Getting Organized...

So it is a weekly, sometimes daily challenge with two boys to keep my house organized. I have had some luck lately as Braden is learning to read and knows letters to get him actively involved in keeping track of his things. I always try to toss things into the bin where they belong the first time, because I know otherwise I will end up with big mess later, like when I opened the playroom door today and found this...Here are a few of my tips:
1. Get large bins and rotate toys. So, for example my friend Janae has limited toy storage so she has 6 bins of toys that she puts out one at a time, as they get sick of playing with some toys, put them all in the bin and bring out the next bin. It is amazing how fun it is for them to rediscover their favorite toys, again. In my playroom I have one large tin bin for all the random and large things, so everything has its place.

2. Break it down. Braden used to pull out all his toys to find the tools he wanted to play with or he only wanted to play with Buzz. So one day I got about a dozen small bins, from shoebox size to bigger and put the toys by categories. They have changed in the past 2 years to accommodate what he plays with and what he doesn't use often goes into a bigger storage bin. I have them broken down into the following categories. "Cars", "Toy Story", cartoon characters, transportation (He used to have separate quad, motorbike, car bins, but this was easier), arts & crafts, electronics (like walkie-talkies, fans, really random things), Magnetix, tools, dress up and games and puzzles. In the downstairs play room we make sure that the toys are appropriate for Berk to play with, and anything that is too small goes up in his room to play with ONLY in there.

3. Label it! I did this with his clothing drawers so he could start to get dressed and help put the laundry away and the idea worked so well we moved on to toys... So I find a picture of what goes into the bin, drawer, basket and then also type the word so he can help learn the letters.

4. Sort it. We all get piles of McDonalds toys, broken toys or games that are missing pieces. So every time I have to do a big clean up I always have a trash bag handy. Also, before Christmas and birthdays I always make sure there is a few toys we give to D.I. to make room for the new ones.


What tips do you have?

I would LOVE to hear them!

Family Reunion

We just got back from our Solomon Family Reunion (Rusty's mom' family). We get together every other summer with all of the Solomon's even though we are lucky enough to see most of them frequently. This year the reunion was in Deer Valley, Ut. While the fun started for everyone on Saturday, our little family didn't fly up until Wednesday night. We had a great time seeing all the cousins and Aunts & Uncles. Braden and Berk were in heaven having so many people to play with. Rusty is the oldest grandchild and Braden is the oldest great-grandchild so most of the cousins are preteens to teens and love to play with Braden or hold one of the babies. We got to do some more shopping at the outlets in Park City, had family pictures taken in Provo Canyon and spent a fun day at a friend of the family's house in Orem. Also, our newest niece Jaci got blessed and "the Bills" (Jill's hubby and Father in law) put on a craw fish boil for the whole gang. Oh, and my favorite part, eating at Granny's in Heber. Hmmmm. It was a quick few days but well worth the trip. The house was crazy huge and there was plenty of space for everyone to spread out and relax. Here is one picture from the trip, the rest I will put on Becknews.com in the next few days. Whew, I am so glad all the summer vacations are behind us and I can actually put my suitcases away for more then a week!

And congrats to my cousin Genny and her hubby JJ who just had their first baby girl Rylie on Friday! 10 hours of labor! Whew! Can't wait to see her!

** Rhonda and I got to see her tonight and she is soooo precious! Now get some rest Genny while your Mom is here!**

When do you have too many???

I organized Braden's playroom the other day and realized I needed another bin for his toy cars. Once I got going B helped me separate them into 'real cars' (the ones from the movie) and the 'other cars' and I realized he had gotten quite a collection. We started collecting them shortly after the movie came out as rewards (bribes really) for potty training. Now he uses his 'Braden Bucks' to earn them. They have gotten harder and harder to find, and I began scouring the Internet, Targets and Walmarts. We have all of the McDonald's ones, the Shake n Go's and nearly all of the other editions that are out there. The few we don't have (yet) B thoughtfully cuts pictures out to remind me which ones we are missing. Is it just me or do your kids collect a certain toy? We seem to go in phases, Buzz & Woody, motorbikes & quads, tools but for now I think we are in the long haul with Cars.

So thank you Disney Pixar for all the hours of enjoyment they have given Braden, and for the hours I have wasted on ebay, Amazon and in stores hunting for your product... Oh, and for making the newest edition released about thirty bucks a car, needless to say B won't be earning those...These ones are my favorites.

Harry Potter...(NO SPOILERS! I promise)

OK, I am a little fanatic about the whole Harry Potter thing. Granted I got into it a little late, I have more than made up for it. I remember sitting in the SLC airport, my flight was delayed and everyone around me seemed to be reading the same book. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban. So, I thought why not go see what all the fuss was about. I bought the first book and read it while I was waiting. So I bought the second one for the flight home. Bought the third one at the PHX airport and was deeply disturbed to find out I would have to wait a year to read book 4! How dare JK Rowling? Didn't she know I needed to know what was going to happen next??? I started and finished each of the next books (4-7) on the day they were released. I hate hearing from other people the spoilers so I knew if I finished it fast I would be safe, that and have I mentioned I speed read??? Any who. HP and the Deathly Hollows lived up to its hype. There is death, hope and lots of love in the book. I do recommend refreshing you memory about the other books though. I watched movies 4 & 5, then reread6 and there were a few places I thought, "I don't remember that." For all those who like to know what happens, because they are those odd ones who ONLY see the movies (CTH, RAB), and/or only read the books after they see the movies (TKR- you know who you are)then email me for my thoughts on the subject. But I won't post any spoilers because if you read it accidentally then it ruins all the fun. Happy reading all you Muggles. Thanks to JK Rowling for making kids everyone (and kids at heart- like me) want to read again!

Oh, and thanks to Rusty for letting me be off in my reading chair for the better part of the day, and although they can't read, thanks to Bden and Berk for letting me read while playing, read while they napped, read while they ate ect... I promise no more books for at least a week.

An Eaten, Teethin', Walkin' Machine...

OK, so our overachieving 9 month old (today in fact) has decided that although he just learned to crawl in the last two weeks, it is already boring. So, two days ago he decided to take 4 steps to his Daddy! Yesterday we tried and tried to get him to walk. The most he did was 5 steps, but he got frustrated after about ten minutes of us trying to entice him to get us and started sitting down every time. I am sure it won't be long before he is cruising all over the house. At least Berk learned to crawl first, Braden never crawled but walked about the same age. He are a few video clips and pictures of him with his walker and learning to walk.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Also, this kid has the appetite of a child like none I have seen before. Peas, green beans? No problem! Pasta, bananas, watermelon? No sweat. He is known for swiping items of food of someones plate while they are not looking. He tries his best to eat it, as fast as he can before someone takes it away. I love that he is so good about food. Braden is still a daily struggle to get him to eat a good meal. Ah, the young. Anyway, here's another video of my kiddo eating pizza for the first time...

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And finally, Berkley FINALLY cut his first two teeth (lower middle)! Yeah, yeah, yeah!!! All the sleepless nights and crankiness has finally paid off! Whew, what a week Berkley!

Good times at 'The Bird'...

Every year since before I was born my family has gone to our condo in Snowbird, Utah. it is a fun, relaxing time for us to catch up with siblings who live there and for cousins to play. This year we couldn't believe how fast time flew. Here are a few photos of the highlights... for all the pictures go to Becknews.com ! Enjoy!

*Fishing (Bden caught 8 fish in 30 mintues) * Going to the new Park * Alpine Slide * Cousins * Draven Dancing * Bubbles * POOL TIME * Park City Outlets * Cooler Weather * Zipline * Kelcie's Visit * Tram Rides * Potguts * 'Glasses' * Green grass and Trees * Rain * Quad Tour * Coyotes * Moose * Yazie's 1st Tooth * Horseshoes * The Bills *Silver Mine* 'There's a deer!' * Spa Time * 'Dada' * Ridin' the Bull * Runyan's Visit (good luck in Law School!) * Berkley CRAWLS! * Oh the fun we had this year!

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There should be a rule...

So sick kids on vacation is crappy. There should be some universal law that says kids can only get sick within 30 miles of their own pediatrician. Berkley and Braden have both been such troopers despite both of them being ill. Braden has been running a fever of upwards of 104 for three days, it goes down with motrin but come back at night. He says nothing is hurting him, not ears, tummy ect. But he is being such a booger cause he doesn't feel well all over. berk on the other hand, is teething like crazy. I wish those dang teeth would come through all ready! Rusty and I have gotten NO sleep. Considering when one boy actually sleeps the other cries and wakes the other up. And so on and so forth. Braden finally got a good nights rest last night, and Berk is finally finished with his antibiotic for the ear infection he had when we left. So lets just say I am gonna need a vacation to recover from this vacation. Despite the kids feeling like crap, and our lack of sleep we are managing to have a good time! Snowbird is pretty much all about going to the park, swimming, relaxing and playing with family and friends. So when I post the pictures they will be all grouped together since we do the same few things over and over again each day! It has finally gotten cooler up here too. Last night the low was in the 60's. Finally!

Isn't it supposed to be cooler in Utah?

Not so. Nope. Pretty sure it has been around 100 everyday we have been here. Luckily we are up in Little Cottonwood Canyon at our condo at Snowbird so it is a little cooler but man, when we head to the valley, H-O-T. We got here Saturday after a pretty smooth car ride. It was Berk's first long one and he did great. We saw some interesting things along the way; one of them was a wild fire outside of Santaquin Ut. The firefighters hadn't gotten there yet but it was close enough to the I-15 that we could see the home, barn and fields that had burned. A while later they had to close the freeway southbound because of the smoke going across the rode. Then when we got to the base of the canyon we saw a suburban on fire. The family who lost everything in their car is staying at here too and they said that the place that changed their oil earlier that day had left the cap off the oil, and tah dah, the had a red hot SUV, literally. Other than all the flames we have had a good time with my sister Robyn's family and my brother Loyle who both live here. it is fun to see all the cousins play. I have tons of pictures but I will post them once I get home. This is a picture of a few of the cousins up here... Camden, Braden, Draven, Berkley & Yasmeen. Berk is thrilled to be out of the warm water and taking a picture, can't you tell?

Happy 4th of July!

We had a fun Independence Day. This morning after swim lessons Rusty took the chance at a rare day off to clean out the garage, work on the pool, ya know, FUN stuff. We got lunch at Port o'Sub,one of my favorites (if you have never eaten there, you are missing out!) Then this afternoon we went to the Beck's for hamburgers and swimming. Berkley loved the watermelon and buns and Braden couldn't wait for the homemade ice cream. 4th of July is probably one of Braden's least favorite holidays, because he HATES loud noises, especially fireworks. One year in Utah my brother Loyle Jr. set off a great display at my sister's house, and Braden and I had to watch from the window inside, with ear plugs. He still calls his "Uncle Fireworks." He does however LOVE the little Pop-its, and when we found a box at Sam's Club we couldn't resist. He made the biggest mess, but had so much fun popping them on the ground, in his fingers, on other people ect... A big deal also was that we got him to hold a sparkler. He wouldn't go near one until he had watched one go all the way out, from a safe distance, with his ears plugged. Good job B! Maybe by the time he is 15 he will let us go to an actual fireworks show! Today is also Rhonda & Mubeen's Anniversary, thanks for joining in our BBQ fun! This was Berkley, Yassie and Jaci's first 4Th of July! They were all the cutest little firecrackers. Happy 5Th Birthday to Braden's friend Navie! Hope you are enjoying the beach! Whew, busy day! How did you spend yours???

Pool Party Play Date...

Today was so much fun! We had a bunch of girls from high school get together to swim and have lunch at my in-laws. It was so fun to see everyone! It kills me how many of us have all boys!!! Thank goodness there were a few girls there. First of all thanks to Ami, Becky, Beth, Jami, Leslie and Steph for coming. I decided Steph, you and Dave need to live here, so let's find you a practice and a house quick! It was so fun to watch everyone's kids play together. (By the way, sorry to each kid Braden hit, kicked, splashed, threw goggles in the deep end ect... he can be out of control. SORRY! Frankly he gets away with murder at his Grandparents house whether I am there or not...) How much fun was it to watch the kids splash around. I am soo happy we did this. I know there were quite a few of you who wanted to come but were gone or working so we will for sure do this again before the summer is over for anyone else who wants to come. I am surprised no one got super sunburned, but I think we took enough breaks and had enough sunscreen. After we got home and both boys napped and then we went to BJ's for dinner with Kelcie, home from BYU for a week, and the rest of the Becks. YUMMO. It was a fun day for everyone, except for the JURY SUMMONS I got in the mail. Crap, crap, crap... Oh well, I will do my civic duty I guess... Any of you girls who want copies of the photos email me. ThAnKs FoR cOmInG!!!


Also, we are working on getting a list together of all us girls who still live nearby and would want to do regular play dates and other fun things, so I am sending out an email to the addresses I have, forward it on and once I get a good list back I will make sure everyone gets a copy! I can't wait for the next one! Tempe Beach Park is calling our names... Even the play area at the mall... Let's face it, we all need to get out and the more kids there are to entertain each other the longer we can visit! My pool is always open, I am in it several times a day, so call me we would love to have you over!




On another, sad note, I am putting this in for my family who read my blog, Mom got an email from Uncle Clair, Wade and his wife Brooke are having a difficult time, yesterday she delivered her twins 9 weeks early because the boy, Everett, had died in utero. Naomi, the girls was 2 lbs 13 oz and is doing well. Wade is one of my cousins my exact same age. We love you both and are thinking about you during this difficult time. We know you have a long road ahead of you in the NICU, but she will do great and you two will be the best parents.