The Pugmire Family

more funnies...........

2012-02-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

I was changing owen's poopy nappy when he asked.. "my poo-poo blue? I replied...."no it's..er brown" to which he asked "Sam Brown?" no sweetie, your poo-poo is not your cousin! what a strange conversation that was.

Owen's response to being told to sit and have a "time-out"
"well..... I got BOOGERS!" owen grant (age 2)

I was really impressed today with Kyle who did his homework without being asked as soon as he got home from school. ME: Kyle you are getting so responsible and big, I think you are turning into a man. Do you have a beard yet (jokingly)
Kyle responds (seriously) "Yes actually my beard is starting to grow" as he rubs his (little dry patch) on his chin. hahahhaha ♥ I love my serious boy!!!

Me and Mark were discussing our bouncy castle business, and were disagreeing about something..... Mark~ " no Beth, you are a nice person, but you just don't know business ethnics"

hahhaha are you kidding me???

I love my family!!!!!

i have funny babies

2012-01-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

"mum.. I got fingernails on my feet!" Owen age 2

I was singing to myself " I- I love you like a love song baby" Brody said~ "hey mum, you sing better than the real singer!!" ME~ (flattered) "Really???" Brody~"no, I just said that so you'd think I was being nice!!"

at the christmas party brody was sitting eating his food when he saw his cute little friend "sadie" he asked if he could go and say hi to her... as he approached her, a meatball rolled off of his shirt and on to the floor in front of his girl. Brody looked up and said... "that was awkward!"

Owen~ here your hiccup mum! (handing me my make-up)

Brody~ "there's a lady at our school with a crumpled face!
Me~ "That is not a nice thing to say, that would really hurt her feelings!!"
Brody~ "NOOOO mum, her cheeks are really crumpled!!"

funny boys

2012-01-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

sometimes you just fall asleep (with one shoe on) in the middle of the kitchen floor surrounded by cheerios! Life is hard!!!

If the wind changes will my face really stay like this??

2012-01-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

finally!!!!

2012-01-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

before~

after~

merry christmas from the pugs

2012-01-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

christmas priorities.......

2011-12-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

It has been a stressful week, financially and emotionally. One of my best friends in the world is having a baby and I am throwing her a shower tomorrow night! I wanted everything to be perfect, Mark took 3 of the kids with him on errands, and (with Owen sleeping in his room) I could get a head start with cleaning and decorating for Christmas and Ruth's baby shower.

I actually got more accomplished in those 2 hours, than I had the entire week!! I was feeling very liberated and in-control, The house was looking pretty and the Christmas tree was neatly decorated. I was very pleased with myself.

Then Mark returned home with the kids, and quickly the boys headed into the front room. I was hoping they would be excited with the decorated tree, but instead they seemed disappointed that it had been done without them. In an attempt to compromise, I told them they could put a few (left over) ornaments on the tree. I walked away to check on dinner, at this time Owen had ripped a decorative paper off the shelf, and Kyle and Brody were "decorating the tree kid-style" Milo (the dog) was chewing up one of the ornaments, I began trying to "fix" the decorations on the tree, and I blurted out to Mark... "see I can't get anything done when they are here!!"
Immediately Kyle ran off to his room. I went in after him and asked him what was wrong. He told me I had hurt his feelings, My heart felt like it was going to brake, I didn't mean what I had said, and I had completely missed the point of Christmas. I was truly sorry to the point of tears, I asked kyle to forgive me. I learned an important lesson, the most important thing in my life are my precious children, that Heavenly Father trusted to me. Their little feelings matter!! All of a sudden, I didn't care about anything else, I didnt care if my house looked pretty, or if the dinner got burned, or if I was going to throw the most perfect baby shower, The only thing that I care about is that my children are happy, and feel loved and safe.

I went back into the front room and took off several decorations, and let the boys put them on however they would like! I am going to leave it just the way they did it as a reminder to myself to remember to keep my priorities straight.

I learned an important lesson today, taught by my sweet little boy.

my baby is SEVEN!!!

2011-11-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

where has the time gone???

I cant even express in words how much I adore this little boy!! He is everything I could hope for!! smart, handsome, kind, good, clever, caring, adventurous, compassionate, polite, energetic, loyal, sporty, and everything in~between.

Here are some random snaps of my little Kyle.....

He writes me little love notes.... how sweet!!

some of kyle's 7th birthday party, you might have to tip your head to the side! :)

my little pumpkins.......

2011-11-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

We started the festivities at the school fall festival, we played games it was a lot of fun. Kyle asked to go round the stalls with his 2 little friends from his class, I let him go. I felt mixed emotions seeing him act soo grown up! I would keep a sneeky eye on him from a distance, but wanted him to feel the pride of his new-found independence.

The children had lots of fun this year at our ward trunk or treat! Then they also got to go to their cousin's ward trunk or treat! We kept recycling candy, but it seemed to keep multiplying. Finally we went to our friend sonja's house for a wonderful halloween party, it was perfect! We came home and went trick or treating our neighborhood. The kids had soo much fun!!!

If only I could turn american candy into british chocolate!!!

"meat market"

2011-11-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

I was at Fry's supermarket casually doing my grocery shopping with my dear friend Mayte. We went our separate ways in the dairy aisle. I made my way over to the meat counter as I envisioned a nice sunday roast dinner! It was then that I began making conversation with a man. I asked his opinion on which of the meat joints would make a better roast. The man piped up energetically about the type of roast I should be looking for. He then started asking members of staff on my behalf for this certain kind of beef joint that he was clearly passionate about!! He then went running down the aisle looking for this perfectly packaged roast for me. I thought he was very friendly and helpful. When he came back over to where I was standing, a guy came over and asked for a picture with him. I was confused and asked my "new best friend" if they knew each other, and he answered that he did not!! I was even more confused, and then he said.. "I am DMX!!" "EH? you are who??" I asked (verging on rudely) and he answered.. "I am a rapper!!" Noticing he was wearing a mcdonald's badge I challenged him.... "NA, you work in mcdonalds!!" and he said.. "honestly I am dmx, I collect badges) soo I started screaming for mayte (afraid that she was missing a once in a lifetime experience) anyway sooo we met DMX at Fry's meat counter. I will post a picture as soon as I get it off mayte's phone!!

daddy's got my back!

2011-10-16T00:15:00.001-07:00

Just saw a darling picture of my nephew and his little girl. Its a close up of her taken from behind as she looks out over a lake and unknown to her, Daddy's hand is securely holding on to the handle on the back of her life vest. It reminded me of the Savior and how we think we are being so safe with our life vests on, but it truly is His hand, holding tight to our vest, that affords us safety, even when we don't realize He is there, hanging on to us, He always is. How grateful I am for that handle on my vest and sacred hand that is always grasping it!!

(thoughts provided from Aunt Julie, but the models are both mine!)

it's my blog and I can brag if I want to......

2011-10-07T21:03:00.001-07:00

Kyle has totally given me some major bragging rights this afternoon!!

His teacher has always felt that he was really smart, so she asked us for permission to test him to see if he could qualify to be in the academically gifted students group.
He did a week of testing, and we waited to see if he got in to the group. This afternoon I received a phone call from the lady in charge of Kyle's testing, she informed me that they have tested 6 schools in the area, and only 3 children Kyle's age got into the group. Kyle was one of them! She then proceeded to tell me, Kyle was in the 99th percentile in every subject. I didn't know what to say so I said.. "wow thats great" She added.. " Its amazing!!" I told her kyle had always been clever, and she said.. "he's exceptional!!!!" I was just as proud as can be!!!

well done handsome! we are sooo proud of you!

my superstars!!!

2011-10-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150832634130397

PHEW.......what a day!

2011-09-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

I know everybody has them! SIGH.... Mine was on Tuesday.

I woke up around 6.30am and began the morning routine of getting everyone ready and out the door for school. I was beside myself trying to pack lunches, trying to find Kyle's shoe, trying to put Kyle's limp foot into his shoe (seriously... I felt like I was couching a women in labour~ "come on, you can do this.. PUSH PUSH" Trying to motivate a sleepy Brody who is moping around with severe bedhead, making breakfast, keeping track of the 2 little trouble makers. It is CRAAAZY in the morning!!
Side note, lets talk about,,,, My outfit!~ Ok so I fell asleep the night before in a fancy blouse shirt, in the morning I just throw some pj bottoms on, I couldn't find any flipflops (AVA) so I grabbed a pair of fancy church heels. "its ok the school has a drive through lane nobody is going to see me~ I will get dressed properly when I get home" I think to myself.

SOOO I load all 4 kids into the car and head to school, feeling relieved that the hardest part of the day was out of the way. As I pull into the drive-through lane I observe a police car, with flashing lights behind me. "hmmm I wonder who thats for" I think to myself. It takes me a minute to realise :I think it's for ME!!" I come to a stop and the policeman issues me 2 tickets! One for going 20mph in a 15 zone, and one for not coming to a complete stop at the stop sign. I turned on the tears but he was not having any of it! Meanwhile the school bell rings while we wait in the car. (the lovely policeman wouldn't even let me run the kids into school) we all had to wait there!

Sooo now the kids are completely late and I have to sign them in at the office, I have 2 half naked babies. One in each arm. As I am hustling the older kids across the street, It is then that I remember my outfit! Let me remind you... a fancy lacey blouse, polkadot baggy jammy bottoms and a pair of formal high heels, I have dried in smudged make-up from the day before, and messy greasy hair. owen and Ava wearing nothing but a diaper! What a sight we must have been!
Anyway, I sign the boys in at the office leaving them to find their own way to their classrooms. I load the toddlers into their carseats, close the doors. When I try to open my door... It is locked, and Mr owen has the keys!!!! So I spend the next 15 minutes trying to coach him into pressing the right button." Press the button owen.. no not that one, OWEN press the other button... no thats the same one!! OWEEEN Not the alarm!!!!" Finally by some miracle, Owen pressed the unlock button and everything was fine!! Fine except my petrol gage is in the red, thats ok, should be enough to get home.
Sooo we made it home, pheww.... "I might put Ava down for a nap, settle Owen with a cartoon and jump in the shower" I think to myself as I hit messages on the answer machine. There is a message from the school. turns out... Brody was not sure where his classroom was and got himself in a state, and the school wanted me to come and pick him up!!! UGHHHHH OK here we go again, until I remember there is no petrol!!! could this morning get any worse??

Anyway the next day I offered to make a meal for a sweet couple in the ward, (she had not been feeling well) I made a delicious shephards pie and took it round to their home. The next day I heard the disturbing news that the man had suddening passed away. I am extremely sad for the sweet old lady, but there is a part of me that will always wonder if I am responsible.

welcome to my world

a little love letter......

2011-09-18T00:43:00.001-07:00

and now you can pretty much get away with anything~ you little charmer!

turns out...........

2011-08-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Maisy is a BOY named MILO! FINAL ANSWER!

a quiet sunday afternoon....???

2011-08-14T20:38:00.001-07:00

Today whilst at church.... I was in the nursery taking care of the children when the primary president came to find me. It was loud in the nursery and I couldn't really figure out what she was telling me. I could make out the words "brody" and then "door" I immediately thought..."OH NO... has he done another runner????" But then she said "STITCHES" I felt myself get shaky and emotional as I tried to gather my things including owen and ava I frantically make my way over to a big couch in the church hallway and there he is.... my wee Brody with a big ball of paper tissues on his bleeding head. He is sobbing and cuddling me. He would not let me look at his cut, but his teacher is a nurse and said it would need stitches so we headed off to the urgent care. Poor brody cried all the way there. and sweet little sensitive Kyle sniffled and tried to hide the little tears that were sneaking out and rolling down his freckled cheeks.
When we got in there (me and Brody) they lay him down and put a movie on for him, Brody kept asking for kyle the whole time. I finally had to go and get him to stay by Brody's side. When the doctor injected numbing medicine in Brodys cut, he screamed out in pain, Kyle had to cover his ears because it upset him so much to hear his brother cry. I just find it amazing at how close they are. They are soo lucky to have each other.
Brody got 4 stitches in his forehead and took it like a man! They didn't have to bind him up in sheets (like Kyle had previously had to endure) I was soo proud of him. I promised I would give him a sweetie, so we picked up his presciption and a bag of airheads (as promised) even though it was sunday - ;)

milo or maisy????

2011-08-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I was visiting a friend, a lady approached me asking if I have lost a white dog. I quickly said I hadn't and went on my way. I turned back to see the lady looking somewhat stressed, so I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had found this dog but she couldnt keep it. and apparently it costs money to take it to the pound!! I looked at the lady, then I looked at the dog. Took a deep breath and then decided to take the dog home to the kids. I told them we were just looking after..... (quick check) er "him" until we could find his owners. The kids were just delighted!! They decided to name him milo.
Eric came round to give us some doggie supplies and play with..... (quick check) er "HER" ... so long story short we might have a dog, and it might be a girl named Maisy!!

tears,fears and fugitives.......

2011-08-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Brody has always had seperation anxiety! When he was 18 months old, he started nursery at our church. Every week without fail, someone would bring him to me informing me that he was sick. We slowly began to recognise a pattern, he had mastered the art of making himself throw up!! He was assigned his very own teacher. I would hand him to her, she would hold him over the bin let him do his thing, and that was that!
When Brody was 4 we signed him up to pre-school. Every morning he would happily chat the whole drive to pre-school, but as we approached Ms Jones house, he would get hysterical, crying kicking etc etc. I would carry him up to the door, and as I drove off, he would happily sit at his place and get on with his work.
As we know, Mr Brody just started kindergarten, his first couple of days were pretty perfect, but as the week progressed, Brody began to get upset as I pulled up to the school. On one occasion, he actually was running after my car as I was driving off, (there were 2 teachers holding him back as they ushered me to keep going) it was very upsetting to me but I figured that this was somewhat normal and that he would figure things out.
This past Tuesday, I received a phonecall from the assistant principle, informing me that Brody had managed to escape from school, and was trying to make his way home. I was shocked and upset about the incident and decided to remove the kids from the school.

THE NEW SCHOOL......
We went back and forth about what to do about Brodio and decided that moving him to a school that offered half day kindergarten was the answer. The school of choice teaches a grade above public school so we decided to take this opportunity to place kyle back in 1st grade and be with his correct age group (instead of being the youngest and smallest kid in his class)We thought long and hard about this and decided to go for it.
When it came to telling the boys the news, Brody was excited about the fact that school for him was only 3 hours long. But Kyle........ dear sweet little Kyle, was just heartbroken! I took him up to say goodbye to his teacher, and he just held her and sobbed. I watched with teary eyes as I wondered if I was making a big mistake.
Mark and I went to the shops to buy some last minute uniform stuff for the new school, and they began the very next day.

They both went without a hitch. Later that evening Kyle asked me..."mum have you ever been the kid in the playground that nobody plays with???" My heart just dropped... "why? is that what happened today kyle?" and he shook his head and bravely said no!
Later that night as I was tucking him into bed, he looked at me with a quivering lip and said..." I was that kid today" I had to look away to stop myself from losing it. He told me he asked someone if he could join in their game, but he said... "its too hard for you!" I told him it would get better and that he would make some friends really soon.

THE PLAN......
The next morning Kyle excited told me that he had come up with "A PLAN" He would talk to his teacher about the fact that nobody was playing with him outside, he was soo excited that he had solved his own problem. But when he came home that afternoon I asked him about the plan, and he said the teacher told him she would talk to the kids but she forgot! so he played alone for recess once again!

It is so hard to see your child struggle, and this was weighing heavily on me.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE THE SUPERHERO IN YOUR OWN LIFE!

I emailed his teacher to let her know the situation, and Kyle and I said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help Kyle make a friend.
The next day, We picked Kyle up from school and he had a huge grin on his face... he said he had made a friend!! It was such a special experience to be able to recognise that not only does Heavenly Father hear and answer MY prayers, but he hears and answers the prayers of my children. It was a beautiful feeling, and a lovely experience for Kyle to learn so early in his life that there is Somebody who loves him and is watching out for him.

The princess is 15 months!!!

2011-08-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this girl????
This has been a whole new experience for me! I don't care what anyone says... girls are soo different from boys!!!! She has learned how to climb........ she is the only child of mine who has ever climbed out the highchair!!??? She climbs on the chairs, she climbs up the bunkbed ladder, she climbs up the huge play structure. What a busy little girl she is.

Fake cry! This girl can turn it on out of nowhere. (not a single tear though)

She knows how to say quite a few words including... mummy, daddy MARK, pizza, uh oh, NO!, MINE! (said with pout and major attitude) doggy, baby.....

She knows how to work an audience! She commands attention wherever she goes!

she is charminglast week at church, she stretched her arms out to 3 random people for a tight arm round the neck cuddle!
she is sweet
She LOVES SHOES! She is always wearing someone shoes. She likes to hide them too ;)
She LOVES to eat...... EVERYTHING! especially beans, raisins, bananas, pizza, chicken nuggets, she will not eat cottage cheese (cant really blame her)
She loves to put hats and headbands on, necklaces and bracelets, she loves to stare at herself in the mirror giving her self big kisses and excitedly saying "doggy" (she gets the word doggy and baby confused) she is just absolutely adorable. I LOVE my sweet little girl!!!

Brody is FIVE!!!!

2011-08-07T08:16:00.001-07:00

Brody is growing up before our eyes......

He loves to play football (soccer) He loves to swim. He took swimming lessons this summer and is doing great! He can swim the width of the pool without his lifejacket. He loves action hero guys, and playing legos with kyle (his partner in crime)

Brody is known for his quick wit and his cheeky one-liners. He is a funny, silly little boy who loves to please. He is a joy to have in our home.

We celebrated his birthday at barros! Some of his most favourite people in the world were there, including his superhero BFF's Sy and "Sambrown". We ordered Brody a pizookie and he wanted doughnuts instead of birthday cake. this is the boy with a sweet tooth (which incidentally I am pretty sure I know which tooth it is... the one with the tell-tail brown dot??

I can't believe how big he is getting!! He is 43 lbs and only one lb smaller than kyle! I love how they share clothes and shoes.

Happy Birthday darling... I hope you had a fun day! We love you xxxx

big school boys!

2011-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last week was "back to school" Kyle moved up to 2nd grade, and Brody started kindergarten!

On the 1st day of school, Brody just marched right in to his classroom without looking back! I was soo shocked that I went in after him to make sure that he was ok. There he was sitting at his table with his thumb up. I said "Brody, you are soo big!" and he said "yup, I'm a man now!" and I asked him where my little baby went, and he responded with... "he's gone!" I left feeling pretty proud of my "man" but kind of sad my baby was growing up.

The next day he was not quite as manly...........
I dropped the kids off, and they happily went to their playground, but as I was driving off I can see Brody trying to run after me with two teachers holding him back and ushering me to "keep going" I was sooo sad to leave him in such a state, but when I called to check on him the principle had got Kyle to come and stay with him and he was fine.

Ever since, Brody has been great at going to school, he loves his friends, his teacher and doing homework!!

Kyle was excited to be reunited with all his pals, and of was anxious to find them as soon as we parked the car! He loves school, but is not as enthusiastic as Brody about homework!

sigh..... Why do they have to grow up?

a phonecall from the F.B.I.....

2011-07-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, Kyle and Brody were playing happily with Lego in their bedroom. Owen was across the street at Mary's house, and I decided to RUN to the mailbox, with Ava on my hip we ran there and back and were home within 2 minutes. When I opened the front door, Kyle was there to greet me, his face was pure white! holding the phone toward me, with eyes as big as saucers, he whispered in a panic... "mum, it's the F.B.I on the phone!" "WHAT?" how did they find out so quickly that I had left my 6 and 5 year old unattended for 2 minutes???
I take the phone from kyle, clear my throat and nervously say..." er hello??"
"Hi this is william jenson calling from h.c.i healthcare collections..........."

(almost as scary!?

brodio........

2011-06-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

Brody came to me today and told me...... "mum, I have changed my name to Ben. I am not called Brody anymore" (trying not to laugh I ask him) "why are you called Ben now?" and he answers (with serious face) ..."cos I don't like the name Kevin!"

He came through to my room with his t'shirt hiked all the way up and announced proudly.... "Hey mum, look at my 2 pack!"

what a boy!!!

The most beautiful girl in the world.........

2011-06-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I trimmed Ava's hair just a bit. I just cut the raggy ends off. I think it turned out soo cute. I am just in awe of how perfect she is, I sometimes find myself just staring at her. Here she is all dressed up for church, (thank you auntie Pauline for the beautiful dress) x

the other woman...........

2011-06-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Mark has another love....... They have been together for 10 years. He spends hours of his day with her, He spends hundreds of dollar$ on her, He LOVES her!!! I use to complain about their relationship, but I have come to accept her as part of our life.......

I am referring to...... Mark's TRUCK!

It is with a heavy heart, that I report of her terminal state. We don't know exactly how long she has, but we know that it will be soon. Mark refuses to make a statement at this time (it is still too raw).

beautiful little people.............

2011-06-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

These are the cutest little faces that I get to see all day. I am so lucky!

Our Hotel................

2011-05-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

"What is that smell?"

"Why is that man pushing around a toilet?"

"Is this carpet damp?"

"Are fridges not supposed to be cold?"

"What is that stain?"

"Why is this plug socket baggy?"

"Where are the cribs we ordered?"

"Why is this sticky?"

"What is that galloping noise?"

"Is there a horse race going on upstairs?"

ahhh disneyland...... magical!

funny boys

2011-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

We were at the doctors office today getting the little kids check-ups, and we were waiting in the room for quite a while. Brody was keeping himself busy by looking at all the posters on the wall, then suddenly he caught sight of a large poster of internal organs to which he said (horrified) ...."MUM, thats not modest!!!!!!

Kyle excited came to me today and proudly announced..."Hey mum, I dont bite my toenails anymore!!!!"

It was a big day for the pugmire family!

.............Princess Ava Grace.............

2011-04-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

The whole world seems to be obsessed with Prince William and his soon to be wife Princess Kate. There is one little girl, that I am obsessed with.... My own little Princess Ava....

Dearest sweet baby girl,

My heart is filled with emotion as I recall this time last year. Your precious birth mother was about to endure the most difficult time of her entire life. I was excited/nervous/stressed etc... preparing for the birth of our new baby girl. The crib was ready with fresh sheets and blankets, the car seat was waiting by the door, the cupboards were filled with sparkly new bottles, the changing table was stocked with crisp nappies, The closets brimming with beautiful baby dresses, I was just aching to dress you in. I was already in love with you Ava, I just couldn't wait to meet you. I wanted you soo much, I was so helpless and vulnerable. We were putting our hearts on the line in the hope of you. With adoption ANYTHING can happen.

On Friday 23rd April, I got the call, that your birth mother was in labor and was heading to the hospital. Your daddy and I raced to the hospital with every emotion but mostly just excitement. We ran into the hospital and were stopped by the front desk workers, they told us that we needed to wait. Auntie Mayte was talking to me on my mobile and told us you were born!!! By this time I was crying and pleading with the lady at the front desk, I was desperate to hold you, to look at you, to smell you. I waited impatiently. Then a nurse came down with a digital camera with pictures of you. I stared at the pictures of you, you were soo beautiful Ava. It felt like an eternity when finally I was allowed to come and meet you. This little angel that we had spent soo many hours discussing and planning for. I couldnt help but cry when I held you, It was love.

A month later, we said a heartfelt goodbye to your beautiful birth-mother, A woman who will forever be a hero in our family.

The adoption process was the hardest roller coaster we have ever experienced, but the lessons along the way were priceless, we found our friends, our testimonies were strengthened, and most importantly we were able to kneel across the alter and be sealed to you forever. What a special day that was!

You are such a blessing Ava. You have filled our home with sparkle, you have such a bright personality. you are beautiful and we love you more than I know how to express. You are so loved Ava!

Tomorrow is your 1st birthday, you are growing up way too fast. You love your daddy and your 3 big brothers. You love to play with your stuffed animals. You love to play in the dirt, you love to EAT everything!! You are good at standing, not walking yet, you are girly, sociable and happy.

I am soo grateful to have you, It is an honor to be your mummy.

Happy birthday darling girl
we love you xxx

We love our white haired, toothy, darling boy OWEN

2011-04-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

some of my fave owen pics....

A little story.........

Last year as we were otherwise engaged, working on adoption paperwork, Owen had his 1st birthday. We rummaged through some drawers and found a wrinkly orange balloon. We blew it up and alas .... it became Owen's birthday present.
At grandmas house after dinner we wanted to sing happy birthday to our darling little boy. But, we had no such cake to put the candle in. Horrified at the idea of a handheld candle, Grandma insisted that we put the candle in a marshmallow. We all sang happy birthday as Mark held a marshmallow with a candle to the birthday boy. We gave the marshmallow to Owen, who seemed offended and threw it on the ground.

This year we wanted to celebrate in style and pulled out all the stops for our little man. We had a BIG party at the park with family and friends, our neighbour made a fabulous mickey cake and we had pizza. it was perfect!!

Owen's new obsession!

my brothers would be sooo proud

Owen is at a fun age as he is constantly learning new things. He is the cleanest of my children. He hates having dirt on his hands, and is helpful about cleaning up his toys, he loves to put rubbish in the bin.
He wants to be independent and likes to do things by himself. He likes to sit in a big chair like his brothers. He is 24 lbs and in the 20th percentile for his age. His fave foods are strawberries, grapes, pizza, milk. He has a love hate relationship with Ava. She is his partner in crime, but he does get jealous of all the ava attention . Owen loves to sing and dance, he gets all happy and sticks his little front teeth out, he is soo funny and cute. He is still not saying many words, most often he says... "aggy" (daddy) "mummy", "A-ah" (ava), "bye bye" "aah coo" (thank you)"

He is a ray of sunshine in our home, he loves to make everyone happy. We are very blessed to have him. We love you Owen xxx

pizza for breakfast anyone????

2011-03-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I stumbled upon this scene......

Owen had helped himself to the pizza in the fridge, and had made a little picnic for him and his best friend Ava.

.............The GUILTY!...........

..............The ACCOMPLICE........

Partners in crime!

e'll hae twa fish suppers an a packet o minstrels

2011-03-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we made a spontaneous decision to go to Scotland!

We booked our flights for the whole family the Sunday before our departure date. We decided it might be fun, not to tell my parents we were coming, and just turn up on their doorstep!! Keeping my mouth shut has never been a strength of mine. But I managed and sure enough they had no idea!!! hahhaha it was so funny.

The flight was LOOONG but we managed.. and all 4 children were amazing! We made it into Edinburgh and arrived at the car rental place to discover they had given our car away and had none left for us.... As Mark tried to figure out another car (at another rental office) Brody took the fur trim off of his hood and he and Kyle decided to play a prank on their dad... please notice Marks "tail" ... (hehheh)

Finally we got a car (paid double what we wanted to pay) but non the less we were on our way!!! All 4 kids slept peacefully the 45 minute drive to Dundee.
When we reached Bright st, I could barely wait.....
We rang the doorbell and my mum came out and calming/confused said.. "hello" and then she gasped, she stood back shocked and started screaming for my dad... "DENNIS... You won't believe this!! DENNIS!" My dad came out and said.. "oh for goodness sake". It was such a good reaction!

My mum and dad have recently sold their huge house to Grant and Sara (my brother and his wife). My parents now live in a small part of the house connected to them. So kindly, Grant and Sara let us stay with them. They even gave us their own bedroom. We had such a wonderful time being with all the family. Then on Wednesday, Anna decided impulsively to drive up to Scotland with her girls.... It was such a nice surprise, then the next day Pauline and Shiloh came up from London.

It was sooo much fun seeing my children interact with their cousins that they really didn't know too well. By the end of our trip My boys were crying when we told them it was time to go home. The best parts of Scotland (according to my kids) were.. drinking fruit shoots, and playing with their cousins.

Millie had her 8th birthday while she was in Dundee, so we were able to sing to her and have birthday cake.

Cooper and Ava held hands all the way down town. Soo sweet!

I tried to get a picture of alot of the kids when they were at the park, but half of them ran away when I pulled out the camera.

Katie and Rosie, my twin nieces are just such good girls, they pushed this car around for several hours giving the little kids rides in it... such sweethearts.

Brody and Findley playing wii (of course)

Ava loved lapping up everyones attention, She would put her arms out to complete strangers and give them a cuddle. This happened several times on our trip including to the air hostess, who proceeded to walk round the plane with our charming little princess. Ava was soo charismatic that she even got an offer from a sweet Swedish lady who was so smitten, and wanted to take her home.

Ava and shiloh (13 days apart)

As always it was hard to say goodbye to the people and the country that I love soo much.

some one-liners.......

2011-02-25T15:51:00.001-08:00

kyle comes in limping and breathing hard whilst rubbing his hip.... I asked him whats wrong and he bravely and maturely answers... "I've just hurt my spine" ME: "Your spine?" Kyle: (rubbing his hip harder) "Yes, I guess I have been using it too much!"

Brody has a sweet tooth. He has a little brown dot of decay on one of his teeth to prove it. Today in the car......Brody - "hey mum, my carseat matches my tooth!"

Kyle- "mum, can I have another boy scout cookie???"

I had to drop something off at someones house, while we were waiting for them to answer, Brody was peeking in the window and said..... "oooooh they have nice couches....... we should just live here!"

I seriously have the funniest cutest kids ever!

Mummy date with Owen.....

2011-02-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Owen's pediatrician referred me to a pediatric urologist for a consultation. She was concerned about his "BOY" area, not looking quite right. (Owen is going to LOVE this post when he is older!)

Anyway so today was the big day, I dropped my other kids off at grandma's house and Owen and I set off to the doctor. The medical plaza was huge, and we were at the top floor (level 5)

We filled out paperwork and waited.........

Then we sat in the dr room and waited..........

Then out of nowhere the fire alarm started RINGING!!! It was LOUD!!! I opened the door and got a huge whiff of something burning. Everybody was frantic, (well I was) and started heading for the stairs, I couldn't believe it! The building was on FIRE!! The sirens were soo loud and lights were flashing. My poor baby boy was covering his ears. "We need to get out of here before we burn to death!!" (I thought to myself dramatically) a single tear rolling down my cheek, my bladder pulsing.
Then all of a sudden the alarms stopped ringing, and someone announced that it was a false alarm! "WAIT.... But I can smell something!" ( I think with accusation)... Long story short... A member of staff was making popcorn in the microwave and burnt it!!! First of all.... how do you burn popcorn in the microwave??? There is a button assigned specifically for popcorn.
Secondly, why am I slightly disappointed that it was just burnt popcorn?? Come on... couldn't it have been something a little cooler??? I feel silly now!
In hindsight I probably shouldn't have push that old granny out of my way!

Anyway so I stumble humbly back into the waiting room when the dr finally enters..... I took off Owen's nappy, The doctor takes one look and says... "yep, That's exactly how a little boy should look!!!" WHAT??? So now I have to decide, do I dwell on the fact that I drove an hour, wasted my morning, had a small panic attack, paid $30 when there was nothing wrong with my son. OR Do I feel grateful for the fact that Owen is a perfectly healthy BOY??

Before picking up the rest of the kids, I decided to go and get some lunch, It was just the 2 of us and it felt nice to be able to enjoy him all to myself. What a wonderful little person he is!!!! I love you O-weee x
some things I love about my boy.....

The way he puts his dummy/pacifier on his plate while he eats.
The way he puts his food onto his spoon by hand.
The fact that he loves his mummy sooo much!
The fact that his dummy is usually pink.
How much he loves to play outside, and attempts to play football and T' ball,
How he copies his big brothers in everything they do.
He is not in a hurry to grow up!
The way that he has created his own little Owen-ese language.
The way that I understand Owen-ese (for the most part)
And there are a million more things I love about my sweet little boy.

The moment I met her.... I was in love.

2011-02-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

She was placed in my arms,
At the price of another's agony.
She was born from a hero.
When I saw her, It was love.
I am humbled by her.
I am honoured to have her.
Her story is so sacred.
She is an eternal gift.
I can't imagine my life without her.

my mum sent me to church in a skirt............

2011-02-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Brody is very relaxed in his kilt, but kyle, well, that's another story.......

When Kyle is an old man, He will still remember today.... For today, Kyle was asked/told/bribed to wear a kilt/skirt/girls-dress to church!

We inherited these authentic scottish kilts from my lovely friend Brandis. I could not resist dressing my sweeties up for church in honour of our traditional burn's day.

Kyle does not share my enthusiasm for burns day. And by the time we arrived at church, he was extremely self conscious of his lack of trouser leg. No matter how many times I told him he looked cool, he was just completely mortified. It brought me back a couple of years when I tried to dress him in a pink shirt and tie. This boy likes his clothes to be manly! It's a simple as that. He has drawn his line, and it is far from anything pink, anything skirt-like or in the skirt/dress family. The boy has set his standard and will not be moved on that!

I finally managed to talk him out of the car and as we were walking up to the church doors, Kyle saw one of his friends. A boy from his class. Oh how Kyle envied the boys outfit. This was a cringing moment in my 6 year old boy's life. He ran back to the car with red cheeks. I contemplated taking kyle home to change, but we just didn't have time, so I begged him once again to come inside, and I promised him that everyone would think he looked really cool. Sensing there was no other solution to this terrible situation, Kyle reluctantly (and with head down) slumped his way to the front door, mumbling " This is the worst day of my life!" When out of nowhere the sweet little friend, yelled over to Kyle... "You look COOL!" Kyle scuffled in to the church where nobody laughed at him. This might be worth the promised cookies and ice cream after all!

My peurto rican/ scottish princess..........

A much happier Kyle...

and here's why..........

Happy burns day from Kyle and the rest of them x

Ode to a blankie..........

2011-02-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

When Brody was a tiny baby, Auntie Jill made him a blanket. It is furry on one side and silky polka dot on the other.

This Blanket quickly became his best friend! He has carried this thing around with him his whole life.

When I would wash "blankie" (as he is affectionately known.... (and yes he does have a gender,) Brody would wait by the washing machine and cry until his blankie was returned to him.

When brody turned 3 he asked for a "blankie" themed birthday party... We settled on a polka dot cake to represent his most treasured possession. Brody was thrilled!

But my all-time fave "blankie" story is this..........

Blankie is now 4 and half years old and as you can imagine, he is not looking as fresh as he once was. While he was in the dryer oneday, some of his fluffy side had melted together and left poor "blankie" with a rough patch Brody liked to call... "scratchy"
"Scratchy" was the enemy. Oh how Brody loved his "blankie" but hated "scratchy". One day Brody had enough of dealing with "scratchy" he asked me if I could fix his blankie for him. I tried pulling the fused fabric pieces apart, but it was no use. It looks like "scratchy" is here to stay. Brody tried to accept "scratchy" as part of his precious "blankie" but "scratchy" was just so anoying!

With tears in his eyes Brody asked me once again if I could fix his "blankie". Determined to help my troubled son I asked Brody to go and fetch me some scissors. Excitedly he skipped off to find some scissor. When he returned, he handed me the scissors, looked down at his blanket and with a smug look on his face, he said .....
"You're going DOWN scratchy!!!"

This little expression has become a family joke now, when we play games together you will often hear one of us say... "you're going down scratchy!!!"

Thankfully we managed to save "blankie" and he has resumed his place indefinitely.

p.s This week Brody asked me nicely if I would cut the pink circles out of his blanket. "cos cos I don't like pink" I told him if I cut the pink circles out, his blanket would be ruined. To which he responded.. "well do it in the lines!" hahhahahah I love this little boy!

3 boys + 1 Ava = PURE JOY!

2011-02-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

+

9 month stats...... 16 lbs 27 inches
10th percentile ....100% adorable
She is crawling, eating most foods, loves attention.

the pugmire grandkids...........

2011-01-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

I Love this picture, and I love these kids!!

I dare you...........

2011-01-30T13:59:00.001-08:00

Kyle found a plank of wood crossing a muddy ditch.....

He really wanted to try it... but was worried about falling in....

I wanted to show him how to do it.....

well if mum can do it.... It can't be THAT hard!!

good for you Kyle!!!

Don't yell at the referee............

2011-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was loading up the kids in the car when Kyle and Brody broke into a fight! I believe they were disputing who gets to play with the weird plastic bar thing that goes across the stroller. (and by "play" I mean hit violently). Anyway so Kyle had the desired prize in hand when Brody went into an almighty rage and was thumping Kyle hard on the back. I grabbed Brody and told him(firmly) That this was not acceptable behavior and he better apologize at once to his brother. Apparently this angered Brody further as he blurted out to me... " FINE!!! Well I'm NEVER going to go to bed AGAIN!!!!"

What a boy!!!

I know your not supposed to mumble BUT.......

2011-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

TODAY................

I awoke to no tv, internet or phone..... (2 days ago mark tried to dispute a large cable bill with our friends from cox) This was the outcome! For a normal person this might be rough but... I am NOT a normal person! The telephone is part of my body! If it is not at my ear I feel incomplete. I have learned how to do pretty much ANYTHING whilst in communication with my call list. (If you wish to be added to my call list, just let me know) Before you decide on that, be warned..... I can talk for a mighty long time (dont believe me? ask the people on my call list!) I can squeeze an extra half an hour out of anyone that is trying to hang up on me. I consider this a talent! When I have exhausted my call list, my next best friend is the babysitter. she never fails to keep my children happy and entertained (the tv of course) And how can I survive the day without checking facebook at least once? ANYWAY.... not a good start to this, the 27th of January! How did those cavemen do it???

I took the 2 babies to the doctor this morning to get their shots.... Turns out they both have double ear infections!!! I take them home and try to fold laundry whilst trying to console a fussy Ava. Owen and Ava continue to take turns in crying and both want to be held at all times. Ava finally falls asleep on top of me, but wakes up and cries if I dare to move! So I sit with sleeping Ava on my shoulder and Owen across my knee. I finally get a chance to move and do some frantic housework, to which Ava then throws up all over my nice clean floor! I bath her and change her clothes, and she throws up AGAIN!!

I load up everybody in the car to go and collect Kyle from school and on the way I run to the mailbox... Who knows maybe that generous $$$$ Cheque my mum and dad sent me for Christmas will finally have made it's way here. I am doubtful until I see the long awaited slip stating that I have a registered piece of mail from Great Britain to pick up from the post office!! Are You SERIOUS????? REALLY??? IT is finally here! The cheque that I have mentally spent several times over! COOL I will go and collect it, then cash it at the bank, then get the babies medicine, and maybe buy something nice from target ... oh the endless possibilities, and such a nice end to such a yucky day! We head to the post office and park right at the front door... I way up whether to unbuckle 4 kids and wrestle with them in the post office... OR would it be horrible if I locked them in the car and RAN like the wind??? I decided to run in really fast... The kids were heavily bribed with lollypops and the like, (after all we have MONEY now!!) There was no line so I ran straight to the checkout, staring out the window at my motionless, drama free car.... I smiled as I acknowledged the way this day was turning around. I confidently handed over my slip of paper and my id. The guy headed into the back as I waited I pondered what I might buy for tea, I might even treat us all to the new Olive garden that just opened up... Suddenly the man returned, he was holding a strange shaped parcel....??? "That's weird" I thought to myself...""hmmm maybe mum put a little something else in there with the money???" NOPE... It was not a cheque, not at all.... it happen to be a stupid pair of boy trainers (I bought off ebay for brody or kyle) SIGH..... I asked the man if there were any more mail pieces for me and he told me there were not!!!
I slumped back to my car and opened my door and got the strongest whiff of the worst smell I have ever smelled... It consumed my entire being, It encircled me, I was drowning in it!!! Poor Brody had thrown up!! I promptly took my little ones home and bathed and tucked sweet Brody on the couch, whist tending to my clingy Ava. I was feeling a little over whelmed when out of nowhere... Kyle came to me and quietly said... "mummy can you look inside the playroom??" I went in and discovered that he had cleaned the entire room all by himself. It was such a sweet thing to do I literally started to cry and told him he had made my day. I still can't believe he did that!! Nobody had asked him to, he just wanted to do something nice, and he did! What a darling little boy!!!

My right hand boy that I rely on soo much!!

poor baby

awww

I hope they all feel better tomorrow!!

oh how I love this little girl.......

2011-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

She has soo much personality..........
She makes the funniest faces

She is almost 9 months now and is just a JOY! She has 2 teeth on the bottom, and eats everything in sight!
She has learned to crawl this week and does the adorable little bum wiggle. She says mum mum mum mum and dadaadadadada not sure if that qualifies for her first words but I am counting it! YEAH She has a smile for anyone that looks her way. There is not a day that goes by that I don't marvel over her and how she became ours! I Love you Ava Grace xxx

we three kings...........

2011-01-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

In honor of our puerto rican princess, we decided to learn more about her culture and on January 5th and 6th we celebrated a puerto rican tradition ...three kings day!

The kids decorated an old shoe box....

Then filled it with hay.... For the camels (of course)

They were very proud of their work.....

Oh soooo proud.....

They placed the boxes under their bed, and in the night were visited by three kings just like the ones that came to see Jesus in the manger.

In the morning the hay was gone, and was replaced with some goodies in the special boxes. (the kings had planned to do some shopping at deseret books, but had to settle with walmart at the last minute) Next year the kings will be a little better prepared. owen's stash

It was pretty exciting
The next day we went to our dear friend mayte's house. Her sister is Ava's beautiful birthmother. Ava's adoption has united our families forever. We were invited for a proper Puerto Rican feast in honour of Three Kings day. Slow roasted pork, rice and salad followed by a traditional rice pudding and yummy punch. It was delicious!!! Travis even blended some up for Ava to eat (which she LOVED). All in all it was a lot of fun getting to know more about Ava's culture.

The babies on the way to Mayte's house for dinner

merry christmas

2010-12-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

from mr and mrs claus xxx

pink and frills and ruffles...oh my!

2010-11-27T19:21:00.001-08:00

..........Welcome to Ava's little palace!...........

some of her sweet newborn clothes

every princess needs a chandelier

My AMAZING friend RUTH NICKLE (she is going to be famous) well she helped me to create this beautiful nursery for my little princess!

she made the curtains and the window header and all the beautiful bedding and the lovely little memo board!

I ADORE this little room! and I ADORE Ruth for sharing all her time and talents on our behalf. We LOVE You Ruth xxx

and every pretty little nursery, needs a pretty little girl....

who doesn't love red hair and freckles???..........

2010-11-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

I could not ask for a better boy than KYLE! He is good, he is clever, he is loving and helpful. He is handsome and he cares very much about others. He is just a lovely boy and I am soo proud of him!

When Kyle was 4 months old, the doctor diagnosed him with torticollis (a weakness on one side of his neck causing him to prefer a side) As a result his head became mis-shapen and he had to wear a special band to help to even his head.

I loved when he would fall asleep in my arms.

He has always been a good eater.... His favourite foods now include... pizza, ham sandwiches, TOMATOES (he loves to eat them like apples) he loves cereal.

soo cute

Kyle has ALWAYS loved art's and crafts. He LOVES to draw and paint.

Kyle has a very serious nature. He is very responsible and mature for his age. Kyle works hard at school and is on the honor role with straight A's. He loves his friends and teacher and is just a sweet child to have around. Mark recently took the training wheels off his bike and he has mastered the technique of riding his 2-wheeler! He LOVES to dance!! It is soo funny to see him do "the robot" (with the most serious face EVER!) He has grown into such a good person, who loves to help others.

The other day the kids were doing a little part in our church program. So I told them that if they did a good job of their parts, they could have a bag of m&m's each (yep I use bribery as a parenting tool) anyway, they both learned their lines and did a great job and as promised, I gave them each their m&m's. Brody inhaled his candies within seconds, while Kyle carefully held them still unopened. Later that evening we were preparing to go to his (twin) cousin's birthday party. Kyle quietly came to me and said... "mummy, I have decided I would like to give my m&m's to brandon & lehua for their birthday" He then ran off happily to make a card to go along with his gift. I was sooo impressed with Kyle for making such a sacrifice for his cousins it almost made me cry. He teaches me so much about love and service. He truly is a choice little spirit and I feel eternally indebted to his wonderful birthmother, who made the difficult decision to place him with us. She gave us this most precious gift and I am honoured to be able to call him my son.
We love you kyle HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY xxx

ava is 6 months!

2010-10-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my little newborn baby girl is 6 MONTHS OLD! where does the time go?

Ava is an absolute JOY to have in our home. She is never with out her big gummy smile.

This week she has learned to sit, and she can hold it for a couple of minutes before falling backwards.

It is hard to describe how I feel about this girl. She is a dream come true for me and I love her soo much.

Next week I get to take her over to Scotland to meet her grandparents and all her aunties, uncles & cousins. I am SOOO excited!!!

dont BUG me!

2010-10-28T21:38:00.001-07:00

Ok I know I am cheesy but I have been wanting to do this forever!! Everyone was on board with dressing up as bugs except Brody. He on the other hand, wanted to be (with all his heart)....Michael Jackson! (I have no idea how he even knows about him. But he does. And he is a passionate fan! The only way I could convince him to try the "bee" idea was to remind him that bees have stingers!!

I think they are the cutest little bugs I have ever seen!

We took them to the ward trunk or treat and they had SOO much fun!! (All but Owen) Who threw a major fit every time someone put a candy in his pumpkin! he does not get this from me!

Aren't they adorable! My little love BUGS!!! xxx

truly grateful.......

2010-09-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

There was a time in my life when I did not know if I would ever get the honour of being a mother. It was a difficult time for us. Sometimes I can't believe how in 7 years we went from being childless and desperate TO being the proud parents of 4 wonderful children. Every dream I have ever dreamed has come true for me. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

At the beginning of the month we took our family to the temple and were sealed to our beautiful daughter forever. it was a magical day.

This week Ava was blessed by her doting daddy. She is such a special little girl and we love her so much.

I have never known a baby who draws as much attention as miss ava! Every where I take her, people "ooh" and "ahh" over her. As soon as I walk in to church there is a lovely lady who always wants to have her sit with them. I have even had a waitress at the restaurant we were eating at come up and ask if she could hold her. She then proceeded to take her round all the tables in the restaurant! Ava is beautiful! She has a smile that lights up the room and her personality is as lovely. She is just an absolute treasure and I am GRATEFUL every minute of everyday that she is mine and I get to be her mummy.

Everybody loves princess ava

BaBy O

2010-08-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Owen is 17m already! He is the happiest little man in the house! Never without his big goofy grin. He has learned to say daddy and mummy and oh oh. That is pretty much it! He knows when the front door is unlocked (he has a 6th sense) and he tries to escape at any opportunity! He enjoys being a baby. Still loves to steal Ava's bottle's and loves to lay on top of me (especially when I am holding baby ava) hehehhe He is such a fun little boy to have around.

still feeling a little bitter about the new baby!

such a big boy already!

mmmm yummy oreos!

He dances around and sticks his 2 front teeth out, he makes us all laugh!

We all adore our wee Owen x

pRoFeSsOr KyLe.....

2010-08-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Last week kyle informed me what a hotdog was....

"it's actually a poodle, and they cut off his legs and shave off his fur and thats what makes a hotdog! can I please have one for dinner" (said in all seriousness)

When I asked him where he learned this information his response was..."I just knowed it"

rockstar brody............

2010-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Brody got a new outfit this weekend, and he has felt "very cool" He asked me if I would take some pictures of him, and these were his very own poses....

Everytime I tell him he looks cute, he corrects me..."No momma, not cute, COOL"

There is only ONE Brody!!

it's all about ava!

2010-08-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

what else is new???? I LOVE this girl............

So she is almost 4 months old, and is at a really fun age! She spends most of the day awake and wants to play. She loves ALOT of attention and with 3 big brothers she definately gets it! She rolled over for the first time last week. (which is the earliest of my babies to roll) She is extremely active and can scoot herself around on the floor! Again this is very early compared to my boys (maybe girls really are smarter than boys)
She is a happy little girl and smiles all day long, she laughs pretty hard too when she gets tickled.

I am going broke with all the dresses I keep buying they are waaaay tooo many cute girl clothes!!

I am having too much fun! She is the star of the house and she knows it!

OURS!!!

2010-08-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a BIG day for our family...........

I have been looking forward to this day from the moment she was born! And after a traumatic emotional rollarcoaster ride, it could not come sooner! Today we finalized Ava's adoption. We got to the court nice and early and waited outside the room until we were called in. Marianna and our friend Mayte came with us and it was very special to have them there.

The lawyer asked us a series of questions, which for the most part were answered with "yes". The final question was " do you take upon you the responsibilty to be the parents of this child?" I couldn't help but tear up as I answered "YES" (I wanted to shout it) I can't help but feel so honoured to have her. And so proud to be able to call her mine!

We are soo happy, relieved, grateful, delighted, HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!

Happy adoption day to our little princess Ava Grace.... We LOVE you xxx p.s my teeth look wierd!

2010-08-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

brody: mummy do you want one of my chips(crisps)??....me: no thanks, I just brushed my teeth.... brody: and if you eat one your teeth will turn brown again????

we have a pool!

2010-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

YEP we are POSH!!!!

lovely poem

2010-07-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

I saw a young mother
With eyes full of laughter
And two little shadows
Came following after.
Wherever she moved,
They were always right there
Holding onto her skirts,
Hanging onto her chair.
Before her, behind her-
An adhesive pair.

"Don't you ever get weary
As, day after day,
Your two little tagalongs
Get in your way?
She smiled as she shook
Her pretty young head,
And I'll always remember
The words that she said

"It's good to have shadows
That run when you run,
That laugh when you're happy
And hum when you hum -
For you only have shadows
When your life's filled with sun."

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us.
We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.

As you create a home, don’t get distracted with a lot of things that have no meaning for you or your family. Don’t dwell on your failures, but think about your successes.
Have joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."

-Marjorie P. Hinckley

Brody Glen Pugmire.............

2010-07-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

what can I say about this boy????

He is the mellowist person I have ever met!

He is a little teddy bear! He loves to cuddle!

His honesty can be brutal

He is funny

and silly

He LOVES chocolate!

He is handsome

and smart

and STRONG!

and GOOD

I LOVE him more than ANYTHING in the world!

Happy Birthday to my baby boy who is growing up way too fast! WE LOVE you!!!!

does my baby look like a troll?

2010-07-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

from Gods arms, to My arms, to Yours.....

2010-06-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

LONG POST WARNING!!!

I was asked to write my adoption experence for an adoption newsletter, so I thought I would include it on my blog. (don't feel obliged to keep reading)

Mark and I were married quickly after a long distance courtship. I moved to Arizona after our Scottish wedding.
We wanted to have children right away but after months of disappointment and negative pregnancy tests, we knew something was wrong. We spoke to the doctor who referred us to a specialist. It was then that we discovered that it was going to be imposable for us to conceive naturally. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be pregnant ladies. And every conversation seemed to focus on labour stories and epidurals. I felt so lonely.

We threw ourselves into adoption. I was completely obsessed with getting paperwork done, making profiles, doing fingerprints, EVERYTHING that needed to be done. It was HARD work but my fuel was my desire to be a mother. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning, and my last thought of the day.

On Aug 6th 2003 We raced to Iowa to meet our birthmother Sandra, We were nervous and excited all rolled into one, we went out for dinner and got to know each other. It was so exciting. The next day, We got the call. He was born! Our son. We raced to the hospital to meet him. We named him Jacob. We fell in love with him instantly. The hospital set us up in a little side room off of the nursery where (for the next 3 days) we stayed with our boy. We fed him, we changed him, we cradled him, we loved him, we sat in the rocking chair and planned our future with our new precious son.

Nothing could have prepared us for the news.... Sandra had changed her mind! She had decided that she did not want him to be placed for adoption. We were devastated beyond belief. We returned home to arizona with an empty car seat and a broken heart.

Three months later, We headed to Utah where we met Ann. We had planned to spend the day getting to know her, but the baby had other plans. She went into labor through the night and we got an early morning call and raced to the hospital. When we got there, she was in labor and invited us in to the room to witness the birth. We were honored. We sat in awe as we watched his amazing birth and then the doctor placed him in my arms. It was the best feeling in the world. We named him Kyle (a family name of the birthmother). I was very worried that history would repeat itself and that she might change her mind. But this was to be our child and we were able to take our boy home to arizona and raise him. Six months later we finalized the adoption, and a week later we were sealed to our son. It was one of the highlights of my life!

A year later we had a successful round of fertility treatments and I was able to carry a pregnancy and delivered a beautiful son we named Brody. Two years later with more fertility help we conceived and delivered our third son Owen. Life with three boys was busy but perfect. Life was full and happy beyond belief.

In February this year we learned of a situation that involved a friend of ours and her sweet sister Tia (from Puerto Rico). She came to stay with her sister here in Arizona to have the baby. Her plan was to place the baby for adoption so she could be sealed to a family. We were not looking to adopt at this time, as Owen was very young and also, we had found the fertility route was working well for us in our desire to grow our family. However I could not get this girl out of my mind. When I saw her at church I felt very drawn to her. One evening I felt very prompted to volunteer ourselves as a potential option Tia could consider. There are so many small details that are too sacred to share.
Very quickly we found ourselves "matched" with the birthmother. There was a special connection there that nobody could deny. The baby was due in about 2 months, We were not home study certified there was soo much to do! We were able to move fast and got through the stacks of paperwork in just one week! LDS adoption said we might have broken the record for the fastest submitted paperwork EVER! We both felt that this child was meant to be part of our family, and we were determined to bring her home.

In April of this year, we were informed that the birthfather was making plans to come to AZ to contest the adoption! We considered the emotional and legal risks and both felt that we wanted to proceed. On April 23rd Tia went into labor and was rushed to the hospital she was given an emergency c-section due to the breech presentation of the baby. Mark and myself waited outside the room until it was time to meet her. I was allowed in first and as I held her in my arms the tears fell from my eyes. She was the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen! We named her Ava Grace. We took the baby in the nursery and fed her and cuddled with her. When Mark's dad got there Tia had requested a blessing so we all went in to her recovery room to be there for the blessing. This was potentially an awkward moment for us all, as this was the first time Tia saw the baby. We were all in the room together, but the only thing anyone could feel was complete LOVE and PEACE. It was such a beautiful and special feeling.

I spent the next few days in Tia's hospital room with her. Me Ava and Tia. It was soo comfortable and special to be able to have all this time together. I felt like I needed to be a sponge and soak up as much of Tia as I could, so that I would be able to give it to Ava. Oh I forgot to mention Tia speaks fluent spanish and her english is extremely limited, but this was not a problem for us. We found ourselves communicating without any problems. It is especially interesting as I have a thick scottish accent and people usually struggle to understand me, but this was not a problem for Tia. Infact I found myself translating for her often!
When we left the hospital Mark and I took our new baby home. It was a beautiful day!
That same evening, we got a phonecall from LDS social services, telling us that the birthfather was in town! He had flown in from Puerto Rico. We were stressed and anxious that this baby girl that we loved so much, might not get to stay! The birthfather had 30 days from the time of being served notice to file a petition with the court. We were to wait this out acknowledging the fact that she might be removed from our home, leaving behind a painful hole in our hearts. It was the most intense few weeks of our lives! But on the 31st day after his notice was served, The agency checked the court and there was nothing filed! The adoption could proceed! It was the biggest relief of my life! I was literally dancing about in my living room!!!

We met with Tia where she signed away her parental rights, and we signed our adoption placement papers. We explained to our boys that Tia was agreeing to give the baby to us, and that we were promising that we will always love and care for the baby. (an adoption covenant)
The next day Tia was to fly home to Puerto rico. It was an emotional day for us all. We had gone through this intense few months together, and had felt such an emotional connection to each other. There were many tears and hugs. She flew home that night!

We are currently in the adoption process awaiting finalization. We have our courtdate set and our sealing is scheduled. This is what JOY feels like!

So here we are now, our family. Our special little family. Each of our children came into our family one by one. Each with their own amazing stories. One thing that I have learned throughout this experience is that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of his precious children. He is in charge of where they go. I am grateful that he has trusted me to be the mother of these precious spirits. I love my amazing children and am honored to be their mummy. I love our birthmothers and their courage and strength. They are both hero's to me. We will always be grateful for the amazing sacrifices they made on behalf of these children. My advice to anyone anxiously waiting to be parents is, do your part, then let the Lord do his part. It will happen in His time. Only in His time. Be ready!
It is worth the heartache, the pain, the hard work, the waiting, the disappointments. It is WORTH IT!!!!

(The names of our precious birthmothers have been changed to respect their privacy)

the LOVE's of my LIFE

2010-06-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

..........my sweet family...........

my perfect angel.........

the most important people in my life......

this is what happiness feels like.......

I can't believe they belong to me!

The most loved baby in the world!

2010-05-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

I am honored to introduce to you, the newest member of our family.... "Ava Grace"

Ava was born on Friday 23rd April at 2.02pm, weighing 7lbs 1, and 21 inches long.

She is a very special baby, with a beautiful nature.

She has an incredible birthmother who loves her more than words can say.

I have learned so much from her strength, her courage and her determination.

She is my hero!

Ava is a joy to have in our home, she has a sweet spirit and is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.

With three adorable little boys, life was sweet,

and now... little Ava is the icing on the cake!

we are so blessed!

We love you our precious girl, welcome to the family x

I'm itchy too mom!

2010-04-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

Kyle has had a stuffy nose for a few days and I was in target today with the boys in the medicine aisle. I was reading the back of the benadryl box and said... "hmmm Kyle, this is for runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and itchy throat what do you have?" but before Kyle could answer... Brody interjected "I have an itchy bum mommy!

the man coat

2010-04-17T22:20:00.001-07:00

My little poser..... Kyle

Today I told the boys that we were going to cousin Kellan's wedding reception. Kyle said ... " I want to wear my man coat tonight" To which Mark responded..."I don't think its going to be cold tonight. Kyle said... "No, It's not that.... It's just that I really want to look good tonight!" hahhahha what a boy!

So a couple of hours later when it was time to get ready, Kyle dressed himself, and put his special "man coat" on. I then found him inches away from the mirror spiking his hair. I couldn't believe my eyes when I found him in amongst Mark's aftershave. I asked jokingly..."kyle do you have a girlfriend you are trying to impress?" To which he replied... "No, I just really want to look good!"

When we got to the reception, Kyle insisted that I take some pictures of him in his special "man coat" and posed accordingly (without prompting) please notice the leaning against the tree pose, and the laying on the ground leaning on his elbow. yep... He was looking pretty good tonight and he wanted it documented!

funny kids.......

2010-04-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Kyle excitedly comes home from school and say he is going on a field trip.
me- "oh cool, where are you going this time?'
Kyle-"we are going to the mexican zoo!"
me-"do you mean phoenix zoo?
Kyle-"ummm...Yeah!

I was getting the boys ready for church and had them all in shirts and ties for a change.
Me- "There you go, now you all look like men!"
Brody- "yeah... even you!"
....thanks Brody (as I feel my upper lip for hair)

Mark and the boys were at the park when a guy walked past smoking a cigarette
Brody told Mark (loudly) "hey look that guy's lollypop is on fire!"

priorities

I was at the park with the kids when a little boy came over to Brody and said " hey do you want to come to my house? to which Brody stuttered.... "but but but what kind of cookies do you got at your house?"

happy birthday sweet baby!

2010-03-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Owen is turning a year old this week and I can not believe it has been a whole year since he was born! People always used to tell me that time speeds up when you have kids, and I always thought that was just something old people say! Well I guess I am old, because it is going way too fast! Here are some pics of him through the months and a few reasons why we love our wee man.......

He was born march 24th 2009

He is perfect!

he is sooo cute!

He loves his swing (even still at 12 months)

He is silly

He is independant

He loves to take a bath! He even crawls into the bathroom, pulls himself up against the bath and says..."ugh ugh" as he tries to lift his leg up!

He has a natural mohawk!

He loves to sleep anytime (but night time) He has been our hardest baby to get to sleep through the night!

He is soo handsome! People stop us all the time to comment on his floppy blonde hair and big blue eyes!

He is very curious, and very smart. He loves balls and gets very excited whenever he sees one. He makes a cute little noise like a monkey "oooh oh oh oh" as he kicks his feet. he makes us all laugh.

He loves to play! He does not like to be held or snuggled, he would rather go and play with his toys and his big brothers. He thinks he is a big boy!

he lets me put silly hats on him!

He is ALWAYS happy

He loves to eat! He will eat ANYTHING except bananas!!

He loves to explore his little world!

He is fascinating to watch

He is absolutely adorable! I love you so much baby boy, we hope you have a great birthday! xxx

I saw a mouse... where????

2010-01-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

Over the past month, I have been finding Owen's pacifiers/dummies in the car, with chewed up holes in them. I kept throwing them out whilst rolling my eyes (how is Owen doing this with only a crumb of a tooth??) a couple of times Owen's bottle was left in his carseat, and we would find it with the top completely chewed right off. Once again, poor Owen, was getting the blame! Then I discovered that Owen's blanket had a ragged hole in the middle, which I thought was rather odd, but snuggled him up in it anyway because it was cold.
As I said before, these strange discoveries happened over the course of a month. I happen to be chatting on the phone to my sister Emma ( she has many MANY children and I often compare notes with her) I told her of how Owen had an extremely sharp, crumb of a tooth, I believe I likened it onto a razer blade. I proceeded to tell her of the shredded pacifiers and bottles that I keep finding in the car, to which she said.... " that is not your baby, you have a MOUSE!!!!!" Oh the horror! I was beside myself! I felt the vomit rising to my throat, my knees were weak. I was absolutely HORRIFIED!! I refused to get into the car!

* I am happy to report that on day 1, The mouse was caught in a bless-ed trap. ahhh the relief! lets hope he was an infertile male!!!

* On day 2, a chewed up pacifier was discovered after the execution of mouse #1 traps were set.

* On day 3, bate was gone, no mouse in trap. Beth has lost 6lbs from walking!

* On day 4, Mouse #2 caught in the sticky trap (hey that was good advice facebook friends)

* On day 5, My diaper bag was leaking, another chewed up bottle is reported!

To this day, we have not caught any more of our friends. I will keep you posted! All this mouse drama has put all my other issues into perspective, I would gladly welcome back my teenage acne to live in mouse-free bliss!

squeek

Owen Grant age 9 months

2010-01-23T20:36:00.001-08:00

Kyle has 4 scrapbooks and calendars, babybooks galore. Brody has 1 scrapbook and a calendar, Poor little Owen has a calender and on page one it says.... "Owen is here!" and thats about it! Here is my attempt to try and document some of his milestones.

Owen is 9 months, and I can't believe he is growing up so fast before my eyes! This month has been very busy for Mr Owen......

* He has decided that he no longer wants to be a baby! He is no longer interested in nursing, and prefers a nice warm bottle of formula.

*At the beginning of the month, his first little tooth popped through! and now he has two!

*He has moved on to alot of table foods.

* He has learning how to pull himself up to standing position.

* He has learned how to crawl.

* He has discovered the joys of dvd players and wires.

* He gets to have a big boy bath with his brothers now.

* He has learned how to dance.

* He can wave bye bye.

* He can shake his head.

* He enjoys peek-a-boo

* He learned how to throw a temper tantrum (and has done it many times since)

Owen is the sweetest, loveliest, good natured baby! It is impossable to put into words how much I LOVE and ADORE him

The toilet has the flu!!

2010-01-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

That is what our funny man Brody exclaimed, as he ran out the bathroom..... "the toilet has the flu!" and the translation is... The toilet is clogged!

Here is Brody with his $15 bike! (gotta love yard sales!)

Brody knows kyle's "sight words"

2009-12-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

Kyle has been learning his sight words at school, which consist of the most commonly used words in the english language..... The, where, he, what, why etc. The other day Kyle came into my bedroom telling another tale.... "Brody said I look like a butt!" I told Kyle (half heartedly) "Go and tell Brody that is not a nice thing to say, we don't use those kind of words!"

A few miutes later, Brody came into my room looking confused and said..."But is my sight word!"

your beautiful...it's true!

2009-12-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

Brody has a new favorite word..........

Yesterday Kyle was playing on the rocking horse when the horse fell over and landed on top of Kyle. Brody said... " that was not cool!.....it was beautiful!"

Today after eating an entire packet of crackers I told Brody firmly..."Ok, No More!" to which he stared up at me through his huge eyelashes and said (with a perfectly serious face) "If you give

me one more, you will be beautiful!"

* mr Brody 10 days old*

welcome to the world.....Cooper Paul McDonald

2009-12-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is my new nephew Cooper! He was born on Sunday 6th December, at 08.09 after 72 hours of grueling labor! He weighed in at 7lbs 9oz and he is the star of our family! My sister Jenny is amazing! Her waters broke in the middle of the night on Thursday, and she labored slowly and painfully for the next 3 days. The baby was delivered by forcepts and was forced through the birth canal. He was badly bruised and his shoulder was injured due to his rough delivery. He has earned his nickname "Cooper the Trooper". He is making slow progress daily, and I have been inspired by my sister Jenny who has marvelled at every simple development. She was excited to be able to change his "nappy" (diaper). and her most recent delight... she has been able to breastfeed her little boy! She is soo excited! Cooper had some breathing difficulties when he was first born, so he has spent his first few days in the I.C.U. Poor Jenny spent a couple of nights alone in her own room worrying about her special boy I am happy to report that mummy and baby have been reunited and Cooper is by her side. We are still waiting on M.R.I results and bloodwork before they can go home. Cooper's right arm has limited mobility and we are all hoping and praying that this will be a temperary situation. Congratulations Jenny and Paul, We are soo proud of you! We LOVE you Cooper! Welcome to the family xxx

funny kids...........

2009-11-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

conversation between brody and me...........

brody: remember I poured my apple juice on the floor?
me: Yes I do!
brody: I didn't like the part when you yelled at me!
me: and I didn't like the part when you poured your juice on the floor!

Kyle and me were discussing what he would like on his birthday cake....

kyle: I just want a picture of Heavenly father and Jesus on my cake...yeah, that would be AWESOME!
me: hmmmm I don't think so Kyle
kyle: why not?
me: well, I don't think I could draw them (for one)
kyle: (thinking hard) ok then.. lets just get Heavenly father and Jesus candles!

poopery barn

2009-11-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening we decided to take the kids for a walk round chandler mall. We started in pottery barn kids. We let the boys play with the toys while Mark and I sat ourselves in overstuffed rocking chairs and dreamt of endless possabilities. It was then that I heard it... NO, It couldn't be true! Brody walked strangely towards me and said.."my poop comed out". Oh NOOO! I carefully carried him to the back of the shop and into the bathroom, only to reveal that he did not have any undies on! (of all the days!) I had to clean him up and creatively put him in Owens sling so I could protect his modesty and my dignity. I discarded his smelly jeans in the trash and promptly walked out the store with a naked 3 year old wrapped around me with a piece of stretchy fabric (oh what a sight I must have been). Straight into The Children's Place to buy some undies and a new pair of trousers!

Most of you know we moved away from gilbert where we had malls, shops, restaurants galore. I could experience all the shopping my heart desired. ( and my heart desires ALOT). then we moved to no-mans land where WALMART is the only store around me! I have strong feelings of HATE for WALMART! I really do! But since it is all I have, I have become a bit of a regular down at wally walmart. (see I even have cute nicknames for it now) and... I am sad to admit...... I have actually started liking some of their clothes. (I don't even know who I am anymore). But anyway my point is this....... Why, when I go to walmart several times a month.... sweet little Brody has no bathroom issues? but yet, when we take a rare trip to the poshest shop in town, Brody's bowels give way????????? Oh isnt it Ironic? Alanis Morsette should write another verse to her song...........

Oh Brody sweet Brody, you keep life interesting! next time you want new clothes, please just ask!

not so private.............

2009-10-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

It turns out that I need an audience! So I un-privated my blog. here are some halloween pics of the kids........ Brody with his girl

baby bear, power ranger and incredables

little bear

crazy boys

october update.................

2009-10-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

ok so we have done a lot of fun things this month..........

We took the boys to California, it was sooo much fun! We spent the day at knottsberry farm, and the following day at the beach, we were all playing in the sea until out little friend dexter got stung by a sting-ray and put a damper on our fun (hehee). Nobody wanted to stay in the water after that (except Kyle, who has absolutely no fear and gave me several heart attacks on our trip).

Then our other little friend Shane got locked in the bathroom and his dad had to remove the vent to allow him to crawl out. A short while later Brody felt a poo coming on and asked me to take him to the bathroom. We found that the only available cubicle was the one with a perfect square-shaped hole in the middle of the door. Sensing the urgency of the situation, I allowed Brody to crawl through the vent while I stood on the outside of the locked door. No more that 2 minutes passed when I looked down at the vent, nothing could prepare me for the scene.... Brody had stuck his little bum all the way through the vent and was saying (in his little low voice) "can you wipe my bum?" He is soo funny!

another little Brody story..........

Mark and I were laying in bed and Brody had crawled in between us and was half asleep. Mark and I were talking about our favourite ice-cream. I told Mark that I loved the golden spoon, and he said "no if you want good ice-cream, it has to be frozen custard" to which Brody opened his eyes and said (arrogantly) "you mean mustard!" and closed his eyes again! hahah what a boy!

here are some pics of the loves of my life...............

precious little Owen............

funny little Brody

tummy time

sweet little Kyle (with a suspicious wet patch)

bragging just a little bit!

2009-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Owen's nursery is finally complete! now we just need to get him to sleep all night!

owen (5 months)

2009-09-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to post some recent pics of my beautiful baby boy! He is getting so big and is really starting to develop his little personality. He has a smile for anyone who looks his way. I love him so much! He is not one who likes to snuggle (which is sad for me) he would way rather stand up and look at everything going on around him! He recently has started taken some baby foods which he LOVES! He also began rolling over. He loves to take walks in the stroller, and he adores his big brothers who love him tooo much sometimes! We love you Owen Grant, we are so happy you are part of our family xxx

time to fold laundry!

he loves his swing

isn't he cute!

precious little boy

Brody is 3

2009-08-06T21:19:00.001-07:00

the order is all wrong, but here is my special little man Brody Glen........

happy birthday Brody x

he loves to be funny..........

He loves his cousin evelynne

he SERIOUSLY loves her!!

He adores his new baby Owen

and his big brother Kyle

He loves to sleep with his special blanky

He loves "his girl"

very much!

and he is a momas boy!

with very looong eyelashes

his best pal

He loves chocolate

and paint

We all love our little Bro-Bro and his cuddles. He is the sweetest most adorable little boy who loves to snuggle. He enjoys all music, and especially likes to sing. He also loves to dance but gets shy if he see's you watching him! His fave food in the world are refried beans!

We love you baby HAPPY birthday xxxx

kyle is a big schoolboy now!

2009-08-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my baby, all grown up and off to big school! I have mixed emotions about him being at school. I am sad that I don't get to see his cute little face all day, but I am excited for him to have many great experiences that he will get at school. He seems to be loving class and has made many friends. I am soo proud of my big boy! we love you kyle xxx

The other day we were walking from the playground to our car, when Kyle pointed out someone he knew, "look mommy, that's my friend Cody" he paused then said happily "he says my breath smells like dirt!" I replied "that's not very nice" to which Kyle responded very matter-of-fact "No mom, it really does!" I guess we will be packing Altoids in his lunchbox (hehehe)

some Brody thoughts............

2009-06-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

story #1 The fire........

Brody- hey mum, this car has fire on it (showing me his little toy car)
me- oooh I don't like fires, remember we had a fire in our house?
Brody- (stops and ponders a minute) but.. but... but.... I want to do that again!

story #2 cos we're cousins......

Brody- but...but...but I love evelynne
cos she's my cousin.........
so...so...so....I'm going to marry her!

warning........... not for the weak stomach

2009-06-05T14:52:00.001-07:00

How can something this cute....... do something this gross?

Oh the joys of motherhood, and the magic of babywipes!

paulines wedding

2009-06-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

My beautiful little sister Pauline got married last week and we are soo happy for her! She was married to Lee McLellen in Leeds England. The wedding was simple and lovely and it was fun for the whole family to be together! welcome to the family Lee! Here are some pics of the special day.....................

all the sisters together...........

Bonnie Juliette and Millie xxx

owens blessing

2009-05-18T13:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we blessed our little man "Owen" He just slept right through it all. He is growing so fast! He looks almost double the size he was a month ago. We all just love him so much and are soo happy he is part of our family! (the ice-cream cake was good too)

private

2009-04-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

ok I know I have threatened this before, but after watching oprah yesterday, I am for sure making my blog private. so if you want to continue peeking into our life please leave me your email address...............

soo blessed.......

2009-04-12T20:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that these beautiful boys are mine!

what happens next?...........

2009-04-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

my friends, I shall tell you........... After this picture was captured, Owen decided he needed to relieve his bowels and pooped in my hands! He then thought he would help wash it off by piddling everywhere! He might look like an innocent little angel, but I think he might be a little prankster like his 2 funny brothers!!!

owen is a wee supermodel!!!!

2009-04-09T01:34:00.000-07:00

A very talented friend from my ward is practicing her photography skills and needed to borrow a cute little newborn......

I can't believe I didnt know him 2 weeks ago, and now he is my world!

(dont worry I was sitting right beside him!)

gone camping..................

2009-04-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

Kyle and Brody have been having to entertain themselves alot lately (since I spend alot of time resting, and breast feeding) This morning I heard them in the bathroom, and this is what I found................................

They decided to go camping in the bathroom! Please notice kyles table (oh how hygenic)

This is just a sweet picture of kyle with his new brother that he simply adores!

eviction day!

2009-03-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday 24th March 2009, Our sweet little Owen Grant was born. we are so in love!
weighing 7lbs 6 and 19.5 inches long welcome home baby!

not a pretty pedicure...........

2009-03-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

On valentines day, mark bought me a giftcard to a beauty spa to get a pedicure. I LOVE pedicures! I had my first ever pedicure here in america, and it was so heavenly, such a special treat! I decided I would save my giftcard until nearer the end of my pregnancy, so I could truly enjoy my relaxing treatment, (and have pretty toes to look at whilst in hospital).
My c-section is scheduled for next Tuesday at 7.30am, and we are soo excited to meet this special little boy. I have been thinking all week about making an appointment to get my feet beautified, but last night all my plans went down the drain!
We were shopping in costco and as we were loading up the car with all our shopping, Mark stood on my bigtoe! I told him he was standing on my foot and so he quickly removed his obnoxious fat shoe from my poor defensive toe, taking the majority of my toenail with him! seriously... my toenail was completely off standing straight up (just where it was barely connected) it was horrifying! Mark wanted to take my straight to urgent care, but I really didnt want to pay $50 for something I thought we could fix ourselves, so I tried to push the toenail down into place, but that thing was not going anywhere!! So we went to urgent care where the doctor took the whole nail off!!! It is soo ugly and it stings like crazy! so much for my special pedicure! poor mark was soo sorry, he looked like he was about to cry, and I am having fun being served hand and "foot".

Brody knows his colours!

2009-02-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

Today Brody came up to me and said... "you don't like guns?" and I said "no I don't like guns!" he thought for a second and asked.."you like pink guns?" and I answered "no I don't like any guns!" he took another second then stuttered "but but but my throw-up is green!"

it's not me...........

2009-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kyle kept passing gas, and after ignoring several of his"toots" I finally told him..."kyle could you please stop pumping!" to which Kyle said....." Its not my fault, Heavenly Father keeps making me!"

2009-02-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

Things you may not know Share

Today at 11:17am Edit Note Delete

Kyles latest question.......

2009-01-30T08:44:00.001-08:00

Whilst driving home from the doctors office........ "mummy, Do old people have tongues?"

McKyle and McBrody...........

2009-01-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today is "Rabbie Burns day" (Robert Burns birthday)

Its a big deal in Scotland and all the kids all over scotland recite Scottish poetry. We also have a traditional Scottish dinner which consists of haggis neeps and tatties (turnip and potatoes) It is absolutely delicious and soo much fun. We do scottish country dancing and wear tarten. I miss Scotland today!

I dressed my boys in the most scottish outfits I could find in my house they are not completely authentic but I live in america and who would ever know? I had to bribe Kyle into his "girl dress" with a starburst treat. Brody needed no encouragement at all and even asked for some "lippy on" once he was dressed (oh dear!)

my conversion to oranges.......

2009-01-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

I have never really liked oranges! I just don't like food that takes an hour to get into, and oranges are just not worth the effort in my eyes! but after reading cheryls tribute to an orange, I thought I should try one of these famous fruits she raves about. I tried my first ever pure bred navel orange this morning and..... oh baby I am converted! I could think of nothing else all day and even persuaded my ever willing hubby to go with me to the source of such delightful juicy oranges. His aunt has 10 acres of land filled with citrus trees, and she is kind and generous enough to share her wealth with us. So we went with the boys and had a really fun time picking till our hearts content. It was really muddy and I kept sliding into squelchy dirt and even lost a shoe, all the while screaming and giggling (apparently I was acting too girly for kyle) because he said (very matter-of-factly) "see this is why you shouldn't come with us!" then he added... "Is there a sidewalk or something you could stand on?" sensing I was mildly offended by Kyles remarks, Brody said..." but I like your pants!"
I am so out numbered with boys but I appreciate that they are wired differently from me, and trailing through mounds of mud and dirt and climbing up orange trees is very serious business and should be treated with dignity.

doctor brody

2009-01-19T19:34:00.001-08:00

Ok there is no way I am going to be able to do justice to this story but I have to make an attempt, I am laughing my head off!!!! (outside preston temple england)

Brody took a nap this afternoon which is never good news when it comes to bedtime! So after Kyle dozed off Brody sneaks out his bedroom and makes his way over to me on the couch. I am laying there and Brody starts examining my baby belly. He then says (in his very low voice with a slight stutter) "uuh lets lets uuh take the baby out" and I said go on then, so he puts his chubby little hands on either side of my tummy and starts heaving and grunting. He then lets me know...."uuh the the the baby heavy" He sat for a moment and then said..." I I I get some scissors?" I told him.... "I dont think thats a good idea," to which he responded... " uuh uuh I get a knife!" and I told him again No that will hurt mummy, He thought for a minute and then decided " uuh uuh I get a blue knife?" (which is his little plastic knife) I am totally laughing by now and thought I might go along with him so I said ok. So off he scuffles into the kitchen and comes back with his blue plastic knife and with a very serious face he begins surgery. He gently runs his knife back and forward on my tummy. Looking a little defeated he has another idea.... and off he scurries back into the kitchen drawer and brings with him his yellow plastic knife, and the procedure resumes. I cannot believe how focused he has been on this challenge, and even as I am typing this he has come over several times and lifted up my t'shirt and attempted to perform a c-section on me! This is a boy with ambition, Is he a future surgeon? Only time will tell, but as for now.... I think he is just soo lovable and cute I Love you Bro-bro xxxx Ok bedtime!