The evolution of the nickname...

Brian and I were talking about our kid's nicknames this morning and how funny it is how nicknames evolve...so I thought I would list some of their nicknames...mainly to remind myself and document them...lest I forget when I am old and grey. So here they are:


Brock:

• Brock-o-saurus
• Brocky
• Brocky Balboa
• Brock-o-nator
• Brock-a-rock
• Brocks
• Brockahontas (like Pocahontas)
• Brockie-Talkie
• Hurricane Brock ~ category 5
  

Abby:

• Abigail-ah
• Abba
  
• Abby Dabby Doo
• Abercrombie
• Crombie
• Crombinatious (see how they evolve)
• Abs
• Absimiilion (have no idea where that came from)
  

Jordan:

• Jordie
• Jordonie-Baloney
• Lil' Jay
• Baby Jay (when he was our baby)
  
• George
• Jorge (pronounced hor-hey)
• Jor-Dan (emphasis on the Dan)
• Ashley (given to him by Riley)

Riley:

• RyGuy
• Roy (Ry with an Australian accent)
• Roy-lay (Riley with an Aussie accent)
  
• Smiley Riley
• Ry
• Ry-Lay (emphasis on the Lay)
• Ham and Rye
• Tricia (given to him by Jordan)

A crazy week!

What a crazy week it has been! Here are a few highlights...not in any particular order:

1. Showed our house 4 times (uuuggghhh...a lot of cleaning!)
2. Had guests from Germany stay with us for a week and a half (what a blast!)
3. Got an offer on the house
4. Brian was out of town for 3 days
5. Countered the offer on the house
6. Went out to eat too much (not as much kitchen clean-up)
7. Waiting for an answer on our counter offer
8. Had a party to watch the Cougs play in the Sweet 16 (fun, but more clean up!)
9. Got a pedicure with Abby and some friends (a nice break)
   
10. Looking forward to next week! The boys have school but Abby is on spring break so that will be a little less running around!
    

My little man!

I took this picture yesterday and thought Brock looked like such a little man! He would probably look even more grown up if we could just get rid of that binky! I love the jacket that he was wearing! I got it last year on clearance at K-Mart for $1.80. What a deal!

New House plans - with some revisions =)

Here are our final house plans! I have included the elevations which show what the house will look like from the front and back. Now we just need this house to sell so we can start on the next one!


The front of the house - We are planning on a olive green paint with cream trim, rock on the bottom and cedar shake above. Also cedar beams above the front porch.


The back of the house will have cedar beams supporting the covered deck. We are still deciding on window color and what kind of railing to do.


We changed to master bath to make it more functional. I really like the way it turned out. I am looking forward to a bigger bathtub!!


The house below is our inspiration for the colors. We love the look of the dark paint and the cedar trim. Very "Montana-ish"!

Happy Easter!!!!

I dressed the kids up for Easter. Our church isn't formal, so I mainly dress them up because I think it is so stinkin' cute! It was like pulling teeth to get Abby to put her dress on...she informed me that she doesn't like dresses anymore...at which time I informed her she is my only girl and I reserve the right to dress her up a few times a year...one of which is Easter. So with a few tears... mostly from mom =)...off to church we went.

The baskets await for the children to wake up...hopefully not too early! Yes there is a basket for Brian too. I can't help myself...I love this kind of stuff!

Wow! What a busy and fun weekend it was! The kids had a great time hunting eggs, eating (way too much) candy, and just hanging out!

On Saturday we went to an Easter egg hunt with some friends. Here's a pic of Abby and Brock getting ready for the big egg hunt. Brock wasn't sure what to think but he caught on quick especially when he realized what was in the eggs.

Abby got quite a few eggs...there were 11,000 hidden in all...and the hunt was over in about 2 minutes =)
Sunday the kids woke up at 6:00 (uuuggghhh!) to look in their baskets. I think they had all of there candy eaten by 6:30 (not really but they were sure hyper.) We also decided to make monkey bread (a yummy cinnamon pull-apart with cream cheese frosting) so that just added to the sugar high madness. Brock was down for a nap by 9 am.

After breakfast we went to church and then came home for an egg hunt. Brock remembered the egg hunt from the day before and was screaming "eggs, eggs." He was so cute! I managed to get a group picture of them but Brock couldn't look up...he was too interested in his eggs! Notice that Abby changed out of her dress as soon as we walked in the door. At least she still has her cute pink bow in. We ended the day by having a great dinner with great friends! Hope you all had a blessed Easter!!

Brock's got some "Spring" in his step!

SPRING is here and so are some new dance moves from Brock and Abby! The other they were watching a video with lots of music and I caught them both dancing. Neither of them are "camera shy" as you can tell!

Revisiting 1989!!

My friend just posted this picture of me on her my space...thank goodness hair styles have changed! And yes that is hairspray in my hand! I think I used 1/2 of a can of Aqua Net each time I did my hair. I was about 6'2" with my bangs...LOL! I think the sweater over my shoulders was a nice touch too!

Kid-Knees??

The other night Brian was tickling Abby, something she requests often even thought it's like torture for her because she is so ticklish. Anyway, somehow they got in a conversation about internal organs (leave it to my PhD husband) and Brian was telling her the names of different organs....your liver is here, your spleen is here and your kidneys are here. When he said that, Abby replied "If my kid-knees are here where are my grown-up knees?" Just had to share that. I love kid's questions!

Abby and Brock - St.Patrick's Day greetings!

Abby eating her St.Patrick's day treat.



Brock trying to say Happy St. Patrick's Day! He only got out "Happy Day!" I think he was too busy enjoying his snack to say it all! He is still so cute if I do say so myself!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Mosers!
Just a few pictures of the kids in green. Abby was so worried about getting pinched because she only had a green shirt on and no green pants. So we put a green bow and green earrings in and off she went to preschool. After school, Sam came over and we had graham crackers with green frosting and green sprinkles thus the green mouths in the pictures! As you can see, Brock thoroughly enjoyed his graham cracker as well. After lunch, the kids went outside to hunt for leprechauns to no avail. I do love their imaginations!

Brocky-Talkie

Just trying out the video function on my camera. Brock was in a particularly talkative mood that day so I took a couple of videos. Hope you enjoy! Just click on the play key - mainly an instruction for the non-blogging grandparents =)

Eight is Enough!

Today we had eight kids at our house! I offered to watch my friend's kids because of a family thing they were dealing with and our neighbor came over after school as usual (Brock is in love with her and runs to her every time she walks through the door!) I have a theory that once you have 3-4 children, your life is chaos at all times so what's a few more. I am thankful however for a big house and a great back yard (although it was a little rainy today) The boys played with the Wii and went outside occasionally and the girls played with dolls and played "dress up" and Brock slept through most of it. All in all it was a pleasant experience! I sent Brian to Papa Murphy's for dinner which, in my opinion, is the only way to go when feeding 10 people! And now that they are all gone it will be an early to bed night for all of us! Brian and I have started watching "Lost" and we have 2 episodes left in the first season. I think renting series on DVD is the only way to go...no commercials and no waiting a week until the next episode!

Sleepy Girl!

Abby sleeping during her "Rest Time." She says she is 5 now and too old for naps! Apparently she still needs one now and then.

A little mommy time!

Today I got to have a little mommy time...took the kids to mother's day out, went to prayer at the church (nice and quiet), then it was off to Starbuck's for a drink and Home Depot to design cabinets for the new house (yes I find things like that relaxing and fun) and then a stop at Wendy's (not the restaurant) for a 1 hour massage (thanks to my mother-in-law for the Christmas present!) I finished it off with a lunch date with my good friend! It is so nice to moments like these. I love being a stay-at-home mom but having little breaks is a must! Speaking of Starbucks I think my son is addicted already. We were going through the drive thru a few weeks ago and he starts to yell "cocoa, cocoa." I didn't even know he knew that word. We had gotten the kids hot chocolate before but the fact that he recognized the back of the Starbuck's building and knew that they have "cocoa" was a little scary. I don't go there that often...really...maybe just once a week. So I gave in and ordered a kid's hot cocoa and gave it to home when we got home. He was so pleased with his hot cocoa! It took him about 30 minutes to finish it. He would just sit there and sip it, then look at it, then sip a little more. I couldn't resist taking pictures of his cocoa-covered face! I think I need to start making him do chores to support his own Starbuck's habit!

Deal of the Day

Brian is out of town with Riley for the evening so I thought it would be fun to do something fun with Abby and Jordan. I arranged for a babysitter for Brock so it would be a little easier. Knowing that I was already spending $ on a babysitter I thought it would nice to not spend much on our "date." So we opted for dinner at Shari's...not my favorite but the kids like it and they eat free! That's right...on Saturdays and Sundays kids eat free with the purchase of a child size drink ($0.99) Their meal also includes a "Cookie on a stick" (kind of like a cookie lollipop.) So we got the cookies to go and headed off to the $1 movie, Enchanted. They already had their snack so we didn't have to spend an arm and a leg on movie treats. In total for my kids and I to have dinner out and go to the movie it only cost about $11! That's my kind of deal for a night out!

Random acts of Kindness!

I am feeling so blessed today! My day started with Jordan bringing me breakfast in bed...and it's not even my birthday. I have been taking to the boys lately about trying to be kind and going out of their way to do things for others (a hard concept for kids and even adults to get.) So when he walked into my room with waffles and apple juice I was so surprised! He had such a huge grin on his face...you can tell that he was pleased with himself! After breakfast I hurried Abby off to school and raced to my bible study...leaving my house a disaster! Not a good thing when you are trying to sell your house and anyone could come to look at anytime! At bible study we talked about kindness which was fitting considering Jordan's gesture earlier. Afterwards I headed back home, walked through my front door and felt like I was in the twilight zone. My great room (kitchen, dining room and living room) was immaculate. I thought I had lost it. Did I clean it before I left? No....my husband had come home from work while I was at bible study and cleaned it for me. He mopped, vacuumed, did dishes, etc. What a blessing!!! So to my wonderful son and husband...THANKS from the bottom of my heart!!

My love for Old Navy (and Brock too)!

Just thought I would share a picture of Brock in his new jammies from Old Navy...did I mention I only paid $2.94! I was so excited to find a couple pairs of these jammies for that price. I just love how soft they are and they always wear really well too so I will be able to pass them down when he grows out of them. The best part is that I had been looking for new jammies for spring because he is starting to get to tall for the one-piece footed jammies he has. Can't wait to live in Missoula and have a Old Navy minutes away! If you would like to me to put you on my speed dial I will give you a call when I am at Old Navy and I find great deals like these! Better go now...Brock's new jammies need to be introduced to his bed (translated he is getting grumpy and mommy's ready for some quiet time!)

Thank God for Preschool Teachers and sun-shiney days!

After spending a week with my children in Missoula 24/7 I realized I am thankful for the little breaks like pre-school and such! I also am enjoying the nicer weather so they can play outside and get out all of the energy they have stored up all winter! I got to spend yesterday morning in Abby's preschool class for her snack day and it also made me realize what gifted and patient people pre-school teachers (or all teachers for that matter) are! Keeping 15-4 and 5 year olds (10 of which are boys) focused for 3 hours is such an amazing feat! I probably feel this way partly because I still have younger children at home. At any rate I truly admire Abby's teachers for the love, patience and grace they have with the children. Abby asked if Brock could join her for her snack day so we brought him along. He had a great time playing in the big tub of rice, fishing in the "letter lake" and playing in the "Alphabet Soup " (a big bowl full of raw pasta noodles with plastic letters.) He also sat down with the kids during circle time. It was so cute! I can' believe how well Abby is doing at recognizing her alphabet and many words as well. It is amazing how quickly they grow and how much they learn. She is such a bright, witty and adorable little girl and I don't just say that because I am her mom!

Just for fun!

I hadn't gotten one of these e-mails for a while, and then I got 3 in the last week so I thought it would be fun to post! Happy Tuesday!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00 but then my hubby let me sleep in until 7:15 =)

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, if I have to choose

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Juno

4. What is your favorite TV show? There are a few...24, Lost (just started watching....love it!),The Office, Grey's Anatomy...not liking the writer's strike
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Balance Bar, keeps me balanced
6. What is your middle name? Bree

7. What food do you dislike? Tomatoes
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? United - All of the Above

9. What do you drive? A Chev Suburban
10. Favorite sandwich? Club

11. What characteristic do you despise? Unforgiveness
12. Favorite item of clothing? Workout pants

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Europe

14. What color is your bathroom? Sage and White

15. Favorite brand of clothing? Eddie Bauer, Old Navy and anything else I can find at 75% off!

16. Where would you retire to? Montana

17. What was your most memorable birthday? When I was little I had a birthday with a doll cake, I remember thinking it was pretty cool at the time
18. Favorite sport to watch? Football if I am at the game

22. Favorite saying? For the love of....Pete. I think I got this from Elizabeth. My kids are probably getting a little tired of it.

23. When is your birthday? January

24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

5. What is your shoe size? getting bigger with every pregnancy. Started out as a 9.5, now I am a 10.5 or 11.

26. Pets? I miss our Mocha

27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I think I share most of it on here

28. What did you want to be when you were little? A doctor (Quincy MD to be exact) or a pilot

29. What are you now? A stay at home mom and wife...best job in the world

30. What is your favorite candy? Junior Mints or anything chocolate and caramel

31. What is your favorite flower? White Roses

32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? the day when I our house sells

33. What church do you attend? RCC Lewiston for now...soon to be RCC Missoula

35. What are you listening to right now? kids screaming outside on the trampoline...yea for warmer weather and a great backyard!

36. What was the last thing you ate? Caramel Fiber One Bar

37. Do you wish on stars? Not so much
38. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green

39. How is the weather right now? It was sunny...now looking a bit grey

40. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband

41. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Of course!

42. Favorite soft drink? Diet Pepsi...trying to kick the habit
43. Favorite restaurant? so many...we eat out to much but right now I would say Famous Daves in Missoula

44. Hair color? Red

46. Favorite day of the year? Christmas
47. What was your favorite toy as a child? I can't really remember but I do know I loved to play grocery store...must of been the beginnings of my love for shopping!
48. Summer or winter? Summer
49. Hugs or Kisses? Kisses

50. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

52. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday when I took my friends chocolate lab to the kennel for her and it reminded me of Mocha.

53. What is under your bed? We'll find out when we move...scary.

55. What did you do last night? Went to dinner in Moscow...Sangria Grille...sooooo yummy! Brian's professor took us as a congrats for Brian finishing his PhD.

56. Favorite smell? Just bathed babies, Warm Vanilla Sugar, Bartlett Pear, Clean Laundry

57. What are you afraid of? Heights

58. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? Buttered

59. How many keys on your key ring? Maybe 5

60. How many years at your current job? As a wife almost 13, as a mom 9 1/2.

61. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
62. How many towns have you lived in? 7 cities, 3 states, 2 countries

63. Do you make friends easily? I think so

64. How many people will you be sending this to? I guess whoever reads this blog

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Here are some pictures of our visit to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Brock was screaming "elk" so loud that we almost had to leave. It makes Brian proud that "elk" was one of his first words and seems to still be one of his favorite! He also yelled "moose" while we were there. We didn't even know he knew that word. He has such a large vocabulary for a little guy. Thankfully, he didn't yell out horsey because that doesn't come out sounding so good (see earlier post.) The picture of Brian is of him giving a kiss to his second love (me being the first of course.) I joke with him that he is moving us to Missoula for reasons other than planting a church (like the hunting.) Of course I know that isn't rue...the great elk hunting will just be one of the perks of living in Big Sky country! I am thinking the "bargain hunting" will be better too with so many stores to choose from!

Home Design Inspiration!

These are some homes in Missoula that we really like. We are hoping use them as inspiration for the way our house will look on the outside. We are meeting with Lina, the house drafter, tomorrow to talk about what the house will look like on the outside and make a few changes to the inside. I will post the new house floor plans and elevations when we get them.

Day 4: Missoula Vacation - Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Oh, how I love motherhood! You get to learn about all these random childhood ailments that you had never heard of or wanted to hear of. The new ailment of the day is "hand, foot and mouth disease." It turns out that I misdiagnosed Brock on Wednesday with thrush when in fact he had hand, foot and mouth disease not to be confused with hoof and mouth or mad cow disease. You can find more info on this virus at WebMd. I thought Brock was getting better on Thursday and seemed to be fine yesterday and then today I noticed little blisters all over his hands combined with a few around his mouth. Abby had also had a fever last night and was not feeling well. It can affect older children but generally they do not get as sick as infants and young toddlers. It really is not as bad as it sounds. Just a virus that affects their hands, feet and mouth. We have still managed to have fun on our vacation despite the kids not feeling well. Thursday we went to the Raptors of the Rockies visitor center to look at different birds of prey. The kids thought that was great. We also went to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation visitor center. Brock loved looking at the elk and other stuffed creatures. We also looked at our lot we purchased here and took some pictures of some other homes with the Montana look that we want. I'll post some pictures when we get back. We have also got to spend time with our great friends, the Beesons. We are praying that God would boost their children's immune systems since our kids have played together several times! Brian is off to Snowbowl with the boys today teaching the boys how to snowboard which should be interesting considering he skis and doesn't know how to snowboard. We are so excited to move here and have a ski hill minutes from town. Brian is already talking about season passes! The picture below is of Snowbowl at the end of the day. Brian says it is a great ski hill!