Eldredge Family

Days with Grandma Bisk

2011-01-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

And to top it all off, we got to have a few park and beach days with Grandma Bisk. Best week ever!

Beautiful!!!

Disneyland 2011

2011-01-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

And to start the new year off right, we decided to spend a couple of days with Mickey Mouse himself. It was FANTASTIC!!!!

Bryce was ready to take on Darth Maul. Bradley was missing in action.

Bryce's face explains how we all felt the whole time. It truly is a magical place.

The parade was great. The fireworks ending with snow, was amazing! The World of Color with water cannons and fire, bubbles, beautiful colors and music...just wonderful!

And of course we had to have breakfast with Mickey and friends...

He is such a cute kid!

My little Jedi in training. So fun. Can't stop smiling whenever I think about it.

New Years Eve!

2011-01-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

We decided to take the boys to Medieval Times for New Years Eve. It was awesome!

Grandma Bisk bought the boys knight costumes and they were a hit!

Brad holding a REAL sword. One of the many highlights of the night.

Waiting for the show to start, the boys put on a show of their own. It was hilarious. They had quite the audience.

So precious...

Does this kids look excited or what?

Our knight

Loved the dinner.

Christmas Eve!

2011-01-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

I love this picture! The boys were so excited Christmas Eve! Surprisingly, they actually went right to sleep and slept until 7am Christmas morning! It was such a nice surprise. We had a great morning.

Santa 2010

2010-12-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness Santa came to our Ward Party, or we might have missed out on our big visit this year!

Bryce would like a red eared slider turtle.

Brad would like a red eared slider turtle like Bryce...and some new lego sets, a toy rocket ship and a sled. I keep trying to explain why a sled is not a good choice - mostly because we have no snow in Benicia. Brad is still hoping...

No Christmas Card

2010-12-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

So, it is now 4 days before Christmas and I am just not going to be sending out a card this year. I am so sorry. I have loved receiving all your cards, especially the pictures! I love to see how your kids have grown. Just wanted you all to know I didn't forget you, I just didn't get to them. Thanks for remembering us!

Brad's first soccer season!

2010-10-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Not afraid to get down and dirty!

Brad is so fun to watch. He definitely has an idea of what the game of soccer is! I think it has something to do with the number of hours we have spent at Bryce's soccer practices and games over the last four years. Brad is not afraid to get in there and kick the ball. He knows that a defender's goal is to get the ball back to the offense and that a goalie actually pays attention to the game and tries to stop the ball. Here are some shots I took from his practice game last night. Notice the smile on his face!

Goalie

The breakaway! Go Brad GO!

Soccer Days

2010-10-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

My favorite sport to watch Bryce play is soccer. I love to see the concentration on his face or the reward he feels when he has made a good play. This year he has really developed his skills as the "sweeper". He is great at defense and feels really good about it.

Pack Family Visits

2010-10-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Have I said how much my kids LOVE having cousins come to visit!!! Well I think this explains it all: We have been blessed to have the Pack family come and visit us from UT for the last 5 days and yesterday as we waved while they were driving away I said to Brad "Well that was so lucky to have our cousins come and visit, huh?" He answered with a smile and then said "Just one bad thing" I said "What?" He said "They had to go home!" So sweet...

They arrived Thursday and the boys and I met them in the city Friday for dinner. I took Bryce and Brad over on the Ferry. It was fun! Then we took them to one of my favorite spots - Baker Beach! The kids were in heaven!

This was Brad's second set of dry clothes. We told him not to go anywhere near the water because we didn't have anything else he could wear home (He had nothing on under his sweatshirt or his brothers jeans). He just couldn't do it. About 5 min of watching the waves and he was back in them. He rode home in Denten's scrub top with nothing on underneath. He was wearing a big smile though!

Six Flags

We also spent a day at six flags and a morning at the JellyBelly Factory. Thanks for the visit guys!

Oakland Zoo with Nathan!

2010-09-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am so glad Bradley is at Noah's Ark preschool. It had been 6 lonely months when his best buddies Tyler and Jon moved to St. Thomas. Now he has lots of new buddies at preschool! (He never forgets abut Ty and Jon though - we love you guys! Halloween party at our house, right??) Yesterday we went to the zoo with his new buddy Nathan! It was a really fun day.

Brad got to visit his favorite animals...Zebras!!! Then he asked if I could make him a Zebra costume. I think he thinks he might be able to get a little closer if he looks like them.

And rides too!!! What an awesome day!

Great idea Mindy! So glad they are buddies.

Sam!

2010-09-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

Once again we were able to host a UK soccer player for a few weeks. This year Sam stayed with us! It is so fun to get to know these young men. In my eyes, Sam fit right in with our family. He was willing to sit and play legos with the boys, join in with family games such as kick ball in the backyard (yes we have a small diamond), played the WII with the boys and loved Reeces (which he said they don't have in the UK). Once again we were sad to see Sam go. Bryce even drew him a picture and wrote him a letter after his next soccer game to let him know he missed him. Really sweet.

We miss you Sam!

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Bryce is a big 2nd grader!!! He was up early Wed. morning ready to start the day. Excited to see what friends were in his class and what his new teacher was like.

Here is Bryce in his new classroom. Room 13. Mrs. Schmitt/Mrs. Edley.

And here is Bradley. Four years old. His first day of preschool at Noah's Ark! He was so excited to have his own school and classroom. He loves all the fun things they do at school. He participates in everything! His first couple of times he spent his morning with the playdough. The next big deal were the blocks and large legos. They always have an art project set up and that is a big hit too! So many fun things. We love it!

I think it was harder for me to leave him the first day, than it was for him to stay without me!

Boy do we MISS Bryce!!!

2010-08-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

Bryce started school last Wed. Today was Brad's first day of Preschool which was just an open house. So our day started with dropping Bryce off at school, going to Brad's preschool together, returning home to read several books several times, eating lunch, playing race car lego game, having arts and crafts time and now practicing letters together! I even have an escort to the bathroom!!! Boy do we miss you Bryce!

Beautiful St. Thomas!!!

2010-08-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Denten and Bryce spent hours every day snorkeling and exploring a new beach. This was Bryces first time and he was out there for 5 hours. The morning we left, he had Denten in the water at 7:30am and they swam for over two miles! Denten was exhausted. Bryce didn't want to come in. They saw Rays, Sea Snakes, all sorts of tropical fish. Found amazing shells. It was perfect for them.

Yes those are tropical fish Brad is feeding a cracker too. You walk into the water and there are beautiful yellow, blue, purple, etc fish swimming at your feet!!!

It was just amazing. We planned on spending a couple hours and stayed the WHOLE day. We definitely were on Island time.

Then we rode bumper boats that had squirters on them for over an hour, because the workers were on Island time and the 5 min. ride turned into that long. Bradley laughed the whole time.

Buddies!!

I would never have guessed the kids would have gotten along as perfectly as they did. This was outside of Coral Word (an aquarium) where we fed sting rays, petted sharks, saw a sea lion paint about 2 inches away, saw giant iguanas, beautiful sea turtles, went in the underground observatory and ate ice cream!!

Hiking in St. John down to our private beach. I wish I knew how to post more pictures in one posting.

Some of our other experiences were:
a native carnival which included the conga, a lady dancing on stilts, a glass walking, fire breathing limbo man and lots of dancing;
shopping in downtown - we gave each boy $10 to spend and they found lots of treasures!
attending the local branch for church
tie dying t-shirts
swimming in the pool daily
pool games
driving on the left side of the rode in a jeep with no seat belt
finding sea shells
giant hermit crabs
two birthday cakes - Happy Birthday John and Ty!
Spending time with best friends!!!

It is actually MORE beautiful and amazing than the pictures show - if you can believe that! I have never been to a place like this before. There are some perks to having good friends living in tropical places! Although we would rather have you here in Benicia with us EVERY day! Thank you for the amazing trip! Can't wait to go back!

More St. Thomas Pics

2010-08-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist!

Bisk family tackle San Francisco!

2010-07-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

It was a BUSY two days, but we did it and the kids were troopers!!! Brian found a way to get us over to Alcatraz. We rode the double decker bus. Walked through China town. Visited the Chinese markets: specialties - Large Toads, Eels and Poisonous fish skinned. Rode the Trolley Cars (heard their ding - love you Twi!). Bryce LOVED the trolley cars. Visited the Chocolate Factory, the Bush Man (there are more than one now!), ate sourdough bread, walked across Golden Gate Bridge----We were BUSY!!! I am exhausted remembering it. But it sure was fun to see Carter, Jake and Brandon!! Once again, my boys sure do LOVE their cousins. I was glad that Brian and Twila were able to see cute little Benicia and what our life is like in the Bay Area. Thanks for the visit guys!

Exhausted!!!

But happy.

UK Soccer Camp

2010-07-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Both boys got to go to soccer camp this year! We had Harvey stay at our house and enjoyed his visit!
Brad and his friend Daniel

Bryce and Harvey

Well Done Bryce!

Brad with his cute coach Samantha.

Friends

2010-07-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

We also had some amazing visits with BYU friends. It is hard to believe Denten and I left Provo 10 years ago! Those sure were magical times. Thanks for the visit Kyrsten and Steve. I can't believe I don't have a picture to post. And how fun to get together with old roommates. Dinner with Monica, Amber and families.

Catching Frogs!
They got along so great! It was fun.

Being crazy.

And then my camera died. I was so sad. I hate when that happens.

Eldredge Family Reunion!!

2010-07-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

The whole clan! It was a quick trip, but boy was it worth it!

Crawfish!

Loving the boat!

Tubing!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Cousins visit- Aija and Macay!!

2010-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than having cousins visit. Thanks for coming out Aija and Macay!!

We didn't have too much time with them, but we loved the time we had!

Grandma and Grandpa Bisks House

2010-06-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

My kids think my parents live in paradise! What could be better: a pool in the backyard, the beach 10 min. away, Disneyland 40 min. away, ice skating 15 min. away, more beaches, children's museums and best of all...Grandma and Grandpa there to think everything they do is perfect! My kids LOVE their time at the Bisk Hotel! We love you Grandma and Grandpa!That is Bradley in the top of the tree. Bryce is in there somewhere too. It is so funny to take Bradley places because he is an amazing climber (on anything) and I always have concerned parents coming to tell me that my son needs help. Then I call out "Brad, are you OK? Do you need me?" And Brad responds "DON'T COME MOM!!!" These concerned parents think I am nuts! Maybe I am...he loves it though!

Bryce requested we go ice skating this time.

Bradley enjoying himself at Noah's Ark, Skirball Children's Museum. It was amazing. So unique. I loved this children's museum as much as the kids. So worth it!

Brad in the pool. Both boys are water boys now. Bryce is a true swimmer!!! (Patients does pay off...) Brad has no problem swimming under the water and is working on big arms. He can stay in forever!

Bryce is great at finding treasures in the tide pools! I didn't get any great pictures, but you get the idea.

Finally an update...

2010-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

...unfortunately no pictures. I have the cutest pictures, but my computer won't upload them...ugh! Anyway, here is the recap of the last six months!

Thanksgiving was spent in LA with cousins! They kids spent most of the time in the pool. Yes the pool the end of November. It was amazing. Southern Cal is really that wonderful! Awesome Thanksgiving dinner of course and a quick trip to LEGOland then home.

Christmas was super busy and full of surprises including the one on Christmas Eve from my bishop when he asked me to be the YW President. Little did I know what that truly would mean. Christmas Eve was spent with Grandma and Grandpa Bisk and cousins Mike and Debbie Wirth. It was great! Yummy food, great company, talked, played games, opened a present or too, built the anticipation...Christmas Day was perfect! (At least that is how I remember it now). The kids were happy which means the parents are happy. Our first Christmas in our home. It was great!

January - Denten and Bryce took a special trip to UT to go Ice Fishing. Bryce was so excited to have a special trip with Dad and had the best time! Brad was left home with Mom but we managed to have an awesome time too with a special trip to Monterey with his best buddies John and Ty and we even slept in a hotel room with them! Super fun and unforgettable.

The next few months kind of blended together for me. YW has been more work than I could have imagined, but I am grateful for all I have learned and for the opportunity I have to be involved with the girls. Denten has spent the last 3 months coaching Bryce's little league team (with awesome help - 3 great other coaches). Yes, they were the Red Sox and we just had the last game yesterday and it truly was amazing how much they improved. Brad started gymnastics. Loved the first day, but I think he could take it or leave it. He really likes swinging on the rope, which they don't do very often.

March - Bryce turned 7 with an unforgettable LEGO Race Car party thanks to dad building a cool ramp in the backyard. Brad's best friends and my favorite girlfriend moved to St. Thomas. So sad and has been since they left. It is so magical to find a friend who you love, parent your children similarly, kids play well together, who you can call at a drop of a hat to do anything with you and they will say yes and I can't tell you how much Brad and I miss them. Our days are not the same. Best of luck Days! You will always be in our hearts!

April - Brad turned 4 and is super excited to be 4. Can't believe my baby is 4...He had a super fun Pirate party. We hunted for gold coins, walked the plank, made treasure boxes with jewels, made pirate hats, tried to play a dice game, it was fun.

May - Denten and I took a trip to Boston, MA by ourselves!!! It was 5 days on our own and it was great. Grandma and Grandpa Bisk stayed with the boys and what made the trip for me was every time I called home the boys were happy! Therefore, I was happy. Thanks Mom! Denten's dream came true as we entered Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play the Yankees and Red Sox won! Boston was truly magical though. All that history (and I don't really even like history) but when you are there, it is truely amazing. I loved the sidewalks! ALL brick! I loved the ducks! I love children's literature. I loved the shopping (without kids). Most of all I loved being with my husband without any interruptions (except the conference he spent the last two days at) and seeing his face and feeling his excitement as we went to the baseball games. Babe I love you and think you are truly amazing. You have worked so hard and achieved so much!

June - Bryce graduated from 1st grade! He has worked so hard this year and has been such a joy! Truly. He is my rule follower and at times so difficult, but as I have watched him learn and grow this year, I feel truly blessed as a mother to have such a wonderful boy to take care of. He always tries his hardest wanting to please everybody and follow all the rules. He is nice to everyone at school, even the kids who are not kind back (such an example). He gets along with everyone. He takes care of himself. He has learned how to read, count money, add, subtract, write stories, spell words and is also very sensitive. When you have had a hard day you can count on and "I love you" note next to your bed. I love you Bryce and am so proud of how hard you have worked this year! Can't wait to spend the summer with you!

Bradley - has a mind of his own now. He was by far an easier child up to this point. I could take him anywhere and do anything and now all of a sudden, this little boy has an opinion! He is FUN! He can always make me laugh. Kids like him. He can play just about anything with anybody and now he can do the monkey bars too! His latest accomplishment. He loves to be home which makes me happy to know it is a place he feels safe, comfortable and happy. I have kept him home longer than I did with Bryce. I think mostly because I know he is my last and I don't want him to get bigger (but I love seeing him get bigger, smarter, stronger, etc too). He will start preschool in the fall and is so excited to have his own school. He LOVES his big brother and misses him everyday when he goes to school even though they don't always manage to get along when he gets home. Every time we drive by Bryce's school when school is in session Brad says "Hi Bryce. Hope you are having a fun day! I miss you. See you soon!" It is very sweet.

I am one lucky Mommy to have two wonderful boys and a wonderful husband!

And for those of you wondering, Denten has recovered great! He has a couple of scars that most of us don't even notice, but we have been so blessed for a full and speedy recovery.

California Redwoods

2010-05-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our family had an awesome experience of going to help prepare the new Young Womens Camp in what was called a "Work Weekend". Denten worked, the boys and I played. Denten had a great time too and we were able to get to know someother great people in the stake better. There even was a cook that prepared all our meals and took care of all our dishes, so it really was a vacation!

Boston!!!

2010-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Denten's dream came true! He watched the Red Sox play the Yankees in Fenway Park and the Red Sox won!!!! He was one happy camper. It was a terrific weekend. I loved Boston. It felt like I was on a movie set. Cobblestone sidewalk, old churches on every corner, beautiful parks, great tours of history, great shopping, great food...AMAZING Company! I love you babe!

Playdate Sniffles...

2009-11-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

What's better than playing geotrax when you aren't feeling 100%? Playing Geotrax with friends who don't feel 100% either! What a fun afternoon...with the sniffles.

Halloween 2009: One Vampire and one Ghost...

2009-11-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here are our scary ghost and vampire. Thanks to Grandma, we had some awesome homemade costumes.

The Vampire in deep thought.

Dad and his missing brain from the accident...

Carving pumpkins with the Days Halloween Day...

Yuck! I think 3 is the magic age that they start to remember things. It was so much fun to watch Brad and his buddies experience carving their pumpkins.

The results.

The bobbing for apples demo.

Kids turn. Bradley passed on this activity. He couldn't see why someone would want to do this for an apple.

Doughnuts on a string! The kids had fun - Bryce was the most determined and managed to eat his whole doughnut with no hands.

And then of course, the adults didn't want to get left out of this activity. I came in a close second. Rematch next year!

The crew all dressed and ready to "Trick or Treat"! One ghost, one vampire, one Uno card and one monster. It was so cute to see them race from house to house. They had a great time. After about the third house Bradley exclaimed "Oh Boy, I've got joy!". We couldn't help but laugh.

One picture partaking of the candy.

The loot!

Our scary experience...

2009-10-27T16:57:00.001-07:00

Denten won't let me post a picture, but I thought I would share the story. Saturday evening Denten was planning on taking me into the city for dinner and to see Wicked. I think we were both excited for the evening together. After helping a family in the ward move most of the day, Denten borrowed a ladder and decided to clean our rain gutters. That is when our night changed. He had been on the roof for about 1 1/2 hours and was just starting down the ladder to clean up for our evening, when...

THE LADDER KICKED OUT FROM UNDER HIM AND HE FELL 15 FEET, HITTING THE FIRST STORY AND THEN LANDING ON THE CONCRETE GROUND ON HIS FACE!!!!

It was the scariest day of my life! For once I was on the other side. The one who was suppose to be calm, but I wasn't. He called for me and I ran outside to find him hosing his face off and blood was EVERYWHERE!! He told me to stop crying everything was going to be okay and get him a towel. I followed directions best I could and he walked inside to the bathroom, lied down in the bathtub and started running the water over his head and hand to clean the wounds. He then said, call a friend, I won't be able to go to the show with you tonight. And then call 911. I didn't call a friend to go to the show, I had my own show going on right in front of me, but I did call 911. The fire department and ambulance arrived within minutes along with my awesome cousin Debbie and her husband Mike to watch the boys. To see your husband strapped to a gurney with a neck brace and blood all over his face is the most frightening thing you could imagine. The ambulance took their "trauma" patient (my husband), to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek (a hospital I already knew all too well), and rushed him into x-rays. Amazingly, Denten only broke his nose in two places, broke his jaw, road rash on most of his right side of his face, lacerated his right hand so they had to repair muscle, fat and skin and just has minor cuts in various places. Yes, after calling my amazing Mom and my long-time, close friend Kristin (THANK YOU!) and crying on her shoulder, I found out he was going to be okay. He spent the next two nights and two days in the hospital and was released with strict orders to stay down for one week. It is only Tuesday and he is doing amazingly well. (Oh and Thank you to Brigham too who gave up his birthday evening to come and give Denten a blessing with his brother). We have had so many thoughtful visitors, calls, flowers, good deeds, cards, etc. it has truly been an overwhelming experience. Thank you to everyone! We are on the mend...

Cheers!

2009-10-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

At dinner last night, the boys ordered rootbeer and when the waitress brought it out, Bryce said "Bradley, Cheers!". It was so cute. All the tables around us were smiling. Thanks for sharing your British traditions with us Jay! The kids remember.

An ALL Boy Weekend - plus Mom!

2009-10-18T16:12:00.001-07:00

Stargazing...

Creating...

Exploring...

Climbing...

Catching creatures...

Mom was there too...

Trains...

Throwing rocks in the lake...

Swimming in the cold water...

Hot dog roast...

And even Smores!!!

Thanks to Paul and Annie for letting us have a fun weekend together as a family!

Grandma and Grandpa Eldredge

2009-10-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the visit. It was fun to see you again.

Goodbye Butterflies!

2009-10-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

A few tears were shed as we said good bye to our butterflies. It was so fun to watch them change from caterpillars to chrysalis to butterflies. All 5 made it! Thanks Grandma!

I Miss My Husband!

2009-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Bradley is feeling better (or at least I refuse to stay home any longer) and we had a somewhat normal day. It started with dropping Bryce off at school, then taking Bradley to music, and then off to Scandia so Bradley could climb with friends and I could chat with friends. After returning home and doing a few things, it was off to pick up Bryce, do homework, have a snack, a little unwinding time and then make dinner. That is when the all to familiar call came..."Sorry honey, I have 14 more charts to do so I won't be home for a while". I should be so happy that he is busy (and I am), but I sure do MISS YOU BABE!!!! So after dinner the boys rode their scooters down to the park to fill up time and exert a little energy. Now it is time to read books and get in bed. Another day--thanks for working hard Babe and I hope to see you soon!

Housebound...ugh...

2009-10-07T12:03:00.001-07:00

I have been blessed to have really healthy kids most of the time, but beginning last Wednesday, Bradley has been sick. He had a temperature for 4 days and it has now turned into a nasty sounding cough. Needless to say, we have been pretty isolated. He also has been wanting to be held constantly. Somedays, I would give anything to have him want me to hold him, but after 8 days of holding him, reading books and watching cartoons, it has really worn on me. Actually, he is getting better and things are finally looking up, which is why I think I can write about it, but I am definitely not a person who enjoys spending endless hours at home. Our usual schedule goes like this:
6:30 AM Bryce wakes up
6:45 AM I stop fighting the desire to go back to sleep and get up
7AM Go for a quick run with Bryce (He has actually become a fun little running partner. He talks the entire time which makes the run go by very quickly and I think he really enjoys the one-on-one time he gave up 3 years ago when his little brother was born.)
7:30AM Make Breakfast and lunches
8AM Quick Shower
8:20AM Take Bryce to school
8:40AM Finish getting ready and take Bradley to his morning activity
9:30AM Play tennis (My new favorite hobby!) or run errands
11:30AM Pick Bradley up and run errands or go to the park and eat lunch
2:53PM Pick Bryce up from school
3:10PM Begin homework
3:30PM Kids get a snack and then play. I clean and do dishes.
5 PM or so depending on day take Bryce to his afternoon activity
6:30PM Eat dinner and begin bedtime routine
8PM Lights out for kids!
As you can see, not much of this time is spent at home usually. Although I am grateful for the beautiful home I have, I would much rather be outdoors with friends. I am so grateful to all my friends!---I miss spending time with you guys! Hopefully we will be back in the routine again soon.

Our house guest Jay!

2009-10-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

So I decided I didn't need to be "Team Mom" again, although it was hard not to raise my hand when Bryce's soccer coach needed a volunteer...instead, I decided it would be easier to host a UK soccer player for a week. So Sunday night, Jay showed up. We were all excited and a little nervous because we didn't know what to expect. The first 3-4 days were a little awkward for everyone (I think), but by Saturday, we were so sad he was going to be leaving us, I requested to have him stay for another week. Unfortunately he had another house already arranged, so we said our good-byes, and our friendly house guest with the cute British accent left us. Two days later we found out he would be coming back the following week. We were so excited. So now tomorrow, we will say our good-byes again as he heads back to the UK -- we are so sad to see him go. What a polite young man! Jay always had a smile on his face, was friendly to everyone, answered my endless number of questions, (even endured an evening with the Young Women from church as they giggled and asked him questions,) played the Wii with Bradley whenever asked, shared his love of soccer with our family, reminded me of all the good people that are out in the world and that there is so much more in the world to explore. I am so glad we were able to share a few of our favorite things with you - drive in movies, The Cheesecake Factory, In-n-Out, American Sports, etc and wish we could have shared more. Thank you for staying with us JAY! We will miss you!
Bryce even had the opportunity of attending a little skills camp with Jay and two other UK soccer players. They were all so encouraging to Bryce. He had an awesome time and will miss the Friday night sessions. Best of luck guys!

Missing Teeth

2009-10-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

The count is up to 6! Four on the top and two on the bottom. Cute as ever though.

Fall Sports

2009-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

The boys have been busy: After watching Bryce play tennis this summer and practicing his skills on the Wii, Bradley wanted a turn too! And he is AWESOME! He is the youngest in the class (because I had to beg to let him join because he was supose to be 3 1/2), but seems to hang in there. It is really fun to watch and the coach is cute with the kids.

Bryce is playing soccer and LOVING it! This is the first sport he is still excited for every practice. I love watching him and seeing his progress.

Sacramento Gold Rush Days

2009-09-07T19:38:00.001-07:00

This was our first time attending Sacramento's Gold Rush Days and we had the best time! This kids painted with Tom Sawyer.

We rode in a REAL stage coach pulled by horses.

All of Old Town Sacramento was turned into the Gold Rush Days. There were gun fights in the streets, cannons being shot off, soldiers in suit, etc. It was awesome!

Brad sharing his candy.

Bryce making a rope.
We met up with our old friends the Marcheschi's who just moved to Sacramento and we are so excited they are close. They have three of the cutest girls! These are all the kids panning for gold. Then they took their nuggets and it was weighed and they were given a certificate.Isn't she so cute! It was fun to watch a little girl during the day.
This nice gentleman entertained all our kids for about an hour with his balloon making expertise.

And we finished off our awesome day with a ride on a REAL steam engine! This was the highlight for Brad for sure. I think the Marcheschi kids enjoyed it too. They had big smiles. And us parents were glad to sit down for 30 min.Thanks for the fun day! We will remember this one for a long time.

Third missing tooth...

2009-09-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Look at those brave eyes...just as we were leaving for Church this morning, Bryce's top tooth came out. He didn't even shed a tear, but had a hard time choking down the blood during the beginning of sacrament meeting. He seems so grown up. I feel like two weeks ago I took my little guy to school and when I picked him up he had changed. He was all grown up. He explained his homework to me on the way home from school and helped his brother get a snack and then encouraged his hesitant brother gain a little bit of confidence before his first swimming lesson. And it has continued over the past two weeks. I keep waiting for him to go back, but he hasn't. I am so impressed. He is such a great kid! I am so grateful he is in our family.

Our handsome Knight

2009-09-07T19:28:00.001-07:00

Brad found a Halloween costume! I think I like it more than him. He still wants to be a ghost...

Joy School

2009-09-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Our house was the first place for Joy School to be held and initially Bradley was not too excited to have preschool at his house. He wanted a "School Building". I felt so bad. As a parent you always want a new experience to be just right. The first day was a little rocky, but the second day we met the kids had a great time. They loved singing the songs, reading stories, doing art projects, playing with Brad's homemade playdough (which he was very proud of) and of course, free play. It is fun to see the kids interact and get excited to share a special story with you (as the teacher). We will see how Brad does this week when it is at someone else's home.

Bradley's first swimming lesson

2009-08-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

After a summer in the water, I decided I would sign Bradley (3 years old) up for swimming lessons. Shortly before going to lessons, Bradley drew "Zebra Stripes" on his arms and legs. Zebra's are currently his favorite animals. Here are some pictures of the first day.

After his lesson, I asked him why he didn't want to stay in the water. Brad said "Because I didn't want my Zebra stripes to wash away!" What can you say to that?

First Grade!

2009-08-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Bryce is a first grader now! I can't believe it. He is really growing up. I was so sad the first day of school to leave him knowing he would be gone the whole day! "What if he..." thoughts ran through my head the whole day, but when I picked him up he was just as happy as when I had left him that morning. What a strange feeling to not be needed by my child. Of course that is an exaggeration, but really, he can do just fine without me most of the time now.

Our Summer - Part 3 - August

2009-08-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to head back down to LA for one more week with our Canadian cousins where we spent most of our days in the pool or at the beach.

We had a great time and miss our lazy summer days!

Our Summer...Part 2 - July

2009-08-23T15:03:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July with our favorite local team - Go Giants!

Then we headed down to LA to see Grandma and Grandpa Bisk, Twila, Carter, Jake, Brandon and Aija. We loved our Southern California beach days!

We even were able to enjoy an awesome day at the tide pools with our Canadian cousins - Josh, Marlee, Taylor and Nick.

We reluclently left our cousins in LA and went home. We were so excited to see Daddy though! Bryce had one week of Lego camp and learned how to build legos with a motor - he made airplanes, cars and even a remote control car. Bradley enjoyed a week at soccer camp and came home with some fun sayings: "You're totally wicked, Mom!"

Our Summer...part one - June

2009-08-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

We had quite a busy, fun summer and it all went by so quickly!

It started with a move into our new house. It is so beautiful, I feel so blessed. It has been so fun to put things away and acquire furniture and really make it feel like our own home. (We are so lucky to have such great friends who are willing to share with us!)

We love our little town, Benicia and feel so lucky to have found this little community that is so family oriented and has so much to offer. It has already been so good to us, I am excited to know we will be here for a long time.

We went on a long drive to Utah for a nephew's Wedding and had a great time visiting with family. I had forgotten how beautiful Utah is in the summer! We even made time for a day of boating on the lake, shopping and a rodeo!

Six Flags

2009-05-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

Our family needed a break - so we went to Six Flags Discovery Kindgom (which happens to be about 10 miles from our house). We had a great time.

I love this animal! It is so beautiful to watch. It was Bryce's favorite too!

Bradley loved the dolphins.

Bradley convinced Bryce to go on a couple of rides with him. Bradley loves the rides, but is a little hesitant to go by himself. Bryce was a great big brother and went even though he knew his tummy wouldn't hold out too long. What a trooper!

Another fun day! Can't wait to go back again. Bryce wants to go on an elephant ride and Bradley wants to feed the dolphins!

End of Year - Music Class

2009-05-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Once a week the boys have been going to a little music class and at the end of the year the kids did their class at night so that Dad's could come and watch. I was forsure that both kids would be really shy. Boy, was I wrong! Bradley was so fun to watch. The pictures don't give his personality justice, but you get the idea. Bryce was a little hesitant at first, but was having a good time by the end too. Wish I had my video camera this time!

Bradley the Boxer!

2009-05-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ever since we got a Wii for Christmas, Bradley has loved boxing! So for his birthday we gave him his very own punching bag and boxing gloves. It is so cute to watch! He insists on wearing underwear only (his boxing shorts) and a good round is always followed by a "knock-out"!

Bradley's Bowling Birthday Party at Humpty Dumpty Park

2009-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Bradley had a great birthday at his favorite park: the "Humpty Dumpty Park". All his best pals came. He even had special guests all the way from LA - Grandma and Granpa Bisk! His eyes lit up when they arrived. We brought some extra big bowling pins (that I think I was too busy setting up constantly so we didn't get any pictures of - not one of my best ideas, but the kids had fun) to play with and ate a lot of yummy food.

I love Sophie in all her cute hats!

Look at that face! John knows how to have a good time!

Brad looks happy. . .Mom is too! Can't believe my baby is 3 years old!

Spring Update

2009-05-18T18:07:00.001-07:00

Bryce is 6 years old now! He had a "Spy" party that was a lot of fun. He is finishing up Kindergarten and excited to go into first grade and have his own desk! He has lost his first tooth and learned how to ride a two wheel bike like a pro. He played basketball during the winter and is now finishing up his t-ball season. He continues to be a very creative, hands on kid that keeps me on my toes. He has a big heart and loves a good hug. He is a good big brother and is patient with Bradley.

Bradley is 3 years old! He loves bowling, boxing and lightening mcqueen. He is a big boy wearing big boy underwear and still trying to keep up with his brother the best he can. He is so much fun! You never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Recently I took him to the doctor for his 3 year old check up. He cried the entire visit! The next day I was holding him and he looked up at me and said "Remember yesterday, when we went to the doctor and she gave me a shot?" I said "Yes". Then he said "She gave me a shot and hurt me and you just held me and let her hurt me!" That was definately NOT a parenting highlight.

Hope you are all doing well and getting excited for a great summer. Bryce is looking forward to tennis and lego camp while Bradley is going to try his first classes and do a soccer camp. Both boys love the outdoors. We had a great time camping with some friends at New Brighton Beach and they enjoyed the father son campout with Dad. We hope to be able to do a lot more camping this summer. We also hope to be able to have some good beach days. We sure do miss our Pacifica beaches!

Hanukkah too!

2008-12-31T21:52:00.000-08:00

And yes, we did Hanukkah too! Grandpa led us in a great game of dreidel.

Bryce lighting the candles. We did all eight nights in one night. Also, I forgot the Hanukkah candles so we had to improvise with birthday candles.

Bradley's turn.

Noisy guns. Thank goodness we did Hanukkah on our last night up there.

We had delicious potato pancakes!

Our Christmas in Dutch Flat

2008-12-31T21:44:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed. We were able to share a white Christmas away from home with Grandma and Grandpa Bisk. It was a busy few days, but so much fun. Bryce loved the snow. He was outside as much as he could be and if anyone tried to make their way outside, he was right there with a snowball.

Bradley and their snowman.

Grandma Bisk giving loves.

Merry Christmas from the Eldredge Family!

Santa's 3rd Visit

2008-12-31T21:42:00.001-08:00

Santa even made it to Cherubs, their music class.

Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-31T21:39:00.001-08:00

Bradley's first day of Preschool

2008-12-31T21:34:00.000-08:00

Bradley was so excited and insisted on wearing his backpack (even though they don't bring a snack). The letter of the week was "L", so Bradley brought "Lady" and "Lightening McQueen".

Santa visit number TWO

2008-12-31T21:27:00.001-08:00

So our little town of Benicia has a big Christmas party every year. They close down first street and the stores hand out free goodies: Hot Chocolate, Cookies, Candy, Popcorn, etc. The High School band plays music. There is a big lighting of the tree at the end of the street on the water and there are dancing/singing elves and of course, Santa comes. I missed the picture when Santa gave Bryce a hug, but you get the idea.

We ran into lots of friends. This is Bryce with his friend Jenna from his Kindergarten class. They had set up a meeting place and everything. It was really cute.

Bradley smiling. Someone must have been offering him another treat.

Bryce dancing with my cousin Debbie and her husband Mike. Bryce had the best time on Mike's shoulders and he was a real trooper.

Bryce and Debbie driving an old firetruck. Bryce didn't want to get down.

I love Benicia!

December 2008

2008-12-31T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had as great of a month as we did. The kids had lots of fun activities to enjoy. Here are some pictures from some of our favorites.
Bradley and his best friend Celeste. They are really cute together and he is very possessive of her.

Bryce and Madelyn. A Shepherd and an angel.

The Shepherd in action.

Our first visit from Santa this year took place at our Ward Christmas party. The boys were super excited. Bryce told Santa he would like a Nintendo DS like his cousin Brandon.

Bradley told Santa he would like a yellow airplane that can fly.

Dutch Flats

2008-09-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our kind friends Paul and Annie, our family was able to take a little break from our hectic lives and escape to enjoy our family and the beauty of the mountains. Unfortunately, my camera battery died, but I did get a couple of pictures of the kids playing with Paul's trains. Bradley was so happy, he started calling their house his house and saying he was going to "stay at my house".

Fall Fun

2008-09-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures of the kids gearing up for Halloween. Which costume,hmmm??

First Day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

It is funny how you wait for something to come and then when it comes, you don't feel ready. That is how I felt today. Bryce was so excited for his first day of kindergarten. He was up and dressed in his new outfit at 7am. He is a late bird, so it was a long wait till 11:10 when Kindergarten finally started. I on the other hand, when it came right down to it, hesitated when it was time to load up the car. I am really proud of him and think he will have a really great year.

End of Summer Fun

2008-08-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

We made it through our hectic summer. I think we are all glad it is finally coming to an end. I am excited for a schedule again! (Sounds crazy, but I really function better with a planned out day). A couple of pictures I wanted to share.

Bryce made his own transformer costume!

"The Office"

2008-07-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

So after many long days, here is "the office"! There is still a lot of work to be done, so don't be too critical!

Reception area.

Room 1

Room 2

Cabinets.

So the office has 5 exam rooms and we would love to fill all the chairs, so anyone who needs any foot work done - I know a great podiatrist! He is very friendly and gentle.

It's Great to Have Friends

2008-07-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Recently we were able to visit a good friend, catch up, and enjoy our children together. My kids were in heaven. They have a zip line in the back yard that was a HUGE hit (Bryce says, "Someday Mom, can we have a zip line in our back yard? I really liked it.). Next to their house they have a little stream that we went "fishing" at. It was so fun to be around friends and to see our kids interact. I remember her kids when they were only one, and now they are seven. Wow! Anyway, thanks for the amazing afternoon! What a little boys dream: to be accepted among the big guys, hang on a flying rope, and get dirty by a stream.
Bradley flying high! I love the big eyes. He loves an adventure!
Bryce going for the 20 + time.
Bryce (5), Cole (7), Travis (7) are going fishing.
Bradley "Yook Mommy - a fish! Oh Man, missed!"
I love this picture! I think it is so cute!

Family picture

2008-07-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I finally have a family picture to post. It seems like I am always taking pictures of the kids, but Denten and I are not usually in them, so I was really excited when our good friend Jill emailed this picture from a recent get-together! Thanks for the fun party and picture Jill!

Our New Life

2008-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

When Denten finished residency, I wasn't really expecting things to change too much. I was hoping for a bigger pay check, but the student loan bills came too, so that hasn't made much difference. But it really is so nice! I finally feel like a real family. Denten goes to work from about 7am-6pm everyday. A normal schedule!!! I love it. We eat dinner together, go on family walks, take the kids to the park as a family. I finally have my best friend back again. So there are lots of new stresses, mostly having to do with insurance billing, but I am really happy. My mom has been flying up to watch the boys on Thurs and Fri so I can work in Denten's office until he finds more help and I have loved it! It has been so fun to watch him with the patients and actually see him do some work. He does a great job. I am really proud of him. And to my surprise, I really like working in the office and with him! I miss the kids (even though they don't miss me since they are with their grandma), but enjoy the break from home and interaction with adults. I think Grandma is getting a little worn out and Denten has a good applicant to pursue, but I have really enjoyed the time spent with him. I don't want to let it go, so I told him I would be his office manager and do his billing (from home), payroll, supplies, etc. I am excited! Just wanted to give everyone a little update that life is good. Hope you are all doing well too!

What they love most

2008-07-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here are my boys doing what they like to do most. Bryce=creating something and Bradley=eating something sweet!

Blessings...

2008-07-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

One more post for the day -

So lately things have been very unpredictable and stressful. I try my best to "roll with the punches" but being the planner I am, it is very difficult for me to do. So this week on top of the regular stuff, Bradley started to get sick on Tues. By Wed. we decided it was strep and Dr. Eldredge phoned in his first prescription (blessing one - having a doctor in the house). Denten was all smiles from phoning in the prescription, while I looked at my sad motionless 2 year old who always has a smile and it was missing, it just broke my heart. Also on Wed., Denten decided I should answer the office phone from home since it is his wound care day and no one would be in the office to answer the phone. I was skeptical, but went along with it. By 3:30pm I was at my limit, totally loosing it when I found out the cabinet makers were coming for dinner. I wanted to scream, but I took a deep breath and said, sure what time. As I held my baby who was unable to swallow anything and tried to think what I could make without going to the store, the phone rang with a patient trying to schedule an appointment and at that moment I had had enough!

Now today, the Fourth of July, we had been planning on attending a series of activities here in Benicia so when Bradley woke up and was feeling better (still can't swallow anything but at least no temp) I was starting to smile again... when I learned Denten had been throwing up all night and then a cry from the other room as Bryce ran to the bathroom to throw up. So my three guys are currently resting in the family room together and I for the first time in I don't know how long, actually feel relieved! I am so sorry they are not feeling well, but I don't have to do anything for anyone at this exact minute. It is the best feeling I have had in a long time. Selfish maybe, but much needed. I love being a wife and mother and would never give it up! I hope you guys get better real soon, but I am thankful for the hidden blessing of having 3 guys wiped out and a few moments to myself.

Benicia, our new home!

2008-07-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

We finally made it! We were sad to leave Pacifica and all our good friends we had made there. We were also sad to leave our loved beach days that we did regularly living only a couple of miles from the sandy shore.

We have however welcomed our new home and have loved every minute of it. It is such a cute town! Everyone is friendly and warm. We have enjoyed our new parks, library, farmers market, pool, bike rides, walks at the marina and close location to the jelly belly factory. Denten's office is currently undergoing a remodel that has been extremely stressful to say the least and we are trying to figure out how to run a business, but all of the doctors in town have been very welcoming and friendly and the patients too.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids cooling off during the hot weather. I will try and take some more pictures soon so you can all see how much Benicia has to offer!

Our Preschool Graduate!

2008-07-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

It was quite the elaborate preschool graduation I thought, but we had a great time. I had to take a big swallow not to shed some tears on the way to school, but I know Bryce is ready for a change. We are proud parents and have enjoyed him develop over the last two years while in preschool and look forward to the positive changes in the years ahead!

Some fun pictures

2008-05-28T23:21:00.001-07:00

So these are my favorite guys...
We try to have a good time!

Bradley is 2!!

2008-05-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

We combined Brad's two favorite things at the age of two and had a train themed birthday at the beach with a sandcastle birthday cake! It was a very cold beach day, but we still had a good time and I think Bradley knew it was a special day for him!

T-Ball 2008

2008-05-28T23:02:00.001-07:00

Denten has fulfilled one of his dreams, to watch his son play baseball. It has actually been really fun. It is so cute to see him swing the bat and run to base. (He is the runner on first in case you couldn't tell). I really enjoy going to the games.

Bryce turned 5!!

2008-04-18T10:52:00.001-07:00

It is really true! Bryce is now 5 years old and is proud to tell anyone who will listen. We had a terrific Transformer birthday party that Bryce has told me over and over that it was the best party ever (which made it all worth it for me too)!! Grandma Bisk was here to help out. It was a surprise birthday party (at Bryce's request). We played 4 fun games: Transform yourself relay, Musical transformer pictures, Robot skills relay race, and Hunt for the Allspark! Then we ate lunch, cake and ice cream and ended with a pinata! It was my favorite party so far too. The kids were at a fun age. They were all excited to play the games and participate.

Sometimes a Box is all you need...

2008-02-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

The boys love when a box is delivered to the house. But most of the time, the excitement of the box itself long outlives the contents from the box!

Bradley

2008-02-27T14:16:00.001-08:00

And this is our little Bradley! 20 months is such a fun age. He is so full of life. He is into everything, a great climber, loves the beach and taking baths. He copies everything his big brother does, is very helpful in the kitchen (cookies are his specialty), brushes his own teeth (several times a day) and is very helpful at emptying the pantry (several times a day). It is fun to have a little one around the house!

Bryce

2008-02-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Bryce will be 5 next month! I can hardly believe he is old enough to be in kindergarten. He is full of energy and keeps me on my toes. He enjoys preschool, loves his transformers, is a great climber, starting t-ball tomorrow, and a good big brother.

Winter Day at the Beach

2008-02-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

So here are my guys and our favorite place to visit, with or without sunshine! Bryce will be 5 next month and Bradley is 20 months!