The Dodenbier's

Happy Birthday Brooke!

2011-03-15T21:48:00.006-06:00

My baby turned 2 today.
And oh what a fun-filled two years it has been!

Photo taken by her "Papa"...{close to her most favorite person on earth!}

This girl came to us smiling and has never stopped.
She is the happiest thing on earth and
we are all in a better place because of her.
Nothing but pure joy I tell ya!
Should I stop? I really should.
I'm jinxing myself, I know.
Okay, I'm done, but seriously....

Thanks for being the happy, energetic, loveable
"toddler "(sniff, sniff) that you are.
You truly are such a blessing to ALL of us.
We love you!

Ellen

2011-02-06T14:10:00.006-07:00

January, 6th 2011

Our fun, fabulous friends we got to enjoy it with

{hard to tell I'm excited to be there...pretty sure you can see all 28 teeth!}

Ellen was hilarious,
Lex was a super-star dancing for the crowd,
Scott and Jeff looked hot in their pastels together-he he ;)
and I was just loving it...ALL of it!
So much fun!

Oh, and while we were there...may as well pay this a visit

and this...

{This one's for you, Em!...(the above one)...
or the below one too. Whatever works :)}

How we love a quick get-away once in awhile.
And great food.
And Scott and Lex.
And good conversation.
And the beach.
And the late mornings.
And our kids that much more after a little break.
And our family who stayed with them.
Oh, and Ellen for the invite...sort of.

Birthday Boy

2011-01-13T22:21:00.006-07:00

Just need to give a shout out to our dad/hubby and say a

big, huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (37, really?....he, he)
Here are a couple things the kids had to say about their dad today:

"I love dad. He plays lego's with me, he really loves lego's. I like that he is my coach in all my sports and teaches me how to play. My favorite is when he does crazy-hugs at night with us and we climb all over him. He tells the best stories at night. My favorite are the ones he tells us about him and Aunt Jen. I like his prayers in Dutch. I like to play catch with him. I like to watch football with him. Go JETS!! I love dad, he is the best dad in the whole world!"

"I always love when dad does crazy-hugs. He always gets us crazy at night and makes us laugh so hard. I like to ride on his back and try to stay on and I like when he takes me to bed on his back. I like to play Hello Kitty with him. He teaches me to play new games on the wii. He lets us have movie night, with popcorn, when mom is teaching yoga. He talks in Spanish (it's dutch, sweetie) and I think it sounds funny. I love him and love to make cards for him."

"I love my da'den. He chases me and I run to mom to save me, it's a fun game and I laugh my head off. I love to snuggle with dad in the morning. I like to take all my toys to him while he is working, trying to distract him...it usually works. I like reading books with him, he is very animated and makes the stories very interesting. I too like crazy hugs at night, especially when he sticks me in the laundry bag and hides me. He's a fun dad and I love him so much!"

We hope your day brings you a fraction of the
joy you bring us on a daily basis.
We love you!

Miss Personality

2010-12-16T21:35:00.004-07:00

Just goin through my 500 different folders of

"events needing to be blogged" and I came across these gems...

Uh...was she on one this day or what??

Tyler's turn

2010-12-11T21:20:00.002-07:00

Yes, December is full of celebrations around here and we love it!
{For the most part} ...

So, Tyler turned six. I'm not sure why it feels like
six is so much older than five to me but it does.
And it is hard to believe I have six year old!
CRAZY....
Tyler is our sweet boy.
He is so aware of emotions, especially
in others. He is the first one to pass out a hug when needed and
let me tell you, with two little sisters around,
they are needed!
He is a typical big brother: protective, bossy, loving, teacher,
teaser, comforter, example, etc.
{Love the pajamas?? This is just a perfect BIG brother picture of him}

We are so proud of
him and his desire to be good. He has a love
for life that is contagious and we feel blessed having him
in our family.

His top 6 favorite things right now:
*school-loves, loves, loves it!
*playing legos-he is so creative with them
*anything to do with friends-he is our social one {although
I'm sure Brooke will give him a run for his money}
*having movie night with popcorn
*playing sports-favorite right now is basketball
*going on vacation-takes after his mom on this one!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Where was I??

2010-12-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

That's right...my little preschooler. Well, what do you know, it just happens to be her birthday as well {I knew if I waited long enough I could cover two events in one post :) }

As far as preschool goes....
she loves it...can't get enough of it.
It is a good day when it's school day!
Here are a few pictures of her first day of school.
{What a poser!}
Onto the birthday.....

What a sweetheart our little birthday girl is.
She feels us with so much happiness and we feel extremely blessed to have her in our family.
Some of her top favorite things:

*Tyler and Brooke
*playing dress-ups with her friends
*dancing and singing
*doing her hair and putting mom's make-up on
*going on vacation
*sleeping in Tyler's room
*helping mom clean {one of my favorites!}
*loves to color and draw
*playing outside
*not wearing her coat when it's freezing outside

She truly is our girly-girl. She doesn't like to take her bows out until she has
brushed her teeth and the day has officially come to an end.
{Uh, not so sure where that came from}
Here are just some random pictures that show a little of her HUGE personality that we get to enjoy daily. How did we get so lucky??

Happy Birthday cute Kate!
We love you!

Kindergarten

2010-09-02T14:18:00.009-06:00

My BIG boy started Kindergarten this week.
He was so excited,
which made ME so excited,
which made for a little less tears shed
by his emotional mommy :)

(He asked if he could pick the "first day of school lunch"
and make it himself.
He really milked the whole first day of school thing
...you would have thought it was his birthday!)
(Tyler with his friends Diego and Max waiting for the bell to FINALLY ring!!)

Really, I do love that he has such a great attitude about new
things. It makes the whole "letting go" thing much easier.
I'm such a wimp!

For journal purposes I need to write down some of the quotes he
has said throughout the week so I don't forget them...or so I
can have him read them when the "newness" wears off!

"Is today school? Yes! I seriously thought this day
would never come?"
"Can I just go to school for the rest of my life, everyday?
Because I really do love it so much."
"It's okay mom, I can just walk home by myself now...I have
like a million friends that can walk with me." (nice try, sweetie)
"I just can't wait to go meet all my new friends!"
"Mom, guess what? I sit by the cutest girl in the whole class!"
(This one killed me! This boy cannot already be girl crazy!)
"You are going to ask me how school was, I know.
Well, it was even better than yesterday!"

I would say it's safe to assume he has enjoyed the first week of school, wouldn't you?

Now, onto my little preschooler....

Jeff's idea of Paradise

2010-07-19T15:17:00.012-06:00

One boat,

one skier,
one course,
on one private lake...
(This is my weak attempt at getting a good picture
of Jeff "ripping it up!"...next time, maybe)

with happy,
entertained kids...

Kate "making up her new friends"...as she would say.

I love her eyes in this one...so pretty!
This is how all her pictures were. I love
that she was still giving her "cheeser"
despite the BRIGHT sun in her face!
She's not really one for sharing the spotlight :)
Where's that big smile for the camera now???

and GREAT company.
I love this picture for two reasons.
#1-two of my favorite people in the world are
with me and
#2-the kids in the background. They were having so much
fun on that thing!

It was so fun being able to catch up with the
Coberly's...we don't see them near enough!

Thanks for such a fun night everyone!
We can't wait to go back.

Clowns

2010-06-13T22:28:00.005-06:00

You better believe I sleep with
one eye open now!

(Hmmm...I wonder who could have given
them the idea??.....Grandpa!!
Trouble, I tell ya)

My little terror

2010-06-03T22:33:00.010-06:00

Let's not talk about May quite yet.
There really was only Kate's dance recital,
Tyler's soccer games, his T-ball games, Mother's Day, pre-school graduation,
Memorial Day festivities, and much, much more.
But...we can get to all that later.
(I'm convinced the post-date edit button was made for me.)
For now we need to talk about how it is possible something
so small and so stinkin' cute can make
such an enormous mess in less than 5 minutes!
And then be oh so proud of herself.

Honestly, I don't know why the one basket got so lucky.

And onto to the next item of business...

Ah-ha, Kate's kitchen, her favorite...

"Done for now, go ahead and pick it all up for me"

Watch out world!

This girl is unstoppable-

Really.

baseball season

2010-04-20T22:09:00.009-06:00

BRING
IT
ON!!!

(I was told this is "game face")

Tyler's first time up to bat...(ever)...and
he asks for the "T" to be taken away.
This boy can swing!
You should have seen his face as he was
running to first base,
he was beaming!
Love it.

a message from Brooke

2010-04-08T15:57:00.000-06:00

"Guess what everyone."

"I turned ONE (well, back on March 15th-mom's a little slow).

I had to keep reminding everyone just how old I am now.
(Messy finger and all)... ONE!! Where did that

year go??"

The party got started with a little shout out to
me and then I got stripped (loved it!) and
got to dig into this yummy cake! Mom didn't
even tell me "NO!" What a dream!
"Yum!"
"Really? I can keep going?"
"Sweet! This is the best day ever!"
After making a complete mess of ourselves
(yes, ALL the other kids joined me), we
cleaned up and then hit the dance floor. At first
I just watched my big sister
Kate and cousin Morgan do their thing, and then...
...I figured, why not join them!!

"Boy, was it a fun party!
Sorry if you missed it.
Maybe next year, right?"

Oh yeah, my mom likes to record my stats for journal purposes so here they are:

Weight: 20lbs 5 oz. 45%
Height: 30.25" 90%
Head: 18.5" 90% (must be
lots of brains in there!)

Bye...for now.

These two

2010-04-06T09:04:00.002-06:00

Tyler was a having....a day (if you know what I mean) the other day and I found a couple conversations quite amusing.

Mom: Tyler, you can't come out of the room until you are ready to apologize and be happy.

Tyler: (insert super whiny voice) But Ma-ooom (mom) I don't want to. I can't be happy anymore. It's soooo hard.

Mom: Oh and why is that?

Tyler: Because my face won't even let me smile!!

Later on...

Mom: Time to get ready for bed guys.

Tyler: (again, whiny voice) NooOOooo, I don't want to go to bed. I'm not even tired!

Mom: Um, your actions today are proof enough that you are way tired so please get up and get in your jammies.

Tyler: I can't move.

Mom: You can't move? Seriously?

Tyler: No! My legs won't even let my body move at all!

Mom: (gives one of those famous "you better get going or...."looks)

Tyler: Serious. I can't. Watch.

Wow. Life's hard when you're five. Stinker. It's a good thing this isn't an everyday thing for him or there may not have been as much laughing on my end and whole lot more crying on his. :)

While we're on the subject...

Kate's new favorite thing is getting her back rubbed. Seriously, she would have it done all day long if she could. Anyway, we were laying in her bed the other night talking about the day and as I was rubbing her back I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She replied, "I can't tell you because this feels so good."

I hear ya girl! No one should have to speak while getting a massage. How is one suppose to fully relax if she's expected to carry on a conversation at the same time!

HAPPY EASTER!

Kinda funny

2010-03-13T21:46:00.009-07:00

I distinctly remember March 1st because I had just

written the Feb. post and my kids "sweetness" was fresh

on my mind.

Yep. I jinxed them.

That morning was NOT a pretty one my friends.

We had crying, fighting, time-outs,

the whole nine yards and...

we hadn't even had breakfast!

Kinda funny.

Still love them though...

sort of...

just maybe not as much as I did in February.

On a side note: Snow? Really??

Oh, and another side note: you know those mini cadbury eggs?

Dang those things!!

2010-02-28T21:27:00.002-07:00

Now, I have a lot to catch up on with this little blog here but I can't seem to get it together. So in the meantime I feel as though I need to give this month a little love....

Despite the boogie noses, ear infections and coughs, we actually have had a fun month. (Maybe it was all the quality time spent inside together coughing all over each other!)
Don't be jealous.
A few highlights of the month included:
-My birthday-family spoiled me as always
-Birthday dinners with old friends that I don't get to see near enough!
-Jeff and I were able to go to California for a couple days without the kids.
It was fabulous! I love my kids but man, breaks like that do wonders for the soul. It was fun to be able to celebrate my birthday and Valentine's Day in one little trip.
-I don't know if it was because February is the month of LOVE or what but my kids were feeling it! They had so much fun playing together and, for the most part, have been so dang sweet to each other!
Anyway, here are just a few random pictures I thought were cute but will tend to get lost in the shuffle so just wanted to post them.

She thinks she is so funny. Apparently she was done with her shirt.Does Kate look 16 in this picture or is it just me freaking out! I'm seriously having issues with
my kids growing up right now. I know, it's slightly selfish of me.
But...can you blame me?

See you in March!

Um, where did my baby go??

2010-01-29T21:01:00.009-07:00

"Hey guys....
come in here and look what I can do now!"

(does she look proud of herself, or what?)

seriously, love this girl.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

2010-01-13T15:15:00.003-07:00

Hmmmm...really??

36 years old?
...I don't believe it,
seriously, look at that face.

Happy Birthday to the greatest
husband/Dad EVER!
You make our world a fun, happy place to be.
We love you!

Dancing Queen

2009-12-19T15:58:00.007-07:00

This may be hard for some to believe because Kate has her definite shy moments but, I think this girl was born to perform! She started her dance class this last fall and I was a little hesitant because she was only two but ever since she saw her aunt Jessica perform she has been begging and begging to go to dance class. Anyway, her cute teacher Celesta (Jessica's sister) said she should come to her class and try it out a couple times. Kate was HOOKED! She loved it and couldn't wait for Monday's to come. (Having dance only once a week made for some serious LONG weeks!) Kate would wake up everyday asking if it was a dance day or not. Needless to say, she can't get enough of it. She had her Christmas performance last week and it was so stinkin cute. She loved being on stage and wearing her "pretty princess make-up." Thanks Celesta for making it such a fun experience for her!

Love this picture! Those two on the right are twin girls and
they were in their own little world...so cute!

I know, eyes are a little scary in this but I love how she is
just soaking in all the applause from her biggest fans!

Shake that booty girl!!

Speaking of birthdays....

2009-12-19T15:14:00.007-07:00

This little peanut is now nine months!

Just yesterday she decided that laying on her stomach, kicking her legs as hard as she can, will not get her too far so she gave in and is now "slithering" across the floor with her entire body. Maybe by ten months she will realize up on all fours is a little bit easier...just maybe. (Our kids seem to take their own sweet time becoming mobile...) Anyway, she continues to be the center of attention around our house and is loving every bit of it!

Cute Grandma and Aunt Mur

Her stats at nine months:

Weight: 18 lbs. 2 oz.-50%
Height: 28.5 inches-90%
Head: 18"-90%

Happy Birthday Tyler! (on Dec. 11th...oops)

2009-12-18T20:41:00.002-07:00

It may appear I'm a little late in posting this but the truth of it is I'm in denial. Denying the fact that my baby boy just turned 5 on me! I keep telling him to SLOW DOWN but he doesn't seem to be listening too well. Don't get me wrong, nothing brings me more joy than to see him "experience life" and grow but honestly, do they have to do it at such a rapid pace? It seems like yesterday we were driving home from the hospital with our new baby wondering why in the world everyone was driving so dang fast! Didn't they know we had a newborn in the car! (Is that a feeling every new parent experiences or was it just us??) At any rate, we feel so blessed to have this sweet boy in our family.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures throughout the years....

Happy Birthday Tyler
Thanks for being such a fun, happy boy!
We love you!

Happy Birthday Kate!

2009-12-07T15:06:00.005-07:00

Three years ago today our life became a little:

Sweeter

Happier

"Crazier"

Louder

Messier

more Emotional
with a little SASS
and a whole lot of LOVE!

All because this BIG three-year-old:

decided to grace us with her presence.

Happy Birthday sweet Kate!
We love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T10:10:00.003-07:00

I realize there have been a billion pictures like this lately but....I was looking through these last night and love the relationship portrayed in each one. I love this time of year. I always feel like I have so much to be thankful for (which I do) but these cute faces are what I am most thankful for. I love them!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Santa Letter

2009-11-19T15:31:00.005-07:00

I know, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet so the "Santa" or "Christmas" word probably shouldn't even be brought up , BUT this fun thing may need a little planning ahead. Just looking out for you my friends (you know who you are you little procrastinators!)

Anyway, Jeff and a friend of his started this little side business last year and it went really well! What you do is go to our website, write a little letter for your child from Santa and we take care of all the rest. We process the personalized letters, send them up the "North Pole" to get post-marked and send them on their way. We got great feedback from last year and have had several return customers already sending in their letters. The best part, at least I thought, was with every letter ordered the kids get a free call to Santa on Christmas Eve. They get to call four times throughout the day to see where he is and what he is up to. It is SO cute and the kids love hearing his voice on the other end. Every time Tyler and Kate hung up the phone last year they would shout, "he said he's almost here, he's almost here!"

So....if this is something you might be interested in the website is www.lettersbysanta.com. And if you need a little more incentive we have a discount code for our nearest and dearest friends (that would be you). The code is JanaBlog and is good for $3.00 off. Plus, if you order three letters the fourth is free! So check out the site and feel free to pass it on, with the code, to all your friends and family.

Now, go order your letter and THEN stop thinking about Christmas already!

Family pictures

2009-11-06T21:31:00.016-07:00

The other day I was vacuuming the house and realized that we don't have ONE picture of little Brookie...not anywhere. Not a one. She's almost eight months old and her cute little face has not seen the inside of a fame yet. So we found this incredibly talented photographer, Kim, to help remedy the situation. And that she did. She honestly did an amazing job...such talent this girl has! And such a fun style, I love it! Here is a little sneak peek of what she sent to us earlier today. They turned out so cute.

Thanks Kim!

We couldn't be happier.

If you are in need of pictures (or in want!) CONTACT HER, you won't be disappointed. For more information and pricing, check her out at kimberliewilson.blogspot.com.

Fun with leaves

2009-10-30T21:25:00.006-06:00

Looks like an ordinary pile of leaves, right?

Well, look what we found inside....
These CUTE as ever kids!

Not bad odds, if you ask me. If only we could bottle these sweet
girls up and save them for when Tyler reaches the
ripe-old age of sixteen! Seriously, they are darling.
Brooke was loving all the attention these three
"little mommies" were giving her.

2009-10-29T22:06:00.006-06:00

What we have here, my friends, is
FASHION at its finest!

Honestly....

Aspen Grove/Sundance weekend

2009-10-22T21:36:00.000-06:00

For the past three years, in September,

we have gone up to

spend the weekend in Aspen Grove

to be surrounded by this:

With these three couples:

Making these FUN memories!

These two girls were cracking us up! They did a whole little
dancing program for us...it was adorable!

I love the look on Brooke's face...it's almost
as if she's just humoring them by being in the picture!

This was Brooke's first experience with the backpack and
she loved it. It enabled our little Queen Bee to be able to see
everything...just the way she likes it!

Thanks for the great weekend everyone.
We can't wait for next year!!!

Park City

2009-10-04T21:59:00.015-06:00

Oh how we LOVE Park City! We have been lucky enough to stay up there two weeks throughout the summer and are now convinced it is the perfect little getaway. Beautiful scenery, mountains to hike and explore, swimming pools, hot tubs, fun restaurants, shopping, great activities for the kids and so on...We love it!

Here are some of our favorite things to do:

#1-Swim, Swim, Swim!

I was pretty convinced this summer that my kids were part-fish...I am now fully convinced! They would have been in the pool 24/7 if we would have let them. Here are a few hundred pictures of us at the pool.

Cute boys!

Kate and Grandma!

We love Aunt Jessica!

Brooke's first time in the pool...despite the look on her face,
she seriously couldn't get enough of it!
This kid won't go near the pool without his goggles.
Thanks for the thumbs up bud!

#2-Hanging out in the kids club.

You know our vacation wouldn't be complete without our Aunt Mur.

One of the workers told Kate he saved this horse just for her
so she was convinced it was ONLY hers.
Yep, made for some fun times when someone else wanted on.
Little stinker!

One of the favorite activities involved an ENORMOUS amount of sugar
....hmmm, what a surprise!

You better believe Mom and Dad got in on the action!

#3-Hiking with Grandpa

This was one of Tyler's most favorite things to do. He would wake up in the morning and go across the hall to wake up Grandpa for their morning hike. Thanks Grandpa for the fun memories!

#4-Playing in their "very own room"

Um...yes...that is CareBear in the background.

#5-Loving the mountain air!
The end.

Oh my goodness!!!

2009-10-02T21:02:00.006-06:00

Are you freakin' kidding me???

Okay, I know Tyler was a chubby baby
but...
holy crap!!!
how did he survive??
...seriously.
How did I not eat him up??

(Thanks Aunt Jen for the best picture ever!!!!)

Baby Steps

2009-09-29T21:07:00.010-06:00

Um...no, my six-month-old baby is not taking steps yet, I am referring to the pace at which I will be catching up on this dang blog! We have had such a fun-filled, crazy-busy September that I seriously don't even know where to begin. How about we start out with this short, yet sweet, entry followed by the goal of being completely caught up by the end of the week. (I figure if I say it, or write, out loud that it will motivate me even more to do it). Wish me luck....

This first picture is one of my favorites of the month. It seems so cozy to me for some reason and what a sweetheart this girl is! Plus...I would like to draw your attention to the adorable headband in Kate's hair and then go check ALL of them out on the Lyla Lou's website(link to it on my sidebar)....they are so stinkin' cute! Man, what would I do without all these talented friends?? I might have to actually get off my butt and learn how to do them myself...yikes! All I have to say is, keep nurturing your talents my friends!

And yes, my baby is six months. Crazy. I love her sweetness and simply can't get enough of her. In fact, the other day, Tyler told me to stop kissing and bugging her so much. I had to laugh because I get it from Jeff all the time but for my four-year-old to recognize it was pretty funny. Anyway, not gonna happen anytime soon boys....she is too dang loveable!

Her stats at six months:

Weight: 15lbs. 10 oz.-45%
(you better believe that is the first time we have had a "skinny" baby check-up!)
Height: 26.5 "-85%
Head: Not sure but it's in the 80%-surprise, surprise!

She LOVES:
-to eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!
-to play with her brother and sister
-to chew on anything she can get her hands on
-to take baths
-to sit up, even though it is still kind of a hit-n-miss thing
-to be outside
-to go on the famous nature walks with grandpa
-her mommy kissing and loving her all the time ;)

Is anyone nervous that this is my "short" one??? Me too.

See guys....

2009-09-02T17:04:00.002-06:00

....You DO love each other!!!

We just may need to settle a few things here.

Tyler: Don't worry, I'm sure when the time comes Kate WILL
invite you to her birthday party and it WILL be fun.

Kate: Although you were VERY upset that Tyler told you
he wouldn't marry you anymore, I'm sure you will soon
learn it's not such a bad thing after all.

Now hug and make-up already!

Hmmmm....teething??

2009-08-25T21:37:00.010-06:00

There is definitely a common theme to all these pictures, don't ya think??

I can't believe my baby already has two teeth. The other day, (okay about a month ago*), Tyler came running in and said, "Mommy! Brookie is growing her teeth! She has two HUGE ones on the bottom now!" So, they're not quite as HUGE as he portrayed but they are definitely there and anxiously awaiting others...crazy!

Check out that drool! No wonder Tyler doesn't like her to "kiss" him.
He has to towel off everytime she does!

Cute teeth! Again, nice drool puddles.

Honestly! Does she have to look so big in this picture?!?

*First tooth came in on July 26th and the next one was about a week later.

Long-Distance Relationships

2009-08-25T16:19:00.003-06:00

WHO NEEDS THEM!!!
I do love hearing your voice on the other end but......
it is soooOOOooo much better in person.
Come home Daddy, we MISS you!!!

100% Girl

2009-08-18T15:56:00.006-06:00

What's that saying again??
Something like a picture is worth a thousand words.....

.....uh huh, enough said.

Fun with cousins

2009-08-17T10:55:00.007-06:00

My kids LOVE being with their cousins. In fact, the other day when Morgan and Jaden left Tyler said, "I wish they didn't have to live so far away." Um, they live about 10-15 minutes away which in my mind is not far but to a four year old can maybe seem like FOREVER! I guess in his perfect world they would all just live with us!! Anyway, here are a few fun pictures from the past month with the cousins.

Jeff thought it would be fun to have a sleep over in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard in the tent. They have the perfect yard for a "camp out." There is a stream going through it, a huge grassy area for the tents, a big garden for a midnight snack, a fire pit(at the neighbors) for roasting marshmallows and a nice, clean bathroom within 50 ft. It's great.

Here are the happy campers (Kate, Tyler, Cade and Austin) getting ready for story time by the one and only, Uncle Jeff.

Snuggling with Grandma and Grandpa
Isn't it usually the kids you're trying to get to smile for the picture???...oops!

We had Jaden and Morgan over the other day and had so much fun! Kate seriously idolizes Morgan and although there is a 5 year gap between them it is so cute how well they play together. Morgan is such a sweetheart and will seriously play with her for hours!! Kate loves it and I love it because I can actually get something done...(maybe it would be a good idea if they moved in with us :)

The bathing beauties! Tyler, Jaden, Morgan and Kate
Silly Kids!

This is Tyler and Lexie playing on the beach at Pineview last weekend. I wish I would have taken more pictures of the cousins together because they had such a blast! Again, Lexie and Matthew are 5-8 yrs older than my kids but are soooo sweet and fun with them! They are lucky to be surrounded by so many people that love them. Thanks guys!

Four months old

2009-07-24T10:57:00.014-06:00

Look who's getting sooooo BIG!

ME!
I had my four month appointment the other day and
everything went great except for the fact that I got poked one too many times!
The first one wasn't so bad but then they did more and I was NOT happy.
The doctor said that I look very healthy and my growth charts are right on track:

Weight: 14lbs. 11 oz -75%
Height: 25.5 inches-90%
Head: 16.25-60%

(Mom keeps telling me to stop growing so fast
but she's the one feeding me this cream-like milk....
what does she expect?!!)

Things I have learned in four months:
-My head is VERY heavy but I think I now have it under control.
-I love to smile and show off my cute dimple.
-Laughing is pretty fun too. My brother Tyler was the first to get me REALLY laughing.
-I've rolled over a couple times but I'm still trying to master it.
-I sleep through the night (started that one at about a month old...we ALL like a rested mommy better than a not-so-rested one :)
-My finger, thumb, blanket, shirt or entire fist work as a great pacifier.
-If I don't like the shirt mom put on me I can just drool all over it and she will change me
(I usually make her do this quite often)
-My family loves, loves, loves to hug, kiss, and squish me....a lot!

All in all, life has been pretty good to me so far.

Hugs and Kisses,
Brooke

Bike rides, Aunt Mur, Parks and Sea World

2009-07-13T12:06:00.021-06:00

As you can see from the title we have a lot to cover so this may be the world's longest post. Brace yourselves.
It was CRAZY here for the 4th of July. Jeff went for a run in the morning and he said by 7am the beaches were full of chairs, tents, games, tables, people, etc.... Apparently this is the busiest day of the year around here and boy oh boy did we witness it! We decided to rent bikes, which was super fun but very adventurous considering the crowds we were weaving in and out of. Tyler loved riding behind his dad and is now convinced that he can ride a bike without training wheels. ( We haven't quite burst his bubble yet.) I was impressed though because I thought he would just kind of sit back and enjoy the ride but he was pedaling the entire time...with a HUGE grin on his face. He thought he was such a big boy. Here are a couple pictures of us. I'm pretty sure Kate got the good end of the deal..(notice the bag of gold fish she is thoroughly enjoying!!)
Jeff had to fly up to Portland for a couple days so I was glad Mur was there to keep us company. Man, did we have fun! Of course, we missed our daddy but I had to prove to the kids that I can be just as much fun, if not more!! I think I'm a little ahead of you now daddy....sorry.

Let's start off with Mur's obsession to go home twenty shades darker than she was when she came. The kids obliged and we spent HOURS at the beach.What a stinker! The great part is that Kate was loving it.

(Too bad we don't have a picture of the bronzed beauty...Mur.)

They have a fun little area over by Mission Beach that has rides, games, food and shopping. We spent a couple nights over there and the kids LOVED it. They especially loved the tilt-a-whirl and I gotta be honest, I was about to hurl after the second time around...I must be getting old...yikes!

I was dying at this point, thank goodness Mur was there to switch places with me.

Tyler thought it was so great they got to go on this ride without Mom.
He loves feeling like he's "in charge."
Again...Mur takes one for the team on the "spinning" rides. Thanks Murbis!

And last but certainly not least....Sea World!

The kids loved the Shamu and Pets Rule show the best.

Kate was a little nervous to be in this cave. She was convinced
the Polar Bear was in it and wanted to get out ASAP!
Mur and Tyler touching "Mr. Ray" He loved it!
(only asked about 500 more times to go back and pet them.)

We started out fully clothed and then....

...the Ogden came out in them.

Brooke enjoyed her first visit to Sea World. She was either doing this or
this.

Wow! Is this for real??? I will be impressed with anyone that gets through this in a day. We had such a fun trip. It was great being together and making such fun memories. Until next time....

p.s. I wasn't too successful at convincing the kids I'm just as much fun as dad because on the airplane going home they were fighting over who got to sit by dad....whatever, I'm over it.

Coronado Island

2009-07-05T09:23:00.012-06:00

We LOVE this place. Aunt Mur came out to stay with us for a week and had never been here so we gave her a little tour. We went to eat at out favorite pizza place (mostly for their ranch dressing), walked around the shops and then played on the beach. The kids loved climbing on the rocks and surprisingly, we didn't have one accident!

Um...yes, that is a Jabba-the-Hut sticker on Kate's shirt. Tyler has a slight influence on her.

I love this picture because #1-it proves that Brooke was indeed with us and #2-Kate was able to help Jeff reach the top of the rock pile.

Beach

2009-07-05T09:06:00.017-06:00

Oh goodness....this is the life!

I think we may stay....

(sorry grandma and grandpa, we promise to visit)

The Coberly's stayed with us the first night and when they left the next day,

the kids were a little sad. They thought they were going to have little buddies the whole time...dang it!

Cute kids!

San Diego Airport

2009-07-05T08:56:00.009-06:00

I realize the airport isn't the most interesting part of a two-week stay at a beach house but it's where we started out and...it was quite an adventure. We thought it might be to our (and everyone else crossing our path) advantage to leave our "walking circus" at the airport while Jeff went to rent the car. So...I, along with the three monkeys and ALL the luggage, hung out for about an HOUR waiting for our car to arrive. Thank goodness they were so excited to be at the beach or they may not have been so cooperative. We had a little photo-shoot (notice Tyler's new little tilt of the head...what?!!), played duck-duck-goose, had races and bugged oh, only about a hundred people along the way.

Where's Brooke you ask? She was being a good little bug just snoozing away in her car seat. She usually decides to just observe the craziness rather than add to it. Bless her.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T15:01:00.014-06:00

I have such an amazing father and now that I have kids of my own I realize, even more so, just how lucky I am. I feel so blessed that my kids get to experience a fun, loving, adventurous, hard-working and dedicated father that LOVES them more than they will ever know. Thanks to both of the dads in my life. I love you!

Brooke's Blessing

2009-06-13T21:26:00.011-06:00

I LOVE everything about blessing days. I love the feeling in the home as we all get ready (even if there are moments of pure chaos.) I love getting my newborn all dressed up for her/his special day. I love going to church and seeing all my favorite friends and family members there to support us. I love to hear all the beautiful, inspired words of the blessing. Jeff said that Brooke was just looking up at him the whole time with a big smile on her face...such a tender moment between father and baby. Alright and I guess I love all the food afterward too!! I just love it....love it all! Thank you Brooke for choosing to come to our family, we all feel truly blessed.

Here are a couple shots of her in her dress:

And...it's hard to tell but I think she was done with her "photo shoot."
(For the record, the actual blessing date was May 24th, 2009)

Dear Daddy,

2009-06-10T14:48:00.008-06:00

It's raining outside (has been for the last couple days), we've played with all the Lego's, colored and painted lots of pictures, read books, played "house", ate snacks, did a trip to Target with Mom (that was adventurous) and now...we are ready to play with you. We think that Mom may be done with us for the day so can you please hurry. We promise we will have faces like this when you get home....

....now, how can you resist that??

With Love,

Tyler, Kate and Brooke

Spring Soccer

2009-05-30T08:12:00.020-06:00

Tyler just had his last soccer game of the season and boy did he have fun! He started out strong with a goal in the first game. Of course, I was off with little miss Kate trying to find a bathroom and missed it but at least daddy was there to congratulate our budding star.

We thought it might not be the best thing to bring out the competitive spirit that lies within him (we know it must be in there somewhere...he's half Tidwell after all) at such an early age so we emphasized on having fun. By the end of the season we realized we may have emphasized the "fun" part a little too much because he was distracted by his surroundings VERY easily. He seemed to discover, all too soon, that mud puddles in the middle of the field could be just as much fun as scoring. But...I love looking at all his pictures and seeing a smile on his face in about 90% of them. Here are a few fun shots:

(I love this one(above)...notice where the ball is)

Wow! Check out that game face.

And now to acknowledge his most loyal fans:

Never mind the look on Kate's face....let's talk about the
fact that CareBear has a blue bow in her hair!!

Good job Tyler!! We are already looking forward to what the next season might bring...

Girls vs. Boys

2009-05-29T17:54:00.012-06:00

This is my conversation with Kate today in the car:

"Mom, I just love my Brookie. She is soooooo toote (her version of cute.) Can we keep her forever and ever??"
I replied, "What a great idea, let's do keep her."
She sat there for a minute with a smile on her face, pleased with our idea, and then suddenly turned quite serious and asked, "But, are we going to keep Taller (her version of Tyler) too?"
" Uh....yep, we're going to keep him too," I replied. "Wouldn't you miss him if he wasn't in our family anymore? He is such a good big brother to you and he LOVES to play with you. I think you might be sad if he goes."
Her response was, "Yah, but daddy would miss him the most because he's on dad's team...right?"

Apparently we have a girl vs. boy thing going on here. All I have to say is watch out boys because you are clearly outnumbered!

Girl Team

Boy Team

Man, they're CUTE!!

Pineview Dam

2009-05-16T09:11:00.010-06:00

Last week we went up to check on"Jeff's Lake"

with our friends, Scott and Lex.
Jeff and Scott discussed their future water skiing trips (which I'm
sure won't be too far off); Lex and I caught up on the girly gossip;
the boys fished, played in the sand, had rock-skipping
contests, etc; and Kate...was wondering where all the
girls are in her life! Actually, she had a lot of
fun throwing every single rock on the beach into the water
and doing her ballerina twirls for anyone that would
watch.

Here are a few pictures of our little adventure:

Tyler and Hayes "fishing" while Kate dances

Tyler really fishing and loving it!

Cute boys

Parker striking a pose...what a stud!

Kate showing off her HUGE rock.

What a fun night, thanks guys! Jeff is now officially ready
to start the water skiing season. Bring it on!!

Two Months Old

2009-05-15T15:18:00.012-06:00

I just want want to know how this:

can turn to this in just two months!!!!

(Who wouldn't want to squish and kiss those cheeks all day!)

Where did my newborn go?? It has been so much fun having a
little baby around the house again. I was telling
Jeff the other day that I am totally spoiling her because
I can't bring myself to put her down...EVER!
I will probably regret it when she weighs 20lbs and
wants to be carried all the time but I guess I'll
just worry about that later!

She had her doctor's appointment yesterday and he came in, looking at her charts, saying,
"looks just like a Dodenbier baby!"

Her stats, for the record:
Weight: 11lbs 14oz, 85%
Height: 23.5" 95%
Head: 15.5, 75%

Apparently, the only way we know how to do babies is...BIG!

Tutu.....or hat???

2009-05-09T15:22:00.007-06:00

Who needs to go out and pay for entertainment when
you have this clown around?!!

What a NUT!!

Our little bookworm

2009-05-03T23:07:00.009-06:00

Kate LOVES books. She comes in our room

every morning with her little stash for us to read.
Seriously, by the time I manage to get my
laziness out of bed I am surrounded by her little
library. Love it.

(She has some pretty great reading glasses, don't you think?!)

Being a Mother

2009-05-03T14:51:00.014-06:00

Today started out a little rough. I think I heard my name more than a thousand times by 9am (in a whiny voice no less,) BOTH kids were super sensitive and not really getting along and Brooke was a little more fussy than usual. Needless to say I wanted to crawl in a hole by noon and escape it all. Well, we luckily all made it to nap time and as I walked into the kitchen to start on the dishes I noticed this poem and started to read it....

"When you thought I wasn't looking"
By Mary Rita Schike Korzan

When you thought I wasn't looking,
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You fed a stray cat and I thought it was good to be
kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You said a prayer and I believed there was a God that
I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You kissed me good-night and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt-But that
it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You smiled and it made me want to look
that pretty too.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
You cared and I wanted to be everything I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked...
And wanted to say thanks for all those things you did
When you thought I wasn't looking.

Some days I may need an hour massage, a date with my husband, a night to myself, or even an exotic vacation to cure a bad day with the kids but today, this is all I needed. I'm so grateful to be called "Mom..."(even if it is a million times a day!)

Introducing....

2009-04-27T11:36:00.011-06:00

Since this blog is set up for the intent of documenting my kids lives I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the stars of the show..... (this may get a little lengthy)

TYLER JEFFREY

Tyler is four years old. He is our oldest child and plays the role perfectly. He is my sweet boy and loves to please everyone. He doesn't like to see anyone get hurt, especially his sisters, and would do anything to make you happy. He loves loves LOVES to get praised. You can't just give him a compliment once and be done with it. He has a way of getting you to repeat it over and over again. For example, he will say, "Mom...you love it when I am a good boy, do you?" Or, "Mom, did I do sooooo good at my soccer game?" Or, "Mom, I am such a good brother when I push Kate in the swing, am I?" You get the point....loves makin his mommy and daddy proud!

Some of his interests:

-soccer
-playing with his cousins and friends
-going to grandma and grandpa's (one of his favorites)
-going to pre-school
-playing PSP
-playing with Kate
-kissing and holding Brooke (sometimes more than she can handle!)
-and last but not least...playing with Lego's!
The Legos are a whole other story. Jeff introduced him to the world of legos about a year ago and they have slowly but surely taken over our entire house. In fact, the other day I said to Tyler, "Honey, you need to keep your legos picked up better. Everywhere I look I see them and it's driving me CRAZY!" His response, "Well mom, just look the other way then." Duh, why didn't I think of that?!! This is what I love about him. He is such a smart, innocent boy with just enough spunk to keep you laughing and loving him all day long.

KATE CHRISTINA
Wow...what can I say about our little two year old?? I guess I could just leave it at that...she's two, no more explanation needed. We LOVE this girl. She keeps our world interesting. When the day is over I'm always amazed at all the emotions I have felt toward her in the 12 or more waking hours we have spent together. She is STUBBORN (gets it from her dad ;), witty, very independent, emotional, sensitive, energetic, loving, confident and sweet...all bundled up in a little package!

Some of her interests:

-her PINK CareBear
-singing songs to anyone that will listen
-anything to do with princesses
-dancing like a ballerina in her tu-tu
-playing with Tyler
-reading books with grandma
-riding the 4-wheeler with papa
-anything that her mom is doing!! (she's kind of a mommy's girl)

The other day Kate was using the bathroom and I heard her in there talking. I just assumed it was to her CareBear because she talks to her ALL the time but nope, it was to her poop. Yep, you heard it right. She was in there asking her "stinky poop" how it got in her bum. WHAT?!!! This is the direct quote, "How did you get in there you stinky poop, how did you get in my bum?" It just keeps getting better, I tell ya. Just when you think you couldn't love them more...

BROOKE BAYLEE

Brooke is our newest little addition. She was born March 15th, 2009. I had a short 3 hour labor with one push at the end and she was here. Jeff looked at me and said, "that's it, that's all it took?" I think he was gearing up for at least an hour of pushing and me squeezing the life out of his hand but she surprised us and made a quick "exit." She weighed the exact same as Kate did: 7lbs. 10 oz and was 19 inches long. She came with the most kissable, squishy cheeks and they have only gotten bigger. You can imagine the love she gets all day long!

Some of her interests:
-sleeping
-eating
-pooping
-smiling (mostly just for her dad for some reason)
-starting to coo a little

I'm sure the list will grow but we are trying to keep it simple as long as possible. We are loving the newborn stage and enjoying the sweet spirit she has added to our family. We love you little Brookie!

Better late than never....right?!!

2009-04-27T08:56:00.001-06:00

I figure since I now have three kids it's about time I start to document all the CRAZINESS that goes on around here! I'm not sure what it is but the past couple of weeks the kids have been cracking us up and I keep saying to myself, "I need to write that down before I forget!" Well...what better place to do it than a fun family blog. Hmmmm...why didn't I think of that before?!! Oh wait, I have about a MILLION times over the past couple years! Well, I'm here now and I'm here to stay...hopefully :)