The crazy life we love!

MIA

2010-06-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

So, I admit.....I've been bored with my blog lately. Sure, there are things that have happened that have been worth blogging about. The kids are growing, birthdays and holidays have been celebrated, sporting events have occurred. But actually wanting to sit at the computer and write about it, post pictures, etc have been of no interest to me. Work is insanely busy this time of year, which is sometimes a blessing and sometimes not. I like not being bored...but being overwhelmed isn't fun either. We always talk about how much fun summer will be, so much more time for fun and relaxing. Then the schedules get booked with soccer, dance, swimming, etc. I'm thankful that we can give our children the opportunity to do the activities they want to do, don't get me wrong. I'm also thankful at this point we only have 2 of our 4 children involved in activities. Dividing and conquering is easy. Cloning ourselves 3 and 4 ways won't be. So, as time allows, I'll post more, and get everyone caught up on what our family is doing.

What do the little ones do?

2009-11-08T08:43:00.001-08:00

While their big sisters are playing sports, and while they patiently wait their turn to participate... Brieyn and Bradyn play with friends, sleep, eat snacks, and have a blast! :)

Soccer....again!

2009-11-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. The Henley family are sports nuts! In case you are new to reading my blog, just a heads up. :) The kids are involved in all kinds of sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, and everything in between. Derek coached Brooklyn's team again, along with Coach Matt. We are thankful for those parent-coaching volunteers who make the season great! It's nice to have parents who are involved with their kids, and do it in a way where kids are having a great time and learning a lot. Brooklyn's team even played at halftime of a WSU women's soccer game! Bella's team also had a lot of fun, and a lot of siblings from Brooklyn's team were on Bella's team. It's fun to watch Bella's abilities develop. Brieyn enjoyed sitting through soccer games day in and day out, as long as her friend Caroline was there. Brieyn will tell anyone who will listen how Caroline is her best friend! Bradyn spent most of the games either wanting to get down, or sleeping. The games where she fell asleep in the stroller were so wonderful, because then I could watch the entire game and cheer on the girlies!!!

Bat Girl!

2009-11-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Brieyn....is a 3 year old. EEK.... So, as an incentive for good behavior, I found this awesome bat girl costume on a clearance rack from Halloween. Of course, she wouldn't take it off, and I have visions of her wearing it in public, but it's totally okay....because as you can see from the pictures she rocks it!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

Halloween with four kids is always exciting! The kids dressed up and we did our usual trick-or-treating in the same neighborhood we always go to, then a few places around our house. The day after Halloween we had our annual party, the kids dressed up for pictures, then costumes were off and the kids ran off to play with all their friends. Thanks to the Kallaher family for hosting this year! As always, there was a ton of fun food and treats, and good company. We look forward to this party every year, because we've had one since our oldest children were not even a year old. I need to look and find the pictures of each time we've done it, because it's so funny to see how the kids have grown and changed in the last 9 years. Bradyn was not really "in" to the concept of dressing up, it was hard for her to walk in her cute koala bear costume, so she laid in the middle of the living room on her back and stayed there. Such a goof. We realized this may be our last halloween with her not really understanding what is going on. Poor kid got all dressed up then rode in the stroller while all the kids ran from house to house getting candy. I had brought a couple treats that she can have, so the last couple houses I let her walk up to the door, then I handed her the treat I'd brought and she was thrilled. Too bad it won't be that easy next year!

Pumpkin patch 2009

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Every fall we go to Greenbluff. It's one of my favorite places to visit. I love the fall, and we go up there and visit the many orchards where we pick apples and pumpkins. I wanted to make it in June for strawberries, but never got around to it. We went on a Saturday this year and it was super crowded and cold. Brooklyn and Bella went on a pony ride, we checked out the petting zoo, let the kids pick a little pumpkin (the neighbors have large ones to give us from their garden) and called it a day. There was music, beautiful fall colors, and the smell of kettle corn all around us. It is really a wonderful place, and I told Derek on our way there I wouldn't mind living there someday!

My amazing husband!

2009-10-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

Derek is amazing for many many reasons. First off, he survives in a household full of estrogen. He takes it all in stride, and shows us all patience and unconditional love. He recently remodeled our basement family room. He did everything all by himself, from the wood flooring, trim, and my favorite part...he redid the fireplace. He didn't tell me he was doing it, he just surprised me one day when I came home. He even built the mantle! On July 8, 2009, we celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary!! 9 years....4 beautiful daughters....we are blessed indeed! *The before picture of the fireplace was taken when we were seeing the house for the first time before we actually bought it. I think the previous owners liked wine. :)

Houston, we have a diagnosis!

2009-10-14T20:46:00.001-07:00

I'm very pleased to be writing this post. Over the moon, actually! When Bradyn was 14 months old, in July, a pediatric allergist was able to come up with a solution to all over her issues. We have now diagnosed her as severely lactose intolerance, as well as having disorder of carbohydrate metabolism. Condensed, she cannot tolerate fructose (sugar found in fruit). She can do real sugar in smaller amounts, but her diet now consists of oatmeal, unsweetened soy milk and yogurt, lean protein, some veggies, and a few other items. She cannot have anything with high fructose corn syrup, so that eliminates 95% of packaged foods. I've been shopping for her at our Co-op, to find crackers and stuff that are HFCS free. She eats plain Cherrios and Kix like they will only be around one more day. I've bought almond cheese (trust me, its dsgusting) that she LOVES. I make her own bread so that she can have sandwiches, which can be fresh meat like turkey (no lunch meat) or natural peanut butter made only from peanuts with no sugar additives. So, all the doctors appointments, everything we went through for her first year of life with her tummy aches and crying....it all vanished within a week of changing her diet. We are SO pleased beyond belief to finally have our sweet and happy baby! She is still very slow at weight gain, although she is growing normally in length. She weighs in at 19.9 lbs as of a couple days ago. Which is below anything that will register on the growth charts. Being small in size seems so insignificant compared to being in pain all day every day for over a year. I have a lot of guilt over Bradyn, and I have learned so much from her. I've learned that a parents instinct is SO important. I remember telling our doctor when Bradyn wasn't even 6 months that I believed the problem was somewhere between her stomach and intestines. I knew that she just wasn't a "fussy baby" as they had labeled her. At any rate, she seems to be developing normally since the diagnosis, and I think her weight will catch up someday!

random acts of cuteness

2009-10-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of words here, just a love for my sweet babies!

First day of school!

2009-10-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn is our grown up 3rd grader and Bella is now in first grade. Even though you are technically reading this in October, school did in fact start on time in August, even if my posts are a wee bit late. Brooklyn was lucky to have several GREAT friends in her class. We were a bit surprised to have all these girls in her class, because it seems as though they'd just talk all the time (which I'm sure they do). For Bella, first grade means school all day. She was excited to get to eat lunch in the cafeteria with the "big kids". She's got to make new friends and is happy to share about her day when she gets off the bus. Of course with school starting, means after school activities are starting, which if you know our family.....you know we LOVE this part! Brieyn started preschool and was thrilled to dress up with her sisters on their first day of school. She only goes once a week at her daycare, but she LOVES it so much! She keeps telling us she has preschool, preschool, then kindergarten...because I took her to the older girls school and told her she had this year of preschool, next year of preschool, then she gets to be a big kid and come to the big school.

Where in the world have I been??

2009-10-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

A multitude of posts coming!! A certain person (you know who you are) asked if I had given up blogging. Which was funny to me, since every day I've been meaning to put up some posts, but just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. So...here goes nothing....

A family in need of prayers...

2009-08-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

This tiny little thing has one amazing story...please pray for the Tiegs family as their baby girl continues to recover.

http://www.rjtiegs.blogspot.com/

Cute kids!

2009-07-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

We went to Moscow so I could try and get some pics of the girls. They cooperated most of the time, and I did get a few cute shots! I haven't bothered to try and edit them yet, but may try at another time!

We all struggle from time to time...

2009-07-18T12:37:00.001-07:00

So here's the thing. I get that life isn't all sunshine and butterflies. No one ever expects to have things 100% perfect all the time. I've spent the past 2 weeks seemlingly only hearing/seeing/feeling all these negativities. It all came to a head a few days ago, but after a conversation with my husband (and another with a great friend), I was able to get some perspective and thankfully they helped me to realize that aside from all the baloney, I have so much to be thankful for. So while not everyone has an "ideal" situation, I believe that it is up to individuals (and only them) to create their own ideal situation. Being thankful for something....for anything....is so important. Being thankful should be like loving, unconditional. Entitlement is an ugly word, in my opinion. And it seems the biggest takers do the least amount of contributing. Negativity, as I've most recently learned, can fester like a nasty blister and have a dramatic affect on so many people. So sad really.
I took the girls to the aquatic center, and once we arrive Brooklyn and Bella are off and swimming, playing, diving, and sliding. Occassionally they come by me and say "watch this...watch me swim...watch me do a flip off the diving board..." The little ones still stay near me, Bradyn acts like she owns the place wanting to be independant and explore everything, and Brieyn is finally comfortable to where she will play without having to hold my hand the whole time. On the way home, as the kids sat exhausted in their seats, I was thinking about how thankful I am to have such wonderful daughters. Brooklyn is fearless in the water, and I cannot believe she is now doing front flips off of the diving board (she even showed up a 30 year old male friend of ours while she was there!). She is growing into quite the independant little thing! Bella isn't quite as adventerous, but is still swimming all over the place. She usually ends up making at least 1 new friend at the pool each time we go. She is so kind to others! Brieyn was freaked the first time we went to the pool, but yesterday when we went she was laying, swimming, flopping all over the place. She is good about staying with me as I have to hold Bradyn's hand, but will find ways to entertain herself while she's there. She's so adorable and has a twinkle in her eye that you can't help but love about her. Bradyn is very comfortable in water, for only being 14 months old. She will hold my hand, but only does it to humor me, I think. She'd rather I just let go of her, and let her walk, and climb, and explore all of the toys and wonderful parts of the pool. She does good for about 30 minutes, then wants out to warm up. She's growing up before our very eyes, and it's adorable how she manages to do all this water exploration while still sucking her thumb!
So, aside from daily "inconveniences" in my plan, I do have so much to be thankful for, and I am! I have an amazing husband, 4 beautiful children, and a great life. Instead of dwelling on the irritations, I'm going to regain my focus on the positives in my life and all of the hard work and it's taken Derek and I to get to where we are now. We will continue to work hard to give our children all they need, and hopefully raise them to strive for the best and know how to work to achieve that. I hope they listen to our teachings, and the direction we are giving them to be the star in their own lives. I'm confident, so far, and we've done our part to encourage our children to always work hard, and eventually become contributing, happy adults. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy watching them grow on a daily basis....and be thankful (unconditionally) that I was blessed with such great kids!

From sea to shining sea.......

2009-07-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! This year we went to Coeur d'Alene to spend the weekend with Nana and Papa and Derek's brother's family. We hit the park, beach, Derek took the kids on the boat, saw a parade, and watched some fireworks. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins, who we see only a couple times per year. It was a long and exhausting weekend! The parade downtown was SO hot, but the kids were good sports. Brieyn, as usual, rocked it out in her own style, complete with a red, white, and blue sparkly tiara. Bradyn has been walking more and more these days, she's getting more and more brave. All this weekend, I could've swore she was Italian....as pretty much the only thing out of her mouth was "Ma...Ma....MAAAAA!" It's so cute that she's starting to walk and talk, I can't decide if I'm ready for her to grow up, or to slow down and be my baby! Brooklyn especially loved the beach, and swam like a fish in the lake. She has no fear of the water, and kept wanting to go out farther and farther. Bella loved the boat ride best, and swimming. Brieyn loved playing with cousin Will, and her crown, she said. Bradyn loves Jetta, Nana's cat, but with a dog in the house we didn't see much of her. She liked playing with cousin Molly who is 4 months younger. Nana had a bunch of great food, and the kids loved playing play-dough and making lots of shapes with her.

When you put your kids to bed...

2009-06-24T22:01:00.001-07:00

You want to think that they stay put, right?! Yesterday, I was getting ready to go to bed, and was going to take the girls laundry to their room. I opened the door to the stairs...and this is what I found. I laughed out LOUD it was so funny! Silly kid!!

Slippery Gulch Days!

2009-06-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to Tekoa to go to Slippery Gulch Days and have a bbq to celebrate Kelsi's graduation. I think it's funny that even though I grew up 8 miles from Tekoa, this was my very first Slippery Gulch experience. We got there in time for a parade, and the kids had a blast catching the candy that was thrown by those in the parade. The egg toss extended down the street, with over 125 teams initially. Brooklyn and Bella each had a partner and remained in the toss for a few rounds before their eggs went SPLAT on the pavement. Then it was off to Mom's for some yummy food. It was fun to catch up with some old friends and classmates that I haven't seen in 10 years. Shockingly enough, my 4 girls were VERY well behaved, we were quite impressed! :)

SHE DID IT!!!

2009-06-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

Recently the girls and I went to my sisters college graduation. She graduated with her associates degree and will continue on at Washington State University to finish her bachelors. Way to go, Kelsi, we are so proud of you!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Brieyn Hope!

2009-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

June 15 marked Brieyn's 3rd birthday. What a fun 3 year old she is! She is adorable and full of personality...and oh my gosh she's funny. Everything she does is simply hilarious, she just has a happy glow of light around her at all times. She constantly brings a smile to my face, and is such a joy. Brieyn loves playing with her friends, and being with her sisters. I look at her and can't believe that 3 years have already passed since the first time we held her. On June 15, 2006 she was born at exactly 1:00 pm. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz. And now she's quite the big girl, demanding cups without lids and food "big" (not cut up into pieces) like her older sisters get. She rarely wears anything but dresses, and loves all things glittery and sparkly. She is obsessed with her sparkly headbands, dancing shoes, and anything girly she can get her hands on. We are so proud of everything she does, and even though we want her to stay little for as long as she can, we love watching her grow up and do new thing! Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Happy 1st Birthday, Bradyn Elizabeth!!

2009-05-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it...an entire year has gone by and my sweet baby is ONE. On her birthday, it was bittersweet, because I love watching my kiddos get older, but this is the last time we will ever celebrate one of our children's first birthdays. Such an important milestone!

Bradyn was born May 18, 2008 at 4:12 am. She was exactly 2 weeks early, but I was in labor off and on for a few days, and was very much ready for it to be all over. I remember working that weekend, trying to get ahead before her birth. On Saturday afternoon, I left my office for the hospital because I was having alot of contractions. They kept me there for awhile, told me that I was having good contractions, but they weren't progressing, so to come back when they were. I knew she'd be born, so my mom picked up the 3 older girls and took them to her house. Sure enough, early that morning I went into labor. Derek got up with me and thought we should get to the hospital, but I became this very stubborn person (having already been sent home from the hospital), and I wasn't about to let that happen again! So while he was trying to get me into the car to go, I was refusing and in quite a bit of pain. When I finally agreed to go (only because I could hardly walk anymore) he got all excited that he could drive 90 mph to the hospital and "if I get pulled over they can't do anything"! The hospital is about 20 miles from our house, and we made it in just under 10 minutes! When we got there, they admitted me, and we were only there a short period of time before she was born.

She was our smallest baby, at 7 lbs 9 oz. She was measured at 21 inches at the hospital, but at her check up a week later was 19.75 inches, so we are pretty sure she was 19.5-19.75 inches at birth. We were amazed at her head full of dark hair (the others were either very blonde or bald at birth) and she was beautiful! She looks like she fits right in with the rest of the group, sharing almost all of her sister's features. She has an adorable dimple that we saw right away, and within moments after her birth popped her thumb in her mouth and started sucking away. This was so cute and sweet, and we laughed because in EVERY ultrasound we had with her, starting at 13 weeks, she was either trying to suck her thumb, or actually sucking it.

Most of you all know that it's been a very rough ride with Bradyn. She has been constantly fussy since day 1, and we've gone through many rounds of testing to try and determine why. We've done everything from lab draws, to specialist visits at Seattle Children's Hospital (the BEST medical care in the world!), numerous visits to the pediatrician, etc. Nothing has really shown up, except she seems to have an allergy or sensitivity to lactose. Around 6 months she practically stopped growing. It took us a few months and regular weight checks, but we finally got her BACK on the growth charts! As of yesterday, she weighs in at a whopping 18 lbs even, 5th percentile on the growth charts. We will take it!

While this past year has been trying at times, we feel very blessed with our family. Bradyn completes our puzzle, and keeps us on our toes. She is pulling up on furniture, cruising around, and desperately wants to be part of the "sisters" as she watches them running all around her. Personally, I'd be ok if she didn't walk for another few months, but I know the time is coming. Happy Birthday, pretty pretty princess! Thank you, God, for giving us the chance to have Bradyn in our lives, she is an amazing gift!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday for Mother's Day and every year we take our girls to Riverfront Park in Spokane. We started this when it was just Brooklyn and Bella, and they had so much fun we go back each Mother's Day. The girls enjoyed the famous carrousel, feeding the ducks, sliding down the huge red Wagon slide, and running around. First, Brieyn went down the slide with Brooklyn, and the second time up Brooklyn went ahead of her. Brieyn sat down as if she were going to slide, then smiled, and stood back up and backed away. So Derek had to go to the top and slide down with her. (You will also see Derek enjoying the carrousel while riding with the girls, he's such a nutball. The girls got me the coolest digital picture frame for my desk. I love that I can look at random pictures throughout the day! Thanks Derek and my sweet girls for a wonderful Mother's Day! I am very blessed indeed!

Back to the 80s!

2009-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Bella had her dance recital last night, and the theme of the evening was 80s music. We LOVE 80s music at our house, and had a ton of fun listening to all the songs. The girls did a great job, we were proud of them for really knowing their routine and getting up there with their big smiles! Our beloved teacher, Carolyn, is graduating from WSU, so she will no longer be teaching. We are all bummed about her leaving, and Bella woke up this morning with tears rolling down her face because she will miss Carolyn so much! She even asked me to get Carolyn's phone number so we can arrange visits. GOOD JOB GIRLS, we are all very proud of you! We look forward to starting with a new dance company in the fall!

Our sweet girls

2009-05-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Some days it seems like we are so busy, that the time between rolling out of bed in the morning and getting back into bed in the evening seems like a blur. Our mornings normally start around 5:30, and we were blessed (??) with children who have no issues getting up early in the morning. Most days we leave the house by 7:00 and between school, and after school activities, some days we don't get home until 7:00 pm. Lately, I've been thinking about how I'm looking forward to when school is out so while our days will start and end around the same time, the girls won't have the added pressure of completing homework, and other school stuff. Last year, with the birth of Bradyn, we decided on no activities for the entire summer. So while having a newborn and 3 other children was busy, it was nice to be on our own schedule. This summer will be different...with the girls doing track and our membership to the aquatic center, but we are looking forward to it. I am looking forward to track, while the older girls have practice a few days a week, I will have the opportunity to get some good use out of the jogging stroller and hang out with the little ones. And, 1.5 hrs of running is great for the making of tired children. :)

I've also been thinking, is how quickly time is going! We are getting ready for more birthday celebrations, as Bradyn turns 1 in exactly 2 weeks, and a month after that Brieyn will turn 3. Derek and I agree that the past year has probably been the longest year in our marriage. Bradyn has presented us with joys as well as challenges, and it's definitely shown me that there are things as a mother than I can definitely work on! There are times when she has shown me how much patience I really do have, even when internally I was sooooo done and desperately wanting to clock out for a good while! So while she officially stays my little baby for 2 more weeks, I will do my best to enjoy every moment...because I know soon enough I'm going to wonder how she grew up so quickly!

Egg hunt (a bit late!)

2009-05-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

Our town has a fabulous egg hunt, and the kids enjoy it every year. It's getting a bit tricky now that the girls also have soccer games on the same day at the egg hunt, but so far we have been lucky with being able to hunt eggs then run quickly to soccer without missing out on either activity. Brieyn was really excited to start, but once they said GO she needed some direction from Derek. She grabbed one plastic egg, then started walking back towards us. She didn't understand that she could pick more than one right away, but once she got it, she was speedy and filled her basket. The highlight for her was a prize egg with a 1-time family pass to the aquatic center. She still talks about her ticket to the pool! :) Unfortunately, I was only able to get pictures of Brieyn, because the other girls were hunting eggs at different locations in the park.

Spring musical

2009-05-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn recently had her spring musical at school. The day was packed with school, then 2 hrs of soccer, then a quick run to grab some dinner, quickly changing into a dress in the car, and finally....the big show. Brooklyn had been practicing her songs for what seemed like an eternity at home, and she was pretty excited to perform. By the time we actually got there, the gym was packed, and there never seems to be enough chairs at these events, so we stood in the back. Which actually worked out really well, as Bradyn crawled around (and found someone's parked stroller to keep her occupied), while Brieyn and Bella found friends to color with on the gym floor.

It's a crazy life....but we love it!

2009-05-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Lately, our days and evenings are filled with kids and all their numerous activities. As of today, Brooklyn does volleyball 3 days a week, and soccer 3 days a week. Bella does soccer 3 days a week, and dances 1, sometimes 2 days per week. There are days when we get home and it's a quick dinner, baths, and bedtime for the kids. We are enjoying watching them grow and develop! Brooklyn and Bella are quite the soccer players! Brieyn watches patiently (or not) from the sidelines, but will be excited when it's finally her turn to join her sisters in the big girl activities. Bradyn can often be heard screaming and crying from the soccer sidelines. For whatever reason, she's never happy there. We are very thankful when a couple of Brooklyn's friends are around at the games to play with the 2 younger girls. It makes a huge difference! Now with Brooklyn's team, Derek is co-coaching with another of the parents. We haven't been all that thrilled with the coaches their teams have had, so with some bothering and bargaining, Derek agreed to take it on with the other parent. He has really enjoyed it, and is VERY good at dealing with the kids. Until last week, Brooklyn's team was undefeated (wait...we don't keep score, haha). Bella was lucky enough to get coach Eric, who is fantastic, and her team is doing quite well too. Both girls are surprisingly aggressive, and get right in there with the boys. We are very proud of them, and I have to admit, I am one of those moms that gets butterflies on game days because it is just so exciting to watch!

When you are a parent....

2009-03-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

You learn to live your life for another person (or in my case, people). You learn your life is no longer your own....and usually most things that you want must come after your children's needs are met. And recently, as I've learned, sometimes your child does something SO incredibly dumb that your first 2 reactions are: 1. LAUGH hysterically. 2. Grab the camera! So, the story is....Brooklyn decided to be funny at bedtime, and when Derek announced that it was time to go upstairs for bed, she bolts up the stairs. Her mission was to hide from him, thinking if he couldn't find her, then she would be spared from actually having to go to bed. So I'm downstairs and I hear her fly up the stairs, then i hear her SCREAM and start sobbing. I heard Derek going, "what's wrong, what happened?!" and she wouldn't answer him. She just jumped in her bed and covered herself up, still totally bawling. Then I hear Derek start laughing...which makes Brooklyn totally angry. Derek finally gets out of her what happened, and they both come down to tell me. So I take one look at her and bust up laughing. I felt bad, but seriously...she looked so silly. THEN the story comes out....she had burst up the stairs to do the hiding, and she tried to dive under her desk (ya know, the perfect place to hide....) in the process she clonks her head on the edge of her desk and gets a giant goose egg. I had to take her picture because it was soooo funny. Of course, she didn't want her picture taken, so I told her it was to show the doctor in case she was seriously injured. Seriously....sometimes children are more entertainment than anything else. Enjoy the pictures of my child, her injury, and look forward to the future with me when we use these pictures to show her boyfriends and tell them the story.... :)

The cutest baby ever!

2009-03-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Bradyn is now almost 10 months. I can hardly believe it, and have been wondering where the time has gone! Bradyn is crawling around like crazy, and is starting to pull herself up onto things. If she didn't really get the hang of standing and walking for several more months, it would be just fine with me! She babbles da-da-da-da and I keep hoping to hear a ma-ma-ma in there, we are definitely working on that! She is so sweet, and some of her fussiness seems to be subsiding. The doctor thinks this may be due to the fact that she's eating more solids, or the crawling motion may be helping her tummy. At her 9 month appointment she is still really tiny, and hasn't grown much in the past 2 months. She was 15 lbs 15 oz. We have to get her weighed again in a week to see if she has gained anything. I hope she enjoys the ages where they doctor actually wants her to gain weight! :) Bradyn is still with me during the day, and she gets so excited when the older ones come home from school. We are also working on getting her more comfortable with a sippy so that she can join Brieyn at Miss Amy's at the beginning of May. As I write this she is sleeping upstairs in her crib for the very first time (she's been in our room in a port-a-crib) and we are crossing our fingers she starts sleeping through the night any day!!

Dance......again!

2009-03-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Bella's dance class got to perform at a WSU men's basketball game at the end of February. They are the CUTEST group of little dancers we have ever seen! We love performing at the men's games because the crowd is SO loud cheering for them. I have to give myself some hair props, because her hair looked AWESOME! I'm a little ashamed of myself, however, because while she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror while I was doing her hair she said, "Mommy, this is just like Toddlers and Tiaras!" (that is a show on TLC about pageant kids and gulp...stage moms. She really is a great dancer, and we are going to miss her beloved instructor, Miss Carolyn.

If there was any game to attend this year, this was THE ONE! Not only was it senior night, it was a nail biter down to the end, and Taylor Rochestie nailed a 3 with 2.3 seconds left to win the game. The place went nuts, and fans rushed the court. We will miss our seniors!!

There's No Place Like Home

2009-03-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Brieyn. I always seem to comment on how funny she is, but seriously she makes me laugh constantly. Before I had children, if you would have ever told me I'd end up with a girly-girl I would've laughed....but somehow I ended up with several of them. :) So Brieyn, for whatever reason, will only wear dresses. Trying to get that child into a pair of jeans is torture, so we often just let her choose her clothing. So when you see "that child" in the store, it's most likely her, and I refuse to pick my battles over her clothing choices. I don't remember exactly what we needed but one of the older girls needed shoes for something. While we were getting the other child shoes, Brieyn came across these pink glittery-sparkly-bejeweled shoes and immediately grabbed them and proclaimed them hers. Fine...whatever. Little did we know she'd wear them constantly, day in and day out. But, she loved them and that was all that mattered to her. She even liked to pair them with her favorite Dora socks, which made them look extra awesome (so she thought!). Here is a shoe picture, and some random shots of her being......well....her.

Shootin' hoops

2009-03-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn just wrapped up a very fun basketball season! She was on a 2nd-3rd grade team, and her team did quite well. A few times, Brooklyn had over 10 points! She got the hang of it quickly, and was really good about dribbling around the defense and going to the hoop to shoot. After the first game, we did have to have the "you need to watch for your teammates to be open to pass to them" and explain to her what a "ball hog" was. :) They don't call alot at this age, so it was hilarious watching the girls double (and triple) dribble, then watch the cluster of kids at the bottom of the basket with their arms stretched high waiting for the ball to drop down to them. According to Derek, this is how girls' basketball always is, but *I* disagree. Derek even got in on the coaching action when our coach couldn't be there. It was really fun to watch him coach the girls, he did a GREAT job! Her team even played at halftime of a WSU women's game, which was quite a treat for Brooklyn. We are already looking forward to the next time basketball is offered and there have even been whisperings of an AAU team around our home.....

Bella turns 6!!

2009-03-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been terrible about keeping up with this blogging stuff, but I can assure you that we did celebrate Bella's birthday. :) Bella turned 6 on Valentine's Day. We celebrated with a cake on her real birthday (we celebrate Vday on the 13th so she has her own day), then some of her cute friends came over to play and eat cake! I am a bit sad to see her turn 6, because it seems like just yesterday she was a tiny baby! Bella has grown quite a lot this year, and is in Kindergarten. She loves to play soccer and dance. (she can't wait until she's old enough for basketball and volleyball like Brooklyn!).

Our little dancer!

2009-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Bella is on the Rising Stars dance team with her friends Hannah, Hailey, Laura, Kelsi, and Kinsey. They are taught by Miss Carolyn, who is OUTSTANDING and is also a member of the Crimson Girls. Here are pictures from their performance at the University of Idaho men's basketball game. They have another performance at the end of February at the WSU men's basketball game, we are looking forward to that! Bella and the girls looked very cute and did a fabulous job!

We have an 8 year old....

2009-01-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so her actual birthday was on Jan. 16, but maybe I've been in denial about the fact that we really really do have an 8 year old! Brooklyn, you are a very sweet and active little girl! We love watching you in all your activities, playing with your sisters, and helping with Bradyn. You are the best helper I could have ever asked for! We still remember the day you were born, and how sweet you were from day 1. I will never forget how you looked just like Daddy! You have been a constant source of joy in our lives, and you ensure that things are never dull around here. I look foward to watching you grow and grow and grow....but not too fast, please, I want you to stay my little girl forever! :)

Creativity!

2009-01-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

We had a nice visit from Jen, Will, and Molly while Jeremy was working for a couple hours. It was nice to hang out with them a bit, since we don't see them that often. Molly had the cutest blanket, and I wanted to try to make one for Bradyn. Here is the finishes result and she LOVES it. The other girls have already requested one for them, too!

Cougar kids!

2008-12-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Is there ANY other way??? Gotta love our Cougs! Notice in the picture of all of them....Bella is starting to panic because Bradyn has a nice handful of her hair. :) ahhhh....sisters! Brieyn was her usual goofball self...lots of pics in this post but they are worth it.

Pretty, pretty, princess

2008-12-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

So...we pierced Bradyn's ears. She is the youngest one we've ever done, as the other girls were much older. But I thought she would look cute with them, and it took some convincing to get Derek on board. He still wasn't all that thrilled as we did it.......and the event was full of drama, thanks to a crazy Claire's employee....but that's a different story.

Bradyn's baptism!

2008-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

" 'And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.....' " Deuteronomy 6:6-7.

Bradyn Elizabeth Henley was baptized today at Selbu Lutheran Church in LaCrosse, WA. Her Godparents are Leonard and Stacy Aune, same as the other girls. It is such a blessing for our girls to have such amazing Godparents, who love and care for them the way the Aune's do. Derek and I were both really nervous how Bradyn would behave, but when Pastor Bay went to baptize her, she popped her thumb in her mouth and looked sweet as can be. I will say that she looked gorgeous in her Christening dress, I so look forward to seeing my girls wear them. Bradyn was lucky to have lots of family and friends come to the church for her big day. We even got a picture of 4 generations of Henleys....Derek's grandma, dad, Derek, and our girls all together! So special!! We went low-key on the party this year, Mom "baked" lasagna (thanks, costco!), I "baked" a cake (thanks, Safeway!), and Nancy brought salad and french bread. YUM! Thank you to everyone for coming and celebrating with us! The girls had a blast playing with the Aune children, Ashtyn, Gunnar, Abree, and Gage.

Annual Halloween Party!

2008-10-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had our fun annual Halloween party. We have had this party every year since Brooklyn was born, making this year the 8th! We always celebrate with the same families, and the pictures we have each year are priceless! It has been so fun to watch the kids go from babies all the way till now. And many of the family's have added siblings to the mix, so we have the siblings in the pics too. I must say.....out of 12 kids though, 4 were ours. :) This year the party was at the Kallaher home. Danielle had the house all decorated and it looked sooo cute! We had pizza, drinks, and a bunch of halloween-themed goodies to munch on. Danielle tye-dyed T-shirts orange and the kids drew pumpkins on them. Even Bradyn got an orange tye-dyed onesie! :) Thanks to the Kallaher's, Vining's, Patrick's, and Myer families for another SUPER party! In my opinion, Jaxon Patrick won the costume contest this year. He was an "injured cougar quarterback". For all of you who have been following WSU football, you'll get it! Brooklyn is a vampiress, Bella is Morticia, Brieyn is Grumpy Bear, and Bradyn is a hot pepper!

Soccer mania, part 2!

2008-10-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Fall soccer session has officially come to an end! That's a good thing too, as the games were starting to get very chilly! Brooklyn had a lot of fun on her team, the Golden Ghosts. We weren't so lucky with Bella's team, the Great Whites. Let's just say it was an interesting coach, an interesting group of parents, and interesting children. We are crossing our fingers we get put with different children next time. Brooklyn's team ended the season with a party at Pizza Hut, and when Bella's final game was done.....we booked it out of there as fast as we could! Turns out the ref WILL call the game early on account of the obnoxious behavior of the coach, players, and parents! UGH!!! But we do thank you, ref Chelsea, for giving Derek and I reassurance that other people saw what we saw! :) Brieyn did great cheering the girls on from the sidelines, and Bradyn just was happy to hang out and stay warm.

Lesson learned?

2008-10-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

All the "books" say, in order for kids to learn and grow to be productive adults, they need to be able to make mistakes on their own. So....Brooklyn (ya know - because she is a super-mature-grown-up 7 & 1/2 year old!) has decided that she no longer needs for me to do her hair in the mornings. I pick my battles, so sent her off to the bathroom to do her own hair. This was the hilarious result of her first attempt. According to her, not only was she trying to brush it, but she wanted to curl it as well. For most of you who really know us, we aren't "read-the-books" kind of parents, but I must say, they just may be on to something when it comes to kids, growing up, and natural consequences. :) And for the record....we were able to get the brush out of her hair without scissors!!!

Future employee in training!

2008-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Bradyn gets to come to work with me. Sometimes this is a huge blessing, and other times I'm ready to pull my hair out. Luckily I have a mostly child-friendly office, and her highchair is next to my desk. When she's in there, she looks and me and makes noises trying to get my attention. She knows how to be charming so she will get picked up! :) If I don't pick her up after all her cuteness, then she fusses. Here are some pictures of her in her highchair and napping in my office. (You'd never know by looking at her that she can cry for the majority of the day!) And yes, at almost 5 months her hair is long enough for a clippie!!!

Silly kid!!

2008-10-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest craziness at our house! Never a dull moment!!! The "tank top" Brieyn is wearing...is actually a sundress that was Bradyn's, size 0-3 months. :)

Bribery is expensive!

2008-10-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

No pictures for this post, but thought I'd share. Derek told both Brooklyn and Bella that for each goal their scored in their soccer games, he'd give them a dollar. Well last Saturday the girls played at the same time, and Derek and I keep each other posted on how the game is going as well as the score (even though they don't keep score....we do!). Well Bella happened to score her VERY FIRST goal in her game last Saturday. So I texted Derek to let him know. He told Brooklyn that Bella had just scored. She was like WHAT?! so literally less than 30 seconds later the now more-determined-than-ever Brooklyn scores! Wednesday Bella only had practice but Brooklyn had a game. During halftime Derek reminded Brooklyn that for each goal she would get a dollar. Start of the 2nd half....She scores THREE times in a row, and after each time would look at us, like, "pay-up pal!" When we got home, not only was it allowance day for the girls but including the soccer goal money, they are making bank! :)

Outta the way, buddy!

2008-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I was in a car accident. I was on my way to work, and a driver ran a red light and CRUNCH I t-boned him. Thank goodness no one was hurt, and Bradyn was safe and sound in her carseat. The doctor gave us the greenlight so far on injuries, so we are SO thankful. As you can see, the damage to our car was minimal, only about $3000.00 worth. We had to replace the carseat, and a few other minor details. The other driver's car....was not so lucky. Unfortunately for the light-running offender, I hit his Chrysler Pacifica square between the driver's door and driver's side back door. And thanks a TON for the witness who was driving right behind the driver I hit, who saw the entire thing and that his light was red. My suburban was in the shop from September 29 to October 15, and in the meantime we drove a rental car. 4 kids and all the stuff that comes with them takes up a lot of space, we were feeling a bit crowded in our rental so we are all happy to have the suburban back! Here are some pictures of my car, taken by Derek before we took it to the shop. Thank you Myer's family for fixing it back up good as new!!! Word of advice.....if you see a suburban coming your way, MOVE....because they are tanks!!!!!!!!!

Bradyn, Bradyn

2008-10-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Bradyn has started eating solids, she isn't too thrilled about it, but we keep trying! Here we have her set on the table in her bumbo and she sits for a bit, then arches her back to try and get out of it. Also, many of you know that Bradyn is a very fussy baby, so much so that we are taking her to a peds gastro specialist to have her evaluated. UGH - wish us luck that we find a solution!! Because she comes to work with me, and I listen to the crying all day long, its nice to pass her off to Derek whenever I need to! He was holding her one day, and put her on her tummy on a pillow on his lap. Within a few minutes, she was sleeping, and our house was nice and quiet!!!

Milestone!!!

2008-09-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

We had a big milestone reached at our house tonight. Bella lost her first tooth! It's been loose for awhile....and she's been wiggling it like a crazy girl trying to get it out. Tonight she let Derek pull it out. He wrapped dental floss around it and after a few failed attempts, it popped out! She was very brave and SO excited when it came out. We do a toothfairy matching program in our house, whatever the toothfairy leaves in exchange for the tooth, we match. She put the tooth in a baggie and its under her pillow awaiting that first precious reaction in the morning after she realizes what was left for her!!! I can't believe how quickly she is growing up!

Soccer mania!

2008-09-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

With Brooklyn and Bella both involved in soccer this year, we are running around like crazy! Practice is twice a week, games on Saturdays, and sometimes during the week. We've mastered the art of shuttling kids to and from where they need to be, and the divide-and-conquer when both girls play at the same time. Brooklyn is on a 2nd-3rd combo team, with her buddy Emma. Emma was on our team last year, and they do great together, so this year to ensure they got on the same team we told the coach we "carpool". :) Emma's family has 4 girls like us, and 3 of them are the same age as ours, so we have a lot in common! Bella is on a Kindergarten-1st grade combo team. She is very aggressive on the field, which is interesting because she's pretty calm normally. While unpacking some boxes we found some old soccer stuff of Bella's, so Brieyn wears that to the games so she feels like she is in on the action. Even though the stuff is way too big, she doesn't care and thinks she looks just like her sisters!! Bradyn just....well....hangs out.

Kitchen.....before and after

2008-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to admit, when we looked at this house for the first time....all I saw was the kitchen. It was very......green. I mean it was ALL green....from the olive green cabinets to the matching olive green appliances. Never in my life had I seen sooooo much green. And that was NOT a good thing. After we left, I told Derek that the kitchen was the first room we'd need to work on, because I could not see myself ever doing anything in there! Oh and another thing, I told Derek we were putting in a dishwasher because if you know me....you know that I don't wash anything by hand, unless its by force. :) So our original more thrifty plan was to refinish the cabinets. What a lame idea that was, Derek got them stripped and repainted and the wood started splitting and it was not a pretty site. So....off to Home Depot we went for new cabinets. Long story short, Derek and his dad did all the cabinets, Derek did the ceramic tile floors, and granite tile countertops all by himself. I love that he made me such a beautiful kitchen!!

Green Bluff

2008-09-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

Every year our family goes to Green Bluff to pick apples. We planned our annual trip, but were disappointed when we got there to find that it was still Peach Festival, and the apples weren't ready for picking just yet. The colder weather must have something to do with it. BUMMER! So the kids got to ride horses at Walter's Fruit Ranch, then we went to Harvest House. We came out of there with some fresh green beans and a carmel apple pie that was sooooooo good. I guess we will have to get our apples when we go back for pumpkins in October.

Brieyn Hope

2008-09-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

One word describes Brieyn: Hilarious. She is SO funny all the time. She is crazy, and wants the world to know that she has her own mind, and can use it! She lets us know when her sisters are doing something they shouldn't be, and we laugh everytime something comes out of her mouth towards her sisters that sounds JUST like something that has come out of my mouth. Example, "Bella if you don't quit it RIGHT NOW you are going to time out!" Here are some pictures that made me laugh. She did not want to get out of the bath and was going to sit on the bathroom rug until we either dragged her out to get her jammies or put her back in the tub. Her vote was for back in tub, mine was for jammies. In the end, I won, but it was still funny to see her sitting on the floor in protest.

In addition, you know when you go to out and see that one child dressed in something really odd, like a superman costume in the grocery store? That is Brieyn.... today we went to the store, she insisted on dressing herself. She had on pink shorts, a blue and white polka-dotted tank top, oh and the most important accessory.....a sparkly tiara! We received a lot of looks, most of them seemed to say, "awwww sooooooo cute". Brieyn has her own style, and she ROCKS IT! Love you Brieyn!

First day of school!

2008-08-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today marked the first day of school for Brooklyn and Bella. Brooklyn started 2nd grade and Bella started kindergarten. The girls laid their clothes out the night before, and got quickly dressed and scarfed some breakfast so they could get out the door as soon as possible. We dropped Brieyn off at daycare and were on our way! Brooklyn rode the bus to school, like she has done for the past 2 years, and was so excited to go! Bella only had orientation today, so we went from 1:00 to 2:30, the kids got to do an activity and hear stories, while the parents learned about what they would be doing all year long! I have to say...when we were walking in to school, I asked Bella if she wanted to hold my hand...and she said no. Oh man, I was crushed, but in the same breath so proud that she is getting so grown up! She found her locker, mailbox, and desk, and got right to work on the project "the kissing hand" that Mrs. B had asked the kids to do. When the entire class was sitting on the carpet listening to a story, I was watching her wondering where the past 5.5 years had gone. She looked so confident sitting there, while I was anxious for it to be done so I could take her home with me and enjoy her just a bit more before she starts "full time" school on Friday!! Brooklyn, you will do amazing in 2nd grade, and Bella, I can't wait to watch you learn and learn and learn!!

Sweet baby face!

2008-08-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Could it be?! Bradyn is already almost 3.5 months! It really does pass way too quickly, even though there were those times when she was brand new I really did think that "if only she were older" she wouldn't have colic, sleep better, etc. There are also days where I look at her and think, please stop growing up so fast, I want you to be my baby forever!! She is amazing, and fits in well with the rest of the clan. She has been rolling over from tummy to back since 8 weeks, is really really close to rolling from back to tummy, sleeps in her OWN bed (our doctor will be SO pleased at her next checkup!), smiles and giggles like crazy, and is just plain sweet! She comes with me to work, which is both a blessing and a huge challenge at the same time. She has perfected the art of sucking her thumb, which she does anytime she has the chance. And I'm thankful because the thumb probably buys me more sleep than I realize!!

Home projects

2008-08-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Let the demolition begin!

What will eventually be a closet

Door after

Door before

Here is the latest on our home remodeling projects. When we bought an older home, we were excited to update it, and the projects are never ending! It has been so fun to watch how our home has changed since we first bought it. In the past couple of weeks, Derek has re-stained the front door, and has started the basement bedroom project. The room in the basement was originally intended for Brooklyn, and after she spent about 5 minutes down there, she decided she wanted to sleep upstairs with her sisters! So when the room is finished, it will most likely be inhabited by Aunt Kelsi, who has tentative plans to come to WSU in a year. If she doesn't, Brooklyn just may change her mind. Thank you Derek, for all your hard work in making our house a home!!!

My continuous quest for organization

2008-08-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Those of you with large families, and even not-so-large families probably can relate to this. In our household, where both parents work, baby comes with me to the office, and kids are in various activities, organization is a MUST to maintain what little sanity we can. As we close in on the first day of school, life will become even more crazy with afterschool activities lasting until early evening, by the time we get to our house its a quick meal, baths, and bedtime for the kiddos. I am always searching for ways to become more organized, some are successful, others... not so much. Meals are probably #1 on the list, I do most of my cooking on Sundays, so we have meal choices all week long. On my continuous quest for organization, in a perfect world we would get out of the house in the morning easily, and end the day without 100 renditions of "I have to go potty", "1 more drink!", "She's TOUCHING me!" :). In the meantime, I will settle for what we've got, and keeping searching for helpful ideas on making life run a little more smoothly.

Family picture time

2008-08-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to take some family pictures, since the last "real" family picture we took was when it was just us 2 and Brooklyn. A friend, Laurel Hale, took them and did a great job. For more of her photography, visit http://www.laurelhalephotography.com/!

Beautiful Hay, Washington

2008-08-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Me and Bradyn

Aunt Jeannine

Great Grandma Henley

Brooklyn, Bella, Caroline

Brieyn

Last weekend we spent Saturday at Derek's aunt Jeannine's house in Hay, Washington. Cousins Pat, JJ, Caroline, and new baby Victoria were there from Boise, as well as Danny, Great-Grandma Henley, Nana, Papa, Dionne, and Cole. The girls had a blast and enjoyed playing in the pool (bought just for the occasion!), riding on Derek's motorcycle (that made me nervous!), riding Sobe (Cole's horse), and eating lots of yummy food. We don't get to Hay very often but when we do everyone ends up having tons of fun. The girls enjoyed playing with Caroline, and we had fun visiting and catching up with family.

This should catch you up.....

2008-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, after much persuading from many people, I've decided to take the plunge and create our family blog. I'm sure I will be really great about updating it for the first week....then you may never hear from me again. :) Here's a bit of info to catch you up on the last 8 years...On July 8, 2008 Derek and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary!! It seems like only yesterday our little (ha!) family began. Brooklyn is now 7 and will be starting 2nd grade in the fall. Bella is 5 and is quite the big girl starting kindergarten! We are so happy that she has the same teacher Brooklyn had, as she is AMAZING!!! No word on Brooklyn's teacher yet. Brieyn is our spunky 2 year old, always being silly and making us laugh. She is hilarious! And little miss Bradyn is 2 months and getting to be more fun by the day. She has the biggest smile, complete with a sweet dimple! We love watching all our girls together, especially when they are all getting along (it doesn't happen often!). We are counting down the remainder of our summer days, once the kids start school our lives become crazy, including soccer for Brooklyn and Bella, and swim lessons for the older girls and Brieyn. Bella also takes dance with some very good friends, she is quite the wiggler. :) Derek works in medical supplies sales, and I work for a great company managing 2 properties in Pullman. We are an extremely busy family, but we wouldn't change one thing!