Little bit of love!

Brayton. A little bit of love. Actually, a LOT of love! I have so many pictures to look through that I thought I would simply start by sharing Brayton with everyone! Good start, eh? :)

Lion's, Daisy's, and Shark's. . .OH MY!

Boy, do we like a good gift! Since moving to North Dakota, the children love and anticipate the mailwoman more than ever before! Recently, Nanny (a.k.a. Grandma Bates) sent the children some adorable new bath towels complete with their name on them. Needless to say, they were a big hit! HUGE!! They just love wrapping up and playing in them after a bath. No one loves it more than Brayton though. He has this hilarious "Roar" that he says in a whisper. Makes us laugh every time he does it. Although these photos don't really capture how darn cute the towles are, I can assure you, they are adorable. We love, love, love all the thoughtful presents that we have received since moving. Last week, Aunt Shelley showered the babies with Easter jammies and treats and a month ago PaPop (Grandpa Duane) spoiled them with an enormous box of clothes. Even Grandpa and Grandma Bates have sent CD's and fun seeds to plant that were special treats too. We sure miss all our family but look forward to seeing everyone soon! The best treat for us is always some quality time together!

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn!!!

I couldn't resist the chance to slip in some good 70's lyrics on this post since we, indeed, did stay at the Holiday Inn this weekend. I am pretty sure no one who knows me is very surprised. :) We packed up and hit the road again to celebrate the Big 30 with my cousin Brandy!!! Luckily, we got to see my Aunt and Uncle, Cousin Jessica and her son Weston, and Brandy's husband and children as well. It was a quick trip but the children had a great time and I think you can see why. The hotel was a child's heaven for swim adventures! In all honesty, I hadn't been to a Holiday Inn for quite some time and I can tell you, they have upped their game!! Good times!

Sadly, when I knew I would be going the only thing I said to myself was that I wanted pictures of everyone before we left. Cousin's with cousin's, the children all together in some sort of adorable pig pile, and some of my Aunt and Uncle as well. Do you think I was smart enough to do that? Nope! So once again, I kick myself. Without any photo's to prove it, I can tell you that both my pregnant cousin's look beautiful, their children are equally beautiful in all ways, and my Aunt and Uncle seem to never ever change a bit. It was a fun, all to quick trip, and I love and miss my family even more every time I get to see them. Happy Birthday Brandy Rose!!!

Brayton, Bodie, Logyn, and Annelise taking to the slippery steps! Brayton's belly!

Annelise getting brave enough to climb the steps and squirt the water on everyone below. She is not a fan of being on the receiving end of this contraption.

Good times!

Anna Banana having fun!

Brayton relaxing in the pool with Daddy. Kid is so calm and relaxed in the water.

The only thing that would have made this trip better was more time, more time, and more time with family.

Cooke City. . .The Good, The Bad, and The UGLY!

This picture of Annelise pretty much sets the tone for her attitude the entire trip last weekend to Cooke City, MT.
The little fella's getting ready for a ride on the snowmobile with Daddy. Brayton was by far the biggest fan last weekend. He was outside the entire time and threw a huge fit when he had to come in. That kid loves the outdoors!!

Bodie cruising the street of Cooke looking for the girl's. :) In all seriousness, there weren't many grown women who weren't captivated by this little flirt. Even the gal at the "Buns~n~Beds" offerred to keep him for a while.

While we were gone we saw LOTS of Buffalo! I mean a crazy amount. They are some big and stubborn creature's and Annelise likes to call them "Buffalo Dog's". Yeah, not sure why?? On our way home, they refused to move from in front of the truck. We all loved it since it gave us time to really stare them down and check them out just feet from us. I love that my children have this fun memory.

There were some pretty amazing things on this trip. There were also some bummers. Sometimes we push our children too far and sometimes, they push us too far. Both happened this past weekend. The long drive at odd hours and little sleep seemed to not settle with the twin's and it proved to provide some crabby children. Usually, they LOVE any adventure and are truly amazing traveler's. It's one of the things we love about them so much. Last weekend actually ended a day early due to us saying the ever threatening quote of "Shape up right now or we are going home!!!!" Well, no shaping up came of it and I had no problem whisking them off to the truck and home. It was a sad end to a great vacation in one of the most beautiful places.

On the "amazing" side, we actually got to see a pack of six wolve's circle and try to attack a heard of three buffalo. It was like something out of National Geographic!! I never could get the wolve's and the buffalo in the same picture because when I was pulling up, it was already taking place and by the time I had the camera out, the wolve's had moved down the river a bit. However, it was just awesome to watch. I know that we all have our dream place that is just magical and mine is most certainly the mountains. There aren't words for the peace it brings me or the happiness I feel to have all of my family there at once. I have traveled to many places all over the world. I have seen eight countries and nothing is more amazing to me than those mountains.

I guess if the children had to be naughty, they picked a great place. We still had a great time with friend's and I even got to get out on the snowmobile for a while without children in tow. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we never have a repeat performance!!! :)

Thrilling

You know, I use to do a lot of thrilling things every week. I use to climb crazy vertical mountains on a snowmobile and fly through class 3 and 4 rapids on my stand up ski. There were times riding my jet ski in the ocean that my adrenaline was sky high. Big pay day's from my own business were such satisfaction at the time. All of this I still do on a much smaller and lesser scale but there has never been, and most likely will never be, anything more thrilling to me than seeing this man with his children.

When I was young, all I ever wanted was every single thing I have right now. Even on the worst of days, there is always that moment somewhere when all I have to see is this man, those children, and I know that no mountain or rapid could ever bring this kind of thrill again. We are blessed and lucky.

Brayton

Last but in no way the least, our little man Brayton. When Brayton was born, I am pretty certain he was in charge from day one. He has always known what he wanted, has never been afraid to go get it, and is the most determined of the three. He has a die hard spirit for adventure and is scared by nothing other than the sound of the blender and being seperated from Mommy. The twin's doted on him day and night when he was an infant and between Mommy, Daddy, and them we are pretty sure we spoiled him to the core. He is a pistol and can test you to the limit but is also the absolute biggest cuddler of any child I have ever known. Nothing is better than being held and he doesn't mind begging for it if needed. He is sugar with a side of tobasco!

He has won our hearts with those huge dimples and blonde hair. The baby of this family but in so many ways, such a big boy. He is bursting at the seams with vocabulary and talks constantly. He eats as much as the adults do and yet has remained a pint sized ball of fire! This little man has a thousand expressions and can "woo" a crowd with them all. We are just in love, love, love with this boy and cannot express how much joy and excitement he has brought to our family.

Brayton, "B", B'Licious, Cheeky (the twin's nicknamed him this on their own), Bug, and one of Daddy's Peeps, he is as sweet as they come. Thank goodness for surprises because we can't imagine a minute without this little fella!

Bodie

He was the first born. The baby who had to bare the weight of his twin the entire time I was pregnant and even to this day, he would do anything for his sister. This little man is obsessed with his Daddy, motorcycle's, and all things that go fast. With this particular zest for speed you would think he was a dare devil but not at all. He is the one who studies something until he knows he can do it and then carefully plans his attack. He has a sense of balance that is seriously so impressive that the circus isn't out of the question for his career!

He started walking at 10 months and turned heads because he was so tiny doing it. His big brown eyes have stolen a few hearts in his day and isn't shy about letting the ladies know he likes them. Don't be too fooled though, he has an honory side as long as you are tall! He can throw a tantrum that makes you wonder where he learned his skills and will also make you question your own parenting skills. He is busy as busy can be and while he is awake, there is no off button in sight. All boy and all about dirt and destruction but there is nothing more pure than when this little man settles in your lap for some love. He needs his daily dose of hugs and kisses more than the other two and is the most happy next to a parent. His siblings both fight for his attention and he is usually kind enough to cater to them both.

Bodie, Bobo, Bobo on the go-go, Big Guy, Little Man, just to name a few. There truly is no one who loves their mommy more than her little boy or a truer buddy to his Daddy. This child has brought us unimaginable joy and we are blessed to be chosen as his parent's.