The Booth Family

Brotherly Love

2011-12-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Back in November my brother came to visit for a couple days.

He actually had a job to do for work in San Antonio and since he was only about 3-4 hours away he decided to come see us! What an awesome brother!

He flew in to San Antonio on Thursday the 10th, got the job done with in a few hours then drove to Houston. He got in at about 4:00 am on the 11th. We had all day Friday to spend with him. My sister came from Conroe to hang out with us.

We again, went to Toms work and gave Travis the tour of Johnson Space Center. Later we came home, ordered pizza and relaxed. We were all pretty worn out.

The next day we stayed around the house until about an hour before he had to leave for the airport. That hour before we took Travis to Rudy's, one of Tom's favorite BBQ place's, stuffed our faces with great food and then drove out to see him off. We actually stopped to say good bye at a gas station near the airport.

Good byes are always sad! Cole was especially sad. On our drive to the gas station Cole kept saying, "I'm sad, I don't want Travis to leave. He is my best friend." So sweet! We said our good byes until next time.

He missed meeting his newest niece by 3 days! So close! Too bad he couldn't have stayed just a little longer.

Even though it was short and sweet, we had a great time having uncle Travis come visit!

We love & miss you uncle Travis!

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

2011-12-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

With Love From Houston!

December 3rd
77 degrees

Photo Shoot!

2011-12-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving day my sister took some beautiful new born pictures of Elliott. These are some of my favorite!

She did a great job!

Thanks Sister!

Actual Thanksgiving post to come!

It's a...

2011-11-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

GIRL!

Proud to Announce the birth of the newest little Booth

Elliott Elizabeth

November 15, 2011
@ 11:29am
8lbs. 8oz.

Welcome to our family baby Elli!
We are so excited to have you here!
Love Papa, Mama, Cole & Avery

2011-11-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween night we did the old traditional Trick-or-Treating. Luckily our kids are still young enough that they get tired of it quickly. We went around our cul-de-sack and one down and by the time we made the loop the kids were ready to go home, which was ok by me. Although I was secretly hoping it would put me into labor. hehe :)

They both ended up with a good amount of sugary goodness, all of which is almost gone. I just don't know where it all went.

By the time we got home though there weren't many kids out any more so we were stuck with a lot of chocolate! Shoot. ;)

I love Halloween! Especially know that we have kids old enough to enjoy it!

Happy Halloween!

Jack-o-Lantern

2011-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

The night before Halloween we carved pumpkins.

This is the first time Cole and Avery have done this so it was fun to watch their reactions. Cole was disgusted that he had to pull out the pumpkin guts and Avery was a little bothered by it but went to town getting her pumpkin gutted any way.

Avery chose a cat and Cole a bat. We helped them do the actual carving which was a little challenging but it worked.

What a fun family activity!

Happy 3rd Birthday Avery!

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

Avery turned 3 years old on October 27th! She is getting so big and so beautiful! We are going to have our hands full with her as she gets older. :) She is such a sweet little girl! She loves to help around the house and she is good at sharing with her brother. She is very smart and independent and very dramatic. She is also a big goof ball. She say's some of the funniest things! She loves her family and giving hugs and can't wait to be a big sister! We absolutely love having this sweety pie in our family!

~~~~

Tom had been out of town since Sunday and got home the day of Avery's birthday. He got in that afternoon and didn't have to go into work so we were able to spend most of the day together as a family. What an enjoyable day it was!

Were had planned on taking the kids to ChuckE Cheese but Tom was pretty tired so we just stayed home and ate pizza I picked up from Little Caesars. We did presents and then had a cupcake. Very simple but very nice! Thanks to all of our family and friends that sent Avery gifts!

Happy Birthday Avery Dear!
You are such a joy in our lives!
Love your Family

Trunk-or-Treat

2011-10-31T12:12:00.001-07:00

We had our ward Trunk-or-Treat Saturday the 22nd. We had to do it the weekend before Halloween because it was our stake conference the weekend of Halloween.

The kids really enjoyed it and got the hang of it this year more than they did last year. All in all it was like any other trunk-or-treat, food, game booths, bouncy house, costume parade and of course the trunk-or-treating. Great family fun!

Our Pretty Princess and Studly Spider-man

Strike a pose!

Since Tom was left to man the car and I could barely keep up with the kids
this is the only good Trunk-or-Treating picture we got.

Gampy Greenhalgh

2011-10-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

October 11th-15th my dad came to visit! As always it is great to have visitors!

It had been over a year since the kids had seen their grandpa so Avery was scared of him at first. She kept hiding behind my legs but warmed up before we got done with our lunch. Cole was a little hesitant but warmed up right away.

Grandpa playing games with the kids!

My pretty little niece Paisley!

While he was here, since it was so close to my nephew Jayden's birthday and Avery's birthday, we had a small family party for them so grandpa could be here to help celebrate. We had a nice dinner, presents and cake.

That Friday while my dad was here Tom took off the day and we went to Johnson Space Center, where Tom works, and he gave us the private grand tour. We saw the Saturn V rocket, the Historic Mission Control, the International Space Station and Shuttle mock up and Tom's office. Tom, the kids and I have already seen it all but my dad, being his first time, really enjoyed it!

After a long fun day.

When we had to take grandpa to the airport the kids were so sad. They wanted grandpa to stay at our house.

Saying good bye is always hard to do!

This is a horrible picture of me
but unfortunately it is one of the only pictures taken
of me and my dad together, awake!

We had a great time with Gampy here!

Thanks for coming dad!
We love you and miss you!

3D

2011-09-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here is another precious picture of our precious baby!

Not too much longer until we get the real thing! Can't wait to meet our little boy or girl!

Kids Say the Funniest Things!

2011-09-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a good laugh for you!

A couple weeks ago I substituted in Cole's Sunbeam class at church. During sharing time the leader had us get together as a class to go over and discuss a few scriptures.

One of the little boy's in the Sunbeam class, his mom is one of the counselors in primary so she came to help with our class. He was sitting on his moms lap and I was sitting in my chair bending over trying to read the scriptures to the kids when this 4 year old boy looks over, points and asks, "What are those big squishy things?"

I started laughing and told him he was going to have to ask his mom about that! His mom, who I could tell was a little embarrassed, laughed and said, "It's just because his mom doesn't have any."

It's here.

2011-08-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

The moment I know you have all been waiting for is finally here.

Friday Tom got to pick up his boar head. Yay. I couldn't be more thrilled.

Ok, Ok...I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here it is.

Isn't it beautiful.

This is of Tom bringing the head into the house and the kids seeing it for the first time.
Hilarious!
(don't mind the rag-a-muffin that is my daughter!)

4th of JULY!!

2011-08-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Again, as I have been a lot lately, I'm behind on a post. I probably wouldn't even bother posting but this is pretty much my journal so I like to document, although I should be better at it!

Here is our post from the 4th of July, FINALLY! :)

~~~~~

The morning of the 4th we had a ward breakfast at our church. It was great, especially since I didn't have to make it! After breakfast the primary had a little bike parade for the kids. There were lots of fun decorated bikes.

Cole LOVES ridding his bike and had a great time in the big parking lot going back and forth. Avery hasn't quite figured out how to peddle yet so Tom got to push her around in the parking lot. It was such a hot morning but the kids all had a fun time!

~~~~~

Later that day we went to a friends house for dinner with a bunch of other friends. We originally had planned on going to Galveston for the fire works but we were enjoying ourselves too much we didn't want to leave early so we ended up all just going to the hospital parking lot and watching the fire works that were set off from the park across the street.

We had a fun day with lots of great friends and great food! I love the 4th of July!

Oh Boy! or Girl!

2011-07-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of our little baby Booth!

We have decided that we aren't going to find out the gender until the baby is born! We figure since we already have one of each why not! Exciting!

We can't wait!

4 and counting

2011-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Cole turned 4 on June 6th!

Again I ask, " Where has the time gone!?" It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital after being in the NICU for two weeks with his oxygen tank and apnea monitor. Seeing him now you would never know that his lungs weren't fully developed at birth.

He is so full of energy! He loves to help out around the house, when he's not watching T.V! He loves his family. Loves giving us hugs and telling us how much he loves us! He also loves baby's! He enjoys holding his cousin Paisley when he gets a chance. I am so excited to see him with his new brother or sister! He likes to give my belly hugs and tells the baby he loves him or her. He is a great big brother.! He is such a sweet heart and his smile is contagious! He loves using his imagination, climbing trees, playing with friends and watching T.V. He'd watch all day if I let him!

We enjoy having him in our family and love him so much!

Happy Birthday Boo Bear!

Grandma Child

2011-07-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

May 17th-24th my mom came to visit. She came to see her new grand daughter and the rest of us. She stayed with us from that Tuesday to Friday and then went to my sisters for the weekend.

While she was with us Tom took a day off one of those days and we went to Brazo's Bend, of course! We really enjoy taking our visitors there if you haven't noticed.

It was such a nice day! While we were there we learned that there is a bigger lake where you can always see alligators and alligators we did see. I lost track after a while of how many we actually saw. There was the lake on one side of us and a swamp on the other side both filled with alligators! Along the path we finally saw it, there was an alligator on the trail! Exciting from a distance but as we got closer it started making us nervous. We made him just as nervous. As soon as he saw us getting closer he turned around and got back in the lake. There was another big guy relaxing on the side of the walk way. He stayed right where he was but didn't seem too bothered by us taking pictures.

~~~~

My nephew Braxton had his birthday while she was here so on Monday after the birthday party she came home with us and I dropped her off at the airport Tuesday afternoon.

We all LOVED having her here especially the grand kids! They all got so spoiled and were so sad to see her go! :(

We love you mom!
Thanks for coming!
Can't wait until next time! :)

Baby Moyes!

2011-06-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

After two boys my sister and her husband welcomed a little girl into their family on May 5th!

Paisley Ann Moyes
May 5, 2011
6 lbs. 13 oz.
20 in.

I was so happy to get to see and hold my new niece in the hospital!

Congratulations Dee Dee and Eric on your beautiful baby girl!

Welcome to our family Miss Paisley!

Nielson Family Fun

2011-06-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

May 2nd-9th we had some of our good friends from Utah come visit!

Tom and Jarrod have been friends since they were little guys. When Jarrod married Melanie we all became great friends and have been great friends ever since.

They hopped on a plane with their 3 boys, Preston, Cater and Wyatt and came to Houston to see us!

We had a ton of fun having them here!

Jarrod and Tom went wild hog hunting where they both shot some pretty big hogs. We got a ton of meat and sometime soon we will have a mounted hog head. Boy am I excited. That's what every wife dreams of is having a hog head hanging in her living room. Although, it will most likely end up hanging in the garage! Sorry honey! Love you!

Pretty gross

The boys also went fishing where they didn't catch anything and went to a gun range and shot their guns.

Cole and their oldest son Preston
got to go shooting with them

As a group we went to Brazo's Bend, the alligator park. We saw some small alligator's in the water but nothing too big and scary. The guys did a little bit of fishing here as well. The alligators could sense that they were fishing and came in to where they could snag anything they caught. Jarrod was the only one to catch anything.

We went to Space Center Houston, after me and Melanie ran to Conroe to see my sisters new baby girl, which is another post. Space Center Houston was a quick outing. We got there at 3:00, went on an hour and a half tour and then let the kids play on the playground that is inside. They got to play for about 15min. when it was announced that Space Center Houston was closed! We didn't realize they closed at 5:00! We would have just let the kids play instead of taking the tour if we would have known that. Who closes at 5:00 on a Friday night! Any way that Friday night we got a babysitter for all of the kids, besides Wyatt, their 3 month old, and went to dinner.

Lets see, what else did we do? Oh yes, we went to Galveston and played at the beach. The kids love the water. We also flew kites, built sandcastles, collected seashells, tried saving a jelly fish, and berried naughty kids. Another great day!

Cooling off with some cream slushies

The day came for them to go home and what a sad day it was! The time just goes by way too quick. Til' next time!

Catch-up and Time Out for Women

2011-06-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how far behind I was on my post until I started going through pictures! So the next few days may be post overload but at least I'm trying to get caught up.

I'll Start here!

~~~~

April 29th and 30th I took a much needed trip with some of my best girlfriends, Annette, Clarissa and Rachel!

We drove to San Antonio for Time Out for Women! It was so fun! I just wish we would have stayed a little longer. It went by way too fast! Next Time!:)

Friday night when we got into town we had enough time to check into our hotel and then get over to the TOFW. What a great night it was! For 3 hours we were entertained and uplifted. Once we got back to our hotel room everyone got into her PJ's, except for me because I forgot mine, talked for awhile and snacked, I almost ate a whole bag of sour cream and onion chips by myself! Can you say, "Oink! Oink!" They are my favorite what can I say! That and I'm pregnant! :) Then we hit the hay. Unfortunately there were no pillow fights! That too will be saved for next time!

Saturday morning we got up, got ready and walked over to the convention center. On the way we grabbed some McDonald's for a yummy egg mcmuffin breakfast with OJ! YUM!

That day was a spiritual, uplifting day as much if not more than the night before. We got to listen to many inspiring speakers and listen to many great songs by Jericho Road!

We did get an hour and a half break in between. During that break we walked back to the hotel to grab a different pair of shoes for Clarissa, did a little bit of shopping and we even did an old time photo shoot! What a blast! On the way back we got some lunch and ate when we got back to the convention center.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Once the TOFW was over we had a little time to spare so we took a walk around the river walk that runs through the city. I bought a small souvenir for Cole and Avery and on our way back to the hotel we went to the Alamo. I always pictured it in the middle of no where but no, it is smack dab in the middle of the city. Good times.

Then it was time to go home. So sad! :(

What a wonderful weekend! Next time will be longer! Can't wait!

Rachel, me, Annette & Clarissa
Wonderful friends

Easter 2011

2011-06-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

A little late but better late than never right!?

Our Easter was very nice. That morning, before church, the kids found that the Easter bunny had left them a basket full of surprises. They each got a new church outfit, of course, a couple pairs of shoes and a movie. Cole got Megamind and Avery, Tangled.

Later was spent with great friends and good food! We watched Tangled while the food was being prepared and then after stuffing ourselves we watched Mega Mind! And no Easter is complete with out the Easter egg hunt!

After eating and digesting a bit the guys went out and hid eggs for the kids. What a great time the kids had finding those eggs! It was interesting where the guys decided to hide some of those eggs, up in the top of the backdoor frame, high up in trees, lots of high places where were the kids couldn't reach so we had to help. Still a lot of fun though.

Once the egg hunt was over the adults sat in relaxed outside while the kids dug into their eggs with all of the goody's inside. Soon after the kids wanted to be pushed around in our little kid jeep so the dad's took turns pushing them around in this jeep. It was the funniest thing to watch because they weren't just slowly pushing they were running. Kids where flying out left and right but loved it just the same. We all got a good laugh out of it!

~~~~

As always we miss spending that time with family but it makes it easier when you have friends that become your family away from home!

Love to Moms

2011-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

We want to wish two of the most wonderful women in our lives a Happy Mothers Day!

I know that without my wonderful mom or my wonderful mother-in-law neither Tom or I would be where we are today!

They are both extraordinary women and we love them both very much!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOMS!

And what better day than mothers day to announce that we are expecting baby #3 in November!

We are so blessed and super excited!

Warrior Dash 2011

2011-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

March 19th Tom raced in a warrior dash in Conroe TX, along with our brother-in-law, Eric and one of our good friends Mike.

The warrior dash is the equivalent of a 5k but with obstacles to go through, under, over and around. Some of these obstacles were jumping over fire, sliding down a muddy hill, crawling through mud, climbing up and over a big mound of haystacks, running 100 yards over tires, and wading through a swamp while jumping over huge logs.

When we got there I saw that EVERYONE was doing the dash and by everyone I mean people in great shape and people in not so great shape. Thin people, heavy people, tall people short people, young people, old people, boy people and even girl people. All different kinds of people. So...I wish I would have signed up and done it with them. It was more for fun than actual competition, for most.

It was fun to see all of the people that actually dressed up for the event. There were women in tutu's with bunny ears and guys dressed up as cavemen. One guy even dressed up in a nice suit, obviously didn't care if it got ruined because it was going to. Lot's of fun and crazy costumes!

-Before-
Nice and clean
and oh so manly!

I had to add this picture.
It was just too cute not to.

As we were sitting waiting for the guys to come in, not knowing how long it was going to take, I saw a guy walking around that looked like one of the guys that started in their group. I only noticed because he had a funny mask on. I told the other girls that we should head over to the finish line. Just as we were walking over I saw Mike jumping into the muddy water at the finish and ran over to get a picture. I got there just in time to get this picture of Tom just coming out of the mud. It turned out pretty good for just holding up the camera and shooting at the very last second.

-After-
Dirty, manly boys!
I think Mike and Eric had washed off a little. I'm not sure because after I took off to get the picture I came back to find Avery missing! Yes I am a great mother. So instead of seeing the guys right after they came in I was looking for her. When I saw Tom I told him and he started looking as well. Eric helped too. I finally found her in the furthest corner you could get before actually being on the course. Little stink wasn't even worried that she didn't know any body around her. If it would have been Cole he would have been in a panic but oh no, not Avery!
I win the mother of the year award for sure!

Avery didn't want anything to do with this.
As you can tell she stood as far away as she could.

Victory Kiss!

The wash up

Next year I am in!

Grandma Booth

2011-04-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

Back in March, March 3rd-10th to be exact, Tom's mom came to visit! Yeah, I'm just a little behind!

One of the days she was here we went to Brazo's bend, the alligator park.

On the drive up the kids fell asleep.
Thank goodness for grandmas comfy shoulders.

(ZOOM IN)
This guy was pretty big!
Lucky for us he was on an island in the middle of the water.

The weather was perfect for us, a little overcast and not too hot, but as for the alligators it wasn't the perfect weather for them to be out in. I hear that when it is sunny and hot out the alligators actually come out of the water to lay across the hot pavement blocking the walking trail. As freaky as that would be it would be pretty cool at the same time. I would just have to turn around and go back the way we came! One of these days we'll catch them on a HOT day!

~~~~

It was a plus that while she was here the Houston Rodeo was in town too. We went Monday March 7th. The performer that night was Tim McGraw, one of my favorites! There were a lot of great performers that I would have loved to have gone and seen but since Tom isn't a big fan of country music and Tim is one of the only singers he knows in country we went that night, obviously I didn't mind though!

The kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the petting zoo!
They could spend all day with the animals!
And don't you just love their little cowboy, cowgirl hats!
Grandma bought them while we were at the rodeo
and surprisingly Cole and Avery wore them most of the time.

We rode rides ate some really great rodeo food and snacks, it's not a rodeo without the cotton candy and popcorn, and had lots of great entertainment! We even decided we would like to get Cole into muttin bustin' in a couple of years! How fun would that be!

I love the rodeo!

~~~~

One of the nights Susan took Tom and I out to dinner while we left the kids with a baby sitter. ALWAYS a good thing! The rest of the time was spent just enjoying her company.

The kids were sad to see her go as were me and Tom but it was wonderful while it lasted!

After she left, when Cole would say his prayers he would say, "Bless grandma that she can feed her horses." So cute! We told him that is why she had to leave is so she could go feed her horses.

We love you mom and can't wait until you can come visit again!

"Sharp Things Near My Eye's!"

2011-04-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting to blog about this and thought while I was thinking about it I would sit down and hurry and do it while it is fresh on my mind.

~~~~

February 26th, Tom had PRK done! It's like LASIK but instead of cutting a flap like you do in LASIK they laser right on the top surface of the eyeball! They had to do it this way because his eyeballs were miss shaped just enough that it would be safer in the long run. Flap or no flap it sounds gross either way! Looks gross too, at least the PRK looked gross. I didn't get to watch when they were doing my eyeballs but from what Tom says it was also gross.

His healing time was longer and a lot more painful than mine was. Our house was dark for 2 days straight because it was too bright for him otherwise. For those two days he couldn't open his eyes without water works. The pain was pretty bad. The Doc actually even gave him lortab to help with that pain. Ouch! I know! I felt so bad for my honey!

Now that the worst is over he is seeing pretty well. It's supposed to get better the more time it has to heal.

So...no more glasses or contacts in our house, for now.

On Your Mark! Get Set! Grow!

2011-03-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago I went to a baby shower for my sister, which was fun. While I did that, Tom took the kids to Lowe's and they got to build a race car for FREE! They loved it! Tom had a fun time as well!

I'm probably the last person on earth to learn about this but if not...Lowe's has these Build and Grow clinics every other Saturday and every time it's building something new. This is the first for Cole & Avery but I think we are going to start doing it a lot more now that we know about it.

Aren't they just so cute in their goggles!

Newest Neice

2011-03-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is a little late but I wanted to congratulate my brother and sister-in-law on their new baby girl!

Adelin Aileen Child

February 11th 2011
5lbs. 14oz.

Braelee with her baby sister

Welcome little Adelin! We can't wait to meet you!

Congratulations Jed & Lisa!
We love you!

PeePee in the Potty...

2011-03-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

PeePee in the potty!

I think it is safe to say that Cole is officially potty trained!!

YAY!!!

One down one to go!

Fun Times

2011-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago me and the kids met up with my sister and her boys at The Woodlands Children Museum. It was pretty much just one huge room with lots of different activity's for the kids.

When we first got there there was quite the crowd but as time went on it died down and our kids where able to run and play with out being over crowded. It was fun to let them explore and have a great time.

Next we went to lunch and after we ate we headed to The Woodlands Mall to let the kids play a little more before we had to head back home.

Like always we had a great time and the kids just LOVE playing together!

Cole loves pretending to be a puppy and
here he got to dress like one too
He keeps me laughing!

It is tons of fun having my sister and her family living so close!

The Mixer

2011-02-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

Right after my grandpa Preece died and my mom and her sibling were getting ready to get the house sold and move my grandma into a home, they went through all of their things to decide what to do with all of it.

My grandma had a KitchenAid mixer that for some reason the siblings wanted to give away to the DI. My mom was like, "Umm...do you know how much those are worth? We are not giving it to the DI!" Fortunately for me nobody wanted it so my mom snagged it up and gave it to me! :) I could not have been more pleased!

I have been wanting one of these beauty's for years but could never bring myself to pay the price for a brand new one. The best part is that it was my grandma's so it has sentimental value as well. I will think of her every time I use it.

My grandma was a great cook and baker so this mixer got a lot of use out of it. From what my mom and sister tell me it was pretty gross with caked on dried food and dough. They had to scrub quite a bit to get it clean but eventually they did get it pretty clean! So thank you mom and Dee for taking the time to do that! I love you both so much!

I love my "new" mixer!

Calling all family and friends!

2011-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to give a 15-20 min. class on organization in our next relief society enrichment night, which is Tuesday, February 8th. Why they asked me I have no idea! I don't consider myself that organized.

So what do I need from you? Idea's, tips, anything that would help me out would be GREAT! What works for you?

This is going to be more of a learning experience for me than any one else. Maybe after this is over I may just become that organized woman! Tom only hopes!!

Another Milestone

2011-01-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

We finally did it! We, or should I say, "the binky monster" weened Avery off of her binky!

The night of December 29th, before bed, "the binky monster" came and took a "bite" out of all three of her binky's! She was sad but she did throw them away.*We told the kids, "the "binky monster" is nice he just likes to eat binky's," that way they wouldn't be scared. Cole would go around saying, "binky monster nice!"*

When Avery went down for bed that first night she had a little bit of a hard time. She cried for a minute and then was fine.

Up until a couple days ago she would still ask for it throughout the day but is now over it! It hasn't been as easy as it was with Cole but I'm glad we took the plunge!

YAY!! NO MORE BINKY'S IN THE BOOTH HOUSEHOLD!
I wish I could say that about diapers!

Yum! Yum!

Baby Boy!

2011-01-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

With all that has been going on and all of the posts I've been trying to catch up on I realized I haven't posted about the birth of my newest nephew

Kamren Nick Child

So Sweet!
(I stole this cute picture off of my sister-in-laws blog)

Kamren was born on his daddy's birthday, November 27th! What a wonderful birthday present! That is going to be a tough one to top Che! :) He weighed 5 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18.5 in. long.

I was able to meet him and my niece Brynnlie when I went to Utah for my grandma Preece's funeral. I am so glad I got that opportunity when they were both still teeny!

Congratulations Nick and Che!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

New Years eve was a BLAST!

We spent the night with our good friends Rod and Clarissa Stratton. We ate Jambalaya for dinner as Tom and I do every year. This tradition was started with our good Utah friends Jrd and Smelanie. :) Soon after, the kids went down for the night so the big kids could play! And play we did, into the wee hours of the night!!

We played some games on the Xbox Kinect. Then a little bit of poker. Watched the ball drop. Then played a little more Kinect! It was so much fun! Thanks for the Entertainment Rod and Clarissa!

~~~~~

Unfortunately at about 1:00 am our time here in Houston, 12:00 am in Utah, I got a call from my dad telling me that my grandma had passed away......what a way to bring in the new year.

She struggled with Alzheimer's for about 7 years and then got pneumonia less than a week before she died which was a major factor in her death. As sad as it is I'm happy to know that her mind has been released from the horrible disease and that she knows who I am again. I love you grandma! Now you can rest in peace.

Tom decided this was a bad year to be related to us. Tom's dad died, my grandpa and grandma Preece died and then grandma Greenhalgh died, but it makes me really think about how grateful I am for the plan of salvation and what my Savior did for me that I will be able to see those loved ones again. We love you all and can't wait to see you again.

Til we meet again!

~~~~~

New Years day we drove to Conroe, where my sister and her family live and spent the afternoon and part of the evening with them. We got to see their apartment furnished. Very cute! We hung out there and at the indoor basketball court that is at their apartment complex. The kids loved it!

A little later we went to The Woodlands Mall in The Woodlands where there is a cute kids play area. We let them play for awhile and then went to the carousel that is also inside the mall and rode that for about 5 min. So fun!

Cole & Braxton walking hand in hand!
So cute!

Jayden

Can you just see the excitement!

We left the mall and headed to Rudy's, a yummy BBQ joint/gas station here in TX. They have some of the best smoked turkey and brisket we have tasted! It started out as a gas station, garage and grocery store. Later it became a "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q. Not only is the food great the atmosphere is fun too!

If you're ever in the area...actually...they now deliver across the country, so if you get an achin for some good BBQ go to Rudys.com! You wont be disappointed!

After we stuffed our faces we went our separate ways. Tom and I went home and crashed for the rest of the night and by crashed I mean watched a movie! :)

It is so fun when we can get together! The cousins, especially Braxton and Cole, play so well together! They are best buds! I love it!

Happy New Year!

Love...True Love

2011-01-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

December 27th Tom and I celebrated our 11th anniversary!

11 WONDERFUL years!

I love this man with all my heart!

We never do too much for our anniversary's. This year we got a sitter, went to Applebee's for dinner and then went to see Gulliver's Travels (cute and a little cheesy but not one of Jack Blacks best). Like I said nothing much but just being together is all I really need. Heck, we could have stayed home and watched a movie and I would have been just fine!

Here's to another wonderful 11+ years!

I LOVE YOU HONEY!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!
(a little late )

Christmas Time

2011-01-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

I am falling so far behind! It is really easy to do this time of year with all of the holidays and our birthdays and our anniversary. So here goes!

I will start with Christmas.

The weekend of Christmas was very eventful. The night of the 23rd we went to the Christmas Train that is put on by Victory Camp Railroad Co. and Living Stone Church in Alvin TX. Just about 20 min. from us. It was a nice night! We rode the train, while snacking on popcorn, that went past fun lights and nativity scenes and gingerbread houses and more!

After the train we just had to take the kids to see Santa because they COULD NOT stop talking about him and were so excited! The last time we took Cole to see Santa he was 6 months old and Avery has never been so there expectations were high! It was our turn and both kids got scared! Neither one would sit on his lap. We tried with Cole and he just cried. Glad we didn't pay to have a professional picture taken before hand! After that Cole would say he didn't want Santa! Sad!

~~~~

Friday night, Christmas eve, we went to Galveston to see the Festival of Lights. That was a COLD night!!

Before we hit the lights we went to see a 3D movie, Santa vs. the Snow Man. The movie itself wasn't that great but it was cute watching the kids and fun for the new experience. We don't usually do 3D movie's. It was so funny watching the kids try to grab at the objects as they got close! I couldn't stop laughing!! They both actually left their glasses on threw most of the movie! Avery decided right at the very end that she didn't want to wear them any more. Oh well.

On our way to the lights there was a performer doing a bunch of crazy stuff with fire! It was pretty impressive!

Out of all of the lights these are the only ones we took pictures of! So sad! You can see what is important in our lives. SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!

These are the only pictures with Santa
we could get of Cole and Avery!

Waiting for the boys to go to the bathroom
She is so Stinkin' CUTE!

~~~~

Finally Christmas day!

Christmas morning me and Tom got up a little before Cole and Avery so that they wouldn't get up and start open presents before we were ready. We decided to go threw our stockings quickly so we could enjoy that part without the chaos. I got done with mine and Tom had started when we heard Cole coming down the stairs. We didn't want him to come down without Avery so we had to stop him and go wake up Avery, which wasn't very hard. Cole was so excited he ran into her room screaming "Christmas! Christmas!" She was up instantly!

We said we were only going to get them each one big present and a couple smaller but of coarse that is never how it ends up! They were spoiled! Christmas is so much more fun now that they are both older!

Before the Chaos

So peaceful

Yes...that is an egg plant!

Later that day we had our friends, the Stratton's, over for our traditional Christmas dinner, Sukiyaki! As always Tom did an excellent job! It was delicious!

After dinner my sister, brother-in-law and nephews came to hang out.

We watched Despicable Me and then went to bed, after everyone went home that is. It was a very wonderful Christmas!

The company minus a few people

Sorry about this video being sideways
but it's too funny not to share!
(Funny to us at least)

This one is pretty cute as well!

I love Christmas!
The warm feelings you get and
the time you are able to spend with the ones you love!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Tree

2010-12-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

Last year after Christmas we decided to get rid of our old artificial tree. We got the tree when we were first married from Tom's brother and wife. I'm not sure how long they had it before us and if they were even the first owners. It was time.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we went to a Christmas tree lot and picked out our wonderful tree.

We still had the lights that came with our artificial tree so they were quite old too. One strand was completely out and the other 2 only half of the strand worked. I thought I could some how make it work. I was wrong! I only ended up frustrated which led to me ripping the lights off the tree and throwing them right into the garbage can. I then informed Tom that our tree would not have lights this year!

Our poor Christmas tree sat with only a star on top for a while.

I took a trip to Utah for my grandma's funeral and when I came home Tom had taken our outside icicle lights and put them on the tree! What a sweet heart! I then was able to put the rest of the orniments on for the finishing touch.

After 11 years of marriage here is our first real tree!

Long Over Due

2010-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone and yet I still haven't posted about it. I figured now would be as good a time as any.

Thanksgiving day was your traditional thanksgiving, great friends and a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixin's. After the feast, as always the girls sat and talked while we digested. The boys went and played a little tennis. And the kids, well they were all over the place! It was a very nice day!

~~~~

I don't usually go black Friday shopping but Tom got the chance to go this year!

His mom had called earlier Thanksgiving day to tell us that she found a couple of toys she wanted us to pick up at Toys-R-Us for the kids from her (makes so she doesn't have to worry about the hassle of shipping) The toy she wanted to get for Avery we decided we weren't going to get because she already has something similar.

We had a friend going to Toys-R-Us when they opened at 10:00pm for her kids so I figured since she was already planning on going that I would just have her watch for the toy.

She called to tell me that the line was outside and about 4 stores down. It was a cooler rainy night and she didn't have a coat or umberella so she wasn't going to wait in line. I can't blame her I wouldn't have either.

Tom and I ended up watching a couple movie's. The last movie got over at 1:30am so I suggested to him that he just drive by and see if there was still a line outside. If there was just to keep on driving but if not to go in and see if he could find the toy. There was no line so he went in only to find that the check out line inside weaved in and out of the isles!

He searched to find the toy kind of hoping he didn't find it so he didn't have to stand in the crazy long line. He was unable to find it so he decided to come home. Just as he was leaving he walked down an isle and there it was, THE TOY! He couldn't think of any excuse to tell his mom why he hadn't bought it now that he had found it. He waited in line!

As he waited in line he saw the toy Susan wanted to get Avery put aside by someone who decided they didn't want it. Now that he saw it it was actually different than the one she has so he took it with him to check out.

Two hours after he left he got home and I was just finishing clean up from our Thanksgiving fun. By 4 o'clock we were finally in bed!

~~~~

Tom took Friday off so we took the kids to see Tangled! Such a cute movie! Tom and I enjoyed it just as much as the kids did if not more.

This being Avery's 1st time and Cole's 2nd time at the theater they both did very well. They sat through the whole thing! So much fun! I love it now that they are getting older and enjoy doing things like this!

I highly recommend this fun family movie!

Blurry pictures but still cute!

~~~

Saturday we went out and got our first real tree since we have been married! Yes, for 10 years we have had an artificial tree. How sad is that!

~~~~

Saturday night and Sunday were spent recuperating from all of our excitement! Nothing like lazing around the house but what a great weekend!

Happy Holidays!

The price is wrong....Bob

2010-12-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Airplane tickets for my wife to go to Utah:

$380.00

1 bowl of cereal for the kids so I can sleep a little longer:

~$0.30 each

The true cost of 1 hour of sleep after your kids have waken up:

$ Markers and Poo

Avery has marker from her head down to her toes

She feels REALLY bad and probably won't ever do it again. (I wish there was a font for sarcasm)

and apparently she likes to color naked.......

Her artistic genius spilled over onto her partner in crime.

He's the one that tipped me off.

Cole knocked on the bedroom door and kept saying:

"Avery...a no-no! Let me in! Poop!"

yes.....that is poo on the floor. and yes she tried to color over it with marker.

This is one way to get your art displayed on the fridge.

.....just more marker

At least she managed to get a little bit on something I don't have to clean up.

Halloween Post

2010-11-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Halloween a week early with the Trunk-or-treat so Halloween Day we went over to Mike & Rachel's along with the Mana & Annette. Our wonderful hosts fed us pizza fritz(sp?)! So delicious! This is one of my favorite foods! I can never get enough of it! THANK YOU TRICARICO'S!!

After we stuffed ourselves the girls sat inside and chatted while the boys and kids went out and played. The guys decided to compete in "The Man Challenge" by doing feats of strength. After each game they would rotate letting the next guy pick the next challenge. The back yard only sufficed so long before they ran out of ideas so we all walked to the park where there were many more possibilities! At one point Tom lost a chunk of skin off of his pinky finger, which is still trying to heal. The girls got a good laugh watching their husbands act like young boys! Unfortunately no pictures of the craziness!

Wagon ride to the park!
*Avery *Jennie * Caralyn *Cole

After we walked back to the house the Trick-or-Treater's started coming out. Mike carved a pumpkin and let the kids help by taking out the guts. As it started getting late our kids started becoming monsters! HaHa! :) That was our queue to get our little monsters in bed.

*Caralyn *Cole *Michael *Benjamin
~~~

As always Tom and I ended the night by watching a movie and relaxing. Ahh...

HAPPY belated HALLOWEEN!

I Can See...

2010-11-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

...without contacts or glasses!

The month of October was quite the crazy busy month in the Booth household. To end the month out I had Lasik done!

October 30th Tom took me in and got to watch the whole procedure from a monitor screen that was hooked up to a camera that was aimed right at my eye. He got to see every little detail. He said it was pretty crazy!

Being on the receiving end was quite crazy too! There was a second there where I lost all vision. Tom tells me that was the point where they were cutting the flap on my eyeball! After it was cut vision was restored and I could see. I had to stare at a red light and though I couldn't see objects I just saw a whole lot of stuff coming at my eye!

I did all this with out drugs to calm my nerves because apparently you have to ask for them if you want them and I didn't know that until it was too late. They did numb my eyeballs though. All in all it wasn't too bad just really intense. The unknown is always intense! The whole thing only took only a few minutes. Yeah crazy, only minutes!

The best part about the whole thing is I get to sleep in these for two weeks! Awesome!! If only I could where them out in public!

I know what you are thinking
"Wow, she looks great! Where can I get me a pair of those!?"
"Why, Thank you! I got them at The Lasik Vision Institute."

I did however have to go in public right after the surgery with these beauty's on. Tom and I both had to go to the bathroom so we stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries and let me tell you how awesome I felt! I could not have been more embarrassed! Tom was leading me around like a blind lady because I was also trying to keep my eyes closed as much as possible.

By this time we were both starving so we ordered some food and then waited for our food so it was no quick in and out hide my face situation! It was a sit there forever and feel everyone's eye's on me situation! I'm probably making this out worse than it was but to me it was that bad! The food was really good though!

I went in the next day for one of the follow up appointments. It was wonderful being able to see everything and so soon after!

At my appointment the doctor checked my prescription and in that short amount of time I was at 20/15! WONDERFUL!

~~~~

I want to thank Mike and Rachel for taking time out of their Saturday to watch Cole and Avery!

Thank You!

Another Year Older!

2010-11-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

On October 27th Avery turned 2!

She is getting too big too fast!

Unfortunately she started her terrible two's at about 18 months and when I say terrible I mean TERRIBLE! This girl can throw the BIGGEST tantrums! Full blown on the floor kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs! You never know what is going to set her off. She can be the cutest most sweetest girl and out of no where turn into miss stink! We have our hands full!

But just as quick as she can throw a tantrum she can put a smile on your face! She has her papa wrapped around her little finger. Tom has taught her to say "pretty please" and when she says it he is under her spell. She say's "hello" to any one that passes her way. She gives the best hugs and fish kisses! She is the most beautiful girl!

Her measurements and percentiles:
Height: 34.25 in. 68%
Weight: 28 lbs. 7.5 oz. 72%
Head circumference: 19 in. 93%

She is our big girl!

We let her open one present before her papa
had to go to work that morning.
She was so excited!

When Cole turned 2 Tom built him the play set.
Avery's 2nd birthday she got the sand for the sand box! *Hehe*
They both LOVE it!
I'm not quite sure how much I LOVE it! :)

I'm not the most fun creative mom ever so her cake was pretty basic and boring

Avery got spoiled again this year by all those who love her! Thanks again to our WONDERFUL family's!

Happy 2nd Birthday Avery!
love, Papa
Mama & Cole

Too Much To Do In Such Little Time

2010-11-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 23rd, was a very fun, full day.

~~~~

To begin we had a good 2 hour drive ahead of us so we started our day by leaving bright and early, 8:00 is bright and early for us, grabbed some McDonald's and headed to the Renaissance Fair!

Cole had eaten a couple bites of his pancake, half of a hash brown and guzzled down his O.J. About an hour & 15-30 mins. later he starts complaining that his tummy hurt. We just figured he was hungry because that's what he say's when he is starving. We kept telling him that we were sorry and that we would get him something to eat when we got there.

About 10 min. before we got to the fair we hear that dreaded sound! The sound you don't want to hear when you are 2 hours from home, no change of close and nothing to clean up with. We looked back just in time to see the little amount of breakfast and tons of orange juice coming back up!

We turned the car around, found a Dollar General, cleaned Cole up, bought him a new $10 outfit, cut off the sleeves and pant legs since it was a warm day, bought some shoe laces to help hold up the HUGE 3T pants, bought some cheap towles and cleaned up his car seat and the car. About an hour later we made it to the fair!

Eww...Yuck!

Once we got there we met up with some friends. We only had about 2-3 hours so to make better time we ended up splitting and going on our own. The kids rode pony's and as a family we rode an elephant.

After the elephants we went and watched the joust which was about the only free attraction there. Besides those few things and people watching, which is a must do at fun, crazy places like this, that is about all we had time for. We had our ward Trunk-or-Treat to get back to and I was NOT about to miss it for the third year in a row.

We made it home in time to get Cole and Avery's costumes on with a little time to spare.

Our adorable little fairy and pirate...ARGG!

At the Trunk-or-Treat Avery got her face painted and then smeared it every where. Cole had his fortune told by a pirate gypsy. They both did the cupcake walk and won a cup cake where Cole only wanted to eat the frosting off the top and Avery, surprisingly didn't want to eat hers at all. We ate hot dogs along with chips and a drink. Then all of the kids paraded around in their costumes. After the parade the Trunk-or-Treating began.

Cole and Avery somehow made it very last in line and were lapped several times by the bigger kids. All they wanted to do is eat their candy as they got it so it took us FOREVER to get to the next trunk. They never did make it to all of the cars before everyone started leaving. Oh well! We really didn't need all of that extra candy any way!

~~~~

After the sun went down and the kids were in bed Tom and I watched movies and relaxed the rest of the night. Aww...Perfect!

Once a Monkey Always a Monkey

2010-10-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Cole got to go spend some time with his Papa doing a little wall climbing. He had such a great time!

Cole has always been our little climber!

Little Treaser's

2010-10-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

I was loading pictures onto my computer and came across these pictures that I had forgot about and had to post them!

Miss Mess

Cole fell asleep while watching Toy Story

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

2010-10-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday, October 10th, we were able to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving again!

I absolutely love having a friend who is from Canada and is wonderful enough to let us join in the holiday with her, her family and other friends because who doesn't like two Thanksgivings!? Although this is not the only reason I love her, it is a bonus. :)

We always have a great time when we get together with friends. Especially when there is food involved. You can see what is most important to me, family, friends and food!

We have made a lot of great friends since moving to Houston and that I am Thankful for!

Thank You Tricarico's

On to the Next

2010-10-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was called to be on the ward activity's committee.

It has been 6 months since I was released from the YW's. As nice as it was flying under the radar for a little while it feels good to be doing something again.

This should be a fun calling. I am really excited! Although I am not the most creative person when it comes to planning activities.

While I was on my "calling vacation," the gospel doctrine teacher was released and guess who the bishop asked to sub for a couple of weeks!? Yes, ME!! One of my worst nightmare callings! I was sick when he asked but I did it and was so glad when it was over! Talk about stress!

I'm just grateful they didn't call me to that permanently!

A Camping We Will Go

2010-10-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in October we went camping with a bunch of friends. It was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately I'm not good at having my camera with me all the time taking pictures so I only have pictures of the end of the camp out so I would have something to go on the blog besides words.

~~~~~

We got up there late Thursday night after being lost for about an hour. What an adventure!

We ate hot dogs and then Tom and Angel set our tent up in the dark with the help of Tom's truck headlights. While setting up we had a little friend join us on the tent. I guess you wouldn't consider a scorpion a friend so Tom squished it just so I would have a little bit a piece of mind that when I climbed into my sleeping bag to go to sleep that that particular scorpion would not be joining me. ICK!! I HATE Texas bugs!!

~~~~~

That first night was no fun trying to get the kids to go to bed. Being in a new place they were just too excited to sleep. I ended up laying in between them until they fell asleep so they would stop playing with each other!

Once sleep did come it wasn't long. Throughout the night Avery would start crying, while still asleep, so we would get up to try and comfort her even though she would never wake. I got about three hours of sleep. Poor Tom was getting up at 6:00 to go fishing so I know he didn't get much sleep either.

Friday was a great day! The kids played while the adults relaxed. The lake wasn't far from where we were but mostly for fishing so we drove a short distance to go where we could swim. The guys and kids swam while the women lounged around and talked.

The dads all thought it would be funny to cover themselves in mud,
which it was

Avery is our little water baby!
She ABSOLUTELY LOVES being in the water!!

Tom made a delicious dinner
dutch oven chicken
YUMMY!

~~~~

Cole got his first sun burn Friday. So sad! He woke up Saturday morning with a huge, nasty blister on his face. I did take pictures but some how they were lost! So maddening!!

~~~~~

Friday night went much better. The kids had played so hard and were in the sun a lot during the day that they were completely worn out! Cole and Avery couldn't get into bed fast enough! As soon as their little heads hit the pillow they were out! YAY!!!

We locked up the tent then joined our friends at the camp fire until it was our bedtime.

~~~~

Saturday we ate breakfast, packed up and left. Since it was conference weekend we wanted to get back so the men could go to the priesthood session.

~My rag-a-muffin kids~
right bottom-Avery likes being naked.
She kept trying to take her diaper off!

~~~~

The ride home.

Sleepy baby's

Christy
Thanks for planning this great weekend!

Awhh...Baby

2010-10-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

I actually do have more to blog about the weekend but for now I wanted to introduce my new niece:

Brynnlie Dee Greenhalgh
Born October 1st
@12:43
6 lbs. 12 oz.
19.5 in.

Daddy and his girl!

I wish so much I could be there to hold that adorable baby!

Congratulations Travis and Mary!

Welcome to our family little girl!

Labor Day

2010-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was a fun day.

That morning or should I say afternoon, we went to Battleship Texas. We've never been and it is only 20 min. from where we live. Lame-o's!

It was great because it was overcast and even rained a little bit so it helped cool things down. Although it didn't help with the humidity. Oh well. Take the good with the not so good!

The battleship was really neat to see and to take a look back through history. The kids loved it because they could run around and not brake anything, which we loved as well! :)

They have the engine room under construction trying to restore it back to what it was so we were unable to see that. They did have a T.V clip playing to show what they are doing to make those restorations. It was funny because we walked in watched for a few min. and then went to leave but Avery wanted to sit and watch the whole thing. So we did, Tom went to chase after Cole but me and Avery sat and watched the clip a few times. It just made me laugh to see this two year old so interested. She is going to be a big history buff!

Tom having his fun too

When we were leaving we walked along the water. Cole said his good byes to all of the fish and sharks. :) Somewhere along the way Avery lost her binkey. I had to go to the bathroom before we left so while I did that Tom went back to find the binky. He still hadn't found it by the time I came back but he said that Avery was saying bebe, which is how she say's binky, and pointed toward the water. He guessed she threw it in the water while we were walking past. On the way home Cole said that the baby shark had Avery's binky. Silly kid! Everything right now is about mama's and baby's, sharks and monsters. Silly, Silly, Silly!

~~~~~

Later, after the naps, we went to a ward BBQ and of course there was a lot a good food and good company.

It was a great day but any day we get to spend as a family is a great day!

I Love These CUTE Kids!!

2010-08-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Arangement

2010-08-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Look who is in her big bed!

As you can see she is loving it!

It's always a worry how your baby will do in a toddler bed. If they will go to bed at night. If they will takes their naps. If they will even sleep at all with their new found freedom. At least those were my worries.

Avery has done pretty well. We have found her sleeping on the floor from what I am sure was a crazy night a couple times though. And her naps I am happy to say still happen! I just have to make sure to put her down when she is extremely tired.

It has been nice too because now Cole can open her door, because she can't, to let her out and they can play and let us sleep a tiny bit longer. Not that that always happens but when it does it is WONDERFUL, which I'm sure all you parents know quite well! Any extra sleep you can get helps.

I just can't believe how big my baby is getting!

Let's Go to the Movie's Lets Go See the Stars

2010-08-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Monday-August 9th, Cole had his first big screen experience!

We have been wanting to take Cole to see Toy Story 3 for awhile now, so we did just that! Tom took the day off and we got a friend to watch Avery.

We told Cole that we had a big surprise for him. He was so excited! I think we were just as excited as he was if not more! He was upset though that we didn't leave him at Benjamin and Michaels house with Avery but once we got to the theater he was excited again!

Just being in the lobby getting our movie musts: popcorn, candy and a soda, he was awe struck. He loved all of the big signs and posters. And of course he had to carry the popcorn.

We didn't tell him what we were going to see but as soon as it came up on the screen he knew exactly what it was, "BUZZ"!

He sat so well through the whole movie and I loved it when he would loudly call out "Buzz" or "Woody". It just put a big smile on my face.

That was so much fun that we will definitely do it again!

Boo Boo, that's one of our many nick name's for Cole
so we had to get his picture in front of the huge sign for
the new Yogi Bear movie.

Unfortunately, I forgot our camera so these pictures are a little fuzzy because the lighting wasn't all that great and they were taken by Tom's phone. But they were too cute not to post.

Thanks for a fun time Boo Boo!
we sure love you!
love mama and papa

Yippy Skippy!!

2010-08-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am so excited my sister and her family are moving to HOUSTON!!

My brother-in-law, Eric, decided he wants to be a mortician when he grows up so he applied and was accepted into a school right here in Houston!

They will be here the first part of December which means we will get to spend Christmas together! I CAN NOT tell you just how excited I really am!! They will be about 45-1hr. away but that is lots better than 25hrs! :)

I'm also excited that Cole and Avery will get to know two of their cousins better. Braxton is 2 weeks older than Cole and Jayden is 6 days older than Avery. This is going to be GREAT!!

I can't wait until they get here!!

I Sting Your Face!

2010-07-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

Saturday afternoon we were outside enjoying the nice weather, kids running through the sprinklers and Tom smoking some ribs and sausage.

I was sitting there minding my own business when a big bug landed right in between my eyes! It freaked me out but then my nose started to hurt and I realized what ever it was was either biting me or stinging me. I bent over screaming trying to get the stupid thing off my face. A soon as I did I ran into the house to put some Calamine lotion on to help.

I instantly got a huge headache and my face was throbbing in pain! I looked in the mirror to find three stings on my nose. I couldn't believe it!

Tom told me there had been some ugly black wasps flying around so I'm pretty sure that's what got me. Dang wasp!

Fighting in my honor (hehe) Tom killed one of the nasty insects. It may not have been "the one" but still that was one less.

To my amazement it has only swollen up a little bit on the left side of my nose and down my left cheek just noticeable to those who knew it had happened. The pain has gone away and is now just a little tender to the touch and a little itchy.

So the next time your out enjoying the day....BEWARE of attacking WASPS!

The Things He Knows

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

I was in the living room sitting on the couch when Cole came walking in holding an Ensign magazine. He was pointing and saying something that I couldn't quite understand but as soon as he handed me the magazine I knew exactly what he was saying. "Prophet!" He was pointing at a picture of President Thomas S. Monson!

What is so great about this you ask? Well....I am embarrassed to even admit it but....I didn't even know he knew who the prophet was. So unfortunately, I can't take the credit for him knowing but I do know he is being taught well in nursery.

This did make me realize that I need to be teaching him more than just about Jesus. What an eye opening experience.

Tres Leche

2010-07-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

I had a request for the Tres Leche recipe I posted about on my 1-2-3 post so Amy this one is for you!

Ingredients-

1- Betty Crocker, Super Moist French Vanilla cake mix
1- 12oz. can evaporated milk
1- 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1- cup 2% milk
1- tsp. vanilla

Instructions-

*1. Grease and flour the baking pan.

*2. Bake the cake as directed on the box.

*3. Mix all three milks and vanilla together then set aside.

*4. Once the cake is done and cooled dump the cake out of the pan. I was instructed to cut the top of the cake off and then put it back into the pan but then there was always a bunch of left over unused cake so I now just flip the cake upside down and put it back into the pan. You can do it how ever you decide.

*5. Using a fork stab the cake about every 1/2in.- 1in.

*6. Take your milk mix and slowly poor over the cake.

*7. I use whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla for the top but you can also use cool whip.

*8. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let all of the goodness settle in!

I haven't yet tried this but am going to the net time I make it but putting strawberry's on top would be heavenly!

Enjoy! This is the most moist cakes you will ever eat!

French Toast Roll Ups

2010-07-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take a picture of this...but OH MAN, is it good!! I had some friends over today and this is what we had for lunch with whipped cream and strawberries. It was a hit. It's as good just how it is, and it's GREAT finger foods that even kids will LOVE.

Yield: 24

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar, divided
24 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. In bowl, beat cream cheese, egg and 1/4C. sugar until smooth and set aside.

2. Roll out each bread slice with a rolling pin.

3. Spread cheese mixture over bread, distributing evenly.

4. Roll up each slice jellyroll-style and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.

5. In a shallow dish, combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

6. Brush butter over rollups then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, until completely coated.

7. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours, or up to 2 months. (I don't think you really have to do this part)

8. Just before serving, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rollups 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

1-2-3!

2010-07-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

On June 6th Cole turned 3!

I know it has been a whole month and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. I'm a bad mother!

We were in Utah so he was able to celebrate with our family's. What a GREAT way to spend a birthday!

~~~

First we had a birthday lunch at Grandma Booths.

We didn't know what we were going to do party wise for Cole's big day since it was the day after his grandpa's funeral so it was very last min. A few of his cousins each picked out one of their own toys to give to him. I thought it was awful sweet! Another cousin made him a card. All of Cole's cousins just love him!

Also with it being right after the funeral there was a LOT of left over desserts so notice that Cole's cake is actually a brownie. We figured we didn't need any more sweets around the house which is why we didn't do a cake and just improvised.

~~~~

That night we had a birthday dinner at grandma and grandpa Child's.

It's funny because when I was in Utah the first time my mom had sent Cole's wrapped birthday presents home with me because we weren't going to be in Utah for his birthday.

The day we were leaving for Utah I was cutting Tom's hair and it got really quiet. Tom went in to find Cole had gotten into my suitcase and had unwrapped all of the presents. The mean mom that I am and the fact that it wasn't his birthday yet I took them and repacked them.

Once we got there I took them to my mom and had her wrap them again to give to him on his birthday. He was just as excited the second time!

We had a yummy dinner and for dessert I made a tres leche (three milks) cake. I learned this one from a wonderful sister in our first ward in Houston. It is delicious!

I love this picture of Avery
and the picture of Avery and her cousin Braelee
blowing bubbles with their Uncle Nick and Aunt Che

Thank you to all of our family that made it such a special day for Cole!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY COLE!!
love mom, papa & Avery

A Visit to Grandma Dentist

2010-06-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Cole had his very first dental check-up!

My step mom, Jen, just opened up a dental office conveniently located at the corner of 200 West and 1500 South. 1512 Renaissance Towne Drive in the Renaissance Center, across the street from Gold's Gym in Bountiful, UT. (http://newconceptsdentistry.com/) so we took advantage of that while we where in town visiting.

At first Cole wasn't quite sure what to think about the whole thing and really didn't want to cooperate but after he warmed up he did an excellent job! I was so proud of him!

Grandma Jen counting his teeth

brush, brush, brush

The hygienist let Cole hold onto the water sucky thingy.
He thought that was great

Grandpa decided he wanted to join Cole in the chair
Silly grandpa!

Way to go Cole!

50!

2010-06-23T09:40:00.001-07:00

April 27th was the big 5-0 for my mom and luckily me and the kids got to be there to help her celebrate.

My sister, sister-in-laws and I threw her a big surprise party. The guest list included her parents, all of us kids, the grand kids, her brothers and sister and close friends. It was a great time mainly because of the great people and of course all of the great food.

I know this blog post is a bit late but...

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!
We love you!

Love the glasses!

Horsey, Horsey On Your Way

2010-06-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Cole and Avery got their first rides on grandpa Booths horses and boy did they LOVE it!

Kerri & Cole

Kerri & Avery

Cole even got the chance to ride on one all by himself! He was so excited and enjoyed every minute!

Family Outing

2010-06-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

On our April trip to Utah we went to the Living Aquarium in Sandy. Unfortunately it was also spring break so it was very crowded and with small kids that is hard because they want to be off and running and not being held or restrained by a monkey back pack. To say the least it would have been much more enjoyable had it not been so busy.

I love Toms face! *********Avery and her aunt Kerri

Avery with two of her cousins, Lily & Emma

By the end of the outing we were all tired but especially the kids. This picture makes me laugh because you can see we have had enough and are just ready to get home.

In Loving Memory

2010-06-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Steven William Booth
(October 23, 1946 - May 31, 2010)

Steven William Booth

1946 – 2010

SYRACUSE, UTAH - Steven William Booth, 63, died at his home Monday, May 31, 2010 after a 3 ½ year battle with cancer.

He was born October 23rd, 1946 in Union (now Midvale) Utah to William Harvey Booth and Beth LuDeen Burgon.

He was sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple to his sweetheart Susan Lee Hughes and she was still by his side 41 years later as he passed from this world. Steve and Susan were blessed with four children, Jeff, Jason, Kerri, and Tom. Steve and Susan had lived in Orem, Utah, Stanton, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona, and Thatcher, Idaho before settling in Syracuse.

Steve loved his ten years on the Caribou Ranch in Idaho and spoke of it often. He felt like he was born to be a cowboy. Steve worked as an aerospace engineer at Hill Air Force Base and retired after 23 years.

Steve was a member of the Syracuse Trailside LDS Ward. He served in many callings including Stake High Council, a member of the bishopric, and many teaching positions. He excelled at teaching the Gospel. Steve served an LDS mission for 2 ½ yrs in the whole area of Japan.

He was a member of the Davis County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse for 20 years and enjoyed his frequent service outings with them on his “worthless” horse Murphy. He was also a member of the Utah Western Riding Club Association. Aside from his great love for family and friends Steve loved model trains, horses, and Ford Mustangs.

He is survived by his mother Beth, his sister’s Marne’ and Lori, his brothers Brian and Kelly, his wife Susan, his children, Jeff (Emma), Jason (Jeanne), Kerri, and Tom (Dayna) and 11 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father William H Booth and his brother Jerry.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 11 a.m. at the Syracuse Trailside Ward Chapel, 2887 W. 2700 So., Syracuse, UT. Friends may visit family Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment, Syracuse City Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Hospice of Utah and the many doctors and nurses who provided care for Steven.

We Love you Dad!

Love, your family

Wholebuncha Booth

2010-05-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

One of our biggest reasons for going to Utah in April was because Tom's brother, who lives in England, planned their family, Utah vacation for that time. We figured with both of us living away from home if we ever want to see each other we'll have to coordinate our vacations. It WAS NOT the weather that took us there in April! COLD!! I would have gone in May or June, although even into May it was still cold. What gives!

Any way, we finally got to meet our nephew, Kai, who will be two in July. Jeff and his family met Cole & Avery for the first time as well. That tells you how long it has been since Cole will be three in a week and a half. Too long!

Tom, Kerri, Jason & Jeff

Kai

Lily, Cole & Annie
The girl cousins had a fun time loving on Cole
Cole wasn't loving it quite as much as they were

~~~~

It is a must to have family pictures when the whole family is together

I love this family!

We had a great time with all of the family together. Who knows when it will happen again!

Playing catch up

2010-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have a LOT of catching up to do. Lets see, what's first. Oh yes, Tom ran the Seabrook Lucky Trail half marathon March 20th. He ran it in 2 hrs. and 14 mins. Way to go honey! The kids and I met him at the finish line to cheer him in.

Our HERO!!

~~~~~

The whole reason I got so far behind on our blog? I was in Utah from April 2nd - May 18th. I know, I could have updated while I was there but I forgot the cord that copy's the pictures from my camera to my computer at home and I couldn't have post's without pictures. So there's my excuse.

~~~

It was a nice long vacation. Tom was there with us the first 2 and a half weeks the rest of the time was just me and the kids. By the end I was ready to get home. I missed my honey and the kids missed their papa and as great as it was being there with family it was GREAT to get home!!

~~~

Any way, instead of trying to catch up all in one night I will spread out our adventures throughout the week. So stay tuned!

Little Worker Bee

2010-03-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Cole loves to help his papa!

It's about time he started earning his keep! :)

Mind your Manners

2010-03-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Lately when Cole hears either Tom or I fart he'll laugh and say, "Aw, Mom pooped or Papa pooped!" We correct him telling him that we farted.

The other day while we were eating dinner Cole farted and just being funny I said, "Aw, Cole pooped!" He gave me this funny look and said, "No, farted!" Tom and I busted up laughing. It was the way he said it as well that made it so funny!

He is a funny kid and we love him!

Bathroom Break

2010-02-27T16:08:00.001-08:00

Saturday, February 27th, I had a Stake Leadership meeting from 10am-12pm.

Because I was in the meeting I turned my phone to silent. At the end of the meeting I noticed I had two emails from Tom and a few missed calls from him as well. The first email I read said, (I'm quoting the actual emails)"Can you come home early? Cole locked me in the bathroom and this door knob locking mechanism is broken on the inside.
And cole has already gotten the milk out and who knows what else."

Ahh...before even reading the 2nd email I started panicking. That had been over an hour ago! I had to go and NOW!!

I carpooled with two other sisters and so while I was in the process of telling our ride that we NEEDED TO GO I decided I had better read the 2nd email. "Nevermind I just got out. I got cole to slide a spoon under the door and I dug a tunnel under the door. :)
Actually I just used it to pry back the door latch."

PHEW!!

Once we left I called to get the story. I have NOT laughed that hard in a long time. I had tears it was so funny!

This is the story.

Cole was opening and closing the bathroom door to our half bath when one of the times closing it he accidentally got the door locked, locking Tom and Avery in.

I should explain that most of our doors have the locks on the outside so we can lock them and Cole can't get into rooms he shouldn't be in while nobody is in there with him. Don't ask, it's just easier that way.

So here they are locked in this teeny room(about 4ft by 8ft) right at Avery's nap time. Sounds like fun doesn't it!?

Anyway, as it say's in Tom's email, the knob locking mechanism is broken on the inside, so he couldn't just jab a nail or sharp object in the little hole and unlock the door.

Cole was left on the other side to rule over the house. That is a scary thing. Tom kept trying different ways to get out. He tried a tightly rolled up piece of cardboard in latch. He used The spring inside the toilet paper holder to see if that would do anything. He found a shim behind the cabinet and tried that. He found a DVD from a manual under the sink and tried that on the latch. He used the lid of the toilet tank to try and bust open the door or break the knob. With that he ended up putting a big dent and crack in the door so he decided to stop with that. Since they were in such a small cramped space he couldn't get a running start to break the door down so that wouldn't work, but he still tried. What to do, what to do.

He figured they were going to be in there for a while so he used the towels to make pillows and tried to get Avery to take a nap. No luck. He couldn't fall asleep either.

As he was trying to make an escape Cole kept bringing things to the door. At one point Tom looked under the door and Cole had grabbed the unopened gallon of milk and was standing on it to help boost himself up to try and unlock the door. GOODNESS, what a mess that would have been! He brought over a cup and a single packet of hot chocolate mix hoping his papa would make him some chocolate milk. Then a spoon, Ahh... yes a spoon!!

About 15 min. later they were out. Although they were in there for an hour and a half!

Seriously the funniest thing I have heard in a long time!

Family Pictures

2010-02-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures done quite a while ago, two different times, that I am just now getting the pictures onto my computer so I can blog them.

The 1st set we had done was by a friend from our old ward here in Houston, Christa Sherrard. The 2nd was done by a long time friend, Stephanie Stringham (Keller). Our family's were friends and go way back even more specifically she was one of my sisters best friends growing up.

Here are just a few of the pictures. The rest you can find on the side of my blog in three different film strips.

ENJOY!!

~Christa~

~Stephanie~

Broken

2010-02-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Valentine's day, I get a phone call from my sister asking me if I had talked to mom that day. "No.?" She then proceeds to tell me, "Oh, well, mom is in the hospital." Ahh...my heart stopped for a minute! Then she went on, "she broke her ankle falling down the stairs and is waiting to go into surgery." PHEW!

I hung up with my sister and called the hospital to talk to my mom. I asked her what she was doing falling down the stairs and on valentines day! Goodness!

Talking to her I found out that she broke both bones in her right ankle. The inside bone once and the outside bone THREE times! OUCH!!

After a three hour surgery she came out with 7 screws and 1 plate. That is a lot of metal in one little ankle! She will be in a cast for a little while and on crutches for a while longer.

My poor clumsy mother! I guess I can't say too much because I fell down the stairs Christmas day but I didn't brake anything.

The hardest part about this whole thing is that I can not be there to help her out and I really wish I could be. Thank goodness for a wonderful sister and three sister-in-laws that can. I love you girls!!

Most of all,

I LOVE YOU MOM!!
Get Well Soon!

Smoking

2010-02-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 13th, Tom smoked his first brisket!

He did one small 3lbs. and one huge 10+lbs.

We ate the 3lbs. brisket for dinner with the help of Mana & Annette and saved the 10+ for left overs. We sent some of that home with Mana & Annette and a lot of it was fat so it really wasn't a huge amount of left overs just a big amount.

He did a pretty good job for his first time. It tasted really good it was just a little tough. He'll have to leave it on a bit longer to get it more tender the next time. But like everything he does, one day he will be a professional smoker, meat smoker that is!

Gettin' the smoker ready

The finished product

What a stud

Tasty!

DELICIOUS!!

Oh yeah, and I colored my hair

Sticker Fun

2010-02-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

One day Cole came into the kitchen and this is what I found.

What a silly kid!

Valentine's 2010!

2010-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

This was my year to do something for Valentine's and because it was on Sunday we went out Friday night.

I planned a night of relaxation with NO kids!

To start off we went to Red Robin for dinner. Oh so yummy! After we scarfed down our food we headed over to Massage Heights where I surprised Tom with a couples massage.

You are probably thinking, "Aww...so sweet and how romantic," but really it was purely selfish! I was really wanting a massage myself and Valentine's gave me the perfect excuse. It was just an added bonus to have my hubby there with me! Love you honey!! :)

The massage was so nice and SO needed! It was much better than our couples massage we had for our 9th anniversary! OUCH!

It was a wonderful night with just me and my Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Sweety pie!
I LOVE YOU!!

Playing with Alligators

2010-01-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

Last Monday Tom had the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. day. What a fun day it was!

We went to Brazo's Bend Alligator Park. It was a warm day but a little over cast so unfortunately we didn't get to see many alligator's. Actually, we only saw one and a face out in the park but they had baby alligators inside at the visitors center.

It was fun to see the baby's but Cole wouldn't have any thing to do with these baby alligators once they were out from behind the glass. Avery was a bit more brave and touched the alligator on he head.

Out on a stroll

I spy with my little eye

Fun on the play ground

We'll be back alligators! Just you wait!

Houston, Texas- January 21, 2010~ 79 degrees

2010-01-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

Scary Story

2010-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

I have to share this freaky story! (Sorry, another long story. I'm just full of them these days!)

A couple of weeks ago at around 10:00 pm I was sitting on the couch reading and Tom was in the shower when I hear a helicopter. It sounded like it was low enough that it could have landed on our roof. Then I could see bright lights coming in through my back window. Curious, I got up to see what was going on. I opened the back door to find my back yard lit up like daylight. Then I hear a loud pounding on my front door! *gasp*...my heart stopped, what the heck was going on!

As I walked to the front door I yelled out Tom's name, who was still in the shower, hoping he would some how here me. As I got closer to the door I could see flashlights shining through the window's on both sides of the door. Ahh...!

I wasn't just going to open the door for some stranger so I looked through one of the window's trying to see if I could see who it was. I don't know what I was looking for all I knew was I was freaked out!

The next thing I here is a man's voice calling out, "It's the police!" I opened the door to find an officer standing there and he asks me if I had set off the panic alarm. "Uh..no!" Then another officer came from the side of the house saying he didn't think they had the right house. I gave them our house address and the first cop said, "nope, wrong house, sorry."

Now I'm panicked!! What in the world! Where they looking for someone?

They got back in their car and were there for a little while longer along with a few other cop cars. Eventually they all left and we could no longer hear the helicopter.

What a night! Tom had to help calm my nerves so I could actually go to sleep.

The next morning I went to my computer to send an email. When I woke my computer up Solitaire was on the screen!? That was weird because I know I didn't play the night before and the kids where in bed so I thought that maybe Tom had played before he went to work that morning. I sent him an email asking. His response was he hadn't even touched my computer and asked if I thought somebody broke into our house and played Solitaire? "Why would they do that?" "I Don't know? Maybe they were hiding out and got board so played some games."

Tom gets a good laugh from that and I know it sounds ridiculous but I was a little scared. The sweet husband he is he came home and checked all of the rooms. The house was clear.

A couple days after this whole event Tom was talking to the next door neighbor and found out he had accidentally set off the alarm. Oops!

Mr. Sickly

2010-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, December 30th Cole started getting sick.

We were going to go over to Mana and Annette's for New Years Eve but Cole was doing worse.

By Saturday, January 2nd we were really starting to worry. He was having a hard time breathing, he was very congested, was running a fever of 101. He hadn't been eating or drinking much and his diapers were a lot more dry than his normal diapers. He was very fatigue and very irritable.

We started thinking he was getting dehydrated. I googled symptoms of toddler dehydration and he was showing a lot of those symptoms. So late that Saturday night we decided we should take him to the ER. I called our GREAT friend Jacqui and had her come stay with Avery since she was already in bed.

It just so happens that once Jacqui got to our house Cole started drinking and eating some oranges. So then we thought maybe he was doing ok and it was just us being paranoid parents. We decided to wait and see how he was in the morning.

Sunday morning he wasn't doing any better so we called Jacqui and had her come back over to stay with Avery while we took Cole to an emergency care clinic.

At the clinic we found out that he didn't have strep or the flu but he had double ear infections and his O2 reading was really low. They gave him a breathing treatment to see if it would help it go up but in fact it went down. The Dr. recommended we take him to the ER because they were not equipped to see why his oxygen was that low.

We went to St. John's down the street and were there for quite awhile. They did some more breathing treatments and they also did a chest X-ray. Still no answers. The Dr. thought it would be best for Cole to be transferred to Clear Lake Hospital were CL actually had PICU and they did not. To transfer him they had to give him an IV and he was taken by ambulance.

I went with Cole in the ambulance while Tom followed behind in our car. Cole was very brave in the ambulance. He didn't seem scared at all. That's our tough little guy!

Once we got to CL emergency it had already been a long day! Cole WAS NOT happy and his ears were really hurting him! He would kick and scream and would not let any one near him not even me or Tom. It was so hard. The Dr. got him some ear drops to help with the pain and that settled him down with a little help of Motrin. Around 10:00 Mana came and helped Tom give Cole a blessing. Thanks Mana!

By the time we got a room and settled in it was about 3:00 am. We started at about 1:15 pm! We were all so exhausted! We were in a semi private room so there was only one bed so I stayed with Cole that first night.

Long story short, haha too late, we found out that he had pneumonia, bronchialitis and of course his double ear infections. Poor guy!

Monday, January 4th was Tom's 30th birthday and lucky for him he got to spend it in the hospital with his wife and son! He did go and get Outback and brought it back to the hospital but by the time we got to eat it was cold.
Happy Birthday Old Man! Sorry you had to spend it in the hospital.

Cole was discharged on Tuesday! Thanks to his pediatrician we weren't there longer.

We had to give him breathing treatments and an anti biotic at home.

He had a follow up appointment with his pediatrician the following day. We took Avery along because she started getting sick and we wanted to make sure it wasn't anything Cole had. She ended up having an ear infection and the rest basically just a cold. Cole was doing better. Not great but better.

Weeks later he is now doing great!

Thank you again Jacqui for watching Avery!

Poor Cole was not feeling well!

Tom trying to get Cole to laugh during one of his breathing treatments

So sad! Breaks my heart!

Into the ambulance!

At CL hospital waiting

2009.....2010!

2010-01-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

2010! Wow we made it! Another year come and gone.

We had a good year. Not too eventful but good.

Looking over the year:

*I had two brothers get married.
*Cole turned 2.
*We moved, yet again.
*Tom did his first triathlon.
*I ran my first 5k
*Tom and I got scuba certified.
*Avery turned 1.
*I turned 30.
and
*We had our 10 year anniversary.
What a great year!

~~~~~

My New Years resolution for 2010 is to be a better mom by spending more quality time with my kids. To do that I had to start with the one thing that took a lot of my attention and that was facebook. I always knew it was a time waster for me and I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I should close it but "it's just too hard. I don't want to miss out on anything in my friends lives and I have to keep beating my scores on all of the games I play" all while my kids wanted me to read to them or play with blocks or they just wanted to be held. Heaven forbid if they ever got their little head in front of the screen while I was having a great game at bejewled.

I finally came to the decision, for myself, that it is what I needed to do. I was more interested in what was going on in my friends lives than I was in my own kids lives. Cole and Avery needed their mom.

So....I DID IT! It took me a couple weeks because things came up but I did it, I closed my facebook account! It really hasn't been too bad. Sure I think about it every now and then but it has been worth it. I have already become more patient and nurturing and I am also keeping our home more organized. Tom is really loving that! :)

I know there are other area's in my life that still need work but with the biggest vise out of the way the other thing's will be easier to accomplish.

Happy 2010!!

10 Wonderful Years!

2010-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

December 27th was our 10 year anniversary!

Can you believe it, 10 years! I can't!

These past 10 years have honestly been the best 10 years of my life! I married my best friend and have never looked back.

I love the beautiful life we have created together. I love the children we have made together. I love the trials we have gone threw and conquered together. I love the love we share, the openness and honesty we have. I love the understanding, patience and admiration we have for one another. I love him!

They say, ''the first year of marriage is the hardest! If you can make it through that first year the rest of your marriage it will be easy.'' But then I have also heard that about the first 7 and the first 10 years. Really, it has never been that hard. I'm not saying our marriage is perfect, because it's not, but we know how to work together to make it work. We just fit.

Here's to the next 50 years! Cheers!

I love you Thomas Michael Booth!

Merry Belated Christmas!

2010-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

WARNING- a lot of pictures and even more video's ahead. Video's are mainly for the benefit of the grandparents so I won't feel bad if you don't want to watch ALL, or any, of them. In fact I won't even know so you can do what ever you want.

~~~~~

This was the first Christmas that we weren't with family so it was a little different. Different but it was actually nice, not that it wouldn't have been nice with family, but that we were able to spend it with our own little family.

Christmas morning was full of excitement. This was also the first year Cole actually had fun opening his gifts to see what was underneath the paper. Avery not so much. She got pretty board opening her presents. She'd get half way done with one and toss it aside waiting for the next. Hopefully her year will be next year!

Kids enjoying Christmas!

Cole got Buzz Light Year from Santa. He was so excited! As excited as he was, I have never seen a more patient little boy as his papa took the toy out of the packaging. After Buzz was freed, Cole put him on his new remote control car like RC in the movie. Cute! Cute!

After the tornado!

~~~~

Christmas night we had dinner with Mana, Annette and their boys.

Since we were unable to be home we kept one of the family traditions we have with Tom's family, we ate Sukiyaki for our Christmas dinner. Tom did an excellent job on cooking with help from Mana. It was delicious!

The rest of the night was spent enjoying each others company.

What a Merry Christmas!!

Built up excitement!

Opening presents from G-ma & pa Child

Opening presents from G-ma & pa Booth

Opening presents from Gammy & Gampy Greenhalgh

Buzz!

Kids, Wigs, Boas and Things

2009-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

I had these cute random pictures of the kids I wanted to post so I am because I can never get enough of these two.

~~~

I had my Halloween wigs out and decided to have some fun. And boy did we ever! Tom and I could not stop laughing!

love the picture of Cole picking his nose!

~~~

Along with the wigs were the boas. My, how Cole and Avery looked dazzling!

~~~

And last...Avery found this old new born binky and was sucking on it. She thought it was hilarious, which it was. She is too cute and so funny. She makes us laugh.

Look Who's Walking

2009-12-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

Avery has been walking all over for the past couple weeks. It is so fun to see her get around! At times she still looks like a drunk baby but that is part of the fun!

See her in action
and more

The BIG One

2009-12-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

December 3rd I turned 30....I mean, 29! *wink*wink*

It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be turning "29." Honestly, it was like any other birthday any other day. The only thing different is that my wonderful husband had a night of fun planned for the TWO of us!

It was all a surprise! First we dropped the kids off (the highlight of the night) with Mana & Annette, thanks you guys. Then Tom took me to a Red Robin that he found in our area because that is one of our favorites in Utah. We then drove to the Galleria, a HUGE mall in down town Houston. There we went ice skating. Yes I said ice skating! That is how big this mall is that they have their own skating rink inside! It was so much fun acting like a young married couple without kids again. In fact, Tom and I have never been ice skating together so it made it that much more fun.

On the way home I started feeling a little sick. Once we got home after picking up the kids I ended up puking. Sorry to be so gross but that is what happened. I think it must have been food poisoning because I felt just fine after wards. Even the next day I felt good. There was no chance I was eating the left overs so it went in the garbage. That's a shame because it was so good the day before!

Thank you to all of my family and friends who made me feel special that day.

Also to my wonderful husband for being so great to me. I love you forever and ever!

Laying on the ice

our skating pass and locker key
Tom even went all out and found locker #30
Isn't he so romantic

The New and Improved....

2009-11-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

ME!

Quickly approaching my 3oth birthday I was feeling too old to have long hair. Not to mention I was feeling very frumpy too.

It was time to say good bye to the long locks.

Before

After

Looking at these pictures it makes me happy I cut it off. It looks so much better now and is so much healthier.
That shirt doesn't make me look very good though.

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a nice day with just our little family and lots of good food, of course.

Cole and his classic cheese face and
Tom and I stuffing our face

Messy Miss

Oh my, what a mess!

~~~~~

I know it is a little late but I wanted to say how thankful I am for my wonderful husband and two beautiful children. They make my life so full. I am also thankful for the stable job Tom has that he is able to provide for our family and I am able to stay home to raise our children. I am thankful for family who support us in all of the decision we make no matter how hard it may be. I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for all of the blessing it brings and knowing that where ever we go we have a church family. I am also thankful for all of the trials I have had in my life that make me who I am today.

New Calling

2009-11-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that I have a new calling in our new ward.

October 11th the bishop wanted to meet with us. DANG, I mean YAY, we knew a calling was coming!

When we got to the church the Bishop wanted to meet with with us each separately.Tom went first. Once Tom was done he took me in and we talked about how my testimony was and some other stuff. He told me that Tom had agreed to support me 100% on what ever the calling may be. I kind of had an idea what the calling was because the position has been open for a little while but when he brought us in together he told us both that the calling they were extending to me was 1st councilor in the Young Women.

I was overwhelmed, actually still am, but I know if this is where the Lord wants me then this is where I will be.

I enjoy my calling and I love being with the girls! I look forward to all of the memories I will make in YW. I hope to set a good example and be able to make a difference in these young girls lives.

Here I am!

2009-11-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me? I was having trouble with the internet on my computer for a little while but now I am back up and running.

Sorry, there was a lot of catching up to do so there are quite a few posts, starting with the earliest to the latest. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween Day was spent at the Wings Over Houston air show. It was fun up until the kids got tired and cranky!

We were hoping to make it out of there in time to make it to the ward Trunk-or-Treat since we pretty much missed it last year. No luck! And by the time we got home we didn't think we would even take Cole around the neighborhood because we were so tired.

After we got some food in our belly's it gave us a little burst of energy and decided Cole couldn't miss another Halloween. Especially now that he is older it is more fun. Plus we had to get more use out of their costumes. Cole went as Santa with the costume we bought him last Christmas and Avery used the 18 month monkey costume Cole used last Halloween, when she was just 4 days old. It was a little big for him then but Avery fit into it perfectly. She is our big Texas sized baby for sure. They both looked so cute!

I am so glad we took him because he/we had such a great time. He would go to the door, put his bag down in front of the door, knock and then step to the side and wait for the candy to be dropped in before picking it back up. It was so dang cute! It got to the point he had so much candy the bag was dragging. I asked him a couple times if he wanted me to carry it for him but he insisted that he carry it. I also had to keep telling him to get it up off of the ground so it wouldn't get big holes in the bottom and have all of the candy fall out. He would use all of his might to lug that bag up off the ground. I'm tellin' ya, cutest thing ever!

Every now and then we would see some bigger kids dressed in scary costumes and Cole would get close to my side and say, "scary, scary." Poor kid but even that was kinda cute.

Every door we went to loved that he was dressed as Santa! I absolutely loved it! I can't wait until next year when both of our kids can enjoy it!

(unfortunately a bunch of our pictures from the air show and
trick-or-treating got erased so this is all we have. I am so sad)