We've created little monsters~pee monsters that is!

I have no idea what my children's obsession with peeing is all about, but they are definitely obsessed. They are fascinated that they can go to the bathroom outside, yes even Brooke. I have told Brooke countless times that she needs to come inside the house if she has to use the bathroom, only to have her run into the house after the fact and proudly exclaim, "I went potty outside." I take no credit for making her a pee monster, but I hate to say, I may have played a role in Braden's conversion. I think it all started in California; we were stuck in traffic, no where to go, and Braden had to GO! I used my quick mommy thinking, looked frantically for a bottle, threw it back to Braden, and explained he was going to have to pee in the bottle. At first he was appalled, but after he finished, he was very proud of himself; I guess maybe it is some male rite of passage. Well, this was the beginning of the end; now he pees in bushes at Walgreens, in bushes at the pool, pees in our backyard, pees in cups in the bathroom, and pees in bottles in our kitchen! I guess I should mention that all of these times, there was a bathroom within 100 yards of him, but he decided to bypass them all; I guess he wanted to be in touch with nature. Is there something manly about being free?! I have to admit also though, that I don't always help the issue; I must confess that I like that I can stop on the side of the road to let him go to the bathroom without having to search for a convenience store, or even yet, having to park the van and lug all 3 children into the store. I still must pose the question though, "How do you teach a boy that there are times that call for desperate times and times that call for being a civilized human?" Maybe it is some male thing, because when Rich got home last night from basketball I told him how Braden had proudly showed me his yellow filled bottle (and it wasn't lemonade baby) that he had most recently filled (can't leave the cuties alone for a minute), and I could tell Rich was doing all he could do to keep a straight face. I think part of him was proud of Braden; I bet they went out in the backyard later and beat their chests in celebration of Braden's accomplishment. MY BOYS?!!!! They make me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Hannah Montana's Number One Fan

For Braden's preschool graduation my dad took Braden and Brooke to Wal-mart to pick out a toy; Braden picked out one of those huge trucks that carries other cars (the name is escaping me, so the description will just have to work for now) and Brooke picked a Hannah Montana Doll that talks and sings when you push a button on her tummy. Both toys were a hit, with all 3 children (especially Emma); Emma loves to try to take the cars out of Braden's toy, and she likes to try to sing along with Brooke's toy (which I think is hilarious). You push the button, she sings (baby version of course), Hannah stops, she hands you Hannah, you push the button, she sings again, Hannah stops again, and then she hands Hannah once again (you get the idea); if she doesn't see anyone around to help her, she beats Hannah against the floor to get her to start (somehow it works; I guess she decides to bypass the button).

Here is the video of our little rock star's performance:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

I see Emma walking around carrying this

This is Emma's favorite book; she brings it to me at least 3 times a day and often is seen just walking around the house with it. She wants me to read it, Rich to read it, and then wants me to read it again! She also likes to flip through the pages by herself. I don't know why she has attached herself to this particular book, but she has; she loves it! She will bypass all the books we have scattered throughout the house to get to this one; in her mind there are no other books.

Here are some pictures of our little bookworm:

Braden's 5th Birthday

This past Friday (the 23rd) we had a little family birthday party for Braden; his birthday party with his friends is this upcoming Saturday. We gave Braden the choice between going out to eat or cooking hamburgers at home and having a Maseda Family Movie Madness Night; he chose staying at home, so we grilled out hamburgers, had ranch potatoes, fruit, and pasta salad. Braden also decided he wanted to eat outside, and we made sure that he ate his birthday dinner on one of the special plates we have for such an occasion (actually it is a lunch tray; Rich's family had a lunch tray that you got to eat on if you had something special happen: award, birthday, good grades, etc., so we are continuing the tradition). Well, after dinner, Rich presented him with his present, a baseball and a baseball glove. I couldn't believe his reaction; he LOVED it! I guess Rich knows what he is doing! Braden of course wanted to try out his new present, and Rich was more than ready to oblige. They started out throwing underhanded and worked their way up; I was impressed! Braden did a good job at catching and throwing. Rich's advice to get him to throw better and higher: "Try to throw it at my head." I quickly let Braden know that the only time he was to do that was with his daddy, because he could catch it. Well, after their game of catch, we headed to McDonald's for milkshakes; we then rode to see Braden's new school as we sipped away and all 3 children fell asleep (so much for the movie, but HELLO to time to talk to Rich; we drove around a little longer to take full advantage of our semi-time alone). Even though Braden didn't get to watch his movie, I think it is safe to say that he enjoyed being the birthday boy!

Here is a video of the birthday boy and his daddy playing catch; I just wish I would have taken more video later, when Braden got braver and backed up more. I also missed a really good catch he made, Oh well, maybe next time.

I of course also took pictures of the night. Rich says that he can rest assured that our children's lives are going to be very well documented. I say, that's right, and they will thank me for it. :) They will also thank me that I shared it with the world on our blog, okay maybe they won't thank me for that part.

My Little Spitfire

Here is a picture of me and my little spitfire; I don't even think they had a mold when they made her, she is one of a kind! I don't know if I could handle another one just like her, so I will just keep the little spitfire I have and love her all I can! Her latest obsession: taking dance lessons, almost on a daily basis I am asked, "Do I get to start ballet today?" How do you explain to a 3 year old that she still has three months before I can even register her for dance? I can't wait either; she is going to be adorable in her little leotard (which I am sure she will want to wear 24/7). Brooke also will be starting preschool next year (just two mornings a week). When Braden started preschool we wondered if he was ready for preschool, with Brooke, we wonder if they are ready for her.

*By the way, Braden took this picture; I guess he is catching the photo bug from his mama.

Just For You Mama

This is just for you Mama; you always say there aren't enough pictures of me on the blog. Rich took a few pictures of me on Sunday, and here are a few of them. I told him that I wanted to make sure my cuties know what I looked like, since I always seem to be behind the camera. :)

Our little walker~nothing is safe now

It took Emma 13, almost 14, months to begin walking, but she has finally entered the wonderful world of walking, and now nothing is safe! I thought she got into everything before, but now I know she gets into everything! Here is a picture I took of our little walker in Myrtle Beach; I love this picture!

These are the Days

Here is a slideshow of the pictures we have taken over the last few months; you will probably need to scroll down to the bottom and turn the music off first on my music player in order to really enjoy it. Looking at these pictures reminds me that these are the days, the days I will remember and the moments I will hold dear for the rest of my life; I hope you all enjoy watching the slideshow as much as we enjoyed making the memories!

Braden's Preschool Graduation

Well folks, it is official; Braden is now a preschool graduate. How is it possible? How did my little baby grow up so fast?! How did my sweet baby Braden go from this

to this

or this

Time goes by way too fast; no matter how tight you try to hold onto the moments, they still seem to slip through your fingers. I think that is why it is so important to make each day count, and to go along with this philosophy, I also believe you should celebrate every milestone, including preschool graduations. Thursday we had a small graduation party for Braden complete with a huge sub sandwich, chips, soda, fruit, cake, and of course presents. Mama, Daddy, Grandmama, LaNae, and Jessica attended, and how could I forget our awesome family from California, the Kirbysons, who used their vacation to come visit us. Braden loved it: the attention, the food, the gifts, and graduation! The graduation was fantastic! I loved seeing my adorable soon to be 5 year old recite a scripture, announce to the world that he wants to be a rock and roll star when he grows up (because they are cool), sing Peace on Earth, and look absolutely adorable as he strutted across the stage to collect his diploma; the best part of all though was that he was surrounded by everyone who loves him. I am so glad that Braden knows that he is loved and adored! I think it is so important with the world being what it is, that children know that they always have a safe haven to come home to and a soft place to fall!

My Preschool Grad

I just wanted to post a picture of my new preschool grad and I; I will have to post the rest of the pictures along with details of the grand event later. It is getting late, and we are all headed to Myrtle Beach tomorrow morning. Oh, how I LOVE going home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, how I love my sweet Emma!

How cute is this face?! I love this picture, because Emma's sweet spirit and larger than life personality just shine through. And that smile, oh that smile; just looking at this picture brings a smile to my face.

And what exactly do we know about this adorable 19lb. 13 month beauty? What do we know about this little package of charm, vivacity, and sweetness?

We know she has sweet precious feet.

We know she has sweet precious hands.

We know that she is able to pull things from high places (in this case it was Brooke's bowl of cereal).

We know that Emma loves to climb into the refrigerator.

We know that Emma helps herself to any food she finds (whether we want her to or not).

And as you have gathered, Emma loves to eat!

We know the dishwasher is like a magnet to Emma. If it is open, she is there (usually pulling out everything I have just put in it).

We know Emma likes to play peek a boo, by herself and with someone else; this is a picture of how I found her one day (happily playing peek a boo in the kitchen all by herself).

We know Emma likes to pretend to talk on the telephone.

We know Emma has a destructive side; well, she doesn't do it intentionally. I guess it would be more accurate to say that she has a VERY inquisitive nature (just like her Daddy).

We know Emma has a slight temper; let's just say that she is more than capable of holding her own with her older siblings, or anyone else who crosses her path. She also has mastered the fine art of tantrum throwing (much to my chagrin).

We know Emma HATES wearing shoes and will stop at nothing to get them off of her feet!

We also know that Emma loves being read to, she loves being where her brother and sister are at, she loves music, she loves to dance, and she loves life. She loves scrambled eggs, bananas, goldfish, orange juice, and anything sweet. She loves to take baths, wave at everyone she sees, and laugh. There are so many more things I could tell you about our Emma, but the most important thing to know is...

...that we LOVE our sweet Emma more than words could ever express!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What dog breed are you?

I went on a friend's (Beth) blog, and saw that she had taken a test to see what breed of dog she would be; I thought, hey that should be interesting, so I too took the test. Drumroll please, the results are in!

Labrador Retriever
The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

*Okay, I don't agree with the clumsy part; I didn't take ballet for nothing!