Yay, Pictures!

My cute boy!


Me and Brady at Cameron's cousins wedding.



Being cute


Brady was playing baseball with a flower pot on his head, he cracks me up!


Eating his birthday cupcake.


They were playing so well this day, and cracking each other up!


Andie enjoying Brady's birthday cupcakes!


Grandma and Grandpa got her a gun and holster too!


Brady running around being a cowboy with his new gun and holster.


He got a gun! That's the only thing he asked for. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!


Happy 2nd birthday Brady! Grandpa holding Brady up so he could see his cake. I asked him the week before what kind of cake he wanted, he saw a picture of a golf course made out of cupcakes and told me that was it. This is the first time I have ever been creative in decorating cupcakes. He was so happy with it, which of course made me happy! It was fun and I just might have to try it again.


This is the only picture I have from my birthday, happy 25th to me! (that's Andie hugging me)


I can't even stand how cute he is in this picture! Don't you just wanna squeeze those cheeks??


My sweet little perfect child got into my bronzer and got it EVERYWHERE, here she is smiling through the tears. Not pictured is the the brand new, not even been worn for a hour, white shirt that she had on and ruined. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't stand stains on clothes, much less, a ruined brand new shirt! She was in serious trouble that day.

Andie dressed herself this day, and struck a pose. She wears these rain boots all the time. So cute!

As you can see we have been keeping busy lately. The kids, of course, have been keeping my plenty busy with messes. Andie and Brady have started to play really well together, right this minute they are playing pogs, remember those?! Me and Brady celebrated our birthday's last week. We are all doing really well, and enjoying the summer together as a family. I promise to write a real post soon...until then, these pictures will have to do!

Toy Story 3

Anyone who knows my children or has spent any amount of time with them knows that they are obsessed with Toy Story. Anything Toy Story is sacred according to them and all toy story stuffed toys must be accounted for before bed at night. Myself and Cameron also enjoy Toy Story so we don't mind the obsession, it has expanded their imaginations beyond anything I could have ever thought up. Andie was Jessie for Halloween, she also had the Toy Story theme for her 3rd birthday party. She wears Toy Story underwear (which are boys), she has a boys Toy Story shirt that is only to be worn for bedtime. They both have matching Toy Story pj's which they request to wear almost nightly. Andie doesn't go anywhere without Jessie and Woody and Brady usually brings up the rear with Buzz Lightyear in tow. We have just about every kind of toy with the Toy Story characters on it including a scooter with the matching helmet. It's actually all very ridiculous now that I put it in print!
While we were in Utah, we were able to go see Toy Story 3 with some cousins and aunts. I was really worried because the last time I attempted a movie with Andie was Madagascar and she wouldn't even walk into the theater because she didn't like the dark mixed with the loud sounds. I had to take her back to the ticket booth and get my money back with a $6 bucket of popcorn as a souvenir in hand. Brady doesn't like to sit still for any amount of time even for his favorite movie, so it was going to be a very new experience for them both.
The movie started and the familiar characters graced the screen and my kids were hooked. They shared a seat (the theater was packed) and ate popcorn until it came out of their ears. They laughed their heads off when appropriate and freaked when Buzz, Jessie, or Woody wasn't on screen.
To say they loved it would be an understatement. Cameron and I even loved it. It was every bit as good as the first two and in my opinion even better. The movie was funny, very funny. I laughed out loud! I would totally recommend it to anyone who wanted to see it no matter what your age is. They both ask all the time to go back to the movies and see Jessie and Woody again (Buzz is implied), and I am just as excited as them to add it to our movie collection.

Help!

Hello my following peeps! I DO realize that this is somewhat ghetto of me, but I need a small favor. If anyone that I actually know on a first name basis (not just some random reader, although I do love you too), is able to watch my kids this Friday from about 9:30 to noon I would LOVE you forever! We are going to a wedding at the Salt Lake temple and I didn't think about the fact that they can't go with us until today, DUH! If anyone is able to help us out please email me at ambercasper@gmail.com, leave a comment on here, or call me if you have my number.
I am so lame!
Thanks a bunch, Amber

FIRE!!!

Cameron's sister Lindsay is in town, and as always, we are having a great time together. This week we went to Disneyland, of course, and the kids had so much fun being all together. Molly, Lindsay's youngest, is obsessed with Princess Aurora. Grandma and Grandpa promised that this visit we would find her for Molly and she could meet her and get her picture with her. The only way to ensure we would find that sinking princess was to go and have lunch at Ariel's Grotto in California Adventure. Surprisingly the food was good, it better be for how much it costs, and the kids got to see the princesses. Andie confirmed that yes, indeed, she is a tomboy. She DOES NOT like Disney princesses! She cried when they came out because she was worried they were going to come and see her. I promised that we would not have to go and meet them, but even then Andie held onto me for dear life. The whole time we were eating she just wanted to go see her "pals" Buzz and Woody. I have been asked if I am worried that she seems to like boys things more than girls. The child wears boy Toy Story underwear for crying out loud. My response to it is, no, I am not worried. The way I see it, I don't have to buy different things for Brady and to me that's smart spending. She also enjoys doing her make up with me and wearing dresses so she has some girl in her.

We stayed in a hotel that night in anticipation for a second day at Disney. I know I have mentioned this before, but Andie LOVES to stay in hotels, I mean LOVES! She asks a few times a week if we are going to stay in a hotel somewhere or another. The kids, especially Brady, ran between the two hotel rooms as if they had just been let out of their cage for the first time in a week. Around 10 o'clock, half the kids were sleeping and the adults were winding down getting ready to go to sleep as well. Everyone was in their rooms and I decided to go and get some ice before going to bed. The ice machine was directly across from our room so I closed the door on Andie and Brady, my key in my pocket, and filled up the bucket. In the 30 seconds it took to fill that bucket up, Andie and Brady had gotten out of the room, ran to where I was and before I could even realize they were out in the hall with me, Brady lowered from being on his tiptoes and the fire alarm sounded!

OH MY FREAKING HELL, THE CHILD JUST PULLED THE FIRE ALARM, IN OUR HOTEL!!! The lights were rolling and the calm voice coming through the loud speaker..."There has been report of a fire, please locate the nearest stairwell calmly, do not use the elevator..." over and over again. I could have crawled in a hole and died. I ran back into the room, Andie and Brady in tow, yelled to Cameron to call the front desk and let them know it was a false alarm. As I walked into Lindsay's room I see her on the phone and she was asking the front desk, "hi, the fire alarm is going off, is there...?" Apparently before she could even finish the girl at the front desk said, "the fire alarm is going off? are you freaking kidding me?!?" and hung up on her. As I threw my now scared and crying children into bed and threatened them with their lives if they moved, there was a knock on the door. Bill and Karen all dressed to go outside asked what they could do to help us with the kids. I had to tell them it was nothing just Brady and at this point we could hear the firetrucks blaring down the street out of our window! Talk about embarrassment! I could have died! That's Brady for you, into everything and doing exactly what he shouldn't do. He sure keeps me on my toes.

I am looking forward to more adventures this week. With all these kids something else very exciting is bound to happen.

Catch Up!

Andie with a "Braves" Mickey

Brady in his new alien shirt. I tried to get a blend in picture, but he was too tired.


Waiting in line with Grandpa Bill for Buzz Lightyear


Andie and Mary Poppins. Brady was so smitten he couldn't pose for a picture with her.


Andie holding and putting to sleep her newest cousin Parker Lively.

Man, I am really getting bad at blogging. I have missed it. We have been keeping busy down here and having lots of fun. The week of May 24th Cameron drove me and the kids up to Bakersfield where my sister Whitney lives. Her and I took a road trip with all our kids up to Nevada City where my parents and the most of our other siblings were camping. We spent 4 days camping in the freezing cold rain, in tents! After the second night of rain, our tent was dripping so bad it was starting to flood. Our sweet dad was able to rent us a camper for the next two nights, what a great dad! Besides the rain, we had a lot of fun. There were games, naps, into town adventures, and lots of food...what else is there to do while camping and it's raining but eat?! I don't know either. We were finally able to meet my newest nephew Parker. He is such a doll and holding him made me want another baby, until my kids starting screaming and fighting, then I was 100% over it. For Andie, it was love at first sight. She just couldn't get enough of that baby. Every time he would come into the room Andie would sit on the couch and put her arms out for him, she learned how to burp him and even got him to fall asleep! It was so nice to see everyone and spend long overdue time together.
When we got home Cameron's family was in town for their semi annual Disneyland trip. We went up for a day and half and had a great time. The kids got to see lots of characters and do all their favorite rides, Andie even got to sleep at a hotel, which is her favorite Disney thing to do cause it means there is another day in store.
Tomorrow is Colin's high school graduation and Lindsay and her girls are coming into town for it. Of course we will be doing another Disney run before summer crowds kick into full gear. She'll be here for a while and we are all going to take a road trip up to Utah for Cameron's cousin Asher's wedding in the Salt Lake Temple. We are so excited to get back up to Utah. Andie has a small list of places we have to visit while there which includes, going to the waterfalls, a trip to Cabella's, and visiting the petting zoo in Thanksgiving Point. We are looking forward to seeing the whole family and visiting with all our friends we left behind.
I will try to keep up better with my posting, and I am working on taking more pictures so I can put them up when I do post.

I've Got Pirates, Do You?

We have 2 pirates in our house these days, occasionally 3 when I play along. The kids have taken a serious liking to the Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (PC). They are obsessed, and watch it 2 sometimes 3 times a day. I know I know, some of you are saying, "but that's too scary for them!" I thought the same thing at first but they watched it and loved it and they haven't stopped watching it since.

A few weeks ago Cameron and I were brainstorming what other movies have pirates in them, and surprisingly there aren't too many. I saw Swiss Family Robinson (SFR) at Costco last week for $7 and snagged it. Andie is in love. She thinks that's the greatest movie these days. Interesting thing is when Cameron was little he watch the SFR all day long. I am so sick of Pirates of the Caribbean that Swiss Family Robinson has been a welcome change, I am sure Cameron would agree.

When we aren't watching one of the two Pirate movies, we are sword fighting with scarves tied around our heads, making pirate hats out of newspaper, or speaking like pirates and placing "arr" and "matey" into every sentence. Andie and I have been discussing, at great length, Brady's pirate birthday party. She is so excited and is positive this is going to be for her, what a sad day it will be when she realizes we are celebrating the birth of, gasps, BRADY. He is more obsessed than Andie which is pretty hard to believe, but he makes such a cute pirate.

Tears

Sunday I cried. I was getting dressed and had my outfit planned right down to the jewelry. I had thought the night before how I could still wear my broken necklace, which is my favorite. I was so excited because I went to Target last week and found two dresses that were originally $50 and I got them for $9 a piece and the necklace was going to give it that extra amount of ump to make me look great. Brady started freaking out and asked for help, when I went to help him I saw that he had my favorite necklace and he broke it to the point where it couldn't be saved.

Now I have to tell you, I had a small meltdown when he broke it the first time, but I took a minute to breath and realized it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. But this time, I was so upset. I stared at myself in the mirror as I finished up my make-up and the more I thought about it, the more upset I became. You see, that was the necklace I got for Brady's blessing day. We didn't have much money so when I found it, it was exactly what I was looking for and at a great price, I was so thrilled. On the day of his blessing, I wore a red dress, brown patent leather heels and the perfectly matching brown beaded necklace. I got a million compliments on it.

Every time I wear that necklace I get asked where I bought it, and every time I wear that necklace I remember Brady's blessing day. I remember the family members who were able to be there for it. Lindsay's last minute flight to make it, Seth driving from the Bay area to be there, and Karen's early morning flight. I remember all my family and friends from childhood coming from all over the Sacramento area to be there to hear my little brother Clayton speak before he left on his 2 year mission to Madagascar. I remember that was the day my sweet niece Eva was blessed as well. I remember we sat in the overflow because the chapel was so packed with people (thanks to Clayton speaking), and Andie was putting up a terrible fight because she didn't want to sit still. I remember during Brady's blessing, feeling the sweet spirit so strong. I remember after the blessing and during Clayton's talk, Andie took Brady's bottle of breast milk I had pumped that morning and swigged it down. We sat in that overflow trying desperately to suppress our laughter as she announced how yummy brother's bottle was. When I wear that necklace I remember everything about that wonderful day as if it were yesterday.

As I stared at myself in the mirror and thought about the real reason I was upset by this broken necklace, tears began to flow freely. How could I be crying over something so silly? I admit, Brady has broken quite a few of my things in that last week and it was probably the straw that broke the camels back, but there I was, a cryer by no means, crying over a $10 necklace. I will miss that necklace, but I still have a reminder of that special day. I see that reminder first thing in the morning when I wake up and is the last person I see before going to bed at night. The little reminder is begging for itsy bitsy spider ten times a day, and wondering where his softy (blanket) went, and asks a million times an hour if I have seen his binky. That reminder kisses me so sweetly when pronouncing "love you mama". No necklace could replace my little reminder, my sweet little Brady. How I love my baby boy. He makes me laugh all day long. He loves his sister, she is his best friend. His favorite thing is to snuggle on the couch with Daddy. I am grateful for my little reminder, I LOVE YOU BRADY!