Three years ago. . .

The twins are thick as thieves and the best of buddies. I know I already posted this shot last post but I just love it. The two of them loving their best pal Lucy and being within feet of each other as usual. Who would have thought three years ago that this is where they would be? On the river shores of their future home 1100 miles from where they started.
They started out so small (4.13 lbs. and 4.10 lbs) and so fragile it seemed. Although they couldn't roll or really squirm too far they always managed to end up touching hands or some part of their body while they slept. Even today, they don't sleep without the other one in the same room and neither one likes to be far from the other for very long. The lay on each other and hug without prompting which always makes us smile. Their is a bond between them that is rare and special. Fortunately for us we have watched it flourish for the past three years.
Annelise was such a content baby and that has carried over into her toddler years as well. She still loves her books more than any other toy and is in love with anything princess or hello kitty. We always joke that Annelise is so independent that she could live on her own if we let her. She loves her ABC's and can color a mean page from her strawberry shortcake color book. Not much of a cuddler but when she needs a little love she will crawl up and demand it. Not a single person minds giving in. She also potty trained herself a long time ago and is quite impressive with her skills! She is our resident dare devil and often only needs to prove to herself she can do it and after attempting something once. . . she is done. Very verbal and expressive she is also our bossy pants in the house and can often be overheard letting her brothers know who rules the roost. A sharing girl, a compassionate girl, and very thoughtful. She even yelled "God Bless You!" to a stranger in the grocery store who sneezed recently and will always ask if someone who falls is ok. This girl is sweet as the day is long and at almost three years old we are more smitten with her now than ever!
Itty bitty Bodie Burton. In the beginning this boy outweighed his sister by a whopping 3 ounces but now trail behind a whole 4.5 lbs. Tiny whirlwind of might power, this kid is excited about everything and a Daddy's boy from the core of his being. He is still the man's man and loves all things dirty, wheels, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and some good tools! He loves to cuddle and suck his thumb while rubbing your earlobe. So sweet but his little brother could pass on the ear rubs! Although he isn't the slightest bit interested in being potty trained, he is fascinated with the thought of taking off his training wheels already and loves his bike! He loves to ride anything with a motor with his dad and can be found tinkering in the garage beside him almost always. The boy loves chocolate milk and his dog. Twinkle twinkle is his favorite song and I love it when he asks me to sing it to him. Although he is a Daddy's boy, he loves to cuddle with me and I couldn't love it more. He already loves girls and parties so we are scared of what is ahead. This boy melts hearts daily and ours are included!

It's just so hard to believe that on the 30th it will be three years since I held my breath when the Doctor said they would be here today. So hard to believe that I have had the privledge of being their mom and God trusted me to their care. Seems like yesterday that these beautiful babies were a dream we hoped for and now I write this with three years of memories and a heart bursting with love for them. We laugh so hard at the things they say and do. What a riot they are together. Our lives are ever changing and as I reflect back on the last three years I can honestly say they have only changed every day for the better.

Happy Birthday Bodie Burton and Annelise Lucia!

We love you!!!

The Glue that Binds

Three amazing kids at the Dakota Zoo in Bismark watching the bear have a lazy day.
The twins loving the best dog ever on the Missouri River beaches.

Three babies all in a row.

One sister smothering her brothers!

Life has been exciting to say the least lately!!! Two weeks ago the kids and I headed back to North Dakota for another visit with daddy. The miles are long but they pass quickly knowing we get to see Bodie as soon as we arive! Living in the camp trailer with all five of us does not pass as quickly but we made the best of it for sure. However, a camp trailer it won't be forever because. . . . . .WE ARE MOVING!!!!!!!!!

I know. I can't really believe it yet either. Actually, I think I am still in denial about it. Denial that we have to leave this home we all love!! The home our babies were all brought home to. The home we remodeled and made our own with our own hands. So sad that I have to find a renter and a place to rent. I know a home is where you make it and all that but I love it here. I love the view from my windows and the green grass that stretches forever out our front door. I love the nursery that I painted myself and the trees we planted that grew up so tall like they were happy to be with our family.
It's just harder to do than I thought it would be.

On the other hand, Bodie has become the most ambitious man I know!!! We are all SO proud of all his hard work and I really admire his tenacity. Bodie and the crews have been working nose to the grind stone 12-16 hours a day and we are all climbing out of this financial hole together. Feels so good to bring the employees with us as well. Their loyalty has made me admire them more as well. We can't do any of this without them and we are grateful beyond thank you!

There is so much to do and so much to figure out yet as we change out lives so drastically but these three beautiful children have been our glue. With few moments to talk to Bodie and few days together even when we are there, it is these amazing children that pull our heart strings tighter and make us press on. Keeping this family a unit, taking care of each other, and knowing that we do what we have to makes the change possible.

They are our glue.

Dancing Queen. . . and Kings!

I know, my blogging has been few and far between. Then when I make a quick come back it's short lived. Well. . . .I may not change anytime soon. However, here is a snipit of our days. Enjoy!

As many of you know, Bodie is a working maniac in North Dakota right now. We are beyond grateful for the opportunity and trying our very hardest to make the most our of it. The bad part is we are all seperated my many miles. It has been over 45 days since it all began and we have only been together as a family for 6 days of that and 3 short nights. We seem to be getting use to the change and the children have been so great! They miss their daddy and so do I but we are like so many families just trying to make some lemonade! Three small children all by myself is certainly keeping me busy and not giving me a chance to get upset about the distance. Thank goodness! :)

Running with Sparklers!

Go East young man, go east! The month of June proved to be a month of change for our family. Along with Brayton turning one, yes it's true, we were blessed with an opportunity to head in the direction of my home for work. North western North Dakota would be our backdrop for employment but Montana would be my first destination! Mixed feelings accompanied this opportunity. The little family we have here is close, very close! So the miles would be hard to take but we decided that we needed to try it out and at least give it a chance. Once again, our family amazed me and we all handled it like champs. Here are the pics to prove it! :)

Although I downloaded this backwards, I had to show off Tommy the Turtle. See Bodie and Annelise on the left? This is Tommy who represents the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota. Apparently, he is quite the man! Even landed himself as a question on Jeopardy. We got to see him up close and personal just blocks away from my cousin's house in Bottineau while we cheered on cousin Kylie at her t-ball game.
Brayton found himself right at home on the beaches of the Metigoshy lake. I probably murdered the spelling of that! My Dad actually attended boy scout camp there as a kid. One of my favorite things about going home is the stories you hear about your family and your past. What a great connection it was to hear my Dad had stayed there as a kid. Made that moment even more special to me and will always stay with me.

This is our resident dare devil Logyn! She is a wee 20 months old with the personality of a grown adult!! Sassy and fierce! She was the bravest toddler I have ever met and made me smile beyone words the entire time I was with her. She gives a delightful bear hug but will also show you her bear strength when needed. We loved getting to know her and miss her much already!

Annelise and Logyn loving some water time together! Kylie was so excited to have the kids coming to see her. I was just thrilled that Annelise would have some girl bonding time. All of my life I have wanted for a sister and I can't help but want that bond for Anna and somehow I felt really good about Kylie filling that role. She was the perfect friend and care taker. She watched over the kids and helped me with the basics every day still managing to have lots of fun with them. I swear her sweetness rubbed off on Annelise because she has been soooooo compassionate since we have been home. Just like her cousin Kylie.

This was on the 4th at my aunt and uncle's house in Plentywood. Yep, I know sparklers are dangerous. Yep, I know kids shouldn't play with fire. Yep, I know they are young but I simply don't care. They loved them and were all genuinely sad when each sparkler came to an end.

My Aunt Debbie has quite a love for fireworks. I neve knew this before. She was kind of our ring leader and a great one as well! The kids were in sparkler heaven!!!! This is the first year they have made it up long enough to see them and they were thrilled! We set them off a little early but the kids were sp happy and excited to be part of a celebration that they didn't care at all!

Bodie running with his sparkler. He is so free and careless. I should take a few lessons every now and again. Made me so happy to see my kids running free, wide open spaces, with so much excitement.

Kylie took this picture of Bodie. Happy. She captured happy. Nice!

Sparkler parade!!!!! My Aunt Debbie is the best. She ran a big sparkler parade with the kids and they loved it! She is so involved with them and they all loved her so much. As a kid I always thought Debbie was the best mom. She was always doing things with her girls. So active in their activities and life. She has made me think about my own self a lot and how I want to be. She has inspired me and earned so much respect from me. While I was there she was a great listener and friend, a great aunt and great-aunt to my babies. How lucky I feel to call her my aunt!

Brayton in Montana. Looks perfect to me.

Kylie took this picture too and what is so funny is this is the picture that best describes our entire trip. Happy! We had our problems with adjusted schedules, routine, and every other thing you would expect from going so far away from home but we were all genuinely happy almost the entire time. Smiles, laughter, hugs. . . . .Love it!

Getting in the groove of the sparkler! They were a little careful at first but soon they were as carefree as the rest of us.

Smores. . . .Need I say more?????

This is what family looks like in my mind. Everyone together doing the same thing. Laughing. Loving. Living. It was so special to me to show my kids the way family can be. I loved showing them how miles apart can't take away closeness or genuine love for each other.

At a park in Plentywood having fun with Aunt Debbie and Unlce Randy!Brayton enjoying some hang time!

My cousin Lisa and her daughter Nicole. Sweet cannot even describe the two of them! Lisa was born from sugar I swear!!!!!! I haven't seen her in quite a while but the second I heard her voice I know she hadn't changed a bit! They don't make them any kinder or sweet!

We set free a memory balloon while in Montana. The children set free a balloon for Great grandpa Howard, Great Grandma Lois, Great Grandma Annie, and Great-great-grandma Alice who died at 102. It was really sweet. Although they are gone, I am constantly reminded of them and was blessed to pay even the smallest tribute to them all. I will always regret not seeing them more and taking the time to let them know how much they meant to me.

My Aunt Arlene gathering candy with the kids at the 4th of July parade. The fact that she was willing to run for candy made her a sure favorite with the kids. What's not to love thought? She really is sweet as candy!

Sprinkler time in Montana!!!!!!!

Logyn. Miss her lots!!!!

What do you do when you turn 100? Well, if you are the small town of Outlook, MT, you throw a parade and get silly!! Look at that tractor? WOW!!!

You also hold anual bath tub races! Of course! Why didn't I think of that?

Ready. . . .Set. . . . . . . . GO!!!!!!

Anna's first blue ribbon for a race!!!!! Yep! I have it saved! Yep! I hope it is one of many since we are family who loves track!!!!! I was proud of my shy girl for even trying. She has proven to be one strong girl lately. Much like a cat, she stays in the distance until she needs to pounce. Then she is all business!!!!

Starting out our stay with a memorial 5k run/walk. It was nice to pay tribute to someone they hold dear. Plus, I got to spend time with my aunt!

Taking pictures as we enter Montana. Being home just felt so good!!!! I couldn't help it! Something wonderful about home soil under your feet. Makes me want to go home more often for sure.

Almost 20 hours in the car. . . .each way. That's all I can say!!! They did great actually. I was amazed and impressed and most of all. . . . . .GRATEFUL!!!

From here to Home!

Brayton. He's one! (Sitll cannot believe it!!!! )Relaxing at Redfish lake while we were camping last weekend in Stanley Idaho. It's beautiful and breath taking! We are so fortunate to live close to such a great stretch of mountains. After hundreds of photos last weekend I picked just this one to share for now.

We have so much going on and I cannot wait to post about it. The children will soon be sharing memories with some of my amazing family and I am thankful and excited to be giving them this opportunity! So, until then, it's just butt cheeks on the sand and I hope it makes you smile!

B-Licious!

That's what we call him. B-Licious!
Mainly because he is so delicious!

He only has a few weeks left of "Babyhood" so I thought I would share some recent moments.

B-Licious! We love you!

This and a that and a this and a. . .

The weather has been raining here lately! Yeah!!! I sincerely love a good rain and thought that we would just make some fun out of it. So lately we have dawned our "umbwella's" and went right out into the thick of it. We played in the rain for about two hours this morning and they hadn't had enough when it was time to come in. You can't tell by this picture but it was raining HARD this particular morning and even Brayton (tucked snuggly in the bjorn) was super thrilled and amazed by the down pour. I love that these kids are all in no matter the activity!
This is our first geocach find! Whaaahoooo! I had never heard of goecaching until our dear friends told us about the treasure hunt that goes world wide! You need a GPS and the skills to actually use it but once you have that down it's nothing but fun! You find a treasure, sign the log book and leave a treasure from your own family. They are all over the world and there were even over a hundred within 3 miles of my house! WOW! This one we found out in the hills in Big Willow. It was so exciting to be hunting for real treasure and I am certain we have found a new habit!!

Four teeth and cute as a button! His burn is almost 100% better now and as he approaches his first birthday we are both excited for all the adventures we know he will have but also a little sad. Our baby is almost one and it's hard for me to swallow that he is really our last. Don't get me wrong. . . . WE are DONE! Just wish these baby months could have gone slower. What a beautiful, sweet, funny, and curious baby he is! Love you B!!!!!!

The twins hugging, Brayton checking out a bug, the hills in the background, hanging out at one of our favorite places. . . this is my life! Lucky are we!

Ok, I must admit. I didn't really fall! We were goecaching and our next treasure was 1.25 miles away so we walked. Down hill to get to it. Some of it was VERY down hill. Needless to say "Where you walk to you must walk from." You guessed it! We had to walk UP HILL with this stroller for over 1.25 miles!!!! VERY up hill!!! This picture looks like we were going down hill but only because we staged it to look that way. We were laughing so hard at ourselves and thought we were so funny. I love a good joke and this photo just made me laugh so hard. That's all Folks!