Big Strong Men And An Oreo Thief...

If you know me very well, you know that (besides Chris) oreo's are the love of my life. I guess this must be an inherited trait because Grace went to the pantry all by herself today got the oreo's down from the shelf opened them and began to dig in. She was soooo ticked when I took them away. She kept saying "NO!!!" For some reason lately Austin and Connor are on a fitness kick. They get the radio, turn up Kelly Clarkson songs and lift weights. Here is Austin doing just that.

Connor is doing pull ups on the car. Whatever works I guess! They keep coming inside and showing me their growing muscles. Yesterday they said "Mom guess what?! We grew a whole inch!!"

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails....

One reason why I love my boys like I do, is because Chris has helped mold them into good boys that I think will be great men!! Chris is a great teacher because he uses positive reinforcement to teach them to work to do what's right, and to carry on the legacy of the gospel. He teaches them about the scriptures, and I'm so thankful to him for being such an asset and huge part of their lives!

Okay, so I am going to tell you why I love my boys. Honestly I have to say there is a bond I have found with my boys that is so strong sometimes it hurts! I can't even handle how much I love them. They are so wonderful, and full of crazy surprises. I grew up with 3 sisters and one lonely brother, and so I didn't grow up around lots of boys, so having three has taught me so much about boys and how special they are. They are far more sensitive and caring then I ever would have realized. And I have also found that my boys ADORE me. That I am thankful for and hope and pray it lasts!!!! Connor and all of my boys actually LOVE to take care of and play with Grace. She is THEIR little baby. She knows it too! I love this sensitive side that they display. I think they will make excellent fathers.
They all share a room. Sometimes it drives me nuts at night with all the noise, but I think this has helped them to be great friends!!!

Ahhh...Christian. He's going through a little stage right now where he loves to pick, pick pick. Boys LOVE to pick on people (at least mine.) They are little teasers, but I guess that comes with the territory!
What's the deal with boys and garages???? Mine LIVE in it! Chris loves the garage too. It's something I don't quite understand, but oh well!!!!

My boys are such silly people too...obviously.


They love to climb anything and everything. I'm constantly saying "Get down before you kill yourself!!!" Luckily they are forgiving of my oh so often nagging ways. I think or at least hope that they know it's only because I love them and will forever cherish them!

Tribute to my girlies...

I have the sudden urge to blog about my girls. And I guess in some way tell them how much I love them! I feel a special connection to them and in so many ways understand them because I TOO am a girl! Sometimes Chris doesn't always understand their needs as I do (he does try though!), and so we connect. In all reality they are not just my daughters, but also my sisters. I'm grateful for a little estrogen around here once in a while! Even if it does drive the boys a little crazy at times. Even though there is a nine year age difference between Halee and Grace, they have a special loving bond. Halee is like Grace's 2nd mama!

What would life be like without the occasional bubble bath??? Dad doesn't get this, but I DO!

Okay I can admit that we tend to get a little moody and high maintenance at times, but that's just part of being a girl (at least in this family! haha)

Dolls...ah...I LOVE dollies! If I could get away with it, I would STILL play dolls!!!!!

Halee has started to grow up faster than I like. I want her to STOP growing darn it!

My little Grace will be all grown too before I know it...

I try to enjoy every minute of every day with my children, because even though I'm not always the most patient, I love them to pieces! Thank you Halee and Grace for being my girly girls!

I promise a tribute to my boys here shorty too. They are awesome in their own little ways too!

Connor, Soccer and Muscles...

This is Connor's very first year in soccer. I wasn't sure how he would feel about it or if he would even like it, but he really likes it! He loves his coaches, and the woman coach calls him "muscles." I think this is a name she probably calls many of the boys, but I won't tell Connor that because I think he likes the attention, ha ha. Plus he's all about being a big strong man. His first game was Tuesday and he actually scored a goal! I was so excited for him because there are some pretty aggressive kids there, and Connor loves to play but by nature he isn't a very aggressive person, so I hope that goal will build his confidence. It's so fun to watch my kids try new things and grow. GO CONNOR! :)

By the way the kids names themselves the Green Lizard's, lol.

Life is so very short

I am sorry to post so much sadness lately, but shockingly Chris lost a brother today. 5 days ago, Ryan Chapman age 14 started having flu like symptoms, throwing up, headaches, fever. Unlike the flu it just got worse and worse. My mother in law took him the hospital and they did a CT scan and found that his brain was swelling. They did a surgery and put him on antibiotics and hoped for the best. At first we thought he was doing much better. He started drinking lots of water and was coherent, but last night his brain began to swell at a rapid pace, and they found he had blood clots all throughout his brain. The only thing keeping him alive was a ventilator. This morning they chose to turn it off because he was completely brain dead. The Dr.'s aren't even really sure what it is that caused this. They believe it may have been some form of meningitis combined with sinusitis. He is such a wonderful boy. At the family reunion Chris and I stayed up late every night with he, and his other Russian siblings and played cards late into the night. We will miss him so much. It's hard to except when a child dies...it almost doesn't seem fair! But we also know this was God's plan for him, and we can have peace with that. Just 3 weeks after losing a husband, my mother in law has now lost a child. Please keep their family in your prayers!

This is Ryan 1 year ago holding Grace...

4th of July!

I know, I know...these are a little late, but better late than never! We had a fantastic and VERY busy 4th. Chris is now on the ward activities committee, so he and I helped out with the 4th of July breakfast we have each year. It turned out great but was LOTS of work!! The kids enjoyed it though, because usually we skip it. I like sleeping in on Holidays, but not this year. Grace is kind of out of it in this pic. She had woke up at 6:00 in the morning and was a bit of a mess at times. Our ward primary had a float in the community parade, and my boys wanted to float it, so I went with them, and it was lots of fun! They loved throwing out candy at all the kids. Although I think Christian was aiming to hit people in the head...little stinker!
Later on we went down on the beach and watched the fireworks. I love having these fun family traditions and am so thankful for each and every one of my family! :)