Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was great! All of my family came in for the holidays except Kevin and Kerry. We have had lots of fun hanging out with all of our aunts and uncles (brothers and sisters) who we haven't seen in a few months! (Brek is loving all of the attention)


Sunday before church


I had been bragging and bragging to everyone how Tyce was an expert on the stairs. Guess who fell down them? Poor little guy. This was on the 23rd. I guess he wanted to dress up as Rudolph for Christmas.


Christmas Eve my family always gets together for a big party at my Nanny and Papa's. This is the Mark Keys Family picture.


This is us after we had just gotten a belly flash from Richie!


Brek and Aunt Savanna


Brek and Aunt Tamra


My family always does a big production of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. This year my Aunt Diane sent costumes she had made for all of the kids to wear. They were so cute. This is Tyce as a shepherd.


Brek the wiseman


Brek hugging Kyler (baby Jesus)


Brock had an awesome idea to start a tradition of making our own stockings. We had a lot of fun sewing them while watching Christmas movies. I think this tradition will be sticking around for a while.


Brek was so fun this Christmas. Every present was amazing to her! After every one she unwrapped she had to go play with it. We were the ones that had to make her stop to open more presents. This is her reading her new book with Daddy (which of course she had to read immediately).


Ready to head outside for the trampoline.


Tyce and Brek in front of their new trampoline.

My Little Rascals

This blog post is dedicated to my 2 little handfuls. I love them! Here are some things they have been up to lately...


I don't know how but Brek managed to pull the seatbelt beside her up and around her neck. Scary, huh? Don't worry. She's fine.


Brek loves yogurt! I knew she was up to something and this is where I found her (of course making a mess as well).


This was Tyce's favorite spot to play.


Brek loves putting on makeup. She tends to put it on after I'm done getting her ready and working on Tyce. So we have to start all over with getting her ready. It takes me forever to get anywhere! But doesn't she look beautiful?


Having way too much fun with the cool whip.


Best for last of course. Brock poured himself a glass of milk and discovered this. Yes, it's a bouncy ball. Earlier that day Brek had been playing with the bouncy ball and I found her in the refrigerator looking for her ball. The lid was off of the milk and Brek was asking where her ball went. Oh dear. I guess we'll find out later. Brock and I drink different milk so it was his that the lid was off. I had forgotten about it until Brock was drinking his milk and said, "What the heck is this?!?" I died laughing.

Brock's Buck

Brock got a great deer a few weeks ago, and here are a few pictures. (9 point with a kicker) Thick deer or as hunters call it "great mass."

Football Friday...

and Monday...and Tuesday...and Wednesday...and Thursday...and Saturday...NO MORE!!! What a season! Last Friday was our last football game, and we are full of mixed emotions. Most of which right now are relief that it's over! :) We have loved being able to go the games and watch Brock coach, but I have to admit it has been nice to have him home again! Brek, on the other hand, will be sad not to go to the football games anymore. Every day she asks if we are going to the football game. She loves football! She loves watching her daddy coach, her uncle Keyan play (and Kaden), the cheerleaders cheering, and the bobcat. She is scared of the bobcat even though I have reassured her that the bobcat is nice. "Bobcat's nice, Mommy? I scared." - Brek.

These pictures start from most recent and then go to the beginning of the season.

The Payne Family


Brock coaching the offensive line during our last game. He was very proud of his boys.


Brek got at least one football at every game we went to (notice that she has 2), which means that we have quite a collection at home now.


I'm pretty sure that Tyce fell asleep at almost every one of our games. (The poor unsuspecting Bobcat fans in the background have no idea they are going to be on the internet.) :)




Papa Keys, Nana, Papa, Brek and Tyce


Tyce all bundled up


Papa and Brek


Mr. Incredible showed up for one of the pep ralleys. The kids weren't too sure about him.


Oops. How did that nerd get in here? (Nerd day at school)


Brock coaching his boys at a scrimmage


Keyan #14

Yes, we are alive...

I know that many of you have been wondering, and yes, we are still around. :) Lots has happened, and it has been super busy for us here lately.

First of all, we bought a house! We couldn't resist the space and potential (and price!) so we are now the proud owners of 2 houses!




I know that y'all are loving the orange color and desert landscaping, but it's gotta go!

Brock started tiling our first house (aka small house) and everything was a mess over there. No kitchen, laundry room, etc. The bathroom was ripped out of the big house because of disgustingness, but we decided that we would rather go back and forth to the small house for showers rather than go without a kitchen and laundry room a day longer. So we moved over to the big house only to find out that our half bathroom there (our only toilet) had problems. There was a crack in the drainage pipe...or so we thought. Brock ripped out the wall to discover a 3 inch gap in the drainage pipe!!!! Yuck! So for quite a number of days I would wake up in the morning and wait until my kids were fed and dressed before I could go over to the small house to use the toilet! Thank goodness during this time my parents were out of town and we were able to use one of their cars.

Now we have a working toilet at the big house and the drainage pipe is fixed thanks to Brock and other family! Thank you!

Back to my story... We were excited to be able to do laundry at our big house. It was actually the first thing we moved over (the washer and dryer). Well, turns out that somehow in the move over something broke or wiggled loose so the washing machine does not work!!! I was doing laundry and noticed that it was leaking under the washer. I pulled the washer out to see what it was only to pop off the drain pipe which caused water to spew everywhere! Mom was in the living room shampooing the carpets and Brek was with me as I was screaming my head off for mom to come help me! Poor girl may be traumatized by that for a while.

Anyway. We have been without a washer and dryer until just this Saturday when we were able to get a relative's. Hurray for washers and dryers! And of course toilets!!!!

Our plan now is to finish remodeling the small house and rent it out. Oh yes, forgot to mention that the big house has a beauty parlor on the back corner which is rented out. So that pretty much pays for our mortgage on the big house!

Brock has been super busy with school and football (more to come on that) so he has not had much time to remodel, and my children think that taking naps at the same time is a terrible idea so I can't get much done here. So we are kind of at a stand still. Little by little though. Contrary to all of my moanings and groanings, we feel extremely blessed for all that we have!

The rest of our trip to Cali...

Finally, I'm going to give you the rest of our trip to California. We had such a good time. One of Brek's favorite things to do while we were there was to go swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool. She was such a fish! It was so nice to just lounge around by the pool all day long. So relaxing! I'm about ready for another trip to Cali!


Brek loved the slide!
Uncle Brandon, Brek, and Brock


Brandon and Brock


Brandon entertaining Brek

While we were there Brock was able to play in a few church softball games. He loved it! Now I get to brag on my husband. He hit it over the fence TWICE in one game! That's my man! :)


Here is Brek at one of the games. Brock doesn't care too much for these "80 shorts," but I love them!

One of our trips while we were there was to Yosemite National Park. It was so beautiful! We had so much fun looking at the "big trees" and beautiful waterfalls and everything else. As I'm typing this I just remembered the trip home from Yosemite which wasn't so great! We've discovered that Brek gets car sick. Poor Brek got sick on the way home and threw up all over me! Other than that, the trip was a success! :)


The view after you drive through a tunnel to enter Yosemite! Gorgeous!


Brandon and Brek at one of the "big trees" that had fallen over.


Grandpa Todd, Brek, Grandma Kim, and Tyce


All of us at the big trees

Here are a few pictures that we were able to get in Todd and Kim's front yard..







We had a blast in California and can't wait to go back!

The Zoo

While we were in California we were able to go to the zoo. Brek loved it! Such a good idea, Kim! We had a really good time, and here are a few pictures from it...


Brek and Grandma Kim


The elephants


"Hey, Brandon. Let me take a picture of you right there. Just a second. Almost ready. Gotta zoom in. Hold still." - Brock
Fortunately for Brandon his evil plan did not work.


Petting the sting rays with Dad and Uncle Brandon


The Group (plus me)


Tyce and Grandpa Todd


The "snake" was getting Grandma


Brek got a little tired by the end of our trip.


My cutie