Scout Blue and Gold Banquet

Time for the annual Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  The kids were excited to cowboy up and head on down to the church.  Mckay was able to meet us there after work and we had a nice little dinner there, visited, and enjoyed a few activities.

My good looking crew!

McKenzie, Brielle, and Taylor waiting for their turn to race their horses. Taylor must have been cheering on someone else.

Go Payton.  Barrel racing was one of the activities.

And the boys team roped.

Good job Payton and Taylor.

Oh Boy!!

Then the kids were getting a kick out of the pie eating contest for part of their dessert!  Taylor slammed his face in, Brielle was taking it all in while watching the others make fools of themselves, and McKenzie wasn't afraid to get in on the action too!

Then there was Payton who was a little more competitive,

It was tricky to not use his hands!

Ha ha!

This picture is great!  I love our ward...obviously the kids feel right at home too!

March Madness

It has been busy around here this month of March.  The kids all have their schedules, Mckay is in the thick of Tax Season, and with all of our different schedules and commitments we have kept occupied.  It is a good thing though, before we know it Tax Season will be over.  The first weekend we headed to Bozeman for a quick trip up and back on a Saturday for Kason's baptism.  It was a great family day and so nice to spend some time together.

Mckay has had me running a few errands for him.  One of those was making a ton of Carmel popcorn for the young men in our ward when they came to our home one evening to do some planning and fill out their brackets.

One morning the kids and I spotted this outside our big window.  We think it was a large coyote.  It is fun feeling like we live in the country!

Brielle loves chocolate and peanut butter combined and was happy to get this as a reward one afternoon.  She was good to share with me!

I had to capture the different faces of Gavin.  He is changing so fast and I want to be able to look back and remember these phases.

Oh sweet boy, he loves chewing on his fingers!  Actually, most things go to his mouth at this point.

Brielle was thrilled to be able to paint along side me while I was making a few things to donate to our Scout Auction.

This girl is all about being creative and loves crafts!

All finished and ready to donate (I'd have to agree with this quote).

Smiley little guy.  He has a very easy going personality so far and is a pretty content and happy boy.

I love our nap time snuggles.  There are times that I just don't want to put him down when he is fast asleep in my arms, so I take advantage of this precious time together.

McKenzie was working on a project with one of the older children at school.  Fairfield is good about getting the older and younger kids together for leaning opportunities and a buddy system.

Brielle was being a goof one night at Sam's Club.  She was loving her new skirt from a friend and was happy to show it off.

Ha ha!  He was out cold!

I love this little outfit we got for a good deal.  The colored pants are so adorable.

My little sweetheart!

Brielle loves to be a helper for me.  There are times she just wants something else for me to ask her to help with.  I was trying to clean the floors a bit and she would hardly give me a turn with the mop.  She will make a great homemaker one day.  Cooking and cleaning are FUN for her at this phase in life!

This picture melts my heart.  That sweet little open mouth smile with no teeth...makes my day!

Playing with his hands.

Brielle and Gavin are good for each other.  These two keep my days occupied while the others are away from home, although we do look forward to our time when the rest of the family returns.

My mom and dad sent a package and it included this cute "I slobber orange and blue" bib, as well as a few other Easter treats.  It was an awesome surprise!

5 Little Leprechauns

Holidays with the kids are twice the fun!

The kids were all eager to dress in Green on St.Patty's Day!

Dare you to pinch us!!!

McKenzie had even set a Leprechaun trap to try and catch one again this year.  Turns out they are super hard to catch.  The one that visits our house likes to leave us Green treats and even left Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal (the kids' favorite).

Growing Gavin

My baby sure is growing up fast.

Gavin loves sitting in the Bumbo while I am working away in the kitchen.

Have I mentioned how easy it is to make this little man smile?!

When we went to Swensen's the other day to visit...Sasha and I took advantage of getting these two little buddies together for a couple of pictures (she was picking up McCoy, as Swensens were watching him that day).

Gavin was born in October and McCoy was born in December (I'm pretty sure).

It will be fun to watch them grow up together and show them these pictures someday.

They are pretty precious.

We are hoping they become great friends!

One morning Gavin was attacking my face and loving on me.

Of coarse I was tickling and loving him right back!!

I can't get enough of my time with my kids.

He has the darkest eyes that melt my heart.

Oh and that fuzzy hair....LOVE it! 

This sad face melts my heart with a tear and bottom lip. 

Cheering him back up. 

It was pretty easy!

And here is a picture of Gavin at 5 months old.  He is taking an interest in food and tried those puffs that dissolve in your mouth.

We adore this fun little BOY!

Sisterly Love

As a mother, I have hopes and dreams that my children will ultimately become each other's best friends.  I had great relationships with my siblings (and still do).  Sometimes different combinations of children really get along better than other combinations.  But at different moments they really are all great buddies, if we only ignore the moments when there is contention.  My motherly heart melts when they are kind and loving to one another.

Silly sisters!

This is picture perfect (no, it is not always like this).  There are times when sharing and getting along is hard.  It is tempting to raise voices, be selfish, and impatient.  But moments like these make it all worthwhile.  Hey, it may even make me feel like I am doing okay at this MOM thing!  I know it won't be like this for long and all too soon these children of mine will be all grown up and out of the house.  I sure hope we can all treasure these years we DO have together with patience and love.

This picture was taken while we were waiting to go to Cinderella at the theatre.  We met up with several of the Swensens and Mckay met us in town (I had already been in Great Falls for a Stake RS Activity).  Originally, I was just going to take the girls on a mother/daughter date to see this movie.  Instead, it worked out that it was a whole family event.  I actually preferred it this way and even though the boys didn't seem thrilled to be watching this movie, we all ended up really enjoying it.  It was a great family movie and had a great theme: Have Courage and Be Kind!  I have even found myself telling this to my kids from time to time.  We then ran a few errands in town and met back up for dinner at Cafe Rio'.  It was a perfect evening and a nice little break from work for Mckay.  We all love family time.

Siblings have a way of teaching you to be accepting and understanding of others...faults and all!