Logan's 1st Birthday!!

I saw this awesome cowboy cake and decided I wanted to do a cowboy party. Mostly for all the cousins to have fun. I baked the cake and my niece Jocey did all the art work. We got big boxes and Jocey and Dieter made a jail and a cowboy cutout for the kiddos to put their faces in. I got bandanas for the kiddos to wear, hats and made mustaches! Because Tessa, our niece, was born 2 weeks after Logan we had them side by side to eat their cake! It was too cute. Logan ate THE WHOLE THING!!! He had cakes in every nook and crany on his body!! I was so worried that the black frosting dye would leave him with a beard, but it washed right out. We had so much fun with all the family and the kiddos just played and played! My little Logy is ONE! I can't believe a year has already flown by. He started taking steps a month ago and now he just walks everywhere! He is just happy to walk around the house and chase the kiddos. He LOVES Hunter and Brooke. Brooke can make Logy laugh and laugh as they run around. I love to listen to the boys at night in their room on the baby monitor. Usually Logan is silly-tired and just laughs at everything Hunter does. One night Hunter was sooo tired and just crying in his room. We could hear Logy laughing which made HUnter cry even harder. Hunter came out and said "Mom, Logan is laughing at me when I cry!" Which then made Brad and I laugh even harder! Eventually they both fell asleep. I have been a mother of 3 wonderful kiddos for a year now! It's been a joy! Thanks to my niece Kristin who took all these amazing pictures!!

Worst Blogger EVER!!

Yeah, I know. I have failed at keeping tabs on the going ons in our lives. This post will be a quick catchup and without any pictures. I know, pretty lame, but something is better than nothing right? Where to begin. I guess the biggest change recently is that I went back to work. When I got hired I came home and just cried. It is hard to leave my babies, and yet at the same time I have peace that this is what I am supposed to do at this time and atleast I have my college degree and I can use it! So I am what is called a Habilitative Intervention Professional, (thank you college degree!!) I had to take a course real quick online to be approved for this position by the State. I work with children mostly with Autism in their homes and natural settings, as well as with their parents. Some days are successful, some days I am pinched, scratched and I am just plain tired. I have the biggest respect for their parents who in some cases, have the goal of just being able to go to the store and their child NOT have a meltdown. Some days I feel like, Who am I to help them when my daughter doesnt do anything I ask her to? Or I myself fail to follow through sometimes on discipline. Yet I think I have a greater understanding with these moms since I am one too. And I dont judge because being a mom is sometimes just HARD and I get that. Hunter and Gookie are pretty resilient with me gone. They have fun with our amazing babysitters which is a relief. Logan would NOT let me put him down the first week of working when I was home. He just wanted his Momma. And sometimes he cries when I leave the room now which is sad. But better to be working now to pay off student loans than have to leave them when they are older. I have always vowed to "Be at the crossroads" for my children. But student loans have gotta be paid. And I feel like there are less outside temptations and bad influences now at ages 5,3 and 1 than later. If that makes any sense? Bradley continues to LOVE his job at the juvenile corrections center. He is back to rotating shifts. He isnt as tired all the time now that he is off graveyard schedule and he loves that he is working with the boys when they are awake!! Logan just turned one this last week! I dont know why, but him turning 1 was really emotional for me. My little baby is not a baby anymore! He has been walking around for a few weeks now. We have never tried to stand him up and walk. He has done it all on his own! But I guess I expected that when he started crawling at 4 months old. He just has always wanted to be one of the big kids! And he does love chasing them around! It's just funny how he walks everywhere! Constantly going down the hall, in the kitchen, in the rooms, everywhere. He is so funny and happy. Pictures soon of his bday. Hunter will be 6 next month!! And Brooke will be 4!!! We will have a 6,4 and 1 year old!??!?! How did that happen?!? How did I get so lucky? Pictures to come and I will do my best at keeping up!

What you get when you marry into the Bingham Family

Family is very important to us. Afterall, your family members are one thing you can still have once you die. 'Families are Forever" is a literal statement. My parents had 7 kiddos, me being number 7 (and the favorite I might add). There are 49 grandkids with 2 on the way and the first GREAT grandbaby due NEXT MONTH! For new year's 5 out of the 7 kids and their spouses and 19 grandchildren plus 2 spouses were able to get together in Victor, Idaho. We rented a cabin and the Bingham Fun began. Now the oldest grandchildren are getting married. In fact, 2 of them got married this last year. This get together at the cabin was a great "welcome to the family!' I think after 7 years Brad has a pretty great idea of what we are like. SO MUCH FUN!!! One of the most fun we had was playing Rallyball on the x box 360 Kinect. We divided old and young and made teams. The team with the highest score won the tournament! It was so fun to hear the names of the teams. Hunter and Sterling were the "skeletons", Jamyn (Chacha) and Elyse were the "Cheetah girls" Mckay and Rachie were "the Avengers" etc. Here are some pictures and video of the fun tournament!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycLeRr8c5wY&feature=share&list=UUs8ju-IHGvvARc7me4F9CzQ

AND THE SNOW!!! Jocelyn found the best sledding hill for us! It was cold, but so much fun! I think Hunter and Elyse would have stayed out longer than any of the adults! And they both had no fear! They would hop on a sled head first on their tummies and SWOOSH down the hill! Brad was able to borrow a snowmobile from his dad and he would rescue us and drive us and the sleds up the big hill. I love that Hunter will have memories sledding with us, but I also love that I was able to go down with my nieces and nephews who I have seen grow up. It's nice that just because I am older and have children of my own, I can still have fun with them. Forrest and Jamyn and I always tried to make a train and it was so much fun to go down with them and then just lay in the snow at the bottom and laugh and laugh.

And New Year's Eve was such a party!! We had our countdown with noisemakers and our paper hats that Papa made and then a dance party of course!

We had a GREAt time! I am so glad we were able to make these memories! Those who weren't there were missed and we hope you can come next year! Now you know what you get when you marry into the Bingham Family. TOTAL awesomeness and fun! (Did you notice during the countdown Brad was on the couch?) Love my family!!