Sorenson 2011

Christmas Barfed at Our House

2012-01-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

Jeff LOVES Christmas. He is unstoppable! And for some reason we took more video than pictures! We had Jeff's parents in town for the holiday, it was great! Christmas Eve we spent at Jer & Emily's. She made us a wonderful dinner of shrimp and steak, everything was soooo good! We read the nativity and had a lovely time. Christmas morning we went to their ward to see the girls sing in sacrament meeting they did a great job! We hosted Christmas breakfast, waffles, spicy elmos' and plenty to go around! It was a fun weekend we were sad to have end.

Until Next Year!!

Months ago Brady wore a robe of mine and said, "I wish they made these nice soft robes for kids!", guess what, THEY DO!

Zachary asked for a big car he could drive. Thank you Santa. I am not sure who loves it more, him or Gwynnie???

This is how excited Brady was to see Christmas. He woke up first and had to wait for the other kids to get up!

Gwynnie loves everything that plays music. Santa found her this musical turtle seat. She can bounce on it, it sings about colors and shapes.

Tourism II

2012-01-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to the Shark Reef, it was a surprise, which they LOVED!

Brady checking out the sharks.

Gwyneth LOVED the jelly fish, yes she was actually kissing the glass. When I tried to get her to look at other things she's scream. We stood there for a long time!

The sting rays were Zachary's favorite. He touched them, and had a great time. Forget the sharks!

My boys love sharks. We watch Shark Week every year and have been waiting for a chance to go see the sharks here in Vegas. Day after Christmas was the perfect opportunity!

Christmas Tourism

2012-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

When we stay in Vegas for the holiday we head down town for some sight seeing. We always go to the Bellagio to see their garden, it's beautiful!

They really were happy to be there!

Brady snapped this one!

We also went to the Ethel M's Cactus garden. We went with grandparents and Sorenson cousins. It was a warm night and the kids loved all the lights! It was pretty awesome this year.

Letters to Santa

2012-01-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

This year Brady wrote his own letter. It was very cute. All capitol letters.

Zachary's letter. He was sure Brady was asking for an, ICE box. not an X Box. So he asked for one too!

Love these boys!

Grandpa Linford

2012-01-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

My sweet grandpa Linford passed away in December. He had battled Alzheimers for a few years, and had been ill. My last visit with him was in Ocotber. I went with my mom and took Wynnie. He told me to take good care of a little girl, keep a close eye on her. He said she was so cute! We also had a great talk about my mom. Grandpa said mom was always a good girl. That he loved her, and his smile while talking about her was so sweet. He even got a little choked up. It was a very tender conversation that I will treasure.

Grandma Linford and Auntie Marilyn at the luncheon.

B.J., Courtney, Mom, and me at the internment.

Newel and Alyson.

Marcus, leaving his flower on Grandpa's casket.

The services for Grandpa were lovely. It was a mini family reunion, we were sad for us but happy for Grandpa. The stories shared were fun and sweet, and spoke of the man my grandpa was. His Bishop gave my favorite talk, it was beautiful. The songs were about Heavenly Father, Celebration, and the Gospel. They were up lifting and taught us that we will be together again. I love my grandpa, he was an amazing story teller, a patient man, funny, hard working, loving, and in all things faithful to the Gospel, his wife and his desire to have his family be together forever. He will be missed. Love you Grandpa!

Dino Museum

2012-01-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Gwyneth loves glasses. This is her and Dramma making the same serious face! Pretty cute girls!

SHARKKKK!!! She loved the fence around the exhibit, she could lift herself up.

This shark is taking Brady awaaayyyyy!

Obviously he liked the sand tables!

We love going to the Dino Museum, and hadn't been in a while. So, since we had an unexpected trip back we had to go. It was a fun morning.

Home Again

2012-01-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

We came home from Utah for a week before going rigth back. But in the middle I caught a few cute pics. The kids were so quiet, I got nervous, but this is what I found. Brady reading to Gwyneth, He is such a SUPER big brother!

She loved reading with him.

Baby girl has frizzy messy hair in the back. But it's not long enough for a single pony. 3 was the way to go!

It works!

31

2012-01-05T21:45:00.000-08:00

My Sweet kids.

This is what 31 candles looks like. It was HOT!

This was my surprised face, waiting for my cake to come. Pretty good, right?

I had a wonderful birthday. I took myself shopping, got a chocolate cake, the perfume I asked for, and dinner at the BEST place. It was a fun night for the family too. Love them.

Thanksgiving

2012-01-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

TaaaaDaaa! I made these! Pretty awesome. We didn't take many photos on the day. But it was great! Usually we tell what we are thankful for, everyone cries, and it's happy/sad. This year we told our most embarrassing moments instead. HILARIOUS! We stayed longer and laughed so hard, totally worth it! Alyson didn't share any...next year!

Boys. This is how they do it.

I'm not sure if we said to make ugly faces or not. Take a good look. It's hard to tell.

Boys on a barn, life doesn't get any better!

Bunnies and Funnies

2012-01-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

All 8 of the Cusick grandkids! They put on a skit, kind of, and had sooo much fun!

Sorenson's had new baby bunnies. We almost had to take one, whew, luckily we didn't! But the kids all loved them. Too bad they get big.

Morgan, Zach, Colby and Brady. All bunny buddies!

Zach put this on as part of the skits. Until it was on he thought it was a sailor shirt. The face says it all! Love this boy!

Utah Activities!

2012-01-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

We got lucky over Thanksgiving to go on a Fire station tour with Lainey's preschool! They blew the horn and ran the siren, showed us the station, and the truck. Super cool.

Girls.

Dada, Zach and Wynnie

Brady was the first to raise his hand when they asked who wanted to wear the suit, so he won. The let Zach put some on too! The best part was that as we got ready Zach wanted his hair spikey, "just like a fire man", so it was a full circle moment for him!

The clothes weighed more than Brady. We were lucky he didn't fall over!

A few Favorites!

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is how excited she got for the tree EVERY TIME I turned the lights on.

Zach lined up all the nativity people up in a specific order. It was very particular. I tried to take a few to set up and he got mad at me!

Baby Girl

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wynnie LOVES apples! She had a quick snack before church, a whole apple!

She's just sooo cute!

"Ahhhh BOOO! Where's Gwyneth?" Always gets her to hide, she answers "booo", when she takes her hands down! SO Funny!

Soccer

2012-01-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Soccer was really fun for both boys this Fall. But the girls had to have fun too! Carly played so cute with Wynnie in the field waiting for her game to start! (see them in the back ground?)

At the first to last game Zach finally really got into it! He was a ball kicking fool! He scored!

Brady fell more all season than he kicked the ball! He is a GREAT slider! He plays so hard, and really had a lot of fun. He was WILD out there!

Brady

Zachary

Kisses

2011-11-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

Zachary and Gwynnie were giving kisses. She has learned to give kisses, we all love it! I don't think there is anything better than when kids laugh and play with and show love for their siblings. Zach's laughing face is priceless!

Her Favorite

2011-11-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

SLIDE!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2011-11-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

Opening her animal train!

Rainbow cake! I made it!

Gwyneth loved her cake, she mostly wanted to HUG it! So funny.

We had to cut the cake in half so she could get to it. She was a little shy about it, but she made a good sized mess and ate some too, so I think it was a success.

She LOVED being sang to. Every time we sang to her she'd clap and dance, and smile so big. She is such a sweet girl. She tried to grab the fire and I blew it out a split second before she did!

Gwyneth's ONE!

2011-11-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

The kids all wanted to help Wynnie open her gifts! Plus they all wanted to play with this one!

This sensory doll is from Colin, Carly and Cody. The wings crinkle, which scares her a little, which is funny! It's a darling little baby.

Whitney, Gracie and Olivia gave her this Baby snow white. If it had blue eyes it would look exactly like her! Love it.

Opening gifts was fun, she kind of knew what she was doing with a little help!

Here are her family gifts and her cakes! (more to come!)

Big Boy

2011-11-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Last week we got rid of Zachary's binkies. He loved them, but didn't need them to sleep, he just wanted them for fun... all the time. We bagged up all of them, went to Target and spent an hour picking just the right prize. He chose a large race car that has sirens and lights and drives. We handed the binkies to the register worker, as payment. Zach said, "I'd like to buy this race car with my binkies." It was awesome.

The first night he was fine, fell asleep on the couch. Second night he stalled a lot before falling asleep but did just fine. We were looking through pictures of him as a baby and there was a binkie in his mouth, he got teary eyed and said he missed his binky. It was very sweet. He is doing great, once he said he didn't want to be a big boy! But he is! LOVE him!

Family Times

2011-11-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

Bean and Dad playing games.

Wynnie has found buckets. She loves them! ANY bucket ends up on her head. She gets really mad when they fall off!

This night we were letting her look at all the pictures of herself after I took them. She loved it!

When the kids woke up we sat them all on the couch while I made breakfast. Brady yelled at me, "mom, take a picture of us to send to Grandma." Love all their sleepy eyes!

Another hat for baby sister!

My Babies

2011-11-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

After church last week I snapped these two pics of my cute babies!

Costumes 2011

2011-11-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

Dash

Snake Eye Ninja

Baby Ghost

A few more...

2011-11-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

We gave him a bike for his birthday. Thanks dramma for the cape!

Kindergarten Parade.

Baseball cake!

Gwyn got ahold of someones icecream cone. She loved it.

Brady's 6!

2011-11-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

AMAZING cake! (thanks to an amazing friend!)

Happy Boy!

All 3 kids got a candle in their breakfast today!

Legos for his Birthday. He can sit for hours putting them together!

Six years ago today the sweetest boy ever was born. We can not believe he is so big. Brady is an amazing older brother. He is a great listener, as boys go, and he loves his brother and sister. He is the best player on his baseball team, and he loves everything his dad loves. This fall he actually asked Jeff to watch the Yankees game with him. I am sure Jeff's heart melted!

Brady is brave and shy at the same time. He loves sports, but hates to have people watch him to things, a weird combo but its true. His shy face is so cute, and you never can be sure when you'll get it!

He would play all day of he could. Even as one friend is leaving he is asking who is coming over next. He has discovered sketching. He hates coloring. He can draw amazing detail into pictures, some recent favorites are a pirate ship, a prison (cop station), and a sketch of him, Jeff and papa Bob on a boat at fish lake.

I couldn't have created a better son if I tried. LOVE you Bean.

Ward Parties

2011-11-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dash.

Fam-Damily.

We had a playgroup Halloween Party. It was wild. We ate donuts, bobbed for apples, made pumpkin art, ghost suckers, and danced. Perfect way to start the weekend. We ended the nixt night at the ward Trunk R Treat. Short but sweet! Gwynnie had two costumes. One a ghost, and one a butterfly. Brady was a Snake Eyed Ninja, and thanks to eating Cheetah meat Zach was DASH, the fastest runner, and Jeff was a typical Utes fan (his words not mine) with a sleeve arm tattoo. (he loved it).

Part 2 Pumpkins etc.

2011-11-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Carve it up boys.

Pumpkin Hand.

POOP exhibit.

Wynnie and " ooo Dada dada".

We usually carve pumpkins every weekend up until Halloween. But we went to Utah for a Fantastic wedding this year. SO we took an afternoon and the boys carved pumpkins. (Poor Gwynnie didn't get to carve one for her first Halloween). Bean cut his ALL by himself. The only down side was that he made the lid so tiny his hand fit in but not out with all the guts in it. We tried to get it clean, we did ok. He liked having a 'pumpkin fist". He also enjoyed paoking holes in it. We had a tool for that. It turned out kinda cool. Zach's was a happy pumpkin, who he carried all over the house that day playing with, having conversations even. It was very cute.

We also headed to the Springs Preserve once. They are having an exhibit on Poop. Yep. POOP. this was the highlight. It's not my favorite, but it was kind of funny. The best part was that they have a show a few times a week of preditor birds. We sat right under the stand the birds fly to. I had to keep baby sister's hands held tight. It was pretty scary to have them ladn a foot from my head! The kids loved it.

A Week Long Event, part 1

2011-11-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Parade.

He wanted to be the only one in this picture. Mission accomplished!

Sharing cookies with sissy. Her new nick name is, Weinie Do. Thanks to her brothers!

Having treats and doing his work at school.

Halloween starts early with 3 kids, and a Birthday in the middle! A week before the holiday Zachary's school had their halloween party. A class parade, treats, and songs made for a fun time. Zach has cried EVERY time I take him to class since September.

Roughly 16 times.

I decided to take him out.

Then Halloween Hit.

He loves it.

Didn't want to leave,

what A Stinker!

He was very gracious and shared with his little sister. Who he loves too. It took a while for him to really see her as a person. But now that she can play he loves to play with her. I love seeing him be a big brother, he carries her, which is a bit scarry. He sings and dances for her. He actually has a dance he created, he pulls his pants up really high one day last week, came out smiling and said, "watch my dance". He pumps his arms really hard and leand forward. IT IS AWESOME! We have always said that he is our little comedian. He is, he loves to be funny and make us laugh. My little mini-Jeff is the best. Zach's newest sweet thing is that he tells me sweet things. "Mom, you're the prettiest", "mom, you're the Awesomest", any great thing he tells me I am. Also when he goes to bed he says, "I love you 5,6,7." This originated from me saying I love you too (2!). He thinks the higher the number the more he loves me. It's a very endearing night time ritual. LOVE YOU BUDDY

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

The pumpkin patch had these fantastic small wheel barrows. The kids loved them. They are great for carrying really BIG pumpkins, as shown by Brady!

Zachary loved his so much that he took it through the corn maze, and collected husks. He was a "hard workin man!"

They also had 5 or so large tractors the kids could play on. It was great!

One more from the wedding. Me & Wynnie at the Temple. It was nap time!

She discovered glasses this week too. She is so much cuter than Elton John in large glasses!

Fall in Utah

2011-10-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

We were in Utah for 10 glorious days! Some of the highlights, besides the wedding, were: Butterfield Canyon, where the boys hunted goblins and ghouls. They got them all! It was beautiful!

The UP House. So amazing! It was a Parade of Homes home, and it was as like the original as they could make it. For a measly 400K it can be all yours, furniture and all!

We went to the pumpkin patch twice! The first night Zach and Gwynnie were asleep, so we HAD to go back!

Brady, Lainey, Zachary and Gwyneth.

All three dads took the kids on rides. Running through the patch, I thought we'd get thrown out!

Gwyneth found her first helmet. She loved it, wore it for about half an hour. She's so dang cute!

Wedding 2

2011-10-24T15:12:00.001-07:00

BEAUTIFUL Alyson in her beautiful dress!

They made it!

My sweet grandmas, Cusick and Linford. So great that they were both there!

Three girls. Not the best shot, but they wanted a lot of pictures taken of their pretty dresses!

Alyson & Newel's Wedding!!

2011-10-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Somehow I don't have a pic of the bride on this camera....coming soon!!

newel & mom at the reception.

Sisters & New New

The most beautiful Cake! Alyson's aunt and grandma MADE it! So Awesome!

How are we all smiling?! Heidi and I made the kids ties & skirts, they were a hit! What a fun and wonderful wedding. We are sooo happy for New and Aly! Love them!

Red Rock

2011-09-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Jeff was out of town for work, it was a long weekend. BUT we went to Red Rock. I LOVE IT THERE!

Monkey Boy. I love this picture.

Personality. LOVE you kiddoes!

Soccer

2011-09-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

We signed Zachary up for soccer, Saturday was his first game. 30 minutes of kids kicking, crying, and having a great time was so funny! Here's Zach coming in to "tell you something", in the middle of the game.

Zach's stats:

Weight 38 lbs

Height 40 inches

It wasn't technically his check up so I don't have %'s

but I'm sure his 90-100% stats are still in full force!

The kids didn't really understand that there was only one ball, hence all the crying. But I had a great idea, I told him he'd get the ball a lot if he were the goalie. Gooooooooaallll! He loved it!

The older group was short a player, ta-da, Brady took a spot and now loves soccer. I am so happy about it! Yes these two cute boys are older than Brady. I was looking at his birthday photos from last year. The pants he wore were folded up 4 inches, and this year they are floods. He's a tall dude! At his Well check this week his stats were:

Weight 50.8 lbs. 77%

Height 48.25 inches high 90%'s

He is tall enough for a the rides at Disney Land.

Here they are running for the ball. Brady was aggressive, and fast out there on the field. He had a great time. (Red shirt in the back).

What Can I Say?

2011-09-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

She is definitely the cutest bug ever. (sorry other moms).

10 month old stats: Weight 18 lb, 15.5 oz.

Height 30.25 inches

She has grown 4 inches since her 5 month check up. Ha! We grow 'em tall around here!

Also she is starting to crawl, which she hates, and walk, which she loves. We have to hold her hands, but if we are busy she is really great at holding onto what ever is available to walk with. Today she pushed her highchair around the kitchen.

Gwyneth has a lot of facial expression, always has. My personal fav is her OOoooo, her eyes get huge and her eyebrows lift, its super cute. Sometimes she whistles without knowing it!

She just figured out that she can sit up in bed, and this morning I found her standing. When she stands still we all get so excited that now she claps and laughs for herself.

I have decided that she thinks Jeff, Brady and Zach are all pronounced DaDa.

She says Mama, Dada, I swear she said ta-da today, and she tries to mimic basic sounds we make to her. She knows how to get what she wants, and tells me 'all-done', by sign language when she is. Today she was all-done talking to the man at the community center, so she started waving good-bye to him. I got the hint and we left!

WE LOVE YOU BABY GIRL

Eater

2011-09-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Gwynnie is an ok eater, she really only likes food she can feed herself, and nursing. I tried to feed her mac n cheese. She screamed, threw stuff and refused to open her mouth. She actually shakes her head NO, and purses her lips! So I gave her the bowl. Apparently she knows how to feed herself! Look how proud she is!

After the Farmers Market at Tivoli Village she enjoyed a snack of strawberries. Yummy!

They were not sour. This is her "Squinting" face. She also uses this face to hide from people. I asked her to do it!

Nothing like a fist full of berries!

A few more...

2011-09-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Zachary is a stinker sometimes. He is competitive (weird) and stubborn (weirder) traits he gets from his Dad and Mom respectively. So when these two things hit at the same time we get the silent stance.

My sweet babies in the trailer. The boys both wrestle with Gwynnie so well, she laughs out loud!

The second fish of the trip, and last. Uncle Jamey and Colby. Night fishing.

Papa Neil tried and tried to get her happy. But his deep voice was too much for this sweet girl!

Otter Creek 2

2011-09-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Zach figured out how to back float on the life jacket. He didn't want me to take his picture - a new thing for him - so I told him I was looking at Jeff instead. Little white lie...

Gwynnie had a great time, and only ate a few rocks. She has some serious social anxiety lately, so sorry to grandma and a few others who despite their best efforts only got a crying baby when they wanted her!

Brady and Morgan, holding the first fish of the weekend. There were only two fish all weekend.

Jeff hooked it and Brady netted the fish.

Floating on the lake.

Otter Creek 1

2011-09-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Half of the Sorenson Family headed to Otter Creek over Labor Day. It was a great weekend. Wonderful weather, family activity, and just being free to play all day was a much needed respite!

The first day there was Papa Neil's birthday! The kids traced their hands, drew things that Papa likes, and decorated the letters. When he came around the corner that morning he was greeted by his birthday sign.

Zach traced his own hand.

Baby Sister

We put the kids in a raft attached to a rope and let them float, life jackets required!

First Day of Kindergarten?

2011-09-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

After dropping of Brady we came home and the little kids swam with Gramma and Papa.

Kindergarten

2011-09-11T06:57:00.001-07:00

I prepped Brady for a week or so on getting ready for school. Telling him to get dressed, shoes and all as soon as he gets up so that he would be ready when it was time to go. Well, on the first day of school he came out of his room ALL DRESSED, shoes in hand. He knew we'd make a big deal out of it so he was already embarrassed. Acting all shy he came out and just smiled at me. Brady is the sweetest kid I know, I'm so proud of him!

A last glance before day 1 started!

We are so proud of Brady! He is doing great 2 weeks into school. He really likes school, and his teacher.

Brady and Carly, all ready for their first day of school.

Finding his tote at Back to School Night.

First Hair Cut

2011-08-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Two Firsts, really. Last night, because I am afraid of leaving her, Gwynnie went to her first Baseball game. Las Vegas 51's. We had great booth tickets with some great friends! We sat inside, in a cool non-smoke filled room and talked the night away. It was wonderful!

She was terrified of Cosmo. This is how she hides, putting one arm over her ears. Then when we got close to him she started making quiet screaming sounds, it was so funny!

After her first hair cut!

During her first hair cut...

Before her first haircut... moppy cute baby! LLLOOOVVEEE her!

Pre-School Boy

2011-08-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today was Meet the Teachers day at Zachary's preschool. He was not very excited. I didn't know why, because he is usually so excited about school, almost so obsessed with going that he makes me crazy.

Well, we went. He didn't talk to his teacher. He hardly played with the toys. Jeff was there, and even that wasn't exciting. This is my crazy wild child.

On the way home he finally started talking. About his Binkie..... OOhhhh. Well, while getting ready I said to him that big preschoolers don't have binkies, so we could get rid of his on the first day of school.

As soon as he heard no binkie & school in the same sentence, he was gone.

Forget school.

He hates it.

side note: I told him he could keep it.... he's happy now.

This Week

2011-08-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gwynnie pulled herself up on the couch! She grabs the cord, pulls her face up, then bites it till she's standing! She has only done it a few times. This time I was out of the room and came in to see her standing. Such a sad and sweet moment! She is so funny. Tonight she was laughing out loud at Bean, just for walking next to me while I held her. She hides from Jeff, by covering her ear and laying on me. LOVE HER! Gwyn can't crawl. But she lays on the floor, gently, then rolls all over the place. She's pretty fast too, it allows her to get anywhere she wants!

I took the kids to the Springs Preserve this week. So fun. And what an easy way to spend a few hours.

Here they are in the nest. Carly is the mother bird, Zach's a squirrel, Colin is a bird, Brady's a stick! I think Gwyn was the baby egg.

Cute girls!

Just had to throw this one in. This is her pretty regular face, sucking on her bottom lip, and smiling. So sweet!

Family Swim

2011-08-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Zachie doo

The boys are obsessed with shark week. So in this game Brady was seal, and Zach and Dad were sharks, on the hunt. Super funny!

Snacks to keep us going.

Zach swimming on daddy's back.

I'm not obsessed. I just love taking her picture!

2011-08-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

In the pool, coolest floatie car ever.

I thought a sucker was a good idea. Well, it made her happy!

Swimming with her daddy!

She loves her toes!

This is the face I got while trying to feed her baby food. She hates it.... I'm in trouble!

sweet sleepy girl

2011-08-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I looked up to see her laying like this. Looking at me. I just think she's the best!

Flop.

Sleepy face.

Slip n Slide

2011-08-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's always hard coming home from a reunion. So we pulled out the slip n slide. Super fun. Gwynnie tried to eat and catch the water. Then she'd get splashed in the face and cry. So emotional being a baby who doesn't understand!

All three on the slide.

cutie patootie

2011-08-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Baby girl is getting so big! She's all arms and legs it seems! She loves bouncy balls, and lately clapping. This night I was rolling a ball to her and when she'd catch it she would start hitting it, and when I clapped she would also start clapping, it was so sweet. I love playing with her, she's really learning to play and interact and we have so much fun!

Fish Lake II

2011-08-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is Newel and Alyson. They are getting married!!!! Whooot hooo! We soon to be sisters knew that Newel had the ring and planned to propose on this trip. Aly had no idea! So after Courtney looked through his bag a few times and came up empty handed she just asked him where it was! We snuck away to see it! and try it on....and take pictures... it was so funny our heads hurt from laughing! But WOW what a gorgeous ring, I love it. But I love her even more. I don't know how he got so lucky. If I were to dream up a family who would love him more, and cater to him more, and just be the nicest people ever it would not be even close to the Oka family. They are great.

Good job Little Brother on not messing up the family!

We Love you Alyson!!

Here are a few of my other favorite girls....

And a few more....

It rains there a lot, so to keep Gwynnie dry Jeff carried her under the poncho! So funny!

Dutch Oven Pizza, with Teresa Pesci's recipe for dough. Sooooo Good! I can't wait to make it again!

Fish Lake 2011

2011-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Fish Lake is our favorite place to vacation. It's cool outside, rains a little, we fish, eat great food, and spent a lot of time with cousins we otherwise never see! This year was so nice because I wasn't pregnant, and we had a cabin. WONDERFUL! My family went a day early, and ended up staying at a great place called Otter Creek a day longer, we didn't want to come home! I gave the boys disposable cameras, so most pictures are not available, but hopefully they worked!

There were major bugs this year so we tried to stay covered. Baby girl wore this hat all day. She's never happier than when we change her diaper! Chubby little leggies!

Zach was drawing a line in the dirt and daring us to cross it. He was sure we couldn't do it.

When I was young we hiked to the "rocks" every day! We played there almost the entire weekend. This year Brady and Colin were old enough to do the hike. My great dad took us! It was beautiful! These rocks stick out from the mountain, and have a great view. The fun part is that the people down below can hear us so we yell and wave, pretty lame, but we love it!!

All the women folk, and some non fishing men, sit in a circle to visit the day away. These two sweetie cousins were in the middle having some TLC.

Colin and Brady went fishing every chance they got, which was at least once a day. The bites were few and far between, but they caught some good ones! I don't think I saw either of my boys for 5 days unless they needed food. It's hard to come home after having such a wild time with cousins. Already planning for next year! (to avoid unpacking today!)

kiddoes

2011-08-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Brady is the best helper ever! He holds Gwynnie all the time for me, and he loves to! She insists on swimming when we do, but she doesn't stay in as long. She loves the water!

Zachary was really quiet the other morning. This is why. He colored all over his legs and arms with a pen. He was SUPER proud of himself! He said he was a "stranger". I have been trying to teach the boys about strangers. In the car we were talking and I asked him what his Dad looks like. Brady started with, brown hair and a blue suit (scrubs), Zach yelled out, "He looks like a GENIUS!" sooo funny!

Brady and Jeff are obsessed with WII's home run derby game. They play a lot, and get really excited when they beat their best score.

This cute outfit had to get credit. Auntie Jill made her cute hair bow, and Brittany gave her the minnie mouse shirt. So cute! Thanks!

bow by Jill! Skirt by mommy and auntie Courtney! (mostly court). LOVE THIS GIRL!

Some Fun Times

2011-07-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Three kids in the tub, yes they spend the same amount of time in the sun!

Zachary, beautiful green eyes

Newel & Allison came last weekend, we LOVED having them! Check out all the broken feet!

Ali & Gywnn

Three wild monkeys

Sister

2011-07-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is Gwynn's awesome sleep hair! It's so cute!

She got so messy eating I just threw her in the sink! She Loved it!

Swim Babies

2011-07-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

The boys were playing so great this day. I'm pretty sure they were playing with bugs...

Cutie Pie!

Handsome Devil

Double boat.

4th Of July

2011-07-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is our favorite holiday. We had friends over for an afternoon of swimming, BBQ and fire works. It was wonderful.

This is what baby sister did instead of watching the fire works! funner for me to watch this!

Kids outside waiting for fire works. I think we had almost 20 kids over!

Zachary's sparklers

Getting Started

Zach still doesn't like the loud noises! He lasted through about half of the show!

Can't wait till next year!

'Indian Blood"

2011-07-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

We have the greatest grandma. Jeff's mom is the most creative, artsy, inventive lady I know. I actually think in the back of my mind, "what would Caren do for a craft with the kids today?" On a regular basis. Our day with her this month lived up to all the hype.

She taught the kids to be Indians. We sat on the grass while she showed the kids a book all about Native Americans, Medicine men, and Indian life in general. She then taught them how to dance like Indians (picture Betty White in The Proposal), it. was. AWESOME! As well as how to do a great war cry. Told them to pick a Chief name for themselves, and to create an individual dance to perform. After this was accomplished she painted their faces, made them headbands, and satchels to gather things in, and sent them out to find 'medicine man' supplies. The kids found bee hives, leaves, sticks, and a bunch of other things to put in their bags. Great educational moments were had. I loved it! They performed their tribal dance for us before running through the sprinklers. It was a magical afternoon to say the least!

Gwyneth really enjoyed sitting on the lawn, in fact the only time she was really happy was when we left her there to play!

Chief Up High aka: Zachary

Chief Down Low aka: Brady

Six Little Indians doing a war cry!

Zachary in all his glory! Sorry to all moms and girl cousins who did not understand how much this kid likes to be either naked or in his undies, now you know!

June Was a Blur...

2011-07-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

We spent most of June with my little sister and her family, almost by accident. They came to Vegas for a week, and at the end we couldn't say good-bye. Instead I packed up the kids and followed her to Utah! Yes, it was the Friday before Father's Day, and yes Jeff had to talk in church. He didn't care at all, in fact he practically pushed us out the door. I think what many people fail to realize is that there is no greater gift as a parent of young kids that having some time ALONE! I'm pretty sure he loved the whole week!

We did too!

We saw long-lost-friends, played with cousins non-stop (why did we ever leave?) and enjoyed the BEST weather ever, spending almost all day every day outside.

We were planning to come home a week after arriving, Friday to Friday, but extended to Sunday. We had to, there was so much more to do! (indian post next!)

My first homemade skirt, pretty dang cute if you ask me! (thanks to courtney, never could have done it alone!) Plus it'll fit her for at least another year!

5/8 grandkids, 'resting' after playing hard all morning. It lasted about 10 minutes.

My BF's kiddoes & mine. Cute bunch!

yes, I let him do that.... the neighbors kids were jumping off their roof. So this was our in between deal.

3 for 3 grand daughters. Couldn't look more different if we tried! Beauties all three!

Boys Sleepover

2011-06-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

Colin didn't know what he was in for sleeping over here! Zachary became the Tickle Monster. He's pretty relentless, but they laughed and laughed! Best part? They also slept!

7 Month Old Girl

2011-06-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Gwynnie didn't care too much for the splash park! But look at her sitting up!

Took her to her 7 month check up. Everything went great.

17 lbs 2.5 oz., (52%) 29 inches tall, (99%).

The doctor told me not to worry about her weight being such a small % compared to her height. Crazy doctor.... why would I want to carry around another Zachary?! He was always 90% in all areas! So she's tall and thin, who doesn't want that?

Plus look how cute she is!! LOVE HER!

Cousins

2011-06-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Black family came done to Vegas for a weekend, we Love them! We were super busy, and had a great stay-at-home-cation! A few places we went: Hoover Dam, Springs Preserve, swimming, and date night to name a few!

All the girls at the Dam.

This monument is dedicated to all those who gave their lives in making the Dam.

Night swimming, diving for glow sticks.

Springs Preserve. Super Cool!

We love having family in town, and they are already missed!

Echo Fishivore

2011-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

For her first camping trip this baby did really great! She was cuddled a lot and that was all she wanted! We had so much fun, the boys all fished, we ate good food, walked 100 yards to use the bathroom, and spent 3 days outside. It was great! We came home very stinky, and happy!

Panaca is almost not a town it's so small, but it is home to a great natural hot spot. It's like a warm pool! We swam there on Saturday. I didn't take a suit, and marcus couldn't find his kids' so the four of us cut off our pants and swam in our clothes, it was great! No one even thought it was weird! I love small towns. Jeff wants to move there. I like to visit!

Brady patiently waiting for his pole to be ready!

Zach loved the fish. We're lucky they were dead before he got to them!

Summer, Summer, Summer TIIMMEE!

2011-05-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Brady has been asking, "when's Summer?" for so long that finally at preschool graduation I told him, "It's Summer Now!" He was super embarrassed when he had to walk out to the stage with his class. He's a shy kid when it comes to people looking at him....wonder where that comes from? He had a shy face the whole time and hardly moved his mouth to sing the songs! So funny!

They really went all out for this graduation. The stage was covered in lights, they gave out these great diplomas, and shook hands with each graduate. We had a 'catered luncheon, and they gave all the kids things to work on over the summer!

This Fall Kindergarten, here we come!

Nine Years Ago Today.....

2011-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

We looked nothing like this! Three beautiful children later, I still love you baba!

Happy Anniversary!!

Nuggett New New

2011-05-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Title of this post was created by Brady. He's very creative. We are doing "Triple Treats", a community center class, at home this summer. With Zach, instead of dropping Brady off. So far we have made many drawings, this little felt and toilet paper roll monster, and a shoe box lizard cage. The nice thing for me is that we have a craft cabinet now, which we can dig into at any time and we don't have to drive anywhere!

Brady just finished his tball season. Which was really fun this year, he loved playing and even made a few plays that blew us away! He catches everything that comes his way! His favorite positions are pitch and first base, I think because there is a lot of action in those positions!

I Love To See The Temple, by Zachary

2011-05-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

Last fall on our way home from Fish Lake we sang, "I love to see the Temple", over and over and over again! Zach loves this song, in fact it's the only song he likes to sing on most occasions. We went to the school talent show. He danced right along with the performers, clapped to the beat and just had a great time. When we got home he wanted to be watched! He danced a few times, and sang to me. The WII remote is his microphone. When I told him to sing a song he hummed, or danced, so I had to choose a song to have him sing! So with out further adou,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, for your listening enjoyment, Mr. ZACHARY SORENSON!!" (I had to say that every time!)

cutie patootie

2011-05-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Was there ever a cuter baby girl? Ummm nope. (sorry!)

Cheese! She was getting so excited about having her picture taken! This was a cheesy grin right before she laughed! Gwyn loves all picture taking devices!

Baby Firsts

2011-05-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Gwynnie is starting to do all kinds of things, it's so sad, but soo fun to see her grow and learn and begin playing!
At 5 months I started feeding her baby food. It's been pretty hit and miss, but this was her first time eating food. She did really well, and has liked the fruit and vegetables so far!
2 days ago we decided to see if she could sit up on her own. She's been sitting in a few different baby chairs for the last few weeks. Her favorite is the johnny jump up! She LOVES to jump! She sat perfectly on the bed while we sorted socks, and now she's a pro.
Brady shared his otter-pop with her this week. She thought it was so great she gave him a kiss!
Tummy Time. She usually hates this, but she can roll over from front to back and back to front now. Having some control makes her happy. She rolls all over the place!

jr pony rides

2011-05-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Zachary LOVES ponies! SO when presented with 2 hrs at a pony 'ranch' he was super excited! This is one of a handful of rides he took!

Bean liked it too! This place was great because they lead the kids around by hand instead of sending them in endless circles on those metal contraptions. See the really old guy in the background? He is tiny, and he actually lifted Zach up onto his horse.. I felt bad!

This lovely house is where the goats live. It tricks you all in this photo by making you think it's clean... many a child left with goat pee hands, and goat poo bums. But this was the boys favorite place!

Gwyneth loved it too... I think! This is her newest trick, she spits. Only down side is that the boys think it's funny too, so they spit on her all the time!

Clark County Fair

2011-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Back tracking a little! Last month we went on our yearly expedition to the Fair. It was a blast! Freezing, windy & a bit of rain, but awesome!

BATMAN! Who needs toys, with face paint you can play make believe forever!!

Muttin' Bustin Champions! Brady won 4th place over all, first place in his first round, with a score of 95! All 3 kids won money. No, Zach isn't sad about money, we made him sit out a photo of the three Busters! How rude!

High Flying Dude! Instead of going on Carnival rides this year we let the boys choose a few big rides to go on. Brady chose this trampoline bungie and a water ball that you get inside of and roll around in a huge pool! Zach tried to do this tramp but he panicked, and got out!

Zach's angry face! Driving race cars!

Brady and his winnings! $45, not too shabby for 2 six second rides!

p.s. No I didn't cut his hair, he did. "it was sooo fun", he said!

Easter, Vegas Style

2011-04-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Heated Pool + Kids = A Full Day Of Swimming! Yeah for spring! (2 weeks ago it was warm!)
We went to Sorenson's wards Easter Egg Hunt, ate too much candy, and then swam all afternoon!

Even this nugget had fun in the water! She loved her first time in a pool, looking at all the kids, and licking her lips to catch all the splashes to the face she got, like a little puppy it was so cute!

This is Zach getting mad a Brady, pretty normal! Perfect shot!

On our way to the Egg Hunt. What Baskets?

Cute kiddies

2011-04-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Gwyneth is working on sitting up! Here she was on her way down, but it had the biggest smile! Usually the flash scares her so she looks shocked in most pictures!
It's pretty rare that I can get Zach to sit in shot with the other kids, even luckier that he's happy about it! As Gwynnie gets funner he likes her more, he asks to hold her, he's learned how to make her laugh- which is super cute- and he generally knows she exhists!

Baby sister is related in activity to her uncle Marcus, she has discovered her toes, and yes, she was sucking on them!

Yummy, Yummy!

T-Ball Star

2011-04-30T10:36:00.001-07:00

Brady is in his second season of T-Ball. He is really liking it. He doesn't want to practice but when game day comes he plays his little heart out! I asked him one day what he does in the field. "Catch the ball, and throw it to first!", I had no idea! And he really does it, hustles for the ball and gets it to firs base. Today it was freezing and super windy, he was playing pitch, but never chased any balls. I thought he was just too cold, but no, he thought there were already enough kids chasing the balls!

He got the Game Ball a week ago. He LOVES it! He wrote his name on it, took it to Utah for Easter, and always knows where it is! We're so proud of our little ball player!

Wynnie

2011-03-18T16:41:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist. She's too cute.

Happy Day Before Your Birthday!

2011-03-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

My wild child turns 3 tomorrow! He is very excited about it. Today we added his party onto playgroup. Perfect. Everyone was there, and we didn't have to clean house! I made cupcakes the night before, which he helped make. His favorite part of baking is licking the beaters, spoons, basically everything I let him!

Ever since Uncle Newel came home from England this summer on an airplace Zachary is convinced that everything great comes from the sky. On our way to the park today he got all excited and said, "yeahh, my burfday pawrty is comin down from da 'ky!" (aka: my birthday party is coming down from the sky! it sounds better then I can type it! HA) That's how you know he's super excited, when some thing comes from the sky! Make A Wish!
His name was printed on the cupcakes in green gelly. He ate some!

He loved that he got the cake that had a, "Z, for Zach" on it.

We decorated and ate a few right after breakfast!

Cutie Patootie!

more to come! Phase I done! Nap in session.

2011-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

Spring Break brought us a sweet treat! Uncle Newel and Auntie Courtney came down for a week! It was so much fun to have them here all week, we just stayed busy doing a whole lotta nothing!

Courtney helped me decorate Gwyneth's room, make Zach's bed, and feel like I was also on vacation! Lettig me sleep in every day! WOW! I loved it. New & Zach, watching a movie! Newel also took Colin & Brady to a movie, which they thought was super cool. He's the best uncle. He was here to enjoy spring break, but he always finds time to play with the kids, making them a top priority, they LOVE him!
One day Heidi, Court, New, and I took all the kids to the Town Square story time and park. Part of Story Time was a Limbo dance! Brady loves the Limbo! The park there is awesome! (dont eat at the burger king!) anyway, it was a beautiful day, we never wanted to leave!

Brady & Zachary

Brady, Lainey, Cody, Carly, Zach, Krew & Auntie Courtney. Water is quite the croud pleaser!

Two full days of post family depression set in as soon as they left! Good thing it's just a 7 hour drive to see them again!

She's Growing Too Fast!

2011-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Me & My Best Friend
Look at her skinny arms! I love to squeeze and kiss this tiny baby!

Gwyneth is starting to not like people, or maybe it's just that she likes me the most! She has started crying when other people hold her or even talk to her, then the minute I take her back she's all smiles! What a stinker! Not that I mind. She also likes my hair, she grabs it and tries to eat it, or else she just hangs on for dear life. Gwyneth also likes to sit up. She can't do it yet, but she can start to sit up, she has some strong abs! She likes to know what is going on around her. When Jeff and the boys yell suddenly she starts to cry, it's not funny either, I hate it! :)

Last week when she was free and clear of RSV I moved her to her own room. She's always been a great sleeper, but now I get to sleep to! One feeding a night, and all else is quiet happiness!

This is her all excited, she tries to eat her hands! Jeff calls it, Monstering Out. I call it Dang Cute!

Valentine's Day Surprise

2011-03-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

Brady gave Gwyneth his Cinderella tattoo. And I mean he brought in the wet rag and put it on her arm! She really liked it. He got it from his class Valentines exchange. Brady was very confused as to why he'd get a GIRL one! But he's great at sharing.

Jeff always gets the kids (and me) a gift for Valetines day. This year our boys got Star Wars Figures, it was a big hit. Zach is obsessed with storm troopers, this is his serious bad giy face!

We had been at the doctor all day, so instead of me making a great dinner for Jeff he brought home Cheese Cake Factory, gifts, and an edible arrangement (chocolate covered fruit). So the day that started awful ended great!

Sleeepppyyy

2011-03-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Brady is the absolutle BEST big brother! He picks up Gwyneth whenever she cries and I can't get to her fast enough. He loves to hold her, and she loves him! February was a month of sickness for our three kids. RSV, eye infections and long nights for 3 weeks. It was not pleasant, but having such a great helper sure made it easier.
Baby and Daddy after a long night! I think this is the part of baby hood Jeff likes the most. Cuddling with our little angels.

Gymnastics

2011-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Our local community center has a gymnastics class, that the boys have always done. The facility is awesome, and so is the teacher! At the end of Zac's mommy & me class they let the bigger kids come in to play. So here's Brady & Carly on the bars!
This possum hang is one of his favorite things to do, he thinks it's hillarious!

"To infinity and Beyoooond!" Then he jumps the 3 feet to the pads below! Cody is in the same class. Each day in stretching the teacher asks the kids what their toes smell like, nuggets or a hamburger? Yogurt or ice cream etc., this week Zach's answer was "SNAKES!" He's so funny!

Gwyneth's Blessing Dress

2011-02-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is how happy she was to be out of her pretty, pretty dress! Best Picture EVER!
Her dress had bloomers!

I had to get a shot of the bow. This dress was so pretty! (and silky, and itchy!)

Oooohhh.

Look how pretty I am!

What a Blessing!

2011-02-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday February 6, 2011. We Blessed Gwyneth Kate. Jeff gave the blessing. Uncles' Marcus & Jeremy as well as Bishop Pesci and Brother Duckworth stood in her circle. Sam F. Held the mirophone. It was a great blessing. Mom might have gotten emotional were it not for two wild boys sitting with her! They actually did pretty well, they are just distrating. I took notes for Gwyn's personal journal. It was a very persoanl blessing for me as a mom and for Gwyneth as a special child of our Heavenly Father.

As soon as Jeff started the blessing baby girl started to cry. She didn't like being held lying down, and so she kept it up throughout the blessing. As soon as it was over and Daddy held her up she smiled and was happy! What a stinker! Daddy did really well keeping calm and collected, and was only a little flustered when it was over!

This day was also a double-birthday. Daddy turned 31, Gwyneth turned 3 months!

Happy Birthday to my Best friend and my favorite daughter!

Promising this photo was the only way to get Brady into the others.
Zachary was bribed with gum.

Our little family.

Kiddies

2011-02-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

This is how happy Zachary got just because Brady came home! Plus he loves taking baths!

All he wants to do is hold this baby sister.

Could Gwyn look any cuter? This bow makes her look like a present! Love it!

Funny Baby

Smile!

2011-02-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

This is what I get for asking the boys to, "Give me a nice big smile!"

kids!

2011-02-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

just another quick photo of baby sister!
We spent half a day in our p.j.'s (more common than you think), but I got these cute photos out of it!

Obviously Gwyneth loves Brady, why else would she be so funny for him? HA, love that face!

St George

2011-02-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

We headed to St. George in January for the half marathon. Newel & TJ ran it, and did pretty well! They both beat their previous run times, and Newel beat the cute girl he knows from school! The kids swam in a heated hotel pool, and we spent the afternoon at the park.
These suckers were a must. Luckily they forgot about them, and didn't eat the whole thing!

Me and baby sister didn't swim, but the big kids were in there for almost 3 hours!

I had to throw in this smiling baby! She is so great. I tickeled her yesterday and she actually belly laughed, it was short, but awesome. She smiles at the sound of Jeff's voice, and wants nothing except to be held all the time, which we allow! Last night she slept 10 hours with out waking up to eat! WOW! She's defeniatly my easiest - so far! LOVE HER!!!

I guess she does look like Zac, a little. Happy, Happy days!

GREAT!

2011-02-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

We introduced Gwtneth to her GREAT grandparents over New Years weekend. (gma bardsley's photo I don't have). Grandparents Linford live in an assisted living home in S. Jordan. He wasn't sure who we were, just that we had brought a baby. He held her and smiled. It was so sweet. I leanred that Grandma's aunt was named Gwyneth, I love knowing that even on accident we picked a family name! It was a bitter sweet visit, with Grandpa not understanding why we couldn't stay, and why grandma had to go back to her own room. But the love between them was so sweet and awesome to see, even with their age and memory issues. The kissed, said I Love You, and hugged. It was the most touching moment I have ever seen between them. What a great visit!

Grandma Bardsley was able to hold Gwyneth as well, commenting on how cute she is, and basically making a mom feel great! I love that my kids have had chances to meet and, kind of, know their great grandparents, what a blessing for them as they grow up to see pictures to go along with the stories we tell them.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Cusick family came to Vegas this year for Christmas. Which was really fun! We went to the Bellagio Garden (bad night, it was packed!) But the kids love the train, and this year they had penguins. They would pop out of the igloo, Zac loved that, he waved at them every time!
Gywneth got dolls for Christmas. This cute one is from her brothers. Funny how it looks like her!
She slept through most of the day!

Chrsitmas Eve family picture. The boys got PJ's from gramma and grandpa, as well as a flash light. a huge hit among all the kids!

The boys all decorate a Ginger Bread house, we ate a lot of candy. So I was surprised we had any to cover the house!

Sickness

2010-12-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of sickness at our house this month, Zach got the worst of it. Can you see the lump on the right side of his neck? It started as a small lump, but after his nap it had swollen so large that his face looked crooked, the swelling started under his ear and wrapped to the back of his neck! Scary! We took him to the ER, where he had an IV put in his hand for fluids and dye, and antibiotics. Then he had a CAT scan of his neck. He was very brave and only cried a little for the IV.

Jeff took him up and I followed after all the scary stuff was over. Good thing Jeff took him. He had Zach thinking his IV was a laser gun, he was shooting the place up all night! He told me over and over again, "I got a shot and I cried". But he was happy, so I guess it's ok.

Around 11:00 p.m. they finally had results, infected lymph node. The best case scenario! After an hour of IV antibiotics we were able to take him home. He is doing much better, and even felt better the next morning. His swelling is slowly going down, and after another week of meds he should be all better! He is starting to talk better, he babied the lump so didn't move his neck and jaw normally for a few days.

The ER is scary to think of but was so awesome, the doctors and nurses were great, and we were very well taken care of. They even gave Jeff dinner! We won't be scared to go there again, and we'll be quicker to go, that's for sure.

Love this little guy! I'm so grateful for healthy kids!

Baby Smiles

2010-12-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Santa, Santa, Ho Ho Ho!

2010-12-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

As a tradition, I took the kids to see the real santa at the mall! Check out zach's smile, this is what he does when other people tell him to smile! So funny!
Gwyneth saying,"Mom, these shoes are too big!"

Were there ever 3 cuter kids? I think not!

Drivers Watch Out!

2010-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Our new great neighbors have 3 electric cars. Needless to say the boys love them! Zach can drive them all like the big kids do. Colin told Zach to get his gun. Well, he did not have one, so he used his hands. Notice how he had two barrels! Cute little chubby fingers! Where did that hat come from?

Silly Bean, wanted an upclose picture. Got it.

First Sunday

2010-12-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

We took Gwyneth to church today. I was a nervous wreck, but she did great! She is so cute in her dress and tights, we had to take a bunch of pictures! A little smile!

This is how Wynnie helped Daddy put up Christmas lights yesterday. She's a great little helper!

Babies

2010-12-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Princess Wynnie
I have two babies. This week they both took a binkie. I couldn't miss the chance to get a picture!

Fly

2010-12-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

I let Zach sit in a booster seat the other day, he really likes them.
He unbucled himself, on a busy street, to reach a granola bar.
I panicked. Yelled all the following things at him:
1. That's dangerous!
2. If we get hit you'll die! (I don't hide the truth from my kids, scary or not)
3. You can't ever sit there again!
Then I tried to be more literal, paint the picture for him;
Zach, if we get in a wreck you could fly out the window, and be very hurt on the street!
His response?
" mooomm, If I fly out the window I'll use my "wubs", to fly, it's ok!" While showing me his hand in the air....
What??
Ribs? Wings? I was lost.
Until while playing that night I told the story to Jeff. Zach did it again. This time it hit me.
Zach believes he is Spider Man. He flies with his WEBS!
Poor kid thinks he has super powers! HA!

3 weeks old!

2010-11-29T15:16:00.001-08:00

When Gwyneth was born they weighed her and said, 'oh', she already has a double chin!'
She turned 3 weeks old on Saturday. She is starting to stay awake a LITTLE more than she did last week! Maybe a few hours a day! She smiles more than before, I guess that's all a baby this little can do. but it's fun to watch her grow everyday. Her little legs are filling out, so she is losing the little Frog belly look. We just kiss and hold her all the time. She's getting a little spoiled, but I don't mind holding her all the time!

Three week old girl! Still no bow, sorry, the boys take them off!

Here's a bow in her hair! It lasted about 5 minutes.

Glasses

2010-11-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

My boys think my glasses are a toy. I guess they are if I let them be! Brady set the timer and took multiple shots of himself, which was fun to watch him do! He also took the one of Zachary. He didn't know they were on upside down!

Gwyneth

2010-11-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Brady and I played with Gwyneth taking pictures! She didn't smile, but she's still pretty dang cute!

She even stuck out her tongue when Brady did, which makes for a funny shot!

She sure loves her bed, thanks to all the comfy blankets we received from friends.

One Week Old

2010-11-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

Gwyneth is 8 days old today, and she's already done so many things! She had her first 1/2 sleep over! We let Brady hold her in bed for a while, He was SO happy!
She had her first story time, with bog brothers and Gramma. She was very interested in the book.

She slept 4 hours in a row....EVERY night.

And Gwyneth has learned how to make faces with the best of them! The funniest is when she tries to look up, both of her eyes point outward, the opposite of cross eyed, it's totally funny.

Brady and Zach are in love with this little sister! They come into our room in the morning looking for her, asking to hold her, and the kiss her constantly!

When Brady looks for her he says, "Where's our baby?", Zach says, "Where's my sister?"

Brady calls her Gwyneth, Zach calls her Gwyn.

They both can not believe how tiny she is. Some nicknames she has accumulated so far:

Tinker Bell, Peanut, Wynnie, and of course, Baby Sis.

Big Brothers

2010-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning the boys came to see us. I put Gwyn in a cute little outfit so she'd be all ready! It didn't matter to her brothers. They think she's wonderful no matter what!
Zach was hyper with excitment! He kept looking at her and telling me all the tiny things she had.
" look at her finger nails! They're so tiny", " oh, look at her small ears!" those were the 2 he liked the most I guess!

Brady was very mellow with her. He kissed her, smiled at her and held her as long as he could. When it was time to leave he didn't want to!

Here they are holding her for the first time. Zachary couldn't wait for his turn. He kept leaning over and trying to hold her! He kissed her a lot!

Our 3 babies! We are so blessed!

Gwyneth Kate Sorenson

2010-11-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Baby Gwyneth was born at 7:05 a.m. on Saturday November 6, 2010. Weighing in at 7 lb. 4 oz., and 20 inches tall. She was the fastest of my 3 deliveries. From start (because they induced labor) to finish was 2 hours, 5 minutes! My doctor barely made it to the room in time!

I wrote the whole story in Gwyn's baby book, so this is the shorter version!

Daddy holding her for the first time, in our delivery room. He was so excited! We both couldn't believe that she was ours, this tiny little princess!

Here she is only a few minutes old, already happy, and looking around. She was in such a hurry to get here that mommies epiduryl didn't have time to set in all the way. But she was also nice enough that the speed made it do-able!

Gwyneth & Mommy's first photo op! She was so warm, and tiny!