CHRISTENSEN CLAN

Fundraiser Night

2010-08-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Please come in to Texas Roadhouse in Taylorsville Monday August 23rd. 10% of your sales will be donated to the Utah Down Syndrom Foundation! Pretty awesome huh!!!! If you come in and need a flyer just ask for me! I'll be sure to get you one while you're eating! Please Please Please come and support this amazing event it's in honor of my sweet nephew Isreal Christensen!
See you soon!

12!!? Happy Birthday Mikayla (march)

2010-05-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

So I realize this was almost a year ago but I'm trying to update as much as possible... I can't believe I have a 12 year old! She is such a beautiful young woman who has shown such strength in character and grown spiritually so much in the last few months! She is extremely organized and kind of a clean freak! She is extremely responsible and has such a contagious laugh. I am so so proud of her and love watching her grow! I love you SO much!!!

Mikaya Loren and Grandma Linda

Mckinnah Loren Lexi

Lighting her own candles

Crazy girls!

We played lots of games had a scavenger hunt and a few contests. After the girls all warmed up to each other they danced and were just out right wild! She had a late night with movies and popcorn and night games!

Bear Lake (March)

2010-05-26T23:32:00.001-07:00

We decided to take a weekend vacation with our good friends and head up to Bear Lake. Now every once in a while we get some luck and have nice warm 'sweatshirt' weather... ya, not this time. We had 2 fourwheelers though and the boys LOVED getting all muddy and racin' around... As for us girls, we stayed inside by the fire ate LOTS of food and played games... Ahhh... so nice!!

Mikayla and Hannah

Ambria, Brinley and Saddie

Look what happened when us girls ventured out... She fell right through the snow!

Hannah is ready to GO!

Jason and Jordan... They came back covered in mud!

Mykennah and Heather... Show your Mom what cha got!

We had a blast and as always it was so fun to just hang out and play!

February...

2010-05-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!!

We met Jasons brother and his wife Rob and Jodi at Teppenyaki for dinner then back to the house for icecream cake and presents with the kids.

Happy Birthday to my most amazing husband!!! The most amazing, loving and kind man I know!! I LOVE you more than EVER!!!

Soldier Hollow Sledding

2010-05-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Part of our Christmas gift from my parents was tickets to Soldier Hollow. It was so so much fun and the kids had a blast! It was a perfect day and we made so many great memories!
Thanks Mom and Dad!

Christmas...

2010-05-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

So Christmas was so much fun... as always! I loved getting out all my decoration, they haven't all been together for a couple years! I got the front room tree decorated and one night after work I came home and the family room tree was finished, by the kids. The actually did a great job! I just had to move a few things around mostly from the bottom to the top...

Christmas eve was at Mom's house. We had an amazing dinner and did our traditional nativity program. My dad had met a man at Costco a few days before who was from England, here skiing with his 2 daughters. he invited them over for the night. We all loved listening to their accents and learning about them. The girls were 8 and 12... I think...

Jordan and his boyz..

Mikayla and her girlz...

The nativity

Brinley was Marry and Dylan was Joseph

The 3 Kings Mikayla, Loren and Kaitlyn

The Wise Men Jordan Campbell and Alex

Ava the Angle

It is always sooo crazy having 25 people opening presents at the same time. We try to organize it the best we can but the kids all go CRAZY! It was strange opening everything Christmas Eve. It just never is the same. We stayed home Christmas day, something we NEVER do, it was nice and relaxing!

Jason had the kids hunt for their big present with clues all over the house. The kids loved it and were very spoiled!!!! Overall it was a GREAT Christmas!

Fundraiser for Rett Syndrom

2010-05-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll

Come in to Texas Roadhouse in Taylorsville on MONDAY the 10th of May!!!!

10% of our sales are being donated to the Girl Power Cure to help pay for a cure for Retts syndrom...

Rett Syndrom is the most severe form of Autism, it's a debilitating neurological disorder that almost exclusively affects girls.
It is the leading genetic cause of severe neurological imparement in girls - most cannot speak, walk or use their hands.
Another little girl is born with Rett syndrom every 90 minutes.
Rett syndrom is as prevalent as cystic fibrosis, Huntington's and ALS. There are close to half a million girls and women battling Rett Syndrom worldwide.
My close friend Michelle's little neice Zowie has Rett Syndrom and she is heading up this charity in her behalf! PLEASE PLEASE come in and help support this amazing charity!!!
Hope to see you there!!!!
Texas Roadhouse
5418 So 1900 W
Taylorsville

Hello Again...

2010-01-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay so I realize it's been a month! Catching up on here has been on my to do list and it's just been one of those things that I just keep 'trying' to get to but can't seem to find the time. I'm taking 2 online courses this semester and I'm actually really tired of the computer, not to mention the lap top keeps crashing and our desk top is extremely slow. I've noticed lately how impatient all this 'at your fingertip technology' is making me!!! Plus, Jason was trying to plug his phone in the computer and unbeknown to him he was using my camera adapter and (of course) it didn't work so he thought if he stuck a knife in it and cut some pieces out here and there it would work......? WHAT???? I was blown away by the, well, stupidity! Sorry babe, I love you to death but what were you thinking???? Now I can't plug my camera in to download pictures and my oh so old computer won't accept the card... So, no Christmas pictures until my silly husband buys me a new camera cable. We are all doing great and way too busy to really be enjoying life... Also on my to do list is getting pictures taken of my kids, so I will post those soon too....Keep your fingers crossed!

Stolen Moments...

2009-12-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

These are literally stolen, right off my sisters blog... Hey, they are MY children, right? She took these on Thanksgiving day and I LOVE them so I was forced by my overwhelming love to "steal" them... Thanks Lara:0)

This is the whole fam!

November updates

2009-12-04T14:13:00.001-08:00

I have been going crazy with the holidays and finals so I've been out of cyber space for quite some time... We had an amazing Thanksgiving as always. My dad spent way too much on prizes and we had a fun bowling tournament on the wii. The kids had a play off and Jordan won the ultimate prize with a bowling score of 230 he won a new DSi. He was so thrilled as were mom and dad because that saved us a lot of money for Christmas... Ben and Leslie won both ipods and all the kids got a consolation prize. Mom made wonderful dinner and we had so much fun being with and being thankful for family!!!! Happy Birthday to my amazing Dad! His birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year. He has been such an incredible support to me and my family and has loved me unconditionally. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful father!

Happy Birthday DAD!

We had a great party for Jordan on his 10th birthday weekend and then took him to see Shorts and out to dinner on his big day! After our last big snowfall Mikayla and Jordan built this snowman all by themselves and were very proud!

Last Sunday we headed over to Jason's sister Nicole's house for a thanksgiving dinner. Nicole made everything from scratch and it was Amazing!!! The kids got to meet Great Grandma Christensen, "Mopsie" and we had a wonderful time!!! Thanks Nicole and Matt!
That's the sum up of our November... I am so grateful for my family and for our health!

The Fort

2009-12-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

For one week Jordan's room looked like this! He and Mikayla worked all day to build a fort. Inside they each had their own quarters equipped with pillows, speakers, ipods, and movie screens.
Jordan slept in Mikayla's room every night and NO one was allowed in his room while they were at school. At the end of the week I finally put my foot down and ordered it to be cleaned up! Well, it was fun while it lasted...

The PARTY!!

2009-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

Jordan's 10th birthday party started out with all eight boys playing football out in front of the yard until it finally got dark enough and cold enough to come in for some pizza.

He had two cousins, Alex and Campbell,one friend from our old house Jaden, and 4 friends from our neighborhood here, Geovani, Brennan, Brady, and Stephen. They all came for games movies and a sleep over...(Ya, I don't know what I was thinkin')

They LOVED the whoopi cushions and flarp and the rest of night was filled with obscene noises and laughing! (Some of the noises unfortunately were real).

I planned for a few games but Jordan kept telling me he just wanted me to let them do what they want... I did get them to play blindfold pictionary...

And they had a bowling tournament on the Wii...

And they had cake and ice cream and opened presents...
I was very careful to add the right amount of candles to Jordan's homemade (very plain) birthday cake and after he blew them out one of his friends said, "Hey Jordan, I didn't know you were only 8!" I can't believe I thought he was only 8! Ooops!
Well the over load of sugar lead to massive wrestling matches...

Which lead to sock wars, which the boys absolutely LOVED!!!

Alex was the ultimate sock champion!!

The 'THREE AMIGOS' I couldn't get them to behave...

The wrestling lead to other macho boy things...

They ended up going to bed around 11 and put on a movie. I has just starting falling asleep at about 12:30 when Jordan came running in my room and yelling, "Mom Brady has a bead stuck up his nose!" Now Brady has NEVER had a sleep over before and his mom entrusted him to us so I was very nervous! I ran downstairs and after a lot of pushing and blowing, he got the bead out... Oh man! I just envisioned calling his mom in the middle of the night and a visit to the emergency room! Whew! We were lucky! So after scolding the boys and making sure all beads were out of reach... I made them go to bed. Needless to say at 2:30am it was finally quite. In the morning we had a delicious breakfast and they boys played. They all had a blast!!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2009-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my boy! Jordan has such a sweet loving heart! He turned 10 on the 23rd and I still can't believe how fast these last 10 years went by! Jordan absolutely loves sports! All sports! But he's been playing a lot of basketball this year. He keeps telling us he's ready for football but we just didn't have to time to commit to it this year so we promised next year he can start. He does very well in all sports and Jason delights in his sons athletic coordination. They spend many days out in front of the house throwing the football around.
Jordan has had 3 notes sent home in the last few months from the principal of his school, giving him praise for taking care of and helping other kids in the school. He has become really close to an autistic boy in his class who just adores Jordan and he has made everyone proud for sticking up for this boy and helping him with school and friends. Jordan loves to play outside and disappears for hours rollerblading, skateboarding, or playing ball, he is so happy as long as he's 'moving'! I am so proud of the way he is growing up and for his growing testimony in the gospel. He loves to bear his testimony in church and he is such a strength to our family!! I love you so so much buddy! Happy Happy Birthday!

Hair problems

2009-11-11T10:57:00.001-08:00

Before

After

So the other day I mentioned to Jordan that he needed 'another' haircut and how I hated it being long because it seemed like every three weeks we were having to get it cut! So two days ago he asked if I could just trim his bangs because they were bugging his eyes. So after the shower I trimmed them up and sent him to school. When I picked him up I noticed that my little trim job wasn't so good... Ooops! His bangs looked horrible! He didn't seem to care too much until I couldn't stop laughing. I wasn't really laughing at him as much as at the fact that I actually thought I did a great job... So after his shower last night he asked if I could just buzz his head. I offered to take him to the salon and they could fix it or give him a nice short cut if he wanted but he insisted! So we did it! I regret it now. I loved his look! But.... Like I told him... Hair will always grow back! This morning he told me he didn't want to go to school and he thinks he looks like a girl with cancer. So SAD! I told him he is so handsome it doesn't matter what his hair looks like!

"OUCH!"

2009-11-11T10:45:00.001-08:00

My sweet little Brinley seems to be bursting at the seams with energy and sometimes it get her into trouble... The other night she was playing around in her room and "fell" off of Saddie's bed and hit her head on the toy box. It left a huge hematoma on her face and the next day she woke up with a horrible black eye. She was so embarrassed to go to school and wore her hair down to cover it. She said both her teacher and her Principal asked what happened... Of course this was the day after her teacher called and asked it something was going on at home because Brinley was really struggling in class....Of course! She's almost better now and just for your info, the struggling in class is due to all the energy!

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-11T09:37:00.001-08:00

Mikayla was Cleopatra, Jordan a Mummy
Saddie was a Puppy (NOT A DOG!) and Brinley
was a Witch.......

After a long Saturday morning we headed up to Grandma's and then back home. Our homes are so close together here that the kids got a lot of candy in a short amount of time. Jordan took off around 5 and we didn't see him again 'till 10:30. Mikayla's cousin Kaitlyn came over and they set up their Webkinz and Jason actually had to kick them out of the house to go Trick-or-treating. I took the little girls out early so by night fall they had a blast hangin' out with dad by the candy scaring kids.... Jason was thrilled there were SO many kids to scare! We had a great Halloween but I have decided I really don't like all the craziness.... I was a little bit of a party pooper this year!

Jason Kaitlyn and Mikayla

First Snow!

2009-10-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

I came home from school the other night to find this...

I can't believe we had enough snow to build that HUGE snowman! It's so funny because it has a drain pipe for it's mouth, donuts for the eyes and buttons (which are gone now! Who ate them?), a shovel for the nose, marshmallow roasters for it's arms and my flower pot for the hat. The kids were so proud of their creation!

UPDATE:

These are the only pictures Jason took of his and Jordan's first hunting trip! Men! Jordan said he loved shooting the BB gun and riding around on the four wheeler. Jason said no one ever got drunk, which was a relief for Jordan. They had fun hangin' with the boys!

This was a moose Jason ran into on the mountain. He said they never even saw deer only moose. I'm glad I don't have to eat it!

Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

To be honest I don't really LOVE carving pumpkins. I loves baking the seeds and eating them but the whole cleaning out and cutting and carving isn't my favorite. The kids did a pretty good job of cleaning out their own this year with just a little help from me. Dad is always watching some sport on TV and loves to walk around and compliment the goings on, but let's face it, isn't much help! And, someone always ends up in tears because it just doesn't turn out right! This year it was Mikayla, whose in the end turned out to be the best!

Saddie used the punch outs this year so she was done pretty quick.

Jordan did awesome carving his own skull and then some... He even messed up and was okay with it...

Nicole helped Mikayla showing her what to do. She carved a bird that ended up falling out. I saved it with some needles though.

I helped Brinley carve a cat that turned out super cute!

So here they are. Mikayla's is the bird and that's a tree not a giant hand. Jordan's is below hers with the scull. Saddie's is the star and bat face, Brinley's is the cat and Nicoles is Egore holding a skull. They all turned out very cute! We had a fun night and the kids LOVED it! That's all that matters right?

HaLLOwEEn TrEaTs!

2009-10-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Nicole and Matt came over for treat night. We had a yummy (scarecrow) chilli dinner and then decorated caramel and chocolate covered pretzels (witches fingers), mummy and monster cupcakes and caramel apples. We had a blast!

Nicole, Mikayla and Saddie rolling the apples.

Me and Miss Saddie

Brinley and Jordan...Jordan ate all his treats before the night was over! Talk about sugar rush!!

Admiring the apples mmmmm.....

The boyz stayin' out of the kitchen playing Nintendo.

Makin' the pretzels, aren't they pretty?

These are the cute cupcakes we did. Super fun!

Zoo time!

2009-10-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Christy invited us girls to go with her and her girls, Nicole and Emma, to the zoo last Saturday. I was left home for the weekend with no car while Jason and Jordan were hunting so she was kind enough to come pick us up. It was such a beautiful day and there were oh so many babies!! We had so much fun and the kids were so happy to see her girls!When we first got there we saw the tiger and her three cubs. She was laying right next to the fence nursing one of them...So cute! I wish I had a better zoom

This was Nicole's birthday day and she chose to take Mikayla with her somewhere. The zoo was their choice... Happy Birthday Nicole!

Saddie girl

Mikayla and Emma

Saddie girl again... and Brinley girl...

We of course had to ride the train!

The baby elephant was by far my most favorite! Definatley worth the money just to see her! She was so cute! She came running out so full of energy running around and rolling in the mud. She climbed into a little kids pool and tried to sit in it. She was very entertaining!

The kids also loved the baby giraffe

Saddie and Emma

Nicole and 'her sculpture'...

The giant tortiose

This cute little monkey sat right against the window and watched the girls hands. He was so cute!

Kids...

2009-10-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said our trampoline was well used? Well, we finally put it to rest. It had so many missing springs and we had 2 head bonks (one on a neighbor) so we decided our good ol' tramp was better off resting in peace. We bought it at a yard sale from our friend CeCe about 8 years ago and I think she bought it when I was about 14 so it is around 18 years old....Not so bad if I say so myself! The kids were very sad to see it go, in fact the next day Saddie laid it out on the grass on tried to jump on it...

This is one of my friends little girls Haylee. She and Brinley were playing school. I left them alone for maybe 10 min and came in the room to find this...

They had found my scrapbook paper and colored on probably 40 pieces and taped them all over the walls. Such silly girls!
Jason took Jordan deer hunting this weekend with some friends. It's a first time for them both. I'm secretly hoping they don't kill anything. I'm curious to see if Jason really has it in him to shoot one. He loves animals so much and has such a tender heart. I'll be sure to post his pictures. The friends they go with aren't members of the church and they drink. Jordan was so worried about being around 'drunk people'. Everything we have told him about drinking and alcohol has been 'bad' so that's all he associates it too. I'm hoping for a good teaching opportunity when he get home tomorrow...

Sweet Saddie

2009-10-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

I had to write this before I forget. Saddie has always said the most thoughtful prayers and always surprises me with the precious words that come from her mouth during prayers. Tonight she said, "thank you for Heavenly Christ and thank you for Mom and Dad," So this was our conversation after.
Me: "Saddie, there is no Heavenly Christ, just Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ."
Saddie: "But who is that other guy?"
Me: "The Holy Ghost?"
Saddie: "Yeah, but does he live with Heavenly Christ?"
Me: "No, there is Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost"
Saddie: "Do they all live in the clouds?"
Me: "Well, they all live in Heaven"
Saddie: "Do they get to sleep and eat there?"
Me: "yeah...." (I just wanted her to go to sleep and knew she wouldn't understand otherwise)
Saddie: "But does Jesus get to sleep on the top?"
Me: "The top of what?"
Saddie: "The top of the bunk bed?"
Me: "I don't know honey" I was laughing and kissed her little face and said good night.
It was so sweet! I love the way they think! Oh, the innocence of the little ones.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-10-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have been trying to decide which anniversary to celebrate. We had both planned on the new one in November but feel like our original one is equally important. So, we're kind of doing both I guess... Today is our original. Jason had to go to Cedar City to work so we'll celebrate tomorrow and then we'll do something in Nov. too. How fun is that? One more reason to celebrate!! I love you more than anything babe, happy anniversary!!!!

She caught the cleaning bug!

2009-10-02T10:26:00.001-07:00

Mikayla woke up yesterday and started cleaning. She has always been a really hard worker and a really good cleaner really paying attention to detail. They've all had their chores everyday too but today she did exceptionally well!! She pulled out one of the little toy bins and made it into her 'cleaning box' and I found this note inside of it.
*clean your room
*When everyone wakes up clean their room and every part
* Clean Den and front room
*Then go to living room and clean
*Clean kitchen, dishes and counter top
*Laundry room, organize
*Vacuum everything you think of up down and side to side
*Then mop, toilets, windows, then counters, then floors
*Just in case check everything again
*Go outside pick up dog crap
*Clean up back yard and front yard
*Turn on waterfall
*Then the car
*Then the basement
*Check everything again
*When your done you can PLAY!
And she did!! She cleaned this house, I mean deep cleaned from 10 am to 4 pm non-stop she scrubbed all the bathroom, shower and toilets and mopped and vacuumed the entire house! She cleaned every ones rooms, bed, toys, and dusted. She picked up, wiped and scrubbed everything in sight, It was amazing! I actually felt a little guilty a few times because I sat down to watch the news once and to read a book to Saddie while she worked so hard around us. I did help keep it clean and I did all the laundry. She was so cute and so sweet! I kept debating if I should reward her. She did this this amazing service without even being asked and it was interesting because we are talking about this in class, about how not to reward your children with food, or money, or gifts, they should be rewarded with your positive attention and self reward of feeling good and knowing they did their best should be reward enough. So I really debated this with myself. So I sat her down and told her how amazingly happy I was with her and how it is such hard work and asked how she felt about her work, she said she felt really good and happy inside. I told her I was so proud of her and then let her get back to work. She beamed with pleasure and seemed to work even harder. She didn't seem to mind not getting paid, or getting a toy. But, I gave in, about 10 min later I called her up and gave her some fake nails that I had bought forever ago, she's wanted some for so long! They were just the little press on ones, and they're really short too. She was so excited! I think they only lasted a day but it was worth it! So sweet! I was so proud of her hard work!!

Scouting Adventures

2009-10-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Jason and I took the Bears and the Wolff's up to Kennecott coper mine. It was really neat, I've never been there before and the boys loved watching the big trucks down in the pit. I actually was very disappointed in their visitor center. With how much money they bring in I think they could make it really neat. They also had a really really old couple running it and they kicked us out 10min early and we weren't even done with our work sheets, I wish I knew what time it was cause I would have put him in his place! Him and his little wife that was on oxygen! Okay, I know I'm being a little hostile but seriously? They knew we weren't done and he was pretty ornery with us... Oh well, we had a great time and the little scouters love it, that's all that matters, right?

Yes, Jordan is growing his hair out to look like Zack Efferon. His hair is so super straight that it's taking on a style of it's own, it has been trimmed since this picture but it is still very long and he loves it!

Catch Up

2009-09-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures for my week but life is crazy! I really wonder what happened to my peaceful days of soap operas and babies. School is going great. I love my professor and really enjoy listening to her talk. I was concerned about sitting in a class for 3 hours and being able to focus but it has been great. I think I really enjoy learning... The kids have been having so much fun on their time off track just hangin' out and playing. Jordan has a neighbor friend who comes over everyday at 11:00 and stays till 6:00. They have put so many hours on our trampoline! Saddie has loved having the kids home and she and Brinley are hooked at the hip. Mikayla has also had a friend over quite a bit and they too have added to the endless hours on the tramp! Jason has been busy at work, yeah for him but not for us, and it seems like we NEVER see each other except for on Wed. nights for scouts. I was able to go down town for the General Relief Society conference with some neighbors. It was so peaceful to be sitting in the same room as the Prophet and to listen to these Women who have such amazing faith and love for the gospel. I was so grateful I could go! Well ,I need to go make lunch, again, for the kids they eat so much when their home!! Only one more week off!

"OUCH"

2009-09-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the dentist the other day and had all four kids teeth cleaned. We hadn't been in a year and I knew I would never be lucky enough to get away with no cavities. Unfortunately, I was right. Jordan had 4, Brinley had 4, and Saddie has 7! Mikayla had 0. What a good girl! So after all the cleanings and cavities filled we owe over $2,000.00. Obviously we don't have insurance and that's even with a discount of 1/2 off! If anyone has any ideas or knows how to get a good dental plan please let me know... It would be greatly appreciated! Jordan and Brinley did great at getting their teeth fixed. Today it's Saddies turn.... Keep your fingers crossed for us please!

Girls Night

2009-09-05T11:43:00.001-07:00

Jason took Jordan dove hunting this weekend so I decided it was the perfect time to have Mikayla's 'girl party' I promised her when we moved in. I thought it would be a good way for her to get to know the girls around here better. After activity days she invited Destiny and Kathrine over for a late night. She planned the whole thing. First they played board games, and jumped on the tramp.

Then we ran to Hobby Lobby to get a craft and then to pick up pizza. After dinner I let them make chocolate chip cookies, by themselves.

Brinley and Saddie watched with envy and even got a taste.

Then while the cookies were baking they started their craft. They picked out marble magnets.

They ended up having such a great night. They are all in ballet together too and Mikayla and Kathrine are also in the same class in school. Such cute sweet girls!!

Sweet Dreams...

2009-09-03T07:47:00.001-07:00

We put the kids to bed last night and came in our room and started getting ready for bed. I had just gotten out of the shower and I walk out of the bathroom and saw little fingers sticking out from under the door and I hear Saddie say, "Mom, I want you to sleep with me" So I told her I'd be there in a few minutes. She waited a few seconds and called again, and I told her just a minute. Then I got preoccupied and didn't hear her again so I figured she just went to bed, because she's done that before. So about 15 min. later I go out to check on her and this is what I found.

Sweet little Saddie had bundled herself up in her 2 favorite blankets right outside my door and had fallen asleep. It made me sad that I had missed out on my opportunity of laying in bed with her and cuddling her to sleep. I get so impatient with them at bed time but time just goes by so fast and I'm usually not even home at night and pretty soon she won't need me anymore. They grow up way too fast! I had read her a story and said prayers and tucked her in so I don't feel too guilty but I know one day I will miss her asking me to sleep with her!

The secrets out!

2009-09-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Mikayla lost a tooth the other day and put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. She stays up and reads after she goes to bed and I've told her she can read as long as she wants as long as she gets up in the morning. Some times I go to bed before her. Well, this night was the case. There have been many times that the tooth fairy did not come and we figured it was probably because she stayed up too late. Well morning came and I woke her and she got in the shower right away so I figured it would be a perfect time for the fairy to come. She never said a word about it and I figured she had guessed what had happened, or was suprised that the tooth fairy came in the morning cause that was a first. So, two nights ago Jordan lost his tooth and as I reached under his pillow for his tooth there was a note and a pencil. The note read, "To tooth-ferry your the best ferry ever please give me 1,000 dollars and I will give you a crystal and if you do I will love you. And can you sign your name________. Are you my Mom? Yes or No." Jason and I debated what to do. I wanted to save the note so I hid it in my closet and gave him $2.00. The next morning Mikayla and him eagerly looked to see what was left and instantly started asking questions. I denied every accusation but the little sneaks went in my room and found the tooth the note and the pencil and confronted me. So, I told them. I was ready for sheer disappointment and saddness but they were pretty excited, or maybe just happy that they solved the mystery. They promised to keep the secret from the little girls and are anxious to play along. So funny!

Back to school!

2009-09-01T21:21:00.001-07:00

Ok for those of you who don't know, I started school... again. It has been almost exactly 12 years since I've been. I decided I really don't want to be working in the restraunt business for ever and it's looking like I'm going to be needing to work for, well maybe forever. So I figured I need to get my degree. I'm going to finish what I started 14 years ago which is Elementary education. I'm starting out slow so I don't overwhelm myself but I'm hoping to have my degree in 3 years. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I was so so nervous to start. I had my first class tonight and I think it's going to be pretty good. My teacher seems super laid back and easy to work with. She is also a 2nd grade teacher and has been teaching for 20 years. WoW. I'm actually pretty excited and although I know every semester won't be as easy as this one (at least seems to be) I think it's a pefect beginning!!

This is me and Jason with my $156.00 book. Yes you read it right. $156.00. I forgot how expensive school is.... So crazy!!
I got home early from class so we walked down to the pool for an evening swim. Jason hurt his back at work so he wanted to sit in the hot tub..
Mikayla Jordan n Saddie

Saddie

Jordan

Jason, trying to stretch out his back... Poor guy.

Now he can relax..

Brinley was there too she was just too busy to pose for the camera. I'll catch her next time.

For those of you concerned...

2009-09-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I did clean my house... It was actually very clean but unfortunately it only lasted a few hours. Oh well, that's how it goes right? Over the weekend the kids had a blast at our annual neighborhood Oquirrh Park days. They started out with Friday night movie in the park. One of our sweet neighbors has a big blow up screen they put in the park and they make popcorn and have punch too. Then Saturday morning they had a 5K walk/run and muffins and donuts at the clubhouse. Only the elite few ran and the kids all raced around the neighborhood on their decorated bikes. They loved it. Then that evening they had a Luau with a catered dinner, swimming, a big slip-n-slide, a clown making balloons, and a movie in the club house. I had to work so I didn't get any pictures but the kids had a blast. I have been so impressed with the unity in our neighborhood. We are so lucky to have lived in 2 such GREAT neighborhoods!! We definitely hope we can stay for good!!

I don't wanna...

2009-08-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I spent 5 hours going through the basement. Cleaning, organizing and geting rid of all our "junk". I'm still not done! But, while I was focusing on that part of the house ......

The rest of it went to pot! And I don't want to clean today!! So, this is probably what it'll look like until tomorrow when I'm forced to do laundry because I have nothing else to wear... And then while I'm doing laundry I'll stop to go to the bathroom and notice the toilets need cleaning and well you can't clean one and not the other and then since I have the cleaner out I'll most likely do the showers too, which then I'll have to clean the rugs which will lead to vacuuming and then mopping, and well, you know how it goes... Tomorrow...

I actually really do enjoy cleaning my home and organizing. It gives me a rush and a sense of confidence knowing that I'm all 'caught up', and things just run smoother that way. But, today I'm feeling sluggish and lazy and all I want to do is lay here and do NOTHING! So if you need me, you'll know where to find me:0)

Swimming days gone wrong...

2009-08-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would be the nice Mom today and finally said yes to swimming after school. (My kids ask everyday). So we packed up and headed down to the clubhouse. The kids were so excited when they saw that they had the pool to themselves. We'll a few min. later a single older man shows up. He immediately looked annoyed that we were there. He shot me a few dirty looks but didn't say much until Saddie and Jordan got into the hot tub with him. I was sitting pretty far away but I could hear part of what he said. He first told them they weren't allowed in the hot tub, then said something about them screaming too much and diving when they weren't supposed to and being rude. At that point another family showed up with their little boy. I had thought my kids were being just fine. Ya, they were a little extra loud and hyper but there was no real problem. So, I think because he pointed it out, I started paying more attention and they actually were very loud and when I asked them to stop doing something they actually did the complete opposite. Everyone lets the little ones in the hot tub but this guy was following the rules to the T and he was having it no other way! So when I agreed with him and told the kids to get out they all complained and Jordan even mumbled something rude about the "old man" under his breath. Mikayla was showing off for some boys on the other side of the fence and she was really starting to get on my nerves along with this "old man" so then I started yelling a littler more and a little more firmly. The other family then started giving me the look. I wasn't sure if they were annoyed with my yelling or my naughty kids! Then Brinley jumped in right next to their little boy and ya, she was mad about it. So I yelled at all of them to get out and we headed home after only 20 min of swimming. I was so furious with them and grounded all of them. Now I'm sitting here thinking they really weren't that bad and I think I was really just making it into a bigger deal because of these other people. They were having fun. No one was crying, no one was endangering anyone else. I hate that I let them influence my behavior and the way i discipline. The guy even said to me, "I can't believe how kids these days don't listen to their parents!" I calmly told him my kids do listen their just excited. But then after that it seemed like everything I asked they ignored. So, here I was thinking I'm going to be a great Mom and take them swimming today and I left feeling like the WORST Mom!! So now we're all grumpy and sensitive. I think I should thank the "old man"...

Saddie's first day of pre-school

2009-08-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

She was so excited to start and now can't wait to go back! There are 7 kids from our neighborhood that go there and she was just thrilled that she knew so many kids.

This is Saddie and her little friend Skye.

I took Saddie the other day to buy her a new outfit for school and that is what she picked out. I was long sleeved thermal and cotton pants but she insisted. I gave in because it'll work just fine for winter. Luckily the first day of school was pretty cool too. When she got ready to go today she was frantically looking for her "school clothes" I explained to her that she didn't have to wear that one outfit every time she went to school. She just looked at me and I could see her little wheels working and she smiled and said, "OHHHH!" So funny! Oh, and yes, blogging is what I'm doing in my spare time today...

Her strength and testimony are such a blessing to me!

2009-08-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

A friend from my old neighborhood was in a horrible accident. (Sorry Connie) I hope she doesn't mind if you linked onto her blog to read her story. Just go to My fellow bloggers and click on the Robinson family. I read her story today and I have been so at peace all day. I of course cried for most the day but her testimony and her strength have been such a blessing and have really hit home to me at a time in my life when I really needed it. I am so happy that her sweet little family is doing well and all OK. She really is an inspiration!

Saddie going to school

2009-08-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

makes me anxious to even just think about.... The house has been so quiet since the kids started back to school and Saddie wakes up every morning asking "where are we going today?" I took her the other day for Preschool orientation. She wanted me to hold her and when I refused she insisted on keeping one hand on me the entire time. She also refused to talk to her cute teacher. She didn't say one word the entire 25 min we were there. I'm afraid this one on one time with Saddie is making her shy. She is excited to go though and there are 6 kids in the neighborhood that are in her class. She got homework to trace her name so we were working on it yesterday and she said, "Mom, this is so weird, it's like these are the same as the alphabet!" I thought it was VERY insightful and clever, in fact she may be part genius:). Albeit I am a little bias.

Such is life...

2009-08-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jason and I were just called to be Wolf Cub scout leaders. Yes, I was a wolf leader for 2 years in my our old neighborhood too, I guess it's my destiny...ya, uh hu... Any ways, Jason was really reluctant but before he had the chance to say no, they sustained us in sacrament and then after church set us apart. Both of our blessings were so sweet and touching that we knew we were meant to do it, well at least I knew... It's pretty time consuming but we only have 3 boys and we're excited to be able to work side by side in a calling and it should help us with learning how to better communicate with each other. Right?? I keep thinking my life can NOT get any more crazy than it is now, and then it does!!! Well you know what they say, "such is life".

First Day Of School

2009-07-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

OK so it was Mikayla and Jordans 2nd day but I forgot the camera yesterday. Mikayla was mortified that I wanted to take a picture and we were a little late today so the older two ran off to get in line but poor little Brinley looked so sad and scared. I really had a hard time leaving her! I just wanted to bring her back home and never make her go back! I don't know who's gonna miss her more, me or Saddie. We're already going through Brinley withdrawals and it's only been a few hours. I think I'm really going to have a hard time next year when saddie starts!

This was the best smile she could muster up.

I know she's going to love it and love making new friends. She's so social and happy all the time. I just miss her!

24TH FUN....

2009-07-27T09:47:00.001-07:00

Nicole and Matt invited us camping for the weekend. Unfortunately we weren't able to camp but we headed up on the 24th to spend the day. We had so much fun and wished we had brought the tent to stay overnight. They found a great spot up American Fork canyon near Cascade Springs. We all had so much fun four wheeling and playing in the water. Nicole made a yummy dinner and then after dark we took the four wheelers up a dirt road that overlooked Deer Creek and we watched a great fire work show! We had so much fun! It was my first time "really" driving the four wheeler and it was so addictive!
Mikayla and Jason

Saddie girl

Matt, Nicole, Jason and kids

Matt-n-Jordan

Jason and kids

Nicole and Mikayla

Matt and Jordan...They got drenched!

We stopped at cascade springs and walked around. Very pretty!!

Saddie pulling her..."hold me!!! My legs hurt!! I'm NOT walking anymore!!!"

So Jason came to the rescue...

Nicole and Matt making dinner...OK just Nicole made dinner...

Roasting marshmallows...

Jordan's were PERFECT!!!

Oops...Almost perfect??

Again, thanks Nicole and Matt for inviting us we had so so much fun!!!

Wheeler Farm

2009-07-22T13:17:00.001-07:00

I met my mom and 3 sisters and all the kids down at the farm today. It was so so hot but the kids seemed to enjoy it and they of course loved all being together! The geese there loved to be fed and even let the kids pet them.

Mikayla, Saddie, Spence, Brinley and Alex

We walked over the bridge and the kids found a fun tree to climb. Some were Very good climbers and others, well, lets just say it took a lot of coaxing from us moms to get them all up there for a picture!

This is all the clan except for one, Kaitlyn had her feelings hurt somewhere along the way and the babies we couldn't get up so we pushed a table under the tree for them to sit on.

Spencer, Brinley, Dylan and James

Kristen and Ava

I can't believe my kids start school in a few days! It'll be nice to have all of Sept. off and maybe it won't be so hot! We've had a busy few weeks and have had lots of FUN!!!!

Daybreak beach....

2009-07-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

Mikayla, Spencer and Trenton

Jordan and Mikayla

Baby Julia loved the sand and water

Jordan getting ready to throw a sand bomb...

Brinley and her friend Kaiden dock jumping...

Sweet Saddie...

Lara and Julia

Miss Mikayla

We have loved spending a lot of our time this short summer at the Daybreak Lake up the road. It has been a great place to just relax and let the kids play. I'm guessing with how popular it is it's not gonna stay clean for too long. Especially with there being no bathrooms anywhere nearby. We hope it won't get too trashed cause it's so much fun!!!

Draper Days...

2009-07-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Nicole and Matt invited our family up to Matt's parent's for a Bar-b-q then to Draper fire works. We had a great time and Jason has fun learning how to use some new settings on our camera.

Kindergarten Programs

2009-07-04T22:14:00.001-07:00

are always so funny! Brinley is by far the tallest in all her grade! She was so cute in her program. She sang all her songs but would blush when it was time to do the actions and wouldn't do them. I wish I had better pictures. I really need to get that zoom lense... I can't believe she's going to be in first grade. I miss her already!!!

The waterfall...

2009-07-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Jason made this water feature from scratch. He built it about 3 years ago and it has been a constant work in progress. It works great now other than it splashes water every where. He thought it would be so easy to build and was so proud of himself. He spent many hours out in the garage welding and cutting and cussing too...It looks great but isn't allowed in the house due to the splashing, so it now resides on our front porch. I thought it looked a little "trashy" ya know, like how people put couches on the porch....??? Well, OK maybe it's not that bad..or is it? If you get a chance drive by and let me know.....He's so proud of it and it is pretty cool!!

The Box...

2009-07-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

We finally bought a microwave the other day and Jordan was instantly drawn to the big box it came in. He carried it outside and used it as his "shell". He was so funny. He would walk with it and then just drop down and disappear and hold so still under it. Jason came up with a brilliant plan to prank our neighbors. He put Jordan under the box on their door step, rang the bell and ran. Their kids opened the door and Jordan popped out scaring them but Jason wanted the parents. They were asleep and he made the kids wake them up. By the time they got to the door Jordan was so hot and it didn't work too well. So funny though. He loves his box and it is now the newest addition to his room.

Here he is under the box on their door step. Our neighbor said it would have worked better if there was a label. His kids were trying so hard to get them to the door they even told them there was a guy there waiting for them to sign.... So funny!

Happy Birthday to me..

2009-06-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

This was my Birthday present from Jordan. It was so sweet! It says... "I love you so much you are the best mom ever and for being one you dezerv this." He taped a dollar bill onto it. It made me smile. Such a sweet heart, and to give me his money was so cute!

I can't believe I'm 32 this year! I feel so old! Jason took me out to Tepanyaki for dinner and to see The Proposal. Sooooo funny. It was a good day.

Happy 60th MOM!

2009-06-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

It was my Mom's 60th Birthday on the 17th. We wanted to do something great for her but couldn't settle on anyhing. I heard of this in door sky diving place in Ogden so we surprised her and headed up North for the day. Leslie brought Loren and she was able to try too. It's a big indoor wind tunnel and they got to experience what it's like to really sky dive.
It was such a blast to watch and Mom and Loren said they loved it! My mom is such an adventurer and loves sports and being active. She runs many 1/2 marathons and is a gym rat. I'm sure is stronger than any of her four daughters and loves to prove it! Happy Happy Birthday Mom!

Green River pictures......

2009-06-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

So my camera died after the first day. I was sooo mad! So these are pretty much all the pictures I have. Better than none I guess.
We found these very friendly horses on a pee break off the side of the road on the way there.

This was the early morning run. Nicole and Jason in the 2 man said they made it 20 sec. before they tipped over.... hee hee.

Jason found a snake for the kids to adore...they loved catching lizards too and were begging to bring one home...uhh...no.

Mikayla and Hannah

The kids loved playing on the beach and in the water. As you can see we had beach front property...

Jason loving his coke a little too much!

Dis you notice Matt's earing?? Ya, it's real!

Thanks to Matt and Nicole for letting us tag along. It was such a BLAST!!!

No pictures yet.....

2009-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

but I'll tell ya all about it! Jason's sister Nicole invited us to go with them and some friends camping last weekend. It was also a river rafting trip down the Green River. It was such a BLAST! We got there Fri. evening and set up camp right on a beach next to the river. We all put on life jackets and walked up the bank a little then floated back down. The kids loved it! Sat. some of the group got up for a sunrise run. "Run" meaning a rafting trip down the river not an actual run. Jason was one of them and LOVED it! We would all pile in a couple cars and drive up the dirt road and raft back down to camp. It was such a great experience and so much fun! The kids loved it too except for it was cold when the sun wasn't out. Nicole's friends that we went with were so much fun too and the kids loved making new friends.
So our last run down Jason took us over sideways over a rock and Brinley, Saddie and I got flipped out. One of the guys, Dave, jumped in after Brinley and Jason helped me get Saddie back in the raft. They were so funny they didn't cry and didn't even seem that worried. Mikayla got knocked in the head, we're not sure how, and she was crying but all in all it was pretty funny. I was rally glad there weren't any rocks to hit. Then that evening we got hit with a huge rain storm. The guys and one wife all went up to get the cars that we left at the top of the river and got trapped from a mud slide on the road. It was so scary because it's just a sheer cliff down to the river and they said they were sliding all over. They ended up having to leave the cars there and walking back. They came back covered in mud!! We were barely able to get the 3 cars back on Sun. We were so lucky and so grateful we are all safe!! The kids loved playing on the beach and it was such a fun trip!!! I'll post pictures soon...
Happy Father's Day to Jason!!! After we packed up camp we drove down to a crystal geyser. That was very cool!! Then came home. Jason is such a sweet loving man! He is a wonderful father and would do anything for his children!! He is such a great example to them. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be their father!! And happy Father's Day to my Dad who has loved me unconditionally and has been an amazing example to me!! I love you both so much!!

Vampire obsession...

2009-06-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Mikayla was invited to a "Twilight" Birthday Party. When I picked her up all these little girls come running to the door looking like this. They had all dresses up like vampires and had make up contests. It was pretty gruesome. I thought it would have been better without the blood. Hmmm. Ya, I wasn't really sure how to react about that one. We just played it cool. Mikayla was very into it. She has been obsessed with Twilight. She just finished the first book and wants to start the second. So I guess I'm partly to blame. again, Hmmmmm......

Tonight after prayers...

2009-06-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

Saddie says, "I miss Heavenly Father and Jesus. They miss me too. I saw Jesus a long time ago." I said "Oh yeah?" "Yeah and I really want to see him again. When can we see Heavenly Father and Jesus again? I miss them sooooo much!" Then Brinley chimed in "Jesus died for us!",that made Saddie very sad so I explained how he did die but he was resurected and now lives with Heavenly Father in heaven and is happy and waiting for us. I can just imagine how that makes our Heavenly Father feel to hear those sweet words from a child. It sure warmed my heart!

Whose with me???

2009-06-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

I LOVE all the rain we've been getting!!! I love the thunder storms and the clean air!!! It has been making me so happy and so energetic!!! No I'm NOT joking...I LOVE this weather!!!! We'll have plenty of hot days so it is so nice to get rain and cool weather and I Love how green it is too!!!! YEAH for RAIN!!!:0)

Bear Lake

2009-06-08T12:08:00.001-07:00

We took our friends the Curtis' and headed up to Bear Lake for the weekend. We left on Fri. Brinleys Birthday. She had to wait till we got there to open presents and have cake...I know we're mean. The weather was cold and rainy but we did see a little sun on Sat. Just enough to go down to the lake and let the kids freeze! They all wanted to go 'swimming'. It was maybe 50 deg. out and the water was in the 30's. They all still got, a little wet. Some more than others. It was so much fun just hangin' out and getting to relax and play games!!!

Happy Birthday Brinley!!!

2009-06-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday Brin! You have such a sweet happy spirit! Your carefree joyful attitude has been such a blessing to our family! We love you so much!!
We always say Brinley is going to be a vet when she grows up. She loves all animals so much and has a list of at least 20 that she's going to have when she's 18. Which is how old she has so be before she can buy one, and not living with us. She is so good with all animals, bugs, and babies. She has a special gift with knowing how to take care of little kids. Some of my neighbors love having her over because she'll take care of their babies for them! Brinley is also my "tough" girl. She doesn't even cry when she has to get shots. She loves to be outdoors and is happy as long as she's playing!!! This was her Birthday wish as we were driving in the car...
Brinley: "Mom, I wish I was a dog."
Me: "Why a dog?"
Brinley: "So I could stick my tongue out the window"
Me: "You can stick your tongue out the window"
Brinley: "Well, I already tried and it got all dried out"
We love you so MUCH!! Happy Birthday!

Swingin'in the summer...

2009-06-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

I think the most favorite thing about this house for the kids, well at least Brin and Saddie, is, our front porch swing. Saddie is always asking for someone to go swing with her. She likes to sit and talk. This morning we sat on the swing for a good half hour. She talked non-stop about her friends. I just smiled. Oh to 4 again.
Saturday the girls had Ambria and Hannah over to play.
Me, Hannah, Mikayla, Brinley, Saddie and Ambria were all squished on the swing watching the thunderstorm when suddenly we heard it.... The dreaded ice cream truck. I keep telling the kids how it's a rip off and we could go to the store and buy a whole bag of Popsicles for the price of one, but ya, they don't care. Mikayla and Jordan ran inside and grabbed their coins and bought one for every one. After all it's part of growing up. Right?

It's Game Time...

2009-05-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

Jordan has been playing basketball for three straight seasons and still going. This game today was their last for this season .....if they lost....which they did not. They won 37 to 10 Jordan made at least 5 shots. I missed a lot because I was trying to take pictures around the refs. He LOVES basketball and is such a great athlete always the star of the team!! He's going to sign up again but we'll also start summer baseball then football.

Saddie's Prayer

2009-05-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

This was Saddie's sweet prayer tonight.....there are no words to describe how sweet it was in her cute little voice....
"Dear heavenly Fader Thank you for Mommy coming home from work safely, Thank you for Daddy coming home from work safely the udder day. Help us be nice to each udder, Brinley, Kayla, Jordan, and mommy and daddy all be nice to each udder. Thank you for the pretty Temple we could go see. Glad we could save Gamma and Gampa from that thing da udder day, from what ever it was called, and have us have good dreams tonight. In da name of Jesus Christ Amen".
Oh... it was just so cute and so thoughtful for such a little bug. The thing she was talking about with Grandpa and Grandma was Jason had to go help get them when their car broke down up the canyon.
We went through the new Temple today. It was and always is such a neat experience!!! I love that we are so close. It was our Stake day to go through and most everyone walked over. We drove cause we're a little lazy... I can't wait to get my recommend and be able to go back!!!

Grandpa Tom visits..

2009-05-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

My sweet old Grandpa Tom came in town to visit for a few days. He moved to Arizona a couple years ago and we haven't seen him since. He is wheelchair bound so he didn't leave the hotel much which was so great for all the great grand kids.... One...it's just awesome to go to hotels...and two...there is a pool!!! So every time we went to visit, the kids got to swim!!

It was so good to see him!! We love you so much Grandpa and wish we could see you more!

My Man....

2009-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

My man is the BEST in so many ways, we can add carpentry to his list of many talents. Our car couldn't fit into our garage. They have the stairs going down right in the middle so there isn't enough room on either side to park. We were short by about 4 inches. So Jason comes home one day and starts pulling the stairs down. Believe me, it was a lot harder than it looked. He shortened the stairs and put it all back together making it more sturdy than it was to begin with and now Tah Dah we can park in the garage!!! Yeah... Thanks babe!! I love you!

There's a crack shot here but I thought I'd save that one for my eyes only....

Happy Birthday Saddie!

2009-05-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 4!! What a blessing it as been to have your sweet spirit in our lives. You have helped me through the lowest parts of my life with your precious smile and loving words. You always seem to know when I need uplifting and will call out "Mom, I lub you!!" when I seem to need it the most. Your tender little fingers have wiped my tears away many times and made me smile, and your happy spirit warms my soul! You truly are a special daughter of God and have touched so many hearts already in your early years. We love you more than word can say Saddie girl.....Happy Birthday!!!!

LDS humor...

2009-05-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily posted this website on her blog and I had to copy her so y'all can get a laugh too!!! Sooo funny! Take a peek.. it'll make you smile.... http://www.9thwardcartoons.com/

New house

2009-05-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

These aren't the best pictures but here is our humble abode....

Front room

Kitchen

Living room

Back yard. We have to finish it. I'll give you the before and after later.

So it took us about three weeks but I can finally say we are settled. Moving was such a pain and I really forgot how much crap we have. I have a huge DI pile in the garage. All the neighbors were so much help moving in and have all been so so nice! It seems like there are so many kids in the neighborhood. We went to church yesterday for the first time and could not believe how noisy sacrament was! It will take some getting used to socializing again but I think we'll survive.... Brinley and Saddie have already made lots of friends and Jason has spent a few late nights talking in the yard...of course....Thank you so much to everyone who helped us move we really could not have done it with out you!!! Thank you Nicole for doing all the little extras while I was at work!!! You guys are the BEST!!!! We love having the room again and having all our stuff bak from storage I love that we get to start "over" again but I really miss our old neighborhood...the first one not the town house one! I miss that feeling of belonging...I realize how much I took it all for granted! Hopefully we'll start feeling like this is "home" soon.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Sunday afternoon my family all met at the park for lunch and a game of softball. It was fun for all of us to get together. It seems rare these days for all of us to be at one place anymore.

Kaitlyn and Campbell

Mikayla

Dylan and James

Saddie, Brinley and Ava

Mom and Dad

Three cute girls!! Mikayla, Kaitlyn and Loren...

All in all it was a great day! Happy Mother's Day!!

ZOO DAY!

2009-05-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Jason was so sweet and planned to celebrate my Mother's Day on Saturday because Sunday we had plans with my Mom. He planned the whole day out.... We went to the zoo with Nicole and Matt. It was Mom and Me weekend so by buying a T-shirt we got free admission, free ice cream and some other stuff too. It was a perfect day for the zoo!

We didn't make it into the bird show but we were able to go down after and see the birds up close.

This bird was taking money from people and putting it into the donation bucket. Channel 2 news was there and Saddie was on the news at 10 that night.

This funny penguin was digging a hole right by the fence...So funny!

All tuckered out!

After the zoo we went to eat and then headed up to Park City outlets to shop. Jason got a little frustrated because I couldn't find anything I really liked. We were mostly looking for church clothes. I just could not bring myself to spend money on stuff I just didn't love! It was such a fun day! We were going to go to a movie too but I was so tired from walking all day!

Let's go fly a kite...

2009-04-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

SEALING DAY!

2009-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

What a special day! Saturday April 18, Julia was sealed to the Stout family. I wish I could have been there. Everyone said it was so sweet and spiritual. Poor little Julia has had RSV and been so sick. She just looked around with a what's going on look the whole time. We met them over at the Jordan River Temple and then went to lunch. I feel so at peace and so happy for them! Jason was saying how neat it will be when one day Lara Julia and I can all go to the Temple together. I agree.

Lara and Julia

Some of my side of the family couldn't make it but all of Mitch's family were there and lots of friends too.

Easter Fun!

2009-04-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a house full of eggs. The kids hunted around and also had to find their baskets that the bunny hid. After church we headed up to Grandma and Grandpas for our traditional Easter egg hunt and breakfast. Grandpa made his famous sweedish pancakes...SOOO yummy! Then the kids had a big hunt in the back yard and got money and lots of candy! We ate some more and Jason dropped the kids off at their Grandma and Grandpa Christensens for another hunt. Mikayla got to open some late Bday presents and they said they had fun visiting with all the cousins. All in all we had another Happy Easter thanks to everyone for making it such a great day!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Spring Time!!

2009-04-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Warm weather is the BEST! It has been so nice to be able to send the kids out side to play!

Remember the thrill of "no hands"?

Jason bought Saddie her first real bike. Of corse it's Dora. She decided she wanted to be a big girl and try it out. She did great and loved it!

My little animal lover has made a new friend in the neighborhood. No, it's not the dog. It's the dogs owner, a girl names Shaylee. They played house with this cute "puppy" for hours over the weekend. (I think Brinley uses kids to get to their pets!)

The Jazz Game!!

2009-04-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Heather and Jayson invited us to front row seats Jazz game. Of course they invited us on April fools day, and then said April fools. Then after I told them how mean they were they said April fools again.! I can't even express how awesome it was! We were literally the front row! It was hard to watch the game because we were right next to the Timber Wolves bench and watching them was entetaining enough! It's such a different game down there! I never would have guessed they were so fast and powerful! We lost by one point which I was a little sad but I just loved being there watching them play that I really didn't care.

This is Jason Collins, we sat right next to him! He plays for the Twolves and his twin brother Jared plays for the Jazz. Jason talked to him a few times. He asked him about practices and about being 2 in. taller than his brother. He said he ate more so that's why he's taller. He smiled for me to take a picture but our dumb camera was too slow! He was really nice!

The Jazz bear put rubber gloves on our heads.

This is Timber Wolves coach. Kevin Mckale. (Not sure how to spell it.) He looks just like Jasons uncle Richard. Jason had to touch the floor.

We had such a blast! We also got to eat dinner in the VIP room and also got to go in at half time for drinks and nachos and popcorn. Thanks so much for the great nigh out!!!

Spiritual inspiration...

2009-04-03T15:45:00.001-07:00

Pause the music at the bottom of my blog before you push play!

We found a house!

2009-03-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

So, after 4 months of searching, calling, driving, looking, and stressing, we finally found a place to call home. It's a cute little house over on 10600 So. and
40th West. And, the neighborhood has access to a club house and pool. Yeah! I've actually only gone through the house once and we'll go back tomorrow, with Jason, he hasn't seen it yet, so hopefully I like it still! Jason has been so good about letting me drag him through all the houses but he keeps telling me to just pick one! So we'll see if he has any compliants with this one. So, I feel so relieved yet a whole new set of worried has laid upon my shoulders! Packing, Cleaning, Packing, Moving, Cleaning, Ahhhh.... What have I done???

The Party....

2009-03-28T10:46:00.001-07:00

The girls all got here at 3:30. They had a surprise scavenger hunt that ended up at Texas Roadhouse where we ate rolls and had drinks. We then went across the street to see the movie "Bed time stories". After we came home, had pizza, cake and ice cream and decorated aprons. The girls played twister, limbo, and pop the balloon... Finally, it was time for "bed" they watched Twilight and well, then I went to bed. I'm not sure how late they stayed up! Such cute girls! Mikayla got everything she wanted and except for some complaints about Brinley, she had a great Birthday!

Happy 11th Birthday Mikayla!!!!

2009-03-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday sweetheart! I can't believe you are 11. You are growing into such a beautiful girl! We love you so much! You are such a hard worker and have such a warm and caring heart! Hope you have a great day! We LOVE YOU!

Adoption Day!

2009-03-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

YEAH! Lara and Mitch finalized their adoption of Julia today. They took their kids out of school and went down to the court house. She just called me and told me all about it. I am so grateful for them and, like Lara, I feel so at peace and so happy! I know things all worked out for the best and I love that I can still be a part of her life! CONGRATULATIONS. What a special day. They will be blessing her and then will have her sealed to them for all time and eternity in the next month. I'm so excited for them!

Easter pictures, pictures....

2009-03-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

My mom wanted to get all the grandkids together for an Easter picture this year. It was almost impossible to get all 4 families together but we pulled it off. At least I think they did. I had to work so Jason took the kids, it was pretty nice for me actually. So I tried my best to get a few pictures of my own before the big adventure.

There are 15 grandkids now, starting at 14 years down to 6 months. I'll post the cute pictures when I get them! I'm sure it was quite exciting.
Oh, and thank you Jodi for making the cute headbands!

I need MOTIVATION!

2009-03-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, I was talked into Face Book. Like I have extra time to spend on the computer! It was fun to see old friends from high school though.
I hate this snow!! I want spring! Although getting into "swim suit" shape is weighing heavily on my mind......only 3 months. I have no ambition! Anyone want to help inspire me? Jason wants to start the PX90. He downloaded it for free in Lime wire. Everyday he says, "Tomorrow, PX90" as he pats his belly. I'm afraid one day he's really gonna mean it! So I really really need some motivation. Ya know, before summer hits and I have to buy all new suits cause all mine are too small.......
Anyone else stressed about Easter? I need a house! I think that's the root of all my stress. Well. That's all I've got today. Need to go clean out closets!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

We had a hard time finding something green to wear this year.... A leprechaun got in our fridge and turned an egg green, also an ice cube. Those little guys are pretty sneaky!
All three girls have had the flu since Sat. Today I can finally say We're on the mend, only because last night I actually got more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep! No cleaning up throw-up and washing sheets at 2 am. I so did NOT want to wake up today! Well, Happy Day to Everyone!

One BUSY week!

2009-03-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Friday Feb. 27th:

(Happy Birthday Kwissy!)

Tonight we had Jordan's Blue and Gold Banquet. He earned his Wolf, 3 progress towards rank beads, one gold arrow and 3 silver......Way to go Jordan! We are so proud!

Our ward hasn't had pack meeting since Aug. so that's why he's getting it all at once. Also his Wolf leader forgot to order his stuff, after I reminded her 2 times. Luckily they had an extra Wolf badge.

When we left that night the moon looked so COOL! You could see the whole moon but only a sliver of it was bright and right next to it was a really big bright planet. This picture doesn't serve it justice but we tried!

Saturday Feb. 28th:

We woke up early and dressed in layers to meet Jason's sister Nicole and her husband Matt to hike up to Donut Falls! It was so beautiful and so much fun! We took all the kids. They were great. Saddie rode on Jason's shoulders the whole time. We all had a blast! Thanks Nicole and Matt for dragging us along!

That night we went to my nephew Campbell's baptism. It was very nice. He wanted his dad to baptise him and Grandpa Kevin to confirm him. They all did such a great job! Congrats Cam!

Sunday, March 1st: We were invited to watch our nephew Krew be blessed down in Lehi. This was the first time we have seen him. He is darling he smiled so much at Jason the kids were all excited to see Jason's family and all their cousins! Mikayla and Jordan then slept over at Grandma Linda's with cousins Kaitlyn and Spencer. They are all off track. Lucky ducks!

Monday, March 2nd:

Grandma took kids to classic skating. I took Saddie to the Dr. (She's fine) Then I met friends Kris and Michelle for dinner for a girls night out and............SURPRISE Sandi popped around the corner. Kody, Kris' husband flew her in from Texas for a few days. It was SOOOO FUN to see her and catch up! Thanks Kody! Oh and thanks for dinner too!

Tuesday, March 3rd:

Lara and I took the kids to the Children's Museum. We rode tracks down so we wouldn't have to deal with driving down town. That was an adventure! The kids all had a blast, as for us moms? It was fun but so exhausting!

Junior Jazz

2009-02-23T08:51:00.001-08:00

Jordan has always been so athletic!
He has been so great at all the sports he has tried. For the last year he has loved playing basketball! This was his 3rd season in a row. His best friend Jadens mom has been their coach and has been amazing, even picking Jordan up for the mid week practices.

Their team took first place last season in the playoffs.

THE BULLY

2009-02-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my neighborhood.........

So, a few months ago my kids were behind the house in the field playing and they came running in and told me there was a boy out there lighting weeds on fire. I ran out and saw a boy about 11 years old walking towards me. I asked him what he was doing and he of course lied and said "nuttin" and kept walking. Jordan told me that he kept lighting weeds on fire and then putting it out and would move onto a new group. So of course I lectured my kids about being around that and praised them for telling me. So we found his mom, who came running out yelling "get back here, do you want to go back to jail again?" She was screaming at him as he kept walking away. I guess he was missing for the day after that.

Well, this boy is also the school bully. Today Jordan came in in tears and told me that this boy and his little brother, who has both ears pierced, pulled him and his two friends aside while walking home and threw them into bushes and were trying to kick them. Jordan defended himself by grabbing the kids legs and tripping him and then they all ran home.

I went over to their home, 4 doors down, and the mom answered and said, "I know I know, I'm sorry, I told them to walk on the other side of the street" then she starts screaming at them to come down, she scared me.......One kid came down and denied it all blaming his brother but Jordan caught him in the lie saying, "No, dude you're the one that threw me in the bush." I wished their mom wasn't home so I could give them a piece of my mind! So, I'm interested in how you all feel about teaching your "boys" to stand up for themselves? I kind of just want him to fight back. Although I know this kid is trouble and obviously has been in Juvie so, stay away is all I advised. I guess were done with walking home........but, is that fair?

Birthday pictures

2009-02-19T08:00:00.001-08:00

Birthday skiing/snowboarding at Snowbird. We finally found the camera connector to the comp. so, here we are on the slopes!

Mom and Dad at the top of Little Cloud.

Jason thought it funny to keep sliding into me!

Happy Birthday Babe!!!!

2009-02-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Jason turned 32 on Friday the 13th! Ewwwww.....Scary! We took the day off and went up to Snowbird with my Mom and Dad. Thank you Christy for picking up Brin from school and thank you Lara and Mitch for watching the gang so we could enjoy the day! When we got up there I realized I had kid boots. Some how they ended up in our garage and I didn't try them on until too late. My sweet Dad paid for our ski tickets and then also for my rentals of ski's, boots, and poles since they wouldn't just rent the boots! He also bought us lunch on the slopes! Thanks so much for making Jason's B-Day so great! We all skied except Jason he snowboarded. He was so good and was cruises down even the expert slopes! He was pretty "hot"! After we went back to mom's and sat in the hot tub. Then went to pick up kids and went to Tepenaki's for dinner. It was our Valentines too since I had to work all day and night on Valentines. We had so much fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

Mikayla & Brinley Favorites

2009-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

Mikaya, always ready to pose.

Brinley, my animal lover!

Saddie favorites

2009-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

This first picture is of Saddie's first time dressing herself. She was so proud! She had to wear that outfit all day and even to bed that night!
The next picture is an early "good morning" I thought it was so cute that she came down with her blankie and her bunny. I can still remember the way she smelled! (Every mom loves binki breath....right?)

Jordan favorites

2009-02-02T13:47:00.001-08:00

Jordan 2005 My sweet buddy!

Three Amigos

This is Jordan and his 2 cousins Campbell and Alex,

they inherited the title a few years ago in Lake Powell.

They are all about 6 Mo. apart and when together

they are inseparable!

2009-01-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-01-28T08:59:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-01-27T21:10:00.001-08:00

2009-01-27T20:19:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-01-14T11:23:00.001-08:00