Shan B. & Family!!

Blake's Baptism~2/5/2011

2011-08-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

On February 5th, 2011 my son Blake was Baptized a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
What a wonderful, amazing & spritual day it was for our whole family!!!
I'm getting choked up just thinking about it, even though it was 6 months ago.
I am so grateful/happy/proud/joyful that my son decided to make this choice in his life.
Some people might say that an 8 year old is too young to make this kind of decision, but we know as members of the
church that 8 year olds are a lot smarter & in tune with the Spirit than we give them credit for.
My son Blake showed me that again on this wonderful occasion.
We do stake baptisms so we were lucky enough to have a room full of lots of people celebrating & supporting our awesome primary children in their decision to be baptized. We were also lucky because Blake was the only one from our Ward & the 1st one to be baptized.
My dad, Blake's grandpa was able to baptize & confirm Blake that day. Blake was beaming from ear to ear after he was baptized & then after he got dressed back into his suit we went into a different room for the confirmation. My dad gave him a wonderful blessing & I could feel the Spirit so strong it was hard for me to keep my emotions in check. The best part was that I know that everyone in that room felt the Spirit as well. Especially Blake. This boy of mine was so overcome by the feelings he had, he was crying. He came over to me right away & I hugged him so tight so he knew that it was ok to have these feelings. It was a wonderful teaching moment that Naunie (grandma, my dad's wife) & I were able to share with Blake. It was so sweet...I feel all warm & fuzzy just remembering it too. He's a sweet boy, a good big brother, a pretty good boy (most of the time) & has a wonderful spirit. I feel especially lucky to be Blake's mom & hope I can be the best mom for him!!!! I know this church is true & feel grateful every day that I have the gospel & I'm able to share it with my children!!

Blake's Baptism day!!

We don't take pictures of the actual events because they are very special.
But we can take before & after pictures. Click on the collage above & you will see just how happy & excited
Blake was on his special day!! Just beaming from ear to ear

Nature's Critters~Sonny's Preschool Class 2011

2011-08-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sometime in early 2011....maybe February (it's been a while) Sonny's preschool class had a
lady from "Nature's Critters" come to his classroom for an in-class field trip. It was sooo cool
She brought a tortoise, a parrot, cockroaches (ewww), a snake-lizard thing, a tree frog, & a boa constrictor.
The kids had a fun time ooohhing & ahhing at all the cool critters & even got to pet a few of them.
I'm so glad I was able to be there & watch Sonny & take pictures.

Nature's Critters

Happy New Year!!! 12/31/10-11

2011-08-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

Finally!!!!
The year 2011 has been rung in on my blog.....so far behind!!!
We celebrate Blake's birthday in the early evening & anybody who wants to stay & hang out to bring in the NEW YEAR with us
hangs out. It's fun!! Sometimes we have a big bunch & sometimes we have a tiny bunch. This year it was
just a tiny bunch but we still had fun. The boys always love to stay up late & this year they played video games with dad, & Uncle Bryan.
Lots of fun!!! One of these years I'm gonna be really prepared & have a most excellent game night planned & send out invites for Blake's party & also the New Year's Eve party.
One of these years!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Blake's 8th Birthday!! 12/31/2010

2011-08-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Blake's 8th Birthday on 12/31/10!!!
I can't believe that my oldest childe is 8!!
We had a fun time & I know he did too. We had some family & friends over
& celebrated with pizza, soda & an Oreo cake. I asked Blake what kind of cake he wanted & he said he
wanted an Oreo cake.
I thought it would be fun to make & although I really wanted to make it look like
an Oreo cake...........this is what I came up with instead.
It turned out great & Blake loved it. That's all I can ask for!!!
Anyway...as always it's a fun day to have a Birthday & we usually try to celebrate on his acutal Birthday.
What better day to have a party than New Year's Eve.
HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!!

A Windy Day & a New Helicopter

2011-05-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

The boys got this really cool Helicopter toy from their Great Uncle Robbie for Christmas. The one day I decided to take the boys up to the school to try it out was really cold & windy. But...what are you gonna do when they are bored outta their minds & driving me nuts?? Take them somewhere...anywhere!!!
Even though it was really windy they had a lot of fun & the helicopter was easy to figure out, so that's always good :)

Sonny retrieving it from one of its flights.

Blake getting ready for take off.

Launch!!

Another try.

Sonny bringing it back again.

Look at that nice leather jacket we got for Blake....he begged & begged for that thing & I got a really awesome deal at Macy's for it & he's only worn it a few times!!! Dang that kid...he prefers his Old Navy Hooded zip up sweater!!! Oh well....

More launches

A fun few hours until I was just too cold & wind blown & couldn't handle it any more.
Maybe it was only 1 hour...can't remember...it was 5 months ago...haha!!! Still...we had fun!!

Bounce U...Christmas Break 2010

2011-05-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

One day on the Christmas break I decided we needed to get out of the house. Blake had gotten a "FREE" pass to this place called BounceU. It was time go go & use it because it was going to expire. It's a really cool place for kids to play when it's rainy & cold outside. They have 2 huge warehouse rooms with different types of infatable bounce houses. It was fun to take the boys.

Giant slide...Blake was so excited & it took FOREVER to get Sonny to finally slide down!! He was up at the top forever. Blake & other kids kept going & going & I finally had to tell Blake to help Sonny.

Blake full of pure excitement & joy!!

Sonny...they just come down too fast to get a decent pic...once he finally got over the fear...he went several more times.

Waiting in line after not being scared anymore.

Sonny really liked trying to hit the ball that was floating in the air. He had tons of fun at this station!!

A fun few hours for the boys & a break from them being bored for me!!

Christmas Collages~2010

2011-05-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

December Fun~2010

2011-04-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun in December!! Here's a recap of some of our festivites.
(for some reason my pics are not showing up so I will put them on a different post)

1.Near the beginning of the month we decorated the Christmas tree at our house. It's kinda weird when you're using someone else's decorations but we pulled it off. And it looked great. Then a few days later Naunie invited Blake & Sonny over to help her & our other cousins help decorate her tree. It was really fun watching all the boys decorate Naunie & Grandpa's tree. Grandpa even let Blake be his assistant photographer for the day. It was a fun day.

2.We attended our Ward Christmas at the beginning of the month as well. It was fun to visit with friends from the ward & for the kids to meet Santa & tell them what they hoped they'd get for Christmas.

3.We also got to go over to Naunie's & Grandpa's to make Gingerbread Houses. This has become a fun tradition. Colby & Kylie got to join in on the fun too since we did it during the day. It's always fun to see what the kids come up with & how much candy they can sneak too.

4.Another family tradition is to visit with the Johns family a few days before Christmas. It's so nice to get together with my crazy & fun family to eat & visit & watch the kids perform the Nativity. My kids never participate...the little stinkers. I'm so glad that my grandparents do this every year a few days before Christmas...that way we get to see everybody without as much rushing around.
Blake, Sonny & Gabreal were having so much fun together & I got a few great pics of the 3. It was cute!!
Another family tradition is that we go to Brad's Uncle's house for Christmas Eve & eat a ton of Mexican food. It's always fun to get together with them & enjoy the holidays. I've gotten used to not having turkey on Christmas Eve & now I look forward to the food...especially the refried beans....mmmmm....sooo good. No pics...maybe next year.

5.Here are some pics from Christmas morning at our house. The boys were very excited to see all the loot that Santa brought them along with all the other gifts. Sonny was pleased with all of his candy & decided he needed to lay it all out. Blake got a fantastic leather jacket & a Jets shirt (his fave team). They got lots of stuff to keep them occupied & happy....for a few days at least.

6.We also went over to Grandpa & Naunie's on Christmas morning to celebrate with my family. I love being around my family!! We all have our little quirks & that's what makes it great. I always feel like we don't get to spend enough time with each of our families...I guess that's what happens when both of our parents are divorced. More love to go around I suppose. Anyway it was fun watching my boys & my nephews open their Christmas gifts. We usually do a Yankee Swap with all of us adults. There was some good stuff this year. I got movie tickets...yay!! ( I still haven't used them yet). My Aunt Jeanne brought this peppermint pig & what you do is put it in a bag & say what you were thankful for & hope for the upcoming year & then hit the pig with a little hammer. Everyone in the room does it & then you take it out of the bag & eat the peppermint. It was really fun & I hope we do it again next year. After that Brad & I went to the movies with his brother Bryan while the kids went home to rest with Grandma Lisa. It was a nice day.

I'm so grateful for Christmas time. I love that we get to celebrate the birth of our Lord. I feel so blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life & the opportunity to teach it to my children as well. I only hope that my children gain as strong of a Testimony as I have throughought their lives.

Mason turned 2!! November 2010

2011-04-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Our cousin Mason (my youngest sister's son) turned 2 on November 30 2010 & we got to go celebrate the occasion. It was fun eating pizza & cake & watching his face when he opened all his presents. What more can you ask for. I still can't believe he's 2!! Time sure does fly!!

(click on images to see larger)

November 2010

2011-04-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

November 2010 was a fun month!! Here's a couple more things we did.
Right around Thanksgiving we headed up to Apple Hill with Bryan, Kimi, Libby & Lisa (Brad had to work) to cut down a Christmas tree for Grandmother & Grandad. Burrrrr!!! It was freezing but fun!! The kids had fun running up & down the hill & around the trees until we found the right one. Here's some pics to see all the fun!!!

(Click on image to see larger)

After cutting down the tree we stopped at another area in Apple Hill to get some hot chocolate & donuts & hopefully warm up.
The kids got to look at the pond & some of the ducks that were there & then they found some left over ice & thought it would be fun to throw it at eachother. They did have fun & it was funny to watch. I'm glad they had fun. It ended up being a nice day.

(Click on image to see larger)

Blake's soccer season also came to a close in late October. We had our team party at a nearby Roller Rink. It was so fun. I love to roller skate. We are nowhere near professional but it is always fun. The boys had tons of fun & it was good to see the whole team one last time.
Way to go Scorpions. Eventually at some point I will put up actual soccer pictures.

(Click on image to see larger)

Disneyland~November 2010

2011-02-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Of course a year cannot be complete without a trip to the
"Happiest Place on Earth"!!!
We were able to go on a fun but quick trip to Disneyland in November with my family.
We were able to find some decent prices to the park for 2 days with a lot of searching.
It can be done!! Of course I wanted to be there for more days but was willing to settle for the 2 days in both parks.
It's always so much fun going to Disneyland!!
We stayed in the time share that's within walking distance to the park (my parents hooked us all up) & it was awesome!!!
It was fun to swim & sit in the warm jacuzzi on the day that we left. So, here's my pictures from our Disney Adventure!!!

All packed up in the car & ready to go.

Lights out!! We have a big day ahead of us!!

One of the 1st things we do when we get there is eat breakfast at the "Carnation Cafe". It is a tradition & the food is great!!
Glad my dad was awake & got to join us.

Here are some of my favorite shots with the family. I wish I would've taken more of my sisters. They were there a couple days before us & they went to a lot of the shows while we were riding rides. I don't get to see a lot of the shows because Brad doesn't think the kids will like them. I did go watch one of the parades though & I was in heaven. One of these days I'm gonna go with a bunch of girls & do the whole Disney Princess thing :)

Blake did a little bit better this year....I don't know why he has to go & freak himself out. The ride he freaked on the most was the Grizzly Rapid Ride in California Adventure & I do believe that my brother in-law Erick was about to lose his mind because Blake would not stop crying. The ride attendant even said that if he didn't stop they wouldn't launch our raft!! Ha!!! I made the poor kid suffer.
I am truly the BEST Mom EVER!!!

While I was watching the parade with my parents, Alicia, Amelia & Mason,

Brad took the boys over to ~~Tom Sawyer's~~

the Pirate's of the Caribbean play area (I seriously can't remember the real name)

& took them to get this...

and then I received a text saying that I was needed asap....to clean them up of course.

That's ok...they truly enjoyed the cotton candy.

We had a really fun time & learned that yes, Disneyland & California Adventure is still fun even if you only go for 2 days & are on a really tight budget!! Glad we got to go & maybe next time I won't forget my Disneyland t-shirts. Still can't believe that I left home without them!! Haha!!

Breast Cancer 5k~10/2010

2011-02-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

Back in October we signed up to do this Breast Cancer 5k since Brad's work (Bank of America) was gonna be out there along with a whole bunch of other businesses. This was a HUGE & I mean a HUGE 5k. It wasn't like the typical 5k that I'm used to where I would be racing against myself to get a decent time. There were thousands of people there...swear...so there was really no space to even pick up the pace to a slow jog. It was still fun to be there with my cute little family. Blake did great walking with me the whole way & of course Sonny got to hitch a ride in the stroller. I wonder how much longer we will do that for...hmmmm. It was cold & a little rainy but we all survived!! I think it took us 1 & 1/2 hours to walk 3 miles....Seriously the longest 5k I've ever done!!! Oh well....they raised a ton of $ & that's the whole point :)

We started at the State Capitol & went through old town. It was a nice scenic walk.

Bradbushka!!

2011-02-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

I totally almost forgot!!!
Meet Bradbushka!!

This is what Brad dressed up as for work the day before Halloween!!

One of the customers thought he was dressed up in his "religious" clothing from a church!!

HaHa!!!
Hands off ladies he's all mine!!!

Halloween~2010

2011-02-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well...we had 1 pumpkin to actually carve for Halloween. I know...kinda sad but at least there was 1. I finally had Brad carve it on Halloween morning before church. There was plenty of time because church didn't start til 1:00pm. Brad carved while Blake & Sonny watched. Maybe next year Brad will let Blake actually help carve...haha...he's so concerned about safety sometimes. So here's our little Jack o'lantern. Good job Brad!!

So, if you remember, Halloween fell on a Sunday this time around. It's always hard to know if we should take the kids out on a Sunday or not. There's really no "rule" about if it's "ok" to take them out to do stuff like this on Sunday. I had a little bit of a struggle but Brad said of course we're gonna take them! So it was settled. I know a lot of my LDS friends decided to stay home & that's cool too. So, Bryan & Kimi brought Libby over so she could go out with the boys for about an hour. We had a good night & Sonny did way better than expected!! The costumes were great!! Here's what they were:

Blake: Vampire
Sonny: the Dark Knight (Batman)
Libby: cute witch
Kimi: Alice in Wonderland
Bryan: Freddy
Our next door neighbor made this really cool Jango Fett costume too.

By the way....I made those candy bags for the kids.
It's the same one I did for my niece on her birthday.
They were really fun & easy to make
once I finally sat down to make them.

You can get the pattern here & check out the rest of the blog,
Cluck Cluck Sew. I really like it.

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm~Oct.2010

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

Of course we went to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm!!!
We didn't get out there as early in the month as I would've liked but we still made it.
We went the Saturday before Halloween & it wasn't too crowded.
Of course that may have been because it was raining off & on all day....but...who cares!!!
We had to get out there & see the stinky animals & let the kids pet the petting zoo animals (blech!!) & go on the train & run around & have a fun time.
Rain, shmain!!!
It only rained "most" of the time so I'm really glad I had my pink umbrella with me.
My hair got a little funky but that's what happens when you have naturally curly hair & straighten it & then it rains. Anyways....it was fun & Sonny had fun petting the animals....Blake seems to be taking on my traits when it comes to that.
I HATE petting zoos!! I just don't like to get my hands dirty but the kids can do it if they want.
Brad got us some sliced carmel apples covered in m&m's. I think it was a great idea to have them sliced. Maybe this next year I can remember that & we can do carmel apples at home. We'll see.
Of course I had to have a picture of the kids being measured for the year & posing with pumpkins. What would be the point of going if I didn't get the pictures.
Memories!!!
We always have a fun time together as a family & I'm glad that we got to go.

(click on images to see larger)

Halloween Festivites~October 2010

2011-02-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

We had a fun time at our Ward "Harvest Festival" & chili cookoff. Brad of course entered both the chili competition & the pie competition. Although I believe his were the best...he did not win. That's ok...I think it's rigged anyway...haha. I'm sure glad that I have him to cook at my house. He really is a great cook & we are lucky to have his cooking skills available to us.
It's always fun to see the kids get dressed up & have good chili & dessert.
It was raining so hard that day, but that wasn't going to stop us!!!
I took a few pics of some friends & the kids in their costumes.
The food was good & I'm so glad that this year theydecided to do games in the classrooms instead of what they've done in the past.
It was fun!!

Blake's school also had a Halloween dance/carnival in October (duh!!).
We did not buy costumes this time around so he had to make do with what was in our costume box. He decided to go ahead & be a vampire again. He was a vampire a few years back. This time we actually had makeup & he took it upon himself to do his own makeup. Boy....what a sight!!! Actually he didn't do too bad...I just thought it was funny. I hate that Halloween makeup!!! Our cousin Libby went with him & we dressed her up as a baby since she was already in her pj's. So off we went (me, Blake & Libby). It was ok. Not super awesome...just ok...oh well...they can't all be the best parties...but they did have fun dressing up. So there's that....haha. I do think it's fun going to school functions & watching Blake interact with his buddies. Gosh he's growing up so fast!!!

Pumpkins All Around~October 2010

2011-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Sonny's Preschool Class got to go to a Pumpkin Patch for their field trip in October. It was a really nice day...not too cold, not too hot & not raining. It was really fun!! Sonny tried out the rope swings they had & then we got to go on a hayride to pick out our pumpkins.
I always think it's so fun to go & see all the pumpkins & take pictures of them all.
Anyway...it was really fun & I'm glad we got to go.

Here's Sonny on the rope swing.
I love all the different faces he makes.

Here's some pics of the hayride, the pumpkins we got to pick

& just pumpkins all around the patch.

Sonny's 4th Birthday~October 2010

2011-01-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

WELL.............

Sonny's 4th Birthday was back in October 2010 (I know...slacker me) & we celebrated by having a "monster" theme & going to a nearby park. I planned 2 games for the kids to play (water balloon toss & pin the eye on the ghost) & then we sang Happy Birthday & ate "monster" cupcakes & opened presents. I'd have to say it was pretty fun. The best of course was the water ballon toss. My nephew Mason loved it sooo much...he just really liked tossing the balloons straight on the ground. It was so funny. The kids had fun & I also made them clean up the mess. We had lots of fun & Sonny did too even though he had been sick off & on with a fever a few days before. He had to leave the party early to go home because he didn't feel good at all but he made it through all the fun stuff & the rest of us just hung around & cleaned up til we wanted to leave. I'm so glad that everyone was able to make it & join us for the festivities. Here are a couple of collages of the days events.

Playing water balloon toss & catch & pin the eye on the ghost.

Singing Happy Birthday & opening gifts.

You can tell Sonny wasn't feeling well....poor guy....I finally took him to the dr

a few days later & he

had an ear infection.

Here's me posing with the awesome "MONSTER" cupcakes.

So fun & easy to make. I made strawberry cupcakes...that's what Sonny wanted...with

vanilla & chocolate frosting.

Used candy corns for the spikes & skittles for the eyes & some heavy

duty blue food coloring for the dots on the eyes which turned your mouth blue.

I totally didn't know it would do that but I didn't eat all the candy....only the top part of the

cupcake with the frosting.....THE BEST PART!!!!

Family & Friends.

Thanks everyone for making this a special day for Sonny!!

And thanks Hollie for all the pics!!

I'm always so busy I don't really get the shots I want.

Happy 4th Birthday Sonny !!!!

Blake's Jog-a-Thon 2010

2010-11-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

Blake's school had their annual Jog-a-thon the 1st week in October.
He said he was going to do better than last year & make it to 20 laps.
Well...let's just say he's an over achiever when he really wants to be.
He ran 35 laps!!!
He did so great & I'm glad I was able to be there :)
I wish they had a track program for kids in elementary school. I think it would be really good for him.
Grandpa Chuck was able to come too & I was able to see my friend Debie & her husband Mike.
It was a fun morning!!

Sonny's trip to the Firestation

2010-11-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sonny's 1st field trip was in September & it was to a local Firestation!!!! Unfortunately I was not able to take him because I was working.
What??!! I was working....more on that later.
Luckily Grammy Sisa was available so she got to take him & take pictures too.
She said he was really good & had a really fun time.
I'm so glad she was able to take him. It's fun looking at the pictures & checking out his reactions.
There's a picture of him holding the firehose & it reminds me of when Blake went to the Firestation on a field trip & how I had to coax him up to hold the firehose. Two totally different kids!! After this trip to the Firestation Sonny said he wanted to be a Fireman when he grew up & I thought it would be fun for him to be one for Halloween. No such luck...he was adamant that he would be a Fireman when he grew up....NOT for Halloween. Crazy kid!!

Update....so I started working part time back in early September. I'm working at Macy's & I love it!! I was hired to help with Trim-a-Home (Christmas) & wherever else I was needed. I cannot say enough good things about Macy's. I swear it just totally fell into my lap (wink wink....I know Heavenly Father answers prayers) & I LOVE it!! Did I say that already??!! It's been great & totally fits into my schedule...I can work while the kids are in school & then get off in time to be a mom!! It's great!!

Discovery Park

2010-10-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

My "Bonus Mom" Dawn works for JetBlue & one of the other airlines was having a BBQ at Discovery Park & invited JetBlue employees & their families to come along as well. I've never been to Discovery Park so I thought it would be fun to go. Plus there were going to be Bounce Houses, games & food. Bonus!! Me & the boys met up with my sisters Alicia & Amelia & our Parents & had a nice afternoon together at the park

(even though it was seriously HOT!!)

The boys had fun in the bounce houses you see in the background & here is Blake waiting for his turn athe the ring toss where you win suckers.

And here he is trying to win.

Here's Naunie with my Sonny & my nephew Mason waiting to win their suckers.

Blake played this spinning game for a long time & won a bunch of stuff.

I would love to make one of these & have it for Birthday parties & other stuff.

Sonny & Mason.

Look!!! We got our suckers!!!

Naunie & Mason.

He is such a "Kuty" pie!!!

Mmmmm...nothin makes a little boy happier than a sucker!!

We had a nice time & I thought the park was nice.

Lots of places to have a picnic & to just run around. I didn't see any playgrounds so if you ever go make sure you bring stuff to do...games or your bikes & make sure you have money for parking.

(this was also the same day that my mom was released from the hospital after slipping & falling in a store she was shopping at. she had a concussion so I picked her up & took her home because she was not allowed to drive. I also helped her out by checking in on her over the next few days & picking up some groceries for her. it's been about a month & she is recovering but she still gets a little woozy sometimes. my poor mom.)

Happy Birthday Libby

2010-10-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday Libby!!!

Libby's Birthday was back in September & she decided that she wanted to celebrate at one of her favorite parks!! It really is a cool park!!
It was a great day for an outside party & she got lots of fun "girl" stuff.
Here's a fun picture of the new 5 year old that I took.
Doesn't she look oh so dramatic?!

The party was lots of fun with a pinata, cotton candy, cupcakes & a fun playground to play on.
Check out the pictures of Blake on the spiderweb.
(click on collage to see larger)

For Libby's Birthday present I decided to make her this cute little tote bag & fill it up with markers & pads of paper. I found the instructions here on this cute blog called Cluck Cluck Sew & her instructions were easy for me to follow & execute. Go check it out if you want a simple little tote bag.

Outside of the bag.

Inside of the bag.

I had fun making this bag & yes I whipped it up the day before the Birthday party. I am such a procrastinator!! I decided that I should make some for "Trick or Treating".

Couldn't leave out some fun pics of my boys!!!
Picasa is a great way to "spice" up my pics that don't always turn out so great.
I love it because it makes me enjoy the pictures that much more :)

Aren't they cuties!!

A Temple Sealing

2010-10-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Back on September 11, 2010 I had the opportunity to attend the Temple Sealing for my cousin Jason & his wife Melissa. It was wonderful & I was so glad I got to be there. I'm so happy for the wonderful life choices that Jason & Melissa made to get to be a family through all Eternity. They also had their son Jason 2 sealed to them that same day. I'm so grateful for Temple sealings & that the Lord has provided a way for us to be together not just though this earthly life but through all Eternity.

It was just a great day...inside & out :)

(Here's a couple of "fun shots" of some family members that were there)

Aunt Carol & my cousin Jessica

Dawn, Grandma, Aunt Denise & Aunt Jen

CONGRATULATIONS JASON & MELISSA!!!!

Sonny's 1st day of Preschool!!

2010-09-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well....Sonny started preschool after the Labor Day Holiday. He was a little back & forth the first morning but I got him there.
I took a few pictures just to make sure the day was documented. He is a little stinker when it comes to pictures so let's just say they are always candid. I can't believe that both of my boys go to school now. It's so exciting!! No!! I did not cry because my baby started school. If anything I get this great big feeling of happiness & joy at the thought that my baby is learning new things everyday. It makes my heart swell. And no...it's not because the kids are gone...although it is a nice little break. And honestly I think it's a little silly when I do see people crying when they send their kids off to school. But that's ok...they can cry.
I was a little worried that we wouldn't get the big #2 part of potty training in time but I am happy to report that he got it down...& just in the nick of time.
Here's to you my little preschooler!!

Rivercats Game

2010-09-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Back in August we had the opportunity to go to a Rivercats game for free. Friends from our previous ward called us & invited us to go along with them because somebody had a whole lot of free tickets. We only had to pay for parking & whatever else we wanted to buy. I also found out that it was a special family night & hotdogs & icecream were only $1.00. So, we decided to go. It was exciting to be there to watch the game & fun to have some friends to talk to. I also saw some other friends over in the lawn area that I haven't seen in a while too. Some of my friends like to joke that I always see somebody I know no matter where I go. It's funny...it actually happens a lot. It even happens at places like Disneyland. Crazy!!
Anyway we stayed for as long as the kids could handle it. Sometimes it's really hard for them to understand that we are not buying anything extra & it sends them in to fits...I know that some of you can relate. Anyway...it was fun while it lasted & I'm glad we got to go.

Ice Cream

2010-09-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

One night Brad thought it would be fun to stop & get the boys some ice cream.
The boys were so excited but we did have them eat outside so they wouldn't make a mess
in Brad's car.
Sonny got cotton candy & Blake got pistachio.

Nice night for some ice cream.

Blake's 1st Day of 2nd Grade!!

2010-09-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Blake went back to school at the end of August & is officially a 2nd grader!!
I cannot believe how fast time is flying by.
We set off with Sonny in the stroller & Blake riding his bike he got for Christmas.
I'm so glad he finally learned how to maneuver this giant bike.

Here's Blake walking his bike up to the bike rack.

Here's Blake with friends Lindsay & Zachary from his class last year.
Blake & Zachary are on the same soccer team too.

And here's Blake right outside of his classroom before he went in to start his official day of 2nd grade.
There was a crazy change going into the 3rd week of school.
Blake came home & said....bad news mom. (don't you just love that).
Then he proceeded to tell me that he was changing classes. I didn't quite understand until I read the note that was sent home to all parents in 1st, 2nd & 3rd grades. Come to find out the school had to make 2 combo classes. One 1/2 combo & one 2/3 combo. Blake is now in the 1/2 combo class with a few of the same kids from last year's class. At 1st I was uneasy about it & then after I spoke with several of my friends who are & have been teachers I have come to the conclusion that it's going to be just fine. Blake is a good student & has shown that he can handle doing work on his own while his teacher is instructing the 1st graders. He did have to change teachers though...which can be tough on kids at first but he's doing great. All I can ask for is that I know if he's struggling & where I need to help him but he's doing great....if I do say so myself. He enjoys math the most & writing. Hopefully he will one day be like me & gain a true love of words & how to use them & spell them correctly. Gosh how I hate it when people spell words wrong!!!! Ugh!!!
There you have it....Blake the 2nd grader!!!

A Soccer Banner

2010-09-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been volunteered for something?

Something that you've secretly wanted to do but never volunteered yourself for?

Well....it just so happens that this happened to me!!

At one of Blake's soccer practices we were discussing how much it would be for the team banner. Well....considering how much we've already paid for soccer I didn't want to have to shell out another $10 for a vinyl banner. We thought it would be nice to have a "homemade" banner & that it would be cheaper. So...my friend Bonnie looked at me & said, can you do that? I sheepishly shrugged my shoulders & said SURE!!! I thought, no biggie...I can do this...PLUS...I've always wanted to make a team banner. I know...sometimes I'm a little crazy!! When I got home I started searching the internet for "felt banners" & "how to make a felt banner". There were only a few tutorials & plenty of sites to buy your banner from. I got what I needed...like how big it should be & how to do the corners. I got together with my friend Jaime & we came up with the design. (she's totally awesome...had I known how talented she was in the graphic design area I would've made her work harder at Girls Camp last year!! hahaha...) We went over to Grandomother's one day so she could help me with my measurements so that I wouldn't make a crooked banner. She then offered some great advice!! She mentioned that we should use heat n' bond for the writing to put on the banner. Now I've never used this & I've seen it mentioned on plenty of blogs so I didn't think to use it. Can I just say that this stuff is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!!!!
So...after I got the hang of the heat n'bond I was able to do most of it on my own & Jaime cut out the soccer ball for me. Let's just say that it took me about 3 days total & cost about $30!! Way, way, way cheaper than a vinyl banner & I wouldn't mind doing it again now that I've learned a few tricks!!
Here are a few pictures of the process. Sometimes I forget to take pics throughout the whole thing.

Here's one of the stencils for the kids names.

Here's some of the names on the Heat n'bond stuff.

Here's a few "finished" names.

I alternated between black & dark purple for the league colors.

Here is the most awesome scorpion & the soccer ball.

Should I mention that after I had everything in place I looked at it from a height & the

freaking scorpion was off centered??!! And that I pulled the whole scorpion up...very...very...carefully

& moved it & the hot glued it down??!!

Oh...guess I just did...you can't even tell that I did that because I am awesome!!

Here's a shot with the kids at opening day.

And here's the final product. I am very proud.

I need to take a different picture so you can see the colors better.

I did have to make one more change...we have a different assistant coach but the name was super easy to change. You'll see that in pictures later in the season.

If anyone wants a true step by step from me let me know. It's easier than you think!!

GO SCORPIONS!!!

A Hot day in August!!

2010-09-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

I'd have to say that this has been an extremely mild summer for my area. We usually have triple digits regularly & it feels like you just might melt...but we haven't even hit a "heat wave" this summer. That means we have not had 3 days in a row of 100 degrees & above. Kinda crazy if you ask me...but also nice. I am the type of person that does not like to be cold so I don't mind hot summers as long as there is a way for me to cool off for a few minutes. Well there was what seemed to me a "HOT" day back in August. It wasn't all that hot but for some reason I thought I was going to die!! Well I texted my friend Hollie & ever so politely invited myself & the boys over to go swimming. She was happy to accomodate. We went over & got in the pool....BRRRRRR...it was so COLD!! The sun hadn't warmed the water up yet but it sure was refreshing....just what I needed. The boys had fun. Sonny loved going down the slide over & over even though his teeth were chattering uncontrollably. Blake was having fun practicing his swimming skills...he is doing great!! Anyway we didn't stay in too long cuz it was just too cold for me...I know...didn't I say I was super hot?!! We got out & just hung out & visited for a while...just what I needed...*sigh* I don't think I ever really warmed up after my refreshing dip in the pool. Here's some fun pics I took of my silly boys!!

Susan B. Anthony 5k & 120 miles Update

2010-08-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I've been following the Couch 2 5k program to help me be able to jog a whole 5k without stopping to walk. I listen to a podcast & he tells me when to jog & when to walk & it has been a great way for me to train. This has been one of my goals for a little while & when I stumbled onto this program last year after my 1/2 marathon I thought it was awesome. The only bad thing is that I never really followed through to the end of the whole 9 week program. I would start & stop & start & stop again. Well....I'm happy to report that I finally got to week 9, which is jogging for 30 minutes straight with no walking intervals!!!! I was so excited to be going on to week 9 that I sat down at the computer to find out when there would be another 5k so I could go out & claim VICTORY for myself. It just so happened that the day I was to do week 9 was the same day as the Susan B. Anthony 5k & they lowered the price to only $15 so I was really excited!!! All I had to do was find a babysitter. It just so happened that my mom called & wanted to come hang out & see the boys & I asked her if she'd like to watch the boys while I did my 5k. She said yes!!!
Hurray!!! So Saturday morning my mom came over & off we went to the 5k. I particularly like this 5k because it's all girls & it's not quite as crowded as a lot of other races & they have lots of really cool drinks & snacks!!!

Here's Blake all bright eyed & bushy tailed.

Here's a pre-race shot.

And here's the after shot

(yes...that's a GoGirl...love those...nothin like my caffeine rush after a jog )

I did it!!! I did it!!! I really really did it!!!
I am happy to report that I jogged the whole 5k or 3.1 miles with no walking & I didn't feel like I was going to die when I finished....that's a huge thing for me.
My official chip time was 42 minutes & 14 seconds....
which is a little more than what I was hoping for but
Who Cares!!!!
I accomplished one of my fitness goals & that is the most important part.
My next goal is to get in under 40 minutes & then I'll set another goal.
This was also the week that I hit 120miles for my summer challenge of 120 miles in 3 months!!
Yay Shannon!!!
The challenge isn't over until 8/31/10 so I continue to report my miles & I am up to 146 miles right now. I think I'll be able to get to 150 no problem. I honestly have not budged past losing 5 lbs & it continues to fluctuate up & down which is frustrating but I am sooo happy that I can say that I can jog for 42 minutes without walking. It's amazing to me. I'm actually going to restart the Couch 2 5k with my friend Hollie & that should be fun. I'm also starting a new Winter Challenge starting on September 1st & going through December 31st. It's called Cat's 500 Fitness Challenge. If any of you are interested in keeping healthy this winter click on the link above & join in the challenge. You still have a few more days to join. It should be fun...& maybe just maybe I'll lose a few pounds too.

If you are interested in the Couch 2 5k program go look it up. There are a few different podcasts out there but my favorite is Robert Ullrey's...it's electronica, house, dance music...which I LOVE & it made my runs so much better than me putting my own playlist together.
Go check it out...you'll be glad you did.

Stillwater Cove & The Firepit

2010-08-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the beaches near the house is Stillwater Cove.
Here are some fun beach pictures of the boys & Grandad.

(click on any collage to see larger)

Here's Grandad teaching Blake & Sonny the fine art of roasting hot dogs & marshmallows

over an open fire.
(isn't that cool how I put the firepit as the background....ohh I'm having so much fun learning!!)
I'm so glad the boys got to go & have fun at the "Coast House"!!

Hangin' out at the Coast House

2010-08-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've been having a lot of fun with Picasa lately.
Here's a few collages from the coast trip I put together.
Click on any collage to see larger.

Blake & Sonny playing a little pool in the garage of the "Coast House"
with Grandad.

I love all these picture with Sonny & his Great Grandad.

Just having some fun. I'm so grateful that my boys get to know their Great Grandparents.
They are such a blessing to have in our lives. This "Coast House" is so fun to go to & I wish
we could get out there more often but I'm glad the boys got to go for a mini vacation.

A Trip to the Coast (part 1)

2010-08-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Blake & Sonny got to go on a little trip to the "Coast House" with Grammy Sisa. We haven't been in a long time & it was a great opportunity for them to go. So I packed them up & loaded them up in Grammy Sisa's car & off they went. This was the 1st time I've sent Sonny on a long weekend without me. If I remember correctly, Blake was about the same age the 1st time he went without me too. No biggie, he was fine because he had his big brother with him. Although I did have to convince Sonny to go because all he wanted to do was play PS2. They were grounded from it for a full week & they had just come home from spending the night @ Grandmother & Grandad's. He finally said yes when I told him he could play when they got back. He's 3 & 1/2!!!! Stinkin video games!! It was very quiet with the 2 of them gone & I didn't know quite what to do with myself. But Brad & I did get to hang out by ourselves which was nice & we even went to Church by ourselves....that was weird. No wiggly kids to keep quiet.
I asked Lisa if she'd take pictures so I could put them up on the blog & she did.
There's quite a few & I didn't want to collage all of them because some of the pictures are just so nice that I wanted them to be separate. (wish my camera took nice pics like this all the time...had to say it!!)

Below are some of my favorite pics from the trip...
a post with the collages will follow....I know you can't wait!!!!

Here's Sonny out by the treefort behind the house.
Look how big those trees are!!

Here's Blake by the same trees with some kind of pose goin on.

Sonny!!

Blake!!
Blake got to take his bike & had lots of fun!!

I ♥ my boys!!!

Crazy Cat Lover

2010-08-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Blake & Sonny are like their dad in so many ways & different in many others.
These pictures tell you how much Blake is like Brad in their love of cats!!
I think it's great that Blake loves to "catch" the cats & make them snuggle with them.
Sometimes he snuggles too much & gets in trouble.
Here he is snuggling with "Brobee".

This must've been a few months ago cuz Blake has short hair in these pictures &
it is not short now....in need of a haircut but he will only let
Aunt Amelia "trim" it for him.

At least the cat looks like he's resting peacefully :)

Rocklin Splash Park

2010-08-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Brad & I took the kids out to a Splash Park in Rocklin on one of his days off. Don't you just love that feature?? I sure do. It's so fun for the kids to run around & cool off & you don't have to worry about if they can swim or not. It was fun to go check out one that we hadn't been to before. Sonny had fun yelling out "fire attack" again & Blake tried to stay away from the bees that he thought he might get stung by. It was a nice afternoon & I wish that we would've gone out even more to the splash parks but this summer has been so on & off with the hot & not so hot days. This has been kind of a weird summer...but I'm ok with that.

Fire Attack Swimming!!

2010-08-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Like I said, we've gone swimming a few times this summer. This particular day we went swimming @granmother & grandad's with Bryan, Kimi & Libby. Blake also invited his friend Josh to come along. It was a fun day of jumping off the diving board & sides of the pool. For some reason Sonny decided to start yelling "Fire Attack" every time he jumped & then we all started saying it whenever anybody would jump in the pool. Then someone got the crazy idea to put Libby's "big wheel" in the pool & ride it while swimming. Libby was yelling that it was too dangerous but do the boys ever listen....NOPE!!! Everybody had a lot of fun on this HOT summer day!!!

Pioneer Day Festivities!!

2010-08-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Day was July 24th & I think it's the 1st time we've actually gone to any of the festivities. We started the day off by meeting up with the DeGraff's & then walking up to the church. (gotta get those miles in). There was a pancake breakfast before all the fun & games started & it was really good. Then we ventured over to the fun. There was a little petting zoo that had bunnies & baby chicks but we didn't stay there too long. Of course Blake had to get his face painted & Sonny was up for it too & he held sooo still. It was so cute to watch. They both got black widows. Then they tried their lines at fishing. They got sour candies & that was funny to watch!! There was root beer & cotton candy galore!! Then there was the "horseback riding". The line was loooong but it sure was worth the wait to see the smiles on my boys faces. Blake snuck up into line with his buddy Nolan so I missed the close up of him but he said it was fun. I should've gone up there with him because we wouln't have had to wait so long but we didn't. It was a hot wait & Sonny was impatient but he was sooo excited when he finally got up on that tall horse. After all the fun we got a ride home with Grammy Sisa...it was just too hot to walk back. I am grateful to all the pioneers who made the journey to the Salt Lake Valley & all the trials they went through.

Eclipse...Finally!!!

2010-08-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Did you think I forgot??

NO!! I didn't forget.

I just havn't been on top of my blogging & I'm trying to get caught up.

Anyway....YES...I went to one of the midnight showings (12:10am to be exact)

of Eclipse on June 30, 2010.

I joined several friends...Jaime, Heather, Amie, Julie & a few others. It was soooo fun & I was super impressed with this movie. The BEST one yet!!! It was sooo good that I actually went to see it again 2 more times with family & friends both times!!! It was sooo good & I can't believe it's been a month & a half & I haven't seen it again. Haha...I will wait til it comes out in the "cheap" theaters & of course I will be purchasing it when it comes out on DVD. Anyway...it was tons of fun & can't wait til the Big 2 part movie comes out but I will be waiting for a while....*sigh* I love it!!!

Umi Goggles

2010-08-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

So....Sonny has discovered goggles. But these are not just any goggles...they are "Umi Goggles".
You know...the kind from UmiZoomi!!
He loves these things & I just think it's so cute that he associated them with the show. He likes to just wear them around & he'll wear them swimming too.
Well...this particular night he wanted to wear them in the bath & I thought, what the heck...so I let him.
I tried doing the goggle thing with Blake when he was little to keep the water out of his eyes but it never seemed to work. On this particular night & this particular kid, it worked like a charm!! It was fun & we didn't have to stop to wipe his eyes every time the water got in. My little bugger wouldn't hold still long enough for a decent picture but...you get the idea.

Washable Markers

2010-08-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Blake has a couple friends he likes/hates to play with.
On this particular day they were having fun together & decided that they wanted to wrestle.
Blake said he wanted to make it look like he was bleeding so could he PLEASE use the Sharpie markers??!! (he loves those things) I said NO WAY!! Then I finally said he could use markers only if they were the "washable" kind. And so he did.

Look at this tough guy!!

I am scared of you!!!

I didn't realize he was going to make a whole costume for himself...but oh well...it came off in the shower.
Don't you just ♥ washable markers?
I sure do!!

Playing with Trains & Show me your Muscles!!!

2010-07-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

My brother Shane & his wife Liz celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary while they were here visiting & asked if I could watch Dennis while they went out to celebrate. I said no problem. The boys had a fun night playing together & staying up a bit past their bedtimes. We have all these trains that kids play with every once in a while, so I tend to forget about them. I went into the playroom to check on everyone & Dennis had gotten the basket out & was trying to build a train track. So, I helped out & built 2 tracks so the boys wouldn't fight. They had fun getting all the trains on the tracks & bumping them into eachother.

Here they are.

They finally ventured outside to check out the "playground" & it was cooling off outside so it was a perfect time to play outside.

Here's Sonny & Dennis playing in the castle that both of them are way too big for.

Sonny loves to take his shirt off especially since he dresses himself.

Who am I to argure with him especially if he's just playing in our yard?

Mom...look how strong I am!!!

Look at my muscles!!

Show me your muscles boys!!

Look at how STRONG those boys are!!!

Thanks for coming to play with us Dennis &

Happy Anniversary Shane & Liz!!!

Just in case you were wondering...Blake was playing his DS most of the night & being very bossy & rude, which also means he got sent to bed early. He's going through this thing where he's just trying to boss everyone around & I think he even tries to use "Jedi" mind tricks on me to get his way. Haha...nice try but mom is on to your little tricks bud!!

Swimming Fun!!

2010-07-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

This summer has been great so far. We are so lucky to have friends & family who have pools that invite us to go swimming & the parks that have the water spray feature. Makes the hot days much more bearable. Wewent to Swanston Park one of the days Dennis & Liz were visiting (no pics) & that was a lovely day. We also went swimming & invited Shane, Liz & Dennis to go swimming with us over at Grandmother & Grandad's house. Boy!! It sure was hot that day. I'm glad we decided to go!! It was so hot that as soon as you got out ouf the pool you were dry...at least that's how it felt. So it was a fantastic day to be in the pool & not sitting on the side. Anyway, the boys had their trusty innertubes & a-swimming we went. I thought it would be fun to jump off the diving board to show the boys how fun it would be. Sonny took right to it & I finally got Blake to do it once. I guess that's better than nothin & Dennis had fun in the innertube & floaties as well. Here's some fun pictures & short videos:

Here's Liz getting ready to do a flip off the diving board

Here's her 2nd attempt

Here's Sonny jumping off the diving board. He loved it!!

He even went several times without his innertube but I got tired of

catching him so I made him put it back on.

Dennis telling his mom (Liz) to put the tube on.

Shane encouraging his son...I think he just dropped him in.

Blake just chillin'

Sonny swimming to the ladder.

What a fun time swimming with our family!!

A trip to the Zoo

2010-07-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Brad had a day off recently & he decided that we should take the boys to the Zoo.

I thought it would be fun too....except for the price, but Brad really wanted to go, so we went.

We had a nice time but I am so surprised at how much it has changed since I was a kid. You'd think that there would be big improvements but it seems like they continue to downgrade as the years go on. I remember when I was a little girl just waiting to see the elephants. Elephants are my fave...since I was little...my dad even confirmed it. And watching to see if the hippos would come up out of the water so you could see more than just their nostrils. And bears & tigers too. And many of the habitats were closed for maintenance. Well, our poor zoo had to let all of those animals go to bigger zoos...so sad...so it's kinda not the same to me anymore...BUT...my kids don't know the difference so I guess it's ok. Someday we'll have to venture to the S.F. zoo or go to San Diego on a vacation (oh wouldn't that be nice...sigh) but until then we'll just have to make do with what we've got & remember to check the zoo calendar for FREE admission days (which are coming up on Monday's in August) & go then & not feel like I've just spent a bunch of money for nothing. So anyway...we did have fun & it was a nice day & we were together so that's what's really important...right? Right!!!

Here's Blake & Sonny taking turns inside the "Blue Tarantula"

Of course we had to stop because "Max & Ruby" have been favorites in the house since Blake was a toddler & there's a bed time story call "the Blue Tarantula"

Sonny was not pleased with having to do this but he finally did it!!

Here's a picture of me & my brothers

hahaha

Blake actually took this picture.

And here are Blake & Sonny just monkeying around.

(click on image to see larger)

Of course we got to see the flamingos & the reptile house, Blake even went in a 2nd time by himself, & there were plenty of birds & we even saw the baby lion. There's this really cool smallish cat that looks like a leopard the Brad thinks we need to have but of course I had to remind him that it was a "wild animal" & we were at the zoo...haha...he loves cats!!

Oh & the giraffes were really cool too. I could've probably just stayed there watching them for hours. Blake & I stood there & watched for a little bit while Brad & his antsy pants had to move along. It was fun talking to Blake & asking him what he thought. And you can't forget about the Merry-Go-Round.

What's a trip anywhere if you don't get to ride on the Merry-Go-Round?

So all in all, it was a great trip to the zoo!!!

FRUSTRATED!!!!

2010-07-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to give it a whirl!!

Changing over to the new design & templates that Blogger has provided.

I'm FRUSTRATED!!

I'm still messing around with everything & trying to figure out how to get everything just how I want it & I guess only time will tell. I think that they've made it too complicated especially for people just starting out. One of my favorite things is to change my blog background & now I have to figure out the new templates & which one goes best with it....Ugh!!! I guess you had to do that before but you usually just kept the same basic template. Hopefully the other background places are like DOTTY DOT DOT & have included directions on how to install them.

(I'm sure they have...I've just been using them for now.)

Well....I guess I can say I'm learning something new.

I will continue to mess around until I do get it just right. The only problem is that along with scrapbooking I like it to be simple & clean & not messy looking.

Maybe because I'm not all that creative but I like to try & I want it to be easy & fun to read.

Only time will tell.

Swimming & a Lake Day

2010-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

While Shane, Liz & Dennis were visiting we had a chance to hang out several times. Shane was gone during the week working but all the girls were able to have a swim play date @ Amelia's & the kids swam & swam (so did I). Amelia even brought out her big plastic slide so the kids could have a "water slide". That was a lot of fun & Sonny had a blast. I had to bribe Blake but after he went down several times he realized how fun it was & then when it was time to leave I had to threaten him. He is a crazy kid. Colby & Kylie were with us too & all the kids & cousins had fun swimming around in the innertubes.

Most of the family went to the lake on the wednesday after the 4th but I wasn't able to get out there until that Saturday. We packed up a cooler with some food & drinks & headed over to my parents house to hook up with everyone. We headed out around 11:00am & we were there til 8:00pm. It truly was a "day" at the lake. We had a nice time & the weather was perfect. Hot enough to want to go in the water but not so hot that you couldn't just sit in the chair under an umbrella. Everybody had a chance to go on the boat or behind the boat. I went on the "taco" with Blake & then Sonny & then April & then later I went on with Austin while Uncle Aaron was driving. If I didn't know any better I'd have thought he was trying to kill me. But...it was fun & it killed my head & my body. Can't wait to do it again. Someday I'd like to try wakeboarding again...maybe when there's not so many people wanting to have a turn. My boys were actually doing great!! Blake did even better than I thought he would. With his life jacket on he swam out to the big boys more than once...that makes me so happy...he's a little cautious & I had to force him to go on the "taco". I know...I'm the worst mom ever but you know what...he survived & he even wanted to try again later but it didn't happen. Sonny was swimming all around too & before the day was over he was putting his whole face in the water & then coming up for air. I think he was copying his cousin Austin because he was doing that too.

It was a long & fun day & I hope we get to go again real soon :)

Here's my pictures. Some of them are not great because you know...my camera...& I'm the only one that knows the little tricks but that's ok...you get the gist of it. So here we go.......

Create your own digital slideshow

4th of July

2010-07-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

So, the 4th of July was on Sunday & sometimes that makes it hard to go & do things since most people don't want to break the Sabbath. Well, I don't see any harm getting together with family & friends to celebrate the holiday expecially since most people get together & do "family" dinners on Sunday...A LOT!! So, what's the difference I ask you? We didn't go spend money or anything & there've been plenty of Sunday's that we have. So...there ya go. Brad decided to BBQ & make a bunch of food & it was great!! Bryan & Kimi joined us for dinner & then we hooked up with the DeGraff family, my dad & my Aunt Jeanne, My brother Shane & his family & the Griffin family at the Target parking lot to watch the Fireworks display that was going on across the street. We got there a few hours early & had time to chat & the kids could play. The only bad thing about our spot was getting out at the end of the display. Gotta remember that for next year. Anyway it was fun & we didn't have to spend $ on fireworks & the kids got to play & have fun too. It was fun that my brother Shane & his family were there to celebrate too. It's the 1st time in several years that we've seen eachother.

Anyway, just want everyone to know how grateful I am to live in this FREE country & that I can do pretty much whatever I want...as long as I don't break the law. We are truly a blessed people to have the freedom that we do. I am thankful every day that I was born here & I am ever so grateful for the men & women who serve our Country every day to keep it that way.

God Bless You & America!!!!

Enjoy the slide show!!

Create your own free digital slideshow

Swimming with the DeGraff's

2010-07-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

On the same day as our Ward picnic my friend Hollie had texted me & asked if we wanted to go to their house to go swimming. We had just eaten dinner & I convinced Brad that it would be fun for the boys. We got the boys ready to swim & then we were off. They live not too far & if it wasn't so hot out already we could've walked...but I'm into walking...not Brad...hahaha. Their pool is above ground & they have a play structure with a slide & they made it so you can go down the slide into the pool. Well, Blake just wanted to swim but Sonny definitely wanted to go down the slide. So he did....quite a few times actually. The only thing I was worried about was him falling off the side of the slide because it was a little high but he did fine & he would only let Emily (a yw from the ward) catch him & he would wait for her even though the other kids wanted to catch him too. Sooooo.....here's a little video of one of his slides....

Just some shots of the kids playing in the pool.

I think Blake is on the other side somewhere in his innertube. Sonny's in his too.

Those innertubes were the BEST thing I bought this summer!!!

Anyway we had a fun night & Hollie & I ditched our husbands & made them "BOND" while we went to get pizza. I hope that we can have more friendly adventures like this because it was fun & I think Brad had a good time too & we all know how picky Brad can be :)

Thanks for inviting us over!!!

Ward Picnic

2010-07-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Since the 4th of July was on a Sunday this year many wards celebrated by having picnics on Saturday...the day before. Unfortunately I was not able to participate in the "Run 4 Independence" with my friend Sarah this year (no $ for registration) so I decided that me & the boys should walk up to the Church. It's really not that far & even though it was hot, we had fun. Blake rode his bike & Sonny rode in the wagon. It was good & I even did it in flip flops. Stupid choice but I just couldn't wear my running shoes with the cute skirt I was wearing. I know, I know...but although my feet hurt at the end of the day I survived. Anyway it's about 3 miles round trip so I did get my 5k in. We got there a little early so the boys were running around with some of their friends in the ward. I'm so glad that I can let them run around & have fun without worrying about them every second. Don't get me wrong...I do check on them but they are old enough that I don't have to hold their hands for everything. Well...I think the turnout was pretty good & the food was great. Thank goodness for Chloe who kept Sonny busy during the presentation!! It was a fun day visiting with friends & family members who live in the ward. Sonny went home a little early with Grammy Sisa & then Blake & I headed home. Next time I won't wear a skirt so I can wear my running shoes :)

(click on images to see larger)

Here's me & my good friend Hollie @ the picnic.

Here's me & my fabulous Aunt Jeanne.

Doesn't she look fabulous?!!

She has lost a ton of weight & is now skinnier than me!!

Way to go Aunt Jeanne!!!

Red, White & Blue Parade

2010-07-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

For the past few years the little city that I grew up in (& live in currently) has a fun Red, White & Blue parade. It's ususally the weekend before the 4th of July. The last time I was able to take the boys was probably 2 years ago. It always seems to be the Saturday that I'd be coming home from camp. But not this year!! Soooo...bright & early on the Saturday morning we got up & got dressed & headed out to meet the other family members that would be joining us. We got there 1st...of course...:)
Grammy got some balloons for the kids to hold on to & Sonny just loved his.
Here he is with his precious balloon.

Here are my decked out Red, white & blue boys with their balloons.

Here are a few pictures from our fun time at the parade. I was only able to get a few as the stinking batteries in my camera finally died & I didn't have any spares....dang!! At least I got these :) (thinking positive).

Sonny & his fish face

Me & my Blake

(of course being silly....this boy is so lucky to have such great coloring!!)

Me & Sonny

(he's not sleeping...just closing his eyes for the picture)

I'm so glad we got to go & celebrate our country.

I really want my boys to be grateful for the land in which we live.

We truly are lucky to live here & to have the FREEDOM that we do.

we will be able to do this again next year too.

After the parade we ran into SEARS & I got a new bathing suit top because after we went to Wal-Mart we were off to our cousin Gabreal's 2nd Birthday Party. He shares his birthday with Uncle Shane. No pictures from the Birthday party because I was in the pool most of the time. We had lots of fun & got lots of sun too :) What a great day!!

A Domino Sick Day

2010-07-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when you start to notice that your child is acting a little "funny"?
Not the funny haha kind---the funny, what's wrong kind.
I hate it.
Well....this this very thing happened about 2 weeks ago.
At 1st I didn't think much of it but started thinking something was wrong when Sonny said he was freezing & wanted to be wrapped up in a snugly blanket on a really hot day. And he didn't really want to do much...but he did want to play with the dominoes. I thought that was a great idea & he had lots of fun playing by himself.

Setting up the dominoes in the right order.

All set up & ready for the....

KNOCKDOWN!!!

Aren't dominoes fun?!!

And the process begins again. He had fun doing this for a little bit...and I'm glad.

Later in the day he kept saying his tummy hurt & he had a fever & then yes...you guessed it...he
"tossed his cookies".
Oh how I hate puke (probably more than poopy messes...I know...weird...they're both gross).
Anyway...at least it happened on the hardwood floor & not the carpet. (Little miracles).
Unfortunately this little bug of his did get passed to the kids I babysit but not as bad & then Blake threw up the following week but I'm not really sure if the 2 were related. It was to be expected but I still feel bad when any of the kids get sick...it's so hard to make them feel better. But...they are all well now. Yay!!

Ugly T-shirts & Father's Day

2010-06-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

The night before Father's Day my ward had an EQ activity. It was an ice cream social & an Ugly T-shirt contest. Brad being the great dad that he is got out some white t-shirts for the boys & asked where the glitter glue was & made shirts for Blake & Sonny. Thank goodness he was on top of it cuz I don't think I would've thought about it til it was too late. Here's Blake's as Sonny was opposed to taking another picture.

Genious...I know!!!

Here's a picture of my 3 boys with their ugly t-shirts.

Now....I know that Brad's Twilight is far from ugly but it was funny because it's my

shirt & just a little too tight for him....hahaha.

(2 more days!!!

oh my gosh are you so excited!!!)

Well, we had fun socializing & eating ice cream....although it was unusually breezy on this particular evening. It's nice to have opportunities to get to know members of the ward a little bit better & maybe make a new friend or two.

Now....on to Father's Day!!!

This is a sign that I had the boys help me decorate & the card I made by Shutterfly.

Now....I always have a difficult time shopping for my dear Brad. He's tough to shop for & I never feel like my gifts measure up. This year I was paying attention. He's been playing a game called "Fallout 3" & mentioned that he really liked the music that played throughout the game & he'd like to have a cd. Well I started searching the web & it was difficult & it took many days but I was finally led to the playlist. I wrote everything down & finally ( I know...procrastination is my middle name) started putting it together after the ice cream social. I wasn't able to get all of the songs on the cd only because the free songs I downloaded wouldn't transfer over...but they are on a playlist that can be synced to the itouch & ipod & I did get 13 songs out of the 20 onto the cd. So there you have it...he knew what I was doing only because I did it while he was in the other room but I still think he liked it nonetheless. We had a nice day at church & then after we went to Grandmother & Grandad's for a BBQ & some swimming.

We had a fun time visiting with family.
And I just want to say that I myself am grateful that I have a great dad!! I'm grateful for all he's done for me while growing up & all he continues to do now & being a great grandpa!! I'm grateful to my husband Brad for being a good Dad & I'm happy for the fun stuff he does with our boys.
I know it's a week late but
HaPpY fAtHeR's DaY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We ♥ U!!

Sonny's Talk

2010-06-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago Sonny was assigned to give a talk in Primary.
Since this was his 2nd time giving a talk I knew what to do.
Do not whisper to him because he will just whisper into the mic & then
everyone will think it's cute & laugh & then he will get mad & think they are making fun of him.
This happened the last time.
And make it short & sweet. Not hard to do. I had his talk memorized.
I also gave a talk in Sacrament meeting on the same day. Mine however, was not memorized.
Soooo...Sonny & I gave talks on the same day.
Well...Sonny was so excited when it was his turn to speak.
We went up to the little podium in the Children's Primary room & he said very clearly into the mic..."Heavenly Father"
(this is how we begin our prayers at home). It was so cute & then I proceeded to tell him what to say & he did it.
He did so well & I was beaming from ear to ear.
We have a small primary so it seems that Blake & Sonny are giving talks or prayers almost every month.
I don't mind...I think it gives them good practice at public speaking & they will be ahead of the game when they have to speak in front of their classes at school.
Anyway...I took these when we got home from Church.
He's 3 years & 8 months old...he's growing so fast.

120 Miles Update

2010-06-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

This week was an ok week for my CHALLENGE. But at least I still got myself out there & moving. Which was hard because now I don't have to get up quite so early since school's out. But I did it & that's what counts. I also finished day 3 of week 5 on the Couch to 5k program!! That means I walked for 5 minutes (for warmup) & then jogged for a full 20 minutes (out on the street...not the treadmill) & then finished up with a 5 minute cooldown. I am proud of myself :) It's also nice to go in the morning right after I wake up. It's nice & cool. I did also go for a walk in the evening & had Blake ride his bike while I pulled Sonny in the wagon. I think I also really dropped 1 more pound so that puts me @ 6 pounds lost.

Slow & steady wins the race.

My update: I walked or jogged 8.81 miles this week.

I am at 31.49 miles toward 120 miles.

My Little Ragamuffins

2010-06-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

Thank Goodness I have a sister that is a hairstylist!!
Thanks Amelia!!
You did a great service to my family for going to beauty school
(I know that's why you did it).
If not for you I might be one of those mom's that just never, ever cuts their kids hair...ok...I'd just buzz it off but you always do such a nice job.
If you haven't noticed by now my boys are the exact opposite of eachother when it comes to their physical features. One has dark & curly hair, dark eyes, olive skin. Blake. The other one has light & straight hair, light eyes & light skin. Sonny.
BUT....they both have tons of hair regardless of the color & texture.
I tend to just let it grow out for a while in between cuts & this is what it ends up looking like...

This.....

Don't we look like ragamuffins...

all long & shaggy!!

After.

Sonny does not like cutting off his precious locks of hair.

He did a great job sitting on my lap but afterwards he acted as if we threw out his best friend.

He got over it after a while & then thinks his hair feels really cool & then wants everybody to "feel" it.

He looks like a different kid.

Here he is with a happy face!!

Isn't he so cute!!

How could you not love this face?

After....

Blake always prefers to get a "trim" as opposed to a "cut". This time I had Amelia trim it even shorter than normal for the summer. And he went for it. Now the boys have nice cool haircuts for the summer. I got my haircut too but have yet to take a picture of it yet. I finally let Amelia do a true a-line cut & it's shorter than it has been for a long time. I'm liking it but still trying to figure it out. Eventually I'll get a new picture...(one where my face doesn't look fat...haha) & put it up for all to ~~judge~~ see.

Sonny with a Bowtie

2010-06-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we got Sonny to wear a bowtie to Church.
The last time he wore this bowtie was at his Uncle Bryan & Aunt Kimi's wedding.
That was almost 2 years ago.
Doesn't he look so cute :)

He's carrying a lunch bag because I substituted in his Sunbeam class & the lesson was on how we can

"smell & taste" things.

It was a fun lesson & we took a long walk.

Hard to drag out a lesson when there's only 2 kids in the class.

I'm NOT tired!!!

2010-06-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

I soooo LOVE it when I try to get Sonny to take a nap &
he won't do it but then an hour later
he's doing this!!!

THE CHALLENGE120 Miles in 3 Months

2010-06-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ok...so there's this blog I follow...4 Nuts in a Nutshell & she has been on an amazing weight loss journey!! She's been doing great & decided that she needed to do something more. So THE CHALLENGE was born. There's a whole group of us that joined THE CHALLENGE to walk/jog/run or even elipitical our way to 120 miles in 3 months. That's a lot of miles you might say but extremely achievable!! I trained for a 1/2 marathon last year & probably did that many miles just in training...I just never kept track. This is just a way to help keep us motivated to get out there & MOVE!! When I read this I was sooo excited because I just needed something to work for & this couldn't have come at a better time!! Back in May I decided that I needed to take a break from drinking as much soda as I did & that I needed to really lose some weight. I had been walking Blake to school in the mornings & started wearing my pedometer just to see how far I was going. The combo of the 2 had to be helping me. I'm happy to report that I have lost 5 whole pounds!!! I know it's not much but it's a start. I am not completely off of soda but I can say that I am only a "social" soda drinker instead of a raging soda-holic now!! My husband thinks I'm crazy but I think it's great & I can drink a soda when we go anywhere & then I fill my cup up with water. I like it. Walking has been great. I would usually get 1 mile to & from the school & on somedays a little more. The CHALLENGE began on June 1st & couldn't have come at a better time because school was ending on the 11th & I definitely needed a reason to get out & walk...outside or at the gym. I got my sister Amelia to sign up & a few other friends from around here too. So cheer us on & leave comments telling us how great we are doing & to keep it up. I'm hoping that I will lose more weight in the process & I just need to make little goals instead of expecting big things in a small amount of time. Maybe I'll be able to post before & after pics to be proud of. Anyway...go check out the blog..she's so funny even when not talking about THE CHALLENGE.

Since June 1st I have walked/jogged:
21.54 miles!!
I will try to update my blog every Thursday with my achievments...that's when we report.

My Annual "No Excuses" Memorial Day 5k

2010-06-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

3 years ago I signed up for my 1st 5k & it was this one.
"Buzz Oates-No Excuses 5k" held on Memorial Day at William Land Park.
It is so fun &
I have made quite the improvement on my time in the last 3 years!!
My friend Sarah C. & I said we would do it together but after my family dropped me off I could not find her anywhere. I looked & looked but she was nowhere to be found. DANG IT. Brad & the boys were nowhere to be found either. I found out later he took them to have breakfast. So I had to carry my extra shirt & my camera in my hands while jogging/walking. Crap!! Well, I started in the back of the pack with the walkers & the stroller pushers thinking it would give me just a little more time to look around to see if I could find my jogging companion or my family to hand my stuff off too. No such luck!! Oh well, I wasn't going to let that hold me back or slow me down. I crossed the start line & off I went. I'm happy to report that I stinking jogged the whole 1st mile without stopping!!! Yay for me!! I was so proud of myself!!! After that I continued to walk & then jog for the last 2 miles. It was great. When I was almost at the 2nd mile water station I finally saw Sarah C. on the other side & I was so happy I'd finally found her. I thought...maybe I can catch up to her but even if I can't if I can just keep her in my sight I know I can get on pace with her. Well, I wasn't able to catch up to her because I'm sure I would've died trying to run while she was doing her intervals but I did keep her in my sight & I crossed the finish line not too long after her. My official chip time was 41:08!!!!
I actually finished just a little bit faster than my friend because she crossed the starting line before me & your time doesn't start until you cross the line. I keep thinking if I could've caught up to her I might've been in the 40:00 minute range.
Next time...July 3rd...
I'm coming for you 40 minutes!!!!

Here's me after. Don't I look awesome??!!

I had to call Brad on my friends cell because I had no clue where he was & he said...wow...I thought I had more time to get back...which just goes to show that I am doing awesome!!! After the race we met up with a bunch of friends to have a picnic & let the kids run around & play. It was a PERFECT day!! Not too hot & sunny but not to cold either :)

Here's me & Sarah C.

The squirrels were not afraid of us at all!!

Random pics walking back to the car.

Goodbye Red Sox!! (for now)

2010-06-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that Blake had an awesome year in Coach Pitch Baseball this year. I could not be happier with the progress this kid has made. He hits the ball almost every time & he's getting better & better at fielding the ball. He had some great plays at 3rd base a couple times too. Wow!! Way to go Blake.

Here's some pics of his last game. This was a crazy game to say the least. 3 teams showed up to play & so our team was split in 1/2 so they could play their last game. CrAzY!! At least they got to play...the game 1 day before was rained out. There have been more rained out games this year than in the last 2. Even though it was weird at 1st it was still fun!! Blake has the "red" belt....didn't want to go out & buy a blue one & the coach said it was totally fine....plus it made him easier to find amongst the other kids :)

(click on images to see larger)

The end of the year/recognition party was a week later & it was really nice. The weather was great & we had great food. Everyone pitched in to make it great. I'm so happy with the coaches we had this year...especially Coach John. He was really great with all those boys & I'm hoping that we will be on the same team next year too. That would be great for the boys to continue playing with eachother.

Here's a few pics of Blake with his Coach & his trophy & Sonny just being a cutie...(he even got a goody bag :) he was soooo happy).

(click on images to see larger)

Can you find the spelling mishap on the cake?

The mom who got the cake said she didn't think she would have to spell out

S-o-x...

.it was funny...

so of course I had to capture the moment :)

Blake's Incredible Month of May

2010-06-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

MAY has come & gone but it sure was a good one for Blake!!
He accomplished so much last month!!
So here's the rundown.....

Here's Blake in his suit for Church.

I have never been the type of mom that made/makes my boys wear a suit to Church but I have always insisted that a collared shirt be involved. I do however, insist that Blake (because he's 7 now) wear a button up shirt & either a tie or a sweater vest. I do this because I feel it completes the outfit & want to give the appearance that YES...I do care what he wears to Church.

Anyways....he chose his suit for the special occasion of giving his talk in Primary. This was not his 1st talk, BUT, it was his 1st talk that he did not need mom or dad's help in the Primary room. Brad was good enough to tackle the writing of the talk & having Blake practice before Church. I'm usually still preparing everything I have to do for my class. Thank you Brad!!! He did great & didn't even need help on the tough name of Mosiah because we practiced all morning :) Yay Blake & I'm so glad that he knows that you should always dress your best...especially if you are speaking in church.

Next.....yes my Blake is 7 years old but he

FINALLY

learned to tie his shoelaces on his own!!!!

I cannot tell you how awesome that is for me!!!

He's left handed & I think it was weird for him to watch me do something that looked backwards for him. You should see it...it's very weird to watch BUT...he can do it on his own & they stay tied & I don't have to do it anymore!!!!

(sorry...no pics)

And FINALLY!!!!

Blake "mastered riding his bike"

(his words not mine)

I know a lot of kids learn to ride 2 wheelers way before the age of 7 but...

better now than never!!

He got a totally cool bike for Christmas & we went out a few times but he was just too nervous. I even had the training wheels taken off of his "Rocket Quest" just in case he might be comfortable with a smaller sized bike. Still...he just didn't want to do it. He preferred to ride his scooter everywhere. Ok...it's not like I was going to "force" him to ride it. It's not going to make or break him...I hope.

Then one Sunday in May...after Church he decided he wanted to ride his bike. I said...don't you mean your scooter...and he said No...my bike. Ok I thought. About 10 minutes later he ran in the house yelling MOM, MOM!!! I just mastered riding my bike. Really I said? Then I went outside to see & I'm proud to say that YES, he had mastered it.

We went in to get dad & the camera for proof.

NOW

I can't get that kid off his bike.

He even rides it to school!!

He's even tried out other kids bikes &

eventually he will get more comfy riding the bigger bike

(it really is too big for him).

I'm so proud of this kid & all he's learned this past May!!

Now let's hope he doesn't drive me too crazy when school's out for Summer!!!

Peanut Butter Cookies & Baseball

2010-05-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

The other night I finally decided to make peanut butter cookies because we have TONS of peanut butter & I found a simple recipe online that I had all the ingredients for!! That's always a bonus.

Preheat oven to 350

1 C. sugar

1 C. peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

mix together & then mold into balls

loosely flatten with fork & bake for 8-10 minutes.

Seriously...that's it!!!

recipe found at allrecipes.com allrecipes.com

Well...Blake said he wanted to help & I thought the fork part would be great for him. So I went outside & this is what I found.

Blake was teaching Sonny to throw the baseball to him so he could practice his catching skills. I thought it was so sweet & Blake wasn't even yelling at him. Why did they take their shirts off? I have no clue but it was so fun watching them & I even took some video.

(gotta figure out how to upload to here...I used to know how to do it)

Needless to say...I finished the cookies by myself because they were having so much fun.

But...the definitely helped me eat them!!

Blake's Open House

2010-05-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here's Blake with his teacher Mrs. V @ his school's open house last week.

I can't believe it's that time of year already!!

Where has the time gone?

He's showing us his plants that they've been growing in class.

I'm so proud of Blake & all that he's accomplished this school year!!

He is definitely a "reader" now & is really good at math & spelling & has lots of friends.

His teacher has nothing but good things to report about him.

I'm so HaPpY he's done great this year.

Only 12 more days of school left!!!

Stung by a Bee

2010-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Blake went in the house to get a drink & then all of a sudden he started that cry/scream. You all know what I'm talking about. At 1st I was like...what the heck...and then I KNEW what had happened. He'd gotten stung. I was outside & he was inside...weird, I know...but I took a look & there it was...the stinger!!! Geez!!! I got a card & finally got it scraped out & then proceeded to look on the internet to see what it was. This time it was a bee because bees leave their stinger behind. Last summer it was a wasp because there was no stinger & it stung him multiple times. I made sure I got a little ice pack to put on it. & then we looked & looked to find the bee but it wasn't til about a 1/2 hour later that my friend Jaime finally spotted it. Blake insisted on showing it to his friends & then sketched it. So there you have it...Blake's sketch of the bee that stung him. And...he was totally fine. Thank goodness he's not allergic!!

Happy (late) Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here are my 2 handsome boys on Mother's Day.

(Sonny's holding bacon for the brunch at my parents).

I would have to say that I had a lovely Mother's Day.

It's hard to believe that I became a mom 7 years ago (almost 8).

I love my boys so much & truly grateful for the stewardship I have over them. I pray that I can be the best mom for them & that I can teach them everything they need to be the best that they can be throughout this life. It's a fun, happy, sad, exciting, irritating & truly a wonderful experience for me & I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I'm grateful to have these 2 wonderful boys!!!

HaPpY MoThEr'S dAy to all of you too!!!

(I actually wrote this on Mother's Day & just posted it because I was looking for baby pics of me with them when they were born & I can't find Blake's because they are not on the computer. Guess I need to do some scanning. ♥)

Howie Cat

2010-05-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

This is Howie. We've had him since he was a kitten & he's great. He's a funny little cat. Very skinny & will not...I repeat...will not eat people food. Unlike the other cats. I think it's because he can't smell very well. He sneezes all the time & we think he's allergic to himself. :) Poor Howie. He likes to find new places to sit & lounge where he will not be bothered. The other day he thought this basket would work. It was cute so I took a picture. Thanks for meeting Howie.

Colby's 5th Birthday Party

2010-05-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Colby, the little boy I babysit, turned 5 on the 14th & had an Indiana Jones themed birthday party on that Saturday. I took Blake & Sonny to join in on the festivities. It was a fun party & pretty much all boy except for a few girl cousins sprinkled in. There were water balloons, an obstacle course with snakes & they even got to throw water balloons at Adam (Colby's dad) at the end, a pinata & of course cake, ice cream & presents. Kylie was upset because her balloon popped all over her & she was super tired. The kids sure had fun on the obstacle course & of course tackling Adam at the end. And who doesn't love swinging blindfolded at a pinata to get candy? It's always fun & dangerous too. Breanne (Colby's mom) made a really cool treasure chest cake & it was delicious. I wish I could've had more. I'll have to ask her for the cake recipe. And Kylie finally had some fun eating cake while I was making funny faces at her. When it was time for presents I had a surprise of my own. Sonny had disappeared into the house & I thought I heard him crying so I got up to go see. Breanne had gone in too & said Sonny's a little bit messy. Well...that was putting it mildly!!! He was crying because...yup...you guessed it...he pooped & it was all over his legs & even got onto the carpet. Oh what a joy!!! So I spent the next 1/2 hour cleaning him up & the carpet. Oh what a joy (did I already say that?). Well I did my best to not get angry & to keep my emotions in check...I was so close to crying & I was embarrassed too. It's one thing to clean him up at home but a completely different scenario at somebody else's house. NO...he is not doing well at going to the bathroom when it's time for #2...he is excellent at peeing in the potty...but not the other. GOSH!!! What am I supposed to do??? Anyway, we cleaned up & Sonny in his undies, I apologized & off we went to give Sonny a bath & then go swimming at Grandmother & Grandad's. I then proceeded to have a mini meltdown at home because I feel like I'm failing at this #2 business & I've been reading more & I've come to the conclusion that I can't be mean...I just have to keep trying & be loving & he'll get it....hopefully sooner than later.......

Anyway...Happy Birthday Colb & thanks for inviting us. You are a great kid!!

Mormon Helping Hands Day

2010-05-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday members of our church...the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...were involved in a huge community clean up day. AKA "Mormon Helping Hands". My ward was assigned to the Rusch House at Rusch Park. I was able to take Blake & Sonny & we were able to participate in this great service project.

(Sonny in the beginning.

He kept calling his smock a Jedi cape & he really wanted to keep it.

Guess I should learn how to make one for him.)

I was a little worried about the timing because Blake also had a baseball game at 10:00 & not at the same park. That would've been convenient though. Well...I decided that we would go for at least an hour. I'm so glad we went. We had a great time & spent most of it digging & planting flowers with Colby & Kylie's Grandparents (Lisa & Paul Durston) & 2 girls from young women's.

(Lisa Durston)

(Emily O. (above) & Emily G. (below)

(Sonny digging with his Jedi cape on)

At one point Blake asked if he could come over & help us because he thought he'd be better at digging than weeding. It was so cute & of course I let him switch tasks. We learned how to transfer flowers from plastic containers into the ground.

(Blake is great at digging!!!)

(Blake getting instructions from Paul)

(working on those roots)

(Blake & Nolan)

(totally ready to go home)

(he decided it would be easier to crawl down the grass instead of walking because I wouldn't carry him)

(ok...guess I'll just wait it out...I'm glad my camera takes great outdoor pics)

(just messing around...I do believe this is my best angle yet...hahaha)

Here I am with my 2 very happy boys before we left. Blake didn't want to leave because he was having too much fun. I'm glad he had a good experience.

It was fun & a great experience to clean up & beautify!!

And we made it to the game with no problem but it was super cold!!!

Alicia's Temple Day & Blake goes to Urgent Care

2010-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

My sister Alicia (above) who is just 3 months younger than me (combined families) went through the Temple for the 1st time about 1 week ago!! It was so exciting. Good thing I saw that my stepmom mentioned she was going to the Temple with her daughter or I never would've known. Crazy!! I found out just in time & was lucky enough to not have anything else scheduled that night. Thank Goodness!!! I talked to Alicia & it was so funny because she said if I wasn't there she would've been mad & I said that if I found out about it later I would've been hurt. Kinda funny but the powers that be made it known to me & I was able to be there for her on this special day. I must say it was wonderful. It was probably the 1st time I've been to the Temple in a long time that I didn't have major things weighing me down & I was able to just enjoy being there & I wasn't really there searching for answers. It was lovely & I was just so happy!!

Our parents were there, Amelia (baby sis) & her husband Erick, good friends Amber & Matt & some other extended family members were there in support of this special day. It's so awesome to go to the Temple & have so many family members there too.

Before the Temple session we got together at our parents house for an early family dinner. When Blake got home from school that day he fell asleep on the recliner. This is very unusual for him but I just thought he was tired because he woke up a couple times the night before. So off we went to my parents house.

It was fun & we had Hawaiian Haystacks (a girls camp fave) & had a nice time visiting. We headed home after a little bit & Blake was just super tired & really wanted to go to bed. So we decided to get the kids ready...it was only 6:00....very early. Blake really wanted me to read to him & read the Scriptures before I left so I did & then I took the bandaid off of a scrape he had on his knee. Ooohhh!! It looked pretty nasty. I cleaned it up & it was not only gross but his entire knee was red. After some thought & a blessing & a 2nd opinion by my dad I had Brad take him to the Urgent Care. Good thing he took him because he had a pretty bad infection....Cellulitis....he had to get 2 shots & some antibiotics & they drew a circle around his kneecap & said if the redness continued outside of it he needed to be seen again. Thank goodness Brad was home & able to take him in while I was out at the Temple. If he had not been home I would have taken him myself & my sister would have understood. I'm so glad that I have a husband that is there to help out in parental responsibilities :) Anyway, I ended up taking him to his regular doctor & she gave him a 2nd RX & missed 2 days of school. The 2 rx's were able to bring down the swelling quickly...thank goodness. So Blake is fine & just finished up his 10 days of icky antibiotics. I never took any pics....but it was gross & now the scab is gone & he's got pink fresh skin. What a day & weekend!!!

Ok...this is horrible lighting..

.my camera only likes outdoor in the daylight it seems...

but this is me & Alicia after her session in the Temple.

I'm so happy for her making this step in her life.

CH Spring Fun Run

2010-05-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

My stake had a Spring 5k a week ago. I thought it would be a great way to start on my 5k's for the season. Besides it was totally FREE!!! I called my friend Sarah C. & let her know (she's my 5k buddy) & we planned to meet eachother there bright & early. I was also lucky enough to have Blake & Sonny spend the night with Grandpa & Naunie so I didn't have to find an early morning babysitter.

Me, Sarah & Melissa

Here's Melissa with her dad Jerry (they're from my old ward)

The Colvins (old ward)

My good frien Robin who we tortured & made jog with us.

She did great!!

Here's sidewasy Sarah with her husband Josh & dog Gus.

(couldn't figure out how to rotate it & I didn't want to spend an hour trying to figure it out.)

Here's another longtime friend...Darlene...after we were done. She's so awesome...I believe she came in almost 5 minutes before me. She's doing this awesome training.

(ok, seriously....my boobs are freaking huge in this picture...oh-my-gosh!!!)

Anyway...Sarah had her trusty watch with her & we did 1:1 intervals. 1min jog...1min walk.

I think we did great. When we were almost done Melissa's dad Jerry came back to find us & made her run the rest of the way (he is like a professional runner) & then I thought I can do this so I told Sarah I was off & started to jog almost the rest of the way.

I made it with a time of 42 minutes flat.

I believe that's my best time so far.

I guess we'll see how I do at the next one which is on Memorial Day.

I'm so excited & can't wait. I never thought I would ever enjoy jogging/walking for exercise but I really do. Ever since I trained last year for my 1/2 marathon. I just need to keep it up all year. I've been trying to walk outside or on the treadmill @ the gym for at least 20 minutes every day. I'm hoping I will shed these unwanted chubby spots that I have acquired over the last year too. It also helps that Blake & I can walk to school now that the weather has been nicer, & I've almost completely given up soda. It's going on 3 weeks & I've only had 3 sodas. I'm drinking a lot of water now.

Well wish me luck!!!

Rusch Park's Most Wanted

2010-05-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago our youth had their annual America's Most Wanted activity. Members of the ward sign up & get their "mug shot" taken so the kids know who they are looking for. (I don't have the original photos but they are posted in the hallway at church). The purpose is for the kids to find the "wanted" people throughout the facility & get them checked off. I have to admit I had no idea what to wear. Originally they do this activity at the local mall but the new owners said NO because it wouldn't bring them any business. Whatever!!! Well...we ended up doing this activity at the Wal-Mart that's almost across the street from us. They were nice enough to let us have our FUN there!!! Since we were going to Wal-Mart I decided to just go in "Wal-Mart" attire. Hahaha....what's that you ask....my lounge clothes/pj's!!! Plus my glasses, & a hat. It was sooo fun. Some kids knew who I was right away but others walked by me several times or I was able to ditch them before they found me. I have to say it was really fun. The best part was seeing a group ok kids & then being able to hide from them. Here's some of the "most wanted"......Milo Anderson....David Sewell....Scott, Kristen & Chase Jackman....Lisa & Paul Durston....yours truly....our Bishopric....& Bonnie Oyler who I believe tricked everybody including me. If you ever get asked to do this...do it...it's really fun!!!
FYI....I don't go to Wal-Mart looking like this...the only time I truly look like this is at Girl's Camp or if I'm really really sick :)

Character Shirts

2010-04-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

How many of you have shirts like this for your boys? Or the princess shirts for your girls.

I.HATE.THESE.SHIRTS!!!

And I think we have every single one ever created

(ok maybe not every single one but you catch my drift)

At 1st I thought these shirts were fun & great but I would LOVE it if Blake would take 1 or 2 days in the week to wear something that isn't Star Wars or Clone Wars related.

When I do the laundry I even try to hide these shirts in different spots so it's harder to find them (heeheehee)

but he always finds them (little bugger).

What's a mother to do?

Oh well...could be worse I guess.

Safetyville USA

2010-04-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Blake's 1st grade class went on a field trip to Safetyville USA. I went because I've never been there & I've always wanted to check it out.
Well, we went on a tour & learned all about.....
(drum roll please)
SAFETY!!!!
It was fun & good to reinforce all those rules that we as parents are always trying to teach our kids. Everything is minature there & that was so cute. Mini streets, street lights & signs, garbage cans, & places of business (that of course were not real). The kids were disappointed to find out that the McDonald's was fake. We had a fun time & I'm glad I got to go. I got to meet some of the other mom's of the kids that I meet on the morning walk & that Blake talks about. There's a picture of the kids on the ground & at 1st you might think they are doing STOP, DROP & ROLL....but they are actually in "log" position. If you come across a dog & you want it to leave you alone you are supposed to stop & stand like a "tree". If you are already on the ground you are supposed to become a "log"...rolling on your back & clasping your hands behind your head. They say it works so I think I'll try the "tree" one if I need to because I am not a big fan of big dogs. It was a great learning experience with a little fun sprinkled in.

Easter Dinner

2010-04-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful ham that Brad made for our Easter dinner.

I'm not much of a ham person but I must say that this was delicious!!

I am lucky to have a husband who likes to cook!!!

Photo

2010-04-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I think it's fun to play with pictures in Picasa 3.
So here's one I did but I have to say I miss
seeing the brightly colored shirts but I love the look of sepia too.
I also like to crop the bad stuff out when I'm doing a close-up. It's so nice.

I'm trying to figure out how to get my picasa pictures to load from the insert image while posting.
Anybody know how to do that? Please send your help my way. I don't mind blogging from picasa when I have 1 picture or a collage but I'd love to figure out how to blog more than 1 picture from picasa because that seems to be the place where I edit my photos most often. Also if I'm making a photo gift on one of the many sites that are out there I can't seem to figure out how to use a photo from picasa. If you know how to do this...please leave me a comment with instructions. If not I'm sure I'll figure something out. Thanks!!!

Blake & Sonny's Easter Pictures

2010-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here are my 2 handsome boys & all the funny faces that come along with them.

Looking down instead of at me & Sonny's new "side" smile.

Looking at me....Blake decided to put his arms around his brother.

They are so cute..."side" smile again.

Pretty similar but a little bit better.

I like this one.

I ♥ this one cuz they are both laughing & look like they are having fun.

A close-up.

And the last one.

I'm thinking that I need to go play around with the editing on a few of these to see what I can come up with.

I ♥ my boys!!!

Easter Pictures with Libby

2010-04-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

On Easter morning we decided to take the kids out front to take some pictures.

(trying to cut back on pictures @ studios...they can be pricey plus I can practice my raw skills).

My boys were not too happy about this but we finally got a few good shots. Actually....Kimi's pictures turned out way better than mine but she's a professional & has a way better camera & I don't have her pictures so we'll make do with what I took. Plus...I don't know why but I alway stand off to the side when I'm taking pictures...I need to stop doing that.

Have you ever seen a boy more sad?

Now that Blake is smiling...Sonny's pouting.

I love how his arms are crossed & his bottom lip is totally sticking out.

Still a little mad.

Now Blake's pouting again.

Ok...here we go...the boys are finally smiling!!! Yay!!!

And another one.

Doing better...Sonny looks like he may fall over.

This is a cute one.

And another cute one.

And we are DONE!!!!!

The boys & Libby have done pictures together many times but it was fun to just do it on our own & thank goodness for digital cameras!!! I need to practice more. The boys only are up next.

Easter Morning

2010-04-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well....the boys were up early

(but not really any earlier than any other morning)

& they were off

to find the eggs that were hidden.

They sure had fun!!

Don't you love those Easter baskets. Found those at Pier 1 Imports.

Blake seems to be a "master" egg finder & I think that next year we will definitely have to go

outside...(if the weather holds up) so there is more room.

Then we had breakfast & turned on General Conference.

I printed off confernce bingo & Blake & I played that til it was time to go to Grandpa & Naunie's for lunch.

We don't really play it traditionally...we just cross off everything we hear. I think it's a good way for him to pay attention to the words that are being said. I found some really awesome stuff for the kids to do all throughout the blogosphere. Someday I will print them out & do them with the kids...*sigh*.

But what I did hear in Conference was great & uplifting and I am so grateful to have the Gospel in my life. I feel extremely blessed not only to have the Gospel in my life but to know that I am a Daughter of God & He loves me no matter what. I grateful for my Testimony & that even when things get rough in life I don't turn away but I embrace the Gospel because I know that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me & cheering me on & I know that I can make it & I hope & pray that I can instill this into my boys & that they will never turn their back on the Lord & always turn to Him for guidance & that I can be an example of this to my husband as well. I'm grateful for the sacrice that my Savior made & for the knowledge that I have of all that includes. I am very blessed.

Got Eggs?

2010-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

We had several opportunities this year to decorate eggs.

We got together at my parent's house with my sister's & their kids (all boys)

to color eggs & we then colored more at our house because for some reason there was a surplus of hardboiled eggs. I also had Blake glue faces on some of those eggs to do something different. We also decorated foam egg shapes with stickers & hung those up on the door for decoration.

Naunie with the grandkids...Mason, Gabe, Blake & Sonny (heads)

Here's my boys.

What's up with the whisks? Let me explain.

Amelia (my sis) said she read in a magazine somewhere that putting the egg inside

a whisk makes coloring eggs easier for little ones. I thought it was a great idea.

The kids thought it was cool too.

Gabe & Blake

Gabe getting serious about this egg thing.

Mason...he's so cute...mom took his shirt off because he was bound to get

colored.

Stop taking my picture mom

Blake did the most...he is a little older & able to stay focused just a little longer.

Here we are at home & Sonny is showing me his plain white egg.

Do you like how conference is in the background? I was trying to watch it at the same time.

Blake showing me his plain white eggs. I wanted to to the extra eggs when we got home because I wanted to make eggs with really vibrant colors. The eggs we did @ Grandpa & Naunie's were more of a pastel color. They were pretty but I wanted them to be bright!!! So I used vinegar instead of just water to see if that's the key. Maybe it's the vinegar & the brand.

These turned out much brighter & I liked them a lot!!

(we used Paas brand which is the best I think).

The boys also decorated eggs with their cousin Libby & Grammy

earlier in the month but those pics didn't turn out. Oh well.

Next time.

A Night with Friends

2010-04-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

While my friend Sarah H. was in town visiting with her girls we were able to get together over at our friend Sarah C's (I know...lots of Sarah's but I haven't met a Sarah I haven't liked yet) house to hang out & have fun visiting. I decided to venture out without my boys because sometimes it's just nice to go by myself. I love my boys & they probably would've had fun with the girls but sometimes mom's need a break. It was fun visiting & watching Sarah C's husband Josh throw the kids around on the "love sack" (ginormous beanbag). Before I went over there I was able to finish up some baby bibs & a couple burp cloths that I made for Sarah H's bun in the oven. Haha. (yes, I really said that). I am finding that it is a much smoother process if I cut out all the bibs in one day & then sew them up on another & I think I've finally figured out how to sew them w/o the flaw that I always seem to have. Yay!!

Here's Sarah H & her 3 girls with the 4th girl on the way

Here's Josh with the girls.

And here's Josh with the 2nd girl. He loves those girls!!!

And here's the fronts & backs of the 6 bibs I put together.

It was so nice to see Sarah H. in person.

I wish we could've had more time but I grateful for the 2 days I did get to see her.

Someday my family will make it out to her neck of the woods & then I could visit my

brother & his family too. Wouldn't that be nice :)

A Visit to the Park

2010-04-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last week was Spring Break!! Yippee!!

I wasn't sure how everything was going to go seeing as how the weather didn't look so "springy".

And it's always a "joy" to find things for 4 kids to do when it's raining....hahaha.

BUT....I got a text from my friend Sarah H. saying that she was in town & she wanted to get together at a park so the kids could play. I think it's been at around 2 years since she & her family moved back out to Utah & she & her family have been greatly missed!! I was so excited & happy that I'd have a chance to see her while they were visiting. I told Blake & he was excited too!! So we set up a day & time to go to the park. I packed lunches for the kids & we set off to go to the park. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was only chilly & not raining outside. Thank goodness for that. We had a few other friends join us too....Miss Rose traveled with Sarah so of course she was there & Heather with her family as well. We had 8 kids there altogether & Sarah has 1 on the way. It was sooo fun to get together with all the kids again. We were there for 3 hours & it was a great way to play the day away & for us girls to catch up on what's been going on.
Here's a ton of pictures from our fun day at the park.

Colby on the slides.

Sonny

Here's the whole gang eating lunch....

(adults are...Sarah, Heather & Rose)

Here's Sarah's oldest upside down!!

Colby & Blake strategizing their next move.

Rose & Heather...sisters-in-law.

Here's Kylie & Sarah's youngest....(for now).

Sonny B (that's Kylie's cup)

Here I am again.

Action shot.

Laying on the bridge.

Here's me & my friend Sarah H.

I tried to fix my teeth in this picture but I couldn't figure it out.

NO!!

I'm not missing any teeth...it's a shadow...

or I really need to get my teeth whitened!!!

Blake & Colby in action.

Blake being attacked by 2 girls while Colby just stands in the background watching &

wondering...what the heck!!

And the girls conquered him!!

Don't they look sooo pleased!!

Here's all the kids in a group shot.

Sonny, Colby, Kylie, Blake

& then SD, MD(Heather's girl), SV, & SC

(the S girls are my friend Sarah's & I'm not using their names cuz their mom prefers it that way)

Well it was a really fun day at the park & I got the kids all packed up & ready to go &

of course....

Kylie had a poopy diaper....bleh...so I changed her in the back of my car & we were ready to go.

Not 5 mins after pulling out of the parking lot it started pouring!!!

Seriously!!! I must say that luck was on my side that day. Thank goodness it didn't start til

after I was done cleaning up the poopy diaper!!!!

Cabela's in Reno

2010-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

After Circus Circus we drove to Cabela's. Cabela's is like a the "costco" for any outdoor adventure involving hunting, fishing, camping, etc. It's actually a really cool place to check out. It has everything you need for an awesome camping adventure & then some. They have 2 really cool displays of "stuffed" animals...exotic jungle type & animals that hunters get from around the states ( I guess). It was fun to finally check out this "Great Outdoors" store (I have a few coats I received as gifts from there). We took some pictures & had lunch there. They serve meats that you wouldn't get at a local place but I stuck with the roast beef & the boys had hot dogs but Brad (as adventurous as he is) got a buffalo burger. The food was great!!

The lion & his prey...but we all know he didn't kill it...the female lions did.

If you know me...

you know that I ♥ elephants...

so of course I took this picture.

Here's a Lynx...Brad says he wants one of these....

yeah....right!!!

If you're ever in the Reno area & you have kids that like looking at animals,

make a stop at the Cabela's...it's really a cool place.

Circus Circus in Reno

2010-04-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we all ate pancakes in my parents room. It was fun & sure was nice to not have to eat 1 more meal out. While we were packing up Blake went downstairs with his older cousin Austin & played games. When we went to go get him Austin was teaching him chess. Kind of a big game for a 7 year old but I thought it was nice of Austin to hang out with Blake. Then we drove around a little bit & then Amelia called to say that everyone was going to Circus Circus & to meet them there. So we went to go play at Circus Circus. It was fun & there were lots of games to play...kind of reminded me of the State Fair. I think my faves are the mini skee ball race where your trying to get your horse to move the fastest & depending on what whole the ball goes in it moves a lot or a little & any of the squirting gun games. We won lots of little prizes. But man does it put a damper on things when you sit down with your 2 boys to play & nobody else is there & then bigger kids show up & they win. Jerks!!! J/k....sort of. Sonny got upset at 1st because Blake got a prize 1st but & then Brad took him to cool off but then Blake was so sweet & whenever he won another prize he would say, "this is for my brother". He is a sweet boy. Sonny finally realized that we had prizes for him too & finally came to join in. It was fun & I'm glad we went.

Games, Games, Games

April & Gabreal

Sonny with some prizes

Now it's off to Cabela's to look at the "real" stuffed animals & eat lunch.

Aaron & Jen's Wedding......Tahoe/Reno

2010-04-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

!!!WARNING!!!

!!!THIS IS A LONG POST....BE PREPARED!!!

!!!WARNING!!!

My step-brother Aaron & his Fiancee Jen decided to get married in Tahoe & then have their family celebration in Reno. The wedding was a little over a week ago. We decided to drive up on Saturday morning to attend the wedding while the rest of the family drove up to Reno on Friday & then to Tahoe on Saturday for the ceremony. I know...kinda crazy but it wasn't my wedding. My parents are part of Worldmark so we were able to stay at the Timeshare in Reno too. Well....we left to head up to Tahoe but we had to make a few stops on the way. 1st...the clownfish Brad got for the tank was not doing so hot so he took it to his brother's to see if his tank was a better environment than ours. Then off to McDonald's for breakfast. Then we were finally off. The drive was nice & the boys were sleepy & quiet pretty much the whole time. We got up there way early so we decided to walk around. It was beautiful outside & a bit on the chilly side & I was so glad I took my coat & the boys had their sweaters.

It was fun seeing all the people walk around in their snow clothes & snowboard/ski equipment while I walked around in my nice outfit & High heels.

So...I should've brough 2 pairs of shoes because walking in heels is seriously no fun after a while. My feet were killing me!!!! Lesson learned!!

We took the kids to play games in Harveys/Harrahs (I can never remember which one it is) & we played too. I love getting tickets. It's so fun. Then we ate lunch at Cabo Wabo's which is funny to me because the last time we ate there it was actually in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico about 8 1/2 years ago on our honeymoon. Lot's of memories but I won't go there now. The nachos we got were really good too. So now it's time to go to "Chapel of the Bells" & we need to get there a little early because my dad forgot the camera he was supposed to take the wedding photos with. Well.....needless to say we were there before anybody else. I guess they put an earlier time on the invites to make sure everybody got there ON TIME!! Since we had some time to kill. I took pictures of....what else...my cute boys.

Ye olde outside chapel.

The boys kept wanting to play with the snow even though it was really dirty. I know that they were tasting it too...bleh!!! But what was I going to do...chase them down...NO!!...it was cold out there.

Sonny came to me & said my hands hurt...my hands hurt. I asked him if he was playing with the snow & he said yes so I took his hands & warmed them up in my (cold) hands so they wouldn't hurt anymore. He got better...it was cute. Guess I need to take them to a snow park to really play in the snow.

And here's Blake just making a goofy face.

Ohhhh...LOOK!! There's the Bride running in to put on the finishing touches!!!

She looked so pretty!!

There's my Step-mom Dawn & my Step-brother Aaron the Groom.

Now this chapel was on the small side. It was quite cozy to say the least but it served it's purpose for Aaron & Jen. I'm just glad they didn't invite more people than they did because then the chapel really would've been bursting at the seams!!!

(Here's only a couple pictures I took. As you all know I'm STILL trying to figure out my new camera & the other one is MIA for the time being. Thank goodness I wasn't the professional. I'm learning that it doesn't really take good inside pictures & it was really crowded so it was hard to get a GREAT picture, but I still wanted to share a couple.)

Lighting the Unity candle.

AND.....they're FINALLY Married!!!!!!

Congratulations Aaron & Jen!!!

After the ceremony we all went outside to wait & blow bubbles & pop streamers as they headed to their car.

Erick, Mason & Amelia with the bubbles

Brad blowing bubbles. The bubbles were fun for everyone.

Then we all took family pictures & we were off to meet everyone in Reno at the suite Aaron & Jen had at the Peppermill. On the way there we stopped at Johnny Rockets so we could eat. It was fun to hang out there for a little bit. Then we got to the Peppermill & in their suite is where they did their toasts & had appetizers & cut the cake. It was nice & cozy!! Their suite was actually really nice & the bathroom was soooo awesome!! I like when the bathroom is really nice. Then we went to the timeshare & checked in & went with everybody to the "hot pool". That was so nice to sit there & relax & play with all the kids. No pictures for that one...don't have a waterproof camera. When we got out it was funny to see all of our "white as snow" kids with their legs so pink from the water. I really need to make sure my kids are in swim lessons this summer.

I think we all had a nice time relaxing & thank goodness I took our bathing suits.

~Shannon

Snacks on the Swing

2010-04-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

Nice day for a snack outside!!

This was NOT during Spring Break.

It was a week before & the weather was

so nice that they decided to go back outside to eat their snacks.

~Shannon

Easter Outfits Early

2010-04-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Brad & I were out shopping a few weeks back & ended up at the Children's Place Outlet looking at Easter outfits for the boys. I originally wanted to get the blue/yellow outfits but when we got there they also had purples & blues & greens. I always love to get the sweater vests but it was all starting to add up & I am really trying to watch how & what we spend our money on so we decided to go with solid shirts & then have the boys wear matching ties & they could wear pant from home that they already have. So that's what we did. They wore these outfits 2 weeks ago because our Easter services were early due to General Conference actually being on Easter this year & we usually watch conference at home on satellite.

Don't they look so handsome!!!

Even with Sonny's grumpy face.

Hopefully I can get them to wear them again on Easter Sunday when we go hunting for Easter eggs. We'll just have to wait & see I guess.

~Shannon

Brad's New Obsession

2010-03-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well...here it is!!!

Brad got a salt water fish tank.

He kept buying fish for his brother's tank & then he finally got one himself. As much as I wish he wouldn't have spent the $$ on this I'm warming up to it. We've only had it for 4 days but everyone has to sit & watch what's going on. Kind of like a new TV. So...I've been able to shut the TV off more during the day & that's nice. Bryan gave us the starfish & the crab & then Brad bought the snail & clown fish. It's actually really cool to watch the whole world in there. The crab has major personality & it's cool to watch him switch from shell to shell. He always picks the one that's too heavy but has lots of points on it & then I suppose he gets tired & switches to the lighter one. All in all I think this is pretty cool. I am a fan of animals that I don't necessarily have to touch but can watch from a distance so this is perfect for me. And Brad spends a lot of time going to the pet stores to figure out what's best for our new tank & the creatures inside.

(do you like how the remote control is sitting right next to the tank...hahaha)

~Shannon

Opening Day for Little League

2010-03-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's official!!

The Little League Season has begun!!

Blake is on a Coach Pitch team this year & as far as I can tell he's doing great!! He's already hadHe's on the Red Sox. He's been on a different team every year. Opening day was this last Saturday where they announce all the teams & then they have bounce houses & slides & little carnival games to raise $$ for the league. I had to supervise the bounce house for a little bit & that was kinda fun but glad I didn't have to do it for very long. Time passes so slow when you are waiting for 4 minutes to go by to let the next group in.

It was a nice day & we even ran into a couple of kids from Blake's class & I finally met their mom.

I hope Blake does great this season!! 1st game is this Thursday!!

The backside of the team.

Blake & his good buddy Nolan. He's always been a head taller than him.

Grandpa, Blake & Naunie

Grandpa, Blake, Sonny & Naunie

Sonny was decked out in A's gear because that was Blake's team last year. Eventually I will get

out to get him his own Red Sox shirt & hat & maybe I'll get a coordinating shirt too!!

~Shannon

St. Patty's Day Cupcakes

2010-03-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Blake & Colby

Last week was St' Patrick's Day...just in case you forgot.

I made sure the kids had some green on & every year I wonder...why can't they just wear the all green shirts that I pick out for them...why oh why? Oh well.

I thought it would be fun to make cupcakes & decorate them with green sprinkles from the Christmas stash & green Mike & Ikes. Actually my idea was to make shamrocks with green frosting but I decided to go the easier route for the kids. I made the cupcakes with my fabulous Demarle flexible bakeware while Blake was at school & then when we got home we decorated them. Kylie's was gone before I even gave her the frosting & Sonny only got a little frosting on before he decided it was easier to just eat the frosting & cupcake by themselves. Blake & Colby had a really fun time making their special cupcakes & then decorating the rest. It was fun to watch. It's not a holiday that we do much for so it was fun to make a sweet treat & the kids enjoyed it too.

~Shannon

Our Trip to Monterey

2010-03-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

We decided we needed to get away with the boys.

I mentioned to Brad that I really wanted to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium...so that's where we decided to go. We got our tax refund & Brad booked us a hotel in Monterey & we left on a Saturday morning. It was quite the adventure driving there because it was sooo stormy!! I'm am definitely a passenger driver....especially when it's raining & I'm not in control. Now let me just say that Brad is a really good driver....I just have a harder time in the rain. It poured so hard in some areas. It was CrAzY!! We saw at least 3 accidents going in the opposite direction. It was a little scary...but we made it safe & sound. We stayed in this really nice hotel. I loved the simplicity of the colors & the furnishings in the room. The bed was just a little bit small for us but it was only 1 night so we survived. The 1st night we checked out the Fisherman's Wharf & walked around & ate dinner. It was sooo good. I loved my Shrimp Louie salad with fresh shrimp & crab. Delicious & Brad liked his selection too (can't remember what he got because I would never order it). And then we got some ice cream. The boys loved that!! After ice cream Brad took the boys to the "hot" pool for a little bit while I relaxed by myself.

On Sunday morning we got up & got ready, went to "Red's Donuts" (they were good) & headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We got there early so there was plenty of time to look out at the ocean. While we were taking in the ocean we saw some sea lions & there was even a girl there that was observing them for her job & was telling me about them. It was so cool & I REALLY actually saw them out in the water. For whatever reason I never see cool stuff like that & just say "oh yeah...I saw it" even if I didn't. I think Brad's catching on that I'm not exactly telling the truth. But I did in fact see them & there was one swimming close enough that I was able to get a semi-decent picture. The weather was amazing too...not like the day before!!

Then we were off to get in line & boy were we glad that we bought tickets in advance.

There was soo much to see & the boys had a blast!! I think Brad & I enjoyed ourselves just as much as they did. There was so much to see & do. Fish, jellyfish, sea lions, sharks, manta rays, penguins & whatever else you can think of. We went to the "petting" area & I actually touched a mantaray. I say this because I have this weirdness with touching strange things. I was lucky to touch one because I think they know that we are all trying to touch them & stay in the corners away from everybody as long as they can. Blake's arms just weren't long enough but later on he did hold a crab & he thought that was really cool.

It was really a lot of fun!!

After lunch we went outside for a bit to take in the beautiful scenery. There were all these seagulls outside so Brad & Sonny were feeding them their oyster crackers leftover from lunch. All of a sudden out of nowhere a pelican flew overhead & all the other birds scattered like crazy & then all of a sudden (again) it landed!! Like so close...it was crazy!!! Now these are not the prettiest of birds but it was awesome to be that close so I took some pictures of this crazy bird.

It's like he was posing for us!! It was cool that I got a picture of him in flight & then standing right there in front of us. I'm so glad we were outside to witness this. Who knows if we'll ever see a pelican that close again. We had a wonderful day at the aquarium & I'm so glad we went even if it was just for 2 days. We really needed to get away for some fun "Family Time". Then we headed back home to meet up with Brad's dad for another Birthday dinner. I can't wait to go back to Monterey when the weather is just a bit warmer & we can spend some time at the beach.

~Shannon~

Shan B. & Family!!

Blake's Baptism~2/5/2011

Nature's Critters~Sonny's Preschool Class 2011

Happy New Year!!! 12/31/10-11

Blake's 8th Birthday!! 12/31/2010

A Windy Day & a New Helicopter

Bounce U...Christmas Break 2010

Christmas Collages~2010

December Fun~2010

Mason turned 2!! November 2010

November 2010

Disneyland~November 2010

Breast Cancer 5k~10/2010

Bradbushka!!

Halloween~2010

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm~Oct.2010

Halloween Festivites~October 2010

Pumpkins All Around~October 2010

Sonny's 4th Birthday~October 2010

Blake's Jog-a-Thon 2010

Sonny's trip to the Firestation

Discovery Park

Happy Birthday Libby

A Temple Sealing

Sonny's 1st day of Preschool!!

Rivercats Game

Ice Cream

Blake's 1st Day of 2nd Grade!!

A Soccer Banner

A Hot day in August!!

Susan B. Anthony 5k & 120 miles Update

Stillwater Cove & The Firepit

Hangin' out at the Coast House

A Trip to the Coast (part 1)

Crazy Cat Lover

Rocklin Splash Park

Fire Attack Swimming!!

Pioneer Day Festivities!!

Eclipse...Finally!!!

Umi Goggles

Washable Markers

Playing with Trains & Show me your Muscles!!!

Swimming Fun!!

A trip to the Zoo

FRUSTRATED!!!!

Swimming & a Lake Day

4th of July

Swimming with the DeGraff's

Ward Picnic

Red, White & Blue Parade

A Domino Sick Day

Ugly T-shirts & Father's Day

Sonny's Talk

120 Miles *Update*

My Little Ragamuffins

Sonny with a Bowtie

I'm NOT tired!!!

THE CHALLENGE**120 Miles in 3 Months**

My Annual "No Excuses" Memorial Day 5k

Goodbye Red Sox!! (for now)

Blake's Incredible Month of May

Peanut Butter Cookies & Baseball

Blake's Open House

Stung by a Bee

Happy (late) Mother's Day!!!

Howie Cat

Colby's 5th Birthday Party

Mormon Helping Hands Day

Alicia's Temple Day & Blake goes to Urgent Care

CH Spring Fun Run

Rusch Park's Most Wanted

Character Shirts

Safetyville USA

Easter Dinner

Photo

Blake & Sonny's Easter Pictures

Easter Pictures with Libby

Easter Morning

Got Eggs?

A Night with Friends

120 Miles Update

THE CHALLENGE120 Miles in 3 Months