Journals

I love Journals, but if you ask me if I keep one the answer would be no, well not in the generic way anyway, I think through my Scrapbooking and Blogging I am doing my best to let people see me as well as capture moments that in the future we can look back on and say "oh yeah, I remember that", but through the years my absolute most favorite journals are that of my kids, the kind that at the end of the school year they bring home and you get to read all the things that mattered to them throughout their school year.  This being said I was cleaning up today and came across one of those said journals that I was not even aware existed and even though there are not many entries I found myself enthralled with this kids writing skills and the little things that he found interesting in 3rd grade.  I know I have mentioned before how Zachary has a big heart but he is very reluctant to share it, and when I get glimpses of his true self I cherish them all the more, that being said there is one entry that I just had to share, it just made my night!!!

Zach's Journal Entry
4/29/2011

things to do before I die!
-have a party
-go to collage
-get maried in the temple!
-have three kids
-make a pinyata
-invent something with Zane.
-be an acitect
-live in Arizona
-learn how to drive
-get a library card
-be rich
-learn Japanese
-learn Spanish
-learn German
-see lemony snickets grave
-make another pinyata
-have a sallery
-get a pet Dog named Cosmo
-win the lottry
-make a crayon
-fix my watch

If you don't know Zachary very well this sums him up perfectly, as I am typing this I find myself tearing up because I love him so much, he is such a complex person to some people but the few of us that really know him can't help but light up everytime we are with him because he makes the world a little brighter, He is on the path to greatness and I thank my Heavenly Father daily for this little man who is still not too big to show his mom he loves her!! 

A TEEN!!!

So today is Bradley's birthday and how old is he you may wonder:

13

Thirteen, that means he is officially a teenager (run, scream, cry, that is what I did this morning) and I am not very happy about it, It has literally flown by, I remember when he was young and sometimes I would look at him and wonder what he would look like when he was older, I remember when he was learning how to talk and wondering what our conversations would be like when he was older, also when he was in school and learning to read I wondered whether he would love books like me and want to read constantly, I wondered if he would need braces or glasses or if he would play a sport or be in drama or choir or band.  And now it seems like it all just happened at lightning speed, he is an incredibly handsome young man, I love the randomness of talking with him and he comes up with such out of the blue things to talk about, he doesn't particularly love to read (but I am still holding out hope), he most likely will not need braces and his smile is awesome, he has good eye-sight like his Dad, he is a mean soccer player and is playing on a team that ranges from 12-17 year olds and is doing fantastic, he wants to play football; mostly because he went to his first High School Football game with his friends and thought it was cool.  I think he would be awesome in drama because he has always been very dramatic, but he doesn't like to preform in front of people (again holding out hope for this one), he loves to belt out on Glee Karaoke with me and he did take piano for 5 years but now wants to do something like the school newspaper.  All these things that I wondered while he was younger now I get to see, I also get see the wonderful man he is becoming, his kind heart, his compassionate soul and his hands ready to serve.  Although these last 13 years have flown by I am grateful for every last one of them, But most importantly I am grateful to be Bradley's Mom, he may already be asserting his "teen" ways and thinks I don't know anything and everything I do is horrible and mean, but I know deep down (sometimes really, really deep) that he loves his family and that he is who he is today because of the things we have taught him and the love we have shown him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY B-RAD!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

I guess we will keep you after all!!!

What the........

Seriously

This came in the mail a few days ago and I just sat there dumb-founded, how much money do you need to spend at Cabelas in a year in order to qualify to have them send you their catalog in HARDBACK!?!?

Scott, you have some explaining to do....



Angel Kisses

I was school shopping yesterday with Bradley and got one of the cutest calls, I saw that it was my sister Erin and as soon as I said "Hello", I not only heard my sister but I could hear this cute little voice saying, "Hi, hi, hi" This voice belonging to my little niece Alesa can always bring a smile to my face, She was so excited to be talking that she would hardly let Erin and I talk, it brought back all the memories I had of her sweetness when Zachary and I went to Maryland in April of this year to help Erin and Andrew after they had their 2nd child, Baby Van.

Alesa has this way of loving you with her whole being, she wants nothing more than to just be near you and tell you everything that pops into her little mind, she has a thirst for life and enjoys it to the fullest, she is at that age where everything she does and everything she says is so cute and funny!! (I can say that because I am the aunt and not the parent:)  Zachary and I got to MD after Alesa was asleep and so we had to settle for just seeing Van, I know hard huh, cuddling and smelling a newborn is as close to heaven as I think you can get and Baby Van was such a darling, it took no time at all for Zachary and I to fall in love with that little guy.  But nothing could have prepared us for the absolute cuteness of Alesa's excitement of seeing her Yacky the next morning, she was beyond excited and as soon as our bedroom door was open she zoomed in, crazy hair and all and was jumping on Yacky's bed and singing about how Yacky was here and then she climbed up on my bed and was telling me all about her "dam-ma" (grandma) jammies, my mom had made her some PJ's and sent them to her for her birthday and she was so excited to show them off.  She was also soooo excited to show off her little brother Van, so showed us where he slept, his blankets, his diapers, his binky, you know all the neccessities.  Ahhhhh, I love those two!!

I think one of the best things about being a parent is seeing relationships form and friendship grow, for some reason Alesa really attached herself to Zachary (Yacky) when we went to MD last summer, and then when Erin and Andrew came out for Christmas they just had a ball with each other, and their love for each other just continued to grow this week, Some of my favorites were having Alesa "teach" Yacky stuff, like how to eat a popsicle or kick a ball or color with chalk and he just being patient and learning from her.  Also having Alesa put Yacky to bed (with her routine); get a 1 monkey, put on a blanket, read a book, and kiss forehead, both cheeks, nose, chin and lips then say night, night!!  He would just lay there with an "I can't believe I am doing this, I am not a baby" look on his face but he went along with it because he cares about her so much.  I think one of the things Zachary loved the most was listening to how Alesa pronounced his name and when she would "whistle" for him, she would cup her hand to her mouth and yell "whoo, whoooooo, Yaaaccckkyyy whoo, who" seriously cutest thing ever.  My favorite Yacky/Alesa moment though was one morning I was sitting outside with the two of them and Zachary was sitting beside me and I noticed he had a few freckles on his nose, as I was telling him about my discovery Alesa came over to see what we were discussing, she was looking at the freckles and I asked her if she knew what they were, when she said "No", I told her that they were "angel kisses", so she immediately bent over and kissed Zachary right on the tip of his nose after Zachary looked over and said in the sweetest voice, "Well; now I have one more."  Oh my Gosh I could have cried, it was such a tender moment, I reached right over and hugged him so tight I am sure he thought I had gone mad, but for Zachary the boy who never puts his emotions on his sleeve, I love the fact that this little girl can bring out this very sensitive, very hidden part of his personality.  He has one of the biggest hearts I know, but he keeps it locked up and hidden, so when I get to see this side of him, I cherish it all the more.  Thank you Baby Van for being born so Yacky and Aunt Menie could come and visit you and Thank you Alesa for being a great hostess!!!  We love you all!!!

(Road Trip 2010 in Ocean City, MD - Zachary is feeding Alesa applesauce and she is playing with his belly button, blossoming of a beautiful friendship.)

(Baltimore Aquarium - Awesome place, and Alesa looooveees fishies)

(Alesa putting Yacky down for a nap!!!)

(Ohhhh, cute picture alert!!!)

(Alesa and Yacky playing some B-ball, I am pretty sure there is a story about how that ball came to be at the Wheeler residence and I am almost certain that Taci was involved, hummmm.............)

(The two of them were watching a movie and Alesa stood there and rubbed Zachary's hair for about 15 min. or longer, it was sooooo super cute!!!)

(Look he is saying "I love you Aunt Melanie, you are my FAVORITE!!!)

(Giving Van some Love and it looks like Van is trying to give it back, hahaha!!!)

('Lesa Lovin' now that is some good stuff!!!)

AMIGOS!!!

Sadly this will most likely be my last post about Mexico :(

But you know that I have TONS more pictures, so if you want to get the full effect, just come on over and I can go picture by picture, moment by moment, and sing and dance too!!! (okay I won't dance)

Melanie and Misty :)

Scott and Ray; they have been friends since pre-school, they really are more like brothers than friends and I think it is really neat that their friendship has been able to endure all these years!!! 

Super heroes!!!

I love the wave in the background!!!  Don't they look awesome though!!!

Going on vacation with friends is the way to do it!!!  I loved every minute of this vacation, we played, we laughed, we cried (mostly from laughter), we shared stories and created memories (only enough memories to last us til the next vacation, wink, wink;)

Thanks Ray and Misty for making our vacation a blast, can't wait til next year!!!

Just as a p.s. don't my legs look awesome and seriously toned!!!

Cassie - again you should be proud of me!!!

:)

 

Laughable Lines from Lainee

I interrupt this vacation to bring you a little humor:

Sat. Scott took the kids to the pool for our Stake Swim Day (I had a migraine), and after they got home I asked Lainee what she had for lunch she said "a chicken foot!" ewwwwww. (I am pretty sure she meant chicken leg............hopefully, anyway!!!)

On Sun. Scott was helping in Lainee's primary class and they were talking about being a missionary now, and how they could invite friends or neighbors to church, Lainee leans over to Scott and says "Well Brina and Melanie Hammer already come to church." (both of whom are our next door neighbors), so guess she's covered :)

As Lainee has Sophie in a headlock and is lying on top of her, poor Sophie is yelping and trying to wriggle her way out from underneath her, Lainee looks up at me and says "I don't understand why she isn't enjoying this??", hummmmmmmmmmm, I have no idea why she wouldn't just love to be squished and held down!!!

So Lainee comes to me and asks if she can have the money that is on Scott's bedside table, I tell her that she needs to ask her Dad.  When Scott gets home she proceeds to ask him if she can have his money and says "I will pay you back!!" and then as she is walking away finishes quietly with a "someday!",  a little while later Scott reminds Lainee that she still owes Bradley a penny to which she replies all proud of herself, "No I don't, I just stole a penny from Kenndee *giggle*!!"

Lainee was also telling me today that Scott had to help during Singing time yesterday, she was telling me that he had to blow up a balloon during a song and that the better they sang the bigger the balloon got.  So naturally I asked her what song she was singing to which she replied "the pirate song!!"  ummmm, what?!?!? I don't think there is a pirate song in the children's songbook.  But our songleader is a very devout Pirates of the Caribbean and Cap'n Jack lover sooooooo, I asked Lainee to sing a little of the song she learned, so she did; Piiiirrraaatttteeee children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked!!!  Oh gosh did I ever get a laugh out of that, she seemed a little confused so I explained to her that it didn't say pirate it said Pioneer children walked and walked, she just looked up at me seemed to contemplate that for a minute and then said "Yeah, that does make more sense!"

Hope you have a good laugh with these..................until next time!!! 

INCREIBLE (means incredible in spanish)

Who wants to see more Mexico pics????

ME!!!!

WHO looks Scared of the fishies????

Ocean Trampoline!!!

Very hard to even stand up!!

Did I mention very hard :)

Ummmm........ almost giving up, just more fun to laugh!!!

Hey we got up, steady now....

Not so steady :(

The boys had to join us to "show" us girls how it's done!!!

It's all good if you can grab onto someone so they hold you up!!!

Scott is making it look easy, but believe me he was having just as much trouble as me!!

This is the safest spot!!!

Ray getting ready to dive in!

Scott's dive!!!

Sooooo much fun, but sooooo much work just trying to stand up, I don't think we actually "jumped" on the trampoline, there were some kids that came over to help us out as well (sad), but on a good note, I got a serious ab workout due to laughing so hard.  I think I will stick to my version of a water trampoline aka sprinkler under a sturdy trampoline!!!

Dinner at the Italian Restaurant

The one thing I disliked the most was that our cameras had to acclimate everytime we went outside or in because of the intense humidity, so this picture would have been way awesome if not for the foggy camera :(  but you can all imagine how beautiful it is right???  :)