The Saga of Sadie

For Grandma and Grandpa

2012-01-18T06:56:00.005-07:00

This kid is a chatterbox. He started saying words really early... before 12 months, and was speaking in paragraphs before age 2. But whenever I try to video him so grandma and grandpa can listen to his chattiness he runs and hides or just starts yelling, "NO, no!!" It's frustrating. I've been trying to get him on video for months! The video below shows exactly what I mean.

But while I was out and about the other day, Maddy magically got some words out of him. She knew I had been trying for quite some time and decided to show me who's boss. It's not exactly what I was looking for. I wanted him chattering away in full sentences like he usually does, but at least it's something!! Now grandma and grandpa can see what a big boy he is getting to be. I just love his sweet little voice and his constant chatter. His favorite show to watch on TV is Dora the Explorer and he has picked up quite a bit of Spanish to mix in with his constant stream of words. The other night, he was playing with Eddie and climbed up on Eddie's back and started saying, "Abaho, Dad, Abaho, abaho!!!" Which I know for a fact he learned from Dora. That is "down" in Spanish. It was hilarious. We couldn't stop laughing.

Oh the Joy

2012-01-16T14:38:00.002-07:00

Maverik is obsessed with tractors, and has been since before his second birthday. That is a significant chunk of his short life. I wanted to get him a John Deere Power Wheels tractor for his second birthday, but things just didn't work out. I had been looking on KSL Classifieds for one for a long time and mid November I found the perfect deal. I jumped on it first thing and knew it would be PERFECT for Christmas. I'm so glad that I found such a great deal. As you can see from the video, Maverik was overjoyed... He literally couldn't stop laughing. I have a bunch of these short video clips of him just laughing his head off. So perfect and so cute. I love when the perfect present pans out. Oh the joy!

After Christmas Mess

2011-12-30T16:16:00.003-07:00

I love the week after Christmas... It's a week for apalling messes, pajamas all day, staying up until midnight, gorging on sweets, and generally doing everything we aren't allowed to do for the next whole year. I always take a picture of the living room after the presents have been unwrapped and it's a total mess. It makes my cheeks hurt from smiling.
Libby on her new rollerblades from Santa
Here are the boys completely thrilled and ecstatic about our new John Deere. Maverik LIVES for tractors at this time in his life and he was beside himself when he saw it waiting for him on Christmas morning.

We are having so much fun this week. I never want it to end.

Favorite Christmas Traditions

2011-12-27T10:00:00.008-07:00

I always like to document our favorite Christmas traditions. It's fun to go back through the years and see my kids doing the same thing each year, but growing so much bigger every time. One of our favorite traditions is unwrapping a Christmas book every night before bed in the month of December. We start on December 1st and go through Christmas Day. The kids love seeing which book they get to unwrap. I got a lot of these at the D.I. and other thrift stores, but I have bought some classics like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Christmas Story, and others. We add books and take away books each year only leaving our favorites so it's a different line up of books every time. I love this tradition so much!
This isn't a tradition, but it very well could become one. I found Ryder one night curled up under the Christmas tree in a fort he had built. It was so sweet.
Going to see the lights at temple square and visiting the Children's museum is another top favorite of ours. This cute little museum keeps the kids busy for hours and I love that it is free.
After playing for 2 hours they still didn't want to leave. But the excitement of the lights got them out.
I was so happy to have Eddie with us this year. My heart was bursting with joy and happiness every time we did another one of our Christmas traditions. I am so thankful to have him home. We always park at The Gateway and watch the water fountains, then ride the trax to temple square. And on the way back to the car, we always stop in at the huge Barnes & Noble and let the kids play with the train table and roam the kid section. Maddy and I may or may not have begged Eddie to buy us a coveted book... hee, hee
We love watching Christmas movies snuggled up on the couch together. Our favorite Christmas movies are: Home Alone, A Christmas Story, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Muppet's Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, Scrooge, and Christmas Vacation. We managed to watch all of them this year!!
We always get to open 2 presents on Christmas Eve. One is always Christmas pajamas, and the other is from the family drawing we do. This year the kids got robes with their pajamas. They had been begging all year for a warm robe. They haven't taken them off since Christmas Eve! Libby even asked if she could wear hers to church. ha, ha I love seeing the excitement and compassion each of the kids has for the person they drew out of a hat. They have to spend their own money and I love watching them scrimp and save to get just the right present. We spent an hour at the dollar store going back and forth between many things so Libby could buy Ryder the perfect present. And she did. Maddy had more money than the other kids and it was a delight to watch her put aside all her wants and get her dad something that she knew he would love. Christmas is a wonderful and joyous time, but our Christmas traditions make it even more so.

Frozen Fog

2011-12-27T09:52:00.005-07:00

We had a thick layer of fog and inversion settle over the valley in early December and stick around for weeks. The sun couldn't get through, and it was bitter cold and dreary. The frost kept building up on the trees and everything else and since the sun couldn't get through to melt it, the frost kept "growing". I remember this happening about 5 years ago, but it hasn't done it this bad since then. The trees are absolutely breathtaking. They look like something out of a fantasy movie. I kept meaning to take my camera into town and take some pictures of the big, sprawling trees covered in a thick layer of icicles because every time I drove past them I gasped at their beauty... but I never did.
My horse and dog and goat all had "frozen fog" on their eyelashes and hair. It really was something to see.
These are my little trees frozen over. I'm sure you can imagine what a full size tree would look like covered in this.
Finally, the week before Christmas we had a storm that blew the inversion and fog away. I was so happy to see the sun again, but I rather miss this ethereal beauty that stuck around for the month of December.

Awards

2011-12-27T09:42:00.003-07:00

Maddy, Libby, and Ryder all participated in the PTA art competition called Reflections at school this year. The girls really love doing this and look forward to it every year. I love their excitement for it. This year they were determined to enter into as many categories as they could. Ryder and Liberty are in the younger age division and Madalyn entered into the middle age division. There are first and second prizes for each age division. They both entered in the Visual Arts, Photography, and Literature categories. Ryder entered into the 3D category. At the end of November, they went to the Award Ceremony and found out if they had won. They were so excited. Madalyn won the Award of Excellence (like First Place) for both Visual Arts and Photography and the Award of Merit (like second place) for Literature. She was so happy with her trophies and prizes. Liberty won the Award of Excellence for Visual Arts and the Award of Excellence for Literature. She was also very happy and excited. And Ryder won an Honorable Mention for his Lego creation he entered into the 3D category. I am so proud of them all. They are so creative and I love their passion for art.

Snowman Day

2011-12-12T21:10:00.012-07:00

I often get silly ideas that I want to do with my kids... Unfortuneately, most the time we are too busy with other things and my crazy ideas get put on the backburner. But when I had the idea to have a snowman day after seeing a lot of cute snowmen crafts and ideas online (pinterest), I was determined to make it happen. And so it did.

We started out with yummy snowman pancakes. Too cute to eat.... almost.

Then we made cute snowman pictures out of marshmallows and whatever else was in my pantry. I loved that each one turned out so different. The kids really loved this project.

Libby's snowman

Ryder's snowman

Maddy's snowman

We didn't have quite enough snow to build a real snowman outside, but after sledding down our hill a million times, and getting icy cold, we came in for some hot chocolate. We made these snowman donuts to go with the hot chocolate. Yummy!

Then we had fun experimenting with marshmallows and trying to make some cute snowmen. This was really fun. Long after Libby and Ryder tired of it, Maddy and I were still making our army of marshmallow snowmen and snow ladies. ha, ha

Of course, we watched the old classic, Frosty the snowman.
And then before bed, we read a few snowman books (Sadie and the Snowman and Frosty the Snowman) and then we played pin the nose on the snowman. I just cut out this snowman from paper and they had so much fun pinning on the nose. Even Mav got into it. I left him up on the wall and Maverik loves to take off his eyes and nose and buttons and redecorate him. Who knew it would keep him so occupied?
It was a snowrific day, and I'm so glad that I took the time to just do it. It's definitely a memory that I will cherish even if my kids forget all about it. Of course, now I have all these ideas for a Reindeer Day, Santa day, Nativity day.... etc. etc. The possibilities are endless.

Welcome Little Ace and I love my girls

2011-12-09T17:59:00.006-07:00

My big sis had her baby on December 1. She had a horrible, miserable labor and delivery but Ace arrived just as perfect as could be. I was so sad I couldn't make it down for the delivery. I can't wait to get my hands on him. Look at those cheeks!
I love these girls so much. It's in those quiet, simple moments that my heart swells with love. They have always been close and rarely rarely fight. They love to play together and their imaginations work best when they are together. The above picture they made a sleigh for their horses and were pulling Libby's dolls around. It was the cutest thing ever!

The minute I brought Libby home from the hospital when she was a baby, I couldn't wait to dress my girls the same. I've always loved dressing them up, but dressing them in the same outfits is even funner. Maddy has grown old enough that it doesn't happen much anymore, but I found these 2 shirts on clearance and I just had to snap a shot of them together. They will always be my little girls.

The Birthday

2011-12-05T14:05:00.008-07:00

For my birthday this year I told Eddie that I wanted a weekend away. He thought that was very reasonable and so I arranged it. I headed to St. George and met 2 of my sisters, my mom, and my sister in law. We stayed in a lovely hotel room, shopped, ate, watched a movie, and played games into the late hours of the morning. It really was wonderful and exactly what I needed. I was able to let off some steam and forget about all the stress and projects and to do lists waiting for me back at home. It was a perfect weekend, except for the fact that it went by way too fast.My mom is so cute. She gave me the best gift of all... the gift of laughter. We ate my birthday lunch at Chuck-a-rama which holds some dear memories for all of us, and my mom gave me my birthday present while we were eating there. Because it is a situation where "you had to be there" to get it, I won't go into details but let's just say the whole restaurant was staring as me and the girls laughed so long and hard and LOUD that I thought I was going to pass out.
I brought an assortment of goodies so we could stay in the hotel room and play games and visit. This was probably the best part. We played Scattergories one night which is my favorite board game. Then we talked until 2 a.m.!!! I can't even remember the last time I stayed up like that. It was amazing.
We also ate at Larsen's Frost Top which holds so many memories for us growing up. We listened to some really outdated music (think N'Sync) on the Juke box and my sisters got embarrassed while I got up and danced to it. Totally awesome, dude! My sister bought me this awesome shirt while we were there. Love it!
It was great to be able to get away from everything and not have to worry about kids or anything else. Thanks to my sweet hubby who watched the kids and even had the house clean when I came home.
I've always loved birthdays. They are special and I've always tried to make my kids birthdays memorable and unique. And even though I'm on the other side of 30 now (oh wow!), I still enjoy them. I make it a day where I choose to forget all the pressing matters of life, and do exactly what I want to do. Just for one day. It makes the day feel significant and extraordinary, and I'm never disappointed by a birthday. I also like to think back on the year and ponder the events that took place and the growth that I've had. This always makes me happier about the actual number of the birthday because I realize that only through years of struggle and learning and trials and events can I gain wisdom and knowledge and become closer to the person I am striving to be. On my actual birth day, which was on a Monday, I decided I wanted to read the entire day. And so I did. I finished a 475 page book in one day. It was awesome.

Thankful - Day 30

2011-11-30T21:03:00.003-07:00

As my thankful month comes to a close, I am grateful that I took the time and effort to remember how blessed I am each and every day. Life is a whirlwind and it's easy to get caught up in it. I hope that I can remember to slow things down by continuing this little thankful experiment and take a few minutes each evening and contemplate what I am truly grateful for. These few minutes each night have really helped me to be grateful for what I have. It has helped me to appreciate the loved ones in my life more, and most importantly, it has helped me become more loving and patient as I remember throughout each day what really matters most in life.

Thankful - Day 29

2011-11-29T21:04:00.004-07:00

I am thankful for this little turkey. Although he fills my days with chaos, stress, and sometimes grief, I love him to pieces. He is a little clone of his daddy and it always makes me laugh. I love that he is so passionate about things. I have learned patience, hope, and many more things directly from this little guy. Life would just not be the same without him. I am thankful for him and all that he brings to my life each day.

Thankful - Day 28

2011-11-28T21:10:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for birthdays... no really, I am. I love birthdays. Birthdays at our house are a big deal. I try to make them as special as I can. After all, you only have one short year to make the best of each year of age, and each year needs a good start to it. Since it's my birthday today, I thought it fitting to count it in my thankful posts. I've had some wonderful birthdays in wonderful places. And I've had some low key birthdays with not much going on, but no matter the year or circumstances I always try to look back on the previous year and search for new growth, changes, and remember special things about that year. Sometimes it is hard to watch the birthday number go up, but it's really not about the number... it's about the amount of life lived in each number. I love my birthdays. It reminds me of how far I've come.

One of my favorite birthdays was spent on a cruise in the above picture. I can't think of a better way to spend a birthday!

Thankful - Day 27

2011-11-28T21:07:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for traditions. I love teaching my children some of the traditions I had while growing up, and making up our own traditions for my own little family. There is something about a tradition that is just so warm and fuzzy. Of course, being me, I have a million little traditions for every holiday and special event but it makes things so much funner. As we move into the Christmas season, I am overflowing with excitement and anticipation for all of our Christmas traditions.

What a blessing traditions can be. I am thankful for them.

Thankful - Day 26

2011-11-28T08:18:00.004-07:00

I am thankful for this kid. He has been full of surprises since the day he was born. He was a perfect baby, always happy and full of laughs and smiles. It took him a long time to enter into the terrible 2 stage, but just recently he has dived headfirst into toddler hood and tantrums. He is a talker. He jabbers constantly and repeats everything anyone says. I love listening to him. It is delightful. He makes me so happy even when he is full of mischief and mayhem... which is all the time. He is constantly on the move. I've never seen him sit still. He just moves and moves and moves. It makes me tired just watching him. He is just so busy.

He is obsessed with tractors right now. Anything to do with tractors and he goes crazy. When Eddie is working with the skid loader, he watches out the window, completely still and fascinated. It is the only time he is ever still and quiet. He will watch it for hours, not moving, just completely transfixed.

I am thankful for Maverik because he melts my heart and always brings a smile to my face.

Thankful - Day 25

2011-11-26T09:30:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for my household appliances... especially my awesome frontloader washer and dryer, my dishwasher, and my double ovens (which came in very handy for cooking many delicious Thanksgiving dishes). I am so blessed to have these amazing apppliances that make each day easier. I am thankful for the convenience and for the time they save me so I can focus on more important and fun things like playing with my kids.

Thankful - Day 24

2011-11-24T20:33:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful that I got to spend Thanksgiving with my hubby. Last year, the holidays were unbearable without him! I am so thankful that he is home and safe and in my arms. I'm thankful that I got to try my hand at the Thanksgiving meal. I'm thankful that I got to eat Thanksgiving dinner with some of my favorite people ever. I'm thankful that we played games after dinner and lounged around and talked. I'm thankful that I put on my pajamas at 6:00 p.m. and had nothing to do but relax in bed and read magazines and books and gaze lovingly at my husband.

I'm thankful for this holiday and all that it means to me. I love Thanksgiving!

Thankful - Day 23

2011-11-23T21:41:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for friends.... old and new. I had a lot of really great friends growing up and in high school, and I was lucky enough to have a handful of BEST friends. I will never forget the great times we had and how my experiences with them have shaped me into the person I am today. I wish I lived closer to my home town so I could see my old friends more and have our kids grow up together, but I am thankful for new friends I have made where I live. I love my neighborhood and have made some wonderful friends here.

Friends definitely make life easier and I am so thankful to have had such phenomenal friends in my life.

Thankful - Day 22

2011-11-22T20:43:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for modern medicine. It is amazing the strides we have made in medicine. The advancement and research have helped countless people that I am close to. My own little family has been directly blessed by it. If not for modern medicine, my little guy Ryder would have died in my arms 3 and a half years ago. I remember that time with perfect clarity as if it were yesterday. And I still get panicky when my kids get respiratory infections. I am thankful that modern medicine was able to save his life. I am thankful that when my kids are sick or hurting, I can get medicine to make them well. What a life it would be without the blessing of modern medicine.

Thankful - Day 21

2011-11-21T21:15:00.006-07:00

I am thankful for my college experience. There have been countless times where I wish I could go back and do it all over again, but as I sat here tonight and thought back to all the many great things I got to do while in college, I am thankful for the experience that I had.

I went hiking, rapelling, and camping A LOT while in college, and had a great time with that group of friends. I think I spent most of my time outdoors my first year of college.
I auditioned for the Women's Choir and made it in, and had a fantastic 2 years with them. We travelled to Portland Oregan and sang at quite a few places there. It was an incredible trip for me. My choir experience was really awesome. You probably won't be able to pick me out in the above picture. I had short, blonde hair...
Although this picture is really blurry, I love it so much. I'm the one in the blue pants and black shirt... and yes my hair is still blonde... ha, ha It was a phase, okay? I also had the opportunity to travel to Europe twice and immerse myself in the culture. It was an amazing experience and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity.

I had a great college experience that helped me to grow leaps and bounds not only academically but emotionally and personally as well. There were some rough, rough months where I wanted to run away from it all and never return, but I stuck it out and have the diploma to prove it.

I really am thankful for my education and college experience.

Thankful - Day 20

2011-11-21T19:25:00.004-07:00

I am thankful for my sisters. I am so blessed to have 3 sisters! So many of my very best memories are with my sisters. We have had some amazing experiences together. I remember sharing a room with all 3 of them and not being bothered by it at all. A sister really is something special.... irreplaceable. They are always there for me when I need them, and I would do anything to help them out as well. I just spent an amazing weekend with 2 of my sisters and it was invigorating and refreshing. We stayed up until 2 a.m. talking! I don't even remember the last time I did that. It was perfect.

I am so thankful for my sisters and for the influence and help they have been in my life.

* Guess which one is me? ;)

Thankful - Day 19

2011-11-20T21:00:00.007-07:00

I am thankful for my mother. I may have been a daddy's girl while in my youth, but now that I am grown, I can see that my mother was the glue of the family. She held us all together. She taught me how to be loving and generous. She taught me how to be a good cook. She taught me that no matter what your kids do, you always love them... forever and ever. My mother is a light in my life. I only wish it didn't take me so long to realize how truly great and amazing she really is. I was not a very grateful or loving teenager to my mother. In fact, I was down right rotten. Yet, she loved me and supported me despite my nastiness to her throughout my teen years.

Now that I have matured, she is the one I go to when I have problems. She gives the best advice and is always there to listen. You will not find a more compassionate and caring person in all the world. She has a heart of gold.

I am thankful to have had such an amazing mother growing up, and now that I'm grown to have a mother that is not only wise and intelligent, but has become one of my greatest friends.

Thankful - Day 18

2011-11-20T18:32:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for technology! What a changed world we live in from even 20 or 30 years ago. I am thankful for the blessings that email, Facebook, blogs, and computers have brought into my life. I have been able to reconnect with old friends and keep them close. I have been able to keep in touch with my family and become closer to them. Used, appropriately the internet can be an amazing tool, and I am thankful to have that opportunity and to have technology in my life.

Thankful - Day 17

2011-11-17T21:48:00.002-07:00

I've always been a daddy's girl. The memories I have of my dad are all in yellow. He has a brightness around him that is always glowing. He is the most generous man I know and would give the shirt off of his back if someone needed it. He is always funny, always telling a joke, always making the kids laugh. And kids flock to him. Even little babies. They can just tell that being around him means fun. He taught me how to work hard. He taught me all I know about horses and about farm life. One of the greatest memories for me is the lessons he taught me and my brothers and sisters in nature and survival. He taught us how to survive in the wild on our own as very young kids. And then he would drop us off in the middle of the Nevada desert, miles from any road or town, and we would have to survive. I love these memories. I didn't find out until I was grown that he was always following us and watching us to make sure we could apply the lessons he taught us and make sure we didn't get hurt. My deep love of nature stems from my dad. He knows everything about wildlife, plant life, rocks, Indidans, Cowboys, and surviving. I remember countless time of us out in the mountains or desert looking for different rocks and plant life and having the most wonderful time imaginable.

He also taught me to be honest and fair and to always try my hardest. He always believed I was something extraordinary which helped give me the confidence to go out and try new things and shoot for the stars.

I am thankful for my dad and the extraordinary childhood that I had.

Thankful - Day 16

2011-11-16T20:56:00.002-07:00

Today I am thankful for bad days. I am thankful for trials and tribulations and struggles and heartache. It is only through this that I grow stronger and become a better person. It is only through trials and tests that I appreciate how precious life is and how incredibly I have been blessed. It is only through bad days that I realize how wonderful a good, boring day can be.

Thankful - Day 15

2011-11-15T23:07:00.004-07:00

I am thankful for TREES. I have kind of a hobby of taking pictures of trees throughout my travels. I love trees. They speak to my soul. I prefer trees to flowers in nature. In fact, I'd much rather my guy bring me home a tree than flowers... My favorite tree is the quaking Aspen. I'm so happy that I live in a climate now where I can grow them in my yard. Trees always make me feel so peaceful. As I gaze upward into their alluring and graceful branches, I feel as if God is speaking to me telling me that everything is okay and to be at peace. Since we built our house, I have tried to plant as many trees as I can each year. So far I have planted 22 trees, and have only had 4 die on me.

Fun Fact: I wanted to give Maddy the middle name of tree. I was dead set on it. The hubby wouldn't go for it though.

*The above tree is located in Sea World, San Diego California. I have tree pictures from all over the world... including France, Germany, Holland, the Carribean, Mexico, Virginia, Oregan, Nevada (of course), Utah, Rhode Island, California, England, and many more places.

I just realized it would be totally awesome to make a tree book of all the tree pictures I've taken. I must put that on my to do list.

Thankful - Day 14

2011-11-15T06:56:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for my Berty. From the moment she was born she has been an absolute angel and a joy to our family. She is always laughing and giggling, and it's rare to find her without a smile. She loves learning new things. Sometimes I can't keep up with her and she'll teach herself how to do something she's been pestering me about. She wanted to know how to braid hair when she was 5, and asked me every day for a week. One day I saw her in her room braiding her dolls hair and I asked who taught her. "Oh" she said, "I just figured it out." And that is her personality. She can figure out anything, and won't wait on anyone to teach her. Before I could start teaching her piano, she had already taught herself how to play 5 different songs.

She was a stubborn and headstrong toddler, and I can often find that streak in her when she gets upset about something. She has the best sad and angry face ever.

I am so thankful for her sweet spirit. I am thankful that she keeps me on my toes. I am thankful that she was born into our family.

Thankful - Day 13

2011-11-13T21:50:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for marrying into such an amazing family. On my wedding day (pictured above) I never dreamed I would be so lucky to have a mother and father in law who I absolutely adore. They take care of me and watch out for me and love me like their own daughter. I know they do because I feel it from them every single day. I am thankful for them and all that they have done for me and continue to do. When my hubby was serving in Iraq, they made sure I had everything I needed and looked after me and my kids. I don't think I could have survived it without them.
Our family has grown quite a lot since this picture and I am thankful that I have wonderful brother in laws and sister in laws. I truly love them all and appreciate all the support and help they have given me throughout the years. I am lucky enough to have 5 sister in laws that I love. And I am truly blessed to have a best friend as a sister in law that lives right down the street from me. I love living in the same neighborhood and having our kids grow up together. She has saved me many times over and I can't express my gratitude enough for her. I am thankful to have her as my best friend.

Thankful - Day 12

2011-11-12T21:06:00.006-07:00

I am thankful for FOOD! We live in an era where any type of food imaginable is at our fingertips. I can't even imagine what the pioneers would have thought looking at all we have available now. It truly is amazing. I love to cook and bake. I love to be able to create a yummy dish with incredible ingredients and than share it with others. When I go to a restaurant, I love to try new things. I will never order the same thing twice. I love travelling to different states and countries and experiencing food culture. It really is quite amazing at the abundance and quality of food we have available to us. And I am so thankful to live in an age where I can fully take advantage of it.

Some of my all time favorite foods are authentic spicy mexican food, authentic Italian, mangos (only in season in south america, not from the store), panna cotta, European cheese and crackers, mediterranean olives, home grown tomatoes from my garden, Ice cream, homemade bread spread with nutella, Dark European chocolate, New York Cheesecake, a fresh summer salad with all kinds of veggies, grilled pineapple, a multigrain roll spread with butter... and there are lots more, but I could stick with these for the remainder of my life and not be unhappy at all.

Thankful - Day 11

2011-11-11T21:51:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for my Maddy Moo. Oh, what many thoughts and feelings come to my mind as I think back on our journey together so far. I love the above picture because the expression on her face totally describes how I was feeling at that time. I had no clue what I was doing and I was confused, unprepared, and really quite a lousy mom for the first little while.

I am thankful that she came into my life when she did. Although I thought my world was ending when I found out I was pregnant with her, I can look back now and see the Lord's timing, and how perfectly He knows what is going on and what is best for me.

I am thankful that she is a clone of my husband. Sometimes I seriously can not find one tiny bit of Sadie in her. She is ALL her dad. Not only does it help me to appreciate my husband more, but it also helps me work on my patience. ;) She has a wonderful, sweet spirit that I am constantly amazed at. She is a wonderful big sister and a kind and generous friend. It is astounding how much I hurt when she hurts. She has been sick for the last little while and I would do anything to make it go away. She has also been having petty girl drama at school and it just makes me so upset. Growing up is hard for her.... but even harder for me. I have to let go and let her find her own way when all I really want to do is hang on to her and protect her from all of the evil she will have to face.

I am so thankful she is part of our family. She has always had an old soul and been remarkably mature and wise for her age. When I look at her, I am overwhelmed with love and admiration for the beautiful young lady she is turning into. My life would not be the same at all without her.

Thankful - Day 10

2011-11-10T21:23:00.003-07:00

I am thankful for my house. I love my house so much. Eddie and I had so much fun picking out our lot, and than our house plan, and than slowly watching our house being built. It is perfect. We have lived in it for just about 4 years and we still wouldn't change anything about it. Some of my favorite spots are the kitchen (duh!), the master bedroom, the perfect master bathroom, and my little fancy half bath for guests. I am so thankful to have such an amazing house. I can't wait to finish the basement someday, and work on all the little projects on my to do list to decorate it and fill it with warmth and style.

Thankful - Day 9

2011-11-09T21:31:00.004-07:00

I am so thankful to live in America. I'm thankful to live in Utah. And I'm thankful that I get to live in the most awesome neighborhood in America. I love where I live. I absolutely love it. I have wonderful neighbors and amazing friends here. And my kids have the best little friends any kid could ask for. I love that my kids can ride their bikes and play outside for hours on end without me having to worry about them. I love that they can go for hikes and picnics and "coyote" hunts in the summer. I love that they play outside 12 hours a day in the summer and never get bored. We get the most amazing sunrises and sunsets here. Everything seems untainted and fresh and full of vitality. Of course, I do complain about the tricks of gardening here, but little by little I'm figuring it out, and that makes it all the more fun. I'm so blessed to live here.

That picture was taken from my back porch in September with a cheap camera. Pretty amazing!

Thankful - Day 8

2011-11-08T21:19:00.003-07:00

I am thankful that I found this guy and we fell in love and married each other. We have been married for 11 years now and as I think back to all that we have done, all that has been done to us, all that we have gone through, and all that we have now, I marvel that I am blessed enough to have such a guy in my life. It hasn't all been roses and candy, but we are stronger and happier as each day passes. Marriage is a lot of hard work, but it wouldn't be as eternally blissful if it was easy.

Each night that I write these thankful posts, I think back on my life and especially on the blessing that I am focusing on for that night. I can't help but get emotional as I think back to this time just one year ago. Being away from my man was the hardest thing I have been through. I am so thankful he is back and safe and doing all the honey do's that I hated doing so much for the year he was gone.

Some of the qualities I love about him are that he is determined, he is strong, he is adventurous, he is uber smart, he has a beautiful voice, he has never doubted what is right and true, he truly cares about other people, he makes me laugh, he makes me feel good about myself, he honors me, he loves me for who I am, he plays games with me even when he'd rather be sleeping, he spoils me, he is full of integrity, he doesn't back down, he loves our children, he's a super hard worker, he is the ultimate handyman, he's not afraid to say what he thinks, he's really quite a sap under the hard exterior, and most of all he gets up at 4 am every morning so that I can stay at home and live in the marvelous place that we live.

Thankful - Day 7

2011-11-08T11:59:00.002-07:00

I am thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know, without a doubt, that it is the only reason that I am so happy today. I have never been very good about sharing the gospel which is something I feel bad about. But I know that it is true. With all my heart and soul, I know it.

Thankful - Day 6

2011-11-06T18:48:00.003-07:00

BOOKS! I am thankful for books. I love reading... love, love, love. I could read all day every day and never be sick of it. I'm sure I lost my calling of reading books all day somewhere. I try to read as much as I can, and read to my children as much as I can. I would rather lose myself in a good book than watch a television show. I made a New Years goal to read 100 books in 2011. I've read 76 so far which is really quite the feat, but somehow I feel like I should be reading more. It's weird, I know. I'm the epitome of a bookworm.

And it's not enough to just read... I have to have the physical book close to me. I need it's smell, it's texture, the crackle of the pages. I'm a little bit of a book collector and I love being surrounded by good books. I hope that I can pass this on to my children. The euphoria I feel when reading a good book is indescribable and incomparable to anything else.

Thankful - Day 5

2011-11-05T22:27:00.003-06:00

I am thankful that I live in a place that has 4 seasons. I know I complain a lot about the cold and winter time, but there is something about that first snow fall that is magical. It covers the world and makes even the most remote and desolate place look beautiful. I love having four season that are all pretty extreme. There is nothing better than a hot, hot summer day where it feels like you are melting, and then only a few months later being enveloped in a blanket of pristine snow. It sure makes life interesting.

This picture was taken this morning after our first big snowfall. The kids bundled right up and ran outside to make a snowman and snowangels.

Thankful - Day 4

2011-11-05T09:10:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful for my suburban. It is the best! I have travelled through so many snow storms in it and it always gets me to my destination nice and safe. Last night I went up to Logan and back in a horrific snowstorm, and I felt confident and safe in my big black tank while passing all the teeny cars struggling with the roads. Every time I take a road trip, I realize how lucky I am to have it. I love the heated seats. I love the TV for the kids. I love the leather seats. It truly is the best car ever.

Thankful - Day 3

2011-11-03T22:24:00.003-06:00

I am thankful for music. And especially my ability to play the piano. Music is one of the most profound ways of feeling emotion for me. I love all kinds of music, but I have a special place in my heart and soul for classical music and piano music. When I'm upset or feeling down, I immediately turn to the piano. Playing favorite songs brings me peace and joy like I can feel no other way. I hope to pass this down to my children. Music is very important in my life.

The picture above is me playing at home when I was in high school. That piano was an old friend that I learned to play on and pounded out my frustrations many times on. I have great memories of me and that old friend.

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-03T19:19:00.012-06:00

This year we were lucky enough to attend three Halloween events that required dressing up and we scored a ton of candy. Needless to say, we have a boatload of candy at our house now.

Costumes came together pretty well this year. Both of my girls knew what they wanted to be a month ahead of time and their costumes were a snap. I had a little trouble with Ryder deciding what he wanted to be... but while he was playing Lego Batman on the Wii (his favorite past time) I had the great idea of a lego batman costume. And he liked that idea too, obviously. Maverik's was hard for me. He was the only one that I got to pick out myself this year since he doesn't quite have an opinion yet, and I couldn't for the life of me decide. Nothing seemed to fit his personality. Then I was at a secondhand store and saw the cutest shark costume and snatched it up. I love second hand stores!

So I had a Hippie, a Ladybug, a Lego Batman, and a Shark.
Our first event was our ward trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun, and the kids came home with a fair amount of candy. Both Eddie and I were planning on dressing up, but we ran out of time. It's amazing how time does that.
Here is Lego Batman sticking out his tongue. It looked so funny!
These cute cousins were enjoying a ride together. They were totally into the candy. It was too cute!
I tried multiple times to get a picture with all four of them but it was absolutely impossible. After about the millionth time trying, I decided to give up.
Our second event was the Utah National Guard trunk or treat. Besides the outrageous long line, the kids had a lot of fun. One guy had a cotton candy machine and was giving out cotton candy to all the kids. That was a big hit. They also had bounce houses, a haunted house, a craft table, hot dogs and popcorn.
I've always loved Halloween. It's so fun to dress up. I really enjoy dressing my kids up and giving each costume a little extra touch. I love when I can find something that they get really excited about... like this peace sign sticker. Maddy thought it was awesome.

Eddie made this Lego Batman costume. He has mad skills. It looked so cool, and Ryder got tons of comments..

This was one of the many shots I tried to get of all 4 of them together. It makes me laugh because Ryder is crying inside his costume, and the little shark is screaming his head off. We made quite the spectacle. Did I say how much I love Halloween! I really love Halloween!

Thankful - Day 2

2011-11-02T21:54:00.004-06:00

I am thankful for animals and the joy that they give to me. I grew up on a small farm, and we always had lots of different animals. I suppose that's where my love of animals comes from. I've had the opportunity to own a lot of different animals... even a few snakes for awhile, and I've loved it. There is a special kind of happiness that animals give. It is indescribable. I'm so thankful that I live in a place that I can surround myself with animals that I love. Obviously, I love horses the best. I'm so thankful that I am lucky enough to own a horse. I love my horse. I also have a goat, chickens, dog, and cat. I'm looking forward to adding to our little farm bit by bit. And no, I do not have plans to become a crazy cat lady... All animals have their place, and too many in one area is not a good idea. I loved having a pig and we will get 3 more come February, but their place is way, way in the back of our property where I don't have to smell them.

Interesting fact: the only animal that I don't like.... I actually despise, and have a slight phobia of... is monkeys. Yes, it's true. Anything to do with monkeys gives me the heebie jeebies.

** I just reread this and realized the startling amount of times I used the words "love" and "animals". It's apparent that I need a thesaurus but I'm too lazy to edit this.

The Best Month

2011-11-01T20:50:00.003-06:00

November is my favorite month. Partly because it's my birthday month (woo hoo! Let's party!) and partly because of Thanksgiving and partly for a lot of little other reasons too. It's funny, but when I was little, I hated November. I hated Thanksgiving... what an illogical and irrational child I was. I'm so glad that I was able to turn myself around and learn how to appreciate this awesome month!!

This November, I am going to be doing a thankful post every day. I am doing this for several reasons that no one really needs to hear about, but I will say that this blog has been wonderful to have and look back on as a life journal. I absolutely love looking back through my blogs and seeing my life trail behind me in such clarity. Also, it's always good to be reminded how much I have to be thankful for. I get a little down in the dumps when the cold and dreary weather starts in, and I want to work hard this year to not let it get to me like it has in the past.

All right! Enough mindless prattle.

Thankful Post #1 ~

My Health.

It may seem cliche and silly, but I have never had a problem with my health. I've always been "strong as an ox" and in my younger years I believed myself to be invincible. It's quite a common thought with youth, but I really was invincible... There were so many times when I should have had broken bones, horrible injuries... etc. etc., but I am made from strong western pioneer stock. I don't go down easily. I am rarely sick, and when I do get sick I heal quickly and my symptoms aren't very severe. I rarely rarely rarely take any type of medication, even common ones such as Tylenol, Advil, and cold medicines, and have always been that way. Anyway, enough about my super powers. I am thankful to be blessed with such amazing health. I know so many people that struggle each and every day with their health. I truly am blessed.

*I hope I didn't just jinx myself. I'll know what happened if a cold comes on within the next few days.

A Weekend in the Bay Area

2011-10-24T21:29:00.023-06:00

San Francisco is no longer on my bucket list. I was able to scratch that one off this past weekend. It was a delightful trip with many wonderful memories.
I loved riding the ferry to and from San Fran from Oakland. It was extremely enjoyable and allowed us to view some amazing sunsets and exhilarating views.
It got a little chilly with the wind blowing on the ferry, but it was such a new and neat experience.
Our first tourist spot was Alcatraz. The history was amazing, and the tour very memorable. I really enjoyed this.
There were so many interesting and eye catching things to take pictures of.
It was fun to get pictures of Eddie and I at all the tourist stops. We usually have kids to stick in the pictures on vacation, but it was nice to have just Eddie and I again.
Oh look... it's Eddie where he belongs... just kidding. I wouldn't wish this on anyone! It was horrible and sad and I just don't like to think about it for too long.
I met my friend Spongebob on Pier 39!
We walked up to Ghiradelli Square and spent some time in chocolate heaven. We ordered gourmet hot chocolates and milkshakes. It was delightfully delicious!
I'm still kicking myself for not buying any chocolate there. What is wrong with me??
I loved walking along the Pier's and Wharf's... I know I'm totally using the terminology wrong, but that's okay... I'm just a dumb tourist. ;)
On our way back to Oakland after a long, perfect day in San Francisco. It was a brilliant sunset.
The skyline was simply stunning!
The next day we took a tour of San Francisco on a neat open top bus. I absolutely loved it. I had no idea about a lot of the fascinating history of San Francisco. Here are the famous painted ladies.
The Golden Gate Bridge is just as breathtaking and enormous as you think it is in movies. We got to see a very interesting scene on our tour that was definitely not a scheduled part. We were all a little shocked to see 7 bare behinds ready to roller blade down the Golden Gate Bridge. Help! Send me back to Utah!
The city looks unreal from afar. The way that it is build up and down the steep hills makes it look like a city of legos.
I thought it looked fake! It has a beauty all its own.
We hiked to the top of Lombard street, the crookedest street in the world. It was really fascinating too. I loved watching all the cars go down. The hike was pretty intense which was okay, because man oh man did we find some incredible places to eat. The food was spectacular everywhere!!!
We also got to experience a small earthquake while there! Wow, we definitely got the extended version of the tourist experience. Everything was pretty amazing. I loved all of the beautiful plants and trees. You definitely don't find those where I'm from.
The next day we spent the day hanging out with mom and dad who made this entire trip possible. It was most excellent. They showed us around their mission office and we walked around the gorgeous Oakland temple and visited and had a great time. We have an amazing family. Since mom and dad are seasoned veterans of the Bay area now, it was great to have them as our tour guides all weekend.
The Oakland temple is very beautiful.
I just love the Bay area sunsets. It looks like the whole sky is on fire. Some of my favorite parts of the trip were riding the ferry, feeling the earthquake, touring San Francisco, Alcatraz, devouring delicious food at the Farmer's Market, and spending time with two of my favorite people.... well, let me rephrase that 5 of my favorite people. ;)

New Favorite Quote

2011-10-19T11:12:00.002-06:00

"A successful novel should interrupt the reader’s life, make him or her miss appointments, skip meals, forget to walk the dog."

Stephen King

Because it's so TRUE

Cousin Weekend

2011-10-17T13:26:00.010-06:00

We got to have cousins over for a whole weekend. All of the kids were ecstatic to have 3 sleepovers in a row. They watched movies every night with yummy treats and popcorn and ran around non stop the entire weekend. By Sunday night, they were all as exhausted as I felt.
We made sugar cookies and decorated them. They each got their own ziploc bags full of the cookies they had made and decorated and chowed down on them all weekend.
Crystal got named the queen of the sprinkles. She loooooves sprinkles and likes to dump a ton on everything.
I convinced them to eat worms. After much persuasion they found out how delicious worms can be. They wanted this documented.

We love worms!
We made crafts and also played Halloween Bingo for hours on end.
Luckily the weather was nice and they got lots of outside time. I love watching kids when they don't know they are being watched.
And as a final cousin salute, we made yummy caramel apples. We are so lucky to have close cousins that live right by us and that we love and adore. Cousins Rule!

Fun in the Sun & a Baby Shower

2011-10-11T08:56:00.011-06:00

We headed south for my sister's baby shower this past weekend. We stayed with my sister who has an amazing pool and hot tub.
My kids were in the pool the whole weekend. They are little fish and never wanted to get out. It was so much fun. The hot tub felt so nice.

Maddy's little cousins love her to death. They follow her around like little puppies, and she loves taking care of them and being a little mother hen.
I didn't get very many pictures of the baby shower because I was in charge of it. But it turned out perfect. My sister loved the decorations. She didn't want anything pastel or teddybear-ish so I went with bright blue, green, orange and polka dots and threw in some cute little dinos for good measure. I thought it turned out adorable. I'm so mad I didn't get more pictures though.
The food table was awesome. We had so many yummy goodies and things to eat.
There was a great turn out and she got a ton of diapers (always needed) and lots of other cute, cute baby necessities.
The only downside of the weekend was how quick it went. I hate that travel time eats up most of our weekend when we visit my family. I need my own personal jet... that would make things so much better.

Mischief Maker

2011-10-04T22:05:00.005-06:00

How can this cute little face... this cute little boy... cause so much damage and mischief. Every time I turn around it is something else... sometimes big, sometimes small, but never ending mischief. It's exhausting. But I love that little face so much. When I tuck him into bed at night and he gives me sweet kisses, I melt and forget about all the mischief of the day.
The other day I came home to this... oh, it doesn't look too bad in the pictures but let me tell you what it is. Powder dishwasher soap mixed with liquid dishwashing soap mixed with water and to top the whole thing off, a good dosing of flour. By the time I got home it was rock hard and not coming off the floor for nothing. It took me about 3 days to completely get it all up and off the floor. Some of it is still lingering in the grout. On the up side, my kitchen floor has never been so clean.
He spread it around the corner, down the hall and all the way to....

the cat food... which he then mixed a delicious conglomeration of cat food, water, and the above ingredients for the cat.

Even though he runs me ragged, he's the cutest little mischief maker in the world.

Movie Night Movies

2011-09-23T20:25:00.013-06:00

We love watching movies at our house. It is always a special treat. We usually have a fun Friday movie night almost every week. It is something that we all look forward to. I always make special treats and lots of popcorn with some fun drinks.

Since my kids have gotten a little bit older, it has been fun introducing them to my favorite movies that I watched growing up. Although we do watch the occasional "newer" movie or cartoon, I have been focused and determined on watching all these great classics with them. And I have loved it so much. Here are some of my favorite classic movies that we have watched.

This always has been and always will be my absolute favorite movie. It is impossible for me to be unhappy for days after watching it. My kids loved it too.
Who doesn't love Willow? I have such wonderful memories of watching it while growing up. My kids love it too. This one is Libby's favorite and she always asks for it for movie night.

Oh, another epic epic movie. We love The Princess Bride. We have probably watched this one more than any other. In fact, we're watching it right now. It is the perfect movie.

I love Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews so this one is an absolute success in every way. I was so happy to see my kids enjoy it as much as I do.

I've always had great memories of this movie. I remember it being so funny and laughing until I cried. I have to admit that it wasn't quite as great after all these years... but it could have been because my kids didn't get into it that much. I think it was a little "old" for them. It will be fun to try it again in a year or two.

Of course we love Annie!! The original is a must. The first time we watched it all together, my kids played "the orphanage game" for weeks.

The Sound of Music has a special place in my heart. It reminds me of my mom. She cries through it every single time. All my kids know the Do Re Mi song by heart... even little Mav sings along. We love this movie!

Be still my heart... The Man From Snowy River is right up there with Pollyanna on my all time favorite movie list. I love it so much. I was surprised that my kids didn't get bored with it... probably because I kept saying... "Oh, oh, here comes the best part" about every 5 seconds.
The Three Amigos will never NOT be funny. It is one of the most hilarious shows ever. My kids laugh right alongside me and adore it as much as me.
I remember being so scared of this movie but loving it at the same time as a kid. I love that my kids have the same relationship with it. They get so scared of the black wolf which is probably the worst special effect ever since it's from the 80's, but there is just something terrifying about it. This is one of my kids' favorites.
This was one of our really recent Friday Night movies. I had forgotten how much I loved it. I remember watching it over and over as a kid and loving it, but there were so many parts that I had just completely forgotten about. It was so fun to watch again. My kids really liked this one too. Oh, and it has to be the original version, of course.

Other movies I can't wait to introduce to my little movie watchers someday are:

My Fair Lady (basically all of Audrey Hepburn's movies)

State Fair (basically all of the great musicals)

Robin Hood (Kevin Costner)

What are some other great old or classic movies not to be missed?

Conversation with Ryder

2011-09-22T14:43:00.002-06:00

Ryder: Mom, how come dad didn't win the war?

Mom: Nobody won, sweetie, we are still fighting...

Ryder: Oh... (long pause) so was he fighting robots? Or big dinosaurs?

Mom: No

Ryder: Oh, well bad guys then?

Mom: Yes, bad guys

Ryder: Can kids fight in war?

Mom: No, sweetie kids can't fight in a war

Ryder: Well, if I could help dad I know we could win

Mom: (Thinking in my head... I have no clue what to say.)

Ryder: We would use big hammers and kill all the bad guys

It's amazing what goes on in kids' heads

Some Projects

2011-09-21T10:58:00.012-06:00

Since the kids have gone off to school, I started cleaning out my tornado of a craft room downstairs. I had big goals to get some projects done on my never ending project list. I was quite surprised to see things I have stored for 4 and 5 years down there... projects I wanted to do for my girls when they were "little" and now they are too grown up for them. I wanted to kick myself... hard. So I resolved to start afresh and get some projects done for real. I started with very easy, simple projects that didn't take a lot of time... and now I feel ready to move on to the more involved, time consuming ones. Here are a few I have done this month.First off, is some LUNCH BOX LOVE. I have found some adorable little lunch box notes online (like the one below) so I printed off and cut out a bunch and made this cute container to put them in. It's sits right on my microwave so I always remember to put one in my kids' lunchboxes where as before I was always forgetting. They love them and really get a kick out of the silly jokes that are randomly thrown in. Yay for lunchbox love!
These are so cute! I have a lot of other cute files for lunchbox love. If you are interested, email me and I will email you the files.
We did these journal jars for a YW activity one week and I thought they were so neat. There was enough left over for me to take home and make my own. The idea is you pull out one strip of paper a day and it tells you what to write about that day. If you do it the whole year, you will have your life story written. For example: "Describe the perfect spring day." OR "Tell about your mother and describe some of her characteristics". I am such a journal writer. This is perfect because I never think about all those little things, and now I will.
My girls thought the journal jar was so neat that we decided to make them one too. I typed it all up and modified some (the ones about marriage and dating obviously) and now they love writing in their journals... and I love watching them.
I got some salsa made! Yay! I love having fresh salsa in my food storage... I am always disappointed at how few quarts I get with salsa... I want to get 20 and I usually end up with less than 10.
I also did peaches. They looks so pretty all lined up downstairs.

I saw this idea for ribbon storage awhile back on the internet and thought it was brilliant. My ribbons are always a mess! But not anymore. It was so easy too. You just find a basket with small holes on the longer sides. Get 2 wooden dowels (or more if you have a lot of ribbons and a bigger basket) and drill holes in the shorter sides and stick the dowels in and the ribbon on the dowels. Easy and perfect!!

Hmmm... what could this contraption be? Only the most genius idea ever!! I also saw this floating around the internet awhile back and it worked out perfectly for us.
It's a headband holder!! With 2 girls we have lots of headbands and now they are never lost and squished. Yay!

The best part about all these projects was I had all the materials down in my "craft room". I didn't spend any money... well, maybe years back I did, but not while making these projects. ;)

Now I am excited to do more. And take better pictures of them. I always get so excited when I finish a project that I rush through the documenting and end up with horrible pictures.

Our state fair is the best state fair...

2011-09-18T21:07:00.010-06:00

We love the fair! Anytime I see, hear, or think the words "State Fair" I immediately burst into the state fair song from the musical, State Fair. If you haven't seen it, it's a must!

Maddy's skirt and cookies moved on to the state fair this year and she took another 2 blue ribbons at the state fair! So proud of that girl!
We love the FFA little farm at the state fair. These teeny tractors are so cute.

The big yellow slide is a definite must. I really wanted to ride it, but I was too cheap to buy me a ticket. The kids absolutely loved it though.

They each got to pick one carnival ride to go on. The girls chose the Hanglider ride and Ryder chose the creepy fun house. You just gotta love the carnies.

They all begged and begged for things from all the vendors but we made it out of the fair without any extra junk. Libby loved these red glasses and told me she would wear them every day if I bought them for her... she's such a fashionista.
We love the state fair! Next year I need to take more pictures.

I'm going there someday...

2011-09-15T13:40:00.016-06:00

It's been tradition for us to take a trip to the temple once in the summer and once in the winter to enjoy the incredible beauty and atmosphere of each season. Summer got away from us before we could make the trip in this year, so a few weekends ago, I determined that it was definitely time to go before the beautiful flowers and trees turned into those of autumn.

I also had a great idea for a craft to decorate each of my kids' rooms with, but it requires a picture of them with the temple, so I was so happy to get some great pictures this time. All of them need a little editing in photoshop but these straight out of the camera shots didn't turn out too bad at all!!I love to see the temple...

Love this one of Ry! It's perfect! And I was so pleased because he is usually the one that is absolutely uncooperative in any picture taking rendez-vous!
It was hard to choose which ones to post, because I really did get a lot of excellent ones. Can you tell I'm just a tad excited about it?

Maddy was so enraptured by all the flowers and wanted me to take a picture every few seconds, so I finally gave her the camera and told her to take as many pictures as she wanted. She took over 100 pictures (thank goodness for large memory cards) and I was really surprised at how many turned out really good... And I mean really good. Some of them look almost professional. It was so hard to decide which ones to post but here are a few of my favorites that she took. She is going to pick out a bunch and we are going to print them off and hang them up in her room. She's way excited about it.

The colors are absolutely breathtaking. I just love the grounds at temple square. It feels like walking around in a dream. We also loved the "spike ball" trees and longed for some of our own in our yard. They each came home with a "spike ball" seed and planted in the yard. We also love visiting the visitor's center. It was a quick stroll through this time since I was outnumbered 1 to 4, but I always love walking through.

Next we walked across the street to the Children's Museum. I let the kids play for over 2 hours. They absolutely loved everything in there. The best part was that it is never crowded there... it's like an undiscovered jewel downtown for kids, and it's free!!! So awesome.
Mav loved harvesting the vegetables.
The girls had so much fun dressing up and learning some spanish dances. I thought it was hilarious that Maverik loved loved loved watching the full size video that taught the dances. As soon as it would stop, he would run over and push the button for it to start. Then he would just stare completely mesmerized.
This was a favorite too. They spent quite a bit of time building "temples".
Liberty and Ryder loved getting out all of the food and serving dinner to the "missionaries". It was too cute. We discussed how grandma and grandpa and Uncle Joe were on a mission and they got right to work on cooking up a meal for grandma and grandpa missionary.
They also loved fishing from Nephi's ship.

It was such a great outing and I loved that it only cost us $6.00 for parking... total. You just can't beat that. I've really been on a saving money kick and it's hard for me because I love to go, go, go and watch my kids experience and do all that the world has to offer, but it can get expensive fast... so I've had fun coming up with ways to go and do but keep it relatively inexpensive.

This is definitely something I want to do more often.

Real Game

2011-09-07T08:46:00.004-06:00

The girls got free tickets to a Real Salt Lake game (major league soccer) when they joined their soccer teams. We were so excited to go. I had never seen an actual soccer game besides the ones that my girls have played so it was awesome to see how the players moved and how the whole game just comes together.

I was amazed at how much the players use their heads to guide the ball... almost more than their feet.

The atmosphere was incredible. We got to sit by the cheer section and they had drums and trumpets playing the entire game. I was honestly almost more impressed by the cheer section than the players. They were just non stop jumping, drumming, screaming, chanting, cheering... it made the atmosphere so much fun. I've been told that in countries where soccer rules supreme (not like North America) they don't have "cheer" sections... the entire stadium is the cheer section. Wow! I'd like to see that.
It was really fun to experience the game with the girls. They were really into it. Maddy would get mad every time I distracted her. She kept saying, "Mom! I'm watching the game!!" Who knew she was such a die hard fan! Libs was loving the exciting atmosphere... until the snow cone incident... Dad bought her a giant snow cone which she promptly (and accidentally) dumped... only problem was we were sitting on the front row of the balcony so it dumped all over the people's heads below us... oops. We had security come over to make sure it wasn't intentional. I thought we were going to get thrown out of our first soccer game!
It was TC United night so the girls wore their soccer jerseys and they had the opportunity to walk out on the field before the game (we unfortuneatly missed that because we were late) and also had the opportunity to play a mini game on the field at half time. What a fun night! I hope to do it again sometime. Thanks to Uncle Dan and Aunt Riki for watching the boys for us.

Terrific, Terrible, Tremendous 2's

2011-09-05T11:20:00.005-06:00

This boy is 2 today! I can't believe my baby is 2. As you can see, I'm definitely not ready for him to grow up, but whether I like it or not, he is rip roarin' and ready to be 2.

He loves to eat. He loves tractors and trucks. He likes Elmo and Blue's Clue's. He loves playing with his sisters and brother. He really likes animals and bugs. He loves to be outside. He LOVES riding 4-wheelers. He loves going for a ride in his stroller. He loves to go, go, go.

He is so full of energy and is always, always on the move. He never just sits or walks anywhere. He's constantly moving, running, jumping... just always on the go. He makes me laugh all the time. He is such a happy guy and has been since the day of his birth.

He was born big (9 lbs 4 oz) and has continued to remain on the upper end of the percentile chart for his age. He's just a big kid, and tougher than nails. Wherever we go, I always hear people comment on how tough he is. Falling down, scraping knees, putting his teeth through his lips, cuts, bruises, bumps.... he just gets right back up and keeps on playing.

And now for the short count back...

1 year old!

Sweet baby Mav

Another First Day

2011-08-31T20:51:00.004-06:00

This boy had his first day of school on Tuesday. I had him hold a "First day of Kindergarten" sign but it's on my other camera that I can't find right now. D'oh!

He wasn't nervous at all, but he wasn't really excited either. He was just ready. And I can't describe how incredibly awesome it is for us to get to this point. I am so happy for my little dude.

Disclaimer: I wasn't thrilled about the outfit he picked for his first day, but picking out your own clothes is part of being on the path to independence.
Here are my munchkins ready to go to the bus stop. I can't believe I have 3 in school now.
I don't think Ryder even realized I followed him to the bus stop. He was the first in line to get on the bus and he didn't stop or glance back once... he was just ready to go. Maddy really enjoyed helping him and sitting with him on the bus. She's such a great big sister.
He also didn't realize I followed him to school. He was busy playing blocks. He has been my hardest to send off to Kindergarten. He's always been my sweet buddy that loves his momma. He prefers hanging out with me over almost anyone. (except his cousin Bridger) This day has been a day that I've very much feared and struggled with for the last couple of years, but it was uncanny how each of us was just ready to let go and move on. I'll miss my little guy, but luckily he's only a half day at school this year. Still plenty of time for me to snuggle with him the rest of the day. ;)

It's that time again...

2011-08-23T14:29:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's already that time again. The summer flew by. We did a lot of really fun things and had some great adventures, but, of course, I always want to have fit more in than we do. Both my girls awoke with an excited smile that almost brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure it's the first and last time they will get up that quickly and easily.
We went to Back to School night last night and met their teachers and had a great time. They are both really excited for the school year and I'm excited for them.
We also set some goals for them which they were really excited about. (Yay! I have little goal setters just like me.) They also got great Father's Blessings from their dad; a great tradition that I have always loved. It felt wonderful to have dad participate in all the back to school activity since he missed it all last year. Even though we are pretty busy this year with a lot of extra things going on, I have a feeling it will be a great year.

It's also notable that the bus was 20 minutes late this morning... on the first day of school... woo hoo. Way to be on the ball.

Small Town Celebrations

2011-08-21T22:08:00.021-06:00

There is something wonderful about small town celebrations. I love the friendliness of neighbors, the closeness of a community sharing in good food and excellent fun. I love the kids running around wild having the time of their lives. It's all about supporting your community and coming together to enjoy and celebrate where you live.

We had a couple of busy weekends devoted to such small town celebrations. The first was Stockton Days. Technically we don't live in the town of Stockton, but it's meant for the whole valley to come together and enjoy each other's company. I always enjoy going. This year my crazy hubby decided to do a booth... and then he decided to enter the Dutch Oven Cook off... so since I was going to have to be sitting at the booth anyway, I made a whole lot of homemade suckers to sell. It turned out to be really fun. The kids had a blast on the free bounce houses and water slides. I didn't get many pictures since I was stuck in the booth most of the day.
Here is our booth for Stockton Days. Here is the hubby's crazy set up for the dutch oven cook off. His cooking partner and him had 4 hours to prepare and cook a main dish, a bread, and a dessert. It turned out absolutely fabulous... which in turn led to....
Him and his parter took first place in the cook off!! I was so proud. Plus they got an amazing prize worth quite a bit of money. And it also qualified them to go to the World's competition!! Pretty fancy.

They got their names on a plaque that hangs at the Town Hall. Way awesome!

The next weekend we headed down to Oak City for Oak City Days. My hubby grew up going to this every year and his parents have a second house there so ever since we were married, I have been going to this celebration. Oak City really has it down. They have the most amazing celebration that I look forward to going to every year. The kids love the little parade on Friday evening and they have an outside movie at night.Of course, we have to enter into the Rook Tournament Friday night. It's a huge deal. Last year Daniel and I took 4th place... we wanted to keep our good luck so we partnered up again... and took 2nd place!! How cool is that?
It's so much fun playing with cousins and swimming in the irrigation ditch.
These three were so cute. They are all very close in age and all have blonde hair. They could be triplets. I love that they get to grow up playing together. Close cousins are the best!
Here is cute little B. enjoying his gigantic sucker. What a cutie!
My crazy hubby and his brother did another booth at Oak City days. They were completely swarmed the entire time. It was amazing. I sold more suckers too and ended up with none left at the end of the day!
Nothing beats the $5.00 incredible lunch at Oak City days. Mav loved the corn on the cob.
These two had so much fun spending all their hard earned money at all the booths.
Fun at the park. Somewhere under all that dirt and food and grime, is a cute little boy who enjoyed himself immensely.
One of the funnest things at Oak City Days is the trout catch. It's looked forward to with much anticipation by each one of my kids. The crowds are insane, the noise phenonemal, and the fun unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it anywhere. Here is Ry calling to me that he is going to catch a BIG one.
Libby is ready to jump in. She couldn't contain her excitement.
I love this action shot of Maddy moo. It completely and accurately shows the intense excitement.
Look who caught a fish?
Someone else did too!
And last, but not least, so did she! They were all so excited to catch one and ran around for hours with their cousins chasing each other with dead fish. Absolutely disgusting and gross, but the memories are undoubtedly ingrained forever. Mav participated too this year, but when the fish started swimming across his little feet, he jumped higher then a rocket and shot toward me like his feet were on fire. It was absolutely hilarious. Maybe he'll be more into it next year.
All that fun completely wore us out! I will always be a small town girl, and I absolutely love the hot, sticky, muggy August small town celebrations.

High on the Mountain Top

2011-08-13T21:29:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was Eddie's Yellow Ribbon post deployment event. It included a free room at a fancy ski resort lodge in the mountains. It was amazing. Not only was the room amazing (and free!), but there were so many great activities and events, plus free babysitting, and all of our meals were catered. Here is our little family at the top of the mountain.

We took one of the BIG chair lifts all the way to the top. It was amazing how far up it went. It was a really long ride, but gorgeously breathtaking the whole way. This is the view of the other side of the mountain.There was still quite a bit of snow at the top. The kids thought it was so fun to throw snowballs at me and Eddie. It was so bright I could barely open my eyes even with my sunglasses on.Maverik thought the snow was awesome and laughed hysterically every time he threw some on one of us.These two girls were loving the top of the mountain. There is just something in the air up there... so fresh and clean. It's liberating.
We took a little hike (in flip flops!) to get to our picture spot.Our feet were pretty cold by the time we got back on the chair lift. Snow will do that to you.
Once you get to the top of the mountain, to get to the other side, you walk through this super long, freezing cold tunnel. It's about 200 feet under ground. Pretty spectacular!Here is a picture of the front. I was trying to get an angle so you could see just how far underground the tunnel goes.

Here is the view from the chairlift, going up the mountain. It was absolutely breathtaking.If you look close you can see our hotel at the bottam of the mountain... And this was about half way down already. It was an amazingly long chairlift ride.

The top of our hotel had a swimming pool and grass on the roof. I thought it was so cool!
Father and sons riding back down. The conversation up and back was splendid. I love just talking with my kids. They say such interesting things.
We mined our own gold and jewels. Of course, it was a big hit with the girls.

We saw 2 moose on the chairlift ride up the mountain. We were all pretty excited about it.

Even though he jumps out of airplanes for a living, he's still gets pretty nervous being up high. My girls told him they would hold onto him so he wouldn't fall out.
The air jumpers were pretty awesome.
Here's my little mountain goat, scaling it to the top. She climbed all the levels with ease while wearing her sisters shoes that are 3 sizes too big. (you had to wear closed toe shoes to climb so she borrowed her sisters) Kids twice her age were looking at her in awe wondering how she was doing it.
She loves to climb too, but was done about half way up.
The Alpine Slide!! Probably the biggest hit of the day. We must have ridden it over a dozen times each.
Speed demon!
This little chair lift went up to the Alpine slide. The kids felt so cool riding it by themselves.
The mechanical bull was a big hit too. Eddie even tried his hand at it.
Surprisingly, this little girl was the best at it. She clung on for dear life and wouldn't let that bull dump her.
Taking a little breather.
The ropes course was intense. We all tried it and made it across the tricky steps. It was a bit much for the younger ones but they loved watching mom and dad do it.
Perfectly splendid flowers and squirrels were everywhere. The ground squirrels were almost a bigger hit with the kids than the rides. The squirrels were so tame that if you gave them a piece of food, they would follow you around!!!
They loved the trampolines! All of them were doing backflips like crazy!
She did so many backflips that I got dizzy just watching her.
Too much fun tuckered him right out.
This is one of my favorite pictures. They just couldn't wait to get into that bounce house. ha, ha
Riding the Alpine slide again.
Alpine slide ride number 556.
More Alpine Slide.
And of course, no trip is complete without a trip to the pool. This place had such a great pool, with 3 big hot tubs surrounding it.

I find it delightful that all four of my kids are fish. They all love water and are perfectly content to swim around for hours and hours.

It was a splendid weekend that we want to make a yearly tradition. I took a ton of pictures. It seemed every time I turned around we were doing something else completely camera worthy. This was definitely one of the highlights of our summer.

The Rest of the Fair

2011-08-12T08:00:00.009-06:00

Because we were at the fair for the better part of 3 full days, we decided to spend time enjoying all the fair had to offer.
We met Spongebob...
And Spiderman...
Had fun on the inflatables...
And even rode some rides. Maddy talked me into riding The Rocket with her and I thought for sure we were going to die. I ain't as young as I once was... that's for sure.
Of course, we had to get our faces painted...
Look how cute this one is!! Oh to be 7 again and get to wear a pegasus on my face... Would there be anything greater?
Maddy also entered in a few things to the 4-H Home Division. Her skirt that she sewed won a Premium Blue and will be going on to the State Fair! Way to go Maddy! She also had a bracelet that she made take a blue ribbon.
And the biggest surprise at all for which she couldn't stop smiling about for days was her Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies took the Sweepstakes. We were wandering around looking for her cookie entry and we couldn't find it. I thought for a minute that they got knocked off the shelf or something happened to them, when I spied them in a display case on the Sweepstakes table. She is so proud of that big purple ribbon. She can't wait for the fair next year... and who can blame her?

Her First Fair Experience

2011-08-10T19:33:00.007-06:00

This girl has been raising a pig since March to take to the County Fair through 4-H. She has done an excellent job of feeding, washing, walking, and taking care of her pig. When you spend so much time with an animal it's hard not to become attached, but she knew from the start what the final outcome was going to be. The fair finally rolled around, and she was excited to participate in her first livestock show.
Here she is with her pig, getting her all spiffied up. She really cleaned up nice. (the pig, not the girl) The pig weighed in at 246. Not bad.
Here they are in the ring showing their stuff. I was really proud of M. She did really well and she wasn't nervous at all.
The judge stopped to talk to her about her pig. She knew all the right answers and just what to say.
I didn't get a lot of great pictures in the ring because I was too nervous for them. It's so funny how little all of the first time 4-h'ers looked with their enormous pigs. We had an excellent first fair experience, and M is already talking about next year and what she will do different.
Here we are saying goodbye to Oinkers after the auction.
I can't lie... we all loved that pig. Mav's favorite place to be during the summer was inside the pig pen with the pig. He spent almost as much time out there as Maddy.
And I'm ratting out my big, tough hubby. I know he was secretly fond of Oinkers and hated to see her go. She was a great pig, but she did her part, and now she is in piggy heaven. When we loaded her up into the trailer after she was sold, Maddy started to get a little emotional. I let her have a good cry, and then she was fine after about an hour of feeling bad. It's amazing how much more there is to a pig, then you would think. They are pretty smart animals, but I in no way regret the experience. We're farmers... it's what we do.

Time Keeps Tickin'

2011-08-02T16:01:00.005-06:00

We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last week! I don't feel old enough to have been married for 11 years. There has been a lot of amazing and wonderful things happen in those 11 years. I really do feel like the luckiest girl alive... no, let me rephrase that, I'm not lucky, just extremely blessed. I never would have guessed how much my life would change by marrying this guy. He truly is the other half of my heart. I can't wait to spend the next 11 years by his side.Here is a cute couple that kinda resembles us... It's me and Edwardo on our first anniversary. Oh, how times have changed. I look back with very fond memories. I love how far we've come, and I'm thankful for everything we have had to go through.
Here we are, celebrating our 11th anniversary at Cafe Trio, a spectacular little Italian place. The food was absolutely perfect. We are doing what we do best.... eat! This guy knows me so well... he surprised me with 2 of my favorite things.... shoes and kitchen gadgets. And we spent the day doing what we love.... working in the yard, eating at a fantastic restaurant, and watching a kick butt movie at an awesome theatre. Best presents ever and best day ever!

Road Trip

2011-07-31T13:52:00.018-06:00

We went on a spontaneous road trip and visited Cove Fort. It was really neat, and we loved all of the historical pieces and stories.

The original reason for the road trip was to pick up this girl who had been staying with her cousins for a week. I met up with my sister and we had a great time visiting for a little while.

We had fun playing with cousins.
And spending quarters on rides and games.
Mav especially loved this one.
I can't believe I got them all looking at the camera at the same time... lucky shot for sure!
Maddy brought home a kitten... she forgot to mention that it was a newborn kitten that hadn't eaten in 2 days. We had to make a quick trip to Walmart for a kitten bottle and formula.

The kids loved watching it slurp up it's bottle.

Meet our new kitty, Spooks.

Epic Camping Trip

2011-07-27T07:59:00.018-06:00

The way to have a great camping trip, is to go with people you love. We had 18 kids and 6 adults. It was awesome. Plus we found the perfect spot.
Eddie showed everyone how to make survival bracelets and that was a big hit the whole trip. We went rock climbing at The City of Rocks, but I forgot my camera back at camp. The rock climbing is always the best part. My grandma used to call me little mountain goat when I was younger if that gives you any idea how I feel about rock climbing. ;)
After a h0t day of rock climbing, we took a swim at the warm springs there. It felt so so nice.
The kids all definitely loved it. We could have probably stayed there all night without complaint from anyone.

There were a couple separate pools that had super hot water. It was really neat.
Hmmm... I wonder who that dirty face belongs too.
We did some major dutch oven cooking. All of which was fantastic. I love camp food.
And the dirtiest kids alive award goes to these two. They were just covered in dirt the entire time. Good thing they are so cute.
Enjoying hot chocolate every morning.
The best thing I did was to give Berty my camera on the last day. She took great pictures of everyone. Way better than I could have done.

Close up of the dirty face... actually this is relatively clean for him.
We LOVE camping!!!!

The Rest of the Trip

2011-07-24T13:38:00.010-06:00

I've always wanted to stop and take a picture at the state signs but never could take the time to do it... this time I just stopped. The kids loved it.
Rub a dub dub, 3 cousins in the tub.
More cousin fun.
When I was growing up, swimming at the Hot Springs in my home town was as frequent as eating. I practically lived there when I was really little. Alot of things have changed about it, but I managed to find a day when there were hardly any people there and we swam to our hearts content. The kids didn't want to leave.

The water was just as nice and warm as I remembered it. We stayed in the lower warm part. I only stepped in the upper HOT springs part and it was like hot tub hot... way too hot for a hot day... did I say hot enough in that sentence?
More fun with cousins. We took a 2 hour ride on the mules with these cousins up to R-Place to get ice cream. We had 3 mules (not the animal) full of kids and 6 adults. It was so much fun. I got out my camera to take a picture and realized the camera batter was still in the wall charger at my sisters house. The mules full of kids eating ice cream cones was a great shot that I'll have in my memory forever.
And home again, home again jiggety jig. It was a fantastic trip, but it's always good to be home.

The Reunion

2011-07-20T22:08:00.011-06:00

There were many reasons I headed down south, but the big Perkins reunion was the main compelling event. I've had to miss quite a few within the last 10 years, and I was determined not to miss this year. I am so glad we made it down.
Having three sisters has always been a huge blessing in my life. I love my sisters. We laugh, we cry, we vent, we be stupid together, and always have a great time.
Four sisters plus their most wonderful mom. It's not often that we all get together so this was pretty special for me.
Here is great grandma Ruby caught in the reinactment and story telling of the great snake escape. She is 94 years old and still going strong. I love this lady so much. It was so great to have my kids get to know her better and spend time with her. After grandma's snake story, all the kids went on a snake hunt. Ryder was so ready to find snakes!

We had some great water games and fun games for all the kids. This game was particularly funny and awesome.
Maddy just wanted to mother hen her younger cousins. She is such a mother hen. She is always concerned with the little kids and helps them have fun. They love her.
Here's a big group decorating our cool visors. This was a big hit for Liberty.She was so proud of her visor and wore it all weekend.
The boys loved the tree house. It was such a great time. I loved visiting with everyone and catching up. I love having family reunions!!

On The Farm

2011-07-19T23:20:00.010-06:00

We spent a fantastic week in my hometown visiting family and having the time of our lives. I have too many pics for one post, so I'm breaking the visit up into multiple posts. We spent a whole day with grandpa on the farm. The kids absolutely loved it and did not want to leave. Maddy loved moving the sprinklers with grandpa every 3 hours, but I didn't get a picture of that unfortuneatly. The girls spent several hours catching fish in this little pond. They actually caught 2 tiny fish here using only their hands and an empty Pringles container.They loved climbing on the tall haystacks and playing hide and seek in all the cubby holes. Maddy had to prove she could climb to the "impossible" places.
Their favorite part was riding in the hay swather while grandpa cut the hay. Maverik preferred this activity over all other farm activities. He has a thing for tractors. He LOVES them. At the end of the day, he fell asleep on grandpa in the swather. Too cute.
Grandpa loved having the company and told the kids story after story during their rides. Maddy has since repeated all the stories several times with a superior air of all knowing.
They loved wading in the ditch and looking for helgramites.
Again with the haystacks... too much fun.
While the older kids were climbing up the haystacks Maverik wandered off and brought me back a dead rabbit... It was totally disgusting and he was hugging it like a teddy bear. I wanted to vomit for a minute there. I swear this kid can find trouble anywhere.

We also went swimming and had a picnic at the private little spring on the farm. It was secluded and quiet with no one there and the kids were in heaven. I didn't get any pictures at the spring, but it was the perfect way to cool off and rest for a bit before more farm adventures with grandpa. We saw lots of deer and lots of rabbits and even a lone skunk wandering around a field. Mav wanted to go chase it, but luckily I distracted him with another ride on the tractor.

Daisy

2011-07-10T16:12:00.002-06:00

Meet Daisy... our super spoiled goat who likes to be taken on walks, rides in the car, and continually tries to get into the house. She loves to torment the dog and wander around like she owns the place. She also will not eat weeds or even hay. She prefers to eat my precious trees. I never thought I would own a goat... as much as I love farm animals, I've never been a goat person, but she is surprisingly funny to watch and fun for the kids.

A New Era

2011-07-08T16:17:00.003-06:00

We said "goodbye" to 3 very important people in our life this last month. They have been a part of us for so long that I'm feeling a little empty.... there's something missing.Shmoe left on his mission the first of June. We already feel his absence, but we are so proud of him. The kids always remember him in their prayers, and ask about him constantly. It really is different not having him around.
Gramma and Grampa shortly followed on their own mission adventure. It's hard to say how I feel about this. Definitely very proud and happy they could serve... but at the same time I just feel abandoned. They have been "mom and dad", there for us and me personally, for so long, that I have just felt like they would always be there. When the hubby was deployed for a year, they did so much for me and were always there encouraging me and supporting me. I know I couldn't have made it the whole year without them for support. They are the best grandparents and the best parents... I miss them already. I miss their wisdom... I miss chatting and all the great conversations... I miss Sunday dinner and all of the holiday celebrations... I just can't believe they are really gone. I've discovered just how much I actually depend on them.

We sure love these 3 and are so excited to hear about the amazing work they are doing. We wish them happy and successful missions and a safe and speedy return.

Mud Run

2011-07-04T13:38:00.004-06:00

Some friends and I signed up for a mud run. It was only 4 miles so I was pretty confident that I could train for it and do it easily. Then my hubby came home and all my "training" kind of went out the window. Although I did run sporadically, I was not as well prepared as I would have liked to be. The obstacles were awesome and a blast... the running not so much. ha, ha
But I finished, and it was a great experience! I loved running with my friends. They didn't make fun of me for being so slow either. What great friends. ;)
My tough girl pose.

2 Fun Days Out

2011-07-03T18:18:00.016-06:00

I happened to find out an old friend from high school was visiting my neck of the woods and I met up with her at the zoo.
The zoo had a new dinosaur theme with lots of awesome dinosaurs spread throughout. My kids thought it was so awesome. They even had some dinosaurs that would spit water. My kids thought it was hysterical.
This guy especially loved all the dinosaurs. He was a bit leary at first because the dinosaurs move and make realistic sounds, but he was totally into them.
This big T-Rex was one of our favorites. Every time we would find a dinosaur, little Mav would start roaring and growling at it. Too cute!
This leopard was on the prowl. So glad there was some glass between us. It looked ready to take out all my kids.
We caught this giraffe picking it's nose with it's tongue... now there is some talent.
Of course, I got suckered into the carousel. Little M absolutely loved it.
I walked very fast and didn't stop for the gorilla's or monkeys until my kids complained too loud. I'm sorry if I can't stand monkey's... they are evil. And creepy.
We went at a perfect time. It wasn't too hot and there was hardly anyone there. It was a great trip.
But my favorite part was meeting up with Kinz! Superstars forever!!!!

The next day I met up with a couple of neighborhood friends and we took all of our kids to the dollar theatre. There were 19 kids!!! It was a ton of fun. Mav wanted to run the aisles and eat people's popcorn, but since our group took up practically the whole theatre, it worked out just fine.
After the movie, we met dad and went to the Nickelcade. This was on our summer list. It was the first time for the kids. I have fond memories from my college days and early dating days with E, so it was fun to go back. The kids were in heaven. We gave them each a roll of nickels and let them go crazy.Ryder and Mav loved the dinky little rides, but Maddy and Libby were more enthralled with winning tickets.
R wouldn't let go of his nickels for nothing!
Mav thought it was more fun to climb up inside the games than play them.
Ry finally found this shark attack game and spent the rest of his money and time playing it with dad. It was too too cute seeing my gamer boys doing what they love.
There is a reason they don't allow kids in the ski ball cage. Mav's foot got stuck where the balls come down and I was a bit concerned he'd be stuck there forever.

We also visited the coolest toy store in the world that had so many neat and unique toys. They had 4 train tables set up to play on, and 3 other different toy tables. The best part was that we spent over an hour playing and didn't spend a cent. They all want to go back to the toy store after they earn some money.

Great couple days, great people, great time.

Girls Camp

2011-06-29T14:29:00.008-06:00

I am so lucky to get to go to Girls Camp. This year it was in the most beautiful place. We got to go canoeing, on a lot of gorgeous hikes, and a favorite for all was the challenge course with a zip line. I had so much fun, and I hope I get to be in Young Womens for many more years to have the opportunity to participate in Girls Camp. I'm such a Girls Camp geek.
On our hike to the lake. Absolutely breathtaking.
There is not any tree in the world that I admire more than the quaking aspen. I love them so much. There was plenty where we went.
I was so excited to be able to go on the challenge course. This rope walk thingie was a lot freakier than I thought. I'm kind of getting to be a chicken in my old age.I loved hiking with the girls. It was so much. With the bright orange sweatshirts we had no trouble keeping track of them. ha, ha
I love that my sweet hubby could come up for a couple of days and a night. It was the best having him there.Girls Camp Rocks!!! Even when you're 30.

Not so lazy days of Summer

2011-06-27T12:50:00.019-06:00

I am trying to catch up on a few things we did in June. We made a fun 50 Things To Do This Summer list and are slowly wittling away at it. It seems like there is never enough time.

The huge, Eddie constructed, slip'n'slide is a favorite with the kids, and usually the whole neighborhood comes to join the fun. I love that kids see the fun, and just come over to join in. Everyone is always welcome.

Eddie and I went on our first date since he's been home. We stayed in this totally awesome room called The Mysteries of Egypt. We walked around the Gateway mall, ate lots of yummy food, played games, and watched movies. It was perfect.
We are lucky enough to have season passes to Cherry Hill, and go once a week during the summer. It is the kids favorite part of summer.

Eddie has been working so hard in our yard this month. With the help of some friends and family, we were able to get all of our fence posts in and cemented, and a lot of other miscellaneous hard yard work.

We are not known for the "safest" house on the block. When I came outside to bring drinks to my hubby and his friend while they were working, I found Maverik on the roof of the shed. After I snapped this picture, he saw me and was trying to get down by himself. Luckily Maddy was up there with him, but Eddie did get a scolding from me.
Eddie and his friend expanded our shed so now it can hold the 4 wheeler and my hay for the horse. They worked so hard on this, and got it done in just oneday! I just love having a handy hubby.
Maverik loves to be outside "helping" dad. He runs nonstop from sun up to sun down.

Unicorn Party

2011-06-27T12:21:00.008-06:00

For Libby's 7th birthday, she wanted a Unicorn Birthday Party. I was so happy. I promise that I did not nudge her that way at all... it was all her. I let her invite her 3 best friends for a fun day in Salt Lake City.
We went to the dollar theatre and watched Hop. Libby had been dying to see it since it came out around Easter. I'm so glad we caught it at the dollar theatre.
We went to Sugarhouse Park and fed the ducks. The ducks were so fat and well fed they weren't even interested in our pizza crust.
Maddy was a great big sister and had them playing all kinds of fun games at the park.
We ate pizza at the park. I made Libby her requested unicorn cake. We got it all the way to the park without incident, and then I realized I forgot a knife. So the kids didn't get cake, but we had yummy Baskin Robbins ice cream instead.
She loved opening her presents.
What a great way to spend the day.

Sweet Berty

2011-06-18T09:25:00.009-06:00

I can't believe this girl is 7! Happy Birthday my little Berty.

Her favorites at 7: Polly Pockets, Her American Girl doll and accessories, playing outside, swimming, unicorns, Squinkies, My Little Pony, coloring and drawing, animals,dressing up, reading, playing with friends

Food: Ice cream, Red Rice, Grilled chicken

Movies: Ponyo, the Barbie movies

She has such a sweet, tender heart and is the first one to volunteer to help me out. She always does her chores quickly and without having to be told. She is a great big sister. She has a knack for being able to do just about anything she tries. She is such a happy girl and always happy and smiling.

And now for the count back. I just can't believe she is 7!!! I want my cute little two year old back.

The Flags

2011-06-10T17:59:00.011-06:00

When my soldier came home, one of my good friends told me she wanted to be in charge of putting flags up. I was so relieved and thankful. I was expecting a couple flags in front of our house... and looking forward to it. But to my (and Eddie's) absolute astonishment there were hundreds of flags.... around our house, lining the street, down the main road. It was a whole neighborhood effort to put them up (and take them down). Words can not express the emotions that we felt. It was most heart felt and awe-inspiring.Of course, pictures can never do justice. Driving back from the air base, I was watching E intently as we entered our neighborhood. We had to leave early in the morning before the flags were up, so I hadn't seen them either. When the first flags started, a half mile or more away from our house, Eddie opened his eyes wide and asked, "Are those for me?". And then simultaneously we both looked at our house, and emotion just filled the car. It was an incredible sight and one that I won't ever forget. Both of us were very emotional and wiping away tears as we pulled up to the house.
Thank you to a wonderful friend and neighbor, and to an awesome and supportive community. You made his homecoming incredibly special.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-07T22:39:00.009-06:00

We love Memorial Day Weekend. Every year it's the same. Big family reunion full of lots of cousins, visiting, yummy food, and fun. We always have a PIG contest and this year I actually won. It came down to me and Joe, my little brother in law, and it was the highlight of my weekend. I'm so mad I didn't get any pictures of us though.
Instead of swimming this year, we switched it up and went rollerskating. It was so much fun. The girls and I rolled up a storm... ha, haOf course, we visited the sand dunes. We all held hands and jumped off the edge of a really steep dune. That is the kids favorite thing to do.
We buried Maddy in the sand...And Maverik too, but he didn't like it at all.

Wagon rides with cousins were a favorite. I didn't get a lot of pictures this year. It seems that I've been majorly slacking in the photography area. It was a great weekend. We always have so much fun.

When life gives you rain, make mud pies

2011-06-06T09:55:00.005-06:00

Because May was the wettest, coldest, most miserable month for us, we decided that on the first warm day we would spend it all outside having fun. Late May, we finally had a semi-warm day and because of all the rain our yard had huge puddles... so what did we do? We played in the mud!

The May Whirlwind

2011-06-03T08:25:00.013-06:00

May is always the busiest month of the year for us. Not only is it full of all the end of school activities and events, but we have 2 birthdays, and most importantly this year, our soldier came home. So, needless to say, May was a whirlwind of events, emotions, and changes.

My camera decided that it hates me and made about half of my pictures from May disappear, so I'm sure I'm missing a ton of events, but at least I got some.

Ryder had a pirate birthday party! It was so much fun.
He was most excited about the presents.
His pirate ship birthday cake. (which, by the way, he didn't eat because this kid doesn't like cake or chocolate!)
Walking the plank. All the boys loved this one.
Ryder also graduated from preschool. I don't like to make a big deal of of moving from one grade to the next (it's not a graduation!) and I usually include preschool in that line of thinking... but this was special. He had such a hard time getting to the point where he actually liked going and I didn't have to drag him out the door kicking and screaming. He was not interested at all in school and learning the basics and now he can write his name, knows the alphabet, and can even read some sight words. He has grown and matured SO much this year. He had an awesome preschool teacher that we both adored. My camera deleted all of my preschool graduation photos so this is the only one I have of him and Miss Tiffany. He had his Kindergarten assessment and vaccinations and now is completely ready to get on the big yellow bus in the fall.Liberty had her gymnastics program which was really neat. I was so impressed at the organization. She was so excited about her trophy.

My girls also participated in their piano and violin recitals, but my camera ate those pictures too.
These girls were the top readers in their class and got to go on a 10 mile bike ride with the principal. It was so awesome. They had a police escort, and it was during school hours. They felt really special. Way to go girls!
I took Maddy to the Renaissance Festival this year. It's something I used to go to every year with my sister. Besides the freaks and weirdos (no offense anyone out there), it was a lot of fun. My favorite booth was "Corn of the Kettle" and dressing up in era clothes. Ha, ha

New Additon

2011-05-19T11:47:00.004-06:00

Meet Hermione, the newest addition to our family.

Miracle Diet

2011-05-18T11:20:00.001-06:00

I finally found a miracle diet guaranteed to help me lose those last 10 pounds. I am so excited to share this. It's called the Toddler Miracle Diet. Check it out:

Day One

Breakfast: 1 Scrambled Egg, 1 piece of jelly toast. Take 2 bites of egg, using only your fingers, then see if the rest will stick to the ceiling. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly on your face, clothes, and white table cloth.

Lunch: Find crumbs on the kitchen floor and eat them. Find that lollipop you lost last week and finish it off.

Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into apple juice and suck it up with a straw.

Day Two
Breakfast: 4 crayons, any color. 2 dimes, 3 nickels, and a penny. Wash it down with a squirt gun filled from the dog's dish.

Lunch: 2 bites of peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 3 jelly beans you found from last Easter. Dump milk on table, slurp up with your tongue.

Afternoon Snack: Lick an all-day sucker until it's sticky, drop it in the dirt, then continue licking until it's no longer dirty. Bring in the house and drop on the rug.

Dinner: Small bowl of ice cream, making sure you let the cat share the bowl with you, Handful of cheese puffs, and kool-aid. Be sure to spill the Kool-aid all over the freshly-washed white tablecloth.

Day Three
Breakfast: Stale toast found under couch, 3 sips of flat Coke.

Lunch: 1/4 tube of toothpaste (any flavor), handful of potato chips.

Dinner: Half a tube of lipstick (any color), handful of Purina Dog Chow. Ice cube if desired.

Repeat this menu as needed until you achieve desired results.

Favorite Homecoming Pictures

2011-05-17T13:26:00.007-06:00

Pictures can describe feelings so much better than words. Here are a few of my favorite homecoming pictures. I have an awesome sister in law with an awesome camera and she took some awesome pictures. Thanks so much Libby!!

So glad he is safe and home.

He had most of his family there for the homecoming. It was completely amazing. The support and love was greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who came to welcome a great man home.

Arrrgghh Matey's! There be a 5 year old in me house

2011-05-11T17:02:00.000-06:00

My little guy is 5 years old today. I can't believe he is old enough for Kindergarten. He is such a clown and loves to make everyone laugh. His favorite things are: Pirates, Legos, Dinosaurs, and playing the Wii.

His choices for meals today:

Breakfast - Rollups (crepes)

Lunch - Rollups

Dinner - Rollups

Look how much he's grown in the last 5 years!

I have to throw this one in here. We almost lost him right before he turned 2.

Countdown

2011-05-06T14:26:00.002-06:00

My amazingly talented wonderful friend, Tiffany, made us this countdown until Eddie gets home. The kids are so excited each morning to pull off another number. I really can't believe the end is in sight. We made it... we actually made it. Amazing!

Orange Mania

2011-05-04T15:13:00.015-06:00

The birthday weekend:

On her actual birthday she had a soccer game... and yes it was snowing. She loves soccer, and she loves that her team's color is orange. We brought cupcakes for her team.

I let her invite her three best friends over to have cake and icecream and play some games. We found some orange and peace sign decorations, and the orange was pretty overwhelming... Surprisingly it made the dreary cold day feel bright and springy.

She requested a tie dye cake with orange frosting and peace signs and squinkies, and this is what I came up with.

We also found some tie dye ice cream that went perfect with the cake. It was trippy. ;)

I thought the cake batter looked so cool.

I let her pick party snacks and she picked Cheddar Sour cream and Onion Ruffles, Cheetoh's, (both orange) and skittles (tie dye). Ha! It was a lot of fun seeing her personality in everything she picked out. I always let my kids pick their birthday breakfast, lunch, and dinner on their birthdays, and we end the day with me telling them their birth story and about when they were a baby. They love it, and it never gets old. She chose, crepes for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and tacos for dinner.

Then we had cake and ice cream at Grandma's house with cousins on Sunday. I was tired of making cakes so I let her pick one out at the store. She was ecstatic that this one had horses on it and had orange frosting. It must have been meant to be. ;)

Happy Birthday Maddy girl!

Happy Groovy Birthday, Dude

2011-05-02T10:07:00.012-06:00

I can't believe this girl is 9!! It really blows my mind. Gone are the the princess days and even the blue days... she is now obsessed with the color orange, tie dye, and peace signs... What a hippie. And now for the count back in pictures.

She is an amazing girl. This past year she has helped me more and gone through more than any 9 year old should have to go through... and yet she is still sweet, smiling, and a light in my darkness. She has the most tender heart and caring attitude of any girl I know. She is so kind and loving, and I'm just beginning to discover that this talent is more important and more wonderful than any other.

Silk Tie Dye Eggs

2011-04-28T21:54:00.011-06:00

If you have never seen silk dyed eggs, you are totally missing out. I was so intrigued with the idea and determined to do it this year. My eggs turned out so beautiful that I still haven't allowed anyone to crack them, peel them, and eat them.... They are still sitting in my fridge, and I take them out and admire them every once in awhile. I wish I could keep them forever. Seriously, that is how fun this project is.

There is an awesome tutorial here: Silk Dyed Eggs
First you need some silk. The cheapest and best and funnest way to get silk is go to your local thrift store and have fun rummaging through the old ties. And remember, the more hideous the pattern, the better the egg will be. I wanted to buy all 100 ties on the tie rack because of the hideousness, but I restrained myself and only bought 8.
Look, how pretty they are all wrapped up!!! And now for the piece de resistance!!! Check out how totally awesome my eggs turned out. So pretty! You must try this project. It's so fun.

More Head Trauma

2011-04-26T16:00:00.003-06:00

Maverik's favorite new thing to do is spin and spin and spin until he laughs uncontrollably and falls down. I was just chasing after him to get pajamas on when he started spinning and laughing and fell down hitting his head right on the corner of his dresser. I picked him up to hug him and noticed the ugly gash on his head. He was screaming uncontrollably so I picked him up and carried him to the couch to calm him down. Libby was busy in the living room taking pictures of some of her and Ryder's lego creations (a new favorite past time for them) and she said, "I have to take a picture of this, mom." Well, okay, if you must.
I calmed him down, cleaned it up, and decided it could probably use a stitch or two, but since I had some handy butterfly bandages, I would use those. Honestly I need to invest in a suture kit obviously... He was much happier eating his ice cream bar. He's got a huge knot on his head and he didn't sleep much the first night so I know it was hurting him, but he seems fine other than a face full of future scars... (sigh)

Egg Hunting in Oak City

2011-04-25T10:43:00.011-06:00

We headed down to Oak City for the egg hunt this year. My kids LOVE Oak City. For Ryder it is synonymous with Disneyland. I love Oak City too. It's home away from home. We had tons of great food of course, and lots of fun.
This little boy wasn't quite sure what was going on, but when he discovered there was candy inside the eggs, he suddenly became much more interested.

After the town hunt, we went to Grandma's house and had another egg hunt for all the cousins. At this egg hunt each kid had to find an egg with their name on it to get a special prize. My 3 kids did not care about the candy at all... they were super serious about finding their special eggs. Which turned out to be a bonus because all the kids got grocery sacks completely FULL of candy, but my 3 only had a little bit of candy each. In fact, by Sunday their candy was gone. It worked out perfectly. ha, ha
I love this shot because I got the drool streaming from his mouth. He had his mouth stuffed with candy most of the time and drooled like crazy.
She wanted to help everyone find their special eggs and therefore got only a handful of candy... She was so "helpful".

He was so proud that he found his special egg. Grandma gave each of them a special prize when they handed in their egg. They were all ecstatic.
Cute picture of some of the cousins before the egg hunt. Don't you think the plastic sacks my kids have give it just the right touch? I felt a little bad that all the kids had cute Easter baskets and my kids had to use ugly old sacks. Worst mom ever. ;)

To Dad from Berty

2011-04-23T20:51:00.003-06:00

She has been practicing her talk for primary all night and insisted I post this video at once.

Cute

2011-04-18T19:03:00.002-06:00

This little guy is so agreeable. In most cases, a toddler responds NO!!! to everything, but my sweet, happy guy likes to answer in the affirmative. It melts my heart every time. He answers, "Yeah" to everything.

Lucky the Leprechaun's Tricky Treasure Hunt... Take 2

2011-04-10T22:01:00.011-06:00

Because of a certain incident, our first attempt at the Lucky the Leprechaun's tricky treasure hunt was not a success. But because I already had everything set out and ready we tried it again a few days later.

Triumph! A definite and positively outrageous good time. The end of the hunt led to "a world of green" complete with a pot of gold. We sat on a rainbow blanket and devoured the delightful delicacies. I had so much fun planning the green table.

There are lots of green vegetables... green pepper, broccoli, celery, avacado, cucumbers... and paired with green ranch... it was every leprechaun's dream. Some more green food we had: Giant pickles, green grapes, chocolate chip mint icecream, pistachio pudding, green apples, limes, green jello, and a slew of green candy. I would love to try out this table in a million different color themes. It was too much fun.

I think we'll make this a tradition. It was a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And the treasure hunt was pretty tricky. They had to stop and use their brains quite a few times.

These are the treasure hunt clues, Lucky the Leprechaun left us.

I heard you were searching for treasure to find

Well you’re in luck, cause I might give you mine

Just follow the shamrocks and solve each clue

The hunt is hard, but could be easy for you.

The colors of the rainbow are your first clue

Start with red and work your way down to blue

It won’t be easy, I’m tricky and sly

But if you’re smart, you might get by

Signed,

Lucky the Leprechaun

#1 - This room is brown and blue

Your mom lives there too

She reads her books and sleeps on the bed

Don’t forget the clue should be red

#2 – Libby is a little scared but get her to come

Cause if you don’t all go, it's not any fun

These birds like to run and peck the ground

Where they lay their eggs the next clue is found

#3 – This room is so messy, I almost gave up

Is this where you play admist all the muck?

You better get cleaning or you might be stuck

The clue is found close to a duck

#4 – You found me, you found me I can’t believe it

You better run hard, don’t take time to sit

The water is blue in this funny little chair

Yucky, it stinks, do you ever clean in there?

#5 – You’ve made it this far, you must be clever

But I don’t want you to get my treasure

Think real hard, you’ll never guess now

You have to be here if you want to go to town

#6 – Look for the wonderful world of green

A pot of gold and delights to be seen

You have to go up stairs and then down for a measure

A rainbow will lead the way to the treasure

Sadie in Wonderland

2011-04-04T13:33:00.006-06:00

Last Wednesday, I dropped down a rabbit hole and found myself in wonderland. It's no secret how much I love basketball. My sister in law and brother in law did the ultimate good deed and gave me a ticket to the Leapin' Leaners & Low Tops Event. (Go Here for more info.) Not only was I fed a gourmet dinner, but I also got individual pictures with each Utah Jazz player, and autographs from each player. And the ultimate event of the night for me was shooting free throws with the Utah Jazz... Yes, you heard me right. I was hanging out and shooting baskets with the Utah Jazz. It was incredible. Several times throughout the evening, I wondered when I would wake up from this incredible dream. I could go on and on about this night so please call if you want your ear talked off... ;)

Here are some of my favorite photos.
Yes!! My favorite player, Raja Bell.... We're friends now... we hang out...
I followed Hornacek around for awhile until I got up the nerve to tap him on his shoulder and get a picture... one of the greats.
It was so amazing to be there. I rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous for a night, and they didn't even point their fingers and shout, "You don't belong here!" at me.
I really liked the locker room tour. It was pretty amazing.

Ramblings for the daddy

2011-03-29T11:23:00.009-06:00

The first and only time he has fallen asleep in his high chair. Both Ryder and I thought it was quite comical. He didn't even wake up when I moved him from the high chair to his bed. He plays so hard that it's exhausting. Life's tough.
She has a 4 tooth gap on top now. Her little pointy eye teeth resemble a vampires because tthere is nothing between them. Still cute as a button though!
We found this uniform at the D.I.!!! I was so excited. I've always wanted one for him, but they are so expensive. I couldn't believe our luck. It was his exact size. He wears it everywhere and never takes it off. He keeps saying, "Look, mom, I'm just like dad!" He wanted to wear it to church desperately, and I only just managed to talk him out of it.
It's not fair how fast they are growing up. Stop it, stop it right now!
He LOVES to be outside. He begs to be outside. He loves the animals and roaming around exploring everywhere. I think we might have another little wanderer on our hands.
We love Buddy. We love where we live.
Always begging to ride the horse.
They love sitting on the "princess" couch together to watch a movie. It is the girls' old couch with a princess cover... I've thought many times about buying a Buzz and Woody one that I've seen at Walmart, but they don't seem to mind the princess cover. Am I doing irreparable damage here?