The Brethren and Me..... the early years

Thursday, June 21, 2012

our house

I'm not sure that there even could be a more precise picture of our home dynamic.

Friday, June 15, 2012

San Diego

...now THAT was a fun trip. ..

LegoLand

Sea Life Aquarium

The Beach

All in 3 days (including travel time...phew!)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Summer mornings

I LOVE SWIM TEAM

...must get some pictures of MB as well...

Monday, June 4, 2012

I guess if mom says "no" when you ask her to stay in your bed with you all night you go for the next most comparable thing...I just love my Seth.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

When the pool has just been shocked...IMPROVISE!!!

Sometimes it's even a little more FuN!!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

HaPpY BiRthDaY WilLiAm!!

We came so close to making it 1 year

with OUT the black eye...there's always next year...right?

(Just think of the great birthday party pictures we'll get!!)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Yeah kiddo...I love ice cream too...

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Clyde has been asking for days if I would build a Sandcastle with him. I LOVE BUILDING SAND CASTLES!! ...and yet I haven't had much time. We decided that before the weather was too unbearable we just HAD to get it done. Truth is, I think we did rather well!! Seth joined up in the end and built in the corner as well. SO much fun for MOM!!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

AcciDenT

This is what happens when an unstable toddler tries to pull himself up & then steady himself holding on to a Cocker Spaniel's jaw for leverage. Will's hand slid down Noah's teeth as he fell. Our kind dog just stood there until Will was down on the ground again. And then the angry Mom punished said dog before she realized that it wasn't his fault. (ooops, I felt really bad.)

Nothing to stitch together. It's just like a huge hang nail all the way down his ring finger. It wouldn't be so bad but he's still a crawler!! How to keep it clean?!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Pre School Graduation!!

YIPPY! We're ALL DONE for the year!!

(mommy and me co-op preschool 2011-2012)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

AweSoMe DaY

Friday, May 11, 2012

First they had to carry the table to end of the street...all the way to the end!

(to where there were about 3 neighborhood garage sales-for traffic)

Then Comes sign-age

Then..the WAIT (the hard part is finding shade)

They actually made about $9

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

FloPsY

(Something has happened to Blogger!!

When did they change the formatting!!!)

...anyway...

Meet FloPsY the newest member of our family.

(we got a cheapie point and shoot camera...bletch!)

Friday, April 27, 2012

I've been thinking. Jackson gets less time with me than the others did at his age. I'm always rushing to get my work done while the others are at school instead of working with him. So recently I've been including him in more of my work. Sure it takes longer but it is FAR more REWARDING.

And when he asked to build a sandcastle together...well, it was just a sandcastle sort of day!!

I've learned that he's probably better at sweeping than any of his brothers are, he cleans a mean toilet, he loves to dust as long as he's got plenty of Lemon Pledge on his rag (the same goes for windows and Windex) and he is FanTaStiC company. Such a good guy.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

sleep

He really thinks he's old enough to "read" himself to sleep...

I suppose he is.

Monday, April 9, 2012

My favorite day of spring break!

at the park

Bocce Ball

Baseball
Bikes

Scooters

Roller Blades

Strollers

Saturday, April 7, 2012

It happens all too quickly...

My BabY is walking the furniture!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

He's at it again

This kid and his BOOKS!!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

3!!

Where has the time gone?!!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

HapPy...

HapPy St. PaTriCkS DaY!!

Friday, February 3, 2012

anyone?

Does anyone else feel the need to make themselves a tiny little bowl of whatever it is they are bringing to the party just to be sure they get some later?

...oh well...must just be a Gardiner thing.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

good night kisses

Every night I go in to kiss them all in their sleep before I retire for the evening. I think somehow they know and sleep better for it. Lately, he falls alseep with his bedside lamp on.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

snowMAN?...

...NOPE

...Jack. preschool. December 2011

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

by the way

HaPPy New YeAr!!

good friends (Reidheads and Judds) good food and

FiReWorKs!!

Daddy's went in and put babies to bed and the few, the tired, the excited stayed up until midnight. Below is all that was left of my crew. Our friends ran home at 11:40pm to shower the fire off (we have church at 9 the next morning) so we did the same and made it out in time to watch the ball drop in Time Square! I got a double kiss at midnight. Awesome. And Seth said, "Was that it? I think I missed it." I guess the excitement was lost on him in the end.

Quote of the Day

October 10, 10

There was a blinding hail storm the other night. Beautiful and yet frightening all the same. Monte woke Seth and Clyde from almost sleep to see it. Seth was was impressed with how cool it was and Clyde, more than a little frightened asked his Dad, "Is Heavenly Father mad at us?"

September 10, 10

Clyde "HOLY SWEEEEET BABY CARROTS!!"

December 25, 09

We were riding bikes Christmas morning in the front yard and Seth brought out the Godiva chocolates that Santa had left in my stocking. I gave each boy one but only one because, "they are very rich." (I was referring to how smooth and rich tasting they were.) To which Seth replied, "Does that mean you buy them?"

November 27, 09

Clyde saying the family evening prayer, "Our gracious Heavenly Father please bless the baby that's in mommy's... (thoughtful pause) please bless a new baby to be in mommies tummy..." Because he told me the other day that we lost our baby and "we're all just a little bit sad."

November 3, 2009

Monte Birk rambling on to our carpooler on the way to school this morning, "We have bunk beds too! And then when the baby is born we're getting another set and Seth will sleep on top and Jack will be on the bottom in our room and we'll save Seth's smaller bed for the baby when he's big enough...and then I hope we'll stop having babies." (by the way, we aren't finding out what the baby is, we just all say "he" because that's what we do at our house!)

September 24, 2009

Clyde, "Mom, I hope I like the new baby." Mom, "Oh, I'm sure you will Clyde, why wouldn't you?" Clyde, "It's just that I don't like Jack all that much." After a morning of Mom making him share with his brother.

August 23, 2009

Clyde's evening prayer, "Thank you Heavenly Father that I can grow up to be Batman."

August 2, 2009

This morning we made home made wheat bread and sweet rolls...tonight at dinner Monte Birk said, "Mom? If they declare me President someday I'm going to make you my baker."

July 30, 2009

We were leaving COSTCO and I left the boys outside with the cart while I went back in quickly to check and see, "...if our film is finished yet." All three replied, "Mom, what's film?"

April, 2009

I was borrowing some choir music from a girlfriend in another ward. Clyde was with me and asked,"Mommy, what are we doing?" I light heartedly said, "Oh, we're just stealing a little of this music." To which he replied, "NO, Mommy...you can't do that then you would feel like Satan!"

January 12, 2009

I brought the big boys on a surprise date to Utah to play in the snow. We returned this morning and for FHE tonight we talked Monte Sr. through our trip by showing him all of our pictures. When we came on a particularly striking photo of Seth doing something silly he laughed and said, "Mommy, I just LOVE myself!"

December 29, 2008

This morning when I tried to close my eyes for a few more minutes of much needed sleep. Clyde told me, "Mommy, wake up it isn't sleep time, the sun is up." Well, this is something I hear ALL the time when I try to take any sort of nap around the boys. So I explained to him that I needed some extra rest to be a good mommy today and he said, "Well that's OK, just shut your brain off and keep your eyes open." He's right...THAT makes a good mommy!

December 21, 2008

Upon opening their presents (transformers) from Grandpa at the family party Seth exlcaimed, "MOM! I've wanted this ever since I was a little kid!" Clyde said, "Grandpa is the bestest grandpa in the whole wide world to give us these!" and Monte Birk practically hyperventilated when he received his Pokemon gift! It really was a great family party.

November 24, 2008

Monte Birk is desperately trying to learn to belch. (This is important to a 6 year old boy.) Upon making a few small burps he tells me at lunch today, "listen mom, listen, the smell of sweet success!"

November 20, 2008

Monte Birk telling me about his friend's brother. "Mom he is 12. I mean he is so BIG,he's 12...mom, he's HUGE!"

November 15, 2008

Seth "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that I could play soccer today and get my trophy. Thank you that I could go on a family walk today and that I got my trophy, thank you for my family and that I could get my trophy, I love you Heavenly Father..."

November 14, 2008

Seth (after breaking a zipper off of some packaging) I broke it mom! See Clyde? I am sooo strong I break everything!

October 2, 2008

We were sitting with our boys in the stake center waiting for the tri-stake conference to be broadcast today. Much like General Conference the large screens had a numerical countdown til the broadcast began. I was so proud of how reverent my guys were being, it seemed like I had more wiggles than they did. And then Clyde looked up at me and whispered, "Mommy, when do we blast off?" I counted down 5-4-3-2-1 and on my way down his little face filled with something right between excitement and pure terror! Oh to be 4 again!

October 10, 2008

Clyde..."Daddy? I love you...but I hate your singing." (Phew, so glad he didn't say that one to me!"

September 14, 2008

Seth, "girls are mommies, boys are kids."

September 10,2008

Clyde was playing with the pop up hamper over his head acting like R2D2... Seth had a remote control and was giving him commands...I said, "Seth would you like a hamper too so you can be a robot?" Clyde said, "Yeah Seth, that's a good idea then we can be twins!"

September 7,2008

Clyde: "Mom, I had a great dream last night"

Mom: "Oh really? What was it?"

Clyde: "It was Woody and Buzz with NO ZURG!"
(have you seen 'Toy Story'?)

AND

Seth came into the family room climbed onto the couch and looked into the big mirror hanging above it. He put both hands to his cheeks and looked very intently at his face. Then he says into the mirror with a little consternation, "Oh man...I'm still a twin!"

September 3, 2008

Clyde was tired and quite pensive a few days ago and I suggested that we lay down together and enjoy a little quiet time on his bed alone. As we lay there cuddling he looked at me and said so sweetly, "Mommy, I don't want to grow up." he had my heart in his hands...thinking how sweet he was not wanting to grow up and leave his Mommy...until I asked him, "why?" and he replied, "I don't want to be a Bishop."

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