Five Fry's

I made the list!!

2012-03-02T22:34:00.002-07:00

I was pretty pleased that Gavin ranked me right up there with Jesus and Ninja-ninjago!!

Proper Etiquette by Mason

2012-03-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

Make sure your face in all over in your food

Make sure you glance up every once in a while

And don't forget to smile!!

Mardi Gras

2012-03-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Our friends Nick and Stevie invited us to a Mardi Gras party at thier house. We ate yummy food, played some games, watched "Guy on a Buffalo" (Hey look a baby, Awesome!) and had a mask contest. Stevie brought us masks the day before and we had fun decorating them.

Cody and I's Masks

Nick and Stevie, Blaine and Tiffany, Cody and Teri, Oliver and Liz

Just had to throw this one in there. We were trying to figure the cameras out and this is one of the pictures we got. Let's just say that Oliver ended with a lot of beads by the end of the night!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2012-02-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Reason's why I LOVE this pic:

1- The HUGE smile on my mom's face

2- The fact that she is being a good sport and wearing the birthday tiara and jewels that I got her

3- The waiter put balloons on her ears

4- We are singing to her really loud in a public place

5- The guy in the background is having just as much fun as we are

"DON'T LICK ME"

Sister-in-law Erin and sister Karen

Did I mention it was a windy day?

My new favorite pic!! I should have zoomed in on my mom!!

We almost didn't make it to the movie in time because it took us hours to fight the wind and get into the theater!! (not really)

We went to "The Vow" (which stopped part way through because the wind made the power flicker) and then to Red Robin to eat. Good times were had by all!

Saturday Morning

2012-02-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

"Gavin, have you seen mom?" - Cody

"Please don't fart" - Teri

Recently voted Worlds Sexiest Couple!!

This morning we heard Gavin get out of bed, run through the house, down the stairs and into the babies rooms. (He climbs into each of their cribs and gets them out) Then he followed them up the stairs and into the living room. Pretty soon he was back downstairs and I could hear him getting into Chloe and Mason's dressers. He went back upstairs ( like mommy told him too so in case one of the little one's fall) and we could hear him telling Mason to "come here". A few minutes later he was telling Chloe to come here and then she started fussing a bit so I went upstairs to see what was going on and to make sure she was OK.

I found Mason fully dressed in matching clothes and socks that matched and he was trying to get Chloe out of her pajamas. He was doing a great job, but poor Chloe is getting 2 new teeth, one of them being a molar, so she is extra fussy. He picked out her flower shirt with the matching tu-tu skirt!! He has never done that before and I don't know what got into him this morning, but it was cute to watch him be such a big brother!

Friend NOT Foe

Gavin has finally realized that Mason is his new play buddy instead of the annoying little brother that gets into all of his stuff! They play "together" now. I'm so happy : )

Also, last night we were at our ward potluck and Cody and I were cleaning up so the kids were just playing around in the gym. Another boy that's Gavin's age tried to sit on Chloe to wrestler her. Gavin ran over there (Cody was on his way to rescue her also, but Gavin beat him), said "That's my sister" and punched the kid. Cody said normally he would've got after Gavin for hitting, but he was protecting his sister so he let it slide.

Videos

2012-02-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Faith and Taylor teaching Chloe to walk

Mom and Dad's turn

A Bowl of Cheerios

2012-02-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

10 Years Ago (February 15, 2002) I had a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast. I bet your wondering how I can even remember that especially since I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. Let me explain.

I was living and working in Pocatello. I worked at Convergys from 6-11pm everyday so that I could go to school during the day. The day before (Valentine's Day) I had worked. Erin, a co-worker and I decided that after work we would go get ice cream together since she didn't have a date and my man was in Rigby. When we were done Erin dropped me off at my car and there was a note from Cody saying that he had waited until 1 am for me, but finally decided to go back home. He had driven to Poky to surprise me, oops!

The next morning he called me and asked me to come have breakfast with him. I was a little hesitant since it was an hour away, but I decided since he drove an hour for me the night before I would return the favor. I drove to Rigby and have to admit was pretty disappointed when I got to his house and found two bowls of Cheerios on the table. My first thought was "I drove an hour for a bowl of Cheerios?".

We sat down to eat and I asked for some sugar to put on them and Cody was so hesitant to give me any. (Really your feeding me bland Cheerios and I can't even have a little sugar on the bland things?) Then he watching in dismay as I put sugar on them and proceeded to watch every bite I ate. I finally told him to stopped staring at me while I ate and he did, kind of. I kept catching him looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

Then it all made sense. I scooped some Cheerios at the bottom and guess what was on my spoon,

A RING!!!!

Cody took it off my spoon, got on one knee and asked me to

MARRY HIM!

It was still dripping with milk as he put it on my finger!! He confessed that he was worried what the sugar would do to my ring and then told me we needed to hurry because he bought a house and he needed to go sign papers on it in an hour!!

What a day that turned out to be, a new ring and a new house, but I am soooo glad that he did not propose on Valentine's Day because I'm pretty sure I would have told him "No, ask again tomorrow"!

I still can't look at a box of Cheerios without it putting a smile on my face = )

Everyday Life

2012-02-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Chloe fell asleep in the high chair at G&G's

Gavin and I built a fort under the air hockey table and he wanted to sleep in it that night. P.S. I did try to give him a pillow but he refused

Mason's wild morning hair

I went to check on Chloe before I went to bed and I found her snuggling with her baby. Sooo Sweet!

I watched Madisen and Megan (my nieces) and Madisen let me practice on her hair!! Can't wait until Chloe's is longer!!

Turkey sandwich + Gavin = One BIG Turkey

Megan was hungry and luckily Batman stopped by to save the day

Mason and Gavin LOVE their daddy!!

My knight in shining armor

Gavin wearing daddy's hat while talking to daddy

I Love You Because...

2012-02-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

CODY - I LOVE your KISSES and HUGS. I LOVE that you are my BEST FRIEND. I LOVE your HUMOR and your SILLY SONGS that you make up. I LOVE how you give the kids random NICKNAMES. I LOVE that you are a GREAT COOK. I LOVE that you let me sing to the kids and in the car even though I STINK at it! I LOVE that you go along with my CRAZY PLANS. I LOVE it when you give me MASSAGES.
GAVIN - I LOVE how you have to S-T-R-E-T-C-H every morning. I LOVE your GHOST STORIES. I LOVE how you remind me to say BEDTIME PRAYERS when I forget. I LOVE your IMAGINATION. I LOVE how you think and the FUNNY things you say. I LOVE that you love SUPERHERO'S. I LOVE your HUGS and KISSES. I LOVE your long eyelashes.
MASON -I LOVE how you say CHEESE anytime you see a camera, I LOVE your BROWN EYES. I LOVE how you play PEEK-A-BOO. I LOVE it when you give me KNUCKLES and CUT THE PICKLE. I LOVE how you are such a DARE DEVIL. I LOVE how you pack your MURRAYS around. I LOVE how you are always ON THE GO.
CHLOE - I LOVE your SMILE. I LOVE your CONTAGIOUS LAUGH. I LOVE how you say HI all the time to everyone. I LOVE it when you GROWL at me. I LOVE how you hang on to the back of my arm when I'm CARRYING you. I LOVE how you snuggle with your BABY when you go to sleep. I LOVE that you have HAIR and you let me play with it.

February 5th - A really long day

2012-02-06T00:44:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason I feel like I just need to get this out there, mostly so I can decompress and I have a feeling it's going to be a LONG ONE, just saying.

Before I begin let me just say that today was fast Sunday (and I get grumpy/irritable when I'm hungry), secondly for "another reason" I was extra irritable to begin with and lastly, my hubby has been gone for 2 weeks and honestly I just need a break from the single mom life AND I miss my best friend!!

I knew it was going to be ONE OF THOSE DAYS when the first thing I had to do today was change 2 poopy diapers within 5 min of getting up. (Yesterday I had to change a total of SEVEN and they were the STICKY MASHED POTATO consistency type that are hard to get off little bums, that's can't be normal).

Chloe has a runny nose and the poor thing had DRIED SNOT from her forehead to her toes so she needed ANOTHER BATH even though she had one last night and I could not leave Mason and Gavin alone for 2 seconds without them BUGGING the other one. If one of them wasn't whining or crying the other one was.

To keep Gavin busy and away from Mason I had him help me make Monkey Bread to take to my mom's for the Super Bowl, good idea? NO. What should've taken 10 min ended up being more like 30 because he had to roll one ball of dough at a time in the bowl (there were 48 balls) and in the meantime the two little ones were literally getting into EVERYTHING!!

I made lunch for the kids and they were eating great. Mason wanted a second helping of Lima beans so I gave him more because I didn't want him to be hungry and he loves Lima beans. I FINALLY got in the shower around noon (church is at 1pm) while they finished eating and I could hear the boys fighting AGAIN. Mason was in his high chair so I knew it had to be Gavin. I hollered for him to leave Mason alone and his reply was "BUT MASON KEEPS HITTING ME!" So I tell him to stay away from the high chair and do you think he listens, NOPE! I got dressed and came out only to discover Lima beans SMASHED on my floor that I JUST MOPPED yesterday. Mason threw them all out of his bowl, apparently he didn't really want that second helping, and Gavin had stepped on them when he was BUGGING Mason, perfect.

But even though I had to give an EXTRA BATH, wait forever for the monkey bread helper, CLEAN up Lima beans as well as part of the MESS the kids made so we could get to the door we actually make it to church with a few minutes to spare thankfully because I conducted in Relief Society today.

During the lesson I had to leave twice because Chloe was so TIRED and CRANKY. I had forgotten her blanket at home, LUCKY ME! I don't even know what the lesson was about. Thankfully though one of my girlfriends kidnapped Chloe during Sunday school so I actually got to sit and listen to the entire lesson uninterrupted : ) Thank you Tiffany!!

Then came sacrament meeting (we have church from 1-4, nap time, with sacrament meeting last). Gavin kept putting his paper from Primary on his head to balance it and of course it would fall of or Mason would knock it off so Gavin was chasing after it in the aisle and/or very loudly telling Mason to stop. I asked him multiple times to stop and did he? NO. Mrs. Irritable (me) just wanted to grab the paper, rip it up and throw it away, but that would've CAUSED A SCENE so I didn't. I just tried to be patient and finally he gave me the paper and I put it in my bag.

Then during the opening prayer the boys were SWATTING at each other for whatever reason and Gavin in a very loud voice was telling Mason to stop and Mason was telling him "NO" back. I'm pretty sure the only thing people could hear were my boys and not the prayer. I tried to separate them, but it didn't help.

Somewhere before the sacrament it turned for the worst and I had HAD IT!! I grabbed my bag, retrieved Chloe from Tiffany and I left with Mason and Chloe crying, Gavin yelling "I DON'T WANT TO GO" and leaving a trail of relief society papers behind me. Luckily Oliver (Cody and I's good friend) got Mason and picked up my trail of papers and helped me to the car. (Thanks Oli!) SO MUCH FOR NOT CAUSING A SCENE IN SACRAMENT MEETING!

Gavin SCREAMED the entire way home "I want to go back. I'll be good! Let's go back please". Once I got home I just left the kids in the van while I came into get the food for the Super Bowl party. I had to take a minute and just sit and DECOMPRESS for a minute. All I have to say is that I'm so glad that church is at 9am next week and nap time can be nap time!!!

I went to my parents and it was NO SECRET the kind of day I had. My mom stepped in and helped me get the kids out of their dress clothes and into their regular clothes. I finally ate AND I the kids were distracted by grandma and grandpa so I had some downtime, whew!! (Thanks mom)

The Super Bowl was good, GO GIANTS!! My favorite commercial was the Chevy truck commercial with the Twinkies, "Where's Dave?" "....Dave drove a Ford" "Want a Twinkie? " Ha!! Ha!! This was extra funny to us just because of my dad and Cody's long going Chevy vs. Ford's.

Mason did give me another NASTY GROSS DIAPER right before I put his pj's on (10th one in 2 days between the two kids, but I decided to take advantage of it. We were ready to leave so I bagged it up and we hit the road. This is going to sound GROSS, but 2 of my other sibling's also have kids in diapers so we are randomly leaving each other POOPY diapers. We put then on each others cars, front porches, diaper bags etc (always contained in a plastic bag of course to contain the mess. It's like a "Hi I love you and wanted you to have this amazing gift" kind of thing).

I decided it was time to TEACH GAVIN THE ROPES and I asked him if he wanted to help me leave a poopy diaper on Paul and Erin's front porch. He said "yeah sure" and then was getting into it saying things like "they are going to step on it and get poop on their shoes and then it will explode and get all over them." I was kind of EXCITED that I had already converted my son to the DARK SIDE. We drove to my brother's house and I had Gavin run the poopy diaper and leave it on their front porch. He ran back to the van, I gave him a High 5 and we drove off into the darkness before turning the lights back on. We weren't even out of the neighborhood when he said:

G- Mom, you just made me do a bad thing
M - Honey, it's not a bad thing, it was just a joke. We do it to each other all the time
G- No, it was a bad thing and Santa saw me do it
M- Santa will know it was a joke
G- No he won't! He just saw me be bad (he's almost crying now)
M (talking to Santa)- Santa, I made Gavin do that so don't be mad at him, it was my fault
G- Mom, he can't hear you. We have to go back and get it before Paul and Erin see it!

So I turned around and we went back to get it, but Paul and Erin had just gotten home and the DIAPER WAS GONE. I got out to tell them what had just happened and asked them if they were going somewhere. Paul just laughed and Erin said "NOT ANYMORE, " which turned out to be a lie!! I got home and went back to the van to get the food out and saw them come around the corner, BUSTED!! so I just stood on my front lawn and WAVED at them. Then I went out a second time a little bit later to take out the garbage and there was the diaper on my front porch! Of course they denied it and claimed someone had stolen their car and must have done it. Revenge is SWEET and they are going to get it Bwahahahaa!!

I got Mason and Chloe to bed and then Gavin and I built a FORT out of blankets and our "HAIR HOCKEY" table as he calls it. We got the flash light and told each other "scary" ghost stories in the dark. I LOVE HOW YOUR KIDS GIVE YOU AN EXCUSE TO BE A KID AGAIN! It was so much fun. He wanted to sleep in is fort so that's where he is, sound alseep! What a GREAT way to end a CRAPPY day.

So after a day of misbehaving kids, tantrums, running late, poopy diapers, practical jokes, forts and ghost stories I'm ready for a new day especially since my HUBBY COMES HOME TOMORROW!! = D

P.S. Yes, it was hard going from 1 to 3, and yes it was hard to figure out what they like/dislike and what works for them and what doesn't, and yes it's hard knowing that I missed the first months and year of their lives, and yes it's hard being a "single mom" for two weeks at a time, BUT, I LOVE MY KIDS and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I can't imagine my life without my sweetheart Gavin, by sometimes stubborn brown-eyed Mason, and my little Princess Chloe. I am so blessed to have them in my life, but this is the real world and life isn't perfect and we are all going to have horrible, no good, rotten, terrible days!

The End ~ Now I can get some sleep!!

P.S. Gavin told me this joke tonight:
What is a ghost favorite treat? BOOB berry pie!
I'm pretty sure he meant BOO berry : )

Videos for Daddy

2012-02-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Gavin tickling Chloe

Mason pops his balloon

Pinterest Project #3

2012-02-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Geo Board

I had never even heard of one of these before (See previous blog where I admit I live under a rock) until I saw it on Pinterest. It's basically a board for making geometric shapes, etc.

The finished project

First we made some shapes

then a face

and then we got creative and made a clown with crazy clown hair

I helped Gavin make his name

Then he wanted to play with it by himself

This is a "cage for bad guys"

Hours of fun for less than $4!! All you need is a board, nails, paint and rubberbands

My Boys

2012-02-02T10:21:00.001-07:00

Mason's Bed Head!

Mason's hair AFTER I combed it and he got to it.

Gavin's new favorite toy!!

Mason pointing out what he had done, he was so proud!

Cody called during dinner so I left the kids to eat and went in the other room to talk to him so I could hear. Mason has figured out that he can move the high chair, even with the so-called brakes on, by rocking back and forth. I found him in the middle of the kitchen with mashed potato artwork on EVERYTHING...

...including his hair!! Time for his 3rd bath in 24 hours!!!

Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy Worm

We made him out of the left over parts from my Valentine wreath

Capturing Everyday Life

My new addiction- Pinterest!

2012-02-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law introduced me to Pinterest on Sunday and I have to admit, I'm OBSESSED!! There are so many fun projects, great ideas, etc all in one place! No scouring the internet and other blogs hoping to find something good, it's already been done for you. I LOVE IT!! So here I am 4 days later and I have already done two projects that I found on there with more to come!

A Valentine wreath that I made, super fun!!

http://lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com/2011/01/v-day-wreath.html

A puzzle of sorts for the kid's church bag. I have to admit I felt a little guilty cutting up Pres. Monson's face, but it was for a good reason right?

http://blog.bitsofeverything.com/

If you haven't been there, which I'm sure you all have because apparently I live under a rock and am the last one to know about everything, you should check it out!!

http://pinterest.com/

Chloe's Photo Shoot

2012-01-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

These are some pics my sister took of Chloe. She was not very cooperative at all unless she had food in her mouth (even though I just fed her before we left home!) so if you see something in her mouth that's why, they are Little Puffs.

When she didn't have the puffs in her mouth, it was the necklace!

Examining the puff

"HI" - Chloe

You can't really see it, but she has drool dripping down here belly : )

Love the look in this one

What is that thing?

Can't you see I'm trying to eat here?

This is a fav even though it's a little blurry

Thanks Karen! Next time we will shoot for morning right after her nap and feed her spoonfuls between each picture ; )

Naptime

2012-01-26T10:43:00.002-07:00

We have lived in our house for going on 5 years and it's been a busy 5 years with work, school, church callings and of course Gavin. In the meantime my organizing and keeping up with the house flew out the window. Currently I'm only working a couple of days a month and no longer going to school, but I have two busy toddlers to fill up the time! Lucky for me they take naps and I have been taking advantage of the time and ORGANIZING!!! I'm sure Cody is glad he's not here right now because I can get a little intense.

(Back Story: When we were first married all of my clothes and shoes in my closet were color coded and could only be on matching plastic hangers. My movies and cd's were color coded as well. I could literally go on and on, but I don't want you to know how crazy I was/still am. It drove and still drives Cody crazy although time has calmed me down a bit.)

This is the closet in the toy room. It hold my craft stuff, Halloween costumes, extra quilts, etc

Before

After

I even added some extra things that were in the way in another closet. Yeah for me! Also, check out the quilts. Before I had 4 garbage bags full of them and the closet doors wouldn't shut right, but I went and invested in some of those "space bags" and they are the coolest thing ever!! Gavin and I had so much fun "shrinking" the blankets with the vacuum. We even let the air back in one of them and tried it again and again!

This is holding a Queen size down comforter, queen size quilt and a smaller quilt. Gotta love space bags!

This is my poor excuse for a linen closet in my hall

BEFORE

All the old expired crap that I threw away

AFTER

I did another closet too, but forgot to take pictures. I'll keep ya posted on how it's all going. If you need inspiration on cleaning/organizing just watch an episode of Hoarders, it will get you going every time!!

Sledding Finally!!

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

We FINALLY had enough snow on the ground to pull out the 4 wheeler and do some sledding. I invited one of my girlfriends and her two boys and we headed to a nearby park to have some fun!

All frozen and ready to go home!

Chaz, Gavin, Chloe, Mason and Reese

Tammy, Reese and Gavin

Chaz and Reese

Gavin almost had more fun watching these two on the sleds that he did sledding, they were being so silly and Gavin was laughing so hard that it made me laugh too.

My cute little popsicle! She LOVES being on the 4 wheeler!

P.S. That was Tuesday, by Wednesday the snow had all completely melted and now it's Thursday and it is snowing like crazy outside, only in Idaho!!

Learning to Walk

2012-01-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

More Pigtails

2012-01-17T20:11:00.001-07:00

Baby Blue Eyes

These were Chloe's Pigtails this morning...

...and this is her pigtails at dinnertime!! : )

On a side note: Chloe had her 1 year check up yesterday and the boys were with me. After the Dr. checked here over I put her onesie back on, but not her pants. Gavin wanted to know why and I told him it was because she needed to get some shots and of course "why" followed so I told him, then he was quiet. When I looked over at him he was almost crying.When the nurse came back in Gavin was right there next to Chloe while she got her shots and afterward when I was snuggling her to make her feel better I looked at Gavin again and he was really crying this time. He is so protective of her and doesn't like anyone picking on her or making her sad. What a good big brother!

Winter Party

2012-01-17T20:08:00.003-07:00

My nephew Drake wanted a sledding party this year which didn't really work out since there is no snow, so the kids just played at the part instead.

Mason wasn't so sure of the slide which surprised me because he is such a little dare devil at home. He never did go down all by himself.

Uncle Connelly helping Mason

Chloe and Maycee

Luke and Mason on the ice skating rink

Taiya entertained Chloe on the slide over and over again

For Daddy!

2012-01-13T11:42:00.003-07:00

Gavin's Got Skillz

Mr. Mason

Guess Who?

2012-01-13T11:28:00.003-07:00

Gavin?

Mason?

Mommy?

Chloe?

I LOVE WAFFLES!!

Baby Burritos!!

When Gavin was little I would turn him into a "baby burrito" by wrapping him in a couple of blankets and he loved it! I tried it out on Chloe and Mason to see if they liked it as much and Gavin wanted wrapped up too! I guess you can never outgrow being a burrito!

All those new Christmas toys and they spent the day playing in a box!

Christmas Break

2012-01-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the Museum to see the Old Fashion Christmas Display. They have antique and new Santa's of all shapes and sizes, nativity scenes from all over the world, and amazing gingerbread houses.

Gavin and Mason in the Discovery Room

Bath time for Chloe

Gavin, Mason and Chloe in their Christmas clothes from Grandma Fry

The Gingerbread house we made this year

The back

Gavin showing off his excellent table manners

Never leave Daddy and Mason alone with green markers!!

Another year of changes?

2012-01-06T13:47:00.001-07:00

Last year was a year of changes for me. Every aspect of my life changed last year, well except one, I still live in the same house! Here are some of the changes:

Momminess ( yes that is a word, just ask Chelsea!)- I went from being a mother of 1 to a mother of three, and two of them are currently both 1 year old until March. Also my "baby" is now a preschooler who can read, think for himself and doesn't need his mommy for much of anything

Work- I started the year out working at MMSC (Madison Memorial Surgery Center), then went to EIRMC (Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center) to be home more with the kids and now I am a stay at home mom (except for the 2 Fridays a month I help Dr.Quinton in surgery). I still talk to the gals from MMSC because they all became lifelong friends, but it's less frequent now.

Church - I went from being the Young Women's Presidency and playing with teenage girls every Tuesday night to the Relief Society Presidency and now deal with real issues. I don't get to see the other Young Women's leaders as much either and I miss talking to them every week.

Vroom Vroom - We traded in my Honda Accord for a Mini Van making me an official member of the Minivan Mafia

Love and Marriage - We added two kids to the mix, took on new roles and now he instead of being home every night after work he is going to be gone for 2 weeks but them home for an entire week

Family - I gained 2 nieces and a nephew, but I am now without a grandma which is making me cry right now just thinking about it. I miss both of them sooo much.

I don't mind change and I know it's inevitable, but I hope the changes aren't so major this year and there aren't as many of them.

2011 Recap

2012-01-06T13:30:00.001-07:00

JANUARY

- Jeffrey R. Holland ofthe Quorum of the 12 came and spoke to us at Stake Conference and it wasAMAZING!

-Gavin is a SUNBEAM and isin PRIMARY now

-We did LOTS of sleddingand Gavin acquired his first sledding injury on Presto Hill

FEBRUARY

-Cody passed his StateHVAC exam and is now an official HVAC JOURNEYMAN!

-Lots more SLEDDING atG&G Blakely's, Freeman Park and with Bowen's

MARCH

-Cody and I went toLARRY THE CABLE GUY in Salt Lake City with our friends Scott and Cassie

-Gavin gave his FIRSTPRIMARY TALK and did a great job

-Cody and I went to a UTAHJAZZ GAME. They played the Sacramento Kings and won in overtime 109-102

-Gavin turned 4 YEARS oldand had a BATMAN Birthday Party

APRIL

-We got Gavin the"black dog" that he has been begging for, his name is BUD

-I finally painted Gavin'sroom so it looks like a BIG BOY ROOM and not a nursery

-We went on our FIRST FAMILYHIKE on Cress Creek Nature Trail

MAY

-Cody and I celebrated our9 year wedding anniversary

-I went on a WILD andCRAZY trip to ARIZONA with GIRLFRIENDS

JUNE

-We bought a brand new 4WHEELER and had it muddy within hours

-Gavin learned how toROLLER SKATE

-Carl and Caitlyn visitedfrom Tennessee

-Gavin started SWIMMINGLESSONS

-Cody and I bought aCAMPER and did lots of CAMPING

-We met MASON and CHLOEfor the FIRST TIME

JULY

-My AUNT BONNIE who Ihaven't seen in over 10 years came to Idaho to visit and met Gavin for thefirst time

-Gavin had his first rideon a FERRIS WHEEL

-We made many trips to theSPLASH PARK

-BRIGHAM and BAILEE wereborn on JULY 22ND (niece and nephew)

-Gavin rode in the PIONEERPARADE

-More CAMPING and 4WHEELING

-Lots of trips toJEFFERSON (RIGBY) LAKE

-Our annual BUTIKOFERFAMILY CAMPOUT in Island Park. Theme: WOODSTOCK

AUGUST

-Camping at Hawley Creek

-Meadow Lake

-Fry Family Reunion atReinhardt Park

SEPTEMBER

-Gavin started PRESCHOOL

-I left MMSC and startedat EIRMC

-Gavin learned how to ridehis bike WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS

-MASON AND CHLOE CAME TOLIVE WITH US!!!!

OCTOBER

-We bought a MINIVAN

-MEGAN CAWLEY arrived onOctober 18th

-My Grandma LORNA MAEWADSWORTH BUTIKOFER passed away on Oct. 26th

-PUMPKIN CARVING withTHREE KIDS

NOVEMBER

-CHLOE started CRAWLING

-We spent THANKSGIVING atmy sister's

-We went a cut down ourCHRISTMAS TREE with THREE KIDS, A SLED and a SAW. P.S. We even got stuck!

DECEMBER

-Cody got a new job atSCHLUMBERGER

-Teri is now a STAY ATHOME MOM!

-Christmas with THREE KIDS

Chloe at 1

2012-01-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's weird to think that I'm not going to be able to tell Chloe all her firsts, her first time sleeping through the night, her first smile or the first time she ate baby food, but I can make up for it by keeping track of all the rest of it, so here is a run down of Chloe at age 1:

She has an INFECTIOUS LAUGH and she almost ALWAYS wakes up HAPPY : ) She love to have her BELLY TICKLED, she started CRAWLING on Nov. 8th, she can stand all by herself but is not quite walking yet. She has 6 TEETH, 4 on top and two on the bottom.

WORDS: "HI", "MOMMA" "DADA" and "DADDY" (yeah Cody gets two words and I only get one!)

EATING: She EATS ANYTHING you give her or that she finds, literally!! She eats like a horse which has dubbed her the nickname "Tina" (as in "Tina, you fat lard" llama on Napoleon Dynamite). When Mason is eating in his high chair she hangs our under it waiting for Mason to drop something so she can eat it, GROSS!! When she is done eating she takes her last bite and then SPITS IT OUT to let you know she's done. Cody claims she CRIES every time he cooks BACON but he reassures her that "it's not your sister, so don't worry". (This is all in love and fun. For those of you who know Cody, you would understand).

She loves her baby Cabbage Patch BABY DOLL that we got her for Christmas and she SNUGGLES with it every night when we put her to bed, it's so CUTE! Chloe has the PRETTIEST LIPS and the cutest CHUBBY CHEEKS that I need to quit kissing because I think they are getting chapped!

SIZES: She wears size 2 shoes, size 3 diapers and size 12 month clothes, but it quickly outgrowing them!!

We were wondering the other day what we were doing the day she was born, so I looked it up:

"Gavin woke me up with a kiss this morning, what a perfect start for a New Year." We took down our Christmas decorations and Gavin wasn't very happy about it, he didn't want Christmas to be over. We went to my mom and dads to play games with the family and I got out my new fondue pot so we could eat yummy chocolate covered treats while playing games.

And that's what I was doing on the day that my BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL was being born.

Chloe's Birthday Party!

2012-01-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Her Invitation

(My sister took the picture for it)

The Birthday Girl with her balloons, cake and cupcakes

La, la, la....oh what is that on the floor?

Why is everyone singing to me?

Oh, I'm suppose to blow that out?

Lucky for her, big brother Gavin came to the rescue

You mean I have to eat this? The whole thing?

We thought for sure she would dive right in, but she just looked at it forever. Unfortunately the pre-colored frosting I bought for her cupcake tasted terrible, but she did eat a little of the cake from the side. We ended up giving her a yummier, less intimidating cupcake for her to eat.

Mommy helping Chloe eat her birthday cupcake

Mason had no problem jumping in and eating cupcakes

Opening presents

Gavin was a good helper, he brought her all her presents to open

Checking out her new Princess Piggybank from mom and dad. Daddy picked her out a pretty dress too

Mommy and the Birthday Girl

Mom, Paul and Bailee

Chet the nose picker, Dad, Karen the weirdo and Megan

Erin, Brigham, Paul the dork and Bailee

My family thinks it's "normal" to pull faces when they see a camera

Chloe and Grandma Fry

Brigham and Bailee

Kenny, Papa Moose, Grandma Bonnie and Maria

Oliver, Liz and Aunt Cassie

Cody, Sadie, Maycee, Alexandria, Madilyn, Kaylee, Torrey, G-pa Fry

Uncle Kenny and Mason

This picture is a BIG DEAL!! All of the grandkids are scared of Uncle Kenny because he is loud ,has a dark and apparently scary goatee and because he is a tease BUT Mason LOVES him!!!

Chloe's pink zebra striped cupcakes

I took a picture of her cake, but somehow it got deleted, bummer

The Birthday girl with all of her loot! Thank you everyone!!

Gavin wanted a picture with Chloe for her birthday, you can tell she was SO EXCITED!! ; )

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-29T17:31:00.002-07:00

My Christmas Princess

My 3 little angels in their new Christmas Pajamas

Trying to read them their new Christmas book

They got "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Santa must have gotten Gavin's letter because when he woke up he found the "orange dinosaur that roars" just like he asked for waiting for him by the tree.

Opening presents. The kids got up around 6:30 (with daddy's help) and Mason ended up back in bed, that boy needs his beauty rest! The kids were sooo spoiled this year! I made both the babies blankets this year like I did for Gavin's first Christmas. Chloe's has monkey's on it and Mason's has sea creatures.

Chloe with her new baby doll, she LOVES it!

Gavin was so excited for everything this year

Mason with his new puppy. I made him the blanket that is next to him.

Cody got a new Camelbak, wallet, and this picture of the Dolphin's stadium for his man cave (it has a lot more color in real life), and a few other things. His favorite thing by far was his bright orange Miami Dolphins jersey from my brother and sis-in-law. He was so excited!!

Me and my loot!

Cody teased and teased because I asked for a new mop, but he got it for me anyway. He spoiled me this year.

Gavs and his etch-a-sketch

Taylor and Chloe

Kenny, Faith and Maria

Madisen eating her breakfast!!

This one is for Cody

He claims that every year for our annual Christmas breakfast him and my mom are the only one's who cook (which by the way is not true and I can prove it with pics from previous years) but I took this just for him.

Mason

Mommy and the Chloster!

Chloe loved to help open presents even if they weren't hers!

Karen, Gavin, Madisen, and Kenny

Uncle Paul made marble towers for the kids and they loved them, so did the adults!

Mason would open a present and then go play and then come back and open anther one. He does not sit still, ever!!

Paul and Erin are the proud parents of twin babies who happen to spit up a lot, so I mad them their very own HUGE bibs out of bath towels to they won't ever get spit up on their clothes again!!

Mason chillin in Chloe's chair

Cherie trying on Cassie's new heels!! Woot! Woot!

Us girls go to Target for the after Christmas deals every year, but this is the first year we had our own photographer with us...

Gavin: Our photographer AND the first male brave enough to go shopping with the women on the day after Christmas!! It was awesome to have him there because he could watch all of our carts while we shopped!!

Making cookies with the cousins, Drake and Treysen

I made big candy bar snowman as neighbor gifts and Gavin helped me. Can you tell which one he made?

This one was his favorite and he wanted a picture of it.

Chloe the Toaster

Gavin playing with some of his new toys

Cousin's craft day at Aunt Sadie's

They had a spaghetti lunch, made clocks and then played with play dough

Gavin and Isaiah with their clocks

Gavin talking on the phone like a big boy

Chloe, Daddy and Mason

Cody and I had a date night and this is how we found Chloe and cousin Madi when we came to pick the kids up, so cute.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Pretty Pink Piggies!!

2011-12-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Chloe was sitting in her Bumbo and while I was feeding her she was kicking her feet and it hit me!!WE HAVE GOT TO PAINT YOUR TOENAILS!! I don't know why I haven't done it before now, aren't they the cutest things?

Gavin took these

He loves to follow Chloe around with the camera.

A Night in the Life of a Mom!

2011-12-22T14:51:00.002-07:00

Our van is officially broke in thanks to Gavin! (Warning: what you are about to read may be TMI, but hey, it's life and most of life is TMI, right?)

I picked up my niece and nephew last night to stay the night and on the way home we decided to swing by one on the Christmas houses, you know the fun one's that have lights to the music? Anyway Gavin didn't want to go, he wanted to go straight home, but not wanting my 4 year old to tell me what to do we went anyway because everyone else wanted to go, BAD IDEA!!

On the way home he PUKED, and not just a little puke, I mean chunky brown PROJECTILE puke!! It was all over the back of the seat in front of him, all over him and a good portion of it landed in my nephews bag and the floor. I had a bowl of caramel corn so I took it out and wrapped it in the plastic that was covering it and then gave him the bowl just in case. We made it home without another mishap and I took him in the house, stripped him down and put him in the tub. /Thank goodness my niece was there! She helped get the other kids in the house while I took care of Gavin.

I GLOVED up, grabbed my rags, and bowl of soapy water and headed to the van. It's a good thing I love my son, because it was soooo NASTY!!! In the middle of cleaning my niece came out and said that Gavin needed me. I found him all wet and shivering on the toilet (after following the trail of diarrhea from the tub)!! Seriously? The poor thing! Not once did he mention that he didn't feel good. My only clue was he didn't want his dinner, but I just thought it was because he was excited to go get Luke.

I got him cleaned up from that and back into the tub and I headed back out to the VOMIT VAN. I had just finished cleaning the van when Madi told me that Gavin needed me again. I went in the bathroom and found him standing in the tub...of DIARRHEA! He didn't get out in time. I felt so bad for him. I drained and cleaned the tub and then I scrubbed Gavin down really good and just rinsed him off in the shower.

After he was taken care of I called my sister-in-law to let her know I had just unknowingly exposed her kids to THE BIG D and the VICIOUS V and then went to cleaning Luke's bag. I wish I could say it only got on the blanket, but it was all over the inside, GAG! I was literally scrapping puke off his blanket and into the toilet then poured the rest into the toilet. EVERYTHING that was even near the explosion site went in the washer with LOTS OF BLEACH!!!

So much for a fun sleepover!! Maybe next time.

P.S. Just in case I didn't gross you out enough: When I was cleaning the bathroom I went to move Gavin's shoe's and there was a quarter sized pile of diarrhea IN Gavin's shoe.

Santa Hats and More

2011-12-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Almost every time I pull out my camera Mason will run up to it and say "Cheese" with his big goofy smile!

"Cheese"

My boys!

My big brother is so weird!

Chloe was not a big fan of the Santa hat...

...but she got use to it

My Favorite!!

(This is Mason's booty!)

Gavin made this Santa at Preschool, but it didn't have a body so I drew one, cut it out and Gavin colored it and then we glued it on.

Warning: Do not leave your infant unattended in the kitchen while switching the laundry in the basement.

Mason found a "pillow", but the "pillow" wasn't happy

Now she's happy!

Mason LOVES his "Murray's" (his flannel burp cloths) and carries them everywhere and he has since taken a liking to one of Gavin's blankets as well so now he carries them BOTH around! He's my little Linus!

Yes, those are stickers on my table!! He was so proud of what he did I couldn't really get mad, but he did get told never to do it again! (It was my Grandma's table). Luckily they came off really easy.

"Where's Mason?"

Gavin dressed himself for church. He asked me from his room, "Mom can I wear this shirt?" I couldn't see what he was talking about, but figured it couldn't be that bad if it was in his closet, but I forgot about his "costume shirt" from our family reunion! Then to make matters worse he wanted his hair to look like a "roller coaster". I'm sure one day he will look back at this picture and wonder why I let him go to church looking this way and hopefully wonder why he was scrunching his face this way too!

Bittersweet

2011-12-18T22:28:00.001-07:00

That's how I'm feeling right now, but let me explain why. Cody got a new job, one that replaces both of our yearly wages and then some, SWEET!!!

This means:

-I got to quit my job at EIRMC

-I'm a full-time mommy to my 3 babies!

(except for the two days a month I do surgery with Dr. Quinton)

-No more working nights, weekends, holidays, etc.

-I actually have time to catch up on things at home I have fallen way behind on

(I know I have 3 kids and it will still never happen, but a girl can dream right?)

BUT, he will be out of town for two weeks at a time which leaves me a temporary widow, BITTER!!

It will still be WONDERFUL to have his undivided attention when he is home for a week straight, but when he's gone, it's going to be hard, it is hard.

There is so much he did everyday and all the time that I didn't even think about. For example:

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: I have never in my life hung Christmas lights up outside, until now. Gavin wanted to put some up and I thought "I can do this, it's not a big deal" and in a way it wasn't (once I got them untangled!!). I hung them up and couldn't get them to look how I wanted them too, but whatever they were up AND ON! That night I went outside to look at them in the dark and they were NOT WORKING!! I checked the outlets, made sure none on the bulbs were broke and screwed in, etc. It was dark and freezing so I gave up for the night and went in the house. The next day I went out and messed with them again and still nothing. Luckily I was on the phone with my mom and she told me to check the fuses.....Christmas lights have fuses?? Sure enough I checked and there was a blown fuse, so I changed it and VIOLA, we have lights!! Thank you mom!

TAKING THE GARBAGE OUT: I don't know why I can't remember to do this because when Cody was home I was the one reminding him to take them out, but now that I'm the one in charge of taking the cans to the side of the street I forget!

WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID: I have done this before, but not since I got married almost 10 years ago. I ran out the other day and had to go buy some AND put it in by myself, so weird!

And then there's this:

Both of my parents gave me the hardest time when they saw this taped to my cupboard, but I don't want to forget and starve our dog. Once again Cody always did this every night, so I wasn't use to doing it. This sign is just a friendly hot pink reminder to feed and water our canine friend.

MY HUSBAND: I miss him being here. I talk to him on the phone multiple times a day, but it's not the same. I miss his stupid jokes, his corny made up songs that he would just randomly start singing, and his cooking!! I still cook, but when you are cooking for kids who would be happy with Mac and Cheese it's hard to want to make a nice dinner that me as an adult would enjoy. I also miss his help with the kids, it's a lot of work getting 3 kids bathed, in their PJ's and their teeth brushed and then staying awake long enough to brush my own teeth!!

CAN'T WAIT FOR HIS WEEK OFF TO GET HERE!!

Pig Tails

2011-12-07T13:27:00.001-07:00

I got not only one, but 3 pigtails!

(It's so much cuter with just one on top, but I was just experimenting)

Giving sister kisses

Another one for the road

I came off of night shift and my Sweetheart had left a surprise for me in the refrigerator! I LOVE Horchata!!

Visit with Santa

2011-12-07T12:30:00.001-07:00

Our Annual Visit with Santa

(Cody and I were NOT planning on being in the picture, but Mason and Chloe wanted nothing to do with Santa and we couldn't leave them out of the picture so they sat on our laps)

This is a tradition that we started when Gavin was a baby, but it may be one that we may have to change, at least the getting the kids picture with him. I thought it was ridiculously priced the first year and even more so last year (a few in between they let you take your own picture). Next year if the prices continue to go up I may have to take out a second mortgage on our house before we go so I can pay for them!

Gavin is completely set on getting a big orange dinosaur that "roars". He wanted to make sure that Santa knows exactly what he wants so he had his daddy draw a picture of it for him. (Luckily when "Santa" went to the store there was one left, whew!)

Gavin wanted to write the letter to Santa himself, but was anxious to go see him. He got the "Dear Santa" part done and wanted me to finish. I had him sign his name and then he told me what to write.

Gavin's letter to Santa

All ready to go!

Later that night:

Gavin: What if I was Santa's kid?

Me: Then you would have a fluffy white beard and a big belly

Gavin: No, I would be an elf!

Me: With pointy ears and funny shoes?

Gavin: Yep

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-11-29T15:09:00.002-07:00

This was the best of many. I never realized how hard it was to get three kids to look at the camera at the same time. Now if I could only get them to all smile at the same time!

Our Christmas Tree

The house smells soooo good! I love a real tree.

Our ornament for this year. Five (for the five of us) snowmen in a MINIVAN, perfect right?

Gavin picked out his own ornament this year. I thought he would pick out the regular Batman ornament since he had a Batman birthday and was Batman for Halloween, but he picked out the '60's Batmobile instead. (He likes to watch the original '60's Batman movie with this car in it, Cheesy Movie!!) It even plays the old Batman Theme when you push the button on the back.

Mason's ornament, his second Christmas

I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it and knew it was perfect for my baby girl!! Isn't it so precious? You can't really tell in the picture, but the ribbon says "Baby's First Christmas". I cannot wait for Christmas morning!

Everyday

2011-11-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Gavin as Spiderman

He is really into all types of superheros and wants to be a different one each day. Mason loves to hang out in big brother's room and jump on the bed

I love bathtub pictures! Not really sure why, but I think kids look so cute with their wet little faces and big eyes.

Sporting a 'hawk

And I thought my bed hair was bad!!

What an angel

Gavin is loving preschool and I am amazed at how much he knows and what a little sponge he is! He is so inquisitive all the time. He is really into super heros and is always saying the funniest things! He loves music and loves to dance.

Mason is ALWAYS on the go except when he is in his high chair. He also LOVES to eat. I am either chasing him down or feeding him. He loves raisins, grapes and his thumb, but only his left one. It has a callus and is red and cracked. I tried to bandage it to give it a break thinking he would suck on the other one, but it didn't work.

Chloe is crawling like crazy and has been standing a lot on her own. She has three teeth now with more on the way. She has her two bottom ones and her left incisor on top and watch out, she bites!! Her hair is coming in think and getting longer, but still not lone enough for a ponytail...one day.

Griswold Family Christmas Tree

2011-11-29T15:08:00.002-07:00

We didn't have any crazy road ragers try and shove us off the road, we didn't fly over a snowbank and we didn't forget our saw, but we did sing Christmas carols and get stuck!! Thank goodness my husband is tough and literally pushed the truck over 2 feet sideways to get the back tires into some traction! He was so sore that night!

Ready for an adventure!

Mason was not happy about being stuck in the middle but once the sled started moving he was giggling almost the entire time, he loved it

Weeeeee!

My Three Bundles : )

Did I mention I was the horse for the sleigh?

We thought we saw a perfect tree at the top of the hill so Cody ran up it only to find out it had a huge bare spot on one side, thanks anyway sweetie!

Still looking. It was a beautiful day and the view was amazing.

Mason wanted to walk like the big boys

Found it!!

We stopped at Big Jud's on the way home. We ordered one Big Jud burger for all of us to share, but we told Gavin when it came that it was his and he had to eat it all. The look on his face was priceless! He was very happy to share.

This was actually on the way to Island Park. Gavin got hot and took off his coat and his shirt. He asked to look at the map and when I turned around he was topless! What a kid! Nothing like solving your own problems.

Turkey Day

2011-11-29T15:08:00.001-07:00

All the Cousins

Brigham, Taylor, Bailee, Gavin, Chloe, Madisen, Faith, Megan, and Mason (he was almost asleep and not very happy!)

All the cousins-Take Two

It was the first Thanksgiving for Brigham, Bailee, Chloe and Megan

Madisen and Gavin playing memory

Grandpa and Chloe

Chloe's first Thanksgiving Dinner. All she wanted to eat was rolls and carrots

Grandma brought crafts for the kids

Mason and Grandma coloring

Mason kept trying to eat the crayons when grandma wasn't looking

Gavin and Madisen making Gingerbread Men

"Not the gum drop buttons!!"

Taylor thought it was hilarious to put stickers in the middle of the kids foreheads, they didn't think it was so fun

Paul and Bailee

Erin and Brigham

Leave it to Chet to turn his Gingerbread man into Hanky the Christmas Poo

He sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating just like mom and grandma!

Crafts and coloring

Megan

Watching football and eating caramel corn

November

2011-11-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast November flew by. Maybe it was because 3 kids, work and life keep me so busy. I have never in my life changed so many diapers, did so much laundry and cleaned up so many messes only to have them reappear within a matter of minutes! Oh, and if I had a dollar for every time the kids pooped within 5 minutes of me putting a new clean diaper on them, I would be a millionaire! : )

I had another birthday so I am a little older and wiser. The day itself was miserable. I had to work 7am-7pm and I was crazy busy! I didn't get to take my lunch until almost 8 hours into my shift. The "highlight" of my day was when I was rushing down the hall (for the thousandth time) to get a patient some pain meds when I heard one of my patient's husbands tell his wife (and I quote) "This nurse isn't worth a sh*t, I've ran out of coffee twice." If I would have had time I totally would have let him have it!! First of all he wasn't even my patient and second of all I'm not his waitress! Lucky for him he was gone the next time I went in her room.

The real highlight was when I got home. I came into a unusually quiet house with some shuffling in the kitchen and out pops Cody and the kids 'SURPRISE'!! They were all so giggly and happy which made my bad day go away! They even made me a cake with PINK frosting (my fav. color). They sang to me and after I ate the extra delicious steak dinner my hubby made me we had cake : ) I also got lots of HUGS and KISSES!! It was the perfect ending to a crappy day.

No, Cody isn't going bald. This is what some crazy lady did to his hair with the dullest scissors ever!! Cody applied for a new job and they needed a sample of 25 pieces of hair to make sure that he's not on drugs. They could've been a little more conspicuous don't you think? I was so mad!! His sister cut his hair, really short, to try and hide it, but it's still pretty visible. Thank goodness for hats!! I guess we will be sitting on the back row at church for a while!

Gavin, Diesel and Kellen

One of my friends has what she calls "Pie Night" every year. It's the night before Thanksgiving and all we eat is PIE!! The reasoning is that by the time you are done eating Thanksgiving dinner you don't have room for pie, so we eat it the night before, great idea right?

All the adults were upstairs and the kids were downstairs "playing". One of the dad's came up and said "Uhm, there is a community bath going on downstairs." The boys (ages 3 and 4) decided they wanted to bath, together. (Apparently in kidland it's ok to bath together after only knowing each other a little over an hour). They all got undressed and in the tub and all we could do was laugh : ) KIDS ARE AWESOME!

P.S. I changed Chloe's diaper in the middle of writing this and guess what!? You're right if you guessed she is pooping!! Cha-ching

Chloe is Crawling!! (and other fun things)

2011-11-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Chloe is Crawling from Teri Fry on Vimeo.

With a hair-do like that you must have had some nap!

I'm not the only one who's happy to see you

Vacuum attack

If you point your finger at Mason he will come and grab it and try to stick it up your nose. He just started doing it last week and I seriously have no clue where he learned that. He is such a silly kid!!

The "hair hockey" champion

He concentrates better when his tongue is flapping in the wind

All 3 playing together : )

Attack of the drooling baby!

Snuggle Time!!

(Mason is ALWAYS on the move and refuses to participate in snuggle time. We'll catch him one of these days)

Gavin doing his "homework". He absolutely LOVES preschool and can't wait for Tuesdays & Thursdays. He is such a smart kid and has the best memory ever!!

Babies, babies everywhere!!

From the end of July to Mid Oct. my mom went from 4 to 9 grandkids!! These are the three youngest: Paul with Bailee, Mom with Megan, and Erin with Brigham. Can't wait until Christmas!!!

Grandma Lorna

2011-11-03T10:58:00.000-06:00

After a courageous battle with cancer my Grandma passed away at home in my Aunt Paige's arms the morning of Oct. 26, 2011. It was surreal up until her funeral because Grandma was invincible and I couldn't grasp the concept that she was gone. I saw her two days before she passed and she was asking me about the kids (who were home with Cody because I was just coming onto night shift) and telling me "I'm just fine dear." We always joked that Grandma's head could be on fire and she would still tell everyone she was "just fine."

Her funeral was a perfect tribute to her life. She was buried in a simple wooden casket just like she wanted. I heard so many wonderful things about her from so many people. I don't think I have ever heard an ill word spoken about Grandma. She was a wonderful and amazing person and will forever be missed. I have a big empty space in my heart right now and I long to hold her soft hands and hear her laugh. I love you Grandma and can't wait to see you again on the other side. I expect you to have a hot loaf of your legendary bread waiting for me!

Grandma B and I

I hope one day I can be half the woman she was

Grandma at her 80th Birthday last year

(right before she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma)

Things I don't want to forget about Grandma B:

-Her Amazing Raspberry Patch

-Legendary Homemade Bread

-The only person I ever knew to say "Oh Horsefeathers!"

-The Big Strawberry Cookie jar with the homemade wooden lid because the original got broken

-Every time I would call I would say "Hi Grandma, this is Teri" and her reply would be "Yes dear"

- She was one of the few people who still calls me "Teri Jo" or "T.J"

-She rarely wore pants. It was always skirts and dresses

- One Halloween she dressed all in white and covered her rocking chair in a white sheet right in her doorway. She had her door open so as we walked up her front steps and looked through the screen all we could see was Grandma's head FLOATING!

-When ever someone would tease me for being small or short she would always tell me "Dynamite comes in small packages!"

-She was the inventor of "Cellarball". When the old cellar needed to be torn down, she had them leave the cinder block walls. She planted grass in it, put up a volleyball net and Viola "if you build it they will come!" We would play Cellarball until we couldn't see anymore and even then sometimes we would put lights up. Grandma was the final judge, what she said stuck even if everyone (including her) knew she was wrong!

-As a child we would climb on the haystack because let's face it, it was fun!! Grandma would tell us over and over again to STAY OFF THE HAYSTACK! She would get so mad at us!! We knew if we heard the back door slam it was either time to hide or run away fast!!

-Grandma never passed judgement, on anyone

-She believed in you, no matter what

-Grandma was my escort when I went through the temple for the very first time and even though I had no idea what I was doing she was so patient with me

-Money didn't matter and everyone counted

-She use to buy me Tiger's Milk bars as a kid and to this day I still find myself buying them and thinking of her

-She could make anything out of whatever she had around the house

-She would stand on her back porch and ring her cowbell to let us know it was time to come in

- I know just about every Dr. Suesss book by heart thanks to her and the countless hours she spent reading them to me as a child

-Grandma had the softest hands of anyone I know (and my mom has the same! )

Famous Grandma B Sayings:

"I know I'm somebody cuz God don't make no junk"

"Always live your life in a way that when you wake up in the morning Satan will say "Oh Darn! She's awake again!"

"How Neat"

"Oh for Heaven's Sake!"

"Oh Horse feathers"

"Service is better than self indulgence"

Lorna Mae Wadsworth Butikofer

Artist - Runner - Music Lover - Dancer - Marksman - Friend - "Gun-totin' mama" - Cellarball judge - Positive attitude - Love Unconditionally - Wife - Sister - Daughter - Grandma - Great Grandma - Simple - Feisty - "Always wearing a dress, a smile on her face and a song on her lips" - Sewer - Cowbell ringer - Raspberry Patch Grower - Legendary Bread Maker -Respect -Patience - Gardner - Poetry - Lover of God - Flower Grower- Selfless - Honesty- Family - Charity - Example - Lover of everyone- Laughing - Enthusiastic - Very loud fan (who needs an entire cheer squad when you have Grandma) - Herbalist - Fixer of ALL boo-boo's - World's best lifeline!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T13:57:00.001-06:00

We had our ward Trunk or Treat on Friday followed by our annual chili cook-off and then on Monday we took the kids trick or treating to the grandparents and then to the tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat. I was suppose to work on Halloween and would've missed it, but it was Grandma's funeral so I was able to take them.

Gavin/Batman, Chloe/Monkey, Mason/Chicken

Batman and Robin, oh I mean Chicken!

Thatcher and Gavin

They have been the same thing for 3 of their 4 years!!

So clever!!!

Our friends dressed as "UP"

Stevie/house, Nick/ Mr. Frederickson, Lizzy/Kevin the bird, Landon/Russell

A few of my former young women and Jordan. We noticed after the picture they were standing on the handicap symbol!!

Five Fry's (get it like Five Guys) first Halloween

If you think this is inappropriate.....scroll down

I made him wear shorts for obvious reasons!

We traded Halloween costumes with my bro. and sis-in-law and this is what they brought us!

Raggedy Ann

I was a little leery to be Raggedy Ann again because last time I was (in a different costume) someone T-boned me in my car

Gavin got to wear his costume to preschool too, he was super excited!

Birthday Lunch

2011-11-01T10:43:00.000-06:00

My mother in law and I are both November babies and we have a tradition to take each other to lunch for our birthdays. We went a few days early because everyone had the day off (or so they say, my grandma passed away the day before and I think it was an excuse to get me out off the house and my mind off of it). We went to my favorite all time Mexican restaurant Pachanga's!! Cody always teases me because they recognize me there and I had just got done telling my sis-in-law Sadie about it when Carlos walked up and said "Hi' to all of them and then saw me and said "Hey, how are you doing?" She was laughing so hard!! So much for convincing her that Cody was full of it!

They heard we were there for our birthdays so they had to dress us up in these crazy sombreros and sing to us. They were going on and on about how this was a "kodak moment" so out came the camera. Then to make matters worse when they were done and took our hats off they were fixing my hair because the hat had messed it up!! I'm never going to hear the end of it! (Just for the record, I really don't go there that often, promise)

Kaylee, Cassie, Cherie, Me and Sadie

Thanks for the lunch ladies, it was a good time as always!!

Ghouls Night Out

2011-11-01T10:29:00.001-06:00

My girlfriend Kim invited me to a Ghouls Night Out Party and boy was it a party! No boys, no babies and lots of fun crazy women. The food was super yummy and everyone had awesome costumes. We talked, we danced, we howled like wolves and ended the night with a white elephant gift exchange which made us laugh so hard we cried!

Cat in the Hat Cassie, Myself as Thing 1 and Kim as a Mama Kitty (hilarious)

Becca!!

Sister Wife

We played a bunch of super fun games and everyone really got into it. This is Little Red Riding Hood attempting a hand stand.

The Great Pumpkin doing her dance

We did a white elephant gift exchange and we were laughing so hard that some of us were crying. Kim brought 2 LIVE mice as here gift. AAAhhhhhh!

Becca brought a back scratcher, oh I mean a REAL pig leg complete with hoof!!!

This is what I ended up with. A creepy owl that had real feathers for it's ears and wings with a nose that looks like an old mans rotten fingernail, eeewwwwwww!!! Gavin loved it!

Life....

2011-10-21T12:44:00.000-06:00

My babies!!

This picture kills me and is one of those a-picture-says-a-thousand-words pictures. Mason does not hold still, he's always on the move and rarely looks at the camera. Gavin is always looking at the camera with a big cheesy grin and Chloe, oh Chloe, she does NOT like headbands and doesn't understand that I have been waiting years for a baby girl and secondly, look at that belly!! She has the hugest fat rolls and the chubbiest legs, I LOVE IT!!

Thumb, check. Burp cloth, check. Time for a quick nap

Handsome Boy

Snacking on a snake, delicious!!

Hanging out with mom at the computer

This is Melvin. He is the neighbor boy across the street and he is always wanting to rake my leaves, weed my flower beds and shovel the snow off my driveway, but he won't do any of it for his mom and it drives her CRAZY, but I'm not complaining one bit ; )

Mason getting some practice for next summer

I promise Mason does not live in his high chair, but seriously it is about the only time I can get him to sit still long enough to get a picture of those beautiful brown eyes!!

One Happy Momma!!

Taking the dog to the park to play

A day's supply!

Not really, but sometimes I feel like it. Gavin was extra excited to show me his castle that he built out of all the boxes

Gavin and Chloe in their new pj's

Mason didn't want to sit with them

My matching boys!

Thanks again Sherri, the pj's are so cute!

Cheesin it in her Urkel pants

Look quick, she has a bow!

Gavin the super awesome big brother. He takes his role seriously and is such a GREAT helper too!!

We are figuring it out and getting use to each other and our new lives. I'm learning what they like/dislike. What makes them giggle uncontrollably and what upsets them. I'm figuring out food likes/dislikes and how they like to go down for naps and to bed. It's a lot to take in for these two and they have been little troopers even though everything for the most part is all new to them.

Gavin is adjusting well too. He has his moments, but we all do. We have been extra careful to make sure he is getting all the attention he needs and not change his routine too much either. Honestly the transition has been a lot easier than we had anticipated and we are thankful for that and we hope it continues to go this smooth. ; )

Megan is Here!!

2011-10-21T12:43:00.002-06:00

Megan Jo Cawley

Born October 18, 2011

8 lbs 9 oz 22 inches
Parents: Chet and Karen (my sister) Cawley

She was named after ME : ) and my mom

Aunty Teri, Megan and Gavin

I was so excited to see she has dark hair!!

What a Cutie Pie!!

PuMpKiN cArViNg

2011-10-21T12:43:00.001-06:00

Gavin has been asking about Halloween for weeks and after we got the pumpkins it was a few days before we could carve them. He couldn't wait to do it, but when it finally came down to it, he wanted nothing to do with touching "the guts" of the pumpkins. Cody and I did it all.

Cody would make gross noises as he pull the insides out and have Gavin laughing so hard

If Chloe could talk she would say:

"I am not amused!"

Chloe's pumpkin, Cody even added a string of snot to it to make it more realistic!

Mason with his pumpkin

The only time Gavin touched anything but the outside of the pumpkin

He picked out the face himself and then make me carve it

The end result

Mason's, Chloe's and Gavin's Pumpkins

Cody's Birthday!

2011-10-21T12:43:00.000-06:00

Cody LOVES Orange Leaf so the kids and I took him there for his birthday

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Chloe wasn't sure about it at first

Gavin ate EVERY bit of his, he's an addict like his daddy

Yummy!

Mommy and Mason

We had cake and icecream with family the next night

I LOVE the look on Cody's face!! It's hilarious!

Make a Wish!