Brian, Erin, Kaitlyn, & Hailey

Harry Potter Land

2012-01-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

So definitely one of the highlights for me was going to Universal Studios to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Harry Potter!!!! I was so happy the whole time. Definitely one of my nerdiest moments, but I don't care, it was awesome.

Hogwarts Castle

Hagrid's Hut

Gilderoy Lockhart....*swoon*

Zonkos

Butterbeer, sooo yummy!!!

Sirius!

I'm glad Brian's sisters, Lisa and Krissy, were there to be nerdy with me.

Hermione's dress

Oh my heck, it was like I was there! The portraits moved and everything!

Professor Dumbledore's office

The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom

The sorting hat

Eating at the Three Broomsticks...the Three Broomsticks, me, eating there!

Wands

Princesses!

2012-01-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

The best part of the trip for the girls was definitely all the princesses (and faries!) they got to meet.

Vidia the fast flying fairy

Tinkerbell

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen

A kiss from Princess Tiana!

Rapunzel!!!

Sleeping Beauty

Belle

Cinderella

Prince Eric and Ariel

Another princess kiss, this one from Ariel!

Disney World-Magic Kingdom

2012-01-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

We spent most of our time (5 days) at the Magic Kingdom.

The monorail, anxiously waiting to finally get there!

Colton was perfect! He was happy as can be outside in that stroller...he even got his naps in!

The sword in the stone

This is pretty much what we looked like at the end of every day

Hailey was very serious about finding our way around

The Christmas lights on the castle were gorgeous on the castle!

Peter Pan ride

Winnie the Pooh ride

Grandma and Grandpa

Disney World-Hollywood Studios

2012-01-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Studios was a fun park. It was mostly shows, but really good ones!

The best show was the Disney Junior show because it had Jake and the Neverland Pirates - one of my kids faves!

Beauty and the Beast

I love Castle...

And the best part....Phineas and Ferb of course!

Disney World-Animal Kingdom

2012-01-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas we got to take a trip with Brian's family to Disney World in Orlando. It was a crazy week and a half full of Mickey Mouse, rides, and fun!

One of the parks we went to was Animal Kingdom. The best part of that day was the mini-safari we got to go on!

Happy 5th Birthday to Kaitlyn!

2012-01-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

My how time flies! I can't believe Kaitlyn is FIVE already! She'll be going to school in the fall...I can barely believe it! We had a fun party with our families to celebrate the occasion.

Kaitlyn's Dance Recital

2012-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn is in a tap class and a creative class this year. We were so proud of her at her recital, she did such a good job on the big stage with her dances!

Trick-or-Treating!

2012-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

This was Colton's first Halloween and he, along with his sisters, had soooo much fun and got soooo much candy! As for mom, she finally got her boy she could dress up like Harry Potter!!! yay!

Maybe Pumpkin Patch

2012-01-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Gardner Village

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

We love Gardner Village around Halloween. We went with the Peterson's down there for some Halloween fun!

The girls LOVED getting their faces painted!

Our Little CHEERLEADER!

2011-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn went to a Cheer clinic over at Bingham High School this week and last night got to cheer at the Varsity Football game! It was ADORABLE. I was a very proud mommy and Brian loved every second of seeing her in his school's blue and white!

Rivalry Relay

2011-09-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I ran in a relay with some of my family. It was sooo fun! It was called the RIVALRY RELAY and it went from the University of Utah down to BYU. 64 total miles. We had a 6 person team and each team member had 3 legs each. It was a BEAUTIFUL run along the Wasatch Mountains. We had such a blast.

Everyone on our team was or is an Oborn so our team name was
OBORN TO RUN….FOR CHOCOLATE!

Here we are at 6:30am starting the race!

Meet our team!

Katie

a.k.a Almond Joy

Tamara

a.k.a Coconut M&Ms

Allyx

a.k.a Hershey's Cookies'n'cream

Kallie

a.k.a. Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bear

Sara

a.k.a Mrs. Goodbar

Erin

a.k.a. Caramello

We told you we were running for chocolate…and we got it! We also won the prize for best dressed! :)

Sister Trip!

2011-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

My sisters, sister-in-law, and I took a quick weekend trip to St. George to relax and hang out. (Colton did have to tag along with all the girls because he still goes where I go.) The only pics I have are by the pool because pretty much all we did was hang out by the pool! It was a blast and a nice little getaway with the gals.

We had an all-out-girls-night while we were there. We ate pizza and brownies, watched a little Matthew McConaughey, and painted our nails!

Harry Potter Finale

2011-07-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

It was a bitter-sweet night last week for the premire of the final Harry Potter movie. I was so excited to finally see it, but also sad that it was going to be over. OF COURSE, my family and friends got all dressed up to go to the midnight showing. So fun!

Jake was sooooo scary!

My sis-in-law Tamara is AWESOME and made all these fun, delicious treats!

We definitely weren't the only ones at the theater dressed up (not even close) but we definitely drew attention to ourselves!

4th of July-Prologue

2011-07-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

My 4th of July started early...try 5am early! I went down to Provo to do the the Freedom Run with my sister and sister-in-law.

Allyx and I rocked it out in the 5K. My girls were very impressed with my "shiny medal" !!

Tamara joined us at the finish line later because she is awesome and ran the 10K! Woot Woot! My goal next year is to join her. :)

4th of July

2011-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July we met up with my cousins and had a big picnic at a park. It was a GREAT way to celebrate the 4th, and we had a ton of fun!

Birthday Golf Trip

2011-07-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a trip to St. George with our good friends Mike and Mindi. Both Brian and Mike turned 30 in the last month so Mindi and I thought a weekend-o-golf would be a fun present for them! They played a total of 45 holes in 2 days!

We also swam in the pool to cool off from the RIDICULOUS heat!

We went to a really fun restaurant with fondue and our very own hot stones to cook our steaks on. Very cool.

We took the babies but left the rest of the kiddos.

MORE GOLF….

And what did Mindi and I do while all the golf was going on????. . .

Mostly sat in our sweats and read. It was amazing. :)

CMT Music Awards!

2011-06-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

The first week in June Brian and I got a call on Monday letting us know we had two tickets to the CMT Music Awards in Nashville that Wednesday. Well OF COURSE we wanted them! So Tuesday we hopped on a plane and headed to Tennessee! It was so fun. Best show I’ve EVER seen! We had great seats and got to see so many amazing performances.

Here we are waiting for the show to begin…after walking around Nashville in the extreme heat and humidity…!

Toby Keith opened the show with a new song, "Made in America" it was INCREDIBLE!

Hailey's 2nd Birthday

2011-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

On May 15th our little Hailey turned TWO! They grow soooo fast!

I'm an Official Soccer Mom!

2011-06-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn is playing soccer this summer and it is so fun! She mostly just runs in whatever direction all the other kids are running. If she does kick it, she usually stops and looks at us beaming waiting for a little recognition. Pretty funny!

St. George

2011-06-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in May we headed south for some sunshine and warmer temps! We stayed with my aunt and had a blast with cousins and my grandparents.

Easter

2011-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Colton's Blessing

2011-04-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Time Sure Flies

2011-03-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has already been a month since Colton was born. Time goes by TOOOO fast!!!! Its been so fun to have him join our family. I can't imagine our lives without Colton. He's just so stinkin' cute!

Things I've learned since Colton was born:

1. Boy are so much fun!

2. It's nice not having to worry about making sure I have a bow on the little one each time I walk out the door

3. While Kaitlyn handled Hailey being born by giving all her attention to Brian, Hailey is one heck of a momma's girl, ESPECIALLY if I am holding Colton

4. Changing diapers just became a whole lot scarier...what with a "hose" that could let loose at any sec!

5. Winter is a scary time to have a baby, we feel a little like we are quarantined around here

6. People look at me when we are out, count the kids, then look at me again with a funny look....probably because I look so much younger than I am!

7. With each kid, my capacity for unconditional love grows more and more!

Today I made a major trip to the store with ALL THREE kids! I had tried to pawn the girls off, but when it didn't work out I figured I better take the opportunity to see how it would work. I have to admit I felt a little like a Rock Star when I made it to and from the car with no one getting hit, was able to get all my groceries in the cart (with the car seat in there), and the kids all behaved pretty well. :)

Even if it had been a lot harder, I think it still would be worth it. I love riding in the car with the girls. Kaitlyn totally rocks out to Taylor Swift with me (she knows ALL the words to ALL the songs) and Hailey "la las" the best she can with us. Sometimes Kaitlyn even asks to listen to the "talking guys"...it looks like I have little Glenn Beck and Rush babies! Its pretty fun.

Iron Chef Tenney!

2011-02-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

Who needs a restaurant when Brian and I are in the kitchen! Last night we were craving burgers. Not just any burger though...we wanted big, juicy, messy, all out burgers! BUT, it was Sunday - so Red Robin was out. So we raided the fridge and made some of the yummiest burgers we've ever had! I just had to share a picture of our masterpiece.

Introducing...

2011-02-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

He’s here! Colton was born Tuesday the 1st at 5:46pm. He definitely took me by surprise. The plan was to be induced Friday the 4th. So, I had my whole week planned out as I was awaiting the little guy. I had stuff I was going to do around the house, stuff with the girls, grocery shopping, ect. Well, Tuesday morning I woke up and my water broke! Craziness! So I frantically went around the house trying to clean up what I could and get us all packed so the girls could go to my mom’s and Brian and I could head to the hospital.

At the hospital….things went pretty normal. They got me all set up and I got my pitocin. Once my labor got bad I got my epidural. It helped but then wore off so the anesthesiologist gave me another stronger dose that worked GREAT. Brian and I spent a lot of the waiting and laboring time deciding what we were going to name the little guy. (we thought we had a few more days to nail it down, agghhh!) So, how did we come up with his name… I will tell you. Sunday night Brian and I were watching the X-games, anxiously waiting Shaun White’s ride down the pipe to win the gold (he did by the way, and it was awesome!) There was a guy doing tricks on his snowmobile named Colton. We both really liked it but didn’t think much more about it till the hospital. As we kept talking and then when we saw him, we just knew our little man was a Colton!

When it was time to push everything was pretty normal EXCEPT for the fact that BRIAN GOT TO DELIVER THE BABY! It was so cool. Brian asked the doctor, doc threw something at Brian, Brian caught it, so he said YES! Brian was all scrubbed up and he got to stand there while the doctor stood off to the side and told him what to do. It was a really neat experience for Brian and something he’ll always have special with Colton.

So Brian brought our little Colton into this world (I did some of the work too). He was 6lbs 7oz (our BIGGEST baby yet). It was wonderful and even though it was the 3rd time I have birth it was still just as amazing and special. I don’t know what we ever did without Colton!

Colton was very jaundice when he was born. So much so, that he spent most of his time at the hospital under lights. I pretty much could only take him out to feed him. It was sort of sad, but they did bring the lights in my room so we got to spend time with him. He’s doing great now though!

We love our little man, he is a great baby, and so cute! The girls love him too and Kaitlyn is doing her best to be a BIG helper! So fun!

Family Sprinkle!

2011-01-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

So I have the cutest family ever! They threw me a "SPRINKLE" for this little baby boy that's getting ready to make his appearance in a few weeks. It was so fun just to be with the girls, laugh, and eat!

My sis-in-law Tamara is quite a thinker and decided to make...now don't get offended...wieners and balls for the party! It was awesome. :)

Everyone spent time making me the cutest onesies ever!

I love my fam!!!!

Thanks Sara for all the pics!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Festivities began the day before Christmas Eve when we headed over to the Food Bank to see Santa. Kaitlyn LOVED it!

Hailey did not so much love it, but liked her present in the end!

On Christmas Eve we went with my family out to dinner.

Kaitlyn and Camryn sure do love each other!

After dinner we bundled up and headed down to Temple Square to see the lights. It was cold, but not unbearably cold - so that was good.

Kaitlyn was trying to prove her point that she was tired apparently...

My cute parents! They have ALWAYS tried to make sure each and every Christmas was fun and memorable. Thanks mom and dad!

The funnest part for the girls was that they got to ride the train! We took TRAX back and forth to avoid the traffic - well worth it and even fun!

It was a very fun Christmas Eve! Thanks family!

Winter Wonderland!

2010-12-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

When we woke up to all the snow on Tuesday we decided to take advantage of the day and went down to my sister-in-law's and let the girls play in the snow with their cousins. So fun!

Hailey got ALL bundled!

Sledding was the funnest!

Hailey and Kenzie

Snow Angles!

Kaitlyn and Camryn made a very awesome snowman they named Frosty...

Hailey spent her time eating as much snow as she could!

Princess Kaitlyn is 4!!!

2010-12-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

On the 11th Kaitlyn turned 4!!! I cannot believe how fast time flies. She is getting so big so fast. (not in how tall she is of course, she's still a little munchkin like her mom!) We threw her a Princess Birthday Party with all her little friends. She had a blast.

First we had a PRINCESS show up to help with all the fun and games. (Courtesy of my beautiful sister Allyx)

We played Pin the Kiss on the Frog!

All the Princes and Princesses got to make crowns and wands

A cake fit for a Queen

Kaitlyn, Mia, and Taya

Hailey REALLY liked her cupcake!

Kaitlyn's First Dance Recital!

2010-12-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn had her first dance recital last weekend! It was soooo cute! We were so proud of her, she did so good and had such a fun time. Being the cheese-ball pregnant lady that I am, it of course made me cry to see her up there on stage for the first time. I was also laughing my head off at these cute girls. Lots of emotion for me!

The girls did some warming up on stage before the performance began

Kaitlyn and Mia

Anna, Kaitlyn, and Mia

After the performance, everyone wanted some time with the DANCING QUEEN!

Hailey was first for the hugs of course!

One Last Trip Before Baby

2010-12-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Brian does a lot of traveling out to California and we’ve been talking about me going with him sometime. With the baby coming we decided that we needed to do this trip quick before I can’t fly or the baby comes and I can’t do much! So about a week and half ago we jumped on a plane to spend a long weekend in Monterey and San Francisco. Brian did have to work a little, but I still had a great time just relaxing, reading, and walking around the shops.

We stayed right on the water. This is what we could see from our hotel.

The best part of the trip was the drive we took from Monterey to San Fran up Highway 1. It follows the coast and is beautiful!!!

Here is the gorgeous beach that we saw and HAD to stop at.

For all of those people that make fun of me for not liking the ocean and being a little scared of it….take a look at this sign…

Sure sounds like a fun time to me….:)

A beautiful lighthouse we saw from the road.

It started raining quite a bit so we grabbed a pizza and pulled up to a beach to eat in the car. We saw some awesome wind surfers out there!

We of course had to take a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge (I started singing the theme to Full House everytime we saw it...good thing Brian loves me so much!)

Once in San Francisco we went to the wharf for some clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls (yum!) and of course had to check out the Ghirardelli Chocolate factory for some hot cocoa! (look close and you can see how soaking wet we were!)

It was such a fun little trip. It was nice to get away and have a relaxing trip with just Brian before the craziness of the holidays and the craziness that will be 3 kiddos!

Collin Raye!!!!

2010-11-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last week Brian and I got to go to the Collin Raye Concert at the Desert Star Theater. Brian's parents gave us the tickets back in August for our birthdays, so it was FINALLY time!!!

I love Collin Raye, I've loved him forever. He turned me to country music back in the day..sniff, sniff. He was AWESOME!!!! Brian didn't realize he would know so many of the songs, but he did and enjoyed the concert ALMOST as much as I did. :)

Disney on Ice

2010-11-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took Kaitlyn to Disney on Ice. She LOVED it!

Kaitlyn's good buddy Jack came with his parents too. The two kiddos were VERY excited as the show was about to begin!

Dasiy and Minnie!

One EXCITED little girl! During the whole show Kaitlyn kept saying "this is so awesome!" and "this is the best thing I've ever seen!"

Pumba & Timone!

My brother Dane and my neice Camryn

Peter Pan even flew for us!

And one of the best parts of the night for Kaitlyn...the Trax ride back to our car!

Trick-or-Treat!

2010-11-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

We had a very happy Halloween! To start the festivities, I made pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin faces. Kaitlyn loved it, and who doesn't love chocolate with breakfast!

For dinner we had some Witches Brew and I made Mummy Dogs and bloody daggers! (Ew)

Here is our sweet Minnie Mouse! I couldn't find any Minnie costume I liked very much so I ended up making this one and I think it turned out pretty cute! Kaitlyn LOVED it and getting it off her at the end of the night was quite the struggle!

Hailey went as a baby lamb. So CUTE! I dressed as a KC Chiefs player. Go Chiefs! (It fit over my belly and was very comfy...perfect for me!)

Trick-or-Treating was very fun. We took the girls out with their friends Porter and Ellery. They were a cute group! Kaitlyn actually got cold pretty fast and was done after a few of the scary masks she saw. But Hailey LOVED it! She'd go right up to the door to get that candy. She was just a little upset that she couldn't eat the candy while we were going.

My siblings were pretty creative. Allyx went as a camper and Taylor as a Lawn Nome. So Funny.

My sis-in-law Tamara wins the night! She dressed as Rainbow Bright and her daughter Kenzie was a little Sprite. I LOVE it!!!!

My cousins crack me up! the picture on he left was a Halloween probably close to 20 years ago, they re-created it this Halloween. We were dying, it was awesome!

Stephanie won the HOT award as Little Red Riding Hood!

Cute Cousins!

Nana, Papa, and all their grandkiddos! (Its about time they are getting a boy huh!)

It was a great Halloween! Its stuff like this that makes being a mom sooo fun!

Witches Night Out

2010-10-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my friends and I went to Gardiner Village to WITCHES NIGHT OUT! It was a lot of fun...there are some crazy people out there!

The Crew!

(When I asked Brian how I looked in my witch outfit he said "pregnant". looking at this pic..its true!)

We saw these OUT OF CONTROL witches and HAD to get our picture with them. So funny....

Pumpkin Carving-inator!

2010-10-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last night we did some pumpkin carving! Really, Brian did most of the carving...the girls weren't too keen on the idea of sticking their hands in the mushy stuff! They still had fun though!

Brian did a great job! His Doofenshmirtz (from Phineas & Ferb) pumpkin turned out AWESOME!!!!

Kaitlyn and I decided to paint our pumpkins.

I love Halloween!

Halloween Cookies!

2010-10-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and I had a great day together. We made Halloween cookies! This is fast becoming a tradition for the two of us. Kaitlyn absolutely loves making sugar cookies, rolling out the dough, using the cookie cutters, and of course...THE FROSTING! Each major holiday I've been finding fun cookie cutters and we spend a day making festive cookies.

Today we made ghosts, pumpkins, and bats! It was very fun and we both had tummy aches by the end from all the licks of frosting and eating the "broken" cookies.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Halloween traditions is our annual trip to Maybe's Pumpkin Patch! We took the girls last night and they had a BLAST running around in the dirt and picking out their pumpkins.

My brother came with his family too. Here is Hailey with her cousin Kenzie.

Bingham High School class of '00!

2010-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

This month we went to Brian's HS Reunion. It was a fun to spend the evening with a lot of our friends, especially the ones we haven't seen in a while. 10 years....man we're getting old!

Venezuela, Caracas Mission

2010-10-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month we attended Brian's mission reunion. It was fun for me to meet some of the people Brian served with and way fun for Brian to reminisce with old buddies. Brian especially loves to visit with his Mission President. President Webb is an amazing man and Brian rally looks up to him. Even though it was way the heck up in Ogden, it was still way fun!

For those Die Hard Potter Freaks...like me....

2010-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is the BEST trailer I've seen so far! agghhhh!

Did you see Dobby!?! aaggghhhhhh!

Bring on the Ninja Turtle Underoos!!!

2010-09-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Finally! We had our ultrasound today and in 20 more weeks, a baby BOY will be joining our family! We are sooo excited. We would’ve been so happy with another little girl too (we think we make cute ones) but it’ll be so fun to have a boy! Everything else looked good too, and from what they could tell he is strong and healthy and likes to kick my bladder…a lot!

Oh and, Kaitlyn has informed us that we need to name her new baby brother: Gaston. . . I guess that’s better than “the Beast”

I would like to dedicate this song to Brian!

Kailtyn's First Day of Dance!

2010-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Kaitlyn had her first dance class. She was soooo excited! I admit I was pretty excited too. ( To be honest, I've been waiting for this day for about 4 years, since I found out I was pregnant with a little girl!) Kaitlyn sometime stepped aways from the other girls to twirl on her own, but she had a great time and can't wait to go back each week.

Here she is ready to go!

Kaitlyn is in class with her good friend Mia! (they are only 4 months apart...man I have short kids!)

If there is a camera out, Hailey is all over it! She gets right in front of me and just grins till I finally take a picture of her. So, after getting some pics of Kaitlyn in her tights, I had to get some of smiley here.

Miss Independant

2010-08-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hailey has been trying to do a lot of things on her own lately so I thought it was about time to let her start learning how to feed herself.

The first time went....okay

The second time went... not so okay... but she loved it and it was pretty funny to watch!

Cute accessories and clothes!

2010-08-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

My sister is having a kick-off sale on her new website so I thought I would share it with y'all! She's got super cute stuff on there!
http://junebywhittnallyx.blogspot.com/

We will soon be outnumbered!

2010-07-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

So yep, in just over 6 months Brian and are going to be outnumbered. We are having another baby!!!! We are so thrilled. Kaitlyn (and Hailey too if she knew what was going on) is sooo excited and some days she tells me she REALLY wants another baby sister and some days she tells me she REALLY wants a baby brother. We’ll take either as long the baby is healthy and strong and cuddly like the other two! Baby is due February 8th, so till then I’ll take advantage of having a hand for each kid. Yippee!

Trip up the Canyon

2010-07-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great evening the other night. We headed up American Fork Canyon with some friends and played by the little lake up there and then BBQed some hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire. I was GORGEOUS!

Abbey took the kids out on a raft, they loved it!

Kaitlyn had NO problem playing in the water and dirt and getting all muddy!

Its a little hard to see, but Brian's attempt at fishing ended up in a very tangled mess! Good job Brian, don't worry, I know you are a good fisherman...no matter what it looks like!

Hailey loves her hot dogs!

The kids had a BLAST playing hide-and-seek in the trees

Eclipse!

2010-07-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

So OF COURSE I went to go see Eclipse as soon as it opened! My sisters, mom, aunts, cousins, and I all had a wonderful girls-night-out watching our favorite vampire and a very good looking werewolf!

For Anyone Having a Bad Day, Week, or Month...

2010-06-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is HERE!!!

2010-06-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Finally! I think the snow has stopped and long-sleeves are put away! Last Saturday the Watkins' were kind enough to invite us on a little trip down to Utah Lake. We got a little sun burned, but the fun was worth it!

Kaden and Hailey LOVED the water!

It was a little harder to get Kaitlyn in the water...she loved the boat though!

Mindi rocked on the wakeboard

Brian tore it up on the surf board (I didn't get a great picture as I was making sure my children weren't going to fly out of the boat while holding the camera!)

Hailey got some relaxin in!

We had fun at the little beach too

Kaitlyn loved playing in the dirt!

Me and Mindi...looking really good after being in the boat and the water!

Sweet Family

2010-06-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

My family threw a great little party to celebrate the big 2-8!

My mom made my FAVORITE cake, pound cake with strawberries and whip cream!!! mmmmmm!

I got some great presents, including....Dear John!

Thanks Fam Damily!

Trip to the Zoo

2010-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been a HORRIBLE blogger and have A LOT to catch up on!

Back on May 27th, we took our first trip of the summer to the zoo! (first, and maybe last...the zoo smells like poop and isn't my favorite thing...) the girls had a lot of fun seeing animals and playing with their friends.

Kaitlyn, Mia, and Anna

The kids got a little more of an education then just seeing animals....

Commencing Commencement

2010-06-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

My baby sister, Jessie, graduated from High School today! I can’t believe she is that old…I can’t believe I am that old! What really made me feel old was when I was deciding what to get her for a present, I thought I would head down to BYU to get her the big, cool notebooks I liked to take notes in and keep papers in when I was in college. I then realized that people don’t take notes on paper anymore and she’ll just be taking her laptop to class with her. . . I’m like a freakin’ grandma!

I want to let my Jessers know how much I love and appreciate her. I am so proud of her. She is going to go very far in this world. I’m glad she’ll be at the Y and I’ll still get to play with her. Love you babe!

Stay cool and have a good summer!!

Thank You...

2010-06-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful Memorial Day yesterday. I spent time in the sun, time with my family, and time eating hot dogs and hamburgers. As I sat in the backyard of my brother's house looking at all the American flags blowing in the wind, I was struck by how lucky and how proud I am to be an American. I love this country.

I want to give my personal thanks to the men and women who bravely and nobly serve this country. Because of them I was able to sit on the lawn yesterday enjoying my family, I was able to worship at church on Sunday, and I am able to sit at this computer right now and write whatever I want on this blog. I'm proud of them and proud on their service. The soldiers and leaders of this country are in my prayers daily. Thanks again, and God bless America!

Best Birthday Ever!

2010-05-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and it was one of the best ones ever! The best part of the whole day was that Brian surprised me by taking the day off. He is so busy so the fact that he dedicated his WHOLE day to me was amazing!

To start, we took the girls to the aquarium. It was crowded because there was a school there :( but still lots of fun to be with my girls and see them get so excited about all the animals!

Next, Brian took me to see Letters to Juliet. Now this REALLY shows how much Brian loves me because if there ever was a movie that was oozing in cheese and chick-flicky-ness it was this one! I absolutely loved it and I even caught Brian chuckling a few times. (I was the only one crying my eyes out though...)

To end the wonderful day, Brian took me to a Japanese Steak House, my fave!

Brian and my sweet girls gave me the best birthday ever! Thanks family!

2010-05-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn says on the way to church:

"We need a new sister, this one is really loud."

Where do their thoughts come from! :)

Happy Birthday Hailey!

2010-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Remember when a year used to seem like FOREVER??? Not anymore!!! I can’t believe Hailey is already one. I feel like I was just in the hospital with this little one. But, it’s also hard to remember what it was like without her. Hailey is so much fun and has such a personality. We are sooo happy she came to join our family a year ago.

Hailey’s birthday was on Saturday the 15th. We had our families over for a little party for her. I’m not a huge cake fan so I made her a big ol’ cookie cake!

Yay!

Brian did his manly duties very well by grilling up hamburgers for 20 people.

One year ago.....

Happy Birthday our Hailey Jean, we LOVE you!!!!

Poor Girl...

2010-05-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the saddest thing ever! Poor girl pulled Kaitlyn's easel down on top of her. She was very brave and only cried for a few minutes. Still broke my heart....

Fun at the Aquarium!

2010-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night My sister-in-law and I took our girls to the Aquarium. It was soooo fun!!! Kaitlyn was completely enthralled with everything she saw, and I was pretty fascinated too.

This picture does NOT show just how cool these Jelly fish were. The way they glowed was awesome!

This was my favorite fish

Kaitlyn's favorite fish...Nemo of course!

You were allowed to touch these bad boys...she was too scared....I don't blame her, I was too scared too!

She did like touching the star fish though

The Penguins were SWEET! Way better than the ones at the zoo.

Cute Cousins! Camryn & Kaitlyn

More Cute Cousins! Hailey & McKenzie
(They weren't as excited as the other two...)

Mmmmm....

2010-04-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a yummy wipie to get your morning started off right....

Easter Dresses

2010-04-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

A while ago I started working on some Easter dresses for the girls. I’ve been sewing quite a bit over the last few years, but this was my first attempt at making clothes. It was a lot of fun and I think they turned out pretty cute!

Hard Days Night

2010-04-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

So my poor husband got home from WORK last night at 2:30am!!! (its not like he has a job with shift-work, he's usually home by 6 or 6:30 - craziness!) He works so hard for us. Brian wants to be successful and excel in what he does. But most importantly, he wants to provide for our family and make sure I get to stay home and raise our kids. So this is a shout-out to the best hubby ever and us three silly girls want to say THANKS SO MUCH for all you do for our family and WE LOVE YOU!

Easter Celebrations

2010-04-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Easter was wonderful! This was Hailey's first, and she had lots of fun playing with eggs and spreading jelly beans all over the carpet! Kaitlyn was so excited to see if the Easter Bunny had come and was such a crack-up looking for her basket.

After finding our baskets and eggs I tried to explain to Kaitlyn the true meaning of Easter and how we needed to make sure we remembered Jesus that day. She said "okay" and then quickly ran off to eat candy and play with her new Belle doll and look at her movie....I guess and need to talk about the true meaning of Easter BEFORE bunny stuff next year

Even Mom and Dad got a basket this year! I made Brian go search for it....tee hee :)

2010-04-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the day at Grandma & Grandpa's house watching Conference, decorating eggs, and having an Easter Egg Hunt!

Jenney & Ryker

The Tenney's have a HUGE backyard, so the kids were ready to hunt equipped with big baskets and egg-grabbers!

2010-04-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

We started our Easter Celebrations last Friday by getting together with some friends to decorate some Spring Cookies!

Brycson, Kaitlyn, Ellery, & Porter are ready for their cookies!

Mmmmmmmm!

Hannitized!

2010-04-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I waited 2 hours in line to get Sean Hannity's signature on his new book. I was sooooo hoping to be able be apart of the audience when he taped his TV show before the signing, but we just missed the cut-off when we got there. :(

It was still way fun and worth the wait. When my mom and I got up to Hannity he asked me how old I was (I knew he was totally thinking, oh look at this teenager who cares about politics and the county). The conversation went like this:

SH: So how old are you?

ME: I'm actually 27

SH: 27!!!!!!! (a look of exasperation on his face)

ME: yep, I even have two kids

SH: two kids, well that's great

MY MOM: and I'm her mom (reaching for a handshake)

SH: You're a grandma?!?!

MY MOM: yep

SH: wow. Thanks for coming guys

He was super nice! And we were able to catch him off guard which is kinda fun. :)

While waiting downstairs for the signing a bunch of Utah's political leaders showed up. Senator Hatch came and shook all our hands. He's definitely not my favorite, but still a senator so my mom snuck a pic with him.

I'm a BIG fan of Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, so I stole a picture with him. He's pretty funny and he's involved with the lawsuit against the Health care package, so woohoo!

We were most excited about seeing Congressman Jason Chaffetz. He was swarmed with people so we didn't get pictures with him.

The highlight was still Sean Hannity. The 2 hour wait was totally worth the 8 seconds of conversation and a handshake!

A Day in the Sun

2010-03-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't know it from the snow we woke up to today, but this week was actually beautiful and very spring-like. To celebrate, the girls and I went to the park and had a picnic! I brought a yummy lunch but DID NOT think to bring sunscreen. Hailey's poor little head got so burned!

Here is the little smiley tomato

When I removed her bow I saw how really burned she was! Oops!!

Daddy-Daughter Date

2010-03-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Brian took Kaitlyn on a Daddy-Daughter Date to Disney on Ice! Kaitlyn was so excited, it was all her favorites: Tinkerbell, Ariel, Lion King, and Cars. Her friend Anna and her dad came too. What a fun night!

Dad & Kaitlyn ready for their date!

Anna & Kaitlyn looking at the princess dresses

This is what happens when you take 3yr-olds out on the town after their bedtime!

Poor Kaitlyn ended up with a fever by the end...who knew! So, kinda a sad girl, but she still had so much fun with her daddy!

5 Things I Love

2010-02-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

In the Spirit of Valentine's Day (I know its past but Brian and I aren't celebrating till this weekend, so I still feel all pink and lovey!) I wanted to put down 5 things I love about my little family here and now this very moment!

Hailey

1. She gets so happy to see me, even if I left the room just for a second

2. Hailey is LOUD! She loves to let her voice be heard

3. She is sooooo cuddly!

4. What a good sport, she takes Kaitlyn "playing" with her so well - she is going to be pretty tough

5. She is sooo HAPPY!

Kaitlyn

1. Tells me she loves me out of the blue all the time. (makes everythink worth it!)

2. Kaitlyn has the best imagination, she pretends all day long.

3. She says funny things everyday, sometimes I don't know if she's 3 or 30!

4. Kaitlyn loves her little sister so much, she likes to help feed her, make her happy when she is crying, and just be around her.

5. She loves to pray. She always remembers and says the sweetest prayers all by herself.

Brian

1. Brian wants me to be happy and tries really hard to make sure that happens

2. He plays "Peter Pan" with Kaitlyn everyday

3. He works so hard for our family. He provides so well for us and sacrifices so that I can be home with our kids. I love that it was not only important for me to stay home, but it was important to him too.

4. Brian doesn't just like things. When it comes to guns, snowboarding, and Fatasy Basket ball..he LOVES them. Ask him any question about any of those things and he will have the answer for you

5. He makes all of us laugh everyday. He loves his girls and loves being a dad.

Sisterly Love...sigh

2010-02-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

2010-02-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today Kaitlyn looked at me very thoughtfully and said, "I would really like it if you would get a boy baby in your tummy." I said, "You would?" "Yes, I would. And I would like his name to be Ariel or Belle."

I love being a mom.

Once Upon a Time...

2010-02-04T11:10:00.001-08:00

Life at our house pretty much consists of princesses, fairies, and dress up! Kaitlyn gets in and out of her different dresses (and accessories) ALL DAY LONG! She loves to watch Belle, Snow White, Jasmine (not Aladdin, its Jasmine!), Sleeping Beauty, Tinkerbell, and of course Ariel. I love that she is so girly.

When she is not playing princess, she is putting her babies to bed, feeding them, putting them in time-out, and changing them. Its pretty darn cute.

I love her "I am a Child of God" crown she made in primary, she wears it all the time!

Kaitlyn also takes it upon herself to teach her baby sister Hailey all she knows...and that includes being LOUD!

Welcome Home Jeff!

2010-01-28T07:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Brian's little brother, Jeff, returned home from his mission in California. It was so fun to see him - he is all grown up! Since he left, he has a neice and a nephew he hasn't met plus a new brother-in-law. I think it was a lot to take in for him but he is still the Jeffy we remember who goes with the flow and loves to hold all the kids!

Anxiously awaiting Jeff's arrival...

Ryker was 2 1/2 and Kaitlyn had just turned 1 last time Jeff saw them....they looked quite a bit different to him!
Jeffy!

Ladies, your husbands will appreciate this one...

2010-01-25T08:38:00.001-08:00

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow!

2009-12-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

I have just LOVED all this snow lately! Kaitlyn has loved it too, so the other day we geared up for the cold and went in the backyard and build us a snowman! (Really I built it while kaitlyn threw snow at the snowman, threw snow at me, and ate A LOT of snow!!!) Kaitlyn wanted it to be a "daddy snowman", so he's all ready to hit the hills on his snowboard. Maybe next time we'll build a "mommy snowman" to go with it!

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-28T09:11:00.001-08:00

Well, the jolly old man made it down the chimney and was very nice to these two crazy girls at our house! We had such a wonderful Christmas. I've always loved this holiday, but having kids has increased the joy the season brings me ten-fold! I love watching their eyes light up and the excitement of Christmas morning.

What are big sisters for if not to help unwrapping presents!

The one time a year mom is okay with messes. . .

As fun as the gifts and Santa are, I'm so grateful for my family and that we can be reminded of what is really important in life and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas together. I'm so thankful for my Savior and this time of year when we can remember His birth and the wonderful gifts He has given us. I know Christ lives and loves me!

Welcome Baby Brock!

2009-12-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

Last week Brian's sister had her second little boy. Brock Ryan Kehl was born wednesday and was 9lbs. 2oz.! I don't know how little Jenney delivered that big baby! Kaitlyn and Hailey are so excited to have a new little cousin. We love you Brock!

Congrats Spencer & Jenney!

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

2009-12-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was Kaitlyn’s THIRD birthday! I can’t believe how quickly time flies. I remember when I was younger time seemed to go by so slow, each school year dragged on forever and all I wanted was for time to speed up so I could get older. Now I am older and time seems to be racing by me and all I want is for it to slow down so my little girls can stay little forever!

To celebrate the big day I took katilyn to see a movie. Just mom and Kaitlyn. We don’t get to do much just us anymore, so this was a fun outing for us. We went and saw Princess and the Frog. It was pretty cute. Kaitlyn wa hilarious and kept getting out of her chair to dance to the songs!

That night we had a little Tinkerbell party!

This is the cupcake cake I made Happy Birthday Princess!

Wizards are my FAVORITE!

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

I saw this on my friend's blog and it made me sooooooo excited, I just HAD to share it!

Expecto Patronum!

Bite Me!

2009-11-22T14:27:00.001-08:00

Yay! So I FINALLY made it to see New Moon. I know it just came out Friday but a true Twi-hard like me SHOULD HAVE been at the midnight showing. When the tickets first went on sale I was still getting up twice a night with Hailey so with Brian having to work the next day I just couldn't leave him to take care of the baby. (Of course now she is sleeping 12 hours all through the night...go figure!)

So the nerd-crew of cousins and aunts loaded up yesterday to go swoon over vampires and werewolves. It was AWESOME! I just loved the movie. I had heard it was better than Twilight, but it still surpassed my expectations. They stuck so close to the book, the acting was better, the cinematography was better, EVERYTHING was better. I'm so glad I only have to wait till JUNE to see Eclipse (my favorite book of the 4)!!!

Angela, Stephanie & Abby.....sooooo excited!
The aunties!

Tamara, Kim, Me, & Jessie

whoever took the picture must have been so excited they couldn't even hold the camera right....they barely got us in the pic! :)

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

As I watched this it made me think of a few things I am grateful for. There are so many things, this list just begins to say how many blessings I have and how many things I have to be thankful for.

I am Thankful for...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
A husband who loves us and works very hard for us
When Kaitlyn runs up to me all on her own, wraps her arms around my leg, and says, "I love you mom."
That Hailey gets so excited when I walk into a room and starts flailing her arms about
Parents who were, and are, the BEST examples
The trials and adversities I have struggled through
Chocolate
Living in Utah with my mountains
Siblings who are very silly and are my best friends
Wonderful friends
Dates with Brian
Musicals
Good Books
The hilarious comments on life from a 2yr-old's perspective
Getting to stay home and just be a mom
Having a clean house
The times I put off all the work and just get down and play with the girls
Epidurals
Talk radio
Movies
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Being able to have children
Country Music
The wonderful people who make and distribute Jane Austen movies
So many temples, so close

Funny Girl

2009-11-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

My computer is broken right now so without access to pictures I haven't been the best blogger. I had to post this though, if only so I remember it and can tell Kaitlyn what a cute, weird, fun kid she was!

Yesterday Kaitlyn was a 35 year old trapped in a 2 year-old's body. In the morning she came in my room and asked if I would "join her downstairs." Later, as she was leaving the living room she said, "Catch ya later mom." Finally, before dinner she came up to me, put her hand on my shoulder, got her face in mine and said, "So, I have some good news and bad news."

She cracks me up. :)

Halloween '09 - woot,woot!

2009-11-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so fun this year. this is the first year Kaitlyn really got it, and she absolutely LOVED being a kitty-cat and LOVED saying “trick-or-treat!” and getting candy. We started our celebrations this year on Friday at the Food Bank where my mom works. They had a party for everyone’s families. Kaitlyn and cousin Camryn got to trick or treat at all the desks and even got to play some fun Halloween games.

Camryn cracked me up! at each desk she just wanted to sit and eat her candy right then…with the wrapper on!

Sweet cousins Hailey Mouse and Kenzie Giraffe

My mom had the BEST costume EVER! She is one of just a few Conservatives that work at the Food Bank. So she went as Glenn Beck! She got voted as the “scariest costume”. I love it!

Saturday night we headed to Grandma and Grandpa’s to trick-or-treat with Ryker a.k.a Spiderman!

Hailey's first Halloween!

Our family of animals! (Brian was a good sport with his doggie ears!)

We ended at Nana and Papa’s house. My cousin’s had some pretty fun costumes! Jake and Nick were telletubbies…hmmm….and Stephanie and Angela were Indian princesses!

In the end, we had a lot of fun and A LOT of candy!!!!

Family Photo Shoot

2009-10-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

My sweet, fun, and TALENTED cousin Katie, has started doing some photography and she is absolutely wonderful! She took our family out a couple weeks ago to Memory Grove and took some pictures of us. I’m so happy to have an updated photo with Hailey in it. Here are a few of the pics she took.

This is my favorite!

We tried to get one of me and the girls...it didn't quite work out as planned but I still love it because its a great "mom" picture!

Thanks again Katie, we had fun and are so happy to have these everlasting memories!

Mabey's Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-23T13:09:00.001-07:00

Monday we had a fun little Halloween Family Home Evening. We went with my family over to Maybe’s pumpkin patch. It was sort of a bummer because it was cold and rainy so we really just ran in, grabbed pumpkins, and left. But, all the girls looked cute and we had a fun time!

its VERY hard to get 4 little girls to take a picture, so while no one is looking at the camera, this is the best one we got!

Favorite Uncle Tay!
Nana & Papa with Camryn & Kaitlyn

Cousin Trip to Discovery

2009-10-15T09:04:00.001-07:00

Tuesday we took a little cousins trip down to Discovery Gateway. The kids had a ton of fun and we moms had fun watching them have fun! (All the cool pictures are from Sara..I’m not the cool…)

Kaitlyn & Easton have a great future ahead of them in broadcasting!

Kaitlyn could play "house" all day!

Me, Hailey, & Kaitlyn~Sara, Jackson & Easton~Tamara & Camryn

After a fun time at discovery, a failed nap attempt, a NAUGHTY trip to Walmart...Kaitlyn fell asleep in time-out

A Hot Bath & a Good Book

2009-10-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, I’m a book nerd. This shouldn’t be news to anyone, but there it is. Besides my family and the Gospel (of course) there is NOTHING I love more than a good book. When I want time to myself, time to relax, time to just be happy – I fill up the bath with super hot water, get a big glass of water and usually some sort of chocolatey treat, then I lose myself in a love story, a chase against the clock, or a little bit of magic.

Jane Austen is one of my favorites. I love everything about her world – the clothes, the propriety, the Mr. Darcy’s and Colonel Brandon’s. Elizabeth Bennett is my absolute FAVORITE character ever written. Then there is the Twilight Series. Its not all about Edward for me (although he’s a lot of it) it’s about this world she’s created that even though it is full of mythical creatures, it’s still has all the struggles and emotions of real life. I love that. Then there is Harry Potter. What I wouldn’t give to be able to apparate and duel dark wizards. I don’t really read non-fiction, I probably should broaden my horizons a little, but really I love getting lost in a pretend world of romance and drama, escaping reality for a bit. (I did read Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell recently, that was definitely the best NF book I’ve ever read.)

My most recent faves are books I found out about just recently. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Holy Crap! This book had everything, drama, suspense, looove, and a cliffhanger to die for. The second in the series, Catching Fire, was even better. I TOTALLY recommend these to anyone. Yesterday I finished the latest book I’m adding to my collection, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. What Stephanie Meyer did with Vampires, Maggie did with Werewolves. Love it! (thanks Alex for recommending these!!!)

Brian doesn’t really read. I try to get him to. I’ve tried to explain how there is nothing better than finding a book that you just can’t put down, I say this to him with so much emotion and longing that usually he looks at me with eyes that say “I married a crazy person.” And its true, I’m totally crazy and totally a nerd.

So my dream: to write a novel. Will it ever happen? Maybe, who knows. I’m still waiting to have a Stephanie Meyer-esque dream so I know what to write about. Till then, I will content myself with the vast world of fiction that sits before me. *sigh*

Erin’s top 10 (13 actually)
Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Confessions Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison
The Work & the Glory by Gerald Lund
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
The Rescue by Nicolas Sparks
The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
The Giver by Lois Lowry

If i keep sitting here, i'm sure i's come up with many more... :)

Vampire Birthday

2009-10-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated my cousin Stephanie’s birthday with, what else….A TWILIGHT PARTY! It was so fun. Everyone at the house went to so much effort to make it look very twilight-y, the decorations were gorgeous! (probably because Edward’s face was on most of them!)

The food was yummy and very vampire-esque. I made cookies shaped like wolves and hearts, a la Bella’s bracelet!

Stephanie dressed up like Rosalie and looked AMAZING! Her outfit was perfect. She even had amber-colored contacts, I don’t know if you can really tell in the picture below, but it was like looking at an actual vampire!

This is Abby & Steph with Edward! :) Abby was dressed like Alice. My cousins go ALL OUT!

We even got the little girls in on the festivities. Brian may not think so, but I know I am raising them right!

Oh the happy couple. Brian was a good sport about the Edwardiness and had a fun time. He sported his "I am Edward, I like boys" shirt very proudly.

One Last Hurah for Summer

2009-09-30T09:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I took the girls, along with some others in the ward, to the Zoo before the weather gets all cold. Kaitlyn had never been to the zoo (that she remembers) and she loved it. every time I ask her what her favorite animal was she tells me a different one, so she must have liked them all!
There were a lot of baby animals there this time. Kaitlyn loved the baby elephant Zuri. There was also a baby giraffe and baby tiger cubs. I guess the animals are drinking the same water as all the other girls in Utah!

All the kiddos! Phoenix, Kaitlyn, Jack, & Tanner

This tiger came right up to the glass and was licking it! The kids were going crazy!

Hailey had fun at the zoo too....eating her duck!

Bell Canyon

2009-09-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

This summer Brian and I decided we wanted to go hiking. So about once a week-ish we would drop the girls off at my parents and head up the mountains.

One of our favorite hikes we found was the Bell Canyon Trail up off Wasatch. You start in the middle of some condos but once you’ve been going for about 20 minutes you walk up over this hump and all the sudden THIS is what you see:

It is beautiful. As we hiked around more we got some beautiful views of the salt lake valley. THIS is why I love living here and never want to leave!

The Government Can....

2009-09-08T15:14:00.001-07:00

Even if you don't share in my political views, you'll still have to admit this is pretty funny. And boy can this guy dance!!!

Pride and Joy

2009-08-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

Wakeboarding, snowboarding, basketball, shooting, and now GOLF. Brian has been playing a lot of golf lately and recently he purchased a new set of golf clubs, bag and all. Brian loves his clubs and I have to say I find them pretty spiffy myself. This weekend we took a family outing to Mulligan’s to the driving range. We all had a lot of fun and got to participate, even the girls!

Nonie's 80th in St. George

2009-08-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

We had a FABULOUS long weekend down in St. George. It was my grandma (Nonie)’s 80th birthday! So ALL my cousins and aunts and uncles headed down for some birthday cake and fun in the sun. For Brian and the boys, it was A LOT of golf! My Nonie has 4 kids, 18 grandkids, and 9 great-grandkids (with 2 on the way). So with spouses there was quite a lot of us… I LOVED it! I have the best cousins in the world, we have always been such good friends and we love spending time with each other. So lucky!

Kaitlyn was a little fish and wanted to spend all her time in the pool. She can now swim on her own (with floaties) and just loves it. Hailey had some fun in the pool too!

Carson just chillen!

Carson and Hailey will be such good friends, just like their parents!

All the girls trying to look sassy!

Me, Tam, & Milea went and got some pedicures. Milea is a LITTLE tickelish...

Saturday was the big birthday party. We had a big dinner, yummy cakes, and my dad put together this amazing video of Nonie's life and events in the world throughout her lifetime. It was amazing to see how much has changed in the last 80 years!

We gave Nonie a bound book with pictures of all of us and memories we have of her. I think she loved it and it all meant a lot to us to get to tell her how much she has meant to us throughout her life.

my CUTE aunts Dwan & Kim

Nonie came out on the floor to join in our dance party, what a lady!

Pay attention to Kaitlyn in this video, she knows how to get down!

We love our Nonie and LOVED celebrating her AMAZING life with her!!!!!

To all my Twilighters out there . . . ENJOY

2009-08-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hailey's Blessing

2009-08-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had Hailey’s baby blessing. It was wonderful, or course, and we appreciated all our family and friends that came to support and celebrate with us!

I didn’t get a great picture of her beautiful dress, but these give you a little taste. Thanks Nana for the cute dress!

Kaitlyn was pooped before it was even over and made this little bed for herself under a table! Silly girl.