A Trip to Touch-A-Truck

Every year there is an event here called Touch-A-Truck where kids can go and see all kinds of different trucks like fire trucks, ambulances, cranes, tractors, police cars, etc. and they can sit in the trucks and turn on the sirens or honk the horns. I have heard about it every year.... AFTER it has happened. So this year I was so excited that I heard about it a few days before. I told the boys about it, and they seems really excited for it too. So we found a friend to go with us, and we headed over to see what kind of trucks we could see. And we saw a LOT of trucks and other big vehicles. I don't even think we got around to seeing everything they had there. But the boys had lots of fun, even though it was SUPER loud with all that honking and sirens wailing.

And we got to see Robosaurus.

Never heard of Robosaurus?? Well it's a GIANT robot T-Rex. They boys thought it was so cool!

He even ate a car. Like totally destroyed and ripped the car in half.

Don't mess with Robosaurus!

That tangled mess above Brayden's head is what was left of the car when Robosaurus was done with it.

We saw fun things like the Oscer Meyer Weinermobile.

And got to sit on Harley's and in Hummer Limos....

And we saw some different Police vehicles...

This had better be the only time they are ever in a Police car!

We saw several different fire trucks...

and even got to get wet at some of them.

Landon currently LOVES a movie we have called "Elmo Visits the Fire House" so he was so happy and excited to see the fire trucks and firefighters. As we were walking away, he said "Thank you Firefighters!" just like Elmo does in the movie. It was pretty cute!

We had to take a picture at the U.S. Forest Service booth with Smokey for Grandpa Shumate!

And get in this fire truck like Uncle Russ used to ride in. They boys thought it was pretty cool that their uncle used to ride in that big green fire engine. 

We also got to go inside a Hot Air Balloon. Like actually INSIDE the balloon part. It was pretty cool!

We had a great day! We even were lucky enough to run into a several friends that we haven't seen in a long time! So fun!
We headed home with lots of fun free stickers, pencils, toys, and candy.
I was exhausted when we got home, but it was pretty fun to finally get to take the boys to Touch-A-Truck! 

Sleepy Time...

Every night I go in and check on Landon before I go to bed. I have done this with all my boys when they were little. I just love going in and making sure they are ok, and covered with their blanket before I go to sleep. The other night, I found Landon like this and it just cracked me up.  Looks like he's trying to do a sit up in his sleep or something.

The funny thing is that both his brothers used to sleep like that too. So cute!!!

11 Years...

Last month Patrick and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. 

We had an awesome 2 day celebration. The day before our anniversary, Patrick send me a beautiful bouquet of roses and cala lilies. They looked and smelled amazing! Then we were able to go out to one of our most favorite places to eat dinner down on the Strip called Mon Ami Gabi's. It is the best!!! We got to eat our yummy dinner while watching the Bellagio fountains across the street go off. Those fountains are some of my favorite things to see around here. They never get old! Our dinner was super delicious as always, and then we dedcided to take a trip up the Eiffel Tower. We had never been up there before, but the view was amazing! It was a little freaky being up that high (it's 50 stories up I think they said) since I don't really like heights, but it was pretty cool anyway.  

An added perk.... since Patrick is "handicapped" at the present time and still walks with a cane, we got to go right to the front of the line to go up the Tower. It was a 30 minutes wait, and we didn't have to wait for anything. They had him go right to the front of the lines for the elevators. Sometimes his "handicapped-ness" comes in handy!

We got a few pictures with Patrick's phone...

Then then day of our anniversary was the day the boys went to the Nascar race, and we only had Landon. So we went out to lunch and then came home and watched a movie and ate cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory while Landon took a nap.  It was a perfect afternoon!!

I'm so glad to have been able to spend the past 11 years with Patrick. I'm so grateful for him in my life and that he is a worthy priesthood holder to lead our home and is such a great father to our boys. He is one amazing man, and I'm so so lucky he is mine! I love you tons Patrick, and I can't wait for another 11+ years with you!!!

NASCAR With the Grandparents!

Every year Patrick's parents come down to go to the Nascar races. This year they decided to take the 2 older boys with them. Brayden and Patrick had gone a few years ago, and Conner has wanted to go ever since. So when he heard that Grandpa Patton and Grandma Ann were going to take them, he was super excited!!!

The boys had so much fun at the race! They got to go in the Neon Garage, into the pits, and get in the cars. They had a very full day of fun, and were exhausted by the time they got home that night. Their grandparents bought them t-shirts, hats, toy cars, lanyards for their tickets, and lots of yummy food! They had so much fun at the race with their grandparents, they talked about it for days! I'm so glad that they got to go do this. They loved every minute of it! Thanks Grandpa Patton and Grandma Ann!!!!

My Grandpa

I have only ever known one Grandpa in my life. My Grandpa Shumate. He was pretty much everything you think of in a Grandpa. Loving. Funny. Nice. Caring. Always letting you sit on his lap. He was the greatest. 

Some of my most favorite memories of my Grandpa are of things like how he always, and I do mean ALWAYS had a fridge in his garage fully stocked with Root Beer and Welches Grape Soda just for his grandkids. Or when I was younger, I remember going on walks around the block with him and he always had LifeSaver mints in his pocket that he would share with me as we walked. Or how he always would help us fill up a bucket of birdseed and we got to go help him throw the birdseed all around his yard, and we would see all kinds of birds, like road runners, or jack rabbits coming to eat. We would often go and help him pick lemons, oranges, and tangerines from his trees in his backyard. And how sometimes, as we were getting packed up and ready to leave his house, he would pull me aside in his garage or somewhere out of sight, and slip me some money for things he had heard me talk about wanting... like games, CD's, movies, or books. He would always slip me the money very slyly and whisper "Don't tell Grandma!" and then smile and give me a hug. 

He was constantly helping anyone and every one he could see weather be family, friends, or neighbors. He was never ever mad. He was always happy. He loved to tell cheesy little jokes. And no matter what time of day you arrived at his house, he was there waiting to feed you, or give you anything else you may need upon arrival. He was such a generous man. And he genuinely loved his family.

(Photo of Grandpa when he came home from World War II in June of 1946)

He was born in Oklahoma on August 4, 1920. He served in World War II, and was overseas when my Dad was born. He didn't even see my dad until he was about 18 months old.  He worked for 30+ years for the U.S. Forest Service. Recently, my Grandma told us that while they were married they moved 42 times! He met my Grandma when she was just 14 years old and he was 17 while they were learning Archery. They married 20 days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. As I was recently looking at old picture of my grandparents, I saw several of them together and in every one, he had his arm around my Grandma. When I told my Grandma that I thought that it was so cute how he put his arm around her in every picture, she just smiled and said, "Oh yes, always".

He died on December 17, 2011... 10 days shy of his 70th wedding anniversary.

He is survived by his wife, 2 sons and their wives, 7 grandkids, and 20 (almost 21) great grand kids.

His sweet smiling face will be missed at all our future family events, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to have him as my Grandpa.

Mardi Gras!

A few weeks ago, Brayden's class had a Mardi Gras party and parade. They spent the whole week learning about Mardi Gras and making a float for their parade. So on the day of his parade, I went over to the school to watch. All the kids in his class put on masks, had noise makers, and had beads and gold candy coins to throw to other kids when their parade came through their class. 

Here was their float. Each kid in his class got to work on a section of it and decorate it however they wanted. They had music playing and all the kids lined up behind it and danced through the halls making LOTS of noise with their noisemakers. They had a blast!

Brayden really loved being able to dance around and be loud and obnoxious through the halls.

His whole class! They all had fun doing the parade.

Brayden had fun learning about Mardi Gras. I must admit, he knew more then I did about it. It was a fun unit to learn about. Gotta love teachers that help their kids learn things in such fun ways!

Blue & Gold Fiesta!

A few weeks ago was Brayden's Blue and Gold banquet once again. The theme this year was "Mexican Fiesta with a Positive Attitude." He really wanted to make his cake look like a taco for the "fiesta", but I thought that would be a bit too much work, and not really sure if it would turn out so well. So we compromised on a cake to look like a tostada. And thanks to Google, I found some ideas to make his cake possible.

First thing we did was make a yellow cake and put some chocolate sprinkles in the batter so it would look more "corn tortilla" like.  We used colored frosting for the refried beans, sour cream, and guacamole. The "meat" was Cocoa Krispies. The "Cheese" were orange and yellow Starbursts that we rolled flat and cut into "shreds" of cheese.

We cut up licorice for "tomatoes" and green Fruit Roll ups made the "lettuce". 

Brayden was really happy with the final product. 

He still loves everything he gets to do for Cub Scouts. He has so much fun with it!

Landon Shenanigans

Our sweet little Landon really keeps life entertaining and busy around our house. He's always into something. 

One day I found him playing with Brayden's Bucket of Army Men on the floor. 

He was very intent on setting them up, going "vroom vroom" with the tanks, and knocking things over.

 He loved setting up this fence.....

 And then kicking it over.... again and again. It kept him entertained for quite a while.

 He also entertained himself one day by emptying out one of the toy boxes and sitting in it. 

Apparently that is also highly entertaining.

 The funny thing is he also likes to clean up the toys as long as he can sing the "Clean Up" song from Nursery as we pick up the toys.

Just today as I was busy helping his brothers with their homework, he came downstairs like this....

He had taken off his clothes and put his whole body into ONE leg of Conner's pj pants. It made for quite the funny looking dress. Oh and you can't forget the Oreo's smeared around his face that he had also snuck while I wasn't paying attention.

Oh the joys of a 2 year old little boy. They are always up to something. He has a way of making us laugh and pull out our hair all in the same day. He has so much energy and is WAY too smart for his own good. He gives us loves, hugs, and kisses all day long. I just love this little boy!

Cleaning the House is Fun to Do!

Recently, the boys have decided that they wanted to earn money to buy some new toys, specifically, a new Transformer. Because apparently the roughly 95 Transformers we already have just aren't enough. So I told them if they wanted more, they had to earn the money for them. So they got to work! They were willing to do any chore I asked as long as they knew it was going toward their Transformer fund. They cleaned bathrooms, their room, vacuumed the whole house,  helped mop floors, pulled weeds outside, and washed walls. 

Even Landon was willing to help. He wasn't about to be left out of what his brothers were doing so he "helped" with some of the chores too.

They have done chores for a few weekends now, and have about half the money they need for their new Transformers, so they are well on their way. 

It's so nice to have kids old enough to help out with all the chores around the house!

The Toothless Grin!

A few months ago, Conner had discovered he had his first loose tooth. He was beyond excited, he has been waiting for this day for a few years, ever since his big brother lost his first tooth. I had kind of forgotten about it until a few weeks ago when he showed me how loose it was getting. A few days after that, I had just put them to bed, and had come back downstairs for some much needed R&R when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I was ready to get mad at whoever was trying to escape their bed, when Conner comes running in and showing us his tooth is super loose. He goes and shows Patrick, and before I knew it, his Daddy had pulled his first tooth out. Conner was so happy! He couldn't wait to leave his tooth for the tooth fairy!

He took his dollar he got from the tooth fairy, and some other money he'd saved up and made a trip to the Dollar Store. He was in heaven getting to pick out something. He chose a foam football and a Scooby Doo frisbee. He is such a funny kid, and is super cute with his new toothless grin. 

He now has his second loose tooth, and is already planning his next purchase with his tooth fairy money.

Kicking Off the New Year Better Then The Last

2011 was a rough year for us. To say the least. 

We are really REALLY hoping 2012 holds good things in store for us.

Some things we are looking forward to or hoping for in the New Year are:

*Patrick's new job!!! It is so nice for him to have a job again! It is just perfect for him, and it feels so good to be getting a paycheck again after over a year of not having one. He is a Comptroller for an Environmental Company. Yes, Comptroller is a real position, I didn't know that until he became one and I Googled it. He is also in charge of HR for the company. The best part of his new job is that he is working from home. This is great for several reasons, but mostly because it still allows him to be able to do his Physical Therapy when needed, and he can take breaks during the day if his back is getting sore. It is also great because we only have one car, which would have made commuting to work a bit challenging. Especially since he can't drive yet. We are so happy and grateful for his new job! It is a HUGE relief to be among the employed again and is most certainly an answer to many many MANY prayers over the past year.

*Getting back to a somewhat normal life. I feel like the whole last year was a crazy blur. I hope that we don't repeat that craziness this year. A boring year could be really great!

*Here's hoping for no one in our family getting paralyzed, hospitalized, or having surgery. I would really love to avoid any of those things for a long time!

*I hope at some point this year we can stop buying diapers and Landon will get potty trained. I really hate potty training, but love not having a kid in diapers!

*We hope to make a few trips to Arizona and Utah. And hopefully California... our kids have been dying to go to the beach.

*Overall, we are just looking forward to a new start. After the trials and challenges we have had, we feel stronger and better from them, and look forward to what the Lord has in store for us. We have learned a stronger and deeper trust in Him, and know that all of these things have been for our benefit. While I would never want to repeat the past year, I am truly humbled and grateful for the things we learned and the blessing our family received.

I think 2012 could be really great for us!

Life With A 9 Year Old

Happy Birthday to our awesome little Brayden!!! 

He turned 9! It's hard to believe every year when he gets older, where does the time go? 

He had a great birthday. 

We started the day by opening presents. 

He got a fun Lego Wii controller with the Harry Potter years 5-7 Lego game. He's kinda in love with Legos right now. 

He also got some Transformers, money from grandparents, and a Beyblade from Japan. Funny thing is I had no idea that it was actually coming from Japan, and it didn't get here in time. I honestly don't know what the difference is between this Japanese one and one you can buy here, but he has some friends that have these Japanese ones and he REALLY wanted one. So he is anxiously waiting for it to come in the mail.

We went out to lunch to Taco Bell (his choice) and he also got to go to the movies for his big day. 

He wanted a Lego cake for his birthday, so I found this fun idea on Pintrest. Not my best work, but he liked it.  

 Make a wish!!!

We had a fun day celebrating Brayden! He is a great kid. He has lots of energy and really likes to be the center of attention. He's very social, and sometimes that is a problem at school, but overall he is a good kid. He loves Scouts, Transformers, riding his bike, helping with his baby brother, pizza, tacos, and playing video games. He is all boy! He is doing great in school too. He is a great helper around the house and is a funny kid!

Hope you had a great day Brayden! We are so happy you are part of our family!