What the kids are saying:

When I went on my girls trip.
Evie: "Dad, why did mommy have to go to LOST Vegas?"

When I wouldn't give Addy more of her Halloween candy.
Addy: "I'm very upset, I'm very upset, I'm very upset..."
Mom: "Addy why are you "very upset?"
Addy: "Because you won't give me more candy."

During our adult party the other night.
Evie: "Mom Pleeeeeese can't I JOIN your party?"
(Where in the world did she learn the word join?)

While helping her Dad oustide.
Dad: "Evie could you please hand me that blue thingy?"
Evie: "You mean the tape measure?"

Happy Birthday Blog!

My blog had it's first birthday on Nov. 5th. I'm so proud! It's growing up so fast.

Halloween 2008

Cutest little kitty and mermaid around!













Trunk or treat.
















I sewed the costumes myself! My mom did help me with the mermaid fins.











That is one weird and sexy couple. The vampire cow meets Lorraine!

A Tribute to Hunting Camp

My cousin made this video as a tribute to our family's annual hunting camp. After getting my hunter's safety license at the age of 15 I joined in the family hunting rituals. Although I never shot and killed any game this was a special time for me and my dad. Waking up before dawn and riding horses up the mountain in the dark (usually in fresh snow)is an adventure for any kid. I loved having that time to talk to my dad surrounded by the epic beauty of the Greys river mtn. range. Our family has been camping and hunting at the base of DeadMan mtn. for over 50 years. Back in the day it was no place for kids let alone women! Even though it was hard for my dad when I cried after falling off the horse or got scared by something in the trees....I'm so glad he dragged me along. Thanks for the memories Dad! I hope to make the trip again soon.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Early detection is the best cure.





















Believe me, Chemotherapy isn't fun! A little prevention can go a long way. For more information go to:
http://nbcam.org/
http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm

4th of July

I know I'm about three months behind here....but I have to get this documented. This is more for me than anyone else.

We had a blast for the 4th of July this year. We spent the weekend in good old Star Valley. We had floor to floor relatives staying at my parent's house just like our family reunions when I was a kid. Now My cousins' and I have our own kids and we're trying to keep the tradition alive. We didn't do much but spend time together as a family. There was a lot of food, late night card games, horseshoes in the backyard and lots of relaxation while the kids ran around. The holiday wouldn't be complete without a small town parade where candy is still thrown from the floats. My 96 yr. old Grandpa was the Grand Marshall and rode the route perched on the back of my mom's convertible. A day at the pool and dinner at the drive-in wrapped up the festivities and people started to trickle back to their homes. The most important thing to me is making memories for my kids like the ones I have from my childhood.

Tonsils

My heart nearly broke when I came into the recovery room and saw my Evie. She had her tonsils out yesterday due to recurring tonsillitis.


The first thing she said to me was "I want my Daddy and some ice cream." After all I was the one who'd brought her here and done this terrible and painful thing to her.
Now we just have to survive the next few days of recovery. Poor little sweetheart! I love you Evie!

1st Day of Preschool

Everyone else was putting first day of school photos on their blogs and I didn't want to feel left out! My cute little Evie started preschool on Sept. 11th. I was pretty emotional about the whole thing but of course she could care less. I didn't even get a hug goodbye when I dropped her off. She was already too busy playing to worry about me. We go to Ogden High 4 days a week for two hours and it's just the right amount of time. I really like the fact that the high school kids organize, plan and teach the class which makes it a double learning opportunity. Evie is such a social butterfly and was getting too bored at home....I knew it was the right time to send her to school. I miss her already!

Spring Flower pot desserts

I made these adorable little flower pot desserts for my brothers birthday back in June. I'm just getting around to posting about them. They were so fun to make and a big hit at my brothers party. I got the idea from an awesome website called "The Pioneer Woman." She gives detailed instructions on how to make these little treats. They're pretty easy! Here's the link if you want to check them out.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/04/springy-flower-pot-desserts-a-blast-from-my-past/

Cousin's

This is my cute little nephew Max. I was tickling him to get this adorable smile that he makes.


I'm so thankful my kids have at least one cousin around to play with. I have such fond memories of reunions and get-togethers with my cousins. I want my kids to have those same memories. I wish more of their cousins lived closer.

Memories!

This looked fun. Feel free to participate, or don't.

1. Add a comment on my blog. Leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Addison's 2nd Birthday!

Yes I'm three months behind on blogging but I'm back now so all is well. I've been playing a little too much Mario Kart.....I know it's lame but also strangely addictive.

April 2oth was little Addison's 2nd birthday. I found this adorable bug wrapping paper and her party theme was born.

These were my favorite cakes to make so far. I think they are adorable and I love working with fondant. I want to have another bug party just so I can make them.
Uncle Cory brought the ladybug pinata in the background as well as silly string which was fun for us but scary to the babies. I didn't get any photos of them breaking it just video which I'll have to add later.
We had a little get together with Marks family as well as Kristin and her girls. It's always fun when the kids get to see their twin cousins.
My parents were participating via webcam. My dad had just had a total knee replacement and couldn't travel.
Evie really wanted to help open presents. She didn't understand why Addy got to open them.

I had to get after her when she literally starting ripping paper. As you can tell she wasn't happy about that. Typical Evie look.

Her nice little sister let her open a present. Ahhhhh sisterly love!

Addy got some fun presents that even I want to play. A sit & spin (I had one when I was a kid). A bubble lawn mower because she loves bubbles. Some books and music. A princess patio table and chairs complete with umbrella. And a new suitcase she can take to Gma. Rosie's.

The kids had a fun time and I got to plan a party. I think birthday's are the best and I don't mind going the extra mile for them. After all, your celebrating that person's introduction into the world. What could be more special? (Maybe I'm just trying to sell cakes....)

Happy Birthday Booga Boo!

Allergies maybe!

Poor little Addison was so sick over the weekend she had a high fever for 4 days straight and I almost had to take her to the ER when it hit 104. Luckily the motrin kicked in and her fever broke a few hours later. Of course this all happened while Mark was on his yearly backpacking trip with the boys. A couple of hours after the fever broke she started breaking out in spots. I called the Dr. office and they said that was normal after a high fever breaks. Welllllll several hours later she was writhing in pain and the spots had turned into a rash over her entire body. We went straight to the Dr. and they immediately gave her Benedryl for an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I'd been giving her. I've never dealt with any kind of an allergic reaction with my kids and I feel bad that I didn't realize it earlier. I guess it's all trial and error at first. Now I know, no Omnicef for Addy!




The rash was even worse in person. The photos don't really do it justice.

New Pets!

Have you ever attended a wedding and come home with two Beta fish? Much to the excitement of our girls we did just that. These cute little fish were table decorations at our good friend Donna's wedding today. Actually the exciting part was going to Petco and buying a tank, rocks, fish food, water neutralizer, a fish net... so much for free fish! The girls are excited to have there own pets but are a little disappointed that they can't hold them. Evie named hers "Ellie" and Addy named hers "My fish." Hopefully we can keep them alive for awhile.



Boo likes them too!

I've lost the will to blog!

I need some inspiration Nat!

2 Year Photo

What a difference a year makes. I can't believe how fast she's growing up!

Twilight movie releases 12-12-08

I know, I know, I'm acting like a teenage girl.......but I can't help it! Click below to see the new twilight movie trailer.

Twilight in HD


http://www.twilightthemovie.com

Easter Dresses

Spring is here and so is one of my favorite holidays....Easter! Unfortunately I only have one photo. Here are the girls in their pretty Easter dresses!

What the kids are saying

Evie was looking over my shoulder as I put a few photos away in my mission photo album. After asking me to point myself out in the photo she said "Oh, was that when you were really young?" Yes, ten years and two kids was a long time ago....

On our drive to Wyoming.
Evie:"Mom, do you remember sometimes when we are driving and you say'Get out of the way Dude?'"

While playing with the kids the other day
Evie: "Mom, I wish I was two again so that I could be cute like Addy."
Mom: "Oh, Evie, you are already cute AND beautiful!"

OUCH!

My dad had a total knee replacement at the age of 55. It's about a four month recovery and so far he's been a real trooper. I hope I never have to do it!

A sweet moment

Aunt Rachel holding Evie! These are some of the best moments in life. Sure wish you were closer Rach! We miss you!

It's been awhile

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I posted anything on this blog. I guess thats what happens when we move...even if it is only four houses away. While unpacking and organizing I came across photos of my graduation from USU. I thought I would post them just for fun. What a carefree time that was. I loved college! Not only did I get an education but I learned many life lessons. I found a whole other person in me that I didn't know existed. Who knew I could be so strong and independent. I feel bad that my husband didn't have the same experience. His only college experiences were as a married parent. Thats just the hard way to do it!

What was college like for you? Were you single and carefree or a struggling spouse and parent?





I little background on this photo. My dad was on the construction crew building this campus edifice when he was a student at USU. He went to work early one winter morning and fell off the scaffolding. He was found unconscious awhile later. He suffered two broken arms, a broken nose and several broken ribs. I'm so glad he's still here!

Disney on Ice!

We had a blast at Princess Wishes in SLC. I would highly recommend a Disney on ice show to everyone. I remember going to Cinderella on ice when I was a little girl and I wanted to create that same memory for my own girls. The best part about the event was that almost all of the attendants dressed up as princesses. It was so fun to see the sidewalks of SLC filled with little girls hopping, skipping and almost running to the Delta center with the biggest grins on their faces. Mine included....we couldn't get to the building fast enough! Along with ice skating the performers did acrobatics and fireworks. The dragon from sleeping beauty actually breathed fire onto the ice. It was an amazing show and so worth it! This was part of a birthday gift from Gma. & Gpa. Rosie to my girls so they came with us and of course Uncle Cory came along because why not? (For those of you who don't know....at a very young age Evie assigned her own unique names to her grandparents in order to differentiate them. They have the same name as their dogs. For instance my parents are called Gma. & Gpa. Rosie because they have a dog named Rosie. Marks parents are Gma. & Gpa. Gizzy because they have a dog named Gizzy. Their names kind of stuck!)



"Be our guest" from Beauty and the Beast

My Evie girls newest photos.

Our annual free 8x10 from Kiddie Kandids always turns into mommy buying a couple more photos. What can I say....I'm a sucker for a gorgeous girl! Yes I get to brag a bit. Thats my job as a parent! My baby is growing up way too fast (sniff). She loves the the pink fur lined jacket from Gma. Rosie.

I HATE unpacking!

Just to let you all know how I feel about the subject.

Why you shouldn't let your 2yr. old play with your cell phone.

I got out of the shower the other day and went into my room to get dressed. I was standing at my dresser pulling out clothes when I heard a camera shutter. I turned around to see Addison with my cell phone pointed directly at me. Luckily I grabbed the phone from her hand before she could send the photo to anyone. It's a good thing too because she caught a perfect frame of my rear end!

Another Evieism

Evie likes to listen to music or stories on CD when she goes to bed. Mark was getting her music ready the other night and noticed that she had stuffed a couple of CDs inside her clothes drawer like she had been trying to hide them. They were childrens primary songs and Enya.

Dad: Evie, why are your CDs in the drawer?

Evie: Because I'm tired of listening to those Jesus songs. I just want to listen to Princess music.

Dad: Oh!

A really long post about our new house

This is our new house. I love the front porch and the french doors. We also have a garage...YEAH!! It needs a little work but it's going to be great!



We're doing some remodeling in the bsmt. apt. Were changing it from a small two bdrm apt. to a studio type. We also have to redo some wiring and plumbing and we had to cut mold out of the walls in our upstairs bedroom.





Luckily only half of one room was covered in wallpaper. I plan on making this a princess room for Evie so the paper had to go!

I found many layers underneath. Wallpaper on top of paint on top of wallpaper on top of paint. AAAGGGGHHHH! I hate wallpaper.


This is what we call "The Beast!" Our home was built in 1946 and if this thing wasn't original it was put in close to that time.

Check out the awesome duct work! The broken piece was running to Addy's room. I don't think a lot of hot air is getting through there. Can anyone say asbestos?



The bsmt. bathroom is kind of funky. It's a big space but the do-it-yourselfers that owned the house before placed all of the plumbing in a tight little corner. My contractor Dad is having a fit about all of the code violations!



This is my favorite room in the whole house. We'll be using it as a master bedroom it comes complete with a fireplace and a walk in closet.

Check out the view from our bdrm window! The mountains remind me of home. I know things look rough right now.....but stay tuned for the after pictures.