*That all my February birthday parties have come and were successful and that I have 19 days until I have to prepare for another one!!

*That Nate made it safely home from his California road trip for work (that took an extra unexpected day!)

*For Nate's parents for always being willing to help watch the kids in a pinch..

*That Nate and I are one day away from our 10 year anniversary!

*Good friends who you can talk to for hours!

*For the energy to make it through SEP week.  Only one more day left :)

*Book fairs!

*Laughter and it's ability to make everything go away (if only for a moment!)

*Warm, spring-like weather!!

Traevn's Day!

Okay, so after the friend party we had a couple of hours to get ready for the family party.  Traevn wanted to have a Star Wars Clone Wars birthday so we decorated the house like that for the party.  He received his 7 balloons, his favorite of course being the Yoda balloon.  The guests all arrived, we opened tons of presents, ate Star Wars cake, had yummy sherbet punch, and partied into the night.  Traevn had sooo much and totally scored with presents.  He has been wanting a Nintendo DS and he finally got it, as soon as he opened it he jumped up and down and was so excited!!! He also scored 5 cool games for it, accessories for it, clothes, money, outside play toys, swords, candy, more star wars lego toys, shoes, art supplies, and so much more.  What a spoiled boy!!! He kept saying, "This is my best birthday ever!!"  So cool to make him know how special he is to us and to our family and to celebrate a day all about him!! After the party, we went and ate at where else but Texas Roadhouse!! He proudly got up on the horse and yelled "Yee-Haw"  We love you so much Traevn and glad that we could be a part of your day.  

I forgot to do this on his actual birthday so here goes:

7 things about Traevn:

*He is very, very smart and LOVES school!!  (He won a prestigious award last year in Kindergarten for being the best reader!)

*He is very creative and loves art and to create things.

*He is a perfectionist.

*His handwriting is so precise and perfect and does not look like an elementary age kids handwriting. 

*He has overcome so much and continues to overcome so much on a daily basis and endures through the trials that have been handed to him!(He was diagnosed with mild Aspergers disorder when he was 5!)

*He has strength, courage, and faith that is unbelievable.

*He LOVES with every ounce of his being!!! He is such a good example to me and to our family!!

We love you Traevn and wouldn't be complete without you in our family!!! Hope that you truly had "the best birthday ever!"  You have made the last 7 years "the best ever."

LaSeR MaNiA

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Saturday was Traevn's 7th birthday!! He had his friend party first..... He had decided that he wanted to take his friends to Laser Mania!  When we got to Laser Mania we decided to do Laser Tag first.  If you have never been to Laser Mania, it is all in the dark and they have black lights so you can see a few things.  Well after we chose our red and green teams it was war!!! Tag was a blast!!!! It was hard to keep up with those 6-7 year old boys but I wasn't going to let them defeat me:)  After Laser Tag we split up and most of the boys did bumper cars and those that didn't want to played miniature golf (which of course is in the dark).  That was also fun and crazy!!! When that was done we all met up in the arcade to play our tokens and win some tickets!!!! The boys had a blast trying to see who could win the most tickets....when the tickets were all won the boys went and bought prizes with them.   Next it was PIZZA  and CAKE time.  Traevn opened presents after eating too much cake and pizza.  He scored with some cool gifts!!! Traevn had so much fun with all of his friends!!! Thanks to Dawson, Cooper, Jaxon, Treylin, Andy, Jace, Wesley, and of course Trae's brothers for making his party so much fun!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Traevn!!!! We love you!!! 

*More to come later......

Gramps gets HeArT AtTaCkEd!!!

Last week for FHE we talked about love and showing love to others and how important it is to let people know that we love them.  Well since it was the week of Valentines we decided that we should "heart attack" someone who needed it for Valentines Day.  Well, the kids decided that they wanted to "heart attack"  their Great-Grandpa Pugmire since this would be his first Valentines Day without Grandma.  My Grandpa has been through a lot (and that is quite the understatement) since the accident that killed my Grandma and injured him badly last May.  We knew that he needed a little extra love this year so last Friday (13th) the kids decorated hearts with meaningful notes, colorful drawings, cute sentiments, and messages for Gramps!  Later on that night we snuck into the assisted living where he has his own little apartment and quietly went to work decorating his door.  We left and couldn't wait until the next day when Gramps would see it.  When Gramps showed up to Brynlei's party on Saturday morning he was telling everyone about his door.  He was sooo happy and touched!! It made the kids day to know that they made their grandpa happy!!  I think it's in the little acts of service that really teach and make it more meaningful for my kids to learn just how important it is to give of ourselves and in doing so become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I pray that we can have more opportunities to serve others together as a family!!! 

The door up close.

Trying to fit all the kids in and be quiet at the same time.  

(Not an easy task)

The kids with their finished "heart attacked door".  

I {HEART}.......

We used to use Redbox, but Netflix is 100 times better if not more.  For cheaper than what we were paying at Redbox a month (remember we love to watch movies and we do have regular family movie nights) we can rent from Netflix with no late fees ever, get up to 2 DVDs at a time (you can choose different plans), have a much (and I mean much) larger selection to choose from, and keep them as long as we need (no rushing back for a certain deadline.)  And on top of all that they let you try them out FREE for two weeks and if you don't like it you just cancel before the two weeks.  So really you have nothing to lose.  I am not trying to "sell" this onto anyone (this is just my personal opinion after all), but I am just glad that we finally found something that works for our family and DVD needs.  :)

Okay so I admit that Thankful Thursday was MIA last week so I knew I couldn't put it off again this week.....

*Being a mom

 (I am truly grateful that my Father in Heaven loved me enough to do this)

*For sweet valentines written from the hearts of my little boys!

*Seeing family members who don't live here

*Parent's Picnic at the boys' school 

(it's fun to have the whole family eat lunch in the middle of the week together)

*My dad's thoughtful email he sent yesterday.....

*Trying to live in the moment!!

*Watching my kids grow up beyond all my capability to keep them small...

*Doing service projects as a whole family!

*Brynlei's independence

*Brekken's giggle

*Traevn's caring heart

*Karter's willingness to be such a good big brother!!

*Peyton's tenderness

*Family time

Brynn's Family Party

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I am way behind on posting..... On Saturday, Brynlei had her family birthday party!!!!  She was so excited and couldn't wait for everybody to get there.  She got all dressed up in her new Barbie Thumbelina dress (that Grandma & Grandpa Abbott gave her), got her hair done up, put some glitter on, and waited until she could party.   When the guests arrived she opened presents, blew out 3 big candles (all on one blow:)), ate cake, had punch, and played, played, played.  She scored with tons of new clothes, more dress-ups, a Barbie cash register, new sandals, money, a new barbie, and so much more on top of what she had already gotten on her birthday.  What a spoiled little girl!!  Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Brynlei's 3rd birthday with her.  Grandpa Pugmire was able to come and enjoy the party (Brynlei LOVED that he was there!)  We also had a few special family members there who had been in town visiting......Uncle Mike from Oregon was there, Cathy and Shad came down from up north,  it was so much fun spending time with each one and even though Brynlei was being shy, I know she was grateful that you came.  Wow, after a week of celebrating Brynn's birthday, I need a break...... Ha Ha..... Now on to Traevn's festivities this week......   

*We missed Grandma & Grandpa Abbott, Jamie, Emalee, Scott, Braden, Jeremy, Shannon, Drew, Tollie, and Morgen who were all out of town.*

I still have Valentines Day, Basketball games, Thankful Thursday, etc to post about so hopefully I can get it on here before I get even further behind :) 

I {HEART}

Skull Candy Headphones!

Nate gave me a pair of these for Christmas and I absolutely LOVE them!!! I am not a huge fan of earphones that you stick in your ears, so these are the best for me.  I use them mostly for work.  I loved them so much that Nate asked for a pair for Valentines, so he could have his own!! If you haven't tried them you should, they come in different styles and colors.  My kids are excited because Deron Williams (their favorite Utah Jazz player) is coming out with some that he exclusively designed in March. I know that these will be a wanted item at our house! 

 Can't wait......

Birthday day happenings....

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Brynlei's birthday started out with pancakes for breakfast (yum)!  Then the boys sang Happy Birthday to her before they went off to school.  Then Brynlei helped me make her cupcakes, eating the batter, and of course tasting the frosting to make sure that it was just right.  We sprinkled and frosted until they looked "just beautiful." Dad surprised her with {3} balloons, that she loved!!  Brynlei then opened her first gift of the morning, which of course was a new outfit to wear for her special day.  After getting ready Brynlei chose Burger King for her birthday lunch (I think she was influenced a little by Peyton.)  Oh well, she loved the fact that she got to wear a crown.  Grandma and Grandpa Abbott came over after they got off work to give Brynlei her present.  They won't be in town for the family party on Saturday so they gave it to her tonight.  They gave her some adorable outfits but she was most excited about the Barbie Thumbelina dress-up, which she will be wearing to her "Barbie" party on Saturday!  Thanks!!  Then of course it was off to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  Being naturally shy (until you get to know her that is) I didn't think that she would get up on the horse, but she surprised me and got right up!  That's my girl!!  Then it was back home to open up the rest of the presents which included more clothes, dishes for her kitchen, Barbie accessories, a Barbie smoothie maker, and last but not least her new Barbie scooter (can you tell she has a little obsession with barbie right now?)  Then we sang and she blew out the candles on her cupcakes and had a few.  By this time it was pretty late but all the kids wanted to go and watch Nate play soccer so we ended the evening watching his game.  Thanks Brynlei for letting us celebrate your special day with you!  We love you!!

Brynlei M'Kae

Where does the time go?

I can't believe my little Brynlei M'Kae is three.  Here is her story:

After I had Peyton we decided to wait awhile before having any more children so that my body could have a rest.  After all up to this point it had already been through six pregnancies.  I am not a huge fan of birth control (I have many reasons) so when Peyton was about six weeks old we decided to have an IUD placed in me.  Well, my body rejected it (or maybe it was just Brynlei's way of saying, I don't think so, I am coming when I want to come and a little help from her big brother Karter praying for a sister.)  When Peyton was about five months old we found out we were expecting again.  We were very excited and happy even though it was a little sooner than we had anticipated.  Before we went in to the ultrasound we knew that it was probably going to be another boy so we told the technician not to tell us anything unless they were 100% positive.  Well, I am lying there and she says do you want to know?  and of course I say yes.  She says you are having a girl!  Now me being practical says are you 100% positive?  and she says yes!! (Believe me I didn't fully accept that until I held her in my arms.)  So now with this news we didn't quite fully understand how much that answer would change our lives.  Well, Brynlei had her own way of telling us that she would pretty much do things her own way and that it didn't matter if it wasn't how we wanted it or planned it.  My pregnancy went pretty smooth for the most part.  (I love being pregnant, everything including all the aches, pains, discomforts, etc....)  When I was around 37 weeks along I kept thinking for being my 5th child I should pretty much just be able to walk in, have this baby and basically walk out.  Well like I said Brynlei had her own way of doing things.  We found out she was breech.  My dad (also my doctor) said well we will give her about week and half and see if she turns, if not plan on a c-section.  Now, for most people that wouldn't have been so bad but for me (who hates surgeries) I was devastated.  I cried for probably two days straight saying there is no way I am going to have one.  Well,  when I had finally prepared myself mentally to have one (received countless blessings, prayers, etc.) my dad calls and tells me that he has talked to an obstetrician who can safely try to turn her.  So I prayed and felt that we should try this option.  Well, the next day I went to see the doctor and he successfully turned Brynlei so that she would be in the correct position for a normal delivery.  She gave us a little scare when her heart rate dropped.  They monitored me for the rest of the day and then sent me home.  The next day I had my normal OB check-up and my dad said her heart rate is still slow, how about having this baby today?  I said really and he of course said yes and sent me to the hospital.  Now just like I said we hadn't planned to have her this soon and so my normally very organized bag and schedule for the kids was thrown off a little.  I rushed to find babysitters to watch the kids and headed up to the hospital by myself (another first.)  Nate had to wait for someone to come and watch the boys.  The got me all hooked up, Nate got there (along with my mom), and we waited.  Before you knew it, it was time to push and in just two little pushes Brynlei M'kae Abbott entered this world. I had to ask for sure if it was a girl:)  They placed her in my arms and she looked up with me with her little dimple and I fell in love a million times over.  I knew that she was meant to be here in our family at this time.  The boys came and immediately fell in love.  They also silently appointed themselves her sole protectors!  She changed our lives that day and continues to change our life everyday.  I cannot believe that three years have past.  She truly brings the softness and femininity when our house gets a little too much testosterone but she can also be "one of the boys."  The boys' love for her has continued to grow and expand beyond measure.  They fight over who gets to protect her.  She rules our house and can get anyone to bend to her liking just by smiling at you with her big dimpled cheek and her bright blue eyes.  We love you, our little princess Brynlei!!!  Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

*I will post her birthday happenings, pictures, events later.

To the most precious princess!!! We love you Brynlei!!!   

*I will post more later:)

Basketball

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Saturdays games were probably the best this season.  Karter's team played back-to-back games.  They killed in the first game winning 31-22 and played hard in the second game with a 33-42 loss.  Karter is really starting to show some mad skills.  He made a three-point swish at the end of the second game!  He was so proud of himself and you seriously couldn't erase the grin off of his face for the rest of the game!  It was truly awesome!  Watch out Kyle Korver!

Brekken's game rocked!!  They won 26-4!! His team is really good and plays pretty well together.  Brekken plays well both offensively and defensively.  The best is to watch him on defense, his face could intimidate anybody!  He rocked the court scoring 4 of his teams baskets!!  

Way to go boys!! We couldn't be more proud of you guys win or lose!  Go Cavs!!

After the game, Grandma and Grandpa Abbott took us to Pirate Island Pizza.  The kids had a blast in the arcade!  They love that place and would go everyday if we let them.  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the perfect ending to such an awesome day of games!!

*Last Saturday's games also went really good.  I forgot to update on them, sorry.

Okay so it is once again that time (I swear the weeks just keep going by faster and faster)...

*For new books (from Peyton's book order) and for Karter's & Peyton's new book orders to look through!

*For my new CTMH stamp sets!! (I love getting new supplies)

*Modern medicine (Brynlei has been so sick the last couple of days and I am so glad that we live in a time of modern medicine.  Seriously I could go on and on why I am thankful for this.)

*For playdates for my kids.  

*For Tuesday & Thursday lunch dates with Nate. (Peyton & Brynlei LOVE eating lunch with their dad, and as for me I will take a "date" anyway I can take it, even if it means having two kids in tow:))

*For the love my Heavenly Father has for me.

*That Nate had a day off on Monday!

*For Nate's dad and the upcoming project he is going to take on. (He is going to be building Brynlei a bed that she wanted out of a Pottery Barn Catalog)!  Thank you!

*For Brynlei's birthday next week.  I love how excited she is and willing to help with all the planning of her party!  Sometimes I swear she is a teenager trapped in a little girl body:)

I {HEART} February

I {heart} February because: 

I love Valentines! 

I love the decorations!

It brings romance..... and love:)

I get to celebrate my anniversary!

I get to plan and have two of my kids birthdays (Traevn & Brynlei)

I couldn't have picked a better month to have my little girl (the colors are perfect)

Cupid gifts 

I know I am going to get at least one date in this month :)

Heart Attacks

Valentine parties at school and giving out valentines!

The list really could go on and on but I think you get the point that February has to be one of my most favorite months!

Look for more I {heart} posts coming this month!!