Andra Turned 3!!!

Andra's birthday party was 5 days later...March 24th! I attempted to make a round, layered cake but messed it up pretty bad. I called Jeremy up & asked him to pick up a cake. And since we were already "caked out", I tossed the ugly one. Here are a few pics from her party:

Tess & Christie gave Andra these "accessories"...even the nails.

(MUCH better-looking cake than the one I attempted to make)

1 of the kids blew the candles out before Andra did. Needless to say, she was devestated & throught the world had ended. We re-lit them.

Presents, Presents, Presents!

What a BIG girl!!!

I've decided in the future, Jeremy, Andra, & Drisan don't all get cake for their birthdays. They each get to choose a different dessert. 3 cakes in 1 week is a little much. What fun times, though!

Happy Birthday, Monkey Moo! You are getting SO big & way too smart!

Drisan's 1st Birthday Bash

Drisan turned 1 on March 19. We had a little party for him. He was more interested in the bags than the presents...but Andra was excited enough for the both of them.

The kids' babysitters, Tess & Christie, were great playing with all the kids!

Time for presents...

Not too sure about this...

Ok, it's not so bad ("I wanna finish it, but I'm not sure if my belly will hold one more thing!"

Drisan played with this for DAYS...going around the island. He still does!!!

I thought he looked adorable in this outfit.


Happy Birthday, Buddy Boo! Glad you survived your first year & didn't get sick after eating all that cake!

Jeremy's Birthday Party

After I got back home to Washington, I quickly planned a surprise birthday party for Jeremy, who turned 30 on the 22nd. But the party was on the 14th, and he had NO idea. WHEW! I pulled it off....with the help of many of his friends. A bunch of people from work, church, and even one of his best friends from Boise (and his wife) came for the occassion!!! Here are a few pics (we had the camera on a weird setting on accident, so not very many of them turned out.) :(

I think everyone had a good time...and I'm glad I don't have to plan another party without his help for a LONG time.

Three Birthdays and TWO Funerals

So at the end of my last post, I said there'd be 3 birthdays & 1 funeral. That turned into 2 funerals, unfortunately. We have also bought & moved into our first house. So instead of doing a HUGE long post covering everything, I'll break it up into smaller posts. With that said, let's begin....

Funeral Number One: My Aunt LaRene Neeley passed away the beginning of March. She was diagnosed with cancer & given 4-6 months to live. She surprised us all & was in great spirits and was with us for about a year and a half. That's the kind of person she was....a strong, high-spirited person. I always looked forward to seeing her. She was one of my favorite aunts, and it still seems weird to me that she's moved on from this life.

Escapee Drisan

So, I usually turn on cartoons for the kids while I take a shower....making sure there's nothing for anyone to choke on, blocking ways were Drisan can escape & go upstairs, etc. So, after I showered & got dressed, I looked through the kitchen to see if everything was a-ok, which it was. I went back & blowdried my hair & then heard someone scooting one of our dining room chairs across the floor. "Oh, it's probably Andra going to get a cup, or a treat of some sort." But I came out to check anyway.
Andra was still downstairs watching cartoons & Drisan was havin' a blast with the chair! I looked downstairs to see how he got through all the "baracades", but couldn't figure it out. I asked Andra how Drisan got upstairs. She responded, "This is how he do." and that's when I got the camera:

(Coming soon: 3 birthdays & a funeral)

I don't plan to blog about this very often. But this one was hilarious!

(While eating dinner last night, Andra tooted pretty loud. Here's the conversation that followed:)

Mom: (gasp!)
Dad: (looking under the table) Was there a mouse riding a motorcycle, or did you sit on a frog?!?
Andra: That was my toot!
(apparently Andra heard a noise-- or imagined it, cuz I didn't hear anything...)
Andra: Daddy, you have a mouse in your bum!!!

Home At Last!

I was hoping I'd blog at least once a week. But our last trip to Idaho kinda threw me off. So, here's another kinda long & scattered entry. Oh well. I'll get better at this. The day before the kids & I flew to Idaho, Drisan decided to throw himself out of his crib (morning nap). It was a busy day for me & I didn't have time to lower the mattress myself, so I just set up the Pack 'n Play 'til Jeremy was home to do it. :D

Andra being Jeremy's big helper.

My little brothers, Jordan & Riley, returned from their missions the end of January (the whole purpose of us going over there for the 3rd time in 3 months.)

At the airport waiting for Jordan to arrive.

Drisan and Grandma chillin' at the airport.

The twins are FINALLY reunited!!!

We were at Grandma & Grandpa's house a week before Jeremy came over. Drisan LOVED exploring a new house, new toys, and new cousins!!!


Drisan pushing cousin Hunter in the swing (Hunter didn't enjoy it too much)

We also celebrated Grandpa's 54th & cousin Alexa's 3rd birthdays!!!

The kids & I hung out at my sister, Susan's, house for a day. Andra was excited to build snowmen, but noticed the shoveling needed done.....someone's gotta do it! ;)

We went to a cabin with the WHOLE ENTIRE family up in Island Park, ID. (Family pictures will be up soon! YAY!!!)

The last morning (while parents were packin' up), most of the girls decided they wanted to sit in the "hot tub". So we threw them in the jacuzzi tub in the master suite. Not much room for them to move around, but they all enjoyed it....at least 'til they realized they couldn't move very much.

While we were in Idaho, Drisan decided to FINALLY start crawling on his knees...not just do the "army crawl". He loves it! The other day, Andra thought it'd be funny to pull his pants off....

....and to get her back, Drisan thought it'd be funny to drop Andra's shoes down the stairs between the banister poles! :D

And here's a little video (from Friday night) that makes me happy every time I hear/watch it...

Who needs bath toys?!?
(Watch how fast Drisan's hands are moving!!! And, yes, this is actual speed!)