Bradford Family

Santa Claus Came to Town!

2009-12-04T19:42:00.004-07:00

Tonight I took the girls to Santa and Mrs. Claus come to town on Main Street in Payson. They were so excited they couldn't hold still - I don't think they even noticed how cold it was! Lyndi was in awe when she saw the fire truck that was escorting Santa into town, but Rebekah and Carley were thrilled to Santa on the truck waving to them and the excitement grew when he got of the truck to listen to all the Christmas wishes of the children that came to see him.

We waited for about 20 minutes before the girls got their turn to sit on his lap. Carley didn't have a problem sitting on his lap but she wouldn't say a word to him, Rebekah, however, was a chatter box. Lyndi still seemed to be in awe of what was going on, but happily accepted the treats he was handing out!

As we were leaving Carley asked if that was the North Pole which I replied it sure was cold enough. Then she determined since there wasn't any snow it wasn't the North Pole which made her concerned about how he would get back there. She reasoned since she didn't see any reindeer that he would just have to walk back! So cute, it made me laugh!

Growing Up

2009-12-04T19:36:00.002-07:00

Lyndi has officially moved out of a crib into a real bed. She seems to be enjoying her new freedom, especially in the morning at 5 a.m. when she comes in my room to wake me up! Here she is sleeping peacefully her first night in her new bed!

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-02T18:06:00.004-07:00

This year Rebekah dressed up as Hannah Montana, Carley was Princess Aurora, and Lyndi was a pumpkin princess! They were so adorable.

Rebekah got to dress up in her costume for her school parade and Halloween party on the 29th.

We went to the school's parade with grandma Lynette and aunt Shalese and cousin Cru. I dressed up Carley and Lyndi in their costumes to watch the parade at the school, they thought it was really fun.

On Halloween we carved our pumpkins but couldn't find any matches to light them. Oh, well they had fun anyway!

Lyndi had a blast trick-or-treating around the block. She thought it pretty cool that everyone was giving her treats! Rebekah and Carley were so fast we had a hard time keeping up with them. After we were done trick-or-treating we went over to grandparents house to get even more treats. I'm just glad Halloween is done! (well at least for a year anyway)!!!

My Beautiful First Grader

2009-10-23T15:50:00.002-06:00

Just got Rebekah's school pictures. Isn't she beautiful!

Fun at the Country Farm Fest

2009-10-23T13:44:00.007-06:00

Last week the girls and I went with grandma Lynette to the country farm fest in Payson! The girls were so excited to go and pick out a pumpkin to take home to decorate. First they had their faces painted...Rebekah had an eye swirl, Carley got a mini tiara, Lyndi had 2 hearts. Then they went through a hay maze. Carley was the first to find her way out while Rebekah helped Lyndi! They thought that was really fun.

We took advantage of some photo ops...

The petting zoo was a big hit with Lyndi, she acted like she had just been let loose in a candy store.

Rebekah really liked the rabbit, she wouldn't put it down.

Carley wanted nothing to do with any of the animals.

Then we went on a hay ride and voted for our favorite pumpkin carvings.

Finally they got to pick out a pumpkin to take home. Rebekah and Carley had the hardest time deciding which one to pick, but ultimately decided they needed one they could pick up and carry. Lyndi would pick up a little one, see another little one and pick it up, and then she would see another one and so forth. She really enjoyed she could get one she could carry.

I got a large one for Brandon and a white one for me.

The girls had such a fun time, but we did miss all the other cousins that couldn't go due to the flu :( Now they are looking forward to Halloween, with Christmas still not forgotten! They ask me how many days to Halloween and then how many days till Christmas...then sometime how many days til their birthdays. I think it's really fun that they get really excited for holidays and such!

2 Foot Baby Eating Chicken!

2009-06-05T13:57:00.004-06:00

...nuggets that is! This picture of Lyndi was emailed to me from my sister Jessica.

Rebekah Graduates from Kindergarten!

2009-05-22T12:41:00.008-06:00

Today was Rebekah's graduation from kindergarten. I can't believe it's already over! She has grown up so much and has made lots of new friends in just the last year. Brandon and I are so proud of her and love her very much.

Carley waiting for the graduation ceremonies to begin!

Rebekah enters with her class singing "Kindergarten, Kindergarten" to the tune of "New York, New York" -- call me a baby but I cried when they sang "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today..." If you can't see her in the picture just look for the cute one!

They sang some more cute songs for us and the teachers told some wonderfully humerus kindergarten stories. [I wish I had a better camera for this :( ]

Lyndi sits on grandma's lap while Carley takes her picture!

Rebekah receives her diploma from Mrs. Mitchell and shakes hands with Principal Sainsbury.

Rebekah shows her diploma. We are so proud!!!

Mrs. Mitchell presents her kids with a bouncy ball with a fish inside (which is her favorite) and a CD with all the songs they have learned this year!

Last day of kindergarten picture with Mrs. Mitchell

In front on Spring Lake Elementary

Rebekah planned a tea party for us after her graduation was over. We had pizza, bread sticks, and water. All the girls wore their beautiful Easter hats - a requirement when attending a tea party, or so I'm told!

What Mom Can't Do

2009-05-07T21:22:00.003-06:00

Tonight was parents night for Rebekah's kindergarten class. She got to show off all the new things she has been learning. Her teacher read a book called "What Dads Can't Do". Then Rebekah showed me her own stories of what mom & dad can't do...

"My mom can't ride my scooter."

"My dad can't play in my swimming pool."

Rebekah & Carley with Curl Formers

2009-05-03T08:09:00.003-06:00

I Love Birthday Parties!!!

2009-04-29T16:34:00.061-06:00

As my kids birthday party season came to a close I was thinking on how much fun we had. While I was thinking about it I realized I really love to throw birthday parties for my girls. I had soooo much fun with everything -- the planning, preparing, imagining, coordinating, ordering, inviting, baking, decorating, visiting, partying, wrapping, buying, picture taking, cleaning (yes - even the cleaning). Some moments were chaotic but every moment was worth it! So just because I want to I'm going to highlight the parties we had this year:

Lyndi - the BIG 1!
I began planning this party about a month before she was born!(yes-I'm that big of a dork). First I found a cute party theme online somewhere (I can't remember where exactly because I browsed a lot of places with the same theme). The invitations are really what sold me on it.

--INVITATIONS--
I cheated and copied images off the internet to make these myself on our computer. I think they turned out to be really cute ~ a good fit for my Lyndi!

--THANK YOU NOTES--
I made these thank you notes on my computer as well - no cheating here! I printed them on cute scrapbook paper, then cut them out and folded them accordion style then attached them to the envelopes which I also made, and folded them up. This was a highlight for me to show off my talents, lol!

--PARTYWARE--
*Napkins*Plates*Cups*Cutlery*Tablecloth*
I ordered the themed napkins off the internet and for everything else I just used the coordinating colors and got them at the dollar store.

--DECORATIONS--
*Balloons*
I got a jumbo sized #1 mylar balloon off the internet and the other mylar balloon says "Happy Birthday Princess" which I have had in my supplies for a couple of years (not sure why I hadn't used it earlier). All the other balloons I got at Smith's where they filled all of them up for me.
*Banner*
For the banner, I decided to make my own instead of ordering it. I used more of the cute scrapbook paper to cut out the letters and got some images of the internet to make the cute circles.
*Yard Sign*
I also made a yard sign (no picture) to display outside so everyone knew we were celebrating someone special. I used more of the scrapbook paper then also put some balloons with it.
*Misc.*
I pulled out all the teddy bears and made party hats for them (again with the scrapbook paper) and put them out in the livingroom as if they were guests at the party. I used her cake to double as a centerpiece on the table. I got a highchair kit in the big one theme off of the internet. It included a bib, party hat, tray banner, and spill mat - it was well worth the price!

--FAVORS--
I ordered the plush bears in springtime boxes off of oriental trading for a super discounted price. I added some balloon suckers I got from Smith's. I also had butter mints I got from the party store in Springville.

--FOOD--
We had a lunch/dinner time party so we had picnic type foods. I think it is easiest to serve at this type of party. Our food included sub sandwiches, raw veggies with dip, fruit and fruit dip, chips, crackers and dip. We just had water to drink.

*Cake*
I didn't get a good picture of the cake so just piece it together with what I have. I made a regular sized rectangular cake and cut out a circle with a cookie cutter which made a spot for the flowers and was used on the very top of the layered part of the cake. It looked like the teddy bear had a layered round cake. I think it turned out really cute - wish I had a better picture.

--GAMES & ACTIVITIES--
Because the party mostly involved adults I didn't prepare much for games and such. For the kids that came I had all the toddler toys out to play with...

Other than that there was visiting, eating, opening presents, watching Lyndi destroy her cake, and having cake & ice cream of course. The party was a BIG success!!!

Carley - My Little Pony
Carley picked out the theme for her party which we started planning right after her last birthday had past. (I like to start this early so I can keep my eyes peeled for and good deals or ideas that fit with the party)

--INVITATIONS--

*Friends*
This is the invitation Carley used to invite her friends over for a party. She got to invite four friends because she was turning 4! She also got to invite her sisters, so we had a total of 7 kids. These invitations were printed back to back in a postcard style - they turned out super cute!

*Family*
I used smilebox to make an email invite to send to all our family - not as cute as her friend one but it was good enough and easy to send!

Make a Smilebox invite

--PARTYWARE--
*Napkins*Plates*Cups*Cutlery*Tablecloth*
I was able to find MLP themed napkins and cups and the dollar store. For everything else I just used the theme colors - which was rainbow so it was super easy!!!

--DECORATIONS--
*Balloons* *Banner* *Streamers* *Yard Sign* *Misc.*
We had two mlp mylar balloons and got some more latex balloons in all colors to decorate with. We also had streamers everywhere inside the house. I used her cake as the centerpiece on the table. Also, I curled some ribbon and cut it in small pieces for "confetti" on the table.

This is the yard sign I made that went on our front porch.

--FAVORS--
When Carley's guests arrived, they got pony headbands and tails that were made of yard, an idea I got from the family fun website. The kids got candy & prizes out of the pinata. The treat bags were some cello bags I got at the dollar store. I got some mini mlp's out of an advent calendar I bought after Christmas on clearance at WalMart. I used them to decorate the top of the cupcakes for the kids.

--CAKE--
I made chocolate [Carley's choice] heart-shaped cupcakes for her friends party. They were decorated with white frosting and rainbow sprinkles and a mini mlp on top.

Her cake was again heart-shaped and again chocolate by her choice. It had chocolate & strawberry frosting. I sprinkled on a rainbow using colored sugar crystals, then topped it with a pinkie pie birthday mlp.

--GAMES & ACTIVITIES--
When Carley's friends arrived they put on their pony headbands and tails & got a picture with the birthday girl. Then they got to get a sparkly temporary tattoo on their arm or cheek. We played "Horse, Horse, Pony"-version of "duck, duck, goose"- and had pony races. Then it was time for the pinata - I got a pull-string mlp pinata at the party store. Then while the kids had their cupcakes & ice cream, they watched Carley open her presents. For a filler while the kids waited for their parents we watched a mlp movie.

Later that night Carley's extended family came over for cake and ice cream. We visited and had a mlp coloring book to color in for her cousins.

Rebekah - Supergirl
I kind of talked Rebekah into this one. She has been asking for a Hannah Montana party for over two years but only because her cousing Allyson loves HM. I thought this would be cute for Rebekah because she has been saying she is supergirl since she was 3! So when I told her of all the things we could do at the party she agreed to postpone the HM party once more! Yeah for me! (I'm not quite ready for my little girl to have a rock star party yet.)

--INVITATIONS--
I bought these invitations online then scanned them into my computer and printed on the party info ~ I liked the personalized look better than handwritten.

--PARTYWARE--
*Napkins*Plates*Cups*Cutlery*Tablecloth*
Again, I bought the themed napkins online and everything else was solid colors of the theme, in this case I used a pale blue to accent the pink for the plates and cups - the tablecloth was a bright pink one.

--DECORATIONS--
*Balloons* *Banner* *Streamers* *Yard Sign* *Misc.*
My mom got me a "super kids" themed bulletin from a school supply vendor online. It was a perfect fit for the party. The "super kids" were hung all over the party area along with streamers and balloons for a great party atmosphere. Again the cake was a centerpiece on the table. On the front door I put a "Happy Birthday Rebekah!" banner with some balloons.

--FAVORS--
All the kids were given capes made from some really cute bright material and personalized with their names.

I also got some light sticks at the dollar store which we called "kryptonite" at the party. Each kid got to keep a star from the bulletin kit I had. I also found some squishy flashing light-up balls at WalMart. Everyone also got some pinata candy & prizes, of coarse!

--CAKE--
Since Rebekah really had 3 parties, she ended up with 3 different cakes. However I ended up with a picture of only one. This was a store bought cake from Macey's, which I embellished with a supergirl emblem.

Her cake for her friends was a cupcake cake in the shape of the supergirl emblem. The last cake was an icecream cake in the shape of the supergirl emblem. [sure wish I had been better at taking pictures -- oops]

--GAMES & ACTIVITIES--
When Rebekah's guests arrived they got a cape which they got to personalize themselves. Each kid had their picture taken with the birthday girl. Then I set out some coloring pages for them while we waited for all the guests to arrive. The first challenge was to test their super speed in a game of "Red Light, Green Light" in which they earned their party bags. Then they were tested on their ability to fly by leaping over a tall building (mattress) and balancing on a high beam (2x4) they had to grab a piece of kryptonite (light sticks) and rush it back to put in their sack. We played a game like pin the tail on the donkey but it was stick the star on the super kid, this was test of their x-ray vision. Then we played a version of hot potato I called the kryptonite challenge where the kids passed around the squishy flashing light-up ball. Whoever had the ball when it stopped flashing was out, but then they got to keep the ball. The kids really loved this game. The last challenge was to test their super strength which of course we used a pinata. I got a star fiesta pinata at WalMart and told the kids it was a meteor that was going to hit the earth and destroy it unless we break it. The kids all got 2 turns before it broke!

After that we had a ceremony where they all got medals for passing the super hero training course in which they promised to use their powers for good and not evil. Then we had cake and ice cream while Rebekah opened her presents. I turned on "Zoom" for the kids to watch while we waited for thier parents to come and get them - I actually fast forwarded to the parts where the kids show off their powers because we only had a few minutes left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really enjoyed planning all of the parties and each of them turned out really well. Now I've started my planning for next year and I can't wait!! I think though I better get someone to get some good pictures for me!

Rebekah's Supergirl Birthday Party

2009-04-29T13:45:00.001-06:00

Easter

2009-04-17T16:56:00.002-06:00

This year we had the Easter bunny come on Friday night/Saturday morning. When the girls woke up last Saturday there was string everywhere! A note from the Easter bunny said they had to untangle all the string for each color to find their baskets! Rebekah and Carley were in awe at the sight of it which, after reading the note, turned to excitement to see who could find the baskets the fastest. Lyndi didn't really care, so luckily the Easter bunny didn't tangle up her string to much ;). When they found the baskets, which were in the hall closet, they found the baskets were color coded to the string they had to follow to find it. Rebekah was estatic that she got purple, Carley loves the blue, Lyndi got pink but was just glad to have some sugar!!! This was so fun, I think we will do it like this again, except maybe have the baskets hidden in separate areas...Here is a slide show of some pics from that morning, but my camera isn't very good, so not too many.

Girls Birthday Pictures

2009-04-17T15:25:00.005-06:00

These are the pictures my girls had taken at kiddie kandids for their birthdays.

Rebekah turned 6 on April 16th! I think she looks too grown up:( But still she's a cutie!

March 16th was Carley's 4th birthday! Looking good!

Lyndi turned the big 1 on February 12th! Growing way too fast!

Rebekah's Last Kindergarten SEP...

2009-03-20T07:38:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I went to SEP Conference for Rebekah. Mrs. Mitchell was impressed on how much she improved. She commented that Rebekah no longer skips the number 16 when counting. I told her how Brandon and I showed Rebekah on the calendar that her birthday is on the 16th and if we skip it she would no longer have a birthday. After that Rebekah NEVER skips the number 16. I thought it was funny how that was the only number she had a problem with. Mrs. Mitchell asked me if Rebekah can find, recognize, and remember her sight words in everyday things. I told her how we let Rebekah search for and circle her sight words in magazines and newspapers. Then just last Sunday Rebekah recognized some sight words in the hymns we were singing and wanted to circle them! I explained to her that we couldn't do that but she could "sing" each word that she recognized when we got to it. She really enjoyed it! Mrs. Mitchell thought that was such a cute story she asked if she could share it at the kindergarten graduation! Rebekah is also doing really well in sounding out simple words and reading level 1 books. Some other things she has learned include her five senses, the four seasons, simple addition, and her 7 digit phone number (now we need to teach her the 801 area code at the beginning). I can't believe she is almost done with kindergarten. Mrs. Mitchell said she is doing really well and has all the skills she needs to start 1st grade.

Carley's My Little Pony Birthday Party!

2009-03-17T12:22:00.002-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T12:20:00.001-06:00

Carley's New Hair Cut

2009-03-17T12:10:00.006-06:00

Okay, Carley wanted her hair cut, but I don't think she wanted it quite this short, but it looks okay when it is styled. Here are some pics of her hair all curled in ringlets. Turned out quite cute!

Show & Teach

2009-03-13T07:43:00.008-06:00

Every Friday the kindergarten at Rebekah's school does a "Show and Teach" - this is instead of a show and tell. This is not a required assignment but the kids can participate as many times as they want to. Rebekah has done one the last three weeks since they started it. Her first one was on "How to Make a Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich." She practiced at home so I could be sure she knows how to "teach" this to her class. Last week she taught "How to play Tic-Tac-Toe." Mrs. Mitchell said she did a wonderful job teaching it. This week they moved it up to Thursday instead of Friday because of grandparents day on Friday. I was glad though, because that meant I was able to go to her school and see her do her "lesson." This week she did a science experiment we found in the Family Fun magazine. It was an "Eruption in a Bottle!" When we first did it at home she was amazed at what happened when we added the baking soda to the bottle full of water and vinegar. Then I had her try it to be sure she could "teach" it to her class. Although once would have been enough we most certainly had to practice about ten more times!!! Carley and Rebekah would get so giggly just before she would add the baking soda. They really enjoyed watching it shoot out of the bottle and overflowing onto the pan we put it on. Rebekah did an excellent job teaching her class how to do this science experiment. And of course, after her class saw what happened they wanted to see it again! The rest of the class had some really cute show & teach's as well. Someone demonstrated popping popcorn, making ice cream cookie sandwiches, making peanut butter and crackers, kicking a soccer goal, catching a baseball, doing a handstand, and drawing a star wars star fighter. I was so glad I got to go and see Rebekah with her school friends. I just wish I had a camera so I could post some pics to go with it. Oh well.

Carley's Birthday Party Invitation

2009-03-07T09:16:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Lyndi turns the BIG 1!!!

2009-02-26T12:05:00.001-07:00

Rebekah's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2008-10-10T16:27:00.001-06:00

Rebekah started school at the Spring Lake Elementary this fall. She has been rather excited about it since she found out she would be going to school. Even on the first day she was not nervous or scared. When we went shopping for new clothes for the school year she wanted to try on the clothes without any help. When she came out of the dressing room to show me she would pose like a model and ask me "Mom, how do I look?" I wish she wouldn't grow up so fast. On the first day of school we went over to Grandma's house (Jerry & Lynette's) to take some pictures, then walked to her school from there - since the school is just at the end of their road. Her teacher, Mrs. Mitchell greeted us at the door and helped Rebekah get started on things to do. Although it was pretty busy Mrs. Mitchell let us take a moment to get a picture with her and Rebekah on this special occasion [for us anyway]. Most of the time Rebekah rides the bus to and from school, she even walks to and from the bus stop on her own. Brandon has been lucky enough to be able to be home in the mornings while I go to work, so we don't need a babysitter so often. However, he is also in charge of getting Rebekah up and ready for school since she has morning kindergarten. I have found that most of the time Rebekah wears her hair back in a headband, so on my day off I try to do her hair really cute because I think it should be :) Right now Rebekah really enjoys school a lot and wants to impress her teacher with every homework assignment. Brandon and I are both really proud of her.