Staying In Touch

Halloween Time

2010-10-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

Boy do I love Halloween... This year the kids really were not as excited as I had hoped they would be. I guess they are just getting to old for this stuff. Makes me a little sad but kids do have to grow up and I guess that is what mine are doing. J worked really hard on C's costume and it turned out awesome. R was able to borrow her's from my best friend which worked out great. We had a great night and ate yummy food that J made. Halloween would not be Halloween without my mom's famous popcorn balls. I wonder what next year will hold. Here are the pictures from our awesome night :) Enjoy!!

I did it

2010-10-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I have finally done it... I signed up for The Ragnar "Wasatch Back", the Ogden Half Marathon and will be signing up for the Salt Lake Half in the next couple of weeks. If you wonder why "I" someone who does not call herself a runner would sign up for these events just know that someone very important to me has shown me the light. Bunny was very into keeping in shape and being healthy and I have made that my goal as well. So I have decided to get going and running is where I will start.

I did my first official 5k which was the run for bun event. It was a very emotional day and to top it off a huge boulder jumped out in front of my causing me to ram into it with my knees. Yes I know only I could find a boulder and proceed to run into it. And no it did not stop me.. I kept going because who can stop when you hear the person you are doing it for telling you that you can do it. It was hard but I did it and I feel so amazing!! My legs would disagree but currently I am fighting with them.
So I have vowed to never say that I am not a runner! I may be slow but I try my hardest and that is all that matters. I know that Bunny is looking down and at times laughing at my attempt to run but also I can hear her pushing me telling me that I can do anything. I feel blessed everyday because I still am here and able to be with the ones I love.
Wish me luck!

It's been to long

2010-09-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a very longtime since I have been on here. It has been crazy busy around here... some good some bad.
I decided that I needed to take some time away from blogging. I talked to a friend the other day about some of the things that have happened and she suggested to write about it so here it goes.
As most of you know my dear cousin bunny passed away in July. She was such an amazing person and has been greatly missed. I have had a really hard time with this and have been struggling. I know that she is watching us all and at times I think she is there with me.
I was thinking of ways to honor her and decided that I would run the Wasatch Back with some friends because Bunny was all about fitness and staying active.
There is also a great 5k planned in Bunny's honor on October 9th that I will be apart of.
I just can not believe how many lives Bunny touched. She will always be in my thoughts and I will live each day trying to be more like her.
If anyone is interested in donating or being apart of the 5K here is the link to sign up http://www.runforbun.com/ It should be up soon with all the registration info.

October Blah what more can I say!

2009-11-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

October started out pretty rough for me. On Sunday I felt horrible, by Tuesday I went to the Dr who said I had the flu, by Saturday my mom told me I needed to go to instacare because I couldn't stop coughing. I went to Instacare to find out I had Pneumonia and from there they gave me treatments. By Monday I was not any better so the Instacare sent me to the hospital where I spent the next day and a half. I had only thought Pneumonia was bad for babies and older people, but I learned that it is a big deal. I was pretty scared which I didn't tell anyone because there wasn't much anyone could do. I talked with my mom who just knew that I needed her out here with me even though I was not saying so. My amazing mother and father drove out here and my mom stayed for the next 2 weeks. I went on Short Term Leave because of how crazy the healing process is. I was so lucky to have my mom here wit me. She did everything for me like cleaned my house, washed my blinds, sewed skirts for my daughter, made dinners, picked up kids, the list just goes on and on. One main thing is she cared for me. It was great to have her around. She thinks that she got on my nerves but she didn't.... Not once! She even brought her dog McT who is such a cutie. Him and Maddie became best friends and even though the cats were pains they still looked for him the day he left. The day they left was a pretty crappy day. I cried a lot and then my kids came home and they cried because they were so use to grandma being here and she wasn't. The kids want to go visit even though my mom thinks she is the mean grandma. Heehee I have now returned to work and I am doing a ton better. I even took the kids trick or treating which was a blast. Here are some pics of them. They are not so good because I didnt have a chance to get my good camera or even change settings.

Cade was Yoda and Reise was a vampire. I am excited that October is over and I am hoping that November will be a way better month.

A little bit of this a little bit of that a little bit of August

2009-08-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

So it has been hard to post with all the craziness going on. First Jeff and I have been working really hard to finish rooms in the basement so we can have some extra rooms for the rents when they come visit. So far we finished our laundry room. I am really excited about it. We are working on the guest room now and will move onto the bathroom and then the playroom. Here are some pics of the finished room.

Reise asked for a kitten for her bday and her wish was granted.. Meet Pumpkin

Jeff and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in Napa Valley, San Fran and then Disneyland.

Reise turned 8 this year and we spent her birthday in Disneyland. She was so excited and we had so much fun. I can not believe how big my little angel is getting.

And we finally got our family pictures hung up for display. We were lucky to have the amazing Amy take our family pics. I know they are a little crooked. I haven't had time to tape them in place :)

They Grow So Fast

2009-07-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

So my little ones started school today. I can not believe how fast time goes by. I was thinking about how my elementary days were and I actually got the chills. I then asked my kids how they felt about school and if they felt picked on. I remember being a nerd who was cool only a couple of times. I am so afraid that my kids will have the same experiences I had... I read this book 19 minutes by Jodi Picoult and it made me think about bullies. I felt like a bully at times and after this book I felt like there are bullies everywhere. I don't know why I am telling you all this but I really am scared about my kiddos being bullied. Lets hope they aren't because it is such a hard thing. Anyways my amazing children grow a year older and I just love them so much.

Little Down

2009-07-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been a little down. I went to a family reunion and I was in charge of taking the family pictures and sadly I feel like I failed because they turned out to be all blurry.... I know what my family is saying as they read this but really this has put a major damper on my mood. I really need to get more practice and I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. Really I should. Well this is the best of the pictures and my bro in law had to actually change some eyes and even a head because I suck!

Amazing Mother's Day Gift

2009-05-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

So I know this is late but I could not not post. My lovely husband and kids got me an Apple Iphone for Mothers day! I am so excited. And can I just say there is an App for everything. Oh and Jeff loves it also. He spent one night playing games on it until around midnight-1am. :)

Summer is coming

2009-05-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

I walked outside and saw a duck being followed by her young. She stopped and the babies all smacked into each other. Sometimes I feel that way about life. I am walking along only to be stopped in mid step and I run into someone's butt, well not figuratively but you know what I mean. I can not believe that summer is pretty much here or close. I hope the next butt I run into is the hotness of the sun.

*the picture above is not mine as I could not get my camera in time to get the little guys.

Easter Fun

2009-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

I love Easter! I love eating dyed eggs because for some reason they taste so much better then any other eggs. This Easter was quiet. We stayed home and the kids played with friends while J and I put primer on the walls and mudd in the basement rooms. We are getting so close to getting the guest room and laundry room done I can not wait. My parents will be the first guests to stay with us so I am really excited about that. Well I hope you all had a great Easter. Love ya

Don't you wish your daughter was this cool!

2009-03-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

So my daughters school was having a book fair. Well yesterday my beautiful little angel came home with the above poster. Guess who it was for. Me! And guess what was on the back.

So I will translate it:
" To Mom,
I Love you so so so much. Your the best mom ever. Your the mom
that should be everyone's mom and for every child. I'm glad you are my
mom. I'm glad you chose me instead of anyone else to be your daughter.
Love Reise"
Come on is your child that cool? hehehe I love this girl!

Giraffes, Zebras, Cheetahs Oh My!

2009-03-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

So on my lovely trip to Texas I had one main thing I just had to do which was to pet Giraffe's and Zebra's as well as see all the other amazing animals at a place called Fossil Rim. It had been raining all week and I was getting really sad that I may miss out on going. Sunday came and that was the day we decided to go and it was so warm. I was so excited and was so amazed when we got there. My sister said it was so crowded and I couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be because it was awesome! Lara got the food and we got the car seats in the back and got prepared to go see some animals. These are the first things we saw...

These animals are amazing. I could not believe how amazing it was. Here are just a few... ok ok a lot of pictures. I seriously love this place! You have to go to this place if you are in the area:
http://www.fossilrim.com/

Now for the pictures

Did I saw how much I love Giraffe's and how I just could not wait to feed and pet them!

So did I tell you that my sister is completely terrified of Ostrich's... She let them get close so we could get pictures! She Rocks!

And this is when I say goodbye to the coolest place ever!

So long Seattle Hello Dallas

2009-03-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

So I made it to Dallas and it was raining... Seems Seattle weather followed us to Sunny Dallas. We got in on Tue and my sister picked us up from the airport. We went straight to her house because lulu was being dropped off there. I was so amazed by all the HUGE houses and soon realized that there is a reason that Texas shirts say "Everything is big in Texas." We pulled up to my sisters house and I just was in Awe... Her house is just the cutest, coolest thing ever. If you know my sis Lara you know that she has amazing taste and can decorate a brown box and make it look amazing. I really do not have any pictures of her house but I do have pictures of what I found inside it...

I can not find a picture that Lara would approve so just know that she was there also. :)
We did so many fun things so here it goes
Teddy and Lulu are princesses

We also went to the Fort Worth Stock Yard which was really fun but got really cold :)

We enjoyed lots and lots of ice cream... Never mess with girls, grey's anatomy and ice cream :)

And so much more which will have to be on the next post... Lets just say we did a lot and had a lot of fun and I want to share it with all of you!

Been a long time

2009-03-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

I am home...Long Post to Follow....

I went to Seattle so I could see my parents who I was missing dearly. They are seriously so amazing! I had a lot of fun even though it snowed for a lot of the time and obviously rained... heehee
First we went to Pike's Place to eat lunch with my dad and then we walked around Pike's Place for a bit. I had been there with Jeff a couple of years ago so we did not spend a bunch of time there. We then went to my parents house so I could just rest and unpack and meet the dog.. Here is Mc Tavish

On Friday we went to Edmond's and walked on the pier and just walked and talked.

On Saturday we took a Ferry and then drove to Forks so I could get some Twilight Memorabilia. It was snowing so bad but my dad kept going forward :)

I really had an amazing time with my mom and dad and wish I could have spent more time with them. On Tue my mom and I headed to Dallas to spend time with my sister and her family...

To Be Continued.............................

Fun in Seattle

2009-03-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I made it safe and sound to Seattle, I am blogging to you from my mom's house. We have been hanging out and just spending time with each other. Will post more pictures of the fun I have been having later but here is one of my mom and I.

Seattle, Dallas here I come

2009-03-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow I leave to go see my parents in Seattle and then I am off to see my sister and her kids in Dallas. Will be back with pictures hopefully. Miss me :)

Do you have those in my size ;)

2009-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

So are you wondering what these are? No they are not barbies underwear nor are they for a cabbage patch doll. This is what I learned I needed to buy for R.
Here are the backs.

So you are probably asking yourself what the crap is M buying for her little girl. Well here is the full picture.

These lovely things are called foot undies for R's new jazz dance class. Yes I finally got her signed up for dance. She has been pleading and asking every couple of weeks when she will get to sign up. I have put it off for about 2 years because of work and so on.
Well I have had a really crappy month or so at work and have been working very long hours and have been pretty stressed. I have done a lot of thinking and have really dug deep to find out what I have been doing the last couple of years. I found that I have been putting so much on hold well not even on hold but have let them pass as I worked 12-14 hour days. It is time that I take care of my family and myself. I felt that getting off on time so pretty much at 5pm was a first step which I have been doing for a week now. It feels so good to leave work when it is light. Then I decided that my beautiful little angel needed to be able to enjoy her childhood. I remembered how much I loved taking dance and I wanted R to experience this. I know you are asking about the other 2 amazing people in my small family. Well J is loving his wife home before dark even though I still do not cook and C will start soccer soon which is what he picked to be his fun thing to do. My next step of doing something for me is to go on my trip. I really need to be with my parents. I have really been struggling without seeing them everyday and it really has hit me hard lately. I also am really excited to go see my sister and her family in D. I get to pet giraffe's hopefully. Thanks again to my amazing husband who bought me my tickets to go and is willing to let me go for 13 days without him or the kiddo's. I am so excited can you tell!!!??? Well more to come.

I love this man!

2009-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of my most favorite pictures. We took this with my phone camera and I just love it. Seriously I love him! Jealous ladies!

Snowboarding Fun!

2009-02-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

I have always been afraid of snowboarding. I have known so many people who were hurt when snowboarding ranging from a broken ankle to a broken back. So when I got married to a man who loves snowboarding I had to promise I would try it out. Well it took about 8 years for me to actually try and I did a couple of times but I hit my head so hard I was so afraid to try again.

Well my husband and a few friends said we should go. So here are the pictures from our fun time. It was hard but I will try again and again until I get better :) It is a lot of fun! Really it is...

30 Really?

2009-02-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

So I am 30.... I really am not sad nor do I feel like an old lady. I have friends who cried when they turned 30. I feel that I am young and I am fun. I didn't even really think about turning 30. I guess age really hasn't mattered to me much. I think you are the age you feel and if I feel I am 20 then that is what I am but who is to say that the way I feel is a specific age. Why is age so important to people and why is it that so many people get so upset about getting older. I can understand when it comes to dating and boyfriends and kids.. You need to be old enough to handle the situations but really feeling that you are having a mid life crisis because you are turning 30. Really?

So yes I am 30 and yes I feel that I can still wear my high heels with my skinny jeans(which really aren't so skinny) and I can sing in my car like I use to when I was 16. So take a moment to enjoy your life not the age but the feeling. Today I feel happy!

Oh and I received the most awesome gifts. My daughter got me a necklace that says Mother Daughter Friends Forever that she picked out when J took them to get my gift. My son bought me some wine glasses because he knew I had broke most of them.. He hates that I drink wine but I have taught him that he can have beliefs and others may not feel the same. That you love a person for who they are not just by what they believe. I am lucky because I have a family that feels the same way.. If they didn't then they would not be so awesome to me :) I received some nice birthday cards and one of my most favorite gifts is from my amazing husband. Not only did he take me to sushi which he doesn't really like he also bought me plane tickets to Seattle and Dallas, just for me. I get to hangout with my mom and dad for a few days and then my mom and I get to travel to Dallas to visit my sis and her family. I am so excited and with the work months I have had I so needed this trip... So that is about it. That is all that happened to me as I was turning 30. Really.. Lara you love it I know you do.. REALLY! Thanks for that because I now say that all the time.

Wow it is 2009

2009-01-16T22:19:00.000-08:00

I can not believe how fast 2008 flew by. It was a great year. I started getting even more serious with my photography and took a bunch of pictures for family and friends. Jeff and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary.... 9 years! Can you believe it. I can not wait until it is like our 30th. It has taken us a lot of work and it still does but it has been worth it. I still look at him and just can not believe he is all mine... To bad ladies! I think that my parents and sisters had a lot to do with Jeff and I. I mean, I have an amazing mom and dad that are still so in love. Just watching them and seeing how they can make it through hard times and still get that glow when they see each other makes me realize that I to can have that glow. I also have sisters who married awesome men. I love my brother in laws. They all are so different and just so amazing. I guess seeing all my family have struggles and still get giddy around their spouses helped me. I guess I am just blessed.... Well I know that with the new year you are suppose to do your New Year Resolutions but I feel like if I make one I will just be disappointed when I do not accomplish it. So this year I am just going to say that I will try to have an amazing year. I will try to be more patient with my kids. I will try to not be so lazy about house cleaning. I will try to not eat so much and to workout. I will try to see each day as a blessing and new adventure. I will try to be the best wife I can be. I will try to not work so many long hours. And the one thing I can say I will do is love my family and friends and do what I can to make them smile. Well thanks for listening to my rambles. Here is a picture of my awesome Cat Thor for your entertainment :)

Merry Christmas and Such

2009-01-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

So first I just have to say my mother is awesome... Look at what she made the kids. They love blankets and the ones that they normally drag along with them are the blankets my mom made them when they were babies. These are their new favorites.

And here are some random Christmas pictures. I was playing around with my new 50mm 1.8 so some are not the best but hey I am just getting use to the lens. hehehe

Then look at what my amazing husband got me for my photo editing... He was really getting sick of me always being on his.. heehee

Hope you had an amazing and fun holiday.

Little Late

2008-12-20T23:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the most amazing son ever. I can not believe that he is already nine. It seems like yesterday that I was changing your diaper. I have seen where people list out little tidbits of their little one's so I thought I would give it a try.
1. He is such a cuddle bug and I love it
2. He always makes me smile and laugh when I have had a hard day
3. He will break dance anywhere just because
4. He is an early bird which is not something he got from me. :)
5. His eyes remind me of my fathers and he even does the same puppy dog sad look as my dad.
6. He loves little kids, seriously you put him in a room with them and they just love him.
7. He actually will get teary eyed watching a sad movie with me.
8. He tells me he loves me everyday just because
9. He sings with me in the car and again break dances while sitting
10. He is an amazing brother, he does have his days but his sister is his best friend and he is not afraid to tell you that.

I could go on and on about this little man but I will stop as it is late and I need to go to sleep... Happy Birthday my little man!

Awesome Aprons

2008-11-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

So as I was looking at a friends site I found this amazing blog: http://epicureanstyle.typepad.com/my_weblog/

These Aprons are awesome. You really should check it out if you are looking for some cool, stylish aprons. She is also having a giveaway so go to her blog and comment so you can be entered.

Said I wouldn't but I did

2008-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

So when the first book came out I laughed. I thought that all these women going crazy over a vampire book were just going a little overboard. My family read them and talked about them but I just didn't really listen to what they were saying. Then women at work started talking about it. When I was asked if I had read them I laughed and said "Hell No!" Well soon one of my really good friends asked me about it and I asked if she was serious. She told me she was hesitant about it and then decided to be sucked in. She told me that the pages must of been marked with some sort of drug because she could not put down the first book. She told me I had to read it and that I really should just suck it up and fall into the trap called "Twilight". So I did and to my surprise I could not put it down. The second book was a little boring for me but the third was great and the fourth i had to read. Well then I find myself telling people to read it. They responded the same way I did but soon fell victim to it also. Then we start seeing the movie previews and it is decided that us girls at work will see it the night it is released. I told myself not to expect anything because I had been disappointed by movies made from books more then once. I can say the first time I saw it I was more distracted by all the Tweens screaming about Edward, James, Emmett and Jacob that I really did not have fun. Then I went to see it a second time and I decided that I really do like it. Yes there are things missing and things I would have changed but all in all it was a great show.

I thought I never could be

2008-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

So as most of you know I love being a mom but feel that I could never be a stay at home mom again. I think stay at home mom's truly have one of the hardest jobs ever and do not feel that is a job I could do. I was once a stay at home mom for about a year with my son. Then I decided to go back to work and have worked ever since. Don't get me wrong I have thought about doing it again but never really felt like I could. So then we go to California for 11 full days. I had Jeff there to help with the kids but really I was afraid. I have lost my patience and was so afraid of just full on losing it with my family. It is something I am trying to fix but I do not feel I am completely at fault because some of the side effects of my meds is irritability and anger. So back to my story.... The whole time I felt I was pretty good, I mean I did yell and I did have bouts but overall it was better then I had anticipated. Then Jeff left town for work and I became a single parent for the week. I have had a horrible week but have found my mind going back to thinking how much I love being home when my kids get out of school. I miss the 11 days that I could just lay and hug my kids and tickle them when I wanted.
I have decided that I will no longer say that I could never be but that I may really have a chance. Seriously I see my sister K who does all these amazing things with her kids and really is just an amazing stay at home mother. I know she doesn't think so but truly she is. I look at her and my other sisters and realize that they are all so amazing with their kids and ours. Sorry for the rambling and jumping around but that is how I think and so you all will just have to deal :)

Jedi Training

2008-11-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

So Reise and Cade wanted to do the Jedi Training at Disney Land. The first time we went the kids were not picked to train but the second time Reise was picked first and then Cade. They were so excited to train. They did an awesome job as you can see below.

Disney Land

2008-11-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

So we obviously went to Disney Land and spent time with my parents and Emily. We went to the California Adventure Halloween Party. I had so much fun on this trip. Yes it was overwhelming at times and stressful but all in all it was amazing. I had so much fun with my parents and hope they did also. I am not sure we will ever go to Disney Land for 6 days again. Heehee Well here are some pics from our trip. Enjoy

We are in California

2008-11-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

We made it to warm California to spend our 11 day vacation. YEAH!!!

Disney Land Autograph Books

2008-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

So Jeff and I decided that we wanted to make our kids autograph books for Disney Land. Jeff had found the idea through a Disney site and we thought it would be a great idea. The person who had posted their book on the Disney site had said it was really cheap so I started creating it. Jeff made the covers and added places to put the photo's of the kids and the character. Well once we got it all created I took the disc to Kinko's to get it printed... HAHA well if I wanted to pay over $100 for printing I could have done it there but obviously that was not something I was going to do. So back to the drawing board we went. So Jeff and his mom decided to print it themselves and Jeff is who finished them off with the awesome ribbon. Here is what we came up with...

The pages are in alphabetical order by characters, have page numbers and there is an index in the back.

Amazing Sisters

2008-10-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ok I know you have all heard about Stephanie and Christian's accident but seriously when I read this article:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/26/20081026sisters1026a1.html
I cried thinking about how amazing this family is. It made me think about my family and how each of us would do the same. I have the most amazing sisters! I remember one time when I was in junior high and I was practicing a dance and my friends made fun of me and my sisters came to my aid by telling my friends that it was not nice to make fun of me and how they thought I was doing a great job. This little act made me realize that even if my dancing was horrible which really it was, that I could still go out and perform because my sisters gave me that strength. We are all so different from each other but we understand that it is ok to be different. I know that even though my lifestyle is different then my sisters they do not judge me and understand that I am still a good person! I just have to say that I love my sisters and I know that if I were going through the same thing that they would do the same for me as what NieNie's sisters and family are doing for her. I know if it was my sister I would do the same!

Wonderful Husband

2008-10-23T19:34:00.001-07:00

I just have to post about how amazing my husband is. I feel so lucky to have him. It has been a long HARD road but I would not change it. He has stood by me when things were crazy and has held my hand every step of the way. I really think he is my sole mate. I just had to say that I really love this man and that I am so happy to have him in my life. I mean look at this guy.

Family Pictures

2008-10-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of our family pictures we had done. Jami Broadbent is amazing and I feel so lucky to be mentoring with her.

What an Amazing Mom

2008-10-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

So I have the most amazing mother ever. She is always so willing to make things for me and my kids. I wish I would have gotten her creativity and mad skills. She rocks.

So I called her and told her that R wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween since we are going to be in Disneyland for Halloween. So I asked my mom if she could help with making a skirt. So this is what she made... Isn't she just amazing? I love her!

My Quirks

2008-10-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Lara tagged me so here it is....

1. When loading my dishwasher I have to have the 1 fork, spoon, knife facing down in each section and once they are full I put them the other way other then knives which always go face down. My husband has stopped loading the dishwasher because I just unload it and reload it. It makes me crazy.

2. Like my sister L I organize my closet so that it is by color and type of clothing.

3. When I go to bed I have to have all the doors shut other then my bedroom door has to be opened a little mainly because my cat will wake me up if he can't get in and out of our room.

I really can not think of any other quirks but I am sure I have more. Maybe my family can add to this so I can know what they are also. Hehehe

I don't have anyone to tag because everyone already has done it that I would tag. :)

My Passion

2008-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well since I have finished school and have been mentoring with an amazing photographer I have decided to start taking photo's part time. I am so excited! I love taking pictures and I grew up with a father who also loves photography. I think that he is one of the reasons why I have been drawn to this passion. He actually has created a family full of photographers. I have 3 other sisters who love it just as much as me and their pictures show it. Well hopefully I will be able to start this full time once I get more practice and clients :)

This is my blog for my photo's:
http://mbr-photography.blogspot.com/

He has overcome his fear of falling

2008-05-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

So we decided that it was time that Cade really learn how to ride a bike. He has been trying but didnt want to get on because he would fall so he would end up riding his scooter instead of his bike. Well I decided that I would teach him how to do it. He kept telling me no but as you can see he learned and was so excited he called the grandparents.

Here is dad showing Cade how to start off by himself.

Jeff showing Cade how it is done.

Cade after a successful ride!

Cade can officially ride his bike!

The ABC's of me

2008-05-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

ABC's
A--attached or single? attached

B--best friend? Jeff and Sonia

C--cake or pie? cake

D--day of choice? Saturday

E--essential item? Camera

F--favorite color? Purple

G--gummy bears or worms? worms

H--hometown? Sandy

I--indulgence(s)? Chocolate covered cinnamon bears

J--january or july? July

K--kids? Cade & Reise

L--life is incomplete without: My family

M--marriage date? August 7th

N--number of siblings? 4 sisters

O--oranges or apples? apples

P--phobias or fears? Heights

Q--quotes? Without Change, there would be no butterflies - Arthur Unknown

R--reason to smile? My family

S--season of choice? summer

T--tag 5 friends: whoever wants to do it!

U--unknown fact about me? I don't like being alone

V--very favorite stores? Target and American Eagle

W--worst habit? Not picking up after myself.

X--x-ray or ultrasound? x-ray

Y--your favorite food? Italian, sushi and mexican

Z--zodiac sign? Aquarius

My little Princess

2008-05-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

This amazing girl is also my angel. She has brought so much light to our life. I think she made our family complete! She is so much fun to be around and she brings out the best in all of us. We didn't have as many issues when she was born as we did with Cade but that didn't make her arrival boring at all! I love this little girl and I do not know what we would have done if she had not joined our family. I love you Reise!

My little man

2008-05-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

This little man is amazing! When I am sad he will start to break dance just to make me smile. I do not know what I would do without him. Most of you know that he was our angel that just had to be here if you know what I mean. Jeff and I had not planned on kids so soon but he just had to come into our life right away. It was a huge surprise but such a blessing. When I had him he came out needing a little help with breathing. Within the first 2 weeks of his life he got RSV. The doctors told me he just had a cold and to just give him some meds. After a couple of days I knew something was wrong. My mom and I went to the insta-care and we were told he just had a cold. I had this sick feeling that something else was wrong, good thing that I went with my gut and told them to check him again. They did an oxygen test and found that his oxygen level was horribly low. They rushed us to Primary Children's Hospital where he was treated for a week and then we took him home on oxygen for a week or so. The doctor told us that if we would have not taken him in when we did that he would have not made it through the night. WOW! When we had him blessed several family members told me that they felt he would make a difference... Little did they know that he already had made such a huge difference. I can not imagine my life without this little angel named Cade. Thank you Cade for being my little boy!!!

Reise and I making Brownies

2008-05-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

Reise and I decided to make brownies wearing the awesome aprons my mom made us.

Princess on Ice Anyone?

2008-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well I took Reise to the Princess's on Ice and she loved it. We went with her best friend Adri. It was so much fun. Reise asked if her cousin's could go with her next time. She sure does love her cousins.

So Long

2008-05-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

Wow it has been so long since I have gotten on and posted. So much has been going on. Work has been good but so busy. I thought it would start to get better but sadly it hasn't. Jeff is having so much fun with school, not really he hates it. 2 Years to go and he will be done. heehee
I took my friends engagements which was so much fun. I love the pics and so did they. My friend got married here and since her family all lives in Mexico they decided to get married in Mexico also. Wow it has been so hard helping her get ready for it. We went to Mexico for it and was only there for the weekend. Wow what a short trip!
So lately I have been having a hard time probably from lack of sleep but either way I have really been struggling. At work I wanted to just talk and I called my mom but got voice mail, called my husband but got voice mail and then when I went to call the next person I realized that I didn't have someone to call. Obviously I have my sisters but when I was thinking about it I realized that I really don't have any close friends. This is the first time I have actually sat and thought about it. I was always the one with a ton of friends and know I realized that I am no longer the social butterfly I use to be. Maybe this has added to my sadness, well I will get over it. Feels better to I guess type it out. :) Soon I will get over it.

Cade's 8th Birthday

2008-01-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

So we decided that it would be fun for Cade to open a present the day before his birthday.

We are all pretty excited about it because we feel that it is something that will get them a little more active :)Plus I read about people playing some of the games and losing weight :) Added bonus for me. So our main rule is that you must stand and play no sitting down. The games are pretty fun.
Cade asked to have some friends sleepover for his birthday party so we got some pizza, played the Wii and watched a movie.

My Final Project

2007-12-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

I finally did my final project for school. I found out that I got an A in the class! YEAH. Well my teacher thought that my photos showed how much I have learned. So here you go. I hope you enjoy. I did my project on the Appreciation of Family :)

Fun with the Kids

2007-12-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

So this is one of the first "photo shoots" I have done with my new camera! I love that the kids were just having so much fun.

I got Elfed

2007-11-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my brother in law click the link below to see my family elfed :)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9587350431

6 Things about Me

2007-11-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

So my mom tagged me and like her I usually do not do these things but I will just for her :)

1. I have 4 sugar gliders, 2 that are joey's that I am hand raising which means I have to wake up ever 2 hours to hand feed them :). I wouldn't change it though because they show so much love.

2. I am taking photography classes because I want to start taking pictures on the side :)

3. I have been with my husband for 9 years now and we have had our ups and downs but have gotten through it and are just living each day falling more in love.

4. I have been dealing with depression for as long as I can remember and have only made it this far because of my family, husband and children.

5. My husband is teaching me how to snowboard and is the most amazing teacher! Hopefully I will learn this year :)

6. I have 2 of the most amazing kids ever!

Halloween

2007-11-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

No that is not Jeff and I dressed up as the ice family. Reise wanted her uncle Jason and aunt Whitney :)

My Baby Suggies

2007-11-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the suggies mom and dad

Here are my new sugar gliders. Aren't they just cute and small? I love them!

My Babies are getting so big

2007-09-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

The kids pictures from school. Look how big they are getting. Reise is in 1st grade and Cade is in 2nd. Both are loving it and doing very well. Each of their teachers have expressed how much they love having them in their class and how great they are.. This is great to hear as you all know. Cade has lost his 2 front teeth with a little help from mom and dad. Hehehe The last one Dad was trying to get out which you can only imagine how Cade was acting. Jeff ended up hitting Cade's hand causing it to hit the tooth which then feel out. Cade has been telling people that his dad punched his tooth out. hahaha It is funny yet sad. Reise is catching up with Cade in the teeth losing along with everything else since she is his size and from what her teacher tells is acts like she is 7 1/2 and knows a lot of what a 7 1/2 would. Boy are we introuble. Well that is an update of our little family so far. I will try to put updates up here more seeing as my sis J and her husband J are the only ones on my side still in Utah :( Love and miss you all.

Look A like Meter Reise

2007-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Look A like Meter Cade

2007-09-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Mexico

2007-09-09T22:32:00.001-07:00

Well we are back from our paradise to the daily grind. We had a lot of fun as you can see from the pictures. Jeff and I got to swim with dolphins which has always been a dream of mine and it was amazing. I am glad to be home because I really missed my kids but sometimes I just look at the picture of the beach and imagine I am there again with the man of my dreams....

More Sprinkler Fun

2007-07-03T23:11:00.001-07:00

Girl Talk

2007-07-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

So as my niece and my daughter were hanging out i took some pictures that just reminded me of my sisters and our girl talk on the tramp when we were little. We had so much fun with Lu and here are some of the great pics we got of our time together. Reise is very upset about the fact that Lu doesn't live here and can't spend more time with her and the other cousin's.

Added Family Members

2007-06-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

So we just recently got 2 new additions to our family. The boys name is Sug Sug and the girls name is Lilo. They are sugar gliders and are very cute.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well this is a little late sorry. I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband who is amazing. He is such a wonderful father. He always is thinking of things to do with the kids and always making sure that they are having fun. I also wanted to thank my dad for being such an amazing father and friend. He has been such a great example and has always been there for me. I went through a very troubled time and he stood by me every step of the way even though he did not agree with my choices he understood that I needed to make them to learn from them. I can not believe that he has loved me unconditionaly because at times I didnt even love myself. He helped raise 5 very differnet girls who always made a point of telling him what to do:) He is such a great man, no words can describe the love and appreciation I have for him. Happy Father's Day to all you dad's. Hope it was a wonderful day

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well I want to start by thanking my amazing mom for always being there for me. Here are just a few reasons.
1. She is the worlds best mother and has helped me more then she will ever know.
2. I have put my mom through so much and she has loved me unconditionally. I am so lucky to have her as my mother!
3. She is always there to listen to me when I needed someone.
4. She always gives me advice on what to do.
5. She never judges me or treats me like I am different even though I am.
6. She makes me laugh when I need to and lets me cry when I feel like everything is wrong without telling me what I am doing wrong.
7. She teaches me how to do things like quilting and making baby burp clothes.
8. She watched my kids so that I could go out on a date with my husband.
9. She let me live with her when i was having troubles.
10. She always includes me in everything even if it isnt something I normally would do.
11. When I moved out she gave me a ton of house stuff for my birthday.
These are only a few things that I love about my mom. There are a million more!
My Mother is the best and one day I hope to be like her!

Idaho Weekend

2007-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well this is a little late but I have been dealing with sick family members and work. So last weekend we spent the weekend with the family for my new nephews blessing... He is such a cutie pie and I wish I could have taken him home with me. It was great having almost all the sisters together again. We had a fun weekend such as car rides with K driving like she was in a low rider, it was pretty funny to see the looks from other people as my sister K waved her arms in the air like she just didn't care. We had such a funny car ride with 3 of us sisters, my mom and my brother-in-law J all making fun of each other and just laughing tell the tears started running. This was exactly what I needed. I have been having such a hard time lately and this weekend made things seem so simple and so less complicated. The drive home well was another story. My husband got the flu or something like it on Sunday which was the day we were driving home so after 2 hours of pulling over we decided to get a hotel in Twin Falls. We got home Monday afternoon and decided that we had to get our passports since we are going out of town in August to Cancun. Wow who would have thought it would take 15 weeks for our passport. Well at least the first part of the weekend was fun.

When it all comes falling down

2007-04-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well after our last meeting with Cade's teacher we started to work more with him and his attitude. He is on a contract right now and it doesnt appear to be working so well. Jeff and I are really concerned about him and the way we see him progressing. He seems to get distracted very easily, has a very hard time listening and staying seated, he also is a very emotional boy and lately he has gotten emotional over things that you would never think he would. His sister was acting like a cat and for some reason Cade did not like this so he started crying and moved to the corner of the couch just in tears. She was not even doing anything directly to him. That was not the only time that he reacted to something like that. Well we decided to go to the peditrician to see what he thought... A little back history on the last episode we had at school. Cade started making fun of a kid who is "special" along with his friends and this boy proceded to take a pencil and throw it at Cade's eye. Well no damage was done but we ended up sitting at his school all day to ensure that he did not misbehave again. So this led us to the peditrician. Well when we saw the ped he had us talk about Cade and what our concerns were. He did not ask us questions or tell us what he was looking for. Once we were done he stated that Cade has several symptoms of ADHD and possibly depression. I just sat there wondering why my genes had to pass onto my son. I have depression and have had it for a very longtime. The ped told us that since I had been diagnosed with depression when I was young that it increased my childs chance of having depression. Well I know what you all are thinking about the ADHD part. Seeing as that is one of the top diagnosis that ped's give kids that seem difficult but my ped is not like that. He told us that he doesnt like to just put a kid on meds and hope it is the problem but that he feels that we should have the test done to help diagnois it and to try every possible thing before deciding on meds. I agree with this 100% since I have been taking meds what feels like my whole life. We make our game plan and leave the office and in the car ride home I just think why did I have kids when I knew that my "craziness" which Jeff and I call it could be passed on to my children. Why would I want them to go through anything like what I have? Why would I want to see them so sad that they cant even function and then I turn and look at my beautiful angels just smiling at me and it just rips me apart to know that they could live a life with such sadness. I love my kids and I will do anything to help prevent this... Just have to find out how.

Spring Cleaning

2007-04-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

So we started to do a little bit of Spring Cleaning on Friday since Jeff and I had the day off. We got together what we could and took it to the DI. Next was the basement... As you know I was very into Stamp'in up and making cards. Well since I started working at my current place of employment I stopped making cards because of how busy I had become. It has been over 2 years since I really have sat down and made cards and at this point I don't think I ever will. So here is my dilemma, how to get rid of all this stuff. I don't want to just give it away seeing as I have spent a pretty penny on it. I was going to do e bay but Jeff doesn't think that is a good idea... I could have a yard sale. Anyone know someone who is really into stamp'in up that would like to buy some stamps and supplies? If anyone has some suggestions I am listening. :)

Some Kind of New Year

2007-04-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well usually you see these types of post come the day after New Years... All the resolutions, all the hopes for the year. Well mine is a few months late but that is ok because that doesnt make it any less important. So here are some of my goals for the year 2007:

1: I want to lose this extra 15 pounds I am carrying.Yeah I know this is the same goal of a lot of people. Jeff and I are doing good though. We are trying to get our whole family which is me, Jeff, Cade and Reise on a healthier diet. Nothing is worse then the sound of your daughter saying that you have tubby sides or that she feels fat. I have to watch what I saw around her more. Hopefully I will get this goal completed before the new year seeing as summer is almost here.

2: I want to take photography classes. After seeing my sisters friend Amy's pictures it makes me more and more excited about signing up for classes. I wish I could be take amazing pictures like she does. Hopefully soon I will.

3: I want to spend more time with my family. My type of work makes it almost impossible during the months Oct thru March but I will keep trying. Who knows if the photography works the way I want maybe I could do that instead. hehehe

4: Get my depression under control. I use to only have episodes(the name I like to use) every couple of years but the older I get the more they seem to happen. I really wish one day hey would just make a magic pill that could help get over this. I hate it but this is the cards I was dealt and I should feel lucky seeing as I have a sister with Lupus and a brother in law with Cystic Fibrosis.

Well these are my goals and I hope I reach them... Wish me luck

For My Wonderful Husbands Birthday

2007-03-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well my wonderful husband turned 29 on the 24th. I thought I would list 29 reasons I love my husband even though there are a lot more reasons here are just some of them.
1. He loves me unconditional which really is amazing
2. He helps me out so much with the kids when I have to work late
3. He sets goals and no matter how hard they are he still completes them.
4. He knows just what to say to make me laugh so hard I snort.
5. He is an amazing father
6. He is a softy when it comes to his dog
7. He brings me treats when he knows that I have had a really bad day
8. He makes random comments to make me laugh
9. He loves to watch Scrubs with me
10. He is trying to teach me how to snowboard and is so patient
11. He listens to me when I need to vent
12. He would do anything for his family
13. First date we had he helped my dad clean out the garage
14. He always is there for me whenever I need him.
15. He makes me eggs in heart shaped bread for breakfast
16. He lets me sleep in
17. He picks the kids up every night even though he has school
18. He spoils me
19. He stands by me even if he doesn't agree
20. He is intelligent
21. He has amazing Dimples
22. He tells me that he loves me like a fat kid loves cake
23. He spends all his spare time with the kids and I
24. He plays dance dance revolution with the kids
25. He treats his daughter like a princess
26. He watches deal or no deal with my daughter on the Spanish Channel
27. He sings in the car with the kids
28. He lets my sister hug him and tell him she loves him and he says it back :)
29. For our anniversary he signed us up for Ball Room dance lessons.

2007-03-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

It has been several months since I posted last mainly because my work is so darn busy and all my free time I spend with my family. The last couple of months have been pretty hard. When my parents moved I was sad but I felt that I would be ok because I could still talk to them everyday and my mom would be here to visit. Well this did not turn out to be. I am actually having a very hard time with them being gone. It is amazing how much 2 people can make life just seem a little less bright. I still talk to my mom a ton but the fact that I can not go and see her smiling face or see my father's big brown eye's whenever I wish has really taken a toll. I write this not to get sympathy but to help with the sadness. I went to the doctors a couple of weeks ago.. The doctors office my mom use to work at. When I got there everyone talked about how much they missed my mom and it seemed they looked at me as if asking for me to smile and tell them all was fine with my parents. When I saw my doctor he just looked at me and he knew that the smile I had was not real. He said "I am sure it is hard for you. Your mom is a wonderful women." It took me almost biting my tongue off to not cry like a big old baby right then and there. We talked about how I was feeling and what I should do to help with my issues. He said to start writing things down, not necessarily a journal but like a memo where I can just write how I am feeling about things. Hence the reason for this blog. As I was walking out to the area where my mother use to sit I found myself just staring at her old desk. The lady behind the desk cleared her throat and my doctor made sure to advise them that I was Linda's daughter which then was followed by each saying how much they missed my mother. My doctor commented on how my mom took away all the fun things she had on her desk and all the wonderful pictures. I told him to keep talking about it if he wanted to see me start crying like a baby. He smiled and said for me to not cry and then walked away. Why would seeing my mothers empty desk spark that much sadness? With all that has been going on I realized that I had not been able to even stop and just feel. Well now that work is slowing down I sure am feeling and it really scares me. I do not like to get this way because when I have before it just has gotten worse. Hopefully I can get over this bump quickly. Boy do I miss my parents!

2006-12-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ok well it has been a bit since I wrote so I thought since the kids are asleep I could get some blogging in. Today was just such an amazing day. It started out with Jeff and I taking the kids to pick out a book about giving. We did this because we were going to buy some stuff for the Candy Cane store which is a place where parents who are less fortunate can go and get stuff for their kids and they get to wrap it and everything. We have made a tradition of every year giving to those in need but this year is different since our kids are older and are learning about giving. So we found this book about a magic chest and it is such a great book.
Well after we got the book we hit old navy and target for some warm clothes to give the kids and toys. We talked about how these kids needed to be warm and that they did not have the luxury that our kids do. As we drove to the shelter store I read the book to my children. At the end I cried and my kids asked me why. I explained to them how this child gave something away that was so precise to them and how it was going to help others out. We talked about how they might feel if they did not have all the toys and clothes that they do have and how it would be to have to live outside and how cold it would be.
We showed them all the homeless people as we drove and then we got out of the car and walked to the shelter store. We talked about how cold we were and how lucky we were to have a home to go to and warm clothes to wear. We dropped the things off and started on our way to the car. I said how I wish there was more we could do and the kids so energetically said that they wanted to help so we turned around and walked back to the shelter store and asked them what we could do. They had us take our donations and put them where they needed to be and as we did this I couldn't help but see how excited this made my kids. I am so blessed and my kids are such amazing spirits.
When we were leaving Cade and I said that we should help out more next year so that is our plan. I am glad that my kids can learn and develop these skills and I hope that they take them and put them to use as they get older. I just wanted to tell you all that I love you and that I hope you have a Merry Christmas. Love ya

2006-12-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Today has been like every other day other then today all I have been able to think about is my sisters. I was wondering how they were doing, what they were doing.. Things like that. When I was at work I was talking to some ladies who just could not believe how many sisters I have and how close we all seem to be. This got me thinking and I just have not been able to stop. I realize that my relationship with my sisters is like all those poems out there about sisters.
"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." Amy Li
"Sisters are for sharing laughter and wiping tears."
"If your sister is in a tearing hurry to go out and cannot catch your eye, she's wearing your best sweater."
Pam Brown
"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child."
Linda Sunshine

My sisters I just can�t live without
Sometimes they bug me
Sometimes they hug me
Before as children we use to play
Today we have our own ways
I will always have a big sister
I will always have a little sister
Although sometimes I wish I was an only child
I don't know what I would do without my sisters
Having sisters means I will always have a friend
As I look back on memories of my life
I remember my sisters and all the times we had together
As I look up to my older sister
My younger sister looks up to me
Through good times and bad
We will always stick together
I love my sisters dearly and
I could not see my life without them

Just some things I found about sisters. They really are the best and I want mine to know that I love them more then anything... Even if they bug me they never leave me!

2006-11-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

So everything has been moving in fast forward lately. Work has been so busy that I barely have time to sit down and enjoy my family and friends. I am so happy that this busy time only lasts from Oct to Feb. Cade is loving 1st grade and his teacher thinks he is a sweet heart and is very smart. He has lost his 2 bottom teeth and is growing so big. Reise is just like her mom and it is showing in her school life. We had parent teacher conference and the teacher said that Reise talks a lot and is really social... Great! My mom was right. She is so big I cant believe that she is actually almost 2 years younger then Cade. Everyone thinks that they are twins and are amazed when they hear that Reise is younger. I feel so blessed that I have such amazing kids, even though they make me crazy some of the time I still love every minute I have with them.
Jeff is still in school and has finales over the next couple of weeks. I am so proud of him, he has made a goal of getting his bachelors and has done everything he can to get his goal closer to being achieved. He will have his associate degree in a couple of weeks and has done this in less time then it usually takes. I feel bad though because he doesn't always have enough time to study and do his homework with my work schedule. He is such an amazing husband and I don't think I tell him this enough.
Well my parents have put there house up for sale and they have found a house to rent in Seattle. I am really trying to help them and not show how much it is killing me inside. I have lived away from my parents a longtime but have always had the luxury of seeing them whenever I wanted. When I lived in Nebraska I had such a hard time not being able to see my parents and never wanted to have to experience that again. I am not as strong as my sisters are. I know that this is something that they need to do and I want to be supportive so I try to not show my sadness when I am around them. I told my kids about it and I know my parents feel like my kids would be fine if they did move but my kids really are having a hard time with it. I think that they feel happy with the fact that they can go see them anytime. I know I know I should just deal with it and make sure to visit them a lot but I am the type of person who removes myself so I do not have to show my emotions. I did this when my sisters were all in town also because I feel that I get so incredibly sad and depressed when they leave so I try to hangout but not to much so I don't feel so sad and depressed. I don't think anyone in my family knows this so it comes across as being mean and not wanting to spend time with them. I do love them all and love spending time with them. I wish I wouldn't be like this but I do feel it has gotten worse as the years have passed. Hopefully I will be able to get over this annoying behavior.
Well I need to go spend some time with my husband and kids before Monday comes which seems to come way to quickly. I love you all!

2006-10-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

As we start to decorate for Halloween we found some cute little costumes for my kitty's. They werent very happy but they sure look cute dont they?

2006-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have been able to post anything with my work schedule. I am doing fine and so are the kids as well as Jeff. Cade is still in soccer and loving it. Reise asks everyday when she will be able to play and I have to tell her next season which she does not like to hear at all. Cade is doing very well in first grade. He loves his homework and loves to read. He has gotten 100% on every spelling test he has taken so far and seems to be pretty proud of that. Reise still is having trouble with kindergarten. Everyday she tells me that she did not cry at school today and it makes me so sad because I remember hating school and I really hope that doesnt keep happening with her. You all know that she has had some issues with coughing all the time and having a runny nose, well we have been trying to teach her to blow her nose often which I remember having to do when I was little. I also rememer being teased all the time because of it. I would get called Snot nose Meggan. It kills me to think that Reise might have to go through the same thing. Mom says to put kleenex in her pockets but that isnt helping. She still doesnt wipe it and not to gross anyone out but she has been caught picking her nose and eating it. I do not know what to do. I told her that Princesses do not pick their noses and eat it and that she wasnt a princesses if she kept doing but that didnt work. I almost threw up once because I caught her in the act and she didnt do anything but frown. Any suggestions? Other then that things have been good. Jeff still is in school and is ready for a break. I told him that we should plan a trip to mexico for next year and have that be our gifts for christmas and birthdays. He really wants to go so I think it would be a nice idea. We are thinking of taking 2 weeks since we never really had a honeymoon we were thinking that this could be it. Only took us 7 plus years but hey now is as good as any. Well not much more to say... Oh Cade lost his very first tooth. He was so happy and the tooth fairy(which was not me) left him $5 which he is saving for a game. He cant wait to lose more teeth. I wish I could get that much. I would be pulling my teeth out. :) Well love you all and miss you. Hopefully I will be able to repost soon.

2006-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well Cade had his first game on Saturday and he did very well. He was the goaly the whole time which got frustrating for him. I never realized how hard it is to see your child so upset when they feel they have failed at something. I guess I didnt help any because I got frustrated with him not paying attention to the game but posing for Grandma R while she took pics. I actually had to take a time out and take some deep breaths. We had a great talk after about how the game went and I let him know that it was ok that they lost because it was his first game and that he had fun and that is all that matters. I learned from this experience that it is harder for them when they see and hear a little disappointment when you talk to them. I actually had said that I was disappointed that he didnt pay attention at times and right then I realized what I just said crushed his little spirit so I explained to him what I meant by it and that i thought he played great and that he did a good job blocking some of the attempts. I will Never use that word again when talking to my kids about sports or anything other then actions that truly are disappointing. I hope this all makes since as I am getting confused. Sorry had a very long week at work and I am ready for this weekend. Well Cade has another game same place at 9am so if you want to join come along and bring some chairs. If you dont know where it is call me. Love you all!

2006-09-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Cade has been begging to be in soccer for the last 2 years so we finally decided that we should put him in it. We havent signed him up before because Jeff and I work such crazy schedules and Jeff is in school so it is hard to have the kids in anything. We tried dance for Reise and just ended up paying a lot for lessons we missed so it wasnt worth it and neither of us were able to commit to getting off work ontime to take her so we took her out. This was about a year ago. So we have been hesitant about signing them up. Well after a lot of thought we decided that we had to sign him up because it wasnt far for us to let our work and school schedules to run their lives nor ours. So we are going to try our hardest to get him to practice ontime and most of his games are on Saturday's which neither of us work so that is good. He had his first practice on Thursday... He is a real champ and he just went out there and did what he does best.... As you can see in the pictures he really does know how to play. Who would have known...hehehe Our little soccer man!
If you are in SLC and would like to go to his games the next few are:
Sat. Sept 9th 12pm
Sat. Sept 16th 9am
Wed. Sept 20th 5:30pm
Sat. Sept 23rd 2pm
Sat. Sept 30th 11am
Tues. Oct 3rd 5:30pm
Sat. Oct 7th 9am
Sat. Oct 21st 1pm
Call me to find out where they will be if you decide you would like to come watch.

2006-08-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Reise's Birthday party

2006-08-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a few weeks since I wrote. My best friend Angie is now married and on her honeymoon. Wow who knew a wedding that wasnt yours could take so much out of you. It was really pretty and fun. So everything is finally getting back to normal. I am pretty happy that the stress level is now low again. Well not much has happened. I have been working a bunch but today it all paid off. I had applied for a position that is called QA and it is a step up from what I am now. Well I found out today that I got it. I am so excited to start my new journey. Jeff and I are still taking dance classes. We have learned the cha-cha, fox trot and some swing steps. Jeff is still in school and will get his associate at the end of this semester. Cade loves being in first grade and he just started soccer today. Reise just turned 5 and had a fun party. She isn't so sure about kindergarten just yet but hopefully she will like it after a bit. Well that is about all that is going on... Ohh and I found stuff that takes Cat PEE smell out. It is a miracle. I love the stuff but you have to buy it from a cleaning supply warehouse so it isnt cheap. Well love you guys. I will write more later I promise.

2006-08-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well today started off as a bad one. I woke up late so I couldn't go work out which I really need to do since I have a dress I have to fit in that is the size I was a couple of months ago. I have gained weight and I am really afraid that it will not fit. I don't know what I would do then... I guess suck it in and hope I don't tear the thing. Then we have been having issues with one or two or even all three of our cats peeing in the house. We have not been able to catch them in the act but they are doing it. One pee'd in my shoes that I spent months looking for. Does anyone know how to get the pee smell out of leather shoes? Then they pee'd on Reise's shoe box which holds ALL of her shoes. That is fun since we just had bought her a couple of new pairs. And then our couch that we had made just for us... The couch smells like a litter box but without the crystal clean smell. I do not know what to do. I do not know which one it is. I thought it was Chloe because she has pee'd on Jeff several times so I decided to lock them all up and the next morning I saw little Gracie. I put her back in the room which has a cat door that is broken so we have the pad from the couch that is ruined and a tub of clothes holding it in place. She is skinny so she is able to get out of tight places. Well this was this morning so I didn't think that it was her but then I got a call from Jeff saying that there was pee again where Reise's shoe box is. But he didn't know if it was old or new. So now I am sitting here with 3 cats I love so much a ruined couch, Yucky smelling carpet, ruined shoes and who knows what else they have ruined. Hmmm why do I feel like this has happened before, oh yeah because my dogs ruined everything and we had to get rid of them. Maybe I should just not own animals. I mean it seems to be the ones I pick that cause the problems. Madie is a devil but I didn't pick her out and she isn't as bad as the other animals we have. She isn't peeing everywhere, she did ruin the pads we had under the swingset which I am ohhhhh so not happy about but what do I expect. She is a dog and the wind blew most of them up and away so she just thought they were for her. Anyways I just don't know what to do about my cats. They have made me in a horrible mood the last couple of days and I am ready to just put them outside but then I remember that I declawed them so they would die out there. UGHHH I wish I wasn't such an animal lover! Any ideas on what to do, possibly ideas on how to get the cat pee smell out of EVERYTHING?????

2006-08-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was Jeff and I's 7 year wedding anniversary. He gave me such an awesome gift. It was supposed to be a surprise but I am really nosey and found out about it a couple of weeks early. We were sitting at his computer and I saw on his email list information about dance classes. I assumed that they were for either Reise or were for Cade who wants to take Break Dancing lessons. I kept asking Jeff about it and I wouldn't take no for an answer so finally he told me to read the email. I started to read it and found that he was indeed getting someone dance lessons. I asked him who and he said that it was for me. I was a little surprised because I really was thinking like ballet. I thought to myself how weird it was that he was getting me dance lessons and that I really didn't want to take dance. I told him thanks and he knew that I assumed it was just me taking dance lessons so he told me to read on. As I read I became so excited because it said that we (Jeff and I) would take ballroom lessons. You all know Jeff and the fact that he just does not dance. He hates dancing. He never has liked it, so you can imagine my excitement. I mean come on... He got us lessons to learn ballroom and he told me that if we can afford it we can take whatever other lessons I would like. He knows that I have always wanted to learn swing and the salsa and all those fun dances. So I realized that I would have to think of a present to match his... I am still in shock.. Ballroom dance lessons. Anyways. So I thought and thought and then I remembered a conversation Jeff and I had about my sister L's Blog. She had written 10 things about her husband A that she loved about him and Jeff had asked me why I never have done that. So with that in mind I decided to buy some rocks and Rub-on letters and phrases. I put on the rocks all the things I love about Jeff along with the words love, I love you, happiness and so on. Well this was not a simple task. I wanted to do it all by myself so when my mom offered to help I declined because I wanted to be able to say that I did it all. Well by the 4th rock I was in need of some help so my mom took a rock and started. She is always there for me... I love it. She is amazing. Well back to my romantic story. So I got the rocks together with the words and phrases and I put them in a jar that I had bought. I had put the words Love Notes, Love Letters and Love thoughts on the jar and tied a ribbon that said just a note around the top. In the middle of the rocks I put a little box that said "My heart is yours". I was so impressed with myself. I mean I never come up with ideas like that and yes I do not take all the credit since my sis had the idea of the 10 things that she liked most but the rocks were all me. hehehe Well I gave the gift to Jeff and he was very happy with it. I think that it was the best gift he had ever gotten. At least I hope it was. So Monday came and we had our dance lesson. It was so much fun. Jeff and I learned the cha-cha which is not an easy task for 2 people with 4 left feet. We laughed a lot and the instructor reminded me of a pug dog but all in all it was a fun time. I can not wait for our next lesson. We are going to knock the socks off of him because we plan on practicing and getting it down by next Monday. I think he will be pretty impressed. Next the Salsa!!!!

2006-08-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here thinking of how wonderful my family is. I mean my mom is fabulous. She always is willing to help me even when I say I do not want it. She helped me throw a bridal shower for my best friend and she did all this work for it without saying anything. I realize that she has always supported me throughout my life. She may have not agreed with my choices but she always supported me. I hope I can be this kind of mother to my kids. My mom gave me this book when I was moving to Nebraska called the places you will go by Dr Suess. Well I have this book and at the time I didn't really understand why she had given it to me other then the fact that I was a troubled teenager who was moving away in hopes of becoming a better person. Well I read this story now to my kids and I cry thinking about the places I have gone and I finally am able to understand the reason behind giving me the book. It really is an amazing thing to have someone love you so much that they are willing to do anything for you. I think about my kids and I do not know what I will do when they put me into the situations I put my parents in... Hopefully they wont but like my Aunt D said.. Paybacks a bitch. hehehe She is another person that means the world to me. She took in a teenager who was doing things that she shouldn't even though she also had young kids who could be influenced by my troubled ways... Yet she took me in with opened arms and she took care of me. We had our issues but truly when I look back I realize that all she ever did was care about me and if she got upset with me it was because she loved me and didn't want to see me hurt. I could go on and on about the amazing people in my life. I mean I have a wonderful Father, Amazing sisters 4 of them that is, a fantastic husband who loves me and has given me 2 amazing kids, my mom who I already talked about, I have amazing nieces and nephews that I think the world of and 4 wonderful brother in laws. I have amazing aunts, uncles, cousins and a fabulous Grandma... I have been so blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life and I am really not sure what I have done to have such amazing people in my life. I just want to say thank you to all of you for the support, love, help and faith that you have all given and shown me. Thank you for always being there and standing by me. I love all of you!

2006-08-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well today has been a very busy day. My best friend Angie is getting married this month and I have been helping her with her wedding for the past 5 months. I feel so worn out yet so excited for her day to come. She had asked me once how I liked being married. I grinned and said ummm its ok. Well when I think of that response now I feel that I set her up for failure. As I sat there watching her today at her shower I felt this urge to hug her and tell her that marriage really isn't ok... That instead it is an amazing adventure that will have windy roads that can lead you to dead ends but all you need to do is ask for directions and work together to get back on track. I look at my marriage and I see the paths I have taken, I see a lot of dead ends with tents that are blown over and abandoned. I realize that I camped out at the dead ends I came to, hestitant to ask for directions. It has taken 7 years of marriage and plenty of dead ends to see what a perfect road I have had all along. I am sure this does not make a lot of sense and I am sorry. I guess what I am trying to say is that I have discovered that even though the road I am on has bumps and cracks that it is still the road I want to be on. All I need is a little tar and faith and I will be able to keep on moving.

2006-08-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Staying In Touch

2006-08-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

My kids, yes even the hairy one is my kid.

2006-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Finally have a picture of the swingset we built. It has been stained now so it is a dark color. The wind has been horrible here so the colorful pads you see have since blown up and the monster dog has eaten them.

2006-08-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here are my little critters... So grown up!

2006-08-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well hello there... I seemed to have lost my writing ability. Well a lot has been going on but I will not bore you with those details. Everything is going good. Cade is in first grade now and Reise started kindergarten yesterday. When Cade started kindergarten I didn't even get a tear but yesterday I cried like a baby. I mean it is my little baby. Yes it was sad when Cade started but I still had Reise who was huge but not in kindergarten. I realized that these are the years that everyone talks about. The ones that go by way to quickly and without much warning. Soon she will have a "No Trespassing" sign on her bedroom door and Cade will lose his pretty singing voice. Well I am not about to let that happen. I think I will lock them in their rooms and only let them out to be with Jeff and I. Dreams........ Well hopefully tomorrow Cade wont be asking to borrow my car and Reise wont be wearing dark eyeliner. I will have to post some pictures of them so you guys can see what I am talking about.

2006-06-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ok I know it has been a while since my last post. Here is the update. So we finally got the swingset built... Jeff pretty much said you all should stick it. hahaha Anyways so it is really neat and I helped with most of it. Yes Yes we even went and bought me a drill so I could help put it together. We still need to stain it which is a sore topic since usually you stain before you build but Jeff didn't want to do it the normal way. He had to be different so I will have to stain it carefully. So it did rain the whole time we built it which the box says 5-10 hours oh please that must be based on santa's helpers building it. We started Saturday and we did not get done until Tuesday night. We still aren't done since I have to stain it and we are adding some toys to it. It really was a great experience... I never would tell Jeff that, what have him know he was right hmmmph never :)
So we didn't have anyone come help us because we wanted to do it ourselves since our families always help. It was our grueling task and I didn't want anyone to have to suffer. Sonia and David only suffered because they just came over without asking. Sonia heard the sickness in my voice and she told me to call her later and then was at my house 30 minutes later. She is a sweetheart. I met her at my work. She is from Mexico City and lived there for a while and then moved to Utah. Her family speaks mainly Spanish but they do know a lot of English. I have been trying to learn Spanish so that I can talk with them because they are so nice and just welcome you right in as if you are family. Well back to the swing set...
So Jeff and David were getting the base put up and I was inside cleaning the house. Jeff comes in laughing and tells me to get the digital camera. So I do and walk outside looking for what is so funny. Didn't see it at first until Jeff said look at the ladder. So I did and wow these geniuses had put one of the boards right through the ladder so the ladder was attached to the main part of the swing set which sounds simple to undo the board and move the ladder. Well if they had noticed it when it had just been done it would have been but when you have continued on it wasn't such an easy task. Well they got it fixed and went on their merry way. That was probably the only set back we had other then the rain. So I will load the pictures of it once I can find my cable for my camera. Well that is about all. I will keep u updated. Love you all.

2006-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wow what a day... So as you read in my previous post Jeff and I were going to build the swing set for the kids rather then buy one... So let me start with how I was feeling Friday, which was horribly sick. I took Friday off so that I could do some things around the house but I ended up staying in bed because I was completely sick. This always happens when I work to much and it seems a little worse since I have became obsessed with working out thanks to you skinny sisters with little waists after having kids. heheeh But anyways back to the task at hand. So I am completely sick and when I wake up on Saturday I still do not feel good. I look outside and see that mother nature doesn't feel so hot herself. So as I walk downstairs I am greeted with 2 smiling kids with Tamagotchi that either have pooped or grown into another monster and those kids soon turn into fighting kids because they both want me to clean up their toys poop or watch it dance... Don't ask... hehehe I have one also so don't make fun. But back to my story......

So Jeff and I are outside in the freezing cold with a measuring tape and stakes trying to decide where to start. So as we measure, I hold where the stake needs to be and Cade hammers our hands I mean the stakes. I know not a good idea but hey he wanted to help. So this goes on for about an hour. Did I mention I was sick??? So finally we get all that done and Jeff starts to rope off where we are going to set up the swing set. Next our task is to level and weed where the swing set will be. We are using those pads that look like puzzle pieces and are bright colors.. So we start to weed, me using the as seen on TV "The Claw" and Jeff pulling each weed by hand, which seems to be taking hours and we have only completed a little corner... Soon my mouth starts and I sarcastically say how much better his idea of hand weeding was compared to my idea of tilling. Then I just fade out because his idea really was better just a lot harder. After an hour or so of running noses and red sore hands Jeff light bulb goes off... He remembers he bought a tool for the lawn mower that does this same thing other then faster. So Jeff gets the mower working and soon the roped area is done.... Did I mention I am sick and it is raining? Where did Cade go??? At this time my friends Sonia and David show up ready to help out... What great friends they are. So we start to lay the "No Weeds" fabric and it is windy and cold and I think by now we have all lost our minds. Jeff starts to hammer nails into the fabric hoping that it will stay put long enough for us to put the pads on and Sonia and I are trying to figure out the puzzle pieces... Hey it is a lot harder then we had thought. You have to have the outer parts perfect or else you are introuble. So we get one part connected and I laugh because we connected on the outside of the roped area since Jeff and David are laying that fabric down. So Jeff, David, Sonia and I all have to pick up the long piece of puzzle pad and carry it over to the area hoping that it doesn't all fall a part... It doesn't YEAH! So one row down and 100 more pads to add on... Well we run out of pads and we are all cold muddy and just plain tired... Wait we haven't even started to build the swing set. At this point I have to go buy some more pads and Jeff and David are going to finish laying down the fabric. Did I mention I am about to die from being so sick.
Well I go and return with the needed pads. At this point Sonia and David have left and I am needing a nap with my kids.... Hours tick by and I wake up and look outside and Jeff and Cade are putting down the rest of the puzzle pieces... And it is finally finished... The place where the swing set will be that is. We still have to stain the wood and build the damn swing set... Ughhh I am starting to think the Costco swingset is looking pretty darn good.... Well I guess my story is to be continued since it is 10:30 at night and all we have done is the pads which are covered with mud and water.... Oh what a day tomorrow will be. Does anyone know if it is supposed to rain.........

2006-05-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see I tried out the Where I am from template. I hope you enjoy it. It was very hard to do... I am not so creative and you guys(my sisters) took all the good ones. hehehe

Tomorrow is going to be a hard working day. Jeff and I decided that we are going to build the kids swing set rather then buy the one at costco. Well I guess Jeff is the main thinker behind this task. We went to Lowes and bought a trailer full of wood and will start the staining of it tomorrow and hopefully have this project completed by Sunday. I hope that is. The kids have really no where to play and I don't like them in the front yard because people drive way to fast and my kids are awfully cute so someone might want to take them home. So I thought if we had a swing set in the back yard it would help us get the kids out of the TV room and into the sun and fresh air. We will see how this fun task goes.

I will let you know when it is done and how it went hopefully on Sunday. Well enjoy the poem.

2006-05-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

WHERE I'M FROM

I am from Green Bean casserole, from 7-11 Slurpees and homemade pudding pops.

I am from a house with the lights always on, sharing a room with bunkbeds and music heard throughout the house.

I am from cherry trees and the raspberry bushes in the backyard

I am from fresh popcorn on a Sunday night and uncontrollable laughing, from the Mayne's The Watson's and The Libby's.

I am from the protective bond and a families unconditional love .

From your eyes will get stuck that way and We love you no matter what.

I am from a religion I might not always understand, a belief in baptism's for the dead, and that families will be together forever, I am from the Church of Jesus Christ.

I'm from Salt Lake City, Utah and Homemade ice cream with peach cobbler from the Dutch oven and playing kick the can in the dark.

From the coolwhip container with the finger mark and the line of five little girls, the bond between sisters and sucking on gum in the back of a station wagon.

I am from a table full of framed pictures, a wall of memories and a basement full of amazing adventures never to be forgotten.

2006-05-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

Ok well I haven't had much time to get on here and for a while I felt sad because my sisters who convinced me to get on here actually hadn't even visited my blogs. So now that I have worked almost 20 hours OT and it is Thursday I decided that I needed to write and this seemed like a good place to do it. Well I will start with why I have so much OT. Well where I work you have clients that you run things for and what you run is very important, If messed up it will affect the employees at the company and lets just say it wouldn't be pretty. So the client I run just so happens to have a very complex system that I have to maintain and update. Well since May 6th all of the info being sent has been wrong and we did not find this out until Monday. So pretty much I had to reprocesses almost 2 weeks worth of 8 hour processing into this week. So that would be why I have sleep deprivation and have not seen my little angels since ummm Monday. This was just the start... So we have been saving for a couple of years so we could put new grass in our huge backyard.. we have to have a big one so the pony has room. We also wanted to get the kids a swingset from Costco so we save and save and finally it looks like we have enough... BAM our swamp cooler starts leaking leaving a lot of drywall soaked.. There goes the grass and the swingset. With this all happening and my husband not liking me at this moment I feel like I am being kicked in the stomach over and over again... Is there really light at the end of the tunnel? I cant see it... Maybe it just needs new batteries...

2006-05-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well today something pretty darn funny happened to me but let me tell you the events that led up to it first. So my little Reisee has been sick and so I have had to take off work the last couple of days. I guess that isn't so important to the story so I will just go on. Well today at work I wanted to get a drink from the pop machine. I reached into my purse got my wallet and pulled out what I thought was a dollar bill.... Well to my surprise it ended up being a fake dollar that my precious sick Reise stuck in my wallet. Well I looked to see if all my money was gone and sure enough I was loaded with fake dollars, fives even one hundreds. Where is the real money you might ask... I asked my cute little bug where it was and she said "mom remember I was sick so I can't remember." This is said with a grin and a you will never find it because I really don't remember where it is and probably never will. It is the little actions like this that make me remember how cute my kids can be....

2006-05-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ok So I am trying to figure out this blogging setup and I find my self getting distracted by my puppy who is the size of a pony biting my toe or the flash of color that I see out of the corner of my eye. I have a friend who tells me that I get distracted by shiny objects. I can be in the middle of a conversation and bam I get distracted. I think back and I can't remember ever being this way before. I am coming to the conclusion that children really do make you lose your mind... not in a bad way of course but in a way that you start to think like them. The weirdest things amuse me now. What before i would have thought was lame somehow is amazing and funny. Who would have thought that finding these little toys called littlest pets would make me so happy.. It feels like it was only yesterday that buying a new outfit made me so happy. Now it is getting the collection of littlest pets which is a very hard thing to do. I have found that my kids have brought the child back in me and it still is confusing and scary... Am i alone... Does anyone else feel like they are going backwards? Are my priorities really that of a child? Well one day I am sure I will discover this mystery. I think they call it parenthood.

2006-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well I will try this out for lara but I also can not guarantee that I will be able to keep up with this blogging but I will try.....