livin' and lovin' our simple life

N-I-N-E

2011-03-10T22:04:00.006-07:00

Adilynn turned 9 last month! Nine!

At NINE she loves:

Dancing
Baking
Soccer
Activity Days
Reading
Teal
iPod/iHome player
Creating
Grandpa's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

What we love about her:

Thoughtful
Smart
Beautiful
Silly
Helpful
Creative
Friendly
Imaginative
Fun

Six

2011-01-18T16:07:00.004-07:00

(Luke on his 6th birthday, January 12th)

At SIX he loves:

mac n cheese
playing with friends
wrestling
riding his bike
sledding
cookies and cream ice cream

What we love about him:

smart
funny
good helper
kind
adventurous
affectionate

Salt Lake Slam

2011-01-09T20:45:00.003-07:00

Luke wrestled in a "National" wrestling tournament yesterday. It was serious stuff. He pinned 2 of the 3 he wrestled. He took 2nd place in his weight division.

(This is his "tough" face)

It might have gone to his head...

Luke - punches Mike in the butt after church

Mike: Luke, you don't want to mess with me.

Luke: No, YOU don't want to mess with a 2nd place wrestler!

Top 10 of 2010

2011-01-05T11:30:00.004-07:00

#1 - Adilynn was baptized! This was such a neat experience and we are so proud of her decision! She is an amazing example for all of us. On the day of her baptism she looked so beautiful and she had so many people who love her come to support her.

#2 - Mike got to extend his favorite hobby. Not only does he have the 6 beehives with his brothers - he now has his very own beehive in the backyard! Jeremy built him this observation hive for his birthday, he put the bees in as soon as tax season was over, and most days could be found checking on his bees before coming inside to say hello to his family after work.

#3 - We took a family vacation to the Arizona Grand in Phoenix last May. We spent several hours each day at the water park inside the resort and enjoyed every bit of sun we could soak up! We also enjoyed a trip to the Children's Museum and a D-backs game while we were there.

#4 - I ran my first 5K! I am so not a runner so this was a big deal for me! It was a great experience to set a goal, train and finish something! I was far from the front of the pack but I did manage make my goal to run the whole thing without stopping or walking.

#5 - Mike took a week long backpacking trip to the Uinta's with his scouts. He even made it to the top of King's Peak, and had the blisters to prove it! He loves his calling with the teachers in the ward and the excuses it gives him to do fun things like this!

#6 - We spent the last week of August in Lake Powell with the extended Pickle family. The whole family had a blast but Paislee wowed us all with her water skiing skills! She made it all around the lake without falling and the first thing she said when she woke up the next day was "I can't wait to go skiing!"

#7 - Thanks to my part-time gigs at American Eagle and MSZ, I got to go to NYC with 2 of my long time friends, Steph and Amanda. We packed as much as we possibly could into our 4 day trip and were completely exhausted by the end but it was so worth it! We saw 2 plays, took a boat tour, went to the Top of the Rock, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, The Met, Wall Street, Times Square, Tenement Museum, China Town, Madison Square Park, Bryant Park, Washington Square Park, and took a bike tour through Central Park. We ate the yummiest food every chance we got, including my favorite bakeries: Amy's Bread and Magnolia. We also braved the most disgusting bathrooms and mastered the subway system. I ♥ NYC!

#8 - Luke started kindergarten this year! He loves going to school and didn't miss mom one bit on his first day. He loves math and is becoming quite the little reader. He also likes playing freeze tag at recess.

#9 - Luke also added a few wrestling medals to his collection this year! He practices twice a week, plus with dad at home and has wrestled in several meets.

#10 - We got to spend the week of Thanksgiving at the Bartholomew Cabin. We had so much fun playing in the snow, watching movies, playing games, decorating cookies, napping, doing puzzles, sledding, eating, crafting, baking, relaxing and spending lots of time with friends and family.

In case you didn't know...

2010-08-22T22:53:00.004-06:00

my husband is pretty much amazing.

yep, he made pizza, bread sticks and a couple of loaves of bread tonight for dinner.

all by himself, all while I was taking a fabulous sunday nap.

love him.

Tagged

2010-08-21T20:10:00.003-06:00

A while back I had a friend who was thinking of moving this way ask if we had any graffiti in our neighborhood. I laughed, and replied with an "of course not!".

I now eat those words. My own daughter the culprit.

But, hey! She's got her name down!

Suited Up

2010-04-20T00:38:00.003-06:00

This weekend we took an impromptu trip to Park City.
It was perfect to just get out of town, do a little shopping, relax.
Of course, the kids favorite part was being able to wear the swim suits the Easter Bunny gave them to the indoor swimming pool.

They looked much better without the pj's and snow....

He's baaaaaack!

2010-04-15T22:46:00.004-06:00

Today is Tax Day!
NO more late/over night working hours!
LOTS more family time!

Mike and I celebrated...his choice, a night on the town!
He chose:

Red Lobster,
(complete with the upgraded strawberry colada)
a movie,
(Date Night - so funny!)
and dessert!
(tried the gelato place -ICK, chucked it, and went for the good stuff!)

And now he is snoring {quite loudly}!
Quite the end to another "season"!

Thanks for working so hard for us honey!
We love you!

Food Storage

2010-04-14T21:01:00.001-06:00

Use #728: Stage for a puppet show

2010-04-13T22:35:00.003-06:00

I feel as though Mad Hatter was talking to me when he said,

"You used to be much more muchier....You've lost your muchness."

I'm attempting to find my muchness, again.

Lost and Found

2010-04-13T22:11:00.003-06:00

Luke couldn't find his flip flops today.
He distinctly remembered kicking them off in front of the tv.
He searched EVERYWHERE, even behind the tv.
(He's a good kicker, plays soccer ya know.)

Apparently, Paislee had taken care of them for him...

Valentines day...

2010-02-07T22:35:00.003-07:00

...is less than a week away...

Need a little help spreading the LOVE?
...find it here...

Pinned!

2010-02-03T15:10:00.002-07:00

We have a new wrestler in the family!

This is Luke pinning his first guy in his first match EVER!

We were so proud of him...the next couple didn't go quite as well but he had fun despite being pinned himself a couple times.

No matter the outcome he still had a smile on his face!

Hey Mama, Hey Mama

2010-01-28T21:33:00.004-07:00

We "jam out" to this song EVERY time it comes on in the car.
It has become "our" song.
Makes me smile EVERY time.

I know, one thing, that I love you!
I love you, I love you, I love you!

Definitely, the best luck this mama's EVER had...

{Say Hey by Michael Franti and Spearhead}

The Chocolate

2010-01-23T11:22:00.003-07:00

I re-started the diet this week.
And as far as weight-loss goes - I did good.
I lost the 5 lbs I gained over the holidays.
But, it was NOT a good week for me: I was tired, exhausted, and unmotivated.
I was constantly thinking of all the food I couldn't have.
Mainly. the red velvet cake from the yummiest/cutest bakery around, The Chocolate.

Last night, Mike's parents took us to dinner.
Afterward, we took them to The Chocolate and I cheated, ate every bite of this beautiful cake.
YuM!
(And my scale stayed the same this morning, whew!)

My kids dig the cupcakes, especially Adilynn.
She goes straight for the pineapple coconut EVERY time and ALWAYS manages to get the whipped cream frosting ALL over her face.

Let's try this again...

2010-01-20T23:27:00.006-07:00

Imagine this:

I'm at work(American Eagle, floor-set), its roughly 7am, there are piles of clothes everywhere and Chad has his "tunes" playing in the background. These tunes consisted of mostly 90's hits and had us all reminiscing in one way or another. Then on comes Madonna singing "Vogue" and Chad yells to me "Kac, its your song!" I listened, and thought, got a little embarrassed and...nothin'! Not for the life of me could I figure out why on earth he would call this my song. After an awkward silence he says, "Ya know, your blog!"

And there it is-the wake up call! I put that song on my blog to go with school clothes pictures. School started in August. Vogue is NOT my favorite song, not even close. I suck. I should update.

And here we are, almost a month later but here nonetheless! 2010 has been good to me so far. I've set some goals, simple ones, and kind of stuck to them. Life is still crazy but not the chaos we ended 2009 with and that's what I was shooting for. I wish I could go back and recap all the fun stuff we did this fall, Mikes parents coming home from South Africa, Thanksgiving full of family, our last minute Disney trip and our chaotic/magical Christmas. But, that would require time/stress/pressure which doesn't fit in with the goals for 2010. So, let's pick up here and try once again...

One of my favorite things in 2010 is Project Life. {Thanks Steph!} Here are a few of our POTD's (picture of the day) to give you a quick update of our year to date...

I have been busy creating!
My new job= Designer(heehee) for myscrapbookzone.com

Paislee is a spunky as ever.

Her highlight of 2010? Primary!

Miss Adilynn couldn't be happier than to have her nose stuck in a book.
Although, the DS Santa brought her is a close 2nd.

Mikey is going full speed into tax season!
But, always unwinds in his favorite chair before heading to bed.

And Luke turned 5 last week!
His newest thing - teasing his sisters.

Cat Walk

2009-08-26T20:55:00.003-06:00

New clothes = Back to school {love}!

Mustache{s}

2009-08-17T11:05:00.001-06:00

Who says boys have no use for scrapbook supplies?

She's growing up...

2009-08-13T23:25:00.003-06:00

...and while I love having the extra help around the house,

seeing how smart she is getting,

and all the fun conversations this age brings...

Moments like this,

(the dress up hat around her eyes)

are proof, that no matter how hard she's trying to grow up,

that she's still my little girl.

Lessons from Dad?

2009-08-03T10:57:00.003-06:00

"Mom, is it okay if I wear my brown shoes today?"

Mismatched

2009-07-30T15:54:00.002-06:00

Tonight I have a date with my hubby...
we're going out to celebrate my brothers birthday!
Happy 29th birthday, Chaddy!

I must admit I am a little worried...
This is Mike on our last date,
in the parking lot, after the movie...

Need a closer look?
Yes, apparently he was in a hurry.

Hey Jayne! Looky what we found...

2009-07-23T23:13:00.005-06:00

I believe your request was for

FUN,

FREE,

and WATER...

We'll throw in CLOSE too!

{Highland - road between Wendy's & Kohler's, yes, there's a road there - ProMIse!}

The kids have been begging to go to the "water" park ever since Grandma told us about it last week.

Today we found it and couldn't have been happier to cool off in the 100 degree weather we have been so blessed with! :)

Apparently, the cool thing to do is sit/stand/lay on the water spouts and wait...

...because eventually they come on and you get something like this.

Looks fun, huh!?!

So...who's free next week?

Jameson Square Park

2009-07-08T22:32:00.005-06:00

While in Portland we went looking for a way to waste away the afternoon and enjoy the city. Someone at our hotel suggested we hit up this park that was lots of fun for the kids, especially in the beautiful weather, because it had water. We packed swimsuits {just in case} but upon getting there it didn't look like much. So, we just kicked off the flip flops and hiked up the shorts...

And then the water came crashing down the giant steps...

And filled into a GIANT pool...Dad might have offered Luke (with not-quite-healed stitches) $5 to lay down and get completely wet.
And once the clothes are wet why bother changing, right?

So we stayed while it drained and filled again, and again,and again, and again...completely soaked and loving every minute!

Until Uncle Daniel spotted this self taught professional....

Now doesn't he just scream kid friendly?

And although they weren't thrilled to get a picture with the balloon maker - they couldn't have been happier with their treasures! Perfect ending to our day in the park!

Does your Uncle do this?

2009-07-07T22:33:00.004-06:00

Personal Jungle Jim

and

Hair Model Extraordinaire.

We had an action packed 4th of July weekend.

Starting with a Friday night fireworks party, then an early morning parade, 2 BBQ's, swimming and finally ending with the BIG fireworks show at Thanksgiving Point.

I failed {miserably} as family historian...someone really should fire me!

Multnomah Falls

2009-06-24T15:30:00.005-06:00

A wedding reception in Washington gave us the perfect excuse to take a vacation.

About 2 hours into Oregon Mike was ready to move there!

We made it to Multnomah Falls just before dark...

We ran {literally} up to the bridge to catch a picture before it was too late.

Can you see us?

We are waving...

just in case you couldn't tell.

Then we ran right back down.

The American Idol finally was on...

{I♥Kris}

More on our Oregon/Washington trip - SOON!

Hitched!

2009-06-18T23:06:00.005-06:00

My little brother married this cute girl

for time and all eternity last month.

We couldn't be happier!

Their day was perfect!
I happily dressed my kids in hot pink and orange.

The kids happily played with their uncles most of the day.

The highlight of the evening

{beside the chocolate fountain}

was this little guy...
He climbed up on Uncle Chaddy,

got all ready...
and actually caught the garter!

Wasn't too happy about all the attention it got him though!

Moments like these...

they do my heart good!

Congrats Daniel and Mallory!

Dancer Girls*

2009-06-17T09:53:00.007-06:00

We now have 2 dancers in the family -

twice the fun,

twice the talent,

twice the flowers!

Adilynn danced to "I Wanna Be Like You" from Jungle Book for the year end recital this year.

She is getting to be quite the dancer and loves every minute of it.

Her favorite part is always getting dressed up and performing on stage but her teacher, Miss Amber, came in a close second this year - she was so fun!

Miss Paislee was the CUTEST little orphan as she performed to "Hard Knock Life" from Annie.

This girl would {honestly} go to dance class EVERY day of her life if we'd let her!

And she's pretty good, ya know, for being 2 and all.

*please ignore photo quality - I might've forgotten to change the camera setting, OOPS!

{deep breath} Here we go!

2009-06-16T16:58:00.003-06:00

Its been over a month...

in no part due to lack of material,

more so - an OVERLOAD.

We've been busy 'round here!

So, here goes the first attempt at playing catch up...

This girl is sporting a new do...

After like 2ish years of growing it out....

her hair finally hit the 8+ inches she needed to be able to donate it!

We happily dropped this baby in the mail,

in hopes of helping a {really small} child in need of it!

The day of a brave little boy

2009-05-11T20:27:00.008-06:00

MONDAY

6:00am - Wake up, get dressed, jump in the car {no food, no drink}

6:45am - Arrive at PCMC, check in, play with toys, read books

7:30am - change into hospital jammies, blow bubbles, take big breaths for the nurse

8:00am - head to waiting room, wait, color, play 20 ?'s, play Spiderman on the Xbox

9:00am - surgery bumped due to an emergency, play Mater Xbox game, play cars

9:45am - bumped again, bored, watch cartoons

10:00am - mom and dad talk with Dr. Downey, still watching cartoons

10:15am - anesthesiologists comes, choose bubble gum flavored gas, walk to the operating room doors, hug mom and dad, head to surgery, tell the doctor all about the snake I found

11:30am - wake up from surgery, mom comes to visit, get a root beer slushy, sleepy 11:45am - dad comes, watch more cartoons, still sleepy

12:00pm - get dressed, ride in a wheelchair to the car

12:15pm - nap in the car

1:30pm - home again, blanket, toys, new slushy, watching cartoons, can I have a friend over?

4:00pm - jumping off couches and stairs, trying to carry Paislee, have a snack or two, running around, begging for pizza

Luke's hernia surgery didn't hold him back one bit!

It was actually quite the task to try and get him to take it easy for a few days!

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...

2009-05-09T23:36:00.005-06:00

Hanging out with dad on the weekend brings all sorts of adventures!

Luke loved playing with this snake and didn't even get scared after it bit him, aaah.

Yep, it bit him! So, if its true how they say Spiderman came to be we just might be changing Luke's name to "Snakeman" soon!

The Dutch boy said to the Dutch girl...

2009-05-08T22:12:00.006-06:00

The prettiest flower I've ever seen is your TULIPS!

{I bet I heard Grandpa Sipkema tell that joke 100 times in the short time I knew him

and it never fails that I am reminded of him each time I see tulips.}

Tulip Festival in the rain:

{+} carrying the big umbrella

{-} no rolling down the big hill

Hippity, Hoppity! Easter's on it way!

2009-05-07T20:34:00.005-06:00

Last night, instead of coming in to tell me "good night" Paislee hopped into my room and yelled, "Happy Easter!", instead.

After that and then seeing bags of Easter candy on my kitchen counter I figured it might not be to late to blog our Easter festivities!

So, here are a few highlights...

The kids dug the egg decorating,

Paislee wanted all of hers pink.
Luke liked to scribble with one color and move on to the next egg.

Adilynn made each and every one a masterpiece.

How is it that 2 dozen eggs is nowhere near enough?

We can always count on the Easter Bunny to stock the kids up with outdoor toys for spring and way too many treats.

{Note for next year: matching or just actual pjs would greatly help the Easter morn photo op!}

Sunday Best!

{much better}

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T22:52:00.002-06:00

These grubby little ones sure enjoyed the "earth" today!

Ear Plugs

2009-04-06T20:46:00.003-06:00

Grandma loses them, my kids find them!The worst part about it...?

When I find them they have teeth marks in them!

ICK!

We can't blame grandma entirely though...after a sleepover last weekend Paislee told Grandpa, "Danpa - you nored soooo woud you wate me up!"

Crazy

2009-04-03T15:57:00.003-06:00

Today was Crazy Day at school.

That means you can do your hair crazy

and/or wear something crazy.

The only rule is you can't ACT crazy.

Adilynn had some ideas for crazy day...

1. jumping on the tramp before school

{making her hair crazy}

2. wearing 2 different socks

3. wearing one of moms shirts

{do I dress that bad?}

We improvised:

1. crazy colored Medusa-like hair

2. mismatched socks

{one white, one white w/ pink hearts}

3. {her own} Halloween shirt

Pretty CRaZy!

Hibernating

2009-04-03T15:44:00.003-06:00

A family of bears came to visit last week.

They built a cave.

It came complete with the night sky,

{reminding them to sleep}

a wallpaper of snowflakes,

{reminding them it was winter out}

and lots of pillows.

They also stashed the necessities:

water and marshmallows.

Unfortunately, days after waking up

it is STILL winter outside!

Spring

2009-03-20T21:36:00.008-06:00

My hubby is a firm believer in waiting until Mother's Day to plant flowers.

His dad has given his mom a gift certificate on Mother's Day to pick out her flowers for as long as he can remember.

Good rule of thumb to follow.

Although, last fall when my pansies were still alive when the rest of the world was freezing, my friend, Mike informed me that contradictory to what most think - pansies are strong.

His mom taught him that when he was a kid.

She's a gardener.

I trust Mike, his mom too.

So, in celebration of the First Day of Spring I bought the beautiful orange and purple pansies at Walmart today and we had a planting party.

Ads did the digging.

Paiz did the water.

Luke scooped the dirt.

It was fabulous.

We now have a little color to remind us it is SPRING.

And if there is a little more Lion than Lamb left in the upcoming weeks - I am out $10 and we start over come Mother's Day. Until then,

Happy Spring!

Green

2009-03-18T10:34:00.002-06:00

We all wore green yesterday.

We pinched dad - who didn't.

There were a few green/gold treats in little pots

{referred to as buckets}

But that was the extent of our green celebration this year.

No visits from leprechauns, no treasure hunts.

We went for the greasy dinner instead of a green one.

{this didn't sit so well with Paislee - it came up on the way home}

TMI? sorry.

We did enjoy the beautiful weather though.
Visited the farm, rode some horses.
I can't help but feel lucky.

Ouch!

2009-03-17T19:52:00.001-06:00

According to Paislee, Mom has Boo-Boobs.

Huh.

I ♥ NY

2009-03-09T15:37:00.010-06:00

During Luke's birthday dinner back in January, Adilynn wanted to talk about what kind of birthday party she would be having...Mike suggested a "rock" party. Rock- as in stone, pebble, boulder - he suggested making pet rocks, rock candy...from there grandma took it to the Rockettes, maybe Rockefeller Center. Needless to say, Adilynn wasn't happy with his suggestion until I said "take him up on it, that's in NY"

The rock thing didn't stick, but NYC sure did. Of, course the budget didn't allow for plane tickets to Manhattan....we were left to find the way to bring NYC to us. After many brainstorming sessions with our NYC guru this was what we came up with...

We decked the house out in NYC decor,

{thanks Ang}

complete with the cityscape on the wall.

{thanks Chaddy}

The girls {and boy} came dressed for a night out on the town....

There was NYC pizza for dinner...

Shopping for souvenirs...

{again, thanks Ang}

Sightseeing...

{again, thanks Chaddy}

and a show...

{might as well have been Broadway}

And what trip to NYC would be

complete without cupcakes?

Happy 7th Birthday, Adilynn!

Pick a pic

2009-02-25T10:41:00.002-07:00

Jenn tagged me with this little photo challenge:

Open your 6th folder in your photo files and post your 6th picture.

Well, here it is...

{i skipped the dear hunt folder, which was my actual 6th folder, can you blame me?}

This is our cute little family, December 2007.

Dressed all matchy for church...

How exactly can those kids grow up so dang much in 14 months?

Sadly, I know exactly what helped me change so much...

Darn that Smart Cookie!

*details on THE party of 2009 are coming soon!

Winner, winner! Chicken Dinner!

2009-02-25T10:32:00.004-07:00

Steph posted this on her blog and it sounded like lots of fun. I love surprises and excuses to surprise others so here we go!
*Buyer beware! 6 of the 7 things listed in #4 are not anywhere in my capabilities...

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a while}
4. You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet (but Heaven knows it will most likely be totally fabulous and creative... :). I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!* *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* *

Three days later...

2009-02-16T18:05:00.004-07:00

...and I still have sprinkles in my floor!

I {heart} these three!

She says to me...

2009-02-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

"HOWDY!"

TOASTY...

2009-02-09T23:23:00.003-07:00

...is what we're calling our bedroom after the face lift it received today.

Slather it in some "toast" colored paint and now its all warm and cozy, I love it!

Many thanks to Chad for helping me on his day off, between his 6'8" height and steady artists hand, he ROCKS the painting scene!

{no stools required}

Fashion Queen

2009-02-08T20:41:00.002-07:00

What can I say? The girl loves fashion!

Not too long ago she told me..."Mom, me and my friends are like really into fashion. But not like the kind that our moms tell us something looks cute but like REAL fashion!"

Guess she's doing something right...the comment her teacher wrote on her SEP report was - I love having Adilynn in my class. She is always willing to help out and dresses so cute!

might be...

2009-02-03T21:33:00.002-07:00

...TooTHLeSS...

but its still BeauTiFuL!

8 THINGS ABOUT ME

2009-02-02T21:38:00.005-07:00

My friend Angie tagged me a couple days ago and since I was lacking for something to post today this works out perfectly!

Here are the Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six '8' items
3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 FAVORITE TV SHOWS

1. Lost
2. Grey's
3. Friday Night Lights
4. Survivor
5. Amazing Race
6. Life
7. American Idol
8. Gossip Girl

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY

1. Made rolls, guacamole, and potato salad
2. Read Harry Potter with Adilynn {finished 1st book tonight :)}
3. Took a shower
4. Threw a Super Bowl party
5. Ate lots of yummy food
6. Watched the Super Bowl
7. Read a little of the Book Thief
8. Took loads of DayQuil

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

1. 8-8:30 {kids bedtime}
2. Thursday night TV
3. Scrapbook night
4. "Girls" get togethers
5. 6 weeks - no more winter!
6. April 15th
7. Vacation
8. Reading

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

1. Zupas
2. Paradise Bakery
3. Tepanyaki
4. Gecko Grill
5. Pei Wei
6. Café Rio
7. Mimi's
8. Old Spaghetti Factory

8 THINGS ON MY WISH-LIST

1. Laptop
2. New jeans
3. Clean scrapbook room
4. New floors
5. A trip to somewhere warm
6. New couches
7. Tulips
8. Angie's cookies

8 PEOPLE I TAG

1. Mom
2. Mal
3. Tiff Mc
4. Emily J
5. Mailyn
6. Vicki
7. Aub
8. Sharane

Just like dad...

2009-01-30T21:57:00.007-07:00

Ain't he cute?

{in a somewhat Harry Potter-ish way?}

I just wanna....

2009-01-29T01:18:00.007-07:00

I just want to feel...

I just want to know...

I will BE OK.

I can't get enough of this song - its catchy, upbeat, and the words just seem to fit. So, before January is completely over I am making this my "theme" for 2009.

Maybe my house will be messy more days than not, maybe there will be cereal/ramen for dinner from time to time, maybe I won't get on that blessed elliptical for weeks at a time and maybe I will just continue to collect pictures on my computer and hike through the mess to my computer...all will still BE OK.

But maybe, just maybe, the walls/floors will sparkle, I will cook fabulous meals from places like this or this (instead of just thinking about it), maybe a few of those extra pounds from 2008 will find their way back, and maybe the creative juices with spew forth daily along with loads of organization...this would BE OK{er}.

But either way, I am gonna

stay upbeat,

feel it,

and know it will BE OK.

Cuz like Mike says "this is our rebuilding year", right?

Sunday Morning

2009-01-28T17:20:00.003-07:00

I was uploading my pictures today and found this picture from a couple Sunday mornings ago...

We slept in, only to find this!

Sometimes these kids couldn't be more perfect!

learning patience

2009-01-22T21:26:00.003-07:00

We have a new Smith's Marketplace,

like a 3.4 minute drive from my house.

I {♥} it, beats the socks off Walmart.

They also have these adorable,

kid sized carts.

Luke and Pais each pushed their own cart today.

I was thinking...this will be fun, cute, and I have time before lunch/nap time.

1 hour, 15 items, and 100 apologies later...

it was over but not so cute.

Naps were earned ALL around.

start 'em off young

2009-01-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

Wii partied like crazy!

2009-01-20T22:45:00.006-07:00

What better way to turn 4 than with 8 of your bestest friends!

Showing off their medals for 2.7 seconds - then off for cake!

We had champion bowlers, boxers
{miraculously my tv is still in one piece!},
burpers and cell phone talkers...

Birthday Boy

(at one point during the day he said, completely to himself,

"this is awesome! I could do this EVERY day!)

Luke is super sweet, handsome,

and kind with a little crazy on the side.

"Wii" couldn't ask for a better boy!

What a week!

2009-01-18T22:24:00.009-07:00

Wow! I definitely did NOT intend to leave that last post as my newest post for as long as I did!

But, to say I was incredibly lazy last week would be an understatement. I did only what was required and not one bit more...

My eyes stayed shut each morning until the last possible moment, causing utter chaos to get ready for school. Adilynn had a granola bar running out the door each AM and school lunch every PM(there wasn't even BBQ rib sandwiches on the menu). Our dinners consisted of cereal, sandwiches, ramen or take-out - not one home cooked meal.
We won't even bring up the messes that are still waiting to be cleaned/sorted/washed...

I am still in denial that my built in morning babysitter/laundry do-er/carpool specialist (aka grandma)* has indeed moved out. So much so, I have not yet touched the laundry since her parting last Monday. (who needs clean underwear anyway?)

I did manage to celebrate this cute boy turning 4 -
more to come on that, soon!

And, we managed to get out for another date night Friday as well. This time with Mike's side of the family. And not nearly as controversial as last weeks, despite spending most of it watching 2 boys roll around on the floor in somewhat revealing clothing. Okay, okay, before you get the wrong idea - it was my nephew's JV High school wrestling tournament! A completely new thing for me - a big deal in Mike's fam. Mike thought I was a complete idiot when I asked "there are points in wresting?" and informed me that "they aren't allowed to take their singlets off while they are on the mat" when I told him they forgot to remove their leg bands at the end of the match. (gasp!) I never expected them to undress in public, mat or not! But please do not let this take away from Richard's talent...

He is a freshman wrestling JV and was quite impressive. Barely loosing the first match which consisted of several cheap shots (he had the bloody nose to prove it) and cradling(wrestling lingo) the second guy like a pro, pinning him for the win. I look forward to watching him pin many more in his career and learning all the rules so I am ready to go come time for Luke to don the singlet and pin his opponents.

Saturday, I ended my week with some serious girl time; wedding dress shopping with Mal and lunch and a movie with the girlfriends. (Bride Wars is a def must see!) SO here is to a new week, all geared up to put last week behind me and get stuff done!

Happy {almost} Monday people!

*My mom has moved out but is looking for a house nearby, hopefully within a 5-20 minute drive. We are pushing for the 5ish number but will take the 20 minutes over 12 hours any day. Yipee for a grandma close enough to babysit :)

Saturday/Date Night

2009-01-13T21:57:00.004-07:00

This is me & Mike at my brother's girlfriends 40th birthday party...did I mention it was at a bar?

This is me and Chad at the bar...
did I mention it was a gay bar?

This is me and Mal,
on the dance floor, at a gay bar.

Never, EVER, say never!

Snow much work!

2009-01-09T14:37:00.006-07:00

My hubby has been extremely dedicated this winter.

Each morning and night he puts on his boots, grabs his shovel,

and clears the newest fallen snow.He removes it from our steps, walk way,

sprinkling it with ice melt {and love} along the way.

Then moves all 3 cars, back and forth, to make sure there is no snow left behind.He shovels all sidewalks.

And he even makes a path to mailbox, so sweet!

Which brings us to my contribution...

Each and every time I come across a road looking somewhat like this I avoid the already cleared path and aim for the piles of icy slush, making my best effort to melt all dangerous snow left behind. Never mind the dirt or the bumps, and to be completely honest I really enjoy it!

So, here is the real reason for this post...

{besides praising my fabulous husband for all his hard work}

Is this weird?

Do you aim for the slush or the ready-made tracks?

Really, I am dying to know!

Somewhat obsessed

2009-01-07T21:25:00.006-07:00

with Uncle Jer,

and having the same hair!

Sister perks

2009-01-06T22:41:00.003-07:00

Having my brother manage an American Eagle store has definitely had its perks lately! He brought me a fun necklace/earring set a few weeks ago, helped my hubby get me loads of clothes for Christmas, and today he showed up with this - for absolutely no reason whatsoever!

I feel so special!

Thanks a bunch Chaddy!

Started off right

2009-01-05T20:52:00.008-07:00

There are only a handful of New Years Eve's that I can remember.... I remember Mom waking me up when I was 8 or so to go bang pans, I know there were a few Jr High/High School parties at Steph's, getting a Hershey's kiss as we rang in '99, a newlywed fight the next, and a few mediocre/last minute parties we have held here and there...but this year will stand out for years to come.

We decided to make a long weekend of it and headed to the cabin. Nothing beats 4ish days of good friends, food, fun and relaxation after a very busy holiday season.

Winning the dance contest, entertaining and laughing my guts out top my list!
Mike loved the "big boy" dare-devil sledding, not so much being de-throned in GH.
Adilynn will long remember the late night slumber parties, singing Hannah Montanna, sledding on her own and being run over by her dad.*
Luke also braved the sleds alone and became quite the gamer.
Paislee loved playing with the big kids and eating treat after treat after treat...

So, here's to keeping 2009 on the same track it rolled in on, it'll be our best year yet!

*Our only mishap came when Adi's sled slipped and she slid under the 4-wheeler just as dad was driving away. Luckily, she was a brave little one and after some ice and a short rest she was up and going like brand new. Plus, how many kids get to write about getting ran over by their dad in their Weekend Review at school?

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T23:11:00.004-07:00

I have great intentions of getting better pictures of Thanksgiving every year but this year was like the others - crazy with the food prep, snap it before we eat and then completely forget about it. Erg!

The day was fantastic! We had family, fabulous food (if I do say so myself) and tons of fun!

Paislee was attached to Jeremy's hip/hand/lap (they have the same hair- she kept telling us) and Luke loved playing ball outside with Chaddy while waiting for dinner. Adilynn helped Grandma make cute pumpkin decorations for the table.

Afterward, we headed to the movie, Bolt - so cute! and ended the night with pie, leftovers, and several games of Carcassonne.

4 girls and a dad

2008-11-26T21:23:00.002-07:00

The very BEST way to do the Teacups!
(click on the picture for better proof)

You might think...

2008-11-26T19:23:00.003-07:00

...that having "Happy" come visit during the parade would make Paislee happy...

...NOPE!

But it did give BIG brother a reason to comfort his crying sister!

Newest HSM3 cast member!

2008-11-25T21:45:00.003-07:00

Halloween, just in time for Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T21:06:00.006-07:00

I know, I know, I know! I am so behind! But I figure if it isn't officially Thanksgiving I can still sneak in a few pictures of Halloween, right?

We were lucky enough to spend our last holiday in Disneyland with some of our favorite people. After a packed day at D-land we got dressed up and headed to CA Adventure to receive candy by the handfuls and catch a few more of our favorite rides and party like crazy before we headed home.
Our family took on a Lilo and Stitch/Hawaiian theme. Mike and I were Hawaiians or tourists (depending on who you asked) kinda lame, but hey we dressed up! Adilynn was Lilo, Luke the sweetest Stitch(EVER!) and Paislee a cute little hula girl.

Also accompanying us were the Incredibles, a few Power Rangers, Peter Pan and clan, and the Star Wars gang - complete with a REAL dark-side fighting Luke Skywalker.

We partied it up until the wee hours of the night!
A Halloween to remember!

Playtime

2008-11-18T23:40:00.007-07:00

I was invited to attend a play last night.

Can you guess who they were "playing"?

Cast members: Adi as the Angel, Paiz as Mary, and Luke as Joseph

Special appearances: Baby as Jesus, and stuffed dogs as the stable animals

One of those days...

2008-11-05T11:09:00.002-07:00

Hot chocolate + jammies + a couple good books =

perfect snowy day

Nine

2008-10-20T12:15:00.003-06:00

I am blessed to be married to this handsome boy for nine years!

Thanks babe for loving me, taking care of me, and being a awesome dad. You are a strength to me in all things... thanks for being positive, funny, and faithful.
I love you, I love you, I love you!

Happy anniversary!

Not sure...

2008-10-10T16:11:00.005-06:00

...if my conversation with Luke in the car yesterday should be taken as further proof of his love/admiration of working with his dad or if he was trying to tell me he's not ready for winter, but either way, it was funny!

Luke: Mom! Look! There is snow on the mountains.

Mom: Yep!

Luke: We better go up there...

Mom: You want to go in the mountains? Why?

Luke: Yeah, so Dad can bring his blower and blow all the snow off.

AmeriKacee Idol Party

2008-10-09T22:59:00.004-06:00

I have to admit karaoke was the farthest thing from my mind when I thought of the {somewhat surprise} birthday party being thrown for me. I must also admit that it was a blast and I can't remember ever being so entertained!

I am pretty sure that the success was in huge part due to these 2 starting us off with a hilarious performance of "Summer Lovin'"
These next 3 stole the show with their performances and took home the prizes! Who knew karaoke could be this fun?My mom and Chaddy refused to participate for awhile but once they got hold of the mike they never let go! They soon became 3, then 4 and finally 5! They sang through the whole disc!
Since the party was held at Noah's , karaoke wasn't the only entertainment - there was much more fun to be had - including yummy food, pool, wii, ping pong, wally ball and {to make it complete} Angie's cupcakes!
Thanks again to all for the best 30th ever!

Top 30 @ 30

2008-10-02T16:33:00.007-06:00

My cute hubby and friend Angie came up with this cute list to display at the fabulous AmeriKacee Idol birthday party they threw for me last Friday.

Ang made fun posters and displays all around the room. Seriously, I don't think I could have come up with a better list myself!

1. Mike 2. Adilynn 3. Luke 4. Paislee

5. Mom 6. Chaddy 7. Jeremy

8. Daniel & Mallory 9. Brian 10. Friends

11. Tide and Downy 12. Scrapbooking 13. Oreo Shakes

14. Diet Coke w/ lime 15. NYC cupcakes

16. Reading 17. Smart Cookie

18. My Best Friends Wedding

19. Camera 20. Yummy Food

21. Reece's Pieces 22. Lip Liner

23. Travel 24. My Blog

25. AZ Angie's blog 26. Ipod/Music

27. Family Time 28. Television

29. Granger Sweats 30. Bosch

*Working on the AmeriKacee Idol party post - check back soon!

adventures of {new} roommates

2008-09-16T21:35:00.010-06:00

...today has been a little stressful...

...too many appointments/errands...

...Mike's working late...

...Ads is sick , barfing {ick}...

...lots of last minute details for

grandma's {permanent} visit...

...Paislee now occupies Luke's top bunk...

...all this has made me a little {lot} ornery...

But to the point - roommates and my adventure

{4 times/70 minutes} in getting them to sleep...

1- Luke is climbing into bed w/ Pais...he wants to sleep by her, he is told {by aforementioned ornery mom}to get in his own bed and not get out or else he will have to sleep with Miley.

2- Ornery mom enters noisy room to find Paislee's bed filled with stuffed animals which means Luke disobeyed and got out of bed, right? I yell at Luke - then look at the basket of stuffed animals pulled up to the bed, wrong! Oops! He had very carefully gotten each "friend" for Pais without leaving his bed. He's now crying in fear of sleeping with the dog.

3- "Quiet! Go to sleep!"

4- Very loud noises over and over, mom opens door, and Luke's reply is " I told Paislee to stop roaring but she won't!" and as gruff as possible, the {not so ornery, trying not to laugh} mom says "Paislee, no more roaring!"

...they are asleep {sigh/smile}...

...my kids love each other...

...what more could a mom ask for?...

Put your $ where your mouth is!

2008-09-10T21:24:00.000-06:00

Call me crazy...

2008-09-09T21:36:00.001-06:00

...but I was a little excited to find this in the mail today.

4 wheeling anyone?

2008-09-07T22:31:00.002-06:00

Paislee and I wave good-bye as they head out...then run inside and quickly curl up - P with binkie/blankie, M with book/blanket - and drift off into dreamland.

...she said "YES!"

2008-09-07T22:02:00.007-06:00

Mountain sunset + blankets + flowers +

bubbly + chocolate dipped strawberries + dancing =

a very romantic proposal

A last minute invite to the cabin for Daniel and Mallory had little to do with a much needed get-a-way...Mike and I were lucky to be in on the surprise marriage proposal. So after another soccer win for Mal/UVU we rushed to the cabin to set it all up before they joined us. Mike was great at finding the perfect spot, setting everything up, taking pictures (thank goodness - mal's camera didn't have a mem card or batteries - oops!) and even made sure they couldn't miss it by putting a "stick" in the road to mark the spot.

Future Mallory Morris

The Happy Couple!

Pretty in Pink

2008-09-05T16:26:00.003-06:00

Paislee is officially learning how to shake her booty,

And looking so cute doing it!

1:26pm, Friday

2008-09-05T13:36:00.005-06:00

Luke is insistent that he is not tired and doesn't need a nap. He is supposed to be cleaning his room. Instead, he is asking if I can clean his hands off - on the way to investigate I found this mess:
This was not what was on his hands. Make-up (that I threw away this morning) is all over his hands. Not so bad except this followed a toilet full of pink toothpaste! Oh, and did I mention he was at school until NOON!
3 year old anyone?

preschool today, preschool today, jiggity jig

2008-09-03T21:04:00.004-06:00

Apparently, Paislee thought that since she got a new backpack for her birthday she was in on the school stuff!

After Luke hung up his backpack I walked him down the hall to his class. He had been telling me all weekend that I had to go to preschool with him always (had me quite worried) but he did great - just needed a quick hug and I could go!

♥I turned to leave only to find Paislee had hung up her backpack too and was ready to go play, oops! I am sure all the errands we ran {with just one kid, hooray!} was much more fun.

Guess who turned 2?

2008-09-01T23:29:00.006-06:00

Our Princess turned 2 today...

When turning 2 it is essential to wear a tutu and a crown.

Just in case there aren't enough cupcakes {there were}, make an extra one for the birthday girl.

Don't let the candles get you flustered - if you forget to blow there will be several "helpers" puffing from across the table.

And, hey, its your day - no worries, just enjoy!
Yep, that's 2!

She's a keeper!

2008-08-30T23:01:00.004-06:00

This is my friend, Mal.

She is {super} sweet, fun, and friendly.

She is pretty cute too!

She is also an awesome athlete - she plays keeper for UVU.

Our family's {new} favorite thing to do is watching her play soccer, she has had 2 shut-outs in a row. See, she's good!
Mal is also {my brother} Daniel's girlfriend, my kids are hoping to call her Aunt Mal someday soon. Great game today #1! {uvu 5, nd 0}

Summer of the Grasshopper

2008-08-29T14:42:00.006-06:00

This little guy decided to hang out on my back porch today, I passed him a couple times as I took care of my {beloved} pet. I got to thinking about just how many grasshoppers I have seen over this summer...LOTS!

Then I started thinking of about each of those times, smiled, and decided to share:

♣Early in the summer we had a grasshopper waiting for us on our doorstep when we returned from church - I convinced Adi to be brave and hold it, which she did. It was cool until it peed on her, I laughed, she didn't. Oh, and don't bring it up - its still a bit of a sore spot.

♣Later in the summer I saw a HUGE one while watering my flowers. I ran in and got Luke to show him - he was kinda disgusted. They aren't as cute as they are in his morning cartoons.

♣My next memory is our backyard fence. Mike had just finished mowing the lawn, I think Chad was over. We went to show the kids a baby grasshopper on the fence only to have it hop away. Sheer disappointment -UNTIL - we looked over and found 20-30 all along the back fence, dad must have scared them with the mower. We had no problems showing them off to the kids then, although, Adilynn would have nothing to do with them, she likes to keep her hands clean!

♣Then, just the other day as I was out visiting teaching, my friends little girl ran into the house telling me all about the grasshopper she had seen on her walk over. She was so excited to show me afterward. Then, as she left the house she found another and called me over to see it. As I walked over it made a big hop away and the little girls all squealed. I couldn't help but smile - how fun to be a kid!

I think this picture makes the ugly thing look a little friendly! And my point to this all? Not sure, just thought I would share some happy memories. Do you have any grasshopper memories?

Long time, no see.

2008-08-28T14:58:00.004-06:00

After 6 years, he looks {exactly} the same, but he sounds {completely} different!

I could not be happier to have my littlest brother {Brian, 18} back as part of our everyday lives...after a very unexpected email and phone call {and tons of tears} we were lucky to have him come hang-out/reconnect for a few days last week. My kids were in heaven to have yet another Uncle in their lives. This unexpected addition did not phase them one bit, no questions asked - he was family. They climbed, wrestled and talked him crazy for 4 days straight! I loved that Luke kept coming up to me and asking "what's his name again, you know, your brother?" All I can say is - kids are awesome and family is the best!

Welcome back, Stone!

First

2008-08-27T20:37:00.003-06:00

Here is a look at our newest first grader, on her first day of school!

Highlights:

♥School clothes shopping with Grandma Stippy @ Justice for 2+ hours, almost making grandma miss her flight home

♥Lots of mix-and-match outfits

(she's a little too into clothes for a 6 year old)

♥ Hannah Montana backpack

♥Driving in Dad's truck on the 1st day

♥ Mrs. Downs is a scrapbooker like mom, loves all things Disney, and she is also "magical"
♥First graders get lots of recesses

Drawbacks:
♠ Apparently lunch is short, Ads only had time to drink her milk on her 1st day

♠ She couldn't find Cassidy at recess, she's always chasing the boys

♠Long days make her too tired to clean her bedroom and create a huge need to just watch TV

I fell off...

2008-08-26T23:33:00.005-06:00

I am officially guilty of falling off the blog-wagon.

To top it off, my computer then broke and refused to reboot.

My cute hubby tried to fix it - but he's a tax guy, not a computer nerd - so no luck.

But, my cute neighbor/friend does have a hubby who is a proclaimed computer nerd (I call him this with the utmost affection) and she volunteered him for the job.

Together, they were successful. :)

So, I am attempting to dust myself off and jump back on. Please bare with me.

While Ads still has some growing to do...

2008-08-26T23:24:00.003-06:00

Slippin and slidin...

2008-07-28T15:21:00.006-06:00

One of the fun things we have opted for this summer was the dollar pass to classic. We get to skate, water slide, bounce, play games, jungle gym and much more for just a buck each! The best part? All the friends who have gotten the passes with us - our newest recruit - Dad!

He took the afternoon off to come play on the water slides with us last week and we kept him plenty busy.

{I actually sat on the grass and enjoyed the sun for a minute or two!}

Waiting in line for the slide, yep, Paislee is as game as anyone! My kinda girl!

Pais loves hanging out with daddy!

See those clouds rolling in? They were heaven sent, 2 minutes of rain {who cares we were already wet} and basically cleared the place out. Yippee! No lines for us!
Here is Chad and Mike on their final {no kid} race...who do you think won?

Lots of fun, that's all!

a night out

2008-07-22T22:35:00.006-06:00

Warm summer night + relaxing on the grass + listening to awesome music + hanging out with Chaddy =

the BEST bro/sis date ever!

My spesh night out all started with Chad surprising me with concert tickets and taking me to dinner.

Our mutual love for Guitar Hero and our struggle to play it (mostly me) made these 3 players even more amazing!

We got there early to catch this weird dude. Chad was already a fan, you can count me in too! I am loving his happy upbeat music.

(check him out on YouTube, I really like "The One Who Loves You Most")

She's been one of my fav's for a while and did not let us down.

And to finish it off, John rocked the place with his guitar over and over and over and over...!

Thanks Chaddy for an awesome night out!

Independance Day

2008-07-12T12:07:00.007-06:00

Finally! Here is the update on our event of the year...

We got to spend our evening with Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) and Adilynn spent months planning what to wear. She wanted to look like Hannah does in the t-shirt above, and while we opted for the pink high-heels instead of red I think she totally pulled the "rock star" look off. If you would have seen her swinging her hips - you would have asked for her autograph!

Before the show we thought we would hit up the Freedom Days for an adventure - it was a bit of a let down - but heading to Ottavio's made up for it. Luke and Pais even posed for the cutest pics ever!

Ready to go, waiting for the show!

The dancers this year did an Olympic dance in honor of Beijing 2008!

Can you tell which one I am most excited for? Not to mention, I won't have to follow the German athletes this summer!

(Has it really been that long?)

Glen Beck is pretty cool - too bad we couldn't hear him...our seats were awesome! (slathered in sarcasm)

These guys were cool, came down right over our heads! Maybe the seats were good for something!

This is what this day is all about, chokes me up everytime.So, so, so grateful to live in America and be an American!
Blue men are pretty cool too, definitely taught us how to party!
Did I say how good our seats were? This slight problem made no difference to the kids who ate up every minute of every song! Miley didn't let us down...she was dancing and shaking and head flipping all over the stage! And after singing her new stuff she finally sang a few of our faves in the end.

What's the 4th of July without fireworks? Incredible show - I'd have to say the Stadium was on Fire! ;)

and about 2.5 seconds after getting into the car...we had these little angels. Who could ask for a better ending?

Summer Update

2008-06-30T22:03:00.011-06:00

*WARNING : super duper long post!

okay, I know, I have been a very bad blogger. I felt like a horrible mom for the first couple weeks of summer cuz we were always cleaning, or running errands or having nap time and my poor kids were deprived of just playing! The last couple weeks...not so much! We have been busy, busy, busy doing lots of fun stuff!

Here is an attempted update!

A big to do was our trip to Lagoon (courtesy of A Plus Benefits summer party) This was a first for our kids and Mike and I haven't been since before we were married so it was quite the surprise for all of us. The kids were completely mesmerized with all the rides and the fun things to do.

Adi's favorite ride was the shoot-you-up-and-drop-you ride (kids style). She also braved the white roller coaster with mom - and hated EVERY second of it.

Did I mention that Angie was nice enough to hang out with us? And besides the kids fighting NOT to ride with me (ang is much more fun) it was a blast to be able to go on a few adult rides!

Mike wowed us all with his attempt to make it up this ladder and win a stuffed{ugly} animal, bigger than all 3 of our kids. So close, so close!

In the end, after all the fun, we were all hot, exhausted and filthy! Here is a shot of Luke's toes to prove it!

The next day we were off for a weekend at the cabin! We had so much fun hanging out with Jake, Tanja (mike's sis) and their family! My highlight was the s'mores! But the late night talks of politics was a close second! ;)

Last week was full of birthday parties, swimming days (thanks Amie & Beth), cousins, and even a couple movies!

And as promised - the Lehi Roundup Rodeo!

This is a definite new family tradition (I would've gone all 3 nights) and except for the scary bleachers that we lost a couple flags, licorice and bottled water to - it was perfect!

Dad loved the clowns, Mom loved all the 8 second riders, Adi was mesmerized by the cowgirls who looked like princesses to boot, Luke informed us that he is going to be a motorcycle jumper when he grows up due to the half time(?) show that he loved and Paislee loved the treats and entertaining us with horse/cow noises. See ya there next year!

And that my friends is our last 2 weeks - in a nutshell!

Morning Rush

2008-06-18T21:40:00.003-06:00

As I was rushing to get Adi to dance this morning {running late, of course} I noticed that the cars were slowing down ahead of me. My first thought was that the train I could see must be blocking the intersection and I almost turned around to find another way. Then I noticed the construction workers in the road, figured the tractor I saw the day before was in the road again so I kept on going, figuring they wouldn't be too long.

NEVER did I expect to see these two beauties, yes horses, making their way back and forth through traffic without a care in the world.

We do live in Lehi but that is Lowe's in the background!

I snapped this picture just in time, see the rising tail? Yes, in this short time they made a mess of traffic and the roads, but the kids sure thought it was entertaining!

Hope they get as excited at the rodeo next week!

Making wishes...

2008-06-16T22:10:00.001-06:00

Fifty is Nifty!

2008-06-11T01:05:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma/Les!

♥thoughtful♥giving♥creative♥spiritual♥loving

♥beautiful♥fun♥clean♥faithful♥sunny

♥friendly♥helpful♥crafty♥silly♥trusting♥smart

♥funny♥gifted♥cheesy♥forgiving

♥hopeful♥trendy♥patient♥quirky♥memorable

♥organized♥disorganized♥flip-floppy♥sweet toothed

♥caring♥strong♥thrifty♥cute♥chatty♥nice

♥witty♥charming♥speedy♥hip♥happy

♥stylish♥bouncy♥determined♥witty♥entertaining

♥charming♥kind♥artistic♥resilient♥cheery

double the luck

2008-06-10T21:56:00.005-06:00

Ever heard of a shoe party? My neighbor had one tonight and it was quite the thing - brilliant idea in my opinion!

Plus, every shoe I looked at was under $20!

First off, I found these for Ads, she was determined to get some high heals for the Hannah Montana concert coming up, preferably red but I thought hot pink could do the trick!

I found these to replace the ones that Miley chewed up!

Next, I couldn't pass these up - I have nothing to wear them with but they were even cuter on!

And, last the best of all the game....

I was THE winner of a free pair of shoes!

Aren't they cute?

I usually NEVER win so I couldn't have been more excited but then I came home to find that I was a winner of one of these on this cute blog friend's contest.

Lucky me!

eleven years ago today...

2008-06-09T11:39:00.001-06:00

This was me!

Good Bye Mullet!

2008-06-05T15:13:00.004-06:00

Paislee had her 1st haircut last week!
She was an angel and sat perfectly still the WHOLE time!

All smiles this time....

a little different than the first two!

graduation girl

2008-06-02T22:22:00.003-06:00

This girl said "goodbye" to kindergarten last week.

No more Mrs. C {tear},

Cuz she's headed to 1st grade!

Big boy

2008-05-28T13:47:00.002-06:00

Figured I should give a little praise to this little man who is officially potty trained{for a few weeks now}! We were a little nervous because he had NO interest at all in doing this but once we started it was easy as pie! Luke is awesome and can't get enough of the freedom to play with his friends now!

Ain't he handsome too!

Check it out...

2008-05-27T22:01:00.004-06:00

2 wheels!

mom's helper

2008-05-27T21:26:00.004-06:00

Worcestershire sauce anyone?