austin&kelly

boy or girl?

2012-02-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

okay, just a heads up for everyone. this week we find out whether baby #5 is a brother or a sister. Ian is very optimistic for a brother. During church I overheard him having a conversation with one of his friends. The other boy said, "you have 4 kids in your family just like us." And Ian replied, "we're going to have 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls."
I'm also leaning toward boy based on my 'mother's intuition', which turned out to be wrong in Lydia's case. The doctor, who is notorious for being wrong whenever he guesses, guessed girl for the first couple of months, but this past appointment changed his mind to boy. So make your guesses and I let you all know next week.

it's a zoo around here

2012-02-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

so last night we had one of those moments when we were trying to get the kids up and moving, outside or anywhere just to get them away from the tv and video games. it was really windy outside and the kids did not want to go out to play (can't say I blame them, I think wind is the worst kind of weather). I tried bribing them out the door, but Lydia gave her treat back and asked to be let back in the house with big tears in her eyes. I just couldn't say no to that and I dare anyone else to try it either. They were whining and moaning when an idea finally hit. I told them to go make a zoo with all their animals and I would come visit and take pictures. It worked out great. They all worked together to sort the animals and find the best habitat for all of them. Wesley even decided on getting tickets for everyone so they could be admitted into the zoo. I just had to watch out for the tiger hiding behind the couch, they forgot to put him in his cage and he was hungry.

the bear cave (though I think a dog got thrown in there as well)

the giraffe enclosure, they were tired from a day of eating acacia leaves. oh no! there's the tiger, better move to a different area of the zoo.

the horse arena

Fiona said this was the 'white' group. It's a pretty interesting group: sheep, cats, even a snow tiger cub. Maybe that's why the tiger is on the loose, she's looking for her cub.

Here's the cows. Yeah, our zoo doesn't just cater to the exotic.

the monkey house. the big monkey on the left was separated from the little monkeys on the right. i think he was a trouble maker. this also seems to be a good spot for my monkey, Lydia.

the fantasy creature paddock, we have two dragons and a cyclops. not every zoo has such bragging rights.

this was my favorite part, the babies. I guess I say that our house is a zoo enough that this group just made sense to my own little ones.

good day

2012-02-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

yes, it was a good day. lots of loved ones, lots of good food, and lots of laughs (with Austin's family that is just a given and I am very grateful for it.)

so where do I start?

2012-01-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

this is Wesley's first pack night, those crazy scouts and their wacky traditions had me a little nervous right about now.

no snow for new years, but we did get a little sledding in

my favorite pic over the holiday was of kamry and her purple chicken

we had a great time bowling

ian had great form

our new favorite place to celebrate birthdays is Jungle Jim's

i just loved this picture and thought I'd include it for a smile. and I wonder if this is the look I have when Austin brings me Ben and Jerry's phishfood icecream.

I thought I was keeping up on this better and again I was shocked when I checked the date on my last post. So I guess I'll just start where we are at. For those of you who don't already know, we are expecting our 5th child and I blame a lot of my forgetfulness, disorganization and overall insanity to that fact. We have had another birthday and Wesley will soon be baptized this coming Saturday. We even went on vacation to St. George and played on the rocks. this are going well for us and I will try to get back again next week. Here's some pics to keep you updated on our current cuteness.

just updating

2011-11-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was really surprised when I saw the date on my last post. then I thought "should I be surprised?" so for those of you who have faithfully checked in on our little family I have some updates.

we finally got our family pictures done and we even used Fiona's idea (see previous post)
Halloween was fun and everyone was pleased with their costumes:

unicorn, viking, ladybug and Frankenstein's monster

red riding hood

and we've celebrated two birthdays:

Ian turned 7. He had a really fun 'drive-in movie' party with his friends. We borrowed a projector, popped popcorn, had licorice and soda and sat in our own little cardboard box cars. Unfortunately, the day we planned for the family to come over and celebrated the flu hit and we had to have a quiet little celebration with cake and ice cream a few days later.

the next week was Lydia's 3rd birthday. and I guess we are starting a new birthday tradition of being sick on your day. She loved her cake and by the end of the evening she finally felt better to enjoy some of it, too.

In the midst of all these fun celebrations we also discovered that we are expecting our 5th children. Yes, I'm pregnant! woohoo! we are very happy and the kids are excited they have even picked out names. Ian and Austin are both voting for Dragonslayer, Fiona and Lydia want a sister so they can name her Fluttershy, and Wesley likes Angus (I think he had just watched a hamburger commercial). It's been a rough couple of weeks. I've had morning sickness for the first time, and I'm not sure how much of it was the baby and how much was the flu that camped out at our house for over a week. I've also felt exhausted and very, very unambitious. Naps have been a daily event. It seems to be passing now and the last couple of days I've been catching up on Christmas projects instead of sleeping during quiet time. We are still quite a ways away from finding out the gender and I'm not due until the beginning of summer, but we will be finding out this time and I will let you all know how it goes. Just keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the family will agree to a more normal name, I'm just not too sold on Dragonslayer.

yeah, really!

2011-10-06T13:15:00.000-06:00

surprised bean plants in the garden

the flowers were caught off guard as well.

yeah, it's really snowing! I was supposed to be out picking the last of my beans this morning, but I think that will have to wait until it's above 38*. At least now I can get my apples, they should be nice and sweet after this snowfall.

we're going to get our family picture taken in a couple of weeks. This is fiona's idea for the picture. Ian is holding her hand, she is holding Lydia's hand and Lydia is holding Wesley's hand. I thought it was so sweet. The brothers both said NO WAY!

a lot to catch up on

2011-10-02T14:17:00.000-06:00

this month consisted of:
labor day fun

the boys went with Austin for a four wheeler ride up to the tower, while me and the girls went to the onion days parade in payson

a preschool field trip to the spanish fork airport

a birthday party

a surprise visit from some old and dear friends

playing with cousins

lots of canning. I've done pears, peaches, salsa and beans. good stuff.

The middle of this month also brought the passing of my grandfather a month before his 93rd birthday. his funeral was beautiful and full of great family memories as aunts, uncles, and cousins all gathered to celebrate his legacy and the way he touched our lives.

now that October is here the mountains have suddenly become adorned in red and yellow. it really seems to have happened overnight. one day it was just a few lone trees here and there, now they've all joined in the pageantry. cold nights are wonderful and the kids are outside more than in. it's a beautiful time of year.

now we have general conference. hope that you are taking time to enjoy it, too.

goodbye summer

2011-09-04T14:24:00.000-06:00

Fall is coming fast. The night and mornings are chilly, the boys are wearing a jacket to the bus stop now. It feels so wonderful, fall is definitely my favorite time of year. We are starting to look forward to Halloween already. The girls both have their costumes already. Mom found them at a yard sale and the girls are thrilled. Fiona is going to be a unicorn and Lydia will be a ladybug. The boys are still trying to decide what to be. Wesley has said Captain America or a vampire. Ian has too many ideas to list. This year I’m going to try to be little red riding hood. I think that would be really fun and easy to put together.

We are starting to settle into our routine and this past week wasn’t nearly as hectic as the one before.
Fiona has moved up to the older vaulting class now. Her coach said she was doing so well that she was ready to be with the older girls. She will be 5 in February and the girls in her new class are mostly 5 and 6 year olds, so she is the youngest. But she had a great time with them and made many new friends. She has a showcase (sort of like a recital) coming up in October and I’m so excited to see her perform.

Lydia was able to start kindermusic this past Wednesday. She loves it and she’s such a good little singer. She and Fiona sing all the time around the house, they take after their daddy. His family is always singing and whistling, I love it. Starting kindermusic has really made her feel better about her sister leaving for preschool, she really misses Fiona.

Friday Austin and I went to the Timpanogos Story Telling Festival. We only attended one of the events. It was so much fun. The story tellers are amazing, they are truly artists. Austin would like to one day participate; I think he would do an amazing job. Ian is really good at telling stories as well. They have school-based storytelling festivals across the state and it would be fun to have him compete in one when he gets a little older. Next year I think we’ll take the kids to the festival as well, we found out that they have a session specifically for little ones and they would really enjoy it.

Yesterday I went to Swiss Days with Mom, Katie and Cheide (my nephew). I look forward to going every year. They have so many booths, hundreds, filled with crafts, paintings, gifts, art, and clothing. I get so many great ideas. This year I took a paper and pen so I could write it all down. There are so many that I often forget them before we even get home. Now I just have to find time to get all my projects done. I’ve bought more yarn to make a beautiful cardigan that I bought the pattern for last year. So I know I won’t be getting bored for lack of things to do any time soon.

Today in church they had a lesson on faith and charity. I’ve been thinking a lot about being a mother. I want the best for these children and I have so much to learn. But the lessons helped me realize that I can lead with patience and kindness. I don’t have to let them run all over me and I don’t have to be brutal in disciplining. There is a fine balance with love and example. I’ve been trying hard to not raise my voice and make sure that what I say is encouraging and kind even if I have to correct them. It is hard some days. And I hate hearing those mean things that I have said carelessly to them coming out of their sweet mouths as they repeat them to their brothers or sisters. That’s a slap to wake me up for sure. And I know I haven’t ever said anything horrible, but I could definitely do a lot better. I just always pray they know how much I love them.

hello! it's been a full, whirlwind couple of weeks

2011-08-24T21:33:00.001-06:00

this post is a little scrambled but I'm very short on time. I tried to pack in the last 2 weeks in very few words and a lot of pictures. I'm still running like crazy, probably until the end of next week. but we are having a great time

the week before school started we packed in as much fun as we could

wednesday we went to the zoo

friday austin & I went to the demolition derby

2 cars rolled, it was AWESOME!

monday we went for a hike

and found a great place to play in the river

it had wonderful mud to squish

tuesday was pool day

thursday we did park hopping and caught 2 water snakes. with snakes in my hand it made it hard to get any pics, but the kids were very impressed.

friday we had a back to school party at the ranch, so much fun and sun

last night we went to the ranch again to celebrate austin's 35th birthday! I got him a zombie cake. I got it from SIMPLY JUICY (I couldn't find their facebook page, I'll try to set up a link later) here in salem and they did an fabulous job. the chainsaw is made of rice krispies and the cake was chocolate with a chocolate mousse layer, very very yummy.

this is 32 years of being buddies, and they never run out of things to talk about.

the boys started school this past Monday, just me and the girls all day. it's fun, but we miss the boys, too.

this is how we found wes sleeping the night before the first day of school. I think he was pretty excited.

this is how wes eats a pear, that skinny little thing on the top is where he's eaten all the way to the core, ALL THE WAY!

today fiona started preschool. she has a 'my little pony' backpack that she is very fond of. she had a great time, especially because her cousin milo is in her class and he always makes her laugh.

Salem Days "caught it!"

2011-08-14T22:34:00.001-06:00

We just finished a weeklong celebration of Salem Days, the theme this year is "Spirit of Salem, catch it". It’s a great way to end the summer and we have so much fun every year.

Tuesday: Austin and I played on a team in the kickball tournament. Amberlee, Alli and Trevor were all on the team as well. We had a lot of fun, the competition was fierce. We were playing until 9pm. Our team lost all 4 of our games, but it was good fun.

Wednesday: Lydia was in the baby contest for the last time. She did great and she was so excited to wear the outfit she had picked out. She was very personable, telling the judges her name, age, favorite colors and even that Fiona was her best friend. That night we went to the movie in the park. They had soda, popcorn and glow sticks all for free and the kids had such a good time.

Friday: I decorated the kids’ bikes with balloons and streamers and they rode them in the children’s parade. It was the first time for Fiona and Lydia to ride their bikes, they’ve always rode in the wagon before. They both did great and kept up with their brothers well. After the parade we found out that Lydia hadn’t won the baby contest, but her picture sure was darling. I don’t know how those judges didn’t see it.

Saturday: We went to the big parade in the morning with 4 plastic sacks and came home with bags loaded with candy. We saw a tractor with 3 dogs riding on it, lots of horses and Lydia saw the ‘grumpy’ fireman. She was so excited to shake his hand as he walked by. waving to the Mayor (aka Grandpa)
In the evening we went to the pageant and watched local talent perform. A boy from our ward did a Hawaiin fire dance that was awesome. And they had a fabulous rockabilly band, Kenzie James and the Knockouts. After the show we watched the fireworks over the pond. It’s so beautiful how the water reflects the colors; I think they are my favorite fireworks every year.

on a side note:
Lydia is progressing in potty training finally. We figured out how to motivate her, and it was quite by accident. I’ve tried everything. We had a sticker chart, candy (even chocolate), toys, and the promise of a party with cake as incentive. But one day while she was crying as I was sitting her on the potty I started singing the ‘itsy, bitsy spider’. She stopped to listen and started to pee. Then she smiled at me and laughing said, “I just peed on the spider!” Now when she has to use the potty she runs to pee on the ‘bipsy, yipsy spider’. Austin & I laugh about it every time. She gets quite a kick out of it now, too. Austin tells her not to pee on his spider friend and she's proud to tell him that he died again. We may have her potty trained by next week, I’m so excited.

well, hello again!

2011-08-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

what a summer so far. and in a few short weeks we have school starting, wow!

fiona was in the fiesta days parade and loved it. she is amazing. she is so timid and insecure at times, but when she is on that horse or even the barrel there is no fear. the confidence and joy just radiate from her. she was smiling and waving to the crowds as she performed on the barrel. it just amazes me.

here she is on the trailer with her legs dangling over the edge, in the pink

I also had the insane idea of taking the kids on a hike to the Y. I haven't hiked it since college and I had forgotten how very steep it is. We heard a lot of complaints, we left late in the day, and it was very humid. Only my stubbornness kept me pushing them all to the goal. I'm just so grateful that my sweet companion is so patient with me and my crazy ideas. And now the kids are excited to tell all their friends that they've touched the Y. What an accomplishment. I was really proud of them all.

here we are by the Y, the white behind us

looking at Provo spread below us. the white in the very top is actually the lake. my camera was on a weird setting and I didn't realize it until we had already gotten home.

we hope to have many more adventures before the 22nd.

busy summer days

2011-07-17T21:55:00.000-06:00

We've been enjoying a busy summer. I just can't believe school is going to start again in 5 weeks. We're trying to squeeze in all the fun we can in those last few weeks.
We did swim lessons:

Fiona has been practicing for the parades in her vaulting class:

and I even had a mission reunion to attend:

some of the things we want to get done are:
camp up Payson Lakes
hike the Y
picnic at the little sand dunes picnic area that Austin found
swim, swim, swim

viva las vegas

2011-06-21T09:15:00.000-06:00

I have NEVER liked las vegas. On the way to Disneyland we stopped there to get a quick bite, we made it as quick as possible so we could get back in the car and get out of there asap. When I heard that was where our family reunion was going to be, I was less than thrilled and planned on going just out of duty to support the family. But we honestly had such a great time, that I kept wondering if I were really in Vegas at all.
We went to the Nevada Railroad museum, Hoover Dam, for a hike up Red Rock Canyon, China Town for dim sum, the Ethel M. Chocolate factory tour and swam till we were permanently pruny. It was a great vacation. So if you are heading down to that area and need some fun ideas, I definitely recommend trying these sites.

cactus gardens at the chocolate factory

we went to the park and made icecream in ziplock baggies, it was so fun.

no sight of harpies, whew.

Lydia & Holland found a shared love of splashing

great action shot of Reid & Wesley

fiona & lydia LOVED this seahorse in front of Ceasars

what I'm eating at this very moment....

2011-06-15T17:04:00.000-06:00

I was never a strawberry fan until I was introduced to this amazing combination
strawberries, sour cream & brown sugar
it also works really well with bananas when strawberries aren't in season.

dip your strawberry in the sour cream and then in the brown sugar,
honestly it is delicious. would I lie to you? never.

school's out!!

2011-05-29T14:34:00.000-06:00

the boys are excited to be out of school. wesley did a great job this year at the first grade program, he even did the chicken dance like a pro

ian graduated from kindergarten with flying colors. i love this picture. fiona was so excited for him and he tried really hard to look like he wasn't pleased with her affection. they have a funny relationship.

ian and grandma. what lucky kids to get grandma as their kindergarten teacher. fiona and lydia can't wait for their turn.

Who I look up to

2011-05-29T14:24:00.000-06:00

Today we had a combined Relief Society and Priesthood meeting and as I listened to the teacher I started thinking about the great people I have had the blessing to come into my life. So many good people have blessed my life and helped me to make it through many difficult trials or uncertain moments in my life. My cousin Ashley has always been one of my heroes with her great sense of humor and kindness to others even when they don't quite fit in. After high school I met Melanie and she is amazing at making others feel like they have great worth, she's also so much fun. On my mission I remember one companion that NEVER said anything unkind about anyone. I was amazed by this talent and have tried to develop it in myself (it's harder than it looks). Now in our current ward I have met an incredible peacemaker that helps everyone work together and feel like what they have done is contributing in some way. I could go on and on mentioning so many people and I hate the thought of leaving anyone out. I have been so blessed by so many and their good works.
As I thought of all these good people, I also started thinking about the amazing men and women in the Book of Mormon that have been an inspiration to me. I hope to raise children like the stripling warriors who have unfailing testimonies to see them through the dangers ahead. I strive to have a willing spirit and do all the Lord will ask of me like Nephi. I want to strengthen my faith & hope to be like that of Mormon's & Moroni's as they worked to protect the records for at that time an unimaginable goal.
There is so much good to be done and I want to be a part of it.

first tooth

2011-05-18T14:25:00.000-06:00

Ian finally lost his first tooth. He was so excited. That night he even caught his first fish at their fishing class. When he went to bed he told us it was 'THE BEST DAY EVER!!'

being a positive influence

2011-05-02T21:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had the greatest lesson in Relief Society. Jodi prepared a lesson about being a positive influence and the power we have to lead others. She shared a clip she found on youtube about the influence we have on others. It had me laughing and thinking about my own influence and how I should wield such great power.

honestly, the cutest kiddos on the planet....

2011-05-02T21:26:00.001-06:00

(even when they're pouting)
I made the boys bowties and I just couldn't get a great picture of them, but believe me they were handsome. I found lots of different tutorials for the bowties, but this is the one that I liked the best. It seemed to take the least amount of material (big concern for me at the time) and was really easy. I made 3 of them in just a few hours.

easter celebrations

2011-04-27T13:53:00.000-06:00

our easter was really fun. we do most of our fun stuff on saturday so that sunday is more subdued and reverant. i wanted to share some of the pics that i got from our easter hunt at grandpa and grandma denie's house. we had a great time.

grandma trying to line up the troops

grandma has amazing powers over these guys, look at how she got all 8 to sit still for a picture BEFORE the egg hunt.

she went right for the chocolate

ian even found a christmas bulb, what great hunting skills and wicked fast. watch out cousins he's going to smoke ya next year ;-)

she was anxious to eat the candy

he was a little upset that he didn't get as many as ian this year, but he didn't do too shabby

fourwheeling with dad

grandma took the girls for a ride

she's a crazy driver

fun with aunt alli

instead of easter dresses I made an easter bonnet headband found on sewing in no man's land blog. she's very inspiring. I had found the girls dresses last fall for $6 and tucked them away for easter. i also made a headband for me and repurposed a dress that I had found at a thrift store. I think they all turned out great and I'm planning on getting a family pic in them. I also made bowties for the boys and Austin. They look so handsome, loved it! so when I get a pic I'll share. I just had to show off the girls because I was able to catch them Sunday morning before church.

our dog, named scooter

2011-04-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'd really like to change his name. Maybe something like burt, or barsky, even dervish have crossed my mind, but it's too late now. we're stuck with scooter. I hate yelling that name when he's taken off down the street, most of the time I just let him run and wait for him to come back in his own good time (which is usually about 5 minutes, he's not much for adventure).
We've had him since January and he's really been fun. He has a great tasmanian devil trick that we make him do for entertaining company (it's probably his only trick.) The kids adore him, zero not so much but they get along. He loves to lounge and I got a great shot of him and Ian watching cartoons together. We think he's going to fit in well around here.

spring break fun

2011-04-23T16:31:00.000-06:00

boy, did we get lucky. we actually had really good weather for spring break. so we took advantage of it by playing outside as much as possible. we even spent an entire day at the zoo.

monday i was able to get together with a companion from my mission. it was so good to sit and talk, i never really knew her well on our mission (that was entirely my fault) and i'm so glad that i was able to rectify that a little. i'm not too impressed with my hair in this pic, but i decided to show it any way. thanks meagan for visiting with us, we had so much fun!

wednesday we played at the zoo:

An Austin is faithful 100%

slow and steady win the race

my cute little bunny

aren't they handsome!!

in the reptile house we saw a tortoise nosedive off a large rock. one of the zoo workers had to come set him back upright, she said he's a bit adventurous and frequently gets into trouble. we actually got the whole thing on video. it was quite exciting.

two of the cutest little oxpeckers you'll ever see

ian has a new love for peacocks and insisted on riding the peacock carriage on the carousel even though it didn't move, he was willing to share though.

i HATE this spider thing at the playground. way too realistic for my taste. my girls obviously didn't take after me, and now i have nightmares of this scene.

friday we went to the discovery museum in salt lake. we were so lucky to meet up with dawnelle, grandpa craig and grandma rosie. we're always so excited to see them.

this is fiona the pony and ian the goat at farmland

wesley wanted to be a bumblebee in the theatre area, he loved having a stinger

lydia could have spent the whole time at the water area. and i really need to remember to bring her a change of clothes from now on.

we really had a great week and hope that you all enjoyed your spring breaks as well

April showers...

2011-04-03T20:30:00.000-06:00

this was our week

kids playing in puddles

barefoot

and this morning 1 1/2 feet of snow.

so wet and heavy my lilac is lying on my lawn

all our trees are drooping, they look sad. i think they really want spring to arrive for good, too. has anyone else prematurely put their kids' snow clothes away.

I just hope these April showers will bring our May flowers and that all the buds haven't frozen.

yes, it's my party!

2011-03-23T14:29:00.000-06:00

Last week I celebrated my 35th birthday!!
Yep, 35 is halfway to 70, but like Austin said so wisely, now I have another 35 years before I reach 70. Just imagine all that I can do with that. wow!
My birthday kind of got drawn out unintentionally. The day of I tried to do 35 acts of service to celebrate. One of the sisters in my ward mentioned she had done this for her 40th birthday which she had been dreading and it really made her birthday a wonderful one. It was fun trying to think of different things to do, a lot of what moms do all day is service so helping Fiona or Lydia find their shoes for the 6th time really helped me meet my goal. But it was fun to have a different mindset for the day and focus on helping others smile. 35 was a lot more than I thought and I didn't reach it till just after the kids went to bed. Hopefully, as the years go by I'll get better at finding opportunities so I can keep up the tradition.
On the weekend Austin put together a fantastic evening for me. We got a babysitter and went out to dinner. After dinner he took me to the Stake Center where he had thrown together a party with some friends from the ward. He planned several games for us to play and we had a great time visiting, playing and laughing. I am so grateful for such a fun and thoughtful husband, and so many good friends. I had a wonderful time and felt so loved.

good friends and treats=the perfect party

we played a relay race with hockey sticks and nerf balls

one game we had to move a nerf ball without hands from our shoulders to our ankles with our team mate

Austin and I dropped ours

this was called shrinking islands and you had to keep folding your paper in half without falling off

Austin & I got creative and won

The past week

2011-03-20T13:54:00.000-06:00

We went for walk along the weeping rock trail last week. It turned out to be a beautiful day and it was so fun to walk with the kids. And we got a funny story out of it as well. On the way back down the trail, Ian picked up a rock. This rock weighs about 5 pounds and is probably 8-10 inches across. He carried it all the way back down the trail and to the car. As we were driving home, he asked if he could keep the rock in his bed. I told him that it was a ‘wild’ rock and it would prefer to live outside in its natural habitat. Ian didn’t take that well. He really likes to argue things. So the whole way home he kept telling me how he was going to keep the rock in the house and he was going to keep it forever. When he grows up and moves out the rock is going to move with him and he’s planning on passing it down to his posterity who will all let the rock live in the house, too. I told him if he tried to keep the rock inside that it would run away. He said that rocks don’t have legs. I told them that they roll away. I told him that when we got home we would ask daddy if it was a ‘wild’ rock or a ‘house’ rock. As soon as we pulled in the driveway and saw Austin he grabbed his rock, jumped out of the car and asked, “Dad is this a wild rock?” Austin was a bit confused and looked at me. I said, “Honey, is this a ‘house’ rock like Ian says or is it a ‘wild’ rock like Mom says?” Fortunately for me, Austin is quick to catch on and told Ian that it was definitely a ‘wild’ rock. So the rock had to spend the night outside. Ian told us that the rock was sad and crying. He made us leave the back porch on so it wouldn’t be scared and he found it a couple of friends to keep it company. It’s still sitting out there happy as can be.

Thursday we had a fun St. Patrick’s Day. The boys both had a close run in with leprechauns in their classrooms. The one in kindergarten left the class new boxes of crayons and footprints all over. The one in first grade was locked in a cupboard under the sick, but when they finally tried to let it out it had left a leprechaun toy and lots of candy for the class to share. At lunch while making invisible kool-aid (it’s a new flavor they have) a leprechaun tricked us and turned it green. For dinner we ate corned beef and cabbage and the kids really enjoyed it (I was worried no one would touch it). And for snack we had rainbow parfaits with yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and mandarin oranges. I love making the holidays fun for the kids, they love the simplest things.

Friday the boys were out of school, but Austin had a training meeting so I took them to the aquarium. We saw seahorses (the babies were only about an inch tall and held onto the grasses with teeny little tails), a HUGE lobster, a sea turtle that was swimming with sharks, and some very playful penguins (that was one of the favorites). We even got to pet some rays, starfish and sea urchins. It was a full day and lots of fun.

Wednesday

2011-03-16T15:44:00.000-06:00

Today is Wednesday. I just made cinnamon rolls, they are so good, I'm probably going to eat another one before I finish this post.

Josh and Bobbie got married last Friday. Many people came to support them and I am so grateful for that. I was a little nervous. They asked me to take photos and that was fun so here are a few that were my favorites.
The ones of all of them together haven't been edited yet and they need a little help with the lighting.

We've also been making frequent trips to the park. I feel that is one of my favorite perks as a mom. I love taking the kids to the park.
Lydia is quite the bubble afficionado lately

Ian likes to climb on top of the slides now, he's become one of those 'big' kids that drove me nuts years ago. I'm constantly telling him to look out for the little ones. He is such a handsome little man, I'm glad he's mine.
Lydia gets in a swing and just laughs. It's quite contagious.
Fiona graciously stopped long enough to let me get a picture. She was having way too much fun with the other kids.

Wedding Plans

2011-03-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

just an announcement for all those who haven't heard yet. Josh & Bobby are getting married this Friday. Yes, that would be March 11th. We want all friends and family to know they are invited, but it is really short notice. Josh just told us this past Sunday. Please email me if you'd like the information for time and address. And please pass the word along. Thanks!

pony party

2011-03-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

We had Fiona's first friend party this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We played pin the tail on the pony; pony, pony, HORSE!; carrot, carrot, who has the carrot; and had an apple tossing contest. We ate apples, strawberries and carrots. I made cupcakes and decorated them with green frosting and coconut 'grass'. It ended up being a nice day outside as well so the girls went out to play on the playground for a bit, too. Here's a cute pic of all the prancing ponies before they took off their ears and tails (it was way cute, but only lasted for a few seconds. What do you expect from preschoolers?)

kindy 500

2011-03-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Ian's kindergarten did the kindy 500. It was so much fun. Austin has been working on Ian's vehicle since before Christmas. As we were unwrapping presents he was eyeing the boxes to see which ones to keep. He started actually building right after the holidays. He's painting and refining since the beginning of February and he actually spray painted my windshield a bit at one point (fortunately, it seems to have come off). He built Ian an X-wing fighter, not to be outdone by the millennium falcon from last year. Ian was thrilled and had so much fun in the parade as all the older boys gave him high 5's. One dad even commented on how our kids pinewood derbies are going to turn out in a few years (I think he was jealous). I tried to get a lot of pictures, it's so chaotic it was hard to get really good ones.

Ian and his best friend Matthew, they love these days when all the kindergartens are together. Ian has am and Matthew pm so they never get to play during the week.

Austin even got an R2 D2 to help at the controls

I loved that this one had a windshield, so cute!

this girl had working headlights and taillights, I could never get a great picture of them sorry.

this one was another favorite in the parade, Wes said it was his favorite, too.

Red Baron, clever

Not exactly sure what this one was, but it was unique and I like BYU

Fun boys in my group: Parker in a monster truck, Bridger in a pickup (that thing was heavy!) and Ian Skywalker

Ian LOVED the attention

another cute monster truck

the gravedigger (I got these pics just for Josh and Wesley)

another gravedigger,monster trucks seem to be the "in" thing right now

I also kept an eye out for some cute girl ideas for when Fiona and Lydia get into kindergarten. The ice cream truck would be fun, but the one below just screamed GIRL to me. I think I'll be decorating theirs when the time comes, but I will definitely have Austin help build it. He did such an awesome job!

Fiona's 4!

2011-03-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

So last week we celebrated Fiona's 4th birthday. She is so fun to plan for. She loves horses, princesses and pink pink pink. When I asked her what she wanted for her cake this is the answer I got: "I want a cake with unicorns on it and ponies and bambies (she loves Bambi) and the bambies are hugging the unicorns and a pegasus family but the dad pegasus doesn't have wings and the mom pegasus doesn't have wings and the baby pegasus doesn't have wings. And they're all hugging." I felt a little intimidated about tackling that one so we looked at pictures online of pony cakes and I found a doable one on the family fun website. She on the other hand spotted one that was shaped like a my little pony standing up. that was the one in her mind. If you've ever seen my cakes you'd know that cake decorating is not my strength at all. Frosting and I have major issues. Well, I finally saw one that she liked and I thought I could possibly pull off at the grocery store. It was really simple, frosted green with a blue frosting river running through it and plastic horses on top. I made a quick stop at CAL ranch where I found the horses and whipped up the cake the day of the party. Other that the mare being too heavy and ending up knee deep in frosting grass, the cake turned out great and she was so excited. When grandparents arrived she rushed them over to see her cake. I loved seeing how happy it made her.

I also had to show off the outfit that I made for her. What's even better, after all the work she LOVES it and puts it back on as soon as it's been through the laundry. I thought it turned out darling and I want to do one for Lydia, too.

this is her prancing pony pose

#195

2011-02-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that this post is #195, where has the time gone? And I know it's been a while since my last post, a nasty flu disrupted our life the past two weeks and I'm finally recovering (ie, the house is back in a livable order, I've finished up projects that were due and the kids aren't hanging on me 24/7). Last Tuesday was Fiona's 4th, Thursday I put together the Relief Society Birthday celebration for our ward and Friday was the kindy 500. There's a lot to catch you all up on but I didn't want to do one monster post so I thought I'd take the next few days since there is relatively little planned this week (whew, breath deeply) and make several catching up posts.

Last Monday we decided to celebrate Presidents Day by taking the kids to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum. We love this place! It's nice that Austin usually has these breaks from school off, too. So we played in the water table building dams and drowning dinosaurs, we found out that our family's total weight (plus one or two small curious toddlers) adds up to that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, I laughed as another mother pulled her small daughter out of the megalodon's mouth (thinking how glad I was that it wasn't one of mine this time), we had a mild meltdown because there were not quite enough paintbrush nubs for everyone to excavate dino bones with, and we imprinted 2 pennies with prehistoric and totally cool images. All in all it was good times.
For lunch we decided to splurge and went to Coney's in American Fork. I LOVE custard! Coney's custard is pretty decent, not the best I've had but by far not bad. They had cookie dough as the daily flavor. I got a large as well as took a couple spoonfuls of Lydia's chocolate while she wasn't looking. I was pretty sick that night but it was well worth it, I told Austin I'd do it again any day. So here are the pics. enjoy and check back again for more updates this week. We may even make it to post #200 by the weekend ;-)

Wesley LOVES shovels

getting a kiss from corynthomimus

I adore how this pic turned out, her smile is so fun

Ian the terrible lizard boy, next to his fave the T-Rex

I'm still here

2011-02-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say, I'm alive. Just not much time for the blogging world right now. I promise soon. Fiona's bday is coming up. Lots of fun and already some great cake stories. Talk to you all soon. Have a great day!

Saturday morning

2011-01-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I have never been a morning person, but going on a mission taught me many things including how to control my morning grumpiness because not everyone is as understanding as my mom (thank you hermana felix, you really put up with a lot of it). Now as the mother of 4 little ones, two in school and having to catch the bus, I'm remembering that lesson. With the boys in school, Austin having to leave early and our schedule changing to early morning church Saturday has become the only day I can look to sleep in. This past Saturday was a morning disaster. 5:30am the cat ends up on my bed (we couldn't find her to put her out before we went to bed), 6:30am Wesley is awake and going to the bathroom (he LOVES Saturday, at least that's what he's taken to tell us everyday for the past two weeks. and his excitement has him up) plus the cat starts meowing because in my sleepy state I didn't throw her out an hour earlier, I throw the cat out. 7:30 am Wesley is up again and in the bathroom again. Sitting on his bed for an hour waiting just isn't his forte and he does LOVE Saturday. 8:30am the girls start 'neighing' at the top of their lungs, horses are meant to be loud. I finally give up trying to get anymore sleep and go get the girls who I find fully disrobed and yelling at each other (they are sooo loud! they got the Davis lungs). I wasn't the happiest camper that morning, but made sure that I controlled my temper. Austin, being the perfect husband he is, took all the kids on an errand to cash a check. It gave me time to read scriptures, get in a mini workout and shower. When they got back, Wesley walks in the door with a caramel apple from the big red barn in santaquin, hands it to me and says, "Mom, I'm sorry I didn't sleep in and that I woke you up early." Austin is going to teach these guys to be wonderful husbands! The one thing I am so grateful for this morning is that I feel like I have finally learned that lesson from the mission and have my inner grouch under control. Letting loose really could have turned a hard situation into a horrible day, but now we can all just laugh about it and warn Wesley that if he gets up too early on Saturday morning than he'll have to go to bed that much earlier Saturday night to be rested for church in the morning. ;-) I'm still trying to figure out a trick (other than duck tape) that will keep the girls quiet once they wake up.

this is just for kicks, the kids have some new favorite songs including Beat It by Micheal Jackson and We Will Rock You by Queen. I love watching them get into it and thought I'd share the videos of their excitement if you'd like to check them out.

random boring-afternoon thoughts

2011-01-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

It's still January... I always feel like this is one of the longest months of the year. Now that all the hustle and craziness is over it's nice to settle into routine again, but it also gets dull pretty quick since we can't get outside.
Yesterday we went for a walk and it really gave me a yearning for spring weather. I want to be outside feeling the sun.
For FHE we've been studying the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet. We just recently did gratitude and it was a fun lesson. We had a fun activity thinking of things we are thankful for that start with the letters T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U. This is what we came up with:
Tractors & Trees
Home & Horses
Animals & Apples
Nests
Kindermusic & Knowledge

Yellow & You
Octopus & Our family
Underwear & Umbrellas

The other day we brought out the dress up box to help combat the boredom that is starting to set in around here. Lydia went straight for the princess stuff and was good enough to pose for a picture.

We've also added a new friend to our chaotic zoo (I'm blaming it on cabin fever). I brought home a pug named Scooter last week and he has really worked his way into the childrens' hearts. They've been wanting a puppy for a long time, but I am against the toy chewing and other awful behaviors that puppies have to grow out of. So a small dog seemed more feasible and Scooter is great. He's so easy going and just the right size to play with. He also snores and snorts, it's great.

lucky number 7

2011-01-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

it just doesn't seem fair. when you're holding these precious little bundles of joy, it's hard to imagine them ever getting big then suddenly WHOOOSH! you can't remember what they were like when just a few precious weeks or months old.
our oldest is now 7! We celebrated at Pirate Island Pizza, we had a great time though I recommend not going Monday Kareoki night (no one would sing any good pirate shanties, just top 40 kind of stuff; it really put a dent on the misty, dangerous, lurking pirate cave aura)

I quickly made the felt pirate hats before we left. Ian had gotten one for his birthday and they were so fun.

Happy birthday buddy!!

p.s. I also happened to see and very briefly meet nienie of blogging fame. when i checked her blog today, she was there for a birthday, too. it's the place to be if you're a little pirate at heart like most boys.

i almost forgot

2011-01-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

i had to share these videos of our New Year's celebration
we had a cookie face race (again with the lizzing!)

and the triumphant and chaotic celebration of midnight (okay it was actually only 8pm, but no one felt cheated)

as the holidays come to a close...

2011-01-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Josh & Bobbie (soon to be engaged? We all hope so ;-)

i thought i'd share some more pics of our fun times. we've been playing a lot these past two weeks and having a lot of fun. monday we went with the cope cousins to see the lights up the canyon. we'd gone before christmas with the davis cousins, but the kids have been asking to go again and it's so much fun to ride in the big hay wagon. josh and his family came, too. we were so glad to have them there, though his skeleton face mask made lydia pretty nervous.

wesley giving mom a scare!

we had a New Year's Eve party with the kids. we moved the clocks ahead so that midnight arrived around 8pm. we played silent charades (wes kept yelling out what he was and didn't quite get the game), twister, hide the clock, ate lots of fun food and popped bubble wrap for our fireworks (that is definitely a new favorite tradition). we were fortunate enough to have some friends make it through the snow, the other families couldn't make it because of illness. but we had a great time dressing fancy and celebrating the new year.

This is a family tradition that i've enjoyed with austin ever since we got married. new years day sledding is so much fun and it's been even better as the kids have joined us. even though it was colder than freezing this year, that didn't stop us. you just add more layers.

austin & dallis are hitting top speeds

and any crash you can walk away from is a good crash

here comes wesley with ian standing by to cheer him on

todd helped ian get going

but ian's sled had a mind of it's own

yep, we start all the way at the top, no wimps allowed

of course we don't hike, we let the 4 wheelers do the work

and when we get tired of all the excitement we can warm up by the fire and eat lots of great food. the chili and scones are delicious.

tomorrow school and work start anew, but we have made sure that we used our holiday break to the fullest. We hope that your new year is looking bright and already filled with great memories.

holly jolly christmas

2010-12-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

our weekend was wonderful, full of family, food (oh, the food I consumed!), and frolic. we hope that all of you enjoyed Christmas, celebrating the great gift of our Redeemer and eternal families. Ian was able to give a talk yesterday in primary and did a wonderful job summing up why this season is wonderful and why we celebrate. His theme was 'I know that my Redeemer lives'. He talked about Grandpa Dan (my father), Grandpa Harry and Grandma Duck how even though they have died and aren't with us anymore we know that we'll be with them again because of the gift our Savior gave each of us. Such a simple subject, but it has had me thinking about how blessed I am and what a wondrous gift the gospel is to each of us. Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope that you feel Heavenly Father's great love for each of you throughout the year. Enjoy some of our picsenjoying the Cementary luminaries. Grandpa & Grandma's headstone looked beautiful. They were so loved.

the nativity at Grandpa & Grandma Denie's house a holiday tradition that gets better and better. we're pro now, we even have costumes. we're just missing one wiseman and everyone seems to think that means austin & i are supposed to have another baby. i'm still not too sure about that yet, though it's not entirely out of question either.

Joseph and Mary

Christmas Day at our house. Busy fun.

Josh got a thumbwrestling ring and was the champ for quite a while till Tyler finally took him down.

Austin got a catapult, which Mick used to bombard the other party goers with cottonballs. I liked this pic because of his maniacal look picking out his next target.

The whole nativity cast.

pillow pets were a huge hit at our house Christmas morning.

Ian "mantis" Cope

Fiona & Lydia loved the furniture that Santa found for their dollhouse

Fiona, the baby unicorn

the boys working on their legos

On Christmas Eve we played outside and had a great time in the snow. It was perfect for snowmen, snowball fights, making snow mountains to climb on, sledding and even building snow forts. Austin worked on his fort while the kids were down for quiet time. It took him a little over an hour to finish it. He leveled the ground, made sure it was square and level. He's quite the builder. The kids loved it and it only took them less than 15 minutes to totally destroy it while Austin was napping to recuperate. We had a talk about non-destructive play.

they really brought the walls down fast.

snow day and ornaments

2010-12-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

We decided to follow last years ornament tradition and make them at home. We made paper stars and they really turned out cute. The kids had a great time tearing up the construction paper and watching it get turned to pulp in the blender. I found the idea in this month's family fun magazine here http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/homemade-paper-stars-954207/

we couldn't get a family shot to turn out, they were all blurry whenever we used the timer. The kids were more than happy to help austin & i get a quick pick

with lydia we had to make sure we put our faces in the way of the lens

wesley decided to cut out daddy

ian finally got one that looked pretty good, all of fiona's turned out blurry.

i just wanted to throw this one in for fun. she did 'fish lips' for the camera and i always laugh when she makes this face.

Today we actually had a snow day. this is the first one i have EVER experienced in Utah. I think we got over 3 feet in one day. austin spent 2 days snowblowing and it just kept coming down. the kids weren't as disappointed about missing their class parties as i feared they would and we had a great time playing in all that snow.

ian sitting on the giant rock in our front yard

beautiful fiona, that face is to die for

lydia helping daddy make a trail to our chickens

we found a great hiding place under one of our giant pine trees out front.

santa claus is coming to town, aaaah! cry!!

2010-12-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

we took the kids to see Santa. the boys have always liked this tradition and start listing all the things they're going to tell him as soon as we're in the car. the girls not so much. the past years have always produced a crying fiona or lydia and making mom & dad laugh (we are such rotten, mean parents). but this year we've had a break through. the girls actually stayed long enough for not only one, but actually three pictures. there were no tears, no screaming and when Santa asked Fiona if she wanted a unicorn we even got a nod!

these were last year's pics, even with an m&m peace offering it was a disaster.

poor Santa

a christmas greeting

2010-12-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

the girls looked so cute i had to get a pick. we went to our last kindermusic class till after the new year. this week has seemed like it's been more than 7 days. monday i got calls telling me about 2 deaths in the family. one of the cousins lost their 2 month old baby that morning. it was a horrible and unexpected tragedy, one that any mother fears. i know the only way i could cope is to remember that families are eternal. the other call monday afternoon came after our beloved grandma davis finally got to rejoin her sweetheart on the other side. since august she's been in pain and suffering, it was a relief to hear that she wasn't having to endure any more, but still sad to think she's gone and now our christmas and other family traditions are going to be very different. her funeral was wonderful, probably the only one i've ever enjoyed attending. the thing i like most about the davis family is their ability to laugh at themselves. grandma davis was a wonderful lady, one i'd like to be more like.

i also wanted to share these pics from our FHE building a gingerbread house. it was a lot of fun, my mom had bought a kit so it was really a no brainer. the kids had a lot of fun building it and even more fun taking it apart and eating the candy. lydia was upset when we first started taking it apart, she was still in building mode. but after eating a few m&m's she quickly changed her mind.

snowman and cookie race

2010-11-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

The children are always making me laugh. With the first snow Ian ran out to make a snowman all by himself. He rolled the balls so big he couldn't lift them onto one another. So instead of letting that discourage him he smashed 2 of them and used the other for his 'sinking' snowman. I think I may have a Calvin in the making.

I love Wesley's face in this picture.

Last night we watched America's Funniest Videos. The kids just love it and laugh so hard. Ian & Wesley decided they wanted to try the cookie race that was featured. I think they deserve the $10,000 just for effort.

I almost lizzed (again, if you haven't watched 30rock you are missing out).

tangled no more

2010-11-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

this is our beautiful fiona. she's not one to keep things in her hair. we've been talking about it for a while, her & I. I hated putting in all the time to braid or create designs in her hair which was down her back and she hated keeping elastics in for very long. so when I asked if she'd rather cut her hair short like her sister's she said yes. I'm not feeling much regret, it grows back fast (this is how long it was just last November) and maybe by that time she'll have a better relationship with elastics. plus she pulls it off so well, what a cutie!

terrific, tremendously funny, at times tipsy TWO!

2010-11-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Aaagh! our baby just turned 2. Everyone has been telling me that it must be time for another, but that just doesn't feel like the way our family should be going right now and our little lady lyds might possibly be our last. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to accept growing out of the baby stage yet. There are definite perks, like leaving the nightlights in all day instead of rounding them up before little hands can yank them out. Or putting crayons in reach of everyone and most of the time they're only used on paper and usually not getting eaten (note the usually and it's not usually the 2 year old either). Lydia is such a joy and has been so much fun, she's the best little sister I've ever met.

We celebrated her birthday with family this weekend and we had a great time. She picked out the biggest balloon star I've ever seen (she has a thing for twinkle, twinkles), it was honestly as big as she is. So here are some picks to celebrate our girl.

can you believe how much both Lydia & Fiona have changed in 2 short years. That outfit Fiona is wearing is now hanging in Lydia's closet for this winter!!!!

A year ago. Sorry the pic wouldn't cooperate with me and I decided it was a battle I didn't want to engage in any longer (I'm learning as a mother the all important 'pick your battle' mantra really puts things into perspective, just not this picture)

my fifteen minutes...

2010-11-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I better let everyone know. I've gotten quite a few calls about it and yes, that picture in the Ensign on page 121 is me and my sister Katie. I saw the guy setting up his camera while we were singing and I just kept thinking 'please don't take my picture!' I was so worried that I'd be making some crazy face or something. I was so relieved to see that it turned out okay.

Now I just keep thinking of how that magazine is worldwide, that's a lot of people, but I'd be happy to autograph your copy and I promise not to let the fame change me.

run for your lives!!!

2010-11-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things we did at Ian's party was take pictures of each of the children running from a dinosaur. They really turned out fun. The kids were great.

6 exciting years

2010-11-06T21:23:00.000-06:00

Ian just turned six! So for the next 2 months I have 2 six year olds, so fun.

little paleontologists making their best dinosaur faces

We had a great time throwing Ian a friend dinosaur party. We played games like egg, egg, T-rex; dino egg relay races; and dino dig. The weather was wonderful for us and having 12 little people running around the yard was lots of fun. I have more pics for later when photoshop stops throwing a tantrum.

halloween

2010-11-06T21:12:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd hurry and just stick these pics up for those of you who'd like to see our costumes this year. Austin & I had a hard time with costumes and didn't get very creative. Austin redid a previous costume and I threw together a generic princess outfit (I was going for one of the twelve dancing princesses, my favorite fairytale, but who really looks at your shoes?)
Wesley was a snake, Ian aka Ironman, Fiona also redid a costume from a few years ago she just loves being a lamb, Lydia was a lydibug.
And sorry about the red eye in some of these, my photoshop was being fickle and I don't have time to play it's silly little games right now.

I just love this pose

The nice thing about trick or treating on Saturday was that we were able to visit all the greatgrandparents

Grandma Swenson (Grandpa was sick that morning)

Grandma Cope

Grandma Davis

This is Austin's imitation of 'my name is earl'

Hope you all had a great Halloween.

we {heart} disneyland!

2010-10-29T22:03:00.000-06:00

Oh, my goodness! We have had quite a whirlwind of things going on the last 2 weeks (and it's not quite over, I have Ian's birthday to plan for next week. And Lydia's the week after that. I'm already exhausted.)

Last week we went to DISNEYLAND! We had such a great time, none of us wanted to leave, though we could tell the kids were totally exhausted by the third day. On our drive home we were even lucky enough to be one of the first to see Ben & Jodi's new baby boy (he's very handsome.) Jodi had had the baby that morning. We tried to help them with a name, and they seemed to like Ian's idea of Earwig (that kid has naming issues. Tonight at dinner he told us he's going to live in the apartment house next door and his kids are going to be named Foo Foo, Moo Moo & Kee Kee. Um, yeah. Austin & I had no response to that, mostly because we were laughing too hard.)

the happiest place of earth

pure happiness!

flying of dumbo in the rain

Ian loved this ride

wes' favorite, Lydia wasn't going to let anyone else drive

Lydia LOVED mickey, and kept giving him hugs and high fives. it was so cute!

i had to keep a tight grip on the girls; Fiona was too shy and was trying to get away, and Lydia wanted to tackle the characters with hugs

We got to do everything we wanted to at Disneyland. We saw Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy dressed as a Skeleton, Minnie as a witch, The Evil Queen for Snow White, Cruella De Ville & the villains from Pinocchio. We even lucked out and found Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (Fiona was so excited to see Cinderella, her favorite.) We rode tons of rides; the lines weren't bad at all. Austin liked the Indiana Jones and was able to take the boys on it with him (they barely made the height requirement). I loved the haunted mansion sporting a 'nightmare before Christmas' theme. Wes' favorite was the Mr. Toad's wild ride. Ian said he liked the rockets (the ones right as you walk into tomorrow land) the best. Fiona would have stayed on the carousel all day if we let her and Lydia loved Dumbo. But it really is hard to pick a favorite, we loved all the rides so much and watching the kids have so much fun made it that much better. We are already saving up for the next trip back.

love the fall

2010-10-17T17:55:00.000-06:00

here's some pics of the fun stuff we've been doing this month....
making cookies:
<---yep, that's an halloween tricerotops next to the skeleton and pumpkin

posing for pics:

i just think these two are the cutest girls EVER!
enjoying the garden:
our flowers get one on one special care.

enjoying the fall leaves:

playing in the rain:
(<--ian is practicing his school picture look)

fun at the zoo (ian looks sad, he almost got pushed off by that little girl behind him and it really scared him, but what a trooper he stayed for the pic):

ian found his name in 'siberian lynx' he was so excited

the cabin by the pond

2010-09-29T21:33:00.000-06:00

ian said, "mom, now i'm not scared of the cabin, because i saw that's there's no ghost inside like emmie said there was."
last saturday was free museum day in utah. i knew because my visiting teacher told me so. she knew because she and other daughters of the utah pioneers were fixing up the cabin by the pond to get it ready for saturday. they flung open the door and window, cleaned away all the spiders and even served cookies, soda and tootsie rolls.

it was fun and informative. i had no idea that davy crocket helped build the salem pond fort, the boys were very excited about that fact. i just hope that we were not the only ones to enjoy the opportunity, because those ladies really put in a lot of work.

austin's goat

2010-09-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

that's right, a goat. and yes, it is austin's goat. i've decided i will not claim her. she ate one of our grape plants, she invaded my chickens' coop and ate all their food, whenever she gets out she goes right for the raspberries, she has sharp little horns and when she pushes against my leg it HURTS, and she has stepped on lydia a couple of times in her excitement to play so they're not friends anymore either. but she is adorable. that for now is her saving grace. plus she loves me, i think she's really hoping we can be friends, she follows me everywhere and when i scratch her sides she gets this look on her face like it's pure bliss.

i had to put the chicken feeder on top of the coop to keep it goat free. when she gets big enough to jump up there -and she will : ( -i'm hoping by then she will be too big to get into the coop and i can put it back in there for the chickens. yes, i spend much of my time trying to outsmart a goat.

this is our new rooster, zues. the children love the chickens, but the other day fiona said to austin, "zues is always lying on top of the other chickens" she thinks he's kind of mean. i'm not looking forward to the day she realizes what he's doing. like the white rabbit said in disgust, "they do their 'shookim' out in public, i had to avert my eyes!" i wish zues would do his 'shookim' more discreetly as well.

september is my least fav month in my favorite part of the year

2010-09-23T15:40:00.000-06:00

well, that about sums up this month. it's been somewhat of a nightmare at times, but we are making it through and there have been some great moments to enjoy as well.
this past monday was an especially trying afternoon. i ended up in tears and crying on austin's shoulder when he came home. then, out of no where i see this.....

it gave us both a good chuckle.

here are some other things that have helped to have a smile through the trials...

the boys found a caterpillar hanging on our back door, we put it in a jar and the next day is had spun a chrysalis. 10 days later we got a great surprise! (i was worried, i thought the little guy wasn't going to make it, because of all the trauma of being manhandled and stuffed in a jar)

the north park in spanish fork finally opened and they have installed a splash pad. it is awesome and the weather was nice enough to let us enjoy it a couple of times. (the boys were here too, but the camera batteries died before i could get their pics)

one day when i was doing laundry i found this strange creature in my dryer...

i think she's been helping keep the towels nice and fluffy. when the other children saw these pics they asked if they could get in the dryer too. maybe tomorrow we'll have some dryer pics of everyone.

this month has also taught me much. i'm learning that these small joys are truly miracles and heavenly father's way of letting us know that he loves us and he's aware of us. i feel so loved this month, no matter how bad it's gotten. and thanks for all the prayers and fasting for lyds. she seems to be doing so much better and i thought i should let you all know. we'll know more specifically in november and keep you posted. we really appreciate your faith and love.

who's cute

2010-09-05T23:27:00.003-06:00

Well, I finally tried something that I've never done before and I can say that it was a learning experience. I learned that I enjoy doing this stuff more just for fun than for a living. I had a booth at the Salem Days fair in the square. I spent the whole day there and it was a bust. It definitely did not go as planned. So now I have many headbands lying around waiting to find a good home. If you are interested let me know. I'd love to hook you up. The upside is that I have many great baby shower and birthday gifts all ready to go. So look out if your bday is on it's way;)

first day of school

2010-08-31T20:48:00.005-06:00

here as promised are the first day of school pictures.
Wesley started 1st grade last week. He is doing very well after school (we thought the transition to all day would be rough, but he's really adjusting well). He likes his teacher and has many friends in class. Homework is not going to well, it brings a pout to his face just the mention of the word. Oh, well, we'll just keep working at it.
Ian started kindergarten today. He rode the bus with Wesley this morning and by himself on the way home. It was his first time ever on the bus (for Wes it's old hat now ;) He was so excited this morning he woke up before I did. And he's been dying to wear the bakugan shirt that he picked out weeks ago (I think this is his tough guy pose for the picture, so cute!). Grandma Johna is his teacher and said he did great he even made a new friend. So far no homework, but it will be soon enough he'll be joining Wes at the table to work on writing and reading.
The girls and I hung out this morning. It reminded me of the days when it was just me and the boys. They played together really well, it was fun to watch.

walking to the bus stop above our house

Wesley taught Ian how to watch for the bus from atop the burm (spelling?) above the gravel pits. while they wait for the bus, they get to watch the equipment work, what better way to spend your time if you're a 5 or 6 year old boy? answer: no other way, that's for sure.

the end of summer

2010-08-25T15:45:00.010-06:00

these past few weeks have flown by like a tornado. it's been fun, but disorienting at the same time. here are some pics from the events.
Salem Days:
the kiddie parade
Fiona was a princesss, Wesley rode his bike, Ian walked and dressed up as a knight. Lydia & I were the hula girls (Lydia even wore the coconut bra, I felt too weird in mine and just went for a tropical flower in the hair instead)
Lydia won 'Biggest Eyes' in the baby contest. What can I say our kids are DARLING!!
the grand parade
I don't have any pics, because I decided to do a booth this year and missed the grand parade. I think I'd rather catch the parade next year. Booths just are my thing.
pageant fun
Austin volunteered when they asked for folically (spelling?) challenged males. He won a cool pillow that actually seemed to help his snoring a little. And we got some great pics. The kids made it all the way to the fireworks, Lydia loved them. the others thought they were just okay. We were really tired the next morning.

After we recovered from Salem Days I had the brilliant idea of making the family hike to Timp Cave. The kids did great, real troopers. Wesley, Ian & Fiona made it all the way up and down on their own. Lydia was not fun in the cave, she screamed because she was sick of being held and had missed her nap. When we got back to the bottom, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. I would like to do more hiking with the kids, but we'll definitely have to make the hikes more kid friendly.

Wesley, Ian & Fiona had their vaulting showcase on the 7th. It was so much fun to watch, they did a great job. The boys have decided to not continue with the sport (it's a female dominated area), but Fiona is still going strong and loving it. The video wouldn't load, but I'll try again later.

Lastly, here is a pic of my budding artist. Fortunately, most of the mess is contained by strapping her in the high chair.

Just a side note, school started yesterday and I got some darling picks of Wesley on his first day. I'm going to hold off posting them until Ian starts kindergarten next week. Then you'll get a double dose of handsomeness to the extreme.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

2010-08-13T14:07:00.000-06:00

wow! I am so grateful for the power that the Savior gives us, it makes it possible to do seemingly impossible things like this.

un-birthday party

2010-08-07T15:32:00.011-06:00

reid & kaitlyn were trying to plug the drain and create a pool, they were very persistant

wesley was a little nervous about pushing the button for the water the first time

i love this picture, ian looks like he's doing the spanish dance that buzz does in toy story 3 (that was our favorite part)
today we had an un-birthday party. there were a couple of reasons i was driven to throw this last minute party. first i've always wanted a summer birthday, water parties are so much fun! the other reason is due to an unfortunate incident we had with one of the boys' friends. we had a received a birthday party invite early in the week. the boys were so excited, they LOVE birthday parties! well, thursday the little boy, whose birthday it was, informed us that the invite was only for ian and wesley was not welcomed. wesley was heartbroken, as was i. i told the boy as politely as i could that if he'd like to invite one of the boys, then they are both invited. he promptly corrected me and said, 'no just ian'. so i thanked him for letting me know and told him that neither of my sons would probably attend. it's hard. if it had been one of ian's friends from school, it wouldn't have even been an issue since they have seperate school friends. but the boy is in the neighborhood and usually plays with both boys, in fact he's in the same school year as wesley. it's just so heartbreaking to have your child be rejected. so i decided to throw our own little party with our family. i want to teach my children that family comes before friends and that they need to stand up for each other, to rally each on. i think ian is going to face that a lot in the coming years, and i want him to be the brother that wesley is going to need him to be.
so here are some pics of our fun party. i frosted cupcakes and let the kids decorate them themselves with candies, sprinkles and mini cookies. we had icecream, too. then after they got sufficiently messy, we cleaned them up in the sprinklers. it was the perfect party (except for the wind, that tried to dampen the festivities to no avail). all in all it was fun times.

crocheting like crazy

2010-08-06T08:56:00.003-06:00

I've been working on getting a booth ready for Salem Days next weekend. I found the cutest pattern for crocheted headbands. Here's some pics...

It's great having the cutest models right in my own house. If you're interested in getting some of this cuteness for yourself (the headbands of course) swing by Salem festivities on August 14th between 11 and 4pm and come see my booth 'who's cute'. Or if you'd like I'd be happy to take orders just leave me a comment with your email address so I get the details from you.

just for fun

2010-08-02T08:33:00.004-06:00

i've been taking pics like crazy and just had to share a few of my new favs. most of these are lydia, she's at such a fun and crazy age. she gives us a good laugh daily (usually a fantastic tantrum, too. good thing she's so darn cute!)

vaulting

2010-08-01T00:23:00.004-06:00

the kids decided to take vaulting again this year. ian, wesley & fiona are doing great and having fun so here are a few of their pics. they have a showcase coming up, i'm excited for dad, grandpa & grandmas to come see how much they've learned. fiona truly amazes me, she is so timid & shy about so many things, but she has no fear of the horses. she loves them!

a little rodeo action

2010-07-28T08:18:00.008-06:00

3 against 1, Ian held them off for quite a while

we think cayson deserves a chicken of his own, he was so interested in them and we felt bad that we didn't take them to the bbq with us for him to play with.

This summer has been full of fun memories and by far one of my favorites is going to be the Enterprise Rodeo and Pioneer Day celebration. Wesley is all in favor of moving there, he may talk the rest of us into it one day. We went down Thursday night. Friday we played at a St. George water park (I'd never find it again), ate custard at Nielsen's (I LOVE custard, and even sneaked a little of Lydia's when she wasn't looking), and went to the rodeo with a great group of people (you know who you are ;). At the rodeo Ian & Fiona participated in the chicken catching race. Ian, who has been practicing for this moment since we got our own chickens, caught a big grey & white hen within the first 30 seconds. He sat quietly holding his chicken, now named rain cloud, for the rest of the rodeo. While there, one of Austin's former students asked if we wanted his chicken, why not? And that's how we ended up coming home with 2 new chickens, a hen and a rooster now named Hermes (we're into giving greek god names to our roosters our other rooster is Zeus). After the chicken race Austin & Ben gave us some great entertainment, such good sports, by participating in the donkey race. I couldn't stop laughing while I tried to shoot pics, it was great! Saturday we went to the parade, and it was like Halloween. Honestly, the kids came away with 3 bags of candy (grocery bags!) They had a great time. When the parade was over we headed to Santa Clara to visit Ashley, Uncle Gordon & Aunt Edith. The kids were able to play in a little pool and there was the cutest little playroom with 'Alice in Wonderland' doors (that's what the kids called the small little doors that led to little childsize nooks). The food was fantastic, Wes said it was his favorite pizza now, too bad they don't deliver to Salem. But it hit 113*F and that is just too hot!! We had such a fun time visiting Ben&Jodi, Ashley, Edith&Gordon. All such good people and really made our time there wonderful. Thanks to you all!

the object of the race is to get to the other end of the arena on your donkey and pick up the watermelon, then ride the donkey back. this video is at the end of the race after both of them had fallen off and kissed the dirt numerous times (the pics were really blurry). Good job guys!!

Bear Lake adventures!

2010-07-07T08:07:00.011-06:00

this is a big post with LOTS of pictures. i always take like 200 at Bear Lake (this year i think i hit 234), it is so much fun.
we spent most of our time at the beach and the pool. this year the water was a lot higher and it created a little wading pool between two strips of sand. by late morning the water had heated up like a hottub. it was awesome and the kids loved it. it was really nice for the little ones (aka lydia the fearless) making it easier to keep an eye on them.
the pool had a new water slide, just a small one, but it was a great addition. katie dared me to go down it so i did. it wobbled and moved as i went down, i felt humungous! it was definitely made just for kids.
saturday and sunday austin stayed with us, too. we had a lot of fun eating dinner and playing with all the davis cousins, lots of good food. the ultimate frisbee game, softball game and tossing games were great fun, too.
this is definitely one of our favorite vacations of the year. enjoy the pics.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

2010-07-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God
How can you not feel better about yourself, when you think of how much the Lord trusts and loves you. To all my sisters out there, I know that as mothers we are doing an important work and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

you win some you lose some

2010-06-17T22:40:00.005-06:00

we are all blessed with talents and I believe that we can develop many here on earth with hard work and determination.
there are many things that I am good at, but there is one thing that I just can't seem to get the hang of. all the tutorials and instructions i refer to seem so simple and easy. i try to follow all the tips that i pick up along the way, but so far my talent in cake decorating just isn't blooming. in fact i'm downright frustrated every time i get the frosting in my hands. it just doesn't obey. so here's my latest cakewreck (if you haven't seen cakewrecks.com, definitely check it out for some great laughs. this is one of my favorites http://www.cakewrecks.com/2009/09/creepy-crawly-cakes.html). i refuse to give up and just hope my family is patient with me and my disasters (plus a little cussing, screaming, tears and a whole lot of laughs).
This cake is for my mom, she loves the seattle seahawks. i probably should say ADORES,this NFL team. she is forever loyal to them and has their emblem on everything she owns (I think there are about 5 of them just in her car alone). So I thought she would love a cake dedicated to them as well (I'm surprised we haven't thought of that before.) The idea came from a cupcake cookbook and was pretty simple, just a cake made from several tiers of cupcakes. I had the perfect colors and a great topper. Even the candles were perfect. I thought, "how hard could it be to stack cupcakes?" Well, I'll tell you. It's hard! The darn things just refused to line up and stack up evenly no matter how I arranged them. Only the bottom layer lay flat and by the time we lit the candles they were almost dripping off the sloping cupcakes.

but it did taste pretty good

and just to make myself feel better again, i had to post the pics of the boys in their new sweaters. i finally finished these a few days ago and ian has been wearing his ever since (yes even to bed, hence the pajamas in the picture).

i borrowed a sweater from my mom that my grandma june crocheted for my brother when he was 5. he loved this sweater and my boys adore theirs just as much. so even if i can't make a beautiful cake, at least i can crochet. maybe i'll have to crochet an amigurumi cake. cute, cute.

memorial day memories

2010-05-31T16:23:00.011-06:00

We had a great memorial day. We weren't able to go to Enterprise for the coolest BBQ EVER! It makes me sad to even think about it, next time we're SO there! But we still had a good weekend. We stayed home because we felt that it was time that we needed to get our garden in and get work done around the house. I have to say, Austin is amazing. He worked so hard all day Friday, Saturday & Monday.

He finished the new chicken barn & dog proofed the fence (our dog is such a stinker, 2 of the 4 chicks have wound up in his mouth. miraculously, they've both recovered), he also plowed up the new garden area, moved the raspberry box to a new location, tilled up the weedpatch in the apartment lawn to plant new lawn seed and tonight he's grilling dinner for us. Yeah, I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world.
This afternoon we visited 3 cemeteries and tried to tell the children a little bit about their forefathers. In Salem we visited Grandpa Harry (who Ian is named after), Hannah, Milo, Sherry and Duane. They loved that Grandpa Harry had a tonka dumptruck to hold his flowers. In Spanish Fork we saw Grandpa Cope's headstone (one of wes' names comes from this great man. And in the Pleasant Grove cemetery we visited my father's resting place. I told the children a little bit of what I remember, I was just a little older than Fiona when he passed. He let me help him raise a piglet and even let me name it Wilbur like on Charlotte's Web. And when I found a dead baby bird that had fallen out of its nest, he helped me bury it. I also remember sitting on his lap and watching King Kong with him, the old black & white version.
For lunch we partied with the Cope Cousins at Hatfieldephia (not too sure on that spelling). The kids had a great time. Austin & I hadn't been there for years and they've changed a lot. There was a castle, a playground, tunnels, a witch's house, a tee pee and lots of animals to climb on. Fiona's name was even in the castle because she must be a 'true princess'. It was a great place. Just next year I have to make sure that I bring their swimsuits, there was a fountain to play in and I forgot their swimsuits. Well, wes is not going to let me forget that again ;).

lazy summer days

2010-05-26T22:12:00.004-06:00

Sunday I went visiting teaching and the sister I was visiting asked if I was excited about summer break. I had to really think about it and decided a was a bit nervous. I've never had to deal with this before. Kindergarten was the first time that any of my children were away from me for a prolonged period of time and I'd gotten used to it. What would I do now that everyone was home ALL day? This sister I visit is brilliant with children. She is the resource teacher at one of the elementaries schools is Spanish Fork and she was Ian's primary teacher last year and Wesley's teacher this year. She is an incredible teacher. She shared with me what her mother used to do for the summer.

Monday was CLEANING DAY, getting the house back in order after the weekend
Tuesday BAKING/COOKING DAY, making special treats for daddy or cooking dinner
Wednesday is PARK DAY, visiting parks throughout the county & finding new ones
Thursday will be SCHOOL DAY,the day to practice some school work and keep all that precious knowledge from oozing out in the heat of the summer sun
Friday FIELD TRIP DAY, a day at the zoo or maybe a waterpark?

I LOVED this idea and I implemented it this past Monday. The kids were really excited too and so far they've had a great time. Monday we got 3 rooms straigtened, vacuumed, dusted, windows washed and sheets changed before they headed out the door to play in the sunshine. Yesterday we made pretzels. I've been wanting to try this recipe for soft pretzels forever (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/scrumptious-pretzels-687097/) & just never had a real reason to do it. The pretzels turned out pretty good. We had to eat them while they were still warm; Austin's pretzel was pretty tough by the time he got home to enjoy it. Today we went to the park and played all morning, then we made a quick stop at the library before we headed back home for lunch. The kids are a little reluctant about SCHOOL DAY tomorrow, but I'm trying to come up with some ways to make it fun & only plan on actually working on homework for a short time, then playing some learning games together or something.
I want to try fitting in a ART CRAFT DAY as well. I'm feeling really good about how this is going and feel like I'm spending great quality time with the kids as well as giving them lots of play time to just be kids and allow myself time to get things done, too.
I'll keep you posted on how this goes as we keep going through the summer & catch some pics of our adventures. I wish I would have thought to get picks of the kids rolling out their pretzel dough, it was hilarious and flour was everywhere.

my little pony

2010-05-23T19:50:00.003-06:00

fiona has taken to pretending to be a pony. she wears shoes on her hands and neighs throughout the house. i love watching them pretend. i remember pretending wonderful things, childhood is truly magical

graduations

2010-05-23T19:46:00.002-06:00

we have 2 graduates in our home: preschool & kindergarten
it was fun to watch them sing and perform with their friends.
it is amazing how much they have each grown over this past school year.

my week in a blur

2010-05-16T22:20:00.005-06:00

This past week has been packed to the gills with awesomeness and adventures (what time is it? ADVENTURE TIME!!!!)
Sunday: Mother's day was wonderful. Wesley made a funny little guess who book about me. Some of the clues were "She loves shephard pie and hates coconut", "She likes to plant flowers and hates to wake up for family prayer" and "She likes to wear her dress, she hates to wear her nightgown" (one mom's said that she hates to wear her underwear). It was so fun to see things in his world from his point of view. Ian made me a recipe holder with his picture on it. He did a great job and every night makes sure that I've put the dinner recipe in it. Austin also bought me a neat little painting that he said just looked like something I'd like. It's fun and I do like it, he's so good.
Wednesday: It was our 10TH ANNIVERSARY! Ten years seem to have flown by. I love being married to Austin and feel like the luckiest girl in the world. We went out to dinner and just had a nice time being together.
Friday: Wesley & Ian both had field trips this day. Ian got to ride a llama in the rain, talk about adventure! I went with Wesley, Fiona & Lydia to Thanksgiving Point's farm country. It was a lot of fun. The chickens were a big hit and so were the horses, sheep, bunnies, piglets, goats, cows, tractor ride, and pony ride. We definitely need to go back soon.
Ian had a kindergarten exam after his field trip on Friday and he got 5 shots, he was so brave I'm always impressed with this little guy.
After the doctor appointment we packed up the camper and headed for Little Sahara sand dunes. We stayed overnight and had a great time playing in the sand all day Saturday. The kids didn't want to come home, but mom & dad were exhausted.

ruling the roost

2010-05-07T21:43:00.002-06:00

austin caught a great pic of all 8 of the chicks, they've gotten quite big now, roosting together. the other chickens don't mind the new comers at all. maybe they just feel outnumbered?

random pics

2010-05-05T23:32:00.006-06:00

Ian's preschool had CRAZY DAY so Ian wore his shirt backwards, hiking boots, and swim trunks (it was snowing that day), I also put blue in his hair, but didn't show up very well in the pic. This is him with his BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD (that's what he says everytime), Matthew. They acted just as crazy as they looked.

Lydia is ready for the sun. me too.
she is very good at making us all laugh lately

Fiona and Lydia enjoying the warm weather (and yes, Fiona is finally potty trained. halleluja!!!

isn't she beautiful!

Easter clothes

2010-04-12T14:18:00.004-06:00

I made the girls Easter dresses and they turned out great. They finally got to wear them yesterday and they looked darling! (I'm working on making the boys sweater vests and I'm close to being done. As soon as they're finished I'll post pics.)

This cute smile is her "teeze" smile whenever she sees the camera now.

happiness is....

2010-04-12T13:39:00.016-06:00

seeing God's creations up close

having a helping hand when you need one & finding a good spot to sit when your tired,

flying a kite

having a jacket when the wind is cold

NOT being stuffed into a backpack

digging, digging and more digging

a rock

wearing whatever you want (even if you want to wear it backwards)

overcoming obstacles
doing whatever Dad is doing

CAMPING!!

what a weekend!

2010-04-07T19:33:00.007-06:00

This weekend has been full. General Conference was incredible even though it was hard to focus with 4 children running around. I felt like a lot of it was directed to parents, particularly mothers and I felt an overwhelming desire to be better. Easter was also packed into those two days. Saturday was busy and a lot of fun. We attended the city egg hunt, which is a tradition that we make fun of ourselves for going to each year. Then we went to IFA and let the kids pick out chicks. We've been planning on adding to our small chicken population for awhile now (we love our chickens!) and decided that Easter was a great time to get a few cute balls of fluff. We had a great time (as well as a short break in the winter weather) at Grandpa & Grandma Denie's. Lydia learned very quickly about candy in the eggs. We had our own small egg hunt indoors on Sunday. MOnday Austin & I went to the MUSE concert. We've been looking forward to this for months. Getting there was awful between traffic and weather. We missed silversun pickups. We were both really looking forward to seeing them, just as much as Muse, and were quite disappointed that we missed them completely. But the seats we had were fabulous and Muse put on a fantastic show (I loved the GIANT eyeball balloons filled with confetti that they dumped on the crowd). It was so worth it.

this is what happens to the kids when the fourwheeler sits too long without going for a ride

friends on the bus

2010-03-17T22:33:00.004-06:00

wesley has made a lot of new friends this year at school, but has a really special one on the bus. her name is amber and she really looks after wesley. she's in 5th grade and she's so sweet with him. she's always making him little treasures. last friday he got off the bus with this little gem. so fun, i just had to get a pic of her crafty genius. wesley has been carrying it around the house 'building' ever since (i've had to save it from lydia a couple of times)

just check out that awesome detail

leaping leprechauns

2010-03-17T22:25:00.003-06:00

this little girl saw that wesley was getting a picture taken and just jumped right in, it made me laugh

the kids were pretty excited about these hats we made and they make everything look good.

it's my BIRTHDAY!

2010-03-17T22:14:00.003-06:00

so this past Sunday I turned 34. it was great, except for the surprise gift of daylight savings. i know daylight savings is planned but it always catches me by surprise and the spring forward is the worst. it was a great day and i felt so loved. thanks to all of you who made me feel so special, especially to my amazing husband. he took me to my favorite restaurant (bombay house), ate fish food with me (my favorite icecream), and gave me irises to plant in the front yard (my favorite flower). a happy day to me. here's some pics of me with some of my favorite little people. 34 years and life is great.

kindy 500

2010-02-26T16:37:00.003-07:00

Today was the much anticipated KINDY 500. Austin has been working on Wesley's cat dozer for over a month and I thought he was going a little overboard until we arrived at the school in the morning and found out that it must just be a dad thing. can't wait till the pinewood derbies ;)
just check out some of these fancy vehicles (yes, that truly is THE millenium falcon)

Easter clothes

2010-02-23T13:39:00.003-07:00

I have been agonizing like crazy over what to make for the boys for Easter. We've decided we'd like to start a tradition of giving new church clothes for Easter and try to emphasize the importance of the Savior more and showing reverence. Pretty easy with the girls, there are so many options for dresses it can make your head spin. But for the boys a white shirt just isn't that thrilling. I've been trying to teach myself to knit, but I'm afraid I'm just not up to knitting the a whole sweater vest yet. But today I came across this blog and knew I had found the answer. This girl's blog is amazing!! I'm sharing with all of you because when you've found a good thing you just want to share the joy.
http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-boys-sweater-vest-from-mans.html

3 is fabulous!

2010-02-23T12:56:00.005-07:00

Our little girl just turned 3 yesterday! I look at her little sister and think, "you were just this age yesterday it seems." She has turned into quite the big girl now and I think she is absolutely beautiful. Her name means fair, white, pure. She was not named after the Fiona in Shrek, though she can be an ogre in her own right at times. She was originally going to be Jane, but that never felt quite right. She is truly Fiona and we love her. Happy Birthday, sweets!

St George

2010-02-15T22:07:00.007-07:00

searching for treasure

he loved burying his feet, but kept getting nervous that something would eat his toes

We just got back from a great vacation.
Saturday we played @ the sand dunes in Snow Canyon. The kids LOVE the sand. We could have spent everyday there and the kids would probably never grow tired of it, especially Wesley. He loves the sand. He loves to stick his head in it, rub it on his face (especially around his mouth), bury his feet in it, dig it, roll in it and basically be an absolute spaz. It was fun to watch. We even tried to find a geo cache with Ben & Mark's GPS. The search took us to a really pretty slot canyon, but we suspent someone took the cache and didn't replace it for the next person.
Sunday was spent in Enterprise. The funnest little town, mostly because that's where Ben & Jodi live. In Sunday school they passed out homemade butter cookies, yummy. And we happened to sit in front of the teacher from Sunday school during sacrament so she passed us a few more. After church we played with cousins (including Mark & Amberlee's kids, who were able to vacation, too.) The kids even had a cousins' pajama party with cheetos and chocolate sandwich cookies (great job Jodi). For dinner Grandpa & Grandma Deenie came down bearing delicious valentines cookies.
Today we went swimming. Lydia squealed in delight too many times to count, it was great. We went to lunch with Ashley & Aunt Edith. It was so good to see them. Next time we're hoping Ashley's house will be done and we can see it. It was great to visit with so many fun relatives.
On the way home we stopped at the Beaver cheese factory. We got icecream, salsa cheese curds (very yummy), and bubblegum (Ian really likes bubblegum right now). While standing in line for icecream, the boys bumped into Santa Claus. He was in regular clothes because he was on vacation, but the boys were not fooled. When they asked if he was the real Santa, he pulled out a small picture of him with his reindeer and gave a copy to each boy.
It was truly a great vacation, lots of family and fun, it just doesn't get any better

Wesley said we just 'had' to get a picture of a palm tree, good thing there was one right out the front door. All the kids got new swimsuits, too. Pretty good looking bunch (especially that hot guy in the back!)

Chicken of the Sea

2010-02-01T12:58:00.002-07:00

We were watching "Prince of Egypt" yesterday with the children. Austin & I were playing with the girls when Ian came over and asked, "Mom, why did the ocean swallow the Egyblets?"
Austin & I just laughed and laughed. I couldn't breath for laughing so hard and I was close to lizzing (30 rock season 3 reference). Ian just kept asking about the poor Egyblets and every time he said it in his little voice I kept getting pictures of plucked chickens swimming frantically and could only laugh harder. When I was finally able to answer him I was breathless and my side hurt. It was a great laugh.

balloons

2010-01-28T14:07:00.003-07:00

it's true that balloons can turn an ordinary trip to the supermarket into a fun-filled and extraordinary adventure with four kids. they even let me take pictures when we got home (very unusual for ian who is suddenly gone the minute the camera appears)
Lydia is getting quite the personality and is so much fun. I loved these pics of her with her balloon. She makes me laugh constantly. These children are the greatest and they're all mine! I love it!

I was recently released from the Primary presidency this past week and it's quite sad. I've loved being in there with the boys, it's the best calling I've ever had. I've been called to be in the Relief Society as the 2nd counselor. That means I'm now over enrichment (which really isn't called enrichment anymore). It has been so long since I've been in Relief Society I don't know if I'll be able to sit through a whole lesson. I think Primary has given me ADD. I'm sad to be leaving Primary, but excited to start something new so wish me luck and if you have any great ideas for meetings formerly known as enrichment meetings I'd love to hear them.

Prayer

2010-01-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

Prayer is such a powerful blessing in our lives and to hear a child's prayer is priceless.
Our little family has made some changes in our family prayers. we used to do it right after dinner while we were all at the table. we've recently felt a need for more frequent family prayer and have made a commitment to prayer at least twice a day, once before austin goes off to work and right before bedtime. morning prayers have been much easier than i thought they would be mainly because of austin's dedication to getting us all up before he goes out the door. what a man my husband is! the hard one is our evening one when we're trying to get the kids to bed before we lose our sanity, we just haven't quite worked it permanently into our bedtime rituals.

Wes Wes

2010-01-03T22:03:00.004-07:00

Happy 6TH Birthday!!
He wanted Pop the Pig and a scarf. He got both. He was so excited. And he picked out a hamburger cake (keeping with his pop the pig theme and his favorite food). We had a lot of fun celebrating his 6th birthday and making it a very happy day for him.

faith is power

2010-01-03T21:34:00.002-07:00

Today in Relief Society our bishop shared a talk from Sheri Dew. It was powerful and reminded me of the great power that comes from faith. Speaking of Mary, Sheri Dew said, "Imagine also the faith required to mother the Son of God. Surely at times Mary felt a crushing sense of inadequacy--which could only be managed with faith....I am grateful every time my faith is stretched, because only if our testimony of Jesus Christ penetrates every aspect of our lives will we be able to do what we have come here to do."
As sisters we have all felt the inadequacy that could paralize us, but our faith in our Heavenly Father and in our Savior knowing how much they love us and the confidence they have in us can help us continue on to do great things.

looking into 2010

2009-12-31T13:50:00.004-07:00

Infinite Power of Hope

As this year comes to an end I want to encourage each of you to HOPE for the future and strive to use your talents as sons and daughters of God to do good and lighten the world around you. HOPE is powerful and God loves you. From our family to yours "Happy New Year!"

how marriage should be

2009-12-27T22:19:00.003-07:00

kids pick up on a lot and today i got a small pat on the back for the way austin and i treat each other.
ian was coloring t-rexes and showed me how 2 of them we're attacking and eating a stegosaurus. i said, "maybe they're going to fight over it (thinking of the many nature shows i'd seen and how predators tried to take the 'lion's share')"
"no, mom,", replied ian, "they share because they're married, see."
it's good to know that he sees the good we do even when i often feel like i fall short.

.:our christmas:.

2009-12-25T22:10:00.002-07:00

what a wonderful time, we hope that all of you had family and loved ones around you today, too. the home can truly be a temple where the love of our Heavenly Father is profoundly felt. to have loved ones around, laughing, visiting, enjoying who you are and those around you truly is what heaven is going to be. only i won't worry so much about making sure all the food is swept up off the kitchen floor before it's gets smashed too much.

the day before christmas

2009-12-25T21:27:00.007-07:00

celebrating the 24th was a lot more relaxed for our family this year. we started out with some sledding,

mittens are lydia's nemesis, her thumb is in there somewhere and she just can't quite get to it

visited the cemetery,(this is who ian is named after)

ate pizza and had discussions at the top of our voices at grandma duck's house (man, it got unbelievably loud, but oh so fun),

found an early gift of pj's from santa, read the nativity, made santa's favorite cookies (chocolate chip), and watched a movie till it was time to usher the kids to bed.

nativity

2009-12-20T21:42:00.005-07:00

this year we went on sunday night to read the nativity with grandpa and grandma denie. it was nice and not so hurried. the kids were great and had fun dressing up. wesley and ian were very excited about being the wise men with the treasure (wesley wanted to be the foolish man). fiona was a shephardess with a sheepdog in her basket (we couldn't find a sheep) and lydia was a shepardess guarding grandma's new penguins from everyone.