Porter Family

Candy

2012-03-04T17:17:00.002-06:00

Candy got a haircut yesterday. Can you tell who gave her a haircut, but left her with a Mohawk & Fu-Man-Chu?

Pictures

2012-02-23T19:28:00.005-06:00

Bringing Back the Racing Stripes

2012-02-08T17:04:00.004-06:00

I told Brad how Tim & I used to have racing stripes in our hair, so he wanted them. His hair is so light that they are kind of tough to see. He is probably wishing he waited until the summer though, because he said his head is colder now.

We Are Proud To Announce...

2012-01-10T18:56:00.002-06:00

That we are going to be an Uncle & an Aunt again. Congratulations to Tim & Amanda, due July 8th, and Teri & Aaron, due July 31st! Oh yeah, and we are expecting Aug. 20th.

Kyle's Birthday

2012-01-02T09:56:00.004-06:00

Kyle's birthday was on the 26th. We had a birthday party for him before school let out for the break. He chose Harry Potter. We had a lot of fun mixing potions, making root beer, doing experiments, practicing spells, and of course playing. Kyle had fun, and so did his friends. On his birthday I made a number 8 cake for him, and he chose chicken and dumpling for dinner. This a big year for Kyle turning 8 as he will be baptized this year. He is very excited to be baptized. He is a wonderful example to us of being willing to share your testimony. He loves to share his testimony and has a great early knowledge of the gospel. He received a Book of Mormon and a bible for his birthday and been reading every night. He also very excited to start cub scouts, and has already started signing things off. He is learning to play the piano and is learning very well.

Kyle's Favorite things:

Color: Red
Food: Chicken and Dumplings
Cartoon: Star Wars the Clone Wars, Phineas & Pherb, & The Smurfs
School Subject: Math & Gym
Sport: Basketball
Book: 2012 Guinness Book of World Records
When he grows up Kyle wants to be: Missionary

Christmas Day

2012-01-02T09:22:00.005-06:00

Enjoying Christmas Morning.

Enjoying Christmas morning.

Brad, Kyle and William lined up on the stairs.

Matthew enjoying one of his presents

Kyle's Santa presents

Brad's Santa presents

Matthews Santa's presents

William's Santa Presents

New Sunday Clothes

We had a wonderful Christmas again this year. Matthew woke up in the night with a bloody nose and ended up hopping in bed with us. I went downstairs, to get a drink at 1 am and smiled as I heard the conversation between two of our boys. "Do you think it is time yet?" "Do you think we can go get Mom and Dad yet?" I knew it was going to be any early morning but not that early. Luckily it was determined that it was too early and they restlessly went back to sleep. We started our day at 5:30, much to Matthew's dismay. He brothers woke him up, and he was not to happy to be woken up until he remembered that Santa had come during the night. Some of our boys are very funny because they HAD to get dressed before going downstairs. We had church at 10:45 for an hour. The boys were all very sleepy by the time Christmas night came.

Turkey Bowl

2011-12-20T19:01:00.003-06:00

Brad came with me to watch, hoping that he could play too. Since we didn't have very many people Brad was able to play. It was me, Brad, the two tall guys next to me and the two guys to the far right. Brad scored 2 touchdowns and he will proudly tell everyone that he scored 2 more than his dad. Scoring the 2 touchdowns helped his confidence and he is always wanting to throw the football around now. This was the best Turkey bowl I have ever been a part of. Not only was the weather perfect, but it was also a friendly game and it was fun that Brad was a part of it.

Beat the Experts

2011-12-12T18:16:00.003-06:00

I thought the winning check would be bigger in size

I have been playing "Beat the Experts" or formerly known as "Pigskin Picks" in our home town paper with my family for close to 20 years now. It only took 20 years, but I finally won. $50 is nice even if the check was not bigger in size or with a newspaper representative or model.

Our Favorite 10 Year Old

2011-12-03T10:49:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that Brad was born 10 years ago. He is such a great big brother who brings lots of happiness and joy to our family. For Brad's birthday party with friends we went to Mahoney State Park and played in their huge activity center. It is like McDonald's indoor play area, but tons bigger.

Brad's Favorites:
Toys - Legos
Holiday - Christmas
School Subject - Science
T.V. Show - Phineas & Pherb
Movie - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Favorite Team - Pittsburgh Steelers

Gingerbread Display

2011-12-02T15:32:00.002-06:00

Every year, Winter Quarter Visitor Center has a Gingerbread Exhibit. This year our boys decided that they would do a Candy Land Board. they had a lot of fun and did a great job getting putting it together.

Joe's New Toy

2011-12-01T20:26:00.003-06:00

Our '92 Toyota Tercel was driven into the ground...literately. As Joe was driving to the dentist he heard a loud metallic pop up by the front right wheel. The car wanted to go right so Joe had to crank the wheel left to keep it going straight. Luckily he was almost to the dentist. He left it at the dentist office overnight, because he didn't want to risk driving it any further. The next day we took it to a mechanic half a mile away. The mechanic said the tire rods rusted through and that is would be $1000 to fix, which was way more than the car was worth. As the mechanic backed it out of the garage the tire rods completely broke through. The front axle laid on the ground and the wheel was sticking way out. Since we couldn't drive it "U-Pull It" came and picked it up and paid us a little money for it. We have always wanted a truck, so we ended up getting a '06 Dodge Ram 4x4, which the boys call our "Monster Truck".

Stickers

2011-11-02T14:03:00.002-05:00

Matt loves to play with stickers at church and one thing he likes to do with them is put them over his mouth. Last night Matt was upstairs getting ready for bed and this is how he came down after finding one BIG sticker.

Halloween

2011-11-01T18:49:00.002-05:00

Kyle (Harry Potter), Brad (Darth Vader), William (Spiderman), & Matt (Buzz Lightyear)

Showing off their haul

Brad guarding the booty

I love the face

It was another successful Halloween. Joe took the boys around the neighborhood while Janette handed out candy. Once Matt filled up his bucket he was done. They then came home emptied their buckets and then Joe took Brad & Kyle out for a little bit more. Each boy filled up a big bowl and are excited, because they think it will last until next Halloween.

Apple Orchard

2011-10-17T14:57:00.003-05:00

We went to Arbor Day Tree Farm again this year, with Grandpa and Grandma Fredericks, on Labor Day. 3 Years in a row makes a tradition right? We had fun as usual. We played most of the day and picked apples at the end.

William Goes to School

2011-10-17T14:55:00.002-05:00

William is going to preschool again this year. He loves school. I was told I was allowed to take exactly one picture. God thing it turned out.

William's Birthday

2011-10-17T14:41:00.003-05:00

William had his 5th Birthday in August. He was able to have to cakes. First we had fun with some cousins who were in town from West Virginia. We then had a friends birthday party and William had fun with his friends in the back yard. They had fun swimming, jumping on the trampoline, and playing on the slip and slide. We are so glad to have William's giggly happy face in our family. He is full of energy and is always looking for his next adeventure! William learned to ride his bake this summer and was the easiest and youngest of our boys when it came to teaching him to go to two wheels.

William Favorite things at 5
Food: Macaroni
Cartoon: Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Toy: All of Them
Color: Blue, green, and Red, and Brown, and white, and gray, orange, and black, and yellow, and all the boy colors.
Song: Spiderman Song ( I am not sure what this is)
Sport: Soccer
Best Friend: Nolan, Logan, and the other William
Favorite thing to do with brothers: Ride bikes

Soccer Season

2011-10-10T14:18:00.004-05:00

William getting ready for a break away.

Kyle loves to pose! He did great in his game!

Brad is number 54, getting ready to make a great pass!

We have recently had a few problems with our camera, and are still working out the issues, so we have had a lack of pictures the past few months. We did however get things figured out long enough to get a few pictures of the boys playing soccer. Brad and William played for Gretna and Kyle played for the Omaha Football Club. They have each had very good seasons.

Brad's team has been very good for him. They are the under 12 team and they include 9, 10, and 11 year olds. Some of the kids on his time have obviously had or are starting to have their growth spurts. Brad is not in this category. It has been great for him to play with older players as it helps him increase his own skills. He learned a lot this year, and it was obvious that he was playing at a new level by the end of the season.

Kyle played OFC this season. He was originally signed up for Gretna as well, but they didn't have room on the team so we went to OFC for him. We were very happy with his coach and team. He learned a lot of skills and most importantly had fun.

William loves playing soccer and it has been really good for him in the past seasons and this season was no exception. It really helps him build his confidence, work together with others, and play fair. On one of his first games he asked, "If I score 10 goals can we go get an ice cream?" We thought there was no way this would happen and agreed. He scored 12 that game, and we got ice cream. Brad was helping the coach one day getting the balls that went out of bounds. When he ran past william he heard him saying, "Karate chop that ball." As he took the ball from the opposing team and took off down the field.

Matt was a trooper going to all the games. He is adimately requesting that HE gets to play soccer next time.

1st Day of School

2011-08-16T17:43:00.003-05:00

Brad entering 4th Grade

Kyle entering 2nd Grade

Brad and his teacher Miss Gennarelli

Good-bye Kyle

Last Wednesday, Aug. 10th, Brad & Kyle went back to school. Brad is now in 4th grade and Kyle is in 2nd grade. Kyle has Brad's old teacher, Mrs. Miller. William will be starting preschool next month, which he is very excited about, because they have animals.

Quotable Quotes

2011-08-11T18:28:00.005-05:00

William has said some pretty funny things lately. One of my favorites is a couple of weeks ago when my stomach was sick he said, "Mom, you must have eaten a bug." confusing the phrase CAUGHT A BUG.

Another common phrase he says lately is, "You just a bully, because you told me No! or because you won't let me stay up!" Yup, I guess we are bullies because we have rules.

"I really like Hokey Pokey's!" The sad thing is I new exactly what he was talking about, a rolly poly

Here's one from Matt. When he races he count "1,2, chicken" We are quite sure where the chicken part came in, but he does it every time.

Matt also recently started calling his Dad "Joe" "Joe dress my pants on" (in Matt language that means put my pants on.)

There are more but that is all the time I have for right now.

Part 5 - Heber, UT

2011-07-30T13:00:00.007-05:00

Matthew

William

Joe, Kyle, William and Matt

Brad and his cousin Spencer, they paddled so fast the boat broke and they had to be towed back in.

Kyle

Campfire

Some of the kids ready for a hike

Helping Grandpa Fredericks with the fire

Inside one of the cabins

Captain Joe of the row boats.

Dancing at the Museum

Playing Chess

Playing at the Zermatt

Feeding the goats.

Visitor Center

We finished our trip by visiting Heber, UT. We stayed with Rob and Pam and enjoyed visiting with them. My sister Angie and her family and my parents stayed at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, UT. We spent a lot of time swimming their, as well as playing chess, feeding goats, as well as having most of our meals their. We went down to temple square one day and enjoyed the sights their with our kids.

Friday night we went to the Heber Valley Girls Camp and had a reunion with my Dad's family. We stayed the night in the cabins, went for hikes, went on the paddle boats, and visited with family. It was a lot of fun.

Part 5 - Preston, ID and Logan, UT

2011-07-25T07:33:00.005-05:00

Brad, Great Grandma Carter, Matt, William, and Kyle

On the tractor

The big dairy cows.

The calf sucking Kyle's fingers.

Brad trying to get the calf to suck his fingers.

William and Matt feeding the calf

Joe and his cousin Brad

Off to Preston, Idaho we headed. We went go visit Joe's Grandma Carter, where we stayed the night. In the morning we headed to go see a cousin of Joe's, Brad (don't get confused here, stay with me) who works the family dairy farm. The boys loved the baby calves, and had fun letting them suck on their fingers. They couldn't believe the couldn't believe that the cow's just pooped and peed where ever they wanted, (they are still talking about it and telling people how funny that was.) Brad Lindhart, took us on a tour of the dairy farm. It is amazing the amount of work that they do everyday! On our way out of Preston, we stopped in Logan to visit my Grandma Hansen's grave, she was a wonderful woman and I wish my kids would have had a chance to meet her in this life. My grandma loved little red headed boys, she died in September 1999, before Joe and I married. I think she handpicked some cute little red heads to come to our family.

Part 4 - Porter Family Reunion

2011-07-25T06:59:00.005-05:00

Teri and Aaron were gracious enough to open their home to everyone for the 1st Porter Family Reunion. We had a great time and the boys really liked playing with their cousins. We missed Tim, Amanda, and kids, but are so happy for them that they have a new job in Oregon. Here are a few of the fun things we did during the reunion.

Grandpa provided some fireworks for the kids to enjoy, and they were great. It is amazing what they come up with for fireworks.

The kids all had milk jugs on their heads creating cone heads for all of us to enjoy.

Apparently it is not just the kids who can't resist a picture on a metal animal. Joe and Aaron showing off their riding skills on some sort of lizard at the Dinosaur Park.
Please do not feed the wild animals here
Or when they grow up they will never out grow it and will continue to put their heads through the bars begging for food.

Like any good father would do, Joe is feeding Matt to the dinosaur.

At the Dinosaur Park in Ogden

Kyle and William

Eating lunch under the wings at Hills Air force
Kyle and I went home early on this day because he wasn't feeling well, but the other ones enjoyed making rockets and shoot them off at Hills Air Force Base.Fishing trip, the fishing wasn't so hot, but Brad did catch a duck and we all had a lot of fun!

Part 3 of Trip - St. George

2011-07-21T10:34:00.003-05:00

We spent the night in St. George at Joe's Grandma and Grandpa Porter's. They were very nice to let us stay and take care of us for the evening. We then went to see my Grandpa Hansen for 40 minutes or so before we headed up to Teri's. It was great to see them all. Our boys were lucky this trip to see so many of their Great Grandparents

Part 2 of Trip - Moab, UT

2011-07-21T10:13:00.006-05:00

Double Arch

What is it about metal animals and kids, EVERYTIME our kids see one they have to climb on top of them.The boys playing in the sand at the sand dune arch.

Joe on the top of the Sand Dune Arch - we didn't find out until later when we were reading a pamphlet at the visitor center that we were not suppose to do that . . oops.

We spent the night in Moab and really enjoyed seeing the arches and formations of rocks.

Happy Birthday Matt

2011-07-21T09:58:00.003-05:00

While we were in Colorado, Matt turned 3! It is hard to believe this little baby of mine is now 3. He has such a great personality and makes me smile. He also has a great smile. We have to remind his older brothers that he is watching and likes to copy them. Sometimes we make a game out of it, they, especially William, tries different actions and words and sees how long Matt will copy them. He was good traveler and enjoyed his dinner and cupcakes on his birthday! We sure do love our Matt!

Favorites:
Favorite Cartoon: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Phineas and Ferb

Favorite Food: This is hard because he loves to eat everything. He surprised my parents by eating 2 large pieces of pizza on our trip. I would have to say that scrambled eggs probably top the list. He once ate 6 scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Favorite Color: Whatever his brother William says his is for the day!

Favorite thing to pretend: Being a worker, and working with his tools, and playing trains.

Favorite places to play: His brothers rooms, outside - he would play outside everyday all day if we would let him, but when a thunderstrom rolls in the boy just has to come in. The swimming pool.

Favorite Songs: Popcorn Popping, Zip-pity Do Dah, I am a Child of God

Colorado

2011-07-21T09:17:00.006-05:00

Relaxing on the patio of our cabin after swimming ALL day at the hot springs. Apparently, we are so white, that even after reapplying 100spf sunscreen during the day, we still burned.

Kyle going down the slide

William, Matt, and Joe

Taking a break from swimming

Brad going to the water-slide

William Relaxing
Hike at Grizzly Creek
View from the top of Rifle Falls Hike
Climbing Rocks

Hike at Rifle Falls

Behind the falls

Brad and Kyle at Rifle Falls

Looking down at Rifle falls from the topUnion Pacific Train in Glenwood Springs
Watching some surfing on the Colorado River.

We took a family vacation for two weeks. We had a lot of stops, we logged over 3000 miles on our van, and over 40 hours in the car while we traveled, hours and miles well spent. We started our trip in Colorado. We stayed in Glenwood Springs, CO. We started the weekend by watching some surfers and kayaking on the Colorado river. We went for a couple hikes, saw some beautiful waterfalls, celebrated Matt's 3rd birthday, went to the hot springs, watched fireworks, swam in the pool at the place we stayed, and enjoyed relaxing a playing as a family.

College World Series

2011-06-19T21:44:00.005-05:00

Panoramic View of Stadium

Former President George W. Bush

Our Solders holding our Flag for our National Anthem

Erika, Kyle, Brad, & Rob

Rob & Joe

Kyle at the game

Yesterday Janette's Dad Bob, Janette, Joe, Brad, Kyle, Janette's brother Older Rob, Pam, Younger Rob, & Erika went to the first College World Series game at the new TD Ameritrade Stadium. We showed up 30 min's before the game, so we didn't have to wait in line and we were able to find a seat in General Admission without any trouble. Former President George W. Bush came out and threw the first pitch. We then watched Vanderbilt beat North Carolina 7-3 and the weather was beautiful.

Baseball, Baseball, Catch the Fever Now

2011-06-12T19:37:00.003-05:00

Kyle Catching

Kyle Posing

Brad in the Outfield

Brad up to bat

Baseball season is about to come to an end, which the boys enjoyed. Both of their teams have done very well this season with both of them scoring a lot of runs for their teams. Kyle played coach pitch while Brad had his first year of player pitch. Some of Brad's games were pretty long with lots of walks and not many hits. It will be fun to see how much the improve from this year to next.

Father Son Campout

2011-06-05T18:31:00.003-05:00

The boys went on the father son camp out. Matt stayed home with me. It was cold, and wet, but they had a lot of fun.

Fun Pictures of Matthew

2011-06-04T15:37:00.002-05:00

Where did Matt fall asleep?

In his playhouse

Matt exploring the outdoors

Matthew's favorite pet

Matt is always on the move exploring the backyard. While in the backyard he likes to play in the sandbox, wander in the bushes, and look for worms.

Also, the other night night we found Matt in his playhouse on its side sound asleep. He was smart enough to put down a couple of blankets for padding.

Brad Made Cookies

2011-06-04T15:33:00.003-05:00

Bradley made some cookies and then put them in the oven. When they were done this is how the came out. Now Bradley knows the importance of keeping your pan straight when you put them in the oven. Nevertheless the cookies turned out great!
Joe also made cookies as a boy, and learned a valuable lesson of timing. When it happened Joe told Brad that he could have his own cookie story and picture too.

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T13:07:00.004-05:00

Kyle working on his eggs

Brad working his artistic egg ability

William's egg is "eggcellent"

Matt system of coloring eggs was the most patient of all the boys.

We had a wonderful Easter here, a little cold, but wonderful. A little Easter Egg Dying, a little Easter Egg Hunt, a discussion about Easter and Meaning of it. 4 kids on a sugar rush, and 2 parents that are exhausted. A successful day!

Brad Finds A Turtle

2011-04-26T13:02:00.002-05:00

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We have a visitor at our house. It is a painted turtle. It is about the size of a quarter. Brad found this baby turtle while riding his bike around the pond. He brought it home and has been taking care of it for about a week. We have not decided how long our friend will stay with us, but he will eventually go back to the pond.

Harlem Globetrotters

2011-04-17T10:56:00.004-05:00

William at Globetrotters

Kyle with Bam Bam

The Globetrotters

Big Easy lost his shorts

Globetrotters playing around

Big Easy Hook Shot

Last Shot of the Game

Last night Joe, Kyle and William went and watched the Harlem Globetrotters. Bradley was supposed to go, but he got sick so William went in his place. The three of them had a lot of fun watching the funny tricks the Globetrotters could do. After the game Kyle and William went down to the court and got Bam Bam's autograph. They even got an extra an autograph for Bradley to cheer him up.

Spider-man

2011-03-18T16:43:00.002-05:00

Matt joined in with his brothers this week in dressing up and running around. He was an adorable spider-man!

Smashed Finger

2011-03-18T16:38:00.004-05:00

A common phrase in our house is "Don't slam the door!" Well Matt is going through a slamming door phase. Unfortunately William's finger was caught between the door and the frame. The result was a screaming boy, lots of blood, a trip to the ER, 4 stitches, and a broken fingertip. They were unable to get the finger completely numb, so he could feel the poking. Poor kid. William is recovering quickly. He is really hoping that his stitches will be out in time for his first game next Saturday.

Basektball

2011-03-18T16:24:00.003-05:00

Playing some defense

Brad Warming up before the game

Yes that is Kyle over there with his head in his shirt. He was walking around looking through the little holes.

Kyle getting ready to block a shot.

Brad and Kyle played basketball this season. They had a lot of fun and learned some new skills. Kyle was really got at rebounding, Brad was really good at dribbling.

Joe's Birthday

2011-02-17T08:08:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Joe! 34 Years can shed a lot of light on things, a lot of candlelight that is. Good thing the boys are always willing to help us parents with blowing out our candles. Joe is a fantastic Dad and husband. He works hard for us and we appreciate it, I appreciate it the most. He sacrifices a lot so I can stay home with our boys.

Aaron and Teri Come to Visit

2011-02-17T07:46:00.003-06:00

We got to spend the evening with Teri and Aaron and their kiddos. Tim and Amanda came up from Lincoln, we had dinner, and let the kids play with Aaron. No seriously Aaron was great, he played with all the kids downstairs, there was major Nerf Gun War. We had a great time talking and visiting, it was great to have our house full of family and laughter.

We love our Fire Place

2011-02-17T07:44:00.003-06:00

Yeah thanks for the bunny ears Bradley

Although we don't use it enough, we love our fireplace, and our boys love sitting in front of it to get their backs warm.

Happy 7th Birthday Kyle Dec 26

2011-02-17T07:32:00.004-06:00

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Kyle turned seven in December. The week before we had a party with some of his friends. He is always so goofy and loving. He is a smart little boy and is loving first grade. We love that he feels comfortable and confident with who he is. He is the least shy boy I have ever seen. He loves to answer questions in church and at school. He is always anxious to share his testimony. We are so glad that he is a part of our family and we love him very much.

Kyle's Favorites at 7:

Favorite Food: Tortellinis with Alfredo sauce
Favorite Color: Blue
Best Friend: Derek, Jack, and Hayden
Favorite Ice Cream: Vanilla with chocolate syrup
Favorite Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Favorite School Subject: PE
Favorite TV Show: Avatar and Johny Test
When he grows up he wants to be: a Dad
He wants to serve a mission to: Washington State (I can stay with Grandma and Grandpa Porter)

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T21:12:00.005-06:00

Christmas time for us brings a lot of excitement around our house. We try to do some fun things, like make gingerbread house, sugar cookies, see Christmas lights, sing Christmas songs, and most importantly we try to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ,

We spent Christmas Eve night at my parents, something we haven't done except for one year our entire marriage.

Highlights of Christmas Morning
Brad - Lego and a baseball hat. Read the Christmas story from Matthew for us. He enjoyed listening to his new MP4 player.

Kyle - Magnetic Roller Coaster, getting to eat extra sausage. He started a Nerf gun war with his new Nerf gun. He also put out reindeer food for the reindeer's in the snow.

William - Got his tunnel with a waterfall for his train to go under. He was almost in tears when he saw that Santa brought it. William sang Santa Clause is Coming to Town for weeks, warming my heart.

Matt- Saying Ho Ho Ho every time he saw Santa. Matt riding on the train for 3 hours straight, giving William a few turns once a in a while. He rode a big with smile on his face the whole time.

The Monkey Trap

2010-12-11T11:34:00.003-06:00

Matt tried getting one too many vitamins, but couldn't figure out how to get his hand out along with the vitamins.

Setting Up Christmas

2010-12-06T07:40:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately a lot of these pictures turned out blurry. I tried to pick out the best ones.

Happy Birthday Brad

2010-12-06T07:22:00.003-06:00

Brad turned nine on the 14th of November. We had a couple of his friends at the YMCA and swam. Brad is my peace maker. He wants everyone to be happy. He has take his little brothers in their rooms to play trains with them sometimes for hours. We had a family home evening on inviting the spirit into our home. We talked about the importance of having the holy ghost in our home and when we fight it makes the holy ghost to leave and the spirit of contention to take over. Brad is especially sensitive to the spirit and can feel it when it is in our home, but he can also feel when the Holy Ghost leaves our home. He works hard to do things to keep the Holy Ghost with him all the time. He often tells me in the morning about what he read in the scriptures in his room. He has a sweet strong testimony but because he takes a lot after his Mom his heart strings are connected to his tear ducts and he has difficulty expressing it without become emotional. Brad enjoyed playing baseball, soccer, football, and is looking forward to basket ball in couple months. He has a great laugh. He is learning to play the piano, he played in his first recital in November and did a great job! He loves to read. Happy Birthday Brad!

Brad's Favorites
Favorite Food: Chinese
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Sport: Baseball
Favorite Book: Harry Potter
Favorite School Subject: Math
When he grows up he wants to be: An Author
He wants to serve a mission to: Chile

Happy Halloween

2010-11-05T09:26:00.003-05:00

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We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween this year. Here are a few pictures of carving pumpkins, trunk - o - treating, and our family enjoying what we did on Sunday for Halloween. Grandma and Grandpa Fredericks as well as Tim and Amanda and their kiddos joined us for the fun. For some reason Brad is not really in a lot of the carving pictures. I had to look twice at the pictures because William and Matt look so much alike!

Costumes
Brad - Red Fire Ninja
Kyle - Clone Trooper
William - Spiderman
Matthew - Elephant.
Blake - Transformer
Daphne - Nebraska Cheerleader
and of course we don't want to forget Joe, our Leprechaun.

Funny Things the Kids Say

2010-10-22T13:52:00.002-05:00

Kyle at dinner says, "Hey, Mom did the baby get a bath today?" Me looking confused trying to figure what in the world he is talking about. He continues "You know the one you put on the calendar." Oh now I know what he is talking about. . . "Yes I went to the baby shower today."

Brad: "I was trying to go to sleep but he voices in my head are just too loud!" (Should I be worried about these voices)

We changed garbage companies and the old company had to come pick up the garbage cans. Yesterday they came and got them. The boys were very concerened that someone was taking our garbage cans. I explained it was okay that we were getting new ones with the new company. Kyle looks at me with tears in his eyes, "not the brown garbage can, I love the brown garbage can. I can't believe they are taking it!"

William wanted Dad to lay down with him while he fell asleep to which Dad, Joe, said no. William was really mad and told me that I needed to call the police to come take Dad because he wasn't being nice, he needs to be locked up.

Vala's Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-11T17:33:00.006-05:00

Can you find Brad & Matt?

Little old lady who lived in a shoe along with her boys

Last Monday we went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch. No Frills Supermarket had free Smore's for everyone. We saw a table, but it didn't have a sign with Smore's and hot chocolate. We thought it was the No Frills table, so we got some hot chocolate and then went and did our thing. While walking to the train we saw where No Frills really had their table set up with Smore's. Later we saw some friends at the first table getting hot chocolate and come to find out it was their work party's table. We had a good laugh about it. Over all it was a lot of fun.

Minute to Win It

2010-10-11T06:44:00.002-05:00

Brad's First Try

One of our favorite shows to watch together as a family is America's Funniest Videos. They had a challenge for people to get the Oreo from their forehead, like on Minute to Win It, and get it into their mouth without using their hands on film and then send it in to AFV's.

Arbor Day Tree Farm

2010-10-10T20:14:00.006-05:00

Boys Building with Sticks

Bradley Finishing Up

Matt Being Matt

Matt Having Fun

William Trying to get a Butterfly on his Finger

William Showing Matt how it is done

William Excited

Brad & Kyle laying eggs

Nap Time

William Playing Music

Kyle & Matt Playing Music

The Boys on a Tractor

No Apples There

Matt Getting his Apple

Kyle Getting his Apple

The Good Ones are at the Top

William Size Apple

William Picking his Apples

William Trying to Pick an Apple

Over Labor Day Weekend we went to Arbor Day Tree Farm in Nebraska City. They have some hiking trails along with activities and things to do. Then of course they have apples to pick which we enjoyed picking and eating.

Kyle Loses His First Tooth

2010-09-11T20:42:00.001-05:00

It finally happen after months of having a loose bottom tooth it finally came out. He was so excited, he worked all summer getting that tooth loose enough to come out.

William Turns 4

2010-09-11T08:32:00.003-05:00

Got a fishing a pole

Checking out the cake.

Matt being so cute in his fireman hat

Friends over for the party.

William was so excited this year for his birthday. He has been praying every night that tomorrow will be his birthday and/or Christmas for months. He got to have his first friend birthday party this year. He invited a few of his friends from church over to help him celebrate his birthday. We made cupcakes for his birthday party with a grand plan to make a fire engine birthday cake for his actual birthday in a couple days. But low and behold I, Mom, got sick and just didn't have it in me. So I made a basic cake and put a fire engine on top. He walked in and said, "It's exactly what I wanted." So I caught a break.

William's Favorites and 4
Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Toy: Trains and Lightening McQueen
Favorite Holiday: Obviously his birthday and Christmas, he prays for them every night

William has the best smile, and is just starting to love playing with his baby brother Matt who is 2. He tells me that Matt is his best friend now. He has the best belly laugh that makes it hard not to join in and laugh with him, which is a real problem when he is in trouble because he laughs to try to get you to laugh and get out of trouble. He is very adventurous and had more energy then me! He is loving his preschool class. We love you William

First Day of School

2010-09-11T08:12:00.004-05:00

The best we could get of all four boys.

Brad ready to go to start his first day of 3rd Grade

Brad and his friend and our neighbor Christina are in the same class

Kyle ready to go to school
Goodbye Kyle have a great 1st day of 1st Grade
William waiting for his van to come pick him up
He was so excited all day
William and his van driver Charlie.

Brad and Kyle started school this year on the 11th of August. I know super early! Kyle woke up with a fever so he had to stay home from school on the first day. He was a little upset, but he went to school the following day. William started school the following day s as well. He goes to preschool in the afternoon.

Make A Difference Day

2010-08-19T23:48:00.003-05:00

Almost one year ago some dear friends lost their 8 year old son in a tragic car accident. The are amazing people with amazing testimonies of where their son Caleb has gone. As the year mark has approached the decided they wanted to do something good on that day. With their permission I am sharing a bit of what they would like to see happen.

"We are requesting your help in our 1st Annual Make a Difference Day on Aug 24-25. Our Goal to is to get as many people as we can to help make this Tragic, unfun day; into a purpose and reason to be happy. By making a difference with us, as we make memories with Caleb on his Angel Date. With him serving and working hard on the other side of the veil, this is our chance to help in his great efforts to build and strengthen Zion here. We would love for you to share your accomplishments on how you were able to "Make a Difference," on here on Caleb's blog." (click it for the link).

So I am inviting those who read our blog to join us in helping them with their 1st Annual Make a Difference Day. It doesn't take much a few ideas they offer on Caleb's blog are Give someone the benefit of the doubt, Smile when you get cut off in traffic instead of cursing, Let someone go in front of you in the line, Pay for someones meal behind you in line, and holding the door open for someone.

I look forward to reading on Caleb's blog what you did to make a difference.

End of Summer Fun

2010-08-09T22:57:00.002-05:00

Summer Vacation is officially coming to an end for us. School starts back up on Wednesday the 11th. I had to throw in a couple last videos and pictures of our last few days of freedom before kids are back off to school

Today the it was 97 with a heat index of 115. The boys came up with an idea to put the kiddy pool on the trampoline, put some water in it and do flips and jump in it. Whatever keeps you cool I guess.

Baseball

2010-08-09T22:30:00.004-05:00

Brad up to Bat

Roosevelt's

White Sox

Kyle swinging the bat

Brad and Kyle both played baseball this summer. Joe coached both teams. He is such a great coach! The boys loved having their Dad coach and the parents all loved how Joe coached the teams. This entry wasn't really suppose to be all about Joe, oops!

Brad's team was the Roosevelt's and Kyle's team was the White Sox. By the end of the season all the players could hit from a pitched ball, pitched by none other than Coach Joe. Some of the games were so hot! For the most part we lucked out though and had fairly cool summer weather during the games. Pictures were taken by Grandpa Porter.

Grandma and Grandpa Porter Come to Visit

2010-08-09T22:11:00.004-05:00

,

At the end of July Dave and LeeAnn came to visit. We were all so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma Porter come to visit. Of course we did a little fishing. We met up with Tim and Amanda's family and Dave and LeeAnn during the middle of the week to do some fishing and to take them home to visit with us, we split the week with Tim and Amanda, they took the first half and we took the second half. On Thursday, we went down to Fontenelle Forest for a fun walk around some trails down there. Friday was my birthday and so went mini golfing, Dave and LeeAnn bought me a Dairy Queen cake (YUMMY!) and took us all out to Chucky Cheese for dinner and games. Saturday we had baseball games for our boys. Sunday we went down to an exhibit that it is at the Winter Quarters Trail Center that Images of Jesus Christ life. It was beautiful and I highly recommend people taking the time to go down and see it. Our evenings were filled with games. We were so glad to have them come visit and hope they will come again soon.

Lemonade Stand

2010-07-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

Brad and Kyle wanted to have a lemonade stand. So we finally decided on a day that would work. They picked the price. They made $18 from there stand. Apparently, we need to go into the lemonade business.

Fredericks Family Reunion

2010-07-20T16:37:00.004-05:00

So of course since everyone was already here for one family reunion we decided why not extend it and have a Fredericks Family Reunion as well. We spent one day a the zoo and then went down to Kansas City to see church sites and spend the day at the Great Wolf Lodge. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the Great Wolf Lodge, I guess we were just having too much fun! With cousins living from Virginia to Utah, it was great and so important for the cousins to spend this time together. They played all day together, laughed and laughed and laughed. That night they slept and slept and slept. We can't wait until the next one!

Matthew Turns 2

2010-07-20T16:12:00.004-05:00

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I can't believe that my baby is 2! He has become completely fascinated with tractors and calls out all the tractors he sees as we are driving. So I made him a tractor birthday cake. When he saw it he said, "TRACTOR!" Success, he knew what it was suppose to be. He has grown up so fast. I can't believe all the things he can do. I really think that this was some cruel joke, I was just holding him as a new born in my arms enjoying every moment. Now I am enjoying almost every moment of him being two. He runs around saying, "NO NO!" One Sunday he saw Dad walking to the van and said, "There's Joe." Funny boy! As I mentioned he loves tractors, he loves his brothers, he loves the water, and he loves the dog. He can push a stool up to get stuff out of the cupboard and on more then one occasion has snagged spice jar and sprinkled it all over my kitchen and living room. The week after he turned two he got out the extra frosting from the fridge and smeared it on the carpets I had just cleaned, not to worry surprisingly chocolate frosting does come out of the carpet. When Joe gets home from work he often runs to the back door and says, "Swing! Swing! Outside, Swing!" He loves to be pushed on a swing. He the most perfect laugh that makes everyone else around him smile and laugh, letting him get away with murder because he smiles and laughs when he is naughty, making it very hard for Mom and Dad to be serious with him.

We love having Matthew as part of our family! He brings rays of sunshine to our family!

Family Reunion

2010-07-20T15:55:00.005-05:00

Hansen Family Reunion

Waiting to get our Family Picture. Notice my cute Mom entertaining the little kids by singing songs with them.

Talent Show Night

Brad diving at the pool

The pool we rented for the evening.

Ben, Matt, William and Grant riding

flag football game

Robby getting some air!

A bunch of cousins waiting for a push.

My Grandpa and Grandma Hansen have been a big believers in family reunions, and so growing up we had one every year. As families grew up and started having there own individual family reunions they frequency of them grew farther apart to every 5 years. This year over the 4th of July weekend we had a Hansen Family Reunion in Omaha. My Grandpa had planned to come and we were all very excited, the week before the reunion it was decided that his health would not permit him to travel. Although we were very sad not to be able to have him there we continued on with the reunion and enjoyed seeing many relatives. We enjoyed dinner together, spending the day at the lake, spending the day at the farm, at a park, and yes we rented a pool for the evening. We enjoyed a talent show one evening of our many talented relatives in which Brad played the piano, and Kyle told a joke. I haven't received the copy of the family reunion picture, but when I get it I will also post that on here. I put one up of almost everyone in the group, minus the few who were trying to get the camera to work. We me together for church on Sunday and heard stories of our ancestors. We had 75 who turned out to the reunion. It was a lot of fun!

Bradley earns his Wolf

2010-07-20T15:51:00.002-05:00

Brad got his wolf rank in cub scouts. He has worked very hard. He loves cub scouts! He has been lucky to have Mom as the den leader and Dad as the cub master.

College World Series

2010-06-24T21:35:00.004-05:00

Catching the ball over the fence. I love that William isn't tall enough yet to get his hand over the line.

I guess they told them to have a serious face. I asked Joe "What's wrong weren't they having fun." He laughed and said they were the photographer told them to be serious in the picture.

The CWS statue in front of Rosenblatt.

Proof they went to the game

Brad is under there.

Kyle - can you tell how hot it was look at his hair how sweaty it is!

Team Porter BKW

William

The College World Series is having it's last season in Rosenblatt Stadium this summer. It has been at Rosenblatt since 1950, so it is a historic year for the College World Series. Joe took the three older boys down to enjoy a game on Monday. They had a lot of fun and a lot of fun things there for the kids to do. The CWS will still be in Omaha but a new location next year. I am sure they will be making trips to watch the CWS for years to come at the new stadium.

Dave and Jackie get married

2010-06-24T21:22:00.004-05:00

My brother Dave and my new sister in law got married on the 19th of June. They were so cute and so happy! We are so happy for them. It was a quick trip up to Minnesota and back. Aren't they just adorable! We wish them many years of happiness together.

Camp Pokamoke

2010-06-24T21:15:00.002-05:00

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Brad and Kyle went to Camp Pokamoke for the week. They had so much fun. Each day when they came home I sent them straight up to take showers and baths because they were so DIRTY! Brad did archery and Kyle did trekkers. We went up Thursday night for family night to have dinner and watch their skits. They are already talking about what they want to do next year.

Teddy Bear Picnic

2010-06-24T21:09:00.002-05:00

Brad and Kyle went to camp last week so William, Matt, and I wanted to find some fun things to do. One thing we decided to do was to go to the Teddy Bear Picnic that our library was having. The boys picked out their stuffed animals and we packed a lunch. They sang songs, had a parade, and then we went outside and had lunch with their stuffed animals. They had a lot of fun.

Garden

2010-06-24T20:53:00.004-05:00

We decided this year that we wanted a garden. After the success of a couple of our friends had with square foot gardening we decided that is what we wanted to do. Joe was awesome and built the frame. We filled it with dirt, measured off the squares, and then went to work deciding what we wanted. Our tomato plants are huge and have tons of tomatoes on them, we have gotten several gallon size bags of spinach and lettuce, we have squash growing, we are enjoying our peas right now, peppers are beginning to get big enough to pick, and we have picked onions. It is by far the best success we have ever had in a garden. We are going to have tomatoes coming out of our ears.

Feeding Ducks

2010-06-24T20:41:00.003-05:00

The apartments next to our house has a little pond with lots of ducks so we save our old crusty bread up and go feed the ducks. The boys ride their bikes/scooters and we find the ducks and geese to feed. This time we stuck to feeding the ducks because of all the new ducklings and goslings. Mama ducks are much nicer then mama geese, cranky things. We found one duck that must have been ducksitting because there were so many little ducklings with her.

Kyle's Kindergarten Program

2010-05-30T23:07:00.004-05:00

Kyle in the orange shirt

The school year is coming to an end and Kyle is getting ready to go into first grade. We were invited to go to the Kindergarten program where the kids sang songs for their parents. Kyle did such a great job and the songs were so cute! I can't believe he will be in first grade!

Branson, MO

2010-05-25T21:12:00.011-05:00

Down at the Branson Landing Water Show

Water Show

Inside Bass Pro Shop

Showboat Branson Belle

Showboat Stage
We sat at the very top of the 4th table from the stage

One of Janette's favorite shows

Out on the boats 3rd deck

One of the bathrooms on the boat

Todd Oliver & Irwin the talking dog

Miniature Golfing at Pirates Cove

In front of the waterfall

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

You might be a redneck if?

No this is not a hotel...it is a church

We spent our 10th Anniversary down in Branson, MO. We left Thursday morning and came back Sunday afternoon.

Thursday we went down to Branson Landing an outdoor mall. Joe's favorite shop at the mall was the Bass Pro Shop. Janette's was every other shop. While at the mall we watched a water/fire show which was pretty neat.

Friday we went to an Outlet Mall, checked out some other stores, and went on the Showboat Branson Belle. The Showboat was so much fun and we had great seats. We started out with dinner while they played music and sang songs. After dinner we were able to go outside on the decks and enjoy our cruise around the lake. Then we went back in for more shows. 2 guys and 2 girls sang 29 broadway/movie songs in 10 min's while doing costume changes. It was really good. Then Todd Oliver & Irwin (the talking dog) came out. They have been on Leno, Today Show & others. We haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Go to YouTube and look them up.

Saturday we went back to Branson Landing and checked out more shops around the area, went miniature golfing, and ended the day at Dolly Pardon's Dixie Stampede. The boys were jealous of us going to a Pirate Miniature Golfing without them. We took pictures for them though. Then we went to the Dixie Stampede. It was also a dinner and a show. Sorry no pictures, because cameras were not allowed. YouTube it if you want to see what it is like though. Awesome! We sat around an indoor arena . Our side was the North (like the Civil War) and the other side was the South. We cheered for out team and booed the other team. When we couldn't clap, because we ate our dinner with our hands, we kicked the boards in front of us. We were served soup, whole Cornish hen, corn on the cob, ham, biscuit, half a potato, and an apple turnover. Dinner was very good and the show was great. The boys were also jealous that we got to eat with our hands.

Sunday we packed up and had a nice drive home wishing it could have lasted longer.

The "you might be a redneck if" picture is a minivan pulling into a Hilton with a boat on the back. I thought it was funny. Not what I would expect to see at a Hilton.

We did learn a few things while we were down there. We learned that we still love each other and have to do something like this again before another 10 years pass by. We had so much fun and would recommend Branson. It is family oriented meaning the shows are clean and it is not just for old people. We were the youngest couple on Thursday though by 30 years, but as we got closer to the weekend more families started showing up. We also learned about the bible belt. They take their churches very serious. They were huge and fancy as you can see from the picture.

10 Years

2010-05-13T12:03:00.002-05:00

Today we are celebrating our 10th anniversary, 10 years, we are that old that we are celebrating a mile marker anniversary! I have spent a third of my life married to Joe, it will take a couple more years for Joe to say that, but we will make that too.

We were married May 13, 2000 we honeymooned both in Park City, UT and the Oregon Coast.

Our first anniversary we went to his brother wedding for our anniversary with Joe's Dad riding in the back of our car.

Our second anniversary we celebrated with our 6th month old baby boy Bradley I also graduated from college a month later. Joe and walked together in graduation and Joe finished the following winter.

Our third anniversary we celebrated at Mt. Rushmore on our way to Omaha while Joe looked for a job. Joe found a job in June of that year with the same employer he is employed with now. We found out that we were pregnant with Kyle right before our 3rd anniversary.

Our fourth anniversary we celebrated with our 2 1/2 year old and 5 month old in our first home and our new home. They went to bed early and we had a nice dinner. Joe started his MBA this year.

Our fifth anniversary we celebrated by getting a hotel for the night in downtown Omaha. We walked around the old market and had a wonderful time just the two of us.

Our sixth anniversary we celebrated with our 2 boys with the third coming in August. I made dinner and we watched a movie.

Our seventh anniversary I surprised Joe with a trip to Kansas City to watch the Seattle Mariners take on the Kansas City Royals for baseball. We had fun at the baseball game and walked around an outdoor mall for a bit before returning home.

Our eighth anniversary we went to Olive Garden for dinner. We were expecting our fourth boy in beginning of July and I felt like I was ready to bust already. Joe finished his MBA in February of that year, shortly before our ninth anniversary.

Our ninth anniversary we learned we could no longer play the put the kids to bed early and have a romantic dinner, so we sat down in the dining room and had dinner with our kids. They loved it! After they went to bed we put a movie in and both fell asleep on the couch. We had just sold our first home and moved into our second home. We got a puppy a week after our anniversary.

Our tenth anniversary is today we will be eating steak with our boys tonight, they are super excited! Next week however we are taking a 4 day 3 night trip down to Branson, MO. We are really excited, we are looking forward to being able to spend some time just the two of us. My parents will be watching the 4 boys.

Kyle's Field Trip

2010-05-11T20:35:00.005-05:00

Kyle in front of the lions

Friends from Class

Friends from class

They saw the lemurs and decided to take a picture like them

They are a lemur family too!

Kyle, Derek, and Jack

Kyle in Desert Dome

Here we go!

Look at that lion, very scary!

Kyle took this picture of his friends Joey, Hayden, and himself on the bus.

Today we went on a field trip to the zoo with Kyle's Kindergarten class. Kyle was super excited because he got to ride the bus. It ended up that only four kids in his class didn't have a parent that was there so I was really in charge of Kyle. We had a lot of fun walking around with his friends Derek and Jack for the whole day. We saw a lot of his other little friends from Mrs. Hoods class through out the day, including Joey and Hayden. On the way home some of the Mom's were saying how tired their kids would be after such a long day of walking at the zoo, some of the kids even fell asleep on the way home. All I could think is that this had done little to wear on Kyle's energy level but more to wear on mine. When he got home from school he went straight outside and jumped on the tramploline, had some dinner and then was to soccer practice. He showed no sign of being tired at all!

Brad's Soccer Season

2010-05-11T19:51:00.003-05:00

We are amazed at the skill level difference there is when they start to play 2nd grade soccer. It has become exciting to watch at Bradley's level, where before it was just fun to watch, as it is with our other boys right now. Brad is very good on offense and has learned to really attack the ball this season.

Kyle Soccer Season

2010-05-11T19:40:00.004-05:00

Kyle has been having a lot of fun playing soccer this season. He is definately Kyle still and does silly things during the game, but he is learning a lot and most importantly having fun! He scored the first goal for the entire season for YMCA, (they had the first game).

William Soccer Season

2010-05-11T18:56:00.005-05:00

How soccer use to be for William

William playing on his own.

William going after the ball

William is playing his first season of Soccer. Until last Saturday we were really questioning our decision to do it. He would only play if Mom or Dad were holding his hand and running on the field with him. Last Saturday we told him every time you go out and play by yourself you can have a piece of bubble gum that Mom brought. He had so much fun! We were so happy that he finally discovered that he can have fun and enjoy himself and how much fun it is to have everyone cheer you on the sideline. Below is a little thing William started doing. He would look over and salute us on the sidelines.

Free Comic Book Day

2010-05-06T20:52:00.004-05:00

Who is this guy? (Clue in last two pictures)

Boys with Batman

Boys with Clone Trooper

Boys with Bounty Hunter & Trooper

Boys with Storm Troopers

Boys with Darth Maul

Boys with Snake Eyes

Free Comic Book Day is the first Saturday of May. The boys look forward to it each year. Krypton Comics throws a big party each year. They have people dress up as you can see from the pictures, they get artists to draw pictures, they get an actor to come and sign autographs and of course they give out free comics. Last year they had the guy that played the original Hulk. This year they had Ray Park, who is in the first picture. He played Darth Maul & Snake Eyes in the movies.

Matt's Mud Bath

2010-04-30T22:06:00.002-05:00

Janette went to the store with William, Brad & Kyle were at their friends house and I was left alone with Matt watching him like a hawk. While I was at work Brad & Kyle filled a hole with water. Matt went outside while I finished some stuff up inside the house. I did not know about the water filled hole until Matt thoroughly enjoyed himself in it. Just for everyone's information I did give him a bath and didn't make Janette do it when she got home.

William's Special Night

2010-04-30T21:52:00.003-05:00

William waiting for a bite

William had one on, but lost it

This one didn't get away

Not too sure about it

The fish touched William

We went fishing a couple of weeks ago and William caught a fish. I took the fish off his hook and threw it back in the water. William was sad and told Janette "dad doesn't like my fish. He threw it back". Since then he has been talking about going fishing and catching more fish, so last night William and I went fishing. It took us awhile to finally hook one. When we did I handed him the pole and luck would have it a fire truck and police car passed by giving the fish enough time to get away. Finally, I hooked another one and he was happy to get it too shore. He doesn't like to touch them though as you can see in the pictures he stands far away. In the last picture I convinced him to stand next to me for a picture. The fish bumped him, which scared him. I tried holding one for him to touch, but as soon as he got close it flipped out of my hands. William had had enough so we went home. On the walk to the car he kept talking about his fish and how we need one for the house, so overall he had fun and wants to do it again.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T16:32:00.004-05:00

We are so grateful that we were able to spend Easter listening to our church leader for general conference. There seems to me no better way to celebrate our savior Jesus Christ then to be uplifted and be taught and how to return to him once more.

We had a wonderful Easter. It started early, too early. We told the boys go ahead and look at your baskets when you wake up. At 4 am we hear thump thump thump down the hall, then back up the hall, then down the stairs, back up the stairs, down the hall again, and finally into our room at which time we were awoken by excited little voices telling us what was in their baskets. We got out of bed and came down to enjoy their excitement. We then watched Princess and the Frog with them and sent them back to bed until 8.

At 8 we shoved some cereal down them, trying to start the day out with at least something that wasn't candy. They then headed outside to find where the eggs were hidden.

We enjoyed watching General Conference, and our kids did very very well, especially considering the amount of sugar flowing through their veins. In between sessions Grandpa and Grandma Fredericks had and Easter Egg Hunt for the boys. Followed by a delicious meal. Everyone was thoroughly stuffed and it is a wonder we stayed awake for the last session.

After General Conference we spent the evening in the backyard watching our boys catch bugs with the bug catchers, play with bubbles, and enjoying the beautiful weather. Boys were asleep by 8, Joe and I fell asleep on the couch.

4 boys + 6 cups of dye = 3 dozen dyed eggs.

2010-04-05T16:14:00.003-05:00

or

2

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Dying Easter Eggs is such a love hate relationship for me. I love watching how much fun my kids have dying the Easter Eggs, but I have so much anxiety about the dye being spilled. I guess the joy in my children's faces have outweighed my worry of dye because we do it every year.

Brad Method: He is the oldest and as such he is more sophisticated in how he does things. He was the last one to finish dying his eggs. He is into doing 2 or 3 colors on each egg.

Kyle's Method: Kyle is our kindergartner and preferred also have 2 or 3 colors on each egg but only by putting the whole egg in multiple different cups.

William's Method: Monopolize the white crayon, scribble excessively on each egg. Then proceed to place eggs in dye. Take out color some more and put back in dye, usually a different color cup.

Matthew's Method: As our newest member of dying eggs, Mom was on hand to provide constant supervision without thwarting his artistic desires. Basically he drops them in has fast as he can into the cups and with in seconds wants them back out. Drops them back into same cups, and takes them back out. Final steps include taking the egg out, giving it a good squeeze to get the pleasure of a break. Mom takes the egg away, Matt proceeds method with the next egg.

Mom and Dad's Method: After a few years of experience we have learned lots of newspaper, only one parent takes pictures while the other helps little hands. Setting the rule if you want a different color and one of your brothers have it you must ask Mom or Dad to get it for you. If you are under the age of 5 the spill factor goes up greatly, thus you are stripped of your clothing.

Matthew

2010-04-05T16:05:00.003-05:00

Matthew has been giving us lots of kisses lately. He has the best kissing face. Since it has warmed up he is racing to the back door all the time to play outside. He loves playing outside, and will do it for hours and hours. On a similar note, he has been sleeping like a champ for naps and at bedtime. He is so exhausted from playing outside. Matthew also discovered that although his body is small enough to fit between the banister bars, his head is not.

Kyle learning to ride a bike

2010-04-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

We would like to welcome Kyle to the club of two wheel bike riders. He picked it up very quickly. We are still working on building confidence, but it took him about 30 seconds to be riding down the street by himself. I have no doubt that he and Brad will be able to enjoy many hours this summer riding their bikes around.

Pinewood Derby

2010-03-06T17:22:00.003-06:00

Brad had his first pinewood derby. He designed his car and painted it all by himself. Joe help cut it out, make sure the weight was right, and put the wheels on. Brad didn't finish first but he didn't finish last either. We can't wait again until next year!

Rodeo

2010-03-06T17:17:00.004-06:00

Every once in a while our family needs to have some bull rides.
Lucky for the boys Joe makes a wonderful bull.

We Broke a Record

2010-03-06T17:09:00.004-06:00

Candy (our dog) had to have a path dug out for her so she wouldn't get lost in all the snow.

A lot of snow

William Sledding

Kyle Sledding

Brad Sledding

On February 19th we tied the record for the most days of snow on the ground. So in honor of that here are a few snow activity pictures that we have taken. Are boys really enjoyed the snow and Kyle especially is sad to see it go. At the most snow, the boys could hit the stop sign with their hands when they were standing on the pile.

Playing Around

2010-03-06T17:00:00.002-06:00

William Lifting Weights

Kyle and Brad lifting weights

Building blocks

All four boys on Matt's blanket

A few pictures of the boys playing around together.

William putting on a Litte Mascara

2010-03-06T16:59:00.001-06:00

William found my mascara and decided to put a little bit on.

William Starts Preschool

2010-03-06T16:56:00.002-06:00

William started to go to preschool in January. He loves his teacher and his class. He gets to ride on the school van every day to school.

How we survived the Snow Days

2010-03-06T16:48:00.003-06:00

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Right before Christmas break started some harsh weather in Omaha, including, a blizzard, and sub zero temperatures. After break the weather continued to keep school canceled.

Here are a few things we did to keep ourselves entertained. Some days school was canceled for the fact that it was just so cold, so most of the things had to be done inside.

1. Pick which meal we are going to eat when out of a hat. Of course the first one picked was dessert for breakfast.

2. Movie Day

3. Fort Day

4. Pajama Day

Above is a picture of the fort that we made.

Happy Birthday Joe

2010-02-07T23:14:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Joe! I honestly don't know what I would do with out you. Since Joe is 33 here are 33 things I love about Joe.

1. Great Father
2. Loves his babies
3. Lets me sleep in more often then he ever asks to.
4. Isn't afraid to change diapers, and does so all the time.
5. Always has a funny story, joke, or dream to tell
6. Does the dishes
7. Is a hard worker
8. Shovels all the snow. I have had to shovel once this winter, and we have had a ton of snow, he always takes care of it.
9. Puts boys to bed
10. Strong testimony of gospel
11. Makes sure we say family prayer every night.
12. Loves coming up with family activities
13. Rough houses with the boys
14. Loves a good comedy
15. Reads to kids
16. Will go to chick flicks with me when I ask him to and doesn't even complain.
17. Tries to pull the element of surprise just to make me laugh. (see previous post for example.)
18. Agreed to a puppy, even though he didn't want a dog. Now he enjoys having the dog around.
19. Painted our house himself, saving us a lot of money in the process.
20. Will try just about anything just to try it.
21. Sweeps the floor.
22. Will sit in a room with me and read a book, even though we aren't talking, it is nice company.
23. Not afraid to jump in and help with the laundry.
24. Makes sure that our boys know that you don't treat Mom unkindly, talk back to her, or completely ignore what she is saying.
25. Loves God
26. Has no problem talking to anyone about the gospel.
27. Will do anything so that our family has what we need
28. Takes our temple marriage very seriously and has a strong testimony of eternal families
29. Involved in what are kids are doing.
30. Wants the best for our boys, even if it means he has to give up something he wants in the process.
31. Free Bull Rides until either the bull or the kids are too tired to continue. The kids have never been the ones to call it quits.
32. Positive attitude
33. Loves being active, watching sports, and helping our kids play sports.

Oh Joe

2010-01-07T23:02:00.004-06:00

I left to go out to eat with a friend and Joe had a beard, I came home and he had made a new creation with his whiskers. It's okay you can tell him what you think, I did. My vote shave it off. That's what I said about the beard though too, and look what he did. I am scared to see whatthe next step in shaving will be.

SNOW

2009-12-30T13:03:00.002-06:00

We have had so much snow, Joe was able to be a substantial sledding hill right in our backyard. They built it onto a igloo that the boys had built the last storm.

Happy Birthday Kyle

2009-12-30T12:44:00.004-06:00

We new when we headed over on Christmas that we would be snowed in for a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's so we made sure to have Kyle's presents with us for the 26th. We had a birthday party for him the week before with some friends. They were all invited to a Spy party where they were trained as spies for a special mission. During the course of the party a robber came and stole all the presents so they had to go on a treasure hunt to find them. The cake is a magnifying glass with a finger print on it.

The actual birthday was filled with lots of snow time outside, presents, and dinner. Kyle was so funny because I kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He kept telling me that he wanted turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, I made sure that he knew that meant he was basically having left overs from Christmas, but that is what he wanted, easy dinner for me to make at least. He also got just a really basic cake, I only make one nice cake per person per birthday.

About Kyle:
Age: 6
Grade: Kindergarten
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Stuffing
Favorite Music: Jonas Brothers
Favorite Toy: Batman game and DS
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Sport: Flag Football
Where to you want to go on your mission?: Chile

Kyle has had a big year this year. We moved, he got his own room, he started Kindergarten, he is learning to read, and he has made new friends. He is such a nice boy. He often is the peace make in our family. He is also goofy, off the wall, and really likes to make people laugh. He is very competitive with his older brother. I love that Kyle is so happy with who he is. He is almost always the winner when I check bedrooms to see how clean they are. He gives the best hugs and kisses and says the sweetest prayers. We love having Kyle as part of our family!

Christmas

2009-12-30T12:22:00.006-06:00

Bradley and Kyle with their Seattle SeaHawks Bean Bag Chairs

The anticipation of what is in those big boxes at Grandma and Grandpa Fredericks house

William opening a present.

William checking out his new airplane for Geo Trax.

Matt in the new play house.

Matt Enjoying his very own train. As you can tell he also enjoyed the Chocolate from the stockings.

We had to shovel a little path for Candy to go to the bathroom.

William and Matt's new playhouse

Bradley and Kyle checkin gout their stuff.

He really did come!
Youngest to Oldest waiting to go see what Santa brought.

Waiting on our bed before we headed down the stairs on Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa was able to find us out our new house, which was a great relief for the boys. Joe and I were woken up at 2 a.m. then 2:15, 2:30, 2:45, and 3 am. Finally Bradley and Kyle went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 7:30. Meanwhile, William had a bad dream about the grinch, he ran down stairs and back up crying, Christmas tree gone, Christmas tree gone. We had read the Grinch who Stole Christmas on Christmas Eve, apparently he was listening very intently to the part where he stuffed the tree up the chimney. William also refused to go down Christmas morning until he was fully dressed.

Our boys were thrilled with what they found when we went down Christmas morning. Santa had come, and so had more than a foot of snow. We watched to boys enjoy their presents and quickly packed up and went to Grandma and Grandpa Fredericks' before more snow came. We had a wonderful White Christmas and we hope that you did too.

Santa Clause is Comin to Town

2009-12-30T12:12:00.003-06:00

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Every year we get together with Janette's family here in Omaha and have a Christmas Party. We eat BBQ Ribs (Joe's favorite), sing songs, and Santa comes to visit and gives them a small present. It is a fun time and we don't have to worry about lines at the mall to see Santa. Matthew was not to thrilled when we gave him to the Mrs. for a quick picture. Joe had to sit next to him. William put up with the idea, merely for the reward of getting a gift. Bradley and Kyle loved sitting on Santa's lap.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum

2009-12-30T12:05:00.003-06:00

William is a huge train fanatic, so we decided one day to go and visit the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. We got to see some model trains, sit in the driver seat and drive a train (play with the buttons.) They really had a good time seeing the trains.

Bradley's Baptism

2009-12-08T21:57:00.005-06:00

Bradley ready to be Baptized

Grandma and Grandpa Porter with Brad
Grandma and Grandpa Fredericks with Brad
Brad's friend from church, Grace Young, who also got baptized that day.
Brad and his DadBrad and Me

December 5th Bradley was baptized by his Dad. He has been preparing himself for quite sometime, and I have been so impressed as I have seen him spiritually grow as the time grew closer. He began to make choices that showed that he was truly at the age of accountability. He began to read his scriptures at night, helping around the house without being asked, and striving to be more of a peacemaker. Bradley was so excited to be baptized, and it was great to have so many people there to support him with his decision. I can't believe that he is eight already and my little baby is now at the age where he has made the decision to be baptized. We love you Bradley and are so happy with the decision you have made.

Visitors

2009-12-08T21:52:00.001-06:00

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Grandma and Grandpa Porter came to visit us for the weekend. Tim and Amanda were also able to come up and visit for the weekend with their family as well. They came up for Bradley's baptism, but we were able to enjoy the entire weekend with everyone. While Grandma and Grandpa were here, they spoiled the kids with the presents they brought for Christmas. We are so glad that everyone could come!!!

Great Grandpa Hansen and LaGene come to Visit

2009-12-08T21:48:00.001-06:00

For Thanksgiving, my Grandpa Hansen and his wife LaGene were able to come and visit. We had such a great time seeing them. Here is a picture of our boys with their Great Grandpa and LaGene.

Tis the Season

2009-12-08T21:32:00.005-06:00

Kyle William and Brad (Matthew had gone to bed)

Kyle Decorating

William helping decorate

Brad and Kyle decorating

Matt decorating

It's that time of year, that time of the year where we set up the Christmas Tree. The time of the year we are so excited for. The time of the year, I realize once again, that my Christmas Tree will not be beautiful, but it will be touched by four little sets of hands. It's the time of year where the bottom half of my tree is bare, not because it wasn't decorated, but because all the ornaments are one by one taken off and left on the floor by Matt and I pick them up and put them higher. I love this time of year!!! I love having little helpers, some not so little anymore, to decorate and undecorate the tree.

When we turned the lights on this year on the three Matt proceeded to blow on the lights, he thought they were candles. It was so funny!