The Braley Bunch

Lots of Exciting New Things

2011-04-27T13:33:00.002-06:00

So there has been a lot going on lately in the Braley house. I will start with the most exciting of all...

*Capri WALKS! She is the exact age that Ashton was when he started walking too. She literally went from just standing and walking around furniture to walking all the way across the room. Its been 2 days now and she is pretty good already.

*Ashton starts Pre-school on May 2nd. I am excited for him. We really think it will help him with his shyness among learning lots of fun things. He will go to school 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. Its at the Child Lab at BYU-I. It is supposed to be a really great program and really hard to get into so we are blessed that he was able to get in.

*I joined a gym. Haha, great timing I know. Wait till I am preggo and then decide to get into shape. I am excited though. And Kurtis switched his membership so we will both be at the same gym and he can keep me motivated. Kurtis has been doing great with getting into shape and losing weight. He has lost over 25 pounds in the last few months!

*Kurtis and I went to the movies for the first time since we have been married. Yeah, so almost 5 years now. Crazy! It was really fun to get to go out on a date and leave the kids at home and in trusted hands. We went to a 10pm movie which is past my bedtime, but Kurtis told me to live a little. HAHA, I'm such an old lady.

And that is about it for now. I realized that I don't like to blog, I just like to read everyone's blogs. But I will try to do better. We will see how long that lasts. And hopefully get some pics or videos up soon of the kids and Capri walking.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T20:37:00.003-06:00

Milestones....Glad vs. Sad

2010-05-05T16:19:00.004-06:00

GLAD
My babies are growing up. Ashton is completely potty trained now which is a huge deal. Potty training is what I had been fearing for a long time. It wasn't completely awful though. We had a few struggles in the beginning but then I kind of gave up since Ashton didn't seem to be ready yet or just too stubborn. But the deed is done now and he is a happy boy and so proud of himself. Kurtis and I are of course very proud of him too and also very happy (saves us money from buying diapers and changing the darn stinky things.)

Here he is taking a potty break....he is naked cuz he had on jammies with the feet in thenas you can see in the pic below.

SAD

And here is my sweet lil Capri. 3 1/2 months old and already eating cereal. She is such a big girl that she just isnt happy after nursing her. Ashton was 5 months before he had cereal and he was completely happy with that. So I am kind of sad because feeding her isnt quite as easy as just laying her on my lap and adoring her while she eats, and this is just another reminder of how fast she is growing up.

But on a good note, she does really like her cereal and eats it pretty well.

Fixed It

2010-04-09T20:45:00.003-06:00

My big picture is finally normal size. I am sure everyone has noticed that my pic on the top of my blog is usually enormous...well its not cuz I wanted it that way. For some reason the picture is just always giant no matter what I do to it. But finally I picked a new background and new picture and after messing with it for a while it is the right size. The only problem is that I dont know exactly what I did to get it right so if it happens to go back to extra gigantic one day I might not be able to fix it.
Now I just need to figure out some of this other blogging stuff and learn how to spruce up my blog a lil I wouldbe even happier!

Easter and updates

2010-04-05T09:31:00.003-06:00

So this Easter seemed a lil off to me. Conference was on Easter Sunday so we didnt get to get all dressed up for church in cute new Easter outfits. Does anyone else agree with this or am I just the weird one? Also Kurtis had to work the grave shift so he wasnt up till around 3 in the afternoon which meant he missed out on watching Ashton look in his Easter basket. And the worst part was that is snowed. I have never heard of a white Easter. But it was still a GREAT Easter.

I still cant get a pic of Capri smiling...she is just too stubborn. She smiles a lot these days but everytime I have the camera out its like she doesnt even know how.

Ashton was really excited to see his Easter basket.

He got some cool stuff....jump rope, new Tag book, football cup, bouncy balls, gun, sidewalk chalk, puzzle and some other goodies!

Just a cute pic of Capri so she wasnt left out. I didnt make her an Easter basket this year cuz I think she is a lil young.

Later in the day we went to my sisters house and had a nice dinner. Then we hid some eggs and let Ashton find them. He had a good time and we had fun watching him find the eggs, shake them and then open them up to see what he had found.

On another note my sister has less then 3 weeks to go before she has her baby. I am very excited to have a new nephew and it will be fun for her to have a baby so close in age to Capri.

And on another note....I have been potty training. Sigh...............but Ashton is actually doing really well. He is even wearing underwear during the day now. So I am just hoping he keeps up the good work and keeps progressing.

OOh and one more thing, WHERE THE HECK IS SPRING? I really need it to quit snowing and let the warm sun shine.

My new fav song

2010-02-22T12:39:00.003-07:00

I'm Joining In

2010-02-12T10:50:00.003-07:00

For those of you that know me, you know that I love love to make things. Anything crafty and I'm all in...except scrapbooking, I just cant do it.

So I decided to join in with everyone else on Rexburg and make items to sell. It took a long time to find something to make that 50 other people werent already making and selling. If you live here you know what I mean.

I learned how to make these fabric flowers that are so pretty and fun. I am starting with necklaces but eventually would like to branch out to other things like headbands, pacifier clips, onesies, and shirts.

So if you like what you see, spread the word about them. I can custome make them with any colors. I am also going to have one with lace that ties around the neck instead of the beads.

Prices: $15.00 for 3 flowers or $20.00 for 5 flowers.

I'm doing a special the rest of the month buy 2 get 1 free.

Also, anyone that helps me out and puts a post on their blog about my necklaces will get one for half price!

You Are How Old???

2010-02-07T20:49:00.008-07:00

31 years ago a very special person came into this world.

10 years ago I met him for the first time. (Sorry no pic, if you dont know this story just ask)

4 years ago we met again and fell in LOVE.

3 1/2 years ago we were married and I knew we would be together for Eternity.

2 1/2 years ago we welcomed our first baby boy.

3 weeks ago we brought home our baby girl.

Happy Birthday Kurtis! I am so blessed to have you as my husband. You have brought so many blessings into my life and I can wait to spend eternity with you. Thank you for all that you do for your family...We love you soo much!

Our New Bundle of Love

2010-01-15T18:14:00.003-07:00

On January 14th at 1:14 pm Heavenly Father blessed our lives with a precious spirit. Capri Megan arrived after only 5 hours of labor and was 20 inches and weighed 8 pounds and 12 ounces. She is a beautiful healthy baby and we are grateful for her safe arrival into our lives and home. Ashton has already started to warm up to her and even given her some sweet kisses. We look forward to smiles, giggles and coos of all sorts from our lil angel. Welcome to this big world Capri.

You've Heard of the Naked Cowboy.....

2009-12-18T14:28:00.004-07:00

But have you heard of the Naked Carpenter?

Lately we have been working on finishing our basement and Ashton has been eager to help. We bought him a little tool set and he just goes to work. The reason for the nakedness....potty training. In an attempt to have Ashton potty trained before the baby comes we are trying anything ang everything. Even letting him run around naked and constantly reminding him to use the potty when he needs to pee. So far nothing has worked. He is just too stubborn. So if anyone has any advice, tips, or tricks I would love to learn.

Here are a few other pics of everyone hard at work.

Here Ashton is with his favorite tool...the tape measure. He loves to measure anything he can even people. The only problem....he measures in minutes!

My step dad Eric, Kurtis and me hanging drywall.
Ashton thought he was helping cut the drywall....but he called it chalk.

And we even put the missinaries to work painting.

More pics will come soon. I think we are finally closing in on this big project. We are set to carpet on the 29th if everything goes as planned.

The goal is to have the Capri's room set up before her arrival which means clearing everything out and moving it to the finished basement. Wish us luck!

Halloween

2009-11-04T16:42:00.003-07:00

I figured it is about time I do a post and what better to blog about that Halloween. It was a lot of fun this year because Ashton actually understood what was going on a lil better than last year. First we hit up the ward trunk-or-treat and then after not getting enough candy we decided to hit one block in a popular neighborhood. Ashton seemed to have a good time and even wanted to put his costume back on the next day in hopes of getting more candy.

I attended Halloween Bunco in Island park again. Its always a good time and a good excuse to get a costume. I decided to go as Octo Mom and so I strapped on my 14 babies and lined my lucious lips and off I went. And let me tell you...hanging on to 14 babies while trying to eat and play is tough and they got really heavy. But it was a great time and I always love seeing my I.P. peeps.

Check out this Sweet Giveaway

2009-09-01T11:32:00.003-06:00

These are some super cute diapers!

Check out the free giveaway at http://www.designerclothdiapers.blogspot.com/

Free shipping today at the shop!

http://www.designerclothdiapers.com/

Dear West Virginia

2009-07-21T16:49:00.010-06:00

I would like to take this time to thank you for the wonderful vacation you offered me. You were able to keep me fully amazed the entire duration of my trip. I was able to see things that I didnt know existed or were even possible.

Here are a few of these modern marvels that I would like to share with the unfortunate people that do not get to have such delightful vacations.

I will start with the curvy roads ahead sign. For those of you who have never ventured to this great state you may not know that there isnt even one straight road. So to the pleasure of my pregnant stomach I was hurled around curves for miles upon miles at the great speed of atleast 50mph.

Next up is this beautiful creation made famous by no other than Billy Ray Cyrus. I was fortunate to see one of these on about 98% of the people in Calhoun County WV. And not only were these people special enough to have the most versatile haircut but they made sure to always be wearing their camo. This goes for men, women, and children. Yes, even babies.

Dont these people know what they are doing to their children? Dont they know how they will turn out? OOOH wait, they do know. Just like themselves and dang proud of it.

And while we are on the topic of pride...here is a lil something to be proud of. On the fronts of many trailors you will find some redneck proudly flying his REBEL (confederate for us refined people) flag. Did these people not get the memo...the war was over 100+ years ago and the south lost.

WARNING: this next section is not to make fun of those who live or have lived in trailors. Only to make others aware of the trailor cult that is taking over West Virginia.

Trailors, trailors, and more trailors. You can go miles without even one house in sight. And these arent just any trailors they are trash. Some have no windows, some have no floors, some have no front door, but all are filled with people with no teeth. And as this trailor cult grows and people have to out do their neighbors......thus comes the SUPER-Trailor. This means that you take 2,3, or even 4 trailors and smash them up against each other and form one big pile of trash. You then invite you cousin and your uncle and in-laws to move in with you.

I always wanted to try a sandwitsh and I found the only place in the world to offer one. Among this delight I was offered privit parking out back and a bathrum for costumers only. Unfortunately I had left all of my halloween costumes at home so I had to hold it while I ate.

All in all West Virginia is a wonderful place full of wonderful people and I had a wild time. After all it is

Its a bird, Its a plane, no its a....

2009-06-25T11:56:00.003-06:00

BABY!

Here is my first ultrasound at 9 weeks which puts my due date on January 21st. Darn we were hoping to make it by the end of the year, so if you know any old wives tales on how to make that baby pop out early, I am open to all suggestions!

We are kinda hoping for another boy because it would be convenient but I am feeling like it is gonna be a girl. Either way we will be totally happy.

Its Raining, Its Pouring, the old man is snooring

2009-06-17T18:45:00.004-06:00

So it has been raining for about the last 2 weeks now and I hate it...so does Ashton. He just looks out the window all day while saying "outside." So finally I gave in, put on his rain coat and l let him go at it. He had the best time playing in the mud and in the gutter water and he didnt even get neumonia! (sp) So now there is a ray of hope once more for us to both have some sanity amongst all this freakin rain. But please, let there be an end to it soon.

And look at this, 2 blogs all in one day! Woot Woot

A Quick look at the Past Couple Months

2009-06-17T18:30:00.004-06:00

It starts in Denver. We made a trip to Denver in March for my sisters wedding (which I will post pics of if she ever gives me some.) Here we are at the aquarium, it was pretty cool. Ashton enjoyed seeing some of it and others he didnt even notice. But I liked it and it was the first aquarium I have ever been to.

Next on the list is Easter! I made Ashton a custom Easter basket cuz I am just that awesome. Besides every Easter basket I have ever seen in the store is pretty ugly. He loved digging through it and opening the eggs. He just about made himself sick form candy but not quite to the ralphing point.

And here Ashton is just being his usual crazy self. He knows just the right

face to get exactly what he wants.

I know I know I need to get on the ball with taking more pics and posting blogs. But I'm a slacker and atleast I admit it. It is sad that my friend that just had twins can find the time to keep up on her blog and make it awesome and I cant! You go Kristin!!! Way to be a super mom blogger.

8 Great

2009-04-09T13:30:00.006-06:00

Tagged
Here are the rules:

1) Post rules on your blog

2) Answer the six '8' items

3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment.

8 favorite TV shows:

1. Chelsea Lately

2. Desperate Housewives

3. American Idol

4. America's Next Top Model

5. House

6. Cops

7. Ace of Cakes

8. HGTV shows

8 Things I did yesterday:

1. Worked

2. Had lunch with Jessica & Halley

3. talked to my mom

4. visited with Jess and Jeremy when they came over

5. played with Ashton

6. Kissed my hot husband

7. Highlighted Julie's hair

8. ate chocolate cake

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. SUMMER

2. A certain pregnant friend having her baby in like 9 months

3. not being sick anymore

4. Going to my moms this summer

5. walking normal

6. Kurtis not working nights for a lil while (it has been 3 months people)

7. getting my basement finished...any volunteers

8. taking Ashton to the splash park this summer

8 Favorite restaurants:

1. Red Lobster

2. Applebees

3. Cocoa Bean

4. Godfathers

5. Johny Carinos

6. Sub Zero

7. Mexan Food

8. Giovanni's

8 Things on my wish list:

1. Go to Australia

2. For it to be summer everyday

3. skydiving

4. a housekeeper

5. my family to move closer

6. have more babies one day

7. this is hard

8. i dont want much

People I tag:
1. Vanessa
2. Kristin
3. Heather
4. Jill
5. Melody
6. Jess
7. Heidi
8. Audree

Update on Life

2009-03-05T11:43:00.002-07:00

So since I havent blogged in a long time I figured I had better get on the ball. So here is a family update on what has been going on.
My sis is getting married on March 28 so I have been busy planning and making things for the wedding.
Kurtis has turned 30 which makes him officially OLD.
Ashton is a wild animal that should be caged. He is in everything and goes everywhere he can.
I had knee surgery on Friday which makes it a lil hard to chase after the lil animal..... and hard to walk.
Ashton got his first curling iron burn a couple weeks ago. It was bound to happen with my hot appliances around.
We got a brief taste of spring which only left us wanting more. (It is supposed to snow tomorrow though.)
So yeah that is about all for us. We are really boring people right now. Once summer comes hopefully there will be more to blog about.

Christmas Bliss

2009-01-11T17:27:00.005-07:00

Kurtis kind-of smiled, right?

Just a few pics from Christmas this year. We had a great Christmas in our new home. My mom was here with us this year which mean Ashton is more spoiled than ever now. My sis and I cooked dinner for everyone, which was a first. And unfortunately Kurtis had to work on Christmas night but was with us for the morning. Ashotn got some really nice stuff this year and it was a lot of fun to see his face light up when he saw his car under the tree. He did well with unwrapping, although he wanted to carry every piece of trach straight to the garbage....so it took a while.

Family Pictures!!!

2008-12-09T15:15:00.003-07:00

We had our very first family pics done a couple days ago. It was a lot of fun even though it was pretty cold outside. Ashton loves to be outside so he did really well considering the weather. So here is a preview of some of my favorites.

Finally....Halloween Pics

2008-11-20T12:35:00.002-07:00

So here are the long awaited halloween pics. I was waiting to post till I got some of my costume, but that still hasnt happened. (my friend Jessica has them and she is in Island Park) So this is all ya get. Ashton was a stick person this year. It was kind of a last minute decision to go to the ward trunk or treat. He really enjoyed it though. He walked around with his lil bucket and if he ever got close enough to someone handing out candy he would get a couple pieces. I think he got like 5 pieces total which was just enough for me!!

The Unknown

2008-10-29T14:16:00.002-06:00

I've been tagged! By Jess :) The goal is to tell you six things you don't already know about me.
1. I eat chocolate for breakfast every day...no exceptions!
2. My true passion is Interior Design. I would love to go back to college one day and major in it.
3. Idaho has actually grown on me and I wouldnt mind living here for a while.
4. I am drawn to anything green. It is my favorite color and so if it is green I will like it. No matter what.
5. OK so I am gonna stop at 4. I have been working on this for a half hour and still have nothing. Everyone already knows me enough!

Well, I guess it's my turn to tag. I want to hear from Audree and Krisitin.

Vanessa's Super Birthday Giveaway

2008-10-13T08:58:00.002-06:00

Vanessa is having a giveaway and here are the prizes. Check out her blog for complete details on how to win.

http://vschmidt.blogspot.com/

Don't Tas Me Bro!

2008-10-11T10:41:00.002-06:00

http://www.kidk.com/news/30592809.html

http://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/articles/2008/10/08/news/36.txt

Here are 2 links to videos of Kurtis being tased. They are kinda funny to watch but you can see the pain too. The shock lasts 5 seconds, but is the longest 5 seconds ever. But he also says that he has had worse with being pepper sprayed in the police academy and a gas chamber in the army.

Tag...your it

2008-09-24T19:44:00.003-06:00

So to give back to all you creative bloggers I found a cute tag. Vanessa did this on her blog. So I'm ripping it off.Here's how it works....

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

d. copy the mosaic image (right click, save image as) to your computer.

Here's mine:

And these are the questions & my responses:

1. What is your first name? Jenni

2. What is your favorite food? Pizza from Pizza Hut

3. What high school did you go to? Lawrence County, KY

4. What is your favorite color? Green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Gabriel Macht

6. Favorite drink? Water

7. Dream vacation? Australia

8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate Cake

9. What you want to be when you grow up? Interior Designer

10. What do you love most in life? Family

11. One word to describe you? Crazy

12. Your flickr name? Dont have one

This was pretty fun. You should all try it out!

A SHOUT-OUT TO ...ME!

2008-09-15T23:57:00.008-06:00

So today I turn 23 so this blog is all about ME.
I want to start off by saying that I feel great at 23. I am still very young an yet I have already accomplished so much. Here are some of the things that I am most proud of: I moved out on my own @ 18 and went all the way to Portland from Kentucky all on my lonesome, I lived in 4 different states all within a years time, I Graduated fom Beauty School and became a manager of a salon within my first month as a Stylist, I managed to find, marry, and hold on to the love of my life, I have the most perfect baby in the world, I was able to be sealed to my family for all of eternity, I survived 2 full winters in Island Park, Idaho (aka Antartica), & we bought our first home! The list could continue but I dont wanna brag or anything. So here is to me and many more years of bragging right and accomplishments.

Not quite sure how old I am in this pic but prob somewhere around 3-4. Aren't I cute?

Here's to you Kristin

2008-09-15T23:20:00.003-06:00

1- what is your shnookems' name: Kurtis Benjamin Braley
2- who eats more: Def. Kurtis...no competition here
3- who said "I love you" first: uuh I should know this huh? Prob me?
4- who is taller: Kurtis wins @ 6'0"
5- who is smarter: Seeing as to how I only went to Beauty School & Kurtis has his Bachelor's....that would be...Kurtis
6- who is more sensitive: This is a joke.....Kurtis doesn't even know the meaning of the word!
7- who does the laundry: We both do our fair share

8- who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Kurtis, not sure why though since the left is closer to the bathroom and he uses it more than I do.
9- who pays the bills: Tricky one. Makes the money and pays them is Kurtis...Sends them in and pays them is both.
10- who does most of the cooking:I do definatley. Unless of course I want a grilled cheese or burrito for dinner.
11- what meals do you cook together: uh none. He would just get in my way
12- who is more stubborn: I would say me, but just barely. Kurtis is pretty hard-headed too.
13- who is the first to admit they are wrong: That would be a big fat NEITHER
14- who has more siblings: he has me beat by 4
15- who wears the pants in the relationship: Doesn't the girl always wear the pants? Woot woot! 16- what do you like to do together: I will keep this G-Rated and say movies, play with Ashton, and bike.
17- who eats more sweets: No one can top me and I mean NO ONE!
18- what is his guilty pleasure: Chocolate Milk
19- how did you meet: Originally on his mission. And a big 6 years later Rexburg brought us back together and we decided it was fate!
20- who asked who out first: He ask me. And of course I was all for it.
21- who kissed who first: He kissed me..it is kinda funny though cuz I was leaning over to see the TV and he thought I was going for him, so he kissed me!

22- who proposed: Kurtis took me out for a day of adventure and to many places I had never been. He ended the day with a ring.
23- his best features: Those big blue eyes, they melt me. And darn it Ashton has them too.
24- what is his greatest quality: He can make me smile even when i wanna be mad at him...its not really fair though.

25- I also tag all those who sat through this! But come on...it gave me a new post and something to do!

And here he is.....the love of my life!

Blog Posts

2008-09-05T19:42:00.002-06:00

Ok so as everyone has probably noticed I am not the greatest at keeping my blog updated. This is due to a busy schedule and lack of creativity in the world of blogging. So I am looking to you all now to help me out. I need some ideas for a simple and fun blog that I can do weekly. For example......Flashback Friday, Top 10 Tuesday, Super New Saturday. Ok you get the idea. Now get those brains working and get me some ideas. Pronto Squanto I say.

A day at the Dunes & Egin Lake

2008-07-25T13:13:00.005-06:00

Somedays I wish I really could step on her and squish her
Daddy and his lil Boy
Floating away
Playing in the water with his bucket

Me, Madre, and lil Pedro
Pulling my gimpy sista around

The happy family
Chillin in my tube

Grandpa Eric playing in the sand with Ashtons new toys
I keep a miniature of Kurtis around cuz I like to carry him in my pocket
Me and the sister

OOH Give Me a Home Where the Buffalo Roam

2008-07-25T12:59:00.004-06:00

Yet another trip to Yellowstone this year. It seems to be becoming a yearly ritual. Two years in a row now we have gone to the park around the same time. We will have to see if we can keep it up.
Yogi Bear
One of the many beautiful waterfalls

My pet Buffalo.....they are so cute
Midway geyser basin
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Ashton's Big Birthday Bash

2008-07-25T12:19:00.009-06:00

Ashton just turned 1 on July 18th...sad I know. Time really has flown by this year. But we had to celebrate so we had a party for him at the park. He had 10 friends come and play and eat cake with him.

We had a water toy to play with and lots of water balloons (Ashton had to miss out on the balloons this year.) I made a very special fish cake for him......yeah you can just call me Martha freakin Stewart!!

I was hoping he would just dig right in to the cake but the frosting seemed to get in the way. But he did stick his fingers in it and tasted a little. Then we just fed him some cake (we found out the night before that he loves chocolate cake....thats my boy!!!)

He ate quite the piece before we had to cut him off for fear of a belly ache or something worse. Needless to say he was already hooked and mooched for more and then cried when he couldnt have any.

And then he opened all of his presents, with a lil help from me and the other kids. I think the other kids were as excited to see them as anyone else.

Ashton sitting back just enjoying the day!

Grammi Diana making the Birthday boy giggle!

Spending some time with Great Aunt Jenette!

So we are new here...

2008-06-20T22:50:00.001-06:00

Kurtis and I finally decided to join the blogging world after we found out that we are the last people on Earth to have our own. So bear with us until we get the hang of things around here.

Our new Crib

2008-06-20T22:47:00.004-06:00

We just bought our first homw 2 weeks ago and we love it. It is so nice to finally have a place to call our own. Its a 3 bedroom with an unfinished basement so we have room to grow. Nice and big with plenty of room for Ashton to explore. So come by and see us cuz we love to show it off. However we are still unpacking. Things got a lil delayed due to the great weather...you never know how long it will last, so you gotta take advantage of it.

Egin Lake

2008-06-20T22:32:00.004-06:00

We spent another hot sunny day at the lake on thursday. This time Erin and June came along with us. We had a great time. Ashton got to try out his new float that was given to him by Scott & Elizabeth last year. He loves the water...thank goodness!!! Hopefully I can raise him to be a fish just like me.