Maddy turns four!!

Happy Birthday to my first born! I can't believe that she is already 4 years old. In some ways it seems like it hasn't really been that long, but at the same time, it seems like a lifetime ago. For the first couple years of our marriage we wondered if we would get to experience having a family... and now we are celebrating Maddy's 4th birthday. Not only that but we have 2 more miracles. When Maddy was born, I never would have imagined that we would have had 2 more children before she even turned 4.She had a great day! We went to church and she would tell everyone that stopped to talk to her that today was her birthday. Then she'd request that they wish her a Happy Birthday! What a demanding child! In Primary the kids sang to her, and she got a pencil and a sticker. Her primary teachers even made cupcakes for her class to celebrate! We had the family come over for cake and ice cream that afternoon.

I keep saying that one year we will have a party with Maddy's friends, but I feel so overwhelmed with the upcoming holidays that I don't bother with it. This was the first year that Maddy didn't have a wedding the same weekend as her birthday, and I still didn't throw her a big party!

Maddy asked her Uncle Ryan for 5 laundry baskets for her birthday, and even told me that she wanted a laundry basket cake. Luckily that was short lived, and she decided that she wanted a butterfly cake. She had a butterfly cake for her first birthday, so this is what we decided to make...

Flowers and butterflies! She wanted strawberry cake with chocolate frosting, and I wasn't sure anyone would eat that... So I made a two tiered cake. The top had strawberry cake with 3 layers of chocolate frosting, and the bottom had strawberry cake with 3 layers of strawberry frosting in it. I think it turned out really well. At least it tasted really good!

She had lots of gifts to open, seeing that she has a lot of family members that love her!

She just opened a gift, tossed it to the side and went for the next gift. It was sort of embarrassing for a parent.... I wanted her to be excited about each gift, and then thank the person who gave it to her. Is that too much to ask? I guess it is when your talking about a 4 year old...

My grandparents gave her this Sleeping Beauty dress up outfit. Complete with shoes, gloves and a head band. Naturally she didn't want to wear it until after my grandma was no longer there to see her in it! She loves it though. And she's not the only one...

Little Miss Sarah had to put it on for a while too. This dress is going to be a big hit! Or a big problem depending on how willing Maddy is to share it with her younger sister!
Sarah even walked around in the shoes... she LOVES shoes.

Over all Maddy had a wonderful birthday. She got to see both of her grandparents, and spend the evening with most of the aunts and uncles on my side of the family (minus Andrew, Phillip and their families, and Elder Passey) And she got to talk to big uncle Ry Ry on the phone. She is one HAPPY girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDY!!

Pumpkins and Hay Rides

We went to visit Uncle Phillip and Aunt Stefani at the beginning of October. We got to celebrate cousin Cooper's first birthday, and go to a cute little fall festival that we enjoyed going to the year before. I uploaded these pictures backwards (oops) so this all happened in reverse order! Not that anyone really cares.

This place is so neat. There is so much that the kids can do, and it's free! They had a blast running around the Corn Maze. Sarah was in heaven. She loved running around in that corn more than words can express. Maddy was scared of it the year before, and I'm not sure how much she would have loved it if Sarah hadn't loved it as much as she did...

We took our second annual family picture in front of the wagon! When we took one last year, I NEVER would have thought that Maddy and Sarah would have a baby brother in the next picture! We are so glad he's here though!

Maddy wanted to hold him and take a picture in front of the pumpkins... He was not amused.

Maddy picked out her pumpkin and was all ready to decorate. She remembered everything about this place from the year before...

The girls loved decorating their pumpkins! I think Sarah had more marker on her face and shirt than on the pumpkin by the time they were done! They put lots of stickers on them and were very proud to display them when we got home.

Picking out her pumpkin....

Maddy got a "face" painting of a candy corn... At the last minute she decided that she wanted it on he arm instead. It only stayed on for a little while, because she scratched it off... Grrr. Oh well, she loved it for the 10 minutes that it was there!

Sarah didn't get a face painting... I didn't think she'd sit still long enough to get one, so I took her to swing while Maddy was getting hers done.

We went on a Hay Ride... and this is my favorite part... Big Bird hiding behind a tree!! The path is decorated for the kids, with Hallowen decortations, and this RANDOM Big Bird. It's nice because when the kids are scared of the Halloween decorations you can point out that Big Bird is behind the tree and He's not very scary...

Sarah was captivated the whole time...

And Maddy was a drama queen.

Joseph kept her safe though... No fake spiders would get her on his watch!

The kids had fun with all of the free games that they offered. Here are the girls trying to rope some cattle...

Joseph played ring toss with Maddy...

and they played bean bag toss together.

Sarah thought the object of the game was to collect all the bean bags.... So after Addison and Maddy threw them, Sarah hoarded them.

This picture was taken on the Hay Ride... Maddy was being "fake scared" because we hyped up the fact that she was terrified the year before.

I LOVE this picture! Sarah is having fun with the bean bag toss, and Ben looks like a thug!

Maddy driving her John Deer tractor

I'm surprised that Maddy climbed to the top of this tire. If Addison hadn't been on it, there is NO way Maddy would have...

Ben was such a good baby! He stayed in his carseat for most of our adventure, and didn't make a peep!

Maddy came out so quick, Joseph is still looking for her on the other side!

Last year I got a cute picture of the girls in this exact spot, so I tried to do it again this year.... EPIC FAIL. They wanted nothing to do with it!

This is a classic picture of Sarah... Giving that look... It is rare to catch this kid smiling in a picture! We had such a good time with Uncle Phillip, Aunt Stefani and the cousins! We can't wait to go back next year!


This is a catch up post, so here are some random pics of the kids in between festivities... I was cleaning the house when I hear "Mama! I stuck! Oooooh! I stuuuuuckkk!!" Come to find, Sarah has gotten herself under Ben's bassinett. Of course, after I helped her out she climbed right back in.

She has pretty much mastered getting in and out of that small space. She hangs out in there a lot now... she even takes her snacks and eats them in there!

Aw, my sweet children. Maddy loves to hold him, and Sarah loves to poke him. They look like they are having a good time though!



Well, here are some long awaited Halloween pictures! We had no idea what the kids were going to be this year, until Aunt Stefani came to the rescue! She let us borrow this adorable costume for Sarah, and the Carebear costume that Maddy is wearing. She also found the Pea in the Pod costume for Ben. From now on, I think I'll let her coordinate my kids costumes...

We went to a Chick-fil-a Trunk or treat, and after we got home, I walked into the kitchen and found Sarah posed like this... She is too cute.

Maddy waited in line FOREVER to get her face painted while we were there... naturally, she completely abandoned her original choice, and told the lady, "I want what he got" referring to the little boy that had just finished up. So instead of the girly thing she could have had, she got painted like a tiger instead. It took a while to do too, but that didn't stop her from wiping it off immediately after we got home... I'm so glad it didn't cost me anything!

My grumpy Sarah. All done Trunk or Treating and waiting for dinner... I see that she helped herself to some candy though, she has a chocolate beard!

My little Care Bear...

My little Pea, He doesn't have the top on, but he is SO cute anyway! He even won the cutest costume contest at our ward Trunk or Treat!

The kids had a really busy week! They had two Trunk-or-Treats, a party at Storytime, and then a friend invited us to trick-or-treat with them in their neighborhood since festivities were celebrated Saturday night and not on Sunday! Which of course meant a lot of candy... and I ate most of it, which hasn't helped my waist line AT ALL!! And it's all over for another year! Now we can focus on Christmas!!

It has been SO long since I have updated our blog! So here starts a few "catch up" posts, then I will try to stay current...

Benjamin's Blessing Day

August 15
2010

We don't have a family picture with my side of the family... They were no where to be found after sacrament meeting! Sad day...

Ben was blessed in the same outfit that Joseph was blessed in. And he barely fit in it! He has been growing SO fast! Joseph was able to have all of his family here, but we weren't so lucky on my side! My oldest brother and his family were able to come, but Phillip and family couldn't make it. Of course we were lacking Elder Passey too. Joseph gave Ben a beautiful blessing... It was a great day. What a special little boy we have.

While Andrew and His family were here, we were able to have some fun! We had a BBQ at the State Park and swim in the ocean too.

Maddy even ventured out into the water for the first time in her life!

The girls got to build sandcastles with their cousins, and Aunts and Uncles too.

Poor kids have to be covered even playing at the beach... My pasty white children have no business being out in the sun!

Having fun with Uncle Andrew!

We also got to sped a day at Wild Water and Wheels! The kids had a blast in the kiddi pools, but Maddy wouldn't go down the little kid slides. Sarah on the other hand, couldn't get enough of them! She is not afraid of anything!

Maddy and Noah

Our adventure to the water park ended in a terrible thunderstorm... The kids thought they were going to get struck by lightening, Ben got soaked in his carseat, even being covered by towels... It was scary! Of course as we make our way to our vehicles, Joseph and I remembered that we had a flat tire. So we piled into the van and waited for the storm to let up. Sarah (Andrew's wife) came to pick up the kids and me and took us home so Joseph could go get new tires. It was not fun!

We were glad to be able to have fun during the day though! We love when cousins come to visit!