Caleb is 8!!!

I can't believe it. 

My oldest is 8 years "old" today...yes, he's getting old... It's happening too quick for me! Here's a few things about our sweet boy:

*He LOVES babies, little toddlers so much and will go chasing after them to give them huge hugs & kisses!

*He gives the best hugs

*He loves his Dad so much and wants to be with him every moment when he's home

*He's extremely forgiving

*He loves unconditionally 

(Quick funny story about this: Caleb definitely looks on the heart. We were at the grocery store a few years ago and we passed by a "biker" man with dark sunglasses, wearing black & dark leather, had a dark beard, etc. Everyone we passed didn't make eye contact with him and just kept going. 

Not Caleb. 

Caleb sees the man, practically jumps out of our cart & gives him a big hug. I was a little nervous/ anxious as to how this man would react, but he said to me, 

"Wow! That made my day!" That's Caleb for ya!)

*He loves music & loves going to movies

*He's freakishly strong (don't believe me? Just ask him for a hug!)

*He's very stubborn, but will melt your heart with his smile

*His nickname is "Monkey" because he climbs & hangs all over people. :)

We love you Caleb. We are so happy & blessed that you are in our family. You give us better perspective on life and where we are going in this life. You slow us down (in a good way) and help us all appreciate the important things. That's to love one another. It's a trait that our Savior has and I'm so glad He gave YOU to us so we can have a little piece of Heaven in our home. We love you Monkey. Happy Birthday!

Number 4

You guessed it ladies & gentlemen, we are having Baby #4! Our little one is due in February of 2011. I'm 14 weeks & getting bigger every minute. 

Can't believe I'm going to have 4 kids. 

When I figure out how to fix my printer, I will scan my latest ultrasound. We will find out what we're having next month. All we want is a healthy one. :) 

As of now, I'm feeling good and pretty much over the "sickies"...I think. 

Bring on the next trimester. Peace out! 

Bree's latest tests

In between our trips to the cabin & Utah, Bree had her 6 month check-ups & tests. Bloodwork, urine analysis, MiBG scan & MRI of her chest, abdomen & pelvis. She had to split up the tests into 2 weeks because these scans take too long (2 hours each) and she has to be put to sleep each time. The results came back as "stable" and "no new change!" Yeaaaaa!!!

All is well and she's still doing great. She reminds us everyday how lucky we are to have her. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for her and especially for carrying her through the biggest trial of her young life. We love you Breezy! Way to go!

Utah

{Warning: Picture Overload}
I love going to Utah. It reminds me of my childhood. When I was a little girl, we would spend at least a week (sometimes more) of our summers at my Grandpa & Grandma Taylor's house. This year my Grandpa turned 80 years old so we were excited to be there, celebrate with him, spend time with family and enjoy the "cooler" weather (even though it was still in the 90s, it was still 20 degrees cooler than we're used to! We'll take it!)

We were able to stay with Justin's cousins, Jared & Allyson since we had so many family members in town for my Grandpa's festivities. We had lots of fun with them! Thanks so much you guys!

One of our first days up there, some of the adults (including Justin & some of my cousins) went on the Mount Timpanagos Hike. I was supposed to go too but Breezy spiked a fever the night before and I didn't want to leave her. She turned out to be fine the next day so we took a drive up the American Fork canyon with all the little kiddos. They loved playing in the stream & throwing rocks into the water. 

Love this boy:

My sis Kristin, her hubby Tim & their daughter Corinne:

Allyson & her son Brigham:


My cute parents:


Gunn showing me his "Guns"


Here's the gang:


I have to clarify this next picture. In my family we have a few traditions. One of them is IBC rootbeer. Whenever we go to Grandpa's house, it is known that IBC will be stocked in the fridge. My kids carried on this tradition during this trip and they loved it! So, even though we don't really "drink" it was fun to take a picture of my kids (& their cousin) drinking their "beers!"


Another tradition that I remember as a kid was this tree. As soon as we'd arrive at Grandpa's house we'd rush outside to climb this tree, build ant farms around it or have picnics underneath its shady branches. Gunner wanted to climb it too. I didn't realize how high he got until I backed up to take his picture. Crazy kid!


Good thing he was wearing a red shirt so I could spot him!


One of the nights we spent with Jared & Allyson, they bought a ton of sparklers and the kids had so much fun setting them off & watching them spray colors everywhere. We desert rats don't get too see many sparklers or fireworks so upclose & personal so this was a real treat. Breezy loved the sparklers.


Gunn & Brigham. Cute cousins.


The next day was Grandpa's big celebration of him turning 80. We took a bus tour around American Fork as a walk through memory lane. We visited his house where he grew up, where he worked as a young boy, saw the place where he & my Grandma met, saw the gravestones of his family heritage and also got to hear him read about his life story. He has an amazing memory and I felt so thankful to be apart of such an amazing legacy.

Grandpa & Grandma Taylor:

This was my Grandpa's house he grew up in as a boy. The people that live there now were outside doing yardwork and even invited us in for a tour. So nice!


This was the gravestone of my Great Great Great Great Grandfather. (Mom, Grandpa, Aunt Jill & Aunt Jane)


My fam:


After the bus tour we relaxed a bit before the big party started. There were lots of people that came to celebrate my Grandpa's birthday.


LeeAnn (Mom's cousin's wife) made these cute bows for Breezy's hair. Simply love these!


For the party, my siblings & cousins surprised my Grandpa by singing him a song that he has loved ever since he was very young. It was a nice surprise and even brought tears to his eyes. Aw, sweet. :)



We had a great time being with family & celebrating my Grandpa. He is a great man. Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa! We love you!

Summer Recap...Picture Overload!

Our summer was filled with lots of coming and going! In addition to our trip to Ventura, we were able to go to the cabin with family, take a trip to Prescott for soccer camp (also visiting family), we stayed home for about 2 weeks then headed up to Utah for one last quick trip before the boys started school. Here's our summer in pictures!

First, I need to send a shout out to my cute hubby for letting us go for a week while he stayed home to work. Love you babe! You are the best!

We first went to Prescott & stayed with Justin's sister Krista. She's so sweet to let us stay with her for an entire week! Love you sis! Gunner and Cameron are the same age so they love to play soccer together! (I loved this picture. It's not the best, but their faces are classic! Cam's on the left, Gunner's on the right.)

The soccer camp was called Challenger Sports. The coaches are mostly young college kids that come from England and spend a week here (in Prescott). They teach the kids basic soccer skills. Our coach was so nice! He let the kids jump all over him!

Love Gunner's face! Pure joy!

The little girls were getting into the action as well...trying to help their babies kick the ball! Love it!

I just love these 2 little girls!

Thank you Krista for letting us stay with you! We had so much fun! (Kiddos on the fun porch swing: Gunner, Anna, Billy & Bree)

From Prescott we headed to the cabin in Greer to celebrate the 4th of July. We had lots of fun being together with all the Cook family. We went on walks, the boys & kids went paddle-boarding, had lots of yummy food and enjoyed one another!

This is Justin's brother Tyson & his daughter Kelsey paddle boarding. I didnt get pictures of Justin because we went at different times during the trip.

We went to the Eager parade to celebrate the 4th. The kids always love it because they get tons of candy! Krista & I found these super cute matching dresses for all the girls. Aren't they cute?!

Most of the kiddos in their red, white & blue!

Caleb watching the parade

Love pictures like this...

Quick family picture after the parade:

On the actual 4th of July we did a flag ceremony as a family. The young boys handled unfurling the flag. I loved how respectful and careful they were of the flag.

All the Cook-Brown-Larson cousins:

Funny faces of course:

Of course, I am so proud of my country and flag! Happy Birthday America!

After we got home from the cabin, we kinda just did normal summer things. Swimming lessons, splash pads, summer movies, etc. Here's the last few pics from July.

Red-faced boys...July is dang hot!

Some of the fruits of our garden! Gunner loved to help me pick the tomatoes & squash.

Caleb's favorite past time. Jumping on the trampoline:

Next up... our last trip of the summer!

Ventura Strawberry Farms

I'm still trying to play catch-up with all my blogging. This week I am determined to get caught up!

So, on the last day of our trip to Ventura (yes, back in June) we went to the Underwood Family Farms. It's a huge farm where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables. They have a play area for the kids and lots of farm animals to feed.

Walking through the sunflowers...Ahhh!

Too bad this was overgrown & bitter. I L-O-V-E zucchini!

Man, I'm in love with this smile!

Picking & eating the strawberries! Our favorite!

I met this cute guy there. I think I'll keep him!

Breezy couldn't get enough of the strawberries.

My handsome little men!

Woo woo! All aboard!