The Betts

Birthday Time!

2012-02-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

Traeson turned three on Monday, January 30th. I've been coaching him to answer 3 when someone asks him how old he was for about a month now. So when it came time to celebrate his big day he was so excited to tell everyone that the was 3!! We actually celebrated his birthday on Sunday because I have class on Monday nights, and we get together with both families on Sundays anyway, so it all worked out. We didn't want to confuse him either, so we just pretended that his birthday was Sunday, and didn't really mention it on Monday. It worked out.

Here are some fun facts about Traeson at age 3:

- He's recently discovered the joy of Nickolodeon cartoons (yay for mom!)

- He loves to act like a dinosaur, and will growl at anyone that tries to talk to him.

- He thinks that any boy or girl around his age is 'his friend', even the people on tv.

- To go with the last one, any one that is an adult is considered 'mommy's friend'

- He loves to play with his cousins, and fight with them too.

- He will defend Hendricks at any time when other people are around. When it's just the two of them playing, it's a whole different story!

- He's switched from saying mama and papa to saying Grandma and Grandpa

-He still hauls his white doggy every where we go :)

Pics from the big day:

His cake is a purple and white dump truck, just like daddy's.

I love this picture..."it's mine, don't touch it!"

He LOVES his 'own computer' probably the best idea I've ever had!

Ryston couldn't get enough of the balloon.

Hendricks cartin' off the presents after Bug opened them

I love Parker's face in this one...he's so excited for what's coming :)

This last picture is not from his birthday, but I like it. He is in his 'hunting clothes'

20 Questions

2012-01-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest the other day and I thought it would be fun to do. Each year on your child's birthday (starting at age 3) you ask them these 20 questions and write down their response. You do this each year with the same questions so you can look back and compare their answers throughout the years. Since Traeson's birthday is in a week, here are his answers:

1. What is your favorite color? Green

2. What is your favorite toy? Frank (John Deere combine)

3. What is your favorite fruit? Grapes

4. What is your favorite tv show? The Lion King

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Yogurt

6. What is your favorite outfit? Truck shirt

7. What is your favorite game? Puzzles

8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit Snacks

9. What is your favorite animal? Cow

10. What is your favorite song? Sunbeam! (Jesus wants me for a sunbeam)

11. What is your favorite book? Mickey Mouse (M.M. seek and find)

12. Who is your best friend? Parker

13. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Mini Wheats

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the mud

15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate Milk

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? White puppy and blue blanket

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Chocolate chip pancakes

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hamburger

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Big

Little boy business

2012-01-17T12:29:00.001-07:00

Potty training.....where to begin?

It's not going so well at our house. We started over 2 months ago! It started off great, Traeson loved to wear the underwear instead of diapers. He had a great time dumping all of his diapers into a trash bag and thought it was funny to watch mommy throw them all away (then mommy snuck back out and got them out of the trash can, can't let that much money go to waste!) I had to remind him every hour or so to run in and go pee in the toilet, he wouldn't go poop yet but I figured it would come soon enough. After a few days of peeing in the toilet and only having 1 maybe 2 accidents a day for a week, I thought "yay he's finally getting it! He'll be potty trained in no time!"

Then after a few weeks of peeing in the toilet really well, and only accidents every so often, I thought it was probably time to get going on the poop thing. After a few days of coaxing he actually did it! I was ecstatic! He got a little tractor that had been sitting on the shelf for the previous couple of weeks, just waiting to be played with. He didn't go again in the toilet for a few days though :( The week before Nate and I left for Florida, Traeson decided to give it a go again. He went 4 days in a row while we were home and the first two days while we were in Florida. Then Julee told me that he refused to poop the third day, and had 3 pee accidents that day too. He was punishing me for leaving...

Paul and Julee got him going pee again quite well before we got home, but he never would do the poop thing. And....he hasn't since. It's been over a month since he has done it and I can say that I am at my wits end. I no longer know what to do to help him. I've tried all that I know, and nothing has worked. These are the things I have tried:

-Giving him incentives: suckers, other treats, a new toy...

-Taking things away when he has an accident. I still have a room full of toys that he doesn't even miss.

-Making him clean out his own underwear. He thought it was fun...Big Fail

-I've tried asking him every hour or so if he needs to go to no avail.

-I've also tried just backing off a bit to see if he would do it on his own. Nope

I don't know what else to do besides wait it out. I don't think I would be so frustrated if he just wasn't catching on at all and we could just go back to diapers for a while until he was completely ready. But, he likes to pee in the toilet, so I don't feel like I can put him back in diapers and wait because I don't want to lose the progress we've made with peeing. So, I'm stuck. The only thing I can think to do is just wait it out and let him work it out on his own time. And try not to get too frustrated when I'm cleaning out his underwear everyday! Any suggestions are welcome :)

Christmas Photos: Betts

2011-12-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

We got to Paul and Julee's at about 3 to start making dinner. After we ate we were all pretty tired from such a long day, but of course the kids were ready to open gifts! I guess I was tired of taking pics too, cuz I only got four pictures of the whole night at the Betts' house.

Cheyenne and the boys playing while the adults cleaned up dinner

Bobo diving into his present

Traeson opening a gift

After we opened gifts Hendricks was pretty much beat. He was so tired! This picture shows it all, he was pretty out of it...

After his nap, we headed over to Jon and Karla's (Nate's aunt and uncle) to visit. They had all of their kids there to celebrate Christmas, even James and Molly who are currently living in Phoenix. We had a good time just sitting around chatting while the kids entertained themselves. Traeson liked coming into the room all the adults were in and making us all laugh. He sure enjoys being the center of attention sometimes.

Over all it was a pretty fun day! The boys loved all the things they got and liked being able to play with so many people throughout the day! We are thankful that we live so close to all of our family, makes holidays very nice.

And we were thankful to be able to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas by getting to go to church and thinking about our Savior. We are blessed to have the knowledge that we have, and especially blessed to be able to be with our families for eternity!

Christmas Photos: Harrison's

2011-12-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

After church we headed to my parent's house for a quick lunch and presents.

Traeson got to open the first present, it was a play gun. Definitely his favorite toy he got all day.

Ryston was being such a cutie on Christmas

Bug showing off his cool toy!

Ryston was climbing on EVERYTHING!

Brodee and Emeree fell asleep on the way over, so when they finally woke up it took them awhile to get going

Bobo also fell asleep on the way to Grandma's house, but his nap was super

short, so he was a little cranky the rest of the day.

Em still half asleep :)

Mali, Mom, Dad, and Morant in the background

Austin giving himself a papercut. Haha

Hendricks not too sure about it all

Traeson opening his and Hendricks' gift from Aunt Mali, Ryston was trying to climb on top of it!

Aunt Alicia helping Hendricks open his gift

Emeree finally getting happy

McKendrick

Tylynne and Brodee

Ryston climbing....again

Parker's new bike

McKendrick's new bike

Emeree and her Alphie

Christmas Photos: Our House

2011-12-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

We got the boys up at 8 to open presents. Hendricks was excited for the fun to begin, but when I went in to get Bug I told him that Santa had come and he yelled NO!! He didn't want Santa to come. Haha. But when he saw the gifts he quickly changed his mind :)

Traeson's expert picture taking skills in these next two pictures

Funny moment of the day:

Traeson was opening some clothes I had wrapped in an old cookie dough box. While he was opening it, my mom said to him "Oh look, you get cookies." He was so excited to be getting cookies..Well, when he opened it and it wasn't cookies, Bug turned to Nate and said "Daddy, there's no cookies! You ate all my cookies!" Then with hands on his hips he looks at Nate again and says "That's not funny Daddy!"

2011-12-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've had a hard time this year deciding what to get the boys for Christmas...

Apparently all I need to get them is a box!!

All I Want for Christmas....

2011-12-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the RPD Christmas party. The highlight of the party every year is when Santa comes in, we usually all sing a song to get him to come in the doors..This year we sang "Here comes Santa Claus" and all anybody knew of the song was the first line. It was kinda funny because we all started singing really loud so that Santa would come, then after the first line everyone started to laugh because it just sounded pitiful! :) But, of course, Santa still came and all of the kids got to sit on his lap and get a present from him. I was surprised when Traeson said that he wanted to sit on his lap and even more surprised when he actually did it! He even told Santa how old he was, and when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Traeson pointed at the present in Santa's hands and said that's what he wanted. It was pretty cute!

I got pictures of all the grandkids with Santa except for Brodee cuz I took him up there. The rest of them turned out pretty cute though..

Emeree

McKendrick

Hendricks

Traeson

Ryston

Parker

Florida

2011-12-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

This year for Christmas we decided to take a trip to Florida. We went with all of the adults in the Harrison family (minus Morant and Austin) and the only child we took was McKendrick. We had a lot of FUN!! We flew down on Tuesday, McKendrick did great with the long flight and switching planes and all... Wednesday we headed to the wonderful world of Disney. We went to the Epcot center and Hollywood Studios, rode all the big, fun rides, and by the middle of the afternoon we were beat! Haha. We explored a little for the rest of the afternoon....On Thursday we went to DisneyWorld. We had all of the big rollercoasters and rides done within the first couple of hours, then we slowed down and watched some of the shows, like the Country Bears, and rode some of the rides that had longer lines. We walked like crazy both days, and all of our legs were feeling it!...Friday we headed to Cocoa Beach for the day. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there from where we were staying. I've got to say that I was slightly disappointed with it too. It wasn't a busy beach, but it also wasn't very clean and the pier was kind of a rip-off. You had to pay $1 a person to go to the end of it, and the shops and bars/food places were really dingy and very uninviting. The only good thing was that it wasn't too busy so we didn't have to try to share the water or the beach with many people...Then Saturday we headed back to Utah. It was a fairly quick trip, considering two of the five days were spent on airplanes. But it was fun, we all laughed so hard every night that our stomachs hurt. We stayed up way too late, and got up way too early :)

Waiting for the airplane in Denver

On the bus to Epcot Center

McKendrick taking a break from the rides and enjoying some icecream

Tylynne and Alicia on the boat ride that went around all of the parks

McKendrick and I in the guilotines at DisneyWorld

Nate and I waiting for the parade, we were pretty much beat at this point

My sister and I

Mom waiting for the parade

The obligatory picture :)

McKendrick showing me his new hat!

McKendrick, Mali, and Nate at Cocoa Beach

Nate and McKendrick playing football on the beach

Mali playing in the water

The boys and their toys

2011-11-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've taken a few pictures of the boys playing lately. They have always played really well together. And now that Hendricks is getting older and liking some of the same things as Traeson, they really get to playing, and fighting, of course! Neither one of them really like to share much, mostly Traeson cuz he thinks that all the toys are his, because at one point they were :) But for the most part they do pretty well.

They are trying to share in this pic, but both of them wanted the hammer :)

Traeson was absent-mindedly tickling Hendricks feet. Hendricks kept laughing and Traeson kept staring at the tv. Haha! It was funny!

This one is just thrown in for fun. Kissy lips!

We have another piano player in the family.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year we went to my parent's house for lunch. The whole family was there, including my grandma Harrison. We had a feast! It was really fun to have us all there, and of course it was super noisy with all the kids hyped up. I made some cute shirts for Traeson and Hendricks. I didn't get a pic of Traeson's, but his was basically the same as Hendricks'.

Feather Bum

The front of the shirt

Hendricks was really enjoying his icecream cone!

This is the only other picture I got from Thanksgiving...Parker wanted me to take his picture. Emeree is in the background

After dinner at my parents we headed over to Nate's parents for pie and Julee and I made apple-raisin filled crepes. Yummy!!

I am thankful that we are able to live so close to both of our families. It makes for some pretty crazy-busy holidays, but they are definitely fun!

First Hair Cut

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hendricks had his first hair cut tonight. I absolutely loved his curls, but he was starting to look a little scraggly. Grandma Julee has a hair cutting device called a FloBee. You just hook it up to your vaccuum cleaner and it basically just sucks the hair up and cuts it off, then all the mess goes straight into the vaccuum. So cool!! I usually like to cut my children's hair myself, but I'm not good at cutting it when it is so fine like Hendricks' is and his is especially difficult because it is curly. I almost teared up when she was cutting his hair because I am going to miss his cute little curls on his neck. But he does look very clean cut and still as handsome as ever! And he did such a good job at just sitting on my lap and not squirming around at all. I just hope that his curls will come back when his hair grows out a bit!

Before:

During:

After:

October

2011-11-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

A few pics to finish up October:

I shot my first deer on Oct. 26th. It's a 4 x 5. It was in a field right behind Allred's Yard & Garden in Ballard. Nate and I snuck up on it, we got about 100 yrds. away from it and I shot. It was pretty fun, Nate was probably more excited about it than I was, but I was still pretty happy! I told Nate that I guess I won't have to hunt ever again because I probably won't get another deer as big as this one (unless I draw out for the Bookcliffs).

We've also been potty training Bug. He does really well with peeing, but has yet to go poop in the toilet. As stubborn as he is, I consider it a huge accomplishment for him to just pee in the toilet! We went 2 days without any accidents (besides poop), then had a little set-back today. But hopefully he'll get going good again and he can be diaper free!

Here we are dressed up in our Halloween costumes. I had a really cute skunk costume for Bug but he refused to wear it, and Hendricks was going to be a tiger, but we had to change plans at the last minute. So we went as a super-family instead. Bug and Hendricks were both Superman and I was SuperMom. (Yes Bug's costume is just jammies, it was last minute)

2011-10-31T10:41:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween from one monster....

.. to another!

Corn Maze 2011

2011-10-25T11:57:00.000-06:00

This year I took the boys up to the corn maze in Bluebell. We went with Alicia and her kids and Tiffany (Alicia's sister) and her kids. I thought Traeson would have a blast with all the little activities that they have in front of the maze. I knew he wouldn't like the actual maze, so we just went to do the other stuff. Boy was I wrong! He didn't want to do anything! He wouldn't go down the slide unless I went, he didn't want to get in the corn, he didn't want to feed the goats. It was ridiculous! He stood outside the door of the corn shed for about 15 minutes, just inching his way closer. He finally decided that maybe he would get in, when McKendrick pulled him by the arms and drug him in. That totally freaked him out and he started bawling and wouldn't get close to it again. Alicia finally did get him to help her feed the goats. It was super cute to see him do that. I wish he would have wanted to do all the other stuff, I know that once he did one thing he would like it and want to do the rest. But that is the story of Bug....He is super stubborn and unless it is his idea to begin with he WILL NOT do it! The whole day was kinda pointless, but oh well. I had fun and Hendricks seemed to enjoy himself.

The boys by the pumpkins while we were waiting for everyone else

McKendrick surfing down the slide

Hendricks and cousin Ryston...they were both tired beyond belief! (But still acted better than Bug)

My big boy! He's so handsome :)

This is as close as Bug would get to the corn

But Hendricks loved it!

Bug feeding the goats

Bug covers his ears whenever he hears loud noises...They were shooting pumpkins out of the Big Bertha

Hendricks stats

2011-10-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

I forgot to put up Hendricks' one year stats with the last post.

Weight: 18 lbs. 13 oz. (5% What??)

Height: 29 1/4 inches (40%)

Head: I can't remember how many cm it is, but his head is in the 85%

Haha! So basically my baby is underweight, average height, and has a ginormous head! Whatever.. I don't really go by the percentiles because I really don't know where they come up with them. I swear they just randomly slap a percentile on the little paper just to freak the parents out.

We think he is perfect.....big head and all! :)

Hendricks is ONE!

2011-10-11T15:23:00.000-06:00

My baby is one and I just can't believe it! Where the heck has the time gone? Hendricks is such a joy to have at our house. He is always in such a good mood and helps keeps things calm. He always has a smile on his face and loves to play, play, play. He is really good at playing by himself, but also loves to play with his brother...when Traeson is nice enough to let him :) Nate and I have really enjoyed watching him grow and develop over this past year. He is no longer our baby, but now our little toddler!

A few facts about Hendricks:

- His nickname is still Bobo!

- He could easily walk, but is too lazy.

- He stands for minutes at a time without any support, then will slowly slink down to the ground and take off crawling

- He eats anything and everything. Hardly ever turns food down.

- He drinks whole milk, from a sippee

- The transition from a formula bottle to a whole milk sippee was seamless! It was seriously over night that he decided he'd take a sippee.

- He sleeps all night, every night. Except when he is sick

- Traeson is his idol! haha

- Hendricks will go to anybody who wants to hold him. However, he has recently gotten a little clingy to mommy. (But not anything like Traeson was)

- He can say dadda, momma, What's that?, Who's that?, hello, and can wave bye-bye.

- He loves to pretend to talk on the phone

- And his favorite toys are things that he is not supposed to get into!!!

We celebrated Hendricks' birthday on Sunday with both the Harrison family and the Betts' family. We had cake and icecream at both and Hendricks would not dive into his cake unless he had a spoon at both parties. It was quite funny. What clean children I have! Hendricks, of course, got spoiled by all the family members. And Traeson thought that it was his birthday because he got to help Bobo open all the gifts and blow out his candles.

For Hendricks actual birthday, I was in class most of the day, so it was fairly uneventful...until that evening starting at about 10. We put Bobo down for bed around 9, at 10 he starts crying and screaming, which is very unusual. Nate goes to check on him, then comes back in our room with Bobo's blankets and says to me "This one's all yours! He threw up everywhere." So I go in and get the screaming baby. Get him out of his soiled clothes, and get him calmed down while Nate changed the bedding. But it didn't last very long. Hendricks was throwing up every 30 minutes until around midnight. I thought he would have to be done soon because there was nothing left in his little body. By that point, he was basically just throwing up stomach acid. It was horrible, I felt so bad for our little birthday boy. His sickness continued until around 3 a.m. Hendricks didn't have anything left to through up after midnight, so he was just dry-heaving for three hours. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. He would be asleep in my arms, then all of a sudden he would wake up screaming, start dry-heaving for a min or two, then go back to sleep. He was so worn out that he wouldn't even be able to lift his head off my chest.

Thankfully he woke up this morning happy and with no sign of sickness. That was one of the worst nights we have had at our house and what makes it worse is that it was his birthday. Good thing he is young enough to not know any better.

Here are a bunch of pics from his birthday celebrations:

His piggy birthday cake that grandpa Rick made him, cuz he's a little piggy :)

Traeson helping him open presents.

Bobo's tractor of his very own! We have two farmer boys, what can I say?!

New hat from Ty and Austin...he really does love it. After we got it on him he never touched it again, and wore it for like an hour

Traeson trying out Hendricks' new broom. He loves it, and I love it!

Cheyenne trying to get him to sit on her lap and help her open his presents

I love this pic! These boys are so much alike!

Cheers!

Hendricks in his new jammies

Happy Birthday Bobo!!!

We love you!

Traeson-isms!

2011-10-03T15:41:00.001-06:00

Our little Traeson is such a cutie-pa-tootie! He is always cracking me up, just the things he does and says are super funny. He's always had his own little language and words for his favorite things. Some of my favorite are:

Shower = anything that has to do with water (bathtub, sprinkler, washing machine)

Showerpond = anything from a tiny puddle to a giant lake

Jesus Christ two = he says that every night when we pray...he says he is thankful for Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ two

One, two, twenty, eight = how he counts

Big doggy, big bobo, big.... = Everything is BIG now. He'll see a dog out the truck window and it's a big doggy.

It's too heavy = When he doesn't want to carry something himself he'll say that it's too heavy and hand it to me! So funny!

Cream cone = Ice cream cone

(there are a million others that I can't think of right now, I'll post more when I remember them)

*My all time favorite sentence that Traeson has said to date: "Daddy I no poop in the toilet, daddy can clean poop off my bum!" I about fell over laughing, what a goof!*

-Traeson loves to jump off our couch and land on his bean bag chair. He thinks it's one of the funnest things and Hendricks gets a big kick out of watching him do it!

-He likes to go on walks with me in the morning. We go with a few ladies in my ward and he always says that he wants to see his friends (other kids from nursery)

-His favorite movies right now are Cars and the kitty cat show (little einstein movie with a kitty cat hand puppet)

-Traeson can now peddle his tricycle, due in large part to his brother! Hendricks walks behind Traeson on the trike and pushes him, the peddles turn on their own, and Traeson would just rest his feet on them as they turned around, then he figured out he can push his feet on the peddles to make it go.

- He has now decided that he will eat anything we put in front of him. He used to be very picky, but not so much anymore

- His favorite food is definitely a cream cone!

Riding Aunt Mali's jet ski

Wearing a beanie in the middle of summer

Bobo pushing him on his tricycle

Our little skinny boy poking out his belly

Helping mommy and McKendrick make cookies. However, that is NOT flour on his face, he found a mini bottle of baby powder and rubbed it all over himself!

11 months

2011-09-10T21:12:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that in just one short month Bobo will be a year old!!! This year has definitely flown by way too fast. I remember thinking that Traeson's first year went by fast, but I think Hendricks' has gone by a lot faster. I think this is because life is way more busy when two children are involved!

Hendricks is still our little mellow baby. He hardly ever cries or whines, and when he does it's only because he's hungry or really tired. He is finally on a fairly good sleep schedule...we used to have to get him to sleep before we could put him in bed or he would just cry, and cry, and cry. Even when he woke up at night I would be up with him for at least 30 minutes before he would go back to sleep, and he was waking up 2-3 times a night! Makes for a very tired mommy! But the last month or so he has completely turned around...I now just put him down at 9 or 9:30 and he'll fall asleep on his own. He sleeps til around 7 and I'll give him another bottle then put him back in bed and he'll sleep til 9. It is wonderful!!

Hendricks has 6 teeth now, 4 on top 2 on bottom. And I believe he is going to be cursed with what I call the 'Betts Gap.' Nate's dad has a big gap inbetween his front two teeth, Nate had it too but it was fixed with a retainer. Bobo's gap is fairly large, but I'm hoping that as he gets older it will fill in, if not I guess we'll have to do a retainer or braces. Yay.

He is not walking yet, athough I think he could be if he wanted. He walks along the edge of everything, but if you even try to walk with him, holding his hands, he refuses and will just sit down. I'm hoping he will start walking soon though. It would make things a little easier.

Bobo is our little vaccuum. If he sees anything on the floor even remotely resembling food it goes straight to his mouth. He can also clean his plate a lot faster than Traeson can. The boy is not picky at all. He also enjoys dirt and rocks just like every other baby.

We love this little guy and are so glad that he chose to come to our family. I can't image life without him!

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

For Labor Day weekend this year we headed up to Red Cloud Loop with the Betts' family. It was kind of a crazy weekend for us because we got up there on Thursday, came down to Vernal on Friday morning for my Aunt Rayma's funeral, headed back up that afternoon and stayed til Saturday night. We came home Sat. night to go to church on Sunday and celebrate Mali's birthday with my family, then back up the mountain til Monday morning when we all headed home. Even though there was a lot of running around we still managed to have a pretty fun time and got a bit of relaxing in too, which is always great! It was kind of a free weekend for us, as far as babysitting goes! Traeson was occupied with all the dirt that was up there. If he couldn't be found digging in the dirt, he was either going for a 4 wheeler ride with grandma or following Cheyenne, Nayvi, and Jayden around. He also made a few new friends, Jerron(4) and Janson(7). They are Nate's cousin's kids. And as far as Hendricks was concerned, he was packed around the camp by the girls most of the time, and he also enjoyed ~~playing in~~ eating the dirt and twigs. Both boys ended up VERY dirty every night, but we figured that meant that they had a pretty good time!

Nate shooting Doug's bow... It told him he shouldn't have even shot it because now he's going to want one!

Bug and Grandma riding the 4 wheeler

Bug playing with Janson

Harrison Family Reunion

2011-09-06T15:36:00.001-06:00

On August 20th the Harrison family met together to celebrate my Grandma Harrison's 80th birthday. We all met at Big Springs campground in Provo Canyon and shared memories of grandma's life. It was great to see everyone and their families. Here are a few pictures that my cousin Desiree took of all the grandkids, the three boys with their mom, and the whole family (all that were there, Heather was missing her husband Spencer, her twin girls, her boy, and their baby girl, who were all at a soccer tournament).

Michael, Grandma, Clay, Dad

The Harrison Family

Dad

The Birthday Girl....Grandma Harrison

McKendrick- age 7

Parker - age 3

Ryston - 9 months

Emeree - age 4

Brodee- age 1

Traeson - age 2

Hendricks - 10 months

Aunt Rayma

2011-08-31T09:18:00.000-06:00

The world is missing a wonderful person these days. My (great) Aunt Rayma passed away on Monday, August 29th. She was my dad's aunt, and my Grandma Harrison's only sister. To say that my grandma and Rayma were close would be an understatement. My grandma worried herself sick these past couple years that Rayma has been ill and in and out of the hospital. Although I think they fought like cats and dogs, my grandma would drop anything to come out here to be close to Rayma when she needed her!

Some of my memories of Aunt Rayma:

- For my birthday when I was younger, my grandma and I would go to Vernal to spend the night in a hotel with Rayma and my cousin Chelsie. Our birthdays are only 5 days apart. I remember that being a lot of fun!

- My dad built a big metal building behind Rayma's house, so of course us kids got recruited to help :) But I remember going to her house to help and her buying us all lunch from Subway. And if we got to a part where we couldn't help my dad much, we would go into her house and look at all her old treasures from years ago. (The Gardner's definitely have some hoarding in their genes!)

- Sometimes I would go with my grandma to the Vernal cemetary on Memorial Day, and we would make a stop at Rayma's house so those two could catch up.

She will be greatly missed!

* I thought I had a picture of my Aunt Rayma, but the only one I could find was one with her head down*

Summer Nights

2011-08-24T14:30:00.000-06:00

I got some super cute pics of the boys last night! They were just playing outside and having the time of their lives! I love these little men!!!

Hendricks 10 months

2011-08-24T14:13:00.001-06:00

It seems I'm a little behind these days. Hendricks was 10 months about 2 weeks ago. He's a really good baby and we are just trying to enjoy every minute of him while he is so little and cute (and before he can tell me NO, like his big brother! haha)

He likes to feed himself. Haha!

Blowing spit bubbles...Yum!

Growing up too fast :(

- Hendricks has 4 teeth...2 on top, 2 on the bottom

- He stands up against anything, and walks along everything

- I've tried getting him to stand alone, but he won't do it. He just falls on the floor

- He drinks formula like it's nobody's business! I'm going to have to switch him to whole milk soon just to cut down on the price

- I've finally got him trained to fall asleep on his own

- He sleeps usually from about 10 pm to 5-6 am, I give him a bottle and he'll go back to sleep tell about 9

- He loves to swing on the swingset, sit on the tramp while Bug jumps, and he's learning to ride Bug's tractor

- He's a very active little boy and of course gets into everything

- He crosses his feet at his ankles all the time just like grandpa Rick

Traeson the tease!

2011-08-16T10:29:00.001-06:00

Our little Bug is growing up so fast! He keeps us laughing, that's for sure :) He has a very strong personality, complete with full-on mood swings, a little bit of quirkiness, and a lot of love! He is the best big brother Hendricks could ask for. He is always wanting to include little bro in everything he does, good or bad! (I have a feeling that I'm going to have to keep a close eye on these two once Hendricks starts walking) Traeson is still in love with all things trucks/tractors/trailers. He is definitely all boy! He is still the best little sleeper any parent could ask for.... 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. plus a two hour nap every. single. day. I love it! He still sucks his thumb, only when he is sad or tired, and is completely lost without his doggy. He loves to go to nursery on Sunday. Every night when we say our prayers he says who he is thankful for. It changes week to week, day to day even. This week he's been thankful for Chey's daddy, Kenick, and Park (He has his own names for everybody). Bug is such a little sweetheart, and an even bigger tease. He definitely has his moments of pure 2 year old rottenness :) But he usually follows up his fits and tantrums with a kiss or a hug. He knows how to play it! We love him and wouldn't trade him for anything!

Giving Bobo a tour of the living room!

Our little athlete! His favorites are baseball and golf. So far he swings left handed, but does everything else right handed.

His other favorite.....tractors. Behind his tractor he is hauling his 'hay'

like father like son!

Wearing his 'hat' haha! Goof!

Handsome boy in his shirt and tie

Some of my favorite Bug words/phrases:
frufrush - breakfast
panpat - pancake
dank too - thank you
mama & papa - Grandma & Grandpa Harrison
more mama & more papa - G & G Betts
(talking on the phone) "Hello daddy Nate"
choo choo truck - tractor
Brodee's mommy/daddy - Ty and Austin
Kenick's mommy/daddy - Alicia and Morant
Chey's mommy/daddy - Sue and Doug
Mawi - Mali

His longest sentence to date: "I help feed mama's cow"

Brotherly Love

2011-08-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

Bug and Hendricks love to play in the tent. They just giggle the whole time and play peekaboo with each other. Super cute! Hendricks is still a little leary about the tunnel that can attach to the tent. He'll go about half way in it then get scared and freak out...so I have to crawl in there and get him out.

Where's Bug???

Bug likes to stack the bottle nipples on his head and make a hat...One day I told him he was goofy for doing that, he responded with, No mom...it's me! (He loves mickey mouse clubhouse, so he thought I was calling him Goofy. But don't worry, he set me straight!)

Our little dare devil! Hendricks has no depth perception yet, so he just thinks he can go on and off the couches and the beds. Crazy boy!

Firework Fun

2011-07-30T10:20:00.000-06:00

Better late than never....

July 4th

Nate showing Bug the fun in sparklers and fireworks

Uh oh...not too sure about the ones that scream..

He needed his daddy...

But when it was over he thought it was so cool!

The night of the 4th we had some of our family over for a bbq and the "big" fireworks.

Hendricks, Bug, and Emeree eating dinner

The boys doing what they do best....showing off!

Brodee and Bug

I didn't get any pics of the actual fireworks because I was inside most of the time with Bug...he wasn't too sure about the loud noises the big fireworks made, but he liked to watch them from the window!

The evidence :)

31 and 3/4

2011-07-14T16:21:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday to two of my favorite boys! On July 10th, Nate turned 31 and Hendricks turned 9 months!

A few things about Hendricks at 9 months:

- He is crawling like a crazy man

- He is in to everything

- He has two bottom teeth and is working on his two top front teeth

- He can stand himself up on most everything, but has a hard time getting back down

-He eats two baby foods a day

-He sleeps through the night most nights, unless he has an ear infection

- He has had 2 double ear infections and one single in the last 3 months

- Now that his hair is getting a little longer it looks like it is going to be curly

- I'm guessing he weighs close to 18 lbs

Slip n Slide

2011-07-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

Last week Tylynne brought Emeree and Brodee over for a few hours to play on the slip n slide with Traeson. They had a ball! Traeson and Brodee kept drinking the water from the slide like a drinking fountain. Emeree would get a little frustrated because her brother and Bug wouldn't get out of the way, but for the most part they all had a lot of fun!

Updated Pictures of the Boys

2011-06-28T11:42:00.000-06:00

Hendricks:

He is sitting up so well by himself

His cute little teeth!

Toothy grin

Haha, I don't know what he's doing in this pic, but I thought it was funny

Waiting for Traeson to wake up from his nap...he reaches his fingers under the door and tries to touch Traeson while he's sleeping. (Traeson usually naps right in front of his door!)

Getting so big and holding his own bottle

Traeson:

This is where Traeson fell asleep for Nate on the day I went up to girls camp...so cute

We've had allergies at our house really bad, this is usually how Traeson wipes his nose. Yum!

Cheeser!

So proud of his messy self

Close up of the yogurt all over his face! He sure enjoys his food, when he decides to eat, that is.

Getting a drink from the slip n' slide

Brothers:

They usually play so well together...

Until Traeson does something like this! Haha. He tries to include Hendricks in everything he does, sometimes it just turns out not so nice.

8 months!

2011-06-10T14:28:00.000-06:00

Wow I can't believe 8 months have come and gone! Hendricks is really starting to move all over and make all sorts of noises. He definitely brings life to our family, and of course him and Traeson are already best friends. They laugh at each other all day, and play so well together...most of the time. Hendricks is such an easy going, layed back sort of baby. He's usually pretty chill, and just plays all the time. He always has a smile on his face and loves to jibber jabber.

We just love this little bundle of joy! Or not so little...

A few things about Hendricks at 8 months:

- He is sitting up by himself

- He can crawl, kind of... He does it a little weird, but it gets the job done.

- He eats like a champ. His fav. baby food is vanilla pudding with bananas. But he loves pretty much anything with fruit in it.

- He no longer just goes backwards in the walker

- He also likes to ride on Traeson's tractor, but only when Traeson is asleep :)

- He has two teeth. Bottom left came in on 6.2.11 bottom right came in 6.5.11

- He still not on a sleep schedule, which is unfortunate. But for the most part he sleeps through the night. He just hasn't mastered nap time yet.

- I'm guessing he weighs about 18-19 lbs.

June 3

2011-06-03T23:37:00.001-06:00

Here's just a few pictures that I took of the boys today that I wanted to put on the blog to remember. I can't believe how fast my boys are growing up. Bug is almost two and a half, and Hendricks will be eight months next week! I've been so terrible at taking pictures lately, and I want to try to do better. I want to be able to remember all the cute things that each child did when they were babies/toddlers/kids. And I have such a terrible memory, so the best way for me to remember is from pictures and videos.

This is Bug's toy, but Hendricks loves it! He is getting coordinated enough to where he can sometimes hit the little shapes....like once every twenty swings :)

For some reason I really like this pic of Bug. He was just chillin with Nate

He was trying really hard to be mad at me, you can see how well that was working for him! Haha

Dorito face. and hands. and shirt.

First Tooth!

2011-06-03T23:24:00.000-06:00

You probably won't be able to see the tooth from the pictures, since it just finally broke through yesterday afternoon (6.2.2011), but I promise that it is there! It is his bottom left tooth in the front. The bottom right tooth is just about in too. I can see it, it just hasn't popped up yet. Hendricks has been kind of miserable getting this tooth in. He's just like Traeson used to be, it has taken him almost 2 months to get these first teeth. These front two have been just sitting there, right under the gums now since he was six months. So I'm thinking any day now, the other one will break through.

Doing his new favorite thing...growling!

I'm going to miss his little gummer smile! I just think that it's the cutest thing :) But I also love to see babies grins when there are only two little front teeth.

What we've been up to...

2011-06-01T12:48:00.000-06:00

This...

And this...

And last but not least, this...

And it's only the beginning! I have a feeling Traeson's world is going to be turned upside now that Hendricks is mobile! :)

The month of May

2011-05-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

Well I've been sort of a slacker these past few weeks... We've had a lot of busy days, and a lot going on, that I haven't had time to really blog at all.

May 3. My birthday.

I had a really good birthday. It wasn't much out of the ordinary... I woke up played with the kids, ate lunch with Nate and Doug, came home to beautiful flowers, went to the in laws to get Nate's hair cut, then Nate took me to Vernal to Cafe Rio. But overall, it was a good day. The kids were so good all day and hardly whined! I wish it was my birthday everyday, for that reason alone :)

This is what my hubby suprised me with on my birthday.

I also got a beautiful picture of the Vernal Temple from my seester, books, clothes, and lotions from my parents, mulah from the inlaws, gift cards and clothes from my brothers and sisters in law, and a free hair coloring from the hair dresser in the family. Overall, very good day!

It's personalized, and I LOVE it! Thanks Mal!

May 4. thru May 7.

We headed down to St. George for a few days for a break. One of my roommates from college was getting married, and I really wanted to see her, since it's been about 2 years since I've seen her. So we went to St. George Wednesday night, shopped our little hearts out for the next couple days, took my grandma Harrison to dinner since she was also down there, headed home on Saturday, stopped in Parowan at Amy's reception, then drove the rest of the night. I was hoping to see the rest of my roommates at her reception while we were there, but since we only stopped for a few minutes I didn't get to see very many old friends, bummer! But it was still really fun to see Amy, and to meet her new hubby. It was a nice weekend getaway. We took my mom with us, which was nice cuz she helped with the kids a lot. We really enjoyed the nice warm weather too!

May 8. Mother's Day

Mother's Day was another busy day. Church was nice, although a little hectic with the boys, but that's normal. For our special gifts from the ward, we got a candy bar. Which I think was a perfect gift! :) From Nate I got a hard-cover for my new sewing machine (that he got me for Christmas). My parents got me a gift certificate from a girl in their ward for a free night of babysitting! I'm almost afraid to use it though because I've never had anybody other than family watch my kids while we go somewhere, so I'm not quite sure how Bug would do with a stranger, but I guess we'll see one of these days... can't let a gift like that go to waste! haha. My mother in law got me this great tool, I can't remember what it is called, but it is basically electric scissors. The thing can cut through those awful plastic packages that are so difficult to open without cutting yourself in the process. So it will definitely come in handy.

May 9. through today
These days have been filled with all sorts of stuff. Hendricks is now crawling, in his own sort of way, so I've been enjoying watching him do that, while also trying to keep him away from things he shouldn't have, and out of Bug's way. We've also had a little bit of sickness at our house, all four of us have had a cold, which is no fun, but hopefully we are all on the downhill slide of things. Bug is now talking up a storm, and basically he talks my ear off all. day. long.! haha. He still has his own little words for quite a few things, but for the most part he can say just about all words pretty clearly. He is a little mima bird and repeats what I say all the time. Nate has been pretty busy at work, working long hours over the last few days. He's had to be to work early and stay late quite a bit lately. It's nice that he is busy, cuz that means he still has a job, but we are hoping it doesn't stay this busy all summer. It would be nice to see my husband more than just an hour or two here and there. The biggest thing that has been keeping me busy (besides two children) is my new calling as girls camp director for my ward. Girls camp is in one month and there is a lot of planning to do. I was just officially called 2 weeks ago, so I haven't had a lot of time, so I'm having to kick it into high gear to get everything planned and accounted for. I'm just hoping it will all pull together in time!

Bubbles!

2011-04-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

For Easter, Traeson got some bubbles from Grandma and Grandpa Harrison and he loved them. He chased them all over the lawn and tried popping them, and when they would all disappear he would say More bobos! (which is funny because that is what he calls his brother, is Bobo)

This is how we finally got Bug to stay in nursery, was with bubbles. It took him 6 months to finally like going to nursery, and I give all the credit to sister Baker and her idea to bring out the bubble machine at the beginning of class every week! There was Bug and about 3 other kids that just hated going to nursery, and the bubble machine cured them all :)

Easter Pics

2011-04-25T16:02:00.001-06:00

Traeson and Parker peeking out the window at the Easter Bunny, aka Aunt Mali, hiding the eggs

Parker found the first one!

Bug getting the egg out from under the bush

McKendrick wanted to find all of them!

Bug found another one

I couldn't get Parker to look at me to show me his eggs...

Traeson's loot

He's so cool! :)

Hendricks sitting up all by himself...This was the longest he has ever gone without toppling over, it was about 2 minutes.

And there he goes!

Emeree's new Easter dress

Just clownin' around

2011-04-22T14:59:00.000-06:00

Bug is really enjoying that sucker!

Haha!

Hendricks' 6 month stats:

Weight: 16 lbs. 3 oz. (20%) What?!

I guess I just don't understand the percentile thing, because Hendricks is a chunk! But whatever

Height: 27 inches (45%)

Head: 17.5 in. (70%)

Haha! So he has a big head! More space to fill with brains I guess :)

BFF's

2011-04-11T21:03:00.000-06:00

Six Months

2011-04-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

For some reason I am having a hard time with this....I'm not ready for my baby to grow up so fast! I can't believe that Hendricks is already 6 months. Overall he's a pretty good baby. His little personality is really starting to shine! A few things about him at 6 months:

- He sleeps from 10 to 6 most nights

- He's a cat-napper (which is unfortunate) during the day...He'll take several small naps through-out the day

- Still loves the johnny jump-up and the bouncer, but his new favorite is the walker. He pushes it mainly backwards, but sometimes gets it going forwards (by accident most likely)

- Loves baby food, mostly fruits and squash. The only one he absolutely will not eat is peas.

- He can roll over, but ~~choses not to~~ doesn't have to because Bug rolls him all over the house.

- He smiles and laughs all the time, and is very ticklish!

- Loves to be tossed into the air as long as it's not too high

- Still loves the bath and splashing

- I think he is working on teeth too because he slobbers and is constantly chewing on his fingers

- He discovered his thumbs in the last couple of weeks...which is also unfortunate! It's a lot easier to take away a binky, than it is a thumb!

- He is SO close to crawling...he scoots backwards really well, and he gets his butt way up in the air, and scoots forward on the top of his head.

- Bug is his best friend!

March Happenings

2011-03-31T15:35:00.000-06:00

We just got back from 4 days in St. George and it was such a nice break! I wish it would have been warmer, but we'll take what we can get. The boys had a great time getting spoiled with attention from all of Nate's family, especially Chey Chey and Navey! I don't think more than two minutes went by that the boys weren't being fussed over. Which means it was a nice break for Nate and I too :) We didn't have to worry too much about what the boys were doing, and we actually got to enjoy our time!

But now we are back in the Basin, and not enjoying the wind! Aah! It's horrible, and I swear it gets worse every year! Probably not, but it seems like it. I'm ready to be outside doing stuff, and so is Bug, and Nate definitely is too! I'm sure he is just dying to be mowing the lawn or planting flowers or something. But it's kinda hard to take a baby out in the rip-roaring wind! So we are stuck inside for a few more weeks at least. But we'll survive I'm sure.

He enjoys his Altoid mints! Yuck is what I say!

Two peas in a pod...they are alike in so many ways already

Stretching his arms out...

...while craning his neck to see the t.v.

My bundle of joy (literally), and the Bug!

Sitting up in his bumbo...and chewing on brother's dog

Something made him crack up!

Bug's hair is perfect for a faux-hawk! This is the only time I will praise the two cowlicks (sp?) on the back of his head :)

In other news: Bug is finally getting his 2 year molars..he's been working on getting them for quite awhile, and they are finally breaking through. Now maybe I'll get a happier child for a while. He's been unbearable at times! Now if only Hendricks would get his teeth in that he is working on...he is so slobbery!

Also, Bug has decided that it's ok if he starts saying everybody's names now. He has known them for a long time, but would never say them, now he can say everybody's name's on both sides of the family. He's a stubborn child, what can I say!!!

Cousin Time & Team Grandpa

2011-03-15T19:02:00.000-06:00

Bus Bus

2011-03-15T18:59:00.000-06:00

Anyone else's child insist on eating their cereal out of a bus?

No....just mine?

Ok then

5 Months

2011-03-10T22:08:00.001-07:00

10 Things about Hendricks at 5 months:

- He's got bigger thighs than his brother

- He absolutely loves squash and sweet potatoes (Those were Traeson's favorites too)

- He rolls over, not all the time, but sometimes

- He loves his mommy and daddy, and whenever he sees one of us he gets so excited

- He absolutely adores his brother....If Traeson walks by, he will get this huge smile and start giggling, it's super cute!

- He is starting to sleep much better, last night was the record so far....10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Wahoo!

- He drinks a bottle like a champ, even a formula bottle. Which will make it nice when I want to ween him.

- He is wearing 6-9 month clothing, and I'm afraid I will have to move him up to size 3 diapers soon...he keeps pooping out of the 2's.

- He has recently learned how to splash in the bathtub, and he giggles the whole time he is splashing

- He's a super happy and layed back baby...he hasn't always been, but for the last month or so he has been the easiest baby! It's been nice :)

I'm guessing Hendricks is about 16 lbs. and 25ish inches tall

This kid can fall asleep anywhere!

Bug and Hendricks playing footsies!

On a side note:

This little man has RSV :(

He's acutally been pretty good and not too whiny at all, which I'm glad for. The doctor told us to quarantine the kids from each other...Which is pretty much impossible when you have a clingy 2 year old, and a nursing 5 month old. But we are doing our best to keep Bug from spreading his germs to the baby. I hope it's working (fingers crossed). I really do not want Hendricks to get RSV. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up, I hope we get good news!

Squash face and other faces

2011-03-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hendricks is a little champ when it comes to eating! Especially when it is squash! Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm....He's lovin' it!

Here's a few other cute pictures of both boys:

Trying on brother's pants...he had them all the way on, but I was too slow with the camera

Chillin on the couch

Waiting to go to church...what a stud!

He's waiting to go to church too

He has my headband in his hair, usually he puts it around his head but under his chin, like in the old cartoons when the character has a tooth-ache.

Being happy and showing his big eyes!

I think Bug is tired in this pic

Jumping Bean

2011-03-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hendricks loves the Johnny Jump-up and Traeson loves to help Hendricks jump in it! It's a sure-fire way to get both boys tired...put Hendricks in the jumper and let Bug jump with him. They will both go for about 30 minutes none stop! And usually laughing the whole time..

P.S. This is my 100th post! It's only taken me three years to get here!!! :)

Dirty Boy

2011-03-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the deal is lately with Traeson, but tonight was the second time in less than a week that the kid has pooped while in the bathtub!!! So gross! He only did it once when he was a baby, and now that he is two, he has done it twice! The first time he didn't even notice. I just walked into the bathroom to check on him, and there it was floating in the midst of his toys. Then tonight, I was in the front room getting Hendricks dressed after his bath, and Traeson was still playing in the tub when we heard a whine coming from the bathroom. He noticed what he did this time and it scared him. Hopefully it freaked him out enough that he won't do it again! Hopefully....

Roll over, roll over

2011-03-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

This video is of Hendricks rolling over...he doesn't do it all the time, but usually once a day, sometimes more. He's just starting to get the hang of it. I had a better video of him rolling over, it showed how he gets himself rocking a little then he'll go over, but of course I deleted it!! This video just barely catches him right as he's going over.

I have other videos of him in the Johnny Jump Up, and of Traeson talking on the phone....but they are taking forever to upload, so I'll just wait for another day.

Discussing life with a monkey!

2011-02-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

These pictures say it all!

Check-ups

2011-02-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hendricks' stats at 4 months:

Weight - 15 lbs. .5 oz.

Height - 24.75 inches

Traeson's stats at 2 years:

Weight - 25 lbs. (a guess because he wouldn't hold still long enough)

Height - 34.5 inches

I don't know if you can tell from this picture or not, but Traeson has two fat lips and a scrape on his nose...

As we were crossing the road to get to the clinic for the boys' check-ups, Traeson had his hands in his coat pockets, and I was hurrying him along because a car was coming, and he biffed it hard right there in the road. I had to carry him, as well as Hendricks (who was in the car seat), the rest of the way into the clinic. I figured his mouth would be bleeding a bit, but as I was checking us in, I looked over at Bug and his whole mouth was filled with blood. It was disgusting, but sad at the same time. Poor kid! He already has a hard enough time when we go to the doctor, and this totally put him over the edge. He was scared the whole time. But I am glad that he has grown enough that the doctor is not worried about his weight being under the average.

New Decor

2011-02-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Nate and I picked up our new living room decor last night....a 5 foot mountain lion!!!

We finally got it back from the taxidermy (SP?). He doesn't look that big in the pictures, but he's actually quite a big lion. I didn't necessarily want it in my living room, but right now that is the only place big enough to hold it. And it actually doesn't look as bad as I thought it was going to.

Laughs

2011-01-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is one of the best laughs that Hendricks has had so far, and luckily we were able to catch it on camera. He's beginning to be quite ticklish, so it makes it kind of easy to get him to laugh... it's pretty cute!

Happy Birthday Bug!

2011-01-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Traeson turned two yesterday! I can't believe how much he has changed into a little boy these last few months.... he's not a toddler so much anymore. It's kind of sad, but fun and exciting at the same time!

He had a blast blowing out his candles and opening gifts this year.

The cake I made for him...his favorite cartoon, "Toodles" (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

My dad made this cake for him! It was so cute!

Blowing out the candles..

Opening gifts...

New shades!

He loves his trike, except he doesn't know how to peddle yet, he just pushes with his feet.

Such a big boy!!!!

* More of his favorite words right now (I am writing these down mostly for my memory):

- Toodles! (This means that he wants to watch cartoons, specifically Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). He puts his hand up by his mouth while saying this and pretends to call for Toodles...like they do on the show.

- Cucka... He says this about everything!

- Nate: 'Bug do you want to take a nap?'

Bug: 'No'

Nate: 'Bug do you need to take a nap?'

Bug: 'Uh-huh!'

- Dink! (drink)

- Poon (spoon or fork)

- Oh no!

Three

2011-01-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us!!! It's been three years, and we're still in love:)

Nate is taking me to the Jazz game tomorrow...they are playing the Spurs, which is who they played when we went to the game on our honeymoon. It's going to be a fun night! It will be the longest amount of time I have left Hendricks so we'll see how it goes :) Allthough he and Bug will be in good hands, my moms! Thanks Mom for helping us out.

2011-01-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Traeson loves this tent and tunnel. We've gotten it out before and he wouldn't go in it unless I went with him, but now he likes to do it all by himself! Such an independent little guy!

Hendricks is starting to be a little interactive with us. He smiles and coo's and giggles all the time.

And he absolutely loves the bath tub!

From the mouth of my babe!

2011-01-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Traeson is beginning to speak so well. He's starting to put together small sentences, and sometimes they are just down-right funny!!! Here are a few I can think of at the moment:

- Bug is such a big helper (sometimes too much of a helper) so we have to sometimes say "excuse me Bug" when he gets in the way...well he has taken to saying to his daddy "scuse me dad," when Nate gets in his way.

- Last Sunday while we were at Paul and Julee's playing cards, Bug kept looking at Paul and saying "No Papa!" then put his finger to his lips like he was 'shhh'ing him. So funny!

- "What you do?" is a new favorite, meaning 'what are you doing?'

- Bug has also taken to calling me "Dani" instead of mommy! Sort of drives me crazy cuz he will call me mommy on occasion, but most often I'm known as Dani

- He gets one of his play phones and talks to his cousin, Parker, all the time. I can usually understand most of what he's saying, it's pretty cute. And he always ends by saying "see ya later, bye!"

* This is all I can think of right now, I'll have to add more to the ends of my posts as I remember them *

3 months

2011-01-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hendricks turned 3 months on Monday the 10th. I seriously cannot believe it! I guess we are having fun because time is sure flying!

A few things about Hendricks at 3 months:

- He LOVES to smile

- He is very loved by his big brother

- He is wearing 6 months clothing

- He is the biggest 'cat napper'

- He still is not sleeping that well at night...He'll sleep really well for 2 or 3 nights, and I'll think he maybe has it down, then the next night he'll be up 3 or 4 or even 5 times!

- He loves the bath

- He's starting to try to grab toys and hold his binky in place

Bug's Bum & Sunday Best

2011-01-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Traeson also got some Red Pajamas for Christmas....on his bum is says "Bear Bum" They are so cute on him! (Hendricks has already grown out of his Red PJ's! He's a little monster!)

Spot the Bug!

2011-01-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Where's buggy???

Bed, Bums, and Boys!

2010-12-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

The new BED...he loves it!

Hendricks' cute BUM in his new jammies!

And also him sitting in his BUMbo :)

And my BOYS in their matching shirts!

SNOW

2010-12-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

We decided that if we are going to have snow, we might as well enjoy it! And Traeson sure does love it...expecially when he can help his daddy push it with the 4-wheeler

We also took Bug sledding today out on the hills by Nate's work. He loved it! It wore me out trying to pack Bug and the sled up the hill, but it was still fun! When he would ride down with Nate, Traeson would get a little scared because they would go so fast, but he still had a good time.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

This Christmas was a busy one...we started out early opening gifts at our house, then headed over to the Harrison's for a crazy gift-opening extravaganza, then took Bug home for a nap, and lastly, we went over to visit the Betts' and open a few gifts there as well. You could say that we made out fairly well! :) My big gifts were a digital sewing machine from Nate, a Kindle from his parents, and Bon Jovi tickets from my parents! Nate got a new IPod from me, a meat smoker from his brother, and a portable car jump-starter from my parents. Traeson got a new bed (bunk beds, but we have just put up the top bunk that has the higher rail so he doesn't fall out), two tractors and a dump truck, and a battery-powered 4-wheeler. Hendricks made out with a whole new wardrobe and a few teething toys. And thanks to Santa's little helper, the whole Harrison's family each got $100, even the kids! You could say it was a pretty good day!

Our house

Grandma and Grandpa Harrison's house

Brodee getting in on the action

Parker trying out his new saddle

McKendrick opening his X-Box 360 Kinect

At Grandma and Grandpa Betts' house

Oh my SNOW!!!

2010-12-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is ridiculous...and only supposed to get worse! We've gotten over 12 inches of snow just today! School's have been cancelled, I'm stuck at home with the kids because I don't dare drive in this mess (especially in my little car). It's insane! We haven't gotten any snow this whole winter, and now we are getting it all at once.

And it's still going :(

A view from below

2010-12-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Bug gets ahold of mommy's camera...

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

We finally put up our Chirstmas tree today. We weren't going to put one up this year because we didn't want to have to deal with Bug getting into it and taking the ornaments off. But we decided it just wasn't feeling like Christmas without a tree. We just bought a small tree for this year, since we have all sorts of baby paraphanelia all over our house and there just isn't a lot of free space :) But it is still cute, and the best part is that we got it for about half off because it is so close to Christmas and the stores are trying to get rid of all their holiday decorations!

Bug loves it, and of course doesn't leave it alone for very long, which is why there are no presents under it yet!

We also got to see Santa this past Monday at the Roosevelt City Police Christmas party. I knew Traeson would have a hard time sitting on Santa's lap by himself, and he did. He was crying just walking up to see Santa. But as soon as we got his present and were walking away, Traeson kept asking 'Who's that?' and pointing at Santa. And of course Hendricks didn't mind sitting on Santa's lap!

2 months

2010-12-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hendricks' 2 month stats are:

12 lbs. 12 oz.

23 inches long

A few things about Hendricks at 2 months:

- He is sleeping about 4-5 hours at night to begin with, then after that he's awake every 2-3 hours.

- He eats every 3 hours

- He has the cutest chubby thighs....not to mention a fairly good sized double chin :)

- He gets numerous kisses every day from his brother, and of course mom and dad.

- He loves his binky

- He is smiling like crazy now...and not just gassy smiles either! Cute little smiles when people talk to him.

- He is ticklish and squirms a lot when you tickle his sides, but he doesn't quite know what is going on yet cuz he gets this really funny look on his face when you try to tickle him.

Blessing Day

2010-12-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

We blessed Hendricks on Sunday, November 28th. It was a beautiful blessing, performed by Nate. His blessing mostly talked about him being a missionary and a deliverer of the gospel to many people. We are thankful for all the family that attended and made the day special for us.

Cousins

2010-12-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hendricks and Ryston are just 3 weeks apart...I'm afraid Alicia and I are in for a load of trouble when these two babies grow up! :)

The North Pole Express

2010-12-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as the Heber Creeper! Last Wednesday my dad thought it would be fun for the grandkids to take a ride on the train in Heber. During the holiday season the Heber Creeper does what's called The North Pole Express. You get on the train at the train station, take a 14 mile ride up around the lake, stop at the North Pole and see Santa, then head back to the station. We thought it would be fun to go too, so we loaded up and went. On the train they serve you cookies and hot chocolate, and you get to sing Christmas carols and play trivia games about all things Christmas during the ride. It was kind of cute, and would have been a lot more fun if our train conductor woman would have been a little more energetic, and got into the Christmas spirit a little more. She was a little blah, and the kids totally noticed, but it was still a fun experience. Not sure if we will go back any time soon, Traeson was still a little young to really understand what was going on, but maybe when the kids are a little older and can sing the songs and play the games.

Us in front of our car

McKendrick, Parker, and Mali holding up their signs for the 12 Days of Christmas song

Traeson meeting Santa and getting his toy

And the many faces of Hendricks!! Haha

Smiles

2010-12-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Life is hectic right now at the Betts' household, but we are loving every minute of it! Hendricks is getting oh so big (literally...he is stinkin chubby!) and just taking everything in. His smiles are getting to be the cutest thing in the world. It's funny how you forget all the little milestones that happen with babies. It's just so fun to see his first smiles and, every once in a while, a little giggle.

One Month!

2010-11-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hendricks turned one month old yesterday! This came way too fast for me...I think it's because with your second child, you are busy taking care of both the baby and the toddler, so it just seems like time flies by a whole lot faster than it used to! When Traeson was a baby I took pictures of him every day, I wrote in his baby book all the time (I haven't even wrote in Hendricks') so that I could remember all of his 'firsts' and the cute/funny things he did. It's definitely a challenge being a mommy of two, but so worth it! Just look at my two cuties!

Pumpkin coloring!

2010-10-28T14:39:00.000-06:00

Julee brought Traeson over a pumpkin the other night for him to carve or color or whatever. I HATE carving pumpkins ( I think the gooey inards are disgusting...mostly just the smell of it all!) So I let Traeson color his pumpkin, and he LOVED it! He had such a good time. He just colored lines all over it, but it's still cute just because he did it!

2 Week Check-up

2010-10-26T13:23:00.000-06:00

We took Hendricks in for his two week appointment this morning....and my has this little boy grown!!

When he was born, Hendricks stats were:

7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19 inches long.

At 2 weeks he is now:

8 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. and 20 inches long!

Holy cow! I was expecting him to have gained a little bit, but a pound and a half! Wow!

Enjoy his chubs!

Check out that double chin

His new toy, that is bigger than he is :)

Traeson looks so big next to him

Letting brother talk on the phone

October 9th and 10th

2010-10-26T12:31:00.000-06:00

It all began on October 9th. Nate and I left Traeson home with my mom (she was at our house watching the baseball game), and we went out to dinner just the two of us. We figured it would probably be the last time we would be able to go out, just us, before the baby was born. But we weren't expecting to go into labor while we were out! We headed to the local Italian restaurant and ordered our food. I had been having contractions since month 4, but they never were consistent. I had been having some good contractions all day on the 9th, but nothing too close together, and not consistent at all. But anyway, while we were sitting there eating our food, I kept getting really strong contractions and pretty close together. I started timing them and they were only 4 minutes apart. So we finished with dinner and decided to just head straight home because I was starting to get uncomfortable. We sat at home watching the baseball game and still timing contractions. They were staying 4 minutes apart, but getting stronger. At about 8:30 p.m. we decided it would be best to head into the doctor, the contractions had started around 7 p.m. so they had been going steady for a bit (I refused to go into the OB any earlier because I didn't want to be sent home!)

When we arrived at the hospital, we had to stop twice before getting to the check-in counter because my contractions were so strong, and getting so close together. The front desk lady checked us in quick and we were on our way back to the OB, which we had to stop another 3 times before we got back there! They got us to our room and all settled in and the nurse checked me at 9:00 p.m.. I was dialated to a 6 and by this time my contractions were 2 minutes apart and getting painful. They asked if I wanted an epidural (which I did) and went to get the guy immediately. He was just about to head for home for the night, luckily we caught him in time. We got that all done and ready and learned that I was strep B positive, so I had to have antibiotics pumped in me quickly because they thought my baby was going to be coming quick!

As I laid there in peace, barely feeling my contractions (thank you epidural!) the nurse came in to check me again. By 10:00 I was at an 8. They came back in at 11:00 and I was completely dialated and ready to go! I was kind of disappointed because by this time I was really looking forward to having my baby born on 10.10.10. The nurse went to see what the Dr. wanted to do....She came back and said that he wanted us to wait it out and see what the baby would do (since by this time my water still hadn't broken). So we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally at 1:30 a.m. the nurse came back in to give me my second dose of antibiotics for the strep B stuff (I guess they like the two doses to be given 4 hours apart if possible), and the dr. made his way in at around 1:45. They got things ready and at about 2:00 they told me I was ready to push. My water still hadn't broke, so the doctor did that and we were ready. It took three contractions/pushes to get him here. And at 2:07 a.m. on October 10th our baby boy was born!

If it weren't for the Strep B infection that I had, we more than likely would have had our baby born around 11:00 p.m. on the 9th. Better safe than sorry I guess. But because of that, we got to have our 10.10.10 baby! Kind of a crazy, and definitely a LONG night, but well worth it in the end! We love our little Hendricks so much, even Traeson is crazy about him! He is a wonderful baby, so peaceful and such a good sleeper. We wouldn't trade him for anything! :)

Traeson and Hendricks

2010-10-18T12:47:00.000-06:00

Just pictures today. I'll try to get around to Hendricks' birth story some day. Right now I am just enjoying having a newborn to love on, and an almost 2 year old to chase around.

First kisses from big brother!

Meeting Hendricks for the first time....not quite sure what to think.

First day home, Traeson was much more friendly and wanted to kiss on him all day!

Sleeping the day away

My boys!

Traeson being goofy and trying to put his own diaper on

Being very helpful and making sure Hendricks keeps his binky in!

This is where Traeson spent most of the day, the day we brought Hendricks home from the hospital

Wide awake and scoping out this new, strange place! (if you look in the background you can see Nate attempting to change Bug's diaper....I think Bug is winning that fight :)

Bug and I trying to get a good picture! :)

He wouldn't stop laughing

The one-armed little boy!

Funny faces!

One week old!

He's Here!!!

2010-10-12T09:52:00.000-06:00

Hendricks Allen Betts

10/10/10 2:07 a.m.

7 lbs. 2 oz.

19 inches

Random

2010-09-28T12:12:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few random pictures that I have taken of Traeson over the past few weeks. Nothing too exciting, just cute pictures.

New boots...he doesn't like them though. That is the one and only time I have gotten them on him. He is completely attached to his little skater shoes. He won't even let us try other shoes on him. Stubborn!

Mmm Pizza! This is the first time we let him eat an entire slice of pizza by himself...we usually just give him bits. He loved it! I think he felt like a big kid!

Eating grapes. He loves them as well!

Handsome eyes!

Helping me count and sort our change :) He has learned how to climb up on the chair then on to the table. So far he's only done it a couple times, but still, I don't really like it!

Obviously this isn't Traeson...but we watched Brodee and Em the other night and I just had to get a picture of Brodee's cute smile. He is the happiest baby I know! Seriously always smiling.

One Month!

2010-09-21T12:25:00.000-06:00

In one month from today I should definitely (hopefully) have a new baby! I'm thinking I don't want to be induced with this one unless I haven't had him by my due date, which is 10.21.10. So in another month I'll be a mommy of two! Woah...scary!

Sand baby with an attitude

2010-09-07T12:24:00.000-06:00

This last weekend, actually the past two weekends and this coming weekend as well, we went camping. The first week we went up to Yellowstone with Morant and Alicia and their kids, and Mali. It was fun, but rainy and windy most of the time. I didn't take my camera with me, so no photos of that trip. We rode 4-wheelers, tested out Nate's new DODGE, went fishing (where Traeson decided to lay down in the middle of a huge mud puddle) So fun! All the boys were so dirty the whole time, but they had fun so that's all that matters.

This last weekend, Labor Day, we went camping with Nate's family up to Red Cloud Loop. Nate and I actually got to ride 4-wheelers like we used to. We were finally able to get a helmet on Traeson, so I felt a lot better about taking him on the long and bumpy rides that we like to go on. We had lots of fun, except I'm not able to go for quite as long of rides as I used to, being 8 months pregnant and all. But the weather was pretty good, and Traeson had some friends to play with to keep him company. Grandma Julee brought the sand box up, and that is where Bug spent most of his time. He LOVES that thing. The rest of his time up there was spent either on a 4 wheeler or dragging around his blanket and puppy. He's very much attached to both those things. Going to be a hard habit to break, along with the thumb sucking, but I'm not too concerned about it right now. He'll grow out of it I'm sure, sooner or later. I only got a few pictures from this last weekend, and they are all of Traeson, imagine that :)

Check out this face! Extreme attitude!

Cute helmet for a cute boy

This is what I mean when I say he is attached to his puppy...He holds onto it's tail and sucks his thumb.

Gotta love his big brown eyes too..What a hunk! oh and Nate's not so bad either :)

Baby Room

2010-08-30T21:07:00.000-06:00

We've finished the new baby's room and in my opinion it looks stinkin cute! Three of the walls are a light teal, and the wall with the window is just a shade darker teal. We cased in the window with white moldings and it looks super cute. I was wanting to do something on one of the walls to break up the blue, but wasn't sure what to do. Then I saw this thing on TV, Studio 5 to be exact, and it looked like a good idea, so I tried it out. I took some fabric that I already had, which happened to match the color scheme of the room perfectly, and got some iron-on backing and ironed it on. Then I simply just ironed on the fabric circles onto the wall and it turned out great! And the best part about it is that when I get sick of it, or Traeson starts picking at it, it comes off the wall without a scratch, and without peeling the paint at all! It's perfect for a baby room.

The pictures don't really do it justice, I promise it is super cute! Now all that is left is to move the crib into this room and out of Traeson's room when he is done using it. Just waitin' on the baby now! :)

3D Baby

2010-08-20T11:13:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we got to do our 3D ultrasound for baby numero dos, which is always pretty fun! We have another stinker on our hands though :) The little guy would not move his little hands away from his face. It took a few minutes for us to get a good shot of his face. He would move his little fingers away for a split second, we'd capture the photo, and lo and behold! his hand would make it's way into the photo. But we finally got a pretty good shot of his face. He looks quite a bit like Traeson did in his 3D, so it will be interesting to see if he looks like Traeson at all when he is born!

Little fingers!

Toes! Crossed at the ankles, just like Traeson's always were, and still are.

Cute nose and mouth!

Face with hand in front of mouth! I love his nose in this one...He reminds me of Mali in this pic.

We had to poke my belly for a second to get this next shot...He didn't like it, obviously! Look at that frowny face! :)

Now for a comparison...This is Traeson in his 3D. They look a little alike I think.

*31 weeks down, 9 to go!*

2010-08-11T11:13:00.001-06:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE this little guy? I do!

This is how Traeson eats his cereal every morning....I pour it in a bowl, put in a spoon, and hand it to him. He takes it into the living room, dumps all contents of the bowl onto the floor, and consumes! He usually eats all of it too. We've tried having him eat it in his chair, or tried keeping it in the bowl, but he just doesn't eat it as well as when he does it his way..of course! He's very independent! But as long as he is eating, I'm happy.

How cute it that face! He had just gotten a little hair cut and was splashing around in the bath tub.

This is the picture I get when I asked Bug to show me his teeth... What a cheeser!

18 months!

2010-07-29T20:31:00.000-06:00

Bug is 18 months old!

I can't believe how fast time has flown by...it seems like he was just barely a newborn and we were having to feed him from a syringe. Now he won't let me feed him at all! He's growing up so stinkin quick, before I know it I'll be sending him off to kindergarten. I'm not ready for that!

A few things about the Bug on his half birthday:

- He is a very independent child...I cannot help him with anything

- His vocabulary is growing. His favorite words are shoes, sippee, hi, bye, see-ya, love you, what's that?, and his most favorite is DADDY!

-He still sleeps like a champ. 12 hours every night and either two 2-hour naps or one 3-hour nap

-He absolutely loves to give kisses, especially to mom and his cousin's.

-He's my little mini me...wants to be doing everything I am or at least looking at what I am doing

-He loves to ride on any sort of machinery...especially the lawn mower and the 4 wheeler

-He likes to take baths, play on the slip & slide, and drown himself with the hose

-He is a very musical child, when he hears music, he instantly starts dancing, and he loves to play the piano (must take after his Grandpa Paul)

-He used to be very afraid of dogs, but after one sleepover with Aunt Mali he is cured of that, now everytime he sees a dog he has to bark at it

-He loves to cuddle with his mommy in the morning and before he goes to bed

We love our little guy so much!

Happy half-birthday Bug!

The Bump!

2010-07-27T11:18:00.000-06:00

These aren't the best photos of my baby bump, but it's the best I can do by myself. I am just about 28 weeks today, less than 3 months left, and just about to start the 3rd trimester!!!!! Yay, finally!

Enjoy..

side view

sorta front view

just the belly

This little guy is one active little monster! He's moving 24/7! I don't mind though, I'd rather have him moving all the time, than not and being worried that something is wrong. He is measuring right on with his due date, and everything with him is looking wonderful! Can't wait to meet him in less than 3 months!

Summer Happenings

2010-07-22T17:21:00.000-06:00

This is just going to be a lot of pictures, I'll explain each as I go.

Traeson playing in the camper over the fourth of July. He wouldn't leave the straps that hold down the table and chairs alone. He does this with his belt for his pants too.

Had to get a picture of Nate washing dishes...might not happen again :) jk. He does it a lot.

Bug teasing Mali in the camper...it rained all day the day that Mali came up.

Goofball!

Talking on the phone (Ipod)

Giving me the stink face

"Look at my mouthful of bread mom!"

Lighting fireworks on the fourth

The only ones he liked were the snappers that you throw on the ground

Watching some fireworks with grandma

We let our child play with fire!

Playing with the sparklers, he kind of liked those, but not really.

This is what our house looks like on a daily basis...he insists on pulling all the pots and pans out of the cabinet everyday.

Not a very good picture, but our poor little bug is allergic to mosquito bites. He swells up like crazy, especially when they bite him on the face or neck...freaks me out every time his face swells up.

Another view

Splish Splash!

2010-07-08T16:05:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to post pictures of Traeson, McKendrick, and Parker playing on the Slip & Slide the other day. They had so much fun, and Traeson was actually way more daring than I thought he would be (probably because McKendrick was there).

McKendrick would suck some water into his mouth and squirt it at Traeson, they both thought it was so funny

So Traeson decided he would give it a try....not quite as skilled as McKendrick is. He came up gagging and choking on the water.

After I brought them in and got them all dressed again, I gave them all something to drink and this is where they ended up....in front of the TV like zombies. Must have worn them out!

Boys Being Boys

2010-06-30T11:38:00.000-06:00

We've had Parker and McKendrick over to play a few times lately and let me just say that I'm not sure I would be able to handle having three boys, haha!(I'm sure I just jinxed myself by saying that, I'll probably end up with all boys) Wow! Seriously they are so wild and crazy. I swear Traeson's volume level rises about 10x's as soon as the boys walk through the door! But I must say that they do have a lot of fun when they are together...play, play, play. That's all they do. McKendrick is so good with Traeson too. I hope Traeson will be just as good of older brother to his siblings as McKendrick is to Parker and his younger cousins. Here's proof:

That's my boy!

I love this picture of the three of them doing their own things!

Now for pictures of just my bug. He has been SO cute lately. He's always had a funny personality, but he's really starting to liven up and he's becomming a little dare devil.

Here his is driving his tractor up onto a basket...he thinks he can take this little green machine everywhere and anywhere!

Sitting in his dump truck and being so proud of himself

Oh sad face :(

But he gets back up and does it again, this time being a little cautious

He's also learning how to do so many things and say so many words. He knows how to jump (even though his feet rarely leave the ground), he has learned how to climb....on everything! He can now reach the top drawers in the kitchen, and will empty them out every. single. day. He loves swinging, playing in the sprinkler, brushing his teeth, and pushing my buttons every day. But I don't know what I would do without him!

Love this little Bug!