Busy, Busy, Busy

So it's been awhile since my last post. But that is definitely not due to a lack of activities and things to blog about. It's blame can be put on a lack of time, sleep and a change of priority to blog immediately following an event. Who has time for that anymore? Since the birth of my 5th, I've learned that 5 is REALLY so much more than 4. Priorities shift, and you learn to choose your battles. And you learn that life doesn't slow down just because you have a baby. Life goes on with all the hustle and bustle that accompany our kids and us adults. That certainly has been true this last couple of weeks. The kids have all been busy. And with a newborn it has been difficult to keep up, but we've done our best. Here are a few of our families latest activities:
Mason graduated from Pre-School. I may have missed it, but the rest of the family and grandparents were there. He has had so much fun this year with Miss Kymm. But he is really excited and ready to start Kindergarten this Fall!



Emma had her dance recital. I missed that as well. (It's hard to get out with a week old baby.) But I got to see her dance at a later performance.
She did great! She loves her teacher Shana and loves to perform.




Katelyn has also decided to go with a more low-maintenance approach this summer with braids. One of her friend's moms was kind enough to take 5 hours to braid her hair for her. Wow! But she loves them and we'll see how long they last.






This past week I also made a trip to St. George for the funeral of my uncle. It was very sad, but it was also really nice to see a bunch of family and old friends I haven't seen in years. Here is a picture of me and my sisters and cousins. I was lucky to grow up just down the street from cousins and it was good to see them all.
And here is me and my sisters and brother. It was really great to see everyone.





As if I didn't have enough going on with softball, t-ball and everything else in full swing, why not throw in some tennis lessons for the girls.
The girls have been participating in a free tennis clinic the past couple of days. And they have really enjoyed it. Especially Emma. Which really surprises me because she's usually my less athletic one. But she's totally into it and wants some more lessons. Check out that swing! Katelyn reminded me of Venus Williams with the braids out on the court. It was pretty cute.

Then there's my little lovebug Landon. Who has kept me the MOST busy. He's so sweet and we just love him to pieces. Although he keeps me up all hours of the night, he has been such a fun addition to our home.

He's Here!

On Thursday, May 14th at 6:59 p.m. a new little boy was added to our family. Landon Spencer Bradshaw came in weighing 7 lbs. 1 oz. 20 inches long. And he could not be more precious! I ended up being induced on Thursday because my doctor was going out of town the following day. They started me up at 3:00 p.m. and he was out just before 7:00 p.m. Not bad.

My mom had come up from California and my sister came up from Utah so it was nice to have them here. Plus we have all of Josh's family here in town, so it was a big family affair.

I feel so lucky to be a mother to 3 girls and now 2 boys. I am thrilled to have been able to give Mason a little brother. They will be great friends. ALL of the kids are happy to have him here and I've got 8 little hands ready and willing to help whenever needed. I can not believe Josh and I are parents to 5 kids! Where does time go??


The whole family

Proud papa!
Big sister Riley!
My 2 little boys
Josh's brother Spencer, whom Landon shares his name.

Any day now . . . .

I saw this cartoon and had to laugh because that is so me right now! This weekend I got a pedicure. It's sorta been a tradition of mine to always get my toes done before I have a baby. It makes me feel more put together on delivery day somehow. (Tell me I'm not the only one.) Friday morning, May 1st, I woke up and thought...oh my goodness it's May! I'm having a baby THIS month! Honestly this pregnancy has gone by so fast. I am due in 17 days and still do not have any of the baby's clothes out and washed. Still, do not have his room painted. Still, do not have the baby bassinet out. No newborn diapers. Have not pre-registered at the hospital. No bags are packed. This is in no way a reflection of a lack of excitement of his arrival, but just a sign that this time around I DO have 4 other children and very little spare time. (Not to mention a bit of procrastination on my part.) I know that I will get it all pulled together one way or another. The cleaning, the projects, the clothes will all get done. It always does. So now as I sit here and look at my freshly painted toes and smooth heals I know...the time is drawing near. It's time to get my rear in gear!

Easter Weekend

I seriously can't remember that last time we had better weather on Easter weekend. Usually on Easter the kids are in their winter coats and hats at the annual Easter egg hunts. But this year we managed to get away with sweatshirts in the morning and by afternoon the kids were wishing I had let them wear shorts. Saturday morning we went to the annual Easter egg hunt out at Ucon Park. Tradition we've been doing for years.
Riley waiting for them to ring that darn siren. Standing in front of all those eggs was torture.



Then after the egg hunt we went to Josh's parent's house for lunch and a little croquet. A Bradshaw family favorite. Not one of mine in particular, but everyone else's.
Mason, Emma and cousin Jordyn enjoying some pizza.
Katelyn and her cousin Kyah.
Josh...very competitive. Contemplating his next move.
Josh helping Katelyn on her swing.

Later that afternoon we went to Josh's grandma's retirement home for their annual Easter egg hunt. Believe it or not, the kids made out pretty well there.


Then we came home and dyed Easter eggs. Always fun...but always a mess. Here's a picture of the few eggs that made it through without cracking in the boiling water or falling on the ground. Very few...

Then Easter morning I love to get the kids dressed up in their Easter clothes. Katelyn and Emma informed me that they are past the "poofy" dress stage, and don't even want to match each other anymore. But on Easter they give in and they prefer their dresses aren't TOO matchy-matchy. Mason and Riley are much more easy to shop for. It's fair to say, we had a great Easter weekend.

Spring Break '09

So, I'm finally getting around to posting our Spring Break pictures. And there are a lot, so hopefully this makes up for the fact I haven't posted in a month. So our Spring Break journey started the very day the kids got out of school. We first headed to Saratoga Springs where my sister Teri lives and stayed in a near-by hotel and let the kids swim all night with their cousins and ate pizza. The following day we swam some more, went to the movies and let the kids play with their cousins. The next morning we left for St. George to visit my grandparents and other family. It was great to see everybody.
Next stop, Las Vegas! We originally were going with some friends of ours, but they couldn't make it last second. We were bummed, but we managed to still have a great time. We did a lot of sight-seeing (during the day to minimize as much yuckiness as possible).
On this windy day, you can almost make out the "Statue of Liberty" behind the kids.
A big giant Spongebob was the highlight of this afternoon.

One of our first stops was The Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy to see the dolphins and white tigers. This was definetly a highlight for the kids.






Riley's favorite spot of the day.
White tiger drinking from the waterfall.

The next stop M&M World. Here you can find any color of M&M you can think of and any sort of M&M souvineer you can imagine. There were 4 floors of M&M Madness! Yes, it was a bit difficult with 4 kids all wanting everything, but we managed to make a few compromises without breaking the bank. They also had a cute 3-D movie that the kids really enjoyed. And it was nice to have a brief moment to sit!

The kids in the Las Vegas lights.

We also found this really great park close to our hotel that had rock climbing and all sorts of toys our kids have never seen at a park.

But a good majority of our time was spent at the pool at our hotel. We used our friends time share at Tahiti Village and it was great. We were very close to the pool which was huge with a sandy beach area (which the kids loved), a kiddy pool, and a lazy river. The weather was perfect, warm, but not too hot.
Katelyn in the hot tub. This was her spot of choice, it's where all the young adults hung out. She thinks she's 16.
Mason was humilated to have to wear his sister's flower arm floaties this day. We were lucky to find a more boy suited floatation device the next day.
Riley just hangin' pool side.
A rare glimpse of Emma OUT of the water. She's our little fish.

Me & Riley lounging by the pool.

All in all we had a great vacation with the kids. When it was time to pack and go, Josh and the kids dropped me off at the airport and I flew to California while Josh and the kids drove home. I was going home to visit my family, in particular my mom who was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of months ago. She has since had a lumpectomy and it appears that all of the cancer is gone now. But it was a very aggresive kind, so she has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy and has recently lost all her hair and been very sick. I wanted to be with her after her 2nd round of chemo to help her out as much as I could. All things considered she is doing well. I am very lucky to have Josh be so supportive of my leaving for 5 days to be with my mom, as he journeyed back to Idaho alone with the kids. But we are all under one roof again, and it is good to be home. Things have been crazy this past week, even finding the time to make this post has been hard. But we are all happy and healthy and looking forward to a great Easter weekend!

My Soon-To-Be Kindergartner

The other day was Mason's Kindergarten Round-Up at the school. That morning he woke me up and said very matter-of-factly, "Mom, today is my Kindergarten Round-Up because I'm starting school in the Fall!!" To which Josh says, "Mason, do you even know what Kindergarten Round-Up means?" Mason replies, "Yes, it's where you round-up all the kindergartners." Duh! So later that afternoon we get to the school and he goes off and takes a little test, which he did very well, while I filled out all the paperwork. We planned on attending the round-up right around Katelyn and Emma's lunch time so we could then go and each lunch with them. So Mason and Riley were so excited to bring their lunch boxes and eat lunch with the girls in the cafeteria. That was a real treat for them, and the girls.

Then yesterday we went to get Mason's last set of shots. Or as Mason says his "Kindergarten shots." He also had his 5-year check up. Mason has been preparing and gearing up for this day for awhile now. He was so ready to be brave and not cry. He was actually smiling as we entered the doctor's office. The time had come and he laid back on the table and proceeded to get 4 shots in his legs. I held his hands and told him it was okay to cry. But he didn't shed one tear. He was so brave and wanted so badly to be able to show me how tough he was. I just hugged him so tight and told him how proud of him I was and what a big boy he was. As we left the doctor's office he couldn't wait to call Josh and tell him that he didn't cry. I just love my little boy and am so proud of him. But I would have been just as proud even if he had cried. He has such a big heart and such a strong desire to be a good boy. He is really such a smart, loving, and for the most part well-behaved kid. He is going to be a great Kindergartner and will no doubt continue to make his parents so proud.