The Kortus Family Memories

Brayli Gets Baptized!!

2010-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

With Brayli turning eight she was able to get baptized. She was so excited and didn't she look beautiful! She was so excited and has such a love for the gospel. I'm so lucky to be her mom! I love this girl!

These were all the kids that got baptized this day

Brayli's primary president

Mine and Brayli's great friends Heidi and Ashley

Our great family that came to support Brayli

My Brayli Turns Eight!

2010-01-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Waking up Brayli first thing on her birthday after her sleeping in her brother's room

We took Brayli to the mall at night and ate dinner and surprised her with going to build a bear

Ending her night with her new bear and her gorgeous cake made especially for her by Pat's cake decorator. She loved it

It's Christmas Time!!

2010-01-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Tyler is shocked!

And Trent also!

Super happy Brayli

All of the Bagley grandkids including one in the oven

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

My Latest Project... The Girl's Room

2010-01-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to decorate and ever since Sept 08, I get an itch every 6 months or so to do another project in our house. In the spring it was my room, and this time it was the girl's room. It seriously needed a makeover as the daycare had taken to the walls with paint and pen and overload of toys. I felt like the girls needed their own room that was just for them and no one else. It turned out just like I and they wanted it! But Pat has now cut me off from spending, so goodbye projects... I will miss you!

Here's what the room looked like before, minus the buckets of toys for the daycare

And finally the finished project

Thanksgiving With the Kortus Klan

2009-12-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

This year was our turn to spend thanksgiving with the Kortus' and it was sooo much fun!! It had been quite awhile since we had all been together, and it was so great catching up and feeling like no time had been lost! I love this family!! We did miss Pat's oldest sis Rose and oldest Bro Fred and his family! We'll hopefully see you soon!!

Pat and brother John and nephew Drew

Pat's two brothers John and Dempsie and Dempsie's wife Diane

Pat's sister Pam with her daughter Tina, daughter in law Anna and their cute girls

Some of the cousins

Pat's firecracker mom Jessie

Pat's sister Jane and hubby Greg and daughter Amber

Love this picture!

Pat's brother in law Mark with Tina, our cute niece

My Honey-this was the first time we had seen eachother all week. Gotta love retail during the holidays!

Pat and his so entertaining dad. Can't tell their related can you? Love ya dad!

More cousins!

Saying Goodbye to a Member of the Family...Little Fudgy

2009-12-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

This month we decided fudgy would be better off with another family as now the kids are in school and she wasn't getting any attention. We have had her for 2 1/2 years and she survived her sister dying from a disease which was quite tramatic for all of us. Thank goodness for craig's list as it was very painlessly done while the kids were at school and yeah for me now that the boys' room doesn't smell! I think she will be our last rodent forever even though I will miss how cute she was!

Trent Turns Twelve--What?!

2009-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we have another teenager in the house! Technically he has another year to go but in our experience, this year tends to be a bit more dramatic than the 13th so really there's no difference. This was a huge year for Trent. Not only does he get the priesthood and gets to pass the sacrament on Sundays, but he gets to say goodbye to primary forever and finally gets to meet with the youth. Poor Trent has been the only 11year old in primary for months and yes was the only one in the program. He was SUPER thrilled about it but was a great sport as Tyler and Pat tried to make him laugh the whole time. Poor guy. If you were to ask Trent is this was his best bday ever he would say yes not only to the above things mentioned but because he finally got his own cell phone. I fought this forever with him as his friends' parents are much more generous, and poor Trent has parents who arent,but we needed to get into a family plan and so it just made sense. I didn't get a picture of him getting it as we were very mean and tricked him later with it, but these are the other things he got.

The day Trent was ordained to the priesthood we had all the Bagley's over for a celebration/bday party for him.

Twas the Night of Witches...And a Ladybug and a Crazy Husker Fan

2009-11-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the cuties getting ready to get lots of candy

I wish I would have got a picture of tyler the princess for a party he went to and of the hippie Pat. He had to dress up for work. Maybe next year. The great thing about this halloween besides the great weather we had is it's now 5 days later and all of the candy is gone already yippee!!

A Party and a Parade

2009-11-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

The day before Halloween we had our annual daycare halloween party. Everyone got to bring their costumes and dress up, play games, make a craft and have treats. I think they had a lot of fun.
Here's all my munchkins
Playing the number walk to earn spider rings

Witch's broom limbo. This was a little hard to figure out for them.

Poor tyler having the day off gets to be my helper while we make crafts

Later that day... while the kids took naps Pat came home so I could go up to the kids' halloween parade at school. This year it was of course Briegan's turn for me to walk with.

It was raining surprise surprise so we had to stay in the school this year.

Our other grandma (and Brayli's teacher) who really should be locked up!! ha ha!

The love of older children and their requests for costumes. It's always so interesting to go on this parade. You start in the kindergarten area and work your way up thru the grade levels and it's always hilarious to me how less innocent and more evil the costumes become! Glad this is Trent's last year dressing up!

All of Briegan's kindergarten class pose for their teacher

They are both loving having eachother this year!

The Dreaded 35!!

2009-11-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

I avoided this post as long as I could but I had to put it on here so I could get halloween on as well. Why do we have to get older? I don't feel 35 so why do I have to be this old? Not fair. Despite my excitement of this birthday my family was really cute and made me queen for the day!!

I love my snuggie!

My favorite gift? House cleaning service baby!! Maybe I can finally get my bathrooms deep cleaned from all these kiddies!

Pat also gave me a very sweet necklace with an engraving just from him. How sweet!

Our Favorite Fall Tradition: Going to the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Even though we chose one of the coldest days of the season to go to the pumpkin patch, we bundled up and were still able to totally entertain ourselves! We....

danced ourselves silly...

jumped in big piles of hay...

wished we were pirates, sane or deranged...

hugged our favorite people in the world...

went on a tractor ride over and over...

and over...

got a little cold on the hayrack ride...

fed some very impatient and hungry lamas and camels...

with our gloves saving our hands from the slober...

had some yummy treats...

rode some ponies...

and a train...

jumped on our favorite jumping pillows...

and got some air...

drove some bikes...

and were driven in bikes...

warmed up by the campfire...

ate dinner and played around...

and enjoyed being around all the people we love!

Volleyball and Football

2009-10-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

This fall has been full of sports in the Kortus home. Brayli decided to try volleyball. She thought it was boring and hated every minute of it but faithfully went each week to please mom. Maybe in a couple of years when the girls can get the ball over the net more she will think it's more exciting! Tyler tried out for football for his school team again this year and made quarterback. It was a love-hate position as he was the hero when the team did well and the zero when they didn't but he loved every minute of it. He really wants to play in high school next year but we'll have to bulk him up alot if that's going to happen! Trent got on his year round soccer team again this fall and both girls are trying gymnastics and really liking it. I'll put those pictures up as I get them.

Brayli stops in the middle of her game to pose for me! So like her!

Her very last game she finally serves it over the net

Big Boy right behind you!

Ty's going down

Nice pass

Run Ty Run

What I Do To Keep Me Sane During The Day

2009-09-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

I love to read and I love to run. I found this book at Borders and bought it on a whim. I think this one of the best books that I've ever read for me. It's nothing fancy, not even very big, but I think it's exactly what I needed in my life. This guy has done things that I will never come close to accomplishing in my life and that's ok, especially after reading how hard it was for him. What I connected with him was his passion to run and his need to run. I realized after finishing this last night, how much I mentally need to run as well as physically. I've always looked at working out as a bonus if I get to it, but as life is more and more hectic, I'm finding what a crabby person I am on the days I don't workout. And how life just moves along easier when I do. It's hard to get up early and it's hard to run, but the high I have afterwards and continues to stay with me is becoming as necessary for me as air. I love his quotes and his humor, but I really love his honesty. I'm not a great runner, but I have alot of goals I want to accomplish and I'm grateful to have read this to give me the push to really focus on them. If you love to run, read it, it's truely inspiring! http://www.ultramarathonman.com/flash/

More Pictures of Felicity

2009-08-17T12:24:00.001-07:00

Baby Felicity Is Here!

2009-08-17T11:45:00.001-07:00

My brother Jason and his wife Eunice just had their first baby on Sat the 15th! It was so exciting to be there and see her come into the world! She is beautiful and a very content baby! Hopefully she will stay that way!
Waiting for her to come!

Jason's first words with her

Eunice's first time meeting her sweet baby girl

What a cute family!

Proud grandma

Proud Aunt Wendy

All of My Kids Are In School This Year!! Their First Day...

2009-08-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Many many days I dreamed of this day, when all of my kids would be in school and I would just get to play all day..., well such wasn't meant to be just yet and that's just fine, but I can't believe this day is here!! My baby is in KINDERGARTEN!! She definitely made it easy on me, not one tear, just love ya mom and a kiss, as well as the others. Well no kiss from the boys. They were mad enough at me that I was trying to take pictures of them. How dare I! Even Brayli was super excited for this day as she has her very favorite teacher of all time this year, Mrs. Culbertson, who is our adopted grandma. We love her! She had the boys for 2nd grade and says she's retiring after she gets Briegan! She'll want to after her!! Briegan got Mrs. Shomaker who Brayli had and so she is super excited and Trent got Tyler's 6th grade teacher who he loved, and Tyler has all of his friends on his school team this year, so I really anticipate a great year!

The security guard was laughing at Tyler for having to endure pictures by his mother as an 8th grader! It only happens once you know!

Tyler waiting for friends

Trent would not let me take any pictures of him around his friends

Brayli and Mrs. Culbertson

What A Busy July!! The First Events- Birthday/4th of July Party At Our House!

2009-08-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July this year, all of my siblings came into town! It was so fun! We had lots of food, played four square, celebrated my dad's, mom's, Tyler's, and Kylee's birthdays that are in July, and had lots of fireworks. It was a great night!

I love this picture!

My dad has started a terrible tradition of giving each grandchild a huge bucket of cheeseballs for their birthdays. Of course they love it, but it makes me cringe thinking of all the processed stuff in them!

Bagley Family Pictures

2009-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

All of my siblings came in for the 4th of July so we got some overdue family pictures! Wow have we grown!

Going to a Royal's Game-The Girls first time!

2009-08-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

The girls loved the treats the most of course!

Our Nephew Gets Married!!

2009-08-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

Pat's nephew Lee and his fiance Michaela got married July 18th! It was beautiful and alot of fun spending time with family! I wish I had more pictures, but my camera wasn't working right. Sorry for the blurriness!

Two handsome guys!

Two more handsome guys! Trent and his favorite cousin Drew!

Wasn't she beautiful! They are a great match!!

Girls at the reception

My cute little cousin Kylee Jo!

Tyler Turns 14! (How Is This Possible?)

2009-08-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

For Tyler's birthday this year, we surprised him with a scavenger hunt around town to find his presents. We started out by having a stranger deliver a letter with the first clue to him and it led him all over. I think he really liked it.

His first stop was to get some school clothes. He liked it alot more than I thought he would. Must be a teenager finally!

Tyler is really into the idea of getting a hunting license and going with his friend, so I bit the bullet and agreed

Tyler the man. His own electric shaver

Tyler gave up 4 years of playing the violin to start the guitar. So sad!

Our last place was at Dave and Buster's. The boys have a favorite horse racing game they like to play there One of the milestones of this year was Tyler out grew me and he's pretty close to out growing Pat. I can't believe I have a 14 year old. I'm not old enough!! I am super excited for him to be able to start going to church dances and youth conference though!!

Two Peas In A Pod!!

2009-08-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Briegan's cousin Kylee came over for a girl's night/sleepover while Brayli was spending the night at Grandmas. They went swimming, played at the park, got ice cream and watched a movie in bed with popcorn! They had a great time. They are so lucky to have eachother!!

June was Vacation Month!!

2009-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

It has been 9 years since I have been back to Utah to see my extended family and even then I didn't get to see everyone. And my boys have never been. My very generous Uncle Jim invited the boys and I on a river rafting trip the second week in June. We had the best time!! The boys had never been on an airplane before so that in itself was quite the adventure for them! We got to spend the first 2 days of our trip seeing family and all of their adorable children. I hate being so far away from them!! We played games and caught up with eachother. It was so great!

Tyler realized he gets a little sick when the plane descends

On the 3rd day of our trip we all drove down to Moab,Ut. Along the way we stopped at an incredible dinosaur museum. I never knew utah was known for dinosaur findings.

Tyler and Uncle Jim

The cousins meeting eachother

This was a 95% complete mammoth. The only one that complete in the world. It was HUGE

After the museum, we finished our trip to Moab and went to Arches State Park. It was amazing. We did some hiking and was amazed by the scenery. My cousin Chantel and the 2nd cousins.

My Uncle Jim, my cousin laura, me, and the cousins

Trent had to climb this with me! I love his sense of adventure!

The only way I could figure out how to get down after a steep climb!

This is the next morning when we started our river raft trip. We flew in a 6 man airplane over the canyon to get inside of the canyon. Then we hiked a mile down to the river to start our trip. It was beautiful!

We are getting ready to get on the river and already the guides want to throw Trent in the water!! Ha Ha!

Tyler and Jim try out the duckies
Trent and Stockton do really well! They had a great time together on the trip!

This is what we did for every meal. Our guides were the best cooks!!

Here were some of the rapids we encountered

Trent riding the bull!

Tyler and our amazing buff guide Katie

Along the river we stopped at an old camp that was left by early settlers. Their house was intact for the most part left with some of their things. It was really neat to see.

Everyone with our other awesome buff guide Allie

Our last night of camp Katie and Allie cooked us the best steak dinner you can imagine. We ate good on this trip!!

The last day I spent 3 hours in the duckie and had a great time. It was so much more fun hitting the rapids in them than the raft. I'm glad Trent was so persistent I get in with him

We made it through!
Our guides were the best! They made the whole trip for us!! I will cherish the time I had with them, my boys, and my family forever!! Sorry for all of the pictures but it was a great trip! As much as I love living in omaha being close to family and it being a great city to raise our kids in, after this trip I definitely realized how much I love the mountains and the outdoors and how much I hope to continue taking advantage of the beauty of the earth we've been given!! Thanks again Jim!!

Our Weekend at Adventureland

2009-07-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

We got in the car on friday night and surprised the kids by telling them we were going to Des Moines to go to Adventureland for the weekend. They were super excited! We stayed in a really nice room thanks to a hotel mix up and spent all Saturday at the park. Briegan was able to ride all of the rides except for about 3 of them and she had a ball! All of the kids' favorite ride of course was one of the big roller coasters which we must have rode 20 times. The girls insisted on keeping their "hands up." It is so fun having our kids get older so all of us can ride together! We have decided though as fun as Adventureland is, we are graduating from there and focusing only on Worlds of Fun now. All of the kids decided there were too many "baby rides" there for them!

One of the perks of this park is that they have a waterpark inside that you can go in. It was awesome to play in when we got hot!

The best ride ever!

It was a really fun weekend!

Summer time is Here!!

2009-05-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day all of the daycare kids were able to get out and go swimming! They were a little nervous at first but once they got used to the water, they had a blast! I couldn't get them out! It was really fun to watch them have so much and to get along so well!

Noah and Caden

Ava and Ashlea

Andrew

Andrew loved the goggles!

Briegan and Dylan

Another Fabulous Mother's Day!

2009-05-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went over to Grandma and Grandpa Kortus' house on Saturday to give grandma some flowers and to visit for mother's day. It was fun taking pictures and seeing how tall tyler towers over her this year!Trent's almost even with her!

My kids are so lucky to have these grandparents! Even in their 70's they are still so full of spunk and humor! We love you guys!!

Sat. night, Pat surprised me by taking me out. We went to a secluded spot by the lake and he brought a blanket, chocolate covered strawberries that he had made himself, cheese, fruit, chocolate and sparkling cider. We laid by the lake for quite awhile and remenised about parenting memories. It was so fun and relaxing. Then we went to dinner and a movie. It was fun!

And then on sunday, I got a yummy breakfast and pampering and relaxation all day. It was awesome!

Every year for the past 4 years Lacey and I have given Grandma Bagley pictures of the grandkids for Mother's day or her birthday. She buys the girls their easter dresses every year, so we thought this was one way to say thank you by having their picture taken in them. I thought it would be fun to post all of them to look back on how much they have grown!

2009

2008

2007

2006

What a difference a few years makes!

My Shy Brayli Performs in the School Talent Show!

2009-05-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our normally shy girl, Brayli, surprised me when she told me she wanted to try out for the school talent show by singing a camp rock song with her friend Lanae. I of course blew it off not thinking she would really go through with it. To my surprise, her determined personality came out to play this time as well. She tried out with 61 other auditions and was only one of 26 who made it! Wow! We heard this song a million times until the big day, including a private show for all of the family and Daren's family two nights before the wedding. Here she is in line waiting her turn. They did a great job and I'm so proud of her. Even her brothers haven't done this yet!

It was a little intimidating singing for 900 students and parents and most of the song they were looking down. It was so fun and we had 3 other kids from our ward in the talent show as well so it was fun to see them including Brayli's best friend who did a Hanana Montana solo!

What An Eventful April!!

2009-04-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

So at the beginning of April, Pat and I decided we needed a new bed. Well me being me took one thing that we needed and totally transformed our whole room because that's what I love to do. At least it was only one room this time and not three. It was definitely needed and I love our new sanctuary!! This was the before picture with all of our accessories gone

This was what was left of our room after we sold all of our furniture. While pat and I painted one day we kept the daycare busy by letting them jump on the bed!

Poor Pat had to do most of the painting while I watched the kids. I think he enjoys that so much more than shopping for accessories so I guess we make a good team!

The finished product. Of course the tv is Pat's favorite part. The only thing we have left to do is put pictures of pat and I in the frames above our bed

I love it!

April 11th
The day before Easter Pat had to work and it was a really nice day so I invited my mom and Brian and Lacey to go out to Schramm Park for a picnic and hiking. This is something that Pat and I used to do every Easter weekend but he has worked the last few so the girls hadn't been out there very much. We had a great time feeding the ducks and having an easter egg hunt. Even the boys got involved as Grandma had hidden some money in some of the eggs!

After playing, everyone else went home except me and the kids. We went on a 3.5 mile hike. I didn't intend to take them on such a long one. We kindof got lost. Brayli was such trooper! She loved the whole thing. Briegan had to be held a little but not too much and of course my scouts didn't seem to bothered by it. It was alot of fun. But we were so happy to finally find a road!

Brayli's picture taking

April 12th

Happy Easter!

April 16th

Throwing Ashley a Bridal Shower

After 4 bridal showers, we are getting pretty good at this!

Can you believe my mom bought this for her? Not bad!

April 25th

My baby sister Ashley gets married!! For those of you who know my family, you are aware that this is the 4th wedding in 14 months for my parents!! As you can imagine, we were so excited to get the last one married but also extremely excited to be done with wedding planning and all that goes with that for a very long time! Ashley could not have picked a better guy. Daren is awesome and we already love him a ton! He fits in like he's always been a part of the "Bagley's" We are so excited that all of us are finally married! I've been waiting a long time for this!

Sorry for all of the pictures, but it's going to be a long time before we are all in a wedding again!

Isn't she beautiful!

They are a great couple!
My mom and dad and my girls. So sweet!

Daren and all us bridesmaids

Me and my baby sister who towers over me!

Me and my gorgeous honey.

My adorable kids trying to stay warm

My parents with all of us kids

The whole Bagley clan

Me with my beautiful sisters!

All of us siblings

In our last family picture at a wedding, Tyler was not this tall!

It's a tradition with all of us sisters and sis in laws to go and decorate the hotel room in between the wedding and reception. We usually go out to lunch and have a ball buying everything and decorating. We've always thought it was appropriate to take pictures of us in the jacuzzi tub and the bed so they know we were in them first! Ashley's college roommate came from Idaho to be a bridesmaid and the poor girl got to experience all of this with us! I'm sure she thinks we are a bunch of physcos!

What Happened In March

2009-04-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Pat turns 38! Holy Cow! His birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we were able to make him a big breakfast before church.

After church we pampered him all day and then made one of his favorite dishes for dinner and opened presents. It was nice having a quiet party with just our family.

Trent mad the 5th & 6th grade basketball team this year and had alot of fun!

Pat and I celebrated our 15th anniversary! I can hardly believe it has been that long! It has gone by so fast! When it finally came, we both were taken back by the reality of this accomplishment and are so grateful to have had some many wonderful years together! Pat said to me that these years have been so good and each one gets better and better, he can't imagine where we will be in 15 more. Aren't I the luckiest girl? I love that man more than anything!!

On our anniversary Pat had 15 roses delivered to the house. This picture isn't so good as it was taken a week after I got them, but they were beautiful. Five days later, we celebrated by going to dinner with Brian and Lacey and then going to the Nickelback concert with them. We really like MOST of their songs. Some not so much. After the concert, Pat and I stayed in a hotel for the night and then the next day picked up Briegan as she was the only one who wasn't in school and spent the day with her. It was so fun being with Pat!

What Do We Mormons Believe?

2009-03-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

There is so much false information out there about what I believe in as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that I love when I come across accurately answered questions about us. I really enjoyed listening to this young college student explain some of our beliefs and I wanted to share it. I too love living in an area where there is a lot of diverse religions and love to share my beliefs with my nonmember friends.

Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

Going to the Zoo in the Winter

2009-03-19T13:31:00.001-07:00

What Happened in February -- Valentine's Day

2009-03-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a few years since I surprised my kids with heart waffles on Valentines morning so I thought this year would be perfect since it was on Saturday
At night we had our annual family Valentine's party where we make our own pizzas, play games, and give the kids treats. As is tradition, Brian, Lacey, and the girls came too.
My Buddy Aubree
Trent put the Kortus' to shame when he got whooped by a girl twice
Playing games
Our traditional licorice game
My Gorgeous Valentine!

Briegan and Kylee Get Their Ears Pierced!!

2009-03-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

The night before Briegan's 5th birthday, we had a surprise girls night out. Lacey and her girls and Eunice met me and my girls at the mall where we had dinner and then surprised Briegan with going to get her ears pierced. During dinner Lacey was able to convince Brian that it would be fun for Kylee to get it done also and so it was alot of fun for the two of them to share that together. This experience didn't turn out at all what I thought it would and I had to include a lot of pictures to fully explain it. I thought a slide show might be the best thing. I really wanted to put the video of it on here, but couldn't figure out how to do that off of my camcorder. So watch the slide show. It is hilarious in a heartless mom sort of way!!

Here are the girls completely fine after the fact and loving all the fun accessories to play with at the jewelry store. We also got the girls matching necklaces to commemorate the event

My Baby Turns 5!!

2009-03-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? This has been a very anticipated birthday for Briegan since we have told her she will get to go to kindergarten when she is five. Of course there was a little confusion when she woke up the day after her birthday thinking she was going to school with Brayli and Trent that day. Thank goodness it wasn't a total meltdown! The night before her birthday she and Brayli decided to sleep in the boys' room since no one had school so Tyler got to wake up to our singing as well.
The night before Briegan's birthday, the boys stayed up really late making her a birthday cake from scratch, chocolate, her favorite and the biggest and cutest birthday card. It was so cute to see my boys taking so much time to make her day special. The cake-well no one ever really ate it as it was a little dense! But A+ for effort!
Briegan wanted ramen noodles for her birthday dinner since she is so picky so I convinced her McDonald's would be a better choice for the rest of us! We had her party there and then got her favorite ice cream at Dairy Queen.
Back at home trying on her new cheerleading outfit and makeup
I have really found a deeper love for my little Briegan this year! She will always be our crazy very dramatic high strung daughter who pushes every button and more, but as she is growing up she is becoming much more manageable but also very hilarious and entertaining!! Her being the center of attention has become much more fun than it used to be and she makes people instantly fall in love with her when they meet her soley for her just being her. She also has become very affectionate this year and we have a very special bond from her being with me this year without her siblings. I can honestly say I am going to miss her so much when she goes to school which is something I wasn't quite sure I would ever say!
Party #2 We had the Bagley's over to celebrate Pat's and Briegan's birthday
Party #3 Every other year the kids get to have a friend party. I was soo partied out since we have been celebrating birthdays in our family since Oct. that I decided that Burger King would have to do and that's what we did with just a couple of friends.

I even bought cupcakes that Pat had made at the bakery. If dad made them then they are technically homeade right? Gotta love the blue frosting that stains the skin

~Memories in the Making ... Photography by Wendy Kortus~

2009-01-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

In Dec. of last year I launched a new career in wedding photography and photojournalism. I have been taking pictures for a long time and had been thinking for awhile about pursuing it as a career. I was approached by my great friend Jamie who asked me to photograph her sister Brooke's wedding. After my first shot, I had found my passion. I am excited about this adventure and am excited to learn more about myself, and to give something to others that will last forever.

For free consultations contact me @ pakwak6@hotmail.com

Get Me Out Of This Cold And Put Me In A Swimming Pool! Here We Come Great Wolf Lodge!!

2009-01-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

After a very long and hectic couple of months, Pat and I decided that we needed to get out of town and have some fun with our kids. So for Christmas, we gave them a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge. We had the most relaxing great time. It was so much fun! We love going in the middle of winter to get away from the awful weather! This present was mainly for Briegan who is our fish and ALWAYS wearing her swimsuit and complaining about not ever going swimming

Is It Really 2009 Already?

2009-01-29T14:24:00.001-08:00

Because we had so much going on in Dec. we decided to have Brayli's friend birthday party in Jan. after she got back into school so she could invite all of her classmates. We had a great time at our house and all of them are really good friends and have so much fun together. They all have so much energy! I so appreciate Brayli's teacher even more now!

Yes We Still Exist!! What Happened in Dec. 2008

2009-01-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

Tyler has his 7th grade strings concert
It's Christmas time again! This year we had Christmas Eve at our house. After pizza and a program around the piano we did our pudding tradition. Since we were at our house my dad passed the honor of dishing out the pudding and hiding the nickel in one of the bowls to Pat.
My baby sister Ashley and boyfriend Darin. We were so excited to have them here for Christmas since we didn't have them for Thanksgiving. And this is always my Briegan!
Brayli had the nickel this year and got the prize!
Brayli turns 7!!
Thanks alot Grandpa for the endless bowl of cheese balls!

On Brayli's birthday, we went over to Kortus' for Christmas Dinner. All of the family was there except Pat's sister Rose and her husband Larry. It had been a long time since we had all been together and it was alot of fun. We were able to get a picture of all the grandkids and great grandkids. There's alot!!
This year for New Year's Eve we all got together since Ashley was in town at my mom and dad's. We ate alot of yummy food and played some fun games that my dad had put together. One was the infamous sack game and we had so much fun playing against eachother. My dad rewarded the winners with money!!

Yes We Still Exist!! What Happened in Nov. 2008

2009-01-29T12:29:00.001-08:00

Trent turns 11! We always wake the kids up on their birthdays by singing to them so these pictures usually aren't the cutest of them!
Trent requested a mini cake for himself so we could smash his face in it. It was my honor to do that for him for all the headaches he has caused me this year! I love this guy!!
We took Trent Tyler and a couple of friends ice skating for Trent's birthday. This was Trent's first time and after a few falls he really got the hang of it. We all came home with bruises that lasted for days. Not the safest sport.
Tyler thought he was all that! Until he fell that is!
For Thanksgiving this year everyone got to be at my mom's except for Ashley who was having Thanksgiving with her then boyfriend (who is now her fiance) Darin. We even had Lacey's mom and dad here with us. This was the first year we had to have a "kid table" because our family has gotten so big!
All of us couples

Yes We Still Exist!! What Happened in Oct. 2008

2009-01-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Please forgive me for going back so far, but I had to start in Oct. or else I wouldn't be able to show off my brother's wedding. My 3rd Brother Scott and Ashley get married! Wow was it a year for Bagley weddings. In case you've lost count, this was #3 for the year. It was so beautiful as was Ashley and we loved every moment. Only one sibling to go, which by the way is next April 25th for my baby sis Ashley!!

Here is all of us sisters and sis in laws decorating the honeymoon suite for them. Everyone has gotten this done except for me of course. Being the oldest my siblings weren't even old enough
to know the importance of a honeymoon suite when I got married. We always joke that Pat and I are going to book a hotel night just so they can decorate it for me!
By now we are pros at decorating these rooms!

Wendy turns 34! Ugh!
Wendy turns 34 and Lacey turns 27
This year our family finally made it to one of our favorite places in the fall. Getting apple donuts, carmel apples, and cider at Kimmel orchards and then going to Indian Cave State Park for the day
Ha Ha Tyler fell off!
Going to Vala's pumpkin patch was quite the experience this year. We got 2 good hours in before it started raining. We went with my mom and Brian and Lace like every year, but this year Brian suggested we get a fire pit which was what saved us from the cold rain. We ended up barbequeing in the rain huddled under pine trees and then spent an hour or so in the lodge hoping the rain would stop which ended up only getting worse. We didn't get to do very much but still created fun memories!

This is my favorite picture! It tell how we were all feeling!!
Finally giving up
This was a very quiet Halloween for us this year! The boys went with my parents on a grandson trip to Branson, Missouri for the weekend so we only had to have two costumes. It was great!!
We had alot of fun with the girls as they are the perfect age for this and we went with Brian and Lacey and our great friends Jeff and Heidi DaBell trick or treating.

All of the kids
Brayli and her best friend Ashley
We weren't quite sure of this guy!
Brayli in love with her candy!

Sept. 10th- My Big House Project

2008-09-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

One day I was playing the piano and I almost fell over when Pat told me he would let me move our tv downstairs and put the piano upstairs to make a quiet room. This has been something I have wanted forever and so after making plans to do this, my plans changed into completely redoing our living room, dining room, kitchen, entry ways, and hallway. Wow. It was a very long and overwhelming project that I started two weeks before we left for florida and right in the middle of the wedding preps. Not the smartest idea. But after endless hours of work and shopping, it is now a finished project except for some things I need for the kitchen and touch up on the ceilings. It has completely changed the look of our home and I'm so excited. So here are the pictures for all of you that can't be here to see it when you wanted to be.

Sept.13-22nd Pat and I get away to Florida!!

2008-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Pat and I planned a trip to Florida for just the two of us. It's been 2 1/2 years since we have been there, and we really needed to get away. We did almost everything different this time and it was a whole new experience. We enjoyed every minute, but have decided we can't go back again unless our kids come with! I'm sorry I have so many picts on here, but we were there nine days and alot happened.

We stayed on the beach in Daytona and this was the view from our hotel balcony

The car rental place didn't have a car for us so they upgraded us to a mustang. Pat was really upset as you can see driving it the whole time!
After our first day was spent on the beach, we spent the next three days at the Disney parks. We saw alot, rode alot, stood in line alot, but overall enjoyed it.

After dreaming of this castle for at least 30 years I finally got to see it!
At Animal Kingdom I danced with an African band
We also saw a shorter version of the lion king here
This was one of our favorite rides, Mount Everest!
One night we went to the Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Theatre. We went to this when we were in Florida before and it was just as good this time!
One day we drove up to St. Augustine and spent the day. Their beaches were not white sandy beaches that Daytona is but because of all the rocks we were able to find lots of sea shells for the kids and daycare! This was the first of 3 days we experienced a tropical depression
Our hotel put on a Luau dinner and Pat and I at different times got to be part of the show. Lucky us!
Our last full day here we spent playing on the beach, making sand somethings, swimming, laying out, reading, and relaxing like I didn't know was possible anymore!! It was awesome!!

This was the last morning we were there. I woke up really early probably from the excitement to see the kids, so I went out on our balcony and waited for the sun to rise. It was beautiful. I perfect ending to our vacation.

Sept. 6th My Little Sis Mandi Gets Married!!

2008-09-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Me and my two gorgeous little sisters
All of us siblings

Starting Another School Year Yeah!!

2008-09-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how much I have missed these last few months without blogging! So sorry!
It has been a crazy summer with birthdays,vacations,wedding showers, lots of kids in my house, etc. It would take too much to go back so I'll just start when the kids went back to school.

Tyler turned 13 this summer and started junior high this year. He wouldn't allow me to go into school and take pictures with him as I figured so I have no good ones for the first time of his first day! He's growing up so fast and I can't do anything about it. I'm getting so OLD!!
Here's Brayli and Trent. Brayli started 1st grade this year and was all about me taking lots of pictures. Trent started 5th and tried to keep me away from embarrassing him, but I wouldn't give in!
This is Trent's best friend Eric. They are attached at the hip!
Her is Brayli's best friend Ashley. We always try to get them in the same class because I don't think I could get Brayli to go to school every day if she wasn't there!
Here is Mr. Robeson, Trent's teacher. Trent worships everything he does and says. He's loving him as his teacher

May 25th Trent plays in his last Soccer Tourney

2008-06-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

We decided as a family at the beginning of the year to end our long career with select soccer. As much as the boys love to play, it was taking away too much from our family and we were never together. The boys have been very supportive in this and knowing this was his last tournament, Trent played his heart out! The team won the tourney for Trent, they said, and then gave him the winning team trophy to remember them by! We have been blessed to be associated with such amazing people on both of our boys' teams!

May 22nd Tyler's 6th grade graduation

2008-06-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

Tyler was voted by his classmates to be one of 5 kids to give a speech at his graduation. He did a great job! He was also awarded the presidential award for his grades. We are very lucky to have him as our son! Grandma Bagley and Aunt Ashley were also able to come see Ty.

May 16th-Field Day at School and Baby Aubree Comes!

2008-06-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

Pat and I brought all the daycare kids we had that day to the field day so we could watch
our own kids, so here they all are eating lunch at school. Doesn't Pat look so enthused! I had asked him to take the day off to help me!

After we got home from the field day and got all the kids down for a nap, I left Pat in charge and went up to the hospital to watch the birth of Aubree. This was my first time witnessing a birth and I was so honored to be there!! She is beautiful!

Proud aunt for the second time!

Tyler tries Flag Football and Gets the Quarterback Position!

2008-06-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Tyler played flag football and loved it. He really did well as quarterback and we learned that he has a great arm! Who knew? Maybe it's because his arms aren't wornout with soccer

Some of My Favorite Running Tunes

2008-05-19T14:18:00.001-07:00

April 29th Tyler's last Elementary Concert

2008-05-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tyler has been playing the violin for 3 years now and this was his last concert until Junior High. I didn't get any good pictures because we were up so high. Sorry Tyler!

April 25th Briegan and Mom Day

2008-05-09T13:04:00.001-07:00

We only had two daycare kids come this day and I wasn't in the mood to do my usual chores for the day, so I did what I never do and just played with Briegan! It was so fun! First we did eachother's makeup and nails. Briegan added a clip to my hair!

Then we made funny faces for the camera!
Then we made cookies and ate the dough!

April 19th- Another Milestone in our Family!

2008-05-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Both of the girls learned the same week how
to ride a two wheeler! We are so excited to
be done with training wheels! Their bikes are
now their favorite toys and we spend alot of
time riding down by the lake.
It's been so funny to watch our girls' different
personalities come out with this. Briegan has
no fear and we are constantly telling her to
slow down, while Brayli is very cautious!

Trent's Last Pinewood Derby

2008-05-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that Pat will never put together another car! It's kind of a relief at the same time! This was a tri-ward derby so lots of pressure! Trent didn't win but it was still fun!

The anticipation of the race!
We were so close!

A Request from my Crazy InLaws to have their own video on the blog!

2008-03-26T18:40:00.001-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Happy Easter!! This is for you Rose!!

2008-03-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Grandma Bagley buys the granddaughter's easter dresses every year so they can match. Aren't they beautiful! It was a very cold and windy day in Omaha! After church we went to Grandma Kortus' for Easter dinner. It was fun to see everyone since it had been awhile and of course the grandkids didn't take anytime to start playing with eachother.After the Kortus' we then went to Grandma Bagley's for another dinner. Again we had lots of fun being with them but I was too tired by that time to get out the camera again. Sorry Bagleys!

Sorry these guys are a little blurry, my camera setting was off but I still love the picture

Here is a special Bunny cake Grandma made for the Grandkids. Isn't she miss Martha Stewart

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

2008-03-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Pat's family is very Irish and have always had corn beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. It's been a long time that my kids have experienced this meal and after some nudging from my mother in law that making this meal is easy we decided to give it a try for the first time this year. Pat ended up cooking the meal (which was very smart, it turned out great) and I put together a little program of some history and games for my kids to play to celebrate their heritage. We invited Brian over as Lacey and Kylee were out of town. Hesitantly he agreed and ended up surprised that he enjoyed our meal. I ended up learning this weekend that I also have lots of Irish ancestors in my family! Who knew!

We also had alot of fun on this holiday with the daycare! We had green juice and green macaroni and cheese for lunch and green cookies. The green macaroni didn't go over as well with everyone as I thought! Oh well! And all of the parents were on the ball and dressed everyone in green so we couldn't pinch anyone either!!

Celebrating our 14th Wedding Anniversary

2008-03-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our kids woke up really early and surprised us with breakfast. They made toast and egg and cheese omelets with bacon bits! Very creative!

That night we went out to eat at a yummy restaurant called firebirds that we only get to once a year because it's a little pricey. We had a great meal and the best time!
I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have married Pat! I love this guy more and more every day that we are together! Good thing he has put up with me so long!!

Making Cookies with Grankma Kortus

2008-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Kortus came over for dinner and cookie making with the girls one night. It was so fun to have them at our house and spend time with them as we don't get to do it as much as we would like. The girls had so much fun making cookies with grandma and they sure tasted good too!

Pat Turns 37 Ouch!

2008-03-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

All About My Honey

2008-03-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

What is his name? Patrick Allen Kortus

How long have you been married? We just celebrated our 14th anniversary on March 12th

How long did you date? Our first date was December 14, 1991 and we were connected at the hip until our wedding day on March 12, 1994, (except for 2 months when I went to college which we aren't going to talk about!) so a little over 2 years. I was just a baby, I needed that much time, probably more!

How old is he? He is 37

Who said "I love you first?" He did

Who is taller? He is thank goodness. I'm kind of obsessed about that. I'm 5'4" and he's 5'8". He lost an inch with his last back surgery.

Who eats more sweets? Oh, no competition, me. Pat used to never eat sugar but wearing on him!

Who can sing better? It's a toss up. Pat loves to sing out loud alot more than me and he doesn't care who hears him

Who is smarter? Pat is for sure! He always makes fun of my "millard south education"! He's very very smart. My walking calculator.

Who does the Laundry? I do. Only because I'm home alot more than him. He would do it in an instant if I asked him too, and he would probably do a better job of it too!

Who pays the bills? I do.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do and I only get 1/3rd of the bed. Pat and his girlfriend (his body pillow) get the other 2/3rds. It's an ongoing battle!

Who mows the lawn? Pat does and we are finally bringing the boys on board as well.

Who cooks dinner? Family dinner? What's that? For sometime now it's been hit or miss at our house. Hopefully that will be changing soon. When we do cook usually it's me but Pat's a mean barbequer!

Who drives? Pat

Who is more stubborn? No doubt me! Pat is the peacemaker! I can hold out for a long time!

Who kissed who first? I did. At the end of our first date, he went in for a hug and I got him. I couldn't resist!

Who asked who out first? Pat did, well actually a mutual friend of ours opened the door for him as he was too chicken to ask me out himself. He was afraid I would say no because he was so much older than me.

Who proposed? He did when I was at Rick's College. I had been up there for a month and a half and he came up for my birthday and proposed in my grandparents living room! It was awesome!

Who has more siblings? He does. He has 7 and I have 5

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

Girls Rock!

2008-03-20T11:20:00.001-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Aren't we great dancers?

2008-03-20T11:18:00.001-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Jason and Eunice get married!!

2008-02-25T16:30:00.002-08:00

Even though it was bitter cold and taking pictures outside was no fun at all, it was an amazing day!

Jason's beloved cake!

It's been a long day!!

Our traditional Family Valentines Day Party

2008-02-25T13:27:00.001-08:00

We have a tradition that we surprise our kids with making our own pizzas and then we have a
party with games and candy. The last couple of years Brian Lacey and Kylee have come over and it's so much fun!

This game is where you have to eat a piece of licorice with only your tongue. We were all amazed at how fast Kylee was!

Here you had a time limit and you had to see how many conversation hearts you could stack in that time. Trent won with 13.

BRIEGAN TURNS FOUR!
Our baby turned 4! We have a tradition where we
wake up the birthday person with candles and singing
so here is Briegan half asleep!
Briegan loves Barbies!!
Briegan only likes ice cream. This year the pick
was bubble gum flavor!

2008-02-25T11:45:00.001-08:00

Pat rarely gets saturdays off and so this day we decided to go the the zoo. Even though it was a little cold we had a great time. As you can see, even the waterfalls out side are still frozen over!

My girls cut off all of their hair! Jan. 4 07

2008-01-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

My girls and my sister Mandi, having been trying to convince me to let the girls cut off their hair. I would never agree, but after months of crying everytime we combed their hair I gave the ok. To make it worthwhile, we made sure both girls cut off at least 10 inches so we could donate their hair to locks of love. I never thought I would love their hair short but I do!! And so do they!!

Jan. 3rd Getting our new puppy Bella

2008-01-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

After hearing my kids whine for a year and a half about getting a dog, the idea finally started to grow on me. She had to be small though and stay small and not shed or be yippy. I think we have found her! She is so fun and everyday Brayli tells Bella how happy she is that she is in our family. She's 2lbs and won't be more that 7lbs so she's the perfect purse dog!

Ringing in the New Year

2008-01-16T16:11:00.000-08:00

I had been really sick the weekend before New Year's so instead of getting together with our close friends the Ludlow's, we stayed home and played games with the kids and ate lots of yummy food!

Tyler as his usual self
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I2MCnzmH5Og/R46e9iLDrLI/AAAAAAAAANc/cnbgajuakT8/s1600-h/IMG_1852.JPG">

Drinking our favorite sparkling grape juice!

New Years isn't New Years without the kisses

Trent making sure we make lots of noise at midnight

Christmas 2007

2008-01-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Briegan got the biggest present this year!

Brayli got her mp3 player

Trent gets his Wii game

Tyler gets his soccer rebounder. Would Tyler ask for anything that wasn't associated with soccer?

Wendy got her nike chip for her running shoes she's been wanting for a long time!

Pat gets a well deserved massage for a hard year at work

Christmas always brings out more love doesn't it?

We are having our tradition breakfast where we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and give him presents of goals that each of us try to work on throughout the year.

This year was our year to have Christmas with the Kortus'. We had so much fun being all together as there is alot of us!!
Here are some of the boy cousins

Here's Pat's brother John being Santa this year. Conveniently most of the presents had his name on them!

The grandkids waiting for John to give them a present

Some of the girl cousins

Our last stop of the day was at the Bagley's. We exchanged presents and had lots of fun with them!

My sis in laws

Giving mom and dad their digital photo frame

Going to see Santa Dec. 17 07

2008-01-16T14:17:00.001-08:00

We are convinced this is the real Santa!

The Haircut

2008-01-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have always loved my girls having long hair. My ultimate nightmare came true on this day. Briegan and her friend Dylan, who comes to my daycare everyday, decided to play beautyshop. They decided it would be fun to cut eachother's hair. I don't blame Dylan at all, as Briegan is the mastermind in anything that is naughty and Dylan is her puppet! As a result, Briegan acquired a mullet on the top of her head and when she saw it, started to cry! Thank goodness she is still just as beautiful!

Thanksgiving!

2008-01-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

This year it was our turn to spend Thanksgiving with Wendy's family. Of course we had lots of fun, but we missed Brian and Lacey. They are on opposite schedules than us and so we don't see them on holidays. Pooh! This year Pat and Matt (Mandi's special friend) got to carve the turkey!

It's Halloween!

2008-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Our crazy clan! They had lots of fun getting lots of candy while the rest of us froze! They sure hit the mother load though!

Christmas Eve

2008-01-16T12:09:00.001-08:00

It's tradition to spend Christmas Eve with Wendy's family. We have dinner, a presentation about Jesus Christ, usually put on by Grandma and Grandpa Bagley, and then the pudding! Everyone gets to pick a bowl of pudding, specially prepared by Grandpa in which one bowl has a nickel in it. Whoever gets the nickel gets to open a present that night. It's so fun to dig for the pudding. Some go at it right away, while others carefully and slowly eat their way to the bottom. For the first time ever, Trent won this year!!