Braithwaite Family

2 Months Old Already!

2011-06-16T23:37:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it, but Baby Krew is already 2 months old! Man, time sure does fly when you are so busy with a newborn!!!

Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs, 15 ounces

Height: 25 1/2 inches

He's in the 95th percentile in both. Such a BIG boy (but what did we expect with where he started!)

A little bit about him...

He's definitely been my fussiest child - but he is coming around. I think he was maybe just really hungry and I wasn't feeding him enough! As of right now, he is sleeping pretty consistently from 8pm - 6am, then eats and goes right back to sleep until about 9am. Then, he eats every 2-3 hours during the day until bedtime.

He loves to smile and coo now, which is so fun and LOVES to be held. He is already wearing 6 months clothes and seems to grow out of things in just weeks! He does the best when we are just at home - because it is so hot right now, when we are out and he is in his car-seat he just sweats and sweats!

When he gets mad, he GETS MAD and has a very distinct, low and LOUD cry!

All in all, we love this boy and are having so much fun watching him grow!!!

Krew's Blessing Day

2011-06-16T23:20:00.004-06:00

We blessed Baby Krew on Sunday, June 5th at our ward here in Tyler, Texas. It was a special day. Troy gave a great blessing and then we finished off the day with family pictures and a barbecue at our house.

The crazy "Hill clan"

The proud parents

The 3 "Brother Bears"

Grandma & Grandpa Hill

Grandpa Poppers & Grandma Mimmers

Jessica's infamous sugar cookies

The Yummy Cupcakes with Toppers Made by Jess

All in all, we are so happy to have this little guy in our family and feel so blessed to have such great families! Thanks to everyone that came to support us in this special event!

Bubble Party!!!

2011-06-16T23:14:00.002-06:00

With Troy's parents, my parents, Christy & Greg and kids, and Jess & Matt and kids all in town, we decided to throw a party to celebrate Baby Krew's birth and his blessing! The party was held at Linda's Backyard Bunch and it was a puppet show and Foam Party.

For the first hour, there was a cute puppet show and then after that, there was a big swimming pool type thing full of bubbles that the kids could play in. They had a blast! Darrin kept saying, "This is SO fun!" They would get covered in bubbles, then come out and run in the field to get some of them off, and then jump right back into the bubbles.

Then, we finished the party off with pizza and ice cream sundaes. It was a BIG hit! Thanks to Linda's Backyard Bunch and everyone that came out to celebrate Baby Krew. We feel blessed to have such great family and friends!

The MAN CAVE!

2011-06-16T23:10:00.002-06:00

We have a loft area in our upstairs that we decided to turn into the kid's play area where they can watch movies, play with toys, and play video games. So, we went out and bought some big bean bags for them to sit on.

Well, once we got the room together, I found the 3 boys hanging out on the beanbags watching the NBA Playoff game. They then informed me that this is their MAN CAVE and that NO GIRLS ARE ALLOWED! Pretty rude, figuring that I am the ONLY girl in the house!

Hanging out with Mimmers & Poppers

2011-06-16T23:01:00.004-06:00

We were so excited to have Grandma Mimmers and Grandpa Poppers come to town to visit us! It was GREAT to see them! One thing we did while they were here was visit the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries in Athens, Texas. It is a fish hatchery that shows some of the biggest fish ever caught, and you can also catch and release fish.

The boys had a grand old time fishing with Grandpa and Dad while Mimmers, Krew and I hung out in the shade.

It was a grand old time!

Darrin & Max in front of the HUGE catfish that you can feed

Max & Grandpa on a Nature Walk

The Infamous Jackhammer!

2011-06-16T22:57:00.002-06:00

So, I just had to post this picture that I found on Troy's phone (he took it to send to his brother Daryl to make him jealous). It's called a Jackhammer and it is from Andy's Frozen Custard. Basically, it is frozen custard, blended with whatever toppings you want (this one has cookie dough and reese's peanut butter cups). Then, they drill a hole down the middle of the shake and inject whatever topping you want (in this case, it's liquid peanut butter).

They are VERY tasty and are definitely a stop we have to make whenever people come into town so they can try them out!

Darrin's Pre-K Graduation

2011-06-16T22:52:00.003-06:00

Darrin graduated from Pre-Kindergarten at Oak Tree Academy on May 18th! It was a very cute Graduation Ceremony and Darrin did a great job! They sang various songs about things they learned throughout the year.

When they handed out the Diplomas, the teacher announced what each child wanted to be when he or she grows up and Darrin's was that he wanted to be a Football Player. It made his Daddy proud!

I can't believe that Darrin is going to be in Kindergarten and am actually a little scared to send him off to the big elementary school with lots of kids (especially older ones)! But, I think Darrin is excited. He's definitely a little social butterfly and will hopefully make lots of new friends at his new school in August!

The Houston Astros

2011-06-16T22:45:00.002-06:00

This was Darrin's first year playing baseball and he got to be on the Houston Astros team. He loved it and has a real knack for it. He can hit the ball far and has a great throwing arm. Max and I enjoyed cheering him on from the sidelines while Troy helped the coach out on 3rd or 1st base. Pretty Intense!!!

Welcome Baby Krew!

2011-06-03T21:34:00.005-06:00

We are excited to announce our 3RD baby boy...Krew Louis Braithwaite. Weighing in at a whopping 11lbs, 15oz and 21 inches long (although his length is up for debate because he looks MUCH longer).

Mr. Krew (or Krewbie as Max calls him) was born on April 14th, 2011. His due date was April 7th and since my lovely Doctor wouldn't induce me before 41 weeks, he came out at 41 weeks by induction. My children are SO stubborn and will NEVER come out on their own...it's CRAZY!!!

His labor went well. We went into the hospital @ 5:30am and they started the pitocin around 7:00am. I was still dilated to a 3 (had been for weeks) and he was really high.

I got my epidural around 10:30am and then my water broke around 11:15am. I slept/relaxed for a few hours and then he came out after a few pushes at 2:14pm. When he came out and they put him on my stomach, the first thing I thought was that he looked just like Max when he was born. Then, they took him away, got him to start breathing and then put him on the scale. He looked big, so I was expecting around a 10lb baby. When the nurses put him on the scale and said that he weighed 11lbs, 15oz, I was SHOCKED!!! I couldn't believe that he was that big and that he just came out of me! I was just so grateful to have him out and to have him out safely!

After 41 weeks of pregnancy, I was so happy to not be pregnant anymore and to hold my sweet baby in my arms! Here are some pictures that were taken the next day in the hospital before we left. So sweet (besides my scary face)!

Soccer Madness

2011-05-09T21:47:00.003-06:00

Both Darrin and Max played Spring Soccer this year. They were in different leagues - Max played on the little field with the 3 year-olds and Darrin played on the big field with the 5 year-olds. This year, Darrin learned more about the strategy of soccer and different positions on the field. He mostly played defense and goalie and really enjoyed both. He has quite the leg and had a really fun team!

Max was one of the bigger kids on the team and had fun playing. At his age, they don't play positions - they all just run around huddled around the ball trying to kick it in the goal. It was fun to watch him and cheer him on!

Little Creatures in Texas

2011-05-09T21:37:00.004-06:00

One of the boy's favorite things to do is go out and look for little creatures. Since we have lived in Texas, they have found many different creatures in all shapes and sizes.

Troy has caught a few turtles while he has been golfing. Darrin has caught a few frogs and Jon even caught a mini turtle while he was out for a walk.

Once they are caught, the little creatures spend a few hours (of days) living on our balcony in a storage tub with Darrin and Max hovering over them, picking them up, putting them in water and feeding them lettuce.

At first, we let them keep them for a few days. But, once we lost a few of the creatures due to drowning, we now have a rule that they can only keep them for a few hours!

Sorry to all of the past creatures that haven't survived and the future creatures that will be caught by the Braithwaite Boy's!

Basketball!

2011-05-09T21:27:00.005-06:00

So, we signed both Darrin and Max up to play basketball at the YMCA this year. They were supposed to have a 3-4 year old league, but not enough of that age signed up so Max ended up being with the 4 and 5 year olds. They used an 8 foot hoop and a youth-size basketball, so needless to say, there was no way that Max was going to make a basket!

It was challenging at first because Max wouldn't even go into the game - he was the official "bench sitter". But, after a few games, he worked up the courage to play in the games and had a great time.

Darrin enjoyed it as well. Since he is a little bigger, he could make a basket and got to learn the basics of Offense and Defense.

All in all, the boys had tons of fun and probably their most favorites parts of the season were getting to go to the Dallas Mavericks game and have GREAT seats in the lower level and also getting their season-end trophies. Oh, and don't forget the after-game treats! Those were definitely highlights for Max!

Darrin's Basketball Team

Their Season-end Trophies

Darrin & Max at their First Dallas Mavericks Game

2010 Family Pictures

2011-04-15T23:19:00.003-06:00

Here are our official 2010 Family Pictures that were taken at Bear Lake in August!

Christmas 2010!

2011-04-15T23:03:00.005-06:00

Christmas this year was spent all by ourselves in Tyler, Texas. Because we had just moved the month before, we were definitely not up to driving back to Utah for the holidays! It was fun to have our own little family Christmas; however, we definitely missed family nd friends aand all of the family parties and goodies that come along with them!

The boys favorite present this year that Santa brought them was a Black Ford F-150 Power Wheels truck. It is a 2-seater with a working radio. They love cruising the roads in it together and look ridiculously cute doing it!

Here are some pictures from Christmas 2010:

Christmas Tree Farm

2011-04-15T22:51:00.004-06:00

We had a playgroup date at a local Christmas Tree Farm and the kids had a blast. We didn't cut down a Christmas tree, but we got to play some fun farm games and the kids got to play on the "real" tractors.

However, Darrin and Max's favorite part of the whole farm were all of the animals! They had 2 big lab dogs roaming around and some goats that the kids got to feed branches to. All in all, it was a fun day!

Texas Thanksgiving

2011-04-15T22:42:00.005-06:00

After the BRUTAL move (22 hours) from St. George to Tyler, Texas, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Christy & Greg's house this year. It was great fun! Jessica and Matt were there as well.

Some of the highlights were:

Deep Fried Turkey (SUPER Yummy)

Early Morning Black Friday Shopping (Wake-up time 3am)

Dallas Cowboy's Turkey Bowl Game for the Boys

YUMMY Food and great family fun!

I am so grateful for my family and friends and everything I have been blessed with!

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T22:32:00.011-06:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year! This is definitely one of my favorite holidays with kids! It's so fun to see them get so excited over their costumes, carving pumpkins, and of course, Trick or Treating!

This year, Darrin chose to be Ironman and Max was Buzz Lightyear. Oh, don't forget the dog...Dasher was Buzz's pal Woody!

Troy and I carved our pumpkins (with the boy's help) and Darrin and Max decorated theirs with Mr. Potato Head parts. We had a great time with our pumpkins!

Then, we went trick-or-treating around a neighborhood in our ward and the kids had a blast. Max got tired and was ready to come home after a few streets, but Darrin wanted to keep on going. We let him knock a few more houses and then made our way home.

One of the houses had a few scary people outside to scare the trick-or-treaters and it really spooked Max out. When we asked him later if he had fun trick-or-treating, all he could talk about was that "scary house"!

All in all, it was a GREAT Halloween!

Texas Fun!

2010-10-31T21:25:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to make the LONG (20 hours to be exact!) drive to Texas to visit family and friends. Once we made it there, we had a blast! We were able to go to the Zoo, Bonkers and Game 6 of the Texas Rangers game! It was the game that took them to their 1st World Series ever - so it was very exciting!

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot - Troy caught a turtle at the golf course so the boys had a pet turtle named Crush for the day!

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-31T21:04:00.006-06:00

Every year, in October, we go to the Staheli Family Farm for fall festivities and also to pick out our pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch. The kids love the petting farm, the rides, and of course, the Pumpkin Patch!

The Duck Race Games

The Cow Train Ride - The boys LOVED this!!!

The infamous Corn Slide (they land in a pile of corn kernels)

Trip to Southern Cali!!!

2010-10-10T22:45:00.017-06:00

This September, we decided to take a last minute trip to Southern California. Stops on our list were: San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Disneyland. It was a great trip with cool weather and un-crowded theme parks - which is our kind of vacation!

Here are a few pics from the trip...

San Diego Zoo: Darrin and Max had so much fun at the zoo. Highlights were Feeding the Giraffes, the amazing Panda Bears and the train ride around the zoo!

Sea World: Highlights were petting the sharks, feeding the turtles & SHAMU, SHAMU (Darrin still chants this sometimes!)

Disneyland: Favorite rides were Buzz Lightyear, Autotopia & Pirates of the Carribbean (we were shocked with the last one because we had to bribe them with Mickey Mouse suckers to get them to go - don't judge us as parents!)

We're Back...Only 2 Years Later!!!

2010-10-10T21:35:00.002-06:00

So, after 2 years of no updating, I have decided to bring back the blog! I'm not even going to try and catch up the last 2 years, I am just going to start fresh from right now. So, here it is...ENJOY!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-07T22:12:00.010-07:00

We had a very fun Halloween this year. We started off with eating our Pumpkin Pizza from Papa Murphys and then we got the boys dressed up and went Trick-or-Treating. Max sat in the stroller the whole time sucking on wrapped candy while Darrin ran to the door, said Twick-or-Teet, and then after they would give him some candy he would say, "Bro Twick-or-teet" and then he would stick his hand in their bowl, grab 2 candies and put one in the cup holder of the stroller and another one in Max's little treat bag.

The Ferocious Lion (he even Roared!)

The Thomas the Train Conductor

After we left one house, Darrin would get sad and say, "More Candy." So, we'd move on to the next house and he would get more. He was so cute and loved it so much that he asked if he could go trick-or-treating again the next morning. Good Times!

The Goods!

The Potato-Head Pumpkins

2008-11-07T22:00:00.005-07:00

Thanks to Troy's mom; this year the boys got to do Mr. Potato Head Pumpkins instead of carving them. They had so much fun with them and it was MUCH easier to clean up.

Troy and I still carved our pumpkins, (although we are thinking of doing Mr. Potato Head's for ourselves next year); mine is supposed to be a cat!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-07T21:39:00.007-07:00

This year, instead of picking our pumpkins out at the grocery store or Wal-mart, we went to "The Pumpkin Patch" at Staheli Farm. It's a farm that has a lot of fun things for kids to do. They have a bunch of baby animals to walk around and look at, there is a playground with "corn" as the sand, there's a corn maze and of course, the Pumpkin Patch where you can pick out your own pumpkins.

The boys loved everything about it...Darrin was our "leader" through the corn maze and actually found the way back. Darrin also loved riding on the tractor pulls all around the farm - that's how you get around to the different areas. Max just loved being outside and seeing the animals.

"Hiding" in the Corn Maze (brang back memories of Iowa!)

Max Turns 1!

2008-09-13T01:00:00.005-06:00

Our Max turned 1 years old on August 23rd. It's crazy to think that he is already one, but yet it seems like I was pregnant so long ago!

For his birthday, Troy's parents were came down and we went swimming in the afternoon, barbecued for dinner and then opened presents and ate cake.

We thought that Max would down the cake, and were very excited for the fun pictures. Well, he really let us down (you can tell his thoughts by the picture above). He was very hesitant to even touch the cake so Darrin would dig in a little bit and say "Brother, eat" (you have to understand that you never have to TELL Max to eat; he's always putting something in his mouth!) After many attempts, we finally got him to taste it a little bit and still, nothing. The funniest part of the whole thing was he started doing things just to entertain us. He stuck his finger in the frosting and put it on his face and started laughing. This went on for a little bit and then he just pushed the whole thing away! We were shocked at his performance. Hopefully next year!

Max got lots of presents that Darrin enjoyed opening. He got a couple of books, lots of clothes, animal cookies, a little tikes car garage, some bath toys, toy keys and (still coming) a fun ride-in car.

Thanks to Troy's parents and Jodi and Steve for celebrating with us! And thanks to Max for being in our family! We love him to pieces!!!

6 Whole Years!

2008-09-13T00:41:00.005-06:00

Wow, I can't believe that Troy and I have been married for 6 Years! We are SO old! It's amazing how fast time flies and how much fun you can have in the meantime! It has been a great 6 years and I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else.

Troy is an amazing husband and father. He is so good to me and puts up with all of my craziness. The boys adore him and it is so fun to watch him play with his 2 boys (even if that doesn't mean always changing their diapers too). I love you Honey!!!

So, to celebrate, we decided to go on a trip this year (we were going to go for our 5 year, but I happened to be 9 months pregnant)! And, the lucky place was...Lake Tahoe!!! We didn't realize it was so far to drive; however, it ended up being a fantastic trip. It was so nice to just be able to spend time together without having to worry about the kids or the business.

The BEAUTIFUL Lake

The Beach (don't you like the Pine Trees?)

We were able to go hiking, swim, layout, get a couples massage and go on a dinner cruise (the drunken people were very entertaining!). Thanks to my mom, Kaylee, Jessica and Jodi and Steve for watching the kiddos!

July 2008

2008-09-13T00:08:00.003-06:00

So, I know I'm still updating the summer (which was a couple of months ago); but hey, I seem to live a couple of months behind. Time just gets away from me!

Hanging out in the pool

July was very eventful this year. First, for the 4th of July my parents and Kaylee came down and we swam, did a few fireworks (which Max slept through and Darrin ran when they went off) and then even made it to the City of St. George show. We were very impressed - they even had background patriotic music. It definitely made me feel proud to be an American!!!

The Fireworks Crew (notice Darrin's terrified look)

A couple of weeks later, for the 24th, my parents, Christy & Greg, Cody, Kaylee and Jessica all came down so we could party at Lake Powell. I was so excited because it is my favorite vacation and I haven't been able to go for YEARS!!! So, everyone headed over on Monday and Troy and I were going to head over there on Wednesday night. Well, Kaylee called me at like 9:00pm on Monday night and said "Brooke, I just wanted to let you know that the houseboat caught on fire." I was shocked and didn't believe her at first. Then she told me what happened and I couldn't believe it...you mean, OUR houseboat caught on fire? It was crazy!

We don't really know what happened exactly, just that it happened pretty soon after they got on the boat, and luckliy, hadn't left the slip yet. Later that night as I was thinking about it, I realized how disastrous it could have been and was just SO grateful that nobody was hurt. I concluded that for some reason, we weren't supposed to be at Lake Powell that week, for whatever reason and was just so thankful that everything turned out okay.

So, instead of partying at Lake Powell, we were able to hang out at my parent's house and swim away the heat. The guys did a lot of golfing and the girls were able to just hang out and we even got pedicures (thanks mom!). All in all, it was a blast just to be able to hang out with my great family. I love them all so much and wish we could do it more often!!!

Bear Lake "Boot Camp"

2008-08-28T22:03:00.004-06:00

This is the start of my summer update...at the end of June, we were able to go to Bear Lake with Troy's family. We had a blast. It was definitely nice to escape the heat of Southern Utah and get to relax with family!

Our "Boot Camp" consisted of a strenuous 1-mile hike, with gorgeous views, a water grenade fight (they were pretty hard to pop!) and a snowball fight (with socks)! We were also able to go wave-running and swimming in the COLD, yet very gorgeous, Bear Lake. And my kids got play in the mud puddles!

We even got our own private showing of Iron Man on the back deck (with no attack of the skunks this year.)

Thanks Troy's family for a GREAT time! It's always fun and crazy at the Braithwaite Bashes!!!

All About Max

2008-07-09T23:18:00.007-06:00

All About Max

Age: 11 months

Nicknames: Mr. Cheeks, Mr. Bubbles, Splash Monster, June Box #2

Favorite Foods: Who knows? Max is such a picky eater like his dad, it drives me nuts! The only things he will eat are formula, yogurt, pudding, goldfish & cheerios

Favorite Shows: Max LOVES Finding Nemo. When we turn it on he smiles really big and just stares at it...his expression is classic.

Favorite Sayings: Max can say, "Mama", "Dada", "No No", "Whoa" and sometimes I can hear "Nemo"

Things He Loves to Do: Grab everything that Darrin is playing with, Just be outside in his stroller, go for drives, take baths (especially with Darrin so he can SPLASH like crazy), pull Harley's tail, make very messy diapers (hence the name Mr. Bubbles)

His Personality: Max is quite the character. He is very loud and assertive, compared to how Darrin was when he was younger. He has a bit of a temper, especially when he's tired and hungry; however, if those two areas are taken care of, he is the most pleasant child in the world. He has the cutest blue eyes (I never thought I would have a blue-eyed child) and the cutest smile. He cheeses it for everyone that smiles at him and has the most contagious laugh in the world. His is very chubby and has the chunkiest Thunder Thighs you can imagine. I love to tickle him (especially his thighs) and hear him laugh his heart out. He loves his older brother and now that he is mobile is happy just exploring all of the fun things he can get into.

Funny Pics:

This picture comes with a funny story...and actually happens too often than it should. Max has always had crazy problems with his bowel movements which has left him naked in many instances when his flaky mom forgot an extra outfit. This particular night I took a picture because I thought the hammer added a nice "white trashy" touch. My poor kids!!!

Max & his favorite past-time: his bottle

All About Darrin

2008-07-09T22:35:00.008-06:00

Since I am the worst about scrapbooking and baby books, I've decided to create posts that are "All About Darrin & Max". That way they will know a little bit about their childhood (hopefully). Here it goes:

All About Darrin

Age: 2 1/2 years old

Nickname(s): Mister, Boo Boos, June Box #1 (don't ask where all of these came from)

Favorite Foods: Chex Mix, Carrots, Fruit Snacks, Salad, Chocolate Milk, did I mention Chex Mix? I swear, he could eat a whole bag in one day...it's crazy!

Favorite Shows: Finding Nemo, Cars, Doodlebops, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Choo Choo Soul (he sings the whole song)

Favorite Books: We're going on a Bear Hunt, Good Boy Fergus, His Nemo Book

Funny Sayings: "Unga", meaning...who knows? (all of his cousins love this one!), "Da Goon" meaning...Harley, kennel! (the funny thing is, Harley knows exactly what he's saying), "Hi" meaning...yes (he says Hi to say hello and also says a form of it as yes. Somebody told us that's how it's said in Japanese; go figure)"Duck Bread" this is what he calls all of our bread now because sometimes we will feed it to the ducks.

Things He Loves to Do: Feed the ducks, play sports (especially baseball, golf & basketball), blow bubbles, color, help me do anything I'm doing (laundry, cooking, cleaning), throw toys away from Max, ride his bike (which he nows know how to pedal), swim (once we force him into his little floatie thing, he loves it), going to nursery.

Personality: Darrin is a very laid-back kid. He is quiet and reserved and not very adventurous. He doesn't like to try new things or be in big groups of people. He is a great with his little brother (most of the time) and is starting to enjoy helping me with chores around the house. He is a joy to have around the house and makes me smile with his cute sayings and expressions. He is so excited about life right now and it is so fun to see him learn and explore all of the things he can do. He has been a little slow with his speech but is starting to expand his vocabulary and is trying really hard to communicate and put sentences together. It is so fun to hear what he comes up with!

Cute Pics:

Playing baseball in the neighbor girl's princess shoes! He has a fetish and I just had to take a picture so I have some blackmail as he gets older (Troy isn't a big fan!)

Showing off his new golf clubs from his Great Grandma Elkington...thanks Grandma, he loves them!

What's Up Down South?

2008-07-09T22:13:00.006-06:00

Since Disneyland, life has been crazy, as usual. Does it ever slow down? The month of May was very eventful and busy; however, it must not have been very exciting because I don't have any pictures to show for it. The major events that happened in May were:

-We attended the baby blessing for Naomi Braithwaite, the FIRST girl to come from the Braithwaite Boys!!! (so you're saying there's a chance?) She is such a doll!

-Troy and I took a business trip out to Kansas City for a training with Duct Tape Marketing. We have decided to add a marketing division to our company and this was the "official" licensing training. I got to tag along which was fun...definitely nice to get away w/ good company!

-My little bro, Cody, graduated from high school (wow, I'm old!). He looked great and was so excited to be done. He is an amazing person and I am glad to have him as a brother...he always lights up a room with his fun-loving personality! To celebrate, my family had a big bash at Lagoon. It was fun to go on some of the rides and to watch Darrin go on the same 3 rides the whole day! No seriously, he was OBSESSED with the little car ride that goes around in a loop. He would get on, ride around, get off, and then jump back in line. Everytime he got to the end the lady would say, "Here he comes again!" It was quite hilarious!!!

Darrin & his cousin, Stacey, on the infamous car ride (this was the beginning of the obsession)

Changing it up a little w/ a boat ride

Back to the cars

Happiest Place on Earth

2008-05-28T23:47:00.009-06:00

We survived Tax Season...so, to celebrate, we packed up the kids in the family van and headed off to DISNEYLAND. We met up with Troy's parents and his sister, Bobi, and her family there and had a blast. I can't say that it was the Happiest Place on Earth for Darrin (when he would get off a ride he would dart out of the building, collapse on the ground outside and start bawling, almost like he was so grateful that he survived the ride!) Needless to say, we only took him on two rides and after the outbursts we figured it wasn't worth torturing him.

His favorite sites were:

Playhouse Disney Live on Stage

The Choo-Choo Train Ride

Buzz Lightyear

His new buddy, Brock

Max was just happy to hang out in the stroller and kick-back a bottle of formula. He fell asleep in his stroller a couple of times; however, he HAS to sleep on his stomach, so his little feet would hang down out of the stroller and it was hilarious looking.

Max's favorite event was the pool. It was his first time swimming and he LOVED to splash. We started calling him the "Splash Monster" because he would get in the pool and just start splashing like crazy. He would get water all over his face and he didn't even care. We even started chasing Darrin around the pool with Max trying to splash him and he would make a funny monster noise. What a character!

All in all, it was a great trip. It was nice to spend some time with our kids and Troy's family and just get to relax a little!

Happy Easter

2008-05-26T21:55:00.006-06:00

Since Easter came early this year, and because we were in the middle of tax season and having major employee issues, we didn't get to attend the Annual Easter Extravaganza put on by the Braithwaite's. So, we stayed home and attended an Easter Egg Hunt put on by some of our friends here in Hurricane. There were tons of eggs filled with all types of goodies, and all Darrin cared about was pushing Max around in the stroller. He did happen to "find" a couple of Easter Eggs and that was as much fun as he needed.

The next morning, the Easter Bunny had left some presents for our little ones: Darrin got a new Geo Trax and Max got a counting Piggy Bank. He also left a couple of eggs around the house for Darrin to find. And, you can't forget the matching church shirts (as you can tell, they were thrilled about them!) All in all, we had a Happy Easter!!!

Back from Hermitville!!!

2008-05-26T21:43:00.002-06:00

So, I realize it has been almost three months since my last post, which is quite frankly, pathetic. So, instead of cramming the past three months into one post, I am going to post one event at a time. Hopefully it won't take me another three months!!!

Blame it on Tax Season!!!

2008-03-09T11:45:00.006-06:00

I know I always have some excuse for my slackage, so this time it's Tax Season. Oh, what a wonderful time of year in the accounting business! If you want to check out our business's website, click here: http://www.ab4you.com/.

Besides working day and night on tax returns, we have had some fun. We had a Superbowl Party with Troy's family where we ate, watched the game, and played everyone's favorite game....ACQUIRE! (For those of you who like business/strategy games, this is a must!)

On Valentine's Day we ate Papa Murphy's infamous heart pizza, and Troy suprised me with roses.
For Troy's birthday,we went down to Mesquite to play BINGO (I know it sounds silly, but it's REALLY fun) with Jessica & Matt and Jodi & Steve; while my parents so kindly watched all of our kids.
For my birthday, Troy and I got a babysitter and both went and got Pedicures. It was great fun...Troy has always wanted a pedicure and he enjoyed it; however, he said he would rather get a massage next time. He did get adventurous and paint his toes blue! I also got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my parents.
Thanks everyone for making our birthdays fun this year!!!

5 Months Old!

2008-02-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

Max just went to the Dr. for his 5 month appointment and we can't believe how big he has gotten. He weighed in at a whopping 19 lbs. and 28 1/2" long!!! He is bigger than Darrin was at 9 months. We have a feeling that he will pass up Darrin eventually.

He has been a great baby so far and we feel so blessed to have him in our family. We just love our two boys to pieces and enjoy watching them grow and learn.

I just had to post this picture of Max because his expression is so hilarious! We have been trying to feed Max rice cereal and oatmeal to help curb his hunger, but as you can see, he's not loving it! He wants to skip the baby food and get to the good stuff (believe me, I wish he could!)

Finally...

2008-02-10T23:37:00.001-07:00

Catching some Zzzz's

2007-12-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Max loves to sprawl out now when he sleeps. I couldn't resist this picture...he looks so cute. Notice that he is missing a sock...for some reason today he kept kicking off one of his socks. Maybe he's trying to make a fashion statement!!!

Happy Early Birthday!

2007-12-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

Darrin is going to turn 2 in HAWAII this year (the entire Hill Clan is going for Christmas and New Years), so we gave him his big birthday present early (that, and the fact that the neighbors didn't like Darrin stealing their kids bikes all of the time!) So, here is his COOL, NEW, HARLEY BIKE!!! He loves it!

Thanksgiving Fun!

2007-12-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize that it is almost Christmas, and I am just barely posting Thanksgiving pics. But hey, my motto is...Better Late Than Never! Here is a picture of our cute Turkey and Pilgrim hats that we all wore during dinner (of course Darrin wouldn't wear his and Max slept through the entire event, but what can you do?)

Besides eating, we pretty much relaxed the rest of the weekend. Here's proof:

BATTLE WOUNDS

2007-11-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

As many of you have probably heard by now, Darrin took a nasty fall last Saturday. He was sitting on our kitchen stool eating lunch, and somehow, the stool tipped over and he landed smack on his face. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth, so we walked him down to the Instacare (we literally live a block from it). The doc checked him out, and fortunately, he was fine. He just has a super fat lip and his face is all bruised. He seems to be fine, but he looks so sad. There is nothing worse than your kids being in pain and you not being able to do much about it! Poor Guy!

The Day It Happened

The Next Day

LOOK AT ME SMILE...NOT!!!

2007-11-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have been on a mission to get a picture of Max smiling because it is so dang cute and he smiles all of the time now...except when I try to capture it with a camera! (He's as bad as his father!)

So, here are a few of my failed attempts:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2007-10-31T20:20:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

For dinner, we had a Jack-O-Lantern (courtesy of PaPa Murphy's)

And then we went Trick-or-Treating w/ our three little dogs: Darrin, Max and Harley (the REAL dog). It was fun...Darrin wouldn't keep his ears on and screamed for the first 10 minutes after putting on his costume (hence the pics). But, once we put him in the stroller he did just fine. Towards the end, he got out and walked around and it was really cute, he would take out a piece of candy and give it to the person at the door in "trade" for 3 or 4 of their candies. It was so cute!

Our Little Dalmation

Picture Torture (Max thought it was funny)

Not Quite Sure What to Think

Patiently awaiting his "treat"

Score! I got a good one!!!

We hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!!

COOKIES, COOKIES, COOKIES!!!

2007-10-31T20:06:00.000-06:00

Darrin made his first batch of Halloween cookies on Sunday, and I must say he is quite the cook!

How to make delicious sugar cookies, by Darrin:

Step 1: Mix all of the ingredients together

Step 2 - Roll-out the dough nice and flat

Step 3: Cut out the cookies w/ Halloween cookie cutters

Step 4: Frost and decorate w/ your favorite Halloween Candy

Step 5: Eat and Enjoy!!!

BLESSING DAY!!!

2007-10-22T15:03:00.000-06:00

Max was blessed on October 14th in our ward in Hurricane, Utah. He had many visitors for the event and we would like to thank everyone that made the trip down to support him and our family. Troy gave him a very special blessing.

He has been a very pleasant baby so far. He sleeps 6-8 hour stretches most nights and loves to travel (Darrin was the worst traveler as a baby so we are extra excited about this quality!). He has also started smiling and cooing the last couple of weeks. In fact, Grandma Hill was even able to make him laugh. It was TOO cute!!!

I only attached a couple of pics because that is all that I have (thanks MOM!) My camera has chosen to break at the most convenient time, so if any of you have pics of the blessing, could you please email them to me? THANK YOU!!!

Sleepy Head - He would NOT wake up for any pictures after his blessing (I guess all of the blessings wore him out).

Looks like Grandpa Hill may have got a small peek from the little guy!

DAD'S TEAM!!!

2007-10-22T14:56:00.000-06:00

Here are some recent pics of what Troy refers to as "Dad's Team". When I was pregnant with Max he kept telling Darrin that he was going to be on "Dad's Team" once the baby arrives. Well, now they are all on Dad's Team and I have no one. I sure do need a daughter!!!

Best Buds -

BRAITHWAITE BOY #2

2007-10-17T14:03:00.000-06:00

Max Warner Braithwaite was born on August 23, 2007 at a whopping 9 lbs. 8 oz. He is a great baby and we are so excited to have him in our lives. Here are some of his first photos (don't worry, I will post some more recent ones soon):