Goals

Tonight I got off the phone with our Young Women's Pres. We were discussing girls camp. I realized then that that would be my goal date to reach a certain weight. And no the number will not be revealed.
I've already been hitting the gym again and sweating like crazy. It feels so good to release those happy endorphins. Along with that I have a plan to get back to running. Starting a little at time and gradually to get my endurance and speed back up. I can smell the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon in my near future again.
It's calling my name.."Keri...Keri you know you want to run me." Oh yes I do!!!
So July is my goal month and all I can say is bring it on.
So here's a question for you. What goals to do have for yourself? They can be small or big. Sometimes the goal is to just make it through the day. Other times it's big, like a 1/2 marathon. Whatever it may be, don't wait till the new year to set your goals. Do it now and you'll already be set for your New Years resolution.

Macho, Macho Man.

Today I am thankful for muscles. I just returned home from the gym after an awesome workout and I realized how much we take our muscles for granted. I can't imagine not being able control my body the way I can.
Right now as I type, the primary song 'Hinges' is going through my head. I bet it's going through your head  now too. Huh.
I watch Mackenzie do all her gymnastic stunts and I can't imagine her accomplishing them if she didn't have the strength and muscle to achieve them. Dawson was referred to as" The strongest skinny kid ever." Courtesy of Aunt Stephanie. And Xander constantly flexes for me to see his muscles.

So next time you use your muscles and maybe they get a little sore, be grateful for them and the strength you have.

More from Dawson

"Mom, I think Sawyer is the coolest kid ever. It's cause he's my brother."

"Sawyer is eating the booger sucker. He's gonna suck his stomach out."

"Don't worry mom, I showed Sawyer the steps. I'll watch him if he goes up them."

"Did you know I have a skeleton in my body. It's under my skin. It's my bones. So when I fart it comes out my butt bone." (then he burst into laughter)

"How does our brain get charged to learn more?"

"I'm glad the kids are back in school cause it's a lot quieter." Huh mom, huh mom, huh mom.

"When we have another baby in the family, I hope it's a girl and we won't break her."

"I'm going to live in a shack with my kids. And we're going to have a mattress in it." Xander then says,"Can I come visit you?" Dawson, "No cause we only will have one matress and my kids will sleep on it."

"Mom, you're the best mom ever. I love you."

Quiet time.

I was drawing a blank as to what I was thankful for today when it occurred to me that today I am thankful for down time. Today has been a very relaxing Sabbath.
I cuddled with Dawson on the couch. And got a quick cat nap in. Xander decided he finally wanted a hair cut. So he is sporting a fresh buzz cut. Kenzie played with Sawyer and had him giggling a lot.
I had a great conversation with mom. I made yummy cookies. I got lots of cuddles from Sawyer. Tyler carried Sawyer to bed because he fell asleep cuddled on my chest. I am so grateful I cuddle babies. How could I not with these curves. hahaha.
So today, I am thankful for the day of rest.

Laughter

The love of laughter should never die. I am thankful for the silly little things kids say. So to share my thankfulness of laughter, here is a little funny my sweet Dawson said.

Dawson-"Mom, where'd my ice go?"
Me- "What did you do with it?"
Dawson- "I had it in a cup."
Me- "Your cup is on the counter."
Dawson- "No that's not mine. Mine had ice in it. That one has water in it."
Me-(laughing) "That's your green cup."
Dawson- (getting upset) "Mine had ice in it."
Me- (Trying to keep a straight face) "Dawson, the ice melted."
Dawson - "Oh. my heck, that's funny."

Baby Kisses

I realized today how much I love the slobbery kisses from babies. Sawyer drenched me good today in spit. It was the best feeling ever. He snuggled into my neck giving me hugs and then the kisses started. He opens his little mouth and puts it against my cheek and kisses me all over. Then he'll move down to my chin and slobber it up and then the other cheek. And the whole time I'm giggling in delight. My giggles lead him to giggle and then he'll squeeze into my neck and the kisses start all over.

By the time he's done I have no more face make-up on, instead I proudly wear baby kisses. It's the best accessory a mom can have on.

Happy Birthday Tyler

My wonderful, amazing, sweet, caring, generous, handsome,brilliant husband's birthday was this past week. He turned a whopping 35 this year. He commented that he was so old and I graciously agreed. hahaha. I have a theory that your only as old as you act. Just look at half the members of the Bruderer family. Dad, Grandpa, Ron, Dave, etc.....
We had enchiladas for dinner and I made Ty a special 'cake' themed just for him. He loves Lemonade and I ran with it and made him these lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting.

First I emptied, washed, and cut lemonade cans in half. I also cut the label off the top half and hot glued it onto the bottom half.

Then I placed the cupcakes inside.

 I took the wrappers of so the cupcakes could be eaten right out of the can

Swirled some lemon frosting on top. Added a raspberry and a straw for decoration. And tada. A cute lemonade smoothie.

Happy birthday Ty. I love you!

Turkey Coma

Today I am thankful for the wonderful time we had with Ty's family tonight. We had delicious turkey, stuffing, potatoes, salad, jello salad, rolls, sweet potatoes, and desserts. There was not a shortage of food. I am grateful for the love of family and for the opportunities we have to gather together and make memories.
Family is what makes holidays like today special. Thanksgiving would just be another meal, but with family it's a holiday. So with that being said, why not make every time family is gathered together a holiday. I celebrate every moment I have with my extended family. I love when I  get together with all my siblings up in Idaho. Whether it be for a quick weekend or a special event. Every time matters to me.
So here's to a wonderful Holiday with family! Thank you.

Truth

I am thankful that the Lord knows my heart and He knows me and who I am. With that being said, I received a phone call today from the YW. Pres. she called to have me clarify some things she had been told. Turns out I was the topic of some women's gossip in the ward. Some advice I had given a young lady had gotten all misconstrued. A sweet YW. came to me for some advice and I counseled with her and encouraged her to put standards first and remember who she is and that Heavenly Father has great plan for her. I also told her she that certain friends might not be the best company for her if they wanted her to lower her standards. If this is wrong of me, then I apologize to this sweet girl. But, I don't think this is bad council.
Well, these women said I encourage dating before 16 and I shouldn't give MY council but only the Lords.
OK well,  If that's the case then I think the Lord knows my heart and He knows what I told this YW. and he approves. I am also thankful to a wonderful YW. Pres. that doesn't care about the gossip and came straight to the source and stands behind me.
I love the YW. of  my ward and I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve them. They are the sweetest most wonderful girls. I am grateful I get to know each one of them. And I am thankful that they think of me as a friend and know they can confide in me. And believe me, any council I might give them is from the Lord. He loves them as much as I do and I know He only wants whats best for them.

Preschool fun

I hosted preschool at my house today and those little boys sure make me smile. We had an afternoon full of Thanksgiving crafts and treats. So today, I am thankful for Landon, Hunter and Dawson. The 3 boys in our little preschool. They are always eager to learn and participate and have fun. It's amazing to see the progress these boys have already made. Watch out kindergarten, were sending some smart little cookies your way.


Dawson holding up his Thankful turkey. We made these in school today.

 Becky (Landon's mom) asked Landon who's preschool was more fun hers or mine, and Landon burst out "Keri Keith's" Awwwe thanks Landon! Thanks for making my day. I must admit, I have tons of fun planning all the different things we learn and coming up with different craft ideas that go along with the lesson.
Today we made thankful turkeys, a pilgrim boy, played Thanksgiving bingo, and ate chocolate cakes. Plus a few 'learning' things.
I think the best part of doing preschool at home is, all the fun I get to have. And the fact I can teach  in my pajamas!

Give Huggies a Hug.

Today's thing I am most grateful for is disposable diapers. This might seem silly, but trust me and any other mother. Disposable diapers are a mom's best friend.
Sawyer has had a fever the past 2 days. Hopefully it's just from teething, but the medicine and fever take their toll on his little body. And his diaper paid the price. And don'tcha know that thing held it all. So today I am very thankful for super duty diapers that can be filled to max capacity and contain all their contents.

Littlest Bruderer

Welcome to my newest nephew. Eli Matthew. You were born to the most wonderful parents. They've waited for your arrival with much anticipation. Love them as much as they love you.

I know the pics are blurry, but I got them from my Bro's Face Book page.

Welcome little one.

An Attitude of Gratitude.

Our Young Women lesson today was on gratitude. The girls were challenged with keeping a daily journal of things they are grateful for. Elder Erying gave a talk on "Attitude of Gratitude" and in his talk he spoke of a journal he kept where he recorded in it daily the small and simple things he sometimes over looked. He was amazed at the numerous ways he was being blessed and for the little things he took for granted. Like Pres. Eyring, the girls were to focus on the little things that they might otherwise look over. This will help them to be grateful for the simplest of things. And recognize their own blessings.
I decided to take the challenge on myself. And what better way than to record my experience in my blog. So, from now till Christmas, I'll keep a daily blog of the things I'm grateful for. I realize some of the challenges I might face are finding that little ray of light during some dark days. But, I know my life is full of blessings.And it's the little blessings that get overlooked. Some days I'll have several things to be grateful for and they might be big. And other days, I'll find the simplest of things to be thankful for.
I'm excited to begin this experience and for the way my eyes will be opened to my Heavenly Father's blessings.

So for today, I am extremely grateful for family. And for the eternal family we are. I am thankful for my wonderful husband and for his worthiness to take me to the temple and be sealed to me for all time and eternity. I am also thankful for my 4 children who were born sealed to us for eternity. I am thankful for the knowledge of eternal families. And speaking of family, what better way to kick it off than with the birth of my newest nephew. My brother Daniel and his wife Jessica welcomed their first born to the world today. At 7:30 this evening he was born weighing in at 8lbs 3oz. And with beautiful red hair. Welcome to our family little man. This also makes me very grateful to be an Aunt to such wonderful nieces and nephews. I love you, Calin, Trinity, Nayia, Gavin, Ivan, and little Bruderer.

Look Who Found the Stairs.

The title says it all!

Hey mom, where do these lead?

He's trying so hard to get his leg up.

                                 







  All I can say is, "Time for the gate."

Let Me In, Let Me In!

I love it when the TV is off and kids use their imaginations. Here is Dawson's fort made from the kitchen chairs, bench, tablecloth, and blankets. Sawyer wanted to come inspect it out and see if he could breech the walls. The boys had a blast playing in it, around it, and on it.

Isn't his fort awesome!

Sawyer checking out Dawson in his fort.

He found him!

Great Job Dawson.

Need a Giggle?

A senior citizen in Florida bought a brand new Mercedes convertible.He took off down the road, flooring it to 80 mph and enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left on his head.
"This is great," he thought as he roared down I-95. He pushed the pedal to the medal even more. Then he looked in his rear view mirror and saw a highway patrol trooper behind him, blue lights flashing and siren blaring. "I can get away from him with no problem," thought the man and he floored it some more and flew down the road at over 100 mph then 110, and finally, 120mph. Then he thought,"What am I doing? I am too old for this kind of thing." He pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the trooper to catch up with him. The trooper pulled in behind the Mercedes and walked up to the man. "Sir," he said, looking at his watch. "My shift ends in 30 minutes and today is Friday. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I have never heard before, I'll let you go." The man looked at the trooper and said, "A few weeks ago, my wife ran off with a Florida Sate Trooper, and I thought you were bringing her back." The trooper replied, "Sir, have a nice day."

If that made you chuckle get ready for the next post.

Holy Cow!

A man was helping one of his cows give birth, when he noticed his four-year-old son standing wide-eyed at the fence, soaking in the whole event. The man thought,"Great, he's four and I'm gonna have to start explaining the birds and bees. No need to jump the gun, I'll just let him ask, and I'll answer." After everything was over, the man walked over to his son and said, "Well, son, do you have any questions?" "Just one." Gasped the still wide-eyed lad. "How fast was that calf going when he hit that cow?"

I'm the Smartest.

This is a conversation I had with Dawson:

Dawson- I'm the smartest.
Me- well, if your so smart why don't you obey me?
Dawson- Cause I'm smarter than you.
Me- If your smarter, than you should know to listen to me and keep me super happy.
Dawson- I'm so much smarter than you, I don't have to listen.
Me- oh really.
Dawson- I'm so smart, You think I should listen to you, but cause I'm smartest I know I don't have to.
Me- Laughing .
Dawson- I'm even smarter than Jesus.
Me- What????
Dawson- well, I'm smart enough to live on earth and not in the clouds.

I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus.

Boys, will be boys, And brothers will be brothers. And sometimes brothers fight. And it's so nice to know that my boys are no exception to this rule.
I sent the boys to their room to clean it up. I'm no fool, I know they don't ever clean. It's just playtime. Well, after 4, yes 4 hrs. it was time for them to be done. Tyler threatened them with bringing a garbage bag up to put their toys in if it wasn't cleaned. A threat he carries out. Ask my boys, he's done it before.
As the timer wound down, I gave the boys a 10 min warning. Within seconds a battle broke out and I could hear Dawson throwing stuff and Xander yelling at him to pick it up. Then as Dawson got madder, Xander said, "You're not listening to Jesus. What would he want you to do?" This angered Dawson even more so he started crying and throwing more toys. And Xander got even louder,"Your not listening to Jesus. Your not listening to Jesus. Satan is very happy with you. You need to listen to Jesus." Xander was screaming this to Dawson as he (Xander) threw the toys back at him.
Eventually, I intervened, calmed Dawson down. And the praised Xander for trying to be like Jesus, but also corrected him on yelling it at his brother while throwing toys back to him. Xander explained that he was throwing the toys back to Dawson so Dawson could choose the right and put them away.

Dance with me.

I came in the living to find this tender little moment.

Do you think he'll dance with her at her wedding?

Shaken Not Stirred.

Mackenzie and Sawyer playing.

Sawyer sitting on Mackenzie.
This has disaster written all over it.

  Target is in site. Baby has been shaken just enough. And puke has hit it's target.  Bulls eye.
                                                    Or should I say, Kenz's eye!

Stand -Up Little Man

 Yes, the rumors are true. Little dude can stand. It was crazy to see him stand up for the first time. His little legs don't seem like they can hold him up. But they do and he actually has great balance. He looks like a little baby doll as he gets up. The only problem he runs into is the wood floors are slippery under his feet when he's in a sleeper.

Sawyer was so excited to be able to climb up daddy's leg and get his attention.

Isn't he so big.

He did it!!!!!

6 months

I realized I never blogged little dude's 6 month stats and accomplishments. My blog is my journal so I better make sure I record it.
Sawyer weighed in at 15lbs 1oz.=6%. All his food got turned into energy to make him taller. He is now 26in=23%, and his head is in the 13%. I can't remember how big/little it was.
Because I'm late on this blog I can add his newest accomplishments. Sawyer crawls all over the place. Full on real crawling. Not military style or scooting. He is very mobile. He reminds me of everything I need to baby proof. When your in our house, you'll constantly hear, "Close the basement door." or "Door". The kids often go downstairs to play and they always leave the basement door open. Not anymore, Sawyer heads straight for it. Hopefully the kids will soon learn to close the door before it's too late.
As of this past week, Sawyer decided he wanted to be a big kid and he pulled himself up to a standing position. I was hoping it was a freak of nature thing,but no luck. He constantly does it.. Any thing he can reach to pull up on, he does. It's amazing to see this itty bitty boy stand. He really doesn't look like he should be able to.
Sawyer also started baby food this past month. I wasn't sure if he could eat it. He never took to the spoon when I tried to feed him baby cereal. Turns out he didn't like the cereal and could use a spoon just fine as long as it was something he wanted in his mouth. He loves squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. He also loves graham crackers.
I was talking to someone and commented on how I forgot what it was like to have a kid put everything in their mouth. I could leave pennies, toys, paper, toxic chemicals, poison basically anything laying around and Dawson never put anything in his mouth. And the other person said, "oh you mean you forgot what it was like to have a normal kid." Yeah, I guess I did.
Sawyer makes our house a very happy home. He smiles constantly and his giggle is very contagious.

I love you litte duders.

Baby Food

And what do you do with all your left over pumpkins???

Make baby food of course. 

First cut the pumpkins in 1/2 and scrape out all the goop.

Place the pumpkins face down on a cookie sheet with some water to keep them moist.

After baking, scrape out the insides and place in a blender or food processor.

And the finished product. Yummy baby food. It's just pureed so you can make it into pie filling, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake,  

Here's Sawyer eating his new pumpkin food. I added a little cinnamon to it for some flavor. He liked it!!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins.

Working at the farm this past month gave Dawson plenty of opportunity to bring home pumpkins. Here is his month long haul. I did pick a few because I couldn't resist. Especially the white one. I loved the albino pumpkin. It's a ghost pumpkin.



I put this pic in cause it caught a portion of our huge tree out front. When we first moved in, it was just a tiny little thing. Now it's huge and beautiful.




Keith Family pumpkin patch.



Shadow Catcher

The other day, I had my front door open to let the beautiful sunshine in. The sun cast a shadow of our big tree out front onto our floor. Sawyer crawled over to the door and kept trying to catch it as a gentle breeze continuously moved the shadow across the floor. He giggled as it slipped out of his fingers and moved right next to him. It was the cutest thing ever.

Halloween Highs

Can you believe Halloween has come and gone. That means  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. CRAZY!
As a slacker mom I completely forgot to take pics of my kids dressed up. Whats up with that. For inquiring minds who want to know, Kenzie was a vampire, Xander an army man, Dawson was a firefighter again and again. 3rd yr now. And he chose it, it wasn't forced. :) And little man Sawyer was a care bear. Thanks aunt Missy. He was Grumpy Bear. It didn't really fit his personality, but he was sure cute.
My kids got to dress up 3 times this year and ya know, after doing this over and over I was ready for Halloween to be done. We had our ward party which was a blast. Not just cause I was in charge. (wink, wink) Then the kids had school dress-up parade and parties. Following that we went straight to Ty's work for his work trick-or-treat. The kids always score big on the candy there. And this year was no different. And of course then there was the actual trick-or treating. Being here in good ol' Utah we trick-or-treated on Saturday. I loved it cause, it poured. So I thought for sure my kids wouldn't want to go out. WRONG! It calmed down just enough for my kids to get excited and convince daddy they needed to go out and add to their candy haul. I love living where we live cause I stood by the door and watched my kids run up the street to all the neighbors and then back home for instructions of where they could next alone. Finally they had all the 'alone' areas done so Ty went out with them and I stayed home with a sleeping baby and passed out candy.
Here are some pics of our fun times.

Xander at his school costume parade.

Kenzie at her costume parade

 I found the down part of 3 kids trick-or treating. Too much candy!


I told Kenz she'd get a tummy ache if she ate all that candy. And this was the face she pulled.

Dawson and his beloved Peanut Butter Cup.



Sawyer got in on the candy action.

Yummy wrappers.

Knock, Knock

I had to share this joke Dawson just told me. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
Me.
Me who?
Me, Mr. Peanut Butter Cup. Open me up so Dawson can eat me.

Yes, I opened it cause it made me smile.