2009 Chistmas Day

We had a great Christmas and everyone seemed happy with what they got especially me. My little baby bear.:)

Brandon made mason a Long board for Christmas with the help from his brother Chris.

It was definitely a big hit for Christmas morning.

Our family has its own band.

This says it all.

Brooklyn's Art Contest

The winning photo... "Beauty is the endless journey"

This year Brooklyn entered into the Relections Art contest. There were 3 categories, and she entered the Photography one. The theme was "Beauty is..." so the entries were suppose to be about that theme. Brooklyn took a beautiful picture down at the old Train Depot in Boise. She ended up winning first in her Category and is moving on to the district level. She titled her work "the Endless Journey." They had a nice little reception to honor those who won, she got a medal a ribbon and certificate. We are very proud of you Brooklyn... you were all smiles tonight.

First Snow of the Year!

He had our first snow fall of the year Monday. Keaton couldn't wait to get out and play in it.

Keaton's black eye

During Thankgiving the kids were playing tag in the dark upstairs. Keaton, while hiding, hit his head on the foosball table giving himself a big black eye. He told everyone afterward that it makes him look tough. Later on when it was getting better and the bruising was going away he asked his sister to hit him in the eye again so he could continue looking like a tough guy.... we love you Keaton and the silly things you do.

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving started out bright and early, first we got the turkey ready for cooking. Then Brandon tricked me in to going to a turkey bowl. It's my sister in-laws family that does it every year. All the kids seem to have fun. Our team won of course. Since Thanksgiving was at our house, I spent the majority of the day cooking and cleaning up. Brandon invited his brother Chris and his family over this year. Everything tasted great and it was an enjoyable evening.

Keaton's Thankgiving Feast

Keaton's class at school had a Thanksgiving feast full of Indians and Pilgrims.

Mason broke his Nose!

Mason broke his nose in PE class at school. They were playing dodge ball and was able to dodge the ball that was thrown at him but hit another player in the process. His nose collided with another kids head.

Needless to say he is going to have to go get it fixed this next week.

Happy Halloween

It's that time of season when all the ghosts and goblins come out. Mason and his friends decided to be rockers from the band Green Day. Brooklyn was the #1 Diva movie star. Keaton was a GI Joe character and Bridger was a little Dinosaur. The kids had a good time this halloween getting lots of candy at the trunk-or-treat and around the neighborhood. The kids also had fun carving up their pumpkins this year.

Keaton's Birthday!

Today is Keaton's big day...it's his birthday! When my kids have a birthday I try to make it all about them. Hopefully they'll look back on these days with fond memories. For lunch he wanted to go to sizzler. He got excited when we gave him his presents and to top it off they brought out a HUGE root beer float. Then at school they had a little party for him. Later that night family came over to celebrate with him. Keaton this year wanted a BSU and a cowboy theme, so we worked it out. The next day after school we took a few friends down to the BSU sub to bowl with him. Not sure if I'll do that again till their older! We love Keaton!!

Fish Fry!

Labor Day Weekend
We decided at the last minute to take one final camping trip as a family. We wanted to make it more of a fishing trip this time. We camped at Red Fish, but drove to Deadwood Reservoir for the day to fish. The kids caught some great fish and they tasted delicious. The next day we spent it at the beach playing in the water and taking in the sun one more time.



Click here for bigger slideshow(click here).

First Day of school

My big Kindergartner!

My big 5th grader!

My Big 8th grader!

Mason and Brooklyn rule there schools this year. And my baby boy started school! He missed the cut off last year so he was ready and so excited to start school. Bridger on the other hand was not ready to lose his buddy... there was lots of tears when we left. I can't believe how big they're all getting!

Dad's Birthday

We all celebrated my Dad's birthday in the park this past week. It was a good BBQ. Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!

Camping at Red Fish

We went camping at Redfish a couple weeks ago and as always it was great. We did get rained on one of the nights and part of the morning, while we were there but other than that it was a great time. We camped with some friends up there and we all had a great time. Thanks Becks!

(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

Recovery mode.... after surgery...blog catch-up

Sorry I have not posted on the blog in a while I had surgery at the beginning of June. I had a hysterectomy. Life in our house has been extremely busy since then. So for the past couple weeks I've been trying to get things back to normal. My family seems a lot more happy with me cooking and cleaning again... one thing Brandon has stated, "When Momma is not happy no one is happy!" Brandon prays nothing happens to me again because he stated he wouldn't survive without me, but I don't know if I can survivie the chaos either. Such is life with four little ones. Anyway I told myself I would use this as a journal for us and the kids to look back on, now it has gotten behind. I'll be better and this will be updated, sorry to those loved ones who read this.

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Beginning of June- School ended. Kids were out of school for the summer.
Mason's basball season/tournament ended.Here's some pictures of him in action:




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Also in the beginning of June-
I had my birthday, my family came over and we celebrated. I was kind of out of it from the pain medicine. This year my birthday stunk. I couldn't eat anything or drink anything because I felt terrible.



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Around June 20th-
We went up to Emmett again this year for our annual cherry picking with my Mom and Dad. With me still recovering I took it easy and didn't lift the many cherry buckets.
(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

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The Annual Pickett Family Reunion-
Look at all the grandkids... they grow every year.
We went to the annual Pickett family reunion. It was at Warm Lake this year and we had a blast. We had never been there before so we didn't know what to expect. The campsites were great. Every night we stayed up late around the campfire and even had a talent show... and yes next year Myles you do have to plan some kind of skit. We had a big fish fry after catching 20 something fish. Thanks Grandpa for cleaning them and cooking. We all had fun at the lake and swinging on the rope swing. I of course being in recovery mode couldn't swim or do any of that so I sat and enjoyed the sun in the beach chair.

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July 4th-
We had a small get together at our house to let off some fire works. It was another great evening among friends and family.



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Mid July-
We went camping at Cascade Lake with some friends (She's my old friend from High School).
The first day was beautiful blue skies and the second was a little over cast but that didn't stop the kids. Thanks Hopkins, we had a blast.

(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

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End of July- (Mason's Birthday)
We went back to Warm Lake, he wanted to take some buddies for his birthday and go camping. Our friends the Dalleys wanted to do a test run for camping for the first time with their family. We enjoyed the sun, the lake and hot springs. We even managed to get into trouble from the camp ranger for being so loud. It's Mitchell, Mason and Payten's (Huey Duey and Luey) fault, they were making us laugh so loud.
Dalley's even survived. On the way home we got a flat tire so it made it that much more memorable.


(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

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Brooklyn's President's Cup Soccer Tournament.

Brooklyn had a Soccer tournament this last weekend and her team ended up in the championship(they played their sister team in the same soccer club) and took 2nd place. She received a 2nd place medal that she has continually worn around since the game. She had a great time and performed very well(not bruising too many other girls). Good job sweety!(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

Memorial Day... Remembering those before us....

Hey this is Brandon, I just have a little something to say about Memorial Day. Every year I take Jill and the kids up to see my Dad's grave on Memorial Day and over the years the kids attitude has changed to now they expect to go up and see Grandpa's grave. We also look at all the soldier's graves while there. The Idaho State Veterans Memorial is in the same cemetery as my Dad's and it gives us the chance to reflect on all the soldiers who gave their lives so we could live in freedom. This country is great and we are very fortunate to live where we live and have what we have. Hopefully our country can stay strong to its values during these hard times. I salute and thank all the fallen soldiers this memorial day for the freedom we enjoy. Thanks.

Anderson Ranch Reservior (Memorial day Weekend)

We went up to Anderson Ranch Reservoir over Memorial Day weekend. It was beautiful. The kids enjoyed the water and we all had fun around the campfire. Keaton (Mom really) caught the only fish the entire weekend but it was still a good time(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

Taylor Swift (Girls night out concert!)

What a crazy night it was.... and no one can ever say Kelli and I aren't cool Mom's. We took our girls to the Taylor Swift Concert. They all had a blast and we even got to shake her hand. Brooklyn also got a hug from Taylor's Mother. It was a fun night out and I love spending time with my daughter.
(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

Summer is officially here.... kids are playing hard.

It is getting close to summer time, the kids are outside more (even though they are still in school.) They play hard and get tired so quickly (from the sun)... poor Bridger fell asleep almost standing up at the dinner table. At first Brandon thought he got down from his chair to say a prayer to bless his food but then he started snoring... sweet Bridger.


I always love summer...
I think you know summer is here when it is hot enough outside, after a while of being out, you have to go inside for cooler temperatures....
Another sign of summer is when you take part in the first watermelon of the season. We had one this evening. We know Bridger enjoyed it...

Brooklyn's dance recital

Brooklyn had her dance recital this past Saturday(May 16th) and has gotten to be really good. I enjoy seeing her improve with each performance. Good Job Sweety! We love you.

14 years? Wow time flies....

On May 13th Brandon and I have been married 14 years. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. The time flies so quickly.
Through all the ups and downs, trials and happiness, and 4 kids later... he is still my best friend. I love you...
Before:

After:

Brooklyn's Soccer Tournament (Performance Cup 2009)

Brooklyn competed in the Performance Cup soccer tournament this spring. Five western States converged on the Boise Area for a sweet weekend of soccer. The weather was crazy... rain one minute and sunny the next... it made for an exciting weekend.
It's fun to see the teams compete against other teams outside the area. It really got Brooklyn excited for her next tournament (President's Cup)

Keaton's Baseball

Keaton has tried out baseball for the first time. Needless to say it has been interesting. He is adorable to watch play, he cracks me up.
He is slowly getting the hang of things and improving.
We love you Keaton.

Mason's Basketball

Mason's basketball season is over at school and he has really improved this year. Now he can just concentrate on one sport. Having baseball and basketball during the same time has been busy. Good Job Mason we love you!

Shoshone Falls (fully flowing)

We took a like drive last weekend to see the Shoshone Falls in full force. They are beautiful falls. It was packed with people so we parked a little ways up the canyon and hiked down the road with our neighbors.

(to enjoy a bigger slideshow of pictures! click here)

Bridger's Birthday!

Our little Bridger turned 3!
We celebrated after the morning of soccer and baseball games, we went to Wahooz and miniature golfed. He loves to play with the family.(hole in one!)
Bridger in his new soccer outfit and soccer ball.

Later that evening we had family over for ice cream roll... (Brandon is getting pretty good at making them).
It's hard to believe our baby is already three years old. We can't imagine life without him. He completes our family.
We love you Bridger!(oh Pickles! as Bridger would say...)

Easter Sunday.

Another Easter has come and gone. It is always a good time to remember and reflect upon our Savior and the sacrifice he made for us. We had a great day with Church, dyeing Easter eggs, and going to Grandma and Papa's house for dinner. (It was also Uncle Myles birthday so we celebrated that as well)