A Poppy Party!

Our baby girl is 4 years old today! What would we do without our little Brynnie in our life? Everyday is a party for Brynnli and she's just living in it. She's hilarious and says the most random things that make us laugh. She is incredibility spoiled and has all of us wrapped around her finger. She is also the sweetest little girl and is always looking out for others. Brynnli started preschool and dance this year and she is loving both of them and doing so well. We just love our little girl so much.

So for the last year anytime we would go to the store Brynnli would point at every single thing she wanted and say to me, "Can I get that for my birday?" She asked it so many times that eventually I just told her, "yes, you can get that for your birthday." When it actually came time for her birthday I asked Brynnli what she wanted and she said, "Everything." Well, we didn't get her everything, but she was certainly spoiled for her "Poppy Party".

In case you didn't know, Poppy is from the movie, "Trolls". We had a Poppy pinata for the game.

 I say this to myself every time, and I think I mean it this time, we should not do pinatas at parties... they are way too stressful. The kids never stay behind the line they are supposed to, and this year I got wacked in the chest by Makayla who was blindfolded and thought she was taking a swing at the pinata. The good news is that the kids had a blast... the bad news is that I almost had a heart attack by the end.

 After the game we opened presents. Brynnli is so spoiled and got a lot of toys, clothes and money.

 Then we had Brynnli close her eyes for her present from us... a NEW BIKE!!!

 Poor Brynnli gets a lot of hand-me-downs, and she has been riding Makayla's old princess bike and Caden's even older Spiderman bike, but now she has a big girl bike just like she wanted!

We can't forget to mention Grandpa Craig. He and Brynn share a birthday, just 60 short years apart.

 Tyler's cousin McCall was in town so she stopped by with her boyfriend. We took some pictures of the original cousins.

 And the out-laws.

 Brynn's party went extra long this year so we busted out the sparklers for the kids.

 Then the kids ended the night by watching Trolls while the grown ups played cards.

 Sunday was Brynnli's actual birthday so after church she got to open the rest of her presents from us.

 Then at pre-school on Tuesday she got to wear a special birthday crown and bring a special treat to her class and they sang happy birthday to her.

I would say it was a birthday to remember this year!

There are quite a few things I love about Brynnli at this age. She NEVER. STOPS. TALKING. She literally starts talking from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep. Brynn talks to me, her toys, her imaginary friends. Anyone who will listen. Brynnli makes friends where ever she goes. She likes to talk to people and is really outgoing. I took her to the school with me one day and she was talking to the secretary and making them laugh. I said to her, "Brynn, what are we going to do with you?" and she responded, "I don't know... I'm just so cute!" which made the secretaries laugh even harder. She likes to talk to all the cashiers at stores or restaurants and tell them really random information about our family. Brynn has the best imagination. She's always talking about her "kids," Senna and Donny are the most consistent kids she has. Donny might even be her imaginary friends because he seems to be around a lot. She also talks about her "papas" a lot, but I haven't quite figured out who/what that is. Brynnli asks a lot of thoughtful questions like, "How come we don't wear jackets on our legs?" When she refers to her downstairs, she calls it her, "fenis" or her "jagina". As much as I say I hate it, I really do love that Brynn ends up sleeping in our bed almost every night. I love when she snuggles close to me. She asks for "big pancakes" every morning and asks for a treat all through the day. Brynnli is a hoarder. She loves to get some type of container and walk around the house collecting things. Her drawers are full of the most random things and if anything ever goes missing, you better check with Brynn first because she probably took it. One time she had a drawer full of newspaper and junk mail. I thew it away without thinking she would notice, but she remembered and yelled at me for throwing her "maps" away. I told her they were out in the garbage if she really wanted them thinking she would say no, but she went out to the garbage to retrieve them and put them right back in the drawer. Brynnli is so carefree and absolutely hilarious. We just love our 4 year old!

As per tradition, here's Brynnli's birthday interview questions:

1. What is your favorite color? "Uh, hmmm... White, and blue, and pink, and I've got a good one! Brown. Is that a lot of colors. Guess what, I also like rainbow."

2. What is your favorite toy? "hmmm...I'll go get it. My friend unibunny, she's a girl, right?"

3. What is your favorite food? "Mac and cheese"

4. What is your favorite show? "Poppy!" (Trolls)

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? "My dance outfit."

7. What is your favorite game? "Uno" 

8. What is your favorite song? "Moana"

9. What is your favorite book? "Let me think... I got a good one... Elsa and Anna"

10. Who is your best friend? "Hmmm...Devri?"

11. Where is your favorite place to go? "To... let me think... Costco! And Click Club"

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? "Ariel"

13. What is your favorite thing about Makayla? "Well I bite her and then she was rude and then I said sorry, and then I liked her."

14. What is your favorite thing about Caden?  "Playing princesses with him"

15. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? "Play princesses with him"

16. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? "I like to go to Arctic Circle with you."

Oh Brynnie Bear, we just love you so much and are so proud of the cute little girl you are becoming. You really make lives so much brighter because you just have the best time. Life truly is a party for you. We are so excited to see how you grow even more this year, especially in dance and pre-school. I especially love how I get to spend so much one-on-one time with you while the big kids are in school. I love that you love to eat out and ask me almost everyday if we can go to Arctic Circle or to "Costco Pizza" and I love when you ask me if you can have a drink of my "spicy sprite" (Dr. Pepper). You are for sure spoiled, but you are also caring and like to share your toys with your brother and sister. I love that you look up to both of them and can't wait for them to get home from school so you can play with them. We just love that you are the caboose to our crazy family and can't imagine our lives without you! Happy Birthday Brynnie!

The End of Summer

Here's a few pictures from August that didn't make it into our other posts:

We had a goal setting night for mutual. I really love working with these young women in our ward. It's been the best two years so far, and I'm starting to fear we may be released in the next year or two. My calling in the Young Women's has been so fun and so rewarding. It has also been a bit challenging, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

 There have been some horrible fires around the state. The moon has been pretty scary because of it. We need rain so badly!

 I turned 35 this year! What? It was a crazy day, so we didn't get many pictures, but here's a few selfies I did get.

It is so weird to me to be 35. It's that age that you always think of as the prime of your life. I would say I'm pretty happy with my life at 35. I have the best husband and kids around, an eternal family, a beautiful house that is ours, good health, and opinionated mind, and a love of Dr. Pepper and treats. What more could I ask for? 

The day of my birthday was also back to school night for all three of our kids. They got to meet their teacher and see their new classroom. I think we're going to have a great year!

 I took Makayla to the dentist to get sealants on her teeth and as she was standing there I couldn't help but wonder what happened to my little girl? She is just looking more and more grown up these days. She looks more like a teenager that a little girl... makes me happy and sad all at the same time. 

 We went to a gender reveal party for Karly and Rico... looks like we are adding another boy cousin to the mix! My prediction was right! Karly was shocked and surprised, but Rico was thrilled to be having a boy.

 Caden got to make a poster for his class. I am so excited to watch him flourish this year.

 Emily and I went to the Dierks Bentley concert for a combined birthday celebration. Tyler was out of town, so Emily was the next best thing.

Back to School Time!

And just like that summer vacation was over and it was time to go back to school. It's crazy how fast (and sometimes slow) the summer can go. 

Makayla was the first to go back. Makayla is in 2nd grade this year at Elk Meadows Elementary and her teacher is Mrs. Snow. 

Makayla wants to be a teacher when she grow up and her favorite subject is art. 

 Makayla was so nervous about going to school that she was having melt downs about a month before school started. She felt better when she went to back to school night and met her teacher. The morning of school I dropped her off and she was able to find all of her friends. When she got home from school she told me what a great day she had. I think 2nd grade is going to be her best year yet!

Stupid Google photos showed me this picture just 4 years ago that makes me want to cry. Why do our kids have to grow up?  Makayla was just starting her first year of preschool and dance. I was still pregnant with Brynnli and ready for the summer to be over.

Since Makayla was in school, I took these two cuties to lunch for their last day before Caden started school. These two have really grown to be buddies over the last few years. Since Makayla has been in school and Caden was only in Kindergarten for half the day, they have become best buddies and worst enemies. They have played together and fought over what to watch for quiet time everyday. I think I can speak for Brynn when I say we are going to miss our Buddy so much when he goes to school all day.

 But because I'm not allowed to keep my kids home forever, it was time for Caden to start 1st grade at Elk Meadows with his teacher, Mrs. Otley.

At 6 years old, Caden wants to be a builder when he grows up and his favorite subject is recess. 

 I think 1st grade is the hardest grade. I just think 6 hours is a long time to be at school for a 6 year old and I worry about everything, like does he know how to get his lunch by himself? What if he doesn't know how to read his name? But Caden wasn't scared at all; he was so excited to start 1st grade. I dropped him off at school and watched him walk into class as he waved at me. And just like that he was gone. I worried about him all day until I picked him up from school and he came running to me screaming, "Guess what mom, I LOVE 1st grade!" So far he is loving school and really doing exceptionally well!

And I blame Google photos again for making me cry. Caden has changed, and not changed so much... does that make sense to any of you?

I took this picture of Caden standing in front of the 1st grade sign and Makayla standing in front of the 2nd grade sign... Brynn wanted to be in the picture too, so she stood in the middle. 1st and 2nd graders go through the same doors... I never thought I would have a 1st and 2nd grader, but here we are.

 Then just a few days later Brynnli started her first year of pre-school at Little Learners Academy with her teacher Ms. Aubrey and Ms. Abbey.

At 3 years old Brynnli wants to be a dancer when she grows up and her favorite subject is all the things!

 Brynnli was so excited to start school and be like her older brother and sister. She was a little scared her first day, but when I picked her up she was non stop talking about all the things they did that day. She got to color and have a snack and play with the play food.

Guys, now that Brynnli is in school I have 4 hours a week to run errands kid free. I have been looking so forward to this day and now that it's here, I'm kinda sad. Funny how that works.