Kelly the Babysitter

So Kelly agreed to let me go to church and stay home and tend the baby. Impressive!?! Huh?!? He always has to have a plan though. He needs some fail safe device to make the baby happy in case of emergency and much crying. The device of choice now a days is the treadmill. Kelly says that it is baby drugs. You simply walk on it slowly while holding the infant - and the sound and gentle moving puts them instantly to sleep. They can't help but sleep.



But that alone wasn't good enough - he had to also devise a way to carry the baby easily - I'm not sure why really. They boy only weighs six pounds - not much of a load. Anyway, Kelly did a great job tending his son. I came home to a peaceful house!


The proof is in the puddin'! Brannen couldn't fight the calming forces Kelly planned for him!

Aunts and Cousins

We had a fun weekend with Bekki and Maura here - and Jen and her cuties visiting too. It was a real mom and kids weekend. Yea - Kelly hit the road and fled to Clint's house! Good job honey. We had a great time hugging babies and doing absolutely nothing for the weekend. It was awesome! So nice to see those cousins too.
Oh yea - I'm not trying to be cruel to the baby by dressing him the same everyday! He only has 3 outfits that fit! So we rotate - and happen to take the most pictures when he is wearing the blue outfit with the stars on it. Sorry! Looks like I only take pictures on one day. He did get weighed yesterday though, and is a whopping 6 lbs. 4 oz. now! Way to go Bran!

With Grandpa

Grandpa Barry came to visit this week, and I took a picture or two of Barry holding him - and I was struck by how tiny Brannen looked in his hands. So I told Barry to open his hand by Brannen. Now, I'm not sure if this picture makes Bran look tiny - or Barry's hand look freakishly large! Wow! Chris said Barry doesn't have unusually large hands. Who knows? Brannen has to get his long fingers from someone. Not from me!

Bath Time!

Yahoo! The nasty navel stump fell off - and we can take a real bath! Problem is - we hate baths! It scares us too bad! We hate being naked! (See - we even talk like Yoda!)



We are going to get more brave very soon!

Getting Bigger!

Brannen and I have had a great week at home. Time sure does fly! I can't believe that he is 10 days old! He changes everyday - so I'm making sure to enjoy every minute. I can spend lots of time just looking at the little guy. He is eating good, and sleeping good - so all is well. We are a happy bunch around here - and a little baby crazy!

Brannen Guy Fullmer

February 20, 2008
7:46 pm
5 lbs. 2 oz.
20 inches

We love you Brannen! We are so glad that you are the newest Fullmer!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy day of love everyone. We have the traditional "Red and Pink Breakfast" at our house on Valentines day - so I took a few pictures. My kids love it, and they always ask if I'm going to do it again this year. So I guess it is a tradition that is going to stick.

Why I love Rae:
She is so kind to everyone. Even those kids that others aren't very kind to. She doesn't leave anyone out. She has a lot of enthusiasum for everything! Way to be girl! She talks more than I do - you didn't think it was possible, did you?! Rae has a great attitude about life.


Why I love Brady:
He thinks of others before himself. He is fun to be around because he is always nice! He has a great sense of humor. He is so patient and helpful. Brady loves to have fun, and do anything with his family. He is so dang fun to hang out with.

Why I love Reese:
She is so silly and great! She is the sweetest girl the world has ever seen! She loves to be a girly girl - she prefers to wear a dress and look fancy. She really looks up to Rae and Brady and loves to play with them - either Madden football, or horses - Reese is into it. She gives the best hugs!

Rae & Brady

Thought I'd post some cute pictures of the kids. They were on my camera - so here they are.

Who knows just what Brady is doing here. Apparently Rae took this picture. I guess why not kick back on the kitchen floor while eating doritos? I mean - why not?!
Here is beautiful Rae skiing around the house after school. She sure does love being outside! She has been going to the neighbors lately and taking their big black lab on walks around the neighborhood. It wears both the dog and Rae out!

It's A Bird . . . It's A Plane . . .

NO - It's just Gina's VERY LARGE belly!

Okay, okay - you know it is WAAAAAYYYY out of my comfort zone to post prego pictures of myself on this blog. I just am feeling bad because I haven't seen Jennifer for so long - and she was asking me to post some pictures. And I was also thinking how I would love to see pictures of my mom when she was carrying me. Maybe I have seen some - I don't know. So these pics are totally for posterity sake. Try to ignore my chubby, pregnant face when you view these. Do you know any woman who enjoys being photographed when she is two weeks away from her due date? Yuck!
I don't know what is up with this top picture - I must be getting kicked as Reese took the picture, because that belly is surely a strange shape! I'm thinking it IS getting big enough! We'll be okay!


Getting more excited!!! And more uncomfortable!!! : )

Baby room again!

So I know you are all sick and tired of seeing "the baby room project" - but I had to post this for Bekki.
Before I had Rae, Grandpa Barry built me the best changing table in the world! I have loved that thing. It is a nice big cupboard with a soft, easily clean-able, wipe-able top - perfect for dressing and changing all the little ones that have grown up around here. I just recently gave it a face lift. You see-- the previous white and blue motif, with stenciled horses on the front - has gone WAY out of style. So I just updated it a bit. Bekki helped me to find some awesome colored vinyl to re-cover the top with (she has more than one store in which to look - mighty helpful!). Thanks Bek! Anyway, I thought I'd post a pic. or two to show her the outcome. Mighty nice! Now all we need is a little cutie to mess his pants - so we can use the thing!
Getting excited!!!!

Every day stuff

Just thought I'd post a picture of what the kids are usually doing while Kelly is blowing the snow. Yep - Rae's mean mom makes her practice the piano. The problem is - she is doing so well, I can't let her stop. All the kids are playing and doing well. It is definitely difficult to keep up the momentum and keep everyone practicing. It is paying off though. I think they enjoy it - a little bit. It is just such a darn good thing to know!

Brady the homework man!


Our kids are really good about getting their homework done. The moment they get in the door (after mad dashes to various bathrooms throughout the house - what?! do they not have bathrooms at school?! I can't figure that one out!) they all sit down and get their work done. I don't even have to remind or ask them. It is so nice to just get it all finished early! Great job kiddos!

Wintertime Fun!

The weather has been keeping Kelly really busy after school as of late. We have really needed the snow that we are getting this winter. It needs to keep it up! The last few winters have been so mild that Kelly hasn't had to blow around much snow. Not so now! The man has another full-time job. This is my usual view from my front window every evening.



Let's just hope the 'ole John Deere snowblower keeps a goin' for another few winters. It kind of makes loud, weird noises once in a while. Kelly's figuring out how to keep it going. At least he is remembering to put oil in it (Sorry - Grandpa Barry! ; ) ).

B-Ball Time!

Rae and Brady have had a great time playing basketball this winter. Both of their teams are doing really well.
Getting all ready for the big game!

Sorry - dark picture, but that's Brady driving the ball.

Another dark one - maybe I should actually stand up and walk closer to take a picture! Naaah - too much effort!

Rae is playing church ball - and Brady is playing on a "Jr. Jazz" team. His coach is one of his dad's friends that has coached high school for a long time. So Brady thinks that is totally awesome. They are both learning a lot and having a dandy time.

Rexburg Temple Open House

We finally made it to Rexburg! We had a fantastic day. The temple was awesome. My kids really enjoyed seeing it all. They said they liked the mural room the best. Grandpa Jonesy would like the murals! Looked just like the top of Greys river with elk and deer. Fantastic! It was a cold, cold day but we had a great time spending the day together. We love to see the temple!

Finished!

I am really excited and happy about how the room turned out! It looks fantastic. I'm feeling much more prepared for our arrival - to say the least! Thanks Jen for the crib and baby stuff - it is wonderful!

SSB CLUB

I'll bet you didn't know that we have a great club here at our house. Yes we do. It is the "SSB Club" and it meets regularly for fun and games. Occasionally there are meetings to discuss important political issues, but mainly it is fun and games. The "Sister, Sister, Brother Club" started about 2 years ago when Rae had the brilliant idea of talking me into letting the kids sleep outside or something. Anyway, the club began and has continued these long years. They really have fun with each other. They create forts, or watch movies together and always call it a "SSB" party. They even hang a sign on the bedroom door that says, "SSB Club in progress, don't come in. No telemarkiters" (Rae can't spell).

I love that they love being together.

They had a fun club meeting this weekend - watching movies, eating junk and sleeping upstairs on the big couch. I might let them do it more often if Brady actually slept!

Baby room project

So, I can finally put up some pictures of our big project. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a handy Kelly around! That man is Bob the Builder himself. I really am glad that he can do so much around here - from keeping the snowblower going, to building an entire house! The man is handy. Ask him to cook something ---- well . . . .that is not the same story! For sure! Oh well, good thing I love to cook! And helping with the baby - you know he'll be good for at least 17 minutes! What a guy! Anyway, I talked him into putting up bead-board wainscoting in the baby room. It looks great. He also built shelves in the closet - SO NICE.





Today the kids and I were supposed to go to the Rexburg temple open house - but the weather didn't allow us to. The roads were closed all over because of blowing snow. We were really disappointed! But, we tried to be productive - and you know how kids like to paint! So we began the great painting project of the room. (They had all done make-up work for school already, so I just kept them home). I decided about half way into the big paint, that I'm a bit too pregnant to be painting with 3 kids - (translation: I was a bit more grumpy than usual! : ) ). But we really did well. They were actually a lot of help - we got the 1st coat all on. We went to the Maverik for hot chocolate to celebrate their hard work (which, of course, Rae spilled all over the car ----and created another project!!! Ahhhhhh! Gotta love that girl! ) It was actually a pretty fun day - in spite of the storm!

We LOVE Maura!

Maura is so darn beautiful! Rae was enchanted the entire time we were there! She never wanted to put her down. We had a great trip to see the Russells - we always love a good trip to Arizona. It got us all excited to have a new little one around here. Now, if he can only be half as beautiful - we will be set! : )

Beautiful Reese

Here are some cutie pictures of Reese.

This is her class Christmas program called "Christmas all over the world". Her 1st grade class taught us about different Christmas traditions in many countries. Cute reindeer - eh?





And here is the toothless wonder herself! That's right - she lost both her fronts. True to form, when she had her second front tooth get loose, Kelly said, "here, let me see how loose it is?" and promptly pulled it from her mouth. It is a wonder that those kids ever trust him. She was actually really glad that it was gone. She is a pretty cute 7 year old!

Merry Christmas?

Merry Christmas to all! Here is our Christmas picture, that was going to go on our blog in December. Better late than never!