Our Little Lyon Cubs

our baby girl is one today...

2010-01-27T13:29:00.001-08:00

happy 1st birthday Brooke Emerson Faith

you are a joy to us all

we love you with all of our hearts

xoxoxoxoxo

praise God from whom all blessings flow

a visit from grandpa daryle and grandma sandy

2010-01-27T13:19:00.001-08:00

we sure enjoyed our special time with our grandparents! it is always a treat to have family come and stay with us:) how many sleeps? is the questions the kids always ask. now they want to know how many sleeps until you come again? thanks for making the trip over to spend time with us. we love you both very much! xoxoxo

happy birthday sam!!!

2010-01-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

happy 4th birthday sam!

it is so hard to believe that when we moved away, sam was not even walking! he has gown up so much in the last few years (slow down little guy) he wants to grow big and strong so daddy will give him his own hunting knife! such a boy!

God is so good! we are so very thankful for Sam!!!

sam was so excited to come up and hunt for his presents!

sam was so proud of his new bike!

happy birthday hayley!!!

2010-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

this year we hid hayley's presents (her idea) it was super fun!!! i think we have a new tradition! we decided to have a small family party this year and do a friend party next year (maybe every other year)

we had a wonderful day celebrating together with hayley! we are so thankful to God for giving us this little girl. i treasure each and every day we have together! what an amazing gift from God!

eight candles on that cake--oh how the years go by!

my best attempt at an American Girl breakfast:)

one year ago...

2010-01-26T13:09:00.001-08:00

this picture was taken the day before little b was born!

leavenworth 2009

2010-01-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

family photo:)

my sister , brother in law and 3 handsome nephews!

family sleigh ride! (i think we got all 13 faces in this photo-even little Brooke)

even the dolls needed a picture:)

a leavenworth starbucks--long line, but worth the wait:)

leavenworth is such a beautiful little town. a little something for everyone! we can't wait to go again!!! i was so sad to say goodbye. our family went east and everyone else went west. it was so good to all be together at Christmas! thank you sis for making this happen:)

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

2009-12-07T09:35:00.001-08:00

long story short-we are getting a fake tree! i am still not 100% for this idea, but this perfect little tree has been a complete nightmare! literally! it toppled over at 2:45 am--we were up for hours trying to make it work, then we decided to take all of the remaining decorations off and toss the tree! the kids woke up and thought maybe the Grinch came in and took our tree! the sad part is, is that some of our most special ornaments were shattered into pieces.

Our annual trip to the tree farm will now be to get just a small tree for the kids to have in the playroom and decorate with popcorn and paper chains. time for new traditions.

it was much much worse than it looks!

this is the best part-opening and talking about each ornament!

little did he know-in less than 48 hours this tree would be tossed over the hill near our house:)

on our way to the tree farm we spotted a herd of elk! i love where we live! (you may have to click on the picture in order to see them)

JJ's Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

little pilgrim hat cookies. so easy to make and such a big hit with the kids!

JJ's class did a great job with the Thanksgiving feast and little program. what a great way to start our Thanksgiving break!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness:

Come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord, He is God:

It is He that hath made us, and we are His;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise:

Give thanks unto Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness endureth for ever,

And His faithfulness unto all generations.

Psalm 100

fun school project

2009-11-25T22:32:00.000-08:00

salt map of upper and lower Egypt

what a great way to learn geography!

fall fun

2009-11-25T22:27:00.001-08:00

baby brooke wanting to be one of the big kids! saturday morning cartoons!

hayley went to her first WSU football game!

happy birthday grandma jayni! we are excited to see you tomorrow! XOXOXO

2009-10-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

brooke emerson faith 9 months today

2009-10-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

showing you her top tooth!

little b is doing great! so far no flu for her. we keep praying for her to be protected from this nasty bug. her brothers and sis have all had it, so she has been exposed in a big way! she is getting ready to crawl (rocking on all fours). life is going to get even more busy. i am happy it happens in stages and not all at once. our baby girl is growing so fast! we love you baby girl!

a hunting we will go...

2009-10-13T15:56:00.001-07:00

jut picked jj up from school today and took him out to lunch and to cabelas to get jj outfitted for his 1st hunting trip! (he still needs to find an orange vest or bodysuit if i could have it my way) i may need to make him one. this was such an exciting day for jj. he has been talking about his 1st hunting trip for a long long time.

my handsome hunters!

the famous light up hat! this was the first thing on jj's hunting list. pretty cool huh?

a date with sam

2009-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

toy story in 3D! the glasses were a tad big on sam. we can't wait for toy story 3. these are my favorite pixar movies. even though it was a double feature, we only watched toy story 1. we loved it!

after the movie we went for a walk in the mall and i surprised sam with a trip into build a bear. he had never been. he was so excited! he now has a really cool camo/fishing bear.

sam was so proud of his little bear and the box it came in! he was showing random ladies at the mall his little bear inside his own special home. so funny! sam and i had a special afternoon together! love this boy so much!

painting pumpkins

2009-10-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

it is so fun to have one on one time with sam each morning! let me tell you, this boy loves it! each morning he wants to know what chores i have and how long will it take. some mornings the chores just go undone. today was one of those days!

new little buds

2009-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

sam and brooke are enjoying time together, while the hayley and jj are at school. it is so cute to see their little friendship begin!

sweet baby girl at 8 months

2009-09-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

this past month has been filled with sick kiddos! this picture was taken at the tail end of brookie's little battle with a terrible cold bug. she seams to be all better. (thankfully)

baby brooke is beginning to say "a-bah, dada and mama" (i know they are just sounds that all babies make around this age--still so cute) brooke is really enjoying her play time with her toys and also experiencing some new tastes. she finally finished a jar of sweet potatoes without gagging. we are loving this sweet baby girl so much!

girls weekend 2009

2009-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

hayley took this picture

late night ice cream sunday with grandma sandy

every fall my mom sister and i do a girls weekend/shopping trip. this year we included the little girls! (so much fun) hayley was in hog heaven! (a little board when it came to clothes shopping:) baby brooke did not make a peep the entire time (hard to believe-but true)

this trip was filled with lots of laughs and new funny stories to talk about for years to come. thank you mom and sis for flying over to spend the weekend with us. i treasure these times when we all are together. i love you both very much!

it's always better when we're together...

2009-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

last night we had our "back to school" dinner and we asked hayley what she was most excited to do at school this year, and she said "i am so excited to have my brother go to school with me"

cowboys

2009-09-15T17:05:00.001-07:00

grandpa daryle and grandma sandy sent the boys these adorable cowboy outfits! the boys have played with them everyday! they like to pretend to be lewis and clark or Teddy Roosevelt! (they got the idea from night at the museum) great movie!!

summer fun

2009-09-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

view of Sandpoint, ID

time well spent

2009-09-15T16:51:00.001-07:00

i spy a Moose!

our friends Dave, Heidi, Silas, William and Peter Farley

such a fun day spent with good friends! the kids had a blast riding the chair lift! it was beautiful.

fun in the sun

2009-09-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

what a great way to end our summer!

girlfriends

2009-09-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

here are two of my dearest friends! amy jo and sarah beth!

i sure enjoyed spending the afternoon with you both. i still can't believe it worked out that we were all in the same city at the same time. so fun. miss you girls! maybe we can plan something again for next year?

baby love

2009-09-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

baby brooke made a new little friend this past weekend. this is baby brooks (brooke and brooks) he loved her full head of hair. at one point they were rolling around and he had his little hands in her hair. so cute! baby brooks is my friend amy jo's new little nephew. he is a handsome little man. we had such a wonderful weekend with old and new friends. the weather was absolutely perfect.

thursday i spent the day with two of my best friends from jr high and high school. (sarah and amy jo) these girls are so comfortable to me. i love that about them. even though the years have gone by, it still feels the same when we are together. we are able to pick up right were we left off. i thank the Lord for friends like that. i need to upload more pictures from my camera and then i will post one of us.

boys will be boys

2009-09-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

look closely at this picture and you will see that jj has stitches in his chin and sam is sporting a black eye! these past few weeks have been very painful.

jj had a terrible fall off his bike which ended in 3 stitches (a moment i do not want to re-live) and sam fell down the stairs and hit his little eye on the banister. i am happy to say that jj is back to riding his bike.

kit is ready for school

2009-09-14T22:22:00.001-07:00

hayley's grandma jayni sent her a special back to school package in the mail! all of you american girl fans can understand the excitement that comes with new items for your doll. i have to admit i get just as excited as my 7 year old. kit now has a lunch box, school bag and even a new little outfit! thanks grandma xoxo

no training wheels

2009-08-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

way to go jj! we are so proud of you!

his dad told him he could get a new bike as soon as he learned to ride this one with no training wheels. within a few minutes he was off and riding! i guess we need to go bike shopping.

so far only one crash.

the office bag

2009-08-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

over the last month sam has been asking me how many days until he gets his very own office bag from PaPa Tom? (papa gonna bring me a pencil, a finding glass for it?) i need to make room in his bed for his new office bag just like jj has. if you give sam a special gift he will sleep with it and treasure it:) the long awaited office bag should be here in about five sleeps. i will post pictures and explain more about the office bag once it arrives.

brooke emerson faith 7 months today

2009-08-27T11:24:00.001-07:00

brooke is doing so well! even with a yucky cold, she is still as happy as can be. brooke adores her big sissy and big brothers! her little face lights up when they walk into the room:) hayley has become such a big help with her. today she took care of her while i did my workout and last night she had her play in her room while i gave the boys their showers and got them ready for bed. it is fun to see how much they all love this baby girl (baby grill-as sam calls her).

brooke is so content that i have not started her on solids full time. once in a while i have her try something-but why push? she has her two bottom teeth and has started sitting up on her own. she gives us belly laughs all of the time. hayley really gets her laughing the hardest! sam is always checking to make sure we get to keep her. (mom, does she have to go back to the hospital or do we get to keep her?) i love the mind of a three year old! jj is such a protector and provider. he likes to make sure she has all of her things (blanket and her chicken toy)and he also loves to cuddle her! i have always said jj will make a wonderful husband someday! justin and i are thankful for so many little helping hands!

Praise to God from whom all blessings flow!

big sky montana

2009-08-26T09:45:00.001-07:00

i thought this was such a beautiful church with the mountain peek just above the steeple.

yellowstone 2009

2009-08-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

what a difference a year makes. last year i was pregnant with little brooke and the weather was about 30 - 40 decrees warmer. this year we even had a little snow. i have to say that with all the changes, this year was just as much fun and exciting! the Lord blessed our time together and gave us such a beautiful view of His creation!

this year we even had a black bear on our list of animals. he was climbing the wall below our hotel window.

we were thankful for a heated pool/hot tub. we were the only family in the pool each night!

who is staying at our hotel

2009-08-24T14:38:00.001-07:00

security security security

President Obama's helicopter

secret service

this was set up after we went to dinner. when we came back they unzipped every zipper in my purse and wallet! they closed down the elevators, but because we had small children they let us use it a few times. once we got on the elevator the secret service was inside!! you should have seen what they had to wear. jj's eyes were so big! i told the secret service that when he grows up he wants to be a police man. they gave our kids special secret service pins (sam calls them his special golden things) i will not let them play with these--they are too cool! i told them that it is a once in a life time opportunity to stay the night in the same hotel as the President and his family. what an exciting start to our family vacation.

parking lot of our hotel set up for a special guest and his family

yellowstone

2009-08-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

yellowstone

2009-08-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

yellowstone

2009-08-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

yellowstone

2009-08-24T14:05:00.001-07:00

elk just laying by the side of the road

bison chocolate suckers

yellowstone

2009-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

ready to go see some animals

yellowstone

2009-08-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

everyone thought brooke was hayley's baby doll

yellowstone

2009-08-24T13:49:00.001-07:00

breakfast in our hotel

bedtime

baby brooke

summer fun

2009-08-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

we have been using our boat so much this summer! the kids love having dinner and snacks on the boat. it is the perfect way to spend our evenings as a family! even baby brooke loves it. sometimes we have to ask if she is even on the boat (she doesn't make a peep)

back from the beach

2009-07-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

we are back from grandpa daryle and grandma sandy's! it is so fun to see your kids love the beach as much as you do. it is so fun to play in the mud and look for beach treasures! we are so thankful we have a place like this to visit! thanks mom and dad! this was such a beautiful 4th of July.

more back yard photos

2009-07-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

the grass should be ready to walk on in about 6 weeks!

backyard progress

2009-07-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

here are a few updated pictures of our summer project! the end is in sight! we can't wait to roast our very first marshmallow.

like father like daughter

2009-06-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

how cute is this? both sound asleep:) daddy was a little jet legged from a trip to the east coast and brooke needs no explanation. this girl is the best sleeper.

our little ballerina

2009-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

its that time of year again for the big ballet performance! this year both grandmas are flying here to see it. we can't wait! it is so fun to watch and see the progress made over the last year. this year the ballet is all about dolls. La Boitique Fantasque

when life hands you lemons, clean!

2009-06-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

i found a great way to clean microwave ovens. it gets rid of grease and smells from previously cooked items. cut up one lemon and put it in a small bowl with about two cups of water. microwave it for 3-5 minutes and then let it stay inside the microwave for another 3-5 minutes. wipe it out and you have a clean microwave. also i found that a rubbing a lemon on anything with water spots (coffee pots, wine glasses, shower doors) completely removes them. i have wasted so much money on products that do not work! who knew a simple little lemon could help so much.

friday night camp out

2009-06-11T14:24:00.001-07:00

jj's pizza! look at how organized it is!

friday night in our home is called family fun night! the kids never let a friday go by without reminding us 100 times:) a few weeks ago we decided to do a camp out and make your own pizza! jj and hayley loved the idea of sleeping on the floor in their own sleeping bags, but sammy wanted his own bed. downstairs he went all by himself! too cute! the kids are really into watching little house on the prairie (we have season 1 and 2) so that was the movie of choice! brings back memories! i love this season in life! it is the simple moments the kids love best!

backyard update

2009-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

this past weekend we were given a free rainbow play system from a family who had grown boys who no longer played with it! what a huge blessing for our family. justin worked on this thing from 7 am until after our kids went to bed! this next weekend we are going to stain and seal it and it should be good as new! i can't believe how sturdy this structure is. the boys are pretending it is the millennium falcon and hayley is playing little house on the prairie! too cute! she is trying to make her brothers play, but they would much rather play star wars and make hayley be princess lea! i will post more pictures this next weekend. thanks dad for all of your hard work! hayley said "this is the best gift ever"

brooke is 4 months today!

2009-05-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

brooke had her 4 month appointment yesterday, and she is 13# (36%). such a difference between her and hayely. hayley was such a peanut. always in the 10%. brooke is now rolling over both ways, laughing, holding a toy and bringing it to her mouth. she has not lost any of her black hair. can you believe it? it is always amazing to see how much they change in such a short time.

weekend fun

2009-05-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

what a fun weekend! we decided to take our boat out with all four kids for the first time of the season. baby brooke did amazing. you almost did not even know she was there! i will post pictures of us in the boat as soon as i take them off our camera. i love the warm weather we have been having! it has been in the 80's and it looks like it is going to continue. yeah!!

brooke the ballerina

2009-05-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

i bought brooke this outfit when i was pregnant with her! she has gotten so chubby that it almost did not fit her. look at those little rolls. more to squeeze and love.

our sleepy little man

2009-05-20T14:19:00.001-07:00

after a full day of playing outside in 80 degree weather, i found sam like this! so peaceful and sweet! he did not move a muscle while i carried him off to bed. thank you God for the sunshine and for my sweet little man!

mothers day photo shoot

2009-05-18T21:54:00.001-07:00

these are some of my favorites!

rachel barkey

2009-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

please watch this amazing talk given by rachel barkey. she is a wife and mother of two small children and she has terminal cancer. it is so good! wow! i want everyone i know to watch this. www.deathisnotdying.com the talk is titled "Death is not dying a faith that saves"

mothers day

2009-05-11T13:11:00.001-07:00

finally a picture of all four kiddos together. what more could i ask for.

its a good day when...

2009-05-10T15:59:00.001-07:00

you know it has been a good day when you come in from playing and your face looks like this!

girls trip

2009-05-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

grandpa darlye and baby brooke

grandma sandy and baby brooke

this last weekend we went on a girls trip to visit family and go to my friend cali's baby shower. we sure enjoyed seeing everyone! we were able to stay at my sisters house for the first time! so fun!! hayley loves everything about her auntie lisa. (flowers, candles, birds and a beautiful yard with worms and frogs) while i was at the baby shower, auntie lisa took hayley on a special date. they went to lunch, the toy store and dessert!! thanks auntie lisa! hayley wants to make this a tradition.

matching girls

2009-04-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

i have always matched my boys. i think matching makes everything a whole lot easier! (laundry, shopping and setting out clothes for them to wear) hayley was so excited to finally be able to match her sissy! i had to wait for brooke to fit into 3-6 months. grandma sandy found these cute little dresses for the girls -- thanks grandma sandy! i think the only stores that have matching outfits with a 7 year gap is Gymboree and Baby Gap! so fun!!

loving my new camera

2009-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

if i would have taken these with my old camera they would have had red eyes! it is so worth it to have a good camera with little ones, so if you are thinking about it don"t wait!

a long time ago...

2009-04-27T08:38:00.001-07:00

this boy loves star wars! can you tell? ( t shirt, blanket, pillow) he has played with his millennium falcon everyday since Christmas! well worth every penny. i think jj may know more star wars facts then his dad (is that possible?) grandma jayni found justin's star wars sheet sets from the 70's. how cool is that? so now both boys sleep on the same sheets their dad did when he was little. too funny!

a visit from grandma

2009-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

grandma jayni was here to visit the kids! (and us too-i think) i planned on getting a picture with her and all four kids before church on Sunday, but hayley was sick all night and grandma had a fall down our stairs, so she was a little sore. sorry! things don't always go as planned. we always enjoy having grandma come. her suitcase is always a little lighter when she leaves because she has it packed with toys for the little muffins. hayley and grandma found the first frog of the season. i need to remember to let it go before it is too late. (we have had that happen a few times)

justin and i went out on a much needed date while she was here and i was able to go to costco with only one kid. thank you for watching the kids and treating us to lunch and dinner grandma!! we love you and miss you XOXOXO

brooke is 3 months today

2009-04-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

what a blessing this little girl has been to our family. she will never lack hugs and kisses. if you ask me, she is growing way too fast. it is exciting to see all the changes they go through in only a few months. brooke is smiling, laughing, cooing and sleeping all night long! we love you so, so much baby girl and we thank God for you everyday!

early morning snuggles with sis

2009-04-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

our backyard

2009-04-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

i am so excited to get started on our backyard! it is such a overwhelming project and hard to visualize the finished product. we hope to get the kids a play structure in the next month. i wonder if they will play on it once we get it? or will they miss rolling around in the dirt?

brooke emerson faith 3 months

2009-04-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

so far she has managed to keep all of her hair

sam 3 years

2009-04-22T14:03:00.001-07:00

jj 5 years

2009-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

hayley 7 years

2009-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

my first post

2009-04-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

i am finally starting a blog to keep in touch with family and friends! i am not very computer savvy, but i am going to give it a try. this is my first post. my goal is to post any new and exciting things that are going on with our four little blessings!