Happy Thanksgiving!

What a fun and enjoyable Thanksgiving we had! We traveled to Eagle Mountain, Utah to have a bit of a Jones gathering at Aunt Jen and Uncle Kyle's house. It was so great! We all had a really nice holiday.
Brannen LOVED their bunny Max in the back yard. He loved feeding him and he loved chasing him with a stick! I think Grampa Jonesy even caught him trying to kick him while chasing him once or twice! Crazy kid. I think he mostly enjoyed being outside in the nice warm weather -hey - fifty degrees IS warm when you live in Wyoming! There was even grass to frolick on!
Max was a good sport!
Cousin time! We love Juder Bug! He was so fun to play with. He is growing up so much. All those kiddos are. It was so fun to see them.
So Rock Band was the hit of the holiday. Old and young alike. We had a fantastic time rockin' out! Uncle Kyle was great to let us all play his games. Notice the groovin' song we have going here. Aunt Jen got the giggles - big time. I think she may actually be wetting her pants in this picture.
I guess she is so very skilled on the drums that she can drum and laugh at the same time. Good show! Way to rock!
Notice Grampa's arm in a sling. He has been having trouble with his shoulder, so he wasn't up for much drumming or strumming. However, he did kill some vocals. He was a pro at Beatles Rock Band - and really screeched a few ABBA numbers on ABBA Sing Star. I hope he is better for Christmas time so maybe he can give Uncle Dave the guitar pro a little competition!!
Brady had us all in stiches with his singing. He was just so very loud and unreserved. Which is NOT like Brady at all. He really got into it and had a great time. He made it so fun for everyone. Especially Aunt Jen!!!
Jude on drums, Rae on vocals and Brady rockin' the guitar. They all had a blast!
Two cutie boys. They sure liked playing gamecube together.
Halle is growing so much too! Not to mention the adorable Colin! Brannen had fun trying to play with him. At this age they mostly just walk around each other and try to figure out how to interact. I am afraid Colin was the recipent of a few shoves now and then too. Bran really likes you - he just can't figure out how to show it.
Don't know where Reese and Blythe were during all the pictures - I know they were around some where. Mostly they just disapeared and played like crazy. Those girls sure do miss playing with each other all the time.
We had a great holiday. Thanks Aunt Jen for hosting a great dinner and a fun couple of days! It was fun to go your way for a change!

Broken wing!

Cutie boy! We had an interesting weekend - Bran broke his arm! Saturday night he was playing downstairs with the kids - running around and having fun - and fell off of kelly's weight bench. Yea, he has fallen many times, off of numerous things but this time the ouch lasted longer. We debated and couldn't decide whether he needed to go to the emergency room or not. Stayed home that night and it turned out to be a long one! Took him in Sunday morning and yep - it's broken all right. The doc put a splint on it for now until the swelling goes down and it gets a cast on Tuesday.
He felt much better when we got home from the emergency room - that split really has helped. We have gone to the emergency room too much this year! Kelly, Rae and now Bran! We are done with that place! Seen it enough!
Mama Reese has worried and worried about the little guy. She is doing a great job of looking out for him - and helping him.
He was posing for me this morning in his nakedness. Helping me get some pictures.
This is the pose you get when you say, hey buddy - show me your arm! He is a smart one - this kid! What a fun guy.

Oh I hope we survive the next month - with a rock-hard weapon attached to him arm. All my kids are nervous about being pummled to death. He is a rowdy one!

WE LOVE REESE!

Happy Birthday Reese! The girl is officially an all grown up nine year old!
She had a fun birthday! Bran and I took her to lunch - she brought ice cream cups for her class - and we had a fun family party that night.
She was so happy and excited for all of her presents (and she wanted to wait until everyone was home to open them and celebrate with her. She waited until 7:30 pm! Way to go Ms. Patience!) And no, Grampa Jonesy - she didn't get graham crackers. That wasn't the excitement! Food boxes are basically the only boxes that I have around!
Nine Things We Love About Reese
1. She is such a kind, kind girl.
2. She is the best babysitter around! Her baby brother loves her like a mamma!
3. She is one smart cookie! What a reader! What a good writer! Math whiz!
4. We love her smile! She is ALWAYS happy!
5. She is grateful for everything she has - and never complains about what she doesn't have.
6. She is so talented. She is getting to be a great pianist, and a beautiful dancer.
7. She is silly! She has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.
8. She is so obedient. She chooses the right, and does what she is asked to do.
9. She has such a great spirit and and a great heart. She is one special girl! I am so very proud to be her mom.

SYTYCD!!

So, if you understand the title of this blog entry - you are a REAL FAN! And in this house, we are REAL FANS! Well, the girls of the house are anyway. You know, the men watch the golf channel and football!
That's right folks - we journeyed to SLC this past weekend to go see So You Think You Can Dance! Live! In person! Squeeeel!!!! It was beyond awesome. So much fun, so very very impressive. Rae and I had a great time. We went with our friends the Schwabs and the Woodfords. Aren't these girls beautiful?!? Rae and her two friends Jessica and Shay.
Here are all the kids in our motley group - Tyson and Kalin decided they were men enough to tag along too. Very fun guys - we were glad that they came. (Well, maybe the sisters weren't as glad that they came - when it was pool time and they got dunked a lot by their brothers! Rae has never been so glad to not have an older, pesky brother in her life!!)
We are there! You bet! See the actual stage??? Janine, Brandon, Kayla and the whole top 10 from season five were there - plus Phillip (amazing) and Kaitlyn (best solo of the night). It was really a great show and we are so glad that we went.
The kids ended the trip by goofing around in the very awsome pool (water slide too!!) at the hotel. We had such a fun weekend. SYTYCD ROCKS! Almost as much as the Fullmers!

Happy Halloween!

Here are our Halloweenie kids! Reesie the beautiful witch and Bran boy the dragon. What a pair. Reese really wanted Brannen to come to the trick or treat parade at her school - so we did and he had a great time. On Halloween night, he was seriously confused by all this trick or treating stuff. He really wanted to know what was going on. We had fun dragging him all over though. He got seriously scared-and screamed his highest pitch scared for his life scream- at one really fun spooky house and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! Great entertainment. So glad I have a couple more trick or treaters at home! Fun! Fun!

I think he is a little sugar-drunk!
What does a dragon say? RAAAAAAARR!
Striking a pose! What a runway witch!
At Reese's school

Sippy Cup Tower

We finally got smart and took the time to put baby locks on the drawers in the kitchen. Wow! How helpful is that. Shoulda' done that long ago. However, we did leave one drawer accessible to the little pest - the sippy cup drawer. He loves to root around in there to see what he can find and how many things he can throw onto the floor. Great fun! Recently, he has started to build amazing things! He has figured out how to build towers. I was kinda impressed because he figured out this great entertainment on his own. No one showed him how. Way to go buddy! Entertain thy self! Without destroying anything!!

Pumpkin Guts!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Food Storage!

It is that time of year - the case lot sale. Time to stock up. Good thing I have lots of helpers to haul all of that heavy food! Just look at their muscles bursting through their shirts!
What a helper!
The old "bucket brigade". Truth be told, I think they had a lot of fun unloading all of those cases of food. They made the work fun. Even conned cousin Jeff into "having fun". They got it done in no time flat! Good job guys!

Now, if someone could just schedule a disaster at the end of fall, when the pantry is full - instead of the spring or end of summer - that would be nice! Not that I am asking for one- mind you! Great. I think I just jinxed the world. Better get that food storage!!!

Bed Head

The girl has been getting up rather late now- a -days for school. She just doesn't have the extra time to primp that she obviously needs!
Happy Halloween!!!

Cookies!

We decided to make some family home evening sugar cookies. Brannen had a great time - and I got to clean up a BIG mess.
Reese is always the best helper in the world!
Rae is pretty good too!

Keeping it real! Go Viks!

Fall Football Fun

We love Fall! We try to get outside and enjoy the weather when we can. One of my kids favorite things to do is go to a high school football game. Much fun is had.
Brady spends his time - playing half of the time, and watching the other half.
Reese plays the entire game. Running around with friends - what's better than that?
The boy loves it too. He just loves being outside - the football watching is a big bonus!

Happy Birthday Rae

Our girl turned fourteen on Thursday and I can't believe how time has flown. I know every parent feels like this - you blink and your kids are older. Kelly and I were just looking at a movie he made for his media class entitled "A Day in The Life". It basically just showed a normal, average day in 2002 for Kelly. It was so fun and strange to see how little our kids were, and how much our lives have changed. Makes me interested to see what is to come.
Anyway, Rae had a great birthday! Notice her new hair do! Highlights for the growing up girl. She is really getting older. Wow.
On her birthday, we had a message left on our answering machine by a teacher at Rae's Middle School. She didn't know it was Rae's birthday, she just called to compliment Rae on her behavior at school. She said what a respectful, fun and kind girl she is. She also really wanted to tell us how nice Rae is to students who have a harder time fitting into some social aspects of school. I guess that talk Grama Chris gives at the beginning of the year has been sinking in! Way to go Rae! Thank you Grama!
We had Grama Chris, Grama Marge and the other birthday - Grampa Barry - over for dinner on Rae's b-day. I made Rae her traditional un-cooked birthday cake, and Grampa's tradional carrot cake. Yum -O!! We had such a fun time being with them. Brannen sure wished that Grampa would have stayed all night long and played catch with him until the sun came up! He had a great time, as we all did.

Another year down! Time sure does fly!

School Pictures

It was picture day today for the kiddos. I actually thought it was only picture day for Reese, so she looked beautiful with her perfect outfit and perfect hair - but apparently it was the day for Boo too. He came home with his mostly wrinkled kind of strange football shirt on, hair in most definite need of a cutting and said - mom it was pictures for me today too. Well, that might be interesting.
Anyway, because we live in the BOONIES, I always take my toddler into the school to get their picture taken too. (Yes, I live 2 hours away from the nearest Target or Wallmart portrait center. No thank you-- kids are always dirty and cranky by the time we have driven 2 hours!) So today I took Bran to the school freshly scrubbed and combed. He was really cute. Entertained him until it was our turn. He was all grins and happy. Set him on the picture stool - you know what happens next - mad face, tears. So I proceeded to find his favorite person in the world to make him smile. Reese! It did the trick. She came, he was all smiles and happy yet again- until his tiny bottom hit the dreaded picture stool. Tears again. Why do children all over the world torment their parents on picture day?? Is it part of their training in baby school?? I think it might be.
So here's the real kicker. We get in the car and I give him the talking to. Buddy - why won't you smile? You smile so good. Can you smile for me?
The little stink smiled all the way home. On command. Every time. He just took years off of my life with the stress of jumping around making stupid faces, trying to get him to smile. What can you do?
So I came home, and got some proof of the smile. I may print this picture and hang it next to the terrible one that the school will give me in a couple of weeks. Sounds like a plan. Proof of his smile.

Winter time!

September 30 - our first snow of the year for 2009. We are okay with it. It is inevitable. It will snow, melt, snow and melt for a couple of months now. And it does give Bran a chance to wear his new coat - and really see snowflakes fall for the first time. He was really intrigued by it all. We had a couple of inches by morning - but it is all gone this afternoon. Tis the season.

Popsicle Season

We love MIGHTY MINIS! The best popsicle ever made for a baby! They are tiny and awesome! Brannen LOVES them. The sad thing is, our popsicle days are truly numbered around here. We have had a few weeks of warm indian summer and have loved every day. I just had to record this popsicle moment to remember all winter long.





What a great kid. I'm sure glad I have my little tag along plaything to keep me company all day.