Happy 4th of JULY

Yesterday we enjoyed our usual 4th of July activities. We started the day at 5am listening to the bombs going off at the park. Then we enjoyed the pancake breakfast followed by the BBQ lunch at the park. The kids participated in the annual foot races.

On your mark...

Get set...

GO!!!

We ended a perfect day watching fireworks over Lyman Lake.

June-tastic

Nicholas turned 8 on June 12th!

Airplane Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Justin came for Nicholas' special baptism birthday.

For his 8th birthday Nicholas asked his Grandpa to roast a pig.

Nicholas was baptised on his birthday with his friend Preston Wilson.

The Pattersons.

Important family members that shared this special day with us BUT ran away from the camera include Papa and Grandma Drain, Airplane Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Garth and Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Keith, Uncle Adam, Uncle Justin, and cousin Katie.

June 12th was a fun and crazy day! It was so fun and crazy that we didn't get the chance to have Nicholas' birthday cake until Monday June 14th. We also enjoyed a visit from Uncle Sam.

One more fantastic thing that happened in June... On June 21st Brigham just decided to stand up and start walking with his walker. Pretty wild!

Here's What Happened In MAY

May 1st: Nicholas participated in his first wrestling tournament.

May 2nd: It snowed!?? Here's what we came home to after Stake Conference.

May 11th: Look who's CRAWLING!!! Brigham loves his new found freedom.

May 14th: Lora graduated from Eastern Arizona.

May 17th: Audrey and Sarah performed at their end of the year dance recital.

May 25th: The last day of preschool at our house.

Utah in 3 Days

Last Wednesday Ryan came home for lunch and said, "I REALLY want to go to Utah." So I'm thinking to myself... hmmm information that would've been useful YESTERDAY! But after flashing his sad brown eyes the packing began. We left home Wednesday at 11pm and returned home Sunday at 5am. So why in the world would we make such a crazy dash to Utah toting 4 kids???

Adam graduated!!!

We got to see our cousins Jason and Nicole.

Brigham was introduced to his namesake.

We toured Salt Lake,

and found out that Uncle Kyle and Aunt Candace are having a baby! And I just have to say, "WOOHOOOO!!! YEAH BABY, bring on the cousins!"

We even got to see my cousin Brittany go to her prom. On such little time we sure had A LOT of fun!

This Easter...

we colored eggs at Grandma's house,

had our annual bunny cake decorating competition,

(Can you guess which bunny won???)

enjoyed our visit from the Easter Bunny,

and had a family picnic at the park.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This year we invited the Wilson kids to help us make leprechaun traps the day before St. Patrick's Day.

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Once again that tricky leprechaun escaped our traps with all of our gold. The kids were happy to find that he was kind enough to leave behind golden chocolate.

Here's our St. Patrick's Day breakfast crew. These kids enjoyed green eggs and ham washed down with green milk.

The Things You Do For Love

I totally DON'T dance anymore, and I have been known to swear up and down that there is no way in this world I would or could ever teach any form of dance..... and then I had a son. GEEZ, the things moms do for their kids. Soooo, after eating my own words, there I was teaching him and his three friends this...

Nicholas, Preston Wilson, Parker Humpherys, and Michael Greer performed the Ka Mate Haka last Saturday at our ward talent show.

Mr. RSV

Last Thursday, Brigham and I got a 2 minute ambulance ride from the pediatrician's office to the Show Low Hospital. Brigham's oxygen level was very low and and he was extremely dehydrated. After 1 blood draw, 1 chest x-ray, 2 really deep nose suctions, and 3 unsuccessful IV starts, our poor little guy tested positive for RSV. It's that respiratory virus that babies shouldn't get because it's VERY BAD!!! And as you can see by the look on Brigham's face above it really is VERY BAD. Or maybe that's the "GET ME OUT OF HERE" face??! Either way, after 52 hours (but really, who's counting?) in the Show Low Hospital Brigham was released breathing on his own.

And here he is today. SOOOO much better. Amazing what the proper amount of oxygen will do for someone. It's GOOD to have him smiling again!

A Very Merry Christmas

December ended SO much better than it started.

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Brigham received his first Christmas ornament.

Nicholas must have been good this year because Santa brought him a new bike and a cowboy hat.

Audrey and Sarah were definitely on the nice list.

Brigham's favorite present was given to him by his Dad.

Warning: Flood Zone

December didn't start out so well. This is what we came home to Friday, December 4th.

We arrived home just in time to watch our ceiling collapse.

Oh JOY!

The only thing missing from this picture is the waterfall that was pouring over our fridge. A valve in our upstairs bathroom was either faulty or froze.

What a difference 11 days can make! This is what our kitchen looks like today!!! We've still got insulation repairs, and a lot of cleaning... but LOOK! No gaping hole or piles of insulation.

Now, back to Christmas!