Kevin Megan and Tyler

So long farwell...

2011-09-07T16:18:00.000-06:00

It's time to say Goodbye.
Let's face it I never post anything on here nor do I have time to, so I think it's safe to say my blogging days are over. You can still find me on Facebook.
Goodbye!

Baby Aders

2010-11-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Why does time always seem to go by so fast when you don't want it to? My little guy is already six weeks old and is starting to chub up big time. Despite the fact that he has acid reflux and spits up all the time he is still managing to gain weight. He is starting to smile more and I think it just might be more than just gas :) We enjoy him so much and thank our Heavenly Father everyday for finally sending him to us. We love you little man!

National Adoption Month

2010-11-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

November is national adoption month and we are trying to help get the word out. My friend and her husband had been trying to add to their family for over 5 years and have been unsuccessful, 3 years ago they decided that adoption was the best route for them. They still have not been able to add to their family and we all hope that this will be their year. They are such sweet people and totally deserve a little spirit in their home. Please check our their blog and help spread the word for them and anyone you may know that is also trying to adopt. Adoption is such a wonderful thing and I have personally seen many miracles in my own family through the act of adoption. Struggling with infertility myself and having to consider adoption I know that this truly can be a miracle and I hope that those families out there that are praying for a way to have children will look into this amazing opportunity. I have siblings of my own that are adopted and I know that our family would not be complete without them. I commend all birth mothers out their who are able to place their children with other people who so desperately want children of their own but are unable to have them. We continue to pray for you Britt and Morgan and hope that this will be your year! You guys will be such great parents!

Aiden's Birth Story

2010-10-16T12:29:00.011-06:00

We welcome baby Aiden John Shipp
Born September 29, 2010

7:13am 6lb 5oz 19in long

Just to warn you long post...

I guess it's time I finally post the details about Aiden's birth, mostly so I can remember it and to share it with him. Aiden was not due until October 7, 2010, but I had been going to my weekly check ups at the doctor and I was dilated to 2cm and 60% effaced 3 weeks before he was born. So we were trying to be prepared in case he decided to come early. But every week I went back and I was pretty much the same. One week before he was born I was a 2+ but still 60% so my doctor stripped my membranes and sent me home. That was a pretty miserable week, since I had developed a cold/allergies and could barley breath at night. So needless to say I wasn't getting much sleep and I was ready to be done with this pregnancy. But still nothing changed not even my contractions.

I went to the doctor's on September 28th and I was still measuring the same. So my doctor asked me when I wanted to have this baby? I told him anytime I was ready. So he scheduled me for an induction 2 days later on Thursday, but told me he might have to change depending on his plans. So I went to pick up Tyler who had spent the night at grandma's. I got a call on my cell phone from the doctor's office they wanted me to come in on Wednesday instead since that would work better for my doctor. But the hospital wouldn't schedule an induction unless you were within 7 days of your due date and I would have been 8 days. So the new plan was to go to his office the next morning and he was going to break my water and then send me down to the hospital. I was a little nervous about this but glad that I would be at the hospital and could get the epidural quicker.

I ended up leaving Tyler with grandma since we would be going in the next morning. And Kev and I had a nice quiet evening together, we went out to dinner and got frozen yogurt that was delicious. We went to bed about 11pm and our bags were packed, ready to meet this little guy the next day. I was actually sleeping really good that night, the first time I woke up was about 2:45am. I had to go to the bathroom (which is usually 4-5 times at night at this point) and my water broke. It wasn't quite as obvious as it was with Tyler so I waited a few minutes to make sure. The contractions hadn't hit hard yet either, but I finally decided to wake up Kev and head to the hospital. Of course he was disoriented but at least he wasn't sick this time and drugged up on NyQuil.

We got to the hospital around 3:30am, we checked in and they got us in a room. At this point I was barley 4cm and 70%, it took about 2 hours to get everything settled and the epidural going. I didn't feel as numb as I did with Ty, my legs were tingling but I could still move them. The nurse left about 5:30am and said she would be back in an hour to check me. It was quiet and I even started to dose off, my contractions were not consistent anywhere from 1-6min apart. She came back around 6:30am to check me and I was 8cm and fully effaced. I was a little shocked that it happened so quick. I thought for sure it would be awhile since my contractions were still all over the place. She said my doctor usually got to the hospital around 7am so she would come back then. The last half hour was painful even with the epidural the contractions were strong and were coming every 2minutes. My doctor came in and said good morning...see what happens when we threaten an induction, they decide to come. He also said she is ready I can see the baby's head. He stepped out for a minute and the nurse said to push on the next contraction...I started to push as she counted to 6 then she told me to stop. She called my doctor back in and said it's time. He came back and I pushed with the next contraction and he was out. He was born at 7:13am, weighed in at 6lbs 5oz, was 19in long and had lots of dark hair.

One week old

We were amazed at how fast and easy he came I was only in labor for 4 hours! He's beautiful and we love him to pieces. The hospital stay was a lot different from last time, Kevin got to stay with me and we had our baby with us pretty much the whole time. The only minor complication was that Aiden had low blood sugar so they were checking it before every feeding. His poor little heels were so sore. We did have to supplement with formula but it quickly resolved itself and he is doing fabulous.

We went to his 2 week check this past week and he was up to 6lbs 14oz. and his pediatrician said everything looked great. I have a lot of milk again and it comes out fast so the poor guy can barley make it 5 min on each side and usually has to pull off to breath because he is drowning. He's started to spit up more and becoming more fussy with feedings so we are watching him for signs of acid reflux, but we are hoping that we don't have to deal with that again. But if so I guess this time we know what to expect.

Two weeks old (I love the yawn)

Tyler loves him very much and wants to hold him all the time, we have to be careful because he has picked him up a couple of times and tries to take him places. He also like to squeeze him real tight, and he thinks that he sleeps too much. But luckily Aiden sleeps through all the noise for now. We love him so much and feel so blessed to finally add to our family.

as promised...the babies room

2010-08-20T12:09:00.005-06:00

As promised...the babies room is almost complete so here are some photo's of the progress. I don't think the pictures do it justice...you have to see it in person. The only thing left is sanding down the rocking chair and painting that white as well. I am leaving that project up to Kevin so who knows when it will be ready. I also have a shelf that I'm going to paint lime green and hang above the changing table.

A close up of the crib skirt...I even made little pleats across the front. I am so excited with how it turned out.

I love the colors even though Kev thinks they are kind of girly. And I do have to say I am impressed with all the sewing, I'm not really that good at sewing and surprisingly I didn't run into any problems while doing all these projects. Not that I'm a pro or anything now, but I feel a little more confident in my sewing abilities.

Now all we do is wait...7 weeks to go unless he decides to come early like Tyler did, which would be ok. My last day of work is next week and after that I'm good to go.

32 Weeks...

2010-08-12T12:13:00.005-06:00

I decided to be brave and take some maternity photos. Thanks to my friend Jen for taking the time to do them, and to edit them. I think they turned out great...despite the fact that it's me in the pics. It was a rare occasion that Ty wanted to be photographed and we got some cute ones with him in them too. I love when he is so sweet and cuddly, and that he loves his little brother so much already! I really can't believe how fast this pregnancy has went, I only have 8 weeks left. That just seems crazy! I really have enjoyed it and I am so grateful for the opportunity to bring another little life into this world.

I have been working like crazy on the babies room, so I will post pictures soon of the progress...I absolutely love how it had turned out.

I'm going to miss them

2010-06-04T08:04:00.000-06:00

naps that is...

Some of you may remember a few months back when I posted about naps? Well Tyler has officially gave them up. Not from my lack of trying I still put him down and he just sits in there and calls out every 10min can I come out yet? So needless to say I gave up and we are going on 2 weeks with no naps. We are still in the transition phase and by 6pm I think we are both having melt downs, but hopefully he will get past it. My biggest concern is that he gets so bored throughout the day and now with no naps to break it up, the days seem especially long! We still are trying to have quiet time which usually consists of watching a disney movie, but hey you've got to do what you've got to do right?

I have come up with a plan that will hopefully get us through this summer and keep me from pulling my hair out. The only problem is it will be more time consuming for me, but that's why I'm a mom right. And I've come to the realization that some days I just need to play with him and have fun, rather than worry about housework and such. So sorry honey if the house is a mess today we decided to play instead.

Tyler and Atticus on their second round of popsicles

On a side note we have already busted out the popsicles and water balloons which are my favorite part of summer. And we start swim lessons next week, and Tyler can't wait. And with all the rain lately Tyler has had fun digging for worms. Here is one of his prized possessions. Why are boys so dirty? It's going to be a long fun filled summer and hopefully one we will both remember for a long time. After all it is my last summer with just him, I better make it count.

Could they have been more wrong?

2010-06-02T20:47:00.002-06:00

The plan for memorial weekend was to work on the backyard we had topsoil delivered 2 weeks ago and have been waiting to get a tractor to level it out. After days of monitoring the forecast we finally decided if it's going to rain on saturday it's not worth it to get the tractor. Seriously do they ever get the weather forecast right?

first disappointment it didn't rain on saturday the weather was perfect not hot...not cold. So we decided to clean out the garage instead, which actually turned out to be good because it needed it really bad.

second disappointment it was even more beautiful on monday. So we decided to put epoxy on the garage floor since it was all cleaned out. It turned out great and now no more oil stain marks from Kev's car. I'm debating about whether or not to let him park in there again?!

On a side note we had 3 different BBQ's with friends all which turned out to be a lot of fun, and makes me even more excited for summer! I just hope we will have our backyard done before then.

The results are in

2010-05-28T15:44:00.003-06:00

We found out a week ago that we are having another little BOY! It took some adjusting for me, because I have been thinking girl since day one. But over all we are just happy that everything looked good and that our baby seems healthy. After a little scare from some of my test results being high, the biggest concern for us was that something might not be right. So now I feel more at peace and hope that things will continue to go well. My Dr. will do a follow up ultrasound at 34 weeks just to be sure.

I just finally started to feel better as far as the nausea goes, but I am still exhausted. I hope that I will be able to have enough energy to enjoy this summer. I am now 21 weeks so less than half way to go. And now the projects begin. I have lots of sewing and painting to do, if anyone wants to join me.

One year down...

2010-05-27T10:08:00.006-06:00

I can't believe we made it through a whole year of preschool. Some days it seem to last forever and then all of the sudden it was over. Although we struggled most days with dropping Tyler off once he was there he seemed to have a good time and always came home happy. I'm grateful for his teacher Miss Charity she is so cute with kids and always cheerful and fun to be around. I'm hoping he will like his teacher next year just as much. Although Miss Charity had her doubts about Tyler liking her. But what can I say he is one of a kind and you never know what mood he is going to be in. As for his program that he had been practicing for, for weeks and was singing all the songs at home, once it was time to perform he decided to be sad and shy. So he basically sat on the floor through the whole thing, and then cried because it was over. Sad but true and to that I say that's our Tyler!

Highlights throughout preschool...

His first day of preschool

Tyler and Miss Charity

The program (yes he has a scowl on his face)

Diploma, finally a little happier

[Other things he enjoyed]
Dr Seuss week
dressing up for halloween
field trip to the grocery store
pajama day

Easter

2010-04-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

Easter was a blast for Tyler this year. He loves coloring eggs so we colored 2 dozen, definitely more than we needed but it was fun for him. He spent a lot of time and was trying to makes different colors so it looked like the earth. Surprisingly he slept in that morning but when he did wake up and found out that the bunnies [he thinks that their is more than one] had hid all of his eggs he was so excited. He ran around and found all of them, saving his basket for very last.

And here he is with his basket, he finally got Alvin and the Chipmunks. He has been waiting for it to come out forever. He also got a zhu zhu pet, which was a lot of fun. but his favorite thing was the peeps. Seriously 99cent peeps. Sometimes I wonder why we go through all the trouble.

We were lucky enough to go on a couple of egg hunts. We had one on easter with my side of the family, and then the ward did one the week after. Luckily the weather was good for both of them.

Easter Sunday 2010

so many things...

2010-04-12T20:42:00.006-06:00

...and not enough time! Where do I even start?

Well I don't even know if I need to post about this because I'm pretty sure the whole world knows by now and if not you would if you saw me. But nonetheless we are very excited to be adding a little one to our family! It has been a long time coming and we couldn't be happier. It was a difficult journey for us, and took a lot longer than what we expected. We struggled getting little Tyler to our family, but we thought maybe the second time it would be a little easier. Well that was not the case, and we learned that things are definitely in the lords hands and we had to be patient for a lot longer than we were hoping. We still don't know all the reasons that we couldn't get pregnant on our own, which was partly so frustrating. So after almost 3 years of trying and going through all sorts of procedures, we decided to do IVF. It was intense and emotionally exhausting, but that could have been because we had been wanting this for so long. It was a huge trial of my faith and patience, as well as a very emotional road for me. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to do IVF and that it was successful for us. I can't say if I would do it again or not, I just know that I am grateful for the opportunity to bare another child and I want to cherish every moment of it. I never pictured myself having a small family but after going through this trial yet again, I don't know if we will have more children or not. For now I am enjoying the fact that we will have two and that's all I need for now!

As for Tyler he is beyond excited and loves to tell people our "secret". He was one of the first to know since he was home with me at the time I found out. As soon as I told him he threw his arms around me and said "thank you mom, thank you so much" ! It melted my heart how happy he was to have a little brother or sister. He asks almost daily if his baby is going to be here yet. And has also informed me that he is not going to play in his room until his baby comes. I can already see the big brother protective side coming out. It's so sweet how much he already loves this baby and I can't wait to see them together.

The stats...

I have been way more sick, more tired, and more hormonal with this pregnancy.

I know it doesn't help that I'm still in school and I have a four year old who has more energy than the world combined. But I'm hanging in there.

I am now 14 weeks along and starting to feel a little better

I am growing quickly and can barley fit into my normal pants

I am still exhausted and would rather sleep than do anything else

I am as happy as can be and am loving this experience

Due October 7th...26 weeks to go!

[ now you understand the lack of blogging...I hope]

Nap VS No Nap...

2010-02-18T12:22:00.005-07:00

We have been struggling for some time with giving up the naps. For some reason I just can't seem to figure it out. My sweet little boy who is now 4 will still take naps 90% of the time. So why...would you give it up, some might say? If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to share because I am so in between right now. Which is worse nap or no nap?

Nap
he fights it everyday but...
he will still take them 5 out of 7 days a week if we are home
he gets so bored during the day he needs that down time
he's up until 10 or 11:00 at night (big sigh)
he's so much happier when daddy comes home
It's been a lot harder now that I have school in the afternoons
he usually won't take a nap at someone else's house

No Nap
will go to bed right at 8pm and sleep until 8am
gets super hyper and crazy by 6:00pm
the melts downs start and the count down until bedtime begins
he starts falling asleep around 6-7:00pm
he gets frustrated when playing
I'm so exhausted just watching him that I'm ready for bed at 8pm
wants to watch TV all day because he's bored

Oh...why can't I still have both? Naps and and early bedtime, heaven knows I would love that for myself right now. Kids just don't realize how lucky they are. I love that my little guy is growing up and is much more independent. That he can make his own decisions, and that he tries to be a good boy. I just don't get how he has so much stinkin' energy! He will go, go, go all day long and never show any signs of tiring out. I wish I could find that kind of energy. I guess this is just another realization that he's not so little anymore and I have to let him grow up. The question is if we give up naps, what do we do all day, because he is so bored? This is a kid who always wants to be on the go and doesn't like to stay home and play with his own toys. Crazy I know but it is a struggle everyday to get him to play. Sometime he will just sit in his room and stare at things rather than play. I think it's a stubborn thing which we all know he inherited a lot of...from his dad!

My Valentine

2010-02-12T12:37:00.005-07:00

I can't believe it's already February I don't even know where January went. Well I do love this month and I'm grateful to be spending it with my sweetheart. We decided not to do anything too big this year, in fact I don't even think we are going out to dinner. A. because we haven't gotten a babysitter and let's face it who would we ask anyway? and B. because I think it will be fun to stay home and cook for my hubby. So that's what I'm going to do. I already know what I'm making for the main course, but if anyone has any easy and fun ideas for a dessert please let me know. Kev is not to picky he pretty much eats anything that is considered a sweet! I hope it ends up being fun and I hope you all enjoy spending time with your Valentine. Don't forget to tell them how much you love them!

FOUR

2009-12-29T17:52:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet little Boy! I can't believe you are four! We love you always and forever. Love, Mom and Dad

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

...and a Happy New Year!

Random Bits of Happiness

2009-12-02T22:14:00.008-07:00

These are just some things that I love or that I'm grateful for in my life right now. It's always good to reflect on the good and I think Thanksgiving reminds us of that.

Spending time with family for the Holidays, eating Turkey and yummy Pumpkin Pie. I love these boys!

Grandparents are the greatest thing. I'm so happy that Tyler has 2 sets of wonderful grandparents who are a part of his life and love him so much.

Children, I love my little boy so much, he makes me laugh, cry, and sometimes I wanna pull my hair out. But he's mine and I get to spend time with him everyday and he always brings a smile to my face, for that I am so grateful.

The gospel and the blessings it brings into my life. The opportunity to share it with others and to better myself. The fact that Tyler loves to tell scripture stories and that I know he is retaining some of what is taught to him.

Christmas music, I can't get enough of it, and you bet I'm listening to it right now. If only December could last longer, Kev won't let me listen to Christmas music any other time. :(

That I'm rounding the end of my 1st semester back to school, yeah for Christmas break and no homework. I'm glad I made the leap, it definitely has been an adjustment but it's also been fun and I feel like I am accomplishing a long time goal which makes me even more excited about it.

Our new computer, we finally broke down and got one, we decided to go with a mac. I"m still adjusting to it, but everyone says it will be worth it in the long run. I do love the iPhoto program, as well as the iCal to keep all my priorities straight. You can tell what sites I am often on :)

Becky Higgins new Project Life Kit so that I can still stay caught up on my scrapbooks while I'm going to school.

Yummy Soup on a cold day...

My new comfy soft and warm slippers, this is a must have for me almost at all times when I am at home, because my feet get so cold. Yeah for Target and cheap prices.

Christmas trees, the way they smell the beautiful lights and ornaments, and just the coziness they bring to your home. I love sipping a cup of hot cocoa while sitting by the Christmas tree.

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-11-02T08:45:00.003-07:00

Every Year we get our pictures taken to send out with our Christmas cards. Every year the boys hate it but they bare it. This year Tyler was so much fun, he did so awesome and was so giggly, and I absolutely love how the pictures turned out. We went to Gardner Village and it was fun to walk around and see all the Witch stuff they had out, I think that's what kept Tyler so entertained. Thanks to Elle Photography check them out they did an amazing job.

Stock up on gifts during Stampagana

2009-10-22T13:32:00.000-06:00

Hello to the blogging world...just wanted to let you all know about a great deal and gift idea for Christmas. As some of you may know I am a Close To My Heart consultant, and during the month of November they are having a sell on all stamp sets. Buy any 2 stamp set (size A, B, C, D or E) and get the 3rd one for FREE! Click here to see the flyer! Stamp sets range in price from $13.95-$22.95, not a bad price. If you are interested and want to see a catalog please let me know or you may go to the CTMH website click here and then click on the products link and you can look through any of the 2009 idea books/catalog. I hope you enjoy they have a lot of really fun stuff!

If you do want to place an order you will need to get it to my by Wednesday November 11, 2009 so that I can make sure to have the orders in before the holidays and money will be do at that time. You can contact me via email at lilmegancaroline@yahoo.com or leave a comment, if you have any other questions please let me know. Happy Holiday shopping to you all!

How is School?

2009-09-15T16:41:00.000-06:00

Our life as been busy crazy ever since school started. One thing is for sure if you're looking for something to fill your time...school is definitely an option. I had too much time on my hands before, and now I don't have enough time. So sorry if I'm slacking, I probably will continue to do so, because rather than spending my time reading, scrap booking or blogging...I'm doing homework instead. Don't get me wrong it should all be worth it in the end, but for the next few years it's going to be insane!!

On that note Ty loves pre-school, he asks me every night do I go to school tomorrow mom? His teacher is cute and energetic and I think it will be a fun year. Meanwhile my fridge is becoming cluttered with Ty's projects, and he couldn't be more excited to put them up. We had to make more magnets because I didn't have enough for him. So far they have been learning about space, the moon, the stars and so forth. I love to ask him what he learned or did today, although his usual response is I did nothing mom.

Ty on his first day of Pre-School

Tiny Tots Soccer

2009-08-30T20:42:00.001-06:00

We had our first soccer game on Saturday. Tyler has been waiting to play for over a year now, he has lots of cousins that play and of course he wanted to do what they were doing. Well the first soccer practice didn't go quite as planned, since Tyler has become very frightened of the wind, and it was windy that day (that's a whole other story). So we weren't sure what to expect at his first game, if he would even play at all.

We were off to a good start with practicing when we first got there. Grandma Teresa came to watch so of course Ty had to show off for her. Then he got tired and when it was time to start the game he didn't want to play. So we let him sit out first, along with the only girl on our team, she was a little shy.

Then when it was his turn to play he got out there and this was his stance. I'm pretty sure he thought it was football, because once the game started all the kids were huddled around the ball trying to kick it and Ty started tackling them. Daddy is going to have to work on that with him.

After four very long 8 minute quarters. Multiple children crying to their moms that they didn't get to kick it in the goal, and 2 very tired teams of 3 year olds, that was the end of our first game. Hopefully next game they will know more of what to expect, but as for us adults it was the funniest thing you could ever watch. If you have ever watched 3 years play sports before you'll know what I mean. But hey they we so proud of themselves when it was over and that's all that matters right.

Here is our team the Grasshoppers! They did pretty good for a first game, and we have some little go getters on our team.

Back To School

2009-08-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

I love this time of year...not only because it means that we are back on a schedule, and getting to bed earlier. But also because it means good deals all around. I think I've spent my limit this month in every department. This year has been fun because both Tyler and I will be going to school. So we went and picked up supplies at target, yeah good deals. Then we also went school shopping with my lil sis at the park city outlets. We had a blast finding deals and making Meisha try on tons of clothes. Didn't get that much for Ty, but came home and placed an order on childrensplace.com also picked up some new jeans and a shirt for me, after all I need cute school clothes too, right. Not only in the clothing and supplies department are there deals, the grocery stores are having all sorts of back to school sales. I made 2 trips to Albertson's in the last week, and stocked up on fruit snacks, crackers, cereal, etc. then the next time they had a deal for $25 in free groceries, you can't pass that up. Of course they were mail in rebates, but who cares I have $30 coming to me in the mail in about 6 weeks, plus a lot of yummy food at home. Yeah!

Be sure to keep checking the ads there are deals all over right now, happy shopping!

Summer sum up

2009-07-15T17:38:00.001-06:00

Once the rain finally let up, it got hot and fast. So we have mostly been trying to stay cool while playing outside and what better way than to go to the pool. Tyler loves the water, it usually takes him a minute to warm up, but then you can't get him out. We didn't do swim lessons this year, and I kind of wish we would have, but oh well there is always next year.

My favorite summer month is July there is always so much going on and so many fun things to do outside with friends and family. Between bbq's and fireworks and staying up late we have had a blast. We made a quick trip up to Idaho for a family reunion, kind of funny but it's the first time I've ever been to Idaho, (btw not impressed) and the first time Tyler left the state of Utah. I know pretty boring but that's our life. It was the same day as our neighborhood block party, but we stopped by for a little bit after we got back. Thanks to Melissa for the pics of the kids, love them. And no, Tyler isn't wearing lipstick in the below pic it's from and endless supply of doritos the kids were munching on during the fireworks. Kind of funny!

One of our family traditions every year is to go to Eaglewood golf course on the 3rd of July and watch fireworks with Kev's family. It's something Kev and I have been doing ever since we started dating, and we love going. The kids run all over the golf course and roll down the big hills. They have music and dancing, and this year Carmen Rasmussen from American Idol sang. We usually try to invite some friends to come along every year, and we just have a ball.

Here is Tyler with his cousin Jenniel playing with sparklers, he is so funny. He won't actually hold them himself, because he's afraid it will burn him, but if someone else holds it he's think they are great. Another favorite this year was popper's, kids never can get enough of those things.

And coming soon pictures and details from our family vacation with the Shipp's.

LM Wedding

2009-06-29T08:23:00.000-06:00

Just a little shout out to my Best Friend Megan and her new Husband Levi. They finally tied the knot on June 19, 2009. I am so happy for them, the wedding was absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect. It was the only day that whole week that it didn't rain, lucky for them. It was a beautiful wedding, very short and sweet and they did it in her parents backyard. What a fun day I'm so glad we were able to share this special day with them. Of course I had my camera and was shooting pictures the whole time...here are a few of the ones I got. I hope you enjoy them Meg.

Levi was super nervous and his hands were shaking the whole time, but what a special moment.

Megan just couldn't stop smiling the whole night, and she looked amazing

This was supposed to be a shot of all the girls showing some legs, but no one really did so it was pretty much just Megan showing her leg...very sexy Meg.

Rain...Rain...

2009-06-11T15:11:00.000-06:00

I've never really been a big fan of rain, I'm always too concerned about my hair or something. I think it's just one of those things as you get older you lose that sense of adventure. We don't have as much time to just play and be free. But as I've watched my little boy the past few days get so excited about the rain, I thought to myself...I'm actually enjoying the rain. It's fun to play and splash in the puddles, which is exactly what Ty has been doing. And it just brings a smile to my face that he is having so much fun, with something that I normally would be annoyed about. So I'm taking on a new perspective of the rain and I'm going to enjoy it while it's here, because let's face it, at least it's not 90+ outside.

I am also so happy about the cute little raincoat and rain boots that he has on. We went to the Outlets in Park City a few weeks ago, and found these on a steal at Children's Place (my favorite kids store) they were normally $29.50 each. Well I picked up these bad boys for $ .99 jacket, and $4.00 boots!! You can't beat that, plus I bought 6 more for my nieces and nephews. I just love when I get a good deal on clothing and attire for the little ones, especially when they grow out of it so quickly. So ode to Children's Place and the rain for making this week all worth it.

And I also wanted to give a little shout out to my friend Lindsay for all her Photography advice, you can check her out here and here. I don't really have any skills of Photography nor do I know what I'm doing half of the time, but thanks to her tips on her blog. I was able to capture Ty playing in the rain, not worrying about posing or getting the right angle, but just snapping photos, and this was the result. I absolutely love how it turned out, and the best part was I wasn't even trying to get a great pic. So thanks Lind's you are amazing.

Time to catch up

2009-06-06T15:20:00.000-06:00

No I haven't forgotten about my lonely old blog...I just haven't really had much to write about plus now the weather is warm we have been busy with other things. Mostly fun but some not so fun.

Memorial Weekend...

We went camping with some friends and had a great time, despite all the rain. The weekend was anything but what we had planned, but we made the best of it. We went down to Green River to go River rafting all weekend, but because of all the rain and flash floods we couldn't even get near the river. So we found a nearby campsite and stayed for 3 days in the rain. On Monday it finally cleared up enough that we got to go down the river, my first time ever river rafting. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and thanks to those who stayed back and watched the kids. All in all it was a great weekend and we hope to do it again sometime without the rain.

Yard Work...

The worst part about this is it wasn't even our yard. Kev's parents decided to finally put sprinklers in their back yard...what a project when you already have sod down. So went spent all day Saturday and then back on Monday getting it done. The sprinkler system itself wasn't so bad, it was the clean up afterwords trying to get the grass back in the right places. On the bright side it does make me want to put in our backyard this year, but that requires money...and who has that? So we settled for fixing up the front yard a bit. We took out all the bark that the builders put in, then added top soil and tilled it in with the clay, then added more top soil. The we planted a few shrubs and flowers, and hopefully by the end of the summer it will look more full, and next year we will have something to add to.

Other events and happenings...

We haven't been up to much else just trying to enjoy the summer and have a good time while we can. We have a lot of things coming up this fall which we are excited for. Tyler is going to play soccer which he absolutely can't wait for. He has been bugging me for a year about it. He had already informed me that Callie (his cousin) is going to teach him how to play. I am excited to see what he will actually do on the field, it should be entertaining anyway. He also starts pre-school another thing he can't wait for. It's only 2 days a week for 2 hours a day, but that should free up some more of my time for studying. Which brings me to my last thing...I have decided to go back to school. I'm a little hesitant about it but also way excited. I'm going to go to SLCC to finish my pre-recs for the nursing program. Of course the program has a 2 year waiting list, so it will be a long process but I figure why not start. These were not my original plans for life, but sometimes the Lord has a different way of doing things than we expected, and I just have to rely on him that he will see me through this. I thought for sure by now we would be having another child, after all Tyler is 3 1/2 and isn't it a rule or something in Utah that you have your kids 2 years apart?? For now I will go back to school and try to keep my mind occupied and when the time is right hopefully we will be blessed with more children. So a lot going on and a lot of changes coming up, so wish us luck as we embark on this new journey in life.

P.S. I will try to keep you updated more often, but really our life isn't that entertaining.

Happy Spring

2009-04-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

Can I just say that I am so glad we finally have warm weather. We have been aching to get outside, but the days that are good are so few and far between. So I'm glad Easter Sunday was warm, and beautiful. It made for a fun day of hunting eggs and spending time with family. Ty really liked finding eggs but I think he liked the candy inside more than anything. We also found a new food he likes...deviled eggs. This is the first time he's ever attempted eating eggs. I love Spring for many a reasons one the warm weather, two the reason we celebrate Easter, and three because we have a chance to hear from the wonderful prophet and apostles of our church. General Conference was special this year, although I didn't hear every session I'm grateful that you can download them and listen again, we have been doing this at night after Ty is in bed. I love the spirit that it brings into my home and for the renewed strength it has given me during this trying time in my life.

Other activities this spring thus far...

Playing at Hoggan Park with cousins and having a picnic. Riding bikes around the block with daddy and Sunday night walks in the wagon.

We had a chance to go see Wicked with my family and it was amazing. Kev even enjoyed it and he isn't into plays or musicals at all, but it was fun to have him go. He did think it was a little corny but oh well, the cast was amazing, Elphaba was my favorite and she has some real talent.

Today is a good day

2009-03-22T15:11:00.000-06:00

Just spent the whole weekend (literally 24 hours) scrapbooking with my Sister in laws and friends. Nothing better than a little down time from the life of being a mom. Thanks to all for a fabulous weekend, and thanks to my hubby for taking Tyler.

Got a ton of pages done scrapbooking and now all I need to do is journal, I love when I feel totally caught up and on top of things. Plus I helped my sis in law a ton, well I hope I did anyway.

Just got back from church and I feel totally rejuvenated. I love when the lesson applies directly to my life and I feel the spirit so strongly. I seriously don't know how I would survive without the gospel.

Love, love, love that my little boy is finally potty trained. Finally no more worries and carrying around 12 sets of clothes just in case. Mommy's so proud of you baby.

Love to come home from church and get in my pj's and lounge around for the rest of the day. Not having to worry about the house or laundry, because that will all come tomorrow. I was gone all weekend after all.

Just found a very dear and close friend that I haven't talked to for quite sometime on facebook. I am so grateful I have been wondering about them for awhile and it's so good to get back in touch.

I just can't stop smiling today, for today is a good day.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.

A good Read

2009-03-19T09:29:00.000-06:00

I recently got this book for my Birthday and I was so excited, I have heard many good things about it, and I have wanted it for awhile. It's a good, solid read with lots of parenting insight. I have learned a lot from it, but also felt like I have been implementing most of this into parenting already. But I am always looking for suggestions and what to do about certain things. If I can just remember to think before I react and try to change the situation to a positive rather than a negative then I'm in good shape. I have already tried some of the techniques and have noticed a world of difference. One of the reasons I like this book it that it offers many situations and the dialogue on how to approach them. I'm sure I will refer back to this book often and if any of you want to read it your welcome to borrow it. I even got my husband to read some of it, and he liked what he has read so far.

A new Incentive

2009-03-17T22:50:00.000-06:00

Although I wanted Tyler to be potty trained about 6 months ago, clearly he was not ready. And it was just making for a very miserable day for both of us. So I decided to put it on hold for awhile. We tried the "How to potty train in 3 days", but I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a very patient person, at least when it comes to potty training. The accidents drive me nuts, so I resolved myself to the fact that he will do it when he is ready. He knows he has to be potty trained before preschool this fall. Over the past month or so he has went to the potty several times, but didn't want to wear underwear, so I didn't fight him on it. Now some might say that I am letting my 3 year old control me...while this is true this is one thing I am willing to let him take control of, because I just can't deal with all the mess and laundry that comes with it. Well one day he woke up and stated that he wanted to wear underwear, and went and put them on himself. He did pretty good, I would remind him every now and again to make sure to go potty, and when he had too many accidents he went back in a diaper. But over the past few days, he has decided to be a BIG BOY. He finally went poop in the toilet...oh my gosh, I never thought I would be so happy in my life. He's very independent and likes to do it himself, most the time he doesn't even tell us, he just goes. So as a reward for this big step, we went and got Buzz Lightyear that he has been wanting since December (after Grandma got him Toy Story for Christmas). I told him he can keep Buzz if he keeps going potty, but if he's not going to be a BIG BOY then Buzz has to stay on the fridge until he decides he's ready. So far he has been able to keep Buzz and he is doing very well. I am so excited for my little man, but it's just one more reminder that he's growing up. And cross your fingers for us that we have made it to the end of the potty training road. I know many of you have children that have already accomplished this, so thanks for bearing with me while I brag about my little guy. And for those of you who haven't...I'm so sorry and I wish you the best of luck. I really hate potty training.

A child's Prayer

2009-03-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

Whenever I am struggling or just feeling sad, these words come to my mind

Heavenly Father are you really there?
And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?
Some say that Heaven is far away,
but I feel it close around my as I pray.
Heavenly father I remember now,
something that Jesus told disciples long ago
suffer the children to come to me,
Father in prayer I'm coming down to Thee.

Pray, He is there. Speak, he is listening
You are his Child, His Love now surrounds you
He hears your prayer, he loves the children
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of Heav'n.

I love the meaning this song has, and how when we sometimes feel discouraged we can simply remember if we ask Heavenly Father if he is there, and to be there for us, and He WILL. This song is so comforting to me, it's my favorite primary song and I sing it often. I have even started to sing it to Tyler to calm him down. Instantly I feel closer to heavenly father. I'm grateful for prayer and for the blessing that comes from it. I love to hear my little boy pray, and as he is getting older he can say what he wants and not just what we tell him. A cute thing the other day when he was praying.

Tyler: Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day
Thank you for me, Help mommy and daddy to listen to me,
Help me to be a good boy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Such a simple prayer, but so sweet coming from a 3 year old.

Home Decor and some texture

2009-03-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

I don't consider myself a great home decorator, but I do love it when I get something new to put in my house. It always makes me feel like it is becoming more of a home. I recently made a trip to Tai pan and picked up a few new things. Kev gave me a GC for my birthday, so I didn't even have to feel guilty about spending $. Of course there are a million things I still want to do to my house, but for now these will have to do.

These textured balls now have a home on our Kitchen table, they sit in a square dish, and they add a lot to our otherwise boring table.

A plate rack also for my Kitchen, I don't really have a color scheme in my Kitchen, but I do have hints of red, so therefore the red plate, and the yellow one I just thought looked good with it.

This is something I had in our other house, but just another example of red in our home. I am also a huge fan of stars (also purchased from Tai Pan) and making things to decorate my home. I love these family blocks I took a class at Heartland Paper, but picked out all of the supplies to match my home specifically.

February.. the month of LOVE

2009-02-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

I love the month of February and how it reminds us of LOVE! I love the colors pink, red and brown and I love showing love to my family. This year I made a few things to put on our shelf in the Living room that reminds me of Love. This photo college was simple and fun and we can see it everyday and we are reminded to love one another. The set of blocks was also fun and easy and I love the simple XOXO's. I always love getting hugs and kisses especially from my little boy. I also have hearts now hanging over our Kitchen Island, and they are so fun to look at. I put some Valentine's candy in a pink bowl on our counter, (we'll see how long that lasts). I am so glad that I have family and friends to love. I love celebrating Valentine's day and the meaning behind it and I am so glad that I have people in my life to share it with.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

I am a Mother

2009-01-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

"No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other takes that influence our lives for good."

-Sister Camilla Kimball

I have been thinking about my role in life, what it is that I need to be doing to better myself? How to become a better Mother and Wife, and to be happy myself? Recently I have been struggling with being a Mom and how to deal with the new challenges of raising a 3 year old. It seems that it is more difficult than when they were 2 or even 1. But as all things have oposition, it definitely has it's advantages too. It amazes me everyday how much my child has learned, how funny he can be and how sweet he is.

I just read a book called I am a Mother, by Jane Clayson Johnson, (of course I was crying through most of it) and it really gave me a lot of perspective. I highly recommend this book to all mothers or those that want to be mothers. I know I am by no means a perfect mother, but I am a Mother, and it is truly the greatest blessing I could ever ask for. As I have struggled with the fact that we have not yet had another child, I am also comforted to know that I do have 1 child, and even though their are the days that I want to run away from it all. Their are also the days that I can't help but smile and laugh with my little boy.

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

When funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit....

Success is failure turned inside out.

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.

It's when things seem worst the you must not quit.

-Author Unknown

This book has really given me a breath of fresh air, and helped me to get the strength to keep going, no matter how hard the days may seem, I can do this and I know the Lord will see me through it. The challenges of raising a three year old, who is very stubborn, now has a mind of his own, will Not potty train, and is starting to fight taking naps...can be a very exhausting thing, and some days I just feel helpless. But I must press on for that is what the lord would have me do. I am hear to be an example, a friend, and a Mother to my little boy, and this book helped inspire me to be proud of what I do and to become better at it.

a new favorite

2009-01-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Usually for Christmas I want or need something big, and then I usually know about it, and have to pick it out, etc. So this year I decided I wanted it to be a suprise. Which also meant that Kevin had to do the shopping. Oh I gave him a list..of lots of things I wanted, but I told him he had to be creative and it was up to him. Well to my suprise he did awesome. I have been wanting some nice serving bowls, since all I have is tupperware, and my sis n law has some from crate and barrel and I absolutley love them. So on Christmas morning I opened these (They are different from my sis n law's) and I was so excited. He thinks it's kind of pointless since I told him all these things I wanted and he assumed I would know what I was getting anyway. But I thought it was fabulous and I LOVE my bowls. Now when we go places I will have something nice to bring my food in. Isn't is funny what makes us women happy.

What was even more amazing was that he was creative and he got me some amazing things. He got my a cute sweater from AE, as well as a hoddie/jacket that is sooo warm, which I need right now because I can't seem to stay warm this winter. And then another favorite is this fabulous purse! I have been wanting a cute new purse for awhile, but I could never find anything I was in love with. Plus everything seemed to be so big, and since I don't have a little one anymore I don't need big. So again with the help of Corina (sis n law) they found me this. I couldn't have picked a better one myself, and I Love, Love, Love the red. Thank you baby for a wonderful Christmas.

Snowflakes

2009-01-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

When I think of January all I can think of is snow, snow, snow. Remember the hanging ornaments I posted in december, well now that the holidays are over, I needed something to replace them. What better thing than snowflakes. So here are the snowflakes hanging over the island in our kitchen. It's so fun to have something new each season. Tyler especially likes them, but luckily enough I put them high enough that he can't reach them even when he's standing on the counter.

December Birthday's

2009-01-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

What is with the sad face?

Just when you think things will calm down now that Christmas is over..yeah right! Not in our family, we have 2 birthdays following Christmas. Tyler turned 3 on December 29 we had a little family party at our house the day before. Every year I let Ty pick out a theme for his party and this year we did Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was fun, we made a Mickey Mouse cake and had a pinata. Then on his birthday we took him and Aria to Build A Bear. I think they had fun even thought it was crazy busy that day. After changing his mind about 5 times we finally ended up with a Jazz Bear and his name is Jazz Bear. He plays with him all the time, and he now wants a Jazz jersey like his bear.

Then 2 days later we celebrated Daddy's Birthday. Every year I feel bad for Kevin because his birthday is on New Year's Eve and it's so hard to get people together to do something. In the 5 years we have been married I think we've done something maybe twice. There just always seems to be something, like the year Tyler was born and we came home from the hospital on New Year's Eve. So I decided that we just need to celebrate his birthday on a different day. So next year baby I will throw you a party...and it will be big, because your going to be the big 30!

Happy Birthday, I love you both!

December Wrap up

2009-01-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

What a fun Month we had, enjoying family and getting involved in the season. With Christmas parties up until Christmas day we stayed very busy. We spent the Saturday before Christmas with Kevin's family. And Christmas eve with my family. Then despite the snow storm we managed to visit with both of our families on Christmas day.

Christmas morning brought a lot of excitement from Tyler and even us. We had so much fun with him this year, he was so into unwrapping and actually enjoying his presents. He even took the time to watch mommy and daddy open a few. We had a great Christmas this year and really enjoyed being together.

Kevin took some time off between Christmas and New Year's and we were able to do some fun things together. Now that he is finally done with school we are excited to have more of this free time. Tyler especially enjoyed daddy playing in the snow with him. I'm not much of a winter person so I stayed inside where it was warm, and they had a good time.

The Halls are Decked

2008-12-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

This past week we have been very busy getting ready for Christmas. The halls are decked, and I've been adding a few new little things this year. One of my favorites is floating ornaments..I got the idea from someone else and thought it would be fun. So they are hanging over our island in the Kitchen. And I plan on changing it each season/holiday so check back to see what will be next.

I have also been busy making homemade candies. This is something my family does every year, we usually do it altogether but I had to work the day they did it so I just did it on my own. I had my nieces over last week and they had a great time helping with it. They also helped me make tags to go on the gifts. I added a new favorite this year called pretzel hugs. I posted it on the recipe blog you can check it out, I did Christmas M&M's this time. These are the little gifts boxes I filled with the homemade candy.

Not to mention the annual Christmas cards I send out. I know these probably aren't that important since most of the people we give them to we see quiet often. But I enjoy doing it and being able to look back each year and see what we did. This year I attempted to make digital cards (with the help of Gina) it was a lot harder than I thought. I'm not that savvy at photoshop yet, but I like how they turned out.

Well in the last week I was able to accomplish all the shopping, baking, mailing, and wrapping that I had to do and now I can just sit back and enjoy the season. I have also finished Birthday shopping for both my hubby and Tyler whose birthdays are the week after Christmas. Well I do still have to help my mom wrap, I am one of those weird people that really enjoys wrapping, and I don't have that much myself so I help her every year. I am also weird in the fact that I have to have matching wrapping paper and bows for that year. So this year you can see the colors below.

My sweet husband surprised me and bought tickets to The Forgotten Carols, which I am absolutely in love with. I have never seen it, but I could listen to the CD year round. It was so good and I loved it. We have attended two Christmas parties already and they both have been really fun. We had a big family party for my mom's side with games, and a pinata for the kids. And we had a surprise visit from Santa, which surprisingly Tyler was very upset about. He has been talking about Christmas and Santa for at least a month, but once he seen him forget it he wanted nothing to do with it. Oh well maybe next year. We also did a Sub for Santa and we brought all the gifts to the party. I took Tyler shopping with me and explained to him why we were buying gifts for other people. Hopefully he understood it somewhat. Then this past Friday we went to my Work Christmas party at the Little America. (pic below) I always love going to this because it's the one time a year we get to dress up nice and go to dinner, and the best part is we don't even have to pay for it, and the food is delicious. It's just a nice relaxing evening with no kids, and I always look forward to it.

Hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season as well.

Grateful for the SEASON!

2008-12-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. It forces me to recognize all the things I have to be grateful for, I wish that I was aware of it more often. But these are just of few things I was thinking of today.

Thanksgiving..I know it usually gets skipped over. It seems we are all in a rush for Christmas to come. But I am glad we take the time to enjoy a day with our family. This year we were with Kevin's family, and we had so much fun.

Family...I don't know what I would do without them. It's like the old saying "You can't live with them, you can't live without them." It's so true, but I love them all. I'm glad they listen to me complain, and they are always willing to take care of my little man.

My Husband...He works so hard for us, and he hasn't had a lot of time over the past few years with every going on in his life. But he keeps going and for that I am grateful. I love him so much, and I can't imagine life without him.

My Little Boy...He is my everything I spend more time with him than anybody else, and although some days that makes me crazy. I am so grateful that I have all this one on one time with him, and I hope some day he will look back and remember it, and be glad. I know I'm not always the best at being a mom, but I'm glad I have the opportunity that I can improve.

My Savior...I know we tend to think of Christ more this time of year, but during this time in my life I need every reminder I can get to think of the wonderful blessings I have because of him. I have made it a goal lately that if ever I am down, I try to turn my mind and heart to the spirit. It doesn't usually take away the problem, but it helps me gain a different perspective and have peace. I am so blessed to know I have a Father in Heaven who is mindful of me, and that I have a wonderful brother who suffered for my sins so I would not have to.

The Temple...We went to temple square the other night to look at the lights, and I couldn't help but think how blessed we are to have all these beautiful temples so close by. I know I don't get there as often as I would like, but I love the spirit it brings just being on the temple grounds even when you can't make it inside.

Christmas...I love the music (I have been listening to it since before thanksgiving). The spirit of giving..my family does a sub for Santa every year, and this year Ty is old enough that we can actually explains to him that we are buying clothes for other little children that don't have as many as we do. And it makes me feel so good inside to know that we are helping others, and that I can show that to him so he understands. And especially the reason for the season..CHRIST, also this year we are trying to get Tyler to understand more why we celebrate Christmas, I figure if he can understand about Santa, he needs to know about the birth of our Savior.

Trials

2008-11-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things

shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and

remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one

with another. --D&C 90:24

Life can hand you some pretty interesting things when you least expect it. I was just thinking the other day that things are finally starting to settle down for us. We moved into our new house and it's finally becoming a home. Kevin got a promotion at work that he has been trying to get for awhile, and we were feeling good about things. Then all the sudden something happens that changes your perspective in life. Naturally when challenges come our way we tend to go to our Heavenly Father for help, we try to be a better person and we commit to making changes that we know we already should be doing.

I recently read a talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time".

As I read the title I new that immediately this applied to me. We all experience difficult things in life, and it's okay to go to the Lord and tell him "Hope ya know I'm having a hard time." I know that he cares about me and that he will see me through this hardship that I am facing, even though right now it feels like my whole world has come crashing down. A quote in this talk gave me some comfort...

“My son (daughter), peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.”

I won't go into details of what happened, but I will say that this is one of the most difficult things I have had to face. I am on an emotional roller coaster..some days are good some days are bad. But I am comforted in knowing that I have a wonderful family and husband that cares about me and that they are there for me day and night. I have a good friend who has also been there for me, and I can't even tell her how much her friendship means to me. Life is challenging and stressful and even disappointing at times. But we must not give up we must press onward and make the best of what we have. We are often reminded that when we are struggling and when it's most difficult for us..is when we should be serving others.

President Thomas S Monson said.
“Find someone who is having a hard time, … and do something for them.”

We don't always know when other people are struggling and most likely we never will, but if we remember to be a friend..always, then we won't have regrets as to if we weren't there for someone when they might have needed us the most. This is a reminder to myself that I need to do better, and like I said most often we have to go through trials to remind us of these things. But there is a reason for all things and the Lord wants us to grow and to learn from these trials, and I hope that, that is exactly what I can do.

President Hinckley Stand A Little Taller:

Reach Beyond yourself (November 10)

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. --Mosiah 4:16

October Fun

2008-10-27T15:42:00.000-06:00

Besides getting our own individual family Pics..Kev's family decided it was time to get family pictures of the whole clan. Mind you this consist of about 27 people and 13 of them are children, so just picture this as you are looking at these. We went to Memory Grove behind the capitol. It was a beautiful day and the fall colors were gorgeous. I don't have one of the whole group yet these are just ones that I have taken. I also didn't get every family sorry Kris and Devin. We were not that happy with the photographer so I'm sure we will be redoing these in another few years. Oh well this is our family now.

We have been super busy this fall with moving and trying to get settled..but we did manage to get down to Gardner Village. Everybody is always talking about it and I thought Tyler might enjoy it. So last Monday we made the trek with my Aunt (who is also one of my good friends). We had a lot of fun..who would've thought, but Tyler loved the witches and all the pumpkins. We also went on a pony ride he thought that was pretty cool too. So everybody had the same idea we had because it was absolutely packed, but the kids still enjoyed themselves.

We Also managed to make it over the ward Halloween party for a few minutes. So needless to say Tyler wasn't dressed up since we came straight from family pics, but him and princess Aria still had fun. We were super busy that day, but we wanted to support the new Activities Committee since we've been there done that. And they did an awesome job, especially on such short notice.

This pic is for black mail later in life..aren't they so cute though

Our Family Photos

2008-10-19T14:31:00.000-06:00

2008 Family Photos

On September 29, 2008 we went to Wheeler Farm, and had our family Pictures taken. We had so much fun, and our photographer did an awesome job. Thanks Melissa, if you are interested you can check her out here. Tyler was so energetic and loved looking at the animals and the various things that were going on. I'm so glad we did these photos, I can't wait to put them up in our home. And even though Kev wasn't too excited to take family photos, I think he is very happy with how they turned out. We also did some individual shots of Ty for his 3 year, which is coming up soon. I can't even believe it.

We've Moved

2008-10-15T14:20:00.000-06:00

Our new address:

176 Boston Court

Phone 296-1619

I know can you believe the snow! Well anyway feel free to stop by anytime to see us. We are still a mess but it's coming along. And can I just say I love how much storage space I have!

Potty Training 101

2008-09-30T21:12:00.000-06:00

So I have finally made the plunge to potty train. Mind you this is something I have been dreading since the day Tyler was born. I have heard so many horror stories about potty training and that boys are so much harder. I just haven't wanted to do it, but the other day we were almost out of diapers so my options were: spend $40 on diapers..or start potty training.

Guess what I chose..and am I regretting it..yes a little.

Items to get started..
*20 pairs of potty pants
*treats of Tyler's choice
*juice and lots of fluids to drink
*extra blankets and sheets
*Noah's Ark and a lot of animals
*Patience and TIME

What can I say there is no easy way to potty train your child unless you are Gina and you child does it herself. But it has to be done, so my friend Nikki at work gave me a copy of the book she used that's called how to Potty Train in 3 days...did it work might you ask?

Well kind of, he isn't completely potty trained, we still have accidents and he still can't make it through the night, but it's only day 5. He did however learn the concept in 3 days, and I agree with her methods completely. Her entire point of the first 3 days is to catch your child in every accident they have and run them to the bathroom in the middle of it..this trains them to recognize when they have to go potty and what it feels like. Tyler actually caught onto this really well. He just has trouble stopping what he's doing to go potty. You are also not suppose to ask them if they need to go potty, because they will most likely say NO. But you gently remind them at least 1,000 times a day to tell mommy if you have to go potty, after awhile when I would say this he would say yes I do, and it makes him feel like he made the choice. But like I said we aren't completely there, but I'm hoping another week will do the trick. Nikki trained her little guy in less than 2 weeks (even through the night) using this method and he is 2 months younger than Tyler. So cross your fingers for me because I'm hoping to have him trained before we move into our new house, so hopefully I can avoid the accidents on my new carpet.

The basket is full of presents which are animals that go to the Ark, so every time he tells me he has to go potty and he makes it..he gets to open a present. Luckily we have a lot of animals to go with it. But he gets so excited and wants everybody to watch him open it. I am so proud of you Big Boy!

Good News

2008-09-30T21:00:00.001-06:00

Goods news..we have only one week left until we close on our new home. We are so excited..the stresses of doing sweat equity have gotten the best of us and we are so happy to be coming to the end. We have finally finished all the tile, the painting and the cabinets. They came and put in our counter tops, and appliances and we will be getting carpet tomorrow. So as much as you guys are probably done hearing about the house..we are done working on it and will hopefully be closing next Wednesday.

The finished product of the Kitchen, well we still have to get some bar stools and a table but it will come, hopefully soon.

This is the tile work in the Kitchen we also did 2 baths and the Laundry room. If you haven't done tile work before it is a big project and a very long process, but I think it turned out okay for beginners.

Tyler was very helpful when it came to cleaning the floors..in fact a little too helpful we had water everywhere, love you bug

My quirks

2008-09-21T15:33:00.000-06:00

So I know Gina tagged me like forever ago..but I honestly have not had even 2 seconds to check my blog let alone respond to a post. So I'm sorry I'm finally getting around to it.

~ Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

~ Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.

~ Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.
1.I too have a weird quirk that drives Kevin crazy: I like to pick at things, like whenever I have a zit(which by the way I have gotten way more of those things in the last month than I ever did as a teenager..everybody says it's from stress, but it's still makes me crazy) I have to pop it and pick at it until it's gone. I know it's gross and I probably shouldn't admit it, but it's true. I also like to pick at scabs, I even try to do it to Kev sometimes and he gets so mad. Sorry Honey..I will try to stop.

2. I am somewhat of a clean freak, what can I say I like to have a clean house..let's face it at this point I would just like to have a house. But I'm not one of those deep cleaning type of people I just like to surface clean a lot. And things have to be put away at night before I go to bed and the bed has to be made in the morning. Except on Tuesdays because I leave for work before Kevin and I have yet to come home to a bed made. But lo and behold I have to make it even at 8:00 at night.

3. I also am not a morning person. (G we are more alike than I thought) my alarm clock is Tyler and I don't get up a second before. My sister in law puts it this way--enjoy it while you can because before you know it you'll be getting up at 6am to get them off to school. Thanks Holly for helping me not to feel so guilty.

4. I am very stubborn and usually have to be right..Kevin can attest to this. I don't mean to be that way but when I feel strongly about something I stand my ground. I think that I have gotten better through our married years, but I'm sure I still have work to do.

5. I am some what of a perfectionist.. I wouldn't say it's to the point that I need help, but I like things to look good. I think that I have rubbed off on Kev a little because when we were doing the tile in our house he must have re cut about every 4th piece of tile because it was a little off. I'm glad that he had the patience, because I know we will enjoy it more now.

6. I am not your typical girl to buy chocolates for on Valentine's day. I'm just not a big fan of chocolate, If I have chocolate it has to be chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Other than that I would prefer some other form of sweets.

I am tagging....Lindsay H., Nikki V., Lindsay C., Tiffany S., Rachel P., Melissa P.

The count down is starting

2008-09-05T16:17:00.000-06:00

Update with the house--

Things have been moving rather quickly, and we couldn't be happier. They have almost completely finished the exterior of the house..minus the stucco which should be happening in the next few days. Other than that the siding, the roof, the windows..you know, everything that goes into a house is done.

On the inside--they have finished framing and wiring, insulating, as well as sheet rock, taping and mudding. I think they have one more coat of mudding and sanding to do and then it will be time to paint. Starting next Friday and Saturday we will be painting all the baseboards white (rest of house will be tan..well minus a few rooms that I will add a little more color to). I know this is a tedious job and many people have recommended not to do it, but we figured it would be a lot easier than trying to paint 10+ foot walls in the Kitchen and Front room. Plus they are letting us do it before they install carpet which will be 10x's easier. We will also be installing tile in all the bathrooms, laundry room, entry way, and Kitchen. This is going to be a big job, but we wanted it to look nice and couldn't afford to upgrade to tile. So we are counting on family and friends and anyone who is willing to help to get this done. We only have one week..because the following weekend we have my brother and uncle installing all of our cabinets. I am very excited for this because we are doing different colors throughout the house instead of it being all the same as it would be with the builder. So it will make our Kitchen a little unique and different from the rest of our neighbors, (no offense Jen and Aaron).

So my project for this week is making curtains for a few of the windows in the house. I finally went to NPS that everyone has been raving about and found some amazing fabric, that I got at a great deal. So I am very excited to make them and put them up in our home. I also have been painting a few things for the house and found some great candlesticks at Smith's Marketplace for a good deal..which I painted black, and then I found some candles to put on them that will match the colors in the fabric. So.. it's coming along and I can't wait to move in and put it all together.

I will post more pics of the tile and cabinets once we get them in.. but for now these are a few pics of the progress.

week four..

week six..

week eight..back of house

week eight..front of house

Hello, Goodbye, Luau

2008-08-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend was full of fun for us..we had family fly in from Arizona, Uncle Jim and Aunt Geri. Well Jim is a pilot, and flys his own plane. So they flew into the Woods Cross Airport and we went to pick them up. Tyler got to sit in the plane and where headphones. He was a little hesitant at first, but then by Sunday when they left he wanted to fly home with them. Some of the other grand kids were over so we went to see them off..and they all took turns sitting in the plane with Uncle Jim. It was a lot of fun to get up that close to an airplane, not that I would ever want to fly in it, because I would be scared to death and very claustrophobic. But we had a great time with them and hope to be able to go and visit them in Arizona someday. We love you Jim and Geri.

We also had our Ward Luau we were in charge of this weekend. It seemed to turn out great, we had quite a few people show up, but of course not as many as we planned on. We had a lot of help from our committee this time..we had most of the food catered by the Jackson's, we had the Levin's in charge of decorations (great job Emily), and the Padget's did pinatas for the kids. I know it doesn't really go with a Luau, but all kids love pinatas. Thank you Thank you for every body's help, and for all those who came and supported us, we think it turned out great.

Swimming

2008-08-13T10:05:00.000-06:00

Here are a few random pics of us swimming this summer. I put Tyler in Swim lessons for the summer, at the rec center. He seemed to really enjoy it and he caught on really quick. So since then we have been multiple times swimming. We also have went out to the Kearns Rec Center..where my mom has a season pass. Tyler really enjoys it there, because they have a really big bucket that fills up with water and then dumps out all over the splash pad. He isn't brave enough to go under it, but every time the bell rings to alert you that it's falling he comes running to watch it.

My cute little swimmer

Finally Daddy came swimming with us, I think he enjoyed it just as much as Tyler

Swimming with the Wilkey's, the Catenzaro's, Grandma, Meisha, and just us.

Fountains and summer fun

2008-08-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

On Friday we went to the Gateway with the Catenzaro's. Of course neither Tyler or Aria were that interested in the fountains, even though it was 100 degrees outside. We have made a few trips to the fountains this summer and for some reason Tyler just doesn't care for it. This is a total shock to me, because at home he is constantly playing in the water and getting wet. But oh well I guess..Gina and I did get some shopping in, which is always a plus.

I haven't been that great about blogging since we've been living with the in laws..mainly because everything is chaotic. I don't know where half my stuff is, we don't have our computer set up so I don't have all my pics, and we can't get the wireless to work on the laptop. It's so frustrating living in transition, but hopefully that will be over soon, only two more months. So here are some pics of the random things we have been doing this summer. Tyler spends every day outside..for as long as we will allow and even that doesn't seem to be enough for him. He likes to help Grandma and Grandpa with projects. They have been working on their fence as well as putting pavers in, and of course Tyler has to be right there. He also likes to spend time riding his new tricycle and Chance's tractor, or 4 wheeling with uncle Mike. We are hoping to go camping over Labor day and ride more 4 wheelers..but we'll see. Anyway we hope you are all enjoying your summer as well..and trying to stay as cool as possible.

A glimpse of our life

2008-07-24T15:16:00.000-06:00

Viewed from the eyes of Tyler. I found this on a friends blog and I thought it was so cute, (thanks Lindsay) so I wanted to include some things Tyler had to say. It's so funny what kids come up with.

What is something daddy says to you?
Tyler: I want some nilk. (milk)

What is something your mommy says to you?
Ty: Play nice

What makes daddy happy?
Ty: Basketball

What makes mommy happy?
Ty: Go outside (not in this heat.)

What makes daddy sad?
Ty: ...(no comment)

What makes mommy sad?
Ty: I don't know

How old is your dad?
Ty: 2 1/2

How old is your mom?
Ty: 2 1/2

How tall is daddy?
Ty: really tall

How tall is mommy?
Ty: short

What is daddy's favorite thing to do?
Ty: play games

What is mommy favorite thing to do?
Ty: to hold me

What does your daddy do when you're not around?
Ty: runs in circles

What does your mommy do when you're not around?
Ty: play with toys

What does your dad do for his job?
Ty: stays there

What does your mom do for her job?
Ty: mommy doesn't have a job

What is daddy's favorite food?
Ty: french fries (I'm not sure about this one)

What is mommy's favorite food?
Ty: Carrots (what... try Chinese food)

If your dad were a cartoon character who would he be?
Ty: Donald Duck

If your mom were a cartoon character who would she be?
Ty: Mickey Mouse

If your dad were an animal what would he be?
Ty: a horsey

If your mom were an animal what would she be?
Ty: a lion

If you were an animal what would you be?
Ty: a gorilla

It's Official

2008-07-15T22:37:00.000-06:00

I know many of you have been wondering what the heck we are doing about a house..we have been on the fence about it, but it's decided and we are going to build with Hallmark. They broke ground on our home on July 10th and we can't wait for it to be done. We are going to do a lot of work on it ourselves to save money but definetly not stress! But I am very excited because that means I get to customized my Kitchen and I am so excited. Prospective finish date will be the first part of October. In the meantime we are just trying to save..save..save. and not go crazy with living with family. They have poured the footings and we stopped by to see it tonight. Tyler was having a ball climbing up the mounds of dirt and sliding down on his butt. We had a hard time getting him to leave. But it's the cutest thing, he keeps asking me "where's mommy's house?" and I have to explain that we are building a new house, so tonight when we went to see it he said "mommy's new house in the hole?" oh, how I love him!

The starting project...

Tyler climbing on the mounds of dirt..

and then sliding back down.

Sleepovers, Homemade Jam, and Fireworks

2008-07-13T21:59:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged. We have just been having such and fun and crazy summer. Living at Kev's parents house has sure been adventuresome, I'm pretty sure Tyler is going to go through withdrawals when we move out. We usually see at least a few of the grand kids over every day, not to mention all the sleepovers that have gone on at that house. Kev's sister Holly lives up in Layton and we don't get to see her all that often so she has come down and slept over a few times, which has been fun and hectic at the same time. The kids love to play outside in the water, eat popsicles, and apparently find garden snakes. That was the latest thing when they were all together, and they all loved it. I don't mind snakes all that much but my poor sister in law almost had heart failure when he daughter tried to kiss the snake. It was hilarious. We love family but it sure will be nice to have our own house again.

We also have had a sleepover of our own, we went and spent a few days with my family. My mom and I made homemade strawberry freezer jam. My mom has been making it ever since I was little, and now it's the only kind I like. Call me spoiled but you can blame my mom for that one. Then I spent the day scrapbooking with Jodi, while the kids played. We set up the slip n' slide for them, and Tyler went crazy. He loved that thing.

A little hesitant at first...

but then he loved it.

We spent the third of July up at Eaglewood Golf Course watching fireworks, an annual tradition in Kev's family. Each year our group grows bigger and bigger, but we have so much fun. Tyler absolutely loves fireworks, which is usually rare for kids, but he didn't stop asking about it the whole week until we went. Then he has to reenact what the fireworks do for you..it's pretty funny. After the fireworks the Cherry's spent the night and we woke up the next morning and had a huge breakfast, including waffles, pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns. It was delicious, but took a long time to make all that food. They spent the day and the kids played in the water and had popsicles. We went out to my Uncle's house that afternoon, played in the water more and had a BBQ. It was a lot of fun, then we went out back and watched the fireworks off his back deck, this has been a tradition in my family ever since I was little. The house that my Uncle lives in used to be my Grandma's and we have been doing this ever since I can remember, I love it, it brings back so many memories. We also did our own fireworks out front, but nothing compares to the big ones in the sky.

Ten things I love...

2008-06-24T23:15:00.000-06:00

In no particular order I just felt like listing things that make me happy.

1. Sleeping in until 8:00 in the morning, it's the greatest feeling to wake up refreshed.

2. My daily reminder of love from my little boy, he becomes sweeter by the day, but don't let him fool you because he becomes smarter as well.

3. Helping others..we did a service project and helped someone out with yard work. I really hate yard work but it felt good that she was so appreciative.

4. When Tyler takes a looong nap (which in my case is only about 2.5 hours) but it really helps with the sanity.

5. When Tyler wants to cuddle with me and whisper in my ear. It's so good to be reminded how much I love him and I'm so grateful to be a mom.

6. To Lay out in the sun and pretend that I can get a tan on my pitifully white legs.

7. When My husband tells me how much he loves me. I found a letter the other day that he gave me for our anniversary, and I almost cried because it was so sweet.

8. To hold newborn babies and be reminded of how perfect and innocent they are, and the sweet spirit they bring to this world.

9. When the house is cleaned, the laundry is done, Tyler's in bed, and my husband is occupied so I can curl up and read a good book. I am really trying to find time to read "The Host", so nobody give it away.

10. Reading other people's blogs, and finding out that their lives are a lot more entertaining than ours.

Finally settled...Temporarily

2008-06-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

I know some of you have been wondering if we dropped off the face of the earth! Well we haven't, I just didn't think it would take us this long to get settled at Kev's parents. Life has been extremely busy, with it being summer and living in a house where grandchildren stop by everyday, and going to meetings almost every week in preparation for our house. I guess that's what happens when it's summer and when you have a big family. But we are enjoying ourselves, Tyler especially he loves seeing his cousins constantly, and usually gets a little concerned when they haven't stopped by. We love our family and are so grateful for their hospitality.

I'm sure it will still be pretty busy for the rest of the summer, but that will be good because hopefully I won't have time to think about not having my own house. On the bright side at least I don't have as much house work.

On a side note we have been enjoying the hot weather..we have been swimming 3 times and next week Tyler starts swimming lessons. I know it's a little later than everyone else, but what do you do? He is so excited..he asks me everyday, "I go swimmin' today, Mom?" Some days he just melts my heart how sweet he is. I love him to pieces! We have also spent almost everyday outside, whether it's going to the park or just helping Grandma water the garden..Tyler just can't seem to get enough of outside. We also went to the Bees game a week or so ago, with Devin, Erin, Nate and his date . Of course we were the only one with a kid, ( come on you guys, you need to get married) and he was not cooperative at all, he kept saying all night "I want to go home". At least until the fireworks came on and then he was glued to the sky for the reminder of the time. It was a pretty good firework show, I can't wait until the 4th of the July, I love fireworks.

Our Busy Week...

2008-05-29T22:44:00.000-06:00

Wednesday May 21, 2008

Kevin and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, I can't believe it's been 5 years. It has been wonderful, and I grow to love him more everyday. He is an amazing man, and he works so hard to provide for us as well as go to school. Although I think I'm counting the days more than he is until he is finished. I love you baby, thank you for all you do.

We decided to go up to Park City for a few days just to get out. And of course the weather was crappy, just as it was here. But we still managed to get some shopping in, as well as eating out, and relaxing in the hot tub. Kev planned the whole trip and he did an amazing job. We stayed in a Marriott suite, it was so nice, it was almost the same size as our house! (which isn't that big, but it was for a hotel room) I wish we could have stayed longer, but we only had a sitter for 2 days.

Saturday...

We went over to Kev's parents house and had a BBQ, and watched movies. Then later that night we went out and roasted marshmallows, and made smores. I love roasting marshmallows, and I'm glad we did it, because we usually go camping over memorial weekend, and with the weather so bad we didn't. But at least we got the goods and the great camp fire smell. The best part is we got to go home and shower right after.

Monday...

We went to Kev's parents house again, We had family fly in from Arizona that we don't see that often so it was nice to spend time with them. We mostly ate more food, and just hung out. We did end up over at the church later to watch the guys play basketball, and let the kids run around.

Wednesday...

Kev has had Wednesdays off until school starts again, so we wanted to make a trip to the zoo, we have been trying for the last month. But it seems that every Wednesday is crappy weather. But we finally made it, and it was worth the wait. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny not too hot, with a little breeze. We had so much fun, Tyler loved the animals of course. His favorite animal is a monkey (especially curious George), but he likes elephants and he was especially fond of the snakes, Yuck! We watched the bird show, and I thought he would love it, because he loves birds. But he wasn't too fond of them flying right over our heads. It was pretty amazing, and very beautiful birds.

Well now back to reality, it's time to start packing. We have to be out in exactly 12 days, and I have yet to start. I dread packing, I love the unpacking part but I hate packing. And I hate that our stuff is going to be in storage for 3 months. But I have to keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it when we get into our new home. I am definitely excited about that. I am really sad to move, since this was our first home we ever bought, but lets face it we need something bigger. So if you don't hear from me for awhile, feel free to stop by and say Hi, and maybe pack some boxes for me. Love ya.

Update

2008-05-19T21:05:00.000-06:00

An update on the house...
Well we are for sure selling the house, unless of course they back out, they do have until the 30th. But they seem pretty excited to move in, and we are really sad to go. We had our inspection today, just to make sure everything is running great. I would sure hope so we've only been here 3 1/2 years. I'm getting sader by the day and dreding the packing more and more. But I've got to get going I only have 3 weeks left!
The good news is we are most likely going to build in Foxboro again, nothing is a for sure yet, but after looking at well over a dozen houses we feel the best about building. Plus we get to pick out our colors and what not. And I will get my Kitchen upgraded for sure this time. We will keep you all posted on what we decide, but from the looks of it, we will still be in the same ward, Yeah! I know that's what you were all waiting to hear. Unless of course we split again, but we won't think about that.

BOXES...

2008-05-12T13:06:00.001-06:00

As I'm sure most of you know, we have our house for sale. I know it's very sad, but true. We are going to miss our ward very much (unless of course we find a house in the same ward, that would be sweet.) But anyways it's time to move on and get something a little bigger, our cute little man Tyler is over taking our living room with his toys. So we've had an offer on our house..yeah..nothing is final yet, but it got me thinking that maybe I should start packing some of our stuff, because we have accrued a lot since living here. So I am on the look out for boxes, if anyone has any lying around or knows of anyone that has some please let me know. I'm sure we could use all the boxes we can get. Thanks everyone, we will keep you posted.

The good thing about blogging is that even if we do move we can still keep in touch very easily.

Baby Lincoln's arrival

2008-05-08T12:41:00.000-06:00

I always love when babies are born, it always makes me think how sweet and pure their little spirits are. It makes you want to be little again, when you didn't have to think about all the evil in this world, and have to worry about how you are going to keep your head above water. I just love being around newborns for that reason. They just bring peace to my soul, I love looking at all their tiny features and the uniqueness about them. Our good friends Anthony and Gina had a sweet baby boy on Friday May 2, 2008 and we were lucky enough to be a part in celebrating Lincoln's birth. We love you guys and are so happy for you. We wish you the best of luck with your new little one.

We watched Aria the day after Lincoln was born, and then we all went to the hospital to visit. Tyler and Aria actually did fairly well for 2 year olds in a hospital. But they were both very excited to hold baby Lincoln, and they did a good job at being careful. Aria was a lot better than Tyler, but I guess it's that gentleness that us girls have. I think she is very proud to be a big sister, despite the little bit of jealousy she may have, but she is doing a good job.

Ode to the sippy cup!

2008-04-25T12:59:00.000-06:00

Oh, how we LOVE the sippy cup! this is absolutley a part of our everyday life. Tyler started using a sippy cup at the age of one, and it as been apart of our everyday life since. I can't imagine what our life would be like without a sippy cup. And I can't tell you how many hours I have spent looking for them. It's like binki's the most important thing for a child to have, and they are always lost! Tyler has never really been attached to anything, except for maybe a sippy cup full of what he calls "Nilk". He loves milk and ask for it all day long. It's the first thing he asks for in the morning and the last thing he asks for at night. We are constantly buying new sippy cups, and trying to keep track of the ones we have. You have to be careful though, because we have bought many sippy cups that say they are spill proof, but then you find out after leaking milk all day long, they really aren't. So we have our favorites that work better than others, and those are the ones we use first. I'm sure the sippy cup will be around in our family for a long time.

What a weekend...

2008-04-21T15:41:00.001-06:00

This weekend I went to a 24 hour scrap at the Hampton Inn. It was seriously a blast, I went with my sister in laws and Aunt Jodi. We started at 5pm on Friday night..stayed up until 3am..slept until 7am..then scrapped again until 5pm Saturday night. We were definitely sleep deprived but it was so worth it. The ladies that run the whole thing do a really nice job, they feed you dinner, breakfast, and then lunch, plus snacks and goodies in between. They also have drawings every hour, Holly won a massage from the lady that does them while your there. We were all jealous! I am so glad I got to have a weekend away with the girls, it was tons of fun. The best part about it is that I finally finished the scrapbook I was doing for my mother in law of her trip to Nauvoo. Hopefully she will love it and it will be all worth it.

Tyler and daddy also had a great time together. It's been awhile since they got to hang out just the two of them. They went to the park to fly kites and play on the slides. They sprayed for spiders in the yard (thank you, thank you) and watched movies and had pizza. Kev claimed he had a great time, and Tyler won't stop talking about his kites. (of course there aren't any pictures because I had the camera.)

I hope you all had a great weekend as well, if not try harder next week.

Oh we LOVE the park

2008-04-16T15:53:00.000-06:00

We managed to get outside and play at the park, on one of the off chance days that the weather was good. You got to love Utah weather. Tyler had so much fun..I am so excited for nicer weather and to get out of our little house. He absolutley loves the swings..he giggles the whole time. We have now been to the park twice and we have flown Tyler's kite, which was pretty excting for him. It was just on our street, but daddy got it pretty high and then gave it to Tyler. It was so funny to watch him run down the street holding the string, he had the biggest smile on his face. "I flyd a kite, mommy"

Tyler's bedroom makeover..

2008-04-03T13:14:00.000-06:00

We finally had to make the plunge and move Tyler into a big boy bed. I think we were more nervous about it than him. He slept so good in his crib and wasn't climbing out of it, but it had to be done eventually so we just did it. And I am pleased to say that it want amazingly well. He hasn't got out of be once. He can climb in and out of it, but he just stays there until we come and get him. I'm a little hesitant to get to excited for fear that it might start getting worse..but we are going on 6 days now and he's done great. I was told a thoery by a few people that if you switch them from a crib straight to a twin size bed they stay in it better than a toddler bed. So I don't know how true that is, but I do know that it worked for us. He loves his bed and has to show everyone that comes over. We got a sports theme quilt ans sheet set so he thinks it's fun to find all the balls on the bedding. Luckily I was able to find something to match the paint in his room, since I barley finished to whole thing like 6 months ago. It doesn't match quite as good as the crib bedding but it works.

A sports bed what more could a little boy need..

The other great thing we got for his room was a little table and chair set from Ikea. He absolutely loves it, he sits there for everything. He would eat breakfast there if we let him. But it keeps him very entertained to do things on his own table.

Celebrating Easter

2008-03-24T13:33:00.001-06:00

I know not that many people get that big into Easter..but in my family it's always been a big deal. My grandma used to do a big Easter egg hunt for all the grandkids and now that she has passed on we have decided to keep that tradition. Of course we all need to remember the real reason for Easter..Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Which I am so grateful that Easter is on a Sunday so we can be thinking of Christ and what an amazing man he was.
On Saturday night we colored eggs, we have been doing this with Ty ever since he was a baby so this was his 3rd year. This time he managed to crack an egg open and peel it, when he got to the yoke he was so excited he thought he found a ball! It was the funniest thing, we told him to eat it, but he said "No.. it's a ball." When we woke up Easter morning, the Easter Bunny had left baskets for us, and hid our eggs around the house. Tyler loved finding all the eggs, but he wasn't to happy with the Easter Bunny, because he put his basket in his basketball hoop, he was very concerned about this. Then we had to hurry and get ready for church. We have to apologize again to the Darlings (and anyone else that was around us as well) who unfortunately got to sit by us and Tyler was being so crazy..he had a little too much candy before church. After church we headed up to Kev's parents house for dinner and an egg hunt for the kids. We had over 125 eggs, and the kids had a ball. But of course Ty picked up one egg and then found candy inside so he didn't need anymore. I got a few more for him, but I think he only ended up with about 6, silly kid. He was also having way too much fun throwing the ball around the back yard with daddy to care about picking up eggs. After awhile we headed out to my family, for another Easter egg hunt.. yeah, if anyone needs candy we have plenty! Again, Tyler didn't care about getting eggs, he found a few then daddy had to do the rest. He was more interested in the trampoline. He's never been on one before. It was pretty funny to watch him. We had great Easter, and are so grateful that we get to celebrate Our Savior. We are so blessed with everything in our lives and it's always good to have things to remind us of our importance of being here and our Heavenly Father, and Heavenly Brother that love us dearly. We hope you all enjoyed your Easter too.

Happy St Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T23:00:00.000-06:00

I hope you all remembered to wear green! I don't usually do much for St Patrick's day, but I thought we would make it a little fun. So we had some leftover mint brownies from yesterday, and I made green eggs, green pancakes, and bacon. I was half tempted to turn the milk green, but I didn't know if Kev would drink it or not. Then we had family night, and hate brownies for dessert.

We have really tried to make Family Night a routine over the last few weeks. We subscribed to The Friend, which has been a great help for ideas for little ones. We make it really short (like less than 5 min, that's including both prayers.) Then we have treats and get Ty ready for bed. It's kind of hard to make it much more than that, especially since Kev gets home so late, but it has been working really well for us. I am really surprised at how fast Tyler has picked up on the routine. We usually read him a story before bedtime anyway, and the other night I asked him if he wanted to get a story for bed, his reply was, (in the cutest little voice possible) "Yeah, mom I want to have Family Night." I was so happy that our efforts are actually doing some good. Another thing that has been helping is this church book we got Tyler for Christmas, and it's his favorite book by far. But it talks about how to be reverent, it's really great for church. The reason we thinks he likes it so much, is there is a picture of the prophet in there, and it talks about watching conference on TV. Well Tyler is absolutely convinced that it is his Papa Shipp. (I think it's because of the glasses.) But it always cracks us up, we are still working on that it's the prophet and not Papa Shipp. In the meantime, we are grateful for the book. The picture with the hat is from Tara's house last night, but I couldn't resist putting it on here, especially since it's St Patty's, and it makes me laugh.

I love my family...

Weekend Re-Cap

2008-03-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

I've decide to do a sum up of our weekend, though it may not be that exciting to most of you.

Friday: We watched Aria, so Antz and Gina could go out to dinner. The kids had so much fun together. We spent the evening racing cars across the kitchen floor, and playing basketball. I'm sure this is very different from what Aria is used to, but they seemed to enjoy themselves.

Saturday: We went to the temple in the morning, which was long over due, and Gina watched Ty for us. It's so great to have someone to swap babysitting with. The temple was nice and I'm glad we were finally able to get there. Later that afternoon my Mom and Jodi came over and we scrapbooked until 11pm. It was fabulous, I got to work on my cruise pictures and almost finished it completly. It really made me want to go back, I'm so glad we took that trip it really was amazing.

Sunday: We went to church, did I mention how much I love to be done by noon. So we came home had lunch and then we all had naps, I love when I get to take a nap. Of course Tyler didn't sleep that long, but it was enough to give me a boost. In the afternoon we all usually read the paper, Kev reads the sports, and I of course look through all the ads. Well Tyler decided he was going to read too, so I caught him looking at the sports section, and saying out loud, "basketball game." It was pretty funny. We were invited to dinner at the Dobson's house so I made yummy mint brownies for dessert. The dinner was fabulous, thanks guys, and we stayed and played games for a little while.

Over all I think it was a pretty productive weekend. I hope you all had a great one too. Keep checking back because it's spring break for the U, which means Kev has No school. So hopfully we will get to do more fun things this week.

Picnic anyone?

2008-03-14T09:52:00.000-06:00

My very cute Mother-in-law, dropped this awesome basket off to us the other night. She said it was a thank you for scrapbooking her entire Nauvoo Trip (which by the way she took over 1,000 pics, although I didn't scrap that many.) And I told her not to worry about it, because I actually really enjoyed doing her trip. But I thought it was the sweetest thing. It was so beautiful, completely full of everything you need to have a picnic with your family, including treats and a drink. Too bad the weather is going to be crappy this weekend or we would totally be going on a picnic. I guess we will just have to pretend and do it inside. So I just wanted to say thank you and show off what an amazing thing she did. (FYI: She didn't make the basket, she got it at an auction. But it was still very sweet of her, and what a cute idea for a gift for someone.)

SPRING..?

2008-03-12T16:07:00.000-06:00

Spring is coming and I am so excited...I know the weather is only in the 40's and 50's but hey that beats the 20's any day. I just love love love spring. We have been stuck in the house far too long this winter and both Tyler and I are dying to get out! I'm sure we will be hitting a lot of parks this spring and summer. If anyone is interested in starting a playgroup at the park let me know. I know we had a great time in the fall.

Ok to admit the truth..their is one thing I don't like about spring and that is..Spring CLEANING. I don't dread anything more. But I have decided since we are trying to sell our house (hopefully not to soon), that I need to get serious about doing a deep cleaning. If anyone has any suggestions to make it easier let me know. I have already somewhat started by painting the shelves we put up in the closets, months ago. But that is now finished and all put back together in an organized fashion. I do love that part, I will organize anything. Gina likes to tease me because she thinks I'm too organized, but I think she just jealous. love ya G! The next step I'm sure will be washing base boards and blinds..oh so much fun. I just need to get the ambition to get started. Well hope all is well with all, and hopefully I will have a good start the next time I post.

Best Friends

2008-03-09T12:52:00.000-06:00

Tyler and Aria have been around each other since birth. You might say they are like siblings..because hey they fight like ones. But all in all they love each other. Tyler is constantly talking about Aria, and Aria is always excited to see Ty Ty. They are often yelling each others names in sacrament meeting. And love it when they get to play together. But most of all I think Gina and I love it more, because it gives us a break..for the most part. The only down side is they still like to hurt each other. Well it's usually Aria attacking Tyler, and Ty comes and tells on her. But they are getting better about it. Aria's new favorite thing is to give him a big hug and kiss afterwords, it's very sweet. Hopefully as they get older they will continue to be good friends even though ones a boy and the other a girl. Because we all no that their friendship right now is something we all treasure. These are a few random shots of them over the past few weeks, when Aria has come over to play. They get pretty crazy together.

Birthday Week...

2008-03-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

We were joking with some friends about how when it's your birthday it should be for the whole week. Well this year it really was for me. On Monday we went to dinner with 5 couples from our ward to celebrate Mine, Tara, and Anthony's birthday's all of which are on the same exact day. How crazy is that. We had an awesome time, getting to know new people and celebrating with no kids. It really was great thanks so much Chris and Tara, we really owe you.

Then on Tuesday we celebrated at work, which is for all the birthdays that month, and we had delicious Marie Calendar's pies...you can't beat that. Thanks so much to my work, you guys are great and I'm so glad that I still get to see you all once a week. And thank you Pattie and Steph for the wonderful gifts.

On my actual birthday...it was pretty much an ordinary day, I watch my 4 year old niece on Thursdays so I had her, but then I dropped her off at preschool, and my mother in law offered to watch Tyler so I could go shopping kid free. I didn't really have anything to shop for, but I got some cute new shoes, and what more could a girl ask for. Kev got me a fossil watch which I absolutely love, thank you babe. And then we went to dinner that night with Anthony and Gina. We love you guys thanks for putting up with us and for being such great friends, and thank you Gina for the wonderful gift. We we got home Kev had gotten me a banana cream pie, which is my favorite, but we were so full from dinner that we didn't eat it until the next day. But it was delicious.

Believe it or not the week isn't over yet. On Sunday we went out to my parents house for dinner and to celebrate mine and my little brother's birthday (yep he's the black kid, I know that caused confusion before, but he was adopted). Our birthdays are 3 days apart so we are used to combining them. My parents got me a scrap booking tote that I love and will come in handy for all of the stamps I am collecting these days. Well that pretty much sums it all up. And it was a great week, thank you everyone for making it that way. And baby I love you, Thank you for all you do for me and for making my birthday a memorable one.

Taking Tyler Sledding

2008-02-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

Kev had Presidents day off work, which was so great because he hasn't had a day off in a long time between school and work. So we decided to take Tyler sledding. He absolutley loved it! We had to get an inner tube, because believe it or not none of the stores had sleds left. So when we got there I had Kev go down the hill first to see how slippery it was...Tyler immediatley started laughing and squeling. He then started running down the hill after daddy, he was going so fast that he ended up falling and rolling a few times, but then he got up and started running again...this time he cried when he fell because he got scared. It was way too funny. We all decided to go down together, but we got going so fast that we all flew off and rolled around..after that we started only going half way up the hill, so that it was safer for Tyler. But he was having the time of his life, Kev and I were tired way before he was. As soon as we would get to the bottom of the hill, he would junp off and start running back up. The only bad thing was I could not find snowboots to fit his tiny feet, so we borrowed some from my Aunt, but they were 2 sizes to big, and kept falling off his feet. So towards the end his pour little feet were so cold that he just kept crying, because he didn't know how to tell us. So we had the make him go home, he wasn't to happy about that. All in all it was a fun filled day with our little family. Oh the last pic was Tyler trying to make snow angels, but the snow was more like ice so it didn't work to well.

Happy Valentines Day...

2008-02-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

I love Febraury...one because it's Valentines and so therfore considered the month of LOVE, and two because it's my birthday and what's better than that?

I just wanted to let my family and friends know how much I love them, and how especially grateful I am to them for helping me throught this difficult time. Especially to my Husband for being supportive and loving and always by my side. And to my mother what a wonderful woman she is and I couldn't do it without her. Thank you to everybody just for being you and for letting me know that I have people who care about me when I need them.

Our Little American Idol

2008-02-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ok..Ok so I haven't posted forever. I'm sorry to those of you who have been waiting for something new. So just like the rest of the world we have been watching American Idol, and Tyler absolutley loves it. He is so into music so he gets really excited when it comes on. Last night we were watching it and he ran into his room and grabbed a pipe looking thing that really goes to his play vacuum, but he said it was his microphone. And he immediatley started singing with the people on TV.

He is also really into Guitar Hero, who knew that at 2 years old it could be so entertaining? But he asks everyday if he can play "Cutar". We burrowed it from Kev's brother and have had it a little over a week, and Ty loves it. He was playing the other night and since he has no idea what he's doing he of course got boooed off the stage and he just busted up laughing because he thought it was funny what they were saying. What a crazy little man. So who knows maybe our little Tyler will be trying out for American Idol one day. Or maybe it's just a stage he'll grow out of, but right now he his totally enjoying it. He loves any kind of music as long as he can sing, dance and play guitar.

Kevin's Birthday

2008-01-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

The end of an old year and the beginning of a new...Kev kind of gets jibbed for his birthday because it is also New Year's Eve, so everyone is partying but not really for him. Now that he's older it's not as hard but I always feel bad, that I should've done more. He had to work and didn't get off until 7pm, and met us at my mom's. We spent the night playing games and guitar hero, of course, and eating until we just couldn't eat anymore. I made Kev a football cake, that was chocolate, and mini football cupcakes, but that was about the extent of it. He got all 3 seasons of "The Office", and we have been watching them almost every night since.

We spent the night at my mom's because it was so late, and then had a big breakfast the next morning, and my dad started a marshmallow fight, typical if any of you know my dad. Here is everybody throwing their marshmallows in the air. Tyler was running around and picking them up and shoving them in his mouth.

Tyler turns 2!

2008-01-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

So time has been flying so fast since the holidays that I haven't had a chance to blog about Tyler's and Kevin's birthdays.

Tyler turned TWO on December 29, 2007. We had a Curious George party and that all he could talk about for weeks. He loves George! He was toatlly spoiled and overstimulated, with just having Christmas. He didn't even want to open any more presents after the first 2, he just wanted to play. We just had a family party since our family is so big, and invited the Catenzaro's because Aria had to be there of course. Next year we will probably try a friend party. I can't believe my little man is two, it goes by so fast. He amazes me everyday how much he knows and picks up on. He is very roudy and full of energy, but he is a very sweet boy. Love you Ty bug!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2007-12-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

but December was so delightful!! We had such a good time this month despite all the snow, and it being freezing cold! Tyler really enjoyed the first snow storm, he helped daddy shovel the driveway, although he didn't get to play outside for too long, because I can't find any snow boots or pants that fit him!

We made cookiyes at Grandma Teresa's house with the cousins (there is only Tyler and my brothers 2 girls). Tyler had more fun dumping out the sprinkles onto the table than on the actual cookies, but it was still fun. Thanks Grandma!

We had the Shipp family party the saturday before Christmas and Santa came. The kids had so much fun telling santa what they got, Tyler on the other hand was still a little unsure of Santa so mom had to go up with him. We also attempted the annual Nativity, but with 13 grandchildren it never goes smoothly. We exchanged gifts and played games all night, it was a lot of fun.

And before we knew it, it was Christmas eve, it was a little different this year, since Grandma was gone, Grandma passed away 5 days before Christmas last year, but we were able to celebrate a little early with her. So this was the first real year without Grandma. It was hard but we are still trying to carry on the annual traditions, we each share Christmas stories and exchange gifts between families. Grandma used to give pajamas to all the grandkids, so this year we all brought our own pj's so the kids could still parade around the house, and show them off.

Christmas Day!

2007-12-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Christmas was so much more fun this year with Tyler being older. He got a basketball hoop from Santa and he didn't want to open anything else. We had to keep convincing him every few minutes to open another one. He got mostly books and clothes, and more balls for his "hoop". Ever since Christmas he walks around and says hoop and football. I guess they both are now is favorite sports. We went to my mom's mid morning and he was spoiled by grandma, he got a jungle set with elephants, lions, birds, a gorilla, and his favorite a spider! It is really cool and makes all kids of animal sounds, this was by far his second favorite thing. Thanks mom we love the gifts you gave Tyler and us, it was a great Christmas. We spent the afternoon with Kevin's family, one of his brothers got Guitar Hero, and the other got the Wii, so between the two none of us could get our husbands to leave. So it was another late night, but we enjoyed being with family. We love you all.

The Best Cruise Ever

2007-12-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all waiting to find out about our cruise so here goes. First let me just say that it was amazing and so totally worth it. First off we flew into Atlanta and had a 3 hour layover, but for those of you haven't been there, Atlanta is a way cool airport. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale Friday night late and stayed at a hotel. Antz and Gina got there about 7am Saturday morning, you'll have to read her blog to find out the details of their flight.

Our Cruise left Saturday December 8 at 5:00pm. We spent the first little while walking around the ship and checking things out. It was a very beautiful ship and had 15 floors. There was so much to see it was unreal.

Our dinner seating was at 6:00 so it was just perfect. The food was immaculate, and it's all you can eat 24/7. For those of you that haven't been on a cruise, the dinning room is just like the Titanic, it was 3 floors and you could see all the way up the middle of it. After dinner they usually have a show or comedian or what not so we would go to that. Then they would have late night entertainment, which you had to be careful with. Anthony swears we were the only four people on the boat that weren't drinking or had tattoos. We went to Karaoke which was hilarious and we managed to talk Anthony into singing. He sang "Help me Rhonda" by the beach boys. I'm sure Gina will put the recording on her blog.

Day 2: At Sea

We went to breakfast and then spent most of mid morning laying out hoping to get a tan. The guys didn't last too long so they went and walked around. While we were laying out a helicopter was flying over us. We found out later that a lady had a heart attack and they had to stop the boat and life flight her out of there. Luckily we had a helicopter pad on the boat, other wise it would have delayed us quite a bit. That night was formal night so we got all dressed up and went down to dinner. Before dinner we went to an Ice dancing show it was pretty amazing because the boat was really swaying and nobody fell. After the show we had pictures taken by the photographers, which the guys weren't happy about us buying, but they will get over it. About half way through dinner I started feeling sick so unfortunately I spent the rest of the night in the room puking. But at least Kev still had someone to go do stuff with, unlike our last cruise. But I missed the comedian that night, which I was bummed about, but luckily I didn't miss the Lobster, because they had it another night.

Formal night dinner (before I got sick)

Ocho Rios

2007-12-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

A view of our ship from the Jamaican waterfalls.

Day 3: Ocho Rios, Jamaica (Monday)

I felt much better when I woke up, we went and got breakfast and headed out. We arrived in port a little later than scheduled because of the helicopter delay, but we were still off the boat by 10:30am. We went and walked around a few of the shops, and then decided to take a taxi to the Dunn's River falls. It was really crowded and cost extra to climb the falls so the cab guy (his name is also Kevin) told us about some local falls we could go to for free. So we went there and it was beautiful, we were the only ones there and we spent about an hour climbing the falls and swimming in the ocean. We had a good time and the scenery was amazing. Afterwords he took us up to a botanical garden but we just looked around outside. Then we went to the flee market for more shopping. If you've ever been to Tiawana, Jamaica is the same almost worse. They haggle you so bad, and they try to give you things that they say is a "gift" but then they want you to give them a tip. It's very weird, not to mention all the times we got offered pot! But it was a very beautiful place and I'm glad we were able to see it.

The Grand Cayman Islands

2007-12-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Day4: Cayman Islands (Tuesday)

I can't believe how fast time was going, but we were having a blast. By this point we were really starting to miss Tyler, but on the other hand I'm so glad we didn't bring him. We called home when we were in port, and he didn't even want to talk to us, I guess he was having way too much fun at Grandma's.

We signed up to go snorkeling with the sting rays, but the weather wasn't great so they said it was to dangerous, so instead we went to a coral reef and to an abandoned ship wreck. It was really weird at first and I had a hard time not breathing through my nose, and I didn't have my goggles on tight enough so I kept getting water in my nose. And that was really disgusting salt water, it almost made me throw up when I got a taste. The coral was really pretty and their were tons of fish swimming around. When we got to the second stop the ship wreck, I tightened my goggles and had the hang of it a little more, so it was a lot more fun. It wasn't as pretty as the coral but it was cool to see.

When we got back we didn't have much time so we just walked around a little and did some more shopping. We wanted to go to seven mile beach, but it just didn't happen. It was such a beautiful place, we all wish we could've spent more time there. We didn't really get to see much because the snorkeling took up most of the time. But we did find some sea shells, and we watched some guys cut up fish right on the shore. They let us come up and help.

We would get back so late from the ports that we would barely eat lunch and go get cleaned up and it would almost be time for dinner. So we tried to not fill up so much so we could enjoy the good dinner food. We had a really fun group at our table, 2 older couples and then the 4 of us. They were a lot of fun to get to know. Ones of the guys tried to get the guys to come to the gym with him every morning, they finally made it the last day. Our waiter was very cool his name is Vipin, he was very good to us. All the waiters marched around the dinning room and sang to us one night it was cute. They had over 1250 employees on that ship, amazing. Our tables being the odd balls, every night they had these elaborate desserts, and 8/10 times we all ordered ice cream. I'm sure Vipin thought we were weird.

After dinner and the show we would usually have some time to kill before the partying started. So we found this lounge on the 15 floor of the boat that over looked the pool area, it was fun to people watch. We also played ultimate scrabble, almost every night. We went to a game called The Quest, it was very hilarious and a little reveling. I think almost every person playing had to be wasted. It was a contest and you were teamed as couples, the first one to complete the task wins. Example bring me a woman's bra. Interesting huh! This was the only night they had a midnight buffet, which I was disappointed because I was looking forward to them. They had really good fruit, fresh pineapple, strawberries, etc. they had a lot of other food to but we only wanted fruit.

It's almost over...if any of you have even read this far I'm impressed!

Day 5: At Sea (Wednesday)

We finally made it to the gym, then Gina and I went and laid out while the guys played ball. Then they had a dodge ball tournament, it was the highlight of the trip for Kev. They signed up under the team name; stripling warriors. A couple from Utah signed up with them because of the name. So they won 4/4 games and took first place, they got medals and t-shirts, and they were on cloud nine. We tried to watch the sunset before dinner but it was but it was behind a cloud so we didn't get the full effect. Later that night was the farewell show, and then another night of karaoke. We didn't want it to end, but as all good things do, it was over. We had to be up early the next morning and out of our rooms at 8am. Then we spent a long fun filled day at the airport waiting for our flights. We arrived home late Thursday night to a whopping 23 degrees!

It was a blast, thanks Antz and Gina we should definitely do it again.

Our Cruise...

2007-12-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have never been more excited in my life to leave a beautiful city full of SNOW, and go to an even more beautiful 84 SUNNY degree weather in Jamaica. Gina can you even believe that it is really coming? I am starting to get a little sad about leaving Tyler for so long, but I know that Grandma will take good care of him. And lets face it I need a vacation. See you all when we get back. Love you.

Work Christmas Party

2007-12-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

I work for Olympus clinic a Doctor's office in Holladay. Every year they do a very nice Christmas dinner, this year they decided to go a little more formal and guys had to wear jackets and ties and girls could get as fancy as they wanted, but most of us just wore nice dresses not formals. It was a lot of fun, but I'm not one for fancy food that you can't even pronounce. They did have really good Filet Mignon, but most of the girls wouldn't eat because they thought it wasn't cooked enough. I guess we're more simple is better kind of people. But it was a very enjoyable night without children.

I love working with these girls they are so much fun!

California Pizza Kitchen

2007-11-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

So I have a best friend named Megan, yes it was very confusing growing up but we were always together so people just started calling us the Megan's. It was her birthday this month so a bunch of us got together and went to dinner. Of course we were the only ones that have a child so needless to say Tyler was the center of attention, and loving every minute of it. There was a football game on the TV there but you couldn't see it from where we were sitting, so one of us had to keep taking Tyler over to see football because he wouldn't stop asking about it. It was a lot of fun and it was good to be able to see old friends, I hope you had a good birthday Meg.

The Gateway

2007-11-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we decided to go to the Gateway with the Catenzaro's. They had a little piano concert and the were lighting up the trees. We met Kevin there since he works at the end of Gateway and he doesn't get off until 7pm. It was a little chilly so we had to bundle up, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. After we listened to the concert for a few minutes Gina'a craving for carmel apples got the better of her so we walked all the way to the other end to get one. It was so beautiful with all the lights, this is one of the only reason I enjoy going outside in the cold. But it is always a must to come home and drink hot chocolate!

I'm Grateful for...

2007-11-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

So Thanksgiving came and went and it was a very enjoyable day. We spent the day with my family this year. And I just wanted to reflect a little how grateful I am for family. Kevin is an amazing husband and works very hard to provide for us, as well as going to school he is very busy and I appreciate all he does. Tyler is a very cute little boy and I couldn't be more happy to be a mom. He keeps me going every day and he makes me remember how important life is, I love them both so much.

I also wanted to express my gratitude for my Mother. We recently had an experience where we thought my mom might have breast cancer. It was very scary and a little too close to home, as my Grandmother died just last December from cancer. It turns out that my mother doesn't have cancer. But it did make us think how precious life is and how much we need her around. She is an amazing woman, she is always looking out for others and putting them before herself. She loves her grandchildren more than life and spoils them like crazy. But most importantly she is my mom and I couldn't do it without her. She has been there for me through the ups and downs and has stood by my side through all my decisions. I love you mom and I'm eternally grateful for you being around. Also to my dad who works very hard and cares for all of us so much. I love you too Dad, thanks for being a good father and example to me.

I'm also grateful for my extended family and for Kevin's family they have welcomed me in like their own. It is nice to know how blessed we are and to have so many people so close who love and care about us.

My New Camera!!

2007-11-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new camera and I am so excited I can't even stand it. Ok so it's suppose to be for Christmas but since we are going on our cruise in just a couple of weeks (can you believe it Gina?) we decided to get it a little early. Especially since I need to figure out the features and how it all works before we go. So I have been playing with it non-stop and got some really cute candid moments of Tyler. I would've never been able to get with our old camera since it takes forever to take a picture! He was playing with his tools and trying to fix the ottman. What a good little boy.

I also caught him with the xbox controller ready to play xbox sitting in the exact same position as daddy does.

Here are a few more shots with him in his Christmas outift we were bored one night while daddy was at school so we took pictures. He looked so stinkin' handsome I couldn't resist. Although these were with the old camera so it was a lot harder. But these were my two favorite poses.

Sunday Night Football!

2007-11-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well Kevin did it...Tyler is officially obsessed with football...in fact he calls every sport with a ball football. We were at church yesterday and he kept yelling football because he could see the basketball hoops in the gym. Silly boy! He loves to play football with dad and he gets down and says "hike" then he throws it even if you're not paying attention. The other night I was trying to put him to bed and Kev was watching a game and Tyler kept crying and saying "football-daddy" I know it's cute but I still made him go to bed. Here are some pictures of him playing football at Grandma Teresa's last night. And don't mind the whiskers on his face Grandma did that.

I've been Tagged!

2007-11-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

My deep dark secrets...hope you enjoy!

Rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random - some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names - link to them
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

SEVEN random facts about ME:

1. I have been married for 4 1/2 years and am loving every minute of it, life became even better when our little guy came along. We enjoy spending time just the three of us.

2. Kevin and I met Country dancing at Trolley Square, he will leave out the country part because he doesn't want any one to know that he secretly loves country music! Of course we haven't been dancing since we got married...but it was a lot of fun when we were dating. I cherish those moments.

3. Some people would say I'm a "Neat Freak", I have to have my house clean especially when I know people are coming over. I am constantly straightening up and my favorite thing of all is to organize, I can't wait until I have a house with my own scrapbook room, it will probably be moved around at least once a week. But I am not a fan of deep cleaning so don't look too closely if you come over to my house.

4. I love...to go shopping! Well if you count Target and Old Navy (and Costco) as shopping, because that's about the extent of it but I am there at least once a week. Tyler always wants to go bye bye so we run errands a lot.

5. I am obsessed with taking pictures (if you haven't noticed). I always considered going into photography but never got around to it, my passion for the medical field kind of took over. But I love to do photo shoots with Tyler, he doesn't always love it, but I just can't help how handsome he is.

6. I am so NOT a morning person...Tyler is my alarm clock and even then he doesn't always work. Luckily he sleeps pretty good, but I just can't get myself out of bed in the mornings. And I require so much sleep I get at least 8 hrs. and I'm still usually tired.

7. I absolutely hate winter time...only because of the snow. I love the holidays and being with family and I love the smells of Christmas, especially when we make homemade Christmas candy. But my favorite thing to do in the winter is cuddle up by the fire with a book and hot chocolate.

Now we want to learn about you...
1. Gina Catenzaro
2. Holly Robinson
3. Megan Butler
4. Kimi Christensen
5. Tiffany Packer
6. Jen Shepherd
7. Sabrina Box

Fall Photo Shoot

2007-10-30T14:08:00.000-06:00

I love the fall it is my favorite time of year and I absolutely hate how short it is! I love the leaves and the colors and just being outside in the crisp cool breeze. So we decided that we would make it a tradition to take famiy pictures on Conference weekend outside with the beautiful scenery and use them for our Christmas cards. Well this year it wasn't that nice outside that weekend so we decided to wait, and every weekend since then hasn't been that great either. So last Sunday when we got up and the sun was shinning, I said we have to do it today! Of course Kevin wasn't all that thrilled about the idea but he went along with it anyway. We met one of my good friends at Liberty park after church and got some really fun pictures. It was so beautiful outside I couldn't resist taking a few shots of the trees. And Tyler and daddy ahd a blst playing in the leaves. I love these moments.

The Ward Carnival

2007-10-30T13:37:00.000-06:00

So for those of you that don't know Kevin and I are Activities Committee chairman for our ward, so we get to plan all the parties. Sounds fun right? Oh boy... it is a big job and a little over whelming. But we made it through!

We started off with a trunk or treat in the church parking lot, along with 2 other wards there at the same time. Then we went into the cultural hall where we had half the gym set up with tables, for our Chili cook off and yummy desserts. The other half was set up carnival style with different "booths" (i.e. face painting, fishing, throwing darts, etc.) and in the primary room we had a spook alley that was very well done by the EQ. They were supposed to have 2 one for the younger kids, and one for the older but they ran out of time. So you just ahd to tell them if you had a little one, I did take Tyler through and I think he would've been fine except that right when you walked in there was a huge spider. And if you don't know, Tyler is terrified of spiders (even fake ones), so he didn't like it much, but it was a pretty cool spook alley.

It turned out to be a lot of fun from what I hear anyway. But when your in charge it's nothing but chaos. And poor little Ty didn't get to have much fun because we were running around all night, so he didn't get to play the games.

So needless to say I didn't get as many pics as I wanted but here are a few.

Thanks goodness for our good friends the Catenzaro's for letting Ty take a nap at their house while we set up and putting him to bed while we took down. Thanks a bunch Gina.

Jayme's Halloween Party!

2007-10-22T14:00:00.000-06:00

We have so many wonderful friends in our neighborhood, I love it! One of our friends had a Halloween party this past Saturday. It was so much fun! Even Kev had fun, even though I made him dress up, but once we got there he was over it. Tyler had a blast running around, and he even tried bobbing for apples, well he actually just grabbed and apple and then stepped in the water, but what's the difference right! It was a blast, and hopefully the ward carnival that we are planning for this weekend will turn out just as fun. Thanks Jayme!

Tyler and Belle were very fascinated by the dancing skeleton, we might have to invest in one of those.

Here is Tyler the Jungle boy and Aria the Witch, Best buds forever!

The Costumes

2007-10-22T13:48:00.001-06:00

We dressed up as Jungle People and Tyler was going to be a monkey, but we had extra fabric so we decided to make him a costume too, Isn't he cute?
Here are all the girls from the group, I love you guys!

The Butlers were Pirates

And of course the Echols are Incredible!

The cute Christensen's are Under the Sea with their boys!

The Packers, and cute Tiff ready for Baby Jane to come out.

The wizard of Oz, and Tigger too, meet the Shepherds.
I didn't get pictures of everyone's families, you can blame that on my annoying camera that takes too long to take pictures.

Monkey-in' Around

2007-10-21T21:34:00.000-06:00

So this year for Halloween Tyler is going to be a monkey, which fits him just perfectly. He is such a busy little boy and always running and jumping around, and he loves to make monkey sounds. Ever since we got his costume he has been wearing it around the house. He brings it to me and says "on". He will play in it for hours and be enteratined, so of course I let him, if you notice he also put my shoes on this time. So we had a little photo shoot the other day (because lets face it, I'm too cheap to take him in and get his pictures done, because you know I'll end up buying them). It's not much but hears what I got of my little monkey.

Playgroup!

2007-10-08T13:37:00.000-06:00

In our neighborhood we have a lot of little kids and they are mostly around the same age. So we decided to start a playgroup at the park. We have only been going for about a month now, but it has been so wonderful, for me and Tyler. He loves to be outside and it's so much more fun with other kids, and I love to socialize. We are hoping the weather will stay good for little while longer, but if not hopefully we can still get together inside somewhere.

A Shoe Fetish?

2007-09-25T13:06:00.000-06:00

So I guess you could say my son is a little bit like a girl. He has this obsession with shoes, and I'm not sure why because he doesn't get it from me. But anyway I caught him in his room the other day trying to put his shoes on, and he kept asking me for more so I gave him a few more pairs. He was thoroughly entertained trying on his shoes! What a crazy little man. I have also found him climbing on things to get the shoes on his dresser or in my closet trying on shoes. He loves to wear them around the house.

Daddy and Tyler

2007-09-19T22:00:00.000-06:00

So Kevin has Wednesday's off work, so I go to work and he stays home with Tyler. So you can imagine what our house looks like when I walk in the door at 5:00. I usually come home to something interesting. Last week it was tyler covered in pizza sauce. A while back Tyler had drawn all over the couch with pen. Luckily we have microfiber couches and they clean easy. But mostly they are just dancing around the house and goofing off like a bunch of kids.
This is Tyler wearing daddy's goggles. But it got me thinking how great it is that Tyler gets to spend time with his daddy one on one, and that Kev gets a glimpse of what my life is like everyday.

Kevin your are a good father and I am grateful for you reminding me of the simpler things in life and taking the time to spend with your child. When he gets older he will be able to look back and remember the times he got to play with daddy, and those moments are precious. thank you for all you do for us, we love you!

When Daddy gets home...

2007-09-17T10:15:00.000-06:00

Sorry the video is so dark!

So If any of you know my husband, you know that he is a huge fan of music. He is constantly playing songs for me and wanting me to guess who it is. I, On the other hand, know nothing about music and I am horrible at remembering names of songs and the people who sing them. Well Our cute little boy Tyler has taken after his daddy in that department.

Every night when Kev gets home from work, he puts music on, and him and Tyler dance around the front room. Tyler loves this more than anything, and anytime music comes on anywhere he starts dancing. So there new favorite song is "Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani. Tyler actually sings along with it, but instead of saying "yee who" he says "yee haw" but he is getting better. The best part is when Gwen does her solo and is singing really fast, Tyler's mouth is moving 100 miles a minute, you have to watch this video to get it, and who knows maybe he'll perform for you one day.

"Remember the small things in life"

Go Copper Hills!

2007-09-14T13:17:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went and watched my little brother (Mitch) play football. He plays on the sophomore team at Copper Hills High School, and for those of you who don't know where that is, It's way West, West Jordan. Anyway it was a lot of fun, and I actually understood most of what was going on, which is great for me because I'm not a huge football fan. Tyler had a blast, anytime someone would cheer he would start yelling and clapping. He yells Go Mic! Because he can't say Mitch. He also spent most of the game checking out the cheerleaders, as Kev would say gotta start them young.

Mitch plays; on Offense Full back and on Defense Middle linebacker, he is also the captain of his team. Yesterday was the first game that they won this season and the scores was 19-6. It was awesome. Keep it up Mitch!

GiRls NiGHt OUt!

2007-09-03T11:32:00.001-06:00

On Friday night I went out with some of my friends from the ward. We went to dinner and a movie. It was so wonderful to just be with the girls and leave the kids home with our hubby's. Thanks girls for such a fun evening on Friday! I couldn't have needed it more. I love getting together with all of you, and we need to make sure we keep doing it on a consistent basis so I don't go crazy. It was a good movie I thought and perfect to see with just the girls, since I don't know about you, but my husband hates chick flicks. For those of you who weren't there I recommend going to see No Reservations.