Fun with Dad

Josh came out to visit for a week, which was awesome. The kids were SO happy to see him (and so was I). We had tons of fun... we went to the zoo, the park, got ice cream, rode bikes, went to the pet store... it was a good week. Josh got our bikes all fixed up so we took the kids for a bunch of rides. We miss you already...

Promotional Post (sorry)

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March Madness

The madness part I'm referring to in this situation is to describe the feelings that flooded into my brain when I walked into the bathroom and found this (for the second time in a week):
I guess maybe he's yelling at the toilet for getting him in trouble? Or maybe he was so embarrassed by his behavior that he was feeling nauseous? I guess I'll never know... That's my Robbie for ya. Gotta love him.

Valentine's Weekend, Grass Valley

We went up to Grass Valley for a long Valentine's weekend (I know I'm slacking a bit here...). Four of my super awesome, super fun, guy cousins all drove out from Utah to spend it with us. It was so much fun hanging out with them and all my family, being wild and crazy. One night, I somehow ended up playing the piano with about 10 of us gathered around belting out "A Whole New World" (from Aladin) as loud as we could... I mean - we are really weird people. But we're also really fun!

Robbie and especially Mariah had a blast hanging out with everyone. I'm pretty sure Mariah thinks she's 16. She seems to get along better with teenagers than other four-year-old... hmmm Well her and Robbie have a great time together too. I was too busy singing to take any pictures with my cousins, but I did catch some ones of the kids playing one night before bed... I told Mariah to go up and get some pajamas on. She comes back down wearing this humongous (does anyone even know how to spell that word?) shirt. It was my cousin Cary Shane's... she had gone through his suitcase until she found something she liked! Luckily Cary is super sweet and let her wear it to bed.
She's so beautiful.

Robbie LOVES playing with his sister!

I have no idea what she's doing...

They run REALLY fast.

Taven, my other kid.

No, Taven is not really my child... I just have more pictures of him on my blog than Taraleigh did have on her blog (up until recently). I guess some of her family members commented on how they got to see pictures of Taven on my blog and that he was getting so big. I think that gave her some motivation... =)

On a more serious note - I love being an Aunt! Taven is my most favorite nephew in the whole wide world, but don't tell all the 'others' that (okay, so there are none - yet). He's getting so much more interactive with the kids and it's fun to watch them all play together. I'm so grateful to be close to my family where we get to see eachother all the time - what would we do without family?

The Kids

Mariah and Robbie playing around, saying hi to Josh.

Robbie watching a clip from 'Cars' his favorite movie of all time. He's saying "KaCHOW" and "Mater" (the two main characters). He's getting so big!

Random Question:

Q: What's the most embarassing song on your ipod?

Photo Shoot

Mariah

Mariah

Mariah & Sidney

What are they looking at?

A friend asked me to take some pictures of Mariah wearing hats for her website. I thought Mariah would have more fun with her best little buddy Sidney, so we got them all dolled up and had a fun photo shoot. The girls did great and they were hilarious to watch. To see some more of my favorites, check out my photography blog at http://brandilyndavidsonphotography.blogspot.com/. Are they adorable or what?
I'm still working on editing them, so there will be more to come...

Maybe this is what they were looking at? Poor Robbie only got one picture... but I don't think he minded one bit. Being outsite and running wild is a day in heaven for him.

Robbie's 'Discovery'...

hmmm... cool magazine. whoa - what's that?
this is really cool...

i better get a closer look

yes, definitely liking what i see.

**disclaimer: this is a health magazine. you sickos. =)

Jelly Bean Factory!

We went with the Duffey's to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfeild this past weekend. The kids loved it! We got to go on a tour of the factory and see the history of jelly bellies and how they are made. Mariah loved seeing all the different colors (especially PINK) and Robbie loved watching all the machinery and forklifts (of course). They even have a 'tasting bar' at the end of the tour where you can try every kind of jelly belly. Mariah accidentally tried rotten egg! Ewwwww! Robbie, Taven & Mariah
Checking out the machinery

Cool hats.

Mariah & Robbie

Spring Blossoms

Spring is in the air... We went over to our friends house tonight for dinner and they have an amazing fruit tree orchard out back. We went out to look at all the trees and even though I hate the allergies that come along with spring, I do LOVE the beautiful blossoms!

Robbie and Joseph

Our good friends James and Dana have a "little guy" only four days older than Robbie. Aren't they cute together? It's fun to see little kids, especially boys, interact with eachother. Sorry about the low quality pic, it's from my phone.

Crazy Drivers

Sometimes I suddenly realize that I have a camera on my phone. It usually happens while I'm driving because that is one of the only times I seem to find a moment to talk on the phone (yes, I know it's illegal and NO I don't obey that law...). These are just some silly pictures we took the other day...

Taven and Taraleigh

Look out Ladies!
Taraleigh and Tavey Baby

I took some pictures of Taraleigh and Taven the other day. Taraleigh wants to surprise Trent with some for Valentine's Day. It was a little difficult because I was trying to get Taven to smile while making sure Robbie wasn't jumping into the waterfall and Mariah was still in sight. But it was all worth it because look at these shots - how cute is he and how gorgeous is she?

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Silly Robbie

The "Look"

His sister may have assisted him with this one...
Too busy brushing his teeth to notice anything else...

Thoughts on Motherhood

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction. Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.'"

Day at the Park

Robbie
Mariah

The kids love the park and it's just right down the road and right next to the library, so we usually make a whole event out of it. Mariah loves the swings and Robbie is terrified of them. He just screams when I put him in, even if he's not being pushed. He figured out that he can climb all over the jungle gyms and he likes that. Mariah is so good at showing Robbie how to do everything, like sliding down the slides and crawling through the tunnels. One of her most favorite things to do at the park now is the monkey bars "all by herself" (me holding her legs while she holds the bars). Fun fun.

Playing Outside

Mariah "cutting" plants for me... Mariah cutting, Robbie falling
Robbie and his best friend (pacifier)

The weather has been so nice that we went out to play for an hour or so the other day. Mariah loves to "help" me by cutting "weeds" (which usually ends up meaning all my plants and flowers). She could do it for hours. She's actually pretty good though. Robbie just ran around bothering her, playing in his car, trying to walk on the stone divider and probably crying.

Taven's First Sleepover

Taven had his first sleepover at our house last week. He was so happy in the morning that I couldn't resist taking some pictures! He was sitting next to cousin Mariah who just adores him, as we all do. It's pretty fun being an aunt! You get to do all the fun stuff and then give them back when you get tired! Taven is such a sweet little kid, I've enjoyed seeing his little personality develop and can't wait to watch it continue to do so.