1st Grade, pom poms, and teeth

Connor started first grade last Wednesday, August, 24, 2011. He was so excited to see who was in his class. His teacher is Mrs. Wise and she seems really nice. His friend Gavin is in his class so he is set. I told him he needs to try and make other friends too though. Kadence had her Kindergarten testing the same day and was excited to find out her teacher is Mrs. Penry. She has been saying since Kindergarten round up that she wanted her for a teacher so she was beyond excited. She got a letter in the mail that said she is going to be a pirate on the first day of school and all she can talk about is how she needs a pirate costume.


On Thursday I took Landon, Kadence, and Kinlee to the preschool with me to get my room ready for the upcoming school year. Kadence and Landon started playing with the little craft pom poms and asked if they could take a couple home. I said sure and we headed home. They were in the very back row of the car and told me they were sticking the pom poms up their noses and I told them to knock it off. The next day Kadence's nose was running and she sounded really congested. Rory looked up her nose and said, "she has something green up her nose." After that she confessed that her and Landon stuck the pom poms up their noses and they got stuck. I called Candee to let her know and we decided we better take the kids into the doctor. He pulled them out with no problems but I told Kadence she better not ever do that again!



Today Connor lost his first tooth! He has been impatiently waiting for this day for quite some time. It seems like everyone around him had lost at least one tooth and he was starting to feel left out. It started getting loose on Thursday and he worked on that thing until it bled. He finally convinced Rory to get some dental floss and pull it out. That kid didn't even flinch when Rory yanked that tooth out. He went over to Uncle Bob's tonight and got stung by a bee 3 times, so I told him the tooth fairy will probably leave him a little extra money for being so brave.


Kinlee still isn't walking, but she is as busy as ever. She climbs in and on everything and can climb up the stairs like a pro. Even though she's not walking, life at the Bradley house never slows down!!

Life Happens

Life is what happens while your busy making other plans. I can't believe August is halfway gone. Connor starts school on Wednesday and Kadence starts school the following Tuesday. We have had an exciting month. Today was my cousin TJ's farewell. He is going to West Virginia. I have never met someone more excited to go on a mission than he is. I know he will do great. Last weekend we went with my mom, Gary, Elise, Aniston, Brileigh, and Kysen to Seven Peaks. The kids loved it, of course. My kids are such fish, even Kinlee, she is totally fearless in water. We also took some time to go to the zoo. It was the Zoorasic exhibit so we had fun seeing the dinosaurs as well as all the animals. I had to laugh at Kadence because I asked her what her favorite animal we saw was and she said the bears. The only problem with that was the bear exhibit was closed so we didn't see any bears!

On a sadder note, Gary's mom, Grandma Mary passed away. We were able to go to the viewing and the funeral. The kids got to ride in the limo and we will cherish our memories with this wonderful lady.


Saturday Connor and Kadence went with my grandma and grandpa Curtis and my uncle Darrell and his family up nine mile canyon. It was such a good experience for them. They were very excited to learn about where my grandma grew up and hear stories about her growing up. While they were there, Rory and I took Kinlee to have her 1st pictures taken. She did so good! They only gave me the copyright to one picture, but here is a preview of her adorable pictures.

Happy Birthday Kitty!

Our little "kitty" Kinlee turned 1 today! I can't believe it. I am so sad my baby is getting big so fast. I wish we could freeze time to make these moments last just a little bit longer. She is so much fun and had a fabulous day. Some of my favorite Kinlee moments are: When she waves bye bye, her kisses (she is so stingy with them and I am lucky to get one), the way she nods her head yes, the way she nods her head no, her laugh, how excited she gets when she sees her bottle (if she has a pacifier in her mouth she throws it across the room), how she yells at her brother and sister, her mischievous ways, and practically everything she does!



We had her first birthday party at the park in Wellington. Lots of family came to help make her day special. She had her very own cookie monster cake and LOVED it. Every time Rory would try and take it away she would stick her lip out and start to cry. She loved crawling after the big kids and playing on the bounce house Paola and Hyrum brought. Her favorite present was a baby doll from Jerod, Elise, and their kids. She want to hug it and got so mad at Rory when he took it away to take it out of the box. We love her so much and are so grateful she is a part of our family.


Don't take my cake!!

Parade's and such...

Friday Kadee and her friends at Encore dance got to perform in the park for International Days. She did her beach baby dance and learned a new Salsa dance that they performed. She was such a doll and had so much fun. After her performance we walked around and checked out all the booths. Nana Kelli bought us ice cream and drinks and pushed Kinlee around in the stroller. It was such a beautiful day and was so hot we didn't last long at the park.

Saturday the kids got to be on the Nielson Construction float for International Days. They got construction hats, construction vests, baseball hats, and t-shirts. They had so much fun riding on the float waving at everyone. It was so weird to watch the parade without my kids. I kept looking around for them and really missed watching them fight over candy. Kinlee was on Debbie's lap through the whole parade and LOVED the horses. It was hilarious. Every time a horse would walk by she would scream, jump up and down, and point. When the parade was over and Kadee got off the float she said, "How was the parade? Tell me everything!!"

Sunday afternoon we headed to Huntington Lake. This was Kinlee's first trip to the lake and she had lots of fun. Connor and Kadee both rode on the tube on the water, but Kadee was a little nervous, so she didn't stay on for long. I was eating a peach, sharing bites with Kinlee, and she decided she wanted the whole thing so she took it from me and sucked the juice out of it like a bottle. She ate the whole thing and wanted to eat the pit but obviously I took that away from her. She loves fresh fruit and veggies. No baby food for her, she wants the real stuff!

Reunions 2011

This month we were excited to be able to attend 2 of my family reunions. The first was the Curtis reunion. My Aunt Wilma does a ton of work to put a Curtis reunion on every year. I really appreciate her doing this because I really don't think we would have them if it wasn't for her. This year we had it at the park in Wellington and relatives traveled from all over Utah, California, Colorado, and Texas to be there. My cousin Max hauled a HUGE barbecue all the way from Texas to cook delicious briskets for the reunion. I really wish I would have gotten a picture of it because it was massive! My grandpa's family is full of really neat and genuinely nice people. It was so fun to visit with everyone and see relatives that we haven't seen for a very long time. Memories from the Curtis side of the family include our trip to Fort Worth to visit my 2 uncles and their families, playing the piano at my great grandma's house, going to Disneyland and staying with my Aunt Karen and Uncle Tony, and much more.


My grandpa with his brothers and sisters

My grandma and grandpa Curtis hold a very special place in my heart. My mom was a single parent and they did everything they could to make sure I never went without. When my mom first told them she was pregnant they didn't want to have anything to do with me. My grandma said when they came to see me at the hospital it was love at first sight. They have been a huge part of my life ever since. I remember chocolate milk and donuts from the milkman every Saturday morning, my grandpa reading the paper, my grandma putting a puzzle together, crocheting, or reading a book, shopping at the mall with my grandma, building forts in their living room, playing Nintendo, making up dances in their basement, long phone calls, long drives to visit graves over memorial weekend, trips to Washington DC, New Mexico, Texas, California, Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota, and many more. My grandpa taught me the value of hard work (he is the hardest worker I know) and my grandma taught me how to stick up for myself and to stand for what I believe in. I know they are a huge part of who I am today and always look forward to their visits.


My grandpa Curtis holding Kinlee

The other reunion we were able to attend was the Clark reunion. My mom and I decided to put this one on because it had been years since we had one. I think the last one we had was my first year of college so it was at least 12 years ago. We had a great turn out. I think my mom counted 101 Clark's. We had an auction to raise money for the next reunion and made around $600!! Our cousins Jerry and Lisa rented bounce houses for the kids and they had a blast. We are hoping that next year we can use the money to pay for all the reunion food and some fun activities. The Clark's have a special place in my heart because many of my childhood memories happened on my great grandparents farm in Wellington. I loved spending weekends and summer's at their house. My great grandpa Clark taught me how to saddle a horse, butcher and wrap a cow, play solitaire, shuffle cards, and much much more. My great grandma taught me kindness, unconditional love, how to make the best mashed potatoes ever, the importance of a good book, that a dishwasher is for storing goodies, not washing dishes, how to use an outhouse, how to make pancakes over an open fire, that the best Christmas presents are the homemade ones, how important missionary work is, and many more things. My great grandparents worked at the Manti Temple for many years and were always involved in service. My grandma loved owls and my grandpa could play the banjo. They were amazing people and I miss them dearly. As you can tell, many of my best memories were at their house. My cousins and I loved collecting eggs, playing in the play house, the silage pit, riding bikes, chasing peacocks, playing night games, homemade root beer, and the list goes on.


My grandma with her brothers and one of her sisters



My aunt Connie doing a headstand, she is 62 years old!!

I am so grateful to have so many fond childhood memories and that I could sit and reminisce with the people who made it all possible. Family is so important and I am so grateful it's forever.

Chapple Pie

We just got back from our amazing mini-vacation. It was so nice to get away and spend time as a family. The kids had a great time and can't wait to go back. We packed up the camp trailer and headed to Cherry Hill. We got there Friday evening, had some dinner, and set up camp. The kids were so excited to swim so we got in the free campground pool. It was freezing! Kinlee is totally fearless and would just lean head first into the pool. After cooling off in the pool we headed to the batting cages so Connor could work on his mad baseball skills. He swung and swung, but that ball was coming so fast! I finally ran and got him a smaller bat and Wham! he hit the ball. It shook the bat and scared him to death. He didn't want to bat anymore after that. We then headed to mini golf. I laughed so hard. Derk and Debbie came with us and anyone who golf's with Debbie will end up laughing until they are about to pee. The kids got tired of golf after about the 3rd hole, but we made them stick it out until the end.



Saturday we spent the day at Cherry Hill. Their Chapple pie is heaven on earth. It is fresh cherries and apples combined together to make the best pie ever. I will most definitely have dreams about that pie. We had such a blast at the water park. Connor and Kadee ran from one ride to the next. I think we went around the lazy river about 85 times (I may be exaggerating a little, but it was a lot). Cherry Hill has a summer concert series they put on in the summer. Saturday night it was music of the 60's and 70's. Shane and Heather met us at the park and we sat on the lawn and listened to the music put on by a talented group of individuals. Kadee and I were sitting on a chair together and I looked over to see Kinlee trying to eat some other people's food, I jumped up to grab her and the chair tipped over on top of Kadee. It was so sad but so funny at the same time. After that Kinlee and Kadee had enough of the music so I went back to the trailer and put them to bed. I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the rest of the concert.


The next day we headed to Lagoon. It was such a perfect day. The lines were not long at all and it was a little overcast so the weather was perfect. We started out on the kiddie rides and eventually made our way to the big kid rides. It was Lagoon's 125th anniversary so they had several shows going on. We watched one that was similar to Cirque du Soleil. It was amazing. Debbie asked Kadee if she wanted to do that one day and she said no way! The biggest surprise of the day was Connor riding the Colossus. He is totally fearless! Him and Kadee both rode the white roller coaster and a couple other big rides. I can't believe they are big enough for the adult rides! Kinlee LOVED the carousel and was an angel the entire day. There was a basketball game set up by one of the bathrooms and as we were going in Connor begged me to let him play. The guy in charge of the game kept telling Connor he needed to stand on the counter to play the game but Connor refused. He stood, looked at the basket, shot the ball, and made his first shot. He was so mad because as soon as you make a shot the game is over. So I gave the guy more money and told Connor to win Kadee a prize. He stood, looked, shot and made it again! He won 2 huge bears for him and his sister.



Rory, Connor, and Derk wanted to see Transformers 3 in IMAX 3D so Monday they headed to the theatre and Debbie, Kadee, Kinlee, and I headed to This is the Place Monument Park. What an amazing place! I love, love, love, history and was so excited to see and learn more about the pioneers. I can't believe I've lived in Utah my whole life and had never been there! There was so much to see and unfortunately we couldn't see it all, but we got to see a lot. Kadee and Kinlee loved riding the ponies. I loved the old school house and touring the old homes. Kadee was so cute doing all the crafts and helping with the chores. I wish she was that helpful at home! After the tours we met the boys and Derk and Debbie headed home. Rory, the kids, and I headed to Build a Bear at the Gateway. The kids each got to make a bear and pick out an outfit. Connor named him Duncan, since he made a basketball bear and Kadee named hers Dotz. After Build a Bear we ran through the water fountain, toured the Children's Museum and went to a city park to relax.




We had such a great time and can't wait to do something again soon. Right now I am reading a book called The Message and it has really put things into perspective for me. It has really made me appreciate my family and the blessing they are in my life. I am so grateful we had the opportunity to spend time together and to strengthen our family bond.

Happy 7th Connor!

In honor of Connor's 7th Birthday, I am going to post 7 of his favorite things in different categories. He is getting so big and is such an awesome kid. Connor is great at everything he tries and truly loves life. He had a great birthday party at the wave pool. All of his best friends were able to make it and his only complaint was that girls were there. He said, "next year, no girls are invited, k mom?"


Favorite Friends
1. Karson
2. Gavin
3. Chet
4. Kysen
5. Logan
6. Landon
7. Zac

Favorite Foods
1. Steak
2. Pizza
3. Hot dogs
4. Snickers
5. Popsicles
6. Chicken nuggets and fries
7. Captain Crunch cereal

Favorite things about summer
1. Basketball
2. Baseball
3. Watching nascar
4. Riding my bike
5. Playing with friends
6. Our new swingset
7. Swimming

Favorite toys
1. GI Joe
2. Football
3. Basketballs
4. Bike
5. Wii
6. Scooter
7. Airsoft gun

Happy Birthday to my favorite little boy!!


(I had to post one picture of the girls! (Brileigh, Kinlee, Kadee, and Makenna)