Reary Family

Homemade Valentine Decorating

2012-01-25T10:31:00.004-07:00

I recently discovered the fun of Modge Podge. I know, a lot later than all you crafties. I get together once a month for craft day with my sis and sis-in-law, which was the perfect time to try out some ideas I wanted to use with Modge Podge. I just had to see what it was all about. I bought some wood letters at a store called Crafty Wood Cutouts, which happened to be a really great price. I also bought scrapbook paper and the Modge Podge there as well, its a great little store. Through some trial and error (on my part), we got the job done and I think it turned out pretty well.

We had left over scrapbook paper and I had picked up a couple of paint cards at Home Depot last weekend, so we decided to make a Valentine garland that my sister Becca had on Pinterest. (Thanks Becca) It turned out like this:

It was a fun craft day, relatively cheap, and spending time with some girls what just what I needed.

I had one more sheet of scrapbook paper that hadn't been used and I couldn't just throw it away. I had one more idea.... I picked up an unpainted picture frame at Hobby Lobby, which happened to be 50% off. (Oh yeah.) With a little more help from Modge Podge, I made this:

I had the perfect picture for the frame, it was taken two years ago, and very festive.

All-in-all, I think Modge Podge lived up to my expectations. It was pretty fun and easy to use. I have used up all of my crafty energy though, so Modge Podge is done for a while.

Oh, wait one more idea....

I found something on Pinterest that I wanted to alter a bit.

Found Here

I bet it smells wonderful, but I wanted to change mine up a bit. I had the perfect container that I bought at Pier 1 years ago. My version:

Perfect.

And that concludes my Valentine projects.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-23T17:57:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas from the Rearys!

This past year has been a little crazy for us. We sold our house the end of January and moved into a rental, which was smaller than the house we sold. We had most of our stuff stored in the garage and lived out of boxes. Fun. The good news is that we are finally in our new house. We were able to move in December 10th. We have been able to get most of our Christmas decorations up and quite a few of our boxes unpacked. We are finally home. We still need a few light fixtures, some doors fixed and shutters for our outside windows, but we are home. I can't get a picture of the outside until we have our shutters, its a big deal. So here is the inside.....

Not the best pictures, I will post more (that are in focus) without boxes hopefully.

Caleb is 4

2011-12-22T21:41:00.003-07:00

For Caleb's birthweek back in November, (I know, I know....) he got to do several of his favorite things. Shane took Caleb to Cabela's the night before his birthday, which is his favorite place ever. I get asked every day if we can "see a moose". Caleb saw a moose calendar and just had to have it. Shane said he bounced through the store pointing at and announcing everything that he saw. Can you tell that he loves it?

On his birthday we took him to McDonalds for dinner and took his birthday cake (a road with cars) to Uncle Nick and Aunt Sharon's house. I have pictures, I just can't get them off my camera. Since I didn't put last years pictures on the blog, I am putting a video on this year.

(Note to self: don't sing Happy Birthday while holding the camera, it is BAD.)

Lastly on Saturday we took the kids swimming at the Legacy center, our city's indoor pool. Caleb's other favorite thing is swimming and he had lots of fun.

Caleb is a funny, sweet, happy, energetic, tough-as-nails four year old. He has been through a lot in his life, with all his surgeries, but he is doing great and we love him a lot.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-08T13:25:00.004-07:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. It was the first time that we all went trick-or-treating as a family. Usually I stay home with a baby and pass out candy while Shane takes the older kids out. This year we left a bowl of candy on the porch, and amazingly we had some left when we got home. It was a good night and the kids had lots of fun.

Here is a picture from the community center, they have a halloween party every year with trick-or-treating, games and prizes.

The Zoo

2011-11-01T10:34:00.005-06:00

We took a day off school last month to go to the zoo. We took Grandma Eilene, Aunt Leesa and Joshua and Aunt Sharon. It was perfect weather and not crowded. The kids had lots of fun. Here are some pictures:

We were able to get pretty close to the tigers.

The Boys are back in school

2011-09-22T09:58:00.004-06:00

Cole has lost yet another tooth. Anytime his tooth is loose he begs his Dad to pull it out and will find pliers to help the cause.

Caleb loves school, mostly the snacks and toys. It has been very good for him, his speech therapist works with him twice a week and he has made big improvements.

Avery wanted to fit in and grew a perfect mustache and goatee.

Summer Recap

2011-09-04T17:18:00.005-06:00

We spent a lot of time and Trafalga and Seven Peaks this summer.

Fourth of July bbq at my Grandparents.

We went four-wheeling several times.

Cole played T-Ball this year.

We also had visits from cousins.

(Avery found a marker and decided to color her face, thankfully not her dress.)

We also went to the splash pad weekly and the park as well. It was a fun summer, we are sad to see it go.

Avery's Birthday

2011-08-11T16:18:00.008-06:00

Wow, she is getting so big!

Ave turned two on Sunday. Its hard to believe, she is growing so fast.

She got her first Barbie and loves it.

And what is a Barbie without a pink Corvette?

Avery is such a fun girl. She is so affectionate to her family, but is pretty shy with others. She is really easy going and pretty much does her own thing, but has quite a stubborn streak. She likes being around her brothers and doing all of the things that they are doing.

It is funny having a girl after two boys, she loves picking out her clothes, carrying purses, and is becoming a bit dramatic. When she is upset she covers her face with her hands and slowly melts to the floor. It is pretty funny, although I can see it getting old before long.

(practicing posing in her sleep)

At her check up on Tuesday her doctor was amazed how easy she was and commented that his life would be easier if every two year old would be as good as she was.

Her stats:

23 pounds - 10th percentile

33 inches - 37th percentile

She really is our little girl, and we love her.

Cole moves on from Kindergarten

2011-07-20T23:09:00.004-06:00

Cole finished kindergarten in May and will be moving on to first grade next month. It will be a big change having him gone all day, his siblings will definitely miss him. His kindergarten class had a program, here are a few pictures.

He really loved his teacher, Ms. Wright and will miss all the friends that he made.

It was fun for me to go once a month to help out in his class and get to know the other kids.

Now I have to convince him that first grade will be as fun as kindergarten. I am sure the new three recesses instead of one will help.

Easter

2011-05-12T00:02:00.000-06:00

Easter came and went, now I am finally doing a post about it. The Saturday before Easter my Mom was in the process of packing for her big move to Draper. Since we had planned on helping her that day we decided to do our hunt at her house. This was Avery's first year finding eggs and it was fun to watch.

I left her for a minute to get a picture of Cole. When I came back to Avery this is what I saw....

I guess she had enough finding, and was ready for the eating.

The boys had fun too and collected a lot of treats.

I couldn't find our easter baskets this year, so the boys made due with old ice cream buckets from my Mom's basement. I guess whatever works. The kids had fun and had too much candy, another successful Easter egg hunt.

She is Getting So Big

2011-03-30T16:56:00.003-06:00

Our little girl is growing up on us. She is almost twenty months, it is hard to believe. She has been talking so much lately, her new word is 'yuck'. She loves reading books and is constantly carrying them around the house with her. She is still pretty easy going and just likes to do her own thing.

She got caught trying to get her pacifier and baby out of her crib. She sleeps with them at night, but can't resist them in the day. Which means I am usually on a hunt for them at nap time.

Shane's brother Luke and his wife Sara let us babysit their little Londyn the other night. What a cutie.

What cute little cousins.

Love of the Game

2011-02-21T00:44:00.004-07:00

Cole has been playing Jr. Jazz (a city basketball league for kids) for the last couple of months. He has really enjoyed it, and it is quite humorous to watch. I am not a competitive person, and think that sports are fun and should be enjoyed and not taken so seriously. Shane on the other hand, doesn't agree and really wants Cole to get in there and get the job done. So at Cole's first basketball game when he was skipping back and forth across the court, I couldn't help but laugh and grin and the good time he was having. Shane was sitting next to me telling him to guard his man and get the ball. Thankfully he is having fun, and learning new skills.

Cole turned 6 in January! He picked two friends to take to Chuck-E-Cheese (no talking him out of it) and we went for ice cream afterwards. The next day, his actual birthday, he had a basketball game that night then we went for pizza with my family afterward. He picked out his birthday cake, and the treats he took to school that day. He had a good birthday and I can't believe he is getting so old.

Cole:

A sweet, caring, bossy, responsible brother

A good sense of humor

Friendly

Still loves Curious George

Loves riding his bike, playing with his friends, basketball, and wrestling

Loves Ramen noodles, doesn't like french fries

Still likes to give his Mom and Dad hugs.

We love this kid.

Disneyland

2011-02-11T09:34:00.004-07:00

Our family (minus Avery, she stayed home with my Mom and Leesa) went to California the second week of January. We went to Disneyland on Thursday, California Adventure Friday and the beach on Saturday. We had perfect weather, it was mid-high seventies at Disneyland, and it wasn't too crowded. Caleb was tall enough to ride most of the rides and whether he wanted to or not he went with us. He wasn't too excited about the roller coasters, but Cole loved them. Cole's favorite ride was Indiana Jones and second was probably Space Mountain. Shane and I really wanted to go on Tower of Terror, the first time the kids were a little worried, especially when ghosts started turning up. Shane and I loved it, so the second time we went on the ride, the kids knew what was going on, and were terrified. We made them go anyway....mean parents. Caleb was clinging to me pretty tightly.

Our second ride on Tower of Terror. Can you see Caleb clinging?

Caleb loves Mickey Mouse and when he got to see him at Disneyland he was in awe.

They loved meeting all the characters and fortunately we didn't have to wait in any lines. I have been told that the princess lines are pretty long, I guess some day we will have to do that too.

The boys first Disneyland trip was a success.

Cole and I loved the teacups, and couldn't stop laughing.

Laguna Beach

2011-02-11T09:13:00.003-07:00

While we were in California we had to hit the beach. Caleb had never seen the ocean and Cole was little when we were there last, they loved it. The boys made a sand castle, we ate lunch, we played in the water, but mostly we enjoyed being out in the sun, it was warm 85 degrees.

The water was pretty cold, can you tell?

Building......

The completed Sand Castle

Caleb turned 3!

2010-12-15T23:09:00.004-07:00

Caleb turned three in November. Yes, I am just now posting pictures. Our family, plus a two aunts, two uncles and a grandma, went to Pirate Island. I wish I had more pictures, but my battery died and I had to use my Mom's camera. So here is the one I did get. The boys had a fun time, it is a fun place for birthday parties. I made Caleb a Mickey Mouse cake, which he enjoyed, sorry no pictures.

Caleb also started preschool in November. Up until he turned three he has been working with Kids on the Move. Since he was born with a cleft palate, and due to all of his surgeries, he is behind in his speech development. Now that he is three he is going to a special preschool where he meets each time with a speech therapist. His school meets two days a week in the afternoons for three hours, (yes it is a long time for my still napping three year old) and a bus picks him up at our house and brings him home after school. I know, so convenient, I can't complain. The bus ride is by far his favorite part of school, but I think he enjoys being around the other kids too.

Catching Up

2010-12-15T23:03:00.007-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted, so I am try to catch up with the things we have done over the past month.

Cole loved wrestling, and took it very seriously, but loved the medals that he won the most. He had four different tournaments and won three medals.

We enjoyed the fall; playing in the leaves (with all of our trees we were able to come up with a big pile that all of the neighbor kids enjoyed), and a yummy Thanksgiving at Shane's parents house. Cole made the pilgrim hat and turkey at school.

We also have found time to decorate our house for Christmas and make a gingerbread train. Now we just need to finish up our shopping, as Cole informed me today, "10 DAYS LEFT!!!"

I hope everyone else is enjoying the holidays too.

Cole's Big Night

2010-11-10T20:49:00.005-07:00

Cole had two big things happen tonight. We signed Cole up for wrestling this year and he had his first wrestling tournament tonight. He has really enjoyed practice and going with his Dad and was very excited to finally have a real match. He wrestled three different boys, here is a video of one of his matches.

All the boys look so cute in their singlets especially Cole, even though he looks like a little bean pole.

Cole also lost his first tooth tonight. I know it is lame, but I did get a bit emotional. My boy is getting so big. He keeps wondering out loud what the Tooth Fairy will be dropping off for him tonight. It is kind of late for advise, but does anyone have good ideas for the Tooth Fairy?

Okay, we were bored.

2010-11-04T00:02:00.011-06:00

Shane has been out of town all week so we have been trying to find things to do. On Tuesday my friend Mindy brought her three girls over, Wednesday we went to Chick-fil-A with a friend that I grew up with, Jami, and her two boys. Tonight we went to dinner with my mom-in-law, my sis-in-law and my cute niece Lyndsey. Since Lyndsey's birthday is tomorrow she chose to go to the Cheesecake Factory, which was very yummy. Grandma and Grandpa Reary got all the kids jackets with Shane's company logo, here they are posing in their new gear.

Even with all of that going on we still have a lot of time on our hands to be bored.

Since I had time to spare, I decided to dress Ave up and take some pictures. She is still little enough that I can get her to cooperate.

While we were in her room having a photo shoot, the boys were chillin' in their room watching the movie 'Jungle Book'.

Halloween and Pumpkins

2010-11-03T23:15:00.005-06:00

Happy late Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I think I enjoy it more each year as the kids get older, so I try to pack more in each year.

We had a pumpkin carving party at our house for family home evening. We had doughnuts, cider and homemade fudge. My sis-in-law Sharon really gets into the carving and brought over a really fun kit which made the carving a lot more interesting and creative. You may not tell from the pictures, which weren't great, but we had a witch, a ghost, a hanging bat and a weird face. They all turned out really good and it was fun.

The whole week was red ribbon week at Cole's school. One day was crazy hair day, so we sprayed Cole's hair, one side blue and the other black. Cole was sure that Caleb wanted to be involved so we sprayed his hair blue too.

On Friday Cole's class had a parade where the Kindergarten classes went into each other's rooms to show off their costumes. Cole decided he wanted to be a vampire again this year. That evening we got all of the kids dressed up and went to our city recreation center where they have a Halloween party each year. There were games, prizes, face painting, and of course trick-or-treating. Caleb really got it this year and grinned from ear to ear as each piece of candy was dropped into his bucket.

On Saturday we went to the elementary school's Halloween carnival. There were rides, more games and prizes, a band and food. We were having a good time, until the rain, and I mean A LOT of rain, cut it short. We waited it out at a friends house and let the kids play and had pizza for dinner. Once the rain let up we got the kids dressed up and Shane took them trick-or-treating. Cole switched things up and decided to be a cowboy for this night, sorry no picture.

It was a good holiday, we had lots of fun and hope everyone else did too.

Four Wheeling

2010-10-14T09:33:00.003-06:00

Our family went four wheeling on Labor Day, and I am just now getting to posting. We went again last weekend in American Fork canyon. The weather was a bit cold, but it was worth it to see the beautiful fall leaves. I love fall and was very excited about this trip, and then I forgot my camera. So instead of showing pictures I will just have to describe it... We went up some amazing trails that were in ravines with a river surrounded by trees that were in the middle of changing colors. When we got to the top of the trail we could see all the way down into Midway (for those of you that don't know, it is the next county over) and it was awesome. We were driving up the canyon, seeing the fall leaves, I forgotten my camera, but I came up with a great idea. I called my brother Nick, who is taking photography classes and is quite good, and asked if he would drive up with us the next day and take our family picture among all of those fall leaves. He agreed and we got some great shots. He is making a cd for me, so I will be posting those pictures when I get them on Sunday. Stay tuned.....

In the meantime, our trip in September was fun too, but very dusty.

Caleb and his best friend Sadie.

Kristy brought some toys for the kids to play with, which they had fun with, but resulted in this..

Luckily when they cleaned up, they looked like this...

Cole's first day of kindergarten

2010-09-06T22:06:00.003-06:00

I am not going to lie, it was hard sending my baby off to school. I thought that preschool would help me prepare for this big day, but this was the real thing, and quite sad. He was excited to go, although he kept saying that he was " nervous because he is too shy". I am not sure where he got that idea, I would never describe my easy-going boy as shy. He had fun, likes his new teacher, and is loving recess.

Avery turned 1!

2010-09-02T10:16:00.006-06:00

Avery turned one last month! I haven't posted because I am in denial that my baby is now so big. Between her, and Cole starting Kindergarten (more on that later), I am realizing that my kids are growing too fast.

I made Avery a butterfly cake and gave her the Twinkie in the middle to eat.

She wasn't sure just what to do with it, and the mess.

But as you can see, she finally got into it and enjoyed it.

She loved her presents and is excited to have another baby to kiss.

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Reary the next day, which was her actual birthday, and she had another cake that Grandma made for her and balloons. The cake was so good it was gone before I could get a picture, but here is Ave enjoying her balloons.

Reunion at Bear Lake

2010-08-13T00:18:00.009-06:00

My family had been talking about getting together for a reunion for a while, and what better time to go than after a wedding when everyone is in town? We rented a condo in Bear Lake for the week after Nick's wedding and all stayed together. We play lots of games, rented wave runners and a boat, played on the beach, and did some four-wheeling. We had good weather, good food, and lots of fun.

The kids had fun with their cousins and wish they got to see them more often.

Becca made the kids cute shirts with their names on the front, and what number they are in the family on the back. They were reminiscent of t-shirts that were made for us when we were little at our family reunions. She did a great job and the kids loved them.

Thanks for the good time Bear Lake! (and a shout out to Scot, Becca and Jess for taking some great pictures)

He was the last...

2010-08-09T09:00:00.006-06:00

My brother Nick got married to a cute, sweet girl named Sharon last month. He was the last of us Christensen kids, now we are done with weddings.... until my Mom finds 'Mr. Right'. Nick and Sharon asked Cole and his cousin Riley to be the ring boy and the flower girl. Here are some pictures of the big day.

Cole and Riley did a good job, and took it very seriously.

We missed my Dad at the wedding, so we went to the cemetery afterwards.

Jess took some cute pictures too, check them out on her blog.

Avery is 11 months

2010-07-08T23:09:00.005-06:00

Avery is getting close to the one year mark, which is so hard to believe.

Her brothers have fun playing with her, and are pretty good about sharing toys.

We have discovered that Avery likes to read. I started reading a book with her each night before she goes to bed, a couple of days after we started, she was turning the pages all by herself.

Daddy's Day

2010-06-21T13:38:00.005-06:00

We had a fun father's day weekend. We went camping Friday and Saturday, rode 4-wheelers and had lots of fun.

On Sunday we gave Shane a 'Leather-man' (tool) and a tie that matched the boys. We made carne asada for dinner with strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

Shane is a great dad who loves his kids, he is always teaching them, and loves playing with them.

Cole's Preschool Graduation

2010-06-02T10:28:00.004-06:00

Cole graduated preschool last week. I am finally getting to posting the pictures. His teacher Ms. Michelle looks young, but she did a great job and Cole loves her. When he found out that she only teaches preschool and she won't be his teacher next year for kindergarten, he was very disappointed.

The kids sang several songs, one was the alphabet in sign language that they sang twice. Cole did a good job the first time, but was distracted the second time. The video is a little shaky, I need to do more practicing holding Avery and taking video apparently.

Its Warmin' Up

2010-05-21T18:21:00.003-06:00

The last few days have been nice and warm so our family has been taking advantage of it. My whole day today was spent outside planting my flower garden. My tulips were all dying and missing petals, so I had to replace them. I have found that planting flowers has become something that I really enjoy. I took a picture, but by the end of the summer it should look different after they grow and spread, and lets be honest, there may be a few weeds.

We had a few families in our neighborhood over for a bbq the other night. The kids have had a lot of fun on the swings, and out riding bikes. Here is a video of the kids on the swings.

Cole was playing with some of the girls in the neighborhood the other day. They were all on the swing and he was pushing them. I happened to walk by when he asked them, "Why do I have to do all of the work? Because I am a boy?" Apparently he didn't mind, he kept on pushing them. Ah Cole, what a good husband you will make now that you have that figured out.

Taking Pictures

2010-05-03T16:22:00.003-06:00

I love taking pictures, so when a friend invited us to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, it sounded like a great opportunity to take some cute pictures. The new header photo was taken that day. I took a couple of other pictures, and it inspired me to take a few more.

Cole also loves taking pictures, and is getting pretty good. The next two pictures are by Cole, and with a little cropping, I think he did a good job.

Avery's teeth

2010-04-28T16:21:00.003-06:00

This month has been a big one for Avery. Her first tooth came through on April 6th, and the second wasn't too far behind. So not only does she no longer have a toothless baby grin, but she figured out how to stay sitting up on her own, despite her big baby-belly.

The video is of Avery floundering like a fish, it always makes me laugh, especially since she does it with a smile.

Easter

2010-04-27T15:10:00.004-06:00

We had a fun Easter this year. Grandma and Grandpa Reary had an Easter egg hunt for our kids and their cousins, with a fun, but expensive new idea, putting cash in some of the easter eggs.

Later Uncle Allen took the boys for a ride on his dirt bike and even let Cole help drive.

The kids and Grandpa had a golf ball race down the driveway that Cole thought was pretty fun, ah cheap entertainment. It was a fun time and Cole and Caleb love being with their cousins.

What we have been doing...

2010-03-31T22:44:00.003-06:00

Here is an update on the last few weeks with the Reary's...

My cousin Kendall had a bridal shower, (she is getting married in May) and I finally got a picture with my Grandma Andrus, my Mom, Me and Avery.

I had a girls night at my house with some neighbor gals, there was food, fun, and of course gossip. I made a trifle that I was pretty proud of.

Last weekend Shane and I went on a road trip to Vegas with our friends Rob and Mindy. We hit a yummy buffet, (I really enjoyed the desserts, don't worry I only had a couple bites of each, but you've gotta try them all, right?) and Shane and Rob went to the sold out Garth Brooks concert, while Mindy and I cruised the strip with our babies. I think Mindy and I had more fun then Avery and Emerie, apparently they got tired of looking at the lights.

The boys have been playing in the bath. I was able to capture one of Caleb's weird faces (he was folding his arms and talking to himself), he's pretty funny.

But mostly we have been hanging out in our pajamas.

Ave's check up

2010-03-08T00:48:00.000-07:00

Avery had her check up last week. She was 26.5 inches (60%) and 17 lbs, 3 oz (59%), she is seven months today!

Avery is almost seven months!

2010-02-28T14:06:00.004-07:00

Avery is getting so big, rolling over, eating, growling and lots of other fun things. Here are a few pictures I have gotten of her over the past month.

(Her first food: peas. You can't tell from the picture, but she really liked them)

She recently found her feet.

(One of my favorite dresses, thanks to her cousin Lyndsey)

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-12T15:49:00.003-07:00

We had fun taking these pictures, as you can see the kids love to pose. Too bad the picture of Avery is missing the sound, you would be able to hear the growl. It is her new thing and pretty cute. We hope you have a good Valentines Day!

Older Siblings

2010-02-07T14:51:00.002-07:00

While Shane and I were in Hawaii (see pics below) Shane's Mom watched the boys at her house. I told Cole that he needed to help Grandma keep Caleb out of trouble. He takes his jobs very seriously, and this was no exception. One day Caleb had scattered toys everywhere, when Cole noticed he told Caleb that he had made such a mess that he had to go sit in timeout. He took him by the hand and led him into the laundry room where he was told to stay. Surprisingly Caleb did as he was told and stayed, he made sure that everyone knew he was mad by screaming until Cole decided he could come out. He must have learned his lesson because the next day he had scattered crayons all over, all Cole had to do was threaten time out to have Caleb scrambling to pick up crayons. Cole was nice enough to help him pick them up. I guess they don't need me anymore.

Hawaii

2010-02-07T13:31:00.008-07:00

Shane and I were able to go to Hawaii last week, thanks to Shane's mom who watched the boys and my Mom who took us to and from the airport. We had a great time and it was nice to get away. I got a few pictures from our balcony, the whole wall was a window with sliding glass doors that looked out on ponds and the ocean. The ponds had stingrays, hammerhead sharks, and other fish.

The first day we hung out on the hotel's private beach and swam in the salt water swimming pool.

Then we went to Waikiki, and the Dole Pineapple plantation. The next day was spent finding a pediatrician (Avery had a double ear infection and the onset of bronchitis) and at Costco getting medication. That night we were able to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center for a luau and show.

The following day was spent on the North Shore checking out beaches, shrimp trucks, the Laie Temple and of course shopping.

Shane had a chance to go snorkeling one morning. He saw a few whales, some dolphins and a lot of different kinds of fish. We also had a chance to go to Pearl Harbor while we were there and although the Arizona was under construction we got to tour the Missouri where the peace treaty was signed to end WWII.

All in all it was a pretty fun trip and hard to come back to the yucky weather, lack of maid service, and most of all; reality. Aloha Hawaii.

Cole's Birthday Week

2010-01-27T00:28:00.003-07:00

Everyone in my family jokes about 'Terra and her birthday week', but my theory, especially now that I am getting older and it seems to be just another day, is that if you can make it last longer, you might enjoy it. Cole was able to experience the 'birthday week' these last few days. He had a cowboy birthday party on Saturday with six of his closest friends where they were dressed up and had a 'pony cake'. I use that term loosely, as it didn't really resemble a pony. Cole liked it (he was easier to please than I anticipated when the cake was falling apart) and his friends thought it was yummy, so I told myself that is all that matters. Then on Sunday we were able to have a family dinner where he picked strawberry frosting for his other cake (yes, 'birthday week' is evolving where there are now multiple cakes) with heart sprinkles, which made it look more like a Valentines cake, thank goodness for candles. So Monday was his actually birthday, Aunt Leesa and Grandma took him to McDonalds for lunch and he picked to go to Pirate Island for dinner. At school he is the 'star of the week' and gets to take treats and his favorite book for the class to read. Today (Tuesday) when we were getting ready to got to the store and get doughnuts for his class, he told me he was in charge for the day (oldest child syndrome = bossy). I asked why he thought he should be in charge and he explained that it was one of his 'fake birthdays' so he got to decide what we were going to do. Man I have that kid mixed up, but he has had a fun, busy, few days. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLE!!!

Avery is getting so big

2010-01-17T13:43:00.002-07:00

Avery is a little over 5 months old. Today she wore a beautiful dress that her Grandma Reary gave her for Christmas.

Ah, getting older...

2010-01-17T13:32:00.002-07:00

We all agreed that dancing would be a fun activity for family home evening on Monday night. As we were getting down to some Ray Charles ("Hit the Road Jack")I must have been doing some pretty funky moves, because I pulled a muscle in my back. It didn't hit me until Tuesday morning, and escalated so that most of Thursday was spent sitting down. As my birthday approaches, and my back is no longer up to 'gettin down', it makes me realize that I am getting older.

Living Planet Aquarium

2010-01-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Shane had the day off work yesterday so we were able to do something fun. We went to Sandy to the Living Planet Aquarium. There were so many neat things; sharks, turtles, mini crocodiles, jelly fish, and stingrays in a tank that you can touch (which Shane and Cole both tried). Of all of the things we did Cole's favorite was making a penny in the gift shop that had a shark on it. Ah, kids.

Avery's favorite Christmas present

2010-01-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Grandma Eilene gave Avery a doll for Christmas, (I know, starting a little early) and she hasn't put it down since. Here are some cute pictures.

To Grandmother's House We Go

2010-01-08T12:23:00.001-07:00

We got the kids out of bed early Christmas Eve morning to drive to Grandma and Grandpa Reary's. They had fun with their cousins and got really cool presents. We didn't get home until 11:15, but luckily we made it before Santa got to our house and we were able to open the door for him. We had a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is in lieu of sending Christmas cards. Love you all and hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Playing in the snow

2009-12-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

It has been snowing a lot recently and the boys couldn't wait to get outside and play in it.

Avery's first laugh

2009-12-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

The trip to Fort Collins was a long eight hour drive, Caleb throwing up in the first 45 minutes of that long drive didn't help. I don't know if Avery was glad to get out of her car seat, or if she was happy to escape the smell of throw up, or if Becca's story was really just that funny, but she was busting up when we got there.

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Thanksgiving with the cousins

2009-12-13T18:38:00.001-07:00

We went to Fort Collins for Thanksgiving this year and stayed with my sister Becca and her family. My sister Jess and her family recently relocated to Denver (an hour away) so we were all able to be together. We had to get a picture with all the cousins since we have each added a child since last Christmas when we were together. We all had a good time.

Caleb is 2

2009-12-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Halloween this year. Cole was able to dress up three days in a row, and after doing vampire makeup twice, we decided to fall back on the skunk costume for the actual trick-or-treating. Caleb was a dog and Avery was a flower. It was a good time.

Days of the week

2009-10-18T20:37:00.000-06:00

Here is a video of Cole singing one of the many songs he has learned at school. Despite the drama with a girl named Scarlett, who Ty says has a crush on Cole even though she is very mean to him, (Cole is so confused by the whole thing, welcome to the world of girls) he really likes school so far.

Two months

2009-10-18T20:33:00.000-06:00

Avery is two months old and loves to smile, especially at her brothers. Avery had her check up last week, she is now weighing in at almost 13 lbs and 24 inches. Big girl.

Best of friends

2009-10-18T20:27:00.000-06:00

My good friend Celeste had a baby girl a month after Avery was born, so we had to get a picture of them together. Here is cute little Felicity with Avery.

Goodbye summer

2009-10-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

I had to get a few pics of the kids in their summer clothes before I packed them away.

Avery's Blessing Day

2009-10-18T19:19:00.000-06:00

Avery's blessing turned out really well. She was very good, I don't think she made a peep. She was able to wear the same blessing dress that I wore when I was blessed. We got some good pictures, we are just missing one of her with her cousins, but we will get Jacksen, Lyndsey and Bridger next time.

Shane is 31!

2009-09-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

Four candles on a cherry cheese cake, Happy Birthday Shane!

The kids

2009-09-06T20:55:00.000-06:00

I have tried to get a picture each year of the boys in the grass, Avery didn't make it in this year, so we made up for it with a Sunday morning picture.

Avery at four weeks

2009-09-06T20:48:00.000-06:00

Avery - 2 weeks

2009-08-23T17:37:00.000-06:00

Avery is now two weeks old and 8 lbs 5 oz, 21 inches long. She has been an easy baby and a very good sleeper. She slept from 10:30 pm to 5:00 am last night. Its hard to complain, but lets hope it stays that way.

Avery Elizabeth Reary

2009-08-23T17:10:00.000-06:00

Avery was born on Friday, August 7th at 6:54 pm. She was 7 lbs 10 oz and 19 inches long. Cole was fascinated by her, Caleb hasn't figured out what to think yet. Here is a picture of her with her Dad the day we brought her home from the hospital. The other pictures are of her a couple days old.

5 days and counting

2009-08-02T20:44:00.001-06:00

People keep telling me how big I am, and asking when the baby is coming. A lady asked the other day at Walmart, "Are you having your baby?" What kind of a question is that? Like, right now? Or, Is that your regular stomach? Anyway, I had Shane take pictures today and now I can see what all the fuss is about. No, it is not a basketball, there is a moving baby inside there that will be coming out in 5 days!

Caleb's surgery

2009-08-01T21:58:00.000-06:00

Caleb had his most recent, and hopefully last surgery on July 13th at Primary Childrens. It was a two hour surgery with an overnight stay required. He really had a hard time in the beginning. His mouth was so swollen he couldn't breath well, so he had a hard time sleeping on top of it all. He was so hooked on his Tylenol with codeen that he carried the bottle around with him for days and even took a few naps with it, his new best friend. Here is a picture of he and his medicine on a horse ride. He was limited to an all-liquid diet for two days and now is in week three of six for his soft food diet. One of the hardest cutbacks has been cereal. I found him in the chair this morning while I was sweeping, apparently he is having a harder time than I thought.

whats been going on..

2009-08-01T21:50:00.000-06:00

Caleb got his first haircut a couple of weeks ago. I was pretty sad to cut of those curls so I didn't take too much off, it was mostly to get Shane off my back.
Caleb has a new fascination with Mickey Mouse. I can actually get him to sit still for about 10 minutes if Mickey is on the tv. As soon as he hears his voice he comes running and pointing. I had to get a picture of the boys watching their morning cartoon while the moment lasted.

The new puppy

2009-08-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Reary got a new puppy, Bandit. He has lots of energy and the boys love playing with him.

Trip to the zoo

2009-08-01T20:03:00.000-06:00

Back in May (yes it has been that long since the last update) we took the boys to the zoo for the first time. Shane and I were a bit disappointed, (no lions or hippos?!) but the boys had fun. I don't remember having the time of my life on the merry-go-round, but the picture tells a different story.

Fun on the CAT

2009-05-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

Camping

2009-05-09T14:35:00.000-06:00

We went down south to Goblin Valley, camping with a bunch of neighbors last weekend. The first day we got there we went on a hike called Little Wild Horse Trail. I forgot my camera so I will add pics from neighbors. The second day we went into Goblin Valley and climbed all over the rocks, it had rained that morning so the sand had turned into mud and made lots of fun for all the kids. It was a good time, and only about 3.5 hours away.

Easter

2009-04-11T14:12:00.000-06:00

It has been a rainy morning, so we have had to change plans and do our hunt inside the house. Cole and Caleb also got to meet the Easter Bunny. It was a pretty fun day.

Caleb+fingers+oatmeal=Mess

2009-04-11T11:33:00.000-06:00

Caleb, (aka: stubborn child who still refuses to walk) won't let me feed him anymore. He doesn't care for the spoon concept either, the result, a huge mess.

My first girly clothes shopping spree

2009-04-11T11:24:00.000-06:00

Some may think that going shopping for girl clothes isn't something to get too excited about (Shane). But after two boys, it is something for me to get excited about. I had them all laid out for Shane to look at when he got home. To say his reaction was disappointing was an understatement. So I gathered them all up and showed them to my Mom and sister, their reaction was much more gratifiying.

Terra's Birthday

2009-04-11T11:22:00.000-06:00

The big 28!

Cole meets Elmo

2009-04-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

Once again Kid to Kid had one of Cole's friends visit. I didn't tell him who was going to be there, in case he had already left. When we walked in the door and Elmo was standing there, Cole had a look of pure shock on his face. It was classic. Once he got over the shock he couldn't wait to meet his friend.

2009-03-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

BIG NEWS!!! I had an ultrasound yesterday and we found out that we are finally having a GIRL!!!! We haven't even discussed names, but Cole is still hoping for Tinkerbell.

Shout out for Shane

2009-01-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

I missed announcing Shane's 30th birthday. The hill is now in sight. ( I can say this because I am still a few years off) Happy Birthday!

Cole is 4!

2009-01-31T01:33:00.001-07:00

Cole had a busy and fun birthday. In order of requested events; breakfast and McDonalds with his best bud Blake, lunch with Leesa and Tim (again at McDonalds), the afternoon at the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point (he has a new dinosaur obsession), dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Reary, ending with germ-covered fun and games at Chuck-E-Cheese. He had a great time. I on the other hand, am hoping in hind-sight that next year won't have to be bigger and better.

More Christmas

2009-01-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in four years my whole family was together on Christmas. There was much to do and lots of fun cousin time to be had. There was the traditional pile of kids (this has been passed down from our generation and should be done at every opportunity), sledding, hugging, a chocolate fountain, new Christmas pjs (thanks Leesa), and of course the Christmas Eve Nativity story.

Caleb meets Santa

2009-01-31T01:07:00.000-07:00

Christmas has been more fun each year with Cole getting older, a bit more expensive too. This year his Santa list included a trampoline, a train, guns, the red Costco kitchen, the child size Escalade (Costco), and the life-like dinosaur (also found at Costco). Lesson learned, avoid Costco during the holidays. We had fun and Santa brought Cole a couple of things found on his detailed list. Caleb met Santa for the first time this year. There wasn't any crying, just a lot of staring.

Early Christmas

2009-01-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

We spent some time in Roosevelt before Christmas to see the fam. Cole had fun helping his Dad drive Grandpa Reary's tractor. He also hitched a ride on Bridger's new bike. It was such a fun and exausting day he later took a nap with his "best friend" and cousin Lyndsie.

Announcment

2009-01-31T00:54:00.000-07:00

On December 13th Shane and I discovered we are going to be adding more madness to our already crazy family. Thats right, baby #3 is on the way. This wasn't planned, but two positive pregnancy test later, there was no denying it, we are having another baby in August.

Caleb turned 1! (11/17/08)

2009-01-31T00:48:00.001-07:00

Caleb is one! How the time flies. He is such a smiley baby, but don't let that fool you. He has got quite a fiesty streak, he loves hitting, scratching and recently biting. We are hoping it is just a phase and he will go back to our good natured baby.

Halloween

2008-11-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Cole was a skunk this year and Caleb was a pumpkin. The week before Halloween we got the boys dressed up for a party at the city center. On Halloween we were getting ready to go to our ward's trunk-or-treat and all Caleb wanted to do was dump the candy out of the bowl. When it was time for pictures he was still pretty ticked off that he couldn't get a hold of the candy bowl.

Cole's trip to the dentist

2008-11-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am not going to disclose how many cavities Cole had, but here is the result of one of his trips to the dentist. Cole's half-numbed face was making me laugh so hard that he was laughing too, so we had to get it on camera.

Bath time

2008-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The last cold day we had the boys spent a couple of hours in the bath, it keeps them contained and they still weren't ready to get out.

Tractor

2008-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Reary gave Cole a tractor for Christmas last year that he and his neighbor friends have loved all summer. The other day we found another use for it.

Caleb at 9 Months

2008-09-02T13:08:00.000-06:00

Caleb is recovered from his surgery, it went pretty well. He was supposed to wear arm braces so he couldn't put things in his mouth, but it wasn't working out. He couldn't sleep at all because he couldn't move or hold his blanket, so I took them off at nap time. Once I started that I couldn't bring myself to put them back on, he was just so miserable with them. What should have been four weeks with arm braces turned into four days. We made sure he didn't get his hands on anything hard, and had to buy a few new soft toys and books. His mouth is doing great and he was fine after those were off. He got his two bottom teeth and the top two are pretty swollen, it won't be long.

Caleb at 8 months

2008-09-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

I got a cute picture of Cole on the grass when he was this age, so I had to continue the tradition.

Meeting Your Idol

2008-09-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

Cole loves Mickey and Minney Mouse so when we heard they would be at the Kid to Kid grand opening we had to be there. We had hyped him up and he was really excited, until we got there, then he got nervous. We could understand, meeting your idol must be pretty intimidating (just imagine me finally meeting Brad Pitt), but he got over it and gave them both a big hug.

Funny Boys

2008-09-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

Caleb has always had to have his hands by his face when he sleeps, apparently the car is no different. (7 months)

Twins

2008-09-02T12:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks Grandma Reary for the cute matching outfits. (Cole 3 1/2, Caleb 7 months)

Caleb at 6 months

2008-09-02T12:16:00.000-06:00

I am finally updating the blog, so this is Caleb at six months, and Caleb learning how to eat his first vegetable, green beans.

It was kind of tricky at first, and went up his nose a couple of times, which was very unpleasant but he handled it pretty well.

Caleb is 5 Months!

2008-04-23T12:38:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter!

2008-04-23T12:33:00.000-06:00

2008-04-23T12:32:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Pattys Day!

Luke and Sarah's wedding

2008-03-23T21:57:00.001-06:00

Shane's brother Luke got married the beginning of March. Cole loved his tux (for the first five minutes) and was supposed to tell people he was James Bond but after all the practicing he forgot under pressure. Caleb had a cute onsie tux on that Carrie found for him that fit perfectly.

2008-03-23T21:53:00.000-06:00

Everytime Cole holds Caleb he thinks we need to get a picture. Here are a few of the many we have of the boys.

Cole is 3! (Again)

2008-03-23T21:48:00.000-06:00

Cole had a few friends over for a birthday party, with a Thomas cake of course. He was pretty excited about his new bike.

Cole is 3

2008-03-09T21:50:00.001-06:00

The Boys

2008-01-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now 8 weeks and Cole loves to hold him, usually when he is taking a bottle. Luckily he has been a very nice big brother...... so far.

2008-01-13T20:47:00.001-07:00

Jess and Cory came to visit for Christmas, here are the boys with Grandma.

Christmas

2008-01-13T20:44:00.001-07:00

The Boys

2007-12-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Shane with the boys, Caleb with all of his wires, and Cole with his "picture grin".