Brooklyn turns THREE

Our little princess turned three years old Sunday! I was disappointed that her birthday landed on the one Sunday a month that Jared has Air Guard duty so he has to go down to base for most of the day. It's always a tough day for me to get all the kids to church on my own and I'm very emotionally and mentally drained afterward. Gratefully Jared was able to leave a little early and was home by 1:30. When Brooklyn woke up from her nap, we did some fun birthday activities.

First, as is tradition in our family, I hid her presents all over the house and she had to find them and open them. Of course the boys loved helping her look for her presents and watching her open them. 

Brayden's favorite part was all the wrapping paper everywhere!!!

Brooklyn got some fun new toys! We gave her a little art table, some new kitchen supplies, a play grill, beach toys, and a book and coloring book. She had so much fun opening it all!

Soon after opening gifts, Great Grandpa Gunnell came by to wish Brooklyn a happy birthday. Here she is showing off all her new toys.

Brayden wanted in on all the fun too!

And Kyson decided to show off his impressive reading skills while Grandpa was here.

After Grandpa left we made dinner. I tried to think of something Brooklyn would love so I made waffles. She likes hers with just syrup and the rest of us had them with whip cream and strawberries...yum!

Jared made some cookies to have with ice cream and while he was finishing that, we all went outside to play and enjoy the beautiful weather. 

Brooklyn has always LOVED to swing so I thought Id push her on the swing for a while.

She never tires of it and would have been sad to get off if it weren't for the promise of cookies and ice cream!

Once we finished our dessert, we blew up some balloons and let the kids play around for a little while. Soon, it was time for bed, and the birthday fun came to an end.

The next day, I decided to take Brooklyn with one of her good friends, Kendall to the trampoline park (Krazy Air) that is by our house. They had a lot of fun together.

Such cute friends!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!!!

Individual updates

I thought it would be good to give an update on what each of us has been up to lately.

Jared-

He has been super busy at work lately. He seems to be happy overall with his job and for that we are very grateful. In his spare time he is usually fixing up something on the house or messing around with his fish tank:)

Here's a picture from when we went on a date to see Jim Gaffigan (a comedian). We had so much fun!

Andrea-

I have been loving taking care of my kids. Some days it's overwhelming to have four kids and try to meet all of their needs but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have also been working hard to be healthy. I did a 90 day health kick with several family members and friends the end of last year and although I'm not participating right now, I am still trying to stick to many of the things I learned. I have been exercising pretty diligently. Usually I run with friends a couple times a week. We have been going 3-4 miles and it feels great! I am always thrilled when I can go running without pushing a stroller though.

Caleb-

Mr. Caleb loves to play sports. He is playing soccer right now. I can't even remember how many seasons he has played but he loves it. His coach is Roxane Ferretti. She was our neighbor in the condos and she is a wonderful coach. Sadly this is going to be her last season coaching so I'm not sure what we will do next. Caleb has also been doing really well in school. He works hard and is a friend to everyone. He aims to please and all of his teachers love him. I'm grateful for his desire to be good. Caleb also started cub scouts when he turned 8 which is fun for him as well. Oh, and Caleb is taking piano lessons from his Aunt Jamie. He doesn't love it yet, but as he learns more, he seems to like it more.

Kyson-

Kyson is doing amazing health wise. It's been about 8 months since we have seen his cardiologist so we will be seeing him soon. Kyson is doing very well in school. He is super smart and has an ability to learn new concepts very quickly. In his spare time, he LOVES anything electronic. He plays the XBOX (Minecraft) as long as possible every Saturday, plays PBS kids and other games on the computer, and begs all of his uncles and Grandma to play their phones/ipads whenever they are around. Recently he has been playing the game Bop-It and is amazing at it! I think he beat all three levels on it (he got to 100 correct in a row). Kyson is also taking piano lessons and seems to be picking it up quickly. 

                                       

Brooklyn-

Our sweet Brooklyn is growing up quickly. January was a big month for her because she learned to go in the potty! She was a tough one and still has accidents on a regular basis. She is getting there though. Brooklyn is also learning to talk a lot more. Her vocabulary has grown a lot recently and she is able to express her needs much better which is nice for Mom and Dad. She also is learning all of her colors and loves to play the guessing game with them. For Christmas she got a MobiGo game system and she loves to play it. She has now been wearing glasses for over 6 months and does very well with that.









Here's a funny video I took of Brooklyn. She obviously watches me work out at home :)

Brayden-
This boy is growing like crazy. He is a very happy boy and we just love to play with him. He got sick the beginning of February for about a week and it was so sad to see him so miserable. He just wanted a lot of snuggles and his happy go lucky personality disappeared. He were very happy when he started feeling better and his adorable personality came back! He is still crawling everywhere but I'm sure with some encouragement he will be walking in a few weeks. He loves when Daddy comes home and always gets to him as fast as he can when he walks through the door! He loves when we build things with the Magna Tiles and let him knock it down. His giggles are the best!




And here's a fun video of Brayden learning to walk!

January 2015

Hello again! It's been a long time. I made a goal to start blogging again and hope to do at least a monthly post.

January was a good month for our family. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it was good to get into a routine again.

The first weekend in January Jared decided he wanted to go skiing at Sunrise with his friend/cousin, Reyn. He was going to go by himself but we decided to all take the trip to play in the snow. On our drive up to Show Low, I took this picture of the snow on the mountains (with my camera phone, while we were driving:).  It was really pretty.


























Friday night when we got up there, we went to a family party and it was FREEZING! I was almost wondering if we should have stayed home but Saturday it warmed up and the kids had a lot of fun playing in the snow.  They built snow men and went sledding and just loved it.

I thought Brooklyn would tire of the snow quickly but she loved it just as much as the boys. Even when I decided it was nap time she came in very reluctantly:)






We used most of the snow in my parent's front yard, but I think Mr. Snowman turned out pretty great!

After building a snowman we got a sled and walked out to some hills in front of my parent's house.
























Here's couple of fun videos while we were sledding (sorry for my annoying voice!)

My brother decided to take Caleb and Kyson on a four wheeler ride in the snow so Brooklyn and I went back to the house. She really wanted to build another snowman so we built a miniature one:)

























The boys on the four wheelers ended up tying the sled to the back of the four wheelers and pulled everyone around. I know Caleb and Kyson had a lot of fun doing that! Overall it turned out to be a super fun trip to play in the snow. Jared had fun skiing and the rest of us enjoyed the snow at my parent's house.

A couple weekends later, I participated in the Color Run. It is a 5k that is very low key (as far as the competition) but fun and crazy. At every kilometer they throw color at you. At the yellow kilometer I got it in the face and was COVERED!
























My brother decided it would be fun to do a cartwheel through the red:)



Here's my sister, Jamie, and me at the end. Unfortunately I never got a picture of all of us together. Everyone that participated was, Jamie, me, Natalie, Dallas, Claire, Katie, and Jason.

Good times and fun memories!

Six Months!!!

Brooklyn turned six months old a couple weeks ago and I have been wanting to take some pictures of her. It just never seemed to be a good time. Finally I just grabbed my camera and a few props and went out in front of our place. The boys rode around on their scooters while I played with Brooklyn. Every once in a while they would stick their head in a picture and then be off again.

Here is my absolute favorite picture. I shared it on facebook but I wanted to share it here as well.


And here are several more favorites...





Here's a few with the boys as well...




And the photoshoot just wouldn't be complete without letting Caleb take a few of Brooklyn and me!

Graduation

When Jared and I were engaged (nine years ago!) I remember many of our conversations about what we were going to do "when we grew up." At that time Jared was seriously considering becoming an opthamologist. Over the next several years Jared changed his plans to several different roads...we traveled on the dentist path for a while, then the doctor path, several times he mentioned graphic design, and there was even a time he considered doing something with computers. It was a very tough decision but after a lot of thought and prayer we ended up on the road to PA school. I'll never forget the week when he got laid off from his job at Aerials Express. The kids and I were on our way to California when he called to tell me he was losing his job. After finding that out he came to join us in CA. We went to Disneyland and while we were in line for Space Mountain, Jared missed a phone call from someone at AT Still. As soon as we got off the ride Jared called them and they offered him a spot in the class that would be starting in a week and a half. It was some of the most exciting news we have ever received at the happiest place on earth!

We were quickly rushed into the school scene and our lives began as a poor college family. We had some concerns with how everything would work out, but as always, we were watched over and protected by our Heavenly Father. PA school was about 26 months long and we had a lot of ups and downs throughout that time. One of the most difficult times was the 5 1/2 week period that we spent with Kyson in the hospital while Jared was in the middle of school finals. I'm so grateful we made it through that time and can say we survived! One of the best days was the day Brooklyn joined our family. Looking back, we were so so very blessed.

Finally the day arrived. Jared passed all of his tests and completed all of his rotations. It was time to put on his cap and gown and walk with his class. That day symbolized a lot for us. We had sacrificed a lot as a family and it was a day to celebrate that we made it! Although Jared still had his certification test to take, he had completed all of the requirements for PA school.

There is something about this picture that I just LOVE!

Receiving his fake diploma (real one to come in the mail soon:)

Even Brooklyn was giving a fist pump!

Jared's parents and Grandpa came to support us.

Those of my family that were able to make it to the graduation.

and last but not least...just the two of us!


On August 21st Jared took his certification exam. What a humongous test that is! Jared studied hard and was well prepared but he still felt stressed and overwhelmed when the day came. I felt bad he was so stressed but I felt at peace knowing he would do just fine. The morning of August 30th I was woken up to Jared telling me that he PASSED! Although I knew he would, it was exciting to see those words written...PASSED!!! We went to breakfast with a couple of his friends from school that found out they passed that same day.

Like I mentioned before, when we got married Jared was a student and he continued to be a student the entire nine years we have been married. School has always been a part of our lives. Now we can finally say, he is DONE! Of course he will always have continuing education classes, but that is different. He has his degree and we have an income again!!!

Speaking of a job...Jared began working at an internal medicine (similar to family medicine) office the day after labor day. He has to travel to Globe two days and week and to Scottsdale two or three days a week (he works every other Saturday). As with any new job there has been a lot of to learn and he is still figuring out how everything works in his office but he is settling in and enjoying it overall. Who knows what the future will bring but for now we have an income again and we are HAPPY!!!

Day 8-Heading home from the trip of a lifetime

Tuesday morning we slept in for as long as we could. Gratefully our flight didn't leave until about 5:00 that evening so we had time to pack and do a few last minute things before we had to be at the airport.

Packing all of our stuff turned out be quite difficult. We had been given SO MUCH STUFF!!! The funny thing is, the last day the gift from the First Things First Foundation (the Warner's foundation) was a very cool suitcase to fit all of the things they have given us while we were there. Even with that extra suitcase we were tight on space. Every bag was stuffed to the brim. Yes, we had been completely spoiled!

Once we finally got everything packed we had a couple things we wanted to do before leaving GKTW. We were never able to swim in the awesome swimming pool they had there because every time we attempted to go they had to close it due to lightning. I still wanted to go so we took about an hour and let the boys swim. They loved it and it made me wish we had been able to find time earlier to swim. It also made me sad that the pool party with Kurt, his family, and everyone at GKTW was cancelled due to lightning as well.

Here's a few pictures of the fun we had in the pool.






I really hope to go back to GKTW someday (once you have stayed there you are always a welcome guest. You can't stay in the villas ever again but you can visit and enjoy all of the activities they have for free). It would be so fun to go see Kyson's star and relive some of these amazing memories with our boys when they are a little older.

One other thing we absolutely had to do was take Caleb to drive the "motor boats." As I mentioned earlier, this was another activity that was always shut down by the lightning. Caleb was so disappointed every time it was shut down. There was no way we could leave GKTW without stopping to do it one last time.


We also made one last stop to get ice cream and to see Kyson's star in the Star Tower.

After loading everything up, I took two last pictures on our way to check out.



It was sad to drive away from that amazing place. It is full of memories we will never forget.

Gratefully we got to the airport early because getting through security and on our flight proved to be a little crazy. We had a lot of bags plus Brooklyn's car seat and stroller so trying to carry it all and navigate through security and getting on the plane was tricky.

It was kind of funny...as we were walking down the isle of the plane when boarding, a guy stopped Kyson when he saw his Make A Wish shirt. He talked to him for a minute and then pulled out a 20 dollar bill and gave it to him. Kyson was so excited he exclaimed...OH YEAH!!!

We were able to fly home with a few of the families we got to know. Brenda Warner and some of her kids were on our flight as well. Caleb begged and begged to go up to where Kade was sitting. Finally they turned the seat belt light off so I let him go. He said he got to sit on Kade's lap and play his iPod. He was so happy! We were all so exhausted on our flight home that we were grateful once the plane touched down and we could get off.

It was kind of surreal to look at the pictures on my camera after we got home. It went from the pictures of that amazing place to the picture of the limo driving away.

Yes, it was good to be home but sad at the same time. We will forever to be grateful to Make A Wish for providing that incredible opportunity for us and for the memories created. Our family had more fun than we could ever imagine and we had an experience that we will never be able to have again. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.