Something's Missing!?

Here is my cute Brays. With all her teeth. I realize you can't see them but, trust me, they are there.And here she is today. Toothless. I love the big goofy grin kids give when their front two teeth are missing. It is my favorite. She lost the first one last Sunday and the other one this evening. So now she is our toothless wonder.
Due to Braley's stomach problems we never expected her to have really healthy teeth because of all the throwing up she has done but to our happy surprise she's never had a cavity and while her teeth are small and worn, they are healthy. We can't til the new pearly whites make their debut. Secretly though, I hope she is toothless long enough to sing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!"

Lost And Finally Found

Today among laundry, scrubbing potties, errands and meal preparation I also spent 1 1/2 hours hunting for a missing hermit crab. My lovely children let their crabs out of the cage to "get some exercise" and then walked away from them. When they realized (an hour later) 1 was missing pandemonium broke lose. Each child came to separate conclusions as to what the heck happened to Miss Jasmine. There were Braley's tears accompanied by "She's gone forever! I just know she ran away!" Jayden's observation was a bit more realistic: "If we don't find her daaaaaad is going to freak out because she'll die and stink up the whole house." And in true Ansen fashion all he had to say is "I think I ate her." Great. They were a whole lot of help trotting after me, watching my every move, and doing nothing themselves to help in my frantic search to locate the thing I was sure I would step on and crush to death in the middle of night. After an hour PLUS I found her safe and sound under the dishwasher in the far back left corner...napping. Now the kids are happy, I am a hero and I won't have crab guts on my feet tonight! Bring on the weekend.

The Music Of The Night

Last night Steph and I went to see The Phantom of the Opera. We had a great time and the production was AMAZING. It's one of my favorites and I was so happy to be going again...it's been a while. So we headed out with some of my friends and enjoyed a night of friends, Portland and Opera. Steph is officially in love with the Phantom (while masked) and is committed to following him anywhere--all he has to do is ask. I discovered a new appreciation for Raoul (Christine's fiancee). He was never my favorite, til last night. I also might possibly follow the Phantom and THAT voice anywhere. Annnddd...he could have been very good looking too. Tickets in hand...we are ready to go!

Speaking of Steph...she's been a busy girl. Work is going well and her bosses love her work ethic. She also just received her Young Woman medallion 2 Sundays ago and the Bishop let the ward know what a good girl she is. I think he actually used the word "spunk" when describing her. She has had a rough couple months and from a personal point of view she is handling life really well. We are proud of her and are excited to see how things go once school gets started. The sky is the limit for this girl and she has a sassy new haircut to conquer the world with.

Six!

It's official! Being 6 years old is the greatest thing ever. At least according to Braley. She had great birthday and of course, in true Braley fashion EVERYTHING was pink! In fact, now that I think about it, the letter "P" pretty much sums up Braleys birthday. Princess (cake), party (at the) park, plenty of presents, and people who love her everywhere.

Braley and her Princess Cake.

Braley and her new Princess hair clips. She loves them and swears she looks just like Tinkerbell with them in. I agree.
This is her new pink lunchbox that matches perfectly with her new pink backpack.
Birthday buddies Brays and our friend Chad--he's hitting the big 2-9 on the 30th.

Make a wish!!!! (Best Banana cake ever!!!)

And just for kicks, here is a picture of our most recent house guest. Pituca (pea-to-ka) spent a few days with us while her family was camping. She was so fun but also only 7 weeks old so she was a LOT of work. The kids and Steph were just in love with her. Look at that face--who wouldn't love her?

So again, Happy 6th Birthday Braley. We love you!

Braley Is Six Years Old

Braley is six today! The big 6. Sies anos. 2,190 days. 72 months. 6. S-I-X. She is so excited to be 6 and to be headed to the first grade. Braley we love you and we are so glad you are such a big 6 year old. Thank you for being the silly, sassy, simply super, stupendous six year old you are.

Week In Photos

Took an obscene amount of photos this week. Really we didn't do that much. Some hiking, found a new water fountain, went swimming, barbecued, stayed out of the 100 degree heat as much as possible. So I'm not sure where the pictures came from but I thought I'd show you five of my favorite snapshots of the week.

SUPERMAN! Yes, Ansen is still into everything superhero. I am seriously considering making our entire ohana a Superhero family for Halloween to fuel his need for anything super amazing, super fast and super strong...plus I look gooood in tights!

This little miss is counting down the days until her 6th birthday. Braley recieved an early card in the mail yesterday and about passed out from all the excitement (thanks Ann & Charles).
Did someone forget to mention to me how MUCH talking an 8 year old girl can do? Jayden's mouth is in constant motion. I just needed a little quiet...just for a minute!

What is she doing? Hunting for black berries 10 feet above her head. This little hike turned into a "feed Steph" expedition. No complaints though, she's 99lbs soaking wet.

What does Jason do besides push WalMart carts and deal with dead people all day? He is the new Elders Quorum President. Busy, busy, busy guy. So I'll be home every night while he is working, traveling or serving. Anyone want to come visit me?

Can't get enough of these guys!

Grandma And Grandpa Rock!!!

Warning! This is one lonnggg update so get comfy and read on:

Our 2 weeks with Grandma and Grandpa went by so quick! The time just flew by. We were busy from sun up to sun down. Bedtime didn't exist and neither did any real schedule. It was wonderful. These five were pretty near inseparable!

We drove up to Wenatchee, Washington where my dad grew up to visit my grandparents grave and see the sights. I love Wenatchee and you can't go there with out walking along the river. (Holding hands with your favorite people makes it even better)
Grandpa found a fast friend of Ansen! Where ever Grandpa went, so did Ansen.
Trip to Costco? Yessir. Hey. It was HOT, Costco was air conditioned, we were a little hungry annnnnd who can resist samples?

Grandma Arlene and Grandpa Rudy! Two of the greatest people ever.

We were in Wenatchee for 12 hours and dad ran into 3 people he knew. Small town. This is dad's high school varsity basketball coach. Dad was so excited to see him and like a nerd I took about 20 pictures of them talking. This is my favorite.

10 hours in the car. Head locks were bound to happen to Jayden and Braley.

The Gilbert House Children's Museum. So much fun.

Grandma made Thing1, Thing2, and Thing3 Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast. They devoured it.

Catching their shadows at the Children's Museum.

Grandpa, Grandma, and Stephie entering the haunted house at Enchanted Forest. The kids sat outside and nervously waited to see if Mr. Boogity (the greatest Disney movie EVER) captured them. No worries, they came out unharmed.

My sister-in-law Blanca with mom and dad. She taught dad and mom how to make real tortillas and salsa....ssooooo good. Thanks Blanca, now my parents are authentic Mexicanos.

The whole gang. Jason, my dad, my mom, me, Jason's mom, Jason's dad, Jayden, Braley, Ansen, and Harley.

We had so much fun with you mom and dad! Come again soon! We are coming in July...we've started a Massachusetts Or Bust fund...anyone care to donate?

WE LOVE YOU!

I Will Give You One Guess....

at who is having the best day ever...Could we get a little Baptism cheer going?.....SUPERSTARRRR!

My Heart Is Full

Jayden was baptized tonight. I wish you all could have been there. It was AMAZING. I don't think I have ever seen anyone so happy/excited/anxious/giddy to get in the font. Jayden could not contain her enthusiasm once she got inside the church doors. Every smile, in every picture, is one of complete joy! She has been looking forward to this evening for so long and to have it finally here was a dream come true. This is Jayden in her princess dress. It was all poof and fluff...soooo unlike Jayden. She picked it out and she looked beautiful. The happy parents and the "soon to be" newest member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Wow, I can't believe she is 8 and we are actually taking this picture. She is so big.
Here they are. SO excited for their sister. To show his love for his big sister Ansen did his best to sit quietly during the service. He did a very good job...for a 3 year old. Braley came running into the changing room after Jayden's baptism and gave her sister the BIGGEST hug ever. They just stood there hugging one another for a minute or so...yes, I cried like a baby.
Father and daughter. What a team. I am so thankful for a husband who honors his Priesthood and was able to baptize his daughter. What a wonderful experience. I am thankful that he lives worthy to hold the Priesthood and bless our home. I am grateful that Jason is a wonderful father. I love them both. They have a special bond and I know that this moment only strengthens that bond. Look at her face! She is so excited! Look at his face, he is so proud.

Jayden's "Baptism hair." To make sure everything got under the water without any trouble we braided her hair. She also had a mani and pedi today...you know, we didn't want to get any of her nail funk in the font. Again, she looked beautiful!

Grandpa Widing, Grandma Widing, Grandma Forsberg, Grandpa Forsberg and Jayden. Both Grandpa's were the witnesses of the Baptism and also stood in on her Confirmation while her daddy confirmed her. Grandma Forsberg spoke on Baptism and Grandma Widing spoke on the Holy Ghost. The others who stood in on the Confirmation were: (Uncle) Eric Forsberg, Scot Kurns, Ben Clunas, Bishop Haycock, Scott Reynolds.

This is me. This is my husband. This is THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS!

Today was one of the best days of my life.