You know what they say....

about mustaches, right? If you don't know... just laugh anyway at how funny this boy looks :)


















In case you were wondering- Yes that is Cael. Look what 4 years can do for you!

10 Little Monkeys

Brecon loves when we sing "The Wheels on the Bus" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and any other song that has hand motions to. While looking at a book and doing the 10 Little Monkeys... 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-and 2 We all had a great time saying "Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said... No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Well-- we had finally got down to the last little monkey, he fell off the bed and we all sang how she called the doctor and the doctor said:

This is where Cael busts in and says "HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE?"

We all had a good laugh- What a funny boy I have!

GRANDPA's VISIT

We were so excited to have Grandpa Eugene come and visit us. The weather had been so lovely and was going to be a wonderful change from the cold Wyoming weather he was leaving for his vacation. But something happened: it turned chilly and it was raining! OH WELL!! We still had such a wonderful time and the boys were loving all the Grandpa attention they could get. The first night he arrived he read the boys their goodnight stories. You could just see Brecon's eyes begin to slowly close... and then even before the story was through-- he fell asleep. It was a precious moment of course and I'm glad that I had my trusty camera nearby to capture it.














One of the special events that occured while Grandpa was here was the blessing of our little baby Connor. We would have loved for all of our family to come down, but we know how hard it is to travel such a long distance. We were so happy to have him with us on this special occassion.

We love you GRANDPA!!!

MY BOYS!

I have just been having such a good time with these boys of mine, especially when I am able to capture those silly moments together. Despite all the craziness that comes with trying to de-clutter, we have been having a lot of fun.

Let's Rodeo!

umm... BIKE RODEO!!!
Last month the elementary school had a bike rodeo where the kids can exhibit their bike riding skills on a "course" in the school parking lot. Many of you may know that Cael started riding his bike without training wheels at 2 1/2 years old and this rodeo was made for him. He did really well and it was so fun to watch him do a figure eight, ride as slow as he could, go on a straight line, and weave around cones.
Later that day Cael got off the bus and said he had something in his backpack. We sat down in the living room and he pulled out a little blue participation ribbon for the bike rodeo. "That is pretty cute"... I thought. Then he pulled out a camelback insulated water bottle. "Wow, that is nice for just a bike rodeo." Last, but not least, he had one more thing to show us. With a big smile on his face he lifted up this gold trophy! On the bottom it said "Kindergarten 1st place boys". I had quite the look on my face I'm sure. I was excited for my boy and had a huge smile, but then I was laughing because I thought how funny it was that they had trophies for the BIKE RODEO! What a way to end the day!Also during this time Cael had his last soccer games and end of the year party. The STORM was sure a fun team to play on with 4 little boys from our church ward and Coach Payne and his son from the Deerfield ward. Watching them all run around the field provided hours of entertainment this season and we loved watching our Cael try his very best. During the last game at a kick-off, Cael was hit with a ball in the gut that took him by surprise. He reached down to his belly and stood there for a moment, then he fell down to the grass like a tree that had just been cut down. He recovered after a few minutes on the sidelines and was back on the field before we knew it.

At the team party Coach gave everyone a trophy (again with the trophies :) and he had nicknames for all the players. Cael's nickname was MR. SPEEDY because of how fast he can run down the field. The next day he asked me if I would sign him up for soccer, oh course.

These pictures are from when my mom was able to come down and help with our family for 10 days when Connor was just over a week old. We sure loved having her here and she did so much to help take care of me and the boys. I would have loved her to stay longer and I wasn't going to take her to the airport.... but all good things must come to an end. Here are some of the fun things that we did:
Playing at the park and having grandma push the boys on the tire swing.

Eating lunch with Cael at School. YUM YUM!

This was funny. I convinced my mom to take the two older boys to church without me. I was still in recovery mode and feel that it is important for the boys to attend primary class and have a regular routine when it comes to the Sabbath. We had everyone all dressed up and ready to go and started to load everyone into the truck. My mom still wasn't quite sure about the whole idea and gave me a concerned look as she hopped into the drivers seat and turned the key. Well... nothing happened. The truck was dead! So we got everyone out and took a picture to remember this moment. We had a quiet Sunday at home together... it's the thought that counts, right?
After a few batches of cookies and cupcakes, soccer games and parties, and a bike rodeo (which I will be posting about) my mommy had to catch her ride home. How was I supposed to do this without her help? It was a transition, that is for sure, but we are all still alive and doing well. THANKS AGAIN MOM! You helped me more than you will know :)

Now Brecon is just in love with his new little brother. He wants to hold him and he kisses him all the time; it is just so sweet! I really thought that he would have the most trouble with the new baby, but he is just so loving to little Connor.. sometimes rough, but it is all out of love :) He also thinks that the baby swing should work for him too! He let me turn the thing on and he sat there for quite a while letting the swing do all the work.

Connor is just a sweet, tiny little thing. We recently went to the hospital for a weight check-up because at his last appointment he was on the lower range for proper weight gain. Here are the stats:

He was born 5 lbs 15 oz

4 days old 5 lbs 5 oz (3% in weight- ouch!)

3 weeks 6 lbs 1 oz (2% in weight- not quite enough)

6 weeks 8 lbs 1 oz (13 % in weight- WOO HOO!!)

This little man is on his way... still on the small end, but at least he is growing. He is also doing so wonderful at night, which helps me to function during the day and makes everyone happy :) I laugh to myself when I think about how I am the mother of 3 BOYs... and they are BOYs in every sense of the word. We are having a great time with all of them and enjoying these special days together.

Hey!

I like to suck my thumb, alright? -Connor

Yesterday was Connor's Due date. It is so funny that he has already been with us for 3 weeks now. He is such a sweet little guy and we absolutely adore him. He is a great eater, sleeper, and easy to hold because of his "compact" size. He is a small baby, but we love him!

Here is what we have been up to:

Being held. By his brothers, his daddy, grandma Hoopes, and me of course

Eating like a mad man. He's got some weight to gain.....

Relaxing and enjoying the lovely and cooler weather.

I had to put these pictures of Cael and Brecon up. I was dropping them off at my buddies house before one of my dr. appointments. They really are sweet boys and I love them to pieces. Look at that cheesy smile, now there is a boy not afraid to strike a pose :)

And of course here is my Zorro and pirate on Halloween. I really wanted to be there with them, but for obvious reasons I was still at the hospital with a newborn :)

One more reason to love Halloween

Introducing our sweet baby Connor

born 10/31/09

8:18 a.m.

5 lbs 15 oz 20 inches long

We are so thankful to have our sweet baby here. He is just as tiny and cute as can be!

Having a new brother makes us all tired, but it is all worth it!