Adam and Brianne

Losing my head! (Beware of super long story)

2011-05-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all under the assumption that I am going crazy with four by the lack of blog posts... and you would be right! I have had to cut back on the amount of projects I am taking on, appointments I have been booking, and trips to the grocery store. So here is a funny/ not so funny story as of late:

I had to go to Idaho Falls for my freezer meal food at Winco and decided to get all of my other Idaho Falls errands done as well. A feat that would take a normal childless person an hour or so. It took me 7 hours. AHHHH! And I was determined to finish every errand. The kids were troopers. They got popcorn at Target and we played at the play place in the mall since they were good at Old Navy. And they got a treat from the gas station on the way home for being amazingly good for me despite the random stops and probably because of all the threats from me that I would leave them in Idaho Falls if they were not good. I got everything done.

We got home and unloaded the car of all the perishables, then took a break to sit down and well just sit down.On Sunday I got everyone ready for Easter Sunday and couldn't find my Old Navy bag with Andi's dress in it. I looked everywhere. I chalked it up to it's somewhere in our house in my random junk piles that need to either go to DI or get thrown out and forgotten. The whole next week I kept looking. $60 worth of Old Navy newborn cuteness LOST! Called mall security.. not there. Ripped my car apart...not there.

For those of you who know me know that I pray about everything. Especially when I lose things which is usually my keys that I most of the time lose in department store shoe boxes still sitting on the department store shelf. Or when my grandma with Alzheimers put them in a bucket in the back of her coat closet. So usually right after I pray the spirit tells me exactly where my lost item is and this time I was told Old Navy. So I call Old Navy and the lady tells me there is no lost bag there with baby clothes in it. So I was super bummed, and decided to call again at the shift change. Called again and the lady says we found a bag but it has a black coat in it and the coat is not from our store. So I hang up and I am so weirded out at this point that I lost a $60 bag of clothes. That night i couldn't sleep thinking about all that money I wasted and where would it have gone, I retraced my steps in my head and remembered that while I was checking out laney handed me her black coat and I put it in the bag. So what do I do? Third call to Old Navy went something like this:
Me: I am calling about a bag I lost and I think you have it.
ON: What is your name?
Me: Brianne Serrano
ON: Didn't you call yesterday? We have your number here and it has not been turned in since you called yesterday.
Me: Yes, but I think the bag you already have is mine. I lost it 2 weeks ago. And I would like to describe to you the little black jacket that is in it.
ON: Okay let me get my manager(manager gets the bag and gets on the phone)
Me: The jacket is a Faded Glory from Walmart with hearts in the front.
ON: yeah this coat has hearts on the front and its Faded Glory
Me: Size 24 months?
ON: Yup
Me: Thats my bag!
ON: But the items you say you purchased from here are not int he bag.
Me: There are no newborn things int he bag?
ON: No
Me: How about pink Capris size 5t or girls XS.. or anything XS that was on clearance. I would have bought clothes for my 6 year old.
ON: There are a couple things in here that size. There is no receipt in the bag.
Me: I have my receipt. Did I leave the bag in the store?
ON: No it was found in the dressing rooms at SEARS. (As I start to remember that I asked Baylee to carry said bag and the kids ran into the dressing rooms at SEARS as I was eye-ing the infant clearance dresses on our way to the car.)
Me: So you think someone took stuff out of my bag?
ON: No we put some of it back out on the floor.
Me: (IN MY HEAD: WHAT THE?) So then I should read to you whats on my receipt so you can put it back.
ON: Well I can look up your receipt... it says here there are about 5 clearance items that I don't know what they are.
Me: Okay then just refund my entire purchase because I bought alot in threes for each of my girls so they would match and if I only get two back then I don't want them completely.
ON: Okay I'll just refund your purchase and you can come get the little black coat when you come back in.

So moral of the story, carry your own bags, and if you Old Navy finds your stuff they will try and resell it to make more money!

Andi is two weeks old!

2011-04-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

From Uploads 2011

~Andi Mae Serrano~ March 17, 2011 7lbs 12 oz

2011-03-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

From Mar 3, 2011

Laney the bookworm...

2011-03-07T09:07:00.001-08:00

Laney is such a bookworm. She is constantly bringing books to anyone available to read to her. When I get her up in the morning she is already sitting on her bed reading books. She has really opened our eyes as parents to the fact that we should be reading more to our kids.

38 week Update

2011-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I went in for my weekly check up and I am 3cm dilated. I was a little bummed at first since I am usually a 4 at my 38 week appointments, but then realized I have no bag packed, I couldn't tell you where my camer is or whether or not the battery is charged, I had Baylee's birthday party planned for Saturday the 5th then we recieved an invite to her friends party same day and time, so we need to change ours. If I had this baby tomorrow she would have a super nasty car seat that has been sitting in the garage for a year, no socks, no diapers, and no where to sleep since her bed is not yet put together.
I have to just laugh at the fact that I am such a procrastinator with this baby. I actually at this point could care less if I go to the hospital without my toothbrush. I would much rather focus on Baylee having a "birthday" so we don't have a psychological "mommy doesn't love me anymore" issues down the road. LOL! We are however, getting a little antsy!

From Mar 3, 2011

We still have SNOW

2011-03-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Adam took a week off from work to help me get things ready for this baby and to PLAY a little with these kids who have been cooped up with a prego mommy for a long time! We went sledding at the college and the kids had a blast! They LOVE the SNOW!

From Mar 3, 2011

I'm always amazed at how long my kids will stay outside and play in the snow, and especially Laney. She LOVES being out in the snow with her big brother and sister! But it was all fun and games until someone got a fat lip!

From Mar 3, 2011

Baby Update: 37 weeks

2011-02-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

I feel like there isn't much to update everyone about, besides my pregnancy woes like how I wake up every couple hours at night and have to walk off the achiness, my heartburn is a nightmare, my clothes don't fit, etc etc. WAH WAH WAH!
On a happier note: my kids only drive me nutso about twice a week lately, maybe they are giving me a break. We are trying to get Baylee's birthday planned and carried out before baby comes so she doesn't get forgotten. We have a camp director called and ready to serve. Adam is taking a couple days off this week just for fun. Laney keeps me super entertained with all the new words and phrases she is learning. Asher still bounces off the walls... ALL the time. All three love to sit by me and feel the baby kick... which is a lot! Guess I shouldn't be expecting a calm child when I already have three crazy ones.
Tomorrow I will officially be 37 weeks and my guess is I'm probably a 1 or 2. With all three of my kids I haven't been a 4 til 38 weeks. I am back and forth as to whether or not I am ready to have this baby... my to do list is far from being done, but I assure you there are some pretty dumb things on it that are just there so they even get remembered that they are unfinished. (like repainting my baseboards and cleaning the garage - not going to happen while snow is still falling.) On the other hand, I am so excited for my three day hospital/spa getaway, where the nurses will be at my beck and call and the kids will be not be my responsibility, and I will be able to just relax and hold our new addition. Maybe its the anticipation of said "three days" that is making time stand still.

Four weeks left...

2011-02-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how time has flown and then slowed so much that each day is torture! Baylee loves to feel the baby move and hopes it will be born on her birthday. Laney doesn't really care, and Asher is pretty sensitive to how mommy is feeling and snuggles with me often. Adam took these for me since it was on my raging list of all the things I need to get done in the next few weeks before baby comes. he did an awesome job and I love them! At the top of the list are things like get a pedicure and clean my room. The way my side of the bed looks right now from not being able to bend over easily is not good, and that's where baby's bed needs to go, so I better get on it.

My thoughts from January...

2011-02-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

I apologize ahead of time since I am pretty sure I am writing this just for posterity purposes and everyone else may think its pretty dumb. So like I said before January went by super dang slow, however, there were quite a few things I had time to contemplate while sitting around waiting for this baby. After the holidays we (the kids and I) fell into a sort of go nowhere and do nothing slump, then I started to feel a little guilty that we were just stuck in the house all day. They started to get cranky and I reciprocated the crankiness. One day I said to Baylee, "you are really starting to make me mad" with which she replied, "no, YOU are starting to make ME mad." To remedy the tension in our home we went to lunch at McDonald's one day, swimming the next, the library the next and then by Thursday I sent them to play at friends'. The weird thing is this actually didn't remedy anything. They were even more cranky than before. So I decided to slow down, only this time, spend quality time at home, not just sit around with the t.v. on while mom gets chores done. We have played with play-doh, and read millions of books, many of them multiple times, built trains and race tracks, helped each other clean rooms or empty the dishwasher, and colored at the table. If I step back I realize that it doesn't take much to have quality time. I am so grateful for my three babies! I can't believe how big they are getting. I am a stay-at-home mom and still feel like the time I get to spend with my kids is whooshing by. I used to hate the winter months because of being cooped up, but the last few years I have been grateful that my kids are stuck in the house with me so I can just watch them grow.

I also realized this January, and this makes me a little nervous, that this baby may come so fast I won't have time for my "dear" epidural. As most of you know I am a huge epidural fan, and not just because I am free of the pain, but because I have TIME. Time with no worries, pains, or distractions. Time for me to listen to that tiny baby's heartbeat on the monitor next to my bed. Time to reflect on my pregnancy and how excited I am to meet this new joy that will be mine to hold and love forever. Thank you Mr. Epidural inventor for TIME.

Lastly, I am so grateful for my amazing husband who has put up with me being pregnant for what seems like forever! I have been pregnant for 3 years (36 months) of the 7 years we've been married. And he's been such a trooper. I couldn't raise our kids without him and I am grateful for the work he puts in during the day and then the work he continues to put in once he gets home. I just so enjoy my 3 day stay at the hospital with my new baby and my husband. I just can't wait!

I have recently realized...

2011-02-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

that having a March, April or May baby totally stinks! I feel like I am just sitting around waiting and waiting for the weeks to pass, and they are totally just crawling. All the hype and "busy"ness of the holidays are gone and there really aren't any big enough to help me pass the time. January was so slow and February is even slower and it is only the 1st!!!! SO while I wait for March here is a pic or two to share.

Christmas in January

2011-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

Every time I came across an hour or so that I could spend taking down my Christmas decorations my kids would beg me not to. So we left them up for it seems like forever. And now they are finally down. However, the kids had fun putting the lights away.

From Brianne Serrano uploads

For Laney's birthday...

2011-01-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

we tried to do things she would want to do. We went outside and built a snowman, went to arctic circle for lunch, played hide and seek, and had lots of cake and ice cream. I think she had a blast!

From Brianne Serrano uploads

Two Years Ago...

2011-01-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

We brought this little munchkin home from the hospital! Adam and I got to the hospital at around 10:30 and she was born around 1pm. It was so weird to have had her so fast with no pain and no complications... we kept saying to ourselves, "didn't we come here to have a baby?" She has been nothing but a joy to our family ever since! Happy Birthday Laney Loo! We love you so much!

From Brianne Serrano uploads

Here's hoping blogging goes better for me in 2011!

2011-01-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since I last really totally posted so I'm going to have to make those two years a book without blogging it first and skip right into twenty eleven... We started the year with a drive home from California after: Christmas with my Mom and Dad, my little brother's temple sealing, and New Year's with Adam's family in Auburn. We haven't had many comings and goings since we've been back because of our Rexburg January weather with the temps being below zero or just barely reaching single digits. Our family's big news is that we will have another baby in March and we are ALL so excited! The kids are as crazy as ever and their mouths are even busier. All three sing constantly and in tune, I might add. I'm amazed at Asher's ability to pick up tunes and tones with ridiculous ease.

Baylee: We moved Baylee downstairs to a large room that she chose to paint hot pink. We are still working on the little details of it like the chandelier and other wall hangings, but she likes having her own space. She loves princesses and has come to me recently to teach her to braid and put pony tail holders in her hair. If I let her, she would do her own hair for Kindergarten everyday. To be honest she does a pretty good job. She asked Santa for a straightener and loves it and the crimper that came with it. She didn't enjoy t-ball or soccer last year and continues to bug me about putting her in ballet. I am currently ballet school shopping. She is obsessed with growing out her hair to be like Repunzel's and loves to dress up in sparkly clothes, put on make-up and would like to get her ears pierced. I on the other hand didn't wear a ton of make up, NEVER wore earrings, and hated wearing dresses.

Asher: What can I say, he will be totally outnumbered!I do love that he is so snuggly and cuddly still even though he's four, don't get me wrong, he still punches and kicks things, but he is fully aware that aggression is to be taken out on objects and not people. He is quick to apologize AND share. He is the best sharer (if that's even a word) I know. He loves trains still and recieved a Leapfrog Explorer for Christmas which he loves. Since Baylee has started Kindergarten and brings homework home, Asher has learned to sit at the table and write his name and some numbers. He will not even be starting Kindergarten til September 2012. He has so much energy and is very coordinated that I really should get him into gymnastics.

Laney: I can't believe she is already two. She's my baby, although she does not let us treat her like one. She wishes she could sit in a chair and not a booster at the table, she tries so hard to keep up with whatever Asher and Baylee are doing, and she talks ALL the time. Some of her sounds are a little off, but as long as we get the jist, it's all good. She says please and thank you, helpee (help me), mine, ook(look) ink (drink), ew, potty, and so many others. Yesterday I put underwear on her to see what would happen and she totally gets it. No accidents. So she may be my quickest potty trainer ever. She is alot like Asher in that she never stops. SHe is constantly jumping, running, scooting, hopping, climbing etc. I am a little worried she may be may have OCD issues. If doors are open she closes them, if she finds a card she will hold it in her hand for hours looking for other cards and just keeps collecting, she loves COLLECTING. She will collect crayons, but not use them to color just to HOLD. She will put necklace after necklace on one by one til they are all on, then take them off one by one just to put them back on one bu one and she will repeat this process multiple times. Same with puzzles. put them together, take them apart, put them back together and so on. She cracks me up.

2010-05-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have been married for 6 whole years. I can't believe how time flies! I just LOVE him to death. While I was getting ready this morning he came in and gave me a big hug and said, "we really are going to have to get rid of this bad habit of leaving your clothes on the floor." We laughed although I know he was serious. But I just had to stop and think of how we both have a few bad habits that the other does not LOVE, BUT it totally doesn't matter! I just love him more and more everyday! And I am so grateful for the three beautiful children we have been blessed with!
Happy Anniversary to us!

From Brianne Serrano uploads

~Project 52~

2010-03-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago I came across an amazing challenge: to try to be in a photo with one of my kids or all of my kids each week for a year. And now I have 52 pictures of my sweet babies and I! I love these pics, they are so precious to me!

My Baylee is 5!!!!

2010-03-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

The studio...

2010-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Back in October and November I started getting super busy with my photography so Adam promised I could have a studio for the new year... So in January it became useable.

My Laney is One!!!!

2010-02-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how time flies and how big she is! It seems like just yesterday we were still bathing her in the sink and now she takes baths with the big kids! She loves playing peek a boo and she doesn't really laugh too much but when she does its so contageous! What we lack in laughs she totally makes up in smiles. She never stops smiling! She just started waving bye bye and when she finds something laying around (blanket, scarf, sock, t-shirt or even some random piece of string) she swings it over her as if it were a necklace! She loves necklaces. I cannot believe how incredibly smart she is! Yesterday she had a banana in her hand and was walking around with it. She came over to the front door and watched me put Asher's shoes on, when I noticed she didn't have the banana I asked, "Laney, where's your nana? Did you eat it all? Where did your nana go?" Just then she turned around and headed back down the hall, I caught up with her as she walked into Baylee's room and sure enough she walked right over to the little pink chair, picked up the nana and showed it to me! I love this age!

All right already, I guess I'll update!

2010-02-17T08:26:00.001-08:00

I have been super busy now that my studio is done but I've been taking a lot of pics just not posting them!
These pics were from Christmas... it was freezing during our Christmas break but we braved the negative degrees anyway to go sledding. Adam's parents, Grandma, brother and sister and two little cousins were here to spend Christmas with us! The kids made out like bandits... Just look at all that loot under our tree! Crazy!!!

New Logo

2010-02-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Making Snow Angels...

2009-12-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

Sledding behind the jeep!

2009-12-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my brother came up to visit and it had snow pretty good so we were able to go sledding in the church parking lot down the street. The kids thought it was awesome, however the sled has a little bit of a hole in the bottom...then snow was melting fast.

I'm a little behind again...

2009-12-02T15:27:00.001-08:00

Okay so I have been crazy busy with families trying to get sessions in before Christmas, however I took a little break for Thanksgiving and haven't been able to catch up since. I have pics from Thanksgiving to post ...I'll get right on it, I promise.

2009-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Born Ready Website

2009-11-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to Born Ready Clothes! Have fun! http://www.etsy.com/shop/bornreadykid

Fun for me...

2009-11-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

I had a tone of fun with this photoshoot! Take a look...more posted at myperfectportraits.blogspot.com

Baylee the rock chic!

2009-11-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

I was at a couple craft fairs this last week and I got this adorable beanie from a lady who will be making me many many more! And I ran into my friend Heather who has started a little clothing company for kids. The ? shirt is from her line. I offered to take some pics of kids in her clothes and so there will be more to post from that shoot! She makes those bracelets too...I LOVE it!

Laney is almost 10 months and has 2 teeth!

2009-11-07T11:07:00.001-08:00

Been having fun with my new photoshop actions!

2009-11-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

Rub a dub dub

2009-11-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

I was so booked the two weeks before Halloween that we were only able to sneak away for a couple hours to see this cute pumpkin patch in Idaho Falls. The kids had fun on the train, in the pumkins, and in the maze... Asher was a little cheater climbing over the hay bails.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well it snowed on the 30th so we were a little worried that we wouldn't be able to handle the cold long enough to even trick or treat our little street, but it was so nice! We went through our whole nieghborhood as well as a few streets down the road. The kids had so much fun! Baylee was a witch this year, Asher was a bat , and Laney was the travelocity gnome!

My three little pumpkins...

2009-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Everywhere we went this year the kids HAD to get pumpkins. We would either be given pumpkins (at the gas station and Kelli's wedding) or we'd pass by the grocery stores and the kids would pick out a little pumpkin to take home. By the middle of October we had our own little pmpkin patch on our front porch. But my three pumpkins were the CUTEST...especially Laney!

Sand Dunes

2009-10-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

We've been spending alot of time at the sand dunes with family and friends. We were able to ride a sand rail and hang out with Cam while he was in town. We all had a blast chillin' (literally) at the sand dunes.

My baby is standing...

2009-10-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

I thought I better hurry and post thee before she is actually walking. She is so little!!!

Hog lovers welcome!

2009-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

My dad had a few too many trailers to tow back from Alaska so he sent the Harley down with a friend. It was here at our house for about a week before he got here so we decided to snap a few shots with it. The kids love that motorcycle and thought the outfits I picked for them were SO COOL! Thank you to Auntie Cassie for the AWESOME leather jacket! Asher gets so many comments on it! When my dad finally saw the photos he reminded us that all the chrome was on the other side of the bike. Dang it...we totally forgot to make sure we took the pic from the other side..oh well, turning a majorly heavy bike around on the backdrop in the garage would have been a huge task. (Don't look too close or you'll see the reflection of the chrome all the CRAP in my garage.)

Caught up with September

2009-10-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Okay so not that much really happened in September, but there was one thing we did over and over... swam! We swam pretty much every other day in September. My sister Jayme has a pool in her complex so the kids and I would go feed the cat while she was out of town and then we'd take a swim. The kids are gettin gso good at swimming with their life jackets on...plus the pool is only 4 ft in the shallow end and 4 ft 6 in in the DEEP end. We take our lunch and swim til naptime. Here are some pics from when we shared our swim time with some friends.

Our garden

2009-10-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

This year as I already posted we got tons of strawberries. We also got two humongous zucchini, lots of carrots, and quite a few tomatoes. Laney thought they were yucky.

Secrets Revealed

2009-10-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Okay so I got a few comments about my last post regarding hair gel and clothes for the kids. So here are my secrets.

Baylee's jeans are 4t children's place that I bought when she was 2 because the store miss marked the price... the tag said $2.99 and all the rest of the jeans said $12.99. Oops for them yay for me. Asher's jeans are Target but I bought two pair 2t and 3t when he was 2 because they fit him so good around the waist without cinching them up with those dumb buttons that make my kids look like they have thunder hips. Gotta buy when you find something that works, plus they were only $7.99. Baylee's shirt is a 3t Old navy dress but it was on clearance for $2.99 so its a shirt for a 4 yr old. Asher's shirt was also Old Navy Clearance... last yrs style, but got two one blue and one orange. Baylee and Asher's shoes are $4.99 family dollar shoes. I find that with white shoes I may as well go cheap and replace more often because they get dirty so fast. Instead of paying $10 for one pair I get two pair for the same price and when one pair is super dirty we start over.Asher's hair gel is imported baby hair gel form Mexico (thanks to Adam's parents for snagging some before I ran out from the last time we were there.) Its so hard to find good long lasting baby hair gel int the U.S. Okay so I think I answered all questions. Those are my shopping secrets.

First Day of Preschool - September 23rd

2009-10-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Silly girls...

2009-10-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am thankful to be able to say that my kids still nap from 2:30 to 5:30 everyday, however, lately Baylee sometimes does not sleep while she is in her room for naps, and this is what I found a couple weeks ago when I went in to let her know she could get up. (Note: this happened on a Friday and was not totally gone by church on Sunday) And another day while I was busy cleaning and the kids were eating at the table, I finally started cleaning the kids up and this is how I found Laney... so tired!

Hay its a partay!

2009-09-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Asher's party was a blast! We decided to incorporate two things he loves, bikes and racecars, so we raced bikes... and since the party I have heard that everyone LOVED it! We had all the age groups race and then each 3yr old little guy friend of Asher's raced their dad/uncle/mom! It was hilarious!

Asher's birthday week...

2009-09-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

It just so happened that Adam had the week of Asher's birthday off so the entire week was full of fun stuff! We swam at Jayme's pool a couple of times, and we had lots of cake, and Asher opened presents a couple times.

Jayme and I pieced together a McQueen cake which melted because it was so dang hot that day, but he didn't care, he LOVED it! Laney also loved it! Asher got some McQueen jammies, a McQueen poster, McQueen books, McQueen puzzles, and a Razor scooter!

Asher's birth DAY at Riot Zone!

2009-09-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

Asher's actual birth DAY was sooo much fun. He asked to go to McDonald's for lunch and then we thought he'd like to go race cars! We had been talking about racing cars for a while so when the day finally arrived he was ecstatic. We didn't realize when we got there that the kiddie carts were only age 4 and up, but when that gate opened and the kids ran into claim their cars nobody checked ages, but when the guy said go you could tell the 3 yr old boys weren't quite getting it. They were stop and go, slamming into each turn and Jense kept going into the pit with all the cars that weren't being driven. We could tell the guy who had to run out over and over to straighten kids out or remind them how to push the pedal was getting a little frustrated, but it was a great ab workout for me! By the fourth time around the boys totally got it and so we let them go again! and Baylee went a few times while dady took Asher on the Big cars.

Happy Birthday, AShEr!!!

I could not believe Baylee wanted to climb the wall when we walked up to it, and she zipped up the kiddie was so fast they let her try the adult one and she shot right up. I was so proud of her, it was so high!

One last camping trip...

2009-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I offered up the suggestion to Adam that we try and start a tradition of camping one last time as a family on Labor Day weekend every year. Two years ago we went to Heise and loved it(pics in previous post). Last year it was Asher's birthday on the day so we didn't go, but this year we got out and did it, even though it rained and we forgot the top part of our tent. Luckily we had a shade bug tent thing we just put over our tent, I got sprinkled on a little bit, but it was no biggie. Adam's parents and little cousins were here and came with us. We were able to eat Heise's famous pizza, mini golf, play in the river(for like 2 seconds), roast marshmallows, and do some exploring. The kids had a blast running around and around and around...etc!

Two years ago...

2009-09-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

My friend Melyssa put this type of post on her blog and I thought it was such a cute idea... You choose pics from 2 yrs ago as close to the day as possible. I can't believe how my two kids were just babies then! Its crazy how little they were. Asher was just a yr old and the orangest baby you've ever seen, too much orange baby food I guess, but he was sure cute with his golden locks! Baylee still had her baby fat then and was just losing her cute rolly thighs. Adam usually had a scruffy face in those days, I'm not sure why..I liked it though. Maybe its cuz Qwest didn't care... he just worked in his own little cubicle back then. And I was dang thin. Maybe its cuz I wasn't pregnant or nursing, and so I wasn't always stuffing my face cuz I was starving! I look back and miss those days, however we've come so far as a family regarding the love we have for one another, our love for others, and our love for our Savior! Time flies...xoxoxoxo... us!

Last BBQ of the summer

2009-09-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Katie abd Doug and a super fun BBQ the weekend before Labor Day , and it ended up being our last of the summer. It was so fun though! The kids played and the adults played Bocce ball. We had great food, and the boys got a little technical with the Bocce game but all in all it was a BLAST! Thanks Doug and Katie!

Friday night lights!

2009-09-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

Baylee did so good in her performance at halftime! We took videos so I'll have to upload those! It was hilarious! Go Baylee! Oh and go Bobcats!

Go Team!

2009-09-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Every year the cheerleaders at Madison do a fundraiser where they hold a cheer camp for three days for girls 4-13. The girls practice for 2 hours everyday and then get to perform their dance/cheer at halftime during the first game of the season. It is so much fun! I loved going to the practices and watching Baylee let loose!

Good ol' Rexburg

2009-09-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

After fixing our alternator Monday morning in Vegas we headed home(thank you Tony for fixing our car!). School started that Wednesday and so Tuesday was the huge day at the park school kickoff thingy. I think it's called kids' day or something. They set up booths like a big carnival and the kids play games, get to meet police men, ride a train while learning about safety around railroad tracks, jump in jumping things, run through the water that is shot in the air by the huge red fire truck, eat popcorn,cotton, candy and ice cream, and then the older kids stay for a concert/dance in the park. The best part is, it's all free. We made sure to ride the TRAIN!

Kane Ohana Reunion - Las Vegas

2009-09-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

Almost as soon as the kids and I rolled back into Rexburg Laney and I were off again, but this time Adam came too! We were on our way to Las Vegas for a family reunion for Adam's Dad's Hawaiian family. We had so much fun... and I think Adam and I especially had fun because we only had one child! We were able to do so much.

Here are all the cousins ( not the entire fam but everyone that made it to the reunion)

Laney was the youngest cousin there. The black shirts are the siblings, white shirts are all the cousins (Adam's dad's cousins) green shirts are all the kids of the cousins (so Adam and I), and purple shirts are our kids (Laney).

Adama and I put Laney to bed with Gramma "owies" Alouise and headed to the Cirque du Soliel Beatles Love show which was AWESOME!

One of the days we were there it got up to 113 degrees so we swam at the golden nugget which had this awesome pool with a huge aquarium right in the center!

Such a cute... HAT!

2009-09-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

On our way back from California my mom, the kids and I stopped in Lehi, Utah for a couple photo shoots (previously blogged) and my friend Kim had this adorable hat that I just had to get Laney's pics in...and I LOVE IT!

Just for Laughs!

2009-09-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Asher gets a little distracted when he is changing from pajamas to play clothes... can you tell? And it doesn't help that the huge patio in my mom's backyard is perfect for the kids riding in circles all fenced in where I don't have to worry about cars or in this case Looky Lous! Ride on litte buddy, cuz pretty soon this type of stuff will be so inappropriate!

Princesses and the Pea

2009-09-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been really wanting to take different types of pics for a "SERIES" and since I have girls and know lots of little girls I thought it would be fun to do a "Princess Series." My mom has all these AMAZING quilts and so I jumped at the opportunity to try a Princess and the Pea shot of my little princesses. Baylee really got into it and yawned for me...I was just bummed that I don't have a studio big enough to get shots likes this whenever I want...there are so many things I would try.

Second Parents

2009-09-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

While in Cali we were able to attend my mom's Aunt Vera and Uncle Jack's wedding anniversary. I'm so glad we went because I got to see David and Michelle, my mom's cousins who I lived with in Utah while I was working at Brighton Ski Resort! I so loved living at their house, they are such a great couple and such good examples to me!

Great America is so the bomb!

2009-09-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Cali trip- Ocean Beach

2009-09-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

I had been trying to get Adam to let me plan a family trip to the beach fro a LONG time so the kids could see how fun the waves are. So I made sure we visited while we were in California. It was super windy the day we went, but it was so worth the fun we had running from the waves, building sand castles, and watching the sunset. I miss the beach!

My Asher was born September 1, 2006 4:32am

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

My baby boy turned 3 today!!!! Happy Birthday Asher, we love you!

California Weather

2009-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

It was so HOT in California while we were there... the Burke's offered to let us use their pool, so we went swimming twice! Because there aren't very many pools in Idaho we don't get the chance to swim often so the kids were in heaven. I was surprised how well they did considering we NEVER swim in deep water. (I think Asher makes a HOT pool boy!)

Temple size bummer!

2009-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

So on the Monday after I got home from California I realized what date it was and thought to myself, I better go get temple/wheat pics before harvest, so Tuesday morning I got the kids all ready for pics and grabbed my sister to help me out. I had just taken the twin babies' pics the day before and had my camera set for the lighting during that shoot. Forgetting that my settings were ideal for indoors and not out, Jayme got all the great shots of the kids smiling but they were over exposed. I tried editing them but this is the best I got. I was just sick about it by 1pm and so I packed everyone up again to try another round of shots by the temple. In just the few hours we were gone, the wheat directly in front of the temple was already harvested and we had to drive further up the hill, but we managed to get better shots of the kids, just not necessarily in good moods. Oh well, there is a always next year.

Double Double your enjoyment...

2009-08-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it!

2009-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

My little Laney is 7 months!!!! She is:
Blowing Rasberries Always Happy
Sitting Up Eating Baby Foods
Scooting Around Jabbering
Still Getting the "Best Baby Ever" Award from EVERYONE!

Pump It Up!

2009-08-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

California has so many cool places to take the kids... we went to a place called Pump It Up...a huge warehouse full of blow up jumpy things...so fun!

The Papenfuss Fam...

2009-08-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Pieces of California...

2009-08-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay so as you can tell I am so behind on my blogging, so to catch up I'm going to blog a little at a time. Our Cali trip seems like forever ago but we just got home from it a week and a half ago. One of our first days there we took Gampa Gil to Fairyland in Oakland. The kids had a blast! I was surprised they sat through and entire 30 minute puppet show and loved it! Here are a few pics form our fun day at Fairyland.

Hayli

2009-08-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a busy four days being home, I have so much to post, so hopefully I'll get a little downtime in Vegas with only one kid in tow... thanks for letting Jayme and I shoot your senior/album cover pics, Hayli!!!!

Baby McKennan

2009-08-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

This baby was sooooo good! he fussed a little but what baby doesn't when they are naked and want to be snuggled? It is so sad what we moms put these babies through for a good pic, but it's definitely worth it...am I right, mommies? or am I right, grandmas?

So behind its not even funny!

2009-08-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have yet to post everything we did in California, but for now I'll just say that we are current;y back in Idaho for the next four days, then we are off again, but yesterday on my second leg of our two day drive I stopped in Utah to take pics for my cousin's new baby McKennan. I asked my forever friend Kim if I could take the pics at her house and while there I snapped a few of her beautiful baby girl, Kamryn! I just love her big brown eyes, her super chunky rolls, and her little painted toes!

The Revolution

2009-08-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

The ride at Great America formerly known as The Revolution used to be my FAVORITE ride there! I would go over and over because there were no lines due to the super tight harnesses and loud screams coming from the people on the ride, but I LOVED IT, and STILL DO! Here is Cam and I, we rode it twice while the kids and my mom were at the Dora show. Do not try this at home! Cam lost about $1 in coins!

Oh and her are each of my three kids with mommy at the beach!

Greetings from Ocean Beach, California!

2009-08-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

Kason

2009-08-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

We love our DADDY!

2009-08-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Jayme and Jense moved to Rexburg last Friday and my mom helped her drive out...so the kids and I hitched a ride to Cali with my mom when she went back Wednesday. So we are here, and we miss Adam soooo much! Although I know he is living the life with no crazy kids, other peoples' wives cooking for him, a night out with the guys to G.I. JOE, and two late nights of SYTYCD finales, but I called him today and he listed all the things he has been getting done around the house. I didn't leave him a TO DO list, but if I had he'd probably be close to being done with it and I've only been gone three days! We love you, DADDY! And the kids would like to add one thing to that invisible list... stain the playset por favor!

Baby day...

2009-08-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was going to get some shots of my cousin's belly this morning but she was a little upset and postponed the shoot due to the hospital calling and telling her she couldn't be induced til the next morning...Then around 2pm they changed their mind. I made it to the hospital by 5pm, however we had missed our ideal picture taking window... still no new baby yet, but here is the announcement for Jayme's friend, Ivy's baby!

Riley... one of many shoots!

2009-08-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Before leaving for California, I was crazy busy with appointments, Jayme said, that next time I shouldn't tell people I'm headed out of town, just tell them I'm booked til the next week. (info that would have been useful...yesterday!) But I am sorta glad we did them cuz I love to show the end results. This is the tiniest baby to ever be placed on one of my props!!!(weighing in at 6 lbs 9 oz) Isn't he adorable?

And last but not least... my Laners!

2009-07-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Totally Boy

2009-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

Another of Laney's little friends is Hayden... isn't he cute? I just love his little fisherman hat!

Babies and Hadley

2009-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got my backgrounds out to take Laney's 6 month pictures and we invited a couple little buddies to join in the fun... these pics are just Hadley... what a sweet little baby. And she had the SOFTEST skin ever!

More Pics from the Lakes

2009-07-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

Beach Girls

2009-07-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

We went to Egin Lakes as a neighborhood and a few of the girls wanted to be buried in the sand including Baylee. Here are just four of the girls... timeless!

My cousin MIck!

2009-07-23T07:49:00.001-07:00

It seemed like everytime my cousin, Mick would share his band's music with me, it seemed as if the name of the band, the players, etc. had changed! He's so amazing by himself that sometimes I think having to rely on other people in the band was holding him back... listen to him fly solo!! He's incredible! His new folk style is addicting, like a celtic christmas cd (and if you do not have one of those, get one!) -playlist to the right!-

Kill the BUGS, not the SPIRIT!

2009-07-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Girls camp this year was BY FAR the most spiritual girls camp I have ever been too, from the camp prep fireside on Sunday to the ten virgin performance on Tuesday night to the testimony meeting Wednesday with the bishopric to the skits etc. Perhaps the one thing that made all the difference was the CODE BLUE time! This years theme was EMERGE 'n SEE 511 (with a doctor/hospital feel, the 5 being 5 minutes of scripture studdy daily, 1 prayer in the mornign and 1 at night) Everyday at 4:30 was CODE BLUE where the girls were to stop wherever they were and ponder the scriptures for thirty minutes! You can so feel the spirit there, I wished I could have stayed ALL week!

Laney is "outta here"!

2009-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

I know I know, you are thinking how could you not want to sleep six inches from that sweet little bundle of cuteness? Well, this little Laney is a TALKER, and at 6 in the morning its not that cute...trust me! This morning Adam got up to go golfing and I was left in our room with Little Laney jabbering away and laughing highpitched scream laughs. I just couldn't take it and went out to sleep on the couch til 9:15am! So her crib is getting put up TODAY! (in Baylee's room! hahaha)

Demolition Derby

2009-07-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the kids to the demolition derby here in town and Asher was so excited! We even went early to get good seats and save seats for a few neighbors. We got there to realize Adam forgot his wallet and we ran home, by the time we got back the stands were packed. We barely got seats and one family we were supposed to save seats for ended upi having to sit on the ground...we couldn't believe how crowded it was! But of course, it was a BLAST!(props to Katie for most of these pics, I had to hold Laney)

Sun + Kids = Waterpark

2009-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

The above equation seems to be a constant for many of the families that I know, however it isn't true for ours. My kids don't really enjoy our cute little FREE waterpark here. As you can see they aren't even wet in the pics! And the water runs 15 minutes then shuts off so I told Asher to tun over and push the button, Baylee beat him to it, hence the FIT! Now THAT is a CONSTANT in our home!

A photographers playground!

2009-07-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know Adam and I have been tossing around the idea of going out to Vegas this summer and I'm 99% sure we are going so I will be available for family and childportraits in Vegas from August 20th through August 24th! Let me know if you need pics!

Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my Laney face...

2009-07-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

I hope you all the hummed the tune of poker face while reading the title.. :) Don't you just love the neck rolls? And the eyebrow wrinkles, and the cheeks, and the hairbow making her ears stick out and the etc etc etc?

Must destroy strawbery plants!

2009-07-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

So because my strawberry plants are AWESOME (please say awesome in an opera voice) I have been indulging with THIS almost eVeRyDaY!

S'more S'mores?

2009-07-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday the fifth we hung out under our new pergola and roasted some marshmallows and the kids had some s'mores!

Free Binky Leash!!!

2009-07-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Okay so a friend of mine, Emma, had this post that was called something like circle of love, where you hand make something for the first few people that comment on your post, then they turn around and do the same thing, so lots of people get to serve lots of people. Thought it was so cool! So here it goes. I am making Binky Leashes. I LOVE the ones I've already made, Laney never loses a binky, and I have a few colors so we are always able to match with outfits. No more mommy sucking the dirt off the binky, to be honest I've never done that.... so gross. I'd rather pull a new clean one out of my diaper bag! I've decided to make it random instead of first come first served, mainly cuz I don't want to limit the comments, I might just feel like giving away more... so leave a comment with your name and the flair of your choice and what color ribbon you'd like to see with it... thanks, me

Two things...

2009-07-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

Istarted strawberry plants in my garden three years ago, and last year I only got about ten actual strawberries good enough to eat. I assumed that this year I might get double that but guess what? Just this past week and a half I have been getting about a small bowlful about every three days!

A few days ago I decided that I was tired of being tired. I was still waking up with Laney to nurse every night at around 2am and then again at 5am, then we were up at 8am. It seemed like about a month or so agao she only woke up once at 2 and then was fine til 7am, but she must be hungry so we started her on rice cereal. We waited til she was good and hungry as you can see from her super sad face... and she loved it! Last nigt she slept from 9pm til 5 this morning! Yay!

Independence Day

2009-07-07T15:50:00.001-07:00

We started off the day with the parade which is always cool in a small town!

After the parade we headed over to the lake to enjoy some sun and sand with the Phillips family

We had dinner at our favorite American diner...Applebee's!

Then we waited for the sun to go down and we joined up with most of our neighbors that stayed in town to line our street with chairs and everyone lit off their fireworks they got from all the booths around town! Another cool thing about an small Idaho town!

Block Party

2009-07-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

This year we had our block party on Friday July 3rd. It's always so fun to chill with everyone, and because our block is so tight we actually do a lot together! My neighbor and good friend Nikki lost her 3 yr old at the Independence Day parade the next day for thirty minutes and she was telling me how grateful she is that we all do so much as a neighborhood and that they found him because he recognized a neighbor and ran up to him! Yay for fun neighbors!

Proud to be an AMERICAN!

2009-07-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Road Rash

2009-07-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

A friend brought his skateboard over to show us and Asher decided to push it along the cement, well once the board hit the grass he face planted and here's what resulted...

He left a token of his appreciation!

My Favorite Place

2009-07-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been to Yellowstone at least 6 times, floated the snake river around 5, slid down the sand dunes 4 times, been bridge jumping 3 times, crawled through the ice caves twice, but Egin Lakes is by far my favorite place in Idaho. I think its my favorite because the water is warm (hard to find warm water in i\Idaho) the lake is shallow so everyone can enjoy it, and the sand reminds me of California! Its the closest thing I have to a California beach. (and no sharks)

We miss you, Jense!

2009-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

The kids had so much fun throwing rocks in the river!

Found a new favorite picture spot...nuf said!

2009-06-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Pics Overdue

2009-06-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

These pics are from our trip to California back in April. We headed down to see everyone before my dad headed up tp Alaska nd before Cam was stuck working fulltime with no vacation days! It rained while we were there...alot, but I love the rain! Especially California rain! We don't get snails and worms out on the concrete after the rain here in Idaho. The kids thought that was pretty cool.

And oh the jumping thing. We really have no other name for it. Its jus the "jumping thing."

And of course we had some visit with Gampa Gil...

Bye Bye Birdies!

2009-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00