laurel & co.

New Family Member!

2009-03-11T15:17:00.007-06:00

This last Sunday, May 8th, my sister Jenny had her second baby and her first boy. He was 8lbs and 20 1/2 inches long. They named him Quincy Michael Kennett. They are so excited to have a little boy and we're so excited for them. I can't wait to be able to see him and hold him. Congratulations Jenny, Mike and Ashlyn. We love you!

A couple weeks ago, all five of my sisters, myself, and my mom met up in Las Vegas for my sister Jenny's baby shower. We had such a great time!! We brought no kids and no hubbys and we just laughed and had a blast all weekend. This picture is from Jenny's shower of all 7 of us girls. (Mom, Lindsay, Me, Jenny, Adriel, Kayleen, Noelle)

After the Shower we went to downtown Las Vegas. We stayed in the Venetian Hotel and it was breath taking. That night we went to the Phantom of the Opera. I LOVED IT! It was so amazing and if you ever go to Vegas, this is a must see!

Overall the weekend was a total success. In fact, I wasn't quite ready to head home at the end of it! Luckily I missed my husband and kids, or I may have just relocated. ha ha.

Sleeping Angels

2009-02-26T23:09:00.004-07:00

Ever since Payton was born he slept like this. He was a itty bitty baby and still he slept with his mouth wide open, usually drooling, alot. Matt says he sleeps like me, but I don't think so (actually truth be told, Matt has a picture of me sleeping exactly like that on the couch with one of the babies... shhh.)

We even pray in our sleep at our house... ha. He doesn't always sleep like that but it was funny to catch the pose. He sure does look peaceful though.

This picture is what started all the picture taking. When we put the kids to bed at night we usually seperate them by putting one of them on our bed till we come up and move them. Well, this night I came upstairs and saw my baby girl asleep on my bed, and there was something about her that caught my eye. The picture didn't even do the moment justice, but it was just a moment of awe. I was so struck with this little angel asleep on my bed that I didn't want to lose the feelings of love I felt, not only for her but for my other two angels as well. So I tiptoed over each of them as they slept and snapped a photo. By the time I got to the boys however, they as usual, made me laugh. Payton with his mouth WIDE open and Gabe somehow capturing a bit of his personality even as he slept. There is just something about seeing your children asleep that allows you to fall in love with them over and over each night.

Playing in the Snow

2009-02-09T20:50:00.002-07:00

I have to admit that I am sooo not a winter person. When it's snowy and cold I'd rather hibernate than go out and freeze. My kids, however, have a different idea. When we got dumped on in January they just couldn't stand to be inside any longer. So we bundled up and went out to play in the snow. The kids had so much fun, they didn't want to come in, even after they were soaked through. I survived and it was well worth it, especially to see Payton so bundled up he couldn't put his arms down (Christmas story?)

Christmas time project

2009-02-09T19:30:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I know this is kinda more christmas pictures but I found these on my old camera and had to post it. I made these little "gingerbread" houses in December. I did use graham crackers to make these (which is kinda cheating) but for the record its harder to make all the walls stick together. I was pretty proud of my little creations so I had to share. Here's the product before we decorated them.

Here's the artists at work...

And Finally, the finished products...

This one was Gabe's (his daddy helped him).

This one was Payton's (his mommy helped him. ha ha. I even took special care to make icicles hanging off the roof. I'm a dork, I know.)

This one was Shayne's. She did hers all by herself. She was so proud of her finished product. I only felt bad that when we took them down to snack on she didn't have nearly as much on hers. :)

Hamster update

2009-02-04T16:02:00.002-07:00

Here's our five little surprises. The picture hardly shows just how small they are. The tupperware that they are in is about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. They'd each fit in a ping pong ball!

Here's one of the babies in Shayne's little hands.

The kids LOVE them! Payton gets so excited when he sees them. He was pointing to each of them and saying "that" in this picture.

Shayne probably likes them the most. She's so cute and soft with them. She talks to them and loves holding and playing with them.

Shayne's First Day of School

2009-02-04T15:23:00.002-07:00

You know, before I had kids I'd hear mothers getting all emotional about their kids starting school or crossing another milestone and I always thought "what's the big deal?" Well, I've officially eaten my own words. I'm such a sappy mom!! Its taken me forever to get her into preschool in the first place. Part of it was all the moving we've done and then we got on the waiting list here... but mostly I just wasn't ready for her to grow up and leave. I know, I'm ridiculous, after all, "what's the big deal!?"

Yesterday she started her preschool class and it was hard for me to leave her. I have a hard time seeing her get so big. I want her to stay little forever. Matt talks about her going to her high school prom, and dating, and eventually getting married and I wanna slug him for it. I don't know what it is about my Shayne but I think I'll be one of those pathetic moms for every milestone she reaches. I love you Shayne!

My Happy Thoughts

2009-02-04T14:16:00.006-07:00

Lately I've had some time to think about my kids and what each of them brings to my life. They are my pride and joy and they bring so much love and laughter to me every day. I love each of them so much and am so thankful for the opportunity to be their mama.

Payton is our little funny boy. He keeps us laughing all the time. He has such a good spirit about him. He can be sweet and gentle in one moment and ready to wrestle in the next. He's always ready to play and he's such a jokester. Out of all the kids I think I'd say he's my cuddliest. He gives the best cuddles! He really adds a whole new dimension to our house and I couldn't imagine life without him!

Gabriel is our strong spirit. He came here with such purpose and it shows in all his day to day activities. He's so smart! He talks better than most 5 year olds, and because of this he makes people laugh where ever we go. I have no doubt that he has great things to accomplish in this life, and it is his great determination that will allow him to do those things. He also has such a sweet side. He's so eagar to love and accept people. He is his daddy's greatest admirer for sure. He brings so much to our house that life would be boring and dull without him!

Shayne Elizabeth is our sweet girl. She has such a good concience about her. She wants to do what is right all the time and to please both her earthly and heavenly parents. I think she's the perfect mixture of sweet and silly. She is always so concerned for others and wants everyone to be happy and loved. She's a great big sister and an awesome helper to me. In a house of brothers she brings a special softness that a mother can surely appreciate.

A Baptism and More Christmas

2009-02-04T14:05:00.006-07:00

This last weekend we were able to drive to Idaho Falls to attend my neice's baptism. This is Matt's brother's little girl, and she's come a long way to get to here and we're so proud of her. It was really neat to see her take such a wonderful step. Afterwards we went to their house and exchanged christmas gifts, since we weren't able to spend christmas with Matt's family. It was really fun and the kids were in heaven with a second Christmas. It was a quick trip. We left early Saturday morning and came back late that night, but it was well worth the drive. Thanks again to Brenda (Matt's mom), Krystal and Eric (Matt's brother and wife) and to Devery and Devon (Eric's daughter and son). It was a great day!

2nd Christmas

2009-02-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

Never a Dull Moment!!

2009-01-29T13:24:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I think I'm writing this post in the hopes that I get lots of responses telling me that my life is pretty normal...
I've decided that before this life when we were signing up for what we'd have here I appearantly said "I want a life that never has ANY dull moments." Cause I'm pretty sure that little wish was granted. The last few days Matt has been out of town on business and since he left its been utter chaos (more than usual). Two days ago I was really cold and I decided despite my instructions from my husband I was gonna turn the heat up. Only when I looked at the thermostat I realized why I was cold. The temp was set at 70 and the house temp read at just below about 65. I turned it up and could hear it turn on downstairs but it wasn't blowing anything. Long story short I tried to look at it but have no idea what to even look for. Keep in mind that this would HAVE to all happen right at dinnertime! So I stopped messing with the heat and got the kids some food, which meant a battle over what I'd fixed and whether it would be eaten or not (mostly by my two year old). In the meantime Matt had called the Landlord and he contacted the "fixers" who called me... Only to tell me that they couldn't make it till morning. So I left the dinner mess and frantically started to plan for a night of cold with three small kids. Our sweet home teacher came over and took a look to see if it was anything he could see and when he couldn't figure it out either he loaned us his two space heaters (since I couldn't find ours). That night I turned the bottom bunk, which is a full bed, into a tent by hanging quilts from the top bunk. Shayne and Gabe watched movies in there for the remainder of the evening till bedtime and we just all 4 camped out in one bedroom for the night. The kids thought it was great, in fact when I put them to bed last night they wanted to do it again. (no way) The following day was not very productive. The hvac guy didn't come until after 5 yesterday evening making it over 24hours without our heat. I was pretty annoyed. Once the heat was back on I could crawl out from under the layers of blankets that I'd been dwelling under all day and decided to clean the disaster of a kitchen. But when I started the water in the kitchen sink it wouldn't get hot!! Luke warm is even a stretch for the temp it finally turned. So here I sit now a few days past the need to shower, in a messy house, with kids who are constantly fighting. I hope this is what I signed up for when I signed the mommy contract... tell me I'm normal (or tell me if I'm not I think I can take it...)

Christmas 08

2009-01-29T13:23:00.001-07:00

Pajama Party!

2009-01-26T15:24:00.003-07:00

A week or so ago we decided that we'd all get in our jammies a little early and have a "pajama party". They kids were so excited. Actually, now that I think of it, I often say its a jammie party just to get them to get in their pajamas... (rotten mom!) Well, this night we actually did have a little party. We popped popcorn, had some treats, and sat on a mattress and watched a movie that was projected on the wall. It was like our own little movie theater at home. They thought it was so fun! We'll be doing this again soon for sure!!

Bonus with our Buy!

2009-01-22T15:06:00.005-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I went up north to visit a friend. As we were up there we went by a pet store that has tons of varieties of animals. I'd taken the kids there before and decided it would be fun to take them again. Well, once inside I remembered that I had a hamster cage and some accessories from one that I'd had a few years back. So I decided maybe it was time for the kids to have a little pet. We got some assistance from a girl that worked there and we picked out the smallest one. (They're dwarf hamsters so they're already really small.) It looked like maybe it had been picked on by the bigger ones cause its little ear had bites and scratches on it. Well we brought the little thing home. I forgot to have the lady at the store check it to see what sex it was and since it was gonna be an only pet I figured it didn't really matter, so I let Shayne pick. (weird, I know) So, after thinking for a minute, Shayne decided it was a boy and that his name was Wall-e (ya like the disney movie). Well, here's the fun part... we had "wall-e" about two weeks when I noticed he was getting really fat. I figured we were spoiling him and now that he wasn't the runt getting picked on he could get some food and get bigger. Proud of my little rescue, I put him back in the cage last week and went to bed. The next morning Matt and I were sitting in the living room talking when I heard a strange noise... I went into the kitchen on the fridge where Wall-e was in his cage and pulled the whole cage down to see what that noise was. Sure enough underneath a very scared little GIRL hamster was 5 little babies no bigger than a nickle each!!! Needless to say I googled hamster baby care, covered and put up the cage to give the new mama some privacy (she's a really nervous little mama), explained to Shayne what had happened, and she renamed the hamster Eve!!

P.S. we'll be looking for new homes for the babies in about 3-4 weeks... hint, hint!

I'll keep you all posted as they get bigger and less hideous! At least they're finally starting to get their fur.

Only a month late! And an update.

2009-01-22T14:25:00.003-07:00

So I am finally getting pictures of Christmas put on here, and just shy of a month late. (I still have no idea why I can't put slides on here either!) I have a few more pics on my old camera that are stored on the camera memory since I lost my memory card. I'll go thru those and see what I wanna post. (since it is a month or so late)

http://s468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/laurelhiett/

As for things around here... Last Friday my sister came up north from central Utah. Then on Saturday my other two sisters came down from Magna, and Bountiful and we all hung out. It was a great day, and I had so much fun hanging out with everyone. When my sister Kayleen headed back south, Saturday night, she offered to take Gabriel with her for a day or two. I was really hesitant but how can you say no when your little two year old is begging "please let me go, mommy!" (he seems much older than two!) So I finally agreed and he didn't even shed a tear. He told me that I had to stay home and that he was going to his Aunt Kayleen's house. He went and was fine. She said he asked about all of us several times but was always ok with it when she told him we were still home. Well, I went to pick him up Monday and he still didn't want to come home! Needless to say he didn't have a choice and he was just fine once we finally left there. I just can't believe how grown up he is for being only two. He already says and does things that most 4 and 5 year olds don't say or do. Oh that reminds me! About 3 or 4 weeks ago we decided to take the kids to McDonalds for dinner. (UGH!) Well, they have to eat their meals first then they can play. Eating was quite a task, as always, but we finally were able to release them to the play area. Not long after being in there I noticed these two boys picking on Shayne. One of them had a fake worm or snake (I would've guessed that he was 5 or 6) and the other had a fake cockroach or beatle of some sort(he seemed about 4 or 5). They were chasing Shayne all around with these bugs and making her scream. At first it was ok and she was playing along but they wouldn't stop and she couldn't escape their teasing. She came to me once and hid behind me and they stopped for a minute, until she was running around again. I noticed that the boys' parents were sitting on the other side of the room and that they were laughing at the scene. I was starting to get irritated when around the corner with his fists balled came Gabriel. He had his "mean face" on and he was yelling "you leave my sister alone!!" The boys immediately went running in opposite directions! Matt and I stared at each other then back at Gabe several times before I finally put my hand up for a high five to my husband. We both laughed and talked on the way home about the incedent and imagined ahead to the future when Shayne is in High School and the boys still won't leave her alone... If we're lucky she'll still have a little (big) brother that will defend her!
Let's see other than that there is nothing much going on at our house. We plan to take a trip to Idaho Falls soon to see Matt's mom since we missed her for the holidays. So, anyone in the neighborhood up there that would like to get together let me know.

Happy New Year... and ect.

2009-01-03T15:59:00.003-07:00

First and formost I want to wish all our friends and family a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! No matter where you are we love you all! I hope this year is full of a little less surprises and alot of love and laughter. I hope and wish the best for all of you as well!
I'll hopefully have pics of christmas and family activities soon. The last time I updated my blog I plugged in my memory card for my camera into my computer and loaded them all. Well, when I pulled out the memory card I set it on the table next to where I was working and thats the last time I saw it. I only have room on my camera for a couple pics but no way of getting them to my laptop... so Matt bought me a new camera for christmas, but we ordered it online and its still not here.
As for christmas, we went to Vegas kinda last minute and spent it with three of my sisters and their families. We had sooo much fun! Luckily my sisters took tons of pictures and I'll get some from them as soon as I can. Thanks again, Jen and Mike for having us!

Car pictures

2008-12-12T20:45:00.002-07:00

So here's the pictures of the car from our wreck. I'm not possitive but I think this dent in the back is from when we spun into the fence. I'm pretty sure its totalled but I won't know for sure until the adjuster can get out and look at it at the tow yard.

Tea Party lunch

2008-12-12T20:05:00.003-07:00

So, I'm still trying to catch up on my pictures. This was a few weeks ago. Shayne and Gabe had a tea party for lunch. It was so cute they even had a rose in the little vase. They really were so fun to watch. They had applesauce, chicken noodle soup, nilla wafers, and fruit snacks.

Birthdays Part 2

2008-12-09T19:04:00.003-07:00

I threw a surprise party for Matt this year and invited a few of his friends. He isn't huge on his birthday but I could tell that he was really excited. We combined Payton's party with his that night because Matt had to leave town for work the following morning which was Payton's birthday.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY PAYTON!!!

Here he is unwrapping his presant. He thought it was so cool that he could rip the paper and not get in trouble.

....and here he is trying to get his birthday presant back from his BIG brother. Sad, huh. I rescued him, just after I caught the moment, of course.

This was a cute car that Matt had found for a good price at Big Lots last minute for Payton. I didn't even know about it until he brought it in at the end of the party. I have to give Matt props for it though.

Birthdays Part 1

2008-12-08T22:05:00.007-07:00

November 12th was Matt's Birthday and I had planned to take some pictures of the kids and I to frame for his nice desk at work. However, his company merged with another just weeks before his birthday and he was moved into tighter quarters for a while. Meaning he had to share a desk. Well, I finally decided to go ahead with the idea and here are the pics that we did...
Oh the black spot on my knee is from some funky fruit or something that fell out of the trees. When I knelt down to set up the camera on the timer I must have landed in it and didn't even know it was there till I saw the picture. It was hard enough to get them all to sit still, not to mention smile for one picture I wasn't gonna try another.

This picture is one of my fav's now cause its one of all three and when you have three as close and little as these its rare to get them all in one spot at once. I even put this on a mouse pad for Matt's shared desk too. :) oh well.

These two have become so close. They still have their moments where they fight but they really are best friends right now and I'm so grateful for that. It took very little coaxing for them to huddle together for the "cheese".

Shayne Elizabeth. What a pretty smile. (ya I know I'm biased)

You'll notice there isn't a picture of Gabriel by himself. He decided he wasn't gonna take one! He's very decisive like that.

Payton Michael. Yep thats a leaf he's eating, but it stopped him long enough for me to take a picture so I overlooked it momentarily.

Fall and Halloween slide

2008-12-07T23:44:00.003-07:00

So I decided to put all the pictures from the Fall and Halloween together on a slide show. Perhaps I'm just not all that bright but I still can't put slide shows on my blog. I did it when I first had my blog but for a while I haven't been able to. Oh well, I have the link if you wanna see the pictures:
http://www.slide.com/r/lBZcjvEs6T_rchRygnOC2r66FRUHVH1s?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Hope you enjoy!!
Ahhh its good to be back! ;)

What a life...

2008-12-06T13:31:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I thought I was back before and then I wasn't. We finally got the Internet thing worked out at our house so I can get on and post on my blog now. However, it may be a week or so before I'm back in full swing. Allow me to explain the chaos in my life lately.
We went out to California for Thanksgiving and brought back all the rest of my belongings from when I lived there and on the way home I got in a car accident... UGGH!! So far all I can say is that I'm very grateful that we're all ok. I had Shayne and Payton with me and Gabe was with Matt in the moving truck. We'd split up so I could drop off a package for my cousin in Kearns, UT so Matt had gone ahead towards home. Well, I dropped off the package and was leaving the neighborhood when a car full of teenagers came speeding toward me. They had lost control of their car on the corner and they "fish-tailed" until they collided with my car! It was probably the scariest thing I've ever been through. Our car spun till we faced the opposite direction that we'd been coming and stopped. The airbags deployed and the kids were screaming! They were so scared! Now here's the kicker, at least 3 of the 5 teens in the other car got out and fled the scene. I was hurt bad enough that I couldn't move to even get to my kids and I was naive enough to think they were running to get help. This was not the case. The police later tracked them down and they were arrested.
As for us, nothing was broken and we were all very lucky, very sore but very lucky. I was in so much pain when we first crashed that I couldn't move. I was so sure that my back or hips were broken. It was pain to rival childbirth for sure! It turned out to be badly strained muscles thank goodness but the first 24 hours were a trial. Other than that I only suffered bad bruises and bumps. Shayne and Payton also only had bruises and bumps which was so fortunate. They were my greatest concern and I couldn't even get to them to make sure they were ok or to comfort them. The car is totalled we're quite sure, though we haven't heard from the claims adjuster yet. Overall, like I said before, we were so blessed. It was an eye opening experience and all week I've been so grateful to be able to hold my kids every day.
As for my house... well, we unloaded the moving truck and I've slowly been trying to go through boxes of things as much as my poor body will allow. So it is quite a mess here and I'm so eager to get things back in order, at least as much as possible, so that life can go on. I have pictures from halloween, fall, some from Thanksgiving, and now from the accident (for those curious) to post. My goal is to get all caught up with everything by Christmas... so wish me luck!

Moving in the Fall

2008-11-05T11:26:00.003-07:00

Last month we went to Idaho to get all of Matt's stuff in storage there. While we were there we stopped at his mom's house to visit. While there she mentioned that she wanted to get to raking her leaves but hadn't had been able to. So we were glad to offer our services while there. The kids had such a blast with the piles of leaves.

Gabe let us bury him, which was not an option for Shayne. He thought the big piles were the coolest thing ever and had a blast jumping in to them.

Gabe and Shayne even helped us bag them up when we were done. Gabe really liked having the power of the rake though. He was so funny to watch. I'm not sure he knows how little he is. He thinks he's just one of the adults at everything.

Bathtime Fun

2008-11-05T11:20:00.002-07:00

We have these fun color tabs that change the color of the bath water. The kids love them. I think other than Gabe's backside they're all pretty well covered here. Sorry, I guess this picture is rated a little higher than G. Viewer discretion is advised. ;) Plus I looked at them in the bath that night and realized that it won't be long at all before they won't be allowed to squeeze into the bath together.

My awaited return... to blogging

2008-11-04T13:41:00.003-07:00

I'M BACK!!!
Ok, so let me start out by saying that I'm not dead. Its just been a way crazy and busy two months. And before much else is said, I apologize for my neglegence in keeping up with my blog. There I said it. I'm a blog slacker. For a little while there I would pop in on others blogs quickly to see what everyone was up to but simply hadn't found the time to post more on mine, then I just got behind enough that I was lacking the motivation to tackle it again. ANYWAY... there has been lots that has gone on starting with my biggest news. (and NOOO I'm not pregnant!!!) After much deliberation, prayers, and efforts I've moved in with Matt. (pause for effect) After finding out the the divorce wasn't final yet it gave just enough time and doubt for me to reconsider. I know that this is the right step for our family right now. I also know that it may be hard to understand everything from other perspectives. We have a long road ahead of us but lets hope its one that we can travel together and with much success.
Lets see, other than that its just been a matter of finding a place close to his work; moving down to Provo; and finally starting to get settled in. Plus all the in between stuff of having three kids as little as mine.
But the important thing is that I'm back and I'll try to keep up better on it now!! I hope...

Too Sleepy...

2008-09-03T13:05:00.002-06:00

This morning after breakfast I was down stairs folding laundry while the kids played. I heard Payton on the main level of the house, in the living room, whining (not unusual since he's cutting teeth). But to my surprise when I came up to check on him he's fallen asleep at the bottom of the stairs leading to the upstairs of the house. He was just too sleepy to climb them so he stopped to rest there... it was too cute not to capture.

Cookies n Milk Update

2008-09-03T12:51:00.004-06:00

Back in the spring, when I started my blog, I had a post with pictures from a sitting of oreos and milk. Well, I'm always proud to announce improvements my kids make, and when it comes to messes with cookies and milk it is exactly that. They went above and beyond this time... Well at least Gabe did. Way to go son!!

More of Our Vegas Trip

2008-09-03T12:32:00.003-06:00

Alright, So either I'm way dumb with this stuff or there's something wrong here. (and either are likely) I still can't get slideshows to post on my blog from slide.com. So Here's the link if anyone wants to see some more of our trip to vegas. There are some way cute ones of the kids so check it out. Maybe I'll figure out the kinks when I have more time.

http://www.slide.com/r/BTFbHUnq6D_aodaEqj2gGPGcTa64rwrQ?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

P.S. You may have to cut and paste it in your address bar at the top... and let me know if it doens't work. :) thanks

FINALLY... Birthday Pictures!!

2008-08-24T21:31:00.005-06:00

So I got my pictures from my trip to Las Vegas for my birthday!! Its taken me a couple weeks to get to it but I'm finally posting them. (Thanks, Jenny for making a disc and sending them.) So those of you anxiously awaiting them... TA DA!! (and for those of you who already saw some of them on Jenny's Blog, sorry for the repeat.)

Camping with the McKay Family

2008-08-20T12:17:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we went camping with my sister, Noelle and her family. It turned out to be quite an adventure. We left late Friday afternoon to head to cottonwood canyon on the east side of Salt Lake but when we got up in the canyon, all their campsites were full. So we discussed it and decided to try a place that Travis, my brother in law, had camped at before. It was halarious. We went from the east side to way, way out on the west side. We finally set up camp and got a fire going for hotdogs and marshmellos at around 8 or 8:30pm. On top of our late evening the dirt there was the way dark, super powdery stuff. The kind that gets in and on everything without effort. We were all coated after about 5min there, so I'm sure that we ate a ton of it cause there was just no escaping it. But despite all the set backs we had a great time. In fact for the rest of the week Shayne asked to go back camping! Thanks for a great time McKay family. :)

Payton in the front pack... he didn't wanna be put down at all.

This was Gabe's dirty face after I'd washed it like 100 times.

Here's Shayne's face in the cleaner stage. Right after

this she got sooo dirty that you could hardly see her face

under the dirt. We would just laugh anytime we looked

at her it was such a funny sight.

All the dirty little kids... they had alot of fun!!

Here's Noelle and Travis taking down the tents.

They did most of the work thanks to my whiney Payton.

Thanks again guys!

25 in Vegas!!

2008-08-14T10:34:00.002-06:00

I turned 25...

This last weekend I went to Las Vegas to celebrate my 25th Birthday with my sisters and like a total airhead I forgot my camera!! Luckily my sisters took lots of fun pictures so I'll try to get some from them and post them later. I had such a fun time! My birthday was on Sunday so we didn't go out that day. We went to church and came back and took naps (naps rock!!) then that evening Jenny and Mike made an awesome dinner. Mike grilled some way yummy steaks and Jen did the rest, including yummy cheesecake for dessert. It was all sooo good. Then on Tuesday night we had a girls night out with my two sisters, Lindsay and Jenny, and I. We went to P.F. Chang's (a first for me... and it was Mmmm) then went down to the strip in Las Vegas. We watched the water show outside the Bellagio and then just walked around for a while. We grabbed shakes on the way home and overall it was an awesome night. Thanks so much sisters!! I feel like I had two birthdays. Lucky me!

Gabe turns 2!!

2008-08-01T10:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Gabe!!

Gabriel was born on July 29th 2006. He was two months early, though you'd never know now by looking at him or talking to him. He's such a big boy and so smart. I remember when he was in the N.I.C.U. he had such a strong spirit about him. He seemed so small and even frail in his little earthly body but his spirit was so strong. He is so fun to be around and brightens everyones day. He's so full of life even from one extreme to the next. I wouldn't trade him for anything.

Gabe's Birthday Party

2008-08-01T10:32:00.003-06:00

http://www.slide.com/r/xSXgUGtd7z8rvU7ceqxzi1ccKIj_ib54?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Ok so I spent hours last night trying to get my slide show from Gabe's birthday party added to my blog but to no avail! So the best I can do is post the link on here and if you wanna see it just click on the link. :)
On the Sunday before Gabe's birthday I had a spontaneous moment and threw together a bag, loaded the kids in the car, and drove to my sister Kayleen's house in central Utah. So thats where we spent his birthday. We played and hung out all day then in the evening we took the kids bowling. It was my kids first time and they loved it, at least they did for the first 5 minutes. We had pizza before we bowled and after bowling Gabe opened presents and then we had cupcakes and played the arcades. They even had one of those three horse carousels, you know, the ones that are outside stores, only they had it inside and it was Shayne's favorite part of the night. Over all it was a good birthday and I think all the kids had a good time. Happy Birthday Gabe! I love you!

Payton and momma

2008-08-01T01:30:00.002-06:00

I decided to put this one on here seperate from the slide show cause I was told that I hardly ever put pictures of myself on here. So... ta da. This is Payton and I at the bowling alley for Gabe's birthday. I think he was trying to say something when the picture was taken... we all have those pictures huh.

Never too tired for cupcakes...

2008-08-01T00:56:00.003-06:00

On the day that we left my sisters I kind of lost track of time. I wasn't sure that I wanted to leave that day or stay a little longer or which direction I wanted to head from there for that matter. I had planned on leaving around naptime so the kids would sleep in the car. But, naptime came and went and we still hadn't left. Finally I was to the point of loading the car and I opened all the doors to the car to let the hot air out before I loaded the kids. Gabe, seeing an opportunity, had followed me out and was playing in the car, which he's not usually allowed to do. I went back inside to finalize my leaving (you know, grab the water bottles, do a quick sweep to make sure we didn't forget anything, and start the goodbyes) and realized that he was still out there so I went out to check on him. When I first walked out the door and didn't see his blonde head in the car I started to worry and pictured myself on the 6 o'clock news, but as I walked by the car I looked in and found the above sight. He had found the last of the cupcakes from his birthday and pryed open the container and started in on one just prior to falling asleep. The rest of the cupcakes were tipped over on the floor (as you can see in the picture) and he was asleep with the cupcake still pressed to his face... silly boy. We all had a good laugh peeking in at him though.

War Paint!

2008-07-14T15:31:00.003-06:00

As I was sitting on the steps watching the kids play and talking with Julie, Shayne approached me with a wet piece of chalk. Before I knew it I was her art project. She was so cute with her compliments and her praise as she colored on me, saying things like "your doing good, mom" and "you look so beautiful" and "almost done...". I just couldn't help but let her finish. After She was done with me I volunteered her to work on Julie. She returned to my face at one point making it darker and bigger then her original lines hence the reason my face is way blue-er than Julie's. We decided that it was war paint and we kept it on for several hours after that. Thanks, Shayne for my beautiful face. :)

As we posed for the picture I realized that Shayne was in it as our artist, Julie and I had our faces painted but Payton didn't quite fit... so I borrowed shayne's chalk and helped him fit in a little.

Summer fun

2008-07-14T15:17:00.003-06:00

Shayne coloring with chalk on the wet patio out back.

She's becoming quite the artist and her imagination for

what's she's drawing is getting good too.

Julie remembered that she had a raspberry bush yesterday evening and went out and picked all the ripe ones...

Gabe was more than willing to relieve her of the bowl as soon as she finished picking.

Here's happy little Payton Michael playing in the water and showing off his teeth for the camera.

Easily Entertained...

2008-07-14T14:20:00.002-06:00

We had a little kiddie pool set up in the yard the last couple days and it was getting pretty dirty so I dumped all the water out on the patio. It didn't take Payton long to realize the fun a person can have in a puddle... He stayed there and splashed for a long time just as happy as can be.

Here's a picture of his saggy drawers. I also took this one to show how he's already climbing and pulling himself up on things. He's mastered the first step and can just barely get himself up to the second. He's really only been crawling pretty good for a week or so. This is a lot more progress this quick than either of my other two did. He's one determined little guy.

What do you remember??

2008-07-14T14:03:00.003-06:00

Okay, so as I was checking Amy's blog last night I found this little game. Feel free to play it if you want.

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.So let's have it! Don't be shy! What do you remember? Anything funny, embarrassing, silly...

Summer cut... finally

2008-07-10T14:33:00.002-06:00

I have been needing to cut Gabriel's hair for the last few weeks but couldn't find my clippers nor the time to do it. But on sunday after we left the cabin from our reunion we went to my grandma's house in Idaho Falls to visit her. It was there that I asked my brother, Josh, to finally get rid of that floppy hair that had been decorating the tops of his ears. In usual form, he put up a good fight and it took several of us either holding, or distracting him. I'm so glad its done, and he looks so handsome. It really makes those blue eyes stand out.

Our Family Reunion

2008-07-08T19:04:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday we started a new family tradition. Every year, in the past, we've gone to a family reunion on my dad's side of the family. Well, we started to realize that we were getting kind of big enough with just us. So we decided to try having our own family reunion with all us siblings and our kids this year. I have to say... it was so awesome! We decided to go to Victor, Idaho to a cabin that we rented there... and it was beautiful! It had 4 really nice bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and enough room everywhere else to put air mattresses for the rest of the adults. Then the kids just scattered about on the floors of every room. We had such a great time, we went to a parade on the morning of the 4th and did our own fireworks that night. On the 5th we went to String Lake at Teton National Park. We did crafts and played games and mostly just enjoyed each others company. It was a great weekend and I hope we do it again.

The Cabin in Idaho

2008-07-08T19:01:00.001-06:00

Our home sweet home for 4 days... So beautiful!!

Day at the Lake

2008-07-08T18:48:00.001-06:00

Hollywood

2008-07-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

Um... Yes, She is posing!! Hence the reason that her nickname is Hollywood. But she sure is cute, huh?

Peas in a pod

2008-07-08T16:46:00.002-06:00

I guess a visit with family just wouldn't be complete without a good picture of grandpa and gabe. Gabe is grandpa's shadow from the minute they get together. He woke up in the morning, every morning, for the past week and said "I need my gampa", and throughout the day if they were seperated he'd say "I gotta go find my gampa". He completely adores him and I'm pretty sure that the feeling is mutual. I think dad likes to be adored as well. Thanks for all your help with my little stinker, Dad. Its amazing how much difference it makes knowing that one of your kids is always being looked after, it really lightened my load.

Shayne and Gabe Havin Fun!

2008-07-08T16:10:00.004-06:00

Just some random pictures of Shayne and Gabe while at the cabin in Victor, Id. The of Shayne on the right side was a posed shot by her... She had just put lip lip (lip gloss) on and she asked me to take a picture of her "beautiful lips". Oh dear! I may be in trouble in about ten years.

Just the Four of us

2008-07-08T15:53:00.003-06:00

So, after we took pictures with the entire family we took individual family pictures. I'm not possitive but I think Gabriel was about done. These are the ones we took of the four of us, the bottom one is probably the best but its hard to say when there's a screaming kid in all three... Ahh the memories we make. He'll love that one when he's in high school. :)

which one?

2008-07-08T15:21:00.003-06:00

K. Here's the better of the two family pictures we took... its the same picture but one is turned to that antique black and white where you can still see who is wearing red, white or blue. But here's a little poll: which one would be better blown up to like an 8x10??

Grandma Brenda's House

2008-07-08T15:06:00.006-06:00

Because our family reunion was in Idaho we were able to visit Grandma Brenda (Matt's Mom). We went for lunch and visited for an hour or so before I had to take off with my family. The kids were great with her and recognized her as their grandma as well which meant a lot to me, and her as well, I'm sure. They were also able to see their cousins on that side of the family, Devon and Devery, as well as their aunt and uncle. The picture on the left is blurry cause I was trying to snap it quickly before Gabe jetted out of the picture again, but I posted it cause it was the only one with all 5 grandkids. Thanks for a nice afternoon, Brenda. I know the kids really enjoyed it.

phone pictures

2008-06-28T18:29:00.002-06:00

Here's a few more pictures from my phone. I actually just switched my phone out a couple weeks ago because it was having problems and I lost a ton of pictures when they switched for a new phone. Now that "new" phone has been having different problems so I got yet another one and didn't wanna lose the few pictures that I had. My phone doesn't take very good pictures but they're better then nothing. Three of these are from the lake with the Reynolds in Vernal. I couldn't get Shayne to hold still long enough to get one of her but the boys were a little easier of targets.

Mobility

2008-06-28T18:04:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I switched phones, again, and didn't want to lose the few pictures that I had so I sent them to my email. Unfortunately my phone doesn't take the best pictures but they'll do for now. This picture was a moment of "how did you do that". We went to McDonalds one day and got the kids happy meals on the way home from somewhere. When we got home Gabriel had fallen asleep in the car so I rolled down the windows, parked in the shade, and sat on a blanket just outside the car to have a picnic with Shayne and Payton. Well, I decided that the short nap Gabe would obtain in the car wouldn't be as good as I'd like, so I went to the car to wake him up and returned to a huge mess. My little Payton was not quite as immobile as I thought. He had squirmed over to my hot mustard sauce and dumped it everywhere. He was still sucking on the little dipping sauce cup when I got back! And so it begins... ha ha.

Clean up, Clean up... everybody do your share.

2008-06-28T17:59:00.003-06:00

A couple days ago I walked outside to check on the kids and saw that they had completely taken the sidewalk chalk to Jeff and Julie's grill. Well a couple days later it was still there, funny how that happens, and I remembered that I hadn't gotten to clean it up yet. So I filled up a bucket of water and gave the kids each a wash cloth and they took care of business on their own. They actually had a good time doing it too. It was just so cute seeing them working together I had to take a picture.

2008-06-26T20:52:00.001-06:00

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.

In love, you are very protective and supporting.
However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous.

At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

What's" Your Personality Type?

Weekend away

2008-06-26T11:56:00.003-06:00

So this last weekend we loaded up the car and took a little road trip to Vernal, Ut to see my good friend Shawny and her family. We got there thursday night and left on Monday. We had so much fun and it was so great to see her. She has three kids too and they all played great together. We did so many fun things while we were there... Friday we played in the yard and the kids got all wet, then that night we went to a bbq for dinner at their friends house. It was a blast. Saturday we went to the lake just outside of town. Their friends had a boat and we all had such a great time. Sunday we went to church then they had a family birthday party that we all went to. By Monday we were all worn out but we still wanted to go more... we were going to go to the dinosaur museum there but it didn't work out... so we headed home that evening. Thanks so much Shawny and Kelly for an awesome weekend. We had so much fun and we can't wait to come bug you guys again.

Friends and Fun!

2008-06-26T11:19:00.007-06:00

Gabe playing in the sunshine. Yeah, I think he got his mother's skin. Sorry little man.

This picture is actually evidence. You see, at the end of the day we all got a bit sunburned and I thought I was being so careful... Payton was sitting in the shade to the left there but apparently I didn't take the sun moving so much into account. D'oh!

The kids had so much fun just playing in the water in the yard. Shawny filled up the kiddie pool and put it at the bottom of their slide and the kids dumped buckets of water down the slide to make it slippery. It was so much fun, especially when my little ones didn't land on their feet at the bottom. :)

Here's Dason and Shayne on the swings. They are a week apart in age and Shayne was so glad to have friends to play with. She actually got along really well with 5year old Makayla... Girls stick together you know.

We had a picnic on the lawn while the kids played and at one point after they all were about done with their food, I got up to take pictures of all the kids and turned around to see Shayne and Gabe feeding the dogs some Cheetos, in turns... "There's one for you, and now one for you..." It was one of those chuckle on the inside but have to be stern on the outside moments.

COOL DUDE!

2008-06-18T15:01:00.000-06:00

Ya, those are mine!! And I'd claim them anyday!

Lemons or lemonade?

2008-06-18T14:40:00.003-06:00

I was talking to my friend yesterday and I was pointing out how she always takes the "lemons" in life and turns them to "lemonade". I made the comment that I needed to be better at that, along with lots of other things. However, a small opportunity came about this morning that gave me the chance to improve on this matter. As I was making breakfast I gave the kids yogurt to hold them over. I'm not sure what it is about yogurt, or applesauce, or even dips for that matter but something about them says to little kids "please use me as paint instead of food". This was the case this morning with the yogurt and despite my attempts to controll the situation it ended up in hair on clothes and there was a masterpiece on the table and even floor. A real work of art! This is the part that is kind of lemon-y. So I take a deep breath and open the back door and send the kids out while I try to clean up the mess. I'm aware that I still have to clean them off too when I remember the conversation just yesterday and the thought hits me that maybe scrubbing them off with a wash cloth and mumbling words of bitterness isn't the only option here. Instead I filled up the kiddie pool in the backyard, put on swimsuits and showed the kids their first water fight. The kids had such a blast and Shayne even got pretty good at getting me with the sqirtter. Thank heavens the Lord gives us little prompts each day to help us work toward becoming better people. And thanks Camille for being such an example to me!

Happy Fathers Day

2008-06-14T22:44:00.002-06:00

The kids had such a good time working on their gift for Fathers Day! Well at least Gabe and Shayne did... Payton's patience wore out by the time we took pictures. I know its a little dorky but I figured its something that he can keep and look back on when they're bigger. When I showed Shayne the pictures before I loaded them on the computer she said, "Dad is really gonna love his present!" It was really cute how excited she was, I only wish we would've gotten it mailed and to him in time... I actually thought that Fathers Day was next Sunday so in my efforts to be on the ball I barely made it in time to take pictures and send them for Fathers Day. Sorry Matt! Happy Fathers Day anyway!

Nice Wheels!!

2008-06-12T15:33:00.003-06:00

Thank heavens for craigslist...

Gabe is a fanatic about wanting to drive. He wants to drive my car all the time so when Matt was here last week he got the idea of looking for a two seater hot wheel. He was gonna get them a new one and then we found this one on craigslist and its just perfect for them. This picture has them sitting backwards of what they ususally do though. Gabe usually HAS to drive and Shayne has legs long enough that she can reach the pedal from the passenger seat. Its just perfect for the two of them! They've already had so much fun together playing with it.

Helping with breakfast

2008-06-12T15:24:00.002-06:00

The other morning while I was making breakfast the kids found some "hats" in the cupboard. Luckily there were two or I would've been breaking up the fight over who's turn it was to wear the hat. Ha ha...

And the moral of the story is... I have no idea what I made for breakfast that morning but thank heavens for sweet little senses of humor that remind us that it doesn't really matter anyway.

P.S. Don't worry we washed the bowls when they were done.

Good Choice Chart Update

2008-06-12T15:10:00.002-06:00

Congratulations Shayne!!

Shayne has been working really hard on her good choices and since her first accomplishment of getting to go to ice cream she has since gone to the store to pick out a small prize, got to download a new episode of one of her favorite shows, take a trip to the pet store (twice) and finally she reached her final goal. She had helped me come up with the prizes along the way and the final one was to go to the movie theatre and watch Kung Fu Panda. I'm so proud of her for all the improvements she's made! Great job Shayne, I love you sweetie!!

Fun with Dad

2008-06-12T14:55:00.004-06:00

Last week Matt was able to take a leave from work in Texas to come and visit the kids. They had such a blast with him, as usual. I appreciate all he does for them and I can see how much they love him just by watching their interaction. They got to do all kinds of fun stuff with him when he was here. They went to temple square and saw all the sites there, went to the mall and walked around, went swimming and so much more. I'd have to say their favorite part was just hanging out in the yard and playing with him!!

ICE CREAM!!

2008-05-30T15:19:00.000-06:00

Lately, I have been struggling with little, everyday battles with Shayne. It was getting to a serious point of frustration. When I talked to my mom about it she reminded me of the importance of positive affirmation and suggested a chart and stickers to keep track of her good and bad choices. I really didn't want to encourage the bad choices by allowing stickers for that so we came up with just the "Good Choice Chart". We went last weekend to the dollar store and got lots of stickers and some poster board. Then I went to work and made the chart. There were 5 rows of boxes on it with 10 boxes in each row. At the 10th box in each row I outlined the box and Shayne and I came up with 5 prizes or goals that she could work towards. The first one was to go to ice cream. She made 10 good choices this week to get to go to ice cream and she's been so excited about it. And of course her brothers were pretty excited too, they got to benefit from it as well.

My Princess

2008-05-26T19:54:00.000-06:00

Shayne and I were invited by our friend Camille and her family to attend a princess party for all of her neices last Friday. Shayne was so excited to go when we finally dropped Gabe off at my sisters she started singing happy birthday to herself cause she thought thats just what happens at parties. She had so much fun and they all put so much work and effort into it. It was really wonderful!

Pouring the tea...

Putting the tea back... to pour again...

And taking an occasional sip.

She was the only princess that insisted on serving her own dessert!!

My favorite princess!

PRINCESS TEA PARTY!!!

2008-05-26T14:38:00.001-06:00

All the princess' at their table enjoying the company and the "tea" or lemonade. It was so fun. They each had their own tea cup and saucer and all these cute little snacks, and the best part for Shayne was that she got to have her own pot of lemonade and was able to pour it into her cup herself... which she did more than any of them, back and forth. They all looked like real princess'. It was such a good time. Thanks so much to the Heywoods for inviting Shayne she had such a blast with her new friends.

Bronze Beauty

2008-05-26T14:27:00.000-06:00

OK, so last December Shayne went with my parents to my sister's for over a week. While she was there her two cousins got into my sister's makeup and made a huge mess, it was all everyone talked about for a couple days. I remember when they told me over the phone I held my breath as I asked if Shayne was involved, and I was so very very relieved that she wasn't. I also remember thinking "thank heavens she's not into the makeup thing." Apparently I forgot to knock on wood or something to that effect because karma came back on me this last week. May I introduce my bronze beauty... ugh!! Now lets just hope this is the last time for this kinda thing. (as I knock on wood profusely... ha ha ha!)

MILESTONES!!!!!!

2008-05-19T11:37:00.001-06:00

Payton has just cut his first two teeth! This means a couple of things. First that he's crankier than usual (not shown in pictures). Actually he's still pretty delightful but just a little grumpy due to the pain. Secondly this means that I'm done with breastfeeding... and just in time. I'm not the type who really loves it, though I wish I had done more with my other two. But my goal with Payton was six months which we passed at the beginning of may. Hooray!!

Enjoying the sunshine

2008-05-18T17:48:00.000-06:00

Shayne Elizabeth

Gabriel William

Payton Michael

Big Boy In The High Chair

2008-05-18T17:21:00.000-06:00

We had to use a few things to prop him but this was his first experience in the high chair like a big boy. He's just starting to be introduced to solids and he loves it. He's so ready for this stage.

Cousin PJ party

2008-05-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

GOOD PEOPLE, GOOD FUN, AND GOOD MEMORIES!!!

Some of the best memories in life come from times with our true best friends... family!

Precious Moment...

2008-05-17T22:18:00.000-06:00

The dinner was great but the entertainment was even better. Gabe was, of course, up on grandpa's lap getting bites and being his usual self.. then when the bites weren't coming at his desired pace he took over for grandpa and managed the fork. He was still kind enough to share grandpa's steak with him though.

More fun at grandma and grandpa's house...

2008-05-17T22:13:00.000-06:00

Loving the country, grandma and grandpa, and the freedom to run and roam!

Silly Uncle Jordan

2008-05-17T22:09:00.000-06:00

There is one word to describe this picture of uncle Jordan... Awesome!

Grandma and her flowers

2008-05-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Grandma taking care of her flowers. She'll love that I put these pictures of her on here... but what are daughters for anyway!

Playing with "blowers"

2008-05-17T21:38:00.000-06:00

Remember as a kid how many of those little plants you picked and blew all the seeds away in the wind? Well, all it took was showing them one time what to do and they had a blast for quite a long time. They call them "blowers" for reasons that seem obvious enough.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-17T21:35:00.001-06:00

My happy thought

2008-04-30T00:09:00.000-06:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

...these just leave me smiling.

Sleeping Angels

2008-04-30T00:03:00.000-06:00

There is something about a sleeping child that makes me very happy. Especially after several sleepless nights and sick boys. They were both so cute sleeping that I had to creep in and take a picture. Oh, and the puppy in Gabe's picture is actually Payton's just don't try to tell him that.

My first pickle

2008-04-29T23:56:00.000-06:00

Here's Angie feeding Payton one of his first foods. Welcome to the world of real food, Payton. Alright, maybe it wasn't the best choice for a starter food, but he seems to be teething and he went to town with the texture of that pickle on his gums.

Nice Hats!!

2008-04-29T23:37:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'm aware that this may be a form of child abuse but they actually won't know it for another several years. Let me explain what brought this on...

Every naptime and bedtime I ask Shayne to go get me a pullup so she can go to bed. Knowing that bedtime follows the pullup she usually protests this. Its not until I tell her that I'll just get it myself that she hurries to beat me to the job. Well, on this day thats just what happened only Gabe wanted to help too and he brought me a couple extra pullups. He insisted that he needed "pants" on as well. I tried to explain that they were girls, that he wears diapers and that they aren't even pants, but he really didn't want to be left out... so like a dorky mommy I put it on his head. Shayne entered the room at this point to find that she was not the source of the laughter and insisted on having a princess pullup hat as well...

Lets just hope they find it as funny in 10 or so years... (wink)

Just a quick note...

2008-04-29T23:31:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention before that for those of you who didn't know it, the kids and I moved to Layton, Utah this last weekend. It all happened really fast, and I want to apologize that I didn't tell a lot of people. The idea was presented, it felt right and it happened... but here we are and we're excited to start a new adventure and chapter of our life story. Wish us luck, cross your fingers, or maybe even pray for us... cause here we go.

Special place in heaven...

2008-04-29T23:00:00.000-06:00

If there is a special place in Heaven for people that really go out of there way to help others, I have a long list of names I'd like to nominate for a spot in that place. I'd like to take a quick minute and name a couple of those in particular.
First is my cousin, Angela. When I was in a rut and trying to find direction, Angie came to the rescue. She opened her home and her heart to my three kids and I. She helped clean up throw up and sat out on the balcony at 2am with a fevered child, she sang songs and read stories, gave baths and hugs. She has been a great friend as well as an amazing and supportive part of my family. I love you Angie!
Next are two people who have gone way above my expectations for friends. Julie and Camille are angels here on earth. It takes a special kind of person to look at a situation like mine and see an opportunity for growth and love rather than a lot of work. Not only have these two special women taken me under their wing but they have pooled all their resources to help me and my children in anyway possible, and still they seek to do more. All the while they tell me that its their pleasure. I love you both so much!
Its a very humbling feeling to be in a place in life where you are so very dependant on others. I pray that with faith and God on our side, we'll make it to a place where we can stand on our own and be able to pay forward all the wonderful things that people have done to bless our lives.

A unique name...

2008-04-23T11:57:00.000-06:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Dance Party!!

2008-04-17T13:24:00.000-06:00

I couldn't figure out how to edit the video to rotate it but you can still see the fun they had and what cute dancers they are. Sorry you have to pause the music on my blog at the bottom of the page. Enjoy

Payton's First Word

2008-04-17T13:04:00.000-06:00

So here is Payton with his first word... This is enough to make any daddy proud! Oh and you'll have to pause the music on the bottom so you can hear it. Sorry.

PRECIOUS MOMENT

2008-04-11T10:49:00.000-06:00

This little story began this last Tuesday. I was clearing the table when I dropped Shayne's sippy cup and the lid popped off spilling orange juice on the floor. I was clearly distressed and my sweet little Gabriel noticed. He offered his help by taking the bib off the back of his chair and using it to wipe up the juice. I was so touched that I didn't mind the bib now dripping with orange juice. Two days later I was dealing with a sick 5 month old at the absolute peak of chaos in my day (a.k.a. dinnertime). I left my browning hamburger to get Payton from the couch where he was fussing. I had just barely picked him up when he threw up all over me, himself, and the floor. I was expecting a couple brethren from church to show up at any moment to give Payton a blessing so I hurried in to change my clothes and his. As I rushed out to check the now extra brown hamburger, I noticed Gabe walking toward the puddle on the floor that I hadn't cleaned yet. I quickly stopped him and explained that it was "yucky" and momma was gonna clean it up, then hurried in to rescue dinner. As I came back around the corner there was that same orange stained bib on the floor next to a sloppily scrubbed, puddle of baby throw up on the floor.
Yet again, my cup runneth over.

Weekend with Dad

2008-04-08T21:21:00.000-06:00

This last weekend Matt came to town and the kids had a blast with their daddy. The first day he got here we all went to the zoo and the kids had a great time!

Shayne liked it a little more than Gabe but we'll say that was an age thing. We ran them till they were ready to sleep good.

The following day we hung out and were lazy, we watched conference in our jammies and just lounged around... hooray for conference at home!!

On Monday we ventured to the outlet mall just down the street and skipped naps for the kids. We were there for about 4 hours before everyone was hungry, tired, and thus a little grouchy.

Tuesday, we hung out at home till we took Matt to the airport in the afternoon grabbing shakes on the way.

All in all it was a good weekend. Mom got a break and some help, and the kids got to spend time with daddy.

Painted Faces

2008-04-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

At the zoo we bought a small bag of cheetos and the kids went to town with them. By the time we got back to the car and I looked in the back seat I laughed at their "war paint" all over their faces. They had a good time though and thats what matters most!

Zebras!!

2008-04-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

Here is Shayne and Mom at the zebra exhibit. There was one picture where Shayne was picking her nose, but I figured that this one was a little better.

Animals at the zoo

2008-04-08T20:57:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the "Aminals" at the zoo. The Leopards and the Rhino.

Turtles on a Log...

2008-04-08T20:31:00.001-06:00

These turtles were right before the zoo entrance. You had to walk over this bridge and there were tons and tons of turtles swimming and chilling on floating logs. On the way out the kids threw the rest of the buns from their hot dogs to them... Lucky we didn't get kicked out!

Biter Biscuit

2008-04-02T17:04:00.000-06:00

Payton got to experience his first biter biscuit and he absolutely loved it!

Here is the aftermath all over his face.

Arizona Temple

2008-04-01T23:59:00.000-06:00

In an attempt to better our moods and enjoy the great weather we made our way to Mesa where we walked around the temple.

I've had many peaceful walks around temples... this was not quite in the category of peaceful! Ha Ha
But we did have a good time and the scenery was so beautiful!!

Smile... please?!?

2008-04-01T23:54:00.000-06:00

She really is a happy girl, I promise... ha ha. I kept trying to get her to smile but no such luck. She just kept getting down and running off so this was the best I got... still adorable though. So cute!!

Mr. Blue Eyes

2008-04-01T23:50:00.000-06:00

My shirt color matches my eyes, my shirt saying matches me!

Payton

2008-04-01T23:47:00.000-06:00

Payton was so happy to be enjoying the outdoors.

Puppies

2008-04-01T23:12:00.000-06:00

As we were walking on the temple grounds there was a family there with these adorable puppies. Gabe saw them and freaked! He was laughing at that little puppy and saying "Its so funny" over and over. He even gave it a kiss twice. The family was as amused with Gabe and Shayne as we were with their little puppies.

"Hey mom! There's money in this water!!"

2008-04-01T22:54:00.000-06:00

As we went from one pool of water to the next on the temple grounds the kids were just dying to get in. It was all I could do to restrain Gabe from jumping. So I let them touch it a little... maybe not the best idea but it was better than fishing them out completely. Just as they were both dipping their hands in the water they stopped and almost at the same time said, "Hey mom! There's money in this water!!"

You can do it too!

2008-04-01T22:46:00.000-06:00

Can you guess which one is the accomplice?
This was actually a really cute moment. They are the best of friends when they aren't fighting, of course. Ha ha.

Ward Picnic

2008-03-29T16:03:00.000-06:00

Finally Saturday comes and I get to hang out with other adults... wink. We had a ward picnic at a park area the church owns here. The kids had a really good time playing outdoors and I was happy to let them run! Hooray!

Boys!

2008-03-29T15:58:00.000-06:00

Go figure I'd find the little boy in the water. He was so funny to watch. People were cleaning up and washing stuff off at this faucet and he stood a couple steps behing then watching closely to see how it worked so he could do it himself. When he thought the coast was clear up he went but had no success turning the water on. I came to the rescue at this point and turned it to a slow trickle and boy was he in heaven!