5 LITTLE MONKEY'S JUMPING ON MY HEAD!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T15:32:00.000-06:00

I am so happy to celebrate Easter this year, it is an especially special day this year because it is also Mr. Logan's birthday!!! This little man is the big 3!! Logan has joined the ranks of his brothers as a little trouble maker. From perfect baby to fearless climber in three short year. He kind of tricked us into thinking he might be our easy, calm child that we have always wanted (but never got)! But he is a Condie boy through and through. He loves to eat anything that has sugar or chocolate in it. Not really a fan of fruit or veggies, or bread, or milk (unless its chocolate), or rice, or any real food. He loves to climb anything that he can, the kitchen cupboards, the pantry, anywhere he can get to the sugar! Like his brothers he is a little bit of a late talker and speaks his own language most of the time which only mom and a select few can understand, but he is coming right a long and in no time everyone will be able to understand the sweet things that flow out of his mouth. Right now when he tells people at the store to shut up they can't understand him and I just smile and act like he said something sweet to them. Logan loves to laugh and play and loves that he can get outside all by himself now. This has lead to a little extra baby proofing in the new house.

Ahh the new house! We have been in our new house for a little over a month now and we love it. The boys love their rooms and the extra space, Austin is especially happy because he now has his own room. Mom and Dad are super happy because we have our own bathroom that is off limit to little boys hooray!! Although little boys sometimes sneak in and leave little gifts on the toilet seat so some extra security may have to be added to our bathroom:) Pictures will have to wait since the camera decided to die right before Christmas:(

March was a super crazy, super hard, super exciting, super sad month for us! We found our new house in February and were set to close on March 25th. Then Brian got this crazy idea that he wanted to move the closing up one week to March 18th and the sellers agreed so it was set. My parents are renting our old house and were not planning on moving in until the end of the month so I thought we would just have some extra time to get the new house ready, maybe paint a little before we moved in, since the new house is very vanilla.

But other things were in the works, we got a phone call the week that we were closing that Brain's mom, who has been battling cancer for the last couple of years, had taken a turn for the worse and would probably not make it through the weekend. The Lord in all his wisdom knew we needed to close when we did and our amazing, wonderful ward stepped in and helped us move our whole house a week ahead of plans. So packing was crazy and instead of packing in a organized day by day plan like I wanted, it was a two day throw everything in any box you can kind of move, which has made unpacking very exciting you never know what you will find in a box:)

So we got moved and then made our very sad trip to Utah for Grandma Condie's funeral she passed away Sunday the 20th and we left on Wednesday for Utah. We had just enough time to get everything moved into the new house, get the old house ready for my parents to move into and find everything we needed to pack for Utah. I know the Lord was watching over our little family, I know he heard every one of my prayers, big-help my children find peace, and they did, and small-help me find all our clothes so I can pack for Utah, He did!!

We had so many friends and family help us through this time and we are so grateful to all of them. We could not have made it through this move and loss without them! We love you and thank you!!!!

And then we got back from Utah just in time for Brian and I to take a little get away to New York City:) More on that later!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Easter this year. The comforting knowledge that the Savior died for us and then lived again for me means so much more to me this year. Losing Brian's mom has been my first real loss of someone I loved so much. It has been hard for me but my real concern was for my little boys who loved their Grandma Condie so much. They were very close to her and her death truly affected their little souls. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and that I could remind them that families are forever and resurrection is real and that their Grandma will be made whole again one day and that we will be able to be a family forever. I know this has comforted me and my boys.

Happy Easter!!

BACK TO SCHOOL!!

2010-09-21T13:57:00.000-06:00

Here is Austin on his first day of school. Austin started middle school this year, YIKES!!!! I have to say that Austin has adjusted very well. Mom and Dad were definitely more nervous than Austin was. I still think 6th grade is too young for middle school, it kind of feels like sending your baby into the lions den, but they keep the grades separated pretty well so the sixth graders don't really see the 7th or 8th graders very much. Austin likes the freedom and responsibility that you have in middle school, he is ready to grow up, weather his parents are ready or not. He joined track this year and is really enjoying that. They run every day after school so Austin is pretty tired at the end of the day but he has been very good about getting his homework and other jobs done. We are looking forward to a good year.

Mr. Preston is in 4th grade this year. Preston always looks forward to school and always does well, even though he tells you how terrible his day is every day:) Preston has had a good year so far. There was a little girl who was teasing him and smashing his lunch every day so Preston and this little girl had a talk with his teacher about respecting each other. They are friends now, I told Preston that sometimes girls tease you because they like you, he was just embarrassed by that. I told him it is a good thing for his mother to give him a girls perspective of things, even though in the boys eyes I am just "Mom" not a girl. :)

Cute Carter is getting so tall, it is hard to believe he is only in 2nd grade. Carter has also had a great year so far. Mom and Carter worked really hard this summer on reading. Carter struggled with reading last year and had just caught up to his grade level when school let out for the summer, so we worked really hard to keep all those good reading skills fresh in his mind. He is doing great and loves to read. Carter really likes his teacher, she was a kindergarten teacher when Carter was in kindergarten and he was hoping that he would get Ms. Fox so he was very happy when he found out she was his teacher. Carter works with his vision teacher twice a week and they are working on learning to type on the keyboard, a skill I wish all my children would learn, it is painful sometimes to watch them pick away at the computer.

Aidan was so excited to finally start kindergarten. Aidan didn't start school until 2 days after everyone else, which made him a little mad. But see how happy he is his first day of school. He was actually very excited to go to school, he was a little annoyed with Mom that I made him stop and take a picture on the way out the door. Aidan's teacher is Ms. Franz, she was Austin's 3rd grade teacher, so we know her very well. She is a great teacher for Aidan because she understands his spirited personality. She is very spirited herself! Aidan, true to form, has already made friends and is waiting for them to come play at his house. Every day I pick up Aidan he says the same thing to me, "I am NOT telling you what I did!!" but I can usually get it out of him. I was a little concerned about sending Aidan to kindergarten this year because he is so young, he is only 4 and turns 5 two days before the Oct 1st cut off, but he is doing great and asks me every night if it is school in the morning.

This little guy gets to hang out with Mom all day! I love having time to spend with just Logan, when your number 5 sometimes that is hard to come by. Logan is 2 1/2 now and is turning into a big boy, he is starting to talk a lot more, and loves to go, go, go. Logan misses his brothers while they are at school and asks me all day long, "Where's Austin, Where's Preston, Where's Carter, Where's Aidan?" Mom is just not as fun to play with as those brothers, Mom usually makes Logan run errands or clean so I guess the boys are more fun than me:)

Finally Done(Almost)

2010-09-17T19:03:00.001-06:00

Finally here are some pictures with all the furniture put back in. It took a little while for it all to come back in from the garage since I repainted almost everything.

In the front room I repainted the bench in front of the window, the cabinet with the bird picture on it (which hides the tv), the two cabinets with the drawers. These drawers are my favorite, they used to be pine, southwest style drawers.

In the entry way I repainted the table and am still going to paint the bench you can see part of just behind the couch.

I sanded the black finish off the top of the dining room table and painted the base white.

Another view into the dining room, the table is just behind the leather chair. I sold our old hutch and bought this black dresser which has a desk hidden inside. It is waiting for a coat of paint too, maybe gray.

Another shot of the dresser with the huge mirror on top, a gift from my in-laws when they moved to Utah.

Here is a picture of the hidden desk, it is very cool, has a light hidden in the top too. This was a find from the Paris Market.

No pictures of the kitchen yet, I lost a little steam in there. I still have to finish painting the walls in there. Like I said almost done, maybe by Christmas, nothing like a 7 month project :)

September 11th Memory

2010-09-12T01:15:00.000-06:00

Today we went to the Air Force v BYU game. It was so much fun to watch my little boys take in all that was going on. It was a perfect place to remember this day.

Nine years ago my world was interrupted, it was shaken, it was turned upside down. The morning of September 11, 2001 I was taking care of a two year old and a 2 month old, and of course we were watching our usual morning Sesame Street. I think PBS was the only station in the country that did not interrupt their programing, so for most of the morning I was blissfully unaware of the terrible things that were happening in the world. Brian called around 9am to say he was coming home, and he sounded upset. I asked him why he was coming home and he said "Vanessa haven't you been watching TV?" I had no idea, and I had no idea. I was upset, I was crying, and I was so grateful my children were too young to remember this terrible day, although Austin says he can remember watching the planes hit the building all day long.

I hated this day, I questioned why this was allowed to happen, what kind of world am I sending my children into. I was angry that I didn't feel safe anymore. And that so many innocent people had to suffer. It truly upset my soul and still to this day it is upsetting to me and I don't like to be reminded of that day. I can't really talk to my boys about it without getting emotional and I hate getting emotional so I don't really ever talk to them about it. But they have to know about this day, it is part of who I am, and it is part of the country they live in. It is part of their history, part of the story they will one day tell their children.

I never bring up 9/11, I let my children bring it up and they are free to ask any questions they want and I answer them truthfully and freely. I know as parents we have to put our own fears aside sometimes so we don't transfer them to our children and my children are mostly fearless right now.

I love this country and my children love this country that is one thing that I will gladly pass on to them. I am grateful that we were able to remember this day at one of the most patriotic places in Colorado. It was a good day, I am glad we remember, I am glad it is done.

Preston is 9

2010-09-09T10:18:00.000-06:00

July always brings us our summer birthday of Mr. Peanut, which we are never allowed to call Preston anymore. Preston is such a fun boy. He is full of sarcastic humor and loves to tease and play jokes. This is not always appreciated by the other brothers.

Preston blowing out the candles on his cake.

Aris, Athena, Tony

We are so lucky to have all of my family close to us, it makes birthdays and holidays so fun.

Athena, Uncle Nick, and Grandpa Robles

Cristina , Aris, Grandma Rosie

Austin helping Preston smile, he didn't need that much help since we were at the best part of the party, PRESENTS!!!

New dvd player, Carter is so happy for Preston!

Preston with some of the cash he got. Uncle Nick always comes through in helping Preston complete his quarter collection, Preston almost has all 50 states and only needs 2 or 3 of the territories and them he will have a complete collection.

Preston had a great birthday and we love him so much. He is growing up and becoming a very responsible and wise young man. Preston is very kind to everyone and is very helpful at home. He started playing the piano last year and is working toward his goal of learning to play the organ. We are so happy to have this boy as part of our family.

4th July 2010

2010-09-09T09:54:00.000-06:00

We went up to Georgetown with some friends on the 4th of July. We had so much fun. It was a perfect day without too many crowds. We watched the Georgetown parade and of course the best part was the candy that got thrown at the boys.

All the boys watching the parade, there was only a little fighting about who go the most candy. After the parade we had lunch played at the park, watched the fire brigade, did a little shopping.

We spent a couple of hours in the car during a huge down pour. Thank goodness for the DVD player. In the end to a perfect day the storm passed just in time for fireworks. The boys loved watching the fireworks against the mountains, I think they liked the echo of the explosions even better. We really had a fun day!

Aidan & Logan

2010-09-08T23:33:00.000-06:00

Aidan and Logan love to play with each other. Which means they make a lot of trouble together. I love to watch them together, because as my big boys just keep getting bigger, these two remind me to enjoy the time while they are little, sweet, and not so innocent. Aidan and Logan are clones of Austin and Preston and sometimes when I see them playing together I have dejavu of Austin and Preston being little boys playing together. I thought it was so cute to see them sitting outside sharing Cheetos.

Of course what to do on a hot day but share a gallon of milk. They were so funny drinking straight out of the jug, passing it back and forth to each other. Oh I love these little boys!!!

Aidan and Logan or Austin and Preston? You be the judge:)

5th Grade Graduation

2010-09-08T23:09:00.000-06:00

Austin graduated from 5th grade this year. He really has grown up to be quite the handsome boy, if I do say so. Finally got a haircut and looking so grown up. Austin is a great student and worked hard up to the very end. But he was so ready to be done with 5th grade.

Austin and his teacher Mrs. Lawler. Austin really liked Mrs. Lawler, but she was not his favorite because she made him work hard, which made Mom and Dad like her even more. Austin has grown up so much and is ready for his next adventure, middle school. I am glad he is ready because his parents are not.

Aidan Finishes Preschool May 2010

2010-09-08T22:47:00.000-06:00

Aidan finished his second year of preschool at the end of May. Aidan loves school, mostly because he gets to see his friends every day. Aidan is the most social of all of the boys and loves his friends. Aidan can make friends anywhere we go and he has so much fun playing.

Here is Aidan with his best bud from preschool, Bryson. Aidan loves Bryson and they hug each other every day, like it has been weeks since they have seen each other, even though they got to see each other 4 days a week. Aidan had some serious Bryson withdrawal this summer as busy schedules didn't allow for many play dates, or as many as Aidan and Bryson would have liked. Aidan was also very sad that Bryson is not coming to the same kindergarten with him.

Here is Aidan with Mrs H. We love Mrs H. She has been our preschool teacher for the last 5 years. She had Preston for 1 year and Carter and Aidan for two years each. Aidan loves Mrs. H and is also very sad that she will not be in kindergarten with him.

Once again my children are growing too fast. I cannot believe preschool is done, next up kindergarten. This little boy is so full of energy and spirit. I love to see how outgoing he is. It still feels like he is my little toddler and not such a big boy. I love to see how much he grows every year, I just wish it would slow down just a little.

Arrow of Light May 2010

2010-09-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

Austin got his Arrow of Light this year in Weblos. We are so proud of him and all the hard work that he has done in Cub Scouts. It is hard for me to believe how fast Austin is growing up. It really does seem like he just started cub scouts and now he is done, moving up to Boy Scouts. Austin is so ready to grow up and not be a little boy anymore. I miss that little boy!

Along with growing up Austin has become very particular about his hair lately and does not want his mother to cut it anymore. Nothing like having to brush the hair out of your eyes:)

New Floors

2010-08-19T11:27:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple of before pictures of the before floors, carpet in the front room which would never stay clean and tile in the kitchen, which was good for a couple of years and then started to crack everywhere.

Here are a couple of the during pictures, of course new floors was a good opportunity to paint the ceiling and walls while I didn't have to worry about dripping on the floor.

Finally after wanting to for six years we got wood floor put down in the front room and kitchen, and we love it.

Ahh, totally worth the wait!!

Lots of Kid pics and bragging to follow. Read at your own risk!

2010-03-02T16:47:00.006-07:00

Oh Logan! My sweet, quite baby has turned into a sweet, quiet trouble maker. Logan has tried to climb more things than any of the other four.He can frequently be found pushing a chair to the cupboard so he can get into the sink but the bathroom has the super handy toilet nearby so no chair required to get into that sink.

Also on top of the table in any number of rooms.

Or trying to climb the washer, which bare feet stick very well to. This is the child that we have to know where he is at all times or there will be water and sometimes toilet paper involved. "Please keep the bathroom door closed." ,is heard about 100 times a day at our house, along with "Where is Logan?"

He has followed in Carter's foot steps and become a head banger and has had a constant bruise on his forehead for the past three months (always self inflicted).

He is growing like a weed and is almost off the charts in his height. Weight is always in the 50th percentile and lately he has decided to boycott all food except hot dogs and chocolate milk (thank you to his brothers for introducing him to the chocolate part of milk). Austin was the same way when he was this age and I was always super worried about it, with Logan I have to admit it just makes my life easier always knowing what to make him for breakfast and lunch, I still put what everyone else is having for dinner in front of Logan at night, he just stares at it and drinks his chocolate milk.

Logan is still my sweet little boy, he loves to cuddle and has music in his heart. He is always humming a song. Over Christmas Austin learned to play Jingle Bells on the piano, Logan picked up the tune and sings it all the time. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald are also favorites.

Logan loves to play with the big boys now and sometimes has trouble knowing what to do around kids his own age, since they don't play as rough as his brothers do. Logan is also somewhat obsessed with pulling long hair since he does not see a lot of it at his house, so sorry to any of Logan's little friends out their, I am sure he has pulled your hair a least once:) Especially if there is something colorful and sparkly in it.

Logan with some of his favorite hair of all time.

2010-03-02T16:29:00.002-07:00

Aidan with Mr. Monkey from preschool.

Aidan is our little fiery one, which coincidental is what Aidan means. Aidan love, loves, loves preschool. Mostly because he gets to see his friends, Aidan is all about friends. By far my most social child, Aidan makes friends anywhere we go. Aidan is also adamant about having play dates so he has forced his mother to be more social and make play dates with his friends. If Aidan had his way he would have a play date every day and with every friend that he meets. Aidan is naturally full on energy and does not need any natural boost (like in the form of sugar). Aidan most days has chicken nuggets or hot dogs for breakfast but one day wanted waffles and which I happily obliged since he wanted real breakfast food, for breakfast. When I picked Aidan up from preschool that day I was kindly asked if I could save the syrup and waffles for the weekend:) The energy was too much for his teachers to handle and tends to be contagious in preschool.

Aidan is a very passionate person and tends to either be very happy or very sad, not too much in between. He is also passionate about Sponge Bob, Scoody Doo, and Pez candy machines. Some of Aidan favorite sayings are "Oh Barnacles", and "Zoniks". He also informed me that yellow Pez candy "tastes like pee" and are not his favorite, good to know:)

2010-03-02T16:13:00.005-07:00

Carter, Carter, what to say about Carter! Carter is growing like a weed and towers above all the kids in his class. Carter struggled with his reading and writing at the beginning of 1st grade, but in the last few months has started making leaps and bounds in both areas and we are so proud of him. Mom and Dad have been working really hard with him and he also has a fantastic team of people who work with him at school. His teacher Mrs. Anderson has worked so hard with him this year and has even stayed after school with his two days a week to work on his reading and vocabulary. We were surprised at Carter's first teacher conference to hear that he was so very shy in class and would only whisper to his teachers. His teacher was trying to get Carter to come out of his shell. Brian and I had to laugh and tell her that at home and with friends he is the complete opposite and is very outspoken and hot tempered. I guess we are glad that his temper is controlled when is away from home:) Carter also has a special vision teacher, Ms. Barb, that works with Carter on making sure he is using his bugs eye (a little magnifier) and monocular (like binocular, except just one lens) to help his see the print in class. She has also worked with his teachers to make sure that print and lines for printing on paper are dark enough for Carter to see. She really is an advocate for his sight at school and we are so grateful that she is there for him. She really cares a lot about Carter and we can see it in all the time and energy she puts into him. Carter makes us laugh and is pretty quick witted. He sure dose keep us on our toes.

One day Carter got mad at something and a "Damn it!" came flying out of his mouth. (I have no idea where he heard that, Dad.) Brian and I both stared at him wide eyed and Carter knew he was in BIG trouble, but with his quick wit came up with "I said DAN, DAN IT!" While holding back out laughter Carter was promptly sent to his room to think about what he really said and so Brian and I could get all of our laughter out before we talked to him.

2010-03-02T16:04:00.003-07:00

Preston in his "Halloween costume"
Preston has been having a great year at school. He really likes his teacher and Brian and I really like her too. She encourages Preston to challenge himself and grow more than any of his other teachers have. Sometimes Preston pretends he does not like to get extra work sent home, but secretly I know he loves it. But Preston will never admit that. We have seen Preston grow a lot this year. Preston continues to always be a good friend and won the PRIDE award at school in February for being a Positive, Respectful, Inclusive, Dedicated, and Excellent student. Preston is also enjoying Cub Scouts which he started last summer. Preston is also my best helper at home. He will clean the whole kitchen without being asked and is almost always:) willing to help his mother.

2010-03-02T15:53:00.003-07:00

NO PICTURES PLEASE!!

We have been busy the last few months. Life keeps changing and taking us in new directions, one of my friends told me "There is no normal." and I have to agree, I keep waiting for life to "Get back to normal" and the is no normal.

Austin wishes school was not keeping him so busy. 5th grade has brought a lot more homework and this has cut into some of Austin's outside time, which he loves. He hates to hear it but this is just the beginning, middle school is next year and I told him to expect more homework, which of course gets the roll of the eyes. Austin is also enjoying piano, he started last year and has really learned a lot. Austin has made a goal to get more involved in school this year so he joined the choir and recorder club. We are very proud of Austin and the young man he is becoming. He has told me that he believes his purpose in life is to help other people and he is trying to do that every day. At Austin's teacher conference his teacher told us that he has been helping and standing up for a girl in his class who some of his class mates like to tease. His teacher was very impressed that Austin is able to stand up for himself and others and not back down when his friends try to peer pressure him to go along with the teasing. Austin is also very aware of his little brother Logan and tries to make sure he is safe, since Logan tends to make trouble or get into trouble:)

Shape up Mom and Dad!!

2009-12-02T22:42:00.003-07:00

Don't mess with this boy!!

It has been way too long since I have posted anything, I will really have to try to catch up so there may be some random birthday, summer, etc. posts.

Anyway, I had to write this down before I forget.

Brian and I were talking to Carter before he went to bed tonight about his day. Carter was mad because some of Austin's friends call him mini Austin and he was a little ticked off about that and then his art teacher yelled at his class today because somebody was goofing off. Carter was very upset because the whole class got punished for something one person did. So Brian got on a little soap box about how teachers should not yell at the kids no matter how mad they get and that maybe he should call the teacher and so on and Carter turns to Brian and says "Never mind Dad, I don't think you can handle it, because you yell too!" Brian just stared at Carter and I was trying to control my laughter and be serious.

Then we had family prayer and I got a little upset at Aidan and Logan for goofing off while we were praying. Carter went up to bed tonight and said this was the worst day of his life because of Austin's friends, the art teacher, and Mom yelling during the most special time of the day according to Carter(and I agree), prayer time.

I think Brian and I got told tonight.

One Decade!!!

2009-09-13T23:00:00.003-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!

Austin turned 10 on May 14th. I still can't bring myself to believe that I am the parent of a 10 year old. This also marks the end of my first decade as a parent. This is the hardest birthday for me to swallow. I look at this boy and I can't even say little boy anymore because he is a young man. I walk next to this boy and am blown away at how close he is to looking me right in the eye, which makes me want to shrink him now because I know one day not too far away he will pass me in height. But other than height we are starting to see eye to eye in other things to. Austin can discuss things with his parents, and he is teaching us the art of giving your child space and not treating him the same way I treat his 4 year old brother. I will admit it is hard for me to let go of being the over protective, hovering mother. It is hard being the oldest child and having to teach your parents how to do things. I know being the oldest child in my family, so I try to be a little sympathetic to his request of "Mom I need some freedom!"

Austin had a monster truck birthday and the past couple of years the number one requested gift has been the all mighty dollar.

Austin and his brothers counting the loot!!!!!

I have really seen Austin grow a lot this past year. It is a bitter, sweet thing for me. I still remember bringing this tiny little baby home from the hospital and thinking "OK, now what?" Austin has taught me so much about love and compassion. Also about forgiveness, like a child he can forgive and love his parents despite all the mistakes that we make. Austin is turning into a very fun young man and we are so happy that he is part of our family. Austin's brothers look up to him so much and watch everything that he does. I am glad that Austin came to our family!

The lovely monster truck cake, I have made a few of these over the years. Austin has been true to his first love of cars and trucks. The first toys Austin ever played with were ones that rolled.

Aurora Scholar of the Year

2009-09-13T22:40:00.003-06:00

Preston has always been a super star student. He teacher's consistently gush about what a great student Preston is and how thoughtful and caring he is. This year Preston won the Aurora Scholar of the Year for 2nd grade for his school. The teachers in each grade nominated a student from each class and then they chose one student from each grade to receive the award. The Aurora Scholar is someone who is consistently a good student, a good citizen, a good friend ,and an all around good kid. Preston got to go to the city of Aurora building and get his award from a member of the city counsel. Preston was very excited and we were all so proud of him and the good student that he is.
Here is Preston with his "Key to the Future"
Preston and Mom with Ms. Kenyon the principal at his school. (Aidan had to show how happy he was to be there too)

Congratulations Preston!!!!!

1 YEAR OLD!!!!

2009-09-13T21:53:00.012-06:00

Logan turned 1 April 24th!!!

Time has gone by so fast!!

It seems like we were just here with our brand new baby.
Logan really was a dream baby. I can say that because I have had other babies (who I love dearly) who were not so easy. The day Logan was born was a crazy day. I had just gone to the doctor to have my blood pressure checked and it turned into a hurry and get to the hospital so we can induce you appointment. I was super happy to have Logan 10 days early but had to make a pit stop on the way to to hospital. In the days before Brian and I had cell phones things got a little complicated, Brian had taken Carter and Aidan to the zoo that morning with preschool. Luckily the teachers knew right where they were so I found Brian right away and we all headed to the hospital. Labor and delivery all went pretty smooth, except for a epidural that left me with a epidural headache for 10 days after Logan was born (I was fine as long as I laid down but instant migraine if I stood up). Logan came out screaming and proceeded to scream for a full hour after he was born. He was not happy to be out but after the crying he became a sleepy baby. Logan was very hard to wake up and wanted to sleep more than he wanted to eat for the first few weeks.

Logan has been so happy and brought so much joy to our family. When I run errands with Logan sometimes I forget he is with me because he is just happy to hang out in his stroller and take everything in. We never had any of the late afternoon, early evening fussiness that some of his brothers had. Logan would just hang out in his bouncy seat or play on the floor and fall asleep if he was tired. He has been a super sleeper and has slept through the night since he was 3 months old. Now these are all 12 month stats some of the angle baby has turned into crazy Condie boy, but I will save that for Logan's next post.

We had a fun little party for Logan!
Logan was so funny when we sang Happy Birthday to him. He just sat a stared at everyone and then got a little upset that we were all looking at him and singing to him.
Logan's brothers had to help him dig into his cake. But once Logan got the hang of it.
He had the best time.
There was a little help from the brothers with the face painting.

The birthday boy had to take a birthday bath and sleep the night away with sweet dreams.

We love you Logan!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2009-06-06T22:31:00.002-06:00

This year in primary they give the kids a candy necklace on their birthday. Carter waited all year for his birthday to come so he could get his candy necklace. You can see how happy he was.

Easter Pictures!!

2009-06-05T23:17:00.003-06:00

Ever since #4 and #5 boy came along taking a picture of all of them together is a joke. I didn't get a picture of all of them together until Christmas, and the baby was born in April. You can see how happy they are to take pictures together. As you can see in the last post, it is not that they mind getting their picture taken, it is when you put all of them together they just can't look and smile at the same time.
Preston is the exception, he has never liked getting his picture taken. He was three years old before he would willing look at a camera and smile. Still at 7 he is not very willing. Almost!!

Logan's patience with his brothers is about 30 seconds.

We got Austin and Carter in this one.

This is the best one of the bunch Austin looks great, Preston in his usual camera pose, Carter was tried of smiling, Aidan finally looked at the camera and Logan finally saw the camera which is one of his favorite toys if he can get his little hands on it. There was melt down after this by Logan because he did not get to chew on the camera when we were done.

2009-06-05T23:02:00.004-06:00

HAPPY EASTER 2009!!!!

All of my sweet little boys let me take their pictures on Easter. They are so handsome. I wish I could freeze time and just let them all stay where they are. I am pretty lucky with these boys I have got one turning into a young man, a few who are still crazy kids, and my cute little baby who is growing too fast. I know I will look back at this time in my life and wonder how it all went by so fast.

Austin
Preston
Carter
Aidan

Logan

Happy 6th Birthday Carter!!!

2009-06-05T22:31:00.003-06:00

Carter's birthday was on Easter this year so we did a combo Easter egg hunt and birthday party. Carter was very excited for his big day! We had a family party and Carter got to open his presents. As you can see Aidan was very excited to "help" Carter open his presents.

Logan got into the action too!
Carter got a train set for his birthday! He also got some Legos and a remote control car. And Uncle Nick gave him some pirate gold ($10 in gold dollar coins). Carter asked if Uncle Nick really got the gold dollars from pirates.
This is Carter's chocolate explosion cake. Carter is a boy after his mother's heart, he asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream, ahh a little bit of heaven if I do say so. The cake had a mind of its own so it became the chocolate explosion cake.

Carter blowing out the candles on his chocolate explosion cake.

We are so proud of this little boy. He has grown up so much this year. Carter has loved kindergarten this year and has done so well. Carter is one tough kid and does not let life's challenges get him down. One year ago Carter started having problems with his eyes and had to go through 4 surgeries in 2 months. Carter still cannot see out of his eye that the retina detached in but he just accepts it and moves on.

Carter was talking to me the other day about when he lost his sight. It makes Mom a little emotional still but Carter is just very matter of fact about it. When his retina detached the last time it really did happen overnight and when Carter woke up he was blind out of that eye. He was telling me that he woke up that morning and said to himself "Am I blind?" Then he told me, "Jesus said to me yes you are, and I said OK." Oh sweet little boy, to hear the spirit talk to you and to just accept it without any question or complaint. Carter really teaches us so much. Happy Birthday sweet boy, we love you so much!!!!

Pine Wood Derby

2009-06-03T22:47:00.002-06:00

After one snow delay we finally had Austin's pine wood derby race in March.

Austin made a police truck with a light on top that actually flashed. It is very cool

Here is a sample of some of the cars that the scouts made.

Austin had fun but wished he won a few more races. Last year he came in second place overall but this year was a good experience for him.

Can't you tell how much Austin loves it when I take his picture:)

Oh Happy Day!

2009-06-03T22:34:00.004-06:00

I know you thinks it is always RAINBOWS and SUNSHINE around here JUST KEEPING IT REAL!!!

Sweet Aidan

2009-06-03T21:53:00.005-06:00

This is my cute boy Aidan.

He is quite the character and always good for a laugh. He has been in speech therapy the past year and we are quite impressed with his progress. I understand what he says about 80 percent of the time, the rest of the world understands him about 50 percent of the time. As his speech improves of course this percentage is going up which I am very happy about. One of the downfalls: Aidan never holds back in saying exactly what he thinks. If someone offends him in any way is comment is usually "Stupid kid!" A kid to Aidan is anyone from 0 to 100 years of age. He is always told not to say that but I never worried about it too much because I was really the only one who knew what he was saying. But lately as he has become such a good little speaker his sweet comments are understood by all that have offended him. Aidan is also one who is easily offended. As a moody kid he is not always happy to be out with Mom and usually wants to be home watching Scooby-doo, this makes for a grumpy kid while running errands. So if you look at Aidan or talk to him at all he will be offended by you and all your friendliness! It is so fun to take him out:)
What you cannot see in this picture is the strand of my hair that is wrapped around Aidan's fingers. Ever since Aidan was a baby he has been obsessed with eating my hair. A very gross little habit. As he has grown older he has stopped actually eating it and just wraps it around his fingers and licks it. But where it really gets gross is that sometimes he finds a random hair on the bench at church or on the floor of a store and starts wrapping it around his fingers before I rip it out of his hands. I really hope he outgrows this little habit soon!

2009-04-29T22:03:00.006-06:00

Aidan loves to play up in his room. He loves to bring Logan upstairs with him. Logan does not always want to stay and play.

Aidan found a way to keep Logan on his bed, he just put him in a box. This is what I saw when I came upstairs. Logan was just playing happily while sitting in Aidan's box.

Logan was ready to get out of the box when he saw that him Mom was there to rescue him.

Two Peas

2009-04-28T18:47:00.002-06:00

Aidan and Logan have become quite good friends. As Logan has gotten older and more mobile Aidan thinks that he is a lot of fun to play with. Logan was not too sure about this at first. He was a little leery of Aidan carrying him up and down the stairs. He is not always up for playing with Aidan but as he has gotten older he has also found his attitude and can be very vocal when he does not want to do something. Aidan is a very good big brother and very sweet when he wants to be. Aidan is working on being a good sharer which I think is a little amusing, when you are number 4 boy you think you would be used to sharing everything you own. Maybe that is why Aidan thinks everything belongs to him, I have stopped trying to figure out the mind of a 3 year old.

At Aidan's last teacher conference his teacher's goals for him were to work on being a better sharer and not playing so rough with the other children. Not all of Aidan's friends have 4 brothers to show them how to be a Kung Fu fighter.

And Logan is still my sweet little guy. He loves to snuggle with Mom, which I love because all of the other little boys think they are too big to snuggle with their Mom and don't give more than the occasional hug and kiss. (If they absolutely have too!!) Logan is a pretty happy and content guy and his brothers still think he is pretty great too.

It is sweet to watch the little boys interact with each other. It is nice to remember these sweet moments and I hope they remember them too because it seems to me as they get older they forget that their brothers were once sweet little babes and they just want to fight with each other.

Indoor Camping

2009-04-28T18:31:00.004-06:00

While we were in Utah in January we made a little trip to Ikea and the boys chose to spend their allowance there. It was a good choice since they got a lot of bang for their buck. I love Ikea! The 3 big boys got $10 tents that look like igloos. One day Carter set his tent up and he played with Logan for a long time. It was very cute. Logan was very excited to be allowed to play with the big boys.

Aidan also got a $10 tent that looks like a lady bug and folds and unfolds like an umbrella so he can do it all by himself, which is very important to Aidan.

Logan just being one of the "guys"!

2009-03-31T02:00:00.001-06:00

These little green men live in my bathtub. They hurt when you step on them!

Sweet Little Heart

2009-03-31T01:39:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we were all out in the front yard getting ready to go somewhere, Brian was putting Logan's seat back in the van and Aidan was playing in the front seat. Brian took Aidan out and then Aidan was gone! We could not find him anywhere, not in the front yard or the back yard, not in the house and the panic was starting to set in. Our sweet neighbor Margret came out when she saw all of us calling and searching for Aidan. Our neighbor two doors up have a door to their garage that they left unlocked and Aidan had gone in and locked the door. We were relieved to find him and Aidan just thought he was playing a game of hide and seek. He thought he was very funny.

All of us were relieved to find Aidan and my sweet little Carter came up to me and said "Mom my heart was so scared!" I agreed with him and then Carter turned to me and said in his very stern 5 year old voice "Now don't you call anyone on the phone and tell them I said that!" Carter does not like me telling funny stories about him because, he is not funny, just very serious all the time:) I promise I won't call anyone Carter!

Tag! Your It

2009-02-26T23:03:00.002-07:00

Tagged by Alice, here is my 6th picture from my 6th folder!

Logan hanging out at a Halloween party, he was not very happy about his little pumpkin hat. Oh, he has grown so much since then!

Aynay......

2009-02-26T00:55:00.003-07:00

...is what Aidan likes to call himself!

Aidan is one crazy kid and is full of energy. He is so funny sometimes. The other day I came downstairs and found Aidan hiding behind the chair with my purse. He was generously applying lip gloss and when I asked him what he was doing he said "My lips were cold" Well of course they were, better cover up with some shiny pink lip gloss.

We made a run to our eye doctor today because Aidan told Brian and I last night that his eye was broken, and at our house we don't take those comments lightly. So we rushed off to the eye doctor this morning.

Long story short Aidan's eyes were perfect (huge sigh of relief).

Aidan hates getting drops in his eyes and while they were trying to put drops in his eyes he kept screaming at the top of his lungs

"My eyes are not thirsty!!"

After the drops and screaming Aidan was an angel, thanks to Ms. Diane who always makes sure Aidan gets his fill of chocolate from the treat drawer. She brought him a little chocolate before the doctor and a big one for after the doctor. This bribe worked very well because Aidan usually gives an encore performance of screaming and fighting when it is time for Dr. P to look at his eye. Today he sat quietly on my lap and let the Dr. get a good look at his eye and retina. Dr. P was very impressed and so was I. Apparently all we need is a big old chocolate bar to keep the scream monster quiet.

P.S.-If Aidan's glasses could please come out of hiding we would really appreciate it :)

10 Months Already!!!

2009-02-24T15:57:00.006-07:00

This little boy is 10 months old today and I really can't believe it!!! He is really growing up and turning into a little boy just like his brothers. I do have to say he is still pretty calm and mellow compared to his brothers, they have not rubbed off on him yet, but I am sure it is coming. For now I will keep enjoying this calm little boy. He is starting to lose interest in his bottle and wants to eat more and more real food. He loves his rice cereal and yogurt is also on the top of his list. He has no interest in any baby food that has meat in it and I don't blame him, I could barley stand the smell of it while I was feeding it to him. I don't usually feed my babies the meat baby foods because they smell so gross to me but at Logan's 9 month check up they checked his iron level and it was low so they said he needed some meat in his diet and with two teeth we are not quite ready to throw down hamburgers yet. But he was just getting over RSV and a nasty stomach flu when he went to the doctor so I do not feel too bad about taking away the liquid meat (so gross)!

Anyway, Logan loves to crawl all over the house and cruse the furniture, his brothers comment that Logan never holds still he just likes to move, move, move. He is still a human vacuum cleaner and puts everything in his mouth. He is the funniest kid though because he has a mouth like a squirrel and can hide things in it for a long time until he has to actually eat some real food and they all the paper and Lego's he has been sucking on for who knows how long come flying out so he has room for the good stuff. He fell asleep in his car seat one afternoon and slept for a good two hours and when I went to get him out pops a Lego that he had in his mouth the whole time he was sleeping!!!

He is still the angle baby and is so good when ever we go out. He is very social and loves to smile and play with anyone who will make eye contact, that is as long as Mom or Dad are close by. We love this little boy so much and are truly enjoying him. His brothers still love him to death and sometimes smother him with just a little too much love, Logan likes his space and does not want anyone holding him back. We are still long and skinny at the last check Logan had finally made it to 17lbs and is officially off the chart at 32 1/2 inches (10 month old babies are just not supposed to be that tall)!

We love you Logan!!!

Cold, Cold Go Away!!!!

2009-02-23T15:18:00.003-07:00

We are finally all over the yucky cold that came to visit our house the beginning of this month. Aidan started the whole thing with a little cough that turned into a big cough, sinus infection, and pink eye. When the doctor told me to keep him away from his brothers, especially Logan, because pink eye is so contagious I just had to laugh. Of course all of the boys got a cough, fever, and pink eye, Carter also got an ear infection. There was a week or two there where I would line the boys medication up and we would have a little assembly line, decongestant, anti-biotic, ibuprofen (for the fever). It was a little rough but I think I can safely say that we are all healthy now. Hopefully we can all stay healthy for the rest of the winter. I am so ready for spring to be here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are missing playing outside every day!!

Week in Utah

2009-02-13T07:48:00.002-07:00

So we finally made it to Utah despite all the after Christmas adventures. Thanks so much Chris and Wendi for letting all 7 of us invade their space for the week. We had so much fun with you guys:) Logan and Emalie had fun playing together. Mostly Emalie just used Logan as a speed bump:) We also had fun seeing Brian's Uncle Richard and Aunt Nancy and some cousins. Brian's brother Roger has a gym in Ogden and the boys thought that it was so awesome!! This is Austin and Carter climbing the wall. Brian, Carter, and Preston playing on the scooters. I need a room like this in my house:)This is Carter, Logan, and Aidan at the cafeteria in IKEA. I love that place!! I could have spent hours and $$$ there. I can't wait till IKEA comes to Colorado!!Of course we made the trip down to Temple Square. I really wanted the little boys to see the lights because that is on of my favorite childhood memories. We also had dinner with Eduardo and Lily, Brian baptized Lily when she was 15 while he was on his mission in California. Austin playing checkers with Emalie.

Utah was a much needed break for our little family. And now we are back to the daily grind trying to get over a nasty cold that has hit everyone except Brian:(

Are We There Yet?!

2009-01-28T00:33:00.004-07:00

The day after our little ER adventure we were headed to Utah to visit Brian's brother Chris and Wendi and family. We did not leave quite as early as we had planned since Mom and Dad needed a little sleep. So we packed up the van loaded up the kids and were on our way. We needed to stop at Walmart to pick up some windshield washer fluid. Brian ran in and then came back out started the van and the van started and then died, and would not start again. We thought maybe the battery was dead so one of the guys from Walmarts auto department came out with his handy little battery checker thing and informed us that the battery was fine, great...just means something more expensive is wrong and he thought it was the fuel pump. So the van had to be towed and 5 crying kids were loaded into Grandpa Robles' car and sent home. Spirits were not high to say the least. Monday morning the auto shop looked at the van and informed us it would be $1500 plus to put a new fuel pump in the van (which we have already replaced once) and we were also informed that the transmission would be the next thing to go. We had already fixed the van twice in the past month so this was the last straw. Brian and I spent the morning looking for a new van and then spent the afternoon picking up this little number. So, the Condie family has a new Chevy Uplander which makes us all very happy. And the little boys one request for the new van, that it had a DVD player. I am happy to say that their wish was granted and we left for Utah that afternoon with a stack of DVD's and 5 happy boys!!!!

The Lesson Here Cut Your Steak and Chew Your Food And Oh yeah Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-01-25T21:58:00.004-07:00

Brian and I celebrated our twelve year anniversary this year. December 27th is our anniversary so we decided to go to the Trail Dust for dinner and then we were going to leave for Utah at 5am the next morning. So we left the boys with my mom and headed to the Trail Dust. Brian was very excited to eat his steak and the first bite he took went down the wrong way. Just how wrong we did not know. Brian tried to drink a bunch of water to get the bite to go down but he ended up throwing up the water all over his plate...lovely. So Brian got up and went to the bathroom. I covered his plate up with napkins and kept eating my steak (can't let a good steak go to waste:)....anyway, Brian could still breath and I thought he would just throw it up in the bathroom and be done with it, but after 20 minutes or so in the bathroom I sent the waiter in to make sure he was still alive. Brian finally came out of the bathroom and informed me that the steak was still stuck in his throat and we would need to make a trip to the emergency room. So we headed to Centennial Medical Plaza, about 15 minutes down the street. Brian threw up out the window once and got throw up all over the side of the van. Once we got the emergency room they asked Brian if he was having trouble breathing or chest pain and when he answered yes to both questions yes they rushed him right back to the ER. When he told them the story of what happened I could not control my laughter and the nurses joined in. I also called my sister-in-law in Utah to let her know what was going on we had a good little laugh ourselves:) Then Brian asked me to call his Mom and I told him that I could not do that because I would laugh and she would think that I was terrible. At the ER they tried giving Brain cola because that supposedly breaks up the steak and helps it go down. That did not work so they gave him a muscle relaxer to see if they could get the steak to go up or down. The first muscle relaxer did not work so they gave him nitro glycerin which is another muscle relaxer to see if that would work. When nothing worked they decided to transfer Brain to Aurora Medical Center so a gastro specialist could do a scope on his throat and see exactly where the steak was stuck. All I could think was are you serious you can't just throw the piece of meat up and save us a little time and money. But no, so it was off the the second ER of the night. So we drove to Aurora Medical Center and waited a couple of hours for the gastro DR to get there. Luckily Brian and I kept our sense of humor and were laughing the whole time. The nurses and Dr's were getting a good little chuckle out of the whole situation too:) The gastro Dr finally got there and they knocked Brain out and scoped him. They doctor came and got me when they were done and told me that they pulled the piece of steak out of Brian's throat. He said that it did not look like he chewed it very much. While they were in there they saw that Brian's esophagus was narrowed at the base where it connected to his stomach so he has to go back in 4 to 6 weeks and have his esophagus stretched. Lovely!!! When Brian woke up he was so out of it and it was hilarious, he was telling all the nurses that he was going to go work out because all the ladies like to see him with his shirt off. Finally at 2am we headed home. An anniversary to remember!!! Here's to another 12 wonderful years (I really mean that) it has been great and I can't wait to see what the next 12 years bring.

Merry Christmas 2008

2009-01-10T09:01:00.010-07:00

Merry Christmas 2008!!

Santa was very good to the Condie boys this year. Everyone got their need, read, wear, and want gift and I think everyone was happy. Santa also brought a fire station and fire truck for everyone to share.
The little boys excited to open their presents. We told them that they could not come and get us until 7am so they spent some time playing with the fire station because Santa did not wrap it.
Austin opening his Legos, that was what he wanted the most.
Preston with his "read" gifts.
Carter trying to focus on his "wear" gift because the gift he really wanted to open was his new bike.

Carter practicing on his new bike!

Aidan opening his animal block train. But this was Aidan favorite gift, it is a little tower with wooden balls on the top that you bang with a hammer until the go through the holes. Aidan loves being able to bang on something with a hammer and not get in trouble.

Logan was so fun to watch open presents. He is so curious and was just watching and taking it all in.

Logan with his new pull horse.Logan playing with the fire station while his brothers were distracted.

Our Christmas dinner table. It is nice to spend Christmas with just our family and make our own traditions.

Waiting to eat the yummy ham!!

We had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending time together and playing with our new toys and watching Kung Fu Panda a couple of times.

Quotes by Carter

2009-01-09T18:06:00.004-07:00

This boy........ is a source of constant entertainment in my life

Carter- Mom can I have a fruit snack?

Mom- Yes, Carter.

Carter- Will you get it for me?

Mom- You can get it yourself today(I know, I'm mean).

Carter- (with hands up in the air) Oh you don't want to serve your precious son?!!!!

Mom- You can serve yourself today Carter.

Today when Carter came home from school:

Carter-Dad can you play with me?

Dad- Carter, I am working right now.

Carter- Oh, so you don't want to plan your precious children when they come home?!!!

Carter- I have a little problem.

Mom- What is your problem Carter

Carter- I have a little problem with toots/

Mom- What?!

Cater-I have a little problem with farts, I do it too much, you can just call me the fart machine.

Mom- Sounds like a personal problem Carter.

These are just a few conversations from the last day, the boy cracks be up!!

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-07T09:16:00.005-07:00

We spend Christmas eve with my family. All of my siblings and their families converge on my parents house and we eat dinner and open presents. The boys always look forward to this night and we all love spending time together. We tried to get a picture with all the cousins together, this is always a challenge. My favorite pictures of the night are when Carter called his cousin Athena a wierdo in this picture .....and then this is the next picture, priceless. Everyone got to open their gifts from each other and then play, play, play!! And of course the angle baby's first Christmas Eve, he is at such a fun age and loved playing with all the new things.

I am so grateful for my family and I am grateful that we are all here in Colorado and get to spend time together. I am grateful for the love that my children feel from their family and that they get to spend time with their Grandparents and uncles, and aunts. We all had a wonderful time!

Christmas Craft Day

2009-01-07T08:52:00.003-07:00

We had a Christmas craft day the Monday before Christmas. My mom, sister Cristina, and sisters-in-law Brynn and Melissa came over and we made Christmas treats. Lots of chocolate, candy, pretzels, and cookies. The kids all decorated sugar cookies it was fun to just set them free with all the sugar their little hearts desired. We ended up with some pretty loaded cookies. The cookie with 8 chocolate kisses in the front was made especially for Brynn by my niece Athena :)!!! Yummy!!! Then we all enjoyed some delicious Tortilla Cheese soup!

I am still finding cookie sprinkles in my kitchen:) We all had a good time and it was nice to spend some relaxing family time together.

Breathless!!

2009-01-07T08:11:00.002-07:00

The little boys are back to school and I am trying to salvage the routine of my life and get the house back in shape. We had a crazy, wonderful, happy, busy two weeks. A brief recap:
*Christmas Craft/Treat Day with Mom, sister, sister-in-laws, and 7 kids
*Christmas Eve with Robles family
*Christmas day at our house
*Jenny Mitchell wedding/reception
*12 year wedding anniversary
*Late night trip to the emergency room to remove un-chewed piece of steak from Brian's throat
(this happened the night before we were supposed to leave for Utah at 5 am)
*Late start to Utah trip because of 2am return from ER
*Quick stop at Walmart to pick up windshield washer fluid before starting long drive to UT
*Van dying in Walmart parking lot and being towed to van DR
*Van Dr declaring mini-van is dead
*Postponing UT trip to buy new van (yeah!!)
*Finally leaving for UT and driving through night to arrive at 2am
*Playing, playing, playing with family in UT for 5 days (so needed)
*Arriving home exhausted but happy
So we are happy and tired and glad that we survived 2008 and are looking forward to a calm, boring 2009. I can always hope!!:)

ALL the Stockings Were Hung......

2008-12-24T10:16:00.006-07:00

We are ready for Christmas, FINALLY!!!

The little boys are very excited to go to Grandma Rosie's tonight. Carter cannot wait to see what Santa brings his since all he asked for was a big bag of toys. This year the boys are getting four gifts each, something they want, something they need, something they read, and something to wear. Christmas shopping can be a little over whelming with these boys. They have all the boy toys they could possibly want so finding something that is thoughtful and that will not be in the goodwill box in 6 months is a little challenging. Even with them each just getting 4 things that is 20 gifts I have to come up with, but I am ready and think I did a pretty good job. These little white wreaths were my project this year and were super easy. I got the idea from one of my favorite blogs:

Nesting Place.

Just two super cheap straw wreaths, furry fabric, and a glue gun. This is one of those projects that I love because it is almost impossible to mess it up. They turned out very cute and I think I will keep them up all winter.

The little boys stockings are hung.

I am too cheap to buy Logan a stocking until after Christmas because the one I want for him is too expensive for me to pay full price. Preston was feeling bad that Logan did not have a stocking so he took matters into his own hands and made Logan a stocking. Logan is lucky to have all these brothers to look out for him:)Of course we are trying to remember the true meaning of Christmas and keep the birth of our Savior in the front of our minds. We hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy spending time with those you love.

Merry Christmas!!!

Logan's 8 Months Old

2008-12-24T09:29:00.002-07:00

Logan is 8 months old today!!!

Can we believe it, NO!! As I have said before, I am not ready for this little boy to grow up, but the wheels of time keep turning so I just enjoy every moment I have with him. He is growing like crazy and at last check he was 29 inches long and 17 lbs. He is still so tall and is now above the 100th percentile so he is officially off the charts for height. He loves to scoot around the house and try to climb the stairs. Now we are constantly watching him because he has also tried to go down the stairs by himself a couple of times. OUCH!! Logan loves to play under the bench with the basket of fake apples. It is funny because sometimes we can't find Logan and he is always under the bench. You can also see his two new teeth in this picture. Lots of drool went into getting those babies threw!!!Sometimes we bonk our head on the bench because we try to stand up under there.More under the bench pictures.Logan's second home. Aidan loved those apples when he was a baby too. Once a bunch of those apples went missing and I could not find them anywhere. Brian found them one day when he was packing his lunch for work. Aidan had put them in the fruit drawer in the fridge:)!! We tried to get Logan to smile but these days Logan's thumb spends most of its time in his mouth exercising those new teeth. Logan bit his own finger the other day and was a little upset that it actually hurt when he bit that finger with those sharp little baby teeth.

Of course he is still my little angle baby and is so fun to play with every day. His brothers still think he is the greatest thing and do fight over who gets to hold him. We also have to hold the brothers off every morning because Logan likes to sleep in we have to keep them out of his room and tell them they cannot go get him until he is actually awake! But even if they do wake him up he is happy as can be. Logan is also learning to love his food. We had a little bit of a rough go with Logan when we introduced cereal and thought he might have some food allergies like Austin did but all testing showed that he was free of allergies. Just has a sensitive digestive system and eczema not related to allergies just dry skin from our lovely Colorado climate. I can't wait to see what the next months bring and will probably cry when he turns one! Oh the joys!!!!

Sweet Insight!!

2008-12-19T11:12:00.002-07:00

Little Carter the insightful old man came up to me today and said:

Carter: Mom I told you Jesus could be in other peoples heart.

Mom: Why do you say that Carter?

Carter: Because I heard the Gloria song (Angles We Have Heard On High) at the doctor's office.

Yes, sweet Carter, Jesus is in other peoples heart!! It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Angles We Have Heard On High is the little boys favorite Christmas song. I think it is their favorite song all year long. We sing it every family night and the boys know all the words to the first verse by heart. I love to hear their sweet little voices singing "Gloria" all year round, a little bit of Christmas cheer for me all year long!!

Wogan!!!

2008-12-18T14:51:00.003-07:00

Wogan or Wogan boy is what Aidan likes to call little Logan. I just have to post a little about this baby. He is almost 8 months old and that is making me very sad because I want him to stay a little baby forever (of course getting potty trained) but still staying my little sweet baby who just melts my heart. Logan has decided that he can scoot around the house and that is all he wants to do. He gets up on his hands a knees to crawl and then plops down to scoot. Logan is still not sitting up but he thinks he can climb the stairs. All of these things have come as quite a surprise to me and are happening a little too fast! I also find him pulling himself up on things and standing and playing. He thinks that he is a big boy and wants to go where ever his brothers are. Oh please, please stop growing up so fast!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!

2008-12-17T18:21:00.013-07:00

I know you think I mean Christmas (which I do love), but what I really mean is BASKETBALL SEASON.As in little boys basketball. Austin and Preston are playing basketball this winter so Brian is coaching both of their teams. This works out well because Brian sets up practice times so their practices don't overlap and since he is the coach of both teams their games don't overlap either. But best of all Wednesday night is practice night, so Brian, Austin, Preston, and the special assistant coach Carter left at 5:45 and won't be back until 9:00!! It is 6:30 and dinner is done I am watching Entertainment Tonight and playing on the computer.
What are the two little boys doing?

That's right they are asleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(this is not an illusion:)

Give the little boys a few minutes of quiet away from the big boys and they are asleep for the night. I have hours of freedom and it is not even 8:00 yet. I have received this little gift every Wednesday for the last 3 weeks, ever since basketball practice started and I have enjoyed it so much!! Brian even gets the 3 big boys in bed when he gets home. What is a girl to do but enjoy all the shows I NEVER get to watch and eat some of the hidden chocolate stash.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Preston the Pride Award Winner

2008-12-06T08:20:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago Preston got a PRIDE award at school. This was a very big deal because there is only one Pride award winner per class per month so Preston was very excited. A Pride award winner is someone who is Positive Respectful Inclusive Dedicated and Excellent.

Preston is kind of a superstar student, I know my opinion is biased but this kid really does shine. At his teacher conference his teacher was literally gushing about what a good student and friend this little boy is.

He has always been very intelligent, when he was about 9 months old he was crawling around the house with one sock on and I casually said to him "Baby, where is your sock?" he looked at me and crawled away, a few minutes later he showed up by my side with his sock in his little baby hand. I know it is crazy but his genius was already showing:) Once again biased mother speaking here.

But what really makes me and his teacher proud is how sweet and compassionate Preston is. There are a few special needs kids in Preston's class and one little girl named Lily is Preston's special friend. He talks about Lily every day and makes pictures for her. He goes out of his way to play with her at recess every day and sometimes when Lily has to go to Special Ed during recess Preston gladly gives up his recess to go play games in Special Ed with Lily. He brings little toys to school for Lily to play with and he tells me that he does not even mind when Lily gets a little drool on them. I knew he was friends with Lily but when his teacher told me the full extent of his devotion to Lily it brought a little tear to my eye.

It made me remember what a sweet little soul Preston is and how grateful I am to have him in my life. He has always been my Mama's boy, and that is OK with me, but sometimes I think I take my children for granted. I live with this little boy everyday and sometimes forget what an extraordinary spirit he has. Well done Preston, Well done!!!

Carter Says The Funniest Things

2008-12-03T00:23:00.003-07:00

My little Carter is quite a funny, little guy, but don't tell him that. To Carter everything that is says is perfectly serious and not funny. When Carter was little it took him a while to start talking but I remember thinking when he does start talking I think he will be very funny. I was right but I can never laugh at anything that Carter says because that will start Carter on a rant about how he is not funny and why does everybody think he is so funny. I just wanted to remember some of Carter's funny, random sayings:

For some reason Carter calls Pirates Cove (the water park) Diet Coke. He always asks me when it will be summer again so we can go to Diet Coke.

Old Navy to Carter is Old Lady. "Why do we have to go to Old Lady again?!!"

Today Carter asked me if "Holy Crack" is a bad word. I thought he meant Holy Crap but he told me "No Mom, I mean CRACK!!!" Of course the whole family got a huge laugh out of this one, (sometimes it is too hard not to laugh). Of course this sent Carter on a tirade which ended with Carter having a time out. I asked Carter where he heard that and he said "I made it up myself"

Seven Months!!!!

2008-12-02T23:45:00.004-07:00

NOVEMBER 24, 2008

Seven Months flies by too fast.......

Logan is 7 months old and I want to freeze time right now. He is such a fun, happy baby. Logan loves to give hugs and snuggle with Mommy. He is one happy laid back kid, Brian asked me the other day why the baby is being so quiet and then I had to remind him that he is always quite. Maybe I got one calm one, but being around the other 4 I am afraid their high energy is rubbing off on Logan a bit. But not too much, Brian and I are still amazed at how happy this baby is who truly only cries when he is hungry or needs a little Mommy love! Logan has started scooting around and is very happy to be able to move around and explore all the fun things in the house. His favorite thing is anything made of paper that he can rip apart into a million little pieces. The little boys are also learning to keep the LEGOS off the floor. This is Logan at the end of a long day, he was not too happy to take pictures

Logan tried to be happy but.......

In the end the tears won and we had to have some Mommy love!!!!!!

We love this little boy so much and I am so thankful that I was sent such a sweet, happy soul. He has brought so much sunshine into our home and it is hard to put him to bed at night because he is so much fun. He falls asleep on mine or Brian's lap most nights because we squeeze every minute out of Logan that we can. I just wish I could freeze this moment in time and that he would just be my cute, little baby forever!!

2008-11-21T10:02:00.002-07:00

Tagged by Ashley so here you go:)

8 shows I watch:

1. The Office

2. ER

3. 30 Rock

4. Top Chef

5. Top Design

6. Project Runway

7. Real Housewives

8. Anything on Food Network

8 places I like to eat:

1. Senor Rics

2. Hacienda Colorado

3. Mimi's

4. Maggianos

5. Olive Garden

6. Taco Bell

7. Sonic (mostly Happy Hour)

8. Panda Express

8 things I have done today:

1. touched up paint in kitchen

2. caulked kitchen sink

3. cleaned kitchen

4. dusted on all my high shelves

5. wash

6. cleaned up 1000 Logan spit ups

7. got little boys off to school with all their homework

8. moved pictures around

8 things on my wish list

1. Logan to out grow spitting up

2. new printer

3. HGTV

4. closet just for my shoes

5. bigger house

6. new van

7. Aidan to have any desire at all to use the toilet

8. Little boys to make it into the toilet (if I could only have one this would be it!)

Whats That Smell?!

2008-11-17T09:13:00.002-07:00

Have you ever played this game in your house? You walk in your house and smell something stinky and then have to run around sniffing behind and inside everything. I have found everything from a diaper the someone forgot to throw in the trash to a who knows how old pieces of cheese under the couch.

Or everyone sitting around doing their own thing when suddenly you smell something burning. In our house the little boys are sometimes obsessed with how things burn and why they burn. This is why I do not keep candles in my house and matches are hidden away where it is even hard for me to reach.

One time we were in the family room and I could smell that burning smell coming from Preston and Carter's bedroom. Of course we are searching high and low to find the source before the whole house burns down. After about 10 minutes of searching I found that "someone" (no one would claim responsibility surprise, surprise) had thrown a plastic leaf from the artificial plant in their room onto the light bulb. I don't know how they managed to get it up and over the light fixture, but I have long ago stopped trying to figure out how the little boys accomplish all the naughty things they do.

On Saturday I once again smelled the lovely sent of burning plastic and immediately thought that someone was doing an "experiment". It turned out a plastic lid fell onto the heating element in the dishwasher so all little boys were off the hook.

Sometimes I have a smelly house which drives me crazy, I have always been a smeller and want things to smell good, so with 5 boys this is sometimes hard to accomplish. Fabreze is one of my best friends.

One More Down

2008-11-15T22:36:00.005-07:00

This Friday Carter had another eye surgery.

When Carter had his surgery in Michigan this May they put a bubble of silicon oil in his eye to help keep his retina in place. The oil has started to cloud Carter's cornea so it had to come out.

That little Carter is so brave.

He helps his Mommy be brave.

Carter is not too shy about telling people he is having surgery. To him it is no big deal, we go in do the surgery and be done with it. Carter never complains and consistently blows the nurses and doctors away by being so calm and matter of fact when they tell him they have to put "spicy" drops in his eyes or that they need to give him an IV.

Carter's surgery went well and he is back to his normal feisty self.

We love this little boy so much and I am amazed at the resilience of this child who has never once complained that he cannot see out of his eye or that it is sometimes hard for him to see things that the rest of us take for granted. He is strong and he carries on! I could write a book on all the lessons that Carter has taught me so I will stop for now:)

D-egg-saster Avoided

2008-11-13T08:41:00.005-07:00

So as I was sitting here checking my e-mail when this little boy came wandering past me with a Cheshire cat grin on his face and his hands stuffed in his pockets. I was not surprised to see this because every morning Carter is hungry for about 4 hours straight and is constantly trying to sneak a snack past mom. Carter told me one day (very matter of factually) that he is always hungry, apparently we never fill the bottomless pit of his stomach. Usually Carter is told he can eat more breakfast and if he is still hungry he can eat as much fruit as he wants. He is usually not happy with this answer because his tummy wants candy, chocolate, and chips. So today as Carter was sneaking by me I was expecting to find some candy or such stuffed in his pockets....so imagine my shock when I pulled out two EGGS!!!! I asked Carter what he was doing with two raw eggs and he said he was just going to do an experiment with them. I cannot imagine what I would have found in the family room if my Mommy radar had not picked up on this. Carter just wanted to know if he could still crack them open if he did it in the kitchen!!! And people wonder why I have a lock on my fridge!

Who Can Resist This!!!

2008-11-08T17:04:00.004-07:00

When you are this cute nobody cares that you smell like sour milk all the time:) Even total strangers think you smell delicious, who knew!! When you are this cute you really can get away with a lot, like spitting up all your milk and belching in public, everyone will just turn and smile.

Being this cute really should be a crime, because you can get away with anything!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-11-05T20:57:00.004-07:00

Logan's cute Halloween socks and blanket. And the little pumpkin himself.....;)

We had a fun, crazy Halloween, the boys are finally coming down from the sugar high!!! We started the night at Southlands and of course things were crazy for the rest of the night so this is the only picture I got of the 4 boys together, with their backs so me. We had two firemen, one fire chief, and a reluctant Woody who refused to put his hat on! After Southland's we headed over to the church for trunk or treat. We left there with full buckets so the boys were worried they would not have enough room for even more candy when we went to Grandma Rosie's to trick or treat.
At Grandma Rosie's we had our annual chili dinner and then Austin, Preston, Carter, Airis, and Athena went trick or treating in Grandma's neighborhood. There were some pretty scary houses that we went to and then we finally had to come home because they could not shove another piece of candy in their buckets.Brian stayed at Grandma's with Aidan and Logan. Logan was ready for bed and Aidan just wanted to eat all his candy. We had such beautiful weather that I did not mind going out with them at all . They have enough candy to last until Christmas at least. I think the Halloween fairy may have to come take the rest of their candy away!

Fall Break Day 4

2008-11-04T16:49:00.004-07:00

We headed to the Denver Z00 last Thursday to enjoy more of the lovely fall weather. I don't know how many more days we will have like this so we tried to do as much outdoor stuff as we could. Austin, Athena, and Carter enjoying their lunch. Preston showing us what he was having for lunch. Grandma and Aidan eating lunch. Carter and Aidan posing with one of their long lost cousins, the monkeys.

Athena having a moment by herself after a long day at the zoo with 5 crazy monkeys (also known as her cousins).

Fall Break Day 3

2008-11-04T01:46:00.004-07:00

On Wednesday we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and went to Cherry Creek Reservoir with my Mom and my niece Athena. It was a beautiful day and the kids thought that it was warm enough to swim so I had to tell them there would be no swimming today, just hiking. The kids had a blast as always because they got to run and be free. Little Aidan was getting over his bout with the stomach flu but he was a trooper and kept a slow pace for us. It was a beautiful day and we had fun just eating lunch and playing.

The kids playing with a football they found in the bushes.

Logan hanging out with Mom.Logan and Grandma Rosie.

We had a fun day, but we missed Austin who had to stay home because he had a little attitude the night before and he was throwing up too:(

Fall Break Day 2

2008-11-03T15:42:00.003-07:00

On Tuesday we went to a Halloween party at the church, nobody was throwing up this day(we saved it for the night) so they all got to come. They had fun making Halloween crafts and playing with their friends.

Austin working on his bat.

Preston and Aidan making Pixie stix bats.

Aidan was supposed to be making a ghost with his gum, but we just ate it instead.

Logan with his pumpkin hat, we had a cute little pumpkin bunting but of course the string bean baby was to long to fit into his costume so he just got to wear the hat. Logan was not happy about this either because the hat squished his eyes:(

FALL BREAK!!!

2008-11-03T13:34:00.008-07:00

We started off our fall break last weekend with Preston getting the stomach flu!!! So we passed it through the family during the break, someone was throwing up every day this week, but it always seemed to happen when I was gone, so Brain had to clean up all of the mess:) The stomach flu is something that seems to visit our house often, usually it is just Preston who gets it, this week he started it and then ended the week by getting it again on Halloween. Since this is such a regular occurrence in our house we just kept on trekking last week. We started off the week by having Grandma and Grandpa Condie come over and help us carve pumpkins and make homemade root beer. The boys thought the dry ice was awesome!!

This is our pumpkin haul this year, the Turkish Turban is a funny little squash that I got at Nick's, the boys think it looks like and old man wearing a hat.

Here are the finished jack-o-lanterns!!! Preston named his pumpkin Mr. Half Mouth, and then he kept all the cut out pieces in his pumpkin.

Grandma Condie helping Preston get the guts out of his pumpkin.

Dry ice in the root beer!

Even Grandpa Condie helped with the root beer!

Nick's Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-02T22:11:00.003-07:00

Last Friday we went to Nick's (the pumpkin patch, not the Uncle). When I say we are going to Nick's I have to make sure I am clear that it is not Uncle Nick's house, because they would much rather go to Uncle Nick's than the garden center. Anyway, the boys all had pumpkins from field trips and other sources so we just went for the fun. They had a straw maze and a jumping castle and Mom was trying to get some cute fall pictures. We tried but the boys just wanted to play.

One of the few where they are all looking at the camera.

Preston and Carter giving Mom a "serious" pose.

Athena and Carter being silly.

Preston is the one who will smile for me. Carter, Austin, and Preston looking at the big fish in the pond....
...and Aidan right before he decided to throw one of those giant rock into the pond, he was trying to "get" one on those big fish. We made our exit pretty quick after that move:)

Plains Conservation Center

2008-11-02T21:35:00.005-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Brian and I took the boys to the Plains Conservation Center. This little place is about 5 minutes away from our house and we drive by it all the time and say "We should go there one day." So we finally went. The boys had tons of fun, mostly because this is one of those places that is great for the boys because it is outside and the boys can run around to their little hearts content. It was also interesting to learn about this semi-arid prairie that we live on. Yes, it was educational too:)

Carter and Preston, and Preston's friend George (he comes on many adventures with us)Preston and Aidan running around in on of the tee-pees. This one had canvas on the floor, so I thought all of the tee-pees did until Preston and Aidan came out of one covered in black dust because they were running around kicking up dust and making "smoke"! The tub was black on this night.

Aidan and Carter rocking on the porch.

Where are you Mom?

OH, there you are!!!!

Austin very interested in watching........

the stink bugs, they were the most exciting thing we saw, according to Austin:) It was a fun day!

LOOK WHO IS 1/2 A YEAR OLD!!

2008-11-02T20:24:00.005-07:00

This post is just a little late but my little baby is 6 months old as of October 24!! I know we say it all the time but time goes by so fast! These little babies go from this:

to a big long 15lb, 28 inch (yes we are in the 95-100 percentile) little bundle of sunshine. Sometimes I feel like Logan is my little reward at the end. Of all the boys he is the easiest, I don't know if it is just because I am a more relaxed mother or what but this little boy is such a joy. He sleeps all night, he loves to play by himself or with Mom ,whatever, he is always happy. Just keep him fed and dry and he is happy as can be. Sometimes I feel a little guilty saying that because I know we don't all have such easy babies, but then I remember how difficult some of my other children were (oxygen, NICU, reflux, neb treatments, etc) and still are. So yes, Logan is the cherry on top of the little boy banana split that I have been blessed with bananas, nuts, and all! Oh, thats a little gross:)

Family Night

2008-10-28T14:43:00.004-06:00

Every Monday night we have family night. For some reason every Monday night it is a fight to get the little boys to sit still for 5 minutes and listen to a lesson. I know I am not the only person with this problem, but was kind of funny to watch Brian try to give a lesson last week, Aidan was trying to get to the top of the cupboard and Logan did not want to sit with Dad, Austin, Preston, and Carter were all over the room. It was a little entertaining, although Brain did not appreciate me taking pictures of the circus we call Family Night!!!

Sick Sunday

2008-10-26T09:20:00.004-06:00

So I am home from church today with some little boys who threw up last night. I went out with my mom to look at furniture and see The Secret Life of Bees, which I loved!! When I called Brian to see how the night had gone he informed me that Preston and Aidan had thrown up, lovely, on the couch of course. So Brian, Austin and Carter went to church this morning and I am doing a quiet activity and playing on the computer. While browsing some of my favorite blogs and stumbled upon this little toy and I am in love. The site is in Japanese but is pretty self explanatory. It converts your pictures into vintage photos, so cool!!!

My Little Old Man

2008-10-17T17:07:00.004-06:00

My little Carter is such a sweet little boy, I have said many times before that he is a very old soul trapped in a little boys body. It was the very first impression I had when I held little newborn Carter in my arms. At first I thought it was so strange to feel that this tiny baby was really a little old man but over the past five years that first impression really has shown itself more and more to be true. The other day Carter was having a discussion about how you go about finding a wife. Yes, Carter is only five but he really asks some very deep questions sometimes, the fluffy answers will not do, Carter wants specifics. So after we go through the whole "You go on a mission first" song and dance we told Carter that he will meet a lot of girls and he will just have to get to know them and see if they like the same things he does and have the same values, etc., etc......Carter "Yeah, Yeahed" all that and then was quiet for a moment and asked "Can you marry an old lady (sorry Grandmas) like Grandma Condie or Grandma Rosie?"...silence from the parents...then we told him it might be better if he married someone his own age. Carter was seriously a little disappointed, so hopefully when the time comes Carter can find an old soul like himself, trapped in a young body, and they can grow old together.

Go Meat!!!

2008-10-14T18:04:00.005-06:00

GO MEAT!!!!
Preston has always been my best eater! By the time he was 18 months old he was already out eating Austin (which may not be saying too much since Austin has always been my worst eater). But Preston really can pack it away and I really do not know where it all goes since he is the smallest of all the boys (relative to age), but I never say that in front of Preston. My boys have always been meat lovers but Preston lately has been obsessed with meat. Every time we eat dinner he has to make sure there is some kind of meat and plenty of it. We went to dinner at some friends house a few weeks ago and they had some delicious, Italian sausage. Preston ate three and these were not little sausages they were full bratwurst size. He loved them so much they sent a Ziploc bag full of sausage home with Preston. Needless to say Preston may have over indulged and threw up that night. So now we remind Preston when he is going to town on the meat, to take it easy so we don't throw up again. Preston would probably eat a whole roast if we let him. He does have strange taste, loves meat, but it has taken him about 7 years to learn to like rice or potatoes.

Another plus for today, I found half a box of See's candy that I bought last week and then completely forgot about. Forget the meat, I go for chocolate!!!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2008-10-11T17:30:00.003-06:00

Have you ever had one of these days? I try not to have them very often, which some days requires a bit of mind control, but today I am letting it be one of those days!

So excuse my venting, my home has been a bit crazy the last couple of weeks. Brian working from home is taking some getting used to, but mostly I just need to get organized again and get back into my routine. Also, I have been a little bugged by the fact that we do not have an office so we are trying to make do in our very limited space. Brian really has been a trooper and has worked out of the chair in our bedroom or Logan's room for the past couple of weeks. But the lack of a place to put all of the stuff that comes with having Brian's office at home is driving me crazy. For the past two weeks I have been searching for a computer armoire to put Brian's office in and out of sight when he is not working. I searched and searched and thought that I had finally found the perfect piece, a little more than I wanted to pay but it seemed perfect so I convinced Brian that we should get it. Three days and many hours later the computer armoire is packed up and ready to be sent back!!! Mainly because once we got all the pieces out we realized it was all particle board and laminate wood. Not very sturdy and a huge ripe off since we paid many 100's (and not just a couple) for the thing (hence the reason it was so hard for me to convince Brian that this was the right piece in the first place).

Anyway, sorry for the vent, lessons learned: I will never by particle board or laminated wood furniture again!

So now my quest once again begins to find the right piece of SOLID WOOD office furniture that Brian and I will both be happy with. I have learned my lesson and will be patient until the perfect piece is found. So if any of you know a wonderful place to buy SOLID WOOD furniture, let me know:) OK, I feel better now!

Winds of Change

2008-10-10T07:36:00.004-06:00

There have been some winds of change in the Condie home the last couple of weeks. What is this change? It is Brian getting a new job, which we are very grateful for. Brian decided to leave CIGNA (Great West) and pursue a new and promising opportunity. He is very excited and so am I. But the biggest change of all, he gets to work from home! Now this has thrown my world into some turmoil. I know some people would be overjoyed to have their husband be working from home, me on the other hand looked at it with some dread. For our whole married life we have sent Brian off to work every morning and then done our own thing for the rest of the day. I like this arrangement and I am sure most of you know when you throw Dad into the normal routine, the normal routine is thrown out the window. So we had to make some rules:

1. I won't bother Brian during the day and he won't bother me. Meaning I don't want Brian asking me where I am going and what I am doing every time I leave the house and I will do the same for Brian.

2. While Brian is working he is not allowed to come out of his "office" when he hears children screaming and ask "What is going on here?!" He just has to pretend we are not here, just like we have to pretend that he is not home.

3. He has to "go out to lunch" at least once a week, with someone not in our family. This is mostly for my benefit because in my mind if I had to work from home (other than as a mother, of course) it would drive me crazy.

4. Brian has to shave and get "dressed" every day, once again this is mostly for me because I liked him shaved and if it were up to Brian he would never shave and wear sweats every day.

5. Brian is usually gone by the time the rest of the house wakes up and this works well for me, so he must go and work out every morning while I get the boys ready for school, I think this will keep both of us sane.

I really do love Brian, don't get me wrong, I just like my space. And of course there is always the exception to the rule if it works in my favor:)

So this is where we are, Brian working from home, Mom getting used to the idea which does have it perks. I can let the little baby sleep in his crib more instead of living in his car seat. I can also run a quick kid pick up or drop off while the older, self sufficient children entertain themselves. Dad is "home", even if he does not leave his "office" to check on the children we are not breaking any laws here:) He can go on field trips with the boys, or I can take Aidan on his field trips without worrying about being home in time to take Carter to afternoon Kindergarten. OK, I am still trying to convince myself that this is a good thing, ask me in a month, we will see!

Also I am breaking on of the cardinal Condie rules by writing about Brian on the blog. Brian requested when I started the blog that I can mention him in passing but he did not want to be the MAIN subject of any posts. I expect you may be hearing more about him, since he will be part of our daily lives just a little bit more.

1st Cheesy Field Trip

2008-10-08T07:19:00.003-06:00

Aidan had his first preschool field trip a couple of weeks ago, we got to go to the always fabulous Chuck E. Cheese! This is about the one and only time a year we ever venture to that cheesy wonderland. This was Aidan's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese and he didn't quite grasp the concept of playing the games or riding rides. Aidan ran around putting tokens in every game he could get his hands on and then he would run off to the next game, leaving Mom to play and win tickets:) Aidan loved the slide and play place.
And did not have so much fun riding the rides.
But Mom was mean and made him ride one ride for more than 3 seconds.
Aidan is also screaming because I told him it was time to do that terrible thing he hates to do...eat! It was much more fun to throw tokens in games than have to sit with his friends and eat. It is always fun to spend one on one time with the little boy and see his personality come out more and more every day. I sure can't wait till we go there again....next year of course! ;)

Decluttering!!

2008-10-06T23:03:00.003-06:00

My parents moved this past weekend, out of the house I lived in from the time I was 12. They were ready to downsize and move on. I finally took my boxes full of all the things that I thought were so important. It is funny how the older you get those valentines from 1st grade don't seem as important as they used to. I weeded though all the "very important" things I have saved from the past 30 something years and got 7 boxes down to 2. Some things I saved for that little girl, who never came, the little boys were not impressed with my Strawberry Shortcake collection, or the old Cabbage Patch dolls!

It was time for all the notes from middle and high school, although entertaining, to move on. But I did have to save some of the notes from my BFFIC:) Some things were thrown away so my posterity does not find out how silly I was in those growing up years. Although I did save many of my college pictures so I can remember how skinny I used to be, so my posterity can remember that too;) I think those college days were some of the best days of my former life, before motherhood of course.

Ahh to reminisce, but I think it was pretty easy for me too get rid of some of that stuff because I am so happy and content with my life right now, I feel less need to hold on to my past, I am enjoying looking forward to my future with these little boys!

Cheesy Tortilla Soup

2008-10-04T12:10:00.006-06:00

OK here is the requested recipe. I got the original recipe from Taste of Home Halloween Food & Fun but I modified it a little so here is the modified version. I usually double the recipe for a crowd, I have made it two times in the past month and both times we have been scrapping the pan it is so good. Hope you enjoy!

CHEESY TORTILLA SOUP

1 envelope chicken fajita seasoning mix
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast diced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 4oz cans diced green chilies
1 cup cubed Velveeta
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cup half and half cream
Tortilla chips

Prepare fajita mix according to package directions; add chicken and marinate as directed, in a large skillet, cook chicken in oil until juices run clear; set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add the tomatoes , chilies, Velveeta and Monterey Jack cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in cream and chicken; heat through (do not boil). Garnish with cheese, and tortilla chips.

The Party!!!

2008-10-03T10:07:00.006-06:00

We had Aidan's birthday party Monday night. Grandma and Grandpa's joined us and so did Uncle Michael and cousins Aris and Athena. We missed Cristina who had to work and Nick and Brynn who were not allowed to leave their house because of a police barricade and a garage fire at their neighbor's house:( We had yummy tortilla cheese soup, which was a hit with everyone adult and child alike. Chips, salad and sparkling lemonade rounded out the birthday menu.Aidan complaining because his soup was too hot, but Dad came to the rescue (see above)!! Then we opened presents, this is when Aidan finally realized all this fuss was for him. He loved the cars and police station Michael and Aris gave him.Mom and Dad gave him a garbage truck. Yes, a garbage truck and it has been a hit. Aidan only wants to play with his truck, not eat or sleep, just play. It is pretty cool, the little trash can attaches to the truck and then is dumped out into the back of the truck by lifting a lever.
Grandpa and Grandma Robles gave Aidan Toy Story 2!! Aidan was thrilled and then mad because he was told he could not watch it right away. He could not even be distracted by the $ that he got from Grandma and Grandpa Condie, which we will have to use on a fun Toy Story toy.
Then we had cup cakes and sang Happy Birthday! While the big brothers tried to play with Aidan's new toys, which Aidan quickly stopped.Then Aidan was told it was time for bed (that went over real well)!
Fun was had by all, one more birthday party checked off the list!!

Hello 3!!!!

2008-10-02T12:49:00.004-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!Aidan is three!!! Good Morning Birthday boy! Aidan has had his little blue blanket since he was a baby and now we cannot go to bed unless we have it.
Birthday lunch with Carter. Every time we pass McDonald's Aidan says "Happy Meal Mommy, peas (please), peas, peas!!!!! So for his birthday I gave in.

I cannot believe this little boy is three. It really does seem like he was just born. He has been such a fun, happy, little boy. Aidan loves life and has really grown up in the last few months. He has been a late talker and really started talking just within the last couple of months, but now his personality is just exploding from his mouth, he makes us laugh every day. He still loves his Mom the most and I love that. Right now we are obsessed with Buzz and Woody and Aidan screams every time he has to unglue himself from Toy Story to do something crazy, like eat a meal!!! Aidan stays up after his three older brothers go to bed, this is because Aidan is still full of energy at 8PM. Aidan gets to hang out with Mom and Dad which is fun, we get to spend a little one on one time with the little boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Devil's Head

2008-10-02T11:47:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday we went here: We hiked up Devil's Head as a family. The boys loved it, this is totally their element, outside, climbing rocks and running up hills. The hike up kicked Mom's butt, carrying a 15 pound baby up the mountain was no easy task. But we did it!!!

Of course this is what the angle baby spent most of his time doing, he did wake up for a moment when we got to the top so he could see....this!!! Yes, after the climb up to the top of the mountain you are greeted by 100 and something stairs up to the fire look out station. Needless to say, Mom and Logan opted not to climb the stairs to see the view. Brian and all the boys climbed the stairs to the top. The stay at the top was cut short, due to the fact that Aidan is a wild man with no fear of height and was making Brian nervous as he would run full force toward the edge of the cliff. We all had a really good time, the boys love climbing the rocks and seeing how high they can get. Colorado is an awesome place for these boys to grow up, there is so much to do and see it is fun as they get older to see them enjoy hiking and the outdoors like I did while I was growing up.
Even little Aidan walked almost the whole way. Dad carried him up a little but he walked down the whole way with Mom, he impressed many a hiker that day when they found out he was still just 2 (a couple of days away from 3)! He did decide that Mom should carry his backpack for him:)My little man Carter had fun too, although what is a family outing without a little pout from Carter. He was mad because his brothers were climbing some pretty big rocks and those little 5 year old legs were not quite long enough to get him up as high as his brothers were. The picture is a little blurry because Carter hiked way up ahead of us on the trail and then stopped to pout so I had to zoom in pretty good to get a picture of that cute little face!

Play Time

2008-09-26T15:51:00.008-06:00

My boys love to be outside riding their bikes, looking for bugs, all the good boy stuff. Today they were outside playing cops and robbers, it was cute to see them with their pipe cleaner hand cuffs. A boy and his balloon.
A boy and his bike. This is what the angle baby did the whole time.

And Carter will be Carter, chewing Mom out for taking his picture.

High Five!

2008-09-24T09:39:00.003-06:00

Logan is 5 months old today!Look how big I am getting!

I love to put EVERYTHING in my mouth!
I am the cutest baby in the whole house (as Carter would say:)!!!!

Logan is still a happy, easy going baby, still skinny and long and a ray of sunshine in our home. Logan is trying to scoot around, we won't be surprised if he is crawling by next month, why not Mom sure does not have enough to do!

Wrap up of a Lovely Day!

2008-09-23T16:13:00.003-06:00

Yes, this is how our day ended. Carter getting pushed into the fountain by Austin......

Preston having a sympathy cry because Carter was crying...

and Austin mad because Dad pushed him in the fountain so he could see why Carter was not happy!!

OH THE JOYS OF BOYS!!!!

Tour of the Toilets

2008-09-23T15:38:00.003-06:00

While we were in Denver we decided to play tourist and made a stop at the capital. The boys loved playing on the cannons and spent some time figuring out how they worked and if they could make them work again.
Then we took the usual picture on the 5280 step!
Then we headed over to the pavilions.

Logan spent the day sleeping in his car seat! But the real fun was the toilets!

This began when Austin informed us at the capital that he had to go to the bathroom. You know how this goes once one has to go they all feel the need! Of course there are no restrooms at the capital, it was Saturday, everything locked up tight. Brian and I ask if you really have to go because your bathroom options in downtown Denver are not great. Of course we have to go right now, no we could not have gone at the nice clean cupcake store. So we reluctantly head over to the nearest public restroom, Civic Center Station. You truly have to be desperate to use these restrooms, and Austin insisted that he was, until he walked into the bathrooms...no door on the stalls, freely used by homeless and the like, and there was a big stinky construction worker doing his business with no thought of modesty in sight. Austin promptly refused to use the bathroom, not even for number one which did not involve any actual physical contact with the lovely facilities, which were lovely!!!! Carter has less discerning taste and went number one. Everyone came running out, demanding hand sanitizer. Austin still had to use the bathroom so while we were at the Pavilions Brian decided to try the bathrooms there. Slightly cleaner, but the company was pretty shady. Once again no doors on the bathroom stalls and the boys were quickly joined by a man announcing how good it was to be home after a hard days work, where he then proceeded to take off his shirt and bath in the sink!! As we were walking back to the car I asked Carter if he had fun, to which he replied: "All we did was look at toilets!" Ohh what fond memories they will have of lovely D-town!

YUM YUMS

2008-09-22T11:11:00.003-06:00

So we ventured into Downtown Denver this past weekend. Brian and I are pretty comfortable wandering around downtown. We both used to work in Denver and both went to school at UCD on the Auraria Campus. But add 5 little boys to the mix and we were both a nervous wreck. Little boys with no fear of busy streets or strange people pushing shopping carts down the side walks does not make for calm parents. But we had to venture out to this deliciously fun cupcake shop:
They had the most delicious cupcakes but the real treat was the frosting, the real butter cream not like the grocery store fluff! The cupcakes were amazing and the owner was so sweet. She was busy making cakes for the hippos at the Denver zoo (Apparently even the wildlife love this cake). It was very fun!

Preston and Austin licking their plates clean, we could not let all of that delicious frosting go to waste.

No Boundaries

2008-09-18T18:33:00.011-06:00

My children have no social boundaries and sometimes this puzzles me. When I was a child I was extremely shy and had to be reminded by my father to look people in the eye when they talked to me because my instinct was to hide behind my parents and look away. My boys on the other hand will engage any stranger they happen to meet, and if they know you watch out because they are not afraid to smack you in the butt and tell all of my deep dark secrets.

Like when the home teachers come over and Austin tell one of his brothers to shut up. I look at him in horror and tell him we don't say that in our house. To which Austin responds "Well, you do" Yes, these words have escaped my lips from time to time but really do we have to bring that up when the home teachers are trying to teach us to be a better family, come on!!!
Even the baby will smile at any stranger who happens to look his way while we are shopping a Wal-mart, very cute but just a preview of things to come, I know!

So today the Royal Crest Dairy man came to our house to try to convince me that I needed him to deliver the 6 gallons of milk we go through every week. He was very sweet and kind and of course had many questions and funny comments (I have heard them all) when I told him I had 5 boys. Yes, yes they are a handful, yes it is crazy here, yes I deserve a treat, no I do not think
$5. 69 a half gallon milk is a treat no matter how convenient it is for me not to have to lug 12 gallons on milk home from Costco every two weeks! So then the sweet milk man offered to let us try a half gallon of his liquid gold to see how delicious it is. Enter my sweet Carter!

Carter: Who are you!?
Sweet Milk Man: I am your milk man.
Carter: Where did you get that milk, Costco?
Sweet Milk Man: Oh no from a much better place. Would you like to try some?
Then all four boys run in the house and get paper cups to try the wonderful milk that came out of the "awesome" milk truck. All the while the sweet milk man is trying to convince me that I can afford his liquid gold.

The boys return with their cups and each take a drink.

Carter: Taste just like Costco!
Milk Man : (with disgusted look on face) Thank you and have a nice day.

So sometimes not being afraid to speak your mind pays off. But I warn you sweet milk man you may not want to come back tomorrow to see if I have changed my mind, because these boys just might smack you in the butt!! No, I am not kidding:)

Back Yard Happenings

2008-09-12T12:31:00.004-06:00

We hung out the other day in the backyard. It was nice to just enjoy one of the last warm days of summer and forget about the homework and housework for a couple of hours.

Preston: Can I play the game cube?

Mom: No, why don't you play outside.

Preston: I'm going to throw grass on you until you say yes.

Mom: That's fine, I'm not going to say yes!

Preston: See, you hate me!

Sometimes life is hard when you have a mean mom who want you to play outside instead of playing video games all day. I know its tough:)!!!

Shopping Trip

2008-09-12T12:26:00.002-06:00

Aidan and I took a quick trip to Southlands the other day after we took Carter to school. This was pretty much all I saw of Aidan, the back of his head running away from me!!!

Too Cute!

2008-09-12T12:15:00.003-06:00

This is what I found the other morning when I came down to get Logan. Somehow the little monkey had wiggled his arms out of his pj's. It was pretty funny!!
Here is the big boy!! At last check we are 13lbs 110z and 27 1/2 inches long. We are a long skinny bean!

Preschool Already!?

2008-09-09T00:26:00.002-06:00

Yes, my sweet little Aidan started preschool last week. We have been going to the same preschool for the past 6 years so Aidan thought it was cool that he could finally play with the toys at preschool, instead of being ushered out after dropping a brother off. He thought that was cool until he realized that Carter was not staying with him and neither was Mom. (Que tears here, Mom and Aidan) None of my kids have really had a hard time going to preschool, maybe a little lip quiver but nothing more. I did not hear Aidan cry the first day because I left before he noticed that I was gone. But when I picked him up I found out he cried for 20 minutes for his Mom. When I asked Aidan what he did at school he said " I whaa, I eat, I play" The next school day Aidan was on to me and started crying the minute we pulled up to the school. He held Carter's hand and said "Car Car (Carter) come?" Then he told me "I hate H!" ( Ms. H is Aidan's teacher.)So Aidan went to preschool, sobbing and crying for Mom and Carter. Aidan is still only 2 but since his birthday is two days before the October 1 cut off he gets to go to preschool. I am hopeful that one day he will be happy to go, but right now this kid is breaking my heart!!

Happy pictures before he realized Mom was leaving.
Aidan what did you do at school today?

"I whaa!"

The big C goes to the big K!!

2008-09-09T00:06:00.002-06:00

Carter FINALLY started Kindergarten this year! He has been waiting for this day since he was 3 and started preschool. Carter being the old soul that he is, always felt he was to old for preschool and that he should be able to go to the big school everyday with his brothers. Carter's teacher this year is Ms. Swift and she is the perfect example of a kindergarten teacher. She is so sweet, and gentle. She is the perfect teacher for Carter this year, since Carter's parents are worried about how Carter will do at school with his vision still not back in his right eye. Carter has no concern for this, but Ms. Swift does a very good job at holding Mom and Dads hands and making sure Carter has everything he needs to have a great start to kindergarten. We are so grateful for this sweet teacher. Carter has adjusted wonderfully, the first day of school Ms. Swift had all the kids turn around and blow their parents a kiss before they went into the class room, all of the kids did this, except Carter, he stood with his back to me and said "I already told you good-bye!" Oh Carter, I would not have expected more from my sweet old man!!
Carter got a little bored waiting for his teacher to "Hurry up and open the door already!"

Super 2nd Grader!!

2008-09-08T23:54:00.002-06:00

Preston started 2nd grade this year. Preston really does like school, but if you ask him he will tell you he hates it. When I ask Preston what the best part of his day was, of course it is always recess. Preston has Ms. Mahnke this year. We will see how Preston likes her. Sometimes Preston has to warm up to new people, but so far so good. Preston is our super student. He loves to do homework and will sit down and do a weeks worth of homework in one night. Sometimes I have to pace him so he has something to do, but I might just let him breeze through it in one night:) Preston got 100% on every spelling test last year, so I told his teacher this year that she needed to challenge Preston a little bit, Preston was not happy about that.

4th GRADE!!!

2008-09-08T11:10:00.002-06:00

Austin started 4th grade a couple of weeks ago and he is really enjoying school this year. His teacher Mrs. Landreth is very sweet and kind. Austin is happy his friend Colton is in his class this year. They were in the same class in kindergarten and have been buddies ever since, but have not been in the same class again until now. Austin is also enjoying being an engineer at school. He says he is the engineering genius in his class because he was the first one to make his pull doll work.
Have a great year buddy!!!

Super Sunday

2008-09-08T10:17:00.004-06:00

A two sucker kind of day!!!!

Sundays are not the easiest day of the week at our house. Aidan especially has a hard time at church. By the time we get to sacrament meeting he is exhausted and grumpy. If we are lucky he will fall asleep during sacrament meeting, but usually this is the scene in the van on the way home....

......And when we get home,

I think he is here.....

...but then I find this on my camera!

4 Months Old

2008-09-08T09:43:00.003-06:00

August 24, 2008

I'm 4 months old!!!

Logan is four months old and is pure sunshine in our home. He truly is the easiest baby I have had. Logan only cries if he is hungry and loves to talk a coo to himself and his Mommy. Daddy does not think he is so easy but that is because he is a mama's boy. We love watching him grow and see his sweet personality coming out. He is laughing and smiling all the time and loves to be in the thick of it with his brothers. Nothing entertains Logan more than watching his brothers.

Full of happiness

Look what I can do!! Yeah!!!

The other thing that makes me cry!

I do not enjoy my brothers putting me in the toy stroller.

Look what else I can do!!!

Happy Four Months Baby Sunshine!!!!

Preston Lost A Tooth

2008-09-08T09:28:00.002-06:00

Preston finally lost another tooth. He lost his two bottom teeth when he was six and now has finally lost his third, the other front tooth will not be too far behind. At this rate he should have all of his teeth lost by the time he is 12!

Last Lazy Days of Summer!!

2008-08-30T02:36:00.009-06:00

One more trip to the dancing water!! Logan hanging out with Mom!!
Amazing, my children were the only ones there for about 20 minutes Aidan losing his pantsSweet, handsome boys!!One more trip to Park Meadows to throw money in the water.
Aidan thoughtful at the water edge. Mostly sad because he was told by his mother to stop taking money out of the water.
How close can we get to the water without falling in, or the security guard telling us to get off the rocks? Preston's flip flops finally gave out at the mall, so we bought the Gap's last pair of clearance flip flops (they were even the right size) Also, a rare shot of Preston's feet, this child always has socks on, even with flip flops. One more trip to Cherry Creek to dig, swim, snack, and play!!

Austin digging his moat.

Preston looking for more foodCarter telling me off (surprise, surprise) because one of his floaties kept deflating :(

This is Aidan sitting in the hole his brother dug for him so he would stop throwing sand at them while they built their castle. This worked surprisingly well for them, maybe this is what I need to do at home, dig a hole in the backyard and have Aidan sit in it:)
Here is Logan with a face full of sand, we learned at the reservoir that Logan can roll over more than once and had no problem rolling himself face down into the sand while sunscreen was being applied to the brothers. Being the angel baby that he is he did not cry but waited patiently for his mother to come rescue him, but not before he got his mouth good and full of sand. YUMMY!!

Ahh!! THIS IS THE LIFE!!

Freedom!?

2008-08-30T02:21:00.006-06:00

I have been little distracted this week with projects and kids starting school and such, I have found a little more freedom during the day, and have taken full advantage of this time to shop. It is amazing how easy two kids seem after lugging all five of them around this summer. Although, I have decided that I will try to do most of my errand while little Aidan is in school, he is like 3 kids in one and is at that age where I cannot threaten him with anything because nothing scares him :

Take away TV fine, don't really watch it any way

Make me stay in my room, Awesome!! Then I can play with all my brothers toys

No Scooby-Doo movie you say, great I will just go outside and be happy to dump sand on my head

Bring it on Mom!

One Final Note

2008-08-30T02:15:00.003-06:00

Mom: Carter go wish your Grandma and Grandpa Happy 5oth Anniversary.

Carter: 50 years!!! What the heck is the big deal about that!!! That is a long time why the HECK do we have to have a party about it!!!!

Idaho rubbed off on Carter a little bit (note the frequent use of the word "Heck" Carter was true to form that night, a grumpy, old man as always :) Gotta love this boy!!

In My Head

2008-08-23T01:04:00.006-06:00

I thought I would give you a little glance at what has been going on inside my head this week. I usually am not very willing to let people into my private musings but I feel like I need to. One of my favorite blogs NieNie really touched me this week. Beautiful blog, beautiful family, terrible tragedy. It got me thinking how fragile and precious this life is. It made me realize how precious this family and these children really are to me. And how hard it would be if I could not be with them every day and go through these memories with them. I find myself blogging a lot to myself in my head. (You know you do it to) Since I have started blogging I find myself being more conscious of my days and the memories that fill my days. I find myself writing blogs in my mind, although about 10% of those blogs make it to my actual blog I am more in tune to the precious memories that are created every day. I hope they are written on my blog in heaven, but for now they are written on the blog of my mind. I feel like I have been given a wonderful gift and been reminded of the beautiful life that I have right here today. Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring. But for today I will blog on.

Mesa Falls

2008-08-23T00:50:00.004-06:00

While we were in Idaho we took a little day trip up to Mesa Falls. For any of you who have spent time in Southeastern Idaho I am sure you have made the trip. We have done it many times but it is always beautiful and amazing. My kids had more fun trying to catch bugs and snakes but they are boys, water is only beautiful to them if you are allowed to touch it and make mud with it.Mom, Carter, Preston, and Austin. All were not to happy about taking pictures this day.
The lower falls.
Preston being so happy to smile for his mother.
Richard and Nancy spent some extra time with us after all of the festivities. It was nice to spend more time with them. Austin and Wesley.
Austin and Preston finally gave into their Mother's pleadings and let me have a little photo op in the lodge. Of course Carter would have none of this silliness.

Generations!!

2008-08-23T00:42:00.002-06:00

The two that started it all!!!The New Generation!!
Emma 7 months, Logan 3 months, Emaile 4 months, aren't they cute!!

Milestones

2008-08-23T00:01:00.005-06:00

While we were in Idaho we celebrated a couple of Condie family milestones. The first one was the upcoming birthday of Teresa. It is not until February but we had to get her while we were all together. She will be the big 40!!!! This is kind of a fun family tradition that was started when Sheri turned 40 and then Debbie was next. Luckily the in-laws have avoided the honor of a basket full of Depends and other essential product for the senior years;)All the kids got a kick out of Teresa's presents. It doesn't matter what the present is, kids have to be right there when you open it, even if it is a box of Depends:)
Happy Birthday ya old fart!

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary Robert and Beulah!!

Brian's parents celebrated their 5oth wedding anniversary by having a big party in the back yard of our lovely little house in Idaho. The main reason for having the reunion in Idaho this year was so we could have this party and celebrate an amazing couple. I love my in-laws dearly, and it was so amazing to see all of the friends and family who came to celebrate this milestone with them. Robert and Beulah are such examples to me and I am so grateful for the wonderful family that they raised. Especially grateful for all that they taught Brian, he is a wonderful husband and father thanks to those two. They truly lead by example and are the foundation of this family!! We love you so much!!Chris helping set up for the party.
Beulah and Robert greeting guests.
Robert's brother Jimmy and Sheri.

Robert's sister Colleen and the quilt she made for their anniversary. It is beautiful!!

Robert and Beulah showing off Colleen's quilt.

The whole Robert and Beulah Condie Crew: Robert, Sheri, Debbie, Teresa, Barbra, Chris, Brian, Roger and Beulah.

The original Condie Brothers: Richard, Robert, Jimmy.

The Condie siblings: Richard, Robert, Marilyn, Jimmy, and Colleen.