December Doings

December is a busy month for all of us, so I jumbled all our December goings on together in to one post. (I will post Christmas photos later!)


Daxon and I had a successful Snow Day last week. This is our first Snowman we have ever built together! (Minus the corncob pipe and button nose!)


We went up to Chrisy's house for a birthday dinner for my cousin Dallan. (My cousin Clayton and his wife Treasure were in town from Baton Rouge) so we had a good family gathering. This picture was taken by Daxon. He loves taking the camera, so we were telling him to take photos of actual people and not just random walls...




NAKED BABIES! This is the first time I have put both my kids in the bath together! And what is a childhood without bath photos with siblings or cousins?! I say 'not complete'! I learned during this experience that bathing both kids at the same time is NOT a time saver. But the kids sure loved it, so I guess that is why we mothers keep doing it. Right?!



This is from the first weekend of December. Every year Provo City puts on a Winter Fest parade to ring in the Holiday Season. (its usually snowing at this parade), but this year was relatively warmish...Santa was the last float to go by. Daxon got really excited!!

Well, I guess that doesn't really cover a lot of our December, but there will be more later!
Love to all!

New Look! Same Great Content!

From the first day that I set this blog up, I didn't like the background and such. So last night (at 11:00 pm) I finally got trendy and got on Pyzam and looked at a billion layouts. I got sick of looking and chose the first one that jumped out at me. Now I am a fan of change, but I just have a hard time committing to that change at the last moment. So - I may be changing things around here and there, so just endure while we are under construction!

Love to all!

That Day of Thanks

So, I figure everyone is over the Thanksgiving Holiday and now sucked into the Christmas Season, but I wanted to post a few photos of my Thanksgiving day. We have been without the Internet for multiple days now, so that is why I am just now getting to post these photos.
We spent Thanksgiving in St. George on a beautiful rainy day. I love the desert in the rain! We had a small group this year, (my Hubband and kids, my mom, Auntie Chris and Uncle Mark, Uncle Clark and Aunt Lucy, and Grizzly Gram!) My Aunt Chris and Mark rented a Condo in St. George (that was covered in Mirrors!) so it was nice to hang out in a different place and just relax. Oh, and after we ate we watched a documentary on the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" on the History Channel (it was totally interesting!), which was fitting because my mom and I had been watching the actual parade that morning. So here are some photos from our day of FEAST!!







This is my Uncle Clark. He was quite taken with Zayla!


Seriously, there was even a mirrored wall inside the shower!

RE-OBSESSED!!!

Damn you Stephanie Meyer for writing such a fabulous book and for that fantasy to be made into a great movie!!! One year ago when I first read the "Twilight" saga, I got totally obsessed...possessed! It was all I could think about, talk about, DREAM about! I ignored things at home, my kid, my hubband, my work (luckily the girls I worked with were reading along with me, so we just sat around all day talking about Edward!) It was a hard time of life for me, because though I tried, I couldn't focus on ANYTHING else! Slowly I came out of my "Edward Fog" and resumed normal life. Even when "Breaking Dawn" came out earlier this summer I didn't get consumed. (I was proud of myself). Read it. Loved it. Moved on.
So I told myself (after I finally decided that indeed, I would see the movie) that I wouldn't let myself get totally consumed again. Little did I know that seeing those characters from inside my mind come to life on the big screen affected me more than I wanted! Just over this last weekend I saw the movie twice and thought "what the Hell" might as well dive all the way in and re-read the book too! I am totally obsessed...AGAIN! After I finished the book this morning I lifted my head and remembered that I had kids...a hubband...and a messy house...and sighed. Thats it! I am over it! I LOVE IT AND I HATE IT!!!

TwelveTeen!!!

Our Blayke just turned TWELVE on Friday Nov 14th. We were lucky enough to have her with us on her actual day of birth this year. And we stretched out the celebration as far as possible by doing something birthday related Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (If you ask Blayke, its because "we are awesome like that!")

• Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa on Thursday at Zupas = $30
• Lunch at Noodles and Co the next day = $20
  
• Shopping for shoes and pants at Kohls on the 14th = $60


• Shopping at Payless for boots = $40


• Pie and Ice Cream on Saturday night with just me, Dad, and Blayke = $15


• A big hug for me in the middle of Payless Shoes from Blayke exclaiming "this is the best birthday!" = PRICELESS!!!
  

Blayke: I hope you always stay as sweet and fun as you are now! Good luck in your new home, town, and school. Me and Dad think of you always, and pray for you every night. We love you!

Don't You Hate it When...

• your microwave breaks??
• your baby's diaper doesn't smell poopy(don't really hate that part...), but when you go to change her, she has sat in a mess and now has diaper rash all over her little sad bum??
• your personal priorities get shoved aside for someone else, and you aren't woman enough to stand up for yourself?
• when it seems there are over a million sippy cups lying all over the house; each one with a fermenting content?!
• when your 4-year-old leaves the back gate open and a Butch Cop brings your dog back to you with a complimentary citation and fine?!
• you forget to go to your best friend's brother's wedding!? (So sorry Karalee!)
• your baby will not play with any of her toys. All she wants is your cell phone, a soggy wrapper the dog has been chewing on, or one of the million fermented sippy cups on the floor?
• you realize that about 2 hours ago is when you first felt thirsty and you still haven't gotten yourself a drink?
• you're so tired during of the late-night-feedings that you don't remember putting the baby back to bed, and wake up in your own bed a while later wondering how you got there?
• your favorite anklet breaks, and six months later you still haven't fixed it??
• you let yourself get hungry enough that even your kid's Corn Dog looks really, really, good?
• the magical-house-cleaning-elves don't show up day after day? (damn those elves!)
• your 9-month-old already knows how to bend your every will to get her own way?
• you send your 4-year-old to naptime and suddenly his mattress comes flying down the stairs?!
• you know a guy in the cell phone business, but you still don't have picture-mail on your phone?!
• you're so hungry for attention, that when your kid starts brushing your hair with a dog brush, you don't object?!

Happy Birthday Liesel!!!

Happy Birthday my Friend!!

I have been friends with Liesel for over 21 years! Liesel has always been such a constant source of sunshine, and happiness! I have so many fun, dorky, and happy memories on growing up with Lyz as my friend. From the days of 4-H, to being "Sunkissed" to getting her nickname "LYZ" in 9th grade. From Volleyball tryouts (she made it, I did not!) and all things High School, from trips to Lagoon, to San Fran, and even a trip to Vegas to shop for Prom Dresses, to living together our first year of college (Go Thunderbirds!) and staying connected with "The 10". There was a time when we didn't go a day without talking, and now I am lucky to look at her blog every week or so...but Lyz has and always will be a part of my life and I am so thankful to have her as a friend. So Lyz, I just want you to know that I still write your name every year on my Calendar on Nov 5th, and every year I know its your birthday and I think of you. I am sorry for not calling you and keeping in better touch over the years as life has gotten in the way, but I hope you have a great day and perhaps we will even get to see each other soon!

This is me and Liesel in 1992. Nothing says "Best Buds" like a Photo-Booth-Strip-of-Pictures from the St. George Mall!



This is me and Liesel at SUU...in April 1997!!

Happily Haunted!

Halloween is good all day, I say. So the kids and I got dressed up in our Halloween finest that morning and hit the town together. We ran some errands and ended up that the University Mall where they were having Trick-or-Treating at most of the stores. So the kids scored there!!


After we got home Blayke and Daxon put on their Halloween Costumes and we headed over to Suzie's ward's TRUNK-OR-TREAT party. (My ward had ours last Saturday, so Daxon is going on his 3rd trick-or-treating excursion at this point) After the tricked-out-treat-trunks we went over to Suzie and Ed's (they would be my in-laws), for the annual feast of Chili and home made Donuts! Making ourselves positively sick off fresh donuts is almost the best part of Halloween! We then went around the neighborhood and did some more Trick-Treating! It was a fun night, and fun to spend it with the family.


Zayla and Daddy at Trunk or Treat.


Bob the Builder and Batgirl!

Notice my highly attractive Hubband and his mullet-tastic hair! It has become a Halloween tradition in itself!

Cute Babies all around! Zayla is really enjoying her first experience Trick-or-Treating! Grandpa pushes the stroller just the right way! (in case you can't tell, she is asleep!)

Hope everyone had a frightfully good Halloween!!

Can I Call it a Date???

Hello friends! I just wanted to share with you my happy Saturday last week. I had a few (as in about 4) blissful-kid-free-hours and shared them with my HUBBAND! Its a novel concept-I know! Our most recent date was on July 28, 2008. JULY! I know the exact date, because I still have the movie ticket stub (we keep those things, its something we do...) We went to the movie "The Dark Knight". Now as you can tell, we don't go out much. And this movie was a big enough event that we wanted to make it a priority to see it in the theater. My sister happen to be over that night when we were talking about it. It was about 7:45 ish when she said "I can watch the kids tonight if you want to go". So we hurried and looked up movie times, and just our luck, a movie started at 8:30. So I latched little Zayla on and filled her up, and we took off from the house at a high speed. As soon as it was over we hurried home in case Zayla was awake and ready to eat again...and that was our last date. So on Saturday when my mother-in-law offered to watch the kids (bless her heart!) so I could go to the BYU game with Jon, we jumped at the chance!! What is better than a good football game on a beautiful fall day?? Now I am in no way an alumni to BYU (or in anyway ever wanted to be!) nor is Jon as alumni, but his Dad is. And we went with his Dad. We had a great time cheering on the Cougars, and eating fabulous sporting event food, Jon and Ed (Jon's Dad) talking about football things that I don't understand, but what I really want to know is: With Ed being a part of our fun day, Can I call it a date??!!!

I couldn't resist documenting that we were out together without kids on the very same day!

Tagged!

I can't turn down a good "Tag"!

My Favorite TV Shows
1. Survivor
2. The Cleaner
3. CSI (Vegas)
4. My Number 1 fave will always be Gilmore Girls (even though its not on the air!)

My Least Favorite TV Shows
1. American Idol
2. The Sarah Conner Chronicles (Jon loves it!)
3. The Pick Up Artist (serious! There is such a show!)
4. Chris Angel Mindfreak
5. Go! Diego Go!

My Favorite Restaurants
1. The Happiest of Sumos
2. Rubios
3. Gardunos
4. Thai Chili Gardens

My Least Favorite Restaurants
1. T-Bones (sorry Edwin!)
2. The Rice King (sorry Edwin again!)
3. I tend to not go to yucky places, so I can't think of any more!

Things that Happened Yesterday
1. Met for Book Club at Red Mango (such a good joint!)
2. Went to Costco
3. Finally cleaned my kitchen
4. Helped Jon pack for his hunting trip

Things I am looking forward to
1. Witches Night Out
2. Making Halloween Spiders with Daxon
3. My pillow
4. My Yoga class
5. The Holiday Season

Things I am not looking forward to
1. My kids growing up
2. Icy Roads
3. No more Veggies from Edwin's garden :(
4. The cold that I am getting...

Things I love about Fall
1. Colors
2. Crisp Air
3. Birthdays
4. Halloween
5. Jeans

Things on my Wish list
1. A Photography Class
2. New Shoes
3. To sleep in beyond 8:00 am
4. To go on a date with my husband
5. To go on a family TRIP somewhere I have never been

Things I don't wish for
1. A Headache
2. Daxon's tantrums (see number 1)
3. Jon leaving town every weekend
4. Negativity

People I am tagging
1. Bethi
2. Liesel
3. All the rest of you...go to town!

Birthday Boys!

Finally!

I am getting around to posting that my boys had their birthday last week on Oct 9th. Daxon turned 4 (oh me gesh!) and Jon turned 31! (For those of you who don't know, Jon and Dax have the same birthday!) Jon left town the day before to go to Arizona for a "guys weekend". We went to dinner for him at McGrath's Fish House on Monday night. Jon and I had Daxon open his gifts from us, and eat his cake the day before his birthday. On Thursday, their actual day of birth, Melly, Deklin, my mom, my brother, and my Auntie Chrisy took Daxon to the Hogle Zoo! We all had a great time together, the Tiger was the Highlight! Here are some photos from the random birthday celebrations!

Love to all!

Falling for Autumn!

Its a beautiful time of year! Last week me and the kids went up to Sundance to hang out with Aunt Teed and explore among the colored leaves! The mountain was only splotched with random color so we still have a lot of Autumn ahead of us, but it was nice to be outside and tap into the "explorers within..." (I obviously watch too much "Dora the Explorer"!) I am so happy to be able to stay at home and do things like this with my kids.
Love to all!

My Niece is ONE!

This last weekend we were in St. Geoge to celebrate the FIRST Birthday for my Brother's daughter, Shaylynn!! It was a great party, complete with yummy food, party hats (whats a birthday without party hats?!), and treat bags! And as expected at first birthdays, Shaylynn got so many presents! We love you Shay!

Ashley, Shay, and CJ

This is the gift Whitney and I had made for Shaylynn. (Uncle CJ made one for Daxon when he was a babe that said #1 Uncle...its only fair!)

In Case You Haven't Seen Her in a While...

Can you believe my baby is SEVEN months old now?!! I just wanted to post her cute face and let everyone know how stinkin cute she is! There is not a day that goes by that I do not realize how lucky I am to be able to stay home and take care of my kids.

This shot is actually when she was 6 months, but its cute none the less. Zayla's personality shines through more and more every day. She is going to be a mover and a shaker, thats for sure! Enjoy her babyness!!

Get up and Shout!

For some reason I have had a few "SHOUT-OUTS" in my head lately, so I thought I would post them on my blog so all two of my faithful readers can enjoy them. I find that if I can't get it out of my head, I need to write it down, or in this case, post it, to clear my head.

• SHOUT-OUT to my HUBBAND (yes, Hubband) for being my best friend, and for supporting me in ALL of my little project ideas, and get-a-way needs.
• SHOUT-OUT to my KIDS for taking naps at the SAME TIME occasionally so I can have a few moments to myself! (This is one of those moments)
• SHOUT-OUT to my sister TEED for loving my kids almost as much as I do, and keeping me sane. You do it just by being there!
• SHOUT-OUT to EDWIN my father-in-law for growing the biggest and best garden I have ever seen. I love the veggies all summer! Thank You!
• SHOUT-OUT to my BRO. I don't get to hang out with you much, but I love you so much! Stay Positive!
• SHOUT-OUT to my SCRAP-ASSY SISTAS! We will have another scrap-away, oh yes, we will!
• SHOUT-OUT to MELLY for hanging out with me weekly, and being such a fun person. POSSUM!!!
• SHOUT-OUT to NATALIE for always leaving comments on my blog and making me know that somewhere out there, someone is looking at this time trap. (You are one of my two faithful readers!)
• SHOUT-OUT to THE GIRLS OF TEN for staying in contact all these years. I miss you all, and we need a gathering soon!!
• SHOUT-OUT to VANESSA for being such a loyal friend and for always sending Triston's clothes to Daxon. You are the most giving person I know! Love ya!
• SHOUT-OUT to JULES for being my BFF in Utah (I can say that because of your BFF in California!) and thanks for the Hat and Flower. I totally owe you!
• SHOUT-OUT to MAEVE for hanging on to our silly nicknames, and for staying in touch with me over the years. Even if we only get to see each other for two hours a year. Girls Trip here we come! Bev loves ya!
• SHOUT-OUT to BOO for being the best You're-not-the-boss-of-me-friend ever! I miss you. Hang in there and "May the Force be with You!"
• SHOUT-OUT to MOTHER NATURE for gently reminding me each year that I love Autumn. (Summer is best, but Autumn is nice!)
• SHOUT-OUT to BLAYKE! I miss your spunk around the house!

and last but not least...

• SHOUT-OUT to MYSELF for losing 25 pounds (and counting) with Weight Watchers!!! (Thats a small child I've lost!) I feel great, and am so proud of myself!

Love to all!

Our Labor Day Weekend

We had a busy Labor Day weekend. It started with Jon going up to Fort Bridger Wyoming to the Mountain Man Rendezvouz on Thursday night. He set up camp for us and stayed until Friday. Meanwhile, my mom, Grandma, Brother and his family came up on Friday for our cousin Dallan's wedding. My mom and I went to Swiss Days in Midway, and while we were there we jaunted in to the Homestead Spa so my mom could get a facial from Whitney (Lucky!) The next day Jon went Golfing, had band practice, went to the first BYU Football game (most of it) and then met me and the kids in Farmington at my Aunt Chrisy's house for the wedding. (Thats where we were married 8 years ago!!) We canceled our plan to leave straight from Chrisy's house to head up to Fort Bridger and instead left Sunday morning. We also canceled our camping plans for Sunday night at Fort Bridger due to stormy weather. We came home later on Sunday. Once we were up there, our hearts were really wishing we could stay, but we just didn't have the right gear to fight out the storm with two little ones! We had a good time anyway!





This is all of my mom's kids and Aunt Chris's kids with the newest In-Law Courtney! (We refer to ourselves as the "Original Six")





It only took most of the night, but all six of mom's kids and her grandkids finally got together to get a photo taken. We are only missing Blayke and the one-on-the-way for Ashley and CJ.









...the next day at the Rendezvouz. Having lunch in the field.



Jon, Daxon, and Uncle Vince (The ultimate Mountain Man and Daxon's namesake!)