Some Pictures

Christmas is almost here. I can't believe that it is only 3 days until Christmas eve. I am so excited to see family and friends that I can hardly wait. This really is my favorite time of year. We finally installed all of the pictures from our camera and I thought that I would share some of our highlights with you all. Here are a few of my favorites. All the family that made it to Cordins baptism, Cordin in the botanical gardens in Alaska, Gabbie in the gardens, a beautiful waterfall in the same gardens, Gideon being Gideon, and one of the only family pictures that we have also from Alaska. Hope you all enjoy. Have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year. We love you!

This year has been a blast!

I can't believe that we are already to the end on November. This year is going by way to fast. I thought that I would share some of the highlights that have happened to our family in the past year. There have been some really great things that have happened to us.

In Jan we started off a great year in our house and have loved being here. Not much happened in Feb and Mar. In April I got transferred to the Walmart that is only 5 min from home instead on 30. In May Joe received a great compliment from work... they love what he does so they give him a big fat raise. We celebrated kids birthdays and our anniversary all in May. In June I got pregnant but didn't know that I was. In July we went to Silverwood and had a wonderful family day at the amusement park, we also welcomed a new addition to the family our nephew Kade. Joe decided that he is ready for a change in his life and quits smoking. YEAH! We also start saying our family prayers on a regular basis and studying the scriptures as a family more consistently. It's neat to see the difference in the way our family acts toward each other. In Aug wasn't feeling all that great took a pregnancy test and yep, we're going to have another baby. We also got to go and spend 10 days in Alaska with half of Joe's siblings. Sept school starts YEAH! Mom gets to have quiet time, well a little quiet time. Cordin takes soccer and discovers that he actually likes it, and is pretty good too. Gabbie loves school and accelerates at everything that she is doing. Joe finds out the his job is pretty secure...phew. In Oct Joe turns 35. In Nov we celebrate Gideons 2ND birthday and find out the same day that we are having another girl. Cordin is baptised by his dad which is really cool. All of my siblings are able to make it except for Ben who was playing in the Apple Cup, which they won in overtime. Baby starts moving a lot. She is very active. I'm sure that Dec will bring lots of fun too.

Thinking back through the year I have realized just how blessed we have been. With everything that is going on in the world we have really been watched out for and taken care of. I am so grateful for the blessings that I have and that my family have been given. I don't know where we would be if we didn't have a loving Heavenly Father that watches over us and protects us. I would truly be ungrateful if I didn't acknowledge that all I have has come from Him. I hope that we will all take the time to thank those that need our thanks, and love those that need our love. I love you all and wish you a happy and safe holiday season.

What IS she having?

First I have to start off by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Gideon. I can't believe that my little boy is 2 already. The time has flown by and I wish it would slow down. We're taking the fam to chuck-e-cheese tonight to celebrate. It should be a lot of fun, he is at the age where he loves to go and do. (This is him covered in flour).

I went to the doctors office today for my ultra sound. It was pretty cool to see the baby and watch it move around in there. The technician was able to get some pretty good pictures of the baby but if wasn't very cooperative when it came to seeing the face and the spine so she said that I will probably have to go back in a couple of weeks to have another one. Which frankly I'm okay with. The baby was pretty much all tucked into a ball and would move constantly. We did see a pretty cute pose of the baby playing with it's toes. The tech was really nice. She pointed all of the things out to us that she was looking at so we didn't have to guess what blob was up on the screen. It was cool to see. Joe was able to come and watch with me which was nice. I think that it made it more real for him to see the baby. You're probably wondering whether we were able to see what the sex was. The tech was 99% sure that we are having a (drum role please) GIRL! That's right, I said a girl. We are pretty excited to add this little one to our family.

That brings me to names. For the longest time we have said that we were going to name a girl Khloe Jane we are now not that certain that that is what we want to name her. We have tried to name our kids with mostly unique names, something not so common. Well, when we liked Khloe it wasn't all that common of a name. Now it is in the top 10 girl names in the country. needless to say we are rethinking our decision. So, here are the top 3 options that we are thinking of...

1. Branwynn Dianne

2. Braewyn Dianne (bray-win)

3. Khloe Jane

I was hoping to get your opinion of what you like. I know you're probably thinking "why does my opinion matter you'll just name her what you want to in the end". You're right we probably will, but I'd still like to know what you think of our selections. This is our happy news, and I just wanted to share it with all of you, another beautiful little girl is joining our family.

Baby update

I can't believe that I am already half way through this pregnancy. The time is going by really fast. I had a doctors appt. yesterday and everything is going well. I go in on the 12the of Nov for my ultrasound. I'm excited to find out what we are having, and to make sure that the baby is okay. I'm starting to set bigger which is good, at least people will see that I'm pregnant and not just getting fat(er).

We are all doing well. Keeping busy. We're excited for the weekend as Cale and Sharon are going to come and visit. It will be nice to hang out with them again. I haven't had to chance to often since I'm normally at work when they come. It will be fun to spend time with another couple again. We miss you Bill and Maggie! That's my life right now work, work, family, and more work.

CHRISTMAS!

I know that it's a little early, but I just love Christmas! I love the way the season feels and the decorations and well, just everything. So, I have already put my christmas music on my blog. As soon as halloween is through I will be putting on the christmas background. You probably think that I'm crazy, but I can't help myself...it's an addiction.

Greenbluff 2008

We had an exceptionally fun time this year at greenbluff. It was so nice to spend time with Bill and Maggie before they went off on their adventure to Georgia. WE MISS YOU! It was Apple festival the weekend that we went, which we didn't realize at the time, but what fun! There were lots of things to do. They had an area dedicated to the entertainment of the kiddies. A hay maze, a couple of jump houses, a "haunted" house (which was really an inflated tunnel), and a pumpkin patch. There were lots of different booths to check out, and of coarse food stations of every kind. The best part though was the pumpkin doughnuts and the apple cider. My two favorite things. There were a couple of mishaps, but nothing to major. We had a great time and will definitely do it again next year.

I've been tagged!

Here are the answers to the tag I got from Sharon enjoy

1. Two names I go by... Brenda, Bren

2. Two things I'm wearing right now...capris and a tee shirt

3. two things I ate today... milk and cereal

4. two things I did last night...went to dinner and walked around the mall

5. Two things I want badly at this moment...my van fixed and a healthy baby

6. last two people I spoke to...Joseph and a man I might babysit for

7. two things I'm doing tomorrow...clean my house and go to work

8. two longest car rides... Utah and Seattle

9. Two favorite beverages... Milk and Water

Anyone else want to do it feel free!

Josephs Birthday

It's been awhile since my last post. Still working on getting the pictures from Alaska on here. It's just taking me awhile. Joe just celebrated his 35Th birthday on the 8Th. That's right I said 35. I think he had a good day. You know how it is, birthdays aren't as important the older you get. We had a good time with our friends Bill and Maggie though. We went to dinner at Red Robin and then walked around the valley mall for a bit. It was nice to spend time with them because they are leaving us to go to Georgia for Bills work. YEA for them sad for us. We will miss them terribly as they are pretty much the only other couple that we ever do anything with. I guess this will force us to get out of our shells and meet new people...or not. They have been great friends and we will miss them. On Saturday the 11Th we are going up to Greenbluff. I have been looking forward to this for several weeks now. I even took the day off of work so that we don't have to rush. I love it up there, the pumpkin doughnuts and fresh apple cider. Not the mention the corn maze and other fun activities they have for kids. It should be a lot of fun.

The Amazing Cordin

Cordin had his first soccer game today. He did such a great job. It was fun to go and see him play with a team and do well. It was at the park right by our house so that was nice, in fact I think all but one game is here in Airway Heights. I'm really glad that he has decided to participate in a sport that teaches sportsmanship. His coach is great and the kids seem to all get along. Gabbie and Gideon even liked going, although I think they just liked that it was at the park where the play ground is. I don't think that his team one, but like Cordin send "it's just for fun mom, my coach said that we're playing for fun". That is defiantly the right idea.

We're back!

We got back from Alaska early Sunday morning, like 12:30. It was so much fun. I can't believe how beautiful the state is. I have lots of pictures to post and as soon as I figure out how to get them from the video camera to the computer I will have lots of them for everyone to see. We were able to see the glacier that is in Juneau. It was pretty impressive. We really wanted to see a bear but didn't have any luck there. All though we did see brown bear scat which Cordin was very impressed with. We did see lots of Salmon in the rivers which was pretty cool. Joe was able to go fishing a couple of times which he really loved. He didn't catch anything but had a good time trying. We spent a lot of time with family which was so much fun. The kids loved playing with their cousins. Instant friends. It was great! I really loved the experience and am so grateful to Jenny for flying us up there. Also, to Jeff and Kris for letting us stay with them. What wonderful family we have. More on Alaska later. I will have those pictures soon.

Our Baby

As you can probably see by the ticker on the side, we are having another baby. Let me tell you that it was a HUGE shock to me and Joe. We thought that we were done with Gideon, but the Lord has another idea. We are excited that we are adding this child to our family and so grateful that we are blessed to have a baby. I just wanted to let you all know that we are happy and healthy and I will keep you all posted as the pregnancy continues.

We're going to Alaska

I wanted to let everyone know that we are going to Alaska. I can't tell you how excited we all are, especially Joe. He can't wait to get up there and show us everything that he loves. I have to say that I am pretty thrilled myself. It should be a great vacation for our family. We are so grateful that this opportunity has been given to us. Thanks Jenny! We can't wait to spend time with family there. It will be good to spend time with everyone and to build those relationships. Expect lots of pictures in upcoming posts.

Giving up the Boob

I need to start this off by saying there may be some embarrassing talk in this post so if you're easily embarrassed read no further. You've been warned!
I have recently decided to quite nursing, okay so the decision was pretty much made for me. I was going to quit anyway at 24 months but Gideon got an infection in his mouth and transferred it to my breasts. Needless to say it was way to painful to continue the whole nursing thing. Whenever he nursed it felt like he was a hoover vacuum trying to suck my whole nipple off. Yes, it was uncomfortable. I have to say that I was/am disappointed. It has been really hard to go cold turkey for both him and me (all of you nursing mothers out there know why). It makes me sad because he is my last baby and I guess I wanted to keep him that way for a little while longer.
The infection has played a terrible toll on my breasts. I can't stand to have anything touch them, so when Gideon gets on my lap and pushes on my chest I want to scream and throw him off. I do refrain from that. It has been a very hard experience for Gideon. Even after a week he still asks for "boobie" I wish that there was an easier way to ween that doesn't traumatize the poor kid. He has been very clingy and cuddly which is okay with me because I thought he might hate me. I'm glad to know that I'm still his 'mama', and that he will still love me.
Weening has not been a fun experience, but I wouldn't give up the nursing experience for anything. I have been really fortunate to be a "milk cow" when it comes to nursing my kids. I feel really lucky that that has been an option for me, and that I've been able to do it for as long as I have.

Bev and Kade

Bev kissing Baby Kade. I'm sure he was glad to hear his mama's voice and to be by her. I should add that he was 9lbs. 7oz. and 20ins. long. A good sized baby.

Kade in the Nursery after being cleaned up and dressed. What a cutie pie.

He has a healthy pair of lungs. Isn't he adorable?

Here is Kade shortly after being taken from Bev's stomach

Here's Bev on the table

Baby Kade getting cleaned up

Kade getting checked out

Kade holding daddy's finger.

Summer Time Fun

We had a great weekend. On Saturday we went to Silverwood Theme Park as a family. Yep, it was just us, no one else came. We had such a good time. There was hardly anyone there. The longest we stood in line was 15 min which is unheard of at the park. We went first to the water park and that was great. Gideon had so much fun playing in the children's play area. He went up and down the water slides and splashed in the water. We then went to the wave pool where we had a great time playing in the waves. Even Gideon. We went on a few slides as well. By the time we finished at the water park Joe and I were pretty well burnt. The kids thankfully just got darker.

After the fantabulous time at the water park we had lunch and then headed over the the carnival rides. Cordin and Joe and even Gabbie rode on the round-up, the one that goes really fast around in a circle and then tilts up into the air. It's CRAZY! I can't ride those kinds anymore, I get too sick. We all went on a roller coaster called Tremors which was really fun. We took it in shifts because Gideon wasn't tall enough to go this year. We hit a lot of the little kids rides which Gideon, Cordin, and Gabbie loved. It was nice to spend time as a family and to just be together. I think that we'll make this a yearly tradition. Sometimes I forget that we can actually have a good time when it's just the Kearns'.

Changing Perspectives

I was talking to one of my girlfriends the other day about kids, you know because that's my life, and an interesting observation come to me. I was thinking about my sister because she's having her first baby really soon. We had her shower on the 7Th and she got some really cute stuff. There were a lot of adorable outfits which made me think back to my first baby.

When I had my first child, I wanted to have everything perfect for him. He had to have just the right clothes, and his outfits had to look perfect. When he got messy I would change him, which resulted in probably 3-4 outfits a day. I wanted the name brand crib and bassinet. The perfect stroller system that had the amazing car seat with it. The name brand diapers that were supposed to be so much better because they had the word Huggies on the box. He had everything in order and not a hair out of place.

Then I had my second child. A girl this time. I still wanted to have everything nice and neat but I noticed that it sometimes took me a little longer to get the outfit changed or the diaper changed or to get her hair done. It didn't matter that the diapers said Luvs on them instead of Huggies as long as I saved a couple of bucks. She still looked okay, but not as put together as her brother did in the earlier stages.

Then came the third child, another boy. This time I was grateful for the hand me downs. The second hand store where we got a great deal on the crib and mattress set. The stroller and car seat that I was able to borrow from my sister in law so I didn't have to buy another one (because I had gotten rid of all of my old stuff after Gabbie, thinking we were done). And all of the clothes that I was able to borrow from the same sister in law. I didn't have to buy anything for the first year of his life. My third child usually stays in his same outfit all day unless there is a major catastrophe. I even let him stay in his Jammie's all day. There are also the days when he will run around in just his onesie.

It's funny to look back and see how the progression has taken place from one to three kids and the changes that it's made in my perceptions of what is important. A healthy loving environment for them to grow up in. It doesn't matter what the diapers say on them or what the labels on there clothes read. As long as my kids are healthy and happy, then so am I.

Family and Friends

I was thinking today about how much I love my family and friends and just wanted to voice it so everyone that I love can read about it. Having loved ones is so important and I feel lucky to have so many that love me. I am so thankful that I have such a great family. They are so special to me and I can't imagine my life without them.

I feel the same about my friends. I have been blessed to have some very special people in my life. There haven't been vast amounts of them but, the ones I have I cherish. I'm so grateful to know that if I need anything that I have special people to turn to to help me through anything and, that I can be there for you. Thank you for being the wonderful people that you are.

Nothing is Safe

Gideon has learned to take down the gate that I have laboriously been keeping up in the kitchen, so that it remains off limits. It was amazing to see his little mind at work to figure out how to take it down. He is growing so fast. I can't believe all that he can do. He is now working on doorknobs. I do not look forward to this because then nothing really will be safe anymore. I guess that it's time to invest in the knob covers. Those are supposed to be pretty good at keeping areas safe. We'll see.

Some Fun Quotes

Here are some funny quotes that were emailed to me. I really liked these so I thought I'd share them with all the vast amounts af people out there that read my blog. Enjoy!

Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' ..... Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat! (love this one)

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knickers'.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.

Happy 9 years

Happy 9 years to Joe and me. We just celebrated our 9Th wedding anniversary on Sunday the 18Th. It was actually a very quite day for us. We didn't really go out anywhere because I had to work that night, and it was Sunday. We did however, have a very pleasant day together as a family. It was nice to just be together.

It's hard to believe that its been 9 years. The time has gone by relatively fast. Especially when I look back at what we have accomplished as a couple. We have 3 beautiful children, one graduated husband who now has a great job, a wonderful home that we both love, some wonderful friends, and so many more blessings. There are the moments that time feels like it's standing still, but they are few and far between. I am really happy to have such a loving family. I've been blessed to have a pretty good life. I'm truly grateful for it.

I'm still here.

It's been awhile since my last post and I thought that I would jot something down really quick, to let the vast amounts of readers out there know that I am alive and still kickin. I'm alive and still kickin.

The past month has been busy with work and kids and stuff. I transfered stores, so am now working 5 min from home instead of 25. Saves us a little money on gas. We also just found out that Joe got a raise. YEAH JOE!!! He is very excited about this. I'm pretty proud of him for all of his hard work.

We have just celebrated our 1 year annivesary in our house. Which doesn't seem real. The kids are getting ready to celebrate there birthdays, and Joe and I will be hitting our 9 year anniversary on the 18th. Things are going really well.

SOME COMPANIES REALLY SUCK!!!!!!!

Okay, so I need to vent a little and thought that this would be a good forum to do so. Back in Aug '07 Joe and I had a salesman come to the door to give us this great deal on a home security system, let us advertise in your yard get some free stuff. The company is called Firstline Home Security. We had three days to cancle the service if we didn't like it. We decided that we didn't like it, so we faxed our cancelation in before our three days were up and even called to verify that they had recieved all the necessary stuff. They had. Well, 6 months later I find out that they "neglected" to turn off our account and had been debiting our bank account for the monthly fee of $44.99 a month for the past 6 months. Needless to say I am furious. I have now been trying to collect my money back from them and am just getting the run around. It has been almost 4 months now and I still haven't seen a penny. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to speed up this process?
If you're thinking about getting a security system I do NOT recommend going with this company. They are completly unprofessional in the way that they handle there costomers.

A boy and his dog

You're probably thinking, oh what a cute picture, and yes it is cute. The two of them together is adorable. I'm very happy that they'll have each other to grow up with. Sometimes I wish that I had a dog growing up. And then, and then I walk in on the dog (Alfred) and Gideon going through the garbage together, Gideon dumping out the dogs food for the tenth time that day and the oh so popular spilling the dogs water all down the front of his clothes.
The king of all dog and baby disasters though, is when I left the two of them alone for about 10 minutes to use the bathroom and came out to find that they had gotten into a wet diaper. Yes, that's right I said a wet diaper. When I say got into, I mean the dog ripped into the diaper and he and the baby were flinging the wet granules all over the living room floor. Talk about disgusting. You don't realize how absorbant diapers really are until you have one scattered all over the living room. Cleaning up this one is not on my fun to do list. The two of them together can get into a lot of mischief. Joe calls them co-comspiritors. Even with all the trouble that the two of them cause together, it had been fun to see them play and love on each other. I could never stay mad at either one, especially when they look up at me with those cute puppy eyes.

I hate mornings! Getting up early has never been a favorite of mine. I despise opening my eyes before at least 9:00am. I have never been a morning person and fear that I never will be. It should be a law that no one is allowed out of bed before eight in the morning. Okay, I realize that there are those of you out there that love the morning. I have two in my house also. My husband, although I don't know if it's out of necesity that he gets up early or because he really likes it, and my daughter. She is so chipper in the morning. It doesn't matter how late she goes to bed she is up bright and early. I guess that is good. She does sorta brighten my day. (Only a little :). I guess the real reason I hate them so much is that I have to work late and get up early. Not a good combo. Oh well, we do what we have to.

The CHAOS of my life

Do you ever feel like your life is spinning out of control? I think that is a requirement of motherhood. Everything feels as though it is so chaotic. My house is always a mess and my kids are constantly fighting with each other. I'm not sure what to do about it. I guess enjoy it while I can. ;p Life is crazy and how dull it would be if everything went the way we wanted it to. Just a thought.

Kids say the darndest things

Kids say the darndest things. I was sitting with my son Cordin and we were watching tv. I can't even remember what we were watching. Cordin turned to me though and said "Mom can I ask you a question?" I said "sure". He then proceeds to ask me "Were you born when we only had a little bit of America?" I had to laugh. I said to him "I'm not that old, No I was born when we had 50 states in America". I then told him to go ask his dad. hehe. I got a good laugh out of that one. I remember being his age and thinking that my parents had to be sooo old. I mean come on 30, that is ancient. Of corse now that I am 30 something I still feel like a youngen. What is old anyway, it really is just a state of mind.

The New Year

The New Year has arrived. In a lot of ways I am very excited about it and in many more I am very sad. Happy that another year has gone by pretty successfully and sad that a whole nother year has sped past in what seems like a blink of and eye. Does it seem like time is going to quickly for you? I remember when I was younger I thought that a year was soooo long. The older I get though, the faster the time seems to go.