Bring on Second Grade and Kindergarten!!!!

Today was the first day of school and the boys in my house couldn't have been more excited! This year Bradyn is entering the 2nd grade. I can't believe it myself. And Parker is starting Kindergarten!!!!!!!

Here are all the kids after we arrived at the school. I totally forgot to tie Audrey's hair back so she can't see a thing.

Here is Parker seeing his classroom for the first time. Look at that happy face.

He even gets a locker. So awesome!!!!!!!

Here he is at the end of the day. He doesn't have a happy look on his face, but trust me he had a blast.

Happy Birthday Bradyn

It's hard to believe that 7 years ago my Bradyn was this tiny. (I know the picture isn't very clear, but it was the best I had that I could post.) Seven years ago my little Bradyn decided to enter the world 5 weeks early at 5lbs 0.5ozs. Because of this (being 5 weeks early, not the 5lbs part) he had a little bit of trouble breathing and he had some low blood pressure issues. So, that meant he had to spend a week in the NICU. Thankfully the hospital he was born at had an awesome NICU, in fact it was the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. So, we felt blessed about that.

Needless to say, that was the longest week of our lives. For the first few days I couldn't even go into the NICU without breaking down in tears. It just wasn't suppose to be that way right, I never imagined that we would be leaving the hospital without our sweet little baby. Now, I know how blessed we were that we didn't have a baby with serious health problems, but it was still so hard for us. Thankfully, after that week in the NICU, he was PERFECTLY healthy. We had a little speed bump with some dehydration issues, but once we tackled that one it was smooth sailing. He quickly starting growing and...........

....... Hasn't stopped yet. Which is just the way we like it :) Two days ago he lost his first top tooth. Now this puts the count at 3 total teeth lost.

These are the cupcakes we made for Bradyn to take into his class today. He was so excited that it was his birthday and he got to bring in a treat. We got this airbrushing food dye to spray over the white frosting. I think it could be really cool once I get the hang of it. It seems like you have to do it just right or it will turn out kind of funky. In the end, they turned out pretty great and the two younger boys and Audrey came with me to Bradyn's class this afternoon and we delivered the cupcakes. I think the boys really liked seeing Bradyn's class and I think his class liked seeing Bradyn's siblings.

HAPPY BIRHTDAY BRADYN!!!!!!!!! We love you and are so happy to have you as part of our Eternal Family.

Hicks Family Egg Hunt

The weekend before Easter all the Hicks gathered at Les' brother Charlie's house and had a fun family Easter Egg Hunt. The kids had a great time not only hunting for eggs, but also playing with their cousins.

Here are all the Hicks Grandkids.

Bradyn was quite the awesome egg finder.

Here is Logan searching away.

I just thought this was a great picture of Logan from the day of the hunt.

*I thought I uploaded a picture of Parker looking for his eggs, but I guess I didn't. He however was there and had a great time too. He can be seen in the first group picture.

Catch up!!!!!!

I have been a horrible Blogger lately and I think the reason why is because I got so far behind with my posts that I just didn't know where to begin. Well, enough is enough and I need to start up again. Instead of going back and trying to catch up on all the different posts I have missed, I have decided to do a picture catch up all in one post. This way I can still post about some of the things that I wanted to share (and document for my own memories) and then I will be able to start up again with my more detailed posts. So bare with me, I have a bunch of pictures I am sharing. Now, there are so many more pictures I could post, but I am afraid that it would probably be over kill.

Jan. 28th Audrey pulled herself up to a standing position for the first time.

Feb. 10th Logan is such a big boy because today was his first day of Preschool. He was sooooo excited. A lot of people asked why he was starting in the middle of the year and it is because it was the start of the new semester and he was finally potty trained so he was able to enroll. Hooray for Logan!!!!! Now him and Parker go to Preschool together two days a week. Hooray for mommy!!!!!!!

Feb. 24th Audrey had some super crazy hair when she woke up from her nap.

March 5 I thought this pictures was so cute because it looks like Audrey is playing video games with her brothers. She loves being part of the action.

Feb. 27th After Bradyn left for school that morning, Audrey crawled over to the door to look after him. She stood there and watched him at the bus stop.

Feb. 27th I realized that Audrey was no longer in the living room so, I looked down the hall and sure enough there she was in my Grandma's room. She just loves crawling down there and seeing what she can explore and I think that my Grandmas actually likes it too when she comes in there.

Feb. 27th OH GREAT!!!!!!!! She has discovered the stairs. This is always a dreaded day for me because now we have to put up a gate.

March 2nd Whenever one of the boys are laying on the floor Audrey has to come over to them and ATTACK!!!!! My boys are so great because they just let her do it. Here she is attacking Parker.

March 2nd Audrey had a bath in the kitchen sink for the first time. I don't remember what she had been eating but she got covered in it so I just decided to plop her in. I think she really enjoyed herself.

March 16th March seemed to be a sick month for Bradyn. Twice he was stuck home with a high fever. It was really weird because all he had was the fever, no runny nose or cough. When he had Motrin in him he was perfectly fine, which meant that him and his brothers were really crazy either playing or fighting. However, once the Motrin wore off and his fever spiked he was down and out and just plain miserable. In this picture, the Motrin had worn off and I didn't have anymore so we had to wait for Les to get some. So, Bradyn laid on the couch with a wet wash cloth and tried to cool down. (I am not sure why he had the blanket on him, it was probably during one of the times that he also had the chills) While he was laying there Audrey came to see how he was doing. She was worried.

March 16th While Bradyn was home sick we worked on the Leprechaun Trap that he was suppose to make for school. We heard that they liked shiny stuff so, we made a very shiny box with a pot of gold inside. On the top was a rope made of green ribbon so that the Leprechaun couldn't jump out. Unfortunately, the Leprechaun that came to his class was very very sneaky so, nobody was able to catch him. Maybe next year. (Don't you just love Parker and Audrey in the background.)

Long Night

I am sooo tired today. Last night I was woken up 5 times, that is right I said 5 times, by my children. Audrey got up 3 times, one of which was just 1 hour past the first time. Logan came in crying at like 12:30ish because he said that his knee hurt. Then at some point (I am not sure the time because I never looked at the clock) Bradyn came in telling me that his nose was bleeding a little bit, but that it had stopped. I told him, ok then go back to bed and he did. Sometimes he just likes to come in and tell me these things. I am glad that he wants me to know, but I am not exactly excited that he has to wake me up to tell me.

Of course, the side of the bed that I sleep on is closest to the door so naturally the kids ALWAYS come to me. Ahhhhhhh sometimes I am just sooooo tired. Audrey still gets up at least 2 times a night, which I am sure is mostly due to the fact that she has to be in our room. It is really hard because when she wakes up I know that she can see me so, of course she is not going to put herself back to sleep. It will be nice when the day comes that my baby girl will have her own room. Of course, I have no idea when that day will be. For now, I will just be VERY grateful for the blessing it is to be able to live with my parents and pay some things off.

Just about had a heart attack today!!!

So, this morning I was out with the kids and my cell phone rang, but I didn't get to it in time. I didn't really recognize the number at first, but I could tell that I had seen it before. So I called it, but it just brought me to the District office of Bradyn's school. I thought OK, well hopefully they leave a message. Well, a minute or so later my dad calls so I ask, "Did Bradyn's school call you?" He is on the emergency card so, I just assumed since they didn't get a hold of me they must have called him. Well, he says no, but they called the house and talked to Grandma Jackson. He then tells me that they were wondering were Bradyn was and that he wasn't there at school. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!! I said, "WHAT, I sent him to the bus this morning, but I didn't physically see him get on I just saw the bus pull up." Needless to say I was COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT!!!! I immediately called the school because luckily I had the number programmed into my phone. I told the secretary what I was told and she said, "No, we called because Bradyn says that his stomach hurts." Instant relief!!! I was like oh, OK I will be there soon to pick him up. I called to tell my dad that everything was OK because he was worried too. Of course, I immediately assumed that my Grandma was at fault because she really cannot hear very well. However, when I got home and asked her what the school said it was obvious that the misunderstanding was on my dads end. Either way, I am so grateful that everything was just a mix up because of course I started thinking the worst when my dad called. My kids are all home safe and I am good!!!!!!

First Sunday of the Year, which Brought Logan to Sunbeams!!!

I know that this was like almost a month ago, but since my blog doubles as my journal (I have always been a horrible journal keeper) I still wanted to document it. Bradyn is now a CTR 7 in primary (for those who may not know, primary is like Sunday school for the children in our church, it is for the kids who will turn 4 in this calendar year up until a child's 12th Birthday). Parker is now a CTR 5 and our little Logan has joined his brothers in primary and is a Sunbeam (the class for the kids 3 turning 4 in this calendar year).

This is really the only picture I got of Bradyn and it is only because I ran into him picking something up from the Library. However, doesn't he look so handsome!!!

Parker coming into the primary room. He too looked oh so handsome that day. Don't you just love those beautiful dimples?!?!?

Parker with his little friend Brooklyn. They also go to preschool together and her mom is my really good friend so, they get to play together quite often. This makes for happy kids and happy mom!!!

Logan was not exactly thrilled to be going to primary for the first time like the rest of us were. For some reason he had had a really hard time leaving mom and dad to go to class (he is doing better now). I thought that he would for sure do OK, especially since one of my best friends Melissa and my Brother's wife Crystal are his teachers.

Sweet little face!!!!

Being in the classroom for the first time. I don't think it is OK for kids to hide under tables in primary so, I made him get out right away. However, I had to take a picture because it was kind of funny.

Finally he took his seat although, he doesn't look to excited. This is him with his cousin Wesley.

In the end, I think that Primary was enjoyed by all that day :)

Bradyn and the Gingerbread House

Last week I was able to go to Bradyn's class and help with their Gingerbread houses. I was so excited to be able to go because I haven't been able to help in his classroom before. It is hard to go in with the other kids at home, especially Audrey because it is not as easy to leave her with someone. Thankfully, my sister in law Crystal didn't have to work that day and she was able to come and be with the kids. Parker and Logan were so excited to have her come over and play, it was pretty cute. It worked out great because I laid Audrey down about 2 minutes before Crystal came over and she didn't wake up until after I got back home. It is so nice that she doesn't have to eat as often as she used too.

Can you see the concentration? This was very serious business!!!!!

All the kids were really into it and they all worked really hard.

We were suppose to send in some small candies and a can of frosting. I knew the size that the house was going to be so, I didn't send in a ton of candy. Trust me, he had more than enough, but man you should have seen the amount that some of the kids had. I almost felt bad that I actually portioned Bradyn's out.

Here is a pretty happy builder with his final project. I think he did a pretty great job!!!!

This is a better view of the final project. Do you see the green clusters? He said that those were bushes that were on the side of the house. The M&Ms in the front are his walkway and the candy cane on top is the chimney. His creativity always amazes me.

Q & A with Bradyn

My friend Penny tagged me to do a Q & A session with Bradyn so, here it is.


1. What is something mom always says to you? "Stop" (Nice!!!!)

2. What makes mom happy? "Me listening" (That is true)

3. What makes mom sad? "onions" (I really do not like onions one bit)

4. How does your mom make you laugh? "By tickling me"

5. What was your mom like as a child? "a girl"
(Because apparently I no longer am :)

6. How old is your mom? "27"

7. How tall is your mom? "17 inches"

8. What is her favorite thing to do? "Riding bikes" (I am not sure if Bradyn has ever seen me ride a bike before)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? "cleaning, sleeping and watching TV." ( everything but the sleeping part, I have to wait until Les gets home for that one, Does watching Dora count for the TV part?)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "By having a lot of money" (I wish!!!!)

11. What is your mom really good at? "Folding the clothes"

12. What is your mom not very good at? "Driving a plane"

13. What does your mom do for her job? "Helping the baby"

14. What is your mom's favorite food? "Rice" (When I was pregnant with Audrey, I couldn't get enought rice however, I don't love it as much as I did now)

15. What makes you proud of your mom? "That I love you" (Such a little sweety pie)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Katara the water bender from Avatar"

17. What do you and your mom do together? "Stay home"

18. How are you and your mom the same? "We have the same skin"

19. How are you and your mom different? "We have different eyes."

20. How do you know your mom loves you? "Because I was your baby" (I always tell him that no matter how big he gets, he will always be my baby)

I tag Lisa (with Genna), Becky W. (with Nathan) and Beth A. (with Lindsey) and anyone else that wants to do it.

Plymouth Orchard

Yesterday we went to the Plymouth Orchard and had some great family fun. We saw some animals, (which we couldn't touch since they were behind big fences), took a wagon ride and then had some good old fashioned cider mill doughnuts. The weather was absolutely beautiful which was great!!!! The kids had a blast and so did Les and I. We didn't get any pumpkins because I am too cheap. I figure that we can go to a local store and buy them for so much less money.
Our manly boys :)
Is that not the most beautiful flower that you have ever seen?!?!?! Sometimes the craziness of our family is like living with a bunch of animals :)
I can't believe that we actually got a picture of the whole family. How often does that happen? Not very!
My beautiful babies. Sometimes I just can't believe how blessed I am to be their mom.