Chef Braden MacKay!

Lately Braden's FAVORITE thing to do is raid my cupboards and play "chef." It's very cute---even in spite of the fact that tripping on pans, confiscating my glassware, and hunting for tongs, measuring cups, and other utensils is not always my favorite thing. :) He stirs, scoops, tells us it's hot, and brings us imaginary concoctions to try! He gets especially excited if he gets a good reaction when you "taste" it and will always say "kay!" if you ask him for more or for something specific. We all get a kick out of it-- love that boy!!

Making Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa MacKay's! Gotta love the tie and suspenders!!


As you can see, Braden also loves to say "CHEESE!" He'll say it and hold his cheesy-face pose for quite a while so that you can get the picture. Makes me laugh every time!


a VERY focussed young chef.... until I get the camera out...
"CHEESE!!"

35 Weeks!

We're almost there! Woohoo!!

Guess Who's Potty-Training?

That's right! BRYCEN has started potty training. So on our way home from Utah last weekend, Drew noticed that Brycen was squirming in his car seat quite a bit. So he asked Brycen if he needed to go potty and we pulled over. It took a little bit of time but he finally went potty on the side of the road. After we got home, (a few hours later) he started doing the "potty-dance" again so we rushed to the bathroom. Success! That was Sunday - today is Wednesday, and so far he has only had a few wet diapers! We are so excited for him and Ava is his best Cheerleader.

Way to go Buddy!

Happy 4th of July!

Matt got the 4th of July off for the first time in 5 years so we decided to get out of the house and spend the day at the cabin. Martha bought us this cute outfit for the occasion and I was so excited to dress her up in it! But, of course, before we could get a picture, Riley decided to have a record-breaking blowout...so we washed the outfit and put it on again Wednesday and took a picture!

Congratulations Matt & Kimbre!

I came across this quote the other day and it made me think of Kimbre, and all mothers...

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

I just thought that was cool. I can't wait to see the newest member of the family, Riley Susan Zirker!

I love you all!

Riley Susan Zirker

June 21st, 2011 is the longest day of the year...and for me, it certainly was the longest day of my life! Tuesday morning, bright and early, Matt and I set off to the hospital at 6am to be induced. Riley Susan Zirker arrived at 11:12pm weighing in at 7lbs. 13oz. Measuring 21" long and a head 14" around!

This picture was taken before I really knew what I was in for...

Getting all cleaned up with her first shampoo! She didn't like it very much.

My little angel.

The next morning, she started opening her eyes and looking around more.

Daddy's little girl. He's totally smitten!

Bundled up and really to head home!

40 weeks! I made it!

I think Lisa wins the contest for best belly!

These will be the last belly pictures before this little girl makes her debut!...
(Alright, maybe one more at the hospital in my fashionable gown.)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful man - who is SO busy these days - yet still makes time for his two kiddo's - Ava and Brycen. Drew loves to wrestle with Brycen and throw him in the air, and he loves to set up the mattress pads and sleep out under the stars with Ava. When I was thinking about all the wonderful ways to describe what an awesome Dad he is, I came across a few quotes that I really like:

"A father is someone you look up to, no matter how tall you are."

"There are three stages of man: He believes in Santa Claus, He does not believe in Santa Claus, He is Santa Claus."

"My Father's busy, but he always has time for me."

"Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys."

"A father is neither and anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way."

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads and Dads-to-be out there! We couldn't do it without you!

31 Weeks and counting!!

Uncle Davis, Jason's brother, was trying to eclipse me--haha! I used to be that skinny.... once upon a time! :)

6 more weeks to go! Whew!

She's on the right track...

By now you know that Ava and I have some of our best discussions in the car on our way home from work. Yesterday was no different. Ava was excited to see Daddy when we got home, and I had to tell her that Daddy was not going to be there. Tonight was his first day of school. (EMT Class)

Ava: "Why is Daddy going to school?"

Me: "Because he wants to learn how to help people who get hurt."

Ava: "Why does he need to do that? Can't he just give them a blessing?"

I was so surprised and overjoyed to hear this reply. She's right! If only more people knew about the healing power of the priesthood - what a difference it would make in the world! Thank you Ava, for reminding me of the great blessing it is to have a priesthood holder in our home. I am truly grateful for the gospel in my life and for my sweet children, who remind me everyday to cherish the simple things in life!

Happy Birthday Ava!

Ava is 5 years old!

We celebrated Ava's birthday Monday with Grandma & Paka Oakes at our house. Ava was SO excited ALL DAY! She couldn't stop grinning. She wanted to have a "backwards-dinner" which is breakfast - in cups - on the floor. Then she decorated her own cake with sprinkles and raced Brycen to blow out the candles! Needless to say, he beat her every time.

It is crazy to think that Ava is 5 already - and will be going to kindergarten SOON!!!

Love my Big Girl!

rl!

Let's Go Camping!!

So we are ready to go anytime you all are. We finally got rid of the Tahoe and the Toy Hauler and traded up a bit for something a little easier to drive park and haul other toys. We are hoping we can meet up with you guys sometime and do some comfortable camping.
The pickup is an '03 Chevy Duramax Diesel 3/4 ton with an 8 ft bed and the camper is an '06 Lance 10.5 ft. with all the bells. We got a great deal on each one and look forward to many happy trails.

We have a Graduate in the Family!

Congratulations Ava! She has graduated from preschool - this is only the beginning! Preschool with Miss Laura this year has been such a blessing for Ava. She has learned so much and has had so much fun. Drew, DeAnna and I were able to attend her graduation ceremony last week. The kids put on a little program filled with songs in spanish and sign language, and finally pomp and circumstance and the diploma! Ava, we are so proud of you! Next - Kindergarten!

Butterflies!

For Easter, Ava received a "Butterfly Garden". Basically, you send in a coupon for 5 small caterpillars that will eventually form cocoons and turn into beautiful butterflies. I have decided that this is the BEST "pet" you can have, because they are VERY low maintenance and you have to let them go after a few weeks!

So we started with 5 caterpillars that came in the mail, in a jar full of food for them. Over the next week or so, they grew 3 times their original size and made their way to the top of the cup to form a cocoon. We watched them everyday, and finally, they broke free of their cocoons and emerged as beautiful 'Painted Lady' butterflies.

The Frog and the Princess

Ava ran to the computer the other day and insisted that I help her spell every word to a story she wanted to type. Well, right away I knew this would turn into a long hunt-and-peck epic tale, so instead, I suggested that she sit on my lap and tell me the story, and I'll type for her. Yes!

So this is the story of a little frog and a princess. Somewhere along the way a mermaid appears, I'm not sure why, and to top it off this story has also been fully illustrated! Enjoy!

FYI...

So I know ya'll know, but I'll say it again....
WE MOVED!

It all went down in less than a week - I happened to see this house listed, we drove by and called, went to see it and filled out an application, got accepted, signed papers and payed moola, and moved! It's only a couple miles from our old place - so still super close to everything. We love the big back yard and big garage and we're slowing getting everything out of the old place and into the new. We're bummed about leaving our awesome ward, but look forward to new adventures in a new, big ward. So we've been pretty busy lately - moving, last week of school, getting ready for a dance showcase we're performing in, regular family stuff, etc... So no pictures yet, but once we're more settled and get the camera out I'll be sure to post some pics of our new digs! =)

25 Weeks... and counting (please count fast!)

I win for BIGGEST BELLY!!!!! Hahaha--take that Kimbre! AND, I still have 3 months to GROW!
ummmm...wait a minute . . . I'm not sure this is the type of contest you're supposed to try to win.
Anyone up for taking over all cleaning responsibilities at my house-- bending over to pick up stuff is sooo over-rated right now! :)
Happy Mother's Day everyone!!! Love you!

A Mother's Day Surprise!

About 10 days ago, Ava came to me with some great news! "Mother's Day is coming! I need to go to the store to get a mother's day gift, BUT, I can't tell you who it is for, okay!"

So she pulled a few dollars from her piggy bank and we headed off to the store together. She was determined to get something special for "someone". She started with earrings, and I tried to steer her one way or another, and give her some hints, but every time I asked who she was shopping for she would roll her eyes and exclaim, "Mo-om, I CAN'T tell you. It's for Mother's Day!" At our second store of the afternoon, her eyes finally fell upon the perfect gift. She was convinced - this was it! So we went to the check out and she handed over her $2 dollars, (and of course I paid the rest), and we headed home.

As soon as we got home she needed a box. So I found one in my craft closet. Then she needed wrapping paper, so she looked through all the rolls and found some beautiful red and white Christmas paper. Finally, she need tape - but we were out so the solution - Dora the Explorer stickers of course!

I helped her wrap the little box and thought we were done, when she grabbed a marker and asked me to help her write the person's name on the top. I asked her once again who it was for, only to receive the same little smirk on her face and the "I can't tell you" reply. "But can you help me spell MOMMY?" I almost laughed out loud. We finished the job, and this morning, you'll never guess what I received for Mother's day... I think she did a pretty good job, don't you?

And... Behind Door #1...

A NEW CAR!

That's right folks - Drew and Mandy have FINALLY come to terms with the fact that the old car will not last much longer - and have traded it in for a brand new (2005), deluxe interior (standard issue), full of extras (not really), Dodge Grand Caravan!

Ok, so I can't really do Bob Barker but...

WE ARE SO EXCITED!

We started talking about needing more space and the idea of a minivan about a week ago. Then we started "looking" on Tuesday and by Thursday afternoon, we had a new Dodge! Drew was AWESOME! He was able to talk them down a few thousand $$ and also increase the amount of our trade-in-value for the Saturn, and TA-DA...welcome home Minivan!

The kids LOVE it! Okay, to be honest, I love it too. It is pretty basic. It is a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has a CD player AND and cassette player, (I know what you're thinking - SWEEEET!!) It has bucket seats for the kids in the middle row and A/C with separate controls in the back. It has 64000 miles on it and LOTS of storage with the stow-n-go feature, which I love! We are so blessed to have found a vehicle that will hold our family for many years to come.

P.S. Just in case you were wondering.. NO - I am not pregnant. :)

Baby Bump 33-34ish weeks

Alright, you all pestered me enough, so here ya go! I feel huge and pasty white but I took pictures anyway!

Happy Easter!

Muddy Buddies--ahh the joys of dirt!

What can I say? There's just something about boys and dirt--it's great!