Merry Christmas from the Kesler Family!

Koen is 3!!!

       Wow how time flies! It's crazy to think that Koen is already 3. He has been such a joy to have in our family and brings so much laughter into our home.

He was born on November 30th weighing 7 lbs 10 oz.

                                         On his blessing day! I have no idea what he is doing!

1 year old! He loved the cake - can you tell?

Birthday number 2 - he was a little more conservative with his cake.

And number 3 - he didn't eat any cake at all! Crazy!!! He wanted so badly to have a Buzz Lightyear cake and this was all I could do. I'm not very good at making those fancy cakes. I can't even make a regular cake look good. (Don't look too close, the cakes stuck to the pan. Apparently I didn't spray enough Pam in them.) Oh well - it worked.

He was so excited when he saw the big Buzz cutout! Not only was he a guest at the party, but he became a nerf gun target, a friend, and a hiding place. Definitely a hit!!!

He was having a hard time blowing out one candle. It was pretty funny! I guess you had to be there :)

We were lucky enough to have some family join us including Brett and his kids, Kelsi, and Brady & Edee and their kids. Grandma and Grandpa Kesler couldn't come that night so they came earlier in the day. He was so excited to get Toy Story puzzles and Toy Story color wonder. Grandma and Grandpa Ulrich came the next day and brought him a big snow sled. He is so excited to try it out in the snow. Austin and Koen have loved trying it out in the living room already.

It is always so comical to watch Koen open presents. He gets so excited and animated. He does a little excited jump or dance after every present. It always makes you feel good no matter what you got him. During this present he was in the middle of yelling "BIG WOODY!!!" in his deep voice.

These are his cousins that were there to share this exciting day with him. Not pictured: Maycee Kesler.

Koen and his cousin Ripken have been obsessed with Cars since I can remember (and maybe that has a little bit to do with their moms [wink wink]). Lately it is the Mater's Tall Tales and they both sat and watched the show together probably 3 or 4 times in a row a couple of days ago. Aunt Misty and Uncle Brett gave Koen the Monster Truck Lightning and the Ice Cream truck from the show and Koen and Ripken had so much fun playing with them together. It was so cute! It's fun how these two have become quite the buddies!

The next day Koen had to pull out all of his Buzz Lightyears and line them up. He loves the fact that he has Buzz in all sizes.

Austin and Koen with all the Buzz and Woodys. 

Koen was so excited to get what he asked for . . . a big Buzz that talks and a big Woody that talks. (Right before his birthday he added Big Lightning McQueen that says "Kachow Kachow Kachow" ten times) I guess you have to draw a line somewhere. Maybe for Christmas!

Needless to say, Koen had a great day. He is so much fun and has such a fun personality. He has quite the imagination as well. I do have to say that he is the violent one out of the three. (Pretending of course) He loves to pretend he is beating people up, shooting the bad guys, and wrecking cars. Is that bad? :) Happy Birthday Koen! We love you!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

We had such a great Thanksgiving. It began with Scott making rounds at the hospital and then it was off to Blackfoot for Thanksgiving dinner with the Keslers. We had a lucious meal (as usual) and enjoyed all the company as well. All of us kids and our families were there except for Cameron and his family which unfortunately he had to work. We missed you guys! After a delicious meal, we did the usual look through the adds and the guys actually went and helped a lady shovel her driveway. After some yummy pie, we headed to Starlite Lanes for our annual family bowling game. We ended up having the whole bowling alley to ourselves which never happens. It was probably a good thing because there was a herd of us.

 Koen has never really bowled much but he loved it. Good thing the guy doesn't get mad everytime the buzzer goes off for crossing the line. He did a great job though!

He  was so excited after knocking down so many pins. It was cute to see his excitement and dissapointment after each bowl.

Austin has gotten really good over the years. Look at that form!

The celebration after getting a spare. And just a side note - Austin beat me! I am a little out of practice. Believe me - that won't ever happen again :)

These two were so cute to sit there and watch everyone else bowl when their turns were over. Cousin Ripken & Koen.

The CREW!

Afterwards we came back to mom and dad's and the boys watched an intense Dallas Cowboys football game. Lets just say they were very disappointed with the outcome.

The boys continued the night playing an improv song game. They each had to come up with a short phrase that went along with the person before them and sing it. That doesn't really make sense - oh well! It is a very random game, but super fun!

Thanksgiving came to a close with a bang. I ended up pulling an all nighter due to the Black Friday deals. I hit Walmart at midnight, then the three guys and I hit Target at 2 (line was too long - so we left) and then Pocatello stores at 5. Needless to say - we got some GOOD stuff. Scott, Jordan, Landon, and I at the mall enjoying some Mrs. Powells cinnamon rolls. It was a great boost to keep us going. It was a wonderful weekend and so much fun! I am so thankful for the family that I have and for the wonderful examples they are to me. I have learned so much from each and everyone of them. I am also so grateful for my own little family. For a wonderful and amazing husband that takes such good care of me and the boys and also for 3 wonderful boys that bring so much joy into our lives. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Falling Leaves!!!

Well, Fall was in the air (for a short time). We went over to Scott's parent's house and Uncle Cleon has two huge trees that leaves were just flying off of. The boys thought it was so cool (ok, so did I). It really looked like it was snowing leaves and not just a soft snow, but a good snow storm. We immediately ran over and started playing. There were so many leaves that it took seconds to put together a decent pile for them to jump in. It was a blast and the boys loved it!

The boys loved throwing the leaves at eachother!

The boys would get buried in the pile of leaves!



They loved finding random sticks that still had leaves on them and acted like they were swords. They are definitely boys!!!

Halloween!!!

Our Halloween was a very fun one - very low key, but super fun! About a week before Halloween we made this Haunted Gingerbread House! The boys love that kind of stuff. I think it's because they get to munch on the treats as we go.

The finished product. I forgot to take a picture of the back side, but Austin and Koen were in charge of that side. They thought that was so cool. They did a pretty good job too. They love to be able to make something and then look at it for a little while and tell everyone that comes over that we made it.

For Halloween Jaxon was ZORRO! He rubs his face and slobbers way too much to put a mustache on, but he was still the cutest Zorro ever!

Koen was Buzz Lightyear! If anyone asked him what he was going to be for Halloween he would say really fast, "Buzz Whiteyear, Pace Wanger" a.k.a. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger. It could never be just Buzz or Buzz Lightyear. He has been obsessed with Buzz lately and has watched both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 many many times. He is anxiously waiting for Christmas or his birthday to see if he gets Toy Story 3. He can't wait. He loved being Buzz though, he would pretend to fly (land with style) all over the house.

Austin loved being Mario this year. When they were trick or treating, people would see him and say, "Hi Mario!" and he thought that was the coolest thing. A pretty cute Mario huh?

This was the second time that the boys have done regular trick or treating. We've always done the trunk or treats, etc. but this year we decided to go in our new neighborhood. (Oh yeah - we moved by the way. We are still in the same town, but different house!) They both went for the first time when they were 1 and 3, so they were too young to remember much, but this year they LOVED it! After we went to about 5 or 6 houses, they both felt like they had so much candy. It was so much fun to watch their excitement. At one of the houses they gave out little bags of chips and Koen yelled from the front door of their house, "Mom, I got Cheetohs". He was so excited. They had a great time and I had a great time taking them. Scott and Jaxon stayed at the house to hand out candy. They were super excited about their licorice ropes. Austin made it about 1/8 of the way and was done with it, but Koen downed the whole thing.

Comparing treats! Maybe a little trading as well! They were so excited about all their treats!

We had a great Halloween staying home and taking the boys trick or treating. It was very relaxing and so much fun! 

Happy Halloween!

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Video 2!

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Just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Halloween from the Ulrichs!

Back in Action!!!

Wow! It feels good to be back in action. We have been out of commission for a little while due to some complications on our computer. You don't really realize how much you rely on your computer until the hard drive dies and you have to get a new one and you are without it for a while. Luckily we have a really smart friend that was able to save pretty much everything and transfer it to a new hard drive. So now it's time to update! Here we go . . .

Jaxon is now 6 1/2 months old. This is probably one of my favorite ages of babies - he can't move around yet, but he is showing his personality and is so much fun. At his 6 month checkup he weighed 19 lbs and was 29" long. Needless to say - he's a big baby. He is so much fun though. Don't you just love those super chunky babies :) He is happy most of the time and just so much fun to have in our family.

 He is on solid foods now and loving it. He likes everything that we give him. Normally you try some different baby foods and they just won't eat them. Not this kid - he will eat anything you give him. I can't believe how much this kid will eat. We will give him one container of baby food and then he is still hungry so we have to fill that container up again with rice. I don't remember my other boys eating that much at such a young age, but what do you do. This bowl in the picture is filled to the max when we feed him. Crazy! Is that normal?

 You would think he could pull from some excess storage, but oh well. At least he's healthy and chubby. I love it! Look at those cheeks!!! You could just eat 'em. I love it!

I've been wondering for a while now if he is teething, but no sign of teeth yet. This boy loves his hands and fingers. He chews on them all day long. His shirt is drenched shortly after I get him dressed due to so much drool.

Jaxon is a very happy baby and so much fun to have in our family. The boys love playing with him - in fact Austin has a weird obsession with Jaxon's hands. He just has to touch them and hold them every minute. It's hilarious!

(Sorry so graphic), but do you remember this incident. Koen got his finger caught in the door back in June and it took the whole tip off. It was very traumatizing for all of us, but we made it through.

Scott found the tip and the doctor was able to sew it back on, but wasn't very hopeful. Scott had a feeling that we just needed to try, if anything, so we could tell Koen when he's older that we tried. I wasn't very hopeful either, but we went ahead and did it anyway. It progressed to this where the tip was starting to discolor.

After a week, it became really discolored and the doctor still wasn't very hopeful.

The doctor took the stitches out and the tip stayed on, so there was hope that something was alive inside holding it on. We kept bandaging it and kept it protected for quite a few weeks. I think after a while, Koen loved it because he had a different colored bandage and he thought that was so cool.

While we were in Island Park in July, the tip was all of a sudden gone, it must have fallen off somewhere. His finger looked pretty normal. The nail was starting to grow back. We held it up to his other pinky and it's only a tad shorter, not bad at all. We are just so grateful that Scott had the faith and the inspiration to sew the tip back on. It doesn't even phase Koen - it's as if nothing happened. The only thing wrong is that his nail was damaged in the mix of it all, so his nail is a little bit deformed, but if that is the worst of it, than we are very grateful. Occasionally he will look at his hands for some reason and say, "Mom this is my owey finger - you closed it in the door, but it's all better now." Of course that breaks your heart because yes I was the one that closed the door, but so grateful that Koen realizes that it was an accident and that all is well. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that blesses us and helps us through these trials that we unfortunately have to face.

We tried potty training since Koen will be 3 soon and it went really good for a couple of weeks and then it was a couple of weeks on madness. He just gave up after a little while. So we are back in diapers and will try again soon.

 Koen is so much fun and it is so fun to watch him and his little personality. It's hilarious. I've never seen a boy so into so many things and passionate about it at a young age. He is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear right now and is always pretending to be him. He has watched the Toy Story movies a billion times and loves them everytime. It's funny to listen to him play and quote the movies. He is a lot of fun.

Austin started preschool again this year. We were going to put him in Kindergarten since he is 5, but he is so young that we decided at the last minute to wait one more year.

This is him the first day of school - he thinks he is the bomb diggity. His personality is so much fun as well. He is such a good helper around the house and with the boys. He has also started to get in that mode when he really understands when people are sad and is compassionate towards them.

Austin also started soccer in August. He loves it. He is on the same team as his cousin, Carsen. Scott and his brother Brady are the coaches which is fun too. It's been so fun to watch him and Carsen play together and experience this together. At the beginning of the game he has a lot of energy and is right there by the ball, but as the game goes on, he gets tired and lags behind. There are times that the ball and most of the players on are one side of the field and he will be on the other side in his own little world. It's hilarious! He will even run over between quarters and ask for a snack instead of getting a drink. It's fun to watch him play.

Unfortunately, he's not shy to fight for the ball sometimes, even if it is a girl who has it. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. :)

 He has fun and does a pretty good job. He got his first assist for a goal in his last game which was pretty exciting and Carsen got his first goal. These boys were on a high. Now the goal is to get Austin to get a goal himself. He thinks he has to now that Carsen got one. We'll keep you posted.

These three boys are so much fun and such a joy to have. We love them so much and are grateful that we are blessed to have them.

 Austin and Koen being all tough with their soccer balls. Austin's face is really quite good and I love Koen's face. He is trying so hard :)

I love the sweet moments that they have. They are so rewarding as a mom.

A couple of weeks ago, Scott and I were lucky enough to get to go on a getaway for a couple of days. My awesome sister watched the boys so we could enjoy some time together. Our anniversary was in August and there was a lot going on, so we finally found some time to get away for a little bit to celebrate. It's been 7 wonderful years. We went to Salt Lake and had a great time. Right after we got there, Scott got a really bad headache so we stayed at our hotel for a little while so Scott could rest and get his headache taken care of. I just enjoyed watching television in peace without kids all over me. It was great. Later that day we went for a walk around temple square. We hadn't been there in a while, so it was nice to walk around and just enjoy the scenery. I love this reflection pool in front of the temple. So pretty.

Our walk continued to the Capitol Theatre where Scott surprised me with Lion King tickets. It was the Broadway production that is on tour right now. It was amazing. I couldn't believe it. I have never experienced anything Broadway, so it was so much fun to see it. It was incredible how they made the costumes and made it so much like the movie. The singing was amazing as well. We were in awe the whole time. Even Scott really enjoyed it. It is definitely something we would love to do again. Absolutely amazing. Highly highly recommended. We forgot to get a picture that night - so we had to go back the next day to get one. It looks really cool at night.

The next day we enjoyed a nice, hot breakfast at our hotel and then went to the Real Salt Lake MLS game. It was awesome. The only bad thing is that it was so hot that day (90+ degrees) and we were sitting on the side that wasn't shaded, but we had front row seats. It was neat to be able to see the players so close. We have been to one other Major League Soccer game, but it was fun to be at the home stadium of Real. We had such a good time and look forward to the next time we get to do something like that again. I highly recommend taking some time away from your job, your home, your kids, etc. and just spend some time together. We felt like we were dating again, it was so fun. I am so grateful to have Scott as my eternal companion. He is an awesome dad, and amazing husband, and the best friend a girl could as for. Happy Anniversary, Scott!

Well, that's us in a nut shell. :)