Thanks To The Keeper of The Stars

Klamath Falls

2012-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Kylie and Carson had a few days off of school in October, and Kyle had some time off work too, so we decided it was time for a mini vacation. We went to the Klamath Falls area to visit Nonna and pop pop, and aunt Wendy too! As soon as we woke up the morning after arriving, the kids were anxious to go swimming. We saw these deer right outside the window of the pool. Very cool.

Lexi loved the kiddie pool, and it was just her size
Carson and Kylie got to practice their swimming skills in the big pool
Aunt Wendy (my sister) brought some great presents for the kids. This was her first time meeting Lexi! Kylie was attached to her from the moment she opened her presents. ha.ha
We all went out to lunch and then bowling. They had these ramps for the kids. They worked great.
Wendy, Donna ( my birth mother) and I
The next day we went to see Crater Lake. It was beautiful, and we were lucky to have such great weather. It is the deepest lake in the U.S. Carson still talks about it, and everytime he sees a mountain, he asks if it is a volcano.

My munchkins in front of the condo in their Halloween gear
Aunt Wendy taking the girls for a spin at Nonna and pop pop's cabin. They were in heaven hanging out with her. They think she is pretty special. I wish they got to see her more often.
Carson was amazing at driving this thing. He felt like such a big kid. It was super cute to see.

Catching up!

2011-12-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have been behind on my posts lately, so here is a couple of months all in one.......

A picture of my kindergartners waiting for me to pick them up. I walk them to class as much as possible, and I am always sure to give them a great big kiss. I know someday that will embarrass them, so I take advantage of it now.

My Birthday! My two wonderful friends made my day. While I was dropping off my munchkins at school, they quickly decorated my house, and brought home-made cinnamon rolls. They are awesome. September was a really hard month for me........one of the hardest I have ever experienced, and I was so glad to feel so much happiness that day!
me and Keri
Me and my BBHAnother friend brought these awesome cupcakes
Kyle picked me up the coolest cake ever, and we had friends over to watch our team play!
My kids helped decorate, and even colored pictures to hang on the walls. Love them!
Kyle's parents were in town that weekend, so they also came over to celebrate with us.

Kylie and Carson's school has a walk each year, where the kids ask family and friends to sponsor them. Lexi and I went to cheer them on. Kylie takes after my athletic capabilities. ha.ha. Her friend and her held hands and walked pretty slowly the entire time. They would even stop to pick flowers. That's my girl!!

Carson on the other hand had me worried about how much I was going to have to pay. When I got there, I noticed that he was cutting across the field and making some good time. I explained to him the rules, and he went around the track after. ha.ha His face was red from working so hard. I was glad to be his cheerleader.

Here is a picture of Alexis helping her daddy with some canning.

My dad asked us to go to an Oktoberfest with him on the last day of September. Funny that they couldn't wait until October 1st to have it. ha.ha. Anyways, we had a great time. We loved the music. Lexi was especially enjoying it, and even dancing to it.

We were so entertained by this group that was dancing in a train form. It was really funny. This elderly lady in the front knew how to have a good time;0)

That same weekend, I celebrated with my Idaho B.F.F....Melissa! Her and I have so much in common. Our birthdays are exactly two weeks apart and we are the same age, our daughter's share the same birthday, we LOVE shopping and makeup, and we have a great time together. For her birthday I took her to lunch at Cafe Rio, where we can never get enough of their chicken salad! Then we went to have our makeup done at MAC. It was a fun day. Here we are showing off our makeovers, and trying not to laugh. It took a few tries to get a decent picture without us cracking up! Melissa and her seductive pose.ha.ha
Kylie, my mom and I went to the farmers market one Saturday morning, and had lunch at a cute place downtown also. I love to see the fresh flowers, and all the homemade things that are there.
Kylie and I enjoying the most delicious warm donuts with caramel dip. Kylie just looked at this picture, and said " I wish I could go to that place and get those again". I agree with her completely. I wish the same!
I love my family and friends all the fun things we are able to do together. I feel so blessed=0)

Kindergarten and Labor day

2011-11-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten!!!! I can't even believe it is that time already. My little babies are off to school. Here is my handsome little man all ready for his big first day!and my beautiful princess all dressed in purple.........of course!
Carson let Lexi borrow his backpack, so that she could be a big girl too. Kyle took the morning off so that he could be there for their big day. I was sooo grateful for that!!
We were all off to a great start, but I felt a lump in my throat as soon as we got to the classroom. Kylie did too, because as soon as the teacher told the kids to say goodbye to their parents, she became very upset. I held it all in until I got around the corner in the hall, and then I lost it too. I felt so bad having to leave her when she was scared like that. Not to mention I just felt so sad that my little side kicks are now in school. I was also so excited for them. It was just a mixture of emotions. So again, thank goodness Kyle and Lexi were there to help me out! Kylie actually cried everyday of that first week. I got teary eyed the second day too, but I was good after that. She did fine from the second week on. I CAN'T believe how much they are learning and how smart they are!!!
I couldn't be more proud of these little cuties!

Kyle was feeling pretty bad about the traumatic morning too, so he asked us to meet him for lunch after I picked the kids up from school. That made things much better!

We went to Eastern Idaho the following weekend to visit Kyle's family and watch the BSU game. I got to go out with my BBH (Melissa) the night before we left. It was a much needed night out, we got our nails done and laughed (uncontrollably) like always!! The next morning we took off early so that we could see the hot air balloons on our way out. They were amazing. They have so many different shapes and colors. Really beautiful. The rocket ship was one of our favorites.

It is always fun to see and ride the horse's in Kyle's parent's backyard

and go for a spin on the four wheeler too

and play with cousins of course!

2011-11-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

We had a rough couple of weeks after that last camping trip, but it seemed like we would at least have one or two days off in between the next person getting sick. One of those days off, we went to a Hawks game. Kyle got the tickets from work. They get season tickets each year, and share them. We had the BEST seats. This was our view, we were right above the dug out.

The mascot and my cuties. They loved watching for him walking around the stadium. Also this is the spot they did some of the fun contests in between innings. My kids got to do a macarena dance right here. It was so cute!
I made my mom some pretty cupcakes for her birthday. We went to dinner and had a great night.
Lexi and Carson snuggling......this is while she was still not feeling too good.

We got a visit from nonna and pop-pop (my birth parents) in August. It is always like getting a vacation ourselves when they come, because we do so many fun things.......and they always bring presents! They brought all the kids new backpacks filled with goodies.

We had a movie night in our backyard that night
and the kids got to go swimming at the park where they stay with their trailer
We went to Chuck E. Cheese one day.....
and then to a 3D movie. Lexi was pop-pop's side kick the entire time. Carson was funny to watch because he had that huge popcorn bucket between his legs and ate it the whole time.
We were so glad to be rid of that horrible flu bug!! I think we had it for a total of 2 1/2 weeks, between all of us.

Hot springs and Canning

2011-11-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Kyle is the canner of the house. He is really good about doing it, and he also enjoys he.I don't mind it, I just feel like it takes up a lot of time that I don't always have. He makes great pickles and beans. He also does lots of fruit. He has a great system down. He also found that having the kids help makes it go a lot faster. Kylie seems to have the most patience for it. Her hand fits perfectly in the jar and she gets everything packed in there really good. It is cute to watch.

In between canning and all of the other fun summer activities, we got in another camping trip to some hot springs.

Carson found this great rock, that we later used as our table. This was our first time camping at a place other than a campground.

The pool was so warm and relaxing, we all had such a good time

in between swimming, we did some exploring

and ate lots of yummy food at our rock table

We had so much fun, up until our last night. Right as we were getting ready for bed......Lexi started throwing up! The flu and camping are not a good combination! As we were swimming, I was getting a little creeped out about germs......and sure enough I was right! I am pretty sure she caught something in that water. It lasted for several days too......just as she was getting over it, Carson got it, then Kylie, then me. It felt like we were sick forever.

As we were leaving we spotted two deer by the road. Pretty cool! Glad we ended on a good note.

Zoo

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

We love taking the kids to do fun things. Kyle especially loves to do things with them on his days off. We took them to the zoo one weekend!They have added a few new things to our zoo. One of them was a butterfly room. Carson (my bug man) was in heaven!

Kylie looks cute, even with big ears!

That night we went to the drive-in. We get the kids in their jammies and head out.

They are normally asleep by the time we get out of the parking lot!

Normally in the mornings, everyone ends up in my bed. So cute to see Carson and Lexi snuggling!

and here is a pretty picture of my Kylie all dressed up in her favorite color!

Air show

2011-10-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

We had to go and check out some cool airplanes at war hawk air museum over the summer. Kyle has a deep love for airplanes........especially the P-51 mustang. Those were what were at the airport that day. It is fun to see him get so excited about them.

There is also a restaurant on the roof of the airport. We like to go there and eat and watch the planes. The kids love it too. We had to get some milkshakes to cool off.

Oh dang........up close and personal with the Mustang!

That was very impressive!

Haircuts, reptiles, and races

2011-09-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lexi got her first haircut a couple of months ago. She did so good. Kylie and Carson went first, so she watched them and knew just what to do. She looks so cute with her new style!We also had the reptile guy come to our local library. It was a great experience for the kids

In this picture he had two little turtles and you can see my kids right by him

He also had a tarantula, an big iguana and some large snakes.......creepy!

The kids and I also went to the horse races with my parents one night. We had great time.

Carson always takes good care of his sister.......and some other friends of his that are girls. I guess he is a ladies man. ha.ha

Horse parade

2011-09-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

I bought the kids a slip n slide one day. I remember how I loved mine as a kid. It lasted a whole hour, before it was ruined. I am glad it was cheap!But it was worth the money for the hour for sure. The kids and their neighbor friend had a blast.

That same night Kylie and I went to the all girls party for our church activity. I was helping to set up and clean up, so I couldn't bring Lexi with me this year either. We had a great time!

That weekend we decided to go to the horse parade that takes place before the rodeo each year.

My favorites are always the dancing horses. I could not take my eyes off of them!

After the parade we went to the park to ride the paddle boats and feed the ducks and geese. Pretty funny.......they were everywhere. A man standing by us kept saying "They don't have teeth, so they cant hurt you". Finally I decided to feed the goose some popcorn from my hand. It may not have had teeth, but it sure did try to take my finger off! I don't think I will try that again anytime soon. ha.

Kylie rode with her daddy

Lex and I were glad to have Carson on our boat. He was a great helper and has some good leg power!

We finished off the day with some yummy ice cream treats! What a great weekend.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

2011-08-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Kyle wanted to go camping for his birthday. His sister and her family joined us for a night.

Carson's train. Not to bad for a five year old!

This picture helps me to remember to treasure every second with the kids while they are small. I know our chairs will not always look like this:0(

The kids were so excited when their cousins arrived!

They all liked to play by the bathroom. Not my idea of a good hang out spot, but they wanted to cast their fishing poles from the ledge.

The large moth before it met Carson

The large moth after it met Carson

This was one of my favorite pictures! I could picture them as old men out fishing and talking together. ha.ha
We ran to the store one day, and Kylie and Carson took a nap on the way back. Camping is hard work!
Before Kyle's sister and her family left, we went swimming at the reservoir and had lunch.

There was a fallen tree that the kids loved to walk on. It made a bridge across the creek and they would get water from it to water the flowers that they picked for the table.
This ax was one of Kyle's birthday presents. He got it early because he was going to go buy one.=0) I thought it was cute to see him and Carson chopping wood together.

First catch of the day

Our trailer has an indoor and an outdoor shower. The outdoor one was perfect for the kids!

Watch out for this girl......she is dang good at card games!

My birthday boy and I

Presents! He had a lot of help opening them.

Tri- tip to celebrate the special day!

I forgot the candles, so I tried to light some small sticks on the top, but that didn't work either.ha.ha

Lex was asleep about five minutes after this picture.....good work grandpa!

Fourth of July!!!

2011-08-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

We have made it a tradition to go to the God and Country celebration that takes place about a week before the fourth. We sit across the street from it and hang out until it is time for the fireworks. We always have a lot of fun, and the kids love it too. They bring frisbee's and hula hoops and we have lots of snacks while we wait. We met some friends there, and some family too.

My friends Melissa and Keri

Then for the fourth, we went to a parade. Here are Kyle and Lex on the swings next to the parade route.

Waiting with bags ready for lots of candy! Love this holiday!

It doesn't get much more patriotic than this

Kylie snuggling with her daddy! It was early in the morning, so it was a little cool out.

Lexi watching the kids play in the dirt

We went to the parade with Kyle's sister and her family. We went to their house after so the kids could swim, and we had lunch with them.

Then we headed back to our neighborhood for a B.B.Q. The kids did a little fishing in the pond by our house

Since the fourth is about celebrating our freedoms, Carson gained his own personal freedom that day. No more training wheels!! We were all so excited for him! I thought it was funny that he learned on independence day!!

Kyle and I made this festive cake

Whoa!

There was a flag inside of it.....how did that get there. ha.ha

Kyle's favorite part of the day

Lex and I......you can see she got a little sun-burnt at the parade

And finally it was dark enough to let of the fireworks

My sister-in-law and Lainah

And the main reason for all the fun that we had that day!

Camping, swim lessons and more...

2011-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our first camping trip of the year! We bought my parents trailer from them, and it made for a much more comfortable camping experience! We love it.We found a really nice campground about an hour and a half away. The best part was that there are hardly any mosquitos, and it was not too hot.

The bug man got to work right away. ha.ha

For some reason, hot dogs taste even better while camping

The kids love to bring their bikes

Our campsite was right next to a creek

we also had some friends join us, and the girls love their dogs. I also loved having the dogs around when it got really dark. I felt like they would warn us if some crazy animal was lurking around the campground. ha.ha

Kyle and I love how we don't have any distractions while in the woods. We are able to spend all of our time with our kids and not have to worry about anything else!

and the kids absolutely love camping!!!

There was a trail right in the campgroud, so we went on a hike before we left

The kids were fascinated by this cool tree that has bark that looks like puzzle pieces. I forgot the type of tree it was, but the bark also smells sweet when it gets hot. Cool stuff!
My grandma came up to visit for a couple of weeks. The kids loved spending time with her. She read them some stories and they liked to sit and listen to them. We went to my parents for dinner one night, and my mom let them help make this fruit pizza. It was delicious!!
Kylie and Carson took swim lessons again this summer. They learned SO much this year. They can now swim without floaties. I am so proud of them. Kylie can even do a dolphin style swim.
For their last day of lessons they got to just play the entire time.

And they passed!!

Lexi was a little sad that she didn't get to swim, so I had to buy her a candy out of the vending machine to keep her from being upset.

hmmm........what do we have today??

pretty funny, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to make it work!

Cherry festival/ Company party

2011-08-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

For Kyle's company party we went to a local amusement center. We all had a great time and didn't have to pay for anything! That made it extra fun. ha.ha Here is Kylie with her daddy on the race cars. A fun game of miniature golf.....we only made it to a few holes, when it started to rain and we headed back inside.

Carson and I showing off our awesome racing skills. Lexi was too little, but she had fun watching us.........I hope=0) Shortly after we went, they had to close it down due to the rain. Just before they closed it we got to watch lots of people spin in circles after turning the corner. It was funny......just glad it wasn't us.

We played lots of fun games, and won some great prizes!

We went to the Cherry Festival the following week and played some more fun games

Kylie won a flower flashlight........not to bad for a dollar!Lexi won the same
A picture with the Army guy and his cool vehicle

We had a B.B.Q. at my parents after and Carson found this LONG worm.......ewww! He is really into bugs these days. He LOVES catching them!!

Lex had to inspect the worm also

I am so glad for all of the fun things there are to do, in order to keep our little munch-kins happy this summer........even if it is catching creepy insects!

Happy 5th Birthday Carson and Kylie!!!!

2011-07-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Kylie and I on her last night as a 4 year old! =0(

Carson and his last night as a four year old=0(

On their birthday we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese, and we also had their pictures taken. The amount of food coloring that went in to these cupcakes was ridiculous. I will leave it at that and not go into any gross details!

A new train.......I don't think the day could get any better for him

A fairy barbie

Carson having a friendly competition with his little sister=0)

We had a birthday bash for Carson and Kylie the weekend after their birthday. We went with a circus theme.

My version of a circus tent

Kyle, Lex and I with the big five year olds!

The guests arrive

The big surprise was a real clown at the party. Her name is Bubbles the clown. She brought big balloon rainbows for the birthday kids....

And she was really funny. Kylie found her to be so funny that she had to change her clothes after this part( if you know what I mean). She laughed a little too hard. ha.ha She was saying that the balloons were fighting and she asked for Carson and Kylie's help to keep them from fighting with each other.
She made balloon animals/sculptures for all the kids at the party, and before she left she led the kids to the cake.

Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey.......and you smell like one too!j/k .ha.ha That song does go well with the circus theme though!

It tasted as good as it looked!

The party hop game.......really fun

ready, set..........

Lexi and her cousin Lainah are four days apart. It was so cute to see them together. They both walked in their sacs. Funny!

The pinata

Presents!!! Kyle and I gave them cute new bike helmets.

They got lots of cool stuff........bubbles, basketball hoop, gumball machines, chalk, and much more

Kylie and Carson's friend Laila and her super cool balloon hat!

Happy Birthday to my twins! I can't believe how fast they have grown. I am so proud of them!!
Highlights of Kylie and Carson's last year: They completed preschool and learned to write their names, they learned how to whistle (they are awesome at it too), they love shrimp, they both love to play outside, Kylie can hoopa loop very well, Carson is very detail oriented ( he notices cars that have the same rims as mine, he has a great memory, he can draw pretty neat pictures) Kylie is so girly and loves to pick out her clothes and play dress up, she is also very smart and great at writing her letters and numbers as well as coloring in the lines, Carson is 100% boy- he picks up worms, and loved to catch bugs and put them in jars. They got to go to Disneyland and see the ocean, and they have made a lot of friends this last year! It is awesome to seem them grow and learn so many things. They are just awesome and we couldn't imagine our life without them. I still remember vividly the excitement that Kyle and I felt when we found out we were going to be blessed with twins! Still feel that way about them today. They are amazing=0)

Another California adventure

2011-07-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

We got in really late, so we went to bed as soon as we got to my Nana's house. The next morning the kids were up and helping daddy Juan pick berries and other fruit in his backyard

First thing's first...........pedicures! Kylie and Lex had their first pedicure.

I am sure the ladies were glad to get us out of the salon, because Kylie, Lex and I all messed up our toes, and had to go back in for a touch up.
After our toes looked pretty, we had a b.b.q. and I was able to meet Andrew's girlfriend. Lexi loved her right away, and spent most of the night by her side.
The next day I met my friend Nicole at the mall for lunch. The kids loved the play area.........

especially Carson, since there was a Thomas ride

We took a day trip one day to see my grandma, uncle, and great uncle

This is my great uncle Clayton. He lives in a home where he can receive some assistance. He was glad to see the kids.
We also saw my dad's mom and had lunch with her. What a busy day. Too many people to see, and never enough time!

My nana read the kid's a bedtime story pretty much every night.

This is a picture of the Oakland area

My friends and I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese one day. We were there for several hours.

Sandra, Diana and I

After Chuck E. Cheese. ha.ha

My friend Audrey is having a baby next month! One of the reasons for our trip to California was so that I could go to her baby shower.
I think Carson was the only boy in the place.........he doesn't look to sad about it either!

Sandra, Diana and I. Sandra is another reason for my visit. She has been fighting cancer for over a year now, and she is still giving it her all. She has a bone marrow transplant scheduled for next month. I am SOOO proud of her. Words can't even express how proud. She looks beautiful and does her makeup everyday, dresses up everyday, and most importantly she has the best attitude about everything. I know she has her moments of break-downs........but who wouldn't. She is amazing and I really admire her. It sucks not being able to be there for her more right now, but I am so thankful for technology and the opportunity it gives me to talk to her often. We had a wonderful time. We talked and laughed and even forgot about what she is going through for a little bit.......which is priceless!

The shower was beautiful. Definitely fit for a princess. The food was yummy too

My friend Diana made this beautiful decoration for the baby's room. The butterflies are made out of diapers
Kylie was Audrey's assistant. She helped hand her all the presents and she even helped her open a few.
My mom and my Nana kept saying they had a surprise for me. I found my surprise at the baby shower, when Julie (my nana's daughter) and her two girls Emma and Lauren showed up. They live in Southern California. What a perfect surprise.

Later that night Julie, Sandra, our friend Amber and I went out to dinner and to a movie. We had Thai food. It was delicious and the presentation of it was amazing!

Julie and I

On our last day there we went to the Oakland zoo, and my cousin and her kids met us there

These bats were fascinating

Carson was showing me how the bats hang. He is pretty good at it!

My little spiders

The zoo has some rides for the kids, so we did that at the end. It was a great day!

we all went out to dinner after the zoo. Lexi was exhausted and slept on the bench while we ate.

Here is Lexi snuggling with Emma while watching a movie

On our way to the airport the next day, we stopped at one of my favorite hot dog places.
Traveling with three kids on an airplane is challenging. I couldn't of done it without my mom's help. They did pretty good on the plane. It was just getting on that was a pain. On the way there we had a soda spill and leak all down the isle, on the way home I couldn't find my boarding pass ( the kids had a meltdown a few minutes prior to getting on........it's amazing that I was able to remember what my own name was after that! ha.ha. Then we had a couple of gift bags filled with small toys and it ripped when I picked it up, so I transferred it to another bag which also ripped..............really??

finally at our seats

the happy meals were a great idea! Carson set off the metal detector as we were checking in, we had him take off his belt, and then it when off again, we discovered that he had a little car in his pocket. Everyone was laughing. Love him=)

We were all SO happy to see Kyle. That is the longest we had ever been away from him. Kylie was glued to him for a little bit.
I came home to a perfectly clean house, and some beautiful roses on my table from my amazing hubby. Maybe I should go away more often.........

Fun in the sun

2011-07-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

It is probably obvious who I made this cake for. We celebrated my dad's birthday in May, and I wanted to make him a cool cake. I am by no means a good cake decorator.....but this cake was perfect for him. He loves the packers, so that is what I gave him. It was late when I decided to make it. Kyle went to our small local store to get me some supplies and I did my best with what I had=0)He hates pictures, but the kids need to know that their grandpa was around quite a bit.....even if I only get a few pictures a year to prove it. ha.ha
We had a free Saturday last month, so we planned a fun day for the kids. Kyle wanted to take them miniature golfing for the first time. They loved it.
A cute picture on the lizard decoration. I don't know if climbing on them is allowed, but Kyle wanted them to do it.

Waiting for their turn

Lex taking her first swing ever!

We were also able to make it to a great parade that day. These dancing horses are my favorite. I can't imagine the time it takes to train them to do this!

There are lots of interesting things at parades........what more can I say?

My little love bugs waiting patiently for some candy to come their way

Father son campout/ random pictures

2011-06-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

My princesses came into my bed one morning after Kyle left for work. So cute to see them snuggling!

My handsome little man all ready for bed=) The turkey is his sleep buddy every now and then.

Looking good for church

Our church does a father and son camp out each year, but since my dad does not go to church.....he Kyle and Carson went on their own camp out. I love this picture of Carson riding in the front. I know it is so good for him to get some male bonding time.........without all of us girls!

He got to do some fishing

And hang out by the fire with lots of snacksThe girls and I stayed home and went shopping and out to eat with my mom. We had a great time. Kylie and Lexi enjoy playing dress up together. Kylie gets herself all dressed up, and then she dresses up her sister. It is sooo cute!
One night Kylie insisted on wearing her princess dress to bed. So here is our sleeping beauty!

Mother's Day and cupcakes

2011-06-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

My kids and I on mother's day! They were so good to me. I love them more than they will ever know, and I think it is great to have a day to celebrate motherhood. It is hard work to be a good mom........and exhausting too!

I am also grateful to be able to show my gratitude to my own mom on this day.
I woke up to beautiful flowers, pretty slippers in my favorite color, and a new set of pots and pans. Thanks to my kids and their dad for treating me so well that day!!
Also, I feel so lucky to have made some great friends here in Idaho. My one friend and I have been on a mission to find a great cupcake. They all look so pretty, but don't seem to taste as good as we hope. She made some last month..........and they were fabulous. I was changing my clothes one night when she called and told Kyle she was bringing us some cupcakes. I was laughing, because I had just put on my cupcake jammies! What a coincidence. Kylie and Alexis were still awake to sample the yumminess! I had a hard time saving one for Carson.......but I did! They were the best we've had yet.
I have put on my cupcake jammies a few times since.......but I haven't had any more treats magically appear right after. I guess I need to buy a new pair!

Pre-School Graduation

2011-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

All ready for kindergarten!!! Kylie and Carson graduated from pre-school. A few other moms and I took turns teaching the kids at home. Kyle was impressed at how much they learned in this short amount of time. They both can write their name and they know the alphabet along with the phonics of each letter. We went on several fun field trips and made lots of fun crafts. It was a success, and it would be fun to do it again sometime.

They had a program for all the parents

The girls jumping on the trampoline

The kids all sang a couple of songs for us, and one of their teacher's read each of their favorite things as she handed them a diploma. She had come over a few days before to ask them some questions and get their handprints. I will put their answers at the bottom. So cute!!

Hot dogs........how can you go wrong with those!

The boys playing in the rocks

more yummy food

this is what we brought

It was a privilege for me to participate in teaching my own kids, along with a few others. Kylie and Carson really blossomed, and it was fun to watch them make friends and learn so much in such little time. These were their questions and answers..........

Favorite Color? Kylie: Purple, Carson: Blue and Orange ( I am sure that has nothing to do with BSU)

Favorite Food? Kylie: hot dogs, Carson: Macaroni and cheese

Favorite thing to do? Kylie: Color, Carson: go to Disneyland

Favorite thing about preschool? Kylie: Writing letters, Carson: making stuff

When I grow up I want to be? Kylie: just like my mom, Carson: a shooter

The last answer was my favorite. I am sure Kylie will want to be something more exciting than just like me, but I couldn't ask for a better compliment from her. That is the nicest thing she could ever say. Melted my heart for sure! And as far as Carson's answer................I am not so sure how I feel about that one. ha.ha.

Easter

2011-05-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

The day we got home from vacation, my birth parents came to visit us. I didn't get very many pictures, but we had a great time with them. They brought the kids a lot of presents ( we only see them once or twice a year, so we celebrate birthdays and holidays when they come). We went to the movies and out to eat. Here is Kylie with her nonna. They gave Carson this awesome train set. He played with it for hours that night. At one point he was even laying in the middle of it, watching a movie. My boy LOVES his trains!
My friend Melissa put together a fun Easter egg in our neighborhood. The kids had so much fun, and the weather was really nice
There were so many eggs and each was one hidden so well.....thanks to Melissa's mom and her friend. They did a great job!

Easter eggs! It seems like we never have enough eggs to color. They go so fast! Lots of fun though. We colored them right before the kids went to bed, so here they are in their p.j.'s and aprons.

Oooooh.........so pretty!

Easter morning.....baskets filled by the Easter bunny. We also taught the kids about the real meaning of Easter the night before. My mom was so impressed when we went to her house and she asked them if they knew why we celebrate this special day. They answered by telling her that Jesus was resurrected. That word is impressive....especially coming from a four year old.

Here the kids are all dressed up for the special day. The girls' dresses were a gift from their nonna and pop-pop. They looked beautiful in them. Carson always looks so handsome in his Sunday best=0)

We went to my parent's house for dinner that day. I always love to see her festive table.

She made them a special drink......yummy.

And my dad hid some eggs for an egg hunt. There was one golden egg that was filled with gold coins.

I guess Kylie found the grand prize

You know it was a great day, when the kids look like this on the way home!

I am a little behind on my posting, but before I forget I have to share a funny story about Lexi. She has really been talking a lot lately. Sometimes she surprises us with her vocabulary. Well two days ago after the kids had a bath, she put a lot of her shoes in the bath tub while it still was full of water. I let them dry in there over night, and yesterday I told her she needed to put them all away. She started with one pair and came back over to me. I asked her if she cleaned them all up and she said "I can't, my too little mom". ha.ha. Too funny!

Vacation part IV (Sunny San Diego)

2011-05-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

We started out our fun in the sun by taking the kids shopping for sun glasses and hats at this beautiful outdoor mall. They had sunburns on their scalps from Disneyland.

The beach!!! Carson LOVED finding seashells. I think he almost liked it as much as Disneyland!
Lexi and her yummy chocolate chip cookie=0) We all loved relaxing and playing in the sand for a few hours.

and here is Kylie building a sand castle with her daddy!

I do miss the ocean! It is so peaceful.

That night Kyle took us on a carriage ride. He said he always wanted to take me on one, and there was his opportunity!

This horse was named "Prince Charming" how appropriate.

And then he took us out to dinner at a cool place right on the water. I love clam chowder in bread bowls.

We met Julie at her favorite beach the next day.

She taught the kids how to dig for these little crabs. They were all over! A little creepy. She said that was the most they have ever found.

That beach also had tide pools, we were able to see star fish, and crabs.

Even the walk to and from the beach was beautiful!

We got to go in this cool tunnel under the highway to get there

On our way back to our hotel we drove by the beautiful temple in La Jolla.......gorgeous!

We then started our trip back home, and stopped in Palm Springs to see another family friend, Yvette (Julie's sister) and her boyfriend Sean. She has such a nice house with a pretty backyard. They also had this cute, sweet dog that the kids fell in love with! Carson was not even afraid of him at all. I was really surprised. The weather was hot over there and the kids would throw the ball in the pool, and the dog would jump in to get it.
Yvette was awesome! She made the kids cupcakes and let them decorate them. She knew exactly how to get to their hearts=0) She also made us the most delicious lunch. I have already called her to get her recipes, and have made it a few times. She is a great cook! I was craving her food all the way home. ha.ha
We stayed in Las Vegas again on the way home. We found the pawn shop that is on t.v by accident, but we had to get a picture of the long line of people waiting to get in!

And this was my favorite street! Kylie wanted to find one that was named after her too!

It was great to get home, but it is also so wonderful to take a vacation together with no responsibilities to worry about. Can't wait to do it again!

Vacation part III (The Happiest Place on Earth!)

2011-05-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for our big day and enjoying some doughnuts! My throat was still very painful, but at least the rest of my problems were gone!!

So True!!

We had to get a picture with Mickey Mouse right away

Then we hopped on the train and headed to Toon town!

Our first ride of the day........."It's a small World"! So cute. I always thought it was my favorite, but then as we went on some more rides, I would think they were my favorite. They are all so fun. I have several favorites!ha.ha. I love Carson's happy face in this picture!

Testing out Minnie's lounge chair

The cookies at Minnie's house were a hologram and Lexi kept trying to pick them up and eat them. he.he

Disney ears........princess style! Oh yeah!

The little tail on his hat was so funny

Perfect weather!

Winnie the Pooh ride

My prince and princesses in front of the beautiful castle

Daddy looks a little tired in this picture! Not my kiddos though=0)

The carousel was another one of their favorites!

A little spin in Mr. Toad's wild ride.

The famous Dumbo ride. Woohoo

By the end of our first day we were all exhausted! It was a wonderful day. Kylie stayed awake just until we got on the bus. Then Kyle and I had a challenge transporting three sleeping kids to our room. We couldn't even get them to wake up long enough to walk for a minute. They were troopers the entire day! We were at the park for almost 12 hours!
The hotel that we stayed at had bunk beds and Kylie and Carson were in heaven. Carson's exact words were "this is amazing". ha.ha. They each had a night light next to their bed and they were thrilled! Lexi had her own bed next to them also. It worked out great.

My happy little munch-kins all ready to go for another big day!

We spent a lot of our second day at California adventure. They are getting a new Cars ride. We will have to check it out next time we are there!
Toy story ride.......so fun! We were all laughing at Lex wearing her glasses upside down. The funny thing is they fit better that way. She entertained us while we waited in line!
One of the stores had this cool train, so Carson had to go in and check it out=0)
This is one of my favorite pictures of the girls. They went to cool off in the water area, and you can tell by their faces that they were having the best time together!

A much needed break and drink.........it was pretty warm that day.

Yum!

We had to get a picture at the entrance!

My little pirates! The kids liked the ride, it even put Lex to sleep. She was a little scared by the pirates and snuggled into me, and she was asleep within a minute or two. Carson and Kylie loved thunder mountain............it's a train so of course it was Carson's favorite ride. I was surprised how brave they were, that is a fast roller coaster. It worked out perfect because Lexi was not tall enough, so they rode it while she had her nap both days. Kyle and I took turns taking them on it. I screamed more than they did.
My life-long family friend Julie lives in Southern California, and was able to meet us for a few hours at Disneyland. Kylie and her daughter Lauren ( who is just a few months younger) got along really well together. Carson and her other daughter Emma also got along really well......I heard them talking about snakes and worms, it was really cute. We were all in line to ride the roller coaster in toon town. I was nervous for Lexi to go on it, because it actually goes pretty fast. Kylie and Carson first rode it at age 2 1/2, so we figured she was ready. She LOVED it so much, that we had to ride it twice in a row. She was a brave girl that night. She also rode the Matterhorn. She did not ask to go on that one twice. ha.ha

I can't even explain how much fun we had there! I see another few trips in our future=0)

Vacation part II ( Viva Las Vegas)

2011-04-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

We headed out early from Idaho Falls, and we were off to Las Vegas baby!! Kyle had a work meeting to attend there. I tried to keep everyone happy with lots of snacks.

We made several stops along the way to let the kids stretch their legs, one of our stops was at the golden arches!

They had such a great play area there too. It was really cute.

As soon as we pulled into Las Vegas, I all of the sudden started feeling the chills and had body aches, and a sore throat. Weird timing. I felt fine, until Kyle went to check in to our hotel. I was hoping it was just because I was tired from the long drive. We did have a great view from our room of one of the pretty swimming pools. The kids were thrilled about that!The next morning, I felt even worse, and I saw ugly white spots on the back of my throat. I took a picture of it, but I won't show the picture and gross anyone out.=0) I am so thankful to the person who called me in some antibiotics that morning (thank you!!!). There was no way I was going to let this ruin my trip. After picking up my prescription, we were off to Circus Circus. Our kiddos LOVED the buffet! I hadn't and still haven't seen them eat that much in a very long time. There was even a lady sitting next to us that came over and told us how well behaved she thought our kids were. That doesn't happen too often, and we were so proud of them and tried to thank them and praise them for their great behavior.

Lexi was in heaven with her strawberry mousse=0)

Then we had to play some games..........

and win some prizes too! Kylie hadn't won hers yet, so she was a little frustrated in this picture since her brother and sister had.

Carson just HAD to ride this hot air balloon ferris wheel. There was no way we could leave without letting him either. I tried to talk him out of it due to the outrageous cost, but hey that is what a vacation is all about, right? So he and his sisters and Kyle all rode it together.

We wanted to also check out the water show at the Bellagio. The inside of the hotel was beautiful! Flowers everywhere.

Funny how you can get a feel for a lot of different areas in the world, all on one street. What a gorgeous day that was!

The Bellagio water show was really cool. We were all very impressed by it.

Kyle had a work dinner to attend one night, so I took the kids swimming.......alone. Thankfully there were lifeguards on duty to help me out=0) We had an interesting time. I got the three of them dressed in their suits and made sure they used the bathroom. Then we had to walk a ways to get our towels, as soon as we got their floaties on, and started to get into the pool (which took me a while with my fever.....it felt pretty cold), Carson had to use the bathroom again. ha.ha. I think the lifeguard was pretty entertained by us to say the least. So then we got in the pool again, and had a lot of fun. We were really loving the beautiful Vegas weather=0) I did tell the kids that we had to leave the next time we had to take a potty break. It was a lot of work to get them all out, and dried off,and then walk a ways to the bathroom. There were about 4 swimming pools in the area, and one of them was a lazy river. That is where we were. Pretty cool! When Kyle came back that night, we were all in our jammies. I was so glad that he had the idea to drag us out to the car and look at all the pretty lights at night. Our drive also put all three of our munch-kins and myself to sleep! ha.ha
The next morning Kyle had his convention to attend the entire day......so the kids and I explored the strip. We had him drop us off a few hotels away from where he was, and we checked out all the fun stuff as we made our way to where his meeting was. We started off at the Rain forest cafe in the MGM grand. I remember when he dropped us off, I was not feeling to hot at all. I had the chills and my throat hurt like a word that I won't say! Thanks to Tylenol, ibuprofen, my prescription, and a large coke.........I was able to take on the strip! The kids loved the Rain forest cafe, and we also saw another cool feature that was at that Hotel................
Lions!!! We were so captivated by these men that walked around inside the Lions' cage and hand fed them. I am a huge animal lover, but I don't think I could ever stick my hand next to a Lion's mouth. Crazy!! They also played ball with them, scratched their heads, and sat right next to them.
The castle was one of Kylie, Carson and Alexis' favorites to look at. I am glad I could get a picture of them with it. They also liked playing at the carnival type games that were inside. They won some cool prizes too.
We ended up at the hotel where Kyle was at, and they had a new shark reef aquarium right next to the conference center where he was.........so it worked perfectly. It was very neat. I use to think that I would like to be a marine biologist when I was younger. That would have been a little hard to do in Idaho.he.he. Anyways, I still think that the ocean and all the creatures in it are so fascinating and it is fun to learn about them.

The kids loved it as much as I did.......

Carson was even brave enough to pet a sting Rey, Kylie and I were a little nervous to touch them (some biologist I would have been. ha.ha) I was o.k. with them, until I heard about the crocodile hunter and his experience with them.
jelly fish........these were the most interesting to me. I could have stared at them all day. They are so unusual. Also I had to take this picture, so that Lexi would know that she went with us, since she slept through the entire thing.
Shark......creepy. When we were toward the end of the aquarium, there is an area that makes you feel like you were in a sunken ship. There were sharks above, below, and on the sides of us. I was planning out an emergency exit as we were looking at them. I am such a worry wart. ha.ha
Next stop: Disneyland......woo hoo!!!!

Vacation-part I ( Idaho Falls)

2011-04-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

We started our trip a little early when we found out that our niece was going to get baptized a few days before we planned to leave. We were so happy that they didn't do it while we were gone, so that we could be there for it. I noticed while I was looking at all the pictures that I took, that this is the only picture I got of her! The cousins were SO busy playing and having fun, that I barely even saw any of them.ha.ha. She looked beautiful, and we were so proud of her.

I thought this picture was so funny. Our youngest nephew Joseph was having a blast eating chips....the look on his face tells it all. What a cutie!

Here is Kylie with her aunt Emily. Emily let Kylie borrow some clothes, so that she could go outside and play with everyone. What a great Aunt!!

And this is why we didn't see the kids too much. They were outside playing with the dog, and just having a great time together!

Later that night grandma and grandpa (Kyle's parents) watched our kids, so that we could have a night out with hiss brothers and their wives. We went to dinner, bowling, and then out for ice cream. We had so much fun and laughed a lot.

family fun

2011-04-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

We had some monkey bread for breakfast over the weekend. My mom used to make this for me when I was little and I loved it. My kids felt the same about it. Good stuff=0)Kylie got to go to the zoo with a friend the other day, and Carson was able to have a friend over to play. It seems he is always surrounded by girls. At preschool there is only one other boy, and church there is only one other boy in his class. I was so happy to see him having some boy time........and what do boys do when they get together?? They dig in the mud for worms. If Kylie was home, and Alexis was awake, they both would have been helping them.....I am sure.

Here they are with their digging tools and very muddy shoes! At one point I heard his friend say" this is the best play date ever!" His friend also wanted to bring home a jar full of the worms. His mom was a great sport and agreed to it.

Lexi loves to do the same things that Kylie and Carson do. Kylie likes to dress up, and she dresses up Lexi too. Here are the Snow and Whites brushing their teeth. I don't think it gets much cuter than this!
Except for maybe this.........we had a movie night, and the girls gathered several animals/babies to snuggle with.

And for St. Patrick's day we had green pancakes for breakfast.

Their facial expressions here are too funny!! I must have been in a hurry getting this picture. ha.ha. We also went to my parents house for some corned beef and cabbage........delicious!! Kyle is not a fan of the cabbage, so my mom had some substitutes made up, just for him.

party time!

2011-03-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

First off......here are a couple of pictures of the kids after church in their cute outfits.Kylie went with Kyle one Sunday by herself, because Carson was sick. Here she is looking so stylish!
A friend of mine had a birthday last week, and her husband asked us girls to plan a night out for her. We had so much fun taking her to dinner and to a movie. There were about 17 of us all together.
Kylie also got invited to a birthday party for a friend of hers. It was a princess party and the girls were asked to wear their favorite princess dress. Of course Kylie picked Snow and White. Kylie also let Jana (the birthday girl in the picture above) borrow her princess sash and tiara that she got at her party. What a nice girl!
It is always fun to celebrate happy occasions with friends. We are off to another birthday party tomorrow!

February

2011-03-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Lexi ended the month with a black eye, and chipped front tooth. Both happened within a day of each other. Not at the same time. I documented how this happened in the next picture............
If you look carefully you will see my little Lexi's legs hiding under the clothes. This is what she likes to do when we go shopping, as well as run from me. So I had to pick up a few things at the store and Lex took off running. As I chase her, she runs even faster. She then fell, and her lip started bleeding quite a bit. I used her shirt to cover the blood while we made our way to the bathroom. I was just trying to not cause a big scene. When we got home. Kyle noticed that her tooth had a large chip in it! Then the next day, she fell off the bed and hit the rocking chair, which resulted in a black eye! What in the world!?!?! Poor baby!

Here is my handsome Carson after church one Sunday.

Kyle's parents came over one weekend, and his dad had just retired............so we got him this pretty cake to celebrate his huge accomplishment.
My turn to teach pre-school. Our theme was rainbows and the letter R. We made these rainbows out of cereal and had a yummy snack at the same time. The kids were pretty happy to be able to eat as they worked.

Here is our preschool group. Pretty cute kids! Valentine's Day........... Pillow pets all around! They love these things.We celebrated with a toast!

and a heart shaped pizza for dinner.........yum!

Kyle and I went out on a date the weekend before. We had a great night out. It is always a little hard to get out of the house though....especially when the kids are hanging on us=0) At least that means they like us a little bit. ha.ha
Carson and Kylie made these cute treat holders at preschool, and they got to pass out valentines.We had a few play dates. This place is fun and cute. Carson and Lexi are grilling up some food.

Kylie and Nick on the play structure

And here is Carson in the construction zone!My friend Melissa's daughter has the same birthday as Lexi, she is just a year older. My kids love to play with her. We have had a lot of play dates with them lately. We were invited to her birthday party!Everything was decorated really cute. The kids all played some fun games and they each got an apron and they were able to make their own pizza's. How cool is that? What a great party!February has been a very busy month. Carson rarely falls asleep like this, so that is also a sign of how busy we were=0)

She is TWO!!!!!

2011-02-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

Good morning birthday girl. What a great way to start off her special day.........heart shaped pancakes.

Her beautiful cake was made by a friend of ours in our last neighborhood. She makes gorgeous cakes, I have her info if anyone would like to order one from her. I like to celebrate Alexis' birthday with hearts and pinks and reds, since it is so close to Valentine's day. The flowers and the number two were even sparkly.She is all ready for the day. I don't think she can get any cuter. She is just perfect!

We celebrated her birthday in McCall. She slept on the way up. I have no idea how she can sleep like this. It looks painful.

Every year in McCall they have a winter carnival with lots of ice sculptures. As soon as we came into town, we were greeted by Thomas the train. It looked like he was coming out of the mountain. The back car even had a place for kids to climb in for a picture.

Presents!!!!I love this picture!!taking a little break in her new chair pretty as a princess in camo. ha.ha. I am sure it is obvious that my dad picked out that hat for her.

My parents gave her this cute birthday doll. Way cute. She also got a little vacuum, a baby (from Kylie), a tent (from Carson), new swim suit, clothes, a Dora chair....and a few more. She had a good day needless to say=0)Good thing we had enough cake to share. This big guy was an unexpected guest. He was very large and healthy. Where is Billy the exterminator when you need him. ha.ha The kids threw some crackers and he was a happy camper.
The next day we went out to check out some more ice sculptures. Here is Kyle studying my R.S lesson book, while doing his business! ha.ha. This sculpture won second place. Very creative.

The trains were Carson's favorite of course. Trains must have been the theme this year, because there were at least three or four of them. This one was amazing. It won a prize for the best maintained.

The birthday girl swimming! This was her first time wearing floaties, and she did awesome. She is pretty brave in the water, which is kind of scary.The birthday girl getting her beauty rest

On our way home we stopped to see the grand prize winner. It had a walkway leading up to it with bears and fish. Impressive!

And here is our two year old in her brand new big girl bed! Now we just need to get her to sleep in it all night.ha.ha

We had the best time in McCall! Lexis' birthday fell on Super bowl Sunday. My parents came with us on our mini vacation. We watched the Packers win the game!!! Woohoo!! My dad has been a big fan of them for about 16 years. I also am a fan of them, since I grew up watching them and cheering them on with my dad. I don't think Lexi's birthday could have been any better!

Some fun info. about Alexis:
She is in the 95% for height, 65% for weight ( she is pretty healthy. ha.ha.), when I ask her how old she is, she says " four-half" because that is what she hears her siblings say about their age, she likes pizza, loves pickles, loves to play with her brother and sister, she likes to snuggle, did not like her two year check up at all, Not a fan of doctors, she is still attached to her pacifier and calls it her "nummy", she is also enjoying drawing on the couch and walls recently, and just broke her front tooth. Terrible two's are officially here, and I wouldn't trade them for anything=0)

Kylie/Carson's night out

2011-02-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I love to take the kids out alone every now and then. I think they really need and enjoy that special time alone with us. Most recently we took Carson out to a basketball game at BSU. We all had a great time together. Me and my buddy getting in some snuggles before the game=0)

We took him out to dinner before at this cool place that we thought he would love. The waitresses deliver the food on roller skates (super talented). They go really fast and he did like to watch them. Kyle and I have seen them take some big and very messy spills in the past. Thankfully that night, we didn't have to witness any.
Carson loved the decorations...........

and he especially loved his strawberry milkshake. That kept him really busy!

We had to run to the store after to pick up a few things. While we were pushing him around in the cart he told us thank you for a fun night. I wanted to cry, because it was just so sweet and sincere. Normally I have to request some gratitude, so it is super special when they do it all by themselves! Thanks Carson and Kyle for a great night out with my boys!!

Kylie got to go out with us on a night out to see the Cinderella play. It was for her cousin's birthday. It was so much fun. Kyle and I were surprised at how well she paid attention to the play and she loved every minute of it.

There were no pictures allowed in the theater, but she was so excited that she was able to meet Cinderella and the rest of the cast after.

The three of us at dinner

Kylie was pretty spoiled the entire evening.........blanket and all=)
We love having that quality time with our little munchkins. Lexi is not left out by any means. She has had a lot of alone time with us.......including every night in our bed. ha.ha We look forward to taking them out on a lot more dates in the future=)
Last week was a little rough for us. We had some bad flu plus a sinus infection, strep throat, and pink eye on top of it all. I laugh at it now.......I can't believe all the things we had at one time. Anyway, we are all feeling better.........on antibiotics, and looking forward to celebrating Lexi's birthday this weekend!!

Christmas (lots of pictures)

2011-01-15T11:08:00.001-08:00

these pictures are little out of order, because my camera died on Christmas day. Something must have happened to it in the car. I only got one picture of Kylie with her grandpa. I didn't get a new camera until the next day. We did have a nice time at Kyle's parents house. We opened gifts, and spent time with the family.
The next morning we were going to Utah to see the lights at the Salt Lake temple with Kyle's brother and his family. We stopped by Kyle's grandparents house for breakfast on our way out. It was awesome to get a picture of them with all the grand kids! I just loved the funny face that Maryann was making in this one (the little girl in the middle)

Here is Grant, Kyle, and the kids

Then we went to the airplane museum when we got into Utah. Lexi was sitting watching an airplane video in such a lady like fashion! ha.ha

This one was giant. Wow! The airplanes are amazing, and there is so much history to learn about at the museum. We had a great time.

Then we went out to eat at a really cool place, where people dive off a cliff into a swimming pool. All the kids LOVED it! This is Kyle's brothers family.

And this is me and my Carson!

Here is Kylie in the tabernacle. It is such a neat building. While it was being built, the people were inspired to put a bunch of holes on the ceiling, and didn't know why. We now know that it was for lighting and sound purposes. Pretty amazing!
He we are in front of the temple........so amazing all the detail that went into it.

just gorgeous......especially with all the Christmas lights around it.

We were all exhausted at the end of the day. We were glad to get to the hotel and swim, and relax. The water was so warm too. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Kylie and Carson especially loved the hot tub

Since we spent Christmas day with Kyle's family, we spent Christmas Eve with my parents at their house. My mom sets the table so pretty every time.And her house looks like the north pole. The other side of the tree looked just like this side=0)

The kids all got new bikes as their main gifts..........pretty cool!

Lex now has her very own lap top

Carson checking out his daddy's present

I got these awesome gloves. Can't wait until next year, so that I can put them to good use!And the grand finale..............................a Wii.................................yay. Man they really spoiled us. I was super excited for this one. I had no idea they were getting that for us!
Here they are in their new jammies, all ready to go home and wait for Santa to come!
When they woke up, they found Santa was pretty good to them. Carson got a train table, Kylie- a princess tent and dress up clothes, Lexi- a cool weebles tree house.
Kyle got a remote control helicopter, some clothes, a new razor, and some other great gifts. Kyle got me a vex con shirt! I love it. I love watching Billy the exterminator, and that is where he ordered my shirt from. They also got me some twilight perfume, Boise state gear, and a beautiful purse. Great work!! I love it all.
Here is Kylie with her twin dogs that she wanted so badly. These were from Nana.
Lexi really liked her new cabbage patch baby. She snuggled on her while she was still in the package.
We had a wonderful Christmas. We always remember the true meaning of the holiday and love to celebrate together.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-01-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a little video of our Christmas morning. I love to see how excited the kids are to see what Santa brought. I still have more to post from The whole Christmas weekend. I just wanted to get the video on here first.

10 years........wow!

2011-01-05T19:19:00.001-08:00

Kyle and I celebrated our ten year anniversary last month. We decided to stay here in Boise for the weekend. My parents watched the kids for us. We started out our weekend with a BSU graduation. We got to watch Kyle's friend, along with some of our favorite BSU players graduate. Then we went to lunch at the cheesecake factory.
He is smiling because he knows what is coming...........
banana cheesecake with hot fudge.........yummy. The food is really good too.
We did a lot of shopping, went to the movies, and to a Hockey game. We had awesome seats, just three rows from the glass. Kyle spotted my favorite BSU player sitting one section over from us, and I was out of my seat and headed over to him right away.ha.ha.
Oh yeah!! That is me and Austin Pettis..............woohoo. I don't think I could possibly have smiled any bigger. ha.ha. He has been my favorite player this year, because of this cool flip that he did during one of the first games of the season. He was going in for a touchdown, and flipped into the end zone. It was awesome. He got a celebration penalty for it, but it was worth it. Great move. I liked his attitude!! I am pretty sure he will go to the NFL this year, so I will have to cherish this picture!!
Kyle and I had a wonderful weekend together. Funny how I didn't even get a picture with him. That's o.k. He knows I love him and think he is wonderful! It was so nice to just hang out together and have fun. We missed our kids badly though, that is one of the reasons we didn't go too far! This was Lexi's first time overnight without us. Happy ten years to us......and here's to many, many more!!

Its Beginning to look a lot like............................

2010-12-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas! YaY!. We have been enjoying all of the decorating, and other Christmas festivities. We got an awesome, large tree for a great price..........so that helps get us in the spirit. Kylie, Carson, and Alexis loved helping decorate the tree. Kyle puts the lights on for us, and he does a great job.......he puts lots and lots of lights. I had bought a lot of decorations for it at the after Christmas sale last year, so I was anxious to see them.
There was a lot of funny conversation in regards to the decorations with the kids, especially with the ornament hooks. We were at the store, when Carson shouted out that we need to find the "hookers". I said "WHAT", and then I realized what he was talking about. I was glad he reminded me, although the people around us probably thought we were crazy.ha.ha. Then we got home and he would say " I need a hooker over here" Then he would call them by the various colors. I tried to correct him and tell them they are called "hooks", and they would both say "no mom, they are called hookers". Anyway, it was funny.

We also had a good snow storm that day. It was beautiful. Kyle had the day off work, and spent the entire morning helping the neighbors shovel their walks and driveways. What a great guy! The kids were happy to help him too.

Here it is...............all decorated! Not to bad=0)

This last weekend was so fun! The town where my parents live, had a Christmas celebration. We went to this ranch, where they were having a children's fair. They had animals for the kids to pet, and even sit on. Lexi loved the horses.These goats were so sweet

The girls sat on this beautiful horse

We were all having a great time.......especially me.......the animal lover. =0)

pictures with the big man

I love this one. Carson is whispering in his ear, that he wants a choo choo train.
After their visit, they got to pick out a stuffed animal from under the tree.

And then we got to go on a little ride in the arena. You can tell that they were having a wonderful time.

Lex and I were pulled by This little cutie. He would either go really slow, or pretty fast. He was having a rough day!

Kylie had my camera in the car.........and this is what I found on it. Pretty cute!

We then went to see a free movie that was playing in town. Carson's favorite movie " The Polar Express". It was really fun. The movie theater is vintage, and very neat. After the movie, the kids each received a beautiful bell from the owner.

Kylie again in charge of the camera. Love the bunny ears......thanks Kyle =0)

The next day, there was a special musical program at church. Kyle and our church's choir sang in it. We invited our neighbor to join us. They all looked so cute in their Christmas outfits.

And for our family night this week, we baked lots of cookies, and delivered them to friends in our old neighborhood. It was a fun night. The kids had just had a lesson at church on giving, so it was perfect timing to do this. Doesn't Lexi look thrilled? ha ha. She was a little upset, that I wouldn't let her squish the cookie plates. The kids also colored the cards that are attached to them.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

We spent our Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family in Nevada. We planned this when we found out that Boise State was playing there this year. On our way over, we followed a caravan of Boise state fans. They all had flags flying o n their cars. We stopped to let the kids use the restroom and we had to wait in a long li ne of blue and orange (about 30min.). The owner of the store said if he knew BSU was so popular, he would have put in two sets of bathrooms. ha.ha

When we got to my uncle's house we were so glad to see my grandma. She is a great lady. She has always had such a great sense of humor.My aunt and uncle have the sweetest dog. We all loved her and I wanted to take her home with us.

Carson basting the Ham........what a big helper!

Our yummy feast!

We made a cute gingerbread house after dinner. My grandma was really funny while we were making it. I saw her and Kylie eating the m&m's, and I heard her whisper "you know Kylie, if we eat these all up, then we won't have to put them on anymore". It was pretty cute.Here is the finished product...

Hot chocolate.........mmmm

Carson, Lexi and Libby.......all snuggling with Kyle=0)

Then Kyle and I were off to Reno for the big game. We had to stop in this big sport's store to check it out. This is what we found as we walked in. I should have taken him out while I had the chance. I figured my boys would be picking on him enough that night, so I left him alone........big mistake! That dirty dog.

The store had this giant Ferris wheel too. It was pretty amazing.Before the game..........all smiles

We had great seats, close to the field.

We sat close to these guys. They were funny. Boise lost the game, which was a big bummer. There is no reason why they shouldn't have won that game. The fans over there were super rude too. We got the bird a bunch of times .ha.ha. Oh, well. We still had a great time. We were pretty disappointed though. Like I said.......we should have won that game.
Kyle and the kids built this awesome big snow man the next day. They also built two little ones. They had a great time.

My aunt Altie and Kylie

My dad, my grandma and I. I was so glad to see her. She was so patient with our kids. She colored with them, played hide and seek with them, and read books to them. It was a great time.
We had a long drive home that night. Kyle was needed at work, so we headed home in some bad weather. We didn't get home until about 2:30 in the morning. We all snuggled in my bed for a while the next day.
We have so much to be thankful for, and I am glad that Thanksgiving gives us the extra opportunity to reflect on our blessings each year. =0)

Super nana!

2010-11-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

My Nana came here to visit for a week before Halloween. I am a little behind posting this, but better late then never! We had a wonderful time. She wanted to go to a Boise State game, and it was Kylie's turn to come with us. The weather was a little cold and we had some rain showers. She is a true fan, because she even put on the rain gear to support our team! I like to call her super nana for one, because she is great with kids. Also when the twins were born, she wanted to surprise us and come for a visit to meet them. My mom was so excited and she ended up telling me about her trip plans. I thought it would be fun to surprise her instead. So I showed up to the airport with my twins and my limo stroller, and I held up a sign that said super nana. It was really fun.

We had to get our usual picture with the cheerleaders.......especially for Kylie! ( Kyle didn't mind too much either)

She got to pet the pretty horse

My nana and I before the rain came

Here is Kylie proudly sitting by her daddy on the way to the game

During her visit, we took the kids to look at some toys. We thought this was pretty funny.

We also went on the pumpkin liner! It was beautiful..........and rainy.he.he

The scenery is gorgeous!

We had snacks and colored on the way up to the pumpkin patch

Here we are snuggling at grammy's house

We also had some perfect weather while she was here, so we took her to the park. I was looking around on the ground for nana........and I found her up in the park. No wonder why the kids love her so much=)
We also took her to the West side drive in for some yummy food. We had to get her picture next to Guy from the food network.
We love her just like family, and we were all sad when it was time for her to head back to California. We had sooo much fun, and always treasure every minute that we are all together. Thanks nana for the visit. We hope you will come back to see us again soon. Love you lots!

Halloween!

2010-11-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!! What a fun weekend. The kids were able to wear their costumes three days in a row. Here is my beautiful butterfly! Kylie was also a butterfly when she was about this age. We had lost part of her costume, and my mom found the same one......only in purple......on sale. Alexis looked so cute! My beautiful snow and white. I put some makeup on my fair princess......and she was a knock out. Her eyelashes are just gorgeous!! And the most handsome fireman I have ever seen!

We went to our church Halloween party. This cute little dog is always hanging out over there, and he happened to sneak in for a few minutes. He is so friendly.

My friend Melissa and her family had some of the cutest costumes there. She was an adorable skunk and so were her kids. Way cute!

And we had to get this picture, because we were all wearing the same colors....pretty funny.

The next morning we went to the pumpkin patch. It was so much fun. I love how this picture captured the looks on their face as the hay ride took off. They are so funny!

Kylie took this one of Kyle, Lex, and I

We had to get them all next to the tractor....especially Kyle, since he is fascinated by them. He grew up driving them, and he misses that=)

I think Kylie and Carson's favorite activity was the giant corn box. They got to dig and play in all the corn.

The cow train ride. Carson and Lexi rode together. They all loved it.

We also went to my parents house to trick or treat on Halloween. My mom carved this crazy looking pumpkin with the kids.

Awww=)

This was Kyle's costume for the trunk or treat. He was himself.......a crazy BSU fan. ha.ha
Carson found a fellow fireman there. By the look of Carson's smokey face, it looks like he beat this boy to the fire. ha.ha

The beautiful butterfly landed on grammy's counter. he.he.

They worked hard for their candy trick-or-treating in my parents neighborhood, since the houses are so far apart.

What a great Halloween weekend. Such a fun holiday=)

Going Private

2010-11-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

We have finally decided to set our blog to private. I will send an invite to all of our family and friends whose e-mail addresses we currently have. If we do not have your e-mail address and you would like to be invited, please leave a comment on this posting, and I will try to get a hold of you to send you an invite. I will probably wait a week or two to do this. Thanks so much!!!

fall festivities

2010-10-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun things we have done so far this fall...........................

We made candy pumpkin necklaces for family night. Lex didn't care about the necklace, she just wanted the candy! Carson and daddy taking their necklace very serious.....

Kylie and I having fun with it! The boys beat us, but we didn't care=)

preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch

Kylie and Carson picked out some pretty big pumpkins. Here they are trying to use some team work skills to carry them out. he.he.

These sheep were so friendly
They were so cute too
Bedtime stories in new warm jammies
Off to the apple orchard to pick apples for our apple sauce

Yummy...... They liked watching how the apples magically turned into sauce. Pretty cool!
Kylie and Carson had their second visit to the Dentist. They both came out cavity free, but were told to brush a little longer. They got some cool toys and fancy tooth brushes
We went out to pick some strawberries
and turned them into freezer jam Carson helped me cut them all up. He was so cute and really helped a lot.

My first turn teaching their pre-school class. It was a lot of fun. I am so impressed with how much they are learning. Kylie has already learned how to write her name, and Carson is getting much better with recognizing letters and the phonics as well!

Lexi has also been learning right along with them. It is amazing how fast they can learn things. She already likes to count and sing their preschool songs with them.

My Cal-if-ornia girls.......they're undeniable

2010-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

I will stop right there, because we were not wearing daisy dukes with bikinis on top. he.he. I was so grateful to be able to take a trip out there to visit my girls! Alexis and I flew down with my mom. It is funny how independent she is these days. We got some McDonalds for breakfast and she loved walking by herself with her milk. Everyone thought she was pretty cute. My main reason for the trip was to visit my sweet Sandra. She is going through some really challenging times right now, and I just had to go see her. I am her cheer team, and I am SO proud of her and her tremendous courage. She is one of my very best friends, and I will be right behind her cheering her on, until she is through this trial. Audrey, her and I have been very close for a very long time.

It was awesome to get together and laugh, go to a movie and just hang out like we always do when we are reunited=) Sandra's mom usually makes these delicious tacos, when we all get together. Words cannot describe their yumminess, and I had to take this picture to make Kyle jealous. he.he. He loves them too.

Lex and I hanging out in my Nana and Juan's beautiful backyard enjoying the gorgeous weather!

My daddy Juan and Lex in front of his bird of paradise plant. He is a food scientist, and has lots of fruit trees in his backyard. Some I had never even heard of. She and I were going to share this starbuck's smoothie, but I only got a few sips!

My mom, nana, my cousin and I hit up some outlet stores. They created a monster in me, when I was just a little munchkin. They taught me everything I know about shopping, and because of them it is one of my few, but favorite hobbies=) The three of us together do some good damage in a short period of time!

We also went treated ourselves......well my mom treated me to a pedicure. It was lovely!

Sandra, Diana and I were able to get together for some yummy mexican food for lunch.....thanks to my nana and Juan. Diana came bearing gifts for Sandra and I........I knew I liked her for a good reason. ha. ha. She and I have been friends since the first day of the second grade. I am grateful for those red, white and black dresses that we both happened to be wearing. What a great ice breaker they were. The three of us and Audrey all worked together at Kenney Rogers roasters too. I had an amazing time as always. I love my ladies over there, they are so important to me. I am truely blessed to have their friendship and to be part of Sandra's support system. They are like sisters to me, and I will always be there for them. I love you girls!!! xoxoxoxox

Life is Sweet at 30!

2010-09-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

The big 3-0! Wow! My day started off a little crazy. It did get better though. We went out to lunch with my mom.......Kylie and our lunch! I think it was the same size as her. ha.
Presents! My mom gave me some beautiful clothes and some MAC! She scored big with me. She has great taste too. Thank you mom.....you rock!!
Kyle and the kids made me a cute chocolate cake. They were big helpers....especially when it came to sampling.he.he What to wish for????
Then over the weekend, I had a huge surprise...........kind of a surprise. Kyle gave me a little clue accidentally as to what was going on, and I am very curious...........so my detective skills came out in full force. Dang it! But I was very surprised at how many people were there. I was very touched!
A few of my SUPER awesome and sweet friends from church threw this wonderful party for me. Melissa had downlowded some pictures from my blog and they were playing on her T.V. The theme was "Life is sweet at 30". What a perfect way to celebrate. They did make my life extra sweet! They had my favorite color everywhere. I was in heaven! Pink plates, napkins, and a beautiful cake that her mom made for me. It was incredibly yummy too!
We played some really fun games, and opened some awesome presents

This gift fit the theme so perfectly. The bows were hair bows too, so Kylie got to wear them to church! Here are some of the ladies from the party. Our husbands were there too=) What a perfect way to celebrate such a big birthday. I felt overwhelmed by the generosity, and love that was put into this. It was just the BEST!!! Thank you so much to Melissa, her mom, and Jana for making my birthday so perfect! I couldn't be more grateful=)

final days of summer........picture's galore

2010-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

I am behind on posting pictures of Kylie and Carson's swim lessons........so we'll start with them! They had a busy summer with swim lessons. They had two rounds of them. This was their first session. They loved their instructors, and had a really good time.After their lessons, we went to the park to have free lunch. It was wonderful. I had to sneak this picture in of my dad and Kylie. He doesn't like his picture taken, so I had to get it while he wasn't looking. ha.ha. Kylie was normally holding his hand as we walked through the park. enjoying their free lunch!
This was their second round of lessons. They were the only two in the class, so they had a lot of time to work on their skills. They learned a lot. Their certificates. Sometimes after lessons, we would go swimming some more at my parents house. Kyle is practicing floating on her back. Carson became really good at holding his breath under water and swimming along the steps.
We also went on a tour at our local fire station. It was really fun, but the kids were so bashful. We'll have to try that again=)

Carson did tell me a few weeks ago that he wants to drive sparky (that is what he calls the firetruck) when he grows up. I would be very proud of him, if he chooses to do that.
Labor day............we started our weekend off by attending a workshop at home depot. The kids needed an apron for pre-school, and this was the perfect place to get one. Here is Kylie building a football holder with her daddy.

And here is Carson doing the same. He enjoyed using the hammer. The finished product! It was so fun, and they looked so cute building these cute projects.

We then were so excited to have a visit from their cousin Aiden and his parents! They spent the rest of the weekend with us, and as always we had a great time.

The cousins did everything together....including taking a bath! They were so cute.
Here they are watching a movie before bed. We tried letting them sleep together, but they like each other too much to sleep. They ended up talking instead, so we had to separate them=)
And uncle David loves to go to get ice cream when he is here. I can't say that we mind it too much either. It is our tradition.

And then it was time for the BIG game! My sis-in-law Melissa gave me a shirt (it matched hers) and some blue and orange hair pieces as an early birthday present. I couldn't wait to get my gear on. I love the colors.

We had a pretty big party for the game at our house. Kyle had to get these cool flags to go on our house.

Carson and Alexis with their cousin Abi........she had her gear on too=)

Some of our fellow bronco friends. It was a super exciting game. BSU pulled it off, and we got a big W!! Everyone jumped up for joy when they made that last TD.

And then it was Kylie and Carson's first day of pre-school. They looked so grown up with their backpacks on.

They are doing a co-op preschool, so it is pretty low key, and I wasn't worried at all about dropping them off. But as soon as I got to my car......the tears came. What a dork!

We had such a fun summer, and we are so excited for fall.........my favorite time of year! We are also very excited for football season, and learning lots of new things at pre-school. I am so proud of my little munchkins!

Poor Lex got a big fat lip when we went out to lunch. She fell and her tooth went into her lip. She looks like Angelina Jolie's daughter at the moment. ha.ha. Poor girl.

A Sweet night

2010-08-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. They just moved back to this area after living in Eastern Idaho for a year. We are so glad to have them back over here. It was great to catch up with them.We decorated cupcakes for dessert, which was really fun. Snow and White and her princess friends had a blast!Carson is expecially glad to have our friends here, because he has no little boys to play with. Everyone that lives near us are girls. I feel bad for him at times! Kyle sometimes has to take him out for some guy time.
My friend got some really cute shots with my camera. I love this one of their cute little toes.

I got one of her and her kids as well. Her and I were talking how we are never in any pictures, because we are always the one's behind the camera.

She also took this neat picture of the beautiful, colorful mess!And finally, she caught the maker of the beautiful mess. The clean up was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The kids had a blast!

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Week we celebrated my mom's birthday. We went to dinner at a yummy restaurant. It has been featured on diners, drive-in's and dive's. It was very good! Here is the birthday girl with my Kylie. Our waitress gave the kids these hats to wear, that she made out of newspaper. They could decorate them, and then wear them. Cute! Here is Alexis modeling hers
Just outside the restaurant was this cool water area. The kids all were soaking wet and I am sure it felt great! After we went to our house to celebrate with some yummy homemade cheesecake that I made her, and a funny movie. Happy Birthday mom. You are the best!! That weekend we were excited to spend a day with Kyle's parents. Here is Carson and Lexi as we were on our way to the zoo.

Kylie was so excited to ride in their car

We went out to lunch...........here is Lexi and her cute messy face. She loves to dip her fries in ketchup. I think she eats more ketchup then she does fries. It cracks me up how much she looks like her daddy.............are any of my genes in this girl? We do think her hair color comes from my side. Well at least that's something.Kylie and Carson took a boat ride with grandma and grandpa. Kyle, Lex and I walked around a to meet them.

Here is a group picture taken by Kyle's cousin=0)

The sloth bear was up walking around. He is pretty cute. Most of the animals are pretty cute, you just want to go in and snuggle with them...............maybe not. ha.ha. I did think about it though with an exception to the tigers, lions, reptiles and hyena's. The rest look cuddly.=)

Especially this little guy, he was wanting some attention! What a cutie!

The Great Outdoors

2010-08-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on a camping trip, since we hadn't been since last summer. My parents, and Kyle's cousin and family came with us. It was a much needed break! There was a creek right next to our campsite, so as soon as we got there the fishing poles came out. You can't go camping without smores!

Me and Lex snuggling next to the fire Alexis also loved snuggling next to Abbey (Kyle's cousin's baby)

Taking a break next to the boat

Here is Kylie reeling in a fish with her daddy, he bought her a little pink fishing pole for the trip. Carson already had two of his own. I just love the look on Carson's face! He is brave.........I guess just a typical boy, he touched the fish, he touched the worms, and he loved it.

Lexi practicing her cast

Carson and Kylie slept in the trailer with grammy and grandpa the first night we were there. They came in our tent for the second night.

Jessica and Abbey. She is such a pretty baby. They moved here a couple of months ago, so that Mike(her husband) could go to school. We talked them into coming with us, they are a lot of fun.

Carson and Kylie loved hanging out with their dad.

Grandpa and Alexis

This was our sleeping quarters........next time we will not go without a blow up mattress!

We went for a ride in my dad's boat right before we packed up to go home. Carson had been fishing in it before, but it was Kylie and Lexi's first time.

We had a great time. It is so fun to be outdoors and to enjoy all the beautiful creations, but it is great to get home and take a shower. I was desperate for soap and warm water! Carson was so sad to leave, he cried for a while when we were packing up. Poor kid! We will have to do it more often.

Movie nights

2010-08-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I took the kids to the drive in movies for the first time last weekend. They start late, since they have to wait until it gets dark........which in Idaho is about 9:30 right now. They play a kid movie first, and then more of an adult movie after. It was really fun. We had snacks and snuggled together to watch it. There was a big lightning storm going on, and that made it extra fun. By the time we got home (like at 1:30 in the morning) the kids were asleep.............except Lexi. She took a nap during the second movie. It was a great time. I also got to go to see Eclipse for the second time with a friend from church. It was nice to have some girl time. I think it is necessary every now and then. It was really fun to see it again. My mom still wants to see it too, so there may be a third time in the near future. We may wait until it gets to the dinner theatre.

She's Walking!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

What an exciting day! I just gave Lexi a bath, because her brother put dirt on her head, and it was everywhere. Kyle came home from work, just as I was getting her dressed, so I stood her up and she was standing by herself for a few seconds. We then tried it again, and she took a step. Then we spread out a little, and she walked to each of us. YAY!! I am so happy and SOOO proud of her. She will be 18 months on Friday, and she just took her first steps today. It is funny how exciting all of the first moments are!!!!! Go Alexis!!!!!

A Happy Week.....

2010-08-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

The happiest part of our week was meeting our friends new baby. They had been trying to have a baby for several years with no luck. They decided to try the adoption route without having high hopes of getting a baby quickly. After one year exactly a couple chose them to be the parents of their baby. I couldn't possibly be happier for them. It is just so wonderful to see something so great happen to deserving people. They will be the best parents to this lucky little girl. She is just beautiful, and I couldn't stop smiling!!! What a blessing to see all of this work out so perfectly. Kylie and Carson could not stop rubbing her full head of black hair. I couldn't either to be honest. ha.ha Also, two of my uncles and my grandma came up to visit. We were so happy to see them.We all use to be really close when I lived in California, and we got to see each other pretty often. I miss them all, and just love to have the opportunity to see them. Here is Carson and Sierra (my uncle's dog)

Sierra is an old 9dog and I was so glad that he brought her. Carson had a scary experience with a dog a couple of years ago, and has been terrified of large dogs ever since. This sweet dog helped him to overcome his fears. Since she is older, she is so calm and if he wanted to be near her, then he had to go to her. She didn't come to him, which is exactly what he needed.

My grandma brought us all some cute gifts. Carson got these cool shades and hat....

Kylie got some cool shades and some jewelry, they all got coloring books and movies, blankets, clothes. She gave me a beautiful necklace. I love it! Thanks again grandma. She came to church with us and during Sunday school, she had the entire class laughing. It was really funny. As part of the lesson there was a couple who was arguing over a candy bar and the teacher asked how we could solve the problem and my grandma said " well just give it to me" ha.ha. Then after church, she told me that she thought that the couple was being rude during the class. She made me laugh again, because she thought they were serious, and it was all just an act. She is great.

We had a few B.B.Q.'s at my parents house, so that we could visit with everyone. Lexi was spoiled with candy.......she loves suckersThe sisters!
The weather was so nice that day.......not too hot, so we were all happy. I admit, I get a little grouchy when I am hot.he.he

And here is Carson with my uncle Dave working on his letters. My uncle Dave is so easy going and patient. Carson actually cried when he had to leave. He is very nice and really easy to talk to. We went to the fair one day.....and it was HOT. The kids loved the corn dogs, and each ate the whole thing....even Lexi . I was too busy drinking ice cold Lemonade and trying not to roast. Our favorite part of the fair was, by far, the animals.

The sheep were really cute and loud=)

Lexi was pretty fascinated by the pigs. They are funny to watch.

And at the end of the week, we had dinner with Kyle's cousin who is new in town, and the kids were pretty tired. Carson even fell asleep in his daddy's arms while watching T.V., which is unusual for him.

Kylie and Carson are back in swim lessons this week for their second round, so they will be sleeping good this week too=)

Ladie's Night

2010-07-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Kylie and I had the opportunity to attend an all girl party that we had as a church activity. The family's house that we held it at was BEAUTIFUL. They had this awesome waterfall next to their pool. We were sad to leave Lex at home, but I was in charge of helping with setting up, and cleaning up, and it was great to spend time alone with my Kylie. We had a yummy B.B.Q, and we got to swim, and chat with other ladies. It was a great time!

lesson learned

2010-07-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

We went to Walmart last weekend to pick a my prescription for my strep throat (fun times) and while we waited we looked around the store. We passed by the toy section, which is always a little scary=0) The kids were already tired from swimming all day, and Kylie found a baby that she HAD to have. She became very upset, when I told her that we weren't going to buy it at the moment. She started to cry and scream, and I had to come up with a plan super quick to save us all from an embarrassing moment. I told her that when we got home, we could see how much money was in her piggy bank. Her and Carson have done a great job at saving money for a few months. She calmed down right away, and loved the idea. Kyle was amazed by my super ability to prevent a full out tantrum;) So the next morning we headed to the bank with the piggy's
We counted the money...............and they had enough for the toys they wanted! Yay!!
Carson had a hard time understanding why all that change that he worked so hard at saving, turned into just a few bills. That was a little hard to explain. You can tell by the look on his face=)

We headed over to pick up the toys with their hard earned money..............

This is the baby that Kylie had to have, and Carson picked out a couple more trains for his collection. They were both very happy, and realized that money doesn't grow on trees! It was a great lesson, and they are now working to fill up those banks again!

Kylie's doll pee's too, so we have to go back to pick up some diapers for her. ha.ha. Crazy!

Happy Birthday to Kyle

2010-07-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kyle had a birthday last weekend, and our entire town celebrated it=) It was the same day as our home town celebration, so we got to go to a parade in the morning, and out to lunch laterHere is Carson chowing down on the yummy food Here is the birthday boy with enough candles to start a Bonnfire. ha.ha. j/k!!!!

We made him a banana split ice cream cake. Kylie and Carson were a huge help. Carson sliced all the bananas....he loves getting to use a knife, and he did a really good job. Kylie crushed up all of the Graham crackers.
I think lexi enjoyed the cake the most. Carson and Kylie picked out this hat for their daddy to wear, and there was no way he could turn them down!

We got him some BSU flamingo's to go in the yard. They are really cute!

He had a great day overall and it is always fun to celebrate his special day!

Happy fourth

2010-07-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

We love this special time of year, when we can celebrate the birthday of this beautiful country that we live in, and pay tribute to the wonderful people who serve to protect it. At one of the parades we went to, there was a group of service men and women, with their vehicles, long sleeve shirts, long pants in hot weather and carrying big guns, and it was awesome to see everyone stand up and clap for them. Some people were even yelling out "thank you" to them, and I got a little teary eyed. I also thank and support their families....husbands, wives, and children especially!

Our fourth of July activities seemed to last the entire week.We went to the park for a fun day.......... The weather was gorgeous!
Not quite hot enough to get soaked in the fountain though!
There were some artists, drawing beautiful pictures on the sidewalks............

This one was so funny, I loved the ants coming out of the wood works to feast on the ice cream. It kind of reminded me of my house!.he.he.

Lex practiced walking with her daddy......she still needs more!

My mom was out of town, so we went over to hang out with my dad. Here we are sitting next to our fireworks!

We had a cool display of our own, the kids took turns helping their dad light them. They LOVED it!

Here they are running back to their seats......it was super cute!

Half way through ours, we saw the one's from the city........so we jumped in the car and drove down the street to get a good look at them. Then we came back to finish the rest. They were awesome.

Lexi got to do her first sparkler.......with some assistance of course!
She gave up at about 11:00....and by the looks of this picture, I was not far behind her ;)earlier in the week, we went to a firework show that we have attended for the past several years. Carson played with the soccer ball, and with lots of kids.... Kylie and the girls did some hoopa looping.......

and we all loved the fireworks! Kyle and I discovered them when we were living in our first house, just down the street from where they have the show that follows an outdoor country concert. We had a family room upstairs, and saw the fireworks going off. Kyle talked me into hopping out the window and sitting on the roof to watch them. I definitely think we had the best seat in town. It was so much fun. They are still lots of fun, but not near as convenient since we moved!

We also accidentally went to a fun parade

The fire trucks came along and squirted off lots of water........this is where Kylie and Carson ended up when they came our way. They were pretty smart, because they were the only ones that remained dry. We were standing next to an older couple (it turned out that we also stood next to them at a previous parade) and the guy would bring us all the candy that came his way. He would holler at the people in the parade and point our way, directing candy to us. We loved it.......until the fire trucks came. Then he also pointed the water our way. The firemen then considered him their main target, so he came and hid behind me and Lexi. I was wondering why they would not stop squirting me, when I looked back and saw him ducking under me. It was hilarious! He better watch out, because there is another parade this weekend..........and you know what they say about payback.ha.ha.

Carson informed us over the weekend that he would like to be a fireman and work with Sparky (the fire truck from his video). I told him that I would be incredibly proud of him, if he were a fireman. He also loves water and hoses, so he would be great at that. We also wonder if he will be a meteorologist someday, because he loves looking for storms and clouds. We will just have to wait and see.....

Vampire Love

2010-07-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

My super awesome Hubby surprised me last week with movie tickets to see the first Eclipse showing at midnight. I was not expecting to see it for at least a week after it came out. I woke up that morning to find the tickets taped to my bathroom mirror with a note from him that said " you better take a nap, go Team E". I was super excited all day long. He had arranged for my parents to spend the night at our house while we were out. We had to get there several hours early and wait in line to get a good seat. I kept telling him "these people are crazy" and then he reminded me that we were some of the crazy ones as well. Ha.ha. It was so nice, because we still had a couple hours to wait once we were seated, and we got to sit and talk without interruption..........which we rarely get to do. A lot of the ladies there were on the rude side, and I thought that was a bit silly. We had fun despite them, and we loved the movie!
I finally got to wear this awesome shirt that my birth parents bought for me. We got home so late, that I just put on my p.j. bottoms and slept in it. The next morning Kylie saw the blood splatters on it and she told me "uh oh mom, you spilled juice on your shirt, and you need to wash it!" Funny! Over the weekend we had to go eat at B.K, because they have a twilight game, and kids meal toys. Pretty cool!

This picture cracks me up. Kyle was pretending to be Jasper, and gave his best vampire impression. My mom and I were entertained by him=0) Thank you Kyle, and my parents for a super awesome night out that made my entire month! I am a little obsessed by my love of vampires! My mom and I are planning to see it together also......can't wait!

p.s. Kyle gets lots of bonus points from me for doing this. There were not a lot of other guys there, and he really proved how much he loves me=) plus, the poor guy had to work the next day. I think it is awesome that he gets involved with things that are important to me=0)

Cherry picking and hoopa looping

2010-06-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the cherry orchard with a couple other families and picked some yummy cherries. They were so pretty, and tasted really good. I just sat back and watched the kids do all the work. Kylie and Carson carried the 7 lbs of cherries, and I carried all 25 and a half pounds of Alexis. he.he Kylie was pretty proud of herself for picking up Libby. The dog was nervous, and couldn't wait to get free!I got together with some friends and made hair bows. Lexi is modeling all of them.We go to the library for story time and craft. The kids made these adorable crabs this week. Of course Carson looks like it is attacking his face........that's my buddy!

It was so hot yesterday, so we went swimming at my parent's house. The kids can't get enough of the water. Swim lessons next week!

Kylie and Lex soaking up the sun! It is a rough life over at their grandparents house. They lounge, while the rest of us serve them. It is pretty cute!

This is a funny video of Carson dancing and Kylie hoopa looping. Kyle made it extra entertaining by waving his hand in my video! I am really impressed by Kylie's hula hooping skills. She learned right after she got the hula hoop for her birthday last month.