Catch-up Pictures

I realized as I was looking through my recent pictures that I haven't taken many the past few weeks. We've been pretty busy with our house and trying to get it ready to move in. Josh has my camera up at the cabin so I can't get any new pictures to post, but a found a couple that I never blogged about but would like to remember.

At the end of January we went to my parents house to celebrate Justin's birthday. I posted the pictures earlier, but I left out the "after party" pictures. Brayden was messy from the dessert so my dad started cleaning him up. Well, somehow he kept inching further and further into the sink. Of course, he ended up in the sink and played until we had to go.

Our house lately has been a complete disaster zone. We have started packing, which means there boxes and stuff everywhere. It's amazing how much fun these kids have with just a box! Brayden has one box in particular that he loves to sit in and hammer and screw all the corners. I'll have to take pictures b/c it is really cute.

House Update

I have started a new blog to keep track of the progress on our new house. Here is the link:

www.ericsonjourney.blogspot.com

St. Patty's Day

It's so fun to teach Brayden about the different holidays. I showed him a leprechaun and told him that leprechauns leave treats for good boys. Wow did that give him motivation to be a good boy all day! We found out from my friend, Kim, that Discovery Gateway was having a free day. So we both packed up the kids and headed downtown. Brayden and Garrett had so much fun playing together. It was the perfect holiday activity!
They gave each kid a pair of these glasses. The kids were supposed to wear them to "see" the hidden leprechauns. Brayden didn't last long with the glasses, but we did find one of the leprechauns which he traded in for a prize.

Brayden loved playing with the balls and balloons, of course.

Here he is putting ping pong balls in the water and watching them go through all the tubes. He loved it.

Like I said, Brayden and Garrett always have a fun time playing together.

Shopping and playing in the police car.

And last, but not least, our little shamrock.

Sunday Walk

The third Sunday each month is the only Sunday we don't have FHE with our families. This past Sunday we went on a walk and stopped at the school next door so Brayden could kick his ball around. It was a little chilly, but worth it. It's always fun to go on walks with Daddy!

Here are the boys:

Of course Brayden had to kick the ball at the big tractor.Here are the girls:

Helping Hands

We have been going to the house a lot lately. We've really appreciated all the help from everyone on Saturdays. Brayden loves to go to the house and "help." He loves playing with all of grandpa's tools, playing in the backyard, and working with the big boys. It's fun to see him wanting to help so much.

Brooklyn has been really good. She usually will play with her toys while we are working.

It's Official!!!

So we bought a house! It seems like it has taken forever to close, but we closed on March 2. We are VERY excited, but nervous because there is a lot of work that needs to be done. It is Sandy and we got a great deal on it. We will spend the month of March working on it and hopefully we will be able to move into it in April! Here are a few of the pictures of the house. As you can see, there is a lot of work to be done. Lucky for us, though, the previous owners starting fixing it up.

Here is the front of the house. It sits on .25 acres, so the backyard is really big (pics coming.) The roof needs repair and we need to do a bit of landscaping.
Can you see the lava rock on the garage? What fun it will be to take that off!
Here is the brand new kitchen that was put in. The bathroom is beautiful and all new, except the floor which we will replace. I love the jetted tub and the sink.
Now we get to the fun part. Apparently the fridge leaked and it destroyed the kitchen floor. There are bubbles and warped would throughout. This will be a fun project!

Still Waiting for Spring

Any day that the weather is half way decent, we try to take advantage. I forgot how much quicker and easier the days are when we can go for our walks. On Tuesday it was pretty windy, but still quite warm so we ventured out. Since the kids sleep until 4-5, we didn't get out of the house until 5:30. The warm wind quickly turned cold so we headed home. I had promised Brayden we would stop at the grass, so we did so and he had a blast. For about 30 minutes he ran around kicking his ball while Brooklyn and I bundled up and watched.

It was the first time Brooklyn has sat on grass. It was fun watching her discover it, pull it, and ultimately try and eat it.

Kids Safety Fair

Last Friday we went to the Kids Safety Fair at the expo center. I had no idea it would be so fun! We spent over 2 hours there and would've stayed longer if it wasn't nap time. My mom was one of the face painters so it was fun to see her. Brayden was of course obsessed with all the different activities involving balls.

Since Brayden loves to draw on everything, we had to stop and color on this huge wall.

The Neighborhood Watch McGruff Dog was driving around everywhere. At one point he came right up to Brayden, blinked his eyes, and said hi. Brayden was a little nervous and hid behind my leg. He did, however, love to watch him from a distance.

Brooklyn did quite well. There was so much going on that she had plenty to look at.

More Tubbies!

We sure like tubbies around here. We're excited to have an actual bathtub in the new house. (Ours is full of storage.) Brayden loves to play with Brooklyn while she is in the tub. Here are a few cute pictures from the other night.