Our Vacation at Home

This last weekend we were graced by the presence of Danny, Mary, Macie, Reid and Davis in our home. We thoroughly enjoyed this vacation at home as we hadn't seen them in a very LONG 6 months. That time can seem like forever when there are babies involved because they change sooo much. Such was the case with Davis and I'm sure for them, with Brody.

They arrived on Thursday afternoon and met us in Fort Worth and we went to the Fort Worth Stockyard to see the cattle drive all the way from one block to the next. It was a very slow drive, but the kids were fascinated by the long horns on the longhorn cattle. Then they treated us to BYU vs TCU game. Unfortunately, BYU didn't show up and made it a sad game for us. Despite that, thanks for the tickets guys!! We loved being with you!!!

After what seemed like hours, probably days for the drivers, we drove the 2 hours from Fort Worth to Waco that night. The next day we ate delicious BBQ and took the kids to the Children's Museum. They loved it! And the adults loved the time to hang out and let the kids play (make a mess) at someone else's house.

On Saturday we went to Cameron Park for a picnic and played for a little bit until it was time for them to catch the return flight to Utah. It went so fast! We all loved having them here and are so grateful they were able to come visit!!! Brylie and Brody loved having someone else to play with! We really miss being close to them!!

We hope they had as much fun as we did while they were here! Thanks for the awesome vacation at our home and for everything else you treated us to while you were here! We love you guys!!! Please come again!!!

Portraits!?!

I don't know if these are the quality I would like as far as background and such but at least we had smiles. I think that's all that matters. We got some darling photos probably due to the fact that Brad was the camera guy and I was on duty making smiles happen. This is really the way to do it. Now all we need is a nice way to cover what they sit on and background. Maybe when we're rich!

ABC's

Here we see Brody play while Brylie sings with me in the background. She likes to see what's being filmed rather than be filmed so I had to trick her. Sorry you don't see much of her but this is a fun attempt at her ABC's. She will often just sing what she knows by herself which is quite a lot but she's not really a performer meaning she is camera shy. She must take after her parents!

Are the ant bites better or worse?

So it has been about 1 1/2 weeks since the fire ant attack and we are still dealing with these terrible bites! I have never seen a baby scratch any bite they received until now and poor Brylie has no idea why her legs are driving her so crazy. When they bother her, they really bother her. I have found her scratching them with her finger nails, with the couch (rubbing her legs on the couch as she is sitting), or with the opposite foot. I have even wrapped her legs up so that she couldn't get to them as easily...she got to them. Caladryl lotion doesn't help, but Benadryl does (the oral suspension), and Hydrocortisone cream does too, Thank Goodness!! Although, when we put the cream on, it stimulates the itch. She now knows the word "itch" and uses it frequently. It is usually accompanied by "owies" and whining. My heart just breaks to hear her whine and then to look down and see her gouging her legs raw. I don't have a picture of her scabby legs however, picture about 20 scabs on each leg that looks a little like raw hamburger. Bingo! Poor girl! She is such a trooper!

In other news, if you've never seen what fall looks like in Texas, here's a shot! This is about all the color you get so I got a few pictures. Just so you all know, falls here. I have proof.

Another Milestone...

I can't believe how quickly Brody seems to grow up right before my eyes! It seems that I don't see them like I did with Brylie because I have to split my attention whereas with her, I looked and cared for just her 24/7 and I find myself not doing that. I had heard other moms of more than one child say they had a sense of guilt for not treating the 2nd or 3rd or however many with as much attention as with the 1st and now understand what they were talking about. He is also so quiet that I often find myself letting him play while I do something like load the dishwasher and then remember, "oh yea, where's Brody?" which is why this milestone is a little frightening for me. I can just see the day when I lose him or leave him somewhere because he is so quiet and not demanding of my every attention. I only hope that I have heaven's help reminding me and that I'm worthy to "hear" when it calls. Here are a few videos of Brody waving and crawling! I just love him!! What a blessing children are in our lives!

Blasted Fire Ants!!

So we have been pretty lucky to have avoided fire ants in the 5 or so months we have lived here until today when I decided to let the kids play out in the backyard as a family because it was such nice weather. When all of the sudden I see Brylie whimpering and trying to brush something off her feet. She did have shoes on but when you step dead on to a fire ant hill, they get all over you quickly and start biting. At least that's how I imagine it. So I ran over to her and saw all the ants all over her shoes, socks and legs and picked her up and tried to brush them off. All the while saying, "I don't know what to do Brylie, I don't know what to do!" So I think we got them all off her, I didn't get a bite so I still cannot relate to those of you who have had fire ant bites but poor Brylie can empathize. Here are pictures of the damage and the ruined ant hill!

Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo!

This weekend we got to go to the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo. We had so much fun and I just love doing things with our family!! Brylie LOVED the horses in the Rodeo even though she calls them "cows". We're working on that. She also LOVED the popcorn that Brad bought to snack on. Brody was very excited and would kick and squeal with delight. He is such a happy boy! After watching about 30 minutes of the Rodeo including, the little boys riding the sheep, we went and perused the livestock. The kids were very entertained and they lasted about 1 1/2 hours past their bedtime. Brylie also got to pet some of the more tame animals and fight off the hungry goats. On the entrance door there was a sign that read, "we are not responsible for damage done to clothing by the animals". Good thing Brylie doesn't allow anything to get past her that isn't acceptable. All in all, we had a great time! I love that we are able to do things with the kids and all have a wonderful time!! Thanks Dad for the fun outing!