{Baking Cookies with Mom}

Today, Braiden and I had so much fun making chocolate chip cookies. I have not been very successful at chocolate chip and I finally found a different recipe that sounded like it might work. I hate how they always run flat or burn. Today was a new day and Braiden was our good luck charm. Chocolate chip is J.T.'s favorite, so we were hoping to be successful. Braiden and I both washed our hands before we started. Just thought anyone who might eat these would want to know. He then helped dump in all the ingredients and then helped place the cookies on the cookie sheet. We had so much fun, and guess what?! The cookies worked and tasted delicious. Braiden really was good luck!

The Collett Family Party!

On Sunday, we had a birthday party at the Collett house. We had a yummy dinner and then celebrated the August birthdays which included Braiden and myself. We had cupcakes and cheesecake for dessert. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family who loves and cares for us. We were really excited because Mike and Alex are home from Oregon and they got to be there for the party. We love our FAMILY!

It's a Girl!

We were so excited. On Friday, Kristy and Austin had their first baby come into the world. She is beautiful. We were so glad we were able to go and visit Ellie in the hospital. Braiden didn't quite know what to think at first. He started warming up after he woke up a little more. We are so happy for the Hale family and are excited to welcome Ellie to our family!

{The Birthday Boy}

Braiden turned two years old this last week. It is crazy how fast time flies! On his birthday, both J.T. and I had to work, so he didn't get to open his presents until 8:00 pm. Luckily, he is only two and didn't care one bit. That morning he woke up and I asked him what day it was. He responded by saying, "Happy Birthday Braiden." The rest of the week he kept singing Happy Birthday to himself. It was so sweet. He got a Thomas the Tank Engine along with a track. It was hilarious to see him jump up and down with excitement. My mom and dad came to give him his present and gave him a trike! He loved it:) He rides it as soon as he gets up each morning. I love how sweet and innocent they CAN seem at this age. He was so excited with everything, including the cards. Gma and Gpa Collett came and visited him that night as well. The following Sunday, we had a party with the Peterson side of the family. The Collett side is this upcoming Sunday. He made sure to say Thank You after each gift was given. I love how polite he can be. He got some really fun toys and clothes, but more importantly we had a wonderful night filled with the people we love the most.


We had a race car party. His cake was shaped like a track with the cars racing around it. We also made homemade peach ice cream. It was yummy! When I went to have him blow out his candles, he got really shy and wouldn't do it. Oh well, at least he didn't cry. We had a great weekend and I am so excited that Braiden is growing to be such a wonderful little boy! I love him so much!

Braiden riding his new trike! He had to go and grab his helmet and put it on. He was so excited because he can carry Thomas in the trunk behind him!

The race car cake. I am always nervous about making a cake. I think it turned out OK. We always had the coolest cakes when we were little, that mom made for us. I am trying to do the same thing for my kids. Hopefully, I won't get discouraged and quit!:)

I've been tagged!

I have never done this before, so here it goes!

8 things I am passionate about...

* J.T.
* Braiden
* My Family
* The Gospel
* Decorating
* Scrapbooking
* Finding new projects to try
* Trying to make everyday the best it can be!

8 word/phrases I say often...

* "I love you"
* "James Tuck....er"
* "Braiden Ja....mes"
* "I love you too Braiden"
* "Yes, Braiden" (he asks me questions a million times a day)
* "Ouch" (Thanks to my nerve acting up due to my pregnancy)
* "Thank you Braiden"
* "How did you do that?" (Braiden amazes me everyday)

8 things I want to do before I die...

* Visit every temple in the world (this would be a long trip)
* Teach and help my children to be the best they can
* Get another Bachelors degree, this time in Elementary Education and teach
* Take Braiden to a Jazz game (this should be easy) and a Braves game! Go teams!
* Decorate and remodel my house exactly how I want it! (this could take some time!)
* Go on a mission with my husband
* Swim with dolphins
* Have lunch with one of my favorite teams!

8 things I have learned from my past...

* Enjoy each and every moment
* Always follow your heart
* Continue to move forward, never stay stuck in one place
* Try to love everyone unconditionally
* Stop being a worry wort! (I need to work on this)
* Don't get angry over silly things
* Try to put yourself in the other persons shoes
* and finally, Always remember to breath!

8 Places I would love to go/see...

* Cancun (J.T. served his mission in this area)
* Hawaii
* Switzerland
* France
* Australia
* Disneyworld
* Washington D.C.
* Boston


8 things I currently need/want...

* A bigger house (I am grateful to at least have one though!)
* A new car
* More time
* a huge craft room filled with all the supplies I could dream of having
* a shop for my husband (then my carport won't smell so bad!)
* more energy (this will come in time)
* a happy, healthy baby
* to just enjoy the ride

8 people I tag...

* Julie H.
* Katie S.
* Analisha P.
* Ashley H.
* Jenny G.
* Kristy H.
* Trisha B.
* Alex C.

Salem Days

On Saturday, after we got back from Idaho it was Salem Days! I never went to Salem days when I was little, because we didn't live in Salem. I am so glad that J.T.'s family does and that we have started this tradition. It reminds me of how Spanish Fork used to be. The parade is so much fun. You can sit in the road in front of your car and are able to see perfect. The kids come away with bags of candy and enjoy waving and seeing everyone there. After the parade we went to the car show, something J.T. really wanted to see. After that we just saw the fireworks because I wasn't ready to deal with Braiden at the pageant. Maybe when he is a little older. Trisha and fam came down and we got to see everyone but Kristy and Mike. It was a great day with the Colletts!

Wyatt, Whitney, McKenzie, and Madison enjoying the parade!

Our Trip to Idaho

Right after we got back from camping, we packed up again and headed up to Idaho to visit Trisha, Jake and Gus. Trisha is J.T.'s sister. We have not been up to Idaho since they moved there over a year and a half ago. We felt so bad but were so excited to go and see them. Jake works and manages a dairy farm. I have never seen so many cows in my life! It was really neat to see how everything runs and works there. He is doing a great job! It was so fun to spend time with Trisha and Gus. Braiden was so excited to see them. He loved playing with Gus. They are only about 4 months apart and for the most part got along great! Trisha took us to the Idaho Falls temple open house. It was beautiful. Jake wasn't able to go with us, and so I think people were probably wondering what was going on when they saw J.T. holding two toddlers and these two ladies who are both pregnant following him. I'm sure it was a sight! We were very grateful to be able to see this. After that we grabbed some dinner and headed to see the falls. They were beautiful. At this point the boys were getting tired and so we left and headed to see J.T's aunt Tia and uncle Walt. It was good to visit with them. We had a great time staying with the Brinkerhoffs. I hope we will be able to go and see them again soon!

Gus and Braiden going for a walk to see all of the cows!

The Idaho Falls Temple

The Falls

J.T., Braiden, Trisha and Gus in front of the falls.

Camping

The week after the 24th of July, we decided to go camping. We went up to Diamond Fork Campground. Grandma and Grandpa Roach came along with Kira and Eric. It was so much fun. We had fabulous spots with a lot of trees so it kept things nicely shaded. Since it was in the middle of the week, we didn't see very many people. We were able to let Braiden run around and not worry about getting hit by a car. He had so much fun playing with the bouncy balls I got at the dollar store. He made everyone play baseball with him. We also took our bikes and went on some really fun bike rides. Kira was only up for one day, so Eric got Braiden to himself . The whole time we were there, Braiden kept yelling, "Eric!" I am sure Eric was glad to get home and grateful he didn't have any little brothers and sisters. Braiden loved having him there to play. It is so great to be so close to your grandparents. I love them so much. We had a great time and look forward to going again.

I love this picture of Kira. I took it while we were trying to skip rocks in the river. We were very unsuccessful.

This is Braiden just being silly.

J.T. was helping Eric build us a fire so we could roast marshmallows. He did an excellent job!

The 24th of July!

I know this is a little late, but we have had a busy few weeks. I love the 24th of July. It is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. I love Fiesta Days and everything that goes on in Spanish Fork. On the 23rd, we took Braiden to the rodeo. He enjoyed it once we got past the first event. When the guys would get bucked off the horse, he would look at me and say, "Oh No!" and then he would look as if he was going to cry. It was so sweet, but I was grateful it didn't last and that he enjoyed the rest of the rodeo.

This is Braiden and J.T. enjoying the rodeo.

On the 24th we enjoyed the usual events. We went to the parade and got to see Elise and Macy. I babysat Macy last year. She has gotten so big. It was fun the see them. Braiden was very excited. He misses Macy very much. We also got to see Uncle Brooks in the parade. He got to run down the parade route handing out Otter Pops to the kids for his work. I am sure he enjoyed every minute of it!

Mom, Cortlynn and Braiden at the parade.

We then went to Grandma Roach's for lunch and then to Salem pond with the Collett's. It was busy. While we were at Gma Roach's Braiden and the kids got to swim. I didn't bring a swim diaper, so Braiden swam in his regular one. He swam for a little bit and then looked like he was holding an extra 10 pounds. He looked at me and said, "Mommy, change a bum." We then got him into a more comfortable diaper.

Braiden trying to drink the water while swimming.

Braiden, J.T. and cousins Michelle and Nathan in the canoe.

We ended the day with fireworks at our house and then watching the show
put on by the city. It was a great day!