Family Picture 2010

Mason (9), Logan (7), Brady (4), Claire (almost 2)

Our Baby's 2!

The last two years have flown by.  I can hardly believe that Claire is now 2!!!  It really doesn't seem like that long ago she looked like this.....

She has grown up so fast and continues to amaze us.  She's a daredevil who likes to climb on anything and everything.....tables, counters, pianos.  She is constantly talking and always has something to say.  When we're at home, she wants to be on my hip the majority of the time (making it nearly impossible to get anything done), but when we're out she's Little Miss Independent.  She refuses to hold my hand when we walk to the bus stop and loves to run in parking lots.  She's energetic, funny, smart and challenging and we love her just the way she is......most of the time.  =)  She can hold her own with her three older brothers and loves to play outside.  She's not afraid to get dirty and loves just about anything that makes a mess.  We feel so blessed to have her in our family and love the "softer side" she's brought into our home.  She can melt our hearts so quickly with her little kisses and hugs and her, "I love you Mommy and Daddy."

Grandma Knight took her (and me and Brady) to the zoo for her birthday.  She got so excited to see all the animals and loved feeding them too.  She wasn't frightened by anything and probably would have jumped over the fences if we'd let her.

As you can tell, I had a difficult time getting her to look at the camera.  I don't blame her..... Why would she look at me when there were so many other more interesting things to look at?

We ended her birthday with presents and cupcakes.  She even blew out her own candles!  

Project Complete

I'm so bummed I forgot to take a "before" picture.  This was an old brown desk I found at Goodwill for $30.  It practically begged me to take it home and give it a makeover!  I painted it antique white and gave it some new hardware.  Isn't it pretty?  It's going to be my new nightstand out at the farm.

I was going to distress it a bit, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I think I like it just the way it is!

Halloween

This was a year of cheap Halloween costumes for us.  You've gotta love that!  We put the boys' costumes together with things we already had and a few dollar store purchases, and Claire's costume was part gift/ part gift card.  I think we only spent about $3 this year.  That has to be a record!

Mason was a skeleton zombie.....all his idea.  Scott and I had fun piecing his costume together.

Logan was Nick Fury....a Marvel superhero and leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.  (I learn something new everyday.)

Brady was Iron Man....thanks to a costume he got for Christmas last year.

And Claire was a cat.....the ears were a gift from our neighbor.  She loves their cat, Sweetie.

I love this one of Mason and Claire.  They look like they're practicing their "Thriller" dance.

My Latest Find....

I was browsing the antique store the other day looking for a cheap headboard to fix up.  Claire will be outgrowing her crib in a few months, and I see this as a perfect excuse for another "project."  Well, I  didn't find a headboard, but I did find this great little chair.  Is it weird to say you're in love with a chair? ....because that's exactly how I feel about my most recent bargain.  

My original plan was to paint it red or possibly white, but once I saw it with the boys' desk, I loved it just the way it was.  It looks so much better than the hand-me-down black office chair that was there before. 

Sometimes I catch myself just staring at it.  (Strange, I know.)  I love the curvy lines of the back and arms and all the character of the nicks and scratches.  It's quite comfortable too!  The boys might have to find a new spot.  =)  

Before & After...

Last week, I found myself browsing the local antique store looking for a 'cheap find' in need of a makeover.  I'm very inexperienced in this department, but have recently had a desire to start learning.  I found this cute little bench and decided to go for it.

I sanded it down a little and four coats of paint later.....

It was a little too crisp so I roughed up the edges a bit for a more distressed look.  Now I just need to decide where to put it.   The KITCHEN.....  

That wall needs a little work.  It's been the 'highchair wall' for lots of years.  I've got a few ideas up my sleeve, though. 

Or the ENTRYWAY.....

I think it needs a decorative pillow or two....hmmm.

We All Wanna Be Rockstars!!!

Last weekend, Justin hooked up Rock Band to the newly-installed mammoth speakers in the arena at the farm.  We all had fun getting in touch with our inner rockstar as we jammed to The Beatles.

The kids were awesome!  I think we might have some future performers on our hands.

Even Grandma got in on the action.

Love these cool kids!

I'm a little confused by everyone's attire.  We had church clothes, pajamas and everything in between.

Justin was a natural on the mic.  I think he even refused to give it to one of his kids at one point.  Oh, yeah....we were serious.  The little kids didn't get to bed until midnight and the grown-ups kept jamming until almost 1 a.m.  We paid for it a little the next day, but it was worth it!

Until next time...

First Haircut (It's about time!)

Since Claire will be 2 next month, I figured it was about time for her first haircut.  From the back, it looked like beautiful cascading curls......

But from the front.....not so much!

It was a little too "business in the front, party in the back" if you know what I mean.

I took her to a really cute kids' salon and had someone a little more 'experienced' do the honors.  Claire was a dream.  She got to sit in a fire truck, eat a lollypop and watch Monsters Inc.  But best of all, she didn't make a peep!  After carrying three screaming boys out of various barber shops (on several occasions each) I decided to do this one right.  Can't you just hear my sigh of relief?

The curls may be gone for the most part.  (It still flips up a bit on the ends.)......

But it looks so much better now.  Goodbye mullet!

I've Been Robbed!

Yes, I've been robbed......of the chance to paint my one-and-only girl's toenails for the first time!

Scott stayed home from church with Mason a couple weeks ago.  It's pretty much a given around here that if you stay home with one of the older kids, you get the youngest as well.  It's only fair, right?  When I got home, I was greeted by a smiley-faced little toddler admiring her pretty purple toes.  I must admit, I was a little mad.  I've waited a looooong time to have a girl and get to paint her cute little toenails.  When I asked Scott why he did it, he said, "Mason was sleeping and I didn't know what to do with Claire.  I figured girls like to paint their toenails, so that's what we did."  I couldn't stay mad for long.  It really was cute.  I just couldn't believe that Scott of all people would be the one to beat me to it.  =)

I'm just glad he took pictures.

He actually did a pretty good job.

Sweet little feet!

First Day of School

I was at my Aunt's funeral on the first day of school.  I'm so glad Scott snapped a few pictures for me!

Mason - 4th Grade

Logan - 2nd Grade

Brady started school a week later.  This is his last year of preschool.  I can't believe we'll have 3 in elementary school next year.

He was so excited, I couldn't get him to pose for a normal picture. 

Quick Trip Out West

My siblings, parents, sister-in-law and I took a quick trip to Utah and Idaho to attend my Aunt Kathy's (my mom's brother's wife) funeral.  It was a trip full of so many emotions.  It was so fun being with my family and seeing relatives I haven't seen in years, but the reason for the trip was so sad.  Aunt Kathy's passing was so sudden and unexpected and she will be missed greatly.  I wish we could have taken this trip under different circumstances, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with so many loved ones.

We first stopped in Idaho to visit my grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins on my dad's side of the family.

This is us at my grandpa's house.  We had the best meal with garden fresh corn on the cob and watermelon.  Thanks, you guys!

Just the kids.  I never go on trips with just my siblings.  It was funny settling back into our old family roles.  Suzanne will attest that the family dynamics were quite entertaining.

We stopped at the fair on our way out to see my dad's older brother, his wife, their kids and their grandkids.  What a fun group!  It was so fun to see all of you!!!

The night before the funeral, we went to a special dinner in Salt Lake.  I got to see cousins I haven't seen in forever.  It had been about 20 years since I'd seen Mike, the cousin sitting next to me.

Before the funeral with my dad's sister and her family.....the lighting was a little bad in this one.

We ran out of gas on I-15 on our way back from the funeral.  It was quite the adventure.  We managed to coast to an exit ramp and came to a stop right across from an abandoned gas station.  Go figure.

A nice lady stopped and took Nelson to get some gas.  We were back on the road in no time and got a good laugh at the situation.  My dad swears he'd never run out of gas before.  It was just funny that we were all there to witness it.