Exciting News!!!!!!!

Alrighty. . . Brace yourselves!!!!! Since I am no longer the weekly blogger I use to be my blog reports have grown and this one is a whopper!!!! So much to report but I think I shall start with the most important! Aunt Georgia (Bodie's sister) gave birth to her twins!!!!!!!! Hurray! Welcome Piper and Preston!!! This is another set of Bates' twins that was a long awaited gift. The twins,Georgia, and her partner Kim are doing well. Georgia is on the road to recovery even though it has taken a little longer than expected. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers if you wouldn't mind! ;) The babies are BEAUTIFUL if I do say so myself but then again being their Auntie I may be biast. Aunt Shelley now can have the braggin rights to say she is an Auntie to THREE sets of boy/girl twins in only 2.5 years!!!! Go Aunt Shelley! There is our BIG news but follow below to see how much more we have had going on. . . .

My Dad with Brayton at my nephew Ezrin's Birthday party. Ezrin turned 4 and there was no shortage of kids to help him celebrate. We don't see him enough and it really was a reminder to make plans with him more often! A fun cousin indeed!
The kids with the Ames' girls celebrating their Mommy's birthday! They ate more cake than you can shake a stick at but what fun! We do a lot of activities with them and just adore their three girls. BFF's for sure! Dinner at their house has become a weekkly event and I couldn't be more pleased. First of all, Tiffany is a fabulous cook and who doesn't love to not have to do the cooking once in a while? Secondly, the kids really do play soooooooo well together. They have a sincere love for one another and I hope to see that flourish through the years. Their family has been a gift for us that we truly appreciate!

A little "Happy Birthday" for Tiffany!

A little ball action at playgroup! Friday we have a regular scheduled playgroup with an amazing group of kids and women. Seriously, the children are all so well behaved and the mom's are a genuine blessing to me every week. I admire so many of them and look to them for advice and suggestions since all our babies are so close in age. This Friday Christy, who always goes ALL out on every occasion, did it up great again! We made Valentine's Day boxes and exchanged home made valentines and lots of candy! The other set of twins in this phot are only 6 days younger than ours with an amazing story! This playgroups is always so much fun! I look forward to them every week!

The only picture I had of Georgia and her partner Kim with one of the twins.
A bluebird day snowmobiling in the Trinity mountains. Home away from home and a place we hold closest to our hearts. Dare I say, who needs therapy when you have mountains like this??? Although the twins have had more snowmobile trips than I have, all of us have still had a blast this year in the snow! If you call our house and we aren't home just glance to the east and know we are riding and loving our life! There really is no other place we love more in any season! Bodie and Annelise have gotten use to gearing up and heading out for a ride. Seeing them learn to love our same passions is an overwhelmingly huge joy! (Please do not spell check this or critique my vocab! ;). . .. .

Bodie! Silly boy has been having a great time this winter playing with his dog and helping his Daddy! Lately he seems to be attatched to Daddy at the hip. He loves garage time and tools too. A real man's man!

Mary getting a little love from Brayton. She is a Prairie girl herself and we always delight in some special time to catch up with her and her family.

Brayton broke thru his second tooth on February 11th. . . coincidence? I think not! The day the twins were born!!! However, he hasn't taken a liking to razor sharp teeth cutting up his gumline yet. Sleep is a memory and drool is the only thing we have in large quanities around here! Lucky he is so sinfully sweet!

Our evening motorcycle rides with Daddy. Daddy has taken to three kids like a fish in water and it has been the brightest light in my life to watch us all grow together. He is always there for our babies and they wait for him to come home every day like it's Christmas! Funny how nothing matters more when you see you babies happy!

My man of solid foods now. Baby food hasn't been his favorite but he is slowly adjusting to it. More times than not now he eats it without a fuss but never without a mess!

If you didn't already know, my kitchen table serves a make-shift pony when we need a little western adventure and it's cold outside! Giddy-up!!!

Grandma Linda made a visit last week as well bringing hand made gifts! There is nothing better, in my opinion, and the kids love their new hats and scarves. This is Anna's second pink hat and I am afraid she will never wear store bought again!!! It was great to visit with her and they sure loved their loot!

Annelise wanted to get in the tub with her clothes on and I simply couldn't find a reason not to! It was funny to us all! Sometimes a good bath with bubbles and your clothes on really makes your day! BTW, Annelise is a card carrying member of the "I literally potty trained myself since my mom waited too long" group. YEAH! I was waiting for Bodie to be interested and since he still cares so very little Annelise took matters into her own hands. What a leader! We are so proud of her and she has done a great job!

My dear friend April and her daughter Scarlett. They actually live a stone's throw from us and we love having them as neighbors!!! It's been fun to go on walks and simply hang out together when we have the time. Plus, she has been my organic food growing and eating side-kick! I think she is as neurotic as me so it's a beautiful friendship! :)
I think I might kidnap her beautiful baby girl one day but I can't say I never warned her!

The kids and I headed off the McCall for the weekend to enjoy the Winter Carnival. This is their third trip and we seem to be enjoying it more and more every year. The parade was a real thrill this year since the children were old enough to understand that they were throwing candy at us! It's always a sweet surprise when two year olds "get it!" and they got it! Lots of it too!!!! I had candy in every pocket of every coat we had on. This also means that we washed a lot of in the laundry! oops! The sculptures were beautiful and the scene was even more spectacular on the drive up and down. We are so lucky to have McCall just a short drive away!

Another fun pastime is all bathing together now that "B" can sit up on his own in the tub for long periods of time. They love anything that he can do with them and he adores all the love!

Piper Bushard Bates. She weighed 4lbs. 15 oz. and was 18" long. What a cutie!

Preston Bushard Bates bringing up the rear with 3lbs. 15 oz. and 16" long. Another adorable set of twins for our family if I must say so myself. However, believe me when I say we ALL think so!

Daddy ripping up some powder on a bluebird day! This boy has some skills!

No such thing as a "Wordless Wednesday!"

I can't even try. . . those of you who know me know that "wordless" isn't something I am. I should be more often but instead of trying to be something I am not I have decided to throw in a few words.

Lately, the one thing that has abundantly clear to me is how much our children love each other. Obvioulsy, they are siblings and they should but it's been different lately. Lately they have hugged randomly for no reason what-so-ever more times than I can count. They have

loved on Brayton to the brink of suffocation! He takes it well though! It makes us laugh until our sides hurt and it also makes us proud. We can't help but feel we are doing something right and I hope they will keep it up! Our dream is that it never ends. . . We love you Bodie, Annelise, and Brayton!!!

Everybody loves Brayton!

It deserved a second posting don't cha' think? Cute!!!
Happy + dimples = Brayton

Not a fan. At all!

Is a few weeks too late to post about our baby being six months old already? No. . . I didn't think so either! As crazy as it sounds to say our baby is getting big! He started sitting at the beginning of December and is still doing great! They always seem so big to me once they can do this. We still have our occasional fall but there are twin two year olds buzzing by him at a rapid fire pace to distract him so I totally understand.

Along with sitting we have started solids. If you call rice cereal a solid. With the twins, they loved any and all food. They were great eaters and never turned away a single thing. Brayton. . . not so much! His idea of a good meal is not something served up on a spoon. So far his favorite is carrots but even those are difficult to get in him. Clearly he isn't starving so I will rid myself of worry.

Speaking of his appearance, Brayton has made some great strides in growth as well. He is 16 lbs. 3 oz (30%) and 26" long (50%). Quite normal in his weight and height but to us he seems like a giant! Those little feathers atop his head are coming in light as ever too! We predict another blonde boy when there is more of it to judge. Blonde, bright blue eyes, and dimples. . . life should be hard for this little lover!

The very best thing I have to report though is his personality. What a cuddle bug! He is easy, content, strong, and has a laugh to draw anyone in! His big brother loves him more than any of us I am certain and Annelise adores him as well. We are still waiting for an ounce of jelousy to come but so far we are happy to report just the opposite. The twins can hardly pass him without kissing him or yealling "BaBeeeee!" For that we are grateful. He has been a light in our lives and we are blessed beyond words that he is here with us. We love you B!

Welcome New Year!

Alright people! Normally I don't dive into person thought or my own agenda. Well, today is different! Most of my friends know I have a facebook page and regularly communicate with friends and playdates on there. It's always been a fabulous source for keeping in touch and finding people you miss. However, after the recent New Year posts it dawned on me. . . SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people could use a real talking to! A kick in the rear! A mental pick-me-up! So, although many of you are already clicking off my blog page, I am going to share a few thoughts with you! With everyone and I hope the feeling spreads far and wide!

This Christmas was certainly the least we have ever spent or recieved. It was by every stretch of the word a strain to pull off but it never dawned on us to be miserable. I keep reading things about how horrible 2009 was. How it was the worst year ever. How we should all wish it good riddens. Well, I can't argue it was hard. We have never personally been so poor. We have never lost anything because of money until this year. We struggled to keep our employees afloat and finally had to sent them to unemployment and it broke our hearts. We DO understand.

What I don't understand is how so many people can be so negative about portfolios and bank accounts. It's money! Yes we all worked hard for it and perhaps it is gone but the great thing about money is you can always make more! Find the will, find a way, find the lesson we are all meant to learn here. Listen to the bigger picture and find something amazing about this struggle. I know it's been hard for us all. Grab a good friend, lean on your family, and CHOSE to be happy! We are all victims of our own thoughts. Decide what that will be for you!

Now I know very few people read my blog but here are our highlights of 2009~

The birth of Brayton Elliot! The twins turned two and are talking up a storm! We had work for 90% of the year! We still have our home, our health, our family, and our friends. We made new friends and made memories with the old friends. We have another year to tell those we love that we do and this year we will welcome new family members and watch others grow and excel! What a blessing it is that we have all our parents and no one is ill! We are alive and happy. Happy and thriving! 2010 better watch out!

My resolution is only to chose happiness EVERY day! What will yours be?

Happy Holidays!!!!!

Gingerbread house time! Whoohooo!

Bodie eating his weight in candy!

Annelise at play!

Secret secret, I've got a secret!

Eating the Gingerbread house. Two weeks and still tastes good!

"I'll take ya where you need to go brother!"

Santa Brayton!

Annelise Christmas Eve.

Everyone gathering outside my Brother's house to see his Grizzwald light show timed to music.

Holiday cookies and best buddies!

Uncle Kurt with Brayton

The Grizzwald house. . . aka Kurt and Angela's!

Who can believe the year is already coming to an end. Just a few short weeks away from what always feels like fresh beginnings. Like so many people, we have been scaling back this year so please take no offense if a Christmas card did not make it into your mailbox. We thought we would write a little holiday note here for all our friends and family.

It sure was a busy year! Winter sports, trips to the mountains and the coast, new friends, lots of toddler fun and the arival of Brayton Elliot! We have grown as a family and have hit a great stride now being a unit of five! Although the twins have been the light in our hearts, I must say that as cliche' as it sounds, Brayton has made us complete. They love him dearly and can hardly stand to be without him for any time at all. No doubt that this year made our lights a whole lot brighter.

As the year comes to a close, Bodie and Annelise are talking up a storm, discovering new things every day, and developing very distinct personalities! Bodie is orderly and busy as a bee ALL the time while Annelise is deep into her books again and always playing baby dolls. Brayton smiles non-stop! Laughs at his brother and sister and could care less about sleep. He is the happiest boy I have ever seen and still cuddles all day. I hope these phases stay a while because we just haven't had enough yet.

As for the grown ups in the house. . . Bodie is scraping up work as best he can. We have managed to stay busy and keep our guys working but things have slowed down for sure this time of year. While we struggle to adjust to this economy like so many others we continually count the amazing blessing we do have and remain grateful. We certainly cannot complain because our business is still operating and Bodie always manages to find something. He is quite amazing that way and we feel fortunate to know he is doing it for our family.

As for myself, well, I am still LOVING being home with the babies. I have taken on a few faux jobs here and there this winter and will do as many as I need to while the economy is so slow. The kids get Daddy time and the extra change doesn't hurt. Our hope is that I can continue to stay at home with the children as long as possible always keeping in mind that that plan may have to change one day. Until then, we just enjoy spending every hour of every day with them!

As the year closes in we look forward to ringing in the New Year in our favorite mountain town and enjoying the snow covered scenery with our family of five. We hope 2010 is a good one for us all! We think of you often and miss all the people we love living many miles away. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and God bless! We love you!!!

Post 176. . . Turkey time!

Our family!
Our Ham this year was super cute!

Learning to become a ham like his brother!

Madison and Annelise loving the baby!

This season brings mud. . .and we LOVE mud!

You read that right. . . .176! Really? Do we really have that much to say that we can fill 176 posts??? Apparently we do! As I stand here thinking this my mind is also flooded with all the things I forgot to share with everyone. For instance: Brayton is now 5 months old!, Annelise has declared herself a BFF and her name is Izzy, Bodie has a HUGE obsession with all things motorcycle, snowmobile season has started, Annelise was on the news for three days straight thanks to Boo at the Zoo and channel 7, and all the little play dates we do every week! All of these things are showered in humorous one liners from the twins and bright eyed smiles from Mr. B (aka Brayton!). If only I had the time to share everything with everyone. I guess the best thing to do is come and visit or we will come to you!!!

Just yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with loads of turkey and great food! The company was great but I am going to tell you about the food first because it was seriously that good! We went to my brother and sister-in-law's house this year. They had over quite a bit of Angela's family and we all brought a dish while Kurt fried the turkey and made stuffing. This was the best idea! Everyone seemed to bring their BEST dish and the result was a new and super yummy dinner! Believe it or not I did a jello dessert and it turned out fabulous thanks to my dear friend Paula.

We all ran around their house like hooligans and the kids had a great time with family, friends, and Bella the spoiled bunny! We have a lot to be thankful for this year and I don't mind saying so.

We are thankful for each other and our families, friends, and people that enrich our lives everyday. We are thankful for the home we share, the ability to provide for our family financially and emotionally, for our health, and most of all the love that lives in this house. This house is a happy one and there is no amount of money that could be better than that. Thank you God for another year and for all the things we don't have.