Sayin our Blessings

The kids are so darn cute! We were sitting down for supper and saying our blessings and the kids were being so adorable I had to take a few pictures!!!

And Off to Work I Go....

Well, after 7 months of getting to stay at home with the kids, I am back to work. I started today at Wells Fargo Financial as a Credit Manager. I really like the people I am working with and it seems like it will be a great job for me. This morning, however, was very tough. I think it is somewhat how I feel when the kids go off to school or something? The kids didnt seem to care much about leaving me, but I felt sadness rush over me today on my way to work. I am so pleased that our sitter Missi had openings so that the kids could go back to her for the 4 days a week that we need care. The kids LOVE her and she is great with them! Here are pictures of the kids with the cute puppets they made today at daycare :)

Phoenix Children's Museum

Today I took the kids to the Phoenix Children's Museum! We had such a great time! There were all kinds of cool exhibits there for the kids to play with. There was a huge wall of tubes intertwined that had air blowing through them. The kids would put a scarf or soft ball in the tube and watch it go through the twists of the tubes and pop out the top! There was a huge "supermarket" for the kids to go shopping and checkout their items, as well as a kitchen to cook their meals in :) There was an arts and crafts center where they could paint or color different things. The kids both colored a few pictures. Thats just to name a few of the many, many cool things they got to do! Here are a few pictures of the kids adventures today :)

Birthday Splash Pad Fun!

Yesterday was the kids friend River's Birthday party at the Tempe Splash Pad. They had such a great time! We played around in the water and went down the slides, then enjoyed some sub sandwich and yummy cupcakes :) Here are a few pictures.


Brooke's messy face after her cupcake hehe


Brayden being silly showing his messy face while eating his cupcake


Brayden and Nate playing in the water


Brooke and Nate playing in the water

Sorry its been awhile!

Hey guys. Sorry I have not posted on here in awhile. The kids are doing great! We have been having so much fun at the pool lately. Brayden is doing SO well! He will swim around with his arm floaties on all by himself, jumping into the water and paddling to go get his toys. Brooke is my little fearless girl as usual. She has a swimsuit with the floaties in it and she will paddle around a little on her own and jump into our arms. They both just have a blast :) Its getting really hot here already, so its nice to have the pool as a little bit of a relief from the heat. Brayden is so funny! He says he is practicing his swimming to show Nanna Bakke when she comes to visit in July. He is so proud of himself :) Sorry I have not taken any pictures lately, but I will try to get some on here soon.

Brookes Birthday Party

Brooke's Hello Kitty Cake

Brooke opening her "Bratz" doll from Pappa Lake

Brooke in her CUTE tutu Aunt Chelsea made her :)

Abby bein silly with her sucker

Brooke was so funny she didnt want to put down her capri sun to open presents


Yesterday we had Brooke's birthday party. She and the kids had a lot of fun running around playing on the playground. We enjoyed some grilled hamburgers and hotdogs that Nate made in the hot sun outside. (I guess we are finally saying goodbye to the nice spring weather) Brooke got all kinds of cute outfits and fun toys! Thank you to everyone for the nice gifts. She really enjoyed them all :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Brooke!

23 months

23 month

20 months

18 months

16 months

14 months

Brooke 12 months

Brooke 9 months

Brooke 7 months

Brayden and Brooke 5 months

Brooke 3 months

Today is Brooke's 2nd Birthday and I can't hardly believe it!! Looking back at these pictures brings back so many fun memories. It sure has gone by so fast! She has quite the little personality on her. She is one of the most independent babies I have ever seen. She is perfectly happy playing off on her own without anyone by her side. Now that she is getting older, she and Brayden have become quite the best pals. They do everything together. (not always to Braydens liking) She is also starting to use her words to express herself so much more. Its funny the things she comes up with. She is also potty training and doing quite well! We are having a little family party for her tomorrow at our park. Its a "Hello Kitty" theme, Brooke's favorite :) Should be fun!

family photos

These are a few of the whole group shots we took with my brothers family on Saturday. It was pretty windy that day as you can tell, but I think they turned out pretty cute. Which picture do you guys like best? Let me know! :)

Our little adventures

I just thought I would update you all on what we have been up to. I have been continuing my brothers boot camp and it has been awesome. I feel great! A new part of my body seems to be sore each day, So I think it is working! :) Nathan isn't too thrilled about being back on a "healthy diet," but its been good for the both of us.

I have also been reading the Twilight series and am totally consumed by them! I read the first 2 of the series this week alone. I am probably going to pick the 3rd up today. (I think Nathan has felt a little neglected because any free time I have had, I have been reading...) Only 2 more I keep telling him ;)

Last Friday we went to go and donate blood at United Blood Services. We had seen a very touching "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" a few weeks before and both realized how important it is to donate. Well, in the past I have not been able to donate because of my low iron, but surprisingly enough, I was good to go this time :) I was pretty nervous because I am very squeamish when it comes to needles. Talking about it now makes me a little on edge... but I did fine. Right up until my whole pint of blood was full. All the sudden this heat rushed over me into a sweat and I became all lightheaded and nauseous. It was scary! The technician looked at me in fright and hurried to do what he could to make me feel better. A few minutes passed and my blood pressure finally stabilized. Leave it to me to be the one to get sick... haha. Nathan wasn't able to donate because you have to wait a year after getting a tattoo and he had gotten his Twins one last June. So in June we will be going again. YAY lol

Friday night Nathan and I went to the Kid Rock concert at the Tempe Musical Festival. Its been windy and cold here!! But, it still was fun. Nate was happy that he sang some different songs that he had not gotten to hear live before. A few other bands were there. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and The Outlaws.

Saturday morning we went to Freestone Park to get our family pictures taken. The kids were... less than cooperative, to put it nicely. I am not sure what the deal was, but they were not liking the whole picture taking fiasco. We tried everything... playing by the water looking at the ducks, climbing on rocks and trees, but when it came time to take the picture they would not smile they would run away as fast as they could. Hopefully we got a few decent ones out of our 2 hour session. Jared, our photographer was so patient! I am grateful we were at least with him in a park, then in a studio. Things could have been much worse!

Boot Camp Week 1

As many of you know, my older brother Greg is a personal trainer and he is holding this 4 week bootcamp 3 days a week. He has been so kind to let me go. I feel great!! I went Tuesday, Thursday, and this morning and it has been the best workouts I have had in a looong time! Yes, I am a bit sore, and I am hating this dang healthy eating, but it will be so worth it come 4 weeks from now! I have yet to step on the scale and see if any progress has been made, but I know it has. I can already feel the difference! He has been having us do everything you can imagine from arms to legs to abs to cardio. A total body workout! I am so excited for Tuesday to come to get back at it!!! :)

Freestone Park

On Wednesday I took the kids to Freestone Park. We had a great time. It was a beautiful 85 degrees out and a little breeze blowing. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out there. We fed the ducks, played on the playground, rode the train that circles the park, and rode on the carosel. Brooke would throw all her bread right in front of her to try and get the ducks to come close, then when they would get close, she would chase after them trying to pet them. Silly girl. They both loved swinging at the park. It was cool because the swings were right next to eachother so I could push them both at the same time. Waiting for the train was not so much fun, but they loved it once we were on. They waved to everyone as they passed them in the park. Brayden kept shouting CHOO CHOO :) Then we rode the carosel, which was Brooke's favorite. She really loved riding on the horse. She kept kissing it and petting it. After all that we sat beneath a shaded tree and enjoyed some sandwiches, juice, and chips. It was a fun little outing for the 3 of us, and needless to say the kids had a great nap that day!


Brooke pointing to an airplane saying "plane! plane!"


Brooke chasing after the ducks


Brayden did not like getting his picture taken...

Brooke running along side the train tracks

Brooke and Brayden on the train. They didnt want to look at the camera.

Brayden on the carosel

Brooke on the carosel

Renaissance Festival

Nate and Brooke riding the camel

Brayden riding the Llama

Me restlin with the rope ladder!

Brooke and Brayden riding the whimsical butterflies :)

Yesterday we went to the Renaissance Festival. We had such a great time! Brayden was set on riding the Llama and he had so much fun! Nate took Brooke for a ride on the camel and they were all smiles. She kept trying to pet the camel as she was riding it. I tried to climb the rope ladder and fell 3 times. It hurt a little, but I am bound and determined to go back and do it! :) We enjoyed these HUGE tukey legs and chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick and bannana on a stick. Yumm! Nate also threw some knives and hit 4 out of the 5! All in all it was a great day. We didnt get to stay as long as we wanted or see everything because Brooke was a little fussy, but we definitely plan to go back and see some more :)

Grocery Store Catastrophe

Yesterday the kids and I went grocery shopping and normally I get one of the carts that has the car on the front of it for the kids to ride in and have some fun, but none were available. So, I got a normal cart, put Brooke in the front and had Bray walk with me. Well, Brayden is infamous for wanting to touch EVERYTHING. I told him if he was a good boy, and kept his hands to himself, he would get a treat when we were leaving. Well, for about the first 20 minutes he was doing really well, but when were nearing the end of our shopping trip he decided he was going to disregard what I had said and touch everything he walked by. I have always seen in the movies where children knock over big displays of things, and I freak out about that happening to me. Well, that is exactly what happened yesterday. I had stopped to get some meat and Brayden kept leaning against and touching this big tower of canned mixed fruit. I told him to stop. He did it again and the second time he did, all the cans came crashing down, scattering all over the floor! I was mortified. Everyone in the store stopped to stare, and of course Brayden broke out in tears. There I was trying to pick up and rebuild what must have been 50 cans of this mixed fruit. I couldnt believe that no one even offerred to help me. So, I finished setting all the cans in this, ugly crooked tower and we finished up our shopping. Brayden was quiet for the rest of trip and as we were getting in the car he puts his hands around my neck while I was buckling him in and says "I'm sorry mom. I wont touch the cans again. Please dont tell daddy." I just giggled. He was so sincere.

Update

Today Brayden got major owies!! I feel so aweful! We were in his room which looked like a disaster hit it and he kept talking back to me about cleaning up the mess so I went to grab him to take him to time out and he ran away from me, tripping over blocks and fell face first, scraping his face on the board the blocks stick to. There was blood everywhere! This is what he looked like after we cleaned him up. Poor guy. I feel so bad. I know these things happen, but I still feel like its my fault. He just keeps saying that daddy is going to come home and give him kisses and hold him. Poor guy!



Last night we went to check on the kids before we went to bed and we found them sleeping together on their little couch! Silly kids! When I went back in to take a picture, Brooke was waking up, but it was still so funny. I dont know how in the world that can be comfortable, but I guess they just wanted to snuggle together?

Recently I have been taking the kids to the mall often because they LOVE to play in the little play area! They will run around for over an hour, then we will head to Barnes and Noble to read some new books! They ask me almost every day to go. Now that its getting nicer outside, I would rather take them to the outdoor park.

I could kick myself because this past weekend we had Nate's mom, brother and sister in law in town and I did not take a single picture! I dont know why, I guess we were just busy having fun. We had such a blast! Luckily Nate had Friday thru Monday off, so we got to spend quite a bit of time together. We enjoyed the nice temps in the 70's and 80's playing outside some basketball, sand volleyball, and dipping our feet in the freezing pool water! It was funny because they had to leave early Tuesday morning, so Brayden did not say goodbye to them and when he woke up he stared at the air matress in the family room and said "mom Jenny forgot her bed! We need to go take it to her!" haha he is so silly.

How well do you know your Husband?

This was fun, I tag anyone who thinks they can do it !

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen ? Friends, Seinfeld, Sports, Greys Anatomy (or any of my shows!! lol)
2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad ? Ranch
3. What's one food he doesn't like ? He doesn't like anything with Tomatoes on it or Mushrooms
4. You go out to eat, what does he order to drink ? Lately he has been really into iced tea so probably sweet tea, or a beer every once and awhile
5. Where did he go to high school ? Westbrook/ Walnut Grove
6. What size shoe does he wear ? 12
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be ? Probably sports memorabilia
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich ? Anything with lots of meat and mayo
9. What would this person eat every day if he could ? Haha that's a hard one... he likes so many kinds of food... Probably just his moms cooking. He loves everything she makes! :)
11. What would he never wear ? A vest (unless it was a tuxedo)
12. What is his favorite sports team ? All Minnesota Teams, Gophers, Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves
13. Who did he vote for ? He doesn't vote... I know I know... haha
14. Who is his best friend ? Me : )
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? get all stressed about the house being a mess
16. What is his heritage ? Honestly I am not sure I know Bakke is Norwegian?
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake ? Either Chocolate with Vanilla Icing or Vanilla with Vanilla Icing
18. Did he play sports in high school ? Yup Football, Basketball and Golf
19. What could he spend hours doing ? Watching horror movies... oh he has done it! Friday the 13th marathons lol
20. What is one unique talent he has ? He is probably one of the most patient people I know. In situations where most people would freak out, he stays calm and happy.

They are so fun!

Today the kids and I got out some of the craft stuff and did some sponge painting. Brayden said "This is the toy Jason gave us for a present huh mom?" He is so funny! Jason and Aimee had gotten them these sponges for Christmas and he totally remembered!! Silly boy! He did Dinosaurs and Brooke did farm animals. Brayden and I also practiced our ABC's by sponging the alphabet. He is actually doing really well. He can remember what letters comes next...

After we were done with the painting we went outside and blew bubbles. It has been so nice here so we thought we would appreciate the day and play a little. It was so funny! Brayden would blow the bubbles away from him, Brooke would stomp on them, and Mojo would chase after them and eat and bark at them! Its amazing how long kids (and even puppies) can be amused by bubbles!

Lastly we did some sidewalk chalk. Brayden's favorite shape is the circle! He will draw circles all day long. It is so funny! They are actually pretty good circles too. Brooke just kind of ran around with the chalk in her hand watching what everyone else was doing. Anytime I would draw a shape or name, she would color on top of it! So silly :) Brayden was naming off everyone's names he wanted me to write and he actually remembered which ones were which!

Brayden is so So SO excited for his Uncle Chad, Aunt Jenny, and Nanna to come out and visit in a week! Every thing we do he says he is going to do with them, or show them! Its so cute!! :)