Christensen Crazies

Piano

2012-01-05T14:11:00.004-07:00

Just a few weeks before Christmas, our kids piano teacher forwarded on an email to us about BSU selling all their used student pianos. On a whim, Matt stopped to look at what they had available....it was worth the stop! :) This piano is in amazing condition for being used by college students, plus it was black (which I *wanted* but hadn't seen many of on Craigslist when we had looked). Matt brought home the bench for us to put under the tree for Christmas morning, and the rest of it was delivered today!
I love it! And, I can't wait to listen to Abbie, Annie & Parker all practice on it...I know they are excited!! :)

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-06T14:28:00.004-07:00

Saturday was a busy day....we spent most of the day decking the halls, and the tree, and the roof, and the bedrooms, and, well....you get the idea!! :) I LOVE looking around at all the Christmas decorations, I love sitting by the Christmas tree & chatting with Matt at night after the kids are in bed, I love listening to Christmas music. All things Christmas are good!! So, I thought I'd share what we have adorning our house. :)

My kitchen table centerpiece (I think I need a red plate or something to layer between the charger & the glass, what do you think?):

Santa praying to baby Jesus....we've had this since our first Christmas and it means more to me each year. While I was putting it out, Parker asked about it....gave me the chance to ask Parker what part of Christmas was more important; Santa or Jesus.

New this year is this red "subway" sign. My friend, Kelly, was making this in her ward for a fabulous Friday RS activity, and I jumped in and asked her to order the stuff for me. I thought it turned out cute! I love my sparkly tree too!

These Nutcrackers were sent to us from Matt's mom....I think they bring back memories for Matt! :)

Now, onto our tree...this is just a sampling of my favorite ornaments.
I love this star...I think the star is my favorite Christmas symbol, and I love the "Believe" on it!

Can't forget about Duke!

We have a letter for each member in our family (here's one of the 3 A's)....

This ornament was sent to me from a friend a few years back....it's so unique & I love it. Every time I put it on the tree I think about her!

These boys were my super helpers setting up the tree. We worked hard all day while Daddy & Annie hung the lights outside.

What the finished product looks like!! Our star is missing, though....currently we are trying to decide if we stick with a new star (since our old one was slowly dying) or if we go with something new, such as an angel. Any advice?

Merry Christmas!! Hope your season is merry & bright!

u-swirl

2011-11-18T14:19:00.002-07:00

We have a new favorite "treat" place in our family....it's called u-swirl and my kids think they are extra special when they get to go in and make their own concoction of yogurty-goodness! Today they are out of school, and they have been extra good with Matt being out of town too, so we made a stop on our way back from errands!

Five happy kids is a hard thing to beat!! :)

Tae Kwon Do

2011-11-16T13:43:00.003-07:00

With soccer season over, it's Parker's turn to try something new. Tae Kwon Do was his activity of choice. Over at the elementary school, they have had a mini class going on for the last month, which Parker participated in....after "graduation" we realized how much Parker was enjoying it, so we signed him up officially. Last night was his first class, did awesome & had SO much fun!

Here's some pictures before heading to class....he's posing a few of the stances that he was taught in the mini class!

I'm thinking he's really going to enjoy this!! :)

Costume Pics!

2011-11-04T15:10:00.002-06:00

We were super rushed getting out the door to go trick-or-treating at the park usually go too, so I don't have many individual shots....but here they are, anyway!!

Usual group shot! Matt was an awesome red-neck again (we added tattoo sleeves this year...look closely at his arms), Abbie wore a poodle skirt, Annie as a bumble bee, 2 ninjas (Parker & Connor), and Allie was an adorable bunny (so cute!...and she learned to say "bun-nee" that night too!)....

Here's a better picture of Abbie from a few days before (it was pretty chilly Halloween night, so the costumes had to be improvised a bit...)
The red-neck & bunny!!...

Bumble Bee Annie...

Three trick-or-treaters going trick-or-treating.....(ninja masks were removed so they could see better)...

Hope your Halloween was as fun as ours!!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-03T15:02:00.005-06:00

(I'm gonna first say FINALLY!!....I've been trying to upload pictures for 3 days and it FINALLY worked....so, it's not my slacker-ness, it's blogger's fault!)

Anyway, our week before Halloween was hectic, to say the least. So, we didn't get around to carving pumpkins until Sunday afternoon, but it proved to be the perfect time. We came home from church (ended at 2pm), had some quick lunch, and got Allie down for a nap. With Allie being asleep, we didn't have to worry about her "help" with the mess! In the (almost) 14 years we've been married, we've come down with a good system! :) I help clean out the pumpkins & while Matt does the carving....works perfectly!

Connor & Matt, working on C-man's pumpkin first....

Next came Parker's....he drew a picture of the face he wanted on his pumpkin, so Matt would know what to carve....

Annie as she is counting pumpkin seeds....we each estimated how many were in one of the pumpkins (Matt won & my guess was WAY off...LOL)....

Abbie counting seeds too (she's looking so grown up to me here!)....

Can't resist including a quick picture of me & Matt (I sure love this guy!!)...

And, here is the finished product!! I think they turned out awesome, if I say so myself!!

Our Newest Soccer Player!

2011-09-12T14:18:00.005-06:00

Connor has been SO anxious to start playing soccer like Abbie & Annie....and, Saturday he finally had his first game!! Here's his "before game" poses:

And, playing in the game....he's #3. He scored 2 goals & had a lot of fun, I think!! (I'm glad I was able to snap a picture though...soccer tends to mean "bunch ball" when it is 4 yr. olds playing...LOL!)

Here's to another fun soccer season!!!

To Our Cooley Cousins...

2011-09-04T14:41:00.002-06:00

....who live in Georgia & thought the Bulldogs had a chance!!

Enough said!! :)

First Day of School Pictures!

2011-08-31T10:02:00.006-06:00

It's that time again...The First Day of School. I had four VERY excited kids & one little lady that I think enjoyed having her mama to herself for a couple of hours!! I love that we have a fantastic summer, but by the time the end of August comes around, we are all ready to head back to school, too!!

It's occasions like this, that I realize how quickly my kids are growing up, especially when I compare to last year (which I still vividly remember). But, there's no stopping that...so I just gotta enjoy it!!

Abbie (11 yrs. old), first day of 6th grade (aka: middle school):

And, I couldn't resist taking this picture from our front yard...that is seriously how close the bus stop is...love it!

Annie (9 yrs. old), first day of 4th grade:
Parker (6 yrs. old), first day of 1st grade:

And, Connor (4 yrs. old), first day of Preschool (2nd year):

Of course, couldn't resist including a picture of this cute girl!! This picture was taken last week, while we were at a park with one of those dome jungle gyms. Allie, seriously, has no fear & climbed to the top all by herself. (I took this picture, while I was standing straight up and pointing the camera up at her!)

Anyway....here's to another fantastic school year!!! I know all four of them will have a fun year with lots of learning!!!

St. George Vacation - St. George LDS Temple

2011-08-23T21:15:00.002-06:00

On our final day in St. George, we took the kids to see the LDS Temple. We took time to go through the visitors center, watch a short film about the divine & eternal nature of families (it was a tear-jerker!) and walk around the outside of the temple! It was a fantastic morning!

Couldn't pass up a quiet moment of the kids sitting in front of the Christus....

This is my favorite picture of the day (and one of the rare family photos we were able to catch during the entire trip!)....nothing says Forever Family like getting a picture in front of the temple!!

And a few shots of just the temple that I snapped as we were leaving...the last one is my favorite (I love the brilliant white of the temple against the blue, blue sky)!

Don't pass up to visit this amazing site when you're in St. George!! It's beautiful!!

St. George Vacation - Snow Canyon

2011-08-17T14:20:00.000-06:00

Another day of our vacation, we made plans to go hiking in Snow's Canyon. We had to start early (well..."vacation" early) and take lots of water and Gatorade (along with a few snacks!). I LOVE that Snow's Canyon has a good range of easy trails for our little ones or longer, more difficult trails, if that is what you want. Anyway, we got in two short "hikes" and then I took Abbie, Annie, Parker, and Connor on a little bit longer hike while Matt stayed with a napping Allie. Apparently, I took a lot of pictures this day....so I'll just let the pictures do the talking! ;)

Another thumbs-up activity to do when you visit St. George! (On a funny note, when we stopped at my parents house on our drive back to Boise, we discovered that my Dad, 4 brothers & nephew were hiking in the next canyon over at the exact day & time that we were at Snow's Canyon...what a small world!)

St. George Vacation - Dinosaur Museum

2011-08-14T07:28:00.004-06:00

One of the mornings, we got up and went to see the dinosaur museum. The boys were beyond excited to see "real dinosaur tracks"! Abbie & Annie patiently went along, and luckily they had origami there to divert their attention, even though I didn't get any pictures of that...LOL!

Here are the boys, getting a look at the rocks that some of the prints were found (you can see their origami swans sitting on the ground next to them, if you look closely).

They especially liked the little displays that they could actually touch!

Here we are learning about the path that the dinosaurs tread....the museum is built around the actual property that the tracks were found. The volunteers were SO nice and took time to answer any questions we had!
So, if you have boys & happen to be in St. George...stop by the Dinosaur Discover at Johnson Farm!

St. George Vacation - Historic Downtown Tour

2011-08-11T19:06:00.003-06:00

We just got back from a fantastic family vacation!! This year we decided to spend the week in St. George, Utah. One of the days we took a tour of historic downtown. They had live actors do presentations about major events that helped establish St. George. We started off hearing from Jacob Hamblin, who was one of the first pioneers to go to St. George, and also had a wonderful relationship with the Native Americans and was known as always being honest in his dealings.

Next we visited the Opera House (where we were greeted by Orson Pratt) which was a gathering place for entertainment & social events!

After stopping at the Tabernacle and also the Washington County Courthouse, we visited Brigham Young's winter home. Here's one of the only shots we got of all the kids together that day...

And, here's Brigham Young. Not only was he a great actor, but was so friendly as well. You could tell he really enjoyed being a part of the tour!

What a great way to spend one of our mornings! We got some history in, we learned more about our Church, what the pioneers went through living in such a hot climate, and we had a lot of fun!

Pigtails!

2011-07-25T13:47:00.002-06:00

Allie's hair finally fit into her first pigtails the other day....SO CUTE!

PS: her smiles crack me up!

This Morning...

2011-07-18T13:44:00.003-06:00

...I was cleaning up the kitchen as the kids came in & out of the back door a few times. When I was all done, I peaked out into the backyard to see what everybody was up too. Apparently, I missed all but one of my cute kids come in. This is what I found!!

Allie playing by herself on the trampoline...first walking around the edges!
Then jumping up & down (I think this one is hilarious...look at that hair!).

Then she was laying & rolling around....she finally spotted me!

And here was the priceless smile I got!! :)

Of course, most of the kids thought she was too cute...so they joined in with her too!! (I think they were playing queens & kings, which is why they all have a blanket around their necks - to be their robes, or whatever).

What a great way to start my day!! :)

We Are The Champions!!

2011-06-02T21:25:00.002-06:00

Abbie's U12 Soccer Team, the Blizzards, played in the championship game on Wednesday night. It was a serious game, always close or tied most of the game. It was against a really good team they have played on several occasions, and played in the championship game at the end of fall season last year. The other team came up the winners that time, so the Blizzards came into this game even more revved up & wanting to win....AND THEY DID!! Congrats Blizzards on an amazing season!!

Just before the game....
Lining up for their blue ribbons!!....

Team hugs....lots of happy girls!!...

And Abbie w/her ribbon! She wore her jersey & ribbon to school the next day (that is a smile there...the wind was just blowing a ton)!

It is so fun watching my girl's play!! It's so fun to see some hard work come together in great team work & an exciting game!! Congratulations Abbie & the Blizzards!

Playing Catch-Up: Field Trips

2011-05-27T21:20:00.002-06:00

We took 2 different field trips with Connor's preschool in April. One to the Zoo (always a favorite) and a we tried out the Idaho Botanical Gardens for the first time....both were lots of fun for the kids!!

Here the boys are at the zoo...it seems we always have to take a picture by the penguins!!...

Hiding in a grass hut (by the lions!)....

The next two are from our field trip to the botanical garden....

I think I have as much fun on the field trips as the kids!!

Playing Catch-Up: Piano Recital Time

2011-05-11T21:00:00.002-06:00

Abbie & Annie had their Spring Piano Recital on the middle of May....it's fun to see how much they improve from one recital to the next...it seems, this time, both of them have made some amazing progress!! They both performed beautifully & I think they both should be pleased with themselves!

On a side note, the recital was held at a new studio this time....the piano Abbie & Annie played on a beautiful, full sized grand piano! It was gorgeous!!

Playing Catch-up: Annie's Birthday

2011-05-11T20:50:00.000-06:00

Annie had her birthday in April....It's hard to believe that my Annie-Bear is already 9 years old. But, she is....and I think she had a fabulous day!!

I may be a little biased...but I think she's beautiful!! :)

Parker's New Trick

2011-03-31T15:27:00.002-06:00

No more training wheels!!!

Last year, Parker would have NOTHING to do with learning to ride a 2-wheeler....and even until yesterday he wasn't convinced that he wanted too. However, yesterday afternoon, I took him over to the basketball park by our house and told him we was going to learn (I *may* have threatened that he wouldn't be able to play the Wii until he could ride down the street & back)!! After a bit of complaining, a bit of crying, and A WHOLE LOT of trying, he finally got the hang of it! It was SO worth it, too....once we got back home, he kept telling us how fun it was to ride a 2-wheeler and how happy he was to learn!! He put a lot of effort into riding, and even though he wanted to give up, he didn't!! Way to go, Parks!!

This morning at our house...

2011-03-24T10:37:00.003-06:00

...something went missing! :)

This is the first tooth that Parker has lost...and we didn't even know it was lose!! I think he's excited for the tooth fairy to come tonight!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-19T14:06:00.004-06:00

We love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at our house!! My great grandma Isabella was born and raised in Newtown Ards, Ireland. I love that I have Irish ancestors & I love making this day fun for my kids!!! On St. Patty's Day, we woke up to 'gold' left on the table and counter along with some balloons left by a sneaky leprechaun...

For breakfast, we had key lime yogurt & toast with green sugar sprinkles on top!! Then we went to work getting everybody ready!...we had green shirts, green hair paint and ribbons for girls & Irish tattoos!....

For dinner, I thought about doing a traditional Irish dinner (corned beef & cabbage), but I didn't think the kids would go for it, so instead, I went about making green food....

We had meatloaf (NOT green...gross!), green mashed potatoes, green jello with cool whip, green beans, and green kool-aid....a big hit all around!

During the day, I had also dipped pretzels in come green candy melts to have dessert...the kids loved it!!

We had a fabulous day...and hope you did too!! :)

Connor

2011-03-05T16:11:00.002-07:00

...has been working really hard to learn how to write his name....I think you'll be able to tell how pleased he is (just look at his smile!) now that he has it figured out.... :)

Annie & Patience

2011-03-03T02:36:00.002-07:00

Each month, the elementary school that Abbie, Annie & Parker attend, focuses on a character trait that will help them become better citizens. This month, the character trait was PATIENCE, and Annie was recognized as the student from her class with patience....because of this, she was also presented at the assembly for the entire school. She was so excited!!!

Here she is waiting on the stage...

Then all the 3rd graders being recognized (sorry, blurry)....

Holding her certificate & flower!!...

And getting a big hug from Daddy!...

We are sure pleased with you Annie! We hope you strive to have patience throughout your life!! We love you!

Parker turns 6 years old!

2011-03-02T14:10:00.002-07:00

Parker had his birthday the beginning of February (I'm a slacker mom....). He told me a few days before that he "only wanted Lego's"!! Easy enough! ;)

Happy as can be with a new Ninjago set...
And a Lego Creator Cabin set (this is pretty cool 'cause you can build 3 different cabins w/it...plus it has a little camper dude too!)...

A Star Wars set from Grandma....

He built the Ninjago set all by himself!!!...pretty good! Notice his new Lego shirt too....(this kid is easy to please!)...

Yellow cupcakes for dessert!!

Six fun facts about Parker:

1. Parker's favorite color is yellow...given a choice between yellow & any other color, he'll always choose yellow!

2. Parker's favorite Wii game in Sword fighting Showdown...he's (by far) the best player in the family at it.

3. Parker LOVES school! He loves the social aspect, the learning, his teacher (gave her a heart with "I (heart) You" to his teacher the other day), is reading up a storm & is AWESOME at math!

4. Parker sleeps with his pillow pet & about 20 other stuffed animals at night...he loves them!

5. Parker is great at cleaning his room. Even though he doesn't love doing it, he's pretty good at getting it down the right way.

6. Parker usually calls Connor "buddy" instead of by his name...it's cool. Along with that, Parker just has a good heart and loves his brother and sisters!!

Happy (late) Birthday, Parks! We love you bunches!!

Connor is 4

2011-01-31T16:27:00.005-07:00

Presents in the morning, followed by his favorite breakfast (rice pudding) and playing with all of his new Batman toys!...

After church was spent building his new Lego's with Dad!...

Followed by his favorite dinner (grilled hotdogs & cheetos) and some tasty cake!

We hope you had a great day, Connor!! You are such an amazing little boy who has blessed our lives so very much!! I love your smile, I love to see how much you love to play with all your Batman toys, and I love watching you being a good helper around the house!! Happy Birthday, Connor-man! We love you!!

Pictures of the Birthday Girl!

2011-01-11T15:13:00.002-07:00

I tried getting some cute pictures of Allie the morning of her birthday, but because she is a busy little baby, they didn't turn out as fantastic as I would have like....even still, you can see why we think she's so adorable... ;)
"Get this thing off my head"....LOL. She only keeps her headbands on for a split second before she's pulling them off....

Love the smile...

This one makes me giggle just looking at it....look at her crazy hair...it's sticking up further than the black flower....

Ok, Mom....if you don't want me pulling off my hair bow, then I'll just eat the toy...

Love our little Allie!! (more birthday pics to come)

One Year Ago Today...

2011-01-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

...our beautiful little lady joined our family. Allie has been the perfect addition, too! Allie is absolutely adored by her two big sisters, she gets smothered in kisses regularly from her two big brothers, she has a Daddy that thinks she is the prettiest thing around, and a Mommy who feels so blessed to have this sweet little girl as part of our family!

Allie has grown so much....like all babies during the first year. But, some of her "big" accomplishments are: walking (not all the time, but she can take about 5-6 steps before falling, while giggling her head off!), she has 10 teeth, including her top 2 molars that just grew in, she has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 1/2 months old, she has the cutest crawl in the entire world (if you've seen her crawl, you know exactly what I'm talking about), she loves to babble & can mimic "mama" and "baba" (bottle). Allie also loves to blow raspberries, loves to eat mac & cheese, applesauce, yogurt, bagels, diced pears, and any type of noodle, really.

We are so glad our Allie-cat is part of our family! Happy 1st Birthday, little lady!! We love you more than you will ever know!!!

No words...just pictures!

2010-12-14T14:36:00.006-07:00

The Last Two Months...

2010-10-29T14:25:00.004-06:00

...have been busy with SOCCER!! We've had practice Mon-Thurs. nights w/3 games almost every Saturday (one Saturday we had 4 games and another two weekends Annie ended up having a Friday night game, so we only two for the next day...). But, we've sure had a lot of fun!!

Annie is trying out next week for a "select" league....a little bit better than just a regular recreation team, but not quite advanced as a competitive or club team....after all, she's only 8 yrs. old!

Abbie's team was new playing together this season...they started off a little rough, but have improved AMAZINGLY!! Her team is playing in the championship game tomorrow afternoon (wish her luck!!)!

She plays defender....

Parker had fun....but, I'm wondering if he's a little soccer-ed out....we're thinking about trying karate for him....

Connor's already talking about playing soccer in the Spring....we'll see what happens!! :)

9 months old...

2010-10-08T11:39:00.003-06:00

...and we love her more every day!!

(showing off her 2 bottom, front teeth....those are the only ones she has so far, but she puts them to good use!!)

(a big cheeser for Abbie, who was doing tricks behind me...)

(playing in the laundry basket)

(eating leaves outside)

(standing up in the kitchen....she thinks she is pretty hot stuff w/all her standing...)

(and she thinks she is big enough to start climbing the stairs....I happen to think differently!)

Allie is adored by us all...she is such a sweet, happy, easy-going baby!! We love our little lady!

First Day of School Pictures!

2010-09-02T09:57:00.005-06:00

It's that time of year....I have 3 kids in elementary school, plus a preschooler this year! This week has been busy, but SO good, too!! So far, they are all LOVING school!

My 5th grader...

3rd grader....

At our house before leaving for school....
Over at school, now (the weather was really chilly...they were trying to stay warm!)...

My big kindergartner...

Connor ready for preschool, too!....

Here's to another fantastic school year!!! :)

Testing...

2010-08-23T17:01:00.004-06:00

....because we got a new camera for our trip to San Diego! If this blog post works, then that means I've done all the uploading right & I can start sharing pictures from our vacation & all the other fun stuff we've been doing this summer!! :)

So...just some random pictures....

Looks like it might be working & apparently Connor has been a little camera-shy...LOL! More blogs to come!!

The "Beach Park"

2010-07-02T07:21:00.005-06:00

Not too far from our house, we have a great state park that is perfect for a little bit of summer swimming and, of course, picnics! The kids have such a fun time playing in the water & building sand castles, while Matt & I get a little relaxing in!!

This is how you'll usually find the kids...

We love summer!!

A Saturday Walk

2010-06-27T13:36:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Matt & I decided we wanted to take the kids out for a little outdoor activity...the weather was prefect, spending a little family time together was great & we all had a lot of fun! We headed down to the Greenbelt to take a walk by the river! We did a 1.3 mile loop and finished up right before noon...it was perfect! All the kids were troopers...even Connor's little legs kept going!

It was even perfect for a few pictures...

And a cute baby girl that was perfectly happy the entire time! :)

Family Reunion #1

2010-06-24T16:56:00.004-06:00

Yep...it's official...I'm a slacker. I am NOT good at remembering to take pictures! We took our camera, though it only made an appearance on 2 occasions....never mind the roasting marshmallows over the campfire, seeing all the baby animals that have been born, craft projects, hanging out, etc....so, here's the few from getting together with Matt's family from a couple of weeks ago.

Matt's parent's bought a Tote Goat (yeah, I didn't know what it was either, until we arrived) a few days before we got there. Matt found a new toy, the kids, Matt & I all had fun riding it (when it wasn't raining) and Connor decided the helmet should be his.... :)

If you were to come to our house....

2010-06-24T16:29:00.005-06:00

...you'd find lots of Parker's drawings around! This boy loves to color, cut, paste, tape up, etc any piece of art work that he does. I think it's time I found a cork-board to hang up all his artwork on!

Here's some pictures of what you'd currently find around our house....

(symbols for only Rescue Hero's and NYPD allowed in this room)

(Lego "rock monster"...from the Power Miners set...some of Park's favorite pictures to color, recently...and yes, we print LOADS of pictures off daily!) :)

(more Rescue Hero's and Power Miner pictures)

(still not sure what all this one means...he likes to use the "+" sign when he is combining stuff, currently we have "M+"heart"+P" written on our porch in chalk...that means "mom loves Parker...anyway, there is a heart, rock monster and arrows to the right on this picture...whatever that means!)

P.S. I realize I have a month worth of catching up to do (end of school projects, family reunions, misc. pictures, etc), so I'll do my best to do some regular blogging! :)

Earrings!

2010-05-22T17:18:00.003-06:00

At our house, we allow the girl's to get their ears pierced when they turn 8 years old. Abbie had the chance to go on her 8th birthday. Annie, however, has had to wait an extra 40 days. Annie has been playing spring soccer and one of the rules is that absolutely NO jewelry can be worn during games. Unfortunately, soccer started 2 days before Annie turned 8 years old. So, this afternoon (her last game was this morning!) we took off to Claire's to finally get Annie's ears pierced!! She was pretty set on getting purple earrings...but, once she was there checking out the different earrings available, she chose the turquoise ones instead...

Before (she was just a bit nervous):

After:

I have a pretty happy eight year old here today! And, I think it was worth the wait....her team went undefeated!!!

Blessing

2010-05-11T10:16:00.003-06:00

Sunday brought Allie's blessing day. We knew Annie would be getting baptized this weekend, so we held off blessing Allie so we could do both in one big weekend (hopefully it made travelling/attending easier for our parents!). Here are a few pictures from after the blessing...

Allie with her Daddy & both Grandpas!

And Mommy with her "two white girls" (as the boys have been saying)...

Just the two white girls....

Another Mommy & girls...

Just Mom & Allie!...

I realized that I didn't get any snap shots with both Matt & I with Allie....I'll have to get those that our Mom's took! We had such a fantastic weekend and we are so blessed to have family & friends that came to show their love and support, along with all those that were there in spirit too (we missed you)!

Baptism

2010-05-10T15:07:00.004-06:00

Annie had a very special day on Saturday....one that she has been looking forward to for a long time! Annie has always had a sweet & simple testimony and has always strived to follow Jesus Christ. On Saturday, she continued in Christ's footsteps by being baptized.

She chose to have her Daddy baptize & confirm her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So beautiful in the dress Gramma C made to have all the girl cousins baptized in.

After the confirmation....perfectly clean & pure.

Annie, we love you so much & are so very pleased with the decision you made! We hope you will always remember that special day & live worthy to have the Holy Ghost as your companion the rest of your life! We love you!!

It's Great to be Eight!

2010-04-26T11:06:00.005-06:00

Annie had her birthday 2 weeks ago....she turned EIGHT years old! We ended up celebrating all weekend long (almost). We have a tradition of the birthday kid picking where we go out to dinner, as a family...since Annie's birthday was on a Monday night (when Matt was teaching at BSU) we decided to go out on Saturday night instead.

Sunday night we had her cake & ice cream, since we wanted Daddy to be there for that too! :)

Monday morning, we woke up bright & early so she could open her birthday gifts! She was given her own scriptures & marking pencils, some purple (her favorite color!) finger nail polish, a new outfit from Gramma & Grandpa C (she's worn it a lot!), a new dress & outfits for her American Girl doll from Grandma Judy & Grandpa Bill, and a special date with Mom to get pedicures & go shopping!!

We love this Anastasia! We are looking forward to a special day with lots of pictures & lots of family in town for her baptism!! Of course, I'll post pictures afterward! :)

Allie is 3 months old!

2010-04-08T09:19:00.006-06:00

Things about Allie...

1) She loves to be propped up in a sitting position....she definitely likes to see what is going on around her!

2) She has *almost* lost her newborn cry....you know the one I'm talking about.

3) She usually puts up with loads of hugs & kisses from her older brothers pretty well.

4) She loves when Mom is holding her....if mom is busy, a binkie will hold her off just a tiny longer...

5) She does NOT like to lay on her tummy...."tummy time" usually lasts all of 30 seconds.

6) She typically goes to bed around 9pm and sleeps straight through until 6:30-7am!! Yes, I am in heaven!

7) She recently found her hands & loves to have them up near her face or in her mouth (see picture).

8) She will reward just about everybody with one of the cutest smiles ever!

9) She is definitely a blue-eyed baby! They aren't the newborn gray-blue anymore, but a dark, beautiful blue!10) She frequently has "raspberries" on her lips!

We are so blessed to have our little Allie-cat in our family! I love watching each of the other kids play, hold, and kiss her...each of them loves her so much! Matt loves to hold & talk to her as well....I think he misses her a lot when he has to work late or teaches class & doesn't get home before she is in bed. Heavenly Father definitely knew what he was doing when He sent Allie to us! We love her!!

Spring Break, Part 3

2010-04-03T08:09:00.005-06:00

We made suger cookies yesterday!! Always a big hit! And, oh so yummy!!

Here the kids are getting ready to frost & decorate...

Decorating away...

All done!!

Now ENJOYING the goodness!!

Spring Break, Part 2

2010-04-01T16:50:00.004-06:00

Another snowy day....so, we colored Easter eggs!!!

Some of the final product....
And a cute baby who slepted through it all...

I think we'll make Easter sugar cookies tomorrow! Yum! :)

Spring Break, Part 1

2010-03-30T13:01:00.003-06:00

My kids are home this week for Spring Break (though you'd never know it since we've had rain, hail & snow today!)...so they've been doing some fun things to fill their time.

Today...it was the "Pass the Cup" game. I know this must be a Girl's Camp favorite, and last year, I was introduced to how fun it is when I attended Young Women's Camp with our ward. I came home & taught Abbie & Annie...and they love it too! Here they are in action...

If you want to see another family (not ours...on YouTube), you can click here to see a bigger group play. I really gotta remember to teach mine & Matt's family how to play this...I'm sure there would be tons of giggles once we got started.... :) Oh, the fun things that entertain us!!...

Abbie's Favorite Books

2010-03-22T18:21:00.002-06:00

So, I've mentioned this before, but for those of you who don't know Abbie, she is a VERY avid reader. In an average week, she reads anywhere between 10-15 hours. Earlier in the school year, Abbie came across a series of books by Erin Hunter called "Warriors". Abbie has LOVED these books...and there are a TON of them. So far, Abbie has read about 25 of the books that Erin Hunter has written (there are several different series...the "Warriors" books are about different cat clans -- ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and StarClan -- then there are the "Seekers" about bears).

One day in church, Abbie decided to draw pictures of the cats from different clans. Each clan has a leader, deputy, medicine cat, warriors, apprentices, kits & queens. Here are some of her pictures....

Princess is a "kittypet" (owned by humans) & Tigerclaw was ThunderClans deputy.
Fireheart (was a kittypet now a ThunderClan warrior) & Graystripe was in ThunderClan but switched to RiverClan & back to ThunderClan).

BlueStar (ThunderClan's leader) and YellowFang (ThunderClan's Medicine Cat).

Anyway...if you have a 10 year old, chances are they will love these books too! :)

Go Duke!

2010-03-15T15:42:00.004-06:00

ACC Regular Season Champions

ACC Tournament Champions

NCAA #1 Seed for the 2010 play-offs!

Bring on March Madness....this house is full of Duke fans!

Smiles

2010-03-13T18:12:00.005-07:00

Trying to capture the smile of a newborn on camera is just about impossible...lucky for me, I was finally able to get a few shots the other day....it's amazing how a little smile melts my heart, completely!

2 months old

2010-03-10T10:26:00.003-07:00

On Sunday, Allie turned 2 months old. So, yesterday we had her 2 month check-up. She has reach all the appropriate milestones & is growing perfectly...she weighed in at 10 lbs. 8 oz & 22 inches long. She's handled the immunizations really well, even. She is such a sweet & easy going baby who loves to snuggle with me! She loves her nighttime bath, followed by pajamas, a bottle & bedtime. She's even slept through the night on a few occasions! :) Annie has a special touch for calming Allie down (especially when I'm trying to get dinner ready, or whatever) and helping her enough to relax & fall asleep. Parker & Connor love to give her tons of kisses everyday. Allie is a perfect addition to our family!

Here are a few snapshots that I took of her...(sorry for the shadows)...

And, here you can tell that she'd finally had enough...LOL!...

For Grandma C

2010-02-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

Dear Grandma,

Thank you for our new birthday clothes! We love them!!

Love, Parker & Connor

PS...a goofy picture, just for fun...

Another Birthday Boy!

2010-02-09T14:53:00.004-07:00

Parker is 5!! Yesterday was his birthday, and he mentioned to me a few different times that, "This is my best birthday ever!"

We started off the day by opening presents....he picked the gift from Grandma Judy & Grandpa Bill....a set of Star Wars Lego's! Last week when Grandma C was here, she also got Parker a set, so he's having a blast with them all!

Next...a few new books....3 Scooby-Doo adventures!....the kid is totally into all the old Scooby-Doo shows & I've read these new books to both the boys a few times already!

Nothin' exciting about a much needed shirt for church...but, he'll sure look handsome in it!

Then, he got some Crayola Star Wars coloring pages...these have been a big hit too (when he isn't playing with the Legos)!!!

And...one more set of Legos (a Castle set this time), from Mom & Dad! A pretty big hit too!

At the end of the day, after going out to dinner (Parker picked Primo's...an all-you-can-eat Pizza place) we came back home for some cupcakes....

Making a wish & blowing out the candles!!

Hope you had a fantastic day, Parks! We love you!!!

We Have a Birthday Boy!

2010-01-30T13:57:00.003-07:00

Today Connor is THREE YEARS OLD! He woke up this morning, came into our room & let me know, "Mom, today's my birthday!" After giving him birthday hugs & kisses and then getting a phone call to be sung "Happy Birthday" to from Grandma Judy, Nate, Sharyn & Shannon, we headed downstairs for Connor-man to open his gifts!!...

Some "Handy Manny" books...some of his favorite!

A "Handy Manny Fix It Phone" from Grandma Judy & Grandpa Bill...

And a new bike from Mom & Dad, along with a helmet & knee pads!
After opening gifts, we all got ready and headed off to Krispy Kreme for breakfast (Connor's choice, that he's been telling us for the last few months!).

At lunch time, I called, "Connor-man, come for lunch!" and he responded by saying, "I'm not Connor-man today, I'm Birthday Boy!" Too cute! I think he's having a good day....we'll finish it off tonight with some cupcakes for everybody! I sure am blessed to have this cute boy in my life!

3 Week Photoshoot

2010-01-29T15:50:00.004-07:00

I think she gets more pretty every single day!! We love our Baby Allie!

More Showing Off! :)

2010-01-09T17:50:00.006-07:00

These next few pictures are from when the kids came to visit Baby Allie and me later the day that she was born! I love seeing how much Allie is already adored by her older brothers & sisters!

Here's Parker getting to hold her for the very first time!

Connor climbed up on my lap & loved looking at (and kissing) his new baby sister!

Abbie loves holding Allie like this...

And a picture of my FIVE kids and me!!....I love every single one of them!!

Matt finally got a chance to hold Allie (without compitition with the other kids) when it was time for me to be discharged!!...he's a proud dad!!

Lastly....Allie in her "coming home" outfit!

I am SO in love with her already!!!

New addition...

2010-01-07T13:20:00.004-07:00

Hi! This is Matt. This is my inaugural post (and probably the last, at least for along while - Meshelle does the blog thing). Just had to get on here and post some pics of our newest addition - Baby Allie!

For those interested, here's the stats: 7lbs 5oz, 20 inches, born at 9:40.

Abbie and Annie begged for months to let them go to the birth. Since Meshelle was induced, we let them come along. That's why they are in some of the pics.

Make-Overs at Monkey Dooz

2010-01-05T16:38:00.005-07:00

One of the gifts that Abbie & Annie got for Christmas was a make-over at Monkey Dooz (a local kids salon)! So, last Saturday, I booked Abbie & Annie's appointments and the three of us took off while Matt stayed home with the boys. It was SO much fun to have a little "girl time" and I think it was a blast overall.

First, Abbie started with getting her nails painted. Currently, her favorite color it turquoise, so that was the color of sparkles she picked to go on them....which happened to match her earrings too! :)

Annie started by getting her hair cut!After Abbie's nails were done, she got moved to make-up. And, of course, she picked out turquoise to match her nails...

When Annie is finished with her haircut, she went to get her nails polished. Purple is one of Annie's favorite colors, so that's what she opted for... Next up, Abbie needed to get her hair cut as well. We cut about 4 inches off....but, I'm pretty sure still likes it!Annie got to move on & get her make-up done...she also picked a color to match her nails...purple!After Annie's make-up & Abbie's haircut, they both got to get their hair styled! So cute!Here's the finished product!...Abbie's wanted some blue (the closest they had to turquoise) coloring added to her hair, while Annie picked a pink/purple color!And...a picture of all 3 of us...

Aren't my girls beautiful? I love spending some fun girly time together with them!!

What do you know, it snowed!!

2009-12-30T16:07:00.005-07:00

We got snow last night, like 3-4 inches of good, throwing & rolling (for snowmans) snow!!!...and the kids couldn't wait to go out and play in it this morning!

They made snow angels...

Parker had to eat some....

Connor had fun just checkin' it out, at first....

Then he started throwing the snow at Abbie....

The Abbie & Annie had a bit of a snowball fight....

They couldn't leave me out, so they threw some all over the back sliding door...

And, all four of them had fun trying to jump on the trampoline (Matt won't be too happy that I let them do it, but they were having so much fun!)....

Felix the Elf

2009-12-21T08:07:00.004-07:00

Santa sent us a special surprise last week....his name is Felix the Elf!

Felix was sent by Santa to make sure our kids are being happy & helping at this time of year! A letter was included, letting us know that Felix would be around until Christmas Eve, but then Santa will pick him up when he stops by our house. Felix will let Santa know if Abbie, Annie, Parker & Connor have been good & if they deserve presents or coal....

But, Felix is also a little prankster...we all left to go shopping on Saturday, and when we got back, this is where we found him...swinging by the kitchen chandelier with toilet paper...

Yesterday while we were at church he threw his string cheese wrapper on the kitchen floor & climbed up the wall with ribbon...

Then, this morning, we woke up to find Felix in the kitchen getting into some of the candy I was using for Christmas baking...(Felix looks pretty proud of the messes he makes...)!

I wonder what he'll do next......whatever he does, the kids are behaving well & getting along for the most part. So, even if we have to put up with a few more pranks by Felix, hopefully he'll give Santa a good report on the kids!

Connor's Crazy Costumes!

2009-12-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that Connor cracks me up....he seriously makes me laugh, a lot. Matt & I find ourselves doing some of his goofy mannerisms (currently he shrugs his shoulders every time "I don't know" is the answer) and talking about some of the funny things he says.

But, this last week, I've been looking for pictures for my sister & I realized I have a TON of Connor all dressed up & I don't think I've ever shared them with you....so, to indulge me, here ya go!

Rarely he goes with out a hat of some sort, combined with the sunglasses, even better!...

This is his "Knight" costume....

He wanted to show off his Pooh Bear snow boots, even though it was in the middle of the summer...

This was taken in July...Santa hat, Valentine's apron, and Belle's princess shoes...

And, not a costume, but plenty of make-up, courtesy of his older sisters....

Hope you enjoyed...and maybe had a few laughs too!! :)

New Game Favorites!

2009-12-14T10:46:00.004-07:00

After a weekend of cold weather & snowy days, we now have 2 new favorite family games at our house! It started on Saturday when Matt & the boys were napping....I was playing "Clue" (an all-time favorite) with the girls. After playing a few games of that, I decided it was time to get into the game closet & teach the girls a new game....first up, Rummikub! Matt & I used to play this with other couples when we were at BYU....but, it hadn't been played for a LONG TIME! Abbie & Annie really got into it...they love a challenge & playing out their next move!

Then, Sunday morning (our church doesn't meet until 1pm), the girls were asking to play Rummikub again....but, for some reason, Matt pulled out Life! I don't think we have ever played it with them....but, both girls had a lot of fun with this one too....

We love games at our house...especially ones that we can play together! If you have some suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Our current favorites include: Clue, Mexican Train, Cranium (Family Fun Edition), now along with Rummikub & Life!! :)

Fire Station Field Trip

2009-11-14T20:53:00.006-07:00

Last Thursday, we went with Parker's preschool group to the Fire Station. Parker & Connor had been talking about it all week...they were SO excited to see the fire truck, see the fireman, and check out the fire station too! Where do the fireman sleep? Do they have an exercise room? Where is the the kitchen?...those were all questions they had been asking throughout the course of the week. So, when Thursday morning arrived, they were beyond thrilled!!!

They did get to see the exercise room, the kitchen, and where the fireman sleep...but, there were some other fun parts too!!

The fireman taught them some special fire safety rules...like how to Stop, Drop & Roll...
And, to get down on your hand & knees to crawl out of a building on fire...
The got to see the fireman all dressed up & talked about how this is the way a fireman would look if they ever needed to come into a burning building to find them...

But, of course, the firetruck was the biggest hit!!

Having two boys means lots of talking about fireman!! We are so thankful for the fireman who took time to show us how important their job really is and all the things we can do to be safe!!

Things that make me smile...

2009-11-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

The other night, as Matt & I were upstairs getting the boys ready for bed, Abbie came up with a note in her hand (her mouth was full of mouthwash). This is what it said...

And, of course, Annie had to have her own reply...

Obviously, sibling rivalry is going strong in this house....I would have done something about it...if I wasn't laughing so hard about the notes!! :)

We Are Thankful

2009-11-10T10:12:00.005-07:00

''I stole this idea from my SIL, Rochelle, for Family Home Evening last night...and I think it was a big hit! Parker made 3 different hands (I love that he had SO many things to list that he was thankful for) and the girls had a blast cutting & writing down what they were thankful for as well. Matt was super awesome too, because (if you look closely, just to the left of our turkey's neck you can see a little tiny blue hand...just for Allie), Matt didn't want to leave Allie out on our Thankful FHE!

Some of the things Parker is thankful for are: jet planes, blankies, grandmas and grandpas, Talon (one of his preschool friends), Transformers (of course!), and then on one of his hands he listed each member of our family!

Connor said he was thankful for: Pooh Bear, his green blankie, Mommy, Daddy, his Curious George monkey, and then each of his sisters & brother!

Some of the things listed by Annie: Heavenly Father, my friends, books, bed, my family. Abbie was thankful for her friends & books too, shelter, Jesus, school & toys. As a parent, it was fun to see what each of the kids listed! I'm so thankful for this time of year, and a wonderful family to celebrate it with!!

Preschool Halloween Party Pictures!

2009-11-03T16:31:00.004-07:00

Invitations were sent out...

Kids arrived in costume...a witch, a bunny, a puppy, Anakin Skywalker, a skeleton, Darth Vader, a bat and a storm trooper...

We played games...donuts on a string was a big hit!...

Decorated cupcakes!

And had lots of fun!!! Thanks from joining us for a fun Halloween Party!! :)

Here's Our Costumes!

2009-11-02T14:35:00.003-07:00

A few days late, but worth the wait!

Connor's & Parker's costumes are the same from last year...I think they liked them, because there was only one time (early in October) that Parker asked to be Optimus Prime & then he decided on being a bat. Connor wanted to be the same puppy from last year...he was super cute though, because he ACTED like a puppy too...especially during our preschool Halloween party that we had.

Annie being a black cat...

Abbie was a witch!

And my Redneck Husband...

Gotta have a group shot too...

We hope you all had a fun Halloween, just like us!!

I hope I'm not jinxing myself...

2009-10-18T15:01:00.004-06:00

...but, this handsome kid is *almost* potty trained. After talking to (and being inspired by!) my sister earlier in the week, I decided to just bite-the-bullet and do it. Connor's doing awesome...a few accidents, but overall, I can't complain much! I'll keep ya posted! It's fabulous knowing that once Connor's done, I'll only have one more kid to have to potty train!!! (jumping for joy right now)

Sunday Dinner Visitors

2009-10-15T14:22:00.002-06:00

On Sunday we had some visitors for dinner... Matt's Grandpa Dave & his wife, Bonnie, plus Matt's Uncle Kent & Aunt Cindy came over. Matt's Grandpa & Bonnie moved to Boise over the summer & we figured it was about time we had them over. The were gracious enough to accept the offer...and luckily, though Kent really riled up the kids, Grandpa Dave and Grandma Bonnie were good sports with all the noise & chaos...

This was the first time Matt's grandparent's had been to our house...

Kent tries to have an innocent face...but, I think he has more fun with the kids than anybody else...

Kent even coaxed Parker into making goofy faces instead of his innocent, sweet smile that I usually get...

Dinner time...I caught Grandpa Dave right in the middle of chewing food (it's never easy to smile for the camera, when that happens...)...

And, of course, Connor was begging to have his picture taken...squinty-eyed and smilin'...gosh, I love this kid!!

Craft Night at Kerrie's

2009-10-14T12:22:00.002-06:00

Kerrie is a friend of mine from my "old" ward. Last week she sent out an email offering to host a craft night for anybody that was interested...which, of course, I was!! She offered two projects to choose from, had the wood all cut out for us when we arrived, paint available, and candy to munch on! I couldn't stay to enjoy the girl-time, but I did take both projects home & worked on them...here's how mine turned out!

The witches hat...

And the "BOO"!...

I had fun working on them & my house it beginning to look a little more festive!! Thanks Kerrie!!!

Abbie Turned Ten!

2009-10-13T16:20:00.005-06:00

I can hardly believe that my "little ladybug" (what we called her as a baby) is now 10 years old! She has grown up so beautifully! She loves to read, have friends over, is a great helper & is starting to get the baby-sitting bug (she's done little stints here-and-there for me)!

One birthday tradition that I've carried on from when I was a little girl was making a birthday sign for each of the kids on their birthday...it's not especially fancy, but I think they like it! On the night before her birthday, Abbie asked if I was going to make one (she hadn't seen me working on it) and I told her "if I had time"....of course, I was going to have time!! :)

Here's some pictures from Abbie opening her gifts...she wanted some "mystery games"...

She also asked for an Ipod...(you can't tell that's what she got, but it's in there)...
And also a new pair of shoes...
For her birthday cake, she had asked for Peach Dessert! YUM!!! (For some reason, our pictures from blowing out her candles were either blurry or too dark to see what was happening...so, this is the best ya get, sorry!)

After the boys were in bed, I gave her a pedicure...she felt pretty special!
This is the finished product!!...pink & purple with little silver flowers on her big toes!Happy Birthday, Abbie! We are so glad you are part of our family & such a terrific big sister to Annie, Parker & Connor! I know they love you tons, just like Daddy & I!!! I hope you had a good day!!!

Updates Coming Soon....

2009-10-12T17:00:00.002-06:00

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Please don't think,
I've forgot about you!

Our home computer has been in the repair shop....getting a much needed increase in RAM, fixing the CD drives & other stuff that I could say, but I have no idea what it means...LOL! I have pictures ready to upload, and updates ready to share, but you'll have to wait just bit longer. Once my computer is back, I'll make sure to add them to our blog!! :)

Soccer Season Starts!

2009-09-21T15:06:00.005-06:00

Parker is loving it already!! He plays hard, works up a sweat, has loads of fun and has even scored a few times, too!...what could be better?

Just some random pictures from his first game...he's #2!

Our Pre-schooler, Parker!

2009-09-04T10:22:00.004-06:00

Parker started preschool on Wednesday morning. He loves preschool!! He has been asking me for weeks, "How many days until I start preschool, Mom?" So, when Wednesday arrived, he was one excited boy! He was up, getting ready & begging me to fix breakfast before the sun was even up!

One fun fact about Parker, is that if you've been lucky enough to spend anytime with him in the last few months, you know that he LOVES Transformers! So, as we did our school shopping...we came home with a few Transformer items...

1st...a backpack! What 4 yr. old boy wouldn't think this is awesome?!!?

2nd...some Transformer shoes! (Optimus Prime, of course!)

3rd...some new Transformer underwear (they don't sit in his drawer long...he wears them as soon as I get them washed, LOL)!

Lucky for Parker, he talked Gramma C (she spent a week here with the kids while I was at Young Women's camp) into adding to his Transformer collection, by buying him plate, bowl and cup that are just his own!

Then, of course, Matt added to the collection too....we have a Transformer poster in the boys room...

... the Transformer movie (I'm sure we'll be getting "Revenge of the Fallen" when it's out on DVD)...

...and we picked up the soundtrack to "Revenge of the Fallen" (it's pretty good, especially if you like Linkin Park, Green Day, etc)...

And, I forgot to mention that even the Easter Bunny knew that Parker loves Transformers, so for Easter Parker got a Transformer swim towel in his Easter basket (it's been used almost EVERY day this summer!)....

I love my Parker! He brings a smile to my face every day and I love how much he loves Transformers!! Isn't he cute?

P.S. Just in case you are wondering, Parker does have some Transformer action figures (4 or 5 at the present time, thanks to Grandma Judy & birthday/Christmas presents) and several other Transformer items...I just thought I'd included enough pictures for today!! :)

First Day of School Pictures!

2009-09-01T10:15:00.004-06:00

So...what better way to get back into blogging after summer vacation than by posting pictures from the girl's 1st day back to school?

Abbie and Annie looked pretty darn cute, if I say so myself, and had fun picking out their own outfits for the first day back!!

Of course, they had to show off their new "Wizards of Waverly Place" backpacks...

Here's Abbie...

and Annie....

And all four in front of the school (I was LOL at Parker's and Annie's expressions)...
We are all excited for the new school year to begin & I think we're going to have a fantastic year!!

Two Piano Players

2009-05-30T10:22:00.004-06:00

Abbie and Annie had their Spring Piano Concert a few days ago...both of them did fantastic! It's so fun to be a mom & watch their improvement over the last few months! Both of them received awards for practicing over 50 days in a three month period. (We do have a rule that the girls get up at 7am and practice before school!...it works pretty well for us!) They have a fantastic teacher who is helping them develop a love for playing & practicing as well!! I love that! So...

Here's Annie playing her recital piece:

And Abbie playing her's:

And here's both of my beautiful girls after they finished!! Good job Annie & Abbie!!

Family Band Time

2009-05-30T09:44:00.003-06:00

So...last weekend when we were in Utah for the Memorial Day Weekend, Matt & 2 of his brothers and a BIL (brother-in-law) put together a family band. I think the guys had quite a fun time & it was a blast listening to them! Matt played the bass, Kyle was on the drums, Jeremy was one of the guitar players & Nate was singer & guitar. There were a few "extras" too...Annie and Graham are pictured below...

A closer up of Kyle & Matt... (incidently, Matt played the bass, and cello, and serveral other instruments when we were dating, but somehow it kinda got lost in between undergrad, law school, 4 kids, moving, and life in general...so, for me, it was really fun to watch him play again!)

Here are some other "extras":

Connor with his messy face and all...gotta love the grin, though!!

Parks sure looks like he was having a blast!

And here is Lincoln, Parker and Annie...

You'll have to wait for the release of the song to hear what they played....Jeremy's working on mixing it and putting it all together! :)

Preschool at the Zoo!

2009-05-04T14:43:00.006-06:00

Parker's preschool took a field trip to the zoo last week...all the animals were out, it was just a little bit overcast, but not too cold, and the kids had a ball! Here's some pictures from our fun morning!!

Aren't these kids cute?....there's Talon, Parker, Jackson, Tanner, Sadie & Emry! (If you look closely, you can see the head of the crane peaking up over the sign!)

The boys really liked seeing the lions!!...they're back there behind them...

We were able to spot the giraffes without any problems!...this was the first time we were able to see them outside of their enclosure (our zoo just got giraffes a few months ago)!

Parker then had to "drive" the Safari Truck!

Connor loved watching the penguins!...he looks a little lost here, but I promise, he had fun!!

And, of course, we have to take a picture on the Komodo Dragon! It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo with out it!! :)

A Girl's Night Out!

2009-04-26T18:24:00.006-06:00

The youth (the 14-18 yr olds) in our stake & 5 others participated in a dance festival that was held last Saturday. Because I'm in Young Women's, I thought it would be great if I could go and watch them perform. Luckily, the Beehive advisor, that I work with, wanted to join me...so, we invited another friend along and we all brought our daughters. We figured since we were already going to the dance performance, we might as well enjoy dinner together too (though I forgot to take any pictures at dinner)! We all had a fantastic time! Here are the girls...aren't they cute together?

Alexa, Camrie, Abbie & Annie getting ready for the dancin' to begin!

Me, Carly & Jodie (Abbie snapped the picture for us!)

Thanks for a fun Girl's Night Out!! :)

A Little Project

2009-04-21T09:44:00.002-06:00

I love doing little projects...especially making little things that I "need" around my house. A favorite, lately, has been magnets for our fridge...who doesn't need magnets, right? So, a couple of months ago, I made these adorable little black & white ones... (sorry for the glare)

I have loved them! They look so cute & are super handy! So, while I was at the craft store a few weeks ago, I decided to try a new kind of magnet...they had these extra large clothespins, that I just painted black, mod-podged the paper on, and then added some cute ribbon....ta da!...

Now I have both kinds on my fridge...very handy, and pretty darn cute, if I say so myself! :)

Annie is 7!

2009-04-15T09:35:00.003-06:00

Annie's birthday was on Sunday!! We love birthdays & try to make them as special as we can!! This year, we tried to do a lot of our Easter activities on Saturday (pictures will come later from that) and celebrate Annie's birthday on Sunday. Our church starts at 9am, so we had to get going early so that she'd be able to open birthday gifts before we had to leave.

Annie got a cute outfit from Grandpa & Gramma C....she put it on after we got home from church!

Annie didn't seem to mind Parker helping her out with opening the gifts...LOL!

A new pair of shoes!!...

Posing in the dress she got from Grandma Judy & Grandpa Bill!

And...blowing out the candle....Annie requested Cinnomon Rolls instead of a cake!...

Happy Birthday, Annie-Bear! We hope you had a fabulous day & we especially hope you know how much we love you & love having you in our family!!

Parker

2009-04-10T13:32:00.006-06:00

I haven't shared a lot about Parker...not sure why...but this post is ALL ABOUT HIM!! He is an awesome kid! He is at such a fun stage right now & really interested in A LOT of things! He asks me the most crazy questions sometimes, but I love it! I love when we are having our quiet time in the afternoon & he'll sit on my lap or just turn to me and say, "I love you, Mom!" It's the best! He's a goofy kids and loves to make both his sisters and his brother smile. Parker loves bedtime and is usually so great at getting right in his jammies, brushing his teeth & meeting us in our bedroom for family scriptures and prayers. Parker currently loves anything Transformers (that is what we did for his birthday party) and loves dogs too. Parker could easily spend everyday at the Park playing & having a picnic. He's a great big brother to Connor, too!

Today he had his 4 year check up...(where does the time go?) and he did so great....41 1/2 inches tall and 40 lbs. He had a great conversation with our pediatrician & Parks was VERY interested in all her "tools." He played with the reflex hammer, he looked into our peds mouth with the little flashlight thingy (I have no idea what it's called) and he listed to both his and hers heart with the stethoscope...maybe we have a future doctor on our hands... Parker also got 4 shots and did not cry one bit. He looked at me after the 3rd one and said "ouchie" but that was it! What a brave kid!!

Anyway, here are just a few random pictures of my favorite 4 year old!! :)

This was back in November....when we had family pictures taken....

The morning of his birthday!!...he got a new bike!

On a field trip to the pet store....he thought it was awesome! He was so interested in all of the animals.

So, there ya go! I believe I'm the luckiest mom in the world because I was blessed with such amazing kids...and Parker is no exception!!

Gotta LOVE a new haircut!!

2009-04-09T16:38:00.003-06:00

Before (I hesitated whether to even post this picture or not....it was taken the morning before my haircut...and I look oh, SO BAD...but, I thought I should include it so you can compare):

The afters!! -- perfect cut, perfect color -- I LOVE IT!!

My sister, Elaina, gets all the credit...she did FABULOUS!!!

Jello Popcorn

2009-04-09T16:22:00.003-06:00

The last time (yeah...I know it's been a while!) I shared a recipe, I got so many good comments & interested people, that I thought I'd share another one. I love this recipe because it's an easy treat and quick to make!! My kids love it!! And, you can make several varieties, too! So, here it is!!

Jello Popcorn

Ingredients/Supplies:

1 lg. brown paper bag (like what you would get from a grocery store)

14-16 cups air popped popcorn

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Karo syrup

1 small pkg (3 oz.) jello -- any flavor

1/4 tsp. baking soda

wax paper

Directions:

1. Pop popcorn then allow to completely cool. Put into a large brown paper bag.

2. Melt butter in the microwave (I've found using a glass -- pyrex type -- bowl works best). Add sugar, syrup, and jello to the butter and stir well.

3. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. It will be VERY hot. Stir in soda (it should foam up a little bit).

4. Pour over the popcorn, fold down top of bag & shake well. Place bag in the microwave for one minute, then shake again. Microwave 30 seconds, then shake. If you want crisp rather than gooey, microwave 20 more seconds.

5. Pour popcorn out onto wax paper in a single layer to cool.

6. Enjoy!! :)

PS...for the pictures I used lime & orange flavored jello. Cherry has also been a favorite too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:36:00.004-07:00

I think Valentine's Day is fun!!....my mom always made it special by leaving little gifts for each of us kids at the kitchen table for us to find once we woke up, when Matt & I were choosing a date for our wedding, we originally wanted to get married on Feb. 14th (we later changed it to Feb. 7th), and I like being able to do fun things with my kids now, by making sugar cookie "hearts" with them, leaving little gifts for each of them & taking the chance to tell them what I love about them.

But, this post is for Matt. He is the love of my life. We just celebrated our 11th anniversary. We had a fun date (we tried Texas Roadhouse for the first time!) and for the last 2 weeks, I've been doing "The 14 Days of Valentine's" for Matt....mostly just little gifts or notes for him to find each day, but I wanted him to know that I thought of him each day...something that I probably don't let him know enough.

On Day 10, I wrote Matt a letter with 10 reasons why I love him. Really, 10 is just the beginning. We've had a lot of good times, but we've had some really hard times too. We've moved across the country, twice. We have 4 beautiful kids together. We laugh together. We watch tv, we go to church, we go for walks, we play games, we make cookies and we work hard and play in between. Life isn't always glamorous...but it's our life. We have the same goals of being together, forever....and that's why I love him!! Happy Valentine's Day, Matt...I love you with all my heart!!

German Pancake Recipe...

2009-02-06T14:30:00.003-07:00

...for those that were interested!! :)

German Pancakes (taken from this cookbook!)

You need:
6 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter (or margarine)

In bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, and salt; beat until fluffy and smooth. Put 2 Tbsp. butter in each of two pie pans; melt as oven preheats. Pour half of batter in each pan. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Pancakes will puff up. Serve with warm syrup, jam or fruit. We also like it with a little bit of powdered sugar!

Enjoy!! :)

Party Pictures!

2009-02-02T14:56:00.003-07:00

So....here's, just a few little shots from Connor's birthday on Friday night. I'm pretty sure he had a good time!! :)

This is Connor waiting to open the first present...I don't think he wanted to wait to have his picture taken...LOL!

This is how he spent the rest of the evening....riding his 4 wheeler, holding onto his bulldozer & motorcycle (I think he didn't want to even give Parker a chance to "steal" them from him!)!

Connor took just enough time to blow out the candles on his Yellow Cupcakes (what he had been asking for the last week)....

But then he was right back on his 4 wheeler to drive around the kitchen...(I don't think he even took a bite out of the cupcake)!

And...a new stunt he had learned by Saturday morning....I think he's pretty proud of himself!! :)

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2009-01-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday...60th Birthday, to be exact! In honor of how great I think he is, I thought I'd list 60 things I love about my dad!! So, in completely random order...here they are!...

1. I love how handsome he looks in a button down shirt with a sweater on top (something we wears pretty regularly during the winter months).

2. He knows how to give the best tickle tortures!

3. He loves my mom - completely. I have never doubted how much he cares & adores her!

4. He honors his priesthood.

5. His ability to always "look on the bright side" of every situation.

6. He can bring a smile to anyone's face!

7. He has always (and I'm sure always will) served diligently in his church callings.

8. He always takes a minute to give me a hug & kiss when I first come for a visit.

9. He is a jack-of-all-trades...he seems to know so much about so many things.

10. How he lip-synced "She Bangs" (Ricky Martin) at our families New Year's Eve party last year. (Thanks, Brig, for capturing that moment on video for all time.)

11. How he can fix just about any appliance that ended up broken in our house.

12. How he loves to sit down and chat with us kids when we are all visiting.

13. How willing (and able!) he is to baby-sit his grandkids.

14. How he loves to read and usually had several different books that he is reading at any given time.

15. His cowboy hat!

16. His patience.

17. His freckles...which I was lucky enough to receive!

18. The "I Love You" games that he would always play with his kids, and now he continues with his grandkids.

19. He always knows the right things to say, at the right time.

20. How he loves to dance with his granddaughters.

21. How he individually prays for EACH one of his kids.

22. His understanding of the scriptures.

23. He is an amazing teacher & never passes up a teaching moment.

24. Our tradition of going to cut down a fresh tree each year for Christmas.

25. His hard work ethic.

26. His summertime farmer's tan on his arms.

27. His enjoyment of lighting their house up at Christmas time...with THOUSANDS of Christmas lights!

28. His handwriting...I always had a hard time reading it when I was younger, but it is so unique (and very difficult to forge!).

29. His knowledge of the gospel.

30. He loves pork chops...which is something I just learned recently.

31. He loves to have toast and milk in the evenings (another trait I inherited).

32. He always helps with Sunday dishes...

33. And many other household chores!

34. He love for learning....and example to be a lifelong learner.

35. His willingness to help anyone, anywhere!

36. He loves taking the family on rides (usually a drive up the canyon)!

37. He loves peanut butter sandwiches.

38. How easy my kids can talk grandpa into reading "just one more" bedtime story.

39. Our annual summer hike to Mt. Timp.

40. Our annual "stop at the Purple Turtle" treat after hiking Mt. Timp.

41. His "I love you" in sign language to his family.

42. How he ties his shoes...he always does a triple twist before making a bow.

43. He is always good for a cuddle.

44. His interest and curiosity for astronomy.

45. His humility.

46. How much he loves and supports EVERY ONE of his kids.

47. Remembering how him and mom used used to go to the temple on Saturday mornings - instilling in me the importance of temple attendance.

48. His wisdom.

49. How, when Matt came to ask his blessing to marry me, Dad had a rifle on his lap the whole time.

50. How Dad had to borrow the rifle to use for Matt, cause he didn't really even own a gun.

51. His "Smokey the Bear" hat, and how, even with the hat on, he still almost burned down the forest with the white gas.

52. When I was in 9th grade, he stayed up until 4am to help me with an English paper that I procrastinated completing.

53. Christmas shopping with him! (usually on Christmas Eve!)

54. How he was prepared to push Michael back down the Magic Mtn Hill (in a wheelchair after Michael broke his femur) when Mike said he didn't want to ride the roller coaster after all.

55. How he tolerated mom's "helpful travelogue" for the ENTIRE California vacation.

56. He's successfully led us back to Provo through two blinding blizzards (Boise '98 and Green River '99).

57. His desire to do anything and everything he can to make it to his grandkids blessings.

58. The many times he cut the tv cable to prevent us from polluting our minds (and forgetting our jobs!)

59. Sitting out on the back patio to relax, enjoy the weather and all the chats that accompanied that time.

60. The power of his testimony of the Gospel - I never get tired of hearing it!

Dad...I hope you know how much I love you! I hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday!! Lots of love from all of us here!! XOXO

Happy Birthday Connor-Man!!

2009-01-30T14:54:00.004-07:00

Today my Connor-Man turns two years old...I can hardly believe that 2 years have passed since he joined our family...it seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital having our little guy. Since the day he arrived, Connor has been the sweetest, most easy-going baby, ever! He has some of the best smiles & just wraps my heart around his little hand when he climbs up onto my lap for a little snuggle. Every morning he wakes up & comes into our bed to snuggle with us for just a few minutes before he gets on with his busy day! He loves motorcycles, his camo jammies, playing at the park, "coloring," and his Pooh Bear and "ninknie" (blankie). He puts up with a lot of flack from his big brother but is 100% loved and adored by all of us!!!

Here's a few pictures from the last 2 years....

The day he was born....our biggest baby at 7 lbs. 15 oz! It was an easy labor & delivery (so quick the dr. didn't make it in time)! He arrived at 12:23pm.

On his Blessing Day!!....April 29, 2007...at Grandma Judy's & Grandpa Bill's house.

At about 6 months old..not sure why he's wearing the bath towel, or chewing on the bowl...but it's a dang cute picture!

I love this picture!!!

This was last year at about this time....he rarely fell asleep in the high chair, but I guess this day he was plain tuckered out!

This is from last summer....see what I mean about how darn cute his smiles are?!!?

This is how he likes to "color"....his favorite is random pieces of papers, a pen & sitting on the counter!!

Eating up his yummy breakfast of rice pudding...his all time favorite breakfast is hot cereal!

This one is from just a few weeks ago (sitting on the counter, again!)!

Cute & all bundled up for some sledding!!

WE LOVE YOU CONNOR-MAN!! Happy Birthday Big Boy!!

German Pancakes

2009-01-29T16:53:00.004-07:00

I have great memories, from when I was a little girl, of visiting my grandparent's house....it seemed like my Grandma Mae would make German Pancakes at least once during our visit! They were always a yummy treat because it wasn't something my mom made. Don't get me wrong, my mom made lots of yummy breakfasts!...it's just German Pancakes weren't one of them.

Anyway, fast forward to now. Matt is currently teaching 2 evening classes this semester, so on Tuesday & Thursday nights I usually end up fixing something easier to throw together, that wouldn't care much about, and still something the kids will gobble up. So, last week (yes, I'm posting a week later...1) because I thought I had "lost" these pictures and given up blogging about them, and 2) because I had pretty much slacked off on blogging for the last 2 months anyway, so why did it matter...) I decided to make German Pancakes! It was GREAT! The kids were facinated by how they looked & totally curious as to how they would taste. Luckily, I didn't have any fight over trying them because anything with the work "pancake" in it gets eaten at this house! :)

So, here is what the finished product looked like (before it was gobbled up)!...and, actually, if you look closely, you can tell one dish was already finished off....it was just before cutting into the second one that I thought to grab the camera...

And, here are all 4 of the kids, happily eating their dinner!!...

I guess Connor wasn't really eating his German Pancakes in this picture...but believe me when I say he enjoyed them just as much as the others!

I think we have a new dinner favorite for those nights when Matt is gone!

Family Pictures

2008-12-15T09:27:00.003-07:00

One of the many activities we did over the Thanksgiving holiday was get family pictures taken...with ALL my family. Not just our "little" family...but all my brothers, sisters, their spouses & kids, etc...30 people in all! Here are some of my favorite shots that we just took w/our little camera...

Just our little family...(you can tell Abbie was a little bit cold)...

Here is one of my dad with all the sons (minus my brother-in-law, Brig...this would have been a perfect picture if Brig would have been able to stay!):

And, my mom with her daughters!

And, I couldn't resist sharing this one...Parks & Connor were facinated by a lot of recycling trucks that kept passing....we would find them standing together watching for the trucks to come by....aren't these brothers cute?

Paramount City

2008-12-15T09:12:00.003-07:00

Each year, the 3rd graders at the Abbie's elementary school, have the assignment to build a miniture business & then each classroom builds & name their own subdivision. The business are constructed at home w/mom & dad, while they work on their homes at school. A couple of weeks

ago, Abbie participated & then we all had the chance to go view "Paramount City" that was constructed in the gym of the school....it was so fun to see the creativity & hard work that was put into the project. Our family had fun walking around the city! Here are some pictures...

Abbie chose to build IHOP...

Here friend, Eryn, built Krispy Kreme donuts....

And another friend, Hunter, chose to build Cabela's...

Their class named their subdivision "Star Creek"...

And here was Abbie's house....

I thought they all turned out fabulous!...I'm already looking forward to doing the project with Annie in 2 more years! :)

Four Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween Night

2008-11-18T21:16:00.002-07:00

A total brag blog here....I can't help showing off how cute my 4 trick-or-treaters looked! Abbie decided she wanted to be a She-Devil, Annie is our pretty Cinderella, Parker was a handsome little bat & Connor was a puppy (who refused to wear his puppy hat, but was still darn cute anyway!!

Here is Abbie, Annie & Parks posing for a picture!! :)

I know I'm a bit biased, but Abbie was a stunning She-Devil!!

Could Annie look anymore like Cinderella?

Our Bat-boy again...

And, cute little Connor-man enjoying his Halloween candy before we even get started on the trick-or-treating!

We hope all of you had as Happy Halloween as we did!! :)

Fall Fun (Part 2) aka Our Trips to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-16T17:11:00.006-07:00

This October, we took were able to visit the pumpkin patch 2 different times....I took the boys one morning with all of Parker's preschool friends and then we went again with some of our good friends, the Knox's, for FHE....we had a fabulous time at both of the visits!

The morning that we went with all our preschool friends, it was SO, SO cold...but we had loads of fun as well!

Here's a picture of most of the kids after making their way through the straw bale maze...I think they liked running through it because it helped them stay warmer! :)

I loved this picture of all the kids on top of the wagon after going for a hay ride...it was picture perfect! Aren't they a cute bunch of kids?

And, of course, one of Parks with his prized pumpkin! He spent a lot of time searching for just the right one!

When we went with Knox's, we had the chance to see all the animals in the petting zoo. Boy, was that a hit! All the kids (9 between both families) loved seeing the horses, donkey, dogs, camel, and sheep! All our kids got a kick out of being able to feed all the animals, and Parker didn't even cry very hard when one of the sheep got a little bit of his finger!

As always, the hayride is a big hit! I love how happy all these girls look! :) Could they be any cuter?

And, the final ride before heading how was a trip around the pumpkin patch in the "cow train"...Parker & Connor had been waiting the whole night for this! Annie was a great big sister to sit with Connor & keep him safe!

Thanks to the Knox's for being such great friends & sharing your FHE with us!

Fall Fun (part 1) aka Abbie's Halloween Party

2008-11-03T14:22:00.004-07:00

Well, we have had a busy October...after a quick trip to Utah, we got back & the next weekend had Abbie's 9th Birthday Party...we went with a Halloween theme & I think all the girls had a blast!! We sent out 12 invitations, thinking there are always a few that can't make it to the party...well, not this time! So, we ended up 14 girls (adding Abbie & Annie) at our house...it was wild, busy, a little bit crazy, quite a lot of laughs & loads of fun!! :) Here are most of the girls...I took the picture before the last few arrived....

We started off with the classic "pin the tail on the donkey", but changed it to pinning the nose on the jack-o-lantern.....talk about the girls laughing like crazy....it was hilarious. After that, we had a crazy scavenger hunt....I loved watching a pack of girls running around outside, in the snow, no less...having the time of their life. After that, we came back inside to play bobbing for apples...which was definitely the hit game of the party...every single girl played at least twice....

And a picture with all the girls with an apple in their mouth! If you're ever having a halloween party with a bunch of 9 year old kids, definitely think about bobbing for apples...what a blast!

Before sitting down to watch Monster House, we had "dirt cake" for dessert, complete with worms (gummy of course) sticking out!

I had a great time & I think our birthday girl too!! We love you, Abbie!!

Random Pictures from Conference Weekend

2008-10-06T15:41:00.005-06:00

This weekend we took a trip down to Utah...we spent some time with my family, then spent some time in Park City with Matt's family. Here's a few fun pictures from our weekend...I wish I can been better & snapping pictures, but oh well.....

My little brother, Nate is playing tackle football right now. Parker found his pads & tried them on....pretty handsome, huh?

Here's Nate....he was being cool doing the "peace" sign, but in this picture it looks like his finger is up his nose...LOL!

Grandma Judy made homemade Mac & Cheese for dinner...Connor totally digged it! I thought this was a cute picture of him... :)

My cute "little" brother (he's 8 yrs younger than me, but towers over me by about 6 inches...or more!) and his son, Jefferson! Jefferson totally loved the Mac & Cheese too! I love Jefferson's curls & smile!

While we were in Park City, Connor was so cute. He took every chance he could, to walk around in Abbie's slippers! Notice the truck too...Connor found it at Grandma Judy's house and HAD to have it ALL.THE.TIME!

Here's another picture of Parker....he was building a "fort" for his Rocky-dog....you can't see much of the fort or Rocky underneath, but you can tell Parks was having fun!

Here is Matt's brother, Kyle, with his cute wife Christy & daughter Gabbie! The weekend wasn't nearly long enough to hang out & visit with them, but we sure enjoyed seeing their family!!

And, finally....a view out of our room in Park City. The weather was cool & rainy, but I loved watching the clouds move in over the mountains as the day went on....you can't see the mountains, but they are there, hiding behind the clouds!

We had a fun weekend & are already looking forward to the next time we'll be able to get together with our families!!

First Day of School Pictures!

2008-10-01T10:41:00.003-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm know I'm a month behind on these...but, hopefully you'll enjoy them just the same! :)

Abbie and Annie LOVE school! They have great friends, great teachers & a fun time learning. So, there were no tears shed when school started again!! Here was our "group" picture before the girls headed off...

Abbie (wanting to not just smile for the camera, but show off her Hannah Montana backpack as well...LOL)!!

Annie....adorable, as always...

Here are the girls getting off the bus after school...did I mention they love riding the bus?!!? They do! And, I love that the bus stop is just 2 doors down from our house!! If you look close, you can see the back of Parker on the left side of the picture...he was way excited to see the girls come home!

And Parker smiling cute right before he heads off to his first day of preschool!

Corrupting Connor

2008-06-05T13:46:00.004-06:00

As I was making lunch today, I accidently left the fridge open while I placed some items on the counter. Before I had the chance to turn around & close it, I notice that Connor had taken the liberty of getting stuff out for himself....actually, not stuff, just one item in particular....a can of Moutian Dew!! Apparently, he knows what to do with the can, because this is what he started doing...

I tried taking the can away from Connor, but he wasn't too happy about that, so I let him just carry it around for a bit before we had lunch...this is how I found him a few minutes later...

...still carrying around the can & playing on the trampoline! :) He's one cute kid, huh?

Funny enough, as of June 1st, I decided to stop drinking soda. Now, I've done this on a few different occassions, but I'm REALLY serious about it this time...as long as I don't give in to "social drinking"...that seems to be when it's the hardest. Wish me luck! :)

For Karyn...

2008-05-30T14:18:00.008-06:00

So, my sister asked me to take some pictures of some of the birthday cards I have...(I've been in several different card clubs & have quite the assortment)...to help her get some ideas. Actually, she asked for a picture of "my favorite birthday card"...she probably knew that there was NO possible way for me to narrow it down to JUST one...LOL. So, Karyn, for you, here are SEVERAL different cards...hope the pictures help!! :) I'd love to see what you end up doing/making!

This first one I got from my ward exchange. The girl who did it is super crafty & sells Stampin' Up! stuff, so I'm not sure how helpful it is, but I love the colors & layout!

This one is so easy...I went through an "orange" stage, and needed something simple...

This one is fairly easy too...just a lot of layering, plus a bit of ribbon & a brad...

I thought this one looked fairly simple too, round the corners & staple a ribbon on the top. In case you can't read the saying..."True friendship isn't seen with the eyes...it's felt with the heart. Happy Birthday!" I love the colors black, white & red together...

Here's another really simple one that I got from my ward exchange...

This is a "Congratulations" card, but could easily use the layout & find some cute embellishment for the top...

Now...here is one of my favorite layouts ever. I originally received this card in my ward exchange & I thought it was adorable! Sorry it's so blurry...the picture doesn't do it justice...

So, I copied the layout & made this card (sorry, it's blurry again) for one of my exchanges with Matt's family...

And...I liked it so much still, that now this is the card I'm making to exchange with my sisters next month...all the same layout, just different colored ribbon, paper & brad, obviously! :)

Happy Card Making!!

Dandelions

2008-05-11T12:34:00.002-06:00

I've never been fond of dandelions.

I've always thought that they were a weed and in need of getting rid of. How many nice lawns do you look at & see dandelions....um, none! Some of our neighbor's have a lot...like a whole backyard (unfenced, so you see them all) full. Another neighbor has quite a collection of them in their front yard. In our yard...they are growing in full force too. Over the past few weeks, Matt & I have been trying several different methods of "killing" them. I wouldn't say our lawn looks horrible, but the dandelions definitely doesn't make it the nicest yard on the block, either. Even last week, I was even grumbling to my mom about all the dandelions & what I could do to get rid of them.

Then, on Wednesday, that all changed. Dandelions make me happy, especially when a 3 year old boy(namely Parker), picks a few dandelions & brings them to me...handing them to me with a huge smile on his face, accompanied by a big hug and an "I love you, Mom!" How could one not love dandelions?

Frankly, I don't remember giving my mom dandelions as a kid (hopefully I did!) and I really don't remember making dandelions necklaces for myself or anybody else....but, now, every time I look out into our front yard, I smile at the dandelions that I see. Now, don't go thinking that I'll stop all efforts to help them disappear. But, for now, dandelions remind me of the love that my little boy has for me. They remind me of how grateful I am to be a mother. And, when Parks handed me those few dandelions, I knew that he loved me, regardless of my insecurities, faults & occasional (ok, more than occasional) failings of a mother. He (and all my kids) love me for me. And, I love them! I'm the luckiest girl in the world because I have 4 beautiful kids that call me "mommy" and I get to look into their darling blue eyes & know that they are mine!

Bring on the dandelions!

Abbie our Avid Reader!

2008-05-01T11:29:00.004-06:00

This is totally a brag blog today.... Abbie loves to read! Almost anybody who knows her, knows she loves to settle down with a good book & hang out either on the couch or snuggled up in her bed. Right now her current favorites are any mystery (A to Z Mystery books, Bailey School Kids, etc) or books about twins (she has really gotten into the Sweet Valley Twins series -- do you remember those? and also the Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen books). Matt & are trying to talk her into reading the Nancy Drew mystery books right now... we think she'll really like those!

Anyway, for the month of March, the girl's school had a read-a-thon. They were giving out prizes to the top 3 students who brought in the most donations & also the top 3 readers (most minutes read) in the ENTIRE school. So, here's where the brag comes in......Abbie read 4350 minutes in March...that's over 72 hrs (outside of school) reading! She was THRILLED and so were we!! We found out a few weeks ago that Abbie was indeed one of 3rd highest readers in the WHOLE school...she placed 3rd! (The 1st & 2nd place readers were both 5th graders.) I think what makes me happy about all of this, is just seeing how excited Abbie gets about reading. If she was still reading Dick & Jane books, that would be okay too....I just want to instill in my kids a sense of enjoyment from reading...something I didn't develop for myself until a lot later! At the same time, I can't take all the credit for her love of reading...if anybody knows her Daddy, then it's easy to guess where it came from! :)

So...that's my brag...and here's a cute picture of Abbie reading away on the couch (she couldn't stop giggling when she discovered I was gonna take her picture...LOL)!

It's My Party....oh, Annie's Party!!

2008-04-30T22:00:00.003-06:00

So...Annie turned the big 6 years old two weeks ago! She started asking for a "friend party" at least 6 months ago, so we talked about it a lot. Annie decided to have a Hannah Montana (big surprise...) party!! It was a gorgeous day, so we did most of the party stuff outside....we painted finger nails & added the cute little stickers on them, we played musical chairs, played games on the trampoline & then had cake! I think she had a fun time!! Here's some pictures...

The birthday cake...

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

The adorable group of girls!!...they all had SO much fun together!!

Playing musical chairs...I think girls this age are so much fun!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE...WE LOVE YOU!!