just a funny boy

man, i love this boy...

this is REAL snow

we don't get much snow here in the PNW. i think our house is exactly 100 feet above sea level (or something like that) and about 3 miles from the bay so that COULD be the reason we never get a white christmas. except THIS YEAR! it dumped and dumped. (forgive the lateness of this news story, i was pregnant AND enjoying the holidays...okay, just lazy).
here's a few pics of the 6-8 inches of white bliss we experienced this year...

oh, and let's not forget the dog my dad saved from the half frozen water ... almost brought my dad to his chilling death this year...

He Went to JARED!

brandon was taking isla on his errands the other day. they are driving up 38th street, going to costco, when isla exclaims "dad, look it's jared!"
brandon looks around scanning the street for a PERSON, doesn't see someone he KNOWS and says, "where isla?"
"right THERE, dad, it's jared. SEEEE." pointing to Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry.
"what?" brandon, still a little confused...
when she starts into the commercial, "he gives her flowers. he takes her to dinner. HE WENT TO JARED."
brandon starts to laugh.
"dad, did you get mom's ring at JARED?"
to which brandon replies, "no."

is this brilliant marketing toward children? or should Jared look at hiring a new writer for their commercials? you decide.

NO Charlie Brown Trees at our house

(at least not this year)


i dragged the family to the schilter family farm again...this time, no pumpkins, just trees. oh, and dirt. both the boys in our family got down in the dirt. maybe you can tell me if you think they had any fun...
isla sizes up the tree she wants...

charlie brown (i mean, macrae) finds his tree.

the boys cut it down. how much does brandon LOVE macrae's help??

let's see, now who is going to carry MY tree all the way back to the car? too bad i had to choose a BIG ONE.

hey guys...i got my stick! wait for me!

the disclaimer...a little update

this goes out to all of you who have been hounding me to blog something.

i am a LOT pregnant...due in a couple weeks. imagine how comfortable i feel every day. yah. oh, and i have been washing, folding, and organizing the new boy's stuff. which means going through the closets and cleaning out the stuff i don't need to make room! i still don't know where we are going to put him after he graduates from my room in a few weeks. the office is an option but it's FULL. oh well, i will figure that out later.

i'm tired. for the last two nights, i got up with macrae in the middle of the night. he has a cold. and then when i went back to bed the contractions started. nothing to get excited about. just lots of discomfort. i knew it wasn't the real deal. nonetheless, it wasn't easy to get back to sleep.

i have a 15 month old baby boy. he's wild and weird. he gets into everything. he needs to be watched and mother-henned. i haven't been to more than the first hour of church in over two months. he's a little crazy. my dad nicknamed him "Lumpy" (not after my favorite club in salt lake) because he always has a new lump on his head or face. no joke. this kid bounces into walls, tables, desks, chairs, whatever...it doesn't phase him...he just keeps on truckin.

it's christmas. i am due soon...and i want to have all my christmas shopping, decorating, and such all done. decorating cookies MIGHT be optional this year, but shopping for brandon and the kids is not. oh, and having it all wrapped is on my to-do list as well. i'm pretty much done already and that feels great. but there are a few loose ends. oh, and the christmas cards will be going out soon!!

aside from all of these things...i am feeling really good! and i'm happy. i can't wait for the boy to get here and join our family!!

keep hounding me to post if you wish...just know i'm not intentionally ignoring my friends.

4-4 photo tag

i was tagged by becky
i guess it's supposed to be the 4th folder and the 4th photo
this was isla on her birthday this year...hanging out the window wearing my sunnies.

having a happy thanksgiving

in my family thanksgiving always meant lots of really good food. oh, and pies, pies, pies. let me just say, my dad is a fantastic cook!! nowadays, not much has changed. i married into a family with the same holiday priorities. my mother-in-law makes martha stewart look like a wannabe. her food is to die for and i love spending time where the food is always cooked to perfection. thus, the need for my other blog (the one i keep private. ha ha)

today, i am thankful for so many things! but i'm going to try and keep this short...a list of 10 will do.

#1.
i have the greatest in-laws. not only, did i marry into the most amazing family! but my brother duff married the most perfect girl! my brother, andrew brought the most lovely sister into our family this summer. and my other brother keith, just got engaged to the sweetest girl, i can't wait until she is my sister, too!!

#2.
my husband. he is smart, funny, incredibly handsome, and makes me feel like i struck gold by having him next to me every night. he is my soul mate and i love him!!

#3.
my immediate family. i was raised by the most amazing parents who taught me to love God, Jesus, and myself. they also never let an accomplishment go unnoticed. and they also taught me about consequences. i have 5 of the most loving siblings. we are ALL best friends. how many people can say that about their sibs? not many.

#4.
living in the northwest. i was raised here and i don't mind the rain, much. i do HOWEVER LOVE the green. we have the most beautiful summers. gorgeous mountains and lakes.

#5.
my faith. as an LDS (born and raised) woman, i am so grateful for the belief that Christ lives.

#6.
being a woman...and that i am a woman in a time when being female sometimes can feel like the uncool, unpopular, and debiliating thing to be. i love being a woman. i love bringing my children into the world. i love being feminine. the job of a stay-at-home mom is NOT easy. believe me, i have done both. some might view what i do every day as boring or mindless. but it is definately everything BUT! my children bring the most joy into my life. and taking time out for them every day brings me no greater satisfaction in my calling in life.

#7.
ancestors. i have a strong heritage of grandparents and great grandparents who came before me and paved my way to be able to enjoy all that i have today. last year my grandma dyer passed away. in my heart i can feel her example of love, kindness, patience, and happiness in her family. i miss her every day but her memory is still with me.

#8.
freedom. a free country to practice my religion, spread my own beliefs, and live as i do. freedom does not come without a price and i am grateful for all who have fought to keep our country free and safe.

#9.
talents. i grew up feeling talented in music, athletics, academics, and such. now, some of my talents are more hard to define. i don't play the violin anymore (brandon complains that i have never played it for him). but, for instance, i'm a pretty good cook and scrapbooker. i'm sure there are many others who are better than me at lots of things. but i don't feel pressure, i just love who i am.

#10.
my babies. when i was pregnant with macrae my family thought it was nothing short of a miracle. when i got isla i thought i had won the lottery. and then my boy came. he's a nut. and lots of fun in his own way. AND lots of work.

there you have it. merry thanksgiving to all, and to all a good dinner!

it's ANOTHER girl?

AS IF it wasn't ENOUGH that andrew found alexis and made her our sister last summer?? but now keith has gone and closed his trapline on this sweet JENNY girl! we love her already!! (isn't she a babe?) and just what i need...ANOTHER SISTER!

my surprise

when i went into macrae's room to check on him tonight...i could NOT resist taking a picture of what i found...

goodnight my sweet boy. (oh, and anyone who thought i might have been exaggerating about the bite marks he has made in his crib-which was new when he was born-the evidence is pretty clear in these pictures)

Happy Halloweeners

isla went through about 3 different costumes before settling on this one. it was like the 3 bears story this year...too itchy, too big, too ugly... and she decided on the barbie mariposa (butterfly).

macrae didn't get a choice. i just chose the animal i thought most fitting for his personality. they did have a great time at grandma's and grandpa's after the evening. just check out my little elephant with the spoils.

i didn't get many pictures of them. macrae was mostly interested in watching his own feet move and bumping into everyone at the trunk-or-treat. isla was a little freaked out by all the people in costumes and would only go to two cars, duff's and my dad's. i decided we had better not try REAL tricks or treats at real houses. maybe next year.

Shilter Family Farms Pumpkin Patch

what is fall without a trip to the pumpkin patch? i do so love the fall...and this farm is just gorgeous!

it just gets better every year

today was/is my birthday...i have to say that my husband, brother, and dad were awesome today!!
first of all, last night brandon came home with 3 pairs of jeffrey campbell shoes for me to choose from . HELLO. jeffrey campbells? i know. LOVE. love. LOVE MY HUSBAND! of course, me being ME, i chose the red mary jane style. and he also picked up flowers AND some really cute housewares for me. TOTALLY amazing husband! then we went to dinner at europa in proctor. LOVE. the atmosphere is romantic and quaint and you can always get right in. oh, and the food pretty much rocks. awesome!

then today my brother and sis-in-law had a birthday breakfast for me! it was so sweet. especially since brandon had to be at church this morning. it totally MADE my morning. thanks guys!!

oh, and let's not forget my birthday DINNER tonight at my parents' house. my mom is out of town but my dad did NOT let my birthday pass by without a HUGE celebration. and by huge...i mean THE FOOD. crab legs anyone? KING CRAB?? ah yeah! oh, and not one but two cake studio cakes. that's right. TWO. oh my gosh. soooo good!!

macrae is so excited to start dinner! (we had to take his clothes since we didn't have any of those bibs they give you at red lobster)

the man who made it all happen (and by "it all" i mean about 25 pounds of king crab)

here we all are...before the crab eating began.

i'm not the type to be embarrassed about my age. i'm 33. is that OLD? oh well. it happens. happy birthday to ME.

4 yr old girl + new shoes = FAST FEET

miss isla has opinions...know anyone else like this? getting dressed in the morning is a challenge for ME. because i want to coordinate her outfits and she wants to wear what SHE WANTS TO WEAR. well, she just had to wear her new tennis shoes today with this dress (AND MIS-MATCHING socks, which i had to laugh about because i remember doing the same thing in third grade. it drove MY mom crazy). hey, at least the pinks match up, right?

the funny thing about these shoes is that every time she puts them on she runs as fast as she can around the room, just to make sure they WORK. she has taught macrae this little trick too. today i put his converse allstars on and what do you know? he starts running around the room while staring at his shoes. okay, so it was more like fumbling as quickly as possible.


today i decided we would actually put these shoes to the test. we walked over to Charles Wright Academy to do her time trials on a REAL track. as you can see, mac didn't make it there with shoes on...he takes them off as soon as he gets the chance. but he made a GREAT spectator. so, back to isla and her SPEED which she must have acquired from her DAD ...let's just start calling her "Wind In Her Hair."

ah shoot

do you ever go to your blog in hopes that something new will be there?? as if someone else could do your posting for you? am i crazy? because i do this once in a while. without really thinking...i just type in my url as if there might be something there that i haven't read before (or didn't WRITE). duh!

(more to come, like a REAL POST. i promise)

BP on the move

I didn't get tagged...but I saw this on Becky's Blog and thought it would be a good idea to let YOU ALL know why last week was so hard for me...

1. Where did you meet?
i don't remember this but he says we met at Chambers Elementary School to play softball for FHE the year his family moved here. 1988?

2. How long did you date before you were married?
3 months. i will say, we HAD KNOWN each other for 15 years so that has to count for something. oh, and our engagement was 10 days.

3. How long have you been married?
6 years.

4. What does he do that surprises you?
he tears up every now and again...if you know him, you might know why it surprises me. still.

5. what is your favorite feature of his?
um, his chest and abs. and he has amazing hair.

6. what is your favorite quality of his?
he's so hardworking. any job, any task, whatever needs to be done, he'll do it. and he won't complain. ever. oh, and he makes for cute babies.

7. does he have a nickname for you?
nope. just anna.

8. what is his favorite food?
steak.

9. what is his favorite color.
blue.

10. what is his favorite sport?
to play or watch...?
wakeboarding, football, baseball, or wrestling. i guess i don't know.

11. when and where was your first kiss?
we weren't technically on a date. we had been to dinner with my whole family to celebrate my grandparents' 52nd anniversary. IF it was a date, it was our first. afterward we ended up at HORSESHOE Lake and it happened there. so romantic, right?

12. what is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
well, MY FAVORITE THING might be different than his but it's definately being out on a lake with him. i LOVE to watch him wakeboard.

13. do you have any children?
isla, 4
macrae, 1
babyboy #2, due in 2 months

14. does he have a hidden talent?
you mean BESIDES making sure that all of our kids look just like him?
he makes a MEAN salad. serious. when we were first married we got invited to a party and we had to bring a salad. i was late getting home from work so he made the salad and everyone raved! can you say HOMEMADE CROUTONS????

15. how old is he? 32

16. who said i love you first?
he did. that night at horseshoe lake. i was a bit freaked out but i loved it all the same!

17. what is his favorite type of music?
he keeps saying he doesn't like the new stuff. he's more a radiohead kinda guy. he LOVES radiohead.

18. what do you admire most about him?
electrical? got it. plumbing? does it. DEMOLITION? mastered it. his ability to learn ANY trade and his patience to learn it.

19. do you think he will read this?
he usually only reads my blog every other month. so he might not.

i'm TAGGING: well, no one tagged me so i TAG no one. but if you want to do it too, go ahead.

i just might bite my own arm off

if brandon doesn't come home soon! what's wrong with me? OH. i'm ohhhnly 7 months pregnant, with a VERY active and VERY curious 1 year old boy, and an extremely smart 4 year old girl. lots of moms do this ALL THE TIME. my sister does it EVERY WEEK. hey, there are MILLIONS of single moms in the world. i just think my pregnant emotions are getting to me. husband, please come home soon and rescue me from the ones i love the most!!

i DON'T mean to sound spoiled. i'm just having ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

Just YOU and I

when brandon is out of town, it can get lonely at night. it's usually just isla and i hanging out, watching tv. tonight we were reading blogs together. and she was doing "homework" practicing writing the letter B. NO her preschool does not send home any sort of work for her to do...she asks me for homework. i'm pretty sure things will change dramatically once she really gets homework.

and she also helped me take a picture to post on kjrst's new blog http://www.haveacuteday.blogspot.com/

once we took my picture, she wanted to pose for hers.

this picture was just hanging out on my desktop...it's one of my favorites of her. she's about a year old here. i HATE how she's getting bigger and older.

Balloons, Baby!

it was sophie's birthday and somehow, macrae had the most fun at the party.