Grateful

I don't have many words, or even momentous happenings to write about. I am simply grateful today.

Christmas is only 10 days away. My kids are excited, healthy and an incredible amount of fun. I am loving the time I have with each and every one of them.

My kitchen is finished. Although we lost a water heater and had a "small" gutter problem through all of it - we have a kitchen, a roof over our heads and the ability to pay our bills. I am grateful.

I love my job and the ability I have to feel fulfilled while working and to be a mother at the same time. My boss is fabulous in understanding who I am and what I need to make this work for me. I love going to work every day.

My husband is AMAZING. I am more in love with him today than I was ten years ago, althought it sounds like a cliche when I say that.

Simply grateful.

By the way - if you can hear the music I've chosen - we have fallen in love with this group. Merry Christmas!

Fall Break

We've had a great fall break. We were lucky enough to fit in a trip to the zoo and a visit from our Idaho davis Family. This weekend we were able to take some time and honor Uncle Naki, as this weekend was the year-mark from his death. My mom and sisters came to Utah to attend a benefit concert for Abby and her girls. I have to say - that was an amazing experience. I was only able to capture one picture from the evening but you can visit Jr's facebook to see more. I hope Abby was able to feel the enormous amount of love for her and the girls this weekend. We love you Abby... I am attaching some pictures from the zoo because
1. I'm NEVER in pictures and I actually have one of me with the kids.
2. I never capture Emma smiling in pictures and I finally did.
3. My kids are too cute to not brag. :)

"One of these things just doesn't belong here, one of these things just isn't the same..."

This picture was too telling to not share. Remember that song from Sesame Street? Grayson went on a field trip with his preschool class to the fire station today. This is a picture of him with his class. Granted, they are in their first year, so are 4ish but still?

Please Come!

Our little Brousseau family loves and adores our Maile family and wishes that we could do more to help them. This concert is one way for anyone else who feels the same way to do so. Please come and help honor Uncle Naki...

Gray-isms

Another week done. That's how I feel. I made it through one more week. Couple of updates - our kitchen needs redone due to a water leak. Should be started in 3 weeks. Can anyone give some advice on color of cabinets, counter and flooring. I feel lost and overwhelmed. All 3 kids had great weeks again with their sports, etc. Matt and I survived our work week. Nough said. Couple of things Gray said to me this week ---
I was mopping the kitchen floor and Grayson came running to the edge of the kitchen floor. He then began taking deliberate steps on the wet floor and said, "Look mom - I'm just like Jesus - I can walk on water!"

And- at the BYU football game I was teaching him all about the downs and when to yell, when not to, etc. I showed him how on 3rd down for the opposite team we all start yelling loud to break their concentration. A few minutes later he turned and started yelling in my ear, NOT at a 3rd down. I turned to him to nicely explain that we only do that on a 3rd down and he said, "I know mom - I'm trying to stop you from thinking." Perfect.

Grays' Birthday

It finally came. I think to Gray it felt like it would never come. He's finally 5 and at least for a while when we tell people his age they won't look quite as shocked. Enjoy the pics - we sure love that kid! He's intelligent, strong, independent, loving and determined - Happy Birthday Gray!

What a week we've had....

I said earlier this week that we are crazy busy....but with good things! I am so excited for all of my older 3 kids as they have new and challenging experiences. Grayson had his first soccer game this week and scored a goal! It was really fun to watch him FINALLY be able to participate in what his older siblings have been doing. His time of watching from the sidelines is finally over and he is SOOOO excited. He wore his soccer uniform ALL day the day of his game - including the shin guards and cleats.

Addie has been advanced in dance and is loving having 2 whole hours to dance each week. She really loves it and definitely does NOT get it from me. She had her first soccer game this week too - her team won 3-2 and Addie had 2 of those goals. She has seriously come out of her shell in soccer this year. No more hanging back and watching her teammates get in on the action - you could see the determination in her face as she was ALL over the field helping on defense and leading the way to the goal. I sound like a dork but that is seriously how it was! Addie also is on her way to braces. We had a meeting with the orthodontist this week and gets some front toop braces next month....I all of a sudden feel old. I didn't before but when I realized I was old enough to have a daughter with braces?

Jax - he has had some fantastic milesones this week. He lost his first tooth and is beaming....He had his very first real test at school and aced it. He had his first soccer game and scored 10 goals. Um... Not sure what to say about that one. But - the moment I am most proud of is his football game. Here's why.

Jackson is a very sensitive and serious little man. He had his first football game last week. (He's number 23 if you are looking at the pictures....) He completed a 60 yard run, as the quarterback, handed the ball off on the next play to have his receiver fumble it and Jackson was tackled. Well - he cried, for the next 30 minutes and would NOT go back into the game, at all.
We discussed it with him and told him that if he hated it, so be it, but he did need to finish the season and then he could never play again if he wanted. BUT, we also told him that we think he is a child that wants perfection and when he gets tackled hard and things go wrong he gets nervous about failing again. So, he went to every practice this week, we didn't baby him and took him to his game today.

Today was a dream - he worked HARD... Their team lost 27-0. But, he was chosen as one of the team captains, he had a sack, some good tackles, he ran the ball for a first down, and most importantly he didn't quit. I am so proud of him. He got home and said - I am so proud of myself! I finished the whole game! As a reward - he's at the BYU football game with his dad right now.... I love that little man - he is seriously such a good kid. What a great moment to get to witness for him - the feeling of accomplishment and not quitting. This to me is what it's all about....

Look what I've got!

Our family has a 4th grader, 1st grader, and...... a football player.

Jax has joined the Mountain View 1st and 2nd Grade football team and LOVES it. He is the quarterback for right now and has his first game on Saturday.

Could Addie have picked any cuter of an outfit for her first day of school? Love that that girl has her own adorable style. She's awesome....

Our lives are now September crazy. Dance twice a week, Soccer twice or three times a week for Addie, Jax and Gray (he's officially old enough to play and SOO excited), and football 3-4 times a week. I'm saying a big prayer that we make it through September without a melt down.

Out of Bed

As I'm walking up the stairs to go to bed last night...I decided to stomp my feet or step really heavy as I went up. Thinking that my two boys were in bed and that it would be funny - to scare them a little bit, knowing that Mom was coming up and they'd better stay in bed.

Little did I know - Grayson was already out of bed and in the bathroom....with his shirt off posing and flexing in the mirror. When I started stomping up the stairs, his little cute head pokes out of the bathroom looking nervous and said, "I was just seeing how strong I was!"

Cute little man - flexing in the mirror. Wish I was a fly on the wall in that room.

It took something major to get me blogging again...

So I've, we've, been busy. The Brousseau clan has had a crazy summer. It doesn't help that both Matt and my jobs are the BUSIEST in the summer. As a result, blogging has fallen off of my priority list.

Today... Emma received her first stitches.

Why is it that my girls end up injured but my kamakaze boys have yet to have anything happen to them? No jinxing myself here.

Emma was trying to walk down the stairs today while holding her blanket. She stepped onto her blanket and fell down the stairs, of course, landing with her forehead directly in to the small corner of the post of the banister. Our rounded, curved banister has a small corner at the bottom. She hit it right between her eyes but close to her left eyebrow. It looked like a great big dent.

We did slow the bleeding but it kept trickling and after 10 minutes decided that she would at least need one stitch because it just looked like this hole... The after hours pediatrician was fantastic. One stitch, some durabond and bandaid, $35, and a lot of Motrin later - she's all fixed up....Stitch stays in for 5 days, no bath for 48 hours.

She is all smiles now and really was a trooper.
Cristal, our babysitter/3rd daughter (it feels like, we LOVE you Cristal!!!) was fantastic under stress, put pressure and ice on it until I got there 5 minutes later. Can I just say that it is an incredible blessing that we have Cristal and that my work is literally 1 minute away.

I will post a picture later ---working on a new computer that has not been set up with my current camera yet.

Someone tell me this? How did I not know that I could go to the after hours Pediatrician for stitches when Addie needed them? $35 for Emma, $800 for Addie. Hmmm...

Sneak Peak Preview

We finally did it! We had new family pictures taken a few weeks ago. Although we haven't selected our actual picture yet - here is a sneak peak of what they will look like!

Not a good idea...

In case you were thinking of trying this... It is not a good idea to walk 100% percent reverently to Primary from sacrament. Because if you do, you just might close your eyes all of the way while walking. All of the way reverent means you hae your arms folded, head bowed and eyes closed, like during a prayer. And with your eyes closed, you might think you are walking straight, but really you are veering to the right and walking straight in the direction of the library door jam. My 4 yr. old tried this today and ended up with a HUGE goose egg on his forehead. Just sayin. Not a good idea. Sure made a loud noise though.

Tim the Silver Medalist

We had the ABSOLUTE pleasure of attending Tim's Basketball tournament in Boise this past weekend. Tim was fabulous. He had some awesome box outs, rebounds, 3 POINTERS!!!!, and layups. He was fantastic and definitely one of the team allstars. We noticed that the team excelled when Tim was in the game...We had a blast.... So much so that Nathan, Connie's youngest fell asleep at the end. Thanks for inviting us Tim, we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Who's Really in Charge?

Who's really in charge at our house? Mom or Dad? Here's what the kids think....

We recently purchased new soccer balls for all 3 of our older children. For Gray, it was his very first own soccer ball. During Primary this last week, as I am doing my calling of the Primary Chorister, I can see Gray turning around in his chair over and over again to make the class behind him laugh. So, in my midsentence I said, "Gray you just lost your soccer ball." Well that did it. I have NEVER seen him so quickly behave and stay well-behaved for amount of time that he did. He even walked from church to the car with his arms folded and head bowed. It was hilarious. The point of the story is this....

Matt and Jackson were sitting in the car watching Gray walk to them, very reverently. Matt leans out of the window and says, "That is one reverent boy, looks like he's earned his soccer ball back."

Jackson pipes back, "Well, that's just Dad's opinion. Let's see what Mom has to say."

Enough said.

2nd Update!

Addie's Dance Recital .... We were lucky enough to have my parents and Uncle Tim here for the girls' recital this year. The Maile girls were FANTASTIC! Addie was such a delight to watch because of her love of the stage. To think that she was TERRIFIED of being on a stage several years ago, and then to see her up there in front of a large croud having the time of her life.... She's really come far. It's almost as if she's transformed from her mom's personality to her Dad's. My kids are constantly surprising me..... Well done Addie!