this amazing moment. :)

February 2011

2012-01-18T16:46:00.005-07:00

Bryce's science project was to determine whether or not he could make snow. The temperatures were below 0 on the day we attempted this. First, he threw a regular glass of water at room temperature...and it fell to the ground.

Then, he boiled some water in a glass (notice the gloves for for heating pads)...and he made snow!

Well, that was so fun, we all had to try it. We made a lot of snow that morning.

Here is his completed project.

For the month of February, we had a giving box. Every week, we chose one of the boys to be "it". The rest of us would try to find ways to serve him and would work throughout the week to make some type of a gift to give that person. The boys loved this! They have been begging to do it again every since.

Here are Gavyn and Trey playing in the bathroom and Gavyn with a hat he made at school.

We took the boys skiing a couple of times. This is the only picture I got. Grandpa Smith and Bryce.

Gavyn LOVES music and often writes his own songs to sing to us while he plays the guitar. Here he is with his little notepad writing a new song. Whenever he writes songs, out comes the hat. I love it!

January 2011

2012-01-18T16:35:00.002-07:00

Gavyn absolutely loves his Spuddy Buddy. One night, when I went in his room to check on his while he was sleeping, I found that he had made Spuddy Buddy a bed too complete with a blanket and a pillow.

Here is a pictures of one of the many masks Gavyn has made.

For scouts, Bryce needed a picture with his principal. He wanted one with his teacher too. Cayden decided to jump in the picture as he also had her for a teacher when he was in 2nd grade.

Precious Moments

2012-01-16T17:40:00.002-07:00

I love those moments when I walk in on my children doing something that just makes my heart happy. Here is one of those moments. I was in the kitchen making dinner and when I walked around the corner, this is how I found Bryce.

Unfortunately, I ruined the moment by taking a picture. I sure do love these little boys!

Christmas morning 2010

2012-01-16T17:20:00.005-07:00

On Christmas morning, the kids were so excited about opening presents, they ran up the stairs without noticing the covered pool table. We started the morning by opening presents.

Then, the boys tried on their new snow goggles and hats.

Afterwards, we took them downstairs to open their last present.

Then, I made them waffles and cinnamon rolls for breakfast and they ate it in front of the TV with their new little tables.

Then, we went to see the grandparents.

The boys all got new airplanes to fly and Bryce played his all night long.

It was a great day!

Christmas Eve 2010

2012-01-16T17:11:00.003-07:00

On Christmas Eve of 2010, we decided to try something new. We needed the boys to stay in their room because my parents were giving them a pool/ping-pong table for Christmas and we wanted to get it set up that night. We had all three boys sleep in Cayden's room and I wrapped the doors so they could not get out.

Here are the men putting together the table. Grandpa Smith, Uncle Tyler, daddy, and Pappy got it put together in about 20 minutes.

The boys could hear something going on. Here is how I found them.

And this is what the finished product looked like.

Christmastime 2010

2012-01-16T16:50:00.004-07:00

At a ward Christmas party, Cayden and I were asked to participate in a contest. I had to wrap Cayden up in toilet paper and whoever went through the entire roll first won. Cayden spun around as fast as he could. We ended up winning the contest. It was a lot of fun.

Bryce was sad he didn't get to do it too.

The boys love wearing their santa hats around the house...and apparently they love taking pictures of themselves.

This was at Gavyn's kindergarten Christmas program. He sure does make a cute king!

Later on, Gavyn and Trey got to go see Santa.

I think Gavyn was worn out. I love picturse of my kids sleeping!

Can you guess who is taking pictures of his favorite ornaments?

Yep, it was Gavyn.

He also took one of Bryce.

Gavyn's 6th Birthday

2012-01-16T16:41:00.003-07:00

In December of 2010, Gavyn turned 6 years old. Here are some pictures from his birthday.

December 2010

2012-01-16T16:06:00.003-07:00

Here are a few random pictures...

This is the boys right after getting out of the shower. It is time for haircuts!

Gavyn loves to take pictures of us~

Cayden's 10th Birthday

2011-10-24T08:02:00.004-06:00

Cayden is an amazing kid. He is always taking care of everyone around him. He is a hard worker and he is really just a good kid. I am so proud of him for the example he sets for his younger brothers. Here are some birthday pics from November 2010.

We got out of school early today!

2011-10-24T07:55:00.002-06:00

One day at school there were some pipes that broke in the crawl space underneath the school and it started flooding. The kids got sent home about 3 hours early. There were no parents home in the neighborhood so we ended up having friends over to watch a movie.

Gradually, we started losing some of our friends until only the Case's were over.

I think the kids enjoyed getting out of school early that day.

Nature Walk

2011-10-24T07:32:00.006-06:00

My family decided to take the kids to the mountains to go on a nature walk and see the leaves changing colors. Again, this was in October 2010. We try to take advantage of every warm day we are given in the fall and this was one of them.

Here are Cayden, McKay, Andrew, Abigail, Gavyn, Cameron, Bryce, and Rachael

The kids and Curtis couldn't resist climbing up the mountain.

My dad's favorite thing to do is show the kids the fish. As they lean down to get a closer look, he spashles the water and gets them wet. The older kids know not to get close, but McKay, Bryce, Gavyn, and Abigail haven't learned yet.

This was Gavyn's reaction to Grandpa's fish...

He was one sad little boy!

After the nature walk we all went potty and then we set off for home. I love spending time in the mountains and I love spending time with my family.

Bryce's Baptism

2011-10-23T22:33:00.003-06:00

Bryce was baptized on October 9, 2010 by his daddy. The day started off a little stressful because Gavyn was not feeling well and was hard to get ready. We got to the church with little time to spare. Bryce and Curtis quickly got into their clothes and I snapped a few pictures before they went into the room.

My mom always gives the boys a quad set of scriptures when they get baptized. Bryce got a soccer case to go along with them. He was so excited to get these!

While Bryce was opening pictures and while we were setting the food out to eat, Gavyn came running over to me to tell me he did not feel very well and ended up throwing up all over me and the floor. I felt so bad for the poor little guy. Curtis quickly came to my rescue and scooped Gavyn up to clean him up in the bathroom while I cleaned up the floor and myself. As I was walking out the church to take Gavyn home I had Bryce, Rachael, and Curtis come with me to get a few pictures taken.

In the whirlwind of everything happening, I was not able to get a family picture taken, but I don't think Gavyn or I would have liked to have a picture taken of us at that moment. We just needed to get home.

I am so proud of Bryce and of the person he is. He brings my heart so much happiness. He is always ready to give a smile and to help when he sees someone in need. I am so proud of the decision he made to be baptized and for the example he sets for everyone around him. I love you Bryce!

Bryce turns 8

2011-10-23T22:17:00.004-06:00

Okay, I was hoping to get this post done before Bryce had another birthday, but obviously I failed. So, in September of 2010, Bryce turned 8 years old and here are some pictures from his big day.

Bryce loves to bake. So, for his birthday he asked if he could make his favorite cupcakes instead of a cake. So Bryce made the cupcakes and finished them off with a few candles. I love Rachael and Gavyn's faces in the background.

I let my kids have a friend birthday party on only a few birthdays (8, 12, & 16). This year was Bryce's first friend birthday party. He invited about 10 friends and they went to the bowling alley for some fun. I took lots of pictures and then Gavyn took lots of pictures. Upon seeing this, I started deleting the pictures Gavyn had taken off my camera and failed to notice that I had also deleted my pictures. Not a good moment for me. So, we called over our two neighbor boys to come back over for one more picture with Bryce. I still feel terrible about this!

Bryce and Rachael

2011-10-23T20:51:00.011-06:00

Bryce and Rachael have been inseperable since they were born. They are only 3 weeks apart and when they were just tiny babies they used to lay side by side holding hands and smiling at each other. We were able to bless them on the same day (Bryce was only 4 days old). They also wanted to be baptized and confirmed on the same day. Jennifer and I took them to take some pictures to put on their baptism invitations. The kids had so much fun. They were happy, serious, and sometimes just plain goofy. I love that they love each other so much.

These first two pictures are my favorite!

We don't drink coffee!

2011-10-23T20:01:00.004-06:00

I had to add one quick memory from our California trip. On one evening we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We instantly felt a little under dressed when we got there because we were in jeans and t-shirts while everyone around us was in suits and ties. We sat outside so that we could see the ocean and we had a heater nearby. The waitress came up to our table and the first thing she asked us was if we wanted coffee because it was a chilly night and she said she knew it would warm us up. We told her no thank you and Gavyn looked up at her and said, "We don't drink coffee!" The waitress looked a little confused and walked away. About 1 minute later she returned and offered us coffee again saying it was so cold out and she didn't want us to be miserable and Gavyn again looked at her and stated, "We don't drink coffee!" Again, the waitress looked a little puzzled at him and walked away. Within about five minutes the waitress came to our table a third time and asked us if we would please have some coffee to help us get warmed up. Again, we declined and Gavyn looked at her and loudly stated, "I said, we don't drink coffee!" The waitress giggled and said, "Oh, he is so cute. Where does he get that from. He must watch a lot of TV." This time, Gavyn stood up on his chair and looked at her at eye level and said in an even louder voice, "No, I did not get it from TV. My mom and dad told me that Heavenly Father does not want us to drink coffee so that is why we don't drink coffee!" The waitress just looked at him in shock and Gavyn continued with.."and we should not smoke either!" Then, he sat back down in his set and started coloring again. The waitress looked at me and asked me if I had really told him this and I told her I had. Then, she smiled and walked away. Every single person at the tables surrounding us watched as Gavyn stood up on his chair and made his statement. When we left the restaurant, we told Gavyn that we were proud of him and he said, "Mom, I am just getting ready for when I go on my mission." I sure do love this little boy!

Going Home

2011-10-23T19:42:00.004-06:00

On day 11, we got up early and went to the airport. The boys were ready to get back home.

Gavyn

Cayden

Bryce

The boys took off sprinting as soon as we got off the plane.

But I got Cayden to look back and smile :)

Nana and Grandpa Smith were waiting at the airport for us to get home. Gavyn got to the glass doors first, but he was too small to get them to open. Then, Bryce caught up to him and when Curtis, Cayden, and I came around the corner we could see them jumping up and down trying to get the doors to open with Nana and Grandpa on the other side laughing. It was a pretty funny sight. But we helped them get through and they ran out into Nana and Grandpa's arms.

It was a great welcome home!

Hollywood

2011-10-23T19:17:00.008-06:00

We went to Hollywood on day 10 of our California trip.

We saw the stars on the walk way...

Took a tour that showed us different buildings in Hollywood.

This is the stairway that becomes the red carpet staircase during the Emmy's.

We visited the wax museum.

We went on a tour that took us to a good view of the Holleywood sign.

It also took us through Beverly Hills and to some shopping areas.

Then, when we were walking back to the car these two men came up and posed with our boys and then quickly asked for payment...it was a little bit strange!

The boys were exhausted by the end of the day. They fell asleep within minutes. In fact, Cayden and Gavyn never even made it to the bed. They fell asleep on the floor so I gave them pillows and blankets and tucked them in.

Disneyland...Part 2

2011-10-23T18:50:00.006-06:00

On day 3 at Disneyland we started out the day by
taking lots of pictures with different Disney characters.

Then, we went to see the castle. Gavyn thought that the castle was Disneyland and he

was so excited to see it. It took us all day to convince him that the entire area was Disneyland...not just the castle.

Then we spent the rest of the day going on rides.

The kids all got picked to go on stage for the Star Wars Lessons.

They got to learn how to be Jedi's.

Disneyland...Part 1

2011-10-22T11:05:00.009-06:00

Our first day at Disneyland I was a little too excited and forgot to take very many pictures. Here the boys are at the entrance.

The World Of Color was absolutely amazing. The boys loved it. The best part was when the fire shot up and Gavyn jumped up into my arms. We were in the 'get wet' area so when he jumped up there was a perfect dry spot of where he had been sitting. It was pretty cute.

Gavyn was exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep on the bus the second he got on it.

The next day, we went to Disneyland bright and early. The kids were full of anticipation. Gavyn was in heaven when he found Woody and got a picture taken with him.

Curtis enjoyed the Buzz Lightyear ride!

We ended the day with ice cream and then we went to catch the bus back to the hotel.

The boys played on the parking cones and under the bench.

And again, Gavyn fell alseep on the way home. The kids loved day 2 of Disneyland.

Our favorite ride at Legoland

2011-07-27T13:04:00.002-06:00

This is a video of Curtis and Cayden riding our favorite ride at Legoland.

Legoland...Part 2

2011-07-27T12:32:00.006-06:00

On the second day at Legoland we spent the whole time going on rides. Gavyn loved the drivers training school. They taught the kids how to drive, how to pass, and how to obey traffic lights. It was really cute. At the end, they gave him a driver's license.

Cayden and Bryce also went to the driver's training school. Their course was a lot bigger.

Whenever there is a ride with a really long line, there are areas set up for the kids to play with lego's. The lines wrap around these areas so you can keep an eye on your kids. We loved this...and so did the kids. Here they are with a friend they met while playing and building legos.

Of course, we had to go on our favorite ride a couple of times. This time, Cayden was able to convince Curtis to go on it too.

Gavyn walking around with his sweater on. He is so dang cute!

Bryce being goofy.

Cayden... not impressed that I keep taking pictures of him.

But, daddy and momma did not mind.

Later that day we went to the waterpark and played for a while, but the kids wanted to spend most of their time on the rides. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. Especially Gavyn!

Overall, Legoland was a success.

Legoland...Part 1

2011-07-27T12:00:00.007-06:00

The first thing we did at Legoland was go on a boat ride to look at all the exhibits.

Then we went on some rides.

Gavyn's favorite rides were the big slide and the horses.

Here is Cayden peaking through a gate while waiting in line for a ride.

This ride was mine and Cayden's favorite. I will post a video of Curtis and Cayden riding it together later.

My mummy boys...

Sea Life Aquarium

2011-07-27T11:26:00.004-06:00

While we were in Carlsbad we took the kids to the Sea Life Aquarium in Legoland.

The Pacific Ocean

2011-07-26T17:21:00.011-06:00

Our next adventure was at the ocean.

We went in the evening time. We were surrounded by surfers. The boys had so much fun watching the surfing and playing in the water. It was not real hot during that time of day so

just stayed along the shoreline.

The kids were pretty timid at first, but after a while they decided to get a little more adventurous.

Cayden and Bryce loved trying to jump over waves.

And Gavyn spent most of the time like this.... He is totally a sand kid.

Pacific Ocean ..... Check!

Mission Tour

2011-07-26T16:38:00.006-06:00

Curtis went on his mission to Carlsbad California and since we were right by all of his old mission areas we decided to take a day and have him take us on a tour.

We went to the temple that was in his mission first. The San Diego temple is absolutely beautiful. Before the trip, we had tried to find someone to watch the kids so we could go through a session, but we were not able to find anyone. So, we walked around the outside and took lots of pictures.

Here are some pictures of my handsome boys...

While we were taking pictures, a gentleman came up to us and offered to take some family pictures for us. Very cool!

Later on we drovfe to a bunch of his old areas. It had changed quite a bit since Curtis was on his mission, but he recognized quite a bit. We took a picture of this mountains because they were ones Curtis drove by almost daily at one point of his mission.

These were families that he stayed with at different times in his mission.

We tried to find one of his friends from his mission. He baptized a man named Dave a couple of months before he came home and in that time they became really good friends. We lost touch with them a few years ago, but we decided to go to the last address we had for them to see if we could find them. I had written and sent a letter beforehand, but we had not heard anything from him. Unfortunately, we were not able to find him. However, the day after we got home Curtis received a call from Dave who had just received my letter. His family had moved just a week prior to us going down there so his mail was slow in getting to him. Curtis was so happy to hear from him and they have been in contact since. Hopefully, I can get Curtis back down there soon.

Sea-World

2011-07-26T16:05:00.006-06:00

Every day of the trip we dressed the boys in matching shirts. Our day at sea-world was our yellow shirt day. We started out the morning with another index card.

The first thing we did was go see Shamu. The boys absolutely loved this. Curtis had never been to a Shamu show before either. I loved watching all four of my boys' faces when they watched this. It was the highlight of my day.

After the show we walked around and looked at the exhibits.

Then, we went and saw the dolphins. This was the boys' favorite part. The show was amazing with flying people and divers.

We sat on a bench at the end of the day to take a break and Gavyn passed out immediately. So, Cayden and Bryce played on the toys for a little while.

It was a great day. I definately want to take the kids here again some day.

Day 2... USS Midway Museum

2011-07-22T09:34:00.010-06:00

On day 2 of our vacation we started out the morning at about 7 in the morning. The kids were so excited to get going. I pulled out the index cards and handed one to Gavyn to read.

The kids were so excited even though they had no idea what the USS Midway Museum was. The USS Midway was one of the longest serving aircraft carriers. It was full of exhibits, restored aircraft, and had an audio self guided tour. We had so much fun.

The view was amazing. We were going down city streets when all of a sudden we turned a corner and our view became the ocean. The aircraft carrier was huge. Curtis was in heaven.

We got there a half hour before the museum opened so we had plenty of time to take some pictures and run around with the boys.

Once inside we got the headphones and started on the tour.

The bottom right pictures shows was Cayden is standing on in the bottom left pictures. It was an area over a five story drop. The other two boys would not go anywhere near it.

There was not a lot of space when we were walking around inside the carrier. We walked through their living quarters and up to the captain's quarters.

While we were touring the USS Midway we looked over and saw another aircraft carrier coming in. You can see the sailers lined up along the sides of the carrier. They were just arriving home after being deployed. On the other side of the marina we could see groups of people waiting for them to come home. It was a pretty neat sight.

And as we drove away the kids begged me to take a picture of these "pirate ships." It was an absolutely perfect morning for a tour of the USS Midway Museum and we left we happy and tired kids.

Vacation Fun...Day 1

2011-07-12T22:18:00.010-06:00

Curtis and I had been planning on taking a vacation with the kids for a long time and September of 2010 seemed like the perfect time. We didn't tell the kids what we were doing and I secretly packed all of their back for the 11 day trip. The morning we left, I put the older two kids on the school bus and then Curtis, Gavyn, and I packed the bags into the Tahoe. (Gavyn had no idea what he was packing..he was just happy to be helping) Then, we went to the school at about 10:00 a.m. and checked the kids out. I had talked to the teachers about a month in advance so they all knew what was going on and they had schoolwork ready for me so that the kids would be caught up when we got back.

We told the kids we were taking them to IF for lunch. They were so excited! Then, after lunch I gave them an index card to read.

This was their reaction to the card. Beforehand I had made up little poems about what we would be doing on the trip and wrote them on index cards. Every time we did something new I gave the kids a new card. It became a highlight as every time I pulled one out the kids would get extremely excited.

I asked the kids who wanted to go and only two of them raised their hands. Bryce was in tears! His first worry was about being packed. That is when we had them turn around and they realized the bags were packed in the vehicle right behind them. He was worried about missing school and he was worried about missing his grandparents. Honestly, he was a mess because Bryce is my schedule kid. He likes routine and if he is ever thrown out of his routine he panics. I felt bad for the poor guy, but it was quite funny too.

Bryce asked for the phone and then called his nana Smith. He told her we were making him go on a plane and asked her to come pick him up so he could stay with her until we got back. While he was on the phone Curtis and I kept trying to console him. We finally had to tell him that the reason we were going to San Diego was because eventually we were going to take them to Disneyland. The picture on the right is the reaction we got...I LOVE IT!

Then, we asked them again who wanted to go. This time they all raised their hands.

We went to the IF airport and waited for our plane to come. The boys were in awe.

You can tell that Bryce still wasn't quite sure about what was going on. He is my only timid little boy and I love that about him. I tried to get a picture of teh boys heading toward the plane, but they were running so it came out fuzzy as I was chasing after them.

When we got out at the airport we went to where our van was waiting and headed towards San Diego.

Motorcyclists in California aparently drive alongside the two yellow lines in between vehicles. The first time one zoomed passed us it scared me to death. I have never seen that before. After the first dozen or so I finally got used to it.

We got to our hotel in San Diego later that night and checked into our hotel. The kids were exhausted and did not put up too much of a fight to go to bed. Our vacation had begun...

Gavyn

2011-07-12T14:17:00.002-06:00

If it has a screw, Gavyn will take it out. He is quite the little fixer upper. This little boy loves to take things apart and put them back together again. If I ever need to know where a screwdriver, hammer, measuring tape, or any other tool is - Gavyn can show me. Half the time daddy's tools are in Gavyn's room somewhere. Notice in the pictures that he has a screw in between his lips. You can tell he works with his daddy and grandpa all the time.

What my kids are doing at 1 AM

2011-07-12T14:06:00.005-06:00

Bryce is sleeping soundly.

Cayden is hidden, but also sleeping soundly.

And...this is Gavyn...wide awake!

I have to say that this is actually an abnormal occurance. Usually Bryce is out first, Gavyn follows soon after, and Cayden is up until about midnight. He has been this way since he was a baby - he never sleeps.
Here is daddy when they are all finally asleep!

Scouts - Rain Gutter Regatta 2010

2011-07-12T13:59:00.003-06:00

Gavyn showing his boat he made, Cayden not looking very amused, and Bryce showing the boats he made.

September 2010 - First Day of School

2011-07-12T13:30:00.006-06:00

I thought that Cayden's first day of kindergarten was hard, but I never realized how hard it would be for me when Gavyn went to kindergarten. Knowing that my youngest is now in school and entering the world of a little more freedom was tough. The one thing that made it a little bit easier was the fact that I was working in the kindergarten this year. I only worked there until the end of September and then I was transferred to Wapello, but I absolutely loved working with the kindergartners.

Cayden, Gavyn, and Bryce

These are all the kids on the street who ride the bus to school. They were all so excited!

G-Man getting on the bus.

Bryce getting on the bus.

C-to-the-J getting on the bus.

Gavyn got to sit by his friend Trey and Amanda sat with them to help them know where they have to go. This bus takes them to Wapello and then the kindergartners have to get off that bus and get on another bus. Gavyn was so excited to FINALLY get to ride the bus.

Cayden waving goodbye.

This is Gavyn when he first got to school. They were trying to line the kids up on colored lines.

Gavyn's class lined up on the white line. His teacher this year is Mrs. Crane. She is the same teacher Cayden and Bryce had.

Gavyn rides the Green bus home so the first couple weeks of school they have the kids all wear colored visors so the kids know where to go.

I cannot believe my little boy is growing up so fast!

August 2010

2011-07-07T12:42:00.004-06:00

My family goes to Bear Lake every year for a week to do some camping, playing, and boating. My boys have all been skiing for years in our local lake, but Bear Lake is a lot bigger and scarier. Last year Cayden skied in the lake, but this year he decided he wanted to learn how to wake board. My nephew, Andrew, took him out into the water to teach him how.

Cayden got up on his second try. He has decided he likes wake boarding much more than skiing.

Then, Gavyn decided he wanted to try the lake. Actually, I decided for him, but he didn't fight too much. You can see by his face that he was pretty nervous.

Uncle Tyler decided to get in the water with him so that he would not be scared. He is such a good uncle!

Gavyn got up the first time and made a full circle until he was by Uncle Tyler again. Then, he let go of the rope.

I don't think he admitted to having fun until he was back inside the boat.

Later on that day there was a huge storm that blew in. We were sitting at the beach and it came from nowhere. My camera was a casualty in the storm as were a couple of other things, but the kids all made it through okay. I kept them in the Tahoe while I ran back and forth trying to get things off the beach. It was such a mess. There was absolutely no visibility and there were four boats that ended up capsizing. My dad's boat didn't capsize, but it did get pushed out into the lake. The only good thing was the boys were inside the vehicle the whole time watching a movie so other than Cayden, I don't think they had a clue what was going on around them.

Blue Angels

2011-07-07T11:45:00.012-06:00

Curtis and I gave our dad's Blue Angels tickets for their birthdays and we took the kids to go see the show. It was absolutely amazing! I was a little picture happy for this one, but I think the pictures speak for themselves. There were old planes, new planes, loud planes, planes flying upside down, and planes with people standing on top of them. This is something I would do again in a second if I had the chance!

Bear Lake Tournament 2010

2011-07-06T15:08:00.004-06:00

When we were at the tournament we took the boys to the North beach to play. It was a gorgeous day and the boys enjoyed the water.

I love that these boys are such good friends!

Bryce loves watching Cayden play baseball. Gavyn was a trooper until the third day...and then he was just exhausted. Curtis was so happy when Gavyn fell asleep in his arms. The picture on the bottom right is of Cayden on second base after hitting a double.

His team won 2nd place at the tournament. They did a great job!

2011-07-06T14:46:00.002-06:00

We love it when Miss Abigail comes to play. My boys absolutely love her.

Here is Bryce at his 1st grade Mother's Day program. He is so handsome. This little boy will wear his suit every day of the week if I let him.

My Cayden's 3rd grade field trip we went on a walk down the road to a camping area and had a picnic and played games. It was a great time...even when the rain started coming down. By the time we all got back to the school we were drenched.

Gavyn taking pictures again.

More Scout Pictures

2011-07-06T14:35:00.002-06:00

April 2010

2011-07-06T14:19:00.003-06:00

Gavyn decided he wanted to try to change Abigail's diaper.

And..this is what we ended up with.
Cayden was laying on the cough and I was next to him reading a book. I looked over and saw this. I had to take a picture. This kids go through so many socks. I am not sure how they have so many holes in them all the time.

Gavyn's pictures...

Family Home Evening

2011-07-05T13:05:00.004-06:00

You know it is a good family home evening when the kids faces look like these. We had a lesson on the Holy Ghost and the need to quietly listen for guidance. Then, we played a game where we blind folded someone and sat him on the chair. There was a hat underneath the chair. They had to listen for someone trying to steal the hat and when they heard it they had to point in the right direction of where that person was coming from. Daddy was the king of this game as his arms reached far and he did not have to get as close.

Notice Curtis reaching for the hat underneath Cayden's chair...very stealth like!

Camera Fun

2011-07-05T12:57:00.003-06:00

Bryce having fun taking pictures with the camera. I love how the last picture is one of himself.

Bryce and his mac-n-cheese

2011-07-05T12:49:00.003-06:00

Bryce has always been a mac & cheese man. He loves it. He begs for it on a daily basis. And..now he has started drawing pictures on the boxes asking me to please fix it for him. I walk around the corner into the kitchen and this is what I find...

My boys

2011-07-05T11:48:00.002-06:00

One thing that is for sure is that my boys adore each other. They have the normal brotherly quarrels, but really ... they are such good friends. I love watching them play together.

We are a Steeler's fan family. Cayden's entire room is Steeler's. Daddy showed up one day after work with a new blanket for Cayden. His reaction was...pure happiness.

A picture of a picture of my boys at the Wapello carnival.

Notice the rug-burn on Gavyn's forehead. He got it by rubbing his head on the carpet.

I have no idea why that boy does the things he does.

Scouts - Fire Station

2011-07-05T11:27:00.004-06:00

My previous calling was as a Scout den leader. I always feared I would be given this calling as I have a house full of little boys and indeed I was. However, I absolutely LOVE being in scouts. I had this calling for 3 years and have recently been released and I miss it so much. The boys are so much fun and I love being able to be in scouts with my boys. Here is some pics from our trip to the fire station in March of 2010.

We were given a tour of the old jail underneath the courthouse and when we came around this corner this is what we saw. Luckily, there was a lady in front of me who saw it first and was given the biggest fright. I was too busy laughing at that point.

Then, the boys got to learn how to raise and lower the flag and how to fold it correctly.

Science Fair 2010

2011-07-05T11:01:00.005-06:00

Cayden's Project:

He filled the cup with oil, water, and syrup and then put different objects in the cup to determine which was the most dense.

Bryce's Project:

Bryce took two dice and rolled them 100 times to see what they numbers they rolled on would add to. I have to say, this was a perfect first grade science project and he absolutely LOVED doing it.

Gavyn's Crafts

2011-07-05T10:40:00.002-06:00

Gavyn loves arts and crafts. He is always in my office taking my paper, paper clips, stapler, tape, scrapbooking supplies, and whatever else he can find to make something out of. Here are a couple of pictures of some of the things he has been making lately.

Gavyn always tells me that he wants a TV in his room and I always tell him no. He decided to make his own TV and this is what he made. He draws pictures and changes them out behind the frame about once a week. This has been hanging on his wall for over a year now and he is still changing out pictures constantly.

This is a basketball hoop Gavyn made. He originally made it to give as a gift to Bryce. Our basketball backboard fell off last year in a wind storm and went through the windshield of Curtis' car. Bryce was sad about not being able to play, so Gavyn made this to make him happy. He has a bunch of papers wadded up inside the 'hoop' to shoot in.

And, this is Gavyn's turtle. I think he actually made this one at school, but he loves it. He keeps it in his room.

Gavyn and Momma

2011-07-02T16:44:00.005-06:00

Gavyn loves to take pictures and he loves to have his picture taken. Here he decided that he and momma needed to take some pictures together...

Gavyn definately keeps us on our toes. He is such a sweet little boy!

Laundry

2011-06-30T09:13:00.006-06:00

February 2010

Landry at our house is always quite the process. On this particular day, Cayden and Gavyn decided to document how they do laundry.

It is no wonder that laundry takes these boys hours to complete. At least they are having fun!

Odie

2011-06-29T14:56:00.006-06:00

My kids have always been terrified of animals so Curtis and I talked about getting them a puppy. One day while Curtis was at work, I get a call from his saying....guess what I bought. That night, he brought home a miniature Dachshund for the kids. We surprised the kids that night at my parents house. Curtis was so cute. He had already gone to the store and bought blankets and toys. This is the kids reaction to the dog.

Bryce was immediately attached to him. Every day, as soon as he got home from school, he would run up and grab Odie and play with him until bedtime. Bryce took it upon himself to potty train him.

Gavyn carried around the camera every day to take pictures of Odie.

I am assuming Gavyn found his shadow to be pretty interesting.

As soon as we got the puppy I started getting really sick. We could not figure out why I was so miserable. I went in to the doctor and after some tests they told me I was allergic to dogs. Curtis and I talked and we decided it would be best to return Odie to his prior owner and wait a few years and get an outside dog. It was horrible when we had to break the news to the kids...especially Bryce. We ended up waking the kids up early the next morning and Curtis took Odie back to his prior home. We had Odie for one week...and the kids still talk about him constantly.

These pictures break my heart.

Gavyn, Abigail, and other miscellaneous stuff.

2011-06-29T13:59:00.006-06:00

Last year Gavyn and I got to play with Abigail during the week quite often. We absolutely love having her come to our house. She is such a sweet little girl. Gavyn and Abigail absolutely love each other.

In this video, she had found Cayden's grinch pajamas and was carrying them around everywhere like a blanket. We ended up sending them home with her and getting them a couple of days later because she was not willing to give them up without a fight.

Gavyn wanted me to take a picture of him doing his favorite chore. He loves vaccuuming out the couches and I have to say...he does a great job. He pulls out all the cushions, vaccuums the cough and then vaccuums each cushion. He he such a good helper around the house.

This is an antenna...can you tell? We do not have any television service and when I was put in bed red in 2008 Curtis decided to build an antenna so that I could watch TV while I was in bed. I finally got around to taking a picture of it. It actually works really well.

And..this is Bryce's motorcycle he got for his birthday. It came in a little kit and he put it together. He was so happy because it is red.

Basketball

2011-06-29T13:42:00.002-06:00

I found a few more pictures of the boys playing basketball from 2010.

This is Cayden's team.

Gavyn loves to watch his big brothers play sports.

This is Bryce's team.

Family Fun

2011-06-29T12:50:00.008-06:00

Our family loves to go skiing and snowboarding. We try to go as much as we can during the winter months. After one skiing lesson the little boys were going straight down the face of the mountain. On this trip we took Cayden's friend, Ben, with us also. He had never been snowboarding before, but Cayden was excited to teach him and Ben caught on really quickly. They had so much fun. On the way down the older boys kept themselves busy while the Bryce and Gavyn slept.

I LOVE this picture! So cute!

Here is Curtis not thinking it is so great for me to be taking his picture.

And..I had to show the fact that I was indeed there!

Bryce trying to wake up...unsuccessfully.

Gavyn having a little more luck.

And now Bryce is happy and ready to go to the slopes.

Uncle Tyler decided to give Cayden a few tips on his snowboard.

I had a hard time getting pictures of Cayden because he kept zooming past me. Finally I made him stop and smile for the camera.

Here is Ben making his way down the mountain.

Bryce had a great time. He went up and down the mountain more times than I could count. We had a really hard time getting him to stop for some dinner.

This little boy is always all smiles.

Here Bryce is with Grandpa Smith in the lodge.

Gavyn and Grandpa Smith hung out most of the time together. Gavyn folllowed him up and down the mountain.

When riding with Gavyn to the top of the mountain one certainly does hear a lot of stories. He is the funniest kid...I do not think he EVER stops talking...but I would not want it any other way.

I had to take a picture of this because it made me laugh. When sitting with Gavyn this is what his feet look like. Most people's feet hand down, but Gavyn's feet barely reached the end of the seat so his skis stick straight up in front of our bodies. I found it quite entertaining.

And then we headed home...

Bryce fell alseep first.

Gavyn and Cayden soon followed.

And finally, Ben fell asleep.

It was such a good trip. Fun was had by all!

January 2010

2011-06-28T22:49:00.004-06:00

I am going to once again try to catch up on my pictures. I cannot believe that I have not posted pictures since December of 2009. That is really bad!!! I have folders set up for every month of the year and I guess I will start with where I left off and see if I can get caught up again.

Here is my Gavyn. He is definately my silly boy...always up to something.

This was Cayden's first pine wood derby. The pictures are not great, but that is okay.

These are the scouts who came to race their cars. We were missing 7 boys at this derby.

We lived in a huge ward. I am still in the same ward now, but since I have lived in this ward it has been divided up twice to create two new wards in our area.

This is Cayden at a basketball game. He is #8.

Again, not great pictures.

Bryce played basketball as well .

I love to watch my boys play sports.

And, here is Gavyn's magic show he put on for me.

My dad taught him this one day during the weekly Gavyn and Grandpa days they have.

What once was lost has now been FOUND

2011-06-26T13:52:00.003-06:00

YAY. Cayden's Ipod has been found and returned. This sweet family found it last week and has been doing their own research trying to find its owner. They were able to figure out that it belonged to a Cayden and assumed he was 10 to 12 years old because of the pant size. They asked around at church and were able to find the name's of two different Cayden's. I got a phone call and this is how it went...

Caller: Are you the lady of the household?
Me: Yes.
Caller: Do you have a son whose name starts with a C?
Me: Yes.
Caller: How do you spell his name?
Me: C-A-Y-D-E-N (I think we are the only ones who spell it this way)
Caller: Has he recently lost something?
Me: YOU JUST MADE MY DAY! He lost a pair of black warm up pants...
Caller: Nike?
Me: Yes, Nike, and they have an Ipod touch in the pocket.

Then I hear him tell his family in the background...It's him, they knew about the Ipod touch.

We drove over to his house and I have the happiest little boy on the block. The amazing thing is the pants had been run over and have tire marks on them, but the Ipod wasn't hit. I am so grateful for people like this in this world. What a good Sunday it has been!

Happy Birthday Mayson

2011-06-22T23:02:00.004-06:00

My sweet baby boy would have turned 3 today. I am waiting for 11:25 pm to come around. Every year Curtis and I go and spend time at his grave from 11:25 pm to 12:00 am because that was when he was alive. We let a balloon go at midnight and then we head home. I love doing this and spending this time with my husband in memory of our beautiful baby Mayson. I so look forward to when I will be able to see him again. I love you Mayson!

2008 - Mayson, Mama, and Daddy's Hands

LOST and hoping to find...

2011-06-22T10:44:00.003-06:00

We have lost something and we need help finding it. Cayden placed his warm-up pants on the bumper of the Tahoe yesterday afternoon and forgot they were there. Shortly after that we went to town and now the pants are gone. The kicker is....his Ipod Touch was in the pocket of those pants. We have five witnesses who saw it on Merkley Lane just North of the intersection with Tanner Lane, but they are no longer there. The Touch is password protected so whoever picked it up will not be able to see who it belongs to. If any on you hear anything or remember seeing anything please give me a call. I have quite a distraught little boy. Thanks!

2010 - Cayden receiving an Ipod Touch for his 10th birthday.

Baseball and my boys!

2010-05-26T23:18:00.003-06:00

So, what have the Cornell's been up to this past couple of months?

(I have a picture of my calendar that is supposed to upload here, but it won't work. So, I will show it later.)

Baseball, baseball, and MORE baseball! Good thing I love the sport. I have had so much fun watching Bryce and Cayden play these past couple of months. Bryce hit his first home run yesterday ~ he had a great game! And Cayden has been the starting pitcher all season pitching the first 3 innings of all but 3 games. The kids that age are only allowed to pitch 6 innings a week so when he had 3 games in a week he pitched the first 2 innings of each game. In his first 12 innings pitched he had only one kid he walked. We are so proud of these boys!

Three things of note:
1. Cayden was picked to be on the traveling ALL-STAR team this year. There were only two 9-year-old picked and he was one of them!
2. Today marks a special day for Bryce ~ He lost his first tooth! YAY for Bryce! He was hoping this would happen before he finished first grade and he made it with only two days of school left!
3. Gavyn has been the sweetest little boy. He has gladly gone to every game, every practice, and cheered on his brothers until he was blue in the face. He did however let his brothers know that he starts T-BALL next month and he expects them to be sitting down and cheering him on as well. I think he has earned it!

This post is all over the place, but I am trying to think of anything of importance that has happened since I last wrote. School is out on Friday. I am glad that school is almost over so that I will have the kids home to hang out with. I am one of those parents who LOVE when their kids are out of school.

I am no longer a Realtor. I have decided to go back to school full-time to get my teaching degree. I start in June and I am SO excited. I absolutely love school. I am going to be taking online courses through Grand Canyon University so the program will only take me 2 years max because of the prevoius schooling I have done.

Curtis got another free & clear check up from his oncologist last week. We dread those appointments, yet look forward to them at the same time. His next one is in November. I have to say that it is really nice knowing that they are keeping a close eye on him to make sure the cancer doesn't come back. It gives good peace of mind.