I know, I know!!!

So I really do know just how bad I've been at blogging lately. I keep trying to get the motivation to get on here and blog about some of the fun things we've been doing (and I feel incredibly awful that I didn't even post a Happy Birthday to Blake on his birthday) but I keep getting sidetracked by the beautiful weather we're finally having and ... the GYM!!! My goal is to have some new pictures up by the end of next week. If you don't see something I give you each permission to smack me around a little!. This'll have to do for today though. ;)

Easter

We had a great time doing fun Easter activities this year! To start out we went to our friends house and dyed eggs and did a cute little Easter egg hunt. I half expected Spencer to run around crazy and take all the eggs for himself, but he was a great big brother and friend and made sure that the younger kids got eggs too! The dyeing of the eggs was a fun experience. Growing up we never really did that (or if we did I've forgotten) and so it was fun to sit and spend some quality time with my boys as we waited for the color to set. Then of course as soon as they were done, Tyler had cracked one open and was eating it... gotta love it :)

We were awoken early Easter morning to Spencer running in our room telling us all about his easter basket that the easter bunny left for him and Brooklyn and Tyler. Which, after he ran out of our room, he immediately ran to Tyler's room and let him out so he could get to his easter basket too. Blake and I both sighed and then slowly got up (since if we left them down there alone they would eat themselves into sugar shock). We did another little easter egg hunt with them and it was so cute to watch Brooklyn walk around, bend over all slow and pick up an egg while giggling. She is my darling little girl that's for sure. They all looked so cute in their Easter outfits at church, but somehow I didn't get a picture of them all. I think that this may have something to do with the fact that I asked Blake to do it while I was getting ready. I think that's why, but I can't be too sure. So you're just gonna have to take my word for it that they all looked dang cute!

Fun at the Farm... on the one and only warm day so far!!

For a Mommy and Me outing last week we took the kids to the Farm at Thanksgiving Point. We've done this about a million times since we live so close, but this time it was so fun because Brooklyn was walking around and having a great time getting up close and personal with the animals (not really haha, she'd freak anytime they got too close to her face). As usual Tyler's favorite part was the pony ride. He kept looking at me and saying "cheese, Mommy!" and he was adament that he wanted the purple one (that was the color of the reigns). Brooklyn on the other hand screamed bloody murder when I tried to put her on a pony. Ah well, it just meant that Tyler got another turn :) Here's some pics from our day out.

Spencer and Tyler's Birthday at Boondocks

This past Saturday we celebrated both Spencer and Tyler's birthday at Boondocks. Tyler turned 3 on March 2nd and Spencer will be turning 8 (can't believe it) on March 23rd. Since their bdays are so close together we figured why not knock out their parties in one big birthday bash swoop! We had a great time with friends and family. Tyler loves anything and everything Diego so of course we had to get him a Diego cake which he was absolutely thrilled about! Spencer wanted Spongebob, which he was equally excited about :) Here are the pictures from our fun evening.

Happy Anniversary Honey! (wow 4 years!)

Today is my and Blake's 4 year Wedding Anniversary and I just want to let Blake know how much I love him! He is a wonderful man, husband, and father. I don't think I could find a man who loves and cares for me more than he does. He truly makes me feel cherished each and every day. Thank you sweetie for a great 4 years and I'm looking forward to the next 4 (hopefully more than 4 ) hehe

Our Valentines Weekend

This Valentines was definitely memorable, but not so much in a good way. Brooklyn was hospitalized for RSV/Bronchiolitis.So we spent our Valentines Day in the hospital nursing our little baby girl back to health. She was such a trooper, even when she was getting poked and prodded by the nurses. She is such a sweet little girl and complained minimally about all that was happening to her. We're home now and extremely grateful! Thank you to everyone who came to visit and especially Kim and Mariah for bringing us dinner this past week :) You guys are great!

Fun at the Firehouse

For a preschool activity last week we took the kids over to the Firestation to meet the firemen and so they could see and touch an actual firetruck. Tyler seemed pretty hesitant at first and would barely touch the fireman when he was all suited up in his protective gear, but once we moved on to the firetruck and he realized he got to go inside the truck all qualms disappeared. He climbed right up and sat on the seat all proud. He was so dang cute!

After the firehouse we went back to Jill's for a Valentines day party. It was so much fun! The kids got to decorate little bags for the valentines that they exchanged, Tyler went all out haha. Jill made a really yummy lunch for us all and the best homemade sugar cookies. Thanks Jill for planning everything, you're great!

DAVID ARCHULETTA!!!

Yes it is true.. I saw DAVID ARCHULETTA at Sweet Tomatoes tonight! This is the best thing that's happened to me all year! hehe It's funny because I didn't really want to go out to dinner tonight and Blake basically had to drag me out the door, but dang am I grateful I went! Plus now I finally have something to Blog about!! Yay!
The only reason why I even noticed him was because when he walked by our table he had this cute little smirk on his face like he was expecting people to notice him or something. This caught my attention and made me take a second glance and then at the same moment I heard the two little 8 yr old girls in the booth behind me squeel "It's DAVID ARCHULETTA!!" At that moment I muttered under my breath to Blake the same thing. He was like "What? Where? Are you sure??" So I pointed him out and from then on neither of us could stop glancing over at his table every few minutes. For Blake's sake he was only looking that way to keep watch on a good time for when I should go over to say something (just didn't want people thinking Blake had a little girly crush on David A). I kept looking around to see if I was the only one who noticed (besides the squeelers behind me) and that's when I saw that all the teenagers working the cash registers were huddled around talking to their manager with huge smiles on their faces. Then the manager walked up to David and talked to him for a little while (that gave me a little courage to walk up to him myself, I definitely didn't want to be the only one!) As soon as she was done and walking past me I asked her "Is that David Archuletta?" and she was all "YES!!" So I told her that I wanted to go over but felt like a huge dork. She said that she had been the only one to say anything so she was sure that it would make him feel good to have other people recognize him. I couldn't quite work up the courage right away though. In fact I physically got up from the table a minimum of 3 times to walk over to his table but ended up just making a circle and going right back to my chair. I'm really hoping he didn't notice this because then when I really went up to him he probably thought I was certifiably crazy! haha Finally I decided I was just gonna bite the bullet and really walk over there this time... but then NO PEN and he was on the phone!! Ugh! The Manager walked by me a 2nd time and kinda whispered "did you go over yet??" I told her I couldn't find a pen so she gave me the one out of her shirt pocket! lol
So now I had the pen, paper and no excuse to not go over. I decided that the best way to not look so ridiculous was to wait until we were leaving and then just stop at his table. I felt like I was saying the prayer in sacrament meeting and reciting what I was gonna say the whole time I was walking toward the table. Let me tell you, when you really need time to go in slow motion, it only speeds up! Luckily when I got to the table I didn't have to stand there to wait for them to look at me!! I walked up and said " So I'm a little embarrassed, but I would totally regret it if I didn't say anything!" he kinda looked at me with this shy little smile like "uh ok" at that point though the girl in the picture and what I think to be his mom started complimenting the necklace Blake gave me for Christmas (seriously Blake that was an awesome gift! I get compliments from EVERYONE!) the complimenting was great but it totally threw me off from my "recited" speech haha. So I just asked if I could get his autograph and a picture of him for proof that I actually met him. He was very polite (but looked like he felt incredibly awkward) and signed what I gave him and then kinda looked up at me and smiled for the picture. Now I've gotten a lot of guff from people saying I shoulda asked for a picture WITH him.. but here are my reasons that I didn't.. A) he was sitting on the inside of the booth and made no effort to move to get up, so I wasn't about to ask him to get up to take a picture with me (especially because it took all I had just to ask for the dang thing) and B) I hadn't showered yet after the gym and didn't look my best. Mental note: always, always, always shower right after the gym in case you run into David Archuletta! So anyway that is the story of my meeting David A and why the picture is of him and some girl that no one knows hehe. Hope you've enjoyed this time,I sure have! This is gonna be a highlight for a good while! I don't know how Blake is gonna top our next dinner out! Better get working on it Blake.. next I would like to meet Robert Pattinson (oh man I think I would pass out!)

And it's all over....

So Christmas is over(as well as 2008) and if I'm being honest, I'm a little depressed! I just love the holiday season so much because of all the fun things happening and spending time with family and friends. I'm definitely one that likes to be surrounded by people, I attribute this to being one of 7 children. Growing up with that many siblings there was never a dull moment, which I love. I've loved this past year and now look forward to many more memories in 2009!

Here is the last look at Christmas for the Buchanan family :) Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years

4th Times a Charm!

So I just have to say, I saw Twilight for the 4th time today and it gets better and better every time!! LOVE IT!

I love Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Not just because of the gifts, but because of the warm feeling in the air! I just love snuggling up and watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas songs all day and most of all I love bundling up for outings! We've had a great time this season, here are some pictures of all the fun! (remember if one of the slideshows doesn't come up, refresh the page)

Tyler playing in the snow

Spencer's Jingle Jam concert at school: He was so funny! When he first walked in I could tell right away that he felt dumb wearing the reindeer nose and antlers! He had this super grumpy face on and was staring at the floor. But as soon as he saw me and Tyler waving at him he perked right up and sang with gusto!! We love our Spencer!

Christmas outings :)

Jim Brickman concert: FM100 was sponsoring 1 hour Christmas concerts at SouthTowne mall in December. We lucked out and happened to go on the day Jim Brickman was performing!! He's a little bit of a goon while he plays (he would end each song by swishing his arms up and around to face us.. it was so strange) But he was fantastic to listen to!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Less TV, More Playdough!

In an effort to cut down on the embarrassing amount of TV watching that goes on in our household, I have been trying to come up with different activities for the kids to do. Last week Gavin was over and I decided to break out some Apple Jacks and yarn to make necklaces. I'm not sure any of the cereal actually made it on the yarn by their doing (they mostly were eating 5 to every 1 they put on... and then eating that 1). Truth be told I ended up stringing the cereal for them, but they loved eating the cereal off and it made me feel good that I was able to have an activity that didn't include Diego!
Yesterday I decided to be adventurous and make playdough for the boys to play with. Now the last time I attempted this same task (about 3 yrs ago) it didn't work at all and ended up being a HUGE gooey, yucky mess. I was determined to make it work this time though and it did! It's funny how, as a Mom, successfully making playdough can make you feel great about yourself. haha The best part though was that the boys had a great time cutting out shapes and making snakes and snowmen. I literally had to tear it away from Tyler after about an hour to eat lunch.

Here's the recipe I used in case anyone else wants to give it a go :)

Playdough

2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornstarch


Mix with a fork until smooth.
Boil over medium heat until thick.(I kept stirring until it was a big lump resembling mashed potatoes)
Spoon onto plate or wax paper. (let it cool for about 10 min, then knead it all together. Don't be deterred by it looking a little crusty, once mixed in it's fine)

Bathtime

Brooklyn and Tyler crack me up when they take a bath together. They love to splash and splash and SPLASH!!! Which I can't say that i'm too fond of, but they enjoy it. So long as I scoot way back then everyone is happy :) Brooklyn has also started SCREAMING along with the splashing. Here is a video of this blessed occurence. (fyi: no baby private parts are shown)

Our little girl has just about got it!

It's been a slow process (well compared to my boys who both walked at about 9/10 mos) but Brooklyn has just about figured out the whole walking thing. If it weren't for my sweet nieces carrying her around all last week I think she would be toddling around perfectly by now. I got some video though of her recent achievements in walking and wanted to share. Now I'm just shooting for Christmas for her big walking debut!

Thanksgiving in AZ

Thanksgiving this year was so much fun! We went down to my sister's house in AZ to celebrate the holiday. We had a great time talking, playing games and preparing all the yummy dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. Don't you love how you spend ALL DAY in the kitchen for about 30 minutes of actual eating! Ruthanne and I braved the Black Friday sales at 5 am which are always extremely hectic but so much fun. I'm definitely one who appreciates a great deal so the movies I got for $2 a piece made me especially happy! I have to say the highlight of our trip though had to be going to see Twilight again with my sisters and our hubbies! If it's even possible, I think I loved it even more seeing it the second time. I honestly could watch Twilight every day all day long and not get tired of it! haha I love spending time with my family and was so sad to leave. Here's a slideshow from our time in AZ

Our Twilight Night!! (dang it..Jill beat me!)

I wanted to be the first to share with everyone about our Twilight night, but Jill is just too fast! haha We had such a great time last night. The movie was awesome, I was swooning the entire time! But what made the night so great was all the wonderful ladies that went with me. Enjoy the slideshow girls! (reminder: if the slideshow doesn't load right away, refresh the page)

Here are a few of my favorite scenes from the movie:
Edward and Bella together at school

The baseball scene





When Edward shows up in Port Angeles




The Kiss


... of course The Prom!


I also have to say I loved Jacob, he was so cute!


Jasper and Emmett were pretty easy on the eyes too!



The flashbacks were really cool too

I thought the one where they were in La Push the first time around in there Old Time clothes was really cool but I couldn't find a pic :(

Well obviously I loved many things about the movie and could go on and on, but I will spare you my endless swooning! It was a great time with some great ladies! Thanks girls for coming with me!!

Brooklyn's 1st Birthday

Our sweet little princess turned 1 yesterday. I can't believe how fast time flies, it seems like just last week I was still in the hospital with her. I know she looks like she could be 2 yrs old because of how big she is, but she's still my little baby girl and I can't believe she's a year old! She has such a beautiful glow about her, always smiling and so happy! We love her that's for sure! Here are some pictures from her Birthday.

(If the slideshow doesn't come up after a minute, refresh the screen, usually that will get it going)

Twilight on the cover of Entertainment Weekly

I'm thanking myself for subscribing to Entertainment Weekly all those months ago, because this Friday's issue made it all worth it! Twilight was on the cover (and it was a GOOD cover this time!) with interviews with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and an article about the hopeful success of the movie. Here are the pictures that accompanied the issue.

Here are the links to the articles in case you haven't already run out and bought the issue for yourself :)

Robert Pattinson: Interview With the 'Twilight' Vampire

Kristen Stewart talks 'Twilight'

'Twilight': Will the Movie Be a Hit?

Our First Big Snowfall

We woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow and still falling. The first real snowfall is always exciting, especially for Tyler and Spencer. For them it means snowball fights, snow angels and building snowmen (although today I found out that Spencer doesn't really know how to make a snowman??? I'm gonna have to have Blake get out there and show him what's what!)
For me though it means Blake taking the van and leaving me stranded because there was no way I was letting him drive his scooter in the snow (he's crazy enough that he just might have tried) and his busted up lincoln wouldn't start (tell me again why that piece is still sitting in our driveway??) It also means freezing my buns off while the kids run around gleefully in the snow. It's worth it though to see how happy they are :)
Don't let me fool you, I really am excited for winter. There's something about snow that makes me feel all warm and cozy inside and puts me right in the holiday spirit. Christmas here we come!


(my camera battery died so I only got the 2 pictures and I didn't even get one with Tyler looking :( I'm not worried though, because I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances if this winter is anything like the last!)

Happy Halloween :)

We had such a blast this year for Halloween. Spencer dressed up as Indiana Jones, Tyler as Spiderman and Brooklyn a big puffy pumpkin. We did so many fun things, here are some of the final pictures from all our Halloween festivities.

PRESCHOOL

Tyler, Gavin, Lindsey and Ava at preschool..look at Tyler posing, he's such a ham!

Tyler in his Spidey costume

OUR HALLOWEEN PARTY

Gavin with powdered donut all over his face

Tyler wouldn't play the game, but that didn't stop him from snaggin' the donut afterwards!
Tate saying "CHEESE!"
Andy means business!

The girls..I just realized this..where was Jennica???

Our little pumpkin Brooklyn

Jill cheesin' haha

Spencer with his "dog on a motorcycle"balloon

Aren't we cute lol! In case you are wondering, yes I am kneeling a little because I'm so dang tall compared to those shorties!

Blake making a one-time-only appearance for balloon making

Did you know Joe can make balloon animals too?!? You should ask him to make you one sometime!

Lindsey and the only pic I could get of her :)

Macie, she's so cute!

Tyler and his "spiderman" balloon

Our little Indie! Madi is always good for a pic!

Gavin and his balloon hat.. he was so excited to put this on!

SCHOOL PARADE

Spencer at his school parade

TRICK OR TREATING

Little Red Riding Hood Meggy

Tyler was so excited to go Trick or Treating!!!

Daddy getting Brookie ready to go. Look how cute!

We had such a fun time! Can't wait til next year!