Gilbert Family Blog

First Days of School

2011-09-07T10:01:00.009-05:00

So Spencer is going to Preschool twice a week now. He gets to bring his lunch, they have recess, chapel time, music, spanish, storytime, a couple of potty breaks, and lesson time. He absolutely LOVES it! His teachers have already told me that he's such a good example to the other kids in his class and does everything they ask him! He's only been twice so far so I'm hoping this great behavior will continue!

Some of Spencer's Favorites...
Going to Yogurtville
Playing with his Tonka Tow Truck monster trucks etc...
Building with Legos
Karate Kicking his blocks
Wrestling his brother
playing soccer
Loves being read to
Color: Red
Food: Apples

Braden's a First grader now. His favorite things about 1st grade are that he gets his very own locker and he's allowed to bring a soccer ball to school to use at recess everyday. His favorite parts of the day are gym, recess, and lunch (sound familiar?). Braden loves riding his scooter home everyday from school with his friends. Braden is a good reader, loves learning, and especially loves to play outside...anything involving a ball. Braden's favorite color is black. His favorite or most requested food items are cereal and fruit smoothies.

Ashley... our little princess is so precious! She misses her big brother's while they're at school but doesn't mind the extra mommy time. She loves her soft blankie with polka dots and won't nap with any other blankie. She loves her Baby Minnie Mouse. She loves her bottles of milk, apple juice, or water. Her favorite things to eat are watermelon and chocolate. She loves to sit in mom's lap for stories. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She enjoys sitting in her big girl carseat. She won't sit in her highchair anymore but will sit in the booster seat at the table. Ashley also loves to dance!

Catch Up!

2011-05-21T22:00:00.034-05:00

I've been neglecting our blog for a while so here is a brief catch-up of what our family has been up to the last 4 months. Ok here it goes...and sorry it may be a bit of picture overload...

Back in January we took the kids to the Great Wolf Lodge. Just yesterday the boys were asking when we get to go back there again. I'm thinking this Fall sometime once the swimming pools are closed.

Valentine's Day has come and gone this is the sweet Chocolate Cheesecake my Darling Husband made!

Ashley swinging in her V-Day outfit. So stinkin cute!

Spencer getting his teeth cleaned. My kids really like going to the dentist!

Ashley turned 1 on March 11th! She is an adorable, sweet, cuddly, loving, and fun little princess!!!

Braden turned 6 on March 12th! He is growing up way too fast! He loves sports! Soccer is his favorite. He loves loves loves playing outdoors, riding his bike, kicking or throwing a ball around, going fishing, swimming, and racing. He is also a smart little boy, a very good reader, and a helpful big brother. Such a great kid!

His party this year was at the "sandlot". He and his buddies played baseball, did a relay race, slammed a baseball pinata to the ground, ate pizza, and cupcakes, and enjoyed hanging out together!!

We met up with Ben's parents and siblings and their children in Anaheim, California to go to Disneyland over Spring Break. Tons of fun!!!

Here are some photos our friend Mandi took in the beautiful Texas bluebonnets...

Ben had a Birthday!! Me and the kids took him out to dinner to a Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Hayaci...very entertaining hibachi grill. I baked a chocolate cake...I was a little worried about the cake since mine didn't look as pretty as the picture online but it tasted delicious so that's all that matters, right?

Mother's Day was wonderful. I feel so blessed to be the mother to the 3 most amazing children in the entire world!!!

This is just a cute picture of Ashley and her friend Sadie at a playdate. They wore matching outfits and didn't even plan it!!

Braden's soccer team the Wylie Express finished up their 4th season! Woo Hoo! They each got a new trophy!!!

Ben and the boys in their camo shorts about to head off to our church's annual Father and Son's campout where they fished, shot rockets, and built airplane gliders.

Ashley is REALLY walking well now and has decided this past week that she prefers walking over crawling...so cute!!!

So that wraps it up for now...stay tuned for more new and exciting posts to come...

My little Bundles of Joy!

2011-01-20T16:26:00.005-06:00

Last week Dallas was presented with some beautiful snow!!! Needless to say the children were thrilled!

These 2 are Best Buds!

Having fun in the box!

Ashley is so close to walking...

December Highlight's

2011-01-20T15:43:00.011-06:00

We love the month of December here are a few fun times we enjoyed...

My Birthday :) They sure spoiled me...I have the greatest husband and children!!!

Braden doing the Limbo at his Kindergarten class party...he's so cute!!

Our little family's Christmas Eve Dinner (Our first time trying it out on our own)

New Jammies!

Christmas morning

6 silly faces on our way to see "Tangled" then off to ice-skating! We have Spencer, cousin Rena, Braden, cousin's Julia, Nathan, & Jacob

November Highlight's

2010-12-23T14:55:00.008-06:00

Braden's "Wylie Express" soccer team party

Thanksgiving!!!

The boys making snow angels in Parks AZ

Waiting to ride the "Polar Express"

Now that's a nice Gingerbread House

The Best Day of My Life!!!

2010-11-08T20:19:00.007-06:00

About 8 1/2 years ago, the dentist I was working for took the entire staff to Ruidoso, New Mexico on a snow-skiing trip. While we were there I found this cute little toothfairy box at a souvenir shop. So this past weekend this cute little box I've saved got it's first use... Braden was soooooooooo incredibly excited and happy to lose his very first tooth!!! He stated, "this is the Best day of my life"!!! How adorable is that!

Braden and his new smile!

Love these photos!

2010-11-08T20:12:00.005-06:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-05T14:03:00.012-05:00

For Halloween this year we carved some pumkins (the kids loved it and they turned out pretty cool) then later that day we went to our church's trunk-or-treat...

Spencer's Superman, Ashley's a Ballerina, and Braden's a Knight

Here we are at the Trunk or Treat

Gig em Aggies

2010-10-15T22:41:00.011-05:00

Labor Day Weekend we took the kids to a Texas A&M College Football game. We met up with some of our A&M buddies :)

Aaron, Zach, Braden, Ben & Ashley

Family shot

Watching the Corp marching

Amy & Cindy

Game Time!

Doesn't fit yet

Another Huge Highlight to our Labor Day Weekend was getting to meet our adorable brand new baby niece Carli...she's so cute! Congrats to Colleen & Craig!!!

I can't believe how big Ashley looks next to Carli! They are only 5 and 1/2 months apart!

My little Princess

2010-10-15T22:30:00.005-05:00

Spencer is such a sweet big brother! Always loves to hold her and give her hugs and kisses!

Ashley's 1st time in a swing...needless to say...she loved it!

Ashley's getting so strong! She's been crawling really well for about a month and can pull herself up to stand now!

So precious!

Spencer's 3!!!

2010-10-15T22:14:00.008-05:00

This post is a little late Spencer turned 3 a month ago...but anyways...Birthday's are so much fun!!! Spencer invited his little friend's over and we played a few games ate pizza and enjoyed his yummy Lightening McQueen birthday cake. Spencer is growing up so fast he already know's all of his letter sounds! (thanks to one of his b-day gifts "The Letter Factory") He's been potty trained for half a year, goes to pre-school on Friday's, absolutely loves to play with his big brother especially football, soccer, basketball, wrestling and hide-and-seek. Thanks for being so wonderful Spencer! I love watching you grow up!

Braden's New Hair-Do

2010-10-15T22:10:00.003-05:00

I love that Braden will let me do his hair now! This is a huge milestone :)

2nd Trip to Sea World

2010-08-30T14:06:00.008-05:00

Sea World was so fun earlier this summer we decided to hurry and go again the weekend before school started. Here are some of the highlights of our trip :)

All of the kids were soooo good during the car ride!

Spencer chillin

Ashley does not suck her thumb but occasionally will suck her big toe...had to get a picture of it.

Me Braden Aunt Wanawan and cousin Rena riding Texas Splashdown or something. Spencer was devasted he wasn't tall enough but luckily he got to go on the log ride.

Cooling off at the water park ...man it was hot!!!

Ashley being cute

Spencer insists on wearing his sunglasses upside down

Fun Times!

"Fruit Poovies"

2010-08-30T13:33:00.004-05:00

Spencer and Braden love to eat fruit smoothies. Spencer has trouble pronouncing words that start with an "s" followed by a consonant so he says it so cute..."fruit poovies"! I remember Braden did the same thing when he was 2 with the "s" sounds. It's so cute though as Ben always says he just wants to bottle up Spencer's deep little voice :) Here they are enjoying the latest fruit smoothie :)

Ashley's latest developments

2010-08-30T12:33:00.006-05:00

So little baby Ashley is moving right along the last few weeks she's been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. She's trying to figure out crawling and will move her arm forward then fall forward. She'll get it down soon :) Also she's been enjoying her rice cereal. Braden and Spencer loved watching her eat it for the first time and got to take turns feeding her too.

Successful First Week

2010-08-27T17:11:00.011-05:00

Braden absolutley LOVES kindergarten!!! I knew he would since he always enjoyed preschool and never wanted to miss a day. Even though it's an early start and a long day (7:30-2:30 I wish it was just half day) he wakes up happy and excited to go. We got some pictures of his first day of school. Spencer gets to start preschool soon he can't wait!!

We enjoyed meeting up with Braden for lunch today at his school. Braden had the BIGGEST SMILE on his face when he saw us :)

The Circus

2010-08-06T15:44:00.008-05:00

We went to the Barnum and Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus in Dallas last weekend. It was quite entertaining. Braden enjoyed watching people get shot out of canons and Spencer's favorite part was the elephants doing tricks. It was a very fun family outing :)

Fun times this July

2010-07-26T18:53:00.012-05:00

Happy 4th of July!

Braden & Spencer love snap pops!

and sparklers

Ben shooting off fireworks at Lake Lavon

Ashley watching from the car

Braden mastering the skill of making bubbles

My 2 little cuties :)

Ashley playing with her dolls

Ben ice skating with Braden for the first time

Spencer trying out ice skating too

Ashley's 3 months!! (and 10 days)

2010-06-21T14:28:00.009-05:00

So Ashley's been rolling over this last week it's sooo cute! Mainly from her tummy to her back. She's growing up way to fast!

My friend Jande made this outfit for Ashley with matching shoes and a bow! Adorable!

Backside :)

Sea World

2010-06-15T21:53:00.008-05:00

We went to Sea World this past weekend and had sooooooooo much fun! My parents and my brother Ryan and his family met us there which was awesome. Ryan, Ben, and I were able to ride the scary roller coasters (thanks to mom & dad for entertaining the children)! There's a lot more to do at Sea World than I realized... lots of shows, rides, an entire water park, you can feed or swim with the dolphins, check out the aquarium...We'll need to go again soon!

Family Photo

Spencer & Braden fed some fish to the dolphins

Spencer getting ready to ride a little roller coaster

This was Braden's favorite ride..."Journey to Atlantis". He rode it at least 5 times. We snuck Spencer on as well even though he was barely to short for it. Good to know our boys are not afraid of heights!

It's amazing how the trainers can work with the whales!

June

2010-06-15T20:46:00.010-05:00

Braden & Spencer love hanging out with their baby sister!

Spiderman & Superman came to visit for a day

I am amazed how much Ashley enjoys playing in her playmat. She'll kick and move around for so long she'll eventually fall asleep (sometimes).

My Cousin Kevin married a great girl named Jaime here in Dallas...what a beautiful couple!

We were lucky to have some relatives stay with us for a few days during the wedding festivities. Here is a 4 generation picture with my Grandma Cahoon, me and Ashley, and my Mom :)

My Aunt Karen came to visit along with my Grandma all the way from Southern Alberta Canada. My boys had sooo much fun! Karen is such a fun Aunt!

May

2010-05-29T11:34:00.015-05:00

This has been a fun month Braden had is last soccer game of the season that ended with a party at the park and a new trophy! Braden also graduated from preschool which was a Big Day! Spencer's been loving his new role as a Big Brother. Ashley's getting cuter and cuter and smiling lots!

Last game of the season

Spencer giving Ashley loves!

Team party

Trophy time!

Braden with his teachers Ms. Robin & Ms. JoBeth

Congratulations to Braden! (Spencer really wants Braden's diploma)

Baby Ashley :)

We've been enjoying the pool regularly this month and LOVE it!!

Ashley's Photoshoot 9 days old

2010-04-03T20:11:00.008-05:00

My Big Boy

2010-03-19T14:55:00.008-05:00

I just wanted to put in a plug for Spencer. I am so proud of him he is getting to be such a big boy! I decided March 1st to full on potty train Spencer. I was a little hesitant to go for it since we were about to have a newborn baby. The first 4 days were a little rough with about 2 accidents a day but after those first 4 days it clicked and he figured it out! So now I am so thankful that we decided to just go for it! Today Spencer is 2 and a half exactly and I am so happy that he prefers underwear and has been successful with potty training! The day we went to Target and Spencer got to pick out his own underwear he was so cute! He opened up the package and held all 7 pair in his lap. For a while he would carry them around the house he was just so happy to have his very own underwear like Braden.

My boys just adore their baby sister it is so sweet!

The little pants Ashley's wearing has a cute little ruffle on the back. I showed it to the boys and Braden said, "Awe she looks like a little flower".

This was a rare occasion when Spencer willingly took a nap part of growing up means not so many naps

Braden Turns 5!

2010-03-13T10:52:00.018-06:00

Braden was soooooooooooooooo excited to turn 5 years old yesterday. I made sure we only had to stay 1 night at the hospital so we could go home and let Braden open his presents from us and my parents and sing happy birthday to him and eat cake and ice cream. Braden's due date 5 years ago was the same exact due date as Ashley's...March 21st. Braden came 9 days early on his own and I was induced with Ashley 10 days early. So they almost shared a birthday but I think it's nice that they are a day apart so they can both have their own special day. Braden is such a good boy and very caring he often is a peacemaker between he and his little brother and he is also very patient. We did a friend's b-day party a couple of saturday's ago at the park for Braden so I wanted to share a few photo's of Braden turning 5 :) It was a nice day perfect for the park... we did some games and the kids played on the toys...

Braden and some of his buddies

Holding his sister on his b-day :)

The whole crew

Spencer's taste testing the frosting

Happy 5th Birthday Braden!!!

Our Little Princess

2010-03-12T20:01:00.016-06:00

Ashley Marinn Gilbert was born yesterday (Thursday March 11th) at 12:38 pm. We are so excited that she's finally here! On Wednesday I had my Dr.'s appt and was already dilated to a 5 and 80% effaced so my doctor told me I'd better come in the next morning to be induced rather than 5 days later. Needless to say I did not object. My nurse got everything set up and hooked up in the delivery room by around 9:30 am and the process was just around 3 hours. Not bad! Definitley the easiest labor yet. She weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 19.69 inches long. Here are a few pictures of our precious baby girl and proud big brothers :)

About to deliver!

Ben feeding Ashley a bottle (she just had to have one b/c her blood sugar level was low)

Spencer really wanting a turn to hold his sister

Braden is getting noticeably tired

Braden's looking really sleepy!

He's trying so hard to keep his eyes open!

I am loving all of this PINK Ashley looks beautiful!

Ashley ready for her very first car ride home!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T22:08:00.008-06:00

The first year Ben and I were married we went out to a restaurant on Valentine's Day and it was really really busy with a very long wait. We decided we wouldn't go out to eat on V-Day weekend again! So for the past 8 years Ben has always cooked for me on Valentine's Day. He always tries new recipes so this year this is what he made...

Grilled Parmesean Asparagus

Grilled New Potatoes with Parmesean & Herbs

Honey Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs

Heart Shaped Coconut Cake

Ben is such a great cook! I love this tradition!

Hockey Game

2010-02-12T11:20:00.008-06:00

Braden has been dying to go to a hockey game ever since last year when we attempted to take him to a Dallas Stars game. Unfortunately we showed up really late to the game so he was pretty disappointed. So finally we made it up to him and went to a minor league hockey game in Allen. Braden watched the entire game pretty intently while Spencer enjoyed his candy bar and popcorn :)

Look at that happy boy!

Snow!!!

2010-02-11T11:29:00.007-06:00

It must have been snowing all night long! We were surprised at the amount of snow we had this morning! Since we live in Texas and don't have snow boots or waterproof gloves I put plastic grocery bags around each of the boys hands and feet with a rubber band to hold it in place. It worked really well and they definitely lasted longer playing in the snow. Check out our snowman!

Friday morning we had even more snow with ice on the roads so Ben's work was cancelled which was awesome! Ben and the boys made another snowman in the front yard...

Harlem Globetrotters

2010-02-01T20:50:00.008-06:00

Last Saturday we surprised the boys and took them to see the Harlem Globetrotters. They had a blast and it was a great and entertaining show. Spencer's favorite part was when "Globie" the mascot was on the court and Braden enjoyed watching the player's joke with the ref and the other team.

Braden and I fought our way through the crowd to get a couple of signatures

Family Pic's

2010-01-13T14:42:00.006-06:00

Things have been busy around here with moving and unpacking and traveling for the holidays plus getting ready for baby #3... 8 weeks to go!!! (That still sounds like a long time!) I realized I haven't posted anything since halloween and it's time to get caught up. So for a start here are some of my favorite pictures my friend Mandi took of our family back in November. I think she did a great job! Thanks Mandi!

Halloween

2009-11-04T17:14:00.012-06:00

This year Braden was Spiderman and Spencer was a dragon. They had so much fun trick or treating. A couple of the houses they visited gave them very large candy bars!

Braden's preschool class had a little halloween party and decorated spider cupcakes

We also visited the Flower Mound pumpkin patch

Braden's helping Spencer through the maze (he's such a good big brother!)

We're Having a....

2009-10-29T22:30:00.003-05:00

GIRL!!! We went in this afternoon for my ultrasound appointment and were able to find out the gender! Ben, Braden, and Spencer all thought the baby was going to be a girl and when we found out Braden said "I knew it"! He also asked me if I could tell that the baby had long hair :) I guess he imagines the baby already with long hair since she's a girl but if this baby is anything like her brothers she's not going to have much hair for a while! Braden also said he's going to be gentle with his sister and give her lots of hugs :) Our doctor asked Braden and Spencer what they want to call their sister and suggested George. Spencer agreed. (I think not!) Luckily we've already picked out the name Ashley Marinn. So we are all very excited to be having a girl in the family and glad that she's healthy and are looking forward to meeting her sometime in March :)

Braden's 1st Soccer Game

2009-09-26T15:24:00.007-05:00

Braden was sooooooo excited that he finally got to play in his very 1st soccer game today. His first 3 games were cancelled due to all the rain we had been getting and the field conditions so finally he got to play today! He did great! Braden scored at least 5 goals he's got some great natural ability must have gotten that from his Dad. Ben's helping out coaching and is enjoying that as well. Poor little Spencer wants to play so bad! He'll have to wait a couple more years.

Daddy & Me Rodeo Day

2009-09-23T17:12:00.003-05:00

Today was Daddy & Me Rodeo Day at Braden's preschool. Braden's favorite part was playing all of the games his teacher's had set up outside.

Happy Birthday Spencer & Colleen!!!

2009-09-20T18:02:00.012-05:00

Yesterday was Spencer's 2nd birthday so we rented a jet ski for the day and invited my parents and my sister Colleen & her husband Craig up from Houston to celebrate with us. Spencer & Colleen actually share a birthday! Spencer really loves his "Aunt Keen" they have such a special bond it is so cute! It was Braden & Spencer's first time on a jet ski and they loved it!! Braden's pretty adventerous and would ask us to do more donuts in the water and liked going fast. I asked Spencer if he wanted Dad to drive fast or slow and he would say "slow". So I wasn't sure if he was getting scared or having fun so then I asked him if he was all done riding or if he wanted to ride the jet ski more and he would say "moe". It had been soooooo rainy in Dallas the last couple of weeks so we were really hoping the weather would work out for us and it turned out to be a perfect jet ski day!

On our way to Lake Lavon

Building a sand castle

Colleen & Craig trying out the jet ski

Spencer sandwiched in between Ben & I

Braden's turn for a ride

Braden "helping" Spencer open his presents

The Birthday Duo

Big Announcement!!!

2009-09-12T13:32:00.004-05:00

So today I have officially completed the 1st trimester! We are expecting baby #3 for those who didn't already know. Since we have 2 boys we're crossing our fingers for a girl this time but if we do have another boy he will definitely fit in just fine with Braden & Spencer and their rough-housing.

Fudge Pops

2009-09-09T21:32:00.002-05:00

Bracelet Boy

2009-09-06T00:01:00.004-05:00

Spencer loves playing with the stackable rings and links. He'll dig all of them out of his toy box then squeeze as many as possible on his little arms!!!

Braden's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-05T23:28:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it my baby's already starting school!!! (preschool) Braden had a great first day and has been anticipating preschool all summer! He loves all the gear he gets to take to school like his Dallas Cowboys backpack and his Spiderman lunch box! He has 2 teachers and there are 11 students in his class. He was happy to find out he already knew 4 of his classmates from church! The drop off went very well Braden was excited and happy to be there. Me on the other hand choked up a tiny bit as I walked away from his classroom! After his first day of school Braden told Ben and I about a little girl he sits across from named Autumn, he said, "I feel like I'm going to marry her!" Whoa! It's so funny the things little kids think of at 4!

Our Garden

2009-09-05T23:22:00.005-05:00

Check out our garden!!! This is the first year it's actually done well :) Probably since Spencer & Braden are such big helpers with watering! Thanks little buddies!!!

Self Portrait

2009-06-18T14:46:00.005-05:00

Braden is so cute! On the way to Sedona he said "Look Mom, I drew myself!!!"

Memorial Day Vacation

2009-06-17T22:24:00.023-05:00

For the week of Memorial Day we went to Arizona to spend time with Ben's side of the family. First we stayed at a house in Parks, AZ not too far from the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed 4-wheeling around on the Razer Polaris while the kids had fun taking turns on the little kids-sized jeep. The Grand Canyon was BEAUTIFUL!!! After a few days we went to Sedona, AZ and stayed at another house which was gorgeous and even had a pool! We toured "Out of Africa" and watched a tiger show, went on a bus safari, and were there during the animals feeding time. The women enjoyed time at the day spa relaxing with massages and the next day all the guys went on a Manly Jeep Tour. We had so much fun with our relatives we love spending time with them!

Fire Station Visit

2009-05-15T14:51:00.012-05:00

A couple of days ago I took the boys to the Fire Station with some friends to check out the big fire truck! Isn't that every little boys dream? They had a blast and they even each got a turn sitting in the driver's seat! A Fireman gave the boys a tour of the huge fire truck and gave them little fire truck cards. Braden's favorite part about going to the fire station was getting these little fire truck cards (they're like baseball cards but with fire truck's on them). Spencer's favorite part was sitting behind the wheel! (Too bad that picture turned out so dark!)

I Love This Game!!

2009-05-10T17:04:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Braden was helping me clean the baseboards in our living room and he said to me, "Mom, I love this game...is this a game?". I laughed and said, "Yes, Braden this is a game". Then Braden said, "Ok, so whoever gets the most dust off WINS"!!! Braden is so cute he loves games and he has always loved to help me clean! We'll see if this will continue on to his teenage years. When he was a toddler vacuuming with him was a little bit harder b/c he would insist on pushing the vacuum so the chore took much longer to complete. Here are a couple of pictures of Braden vacuuming :)

Guess Who's 30...?

2009-04-25T22:59:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Ben!!! Thanks for being such a kind & loving husband & father! We love you!!!

April Fun!

2009-04-23T16:21:00.020-05:00

Last weekend we drove down to Houston so I could meet up with my cousin Sachie who traveled all the way from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada (a very far away and cold place)!! We ate at Johnny Rockets at the Katy Mills Mall and had fun shopping around. Sachie and I are a lot alike we are both dental hygienists although we probably should have been accountants, we're the same age and both have 2 little boys. It was great to see you Sachie!

Also this month we traveled up to Beaver's Bend with friends for some fun times!
I

The kids LOVED swimming in the hot tub!

Here they are playing Mario Kart

Getting ready for the Easter egg hunt

Coloring Easter eggs

Ben & Braden golfing

We even found some deer for the kids to ride!

Ice Cream Anyone?

2009-04-02T22:27:00.004-05:00

First Haircut

2009-04-02T22:10:00.005-05:00

Spencer's 18 months old now and Ben just recently gave him his first haircut! Spencer was really cute while getting his haircut. He did not want to stand anywhere close to the hair that was falling down and he laughed quite a bit since the hair would tickle the back of his neck. I got a few pictures as this was quite an occasion. Spencer no longer has the cute little curl in the back which I was a little sad about but I kept it in a little baggie. He looks so grown up now!

Here he is showing off his new hair-do!

He was definitely trying to stay clear of all that hair in the bathtub!

Braden's 4!!!!

2009-03-13T15:21:00.012-05:00

Yesterday was Braden's 4th Birthday!!! He's growing up so fast! He'll be in preschool in the fall and starting a soccer team next month! He's getting so BIG! Braden is the sweetest little boy and such an awesome fun big brother for Spencer. For his birthday we got him a big boy bike and he was sooooo excited to ride it even though it was FREEZING outside!! We just went out for a little while b/c his hands were getting cold! Then in the evening we had a fun party for him with his little friends at Chuck E Cheese! We all had a blast! Here are a few pictures from his special day! :)

My Little Singer

2009-03-08T23:05:00.004-05:00

Here's a video of Braden singing his favorite church song, "I Lived in Heaven". I recorded him singing this about a month ago and not a day goes by that he doesn't sing it at least once :)

Valentine's Party

2009-02-13T15:20:00.009-06:00

We went to a fun little V-day party at the downtown Wylie park today for the kids and I got some cute pictures of them that I wanted to share :)

Braden and Spencer enjoying the treats...yum yum!

Spencer posing for me! Whenever I take his picture he says "Cheese"!! I love it!

Here's a good action shot of Braden going down the slide with his buddies Sade & Kaitlyn

Here's all the kids doing their silly faces

Homemade Rasberry Truffles

2009-02-13T15:06:00.004-06:00

Ben loves trying new recipes...he's especially good with desserts! So for a pre-Valentine's present the other night Ben surprised me and made me some homemade truffles. All different kinds...chocolate, peppermint, coconut, cashew, walnut, white chocolate and peanut covered truffles all with a rasberry filling. Let me tell you they are delicious and melt in your mouth! Here is a picture of the variety. Thanks Ben! I love you!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-15T22:23:00.003-06:00

Ben & I decided for our 2009 New Year's resolution we should really get in shape. So, finally, half way through the month we joined 24 hour fitness and are going to start excercising regularly. Wish us luck!! What is YOUR new year resolution??

Birthday/Graduation/Christmas

2008-12-30T20:53:00.017-06:00

It's been a few weeks since I've done a post b/c this month has been super busy! I had a birthday (29!!) which was so much fun! I loved spending it with my family :) Then on the 20th Ben graduated with his MBA from UT Dallas. All of his family flew in from Arizona to celebrate with us which included Ben's parents and all of his sibling's as well as their spouses and children. We had a wonderful time hosting everyone and thanks to all of the guys for letting us girl's have an afternoon out for pedicures and some much needed shopping :) Following the graduation we enjoyed eating out at Master grill a Brazilian restaurant. We even had a special visit from Santa who came to our house. After our guests returned to their homes in Arizona we drove down to Houston to spend Christmas with my parents and brother Ryan and his little family and my sister Colleen and her husband. On Christmas Eve we reinacted the story of Jesus' birth (Braden got to be Joseph & cousin Reena was Mary she chose her Dad (Ryan) to be the donkey). Christmas morning we exchanged gifts and later went Christmas carolling. We watched the first 3 "Home Alone" movies while we were visiting and I would have to say the first one is still my favorite! Saturday we did a little fishing at a nearby pond. Reena and I caught some bass. Pretty exciting stuff! We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Spencer with cousins Emma and Calvin...thanks Emma for introducing Spencer to the pacifier. At 15 months Spencer is now hooked just because his cousin Emma always has one!!! lol

We tried to get all 8 of the little cousins together but not sure where Isaac and Brooklyn are...oh well.

Braden and Reena have always got along so well!! She's about 4 years older and they have so much fun together!

Spencer is so cute he was running toward me and totally stopped to pose for me once he noticed I had the camera!

Here's a close up :)

Reena caught the first fish all by herself!

I caught the second fish and Braden was a big help at reeling it in!

Sneaky Sneaky Boy!

2008-12-10T14:00:00.006-06:00

An awful miserable stomach virus has been going around our family. First, Spencer got it on the 29th then Braden got it like 4 and 1/2 days later then 5 days later I got it. Weird. I would have thought we would have caught it from each other within less days than that but for us that was not the case. A nurse told me that the incubation period for the stomach virus that's been going around is actually 4 days so I thought I was in the clear but on day 5 it was my turn. Funny thing though...while I had the virus earlier this week and was feeling horrible I decided to take a nap while Spencer was napping and I let Braden watch a movie. When I woke up I went and checked on Braden and this is what I found!!!

I couldn't help but laugh! He had put his stool next to the fridge and got the ice cream out and a spoon for himself. He left the lid upside down on the ground next to his stool! He sure knows how to fend for himself!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2008-12-02T14:29:00.015-06:00

We had such a fun time in Arizona for Thanksgiving this year. We stayed at Ben's parents house in Thatcher, Arizona and all of Ben's sibling's and their kids were able to go as well. There was definitely a full house with 10 adults and 8 grandkids under the age of 4. We all had a blast. Each family was in charge of cooking something for Thanksgiving dinner. Ben and I cooked the yams and loaded them with brown sugar and marshmallows they were so yummy! We have a picture with Spencer staring at the yam's in the oven :) After dinner we decorated gingerbread houses. The next day we went in shifts to see the movie Twilight. I loved the movie and surprisingly Ben liked it too. He rated it a 6 out of 10. Saturday we went to the park and shot off rockets, took a family photo, fed the ducks, and went bowling. Last year, Ben and I got first place with the bowling competition and this year unfortunately we got second. Watch out Jared & Becky we're going to whoop you guys next year. All the little cousins had so much fun together and we're looking forward to everyone coming to our house in a couple of weeks for Ben's graduation. Here are a few pictures we took while we were in Arizona.

Reading Lessons

2008-11-24T13:53:00.003-06:00

For about the last month every day during Spencer's naps I've been doing reading lessons with Braden. The book I use is called "Teach Your Child to read in 100 Easy Lessons" by Siegfried Engelmann. We're about a quarter of the way through the book and I think it's great and highly recommend it. Braden's been pretty receptive and seems to enjoy doing the lesson's. This morning while Spencer and Braden were playing I overheard their little conversation and it was so cute!
Braden: "So, Spencer are you ready to finish your reading lesson?"
Spencer: "baby babble"
Braden: "Ok, great! Say this word right here."
Spencer: "baby babble"
Braden: "Good job Spencer! You said, "that"!"

23 DAY COUNTDOWN!!!

2008-11-15T20:52:00.006-06:00

I'm so excited that Ben will be completely done with his MBA program in 23 days!!! :) I'm looking forward to all of the fun things our family will get to do and Ben will be included!! It's a 2 year program and this semester has seemed especially long probably since there were no online classes he could take which means he goes straight from work to school 3 nights out of the week and doesn't come home till about 10:00 at night. Plus, most weekend's he has some sort of project, presentation, paper, or exam to get ready for. So, including final exams he'll only be gone 9 more night's. There's an end in sight!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-10-31T21:58:00.010-05:00

We had a great Halloween this year!! We always enjoy carving a pumpkin. Spencer was so excited about the pumpkin he kept trying to eat it! Every year we go by Ben's work to take the kids around the office trick or treating. Braden was definitely a hit as a policeman. He came in riding a police man motorcycle. Thanks Dad for bringing it up!! Ben and I also decided to dress up this year. It's actually our first year to dress up! We were both vampires. Braden sure had a blast trick or treating he loved running from house to house!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T15:45:00.040-05:00

Today we went out to Flower Mound's pumkin patch and had loads of fun!!!

Here's Braden hoping to drive the tractor train

& Spencer chillin in the wagon

The kids all loved the hayride!

and so did the mommies :)

Best Buds!!

Oh No!! Sade & Braden are in Jail!!!

They had a mini maze for the little kids and thanks to Heidi they all found their way out!

Here's me and my boys and my friend Heidi and one of her daughter's. Good luck with your move Heidi!!

Best Costume Award!!!

2008-10-21T15:35:00.007-05:00

Last weekend our family went to a Halloween party and we had soooo much fun!!! The kids got to jump in a bounce house plus there was a best kids costume award and Braden won!!! He was so excited to win the prize! Braden's a policeman & Spencer's a little dinosaur :)

Messy Eater

2008-10-16T21:25:00.006-05:00

Today we went out for a walk before dinner like we do pretty much every day and it was a bit chilly so I went in to get a blanket for Spencer and was amazed that he actually kept it on the whole time. It's so interesting how different my 2 little boys are. #1 hated going on walks as a baby he would just cry until I took him out. He preferred being carried so I would just push an empty stroller! #2 loves walks he'll sit there peacefully and check out the scenery he gets soooo excited anytime he sees an animal or ball left out in a neighbor's yard plus his older brother keeps him entertained.

So after our walk we came inside and for dinner I made black bean burritos because I'm all about dinner's with 5 minute prep time. Anyways I had to take an after dinner shot. #1 was a much tidier eater! #2 can sure make a disaster of his dinner! Braden was quite amused and asked "how did it get all the way up to his eyebrow!!!?"

Healthy Snacks

2008-10-14T00:20:00.002-05:00

My kids are seriously good eaters. They love to eat and will snack all day long if I let them. Lucky for me they love good foods not just junk. They'll eat fruit, and some veggies, yogurt, cheese, whole wheat bread. So my new favorite snack to give them is apples! I love it when my boys eat apples. Not cut up or anything just the whole entire apple. The reason for this is well there's two. First of all apples are healthy. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But second of all it takes a really really long time for them to eat apples. Which is so great for me!! I can get so much accomplished in the 20 minutes they're sitting content at the table/high chair chowing down on their apples! So try this if you have young kids and need to accomplish some chores it's the best!

2008-10-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

Thank you very much!!!
Anayansi has passed the Brillante Weblog-Premio 2008 Award to me :)

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.

Here are the questions:
1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Where is your significant other? studying
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? Louanna
5. Your father? Reynolds
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? crazy
8. Your dream/goal? fit
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? shopping
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Texas
13. Where were you last night? asleep
14. What you're not? vacuous
15. One of your wish-list items? SUV
16. Where you grew up? Texas
17. The last thing you did? ate
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? plasma
20. Your pet? n/a
21. Your computer? dell
22. Your mood? good
23. Missing someone? family
24. Your car? jetta
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? target
27. Your summer? fun
28. Love someone? hubby
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? thursday

I am passing the award on to:

Kim
Mandi
Neysa
Lauren
Carrie
Heidi
Amy

Spencer's 1st Birthday

2008-09-24T22:35:00.003-05:00

For Spencer's 1st Birthday we took him to Chuck E Cheese. He had a blast!! Earlier in the day he went to his one year check up. He's 31 1/4 inches long (90th percentile) and weighs 22 lbs 2 oz. (40th percentile). Spencer started walking Tuesday September 9th and is getting better at it every day :)

Braden & Spencer playing an intense game of "whack a gopher"

Spencer & Braden playing ski ball

Spencer's trying a new approach to the ski ball game

Chuck E Cheese Pizza is the Best!

Spencer and Dad playing air hockey

Spencer's a little hesitant with Braden behind the wheel

"Get me outta here!!"

Present Time :)

Spencer's First Birthday Cake

Wow... what a mess!!!

Note to parents...I made the mistake of bending down on one knee to play one of the games at Chuck E Cheese and the carpet was all wet. I asked Ben to smell my jeans in hopes that it was soda but sure enough it was urine....GROSS!!!

2008-09-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

So we're constantly getting junk mail from electric companies and their new plans/rates etc. and I was just curious what is the best co. in the dallas area is anyone really happy with their's? We use Reliant and we've used them since we've lived here (over 4 years) but we're not currently on a contract so I'm open to suggestions...

Summer is over!

2008-09-13T23:43:00.001-05:00

Everyone has a favorite season and mine is defintely Summer!! Our summer was jam-packed with fun! We spent our days at the swimming pool, running through sprinkers, playing at spraygrounds and water-parks, vacationing with friends, attending family reunions first up in Utah, then in Houston for Colleen & Craig's wedding/Anthony's mission farewell. Plus we enjoyed extra free time with Ben since he took the summer off for school (He's getting his MBA at night & this fall is his last semester...hooray!!) Here are some favorite pic's of the Gilbert Family's Summer Fun!!

Braden loves running through sprinkers!

Braden loves golf just like his Daddy :)

Braden has proved to be quite the climber

Pool Rat #1

Pool Rat #2

Nothing like some homemade ice cream....

Or Popsicles to keep ya cool :)

Here are all my guys !!

Colleen's wedding (What a Beautiful Bride!!!)

Family Pic.

Broken Bow Cabin we stayed at with Friends

Smore's by the fire...yum yum

Smoky the Bear

Train Ride

The Whole Crew

Good Catch Dad!!

Snack Time

Everyone's doing it...

2008-09-12T23:41:00.001-05:00

So I finally decided to start a blog...I mean everyone has one so it's about time, right?