Cottle Family

Ethan turns 4!

2011-10-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

This boy is all fun and total spunk! A few of the things I love about this guy:
1-he has endless energy and a very expressive face. love the wrinkled nose.
2-sings his fav songs all the time like Numa Numa and Praise to the Man
3-snacks throughout the day since he rarely sits still for an entire meal (even though we try so very hard :)
4-love how he worships his big brother Liam
5-often says "mommy, you look so beautiful"
6-zooms around on his little bike without training wheels, likes to try one handed
7-always wants to swing at the park...."higher, higher!"
8-says "that is so annoying!"
9-Cheers for Avery at volleyball games "Go Wiyah-mette" Struggles saying those L's.
10- Always wants his night time song "When I am baptized" with the actions

Love ya E!

Mom

This girl turned 14

2011-08-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of our favorite girl on her birthday!

Graduation: Kindergarten and 8th grade

2011-06-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty big day around here yesterday. Liam graduated in the morning, and Avery had her graduation last night. Plenty of fun and celebration. Liam was awarded most likely to be an author. His class had a watermelon party. Avery was honored with five other students as a Meadow View Life Skill champion! We were so proud of her. We went out to "Vintage" after with the Freeman family (Avery's dear friend Becca) and it was fantastic! Especially the fondue-Enjoy the pics!

Family update

2011-06-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed to admit it, but I have been a slacker on the family blog. The family is growing and so are the demands of life. So I am giving an update of each and every one of us, starting from youngest to oldest.

Drew - He is about the cutest little thing around! Everyone always comments on his cute little curls. Drew is starting to get a little more opinionated and wants to be down on the ground exploring. He really loves following his brothers around and laughing with them.

Ethan - what can I say? Ethan, is Ethan. He loves exploring and getting muddy! Ethan loves, loves, loves his brother Liam. He will follow him around everywhere. His laugh, smile, and warm personality will melt you. Ethan is not afraid of much and is always getting bumps and bruises.

Liam - our serious writer, spends most of his free time writing his books: Magic Tree House, Cottle Boys, Magic Scooter Kids, .... you name it. He has also become a very good reader. It is like the light bulb turned on in his head and now he understands words. It is pretty fun to watch.

Avery - is 13 going on 30. She is finishing 8th grade and will be entering high school next year. She thinks it is very weird that I ride bikes with the high school principal. She is growing fast, not only in height (5' 8" or so), but in maturity. She has a new love of the classics - movies and books. It has been fun to watch some of the old musicals with her, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, or Audrey Hepburn movies.

Brooke - like always, is keeping busy with BEF and Willamette Pride. She is non stop, including stuffing envelopes at 1 in the morning. Brooke was very excited to have her mom and sisters (1 in law) come in to town to watch Wicked and stay for a few days. They had a lot of fun hanging out in Portland and just doing girl things, like talking.

Me - I am not doing much. My school is closing so that has been quite the adventure. It has been a whole new experience this year. I am still riding the bike, not as competitively, but enjoying my time out on the beautiful Oregon roads. I just got called to be the Elders Quorum President, so that will make it fun around here as well.

We are all alive and well. Life just seems to happen and my blogging life has taken a backseat. Hopefully this finds you well until I post again (who knows when that will be).

Some new pictures!

2011-04-24T14:47:00.001-07:00

Sick kids!

2011-02-13T21:49:00.001-08:00

I remember my mom would always say that one person getting a cold meant a month of everyone being sick. Well, we got the dreaded cold, and it is going around. I don't even know who got it first, but it won't leave our home. The sickness cycle! You think you are finally over it and next thing you know, someone else has it.

Andrew has been one of the worst with a fever and double ear infections (is that a sick little boy or what?).

Our always busy Ethan, spent a lot of time on the floor sleeping. He was winding down this week, just in time for Liam to get it.

Liam got it this weekend, fever, throw-up, and coughing. With his seasonal asthma we never know if it is a cough or just his asthma. He has been pretty drugged up. Liam was very sad to be missing his valentine's day party tomorrow. But relieved to here that they would save his valentine's for him.

They are some darn cute boys though. I don't know how, but Avery has managed to stay clear of this. Or maybe she is next. Will have to let you know next week. Brooke took this for me when I was gone for a late night school meeting. It is only missing Ethan with his thumb in his mouth playing with "corny" on his "i-jy-ji" (blanket).

Mr. Andrew

2011-01-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

Mr. Andrew turned one this week! He is such a good little guy. Brooke and I didn't even realize, but all of the sudden he was walking. I guess by number four it is no big deal. But he has a great personality, is fun loving, and very laid back (thank goodness).

'Tis the Season

2010-12-25T21:36:00.001-08:00

Oh, I know everyone is waiting for the Christmas aftermath photos, so without further ado, here are some of our highlights.

Our family tradition is to pick our Christmas tree at the local U-pick tree farm. The boys love getting their candy cane at the end.

Liam had his Winter Frolic at school. Brooke was able to go and help. They had quite the time. Liam had been planning for weeks to wear his too small reindeer sweater.

Our trip to Portland to see the Zoo Lights was sidetracked with a trip to H & M and IKEA (thankfully it wasn't as long as our previous trips).

I waited in line an hour and a half to ride this. Luckily the kids got to walk around and look at the lights while I waited.

But the wait was worth this!

This is what Ave does with the boys while Brooke and I are out.

Liam standing in downtown Portland.

Christmas Time!

The Christmas nativity scene.

The picture we were all waiting for - the pajama jam photo!

Drew liked the wrapping paper more than the presents.

The Toy Story 3 boys.

Cruising on their scooters.

We played a trick on Avery by hiding her present behind the pillows. I then called her on her NEW CELL PHONE! This is a great picture. This is when she realized the phone was ringing behind her.

Avery and her phone!

Liam is our little scientist and got a microscope for Christmas. We spent some time looking at our spit and boogers! Nice.

The Boys Room

2010-12-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

I've had a few requests for pics of the new boys room we built this summer. It is still a work in progress, but this is it so far. The added space has been wonderful! Such a blessing.............

Say what...?

2010-11-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Avery: We took a lot of family pictures and not many turned out (thanks Meg for the help. We got about 150 pictures and 4 maybe turned out because of kids moving, laughing, and running around).

Liam (after we lost every game at the school bingo night): We shouldn't have went tonight mom.

Mom: Why?

Liam: We need to stay home and practice more.

Ethan: When I grow up I want to be just like dad.

Dad: Why?

Ethan: Because then I go poo-poo in the potty.

Ethan likes to dress in my bike clothes before I go to work. Here is another conversation with him.

Dad: What does dad do for work?

Ethan: Rides his bike.

(I wish)

The never ending days

2010-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have happened since my last post, so I will try and update you as best I can. Ethan turned three a few days ago! He was very excited for his birthday. The day before we had a boys night and made crowns, decorated the house, and made cards. It was pretty fun. Ethan had a great birthday.

Ethan and his fish cake!

Liam and Ethan. Brooke took them for a birthday doughnut.

Ethan's birthday dress-up outfit.

Two days after we had our ward trunk or treat. Andrew was a monkey, Ethan was a fireman, Liam was John (from Peter Pan), and Avery was Michael (from Peter Pan). The kids had a great time collecting candy, and really liked eating it. Avery had some friends come over after and they chatted while drinking hot chocolate, then stayed up to watch Lord of the Rings II (Avery has been reading the books).

Liam in his costume! He got to wear it to school and was very excited about the glasses. They are Avery's old ones with the lenses popped out. He likes to wear them all the time now. Maybe it is signs to come with him? He does look pretty cute in them.

I went as a Duck fan! Go Ducks! #1 in the BCS this week.

Avery and her friend.

Elisa came to visit the trunk or treat.

The witch costume was a hot costume for the night (Brooke, Sandi, and Tannya).

Our little monkey!

One of these two...

2010-10-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

We got out the bike today and took Andrew on his first ride on the back of the bike. Our family always enjoys going out and riding around. We even went over to some dirt hills and I got the boys to ride over the bumps. It doesn't work to well for Ethan on his tricycle, he was definitely willing though.

As we strapped in Andrew it was like deja vu, somehow this face of excitement was very similar to another boy - Liam.

Andrew

Liam (just in case you couldn't tell)

Bang up day!

2010-09-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

My day started like any other. I got to work and started plucking away on schedules and emails. But I got an unusual phone call from Brooke. I looked to see that it was only 7:30 in the morning. Brooke doesn't call me at work! It must be something at home. I quickly answered to find out that Ethan had been in our bed dancing and singing an Alvin and the Chipmunks song, "You spin me right round baby, right round..." when he fell off the bed and hit his head.

I met Brooke at the hospital, luckily I had driven to work because I had a race later that day (hear more on that later). I took Ethan into the dr's for his stitches. Ethan was great! He didn't cry one time! They ended up giving him 6 stitches in his head. What can I say, like father, like son.

But the day didn't end there. I raced a cyclocross race later in the day. Was battling for first when I went down pretty hard. I ended up braking my rim and couldn't finish.

First Day of School

2010-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Avery's first day of 8th grade and Liam's first day of Kindergarten! Avery was not so hot on me following her into the classroom for close-ups!

2010-08-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Finished ... will it ever be finished?

2010-08-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

I guess it is one of those philosophical questions...will my house ever be finished? When people ask I usually say the room is done, but there are a few things to touch up, mostly with the decor department. I won't post to many photos until it is completely done, but here are a few teasers to keep you up on our work.

This is the first night in their beds.

The boys were out causing some mischief in the backyard the other day and drug the hose to the dirt to make some mud. This was the result.

Best $24 dollars ever spent

2010-07-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hot of the download are the latest pictures of our remodel. Doug and I have been working none stop on this house to get as much done as we can. This week I started roofing and it has made it more challenging for me to be there during the day, but Doug has been a great help.

We have been sheet rocking, mudding, and sanding lately. We rented a lift to help with the sheet rock and it was the best $24 I have every spent. We had 12' pieces that were 5/8" thick. Heavy!

The latest remodel we decided to rip out the half wall in the entry way, which meant we also had to rip out the old tile. The tiling has been added to the get done list as well.

The renovation!

2010-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Nature has a way of evolving - tadpoles turn into frogs or caterpillars changing into beautiful butterflies. Our family has changed as well since we have been in this house. We started with just one, but now realize three kids later that we have out grown our home.

So we have decide to utilize the empty space in our house and make another room. I am in the process of closing off the vaulted ceiling in the family room.

This is our room when we first bought the house. Brooke set up her painting in the living room.
Day 1 & 2: Obviously this wasn't the first day of this renovation. We did many things before this day, such as, working with Rob (many thanks Rob) on the plans, taking them downtown for approval, calling for bids, etc. But this was the first day of actual construction. I got a big load of wood and started wripping off sheet rock and putting up the ledger boards.

Day 3: Doug came for a visit to help lift the big stuff. It was nice to have him here to help (ok I was actually helping him). Got the floor up.

Day 4: Finished framing!

Tomorrow we have the electrician and AC guys coming. Good that the AC man is coming because ours isn't working! UGH!

Growing up so fast!

2010-05-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much can happen in such a short amount of time. Ok, so it has been a while since I posted, but number four has been quite the change for us. There isn't as much spare time as there used to be. But it has been a good time filler. Andrew continues to grow and is now the next Cottle boy to suck his fingers.

Liam and Ethan have enjoyed the outside, once in a while it does stop raining here, but not much this spring. They love to go out and run in the sprinklers, play with their soccer or baseball, or just explore in the garden. Ethan in particular loves to be out in the backyard. He will run out there at any time of the day.

I even got a nice shiner from our little Ethan. He kept getting out of bed and I would have to run him down (we put the lock on the door so he can't get out now). I got him and set him down. I reached behind him to get his blanket and he bucked back giving me a sweet bump within seconds. The eye went pretty black the next day and I couldn't open my eye to well. After a week of "are you wearing make-up" comments, it is finally almost back to normal.

Brooke took an abserd number of photos of the boys, so I will post a few for you. They are pretty cute though.

Finally, we got to have Elisa over for her 21st birthday! It was fun to celebrate the day with her. Elisa was very excited to get her "cheap" haircut and gifts. It is always nice to have family around on those occassions.

New pics

2010-04-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Brooke actually posted this! I am so proud of her. Maybe next time she will write some comments to go along with the pictures!

That's my boy!

2010-04-18T21:20:00.001-07:00

Ethan is learning at a young age! I actually wouldn't let him go to bed with the new ball in his bed, but after lights out he quickly got it and slept with it in his bed. He takes it to bed now every night. Any time a ball is around Ethan is the first to get it and won't let anyone else touch it.

I do have to say my boys are some crazy sleepers. They sleep in all kinds of positions and are constantly moving around. I go in multiple times a night to move them back onto the bed. Ethan doesn't even stop at night in his sleep! Quite the busy little boy.

OBOB & Silver Falls

2010-04-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Thunderstruck Geckos!

Ethan was in there for about 5 seconds before we realized he had to go in the hall and wait.

Avery had her OBOB competition in Salem on Saturday and her team did fantastic. They earned enough points in the first two rounds to get to the finals. Unfortunately they lost their first match and were out of the competition. The Thunderstruck Geckos did great! To make it to the top 8 teams in the state is amazing.

After the competition we went with the Hansen family to hike Silver Falls. It was beautiful! It is about a five mile loop with two water falls. The kids were real troopers. I had Ethan in the backpack and Liam did well while he was hiking. He only got tired at the end and I had to carry both of them up the hill. Brooke and I realized we need to do more hiking this summer.

Ethan didn't stay out of the backpack for too long.

Liam and Bennett having fun.

5 & Blessing

2010-03-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days ... today was finally Liam's birthday! Liam was more excited for his birthday than Christmas. Every day he had a count down for it. Today he got up at 5 am and was ready to open some presents (unfortunately mom and dad were up 'til 1 getting ready for his birthday and Andrew's blessing day). It was a great combination day - birthday and Andrew's blessing day.

Alissa and Robbie (my sister and brother-in-law) came with their family to be here and support us. It was nice to have them here. Elisa (Brooke's sister) was also able to come and be here for the special day. The blessing went well. Andrew was great and wore Muma's blue booties for the special occassion.

Liam was very excited for his special day. After our nice lunch Liam was dying to open his presents. We tried to make him wait until after the cake and ice cream to open them, but he saw the one he wanted and attacked. He knew right where the Transformer was and got to it before I even realized what was happening. Before I noticed what he was doing he was kneeling on the table and had opened 3 presents and was starting on number 4. Liam was a present opening machine. He had them all opened in about 3 minutes, tops. We all enjoyed Brooke's Lego cake and conversation. It was fun to have family here to enjoy such a great day.

Liam and Ethan singing Happy Birthday!

Liam goin' at those presents.

Cute Andrew.

Our little (not so much now) family

The Parker family.

Liam and Emilie playing outside. They had fun in primary together.

Boyz in the house

2010-03-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

Things get going pretty fast with a new born. As I was looking at the last post I realized I haven't posted in 4 weeks. We are all adjusting to life with baby number 4. Avery is a great help, Liam isn't fazed, but Ethan is still adjusting. He is very clingy to dad and doesn't want me to hold the little guy. But we are doing well. And we even survived the weekend while Brooke and Andrew went to see her family in Utah. It will be nice to have her back though.

They all have their own unique look.

Ethan loves, "chacolate" milk just like his daddy.

Liam can work on his projects for hours. He tells us about these movies. He has a new movie each day. Sometimes he makes them into books and that are pretty entertaining. Lately, they are Transformer stories. He even makes Lego Transformers that go along with the story. Pretty funny kid.

2 weeks (almost)

2010-02-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Andrew is almost two weeks old. We are slowly adjusting to 4 kiddos in the house. Avery has been a good help. Liam is enjoying making baby talk and holding his brother. It's ironic that Ethan's favorite story right now is Olivia, because he is wearing me out. Brooke is feeling better every day. She is a great mom.

Notice the Ethan's swollen cheek. He fell and hit it while playing.

Grandma Marcheschi was able to give Andrew his first bath.

More photos of Andrew

2010-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Andrew Brady Cottle is doing great! Brooke is over the scare and has a slow recovery ahead of her. The bleeding has stopped and she is getting color back in her face. She may get to come home later tonight if all goes well. The kids got to visit last night and were very excited. Liam got to hold him and said, "Aren't you the cutest thing?"

New baby!

2010-01-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

Our cute little guy!

Grammie giving the first bath.

Aunt Elisa and Grammie came to visit.

We have a new nameless baby! He is doing great. Brooke is still being watched because of her complications and bleeding. I will have to give the guessing game shout out later when we actually pick a name. Here are the stats:

8 lbs 6 oz - good size for 10 days early - not quite our biggest (actually our third biggest)
19 in. long

He is a cute little boy!

Guessing time!

2010-01-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

With the babies birth quickly approaching I thought I would have everyone put down their bets on the new baby boy. The doctor told Brooke this week that the baby has dropped and is getting ready to come, which means any time in the next few weeks. If it doesn't come he will probably start her in a couple of weeks. It was a true awakening - the baby is really coming.

We really have no idea on the name. Brooke and I keep throwing out names, but nothing seems to stick. Last night we came up with our own list of a few names, but can't agree on any. So if you would like to write down your guess on the following we can see who is the closest.

1. Name
2. Birth date
3. Size

A big shout out will go to the winner! Good luck in the guessing.

"I didn't do it"

2010-01-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

I asked Liam, "Did you write on Avery's school book?"

"No, it wasn't me!"

Hmmmm.

My little future missionaries

2010-01-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

My future missionaries. We went to Fred Meyer yesterday to get a prescription for Brooke and walked by the kids isle. Liam saw the shirt and tie and wanted to look like dad with a white shirt and tie. They look like future missionaries, except Ethan needs a hair cut.

For Christmas my mom made all the grandkids a jacket and hat. It was a lot of work for her to do. Liam wears his every time he goes outside. Avery loves hers and wore it to church today. Thanks Grandma!

Additional Winter Updates

2010-01-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos from the Marcheschi visit.

Winter Fun '09

2009-12-29T09:50:00.001-08:00

Winter is always a busy season, these are some of the things we have been doing to keep ourselves occupied. Unfortunately, we didn't get our Christmas cards out this year. We will next year. I promise. We have had a good time enjoying the time as a family. Here are some of the highlights.

Our family was able to go to the Tolman's for the annual ginger bread making Family Home Evening. I do believe our candy is completely gone now!

Liam had his preschool Christmas production. We were a little nervous because Liam does not like to get up in front of people. But he did great.

While I had some time off of work I decided to clean the carpets. Ethan liked to help by playing with the fan.

The kids had a great Christmas opening present, playing with them, and wrestling Ben and Sam. Every night they went to bed exhausted from playing so much.

Sam, Grammy Marcheschi, Grandpa Marcheschi, and Elisa

Brooke's family came to visit us for Christmas. It was nice to have family here to enjoy the holidays with.

Ben

Brooke is pregnant as ever and enjoying her final month of being pregnant.

1st try

2009-12-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

So we had our first attempt at a Christmas card. We are late trying to get it together, but thought we would give it a go. Pretty funny trying to get 3 kids to sit still and "smile" at the same time. Liam, who normally never smiles, was acting like quite the clown, causing Ethan to continually laugh and look at him. These are the best of the bunch. We will try again another time - maybe.

No more artificial tree

2009-12-06T21:20:00.001-08:00

Brooke and Ethan walking along in the mud.

Liam was pretty interested in the chainsaw. Elisa was having a flashback to her teen years and going to the old haunted houses. She let out quite a scream when he started it up.

Poor candy cane will be fossilized in the mud of Campbell's tree farm.

Ethan decided to venture off a bit on his own. No I am not a bad parent, I could see him the whole time, and it was only maybe 20 feet. As he was wondering around he turned and supposing it to be his dad was shocked to see that it was a complete stranger. He let out a quick cry and came running back to his daddy.

12 years ago Brooke and I went to SLC to get a fake tree with her Aunt Linda. The tree has served our family well these last few years. But for the second year in a row we didn't use the artificial tree. Since this was the second year in a row without putting it up, I decide we were going to give it away. As hard as it was we gave away a piece of our family, and gained a lot more storage space in the garage.

We all packed into the family van and headed out to get the Christmas tree at a u-pick, they cut tree farm. It had been wet during the past week so the ground was a mud hole, and it wasn't even raining. The boys were completely covered. Ethan tripped and his candy cane that he had just got was plastered in the mud. While carrying the tree back to the car we kept slipping and sliding. We finally got home and began to put up the tree.

After many hours of fighting the crooked cut on the bottom of the tree, a curved tree trunk at the base of the tree, and a broken tree stand I finally managed to take the tree back outside, re-cut the tree base, and put it into a new stand. It was a long afternoon. But we made it! By the time I got it up I had some serious doubts and thought maybe I should have just kept the fake tree. Once the tree was up the kids had fun putting on the ornaments and we have a beautiful tree to show for it, so maybe it was worth it.

Thanksgiving to Christmas all in one day

2009-12-06T21:11:00.001-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving Liam was up bright and early wanting to put away the Thanksgiving decorations and get out the Christmas stuff. We did have a nice Thanksgiving though. Elisa came over and we had a nice relaxing dinner. Avery had been working on the design for her fruit turkey for the passed month. She got really into it. Elisa made us a pear tart dessert, it was suprisingly good. I was a little skeptical, but it turned out great. Brooke cooked the turkey and I did the only thing I know how to do - mashed potatoes. It was nice to be here with our immediate family. We were thinking of everyone.

Once Thanksgiving was over, Christmas had begun in our house.

The things you do for love

2009-11-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

There are many things that you do for love, such as, dishes, changing messy diapers, sending flowers, or staying up late to talk. But nothing says I love you more than what I had to endure.

Brooke and I decided to go see New Moon! We went early so that we could actually sit by each other in the movie theater. So we got to the mall and the line was already pretty long. Brooke decided she wanted to go look around for a little bit at some of the stores. That was fine with me because I had planned ahead and brought my book along. I pulled out my book and started reading away. I was reading one of the OBOB books that is required for our middle school competition. I didn't think much of it. After a few minutes of reading I look up and realize that I was a lone man standing in line to watch New Moon, surrounded by all these excited girl "tweeners", all while reading a book titled, Wild Girls!

The things we do for love.

Sunday Mornings

2009-11-22T09:49:00.001-08:00

Sunday mornings are probably my favorite day of the week. We have the late church, 1-4, so the boys and I get to hang out all morning together. It starts by us making Ethan's favorite breakfast, "pahcakes!" Liam will eat his "pahcakes" with no syrup, no butter, or without a fork. He likes them plain. He does like them a little doughie, like his old man.

After breakfast the real fun begins. Sunday morning is the only day of the week where the boys are allowed to take the cushions off the couch. Every week we create a new fanatasy world, ranging from Star Wars #7 (I know there is no 7, but we like to make our own up), Thomas the Tank Engine, or our new favorite one Dinosaur Train. This morning Liam made the train, while I cleaned up. Then we pretended to stop at different times along the dinosaur train route to see different dinosaurs. Liam can tell you all about herbavours and carnivours. Ethan is just along for the ride, occassionally knocking down the cushions and causing Liam to have a mild meltdown. All and all it is a good time with my boys.

Return of the Halloween

2009-11-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year. It went by really quick, mostly because everyone got sick, except Liam and I. We are still hoping we won't get the "pig" flu. Brooke had it first, followed by Ethan, and finally Avery. Poor Avery didn't get to go trick or treating because she was too sick. It was nice for me because I got to stay home, pass out candy, and watch the Ducks beat the Trojans. I wasn't complaining.

Brooke has the pre-Halloween tradition of making sugar cookies. Ethan always loves to help in the kitchen. And always makes a mess, but that is the fun right? He is just too cute to be mad at for too long. We also got to carve some "scary" faced pumpkins. Liam got a little scared of the one face.

I do have to say I have two of the cutest Jedi's around. Ethan was Yoda and Liam was Obi-wan Konobi. AFter Halloween Brooke found some great Star Wars costumes for pretty darn cheap. They have been a big hit with the boys. Now we have little storm troopers running around.

Avery having fun watching the Ducks while everyone else was out trick or treating.

Ethan making a mess.

The cute Jedi's!

Ethan turns 2 (already?)

2009-11-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

My little boy is growing up! Ethan had his 2nd birthday just over a week ago. The kid is starting to talk more, using 3-4 words in a row. He will do anything that Liam does. He really looks up to him. The cutest thing about Ethan is when he is watching a kid show or sleeping he always wants his "aye-aye's". He has two blankets that Brooke's Muma made and he takes them everywhere. He has one corner in particular that is starting to unravel that he calls "cornie". He holds his corner and sucks his thumb. He is quite the cute two year old.

Ethan loved his birthday cake, especially the Dots (Mom's favorite and nice touch to the cake). Aunt Elisa was able to come and join us in the festivities as well. Also, admire the sweet mullet! It's coming back.

25 weeks

2009-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Brooke is over the morning sickness and feels a lot better. She is now getting into the "I have a bigger belly and can't move as well" stage. This is the biggest she has been at 25 weeks (and look how cute she looks). With Liam we didn't start telling people she was pregnant until now. The kids are pretty excited and like to talk to Brooke's belly. The baby boy is healthy and all is well.

Avery is enjoying school and still reading up a storm. She is thinking of doing the Oregon Battle of the Books this year. I am strongly pushing her to do it. I think she is going to do it. I brought home some books from school for her and it was like Christmas

Liam - the Jedi is doing well. His preschool class went to the pumpkin patch. We are still playing Star Wars every second of the day. He still thinks the baby's name is going to be Obi-wan Kanobi.

Ethan still has his mullet long blond curls (he did get called a girl they other day much to my dismay). I was going to mow and edge the lawn yesterday and Ethan was throwing a fit because he didn't get to ride in the backpack. So I made him use some cool safety glasses while we mowed and edged.

Me, I am just trying to enjoy some nice Saturday morning cartoons with the boys. It is very tiring chasing these kids around. I am exhausted thinking about chasing another one.

What's in a name? Everything!

2009-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Names are very important. It is what they will be called for the rest of there life. The kids don't have a say in it and are stuck with it the rest of their life. So you better make it a good one.

It is always fun to come up with the name. Girls names are easier! Yes, girls names are easier. You have a lot more variety. If you look back on our family history we have some nice unique names, such as, Effie, Selma, and Lula Grace. The boys names on the other hand have to be something that will get them a job when they put it on a resume (I know that is weird, but I really picture there names on a resume).

On the male side of the family tree most names are William (can't do because Liam is a shortened version of it), Thomas (Liam's middle name), and Henry (my favorite, but Brooke doesn't particularly like it). Brooke and I are not fans of naming the child before it is born. We usually have a few ideas, but nothing set in stone. You have to try the name out before you get the right match. Also, it's good to try the name out before you agree on the one. There is also the tradition factor. Our names are two syllables and English/Irish names. Do we have to stay with the tradition? Would it we unusual to go to Abraham? Or something longer. There is a lot to consider that's for sure.

I decide to get the kids opinions. Here is the list that they came up with.

Ethan:
Dee Dee
Ah Tee-tee
Pee
Anakin

*Not sure where he was influenced with those

Liam:
Was
Cause
Liam
Ethan
Obi-wan Kenobi
Wattles
Froggie
Whitey the Flier
Pumpkin Witch Speco's
Matcho-Spatcho
Avery
Luke
Han Solo
Star Wars
Hero
Halloween

*Most names influenced by his stuffed animals, Star Wars, and Thomas the Tank Engine

Avery:
Gale
Cina
Brandon
Hughe
George
Sam
Fred
Nick

*Obviously you can tell she has read Catching Fire a few times

If you have any ideas feel free to let us know. We are still tossing out ideas.

Oh Boy!

2009-09-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

Oh boy indeed! The testosterone is getting pretty high in this place. In Feb./Jan. another boy is going to be coming to our house. I was pretty set on not finding out, but it is hard when the other half wants to find out. But I am glad I did. I got so excited today that I cleaned out the garage, including getting rid of any baby girl clothes we have kept around just in case.

It is going to be a mad house here watching 3 competitive boys go at each other. In honor of the new baby I am changing everything to blue. I am thinking I will paint my house blue next in honor of another boy.

The Star Wars Fan!

2009-09-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... there was a boy named Liam. He had an obsession with Star Wars, just like his father. How do you know when they are obsessed? Here are some clues:

1. While praying he says, "Bless us that we will be able to play Star Wars for one hundred days!"

2. By four years old he can name every movie - in order (he has only seen two of them).

3. His choice for our next baby is - Girl: Padme - Boy: Obi Wan Kenobi

4. He can walk you right to the light sabers in Walmart and asks every day if he can have one.

5. Wakes you up at 6:00 to ask if Master Wendu is the only jedi to have a purple light saber.

6. Makes "zwoom" and "veum" sounds while protecting everyone from the dark forces of the evil empire.

7. He spends his evenings watching Yoda dance to Numa Numa on youtube.

8. Refers to everyone as there Star Wars name:
Anakin (Dad)
Princess Leia (Mom)
Padme (Avery)
Obi Wan Kenobi (Liam)
Yoda (Ethan)

If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms then you too have an obsessed Star Wars fan. And may the force be with you!

Good times

2009-09-06T12:37:00.001-07:00

We have been pretty busy this summer. We had the chance to do many fun things. Here are some of our pictures from the summer.

Ethan is always into something, Liam is very busy, and Avery always wants to read her books.

Our crew ventured out to the Scandinavian Festival in Junction City. It was nice to get out with the massive herd of people. Avery liked looking at the little shops. Liam and Ethan liked the cotton candy, and I like the elephant ear. I can't believe I ate the whole thing - good stuff.

Liam and Ethan are quite the little buddies.

All grown up?

2009-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

Where did my little Avery go? All of the sudden she is no longer a little girl running around. Let me explain. I started to realize Avery was growing when we went to get her some new shoes. As they measured her feet I was surprised that Avery's feet are a half size smaller than Brooke's. Avery broke her glasses three times this last year and has been waiting, with only one side arm of her glasses still on, for her contacts. She has adapted real well to them and can put them on and off with no trouble.

Brooke has a family tradition that you can get your ears pierced when you are 12, so Avery was so excited to get them pierced. "Whoever said it doesn't hurt to get your ears pierced is lying!" Finally, Avery has had the same hairdo since the day she was born- same length, with no bangs. Well, she decided to get it cut. She looks a lot older! Some of the pictures are from Avery's first temple trip in Portland. Where did my little Avery go?

Big news!

2009-08-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't already heard - we are expecting number 4! Brooke is 15 (or so) weeks along. She is due Feb. 6th.

Edited Note: Ummm, Brooke typing here....that is picture is totally not me and is a bit weirdo, maybe its the angle??? Love you Brady-

Long time, no update

2009-07-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I updated, so I thought I would let you know we are alive and well. We have been busy, but not really. We spent a few days down in the Redwoods (I still need to put some photos up of it - coming soon) and had a great time. Now we are enjoying being home. This is the first time in 8 years that I haven't worked during the summer.

We got to spend the 4th of July weekend at Lis's house with me parents. We watched fireworks on the coast and cooked marshmallows. We were also there to see Sammie get blessed the next day. It was a good time. Liam enjoyed playing with Emilie, and Ethan and Madeline tagged along.

I have been able to be at home and play with the kids. I still get to ride, as noted by the farmer tan.

Fathers Day

2009-06-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Happy fathers day! I had a great fathers day today with the fam. My day started off with Waffles in bed made on my new waffle maker. Brooke likes to claim that I make great breakfasts, but I think it is a ploy so that she can sleep in. The waffles were great! Ethan was in charge of helping with the whip cream, and he enjoyed every minute of it. For dinner I got my favorite - steak! Ethan and Brooke were the only ones who really like it as well. That just means more for me tomorrow! The family was very nice on my fathers day and I am glad I have such a nice and caring family. It was a great day!

Mullet boy!

2009-06-21T22:05:00.001-07:00

Ethan is growing a mullet! I am trying to decide if we should keep the little boys mullet? They are making a comeback though. Maybe I should take a poll and see what everyone thinks. I am leaning towards the Liam shaved look, but Brooke likes the curly locks.

Ethan is our independent little tike. He wants to be like Avery and Liam so much. He doesn't want to sit in his high chair or use a cup with a lid. Nope, not happenin'. But if you ever want him to sit still, which doesn't happen often, give him a blanket and he will lie down, suck his thumb, and mumble "Ija, Ija, Ija..." We have to hide the blankets from him during the day.

Salamanders and camping!

2009-06-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

We ventured out for a camping trip last weekend. Liam and I had to practice the week before, so we set up one of the tents before and did a warm-up campout in the back yard. We are planning on going camping down to the Redwoods, so we needed to prep our little kiddo's before the real thing. So we loaded up and went to Alpine for an over nighter. It is a lot of work packing for one night, but it was worth it. When we got there the kids loved chasing the salamanders in the pond. We even got a hold of a few - Liam and Ethan both loved them (Avery wouldn't touch them). I was suprised that Ethan slept through the night. Not dad though. It rained all night. But we had a great time.

The ladies

2009-06-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

We had a few visitors here a few weeks ago, the Marcheschi ladies. Elisa is going to be going to the U of O next year on a transfer, so they came up to check it all out. Brooke wanted some all girl photos, so Margaret helped to take them. Thank you Margaret! The boys were strapped to their strollers during the photo shoot...what good sports they were. Brooke is already missing her mom and sisters like crazy.

Memory Lane!

2009-05-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Brooke and I were remembering old bands that we liked and decided to take a walk down memory lane and relive those momements via youtube.

1. Nelson - After the Rain
You have to love the long, blonde hair - classic.

2. New Kids on the Block - Please Don't Go Girl
Great song. Loved this band. This song was pre Joey voice change.

3. Cinderella - No Body's Fool
We used to lipsink to this one. I think my mom still has the video of us with our tennis rackets. That would be a great one for youtube. What is funny is that I still remember all the words.

4. Journey - Don't Stop Believing
We drove home and saw this on a billboard and it sparked or conversation around classic bands. I love the tight pants - cheetah shirt look. I am all for the mullet coming back. I would even have to grow one out again.

more ethan

2009-05-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ethan is 18 months! Yes.

2009-05-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

Ethan went to his first day of nursery. That makes dad happy!

Track, dragons, wheelbarrow rides, and great finds

2009-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Avery had her first track meet of the year. She is really enjoying. She was very excited because this year they get to do field events, such as, high jump, long jump, and throw the softball. Jen was telling the coach about Brooke and her glory days, so he invited her to come and coach the kids on high jump techniques. Brooke had a great time, but said her back hurt when she was done. She didn't lace up the shoes or take a full jump, but did do some back flops onto the pad. Avery was even more excited to have mom there.

Liam the dragon showed up for dinner the other day looking like this.

I was pulling weeds the other day, and the boys really wanted to help. They both had their own shovels and were helping pull weeds. The best part was their ride to dump the dirt and weeds in the neighboring fields.

We have found a couple of good finds lately - a bike trailer and the tent. We have been looking at Costco Land for a bike trailer. Brooke stopped by to see if they had them in yet. The lady said no, but that she saw one at Goodwill that was in great condition. Brooke called the Goodwill's and found it. It still had all the tags on it and everything. The second great find was the tent. The boys spend a lot of time playing in that thing. Liam has even taken to sleeping in it.

24

2009-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Why is it that I can't get enough of 24? How does the same story line work after almost 7 seasons? When you sit back and think about all the things could never happen in one day, and the repetitive twists that seem redundant, you say to yourself no way. But there is something about the show that keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting to see the next episode. Even with all the show is still entertaining. The reason, I think, is that the same thing never happens twice. There is always some twist or difference that keeps you guessing. And what would life be like without the occasional Jack bark - "Get on the ground!" Jack will continually fight off terrorists to save the world!

My plot for the next few shows.

1. Tony will not die in this episode.
2. Kim will help cure Jack (obviously)
3. Jack will confess his love for Agent Walker, but won't want to be close to her because he doesn't want to hurt her.
4. Hodges will be tortured by Jack to get information.
5. The bomb is going to try to be set off in DC.

Thank goodness Jack is around, because I don't know what I would do Monday nights without it.

Easter (a little behind)

2009-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I am a little behind with my easter update, but better late than never. We had a great time dying easter eggs the day before. Liam was very nervous that the easter bunny was going to take his eggs. All night long he kept asking what the easter bunny was going to do with the eggs he died. Easter morning he was flying around the house searching for his eggs (and the other candy). Many of you have had this same situation, so I won't go into to much details, but family photos with children is very entertaining. Liam wouldn't smile, Ethan wanted to play with the grass, and Avery's hair was blowing in the wind. This is the best we could do.

Getting caught up

2009-04-12T16:50:00.001-07:00

My time has been very limited, so my blog has taken a back seat. I am posting to get you caught up on a few events over the last few weeks.

First, Liam turned 4! It was all train for this birthday.

Then we watched conference. Well, I tried while Brooke was in Portland with the girls. Ethan was all over the computer, it was pretty entertaining. To keep Liam going we set up a tent and told him to listen for the word, "Jesus." When he heard that word he got a jelly bean. He loved it. This week he wanted to watch conference again and listen for "temples."

Finally, while moms away the boys will play (and girl)! Rock Star Night!

O.A.R.

2009-03-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big concert kind of guy. My concerts range from Caroline Spine to Manheim Steam Roller. But when I saw that O.A.R. (of a revolution) was coming to eugene I had to go. I got the tickets for the b-day a while ago. The opening act was Eric Hutchinson, who was pretty entertaining. O.A.R. rocked! I am not much of the hold the lighter up and dance, but they were good. Very entertaining band. I was being lazy and didn't put my clip from my phone, but this will work. This is a good song - love and memory.

T & Kate visit

2009-03-16T20:21:00.001-07:00

The kids were a little scared when Tommy walked into our house for a spring break visit. I guess the stache and hair threw them off a little bit. But once they got over the Adam Morrison look they saw the real T-dog. Liam was more excited to see Katie. When Brooke would say Tommy is coming Liam would quickly reply, "And Katie." It was fun taking them around the sites of Eugene. We went to Hayward, U of O, Nike store, and other parts of Eugene. We just wish they could have stayed longer. Tommy and I even got in a little ride. It is such a good place to ride - I guess that is one of the reasons why I love it so much here!

Yes, we are alive!

2009-03-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

With my crazy schedule (family, church, work, school, etc) my blogging has taken a back seat. As you can tell by the time of the post I don't get to bed until late. I just got back from coaching my Battle of the Books team at the district competition. They won! They are even 6th graders competing against 6-9th graders. But I had to post some cute pic's of the kiddos. Brooke is enjoying her new camera and has some good shots.
Cute little Ethan in his new rain outfit.

This is what happens when Liam and I get a hold of the camera.

Brooke's self portrait with the camera.

Brooke's first picture with her camera.

Pay back - Happy Birthday

2009-02-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Brookie Happy Birthday! I had to repay the favor, unfortunately I don't have any embarrassing baby pictures. I guess I could have taken one of Avery, close enough. Happy birthday.

The D80!

2009-02-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Brookie got her birthday/christmas/anniversary for the next three years a little early. Her Nikon D80! Brooke has been drooling over this for the last year and a half. Hopefully we will get some good pictures from this thing. Now she can take her Jessica Sprague photo classes online. The Circuit City going out of business sale helped out a little bit.

Happy Birthday Brady!!!

2009-01-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Brady! Believe it or not, I know how to post on our blog and thought I would share a few of my favorite pics. Brady is the best and I love him to pieces! Happy Birthday!

Brady with his sister Alissa

The day Brady's sisters got ahold of him!

The "world" according to a 3 year old

2008-12-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Liam has learned to work the camera. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Bad in the sense that he gets a hold of the camera and isn't to responsible with it. It gets dropped or left in weird places (luckily it isn't the nice kind). Good that you get to see things from Liam's perspective. It is amazing to see the things he wanted to take a picture of and how it looked from his angle. There were so many pictures, but these are a few of my favorites.
Ethan eating his lunch.

The bookshelf and TV.

Brooke puts Christmas cards on a wreath that hangs in our kitchen on the door.

Liam's dirty clothes hamper.

His beautiful mommy!

No!

2008-12-08T11:11:00.001-08:00

No! We are not pregnant. I was not referring to 4 kids, as in, Brooke pregnant. I was saying I can act like a kid.

Sorry Brooke!

Getting ready for the Holidays

2008-12-07T14:56:00.001-08:00

Getting ready for the holidays can always be busy. Our family has had one of those busy weeks. It seems like Thanksgiving was a long time ago, when it was only last week. First, the family Christmas photos with 3 kids (maybe 4 of us)! Need I say more.

While I was at school the kids made some Christmas ornaments. When I walked in the door the house smelled like cinnamon. They used cookie cutters to cut out a cinnamon concoction. Liam had a lot of fun using a straw to cut holes in the ornaments.

Brooke has been working very hard on an advent calendar. She and some friends have been up very late trying to get it all ready.

Haircuts

2008-12-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Liam and I just new haircuts. My favorite haircut has always been the buzz cut. But I had a small accident as a 2 year old that has left me with a pretty good scar. I don't get to shave it too close. I decided to give it a try anyway. Liam got one as well. I am jealous that his is shorter than mine. Brooke's only consolation is that it will grow back in a few weeks.

Twilight!

2008-11-24T22:42:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but my wife seems to disappear for a short while and reappear a few days later. This natural phenomenon was known as "Twilight time!" Brooke would devour and re devour all four of the books. I am somewhat of a curious person and wanted to know what all this Twilight was about, so I read them for myself. I have been hearing all about the new Twilight movie all summer. Brooke has been talking about it and Margaret has been updating everyone weekly with the new characters and movie trailers. Brooke and her friends went out to watch it on pre-opening night (Thursday at 12:00). Brooke decided she was going to dress up for the occasion. She looked pretty good in the dress. What is funny is that she borrowed it from a girl in our old ward that is maybe 5' 4". She had to let the hem out to wear it. Brooke loved the movie.

After all the hype from Brooke and students at school about the movie I ventured out to see what it for myself. Jeremy braved it with me, who knows what people at the movie place thought about that? But any way, we almost went to watch 007, but it didn't start for another 40 minutes. It definitely is a chick flick. The movie followed the book really close. I have to say it was pretty clean as well. The special effects were pretty bad (yes, I know they didn't have much of a budget, but it was still pretty bad). It is always hard to be as good as the book. I don't think I have ever seen a movie that was as good as the book. It just isn't the same.

XXL

2008-11-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

Ethan has the fattest feet - XXL! He can't wear normal shoes, actually he doesn't fit into any shoes.

I am getting old!

2008-11-13T22:49:00.000-08:00

Recently I have had a series of events that have lead me to the conclusion that I am getting old. It is hard to admit, but I am getting old. Here are some of the events that have lead me to believe this.

1. I have a grey spot the size of a dime on top of my head. It has been there for a few years. Avery comes to me and says, "Dad, you have grey hairs."

I reply, "I know. It has been there for a long time."

"No. Not there. On the side of your head, it's all over."

2. Sitting on the couch with Liam. He says, "Dad you have cracks on your face." (I love their honesty).

3. I don't heal like I used to. It's pretty frustrating. I have had tendinitis for over two months on my left knee and it isn't getting any better.

4. Brooke keeps telling me I dress like my dad (no offense dad. I like the way you dress - obviously).

5. I have never been a big sleeper, but I look forward to a Sunday nap.

6. One of the kids at school asked how old I was. I said, "How old do I look?"

"38!"

Dang. I feel old.

A few firsts

2008-11-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Avery got the book Stargazer from the school book fair and we were fighting over who got to read it first. She won out and is already finished. I haven't got to far, but I was able to sneak one from the school library. So we had some small overlap.

We had a few firsts this week: Liam started preschool and Ethan started walking. Liam can be pretty shy (as Liam says, "like my dad"). He doesn't like pictures (sounds familiar) or talking with people he doesn't know (that sounds familiar too). But he had a great time on his first day of preschool. He is doing preschool one day a week as a rotation with a few friends. When I called at lunch he was so excited. He started talking about what he did and all I could put together was "Dad..." The rest was a jumble of excitement.

Ethan is our late bloomer. Avery and Liam were walking by 10 months, but we are glad Ethan is taking it a little slower. The missionaries were here on Sunday and got to yet again see another big day in our home, Ethan walking across the room. It was the first time he was able to get more then a few steps. He'll be running pretty soon!

Liam the Dancing Machine

2008-11-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

Liam, as most of you know, is in love with Thomas the Tank Engine. All he wants to do is play trains and watch his Thomas movies. At the end of the new Thomas movie there is a new rap song for Thomas. It is kind of a catchy tune, and Liam loved it. I can't tell you how many times we have listened to it. Here is a clip of him rockin' out. He should be on dancing with the stars! The first one is hard to see, but he gets some good spins in.

Halloween

2008-11-04T21:24:00.001-08:00

Avery is a very creative little girl. She came up with the idea for my costume of Michael Phelps. I put all the details together, but Avery made the medals. People actually knew who I was dressing up as. That is a bonus. Avery got a little embarrassed with me walking around like that for the rest of the evening, but she will get over it someday (20 years down the road and after counseling). I have to admit it isn't as cool as Martin Hansen's.

Brooke was her classic witch. Avery was her beautiful "Autumn", Liam a bee, and Ethan a pumpkin (Brooke bought Ethan a costume that was made for a dog - pretty funny). We had a good time trick or treating with the Ward's, Mc Farlane's, Hansen's, and Burnett's. Thanks Margaret for some of the pictures.

Cart video

2008-10-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Here is Ethan pushing the cart. Liam is pretty mad in the background. He is in his onesie because he got it all dirty from the cake.

Ethan turns 1!

2008-10-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

He's grown a lot in the first year.

My little Ethan is 1 year old! It is hard to believe he is already one. Ethan is a pretty mellow little guy. He likes to play with anyone, and is always laughing or smiling. For his birthday we had a pretty small party, just us, and the missionaries stopped by as we finished singing happy birthday. They stayed while he watched Liam open his presents. Ethan loved the cake and homemade ice cream. It got all over. The big hit was his little cart (not a stroller according to Brooke). Liam got pretty mad and wanted a turn. We are working on sharing in our house. We are so glad to have the little guy.

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had our ward trunk or treat last night. We opted out of last years family theme and went to a kid individual costume. Avery has been talking about Halloween for months. "I want to do this ..." or "I want to do that..." She finally decided on being "Autumn", like the season. Liam was a bumble bee and Ethan a pumpkin.

Random pic's

2008-10-19T16:13:00.001-07:00

Last week was a blury week for me, class, conferences, games, and more classes. Brooke was able to capture a few of the moments down so I could remember them. I thought I would share a few of them with you. They are just too cute!
Liam's first "alone" birthday. He was so excited to be going to Sammie's birthday that he waited outside for a long time to go.

Jill always says, "Ethan's eyes are always so big." Not all the time, but they are pretty big.

On top of the car? Again?

2008-10-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Brooke is a wonderful person, but like us all we have our faults (I will spare you mine - too many to count). Brooke's - putting things on top of the car and forgetting all about them.

1. Phone #1. We had to buy a new phone because Brooke put one on top of the car while working in the yard or garage. I drove away and the phone crashes to the ground. We found the phone smashed to pieces a small distance from our home.

2. Phone #2. The second time, by chance or miracle, the phone stayed on and worked, it was even raining while I drove around for an hour with it on top.

3. Keys #1. While going on our trip to Portland I heard a scratch up on top of the car. I pulled over and Brooke looked up to see that she had left her key on top. Luckily it didn't fly out into the intersection.

4. Keys #2. Last week Brooke left her key again on top of the van. I went to Albertsons to get some meds for the kids. Brooke woke up to take the kids to school and couldn't find the keys. She started stomping around blaming me! She loaded the kids into the Volvo and realized her mistake. She back tracked my steps to Albertsons and found the keys in the middle of the intersection a mile away from our house. The key still works, but the clicker is destroyed.

5. Books #1. Today at church Brooke said she couldn't find her manual and asked me to go look for it in the car. Guess where it was? On top of the car.

Good thing we love her and will keep her around!

Everyone and Ethan

2008-10-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

Tubby time in the Cottle home. Ethan gets mad any time that Liam gets in without him.

These two are quite the little buddies already. I can't wait to see how they do as they get older.

Here are some fun pics of everyone with our little Ethan. He is starting to stand up on everything and move around. He is really growing fast. I can't believe he will be one this month.

General Conference

2008-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Avery came up with this creative idea for conference. I think she read about it in the Friend. I am not sure? But any way, it made our conference. Avery got this idea to make a tent facing the prophet, as did the people facing King Benjamin. Being in Oregon we don't get conference on local tv and we don't have cable (yes, I know no Sport Center - I have been in withdrawal for years), so we watch it over the Internet. We strung some rope from the armourer to the bed and put up the blankets. Liam was going crazy, he thought it was the coolest thing ever. But the big surprise was that they actually listened to some of the talks.

Nutria -1 Me - 0

2008-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Margaret wrote a pretty funny experience we had this week with a nutria. I can't write it any better than her. Check out the story on Margaret's Blog.

They grow up so fast...

2008-09-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

By the time I finish typing this Liam will probably have grown another inch and a half, but that is the life with kids. It is amazing how fast they change. Liam is our enforcer. He makes sure that everyone follows the rules. (Ethan picking up Thomas the Tank Engine) "No Ethan. You aren't supposed to have that." Or. "They said 'shut up!' We don't say that word." He is changing out of his tolder stage into a little boy. Liam just starting writing his name, counting (understanding what the numbers mean), and he read his first word. Brooke had something out and Liam was looking at it. He ran into the room and was pretty excited. He said, "Mom look. E - A - K - 1. That says Ikea!" Brooke was proud that his first word was Ikea.

I swear Ethan eats more than Liam. He is starting to put it down. I guess that's what happens when you are on the move, crawling and climbing on chairs to stand up. He even found the toilet today - not good.

Avery is starting to turn into a young woman. She filled out a labor intensive application to be part of student council, and was one of four chosen to represent the four grade. She did a great job and we are proud of her.

1,000 mile club

2008-09-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

I have reached the 1,000 mile club. I finished my 5th Lotoja (Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming). The race is 206 miles in one day. It is always fun to ride and be with family. We beat our ride time this year by 1 hour. It is a pretty draining race and always leaves you exhausted. It was definitely an experience to even get there: Brooke flying out for the funeral of her Grandpa Butler, Liam throwing up in the car ride to the airport, and me trying to get my assignment for my class in before I left. Thanks to lis for all her help with the kids, even our sick one. Just glad hers haven't got the bug. Once there everything worked out well. No one got sick or bonked to bad. I feel pretty good and actually road again today. All in all it was a good time.

The Olympics

2008-08-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Now that the Olympics are over I feel I am finally getting back to sleep at night. We spent many hours up late watching the events. There was definitely a lot of hype and excitement with Michael Phelps, Misty Mae and Kari Walsh, and Bolt. But what about synchronized diving. Every Olympics Brooke and I get into a random and unusual event. This year it was synchronized diving. It was pretty entertaining watching the 5' 1' chinese boys do their thing. They killed the competition! NO one was even close. Their synchronization, style, and entry were tough to beat.

We were pretty inspired by the Olympics and had a family home evening to celebrate. Brooke bought a 4x4 plank and I sanded it down to make a balance beam. We had our own Olympics out in the back yard. I am sure the neighbors got a kick out of Brooke in her swimsuit trying to land a cartwheel on the balance beam (she did land 2 of them). Avery and Emily have been out in the yard all week coming up with new routines.

Pigeon Mix

2008-08-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

With all the ladies sharing recipes and great meals I decided to get in touch with my feminine side and share one with you. Melissa takes pictures of her amazing food, so please don't compare this to hers. Actually, we went to hear Ben Cryer play his guitar for family home evening and we brought the pigeon mix to share. Some people wanted the recipe, so enjoy the calories.

Pigeon Mix

1 large box of Golden Grams
1 large box Corn Chex cereal
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup butter
2 cups Karo syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar

cook sugar, Karo syrup, butter until boils. cook and stir 2 minutes. add vanilla and soda. stir down foam (Brooke let ours over flow last time and it took a lot of scrubbing to get the sticky mess off). pour over cereal in a big bowl.

Avery and the Chipmunks

2008-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

We just watched the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a pretty funny movie. I didn't even recognize that the main guy was from the the show My Name is Earl. He looked a little different without the stache. Avery's favorite part is when the Chipmunks first sing "Funky Town" to show Dave their skills. So Avery decided to do her own version. We got a good laugh.

More summer pics

2008-08-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some more summer pics.Liam and his glasses, Avery and her new glasses, and popsicles.

Summer Break

2008-08-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

After my intense classes this summer at the U of O I was feeling a little brain dead, which lead me to take some time away from the computer. It felt great to unplug and walk away. This summer we have been able to do many fun things. So instead of a weekly update, here is our summer fun update.

Avery had her 11th birthday! I know it is hard to believe she is that old. She is 5' 1" and will tell anyone she is going to be 6' 2". Avery was very excited to decorate her own cake.

Boating with the Hansen clan out at Fern Ridge. We got to knee board and tube.

McCall Trip

2008-08-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Every year Brookes' family goes to McCall for the annual Butler family reunion. It is a fun time of boating and seeing family. It was packed with water skiing, wake boarding, tubing, and playing in the water. I am still trying to recover from all the tork on the old body. Liam and Avery got to play by the water. Ethan was trying to take it all in, but got to see his little (only in age) cousin Will. Brooke was even able to do some water skiing. The last year she was pregnant and unable to do much, but she got up on the slalom ski her first try!

Liam and I on the tube. He would say, "Hit the big bumps!" It made me proud to call him my son.

Brooke showing her stuff on the ski.

I was able to give Brooke's little brother Sam an extreme make-over. It only lasted for two days before he shaved it all off.

Grandpa Marcheschi and Ethan after a night cruise.

The next Picasso?

2008-08-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Avery the next Picasso? Maybe. From the day she was born that girl has been amazing us with her creativity. A couple of weeks ago Avery was able to do an art class. It was all day for a week. We are glad she was able to learn more in this class. Some of her pictures turned out really well. She keeps asking if she can sell some on Craigslist. Maybe someday!

Ethan

2008-07-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ethan, Ethan, Ethan! He is a pretty cute boy. Whether he's looking at you with his big blue eyes (thanks Sandi for the picture), laughing when you tickle him, or talking non-stop in his baby jiberish. Avery and Liam were pretty mobile at this age, but Ethan is our mellow little one. He is content to sit with you or be held. He has a great personality, rarely cries and likes to smile. It was pretty funny. The other day he was rolling around with Liam in their room. He saw something under his crib and rolled towards it. Brooke came in to find him underneath the crib, with only his legs sticking out.

Tagged!

2008-07-11T21:48:00.001-07:00

Brooke has good intentions Tannya, but probably wouldn't do the tag so I am going to help her out (emphasis added). I am dictating for her, hope your ready to go. Here are the rules as well.

#1 Link to the person who tagged you.

#2 Post the rules on your blog

#3 Write six random things about yourself

#4 Tag six people at the end of your post

#5 Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

#6 Let the tagger know when your entry is up

6 random things:

1. I love dots!
2. I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo, last months book club book.
3. I love to write lists. Checking them off is my favorite part.
4. Brady loves it when I say, "I have an idea" or "I have a hot idea" (This usually entails more work for me).
5. I am 6', but have been measured at 6' and a half inch - twice.
6. I wore my last pair of earrings until they rusted. (I even bought her a new pair for Christmas and she didn't wear them)

Here are the next taggers:
Christa (hope the spelling is correct this time), Rueben, Tiffany, Sam, Tommmy, and Elisa

4th of July

2008-07-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great time over the 4th of July. We hosted our annual 4th of July firework extravaganza. The fireworks were pretty anti-climactic compared to our neighbors. The meal was great and it is always fun to get together with friends. The kids had fun trying to find the cats and playing in the playhouse. The adults liked the conversation.

We also got to see Charlie and Kelly, who were visiting from Cal. They were up for the Olympic trials. Charlie was a high jumper with Brooke and Kelly did about everything, ran and jumped with Brooke in college at Weber.

Grandparents visit

2008-07-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

We were very fortunate to have both grandparents come for a visit. Brookes' mom and dad came in first. They were visiting Oregon for their wedding anniversary, and spent a few days at the coast. While they were here they got to pick strawberries, make freezer jam, go the park, and visit spend time at home. Brooke really enjoyed the visit. Next, we got a visit from my parents. They were in town for the trials. My sister Alissa came down from Portland to join us and have fun. Liam liked playing with his cousin Emilie at the park. My dad and I got some good rides in, and got to sport the new GC Connection shirts.

Olympic Trials

2008-07-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate to be living in a great city like Eugene, the host of the 2008 Olympic Trials. Eugene is definitely track town U.S.A. It has been fun to watch and follow. Last Friday my parents came into town and my dad and I went to the opening day of the track meet. It was quite the experience. Saturday my parents, Brooke, and I went to the meet. It was extremely hot, up in the 90's. It is amazing to see the athletes and the sacrifice they made to get there. I always feel bad for the 4th place finisher. Their the first one to not make it on the team - that's rough.

It also has allowed Brooke and I to flash back on her career in track as a high jumper (personal best of 184 cm). Brooke qualified for the 2000 Olympic trials, but didn't compete because we were cast members in the LDS Hill Cumorah Pagaent. She has no regrets with her choice, but it would have been cool to see her compete in it.

Bubba's 1st scrapbook page

2008-06-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to my first scrapbook page!:) Margaret this is for you.

http://scrappingconnection.blogspot.com/

Visitors!

2008-06-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

We have had many visitors over the last month, starting with Kricket and her family. Garrett was in Europe studying abroad for school, so Kricket was making the road trip to visit family and friends. It was great to have her here. Liam and Cooper spent the time working on "cooperation" and "sharing." Kricket got to see friends and visit old hangouts.

Next we were lucky to have my parents stop by for a couple of days. My little sister is moving with her little family to Portland while her husband is going to PA school. It is always fun to have family in town. While my parents were here we got to take them to the Saturday Market. That is always an interesting time.

Finally, we got to have Brooke's youngest sister, Elisa, come and stay with us. She is a fun lady and always makes us laugh. She and Brooke stayed up way to late talking into the night about this and that. Avery really watched to see what Elisa was doing, even not doing, including not eating her oatmeal (which Avery thinks she doesn't have to eat now - thanks Lis). Sorry we didn't get a picture of Elisa. Lis if you have one send it our way and we will post it.

Ouch-e!

2008-06-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

BEWARE: I start this off by warning any readers that this can be gross and graphic. It is not to be viewed by the young and innocent or faint hearted. In the words of Liam, "Ouch-e!" It happpened in my time trial race on Saturday. Luckily I wasn't seriously hurt, other than minor scraps and bruises. Two guys on my team hit wheels and fell down, causing me to go right over them and land hard on the ground. When I hit my legs cramped up and it was pretty painful. But I am healing and feeling better. I am looking forward to the next race:)