She's a BIG girl now!

My first born is officially an adult!

She's a big girl now, today she turned 21!

I can't believe how fast the time has flown.

We started here...

 

And now she's here...

She was beautiful in the beginning and she has grown even more beautiful every day.

Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she's beautiful on the inside too.

We are so proud of the young woman she has become.

I really could have scanned and scanned

there were so many fun cute pictures of her over the years I would have loved to post...

But, I restrained myself and chose just a few.

So...pardon the grainy and sometimes off color, these pictures were before the digital age.

 

He was a proud papa then and he still is today.

 Look at those chubby cheeks.



 

She loved her tubby time from day one.

 Yes, there were times when she wasn't always dolled up

she didn't always wear ruffles, pink, high heels and make-up.

She could sport about anything and look adorable.

 

Don't mess with this girl.

 

I had to throw in a picture with her holding her best friend ever..

Barney.

This girl loved Barney.

She sang with him,

danced with him and

slept with him.

He went everywhere with her.

 

It has been a wonderful 21 years.

Raising her has been a blessing I will be forever grateful for.

We have loved watching her sing and dance her way through life with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

I have loved the midnight phone calls that started with

"Do I have a story for you?"

Every minute being your mother has been wonderful.

 

We have watched her grow both physically, mentally and spiritually.

Each step has been fun and a blessing to be a part of.

Now she starts a new phase in life. Eternal Marriage and her own family.

I can't wait to watch and support this phase too.

 

Thank you for being my daughter and my friend!!

For being and bringing so much joy

I LOVE YOU!

 

Happy Birthday Bailee Boo!

 

She's a Big Girl Now

Before I begin...

Forgive me for bragging...

But it's my blog and I am biased.

 Today my firstborn reached a milestone...

~20 years old~

She's a big girl now.

I couldn't be more proud of her.

Bailee is...

Beautiful

Loving

Spiritual

Kind

Happy

Smart

Motivated

Ambitious

and so so much more.

The thing about Bailee that most makes me happy is that she knows who she is.

She knows she is a Precious Daughter of God.

She has a strong testimony of the gospel that is her very own.

She has grown so much the last few years and really has found herself.

She is accepting of others and their differences.

She truly loves people for who they are.

It has been such an example to me in my life 

to judge less and accept more.

Bailee has a light within her that shines through.

She truly is an example to those she comes in contact with.

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing our family

with her sweet spirit.

On a lighter note...

She is away from home for the summer

having the Time of her Life

making new friends, loving old friends and

influencing others for good.

We miss her but are so happy for all she is accomplishing.

Happy Birthday Bailee Boo!!

A Young Woman

Brooklyn turned 12 on July 29th.

She is officially a Young Woman.

It is a tradition in our family to attend the temple on your 12th birthday to do Baptisms for the Dead.

This is the first time our WHOLE family could go.

Brooklyn finally got to join.

Linc asked her where she wanted to go?

OF course she said Salt Lake Temple.

On the morning of her birthday we all woke at 6:15 a.m.

and made our way downtown to the temple.

It was a beautiful morning.

Linc did the baptisms and a few extra.

I watched.

And shed a tear, I'm not ganna lie.

 Three beautiful kids...

If I do say so myself.

 We were so happy when a passerby offered to take one of us all...

The temple was followed by breakfast at McDonald's

High class I know.

Then a shopping trip to get Brooklyn's ears pierced.

Another tradition.

We don't allow our girls to get their ears pierced

until there 12th birthday.

This gives them something exciting to look forward to.

I did take pictures of the event

however, they were with my phone

which I don't know how to download.

Then it was off to Barnes and Noble.

Brooklyn wanted the "English Roses" a series.

Here she is showing off her ears

and her roses.

Grandpa and Grandma Pack always send flowers

to all the granddaughters when they turn 12.

She loved them.

We then went to dinner at the place of her choice

....also a tradition.

She chose "Sweet Tomatoes".

It was a great day!!

I can't believe my baby is 12.

It makes me a little bit sad to see them grow up.

She now gets to join us for Young Women's every week.

It will be so fun to do this with her.

Happy 12th Birthday Brooklyn.

WE LOVE YOU!

Bailee Boo's Birthday

B   Beautiful

A  Artistic

I     Intelligent

L    Loving

E  Exceptional

E  Enjoyable

Plus she was a darling baby.

A joy to have around.

Loved to perform for family.

Kind to her little brother and sister.

Smart as a whip.

I'm not bragging.... ;-)

(well maybe a little)

She answers to many things...

(nicknames from either family or friends)

Bailee Boo

Beautiful

Angel

Pud

Bay

Bails

I dug out these baby pictures so you could see for yourself

what a cute baby she was.

We are so grateful that we are blessed to have Bailee in our family.

She makes us proud of her every day.

We know she can succeed at whatever she puts her heart and soul to.

I can't wait to see what the future holds.

We Love you!!!

Happy 19th Birthday.

"Big Stud"

Happy 17th Birthday Benjamin

"Big Stud"

Benjamin is growing up.

Literally.

This brings us much much joy.

He is now officially as tall as me.

I am glad to say in the next few months

he is bound to pass me right up.

He is a fun young man to have around

sweet to his sisters

kind to others

works hard

funny

and handsome too.

We are blessed to have him in our family.

Here are a few pictures of the last few months....

Hiking at Lisa Falls

Ben in full fantasy make-up
Shooting his with his buddies

A few of his good friends.

It seems absolutely crazy...

crazy...

that two years from now

he will be leaving to serve a full time mission.

~heavy sigh~

A moment we look forward to

and dread.

He has grown up so fast.

Sometimes I wish time could slow down

or even stand still

just for a moment.

Have a great birthday Benjamin.

I love you!

Happy Birthday Baby

Brooklyn is 11 years old today!

Happy Birthday to my baby.

Here she is at 8 and she looks so young.

I'm a little sad she is growing up so fast.

10 things about Brooklyn

1. She loves to do helpful chores around the house.

2. She is a really good student and loves reading.

3. She is always on my side. :)

4. She loves her bear and her kitty. (still)

5. She loves to be outside, riding 4 wheelers, biking, swimming etc.

6. She loves to hang out with friends and take pictures.

7. She loves to cuddle and hug.

8. She has an opinion and knows how to share it. ;)

9. She's a daddy's girl.

10. She loves babysitting and is good at it.

We love Brooklyn and are so glad she is a part of our family.

She is going to keep her dad and I young.

She is our little woobitt!!

Here is a picture taken a few weeks ago.

With a friend of course.

My how she has grown.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!!
We love you!

"Then" and "Now"

Benjamin Lincoln Paxman

is

16 years old today!!

February 9, 1994

He came into our lives

a Bouncing Baby Boy!

Look at him way back when...

He was such a blond cutie. ;-)

Who loved and still loves

anything fishing, camping and hanging with dad.

Here he is flying on his flyswatter!

Bailee got the broom and he needed something.

This is what he found.

Love his "Scary Face"

3 years old then...

Today!!

(also pic of the day)

Some girl is ganna be lucky to date this stud!

He knows all the great ways to treat a date.

Bailee and I have been teaching him

for a year.

He celebrated by pigging out on meat

at

Rodizios Brazilian Grill.

We Love you Ben!!

Our family wouldn't be the same without you.

Happy 16th Birthday!

Birthday Brooklyn

Since absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that

I took a hiatus from blogging for the end of summer.

In this absence a lot has happened.

So I will play catch up tomorrow.

Today it's all about Brooklyn

She celebrated her 10th birthday

July 29.

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

and chocolate ice cream was the order.

Ten flaming candles.

Blow! Blow! Blow!
For her birthday we offered up all kinds of suggestions.
None were taken.
The only thing she wanted was a.....
Bedroom Makeover!!
Big Time!

(her room had been pink, pink and more pink since birth)
She informed us...
Pink is not her color of choice anymore.

So off to the store to pick some bedding.
Then she wanted to paint 3 walls, each a different color.
I came up with something less invasive
but colorful none the less.

And she loves it.
See for yourself.

View 2

The only thing left to do...

Sew the cushion for the window seat.

It is polka dotted and matches the sheets.

Actually the cover will be made from a spare set of sheets.

The wall not shown has her white dresser and a green mirror.

It turned out darling.

Here she is below giving us a smile of gratitude

to finally be done with the baby pink. ;)

What "Hill"?!!

Yes! It's true!

March 22nd I turned the big 40!

But really where did this term over the hill come from?

I'm not over anything.

I'm taking a LONG stroll along the top.

It was really a week long celebration...

beginning Tuesday.

Tuesday found me to dinner at Chili's

with the Paxman sisters.

Eva and I have birthdays two days apart.

Both of us turning 40.

It was fun to visit and be together.

Then off we went to see Bride Wars

at the dollar theatre.

Loved it, laughed and cried of course. ;)

Wednesday found me at bowling...

To my surprise when I arrived at bowling,

There were black balloons flying high,

with this "Over the Hill" Balloon.

They were accompanied by two great friends,

Covered head to toe in BLACK! pfff.

At least they were bearing gifts

and CAKE!!

In all honesty it was super sweet and made my day.

Friday found me in Provo

having lunch and a movie with my parents.

Lunch at my favorite "Red Robin"

It was fun to visit with the parentals

and spend time with them too.

Love them so much for the last 40 years

of support and love they have freely given.

This is a cup made specially for me...

by Brooklyn.

She was so excited to give it to me.

I Love it!

Saturday found me out to lunch

with some of my high school buddies.

Natalie and Shelly.

"Red Robin" again.

It is my favorite.

Here I was gifted with this....

IT has been passed to each of us.
We are after all each of us turning 40 this year.
I will pass it along as well.
(new candy of course)

Saturday was a double duty day.
That night my little family took me to dinner...
Sizzler.
We all love it and they have something for everyone.



Finally the day.
Sunday found me at home with my family
for the morning.
Where I went on a scavenger hunt for a variety
of fun things.


Now if you must know I have been Begging
my husband for a blower for years.
Every holiday appropriate...
Christmas
Birthday
Mothers Day
I tell him "I really want a blower"
to my dismay NOT!!
He does not think it a good gift for his wife.


I really want one. If you know me at all
you know I enjoy yard work.
Except the sweeping!
I want a blower.


And so it finally was...
He succumbed and bought me a blower.
The big bonus, it runs off his drill battery.
It is powerful and light weight.


No cord, No motor, No gas.
I can't wait to blow.
Bring on spring.
The day ended perfectly...
Our whole family together
attending the Draper Temple dedication.


It was a great birthday.
And your only as old as you feel/act.
I will be thirtysomething
FOREVER!!
I've decided.

"Bouncing Baby Boy"

Where do all the years go?

15 ago we had a Bouncing Baby Boy!!

Yesterday, February 9th

We have a pre-dating, permit driving

pre-teen!

I don't know how I feel about being a mother

to two driving teenagers.

He is a super fun son.

He is outnumbered by his sisters,

who always boss him around.

He is a BUDDY to his teenage sister

and an example to his little sister.

Bailee and I have one goal. Teach him to be a good date! :)

He has one year to learn.

WE have started making him get our doors etc.

Date Training! ;)

He is a good SPORT about it all.

You may wonder about the picture with the gun....

Let me explain!

Ben decided he wanted air soft guns for his birthday.

I wondered why the two REAL ammunition guns he has weren't good enough.

"Because I can't shoot my friends with them"

Well this makes so much sense. Pffft!

SO off to the store his goes with Dad.

Home they come with $200.00 worth.

One automatic machine gun for him...

Two pistols, one for each friend, NOT automatic.

Sounds like and unfair fight to me.

So here we have the cake picture with the Gun.

I'm sad my kids are growing up....
But it's life I guess.
I will continue to enjoy each moment.

After dinner at the Asian Buffet. (his choice)
It was home to have cake
and
shoot the gun.

Where did the baby boy go?...!