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?

Interested in getting some portraits of your own? I'm currently working on building up my photography portfolio and am offering some great deals in the process of doing so. Please see my blog or my website for more information and how to contact me. Thanks!

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.

First 'Real' Photoshop Project

I'm taking a photoshop class once a week at the local Junior college, which is so exciting for me! I've been wanting to learn photoshop for years now and finally decided to just do it! It's only been two weeks, but we were given our first 'real' assignment to play around with some photos. This is what I came up with - it's definitely NOT by any means perfect, but I was just excited that I was able to remember all the steps. As you can see, you can really have some fun working with images. Hopefully I'll get a good grade!We had to have a theme and text.

Las Vegas

We were only in Vegas for a matter of hours (we stayed overnight) but we had a great time visiting with my Aunt Therese and cousin Elle and Sienna. The kids had a blast playing together. Mariah and Elle are only a few months apart. Mariah's been talking about her since we left. I think we're going to try and go back soon. I hadn't seen little Sienna in person yet and she was even more adorable than the pictures! Thanks again for having us Therese! Elle
Sienna

Cousin Love

Mariah & Elle

Brandilyn & Sienna

Crazy Kids

After we played for a few hours, we went over to my Uncle Rod & Aunt Chantre's house. The kids loved it there, they had a dog, stairs and lots of rooms to explore - and all the beautiful Christmas stuff to look at! I had so much fun staying up late and looking at pictures of Rod when he was younger. Apparently, he pretty much lived with us every summer until I was about 10 or so. Once again, the only bad thing about going to Las Vegas was that we weren't able to stay very long. Thanks again Rod & Chantre - you guys are awesome!

Road Trip

Follow the Leader Free from the Carseat at Last!

Where the heck are we?


Best Buds

Brandilyn & Robbie

After Yuma we headed up to Las Vegas to stay the night on our way to Salt Lake. The drive wasn't too eventful, but we did stop somewhere near some river to let the kids run around. They both love being outside, in fact we all do. Who doesn't love the sun shining down on them right?

Robbie just ran around picking up rocks and throwing them at stuff and Mariah ran around looking for "gems" and "magic rocks" to add to her growing collection. She has a cupholder on her booster seat that's completely full of seashells and rocks and who knows what else and we're all banned from moving them. She's quite the collector. Imagine what her closet looks like.

Yuma, AZ

Our visit to Yuma, AZ

We had a great time in Yuma, except for the fact that we wish we could have been there longer! I only got to see my cousin Bryce once! Thanks again to Robert & Christina and Gpa & Gma for everything - we miss you guys! My Aunt and Uncle have two adorable dogs at their house, so Mariah was in heaven. Robbie on the other hand wasn't too sure about them, especially when they were barking.

I love Gpa and Gma!

Mariah's new best friend... the leapord.

Mariah & Robbie putting on the performance of a lifetime.
Us.

Robbie and Uncle Robert

Mariah and her buddy, Uncle Robert

We got there on the evening of the 6th (my birthday!) and Gpa and Gma took us out to dinner to Olive Garden (yummmm!). It was really fun and really good, it had been too long since we've seen them (and too long since I've had Olive Garden)! Josh surprised me by having a cake brought to our table and everyone sang to me - the kids thought it was the coolest. The only bad thing about the evening was that Robbie was extremely tired and just wanted to run around, hence the pictures of the kids laying on the floor. Yes, they're in a (relatively) nice restaurant and no, I didn't even attempt to stop them. Hey, it was my birthday.

The next day we went shopping with Gma and she got tons of fun clothes for the kids. Mariah got to pick out her own outfit, so of course she chose a dress and sparkly shoes. She wanted to change into them immediately so we changed her in the car on the way to lunch. We went out to lunch at this super yummy place called Kneaders (like you knead bread - it kinda reminded me of Panera Bread, but way better). We were waiting in line, and I guess Robbie was hungry because I look over at him and he's chewing on a huge chunk of chocolate bread! He had ripped open the plastic wrap and grabbed a peice! The rest of the day we shopped and hung out with Gramps and Grams... the kids had so much fun at their house, which is decorated in a safari/african theme. Gpa let them play with his harmonic and recorder, so they sang, played and danced the night away!

Lunch w/ Grams and Mariah's new outfit!

GGpa and GGma with Robbie and Riah