The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

Daddy Time!!

My moms family had a girls bonco party today, and while I was gone Mike and the kids made our family into snowmen and had hot chocolate.

Christmas at the cabin!!

Every year in December the Blads go to the family cabin for a Christmas pary, it is so much fun!! The adults all do a white elephant and the kids all do one too this is the kids opening their presents.
This picture is out of order, but it is Thanksgiving morning when we got our Christmas tree.

This is the kids making gingerbread houses, Dakota kept asking all weekend when we were going to make them, he remembered doing them last year and couldn't wait to do it agian.

There is a really cool swing at the cabin, its in a huge tree and you get on it on the side of a hill and swing out across the valley, its really fun, but its scary, I kept telling Brielle make sure she doesn't let go.

This is how Dakota rode the swing it was way too high for him to go by himself.

We have a pond at the cabin that you can fish out of and swim in during the summer, and is perfect for ice skating in the winter.

We had a really good time, we ate lots of good food, and made some more really good memories!

Happ Birthday Brielle!!

There is a book called Fancy Nancy that Brielle loves, it's about a girl that loves every thing to be fancy, so for Brielles birthday we did a Fancy Nancy birthday! We had my mom dress up fancy and come read the book to the girls, we made a little store with feather boas, tutus, jewelry, and fancy feather fans, and the girls all got to go shopping and pick their own fancy things to wear. After they all got dressed up Mindy painted all their faces fancy. Then they ate parfaits ( that's what they eat in the book because they are fancy) and dipped fruit and marshmellows in chocolate, after that it was time to open presents. We love having Brielle in our family, she has such a sweet spirit, she is very creative and a huge helper! She is always doing sweet surprises for us, she loves to make people happy! She had a lot of fun getting ready for her party, she drew some fancy pictures and hung them on the fridge for decorations, and made a list of every thing we were going to do at the party, and hung it on the door so we wouldn't forget. I am so thankful to be her mom!

Brielles fancy butterfly face! Mindy does a really good job!

Our fancy table!

I got all the decorations in Fillmore, and finding fancy glasses to drink out of was impossible so we got plastic cups and sugar coated the rims

Brielles parfait

We had a chocolate fountain for a centerpiece, I hadn't ever used it yet and when I set it up I was missing a piece so the chocolate didn't work qiute right but the girls still got to dip their stuff in it.

All the tutus at the store

The feather boas

This is our store sign

These are the fancy shopping bags we made for each girl to put their stuff in. I got the tutus, feather boas, and fans from a website called heavenlyhalos.com it has way good prices, if anyone every needs anything like that.

Rabbit Hunting

We started potty training Dakota, and Brielle made him a potty chart that he could put a sticker on each time he went potty, and when he he got it full he could go hunting with Mike. So he wetn rabbit hunting out behind our house, and he had a blast! He is just like his dad!

mikes rodeo

Yesterday Mikes horse bucked him off when he was on the mountain, he landed in a bush and a stick went through his leg OUCH!!! He had to go to the Dr. to get it removed, and him and Jordan thought it was cool to watch the Dr. pull it out of his leg. He got a couple pretty big chunks of wood out, and his leg is quite sore today, but other than his leg, he is alright and I'm very thankful for that!
The Dr had to sew a drain in his leg, looks pretty grose, but it is supposed to help it so it wont get infected

deer hunt and halloween

Mike made me a new bed!!! We got king size mattresses so Mike made me a new bed, I loved the canopy bed that he had made us but I love this one too!! I was out of town with Mikes mom and sisters for the weekend and Mike was going to finish it and surprise me, but when I talked to Dakota on the phone the very first thing he told me was that daddy was painting my bed black, you gotta love kids!!

Madison on Halloween!!

Brielle was a fairy and Dakota was a football player, we went to the ward trunk or treat, then trick or treating in Fillmore, then out to Kanosh where Mikes parents and Paul and Carolyn make hot dogs and hot chocolate for everyone, we had a lot of fun, I love Halloween!!

This is one of the horse rides Mike went on during the deer hunt, they got snowed on and froze but he had a lot of fun!!

what we have been up to....

I haven't blogged in awhile so here are a few updates on us.

It's HUNTING season, this is where I temporarily become a widow. Mike got a spike elk and has helped out a lot of different friends on some other hunts, and of course this weekend is the deer hunt, Mike has a tag and is super excited! He was saying how he thinks this year is the most excited he has been for the deer hunt, then a little while later he asked if he says that every year, I didn't answer I just laughed at him, but I'm pretty sure he does. Brielle did soccer this year, she cried at her first game and didn't want to finish playing, but I think she was just intimidated because she did great at her next game and had a lot of fun playing, I love watching that age play they are so funny.

This is Mike on one of the hunts that he helped his friend on. Its a really pretty view!

Dakota has been doing joy school, this is him and his friend Layton Sagers at free play time, they both love to be cowboys!

Brielle has been dressing up and doing ballet for us, the one night she had us all bring chairs over and be the audience to watch her. And Madison is just growing more and more every day, she has been so much fun to have, it's hard to imagine a time when we didn't have her.

Blessing

We blessed Madison this last sunday, Mike blessed her and he did a really great job! It was really nice to have every one here for it. We are so greatful to have Madison in our family she has already brought so much joy to us! She was being a little bit fussy for us and we were going to be late for church, so we didn't have the opportunity to get a lot of good pictures of her in her dress, but at least we got a few.

Happy Birthday Dakota!!!

Dakota turned 3 on August 31st!! We love him soooo much!! He always keeps us laughing, he is just like a minature version of Mike. He is definatley all boy, he loves trucks,tractors, dirt,hunting, and horses. We are so glad to have him in our family!!
Dakota had a horse party with horse balloons, a horse cake, and a stick horse for all the little ones.

After the cake and ice cream, and present, the kids went outside and Mike saddled up a couple of the horses for the kids to ride, he even talked his mom into getting on and going for a ride! He had a blast at his party and has been playing with his toys nonstop ever since.

Dakota also started Joy School last week, he loves it so far!

mountains

On wednesday Mike and I took the kids up Kanosh canyon to listen to elk, when we first got there Madison was screaming and about a minute after she stopped a coyote howled, I'm sure Mike is going to be asking to take her out calling coyotes now!!

We roasted hot dogs and marshmellows and just hung out and when it got closer to dark the elk started to bugle after we heard the first one, the kids asked what it was, we told them an elk, but Dakota said no it was a lizard, so we heard elk all night and Dakota was hearing lizards.

updates

I haven't blogged in awhile, so here are few updates on what we have been up to.Brielle started preschool at Miss Christy's. She loves it, and Miss Christy is so good with the kids.( I tried to get a picture of a natural smile, but she just kept cheesing it!)

Madison is 2 months now she had her Dr. appointment today, and she wieghed 10 lb 6 ozs, I can't believe how much she has grown, she has been so much fun!

Brielle is showing off her picture she made at school

Brielle did the mini dance camp, and danced at the football game. She did a really good job, and had a lot of fun!