Easter boys

Since we didn't get to go to church on Easter because of conference I thought I should post how cute my kids Easter outfits were, so I can get my moneys worth:)

Because we were out in nature and in our dress cloths that we had never worn I turned into that scary Walmart mom on my boys during the "shoot". Don't touch that, quit moving, quit talking, don't make me.... you get the idea. It wasn't pretty. I think we made up since after words we went out for dinner (gotta love McDonald's happy meals, they make everything better).

Thanks to our favorite friends for making our picture date a success & thanks to Whitney for taking the only picture that turned out of all three boys.

When I grow up I want to be...

In March Jori's kids got to come spend a week with us over their Spring Break.

Rex and Jett think that their cousins are the best (and I agree). They are all so special to us and we wanted to tell you why....Merrill

Merrill is the oldest cousin in the Brown family. Even though he is 13 he still treats my boys like friends! Whenever Rex and Jett are with Merrill they are wrestling, playing light sabers, shooting guns or going on adventures. The boys can't wait to be as old as Merrill so that they can be just like him. I am so glad that he is such a good example to us. He is such a nice kid. He is always willing to help his Mom, still kisses his Aunt Mandy, and gives up boy scout camp to come and visit us! We love you Merrill, don't ever change!

Danii

We are all so glad when Danii comes around. She is like having a second mom around for your kids. She is the best babysitter I have ever seen because she plans out the entire night and makes sure the kids have fun! Danii is so much like her Mom, smart, very organized, and loves helping people. The boys love to play with her and I never worry about them when she is with them. She is going to be a great mom someday! We sure love our Danii Girl!

Kamryn

No one can feel sad with Kamryn around. She is the most loving person I have ever met. You can not be in the same room as her without her showing you affection. My boys (who do not like to much affection from most people) can not get enough from her. She is very sincere with everything she does from her sweet letters to her hug and kiss goodnight. She makes you feel loved and I hope she knows just how much we all love her! What would we do without our sweet girl. You are one of a kind Kamryn and I wish I could be more like you. We love you a ton!

Korbi

Anyone who knows Korbi knows what a special person she is. She is so full of life you just smile when you think of her. She can make anyone laugh with just her smile. Everyone needs a Korbi in their family. She completes us! Her and Rex can play make believe for hours and never get sick of each other (if you know Rex, this is quite an accomplishment). Korbi is a joy to be around and I am so grateful for her for bringing such joy into our lives. We love you Korbi Rae!


So Merrill, Danii, Kamryn & Korbi thank you for being such good examples and friends to us. We think you are the best! We love you!

We love AZ winters!

Having lived in Nebraska for the last three winters we have found a lot of reasons to love Arizona winters. And since I am so far behind on blogging I thought I would sum up our entire winter with a few pics and few of the reasons we love being home!

#1

In January we took the boys on a hike to Usery Pass. It was a short 2 mile hike but the boys loved it. The weather was perfect and Ryan loved playing with our new camera. We have loved being near mountains again and loved it even more when we saw Nebraska's weather report. Sorry Nebraska friends but this is one of the reasons we LOVE Arizona winters!

We made it!

Asher was loving his "hike". Thanks Dad.

#2

In February we went to Saguaro lake on a picnic. We watched birds went on a hike and climbed trees. Our new home is only about 15 minutes from the lake. The second reason we love AZ winters..... we love having picnics in February.

#3

Ryan's Grandparents are some of our favorite people. They are huge card game players and have been known to stay up past midnight if the game is right. They have taught us a lot of our favorite card games like Gitchimigoo and Mormon bridge. They live in Eastland Utah but come to Mesa in the winters. This is our favorite thing about AZ winters!

Rex and Jett think it is so much fun when Grandma and Grandpa come over for games. We were so glad to get to be in Arizona so they could get a chance to get to know them better. They fight over who gets to be on their "team".

Jett loves the dice game 10 thousand. He beat us all. Rex is on Grandma's "team"
Rex practicing being a good looser. You've almost got it buddy!


#4

We have gotten a lot of "park time" in this winter. In fact at least 2 days a week after school the boys and I head to the park to play with some of our favorite friends. Being at the park and our new friends are another reason to love AZ!

Jett making his Daddy proud.Rex and Jett's friend Dallin. Rex and Dallin can dig in the sand for hours.
#5 reason that we love AZ is we love that we are closer to family.
Ryan, Rex and Jett got to go to the drag races with their cousin Luke and his dad.

Even though we have loved our winter this year we all still miss our great Nebraska friends! We won't ever forget all of you and all of our great Nebraska winters. We love you all.

Jett is 6

It was 6 years ago this week that our sweet Jett was born. He was born in Togliatti Russia which is a small town in Samara. He lived there in an orphanage for 7 months while he waited for his forever family to come. Jett is such a joy in our home. He is the best little boy a mom could ask for. He is so willing to share with his brothers and always has a smile on his face. It is hard to believe that he is already 6 years old. It seems like just barely that Ryan and I got to go and meet him for the first time. I am sure Ryan and I will never forget that first meeting. Not because it went so well but because as soon as Jett saw us he started to bawl and it wasn't until almost an hour (and many cookies) later that he finally calmed down. Boy were we worried! The next month when we went back to get him he was a completely different baby. He was so happy and content. He has been that way ever since (well except for when he was three but that doesn't count). Mom & Dad in Togliatti July 2004 Jett age 1 Jett age 2 Jett age 3 Jett age 4 Jett age 5We love you Jett boy! We are grateful that you are a part of our family. We are thankful to our Heavenly Father for blessing our family with such a good boy. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Rexy Poo!

Six years ago this week Rex was born in a small town in Russia. He was only 3 pounds 7 ounces but was a true fighter (he still is). Because of the unselfish acts of a young girl we were able to adopt him and make him a part of our eternal family. I often think of that young girl and I have a great love for her and I am grateful for the choice that she made. What would we do without our sweet boy?
From the first time we saw you Dad and I have been in love. You were so happy and smiley, how could we not. We knew from the first time we met you that you were meant to be in our family. What a joy you have been ever since. We love you so much Rex. We love all of the special letters you make us, we love how much you take care of and love Asher, we love that you are a good example of reverence for your younger brothers. You put a smile on our face every day. Thank you for being our little "Roger".

1st birthday2nd Birthday3rd Birthday4th Birthday5th Birthday6 years old