D.I.M. Inc.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

2011-12-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

Who has two thumbs and is NINE years old now?

2011-12-21T21:44:00.000-08:00

This guy!!!

That's right! Our Mancub turned 9 last week!

There is most certainly an update post coming, but Isaac's birthday is the most exciting going on at our house!

Jack Sparrow and his Girly Pirate Crew

2011-10-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

Ahoy!

And, Happy Halloween me hearties!

ARRRRR!!!

Crazy Hair Day!

2011-10-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

We love Crazy Hair Day at our house!
Mags and Isaac wanted half white/half black hair.
Daisey opted for flaming neon pink!
Aren't they cute???

The Desert Cottontail Rabbit

2011-10-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

Daisey is in fourth grade and she just did her first report on The Desert Cottontail Rabbit. She asked for help with a couple of things but did most of her project all by herself.!

It turned out great and she got 100%! We're so proud of her

Get ready, Get set, Get well!

2011-10-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Valerie is recovering from gallbladder surgery this week. She's miserable and she's sore but I think she's feeling better then she has in a long time!
I had my gallbladder removed when I was about her age. I guess it runs in families. While I'm not glad that she had to be in so much pain, I'm glad that the doctors found the problem and that she won't be in pain anymore.
In the mean time she's eating lots of jello and parking on the couch with an ice pack.
Daisey made her this little monster to cheer her up. She's quite the little crafter!

And, she warned me not to post this pic but it's so cute I can't help myself! Plus, she never reads my blog, so she'll never know! Unless you tell her. So don't!

A Very Minnie Birthday Party!

2011-09-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

For months we've all been hearing about Daisey's upcoming birthday. Seriously, she's talked about nothing else. Well, the day finally arrived. At 6:30 am on September 19th I woke up to,"Mawwwww-ommmm! It's my birthday! Ten years old DOUBLE DIGITS!!! Bring me breakfast!"
I said,"Happy birthday. Go back to sleep and we'll celebrate with breakfast at a reasonable hour." I know, I'm so mean.
An hour later I made breakfast for the birthday girl. I asked her if she felt any different. "Totally!" she said. "I'm a pre-teen now."
Wow! I feel so old! How did ten years just fly by like that???
For breakfast Dais requested scrambled eggs AND fried eggs. Weird, her daddy hates eggs but she loves them, except for boiled eggs. Apparently they smell like fart.
On Sunday night as Daisey was going to bed she said,"Mom, I’m wearing my pink shirt tomorrow. Will you make me a new bow to match it? And, make it special so everyone knows it’s my birthday?”
As you wish, my child.
Normally I don't give in to her demands but it was her birthday, so I caved and made her a birthday headband, perfect for the little diva that she is!

I think she likes it! For a full headband tutorial go here.

She was bouncing off the wall with excitement and couldn't wait to open her presents. As you can see there are three presents, one from Maggie, one from Isaac, and one from Mom and Dad. Maggie and Isaac spent a good hour picking out just the perfect present.

Maggie picked out the perfect Ken doll. There were quite a few to pick from but she thought Daisey would really love his bow tie.

I love that the pre-teen still loves Barbies. I'll be sad when she decides that she's too old for them.

I love this picture! When they're fighting I'm going to remember this moment. Maggie and Isaac were truly happy for Daisey and they were so excited to give her the birthday presents they picked out.

Isaac gave her a Rubik's cube, just what every 10 year old girl needs.

They've enjoyed "testing out" her new toys for her.

A tiny box inside the big box? Whatever could it be?

Daisey has been wanting an iPod for a long time. She's had a MP3 player, but she wanted to upgrade. We got her an iPod Shuffle.

Isn't it cute and small?

For lunch she requested that Robert go eat lunch with her at school,

and that he bring McDonald's. Cute, huh?

Daisey came home from school and told me all about her wonderful

day of birthday wishes and the new feeling of being 10 years old.

For dinner Daisey wanted to go somewhere fancy where they served you fancy food. That place was Village Inn. Fancy, huh?

Grandma Marilyn, Grandma Diane and Grandpa Kent went

to dinner with us. Thank you all for coming, by the way.

It made Daisey feel really special.

On Friday Daisey had a birthday party with her friends

at the Fun Park. She wanted to have a Minnie Mouse party

AND a bowling party, so we combined the 2 ideas.

Look at that smile! She could barely contain her excitement!

Bowling with 10 little girls. They were a riot!

They're dancing! And screaming! And laughing! Oh my!

I was really proud of Daisey for inviting her sister.

Maggie was in heaven being a part of the party!

Isaac didn't want anything to do with this girly party!

He hung out with his cousins, Andrew, James and Daniel

while we were at the bowling alley.

Wooo!

STRIKE!!!

The winner got the coveted bowling hat! Daisey found it here

and I tried my hand at crocheting one.

Aren't they cute? Robert and I got a kick out of watching these

girls laugh and play and talk about boys together!

Daisey was very involved in the invitations and party favors and other details of this party. It had to be perfect!

Wanna know what's inside those cute little bags?

The girls were very excited!

Daisey was not very excited about her cake. She wanted a

Minnie Mouse cake but the bowling alley didn't

allow any outside food. It's too bad because there are a lot of

cute Minnie ideas out there.

Daisey improvised and made her own cake decoration.

Can you believe she drew this?

Happy Birthday Dear Daisey, Happy Birthday to you!

She wished for a puppy. Good luck babe.

Maybe, someday when we don't rent our house.

I LOVE Maggie's face in this pic!

Yay, presents!

She got a lot of "older gifts" like lotion and jewelry.

And, some "little girl gifts", as well.

Again, I'm happy that she still likes Barbies.

I'm fine with her staying young for just a little while longer.

The party was a success! Everyone had a great time,

especially the 10 year old! Driving home with 6 little giggly girls,

suddenly made our 3 kids seem pretty quiet in comparison!

We're thrilled that Daisey is growing up and we're so proud of the young lady she's becoming.

She doesn't want me to embarrass her by writing her a birthday letter on the blog, so I'll just say Happy Birthday Daisey! We love you!

Wednesday,September 19,2001 (11:03 P.M.)

2011-09-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

Exactly ten years and 26 minutes ago Robert and I were welcoming our sweet, little (6 lb 13 oz, 19") princess into the world. She had us wrapped around her finger from the very beginning and our lives have never been the same.

Happy Birthday Daisey Elaine!

Water Fun!

2011-09-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some fun pics from about a month ago. Our good friend, Brynn had knee surgery, so her kids got to come hang out with us while she was at the hospital. Daisey, Isaac and Maggie just love playing with Marisol and Omar! They get along great and have since day one. It's pretty cool!

It was still warm and sunny at the time so we spent most of the day playing outside. Ari was there that day too. The more the merrier!

The next day Brynn was tired and still in some serious pain, so my friend, Clarissa and I took the kids to the new Splash Pad.

They had a great time! It's too bad we discovered it at the end of the summer. I think we would have spent a lot of time there! But, there's always next year. I think even if Aunt Clarissa didn't always have fun toys and yummy treats and let the kids play with her camera, I'm pretty sure they would love her all the same. But, it sure doesn't hurt! They ate all her candy and used up all the bubbles in her bubble wands. She's awesome!

So fun! Summer really wasn't long enough!

Family Fun on Labor Day!

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day we headed to Boondocks for some family fun! I feel a little guilty saying "family fun" since Robert wasn't there. He had to work all Labor Day weekend. We sure missed him!
We went down with Grandpa Kent and met up with Chris and Jessica and Danny and Shayna and their kids. It's always fun together! The kids had a great time with their cousins!

This was our first time going to Boondocks. There was a lot of fun to be had!

They had mini golf:

Isaac

Noah

Maggie Mo

Lauren

Daisey

Boppa watching the fire with Noah.

Bumper Boats!

Chris and Adeline spraying Grandpa!

Isaac and Maggie

Grandpa, Daisey, Chris and Lauren all spraying each other!

Every man for himself!

Isaac and Maggie spraying Daisey, spraying Grandpa!

Ethan and Ari

This Mancub was spraying everyone!

Maggie, Daisey and Lauren spraying Ethan and Ari!

Arcade Games!

Maggie and Ari are chasing each other in tanks!

I have no words....

Ariana

Maggie loved the little carousel! She rode it over and over!

Go Carts!

There goes Daisey! Watch out world!

My little Dale Earnhardt Jr!

Grandpa loves his grand kids!

But, they're all so busy I didn't get a pic of all of them together!

Boondocks also had Laser Tag, but I don't have pics of that. We had so much fun! I lost...
There were so many things to do we didn't even get to do them all! We'll definitely have to go back! With Daddy this time!

May We Never Forget

2011-09-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Remembering

2011-09-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that the tragic events of 9-11 took place ten years ago.Then, I look at the ten year old sitting at the breakfast table and remember that yes, of course it was ten years ago.
None of my children were here that day. I was hugely pregnant and on bed rest with my oldest daughter, Daisey.
I remember watching the news in horror throughout the day. I bawled, as the realness began to set in. I felt such sorrow for those who had lost their lives and for those who had lost their loved ones. I felt fear for what might happen next . Being pregnant, I felt fear for my unborn child. I was soon going to have a little person to love and keep safe. How could I keep her safe from something like this? How could I bring a child in to a world filled with evil?
Daisey came in to our lives 8 days later and filled our lives with joy. I realized that life must go on. I felt a great sense of pride that I would bring something so beautiful into this world filled with evil. Although there is ugliness in this world, there is also beauty and joy.
As my children get older they have more and more questions. Especially that ten year old! Daisey is a girl who just HAS to know WHY! Seeing as how I don't fully understand myself why all these terrible things happened, it's difficult to try and explain them to my children.
Earlier this week we had a conversation that went like this, "But, WHY would those bad guys fly airplanes in to the buildings? Why do they hate us so much?"
"I don't know," I reply, feeling very unsure how to continue to this conversation.
"Didn't they know that they would die too?", my Isaac asks.
"I guess they did. And, it's very sad. Sometimes people makes bad choices and do bad things."
"But, we know not to do bad things, huh Mom?", Maggie chimes in.
Well, there you have it. If there is one thing that they can learn, it would be that violence is never the answer. If I can teach my children to love their fellow men, then I will feel like I've done my job.
I have tried to focus on the positive side and tell my children about all the heroes who saved lives that day and how our nation came together. I've tried to teach them that we can remember and honor the lives that were lost that day.
I'm not saying I know all the answers, or that I even handled this the right way. Being a parent is a tough job. Kids don't come with a manual. It would be nice if they came with a guidebook filled with answers to the endless questions they ask! Until they come up with one, my husband and I will continue to roll with the punches in this adventure called Parenthood!
This is a video I watched with my kids on nickelodeon.com. I felt like it was helpful in answering their questions, but in a sensitive manner without scaring them.
http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/nick-news-what-happened-the-true-story-of-september-11th-full-episode.html
May we never forget.

A New Craft Blog and an Etsy Shop

2011-09-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about doing a craft blog or opening an etsy shop for a while now. I've come close before but usually talk myself out of it because, frankly, I'm scared. But, I've decided to just bite the bullet and go for it! I did both!

This is, and always will be our family blog. One day I would really like to make our blog into a book for us (using Blurb, or a similar sight). I'd like that book to be filled with memories, like a scrapbook of sorts, rather than filled with random crafts I've done.

So, from now on I will be posting my crafty goodness on my new craft blog, Crafty Mischief. I still plan on posting crafts the kids and I make together and things like that here on our family blog.

I'm also hoping a craft blog will promote my etsy shop and I don't want to share my personal family blog with the world.

Feel free to go check them out if you want or stay right here, whatever makes you happy! Any feedback or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Kindergarten!

2011-09-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

The day has come. The day we've all been waiting for. My Maggie girl started kindergarten!!!

She's lucky to have a big brother and sister to walk to school with and watch out for her.

Look at her, doesn't she look big in her new kindergarten clothes? Aww....

The look on her face is priceless! You can tell she's so excited and nervous at the same time. This is a huge milestone in her life (and mine!)

Daisey's hand wasn't burned that morning, so she agreed to let me take another picture that didn't make her look so sad.

And, there they go. *sniff*

For years I have dreamed of the day when all three of them would be in school and I would have some time to myself! But, now that the day has come I have some very mixed emotions.

It's a very bittersweet feeling that I can't quite put in to words. I love seeing my kids grow up and learn new things and become more independent. But, at the same time it's hard for me to let them go.

I miss my babies! I don't want a new baby. I just wish that I could go back in time and cuddle my babies for just a few minutes longer. *sigh*

Come back babies!

All morning I kept thinking "this is the last time I'll be doing this". This is the last time I'll send a child off to kindergarten. So, what did I do that morning after she left?

I cried. I bawled my eyes out. I made a big stack of pancakes for children that weren't there. I don't like pancakes. This was my nervous breakdown of pancakes and tears!

Eventually I pulled myself together and went to breakfast with my husband. It's been a long time since just the two of us have gone to breakfast. It was great! I didn't have to tell anyone to sit down and be quiet, stop eating the crayons! I forgot what dining out was really like!

When Daisey and Isaac started kindergarten I made them a school bus cake. Maggie has been reminding me for weeks that she would be expecting a school bus cake after her first day of school.

As you wish, my child. She had a school bus cake waiting for her when she came home.

She liked it so much that she wanted to use the leftover cake to make little buses for her brother and sister. They look a little more like monster trucks than buses but Mags was happy and Daisey and Isaac enjoyed them!

I'm so happy that Maggie loves school so much. She told me every little detail about her day. From what the other kids were wearing to the games they played at recess. She couldn't have been happier. And, as if Maggie sensed that I was in low spirits she hugged me and said,"Don't feel bad Mom. You didn't miss much. We mostly just sang songs and colored all day." Haha!

This is a new chapter in my little girl's life and a new chapter for me, as well. I have no doubt that she'll do awesome! Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do! Wish me luck!

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

2011-08-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'd gone grocery shopping and had started cutting up a cantaloupe. Both pretty mundane tasks, right? Nope, everything is exciting in this house!
Sidetracked, I left the room for a minute. When I came back, my counter looked like this!
Silly kids!

Ready or Not?

2011-08-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

School started today! I can't even tell you how thrilled my kids were! Last night they were saying, "I can't sleep. I'm just too excited!" It was like Christmas Eve or something! This morning they were up bright and early and anxious to get going. I'm such a mean mom, forcing them to eat breakfast and brush their teeth first. And, if that wasn't enough I made them pose for pictures!

If you think Daisey looks like she's in pain, it's because she is. She burned herself really good on the curling iron this morning. Poor girl! She toughed it out and went to school with a bag of ice on her hand. Other than the sad face, I must say I've got some good looking elementary students!

This mancub can't wait to start his school day!

D didn't want any more pictures. Her hand hurt and she was ready to go. Maybe later?

Off they go!

After a fun filled school day they came home to sugar cookie pencils! I found the idea here and knew I had to make them! Mine aren't as pretty, I cheated and used store bought cookie dough and I forgot fruit by the foot and used pink frosting instead. No one seemed to mind! They were a hit!

Isaac finds it hilarious that I'm encouraging him to chew on a pencil!

It's been a fun summer and I do miss them when they're gone but my kids really do love school and they thrive on a schedule, so I'm glad that school is back in session. I may be singing a different tune in a week when my baby starts kindergarten! But, we won't talk about that right now. *sigh*

Look who got her ears pierced!

2011-08-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Mags wanted to get her ears pierced before she started school. Aren't those the cutest little ears you've ever seen?

She's also wanting to grow her hair out. It's long enough to put in a ponytail! We haven't been able to do that in years! I love seeing the back of her cute little neck!

Demolition Derby

2011-08-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed to the Demolition Derby for a smashing good time! (Pun intended. Yes, I'm cheesy.) The kids had never been to the derby before and it had been years since Robert and I have gone. Well, I can tell you that it's still just as awesome as ever and the kids had a blast! Who doesn't love watching cars crash and destroy each other?

12 Years Baby!

2011-08-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

A dozen roses. A dozen donuts. A dozen wonderful years!

Lava Fun!

2011-08-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Lava Hot Springs is always a fun time! It's something we do with Robert's family every year and we always look forward to it. This year was no exception. We had a blast and we have the sunburns to prove it!

This whole weekend was a lot of fun. We went to Bear Lake with Uncle Alan and Uncle Aundra (when I say we I mean them, I spent my day with my friend, Mr. Migraine. Boo!) I don't have pics to share but I do know that they had a great time. They haven't stopped talking about it!

2011-08-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

Where have I been you ask? Busy I tell you! The summer is nearly over and we've been trying to squeeze as much fun out of it as we possibly can! Actually, I've started this post a few times with the intention of highlighting our fantastical summer list and then following up with posts as we cross the activities off.

Clearly, that hasn't happened. But, I can tell you that our list is more than half way done and it's a good thing too because the summertime fun will come to an end in 16 DAYS! (No, that wasn't excitement you heard in my voice....I'll be very sad to see them head back to school....)
Anywho....backtracking a bit here and we'll get you all up to speed.
(Also, blogger is being a brat! I don't know why but some of my pics are loading up sideways and no matter how many times I try I can't fix them. Grr!)
June
June took awhile to warm up. There were a lot of rainy days with some sunny days mixed in. We spent the sunny days like this:

We went on a nature walk and collected "all the colors of the rainbow". We found this idea here. I don't think I'll ever forget the wonder and magic in her eyes as she searched for the different colors. I highly recommend this for the child in your life!

Glitter Toes Baby!

We went to the Farmer's Market for the first time. I hadn't been in years and I was amazed at how much there was to see there! So much more than fruits and vegetables! There were arts and crafts and activities for the kids. It made for a great morning!

Every year we enjoy the Summerfest and this year was no exception. The plethora of arts and crafts and music and food is something we always look forward to! The kids had so much fun, we ended up going twice!

Next up, Father's Day! We bought toasted almonds at the Summerfest for Father's Day. Yum!

On our last Girl's Day my friend, Clarissa took these awesome pics of my kids for this Father's Day gift. It turned out so cute!

We also made this beaut (find it here) with the kid's hand prints. Aww....

We're NUTS about you Grandpa!

Sometimes my dad's birthday falls on Father's Day but this year his birthday fell on the Monday after. It's kind of fun to celebrate both Father's Day and his birthday close together. Double the Dad fun!

Dad's work Lagoon Day is usually around his birthday, so that's how we like to celebrate it! We started the day out together but before long Daisey was off to the big kid rides with Val. We hung out in kiddie land with Maggie and Isaac. They weren't too sure about all the roller coasters and scary rides.

Alan and Andra met up with us in the afternoon and they talked the kids into trying out some new rides like the flying aces.

This is one of the few pics I got of Daisey because she was all over the place riding all of the rides!

My allergies started acting up so I took my "just in case" benedryl. (On top of claritin and zyrtek, mind you.) The benedryl started to make me drowsy so I rode a few roller coasters to wake me up.

That worked for a little while but I ended up leaving early with Maggie and my dad. Robert stayed with Daisey and Isaac and Alan and Aundra. Apparently Isaac became a lot braver after we left. It's so fun that they're getting older and enjoying the big rides!

When I got home I looked like this:

Fun times. Unfortunately I've spent a lot of the summer looking like this! This summer has been a killer as far as allergies go!

Someone got a new bike! Maggie has been riding Daisey's hand me down bike for the last couple of years. The bike was very loved by Daisey before Maggie got it. The tires were bald, the seat was cracked, the training wheels had issues. The handles bars fell off and that was the last straw! It was time for a new bike! Mags isn't quite tall enough for a big bike. Her little legs simply aren't long enough to move the pedals. She picked out this cute, pink Barbie bike, complete with a bell, a basket and a bike for Barbie!

We've had many a happy campfire in our backyard. The kids are growing up and getting so big I almost think they could start up the fire and roast up hot dogs on their own! Not that we'd let them, but still, they're becoming quite the camp roast pros!

Yum! Hot dogs!

We love smores!

Yep. That's a hot dog smore. He's a strange one but we love him!

Of course, I like my smores crispy, so I'm not one to talk!

Robert fixed and painted the screen door. Isaac helped. Just days later Isaac tripped and fell through the door. Ironic? Don'tcha think?

We have 4 baby cows in the field in our backyard. My suggestion to name the John, Paul, George and Ringo was shot down in about10 seconds flat. The Power Puff Girls won the name game. It's ok. I'm not bitter.

Blossom

Buttercup

Bubbles

And Mojo Jojo

This guy likes to stick his head through the hole in the fence and demand grass!

And, speaking of animals, we have a baby woodpecker living in our tree. Isn't he cute?

Isaac learned a new trick. Oh my holy crap! It scares me!

We had a picnic at 1st Dam. Always a fun time!

Who doesn't love a good drumstick?

Feeding the ducks

Maggie insisted that I come see the angry goose that was yelling at her. After checking it out we discovered that the angry goose was a mother goose and just trying to protect her babies. In the picture you'll see bread crumbs but if you look closer you'll see a couple of eggs, as well. It was a pretty cool learning experience. The mama goose and the papa goose would not leave the nest for bread crumbs! They were all about protecting those eggs.

And how cute are these baby geese? Geeslings, goslings. Whatever, aren't they cute?

Does it get any prettier than this?

Or sweeter than this?

Mini golfing with Grandpa was lots of fun!

Mommy and Daddy went on a date and took Grandma's sweet car! Woo!

June Craftiness

My little model was right there but didn't want to be in the picture because her hair was messy. Silly girl! Now, I've seen a lot of beautiful spring mantles and I knew I wanted browns and yellows and blues but I didn't want it too bright. I was trying to go for more of a natural look.

I've seen these book wreaths all over the place and decided to try my hand at making one. Robert says I'm like a Nazi for destroying a book but I maintain that I did not destroy it, I made it in to art! I turned an old boring book into something beautiful. So- ha!

I really wish I'd taken before and after pics for this baby! I bought the frame at the thrift store for $2. It was some 70's looking print of an orange farmhouse with flowers. Not my thing. But I liked the look of the frame. So, I removed the print and the glass. I had my dad cut out a thin board to fit the frame and then painted it with chalkboard paint. I painted the frame white and distressed it using Dad's sander. I love that thing! I felt like it still needed a little something so I made some fabric flowers and velcroed them to the frame, that way I can change the flower to match the season.

I painted the cute little dollar store bird turquoise. He's much happier now. I also covered some dollar store wiffle balls with raffia. I planned on making more with peas and beans but didn't get around to it. Really I think you could cover them in about anything and they'd turn out cute, plus it's much more cost effective than buying decorative balls at the store.

I've been wanting to wrap a W in twine for a while. But, I'm too cheap to buy a letter for $10 when I'm planning on covering it anyway. So, I cut a W out of cardboard and wrapped the twine around it, hot gluing it a little as I went. I bought 4 rolls of twine at the dollar store. Not bad for $4 eh?

Here are my vases, filled with split peas and white beans. Just the right colors at just the right price!

I made a couple more wreaths. You may have noticed, I have a thing for wreaths these days. But, I only have 2 doors, so I made one for my mom and one for my niece.

My mom loves yo yo's!

I ran out of burlap for this one so instead I cut up some cordorouy pants that are in the "camping quilt" bin. I love the way it turned out!

On to July

Yeah, you can't really tell but these are fireworks! I forgot my camera and just had my phone. It's pictures aren't great. A couple years ago we tried watching the fireworks from a park with soccer fields. It's quite the popular place. There are lots of people and kids playing together so we've gone back. We took our blanket and some popcorn and cuddled up for the show. Lots of fun!

We also went to the Cruise In, which was lots of fun but I forgot my camera and my phone that time so I just have pictures in my memory. It's something we always look forward to.

I wish I could say that this was our cute 4th of July photo op but this was weeks prior after making these cute pinwheels.

They looked so cute on the 4th in their red, white and blue clothes. I went inside to frost cookies and when I came back out they looked like this:

We also made this amazing red, white and blue fruit pizza. You can find the recipe here. Our's doesn't look at pretty but it tasted amazing!

And I didn't even get a pic of this guy until he finally stopped moving!

It was a fun day but more importantly I feel very blessed to be able to celebrate our freedom. I'm so proud of my children. I am always amazed at the pride they have for their country. I think sometimes it's easy to take it for granted. My kids are good examples of what it is to be proud, patriotic Americans.

July Crafting
I made this sweet wreath out of strips of denim and red, white and blue fabric flowers. It was kind of an experiment but I love the way it turned out!

Patriotic ragamuffin garland!

Our festive fourth of July mantle

Daisey and I followed this tutorial via saltwaterkids. Didn't she do an awesome job? I cut everything out but Daisey sewed them together. She's quite the crafty princess!

Here are the pinwheels we made. We bought the paper at Hobby Lobby. Do you like my red, white and blue vase filler? Cool beans huh? :)

I cut these stars out of fabric and ironed them onto burlap for this speciman art.

I made more decorative balls by covering the wiffle balls with twine and denim.

Paper star garland!

Pom pom garland!

Paper strip garland!

We made the cutest little tp roll rockets(found on Martha). We used cupcake liners for the tops. The kids filled them with different things. They turned out cute. We should have had a party!

I saw this tutorial and couldn't resist it! We did it backwards. Oops! But, we still had fun! We'll have to try the paint on tin foil technique again sometime.

Robert's friend gave us his old basketball hoop. We've been wanting to get one for a while so we were thrilled! The kids are in heaven and if they didn't live outside before, they definately are now!

How cute is this?

More water fun! The kids play in the water nearly every day. A kiddie pool, a sprinkler and a slip n' slide are necessities at this house in the summer! We made these sponge balls (see Betz White) They're a fun alternative to water balloons, as they're easy to "fill" and even if they just bounce off you, you'll still get plenty wet!

My mom's birthday is on the 24th of July so we got together as a family at Danny and Shayna's house for her party. It's always fun to get together but it's been a while. I can't believe how much all my nieces and nephews have grown! We had a delicious dinner with enchildas and salads. I brought the cupcakes and ice cream. Mom's favorite is german chocolate cake. I found a fabulous recipe for cupcakes. They were a hit and I will definately make them again!

It's so funny trying to get a picture of all the grandkids together! Someone is always making a funny face or picking their nose or falling off the couch! I couldn't pick a favorite so I'm posting all 3 of them.

I wonder where they get it!

My Prince Charming!

Noah

Adeline

Lauren

Ethan

Ari

Maggie aka Princess Chocolate Face!

Isaac

Daisey

Reunions, painting, babies, painting.

That same week I pinched a nerve in my neck. Owwie!!! I wish I had a great story to tell you about how I did it but really I was just sitting in bed watching tv when out of the blue I started having muscle spasms. It felt like extreme charlie horses rushing through my neck and head. I made it through the night with an ice pack and a lot of Ibprofen.

The next day I went to the chiropractor and after xrays, ultrasound and painful adjustments he told me I'd pinched a nerve that resulted in torticollis. I don't speak dr (or chiropractor, in this case) but basically it means that I'm glad I went to have it checked out because if it goes untreated you can end up with a head that hangs to the side permanently.

I went for adjustments, wore a neck brace and did stretching exercises every day for a week and it helped a lot. Honestly, it still hurts sometimes and has caused some killer headaches but if I keep up with the exercised and the Ibprofen I'm a happy camper.

My kids thought the neck brace was the most hilarious thing they'd ever seen. One morning I was getting after Maggie for getting in to my make up and she started laughing at me and said, "I'm sorry Mom, I just can't take you seriously in that neck brace!" Lovely.

Daisey suggested that I wear a headband with a flower over the neck brace to make it pretty. Oh yeah, what a difference!

At the end of July I had a much needed girl's day with my girls, Brynn and Clarissa. We went to the Olive Garden for lunch, JoAnne's for crafty shopping and then some crafty fun at my house afterward. Brynn had to bow out of the craftiness this time bc she had family in town. We'll forgive her this time!

We found these earrings and decided to make our own. What do you think?

August

This past weekend we went to the Hogle Zoo! Always a fun time!

My monkeys looking at the monkeys!

Looking at him, looking at us, looking at him....looking at us.....

Giddy up!

We love this sweet elephant family!

Baby Zuri, the elephant. Is she not the cutest thing ever?

Grr...

How brave are my kid? (Clarissa-look away!They're touching something that starts with an s and ends with a nake!)

Mom? What's wrong with that camel's humps? Hmm...she does look a little lopsided...

What are you lookin at?!

A ride on the carousel was a great way to end the day!

After our trip to the zoo we met up with Alan and Aundra for dinner at Sizzler. Good food, good company, good times!

And, that about sums it up for the summer. It's been a good one! We also had a couple of family reunions, the kids went on a camping trip with Sean and Angie while we painted some rooms in my mom's house (when I saw "we" I really mean Robert, I'm kind of like his side kick!), we've had some fun barbecues and get togethers, we've played, we've swam, we've crafted, we laughed,we've loved, we've lived! :)

Dear Summer, Where are you?

2011-06-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

No More Pencils! No More Books!

2011-06-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

It's official, school's out for summer!

Look how much they've changed since the first day of school!

They've had great teachers this year! I'm so grateful to Mrs. Daines and Mrs. Moore for all they've done for my children this past year!

The kids gave their teachers these water bottles and Crystal Lite packets on the last day of school. It's not much but I thought it was a cute idea. It came from Frills Fluff and Trucks. The cards say "Thank you for QUENCHING my THIRST for knowledge."

They came home from their last day of school to this. Yay! Hula hoops!

Isaac was thrilled but it took Daisey a little while to get excited about it. Poor thing! She came home sobbing because two of her friends AND the boy she loves won't be in her class next year!

Dinner at Grandma's house and fhzookies at Firehouse helped.

Belated Birthday

2011-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my best friend, father of my children, love of my life. (yeah, I'm super cheesy! But, it's my blog, I'll be cheesy if I want to!)
So, Saturday was Robert's birthday. The kids and I made him breakfast in bed. He requested pancakes with peach syrup and we were happy to indulge him. We even went all out and made buttermilk pancakes from scratch! Isaac pulled out the bisquik and said, "Wait, I thought this was from scratch!" So, yeah I don't make "real" pancakes or waffles very often. I go with what's quick and easy. Plus, I can't tell a difference because I don't eat pancakes or waffles! I know, I'm weird.

Maggie dropped egg shells in the batter and they thought this was hilarious!

We spent the day relaxing, playing games and had some fun at the park until it started to rain.
I took Robert out for a romantic birthday dinner at The Bluebird. We hadn't been there in awhile and it reminded me of when we dating and first married. Back before children we went on a whole lot more of dinner dates! Anyway, it was nice to get away and have a quiet meal together. The food was delicious! We even brought some chocolates back for the kids, so they weren't too mad at us for not taking them too.
Daisey took our picture as we were leaving.

We skipped dessert at the restaurant because we had a delicious chocolate mousse crunch cake at home waiting for us.

The recipe comes from my amazing new cookbook but you can also get it here at Our Best Bites.

Is it as good as it looks? Why, yes. Yes, it is!
We didn't have enough candles so we had to make a 31 out of the candles we did have.
Make a wish!

We also made rocky road ice cream in our ice cream maker. It was so yummy! But, I forgot to take pics.
The kids were thrilled to give their daddy his present! They spent a lot of time picking out all of his favorite treats. We watched "Gnomeo and Juliet" and Daddy was nice to share his yummy snacks!

Barf Bucket

2011-05-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

After the week we've had I thought I would share a brilliant idea with you. Without further ado, here is the barf bucket:

Now, I can't take credit for this idea, it was the genius of my sister in law, Angie.
You take a clean ice cream bucket, line it with a grocery bag and add a couple paper towels in the bottom. All three of my little sickies were carrying one of these around last week. After they get sick in the bucket, the paper towels soak up the "stuff". Then you simply remove the bag, tie it up and throw it in the trash. Easy clean up!
When we go on car trips we add layer after layer of bags and paper towels. That way when one is used up you can remove the bag, dispose of it and reuse the bucket.
Disclaimer: This is only easy clean up if your child actually uses the bucket! *sigh*

5 Things That Make Me Happy!

2011-05-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Fresh salsa. Yum!

Glitter toes!

Spring flowers...finally....

Daisey's "to do" list. She'd kill me for posting it but it's just so cute!

Purple baby blanket #4 complete! See honey? I finish things!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

To all the mothers, mamas, madres, grandmothers, future mothers and mothers who have passed on. Happy (belated) Mother's Day to you!

Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a mother. When I was a little girl I had little dollies that I would mother all day long. In the morning I would get them up out of their cradle and get them dressed. I would feed them and change them and take them on walks. At night I would put their pajamas on and put them to bed. I remember singing a song about growing up and being a mother to little babies and giving them cookies and milk and yellow balloons. Anyone remember this song? Back then I wanted 6 little babies. And now? 3 is plenty!

Motherhood, as it turns out, is more than cookies and milk and yellow balloons. There was nothing about being puked on, peed on, pooped on in the song, not to mention fighting, screaming, slamming doors or preteen angst. HOWEVER, I wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. There is not greater honor or blessing. I feel incredibly grateful to have these three amazing little people call me Mom!

Not only did I get "breakfast in bed", I got flowers and chocolate! They must love me!

Happy Easter!

2011-05-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Daisey is a girl who just has to know WHY! Even as a toddler "just because" didn't cut it and if I didn't know WHY, then I'd better find out! She's still the same way today. So, when she wanted to know WHY we celebrated the Easter Bunny on Easter I turned to Whyzz (this site has saved me from looking like an idiot many a time.) It turns out that rabbits and eggs are both symbols of rebirth and fertility, representing Spring. Ok, I could have come up with that one on my own, but the Easter Bunny also derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch legend the "Oschter Haws", or the Easter hare. Their tradition was to have the children put out baskets or bonnets the night before Easter. If they'd been good the Oschter Haws would leave gifts in the baskets. So, there you have it, just in case you ever wondered or in case you have a Daisey at your house! You can read more about it here .
Easter is always a favorite time of year at our house. The kids get so excited about it coming! It's the first "Spring holiday". The calender says that the first day of Spring was March 20th, but let's face it, in Utah Spring doesn't really show up until mid April, even May. We're so sick of winter here that we've been doing fun Spring crafts and activities at our house for months!

Tp roll bunnies! Found here. The kids played with these little guys for 3 hours after we made them. No lie! We buy them nice toys to play with and they'd rather play with tp rolls!

Pom pom chickies! Again, they played with them for hours!

Isaac found these wooden eggs at the dollar store and really wanted to paint them. I think they turned out great! (from right to left: M,D,I)

We made this little banner out of paint chips. They did not play with it for hours. But, I think it turned out pretty cute.

Since Christmas I've been a little obsessed with these rag garlands or "ragamuffin garlands" as Maggie likes to call them. Of course, I had to make one for Spring. Mags likes to help me tie the rags on.

And, here she is in her Vanna White pose, showcasing our Spring fireplace mantle!

We made crepe paper carrots, compliments of Martha.

These eggs were fun to crochet. And I have to brag on the apothecary jars a little. I wanted to buy these ones from Pottery Barn but the prices are a little steep (starting at $39.95!) So, you know what I did? I bought 2 glass vases and 2 glass candlesticks from the local dollar store and glued them together with E-6000. Ta Da! Not bad for $4?

Daisey crocheted these little "egg hats". No pattern, she just thought that the eggs needed hats. She's left handed and taught herself how to crochet after watching me do it. She's amazing!
The bunny was made with felt and love. It can be found here.

The egg "specimen art" is made with dollar store glitter eggs and a D.I. frame painted black.

When I saw this crochet flower garland, I knew I had to make one! I made my mom one too.

This spring wreath is my favorite! I might just keep it up all year! My friend, Clarissa and I had seen a lot of burlap wreath tutorials floating around online, so we decided to try making one ourselves. It's really just burlap, jute, fabric rosettes and felt leaves and a lot of hot glue. You should check out Clarissa's too. I kind of wish I had kept mine sweet and simple but once I got started with those fabric flowers I just couldn't help myself! I hung it up right after I finished it in hopes that Mother Nature would see that Spring had Sprung! It didn't help. But, it makes me smile every time I see it so that counts for something!

I also made a "ragamuffin" wreath for my mother in law.

My cousin, Shirley at the Ribbon Retreat Blog made the cutest bunny bows and I just had to make some for my girls! I originally made a brown one because I was out of white ribbon. Maggie refused to wear it, insisting that the Easter Bunny was white. So, I had to buy some white ribbon and make a white one too. In the end Maggie decided she preferred the brown one because she wears a lot of brown. And Daisey, who didn't even want one to begin with fell in love with the white one. Go figure!

We made cookies and chocolates! Yum!

We dyed eggs on Saturday night. It's fun to see how they still get so excited over dyeing Easter eggs and how creative they get with it!

They woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed Easter morning, ready for their egg hunt!

This one thinks he's hilarious after throwing eggs at Daddy!

They each got Hex bugs in their baskets. They've been wanting these little creepy, crawly battery powered bugs for months.

Yum! Peeps!

Guess what else we did with Peeps?

That's right, we lit them on fire!

Roasted peeps are surprisingly delicious! They are sugary and caramelized on the outside and gooey and warm on the inside.

Also, we forgot to leave out our dyed eggs for the bunny to hide. Oops! So, we got to have an outdoor egg hunt after all. It was too cold in the morning but by afternoon it was pretty nice outside.

Yes, that's an extra child you see there but we'll claim her. Ari joined us for the egg hunt. Then Grandpa Kent teamed up with her to help her get ahead! So cute!

Eggs in the tree? That's just mean Daddy!

Gotcha!

We used the dyed eggs to make deviled eggs. Here's Maggie helping! They don't look so good, I won't lie, but they tasted delicious anyway.

We had Britt's mom, Britt's dad, Robert's mom and Britt's brother and his kids over for an Easter dinner. I really should have taken pictures but I kind of forgot. So, you'll have to take my word for it that dinner was amazing. We had a glazed ham, funeral potatoes, a green salad, corn, rolls. Yum! Diane brought a lemon cake and ice cream for dessert. Double yum!

Prom Night!

2011-04-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last night Val went to her first dance. *sigh*
It was a first for me as well. You see, Valerie was my baby before I had my own babies.Doing her hair and helping her get ready for the prom was so much fun but I had to fight the urge to reminisce. I'd picture her as a 4 year old playing dress up and putting on make up and I'd start to get misty eyed!She's growing up!
And isn't she lovely?

Oh! And get this! He flew her to Salt Lake for dinner! How's that for a first dance?

It's Soccer Season!

2011-04-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

And that means it's Mohawk Time!

Daisey and Isaac both had soccer games today. And both teams won! Yay!

The Upside of Snow in April?

2011-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Snow Castles!

Spring Break

2011-04-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had all kinds of fun things planned for the kids Spring Break. We weren't going on vacation or anything but they'd made a whole list of fun things they wanted to do. Unfortunately, our Spring Break took a bad turn when I started feeling sick Saturday evening. I haven't been that sick in a long time!It took a few days but after a little of this:

A lot of this:

And some of this:
(my mommy's amazing "feel good" chicken noodle soup)

I was feeling much better. While I was sick the kids spent a lot of their time doing this:

Why the hats? Yeah, I don't know....
Now even though I was feeling better, a lot of the activities on their list involved being outside. It snowed the day after we set up the trampoline.
So sad.

In an effort to convince Spring to come out and play we made these bright, happy Easter eggs out of tissue paper and contact paper. You can see by the snow that Spring is ignoring us.

We read, we played, we cooked, we made some Easter crafts(I'll post those later) we played the Wii. We also went and saw "Gulliver's Travels" at the movie theater. It was a pretty funny flick.

Aside from the sickness, I think it was a good week. Yesterday and today have been pretty quiet. *sigh*

April Fools!

2011-04-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

We love April Fool's Day at our house! We never do anything too mean, just silly little jokes. Although, Val did tell the kids that we were getting a puppy and then broke their hearts when she yelled "April Fools!" That's pretty mean.
Anyway, I love messing with my family and doing silly things with food. You may remember the ice cream mashed potatoes, the chicken fingers or my personal favorite, the "fauxberry pie"! Well, this year's genius idea came from Our Best Bites-spagetti and meatball CUPCAKES! They had lots of other fun cupcake ideas that I'll have to keep in mind for next year too. The spagetti and meatballs are cupcakes. The salad, corn and peaches are really salad, corn and peaches. The "Kool Aid" is Jell-O! Have you ever tried drinking Jell-O through a straw? It's not an easy feat! The pics really don't do these cupcakes justice! They looked awesome and my kids were totally fooled! I totally forgot to get a pic of them laughing when they figured it out but it was great!

Now,none of these food pranks even come close to the day I fooled Robert on April 1, 2003. Our baby, Isaac was 4 months old and our little Daisey was 19 months old. A girl at the salon I worked at was pregnant and I thought it would be hilarious to have her take a pregancy test for me to show to my husband. Well, indeed it was! I left the positive test on the bathroom counter for Robert to see and lay on the bed "crying". Of course, I had to hide my face in the pillow so he couldn't see me smiling (I'm not the best liar/actress!) He stayed in that bathroom for a good ten minutes (probably doing relaxation exercises for fear of a heart attack!) Then he came out and assured me that it would be alright, that SOMEHOW we would manage. Don't worry! I only let him believe it for like 2 minutes because I was laughing so hard! He was a mess of emotions:shock, relief,joy, anger and I'm sure he was truly impressed by the hilarious evil genius that he married! Boohoowahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Donkey Basketball!

2011-03-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Yep! You read that right!Last week was the annual Donkey Basketball game at our local highschool. I'd honestly never heard of such a thing! Basically, the players play basketball-while riding donkeys! The kids and I went with my dad to the game and laughed our heads off! The pictures really don't do it justice. It was hilarious!

Only in Utah......

Kiss me, I'm Irish!

2011-03-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well,not really but everyone's Irish on Saint Patrick's Day! We haven't always made a big deal out of this holiday. We wear green and maybe add some green food coloring to our food. This year Daisey learned about Saint Patrick in school. She came home and told us all about how Saint Patrick was a priest who used the shamrock to teach the Irish people about the Trinity. You can read more about him here
Anyway, the kids got really excited about Saint Patrick's Day.
We ate green foods.
Green eggs and ham with green blueberry muffins and green orange juice.

A leprechaun man sandwich with a cucumber tie and lemonhead "gold", grapes, pretzels, cheese shamrocks, a shamrock cookie and green bug juice.

Green cheesy chicken and broccoli rice casserole, biscuits,green pears and green milk.

AND rainbow jello!

I made some crafty green things.

Then,of course Maggie had to make some green crafts too.

You can expect to see more mantel display pics, as Maggie insists on it. "Take a picture of the fireplace with ME in it Mom!" Isn't she a cute little Vanna White?
I also made some girly shamrock bows for my girls, although Daisey ended up wearing a springy headband and Maggie only wore her's for half the day. Still, they were fun to make and I framed a couple for decoration.

Daisey wanted to do a Saint Patrick's Day craft so she googled it and came up with this hand print rainbow. It turned out really cute!

Now, last but not least, how cute are MY little leprechauns?

Isaac asked him if I'd make him a green beanie to wear on Saint Patrick's Day. I showed him a picture of a pattern I had for one. It had a felt shamrock sewn on it and I thought it would be cute for my little boy to wear. He took one look at it and said, "Um, ok Mom. But, how about without the clover thing? Do you know how old I am?" Haha! I guess he's growing up!

5 year old fashion

2011-03-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

She's a big girl. She dresses herself. And yes, she rocked one sock all day!

February Craftiness

2011-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

We moved into this house almost four years ago and until recently I really hadn't cared much about decorating it, because for one, this house was supposed to be a tempory stepping stone to our own home (yeah, we're still here, living the dream!)and two our land lord is very particular about what he will allow in his house. For instance, no nails in the walls, sticky hooks are to be used instead.
Well, since quitting my job and being home with Mags I've had more time for crafting and decorating the house has become a fun hobby for me. And Maggie too. She's the boss around here, you know!
I did a little bit of crafting around Christmas but I went all out for Valentine's Day! There were so many fun projects I stumbled upon that I'll admit I became somewhat obsessed!
This blog is not only a fun way to keep in touch with family and friends. I also use it as my personal scrapbook/journal and plan to make it into a book for my family one day. So, it seems like just the place to share my craft projects. But, if I become one of those "look at me! look at me! craft bloggers" please shoot me!
My first February craft was discovered by my awesome friend, Clar. I believe she found it here. We thought we'd have a fun girl's night and make a wreath while we watched a movie. We thought we could finish it in one night! Haha! We now know that was ridiculous! It wasn't that it was a difficult craft but it was very time consuming! I've lost count how many hours I spent cutting felt and hot gluing it into rossettes! I think it was worth the glue gun burns!

I made this with the leftover rosettes:

I found this baby here and fell in love with it!

I LOVE this burlap banner but I don't love the $48 price. I made my own for $4.Does it make it cuter because it was so inexpensive? I think so! Maggie likes it. Isn't she funny?

This one I saw at a craft store a couple years ago. It cost about a dollar to make. Gotta love decorating on the cheap!

Heart Garlands=Love!
Guess what this one was made out of?
http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/valentines-day-crafts-gifts/all-valentines-day-crafts/heart-string-973685/
My version of this

Thank you Little Birdie Secrets for this tutorial!

Remember the 90's rag wreaths? This is the garland version of it. And it makes me happy to walk down the stairs!

What do you do when you browse the card aisle for and hour and still can't find the perfect card for your honey? Make your own I say!
This is what happens when you give your children a giant cardboard heart, potatoe heart stamps and random craft supplies! I love those little creative minds!

The tp Valentine butterflies were just for fun. The Valentine inchworms we found here. We also made them for Daisey's class party.

There were so many Valentine bows I wanted to make, like these made by my cousin, Shirley. But, I ran out of time and ended up making this one:

Maggie seemed to like it! Daisey insisted on a style that she found here

More fun things I WANTED to make, but hey, there's always next year!
http://missloviecreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/ruffles-and-hearts-table-runner.html
http://lesscakemorefrosting.blogspot.com/2011/01/modern-valentine.html
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/2010/12/xoxo-painted-valentine-letters.html
http://lvcraftygirls.blogspot.com/2011/01/specimen-art-with-hearts.html
http://www.crapivemade.com/2011/01/valentines-day-canvas-art.html#comment-form http://ktinajoy.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-yo-yo-table-runner.html

If you make it through this post, you deserve a thank you and a brownie!

2011-02-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

Before I move forward I feel like I need to go back and catch up on what we've missed. So, what's happened since Daisey's birthday in September? Well, there was this little thing called Halloween in October.
WONDERful costumes!

Fun crafts!

Yummy treats!

And Crazy Hair Day!

A new stove!

Because I broke our's....

Oops! It looks like I took a sledge hammer to it, but really I was standing on a chair trying to reach something on the top shelf and the chair dumped me off!Our land lord was not happy.
In November:
There was a random deer just hanging out in our yard.

And then....SNOW!!!

Thanksgiving
Maggie and Ari

Ari, Daisey and Maggie

Adeline, Noah and Lauren

Isaac and Ethan

Danny and Val

Cuddles!

And more cuddles!

Our "Thankful Tree"

And turkey crafts!

On to December!
On the 13th our mancub turned 8! He's getting so big!

Why he's wearing pajamas at his birthday party? I really don't know. But, it's his birthday so he can wear whatever he wants!

James, Isaac and Andrew

Ari and Ethan

Yay presents! Ethan, Logan, Maggie, Isaac

Isaac requested an "Outer Space cake". I tried my best. It was a pain in the butt! Never again!

But, he was happy.

He made his own rice crispy bear astronaut!

Which reminds me,Isaac says that when he grows up he wants to be an astronaut OR a hamburger cooker. This future astronaut and/or hamburger cooker got a real tool box filled with real tools for his birthday. He was thrilled!

What do I love about the holidays?
Trimming the tree

Countdown to Christmas

Christmas stories

Holiday crafts

Family dinner parties

Children singing Christmas songs

Daisey playing "Joy to the World" on the piano.

Holiday goodies!

And for a delicious sugar cookie and glaze'frosting recipe go here

Christmas Eve
New jammies and ornaments

Bedtime stories

These faces on Christmas morning

How did Santa know I wear deodrant now? Hmm...it's a mystery...

Mohawk hat!

The kids' big present this year was a Wii. After months of enjoyment I must say that Santa made an excellent choice!

New Year's Eve
Happy 2011

Our new year's "feast"

We made these awesome hats and glitter glue firework "paintings".

Daddy wasn't feeling so hot, so we spent our night like this

They made it to midnight. Barely.

Up next, on January 3rd our baby turned FIVE!

January was busy. We celebrated nearly a month later at Chuck E. Cheese aka Bliss for children/migraine for parents.

But look at that happy face!

Alan and Aundra were able to share in the fun!
(I have no words for this picture!)

January means back to work!

Don't they look thrilled?

As you know from my previous post, my grandma passed away on January 8th. It's been really hard but I'm comforted by memories,family,
Sisters

My children snuggled up in Grandma's quilt when they're sick (we've had way too much of that the last couple of months)

Grandma's out of this world delicious banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

A memory book I made for my grandma's funeral, including this letter that Isaac wrote to Grandma. It makes me cry every time I read it. What a sweet little boy.

I turned 31 the first of February.
Woah! That's a lot of candles!

Gifts from my children. Oh, they know me so well!

Going on a birthday date! Dais insisted on taking our picture!

"Someone" turned SIXTEEN on Valentine's Day but she doesn't want her picture taken so this will have to do!

We celebrated Maggie, Val and my birthdays at the most amazing Japanese restrant (that I can't remember the name of!) with our friend's Jess and Augest and their girls. The chef cooks right in front of you. It was a lot of fun to watch but it was almost more fun to watch the kids. They were pretty excited about it!

Next up is Valentine's Day!

Aren't I a great cook?:)
And that about sums it up! Like the title says, if you made it through this post you deserve a thank you and a brownie!

My Grandma

2011-01-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

This morning I said goodbye to my dear, sweet grandmother, MayBell Hoopes Burton. My grandma was born on Nov. 18, 1917. She passed away on January 9, 2011. 93 years of loving and living! Grandma was the mother of 8, the grandmother of 51 and the great grandmother of 123. Wow! She lived her life with grace (and spunk!)
To know her was to love her and boy, was she loved! The love that filled the room at Grandma's funeral today was so strong you could almost touch it!
I've had very mixed feelings today and the last couple of weeks. I miss my grandmother so much it hurts. But, I've been missing her for a long time now. In her last years she suffered from Alzheimer's. Grandma hasn't been Grandma in years. Along with sadness and missing Grandma, I am so very happy for her that she has joined my grandfather in their heavenly home. At the funeral my cousin, Shawn made the comment that the Alzheimer's may have been a blessing in disguise. If she had known that Grandpa was gone for the last 5 years she would have missed him terribly.

I'd like to share a story that my sister, Valerie wrote for a school paper. She has such a beautiful way with words and a soul wiser than her 15 years.

A 93 year old woman was lying on her hospital bed, looking off into space, a space that no one else could go. When my sister and I walked in she looked at us with those lifeless, vacant brown eyes. "Hi Grandma," said Brittany. There was no response. We went over and sat on the bed next to her. The age spot covered fingers that used to be busy crocheting and filling the kitchen with the aroma of homemade bread and cookies were now rigid and grasping my hand so tight, as if asking for help.
She wasn't always like this. She used to be a strong minded, witty person who was always full of life. Whenever I went to her house she would get off of her little rocking chair, take me to the kitchen, where she'd pick me up and set me on the red counter top and find some kind of delicious dessert in the freezer. She unfailingly saved desserts in her freezer for when company would come over. Something was always baking in the aluminum pans that filled the house. Grandma made the yummiest banana chocolate chip cookies in the world!
Other than her family, her favorite things was the red and yellow tulips that grew every spring in front of her little blue house. Her life had once been vibrant and colorful, but was now fading into winter, just as the flowers had done, right before my helpless eyes.
We tried to talk to her, but she would never respond. You could almost see the fear that she had within each pore. Lines and creases covered her face. I looked at those familiar brown eyes, but no spark of recognition when she looks back at me. She doesn't know who I am. I'm a stranger in the room. How can you miss someone so much when she's sitting right before you?
The old woman that I used to know is slipping through the cracks of time. Alzheimer's is hard on everyone who surrounds the person that it has control over. Every goodbye between us is long and lingering. We never know which one will be our last.

My Grandma Burton taught me so much, simply by living her life. She made the world a better place just by being a part of it. I pray that I can follow in her footsteps. It's a comfort to know that this is not goodbye and I will see her again someday.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

He's Eight!

2010-12-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

What's happened to this little guy?

He eats his vegetables like a good boy and is growing like a weed! No more chubby cheeks and he's grown a little taller!

Today is Isaac's eight "happy birthday to him." I love that he still calls it that! He also told me that he is growing into a man and that he will do amazing things in his life, like give money to the poor and be an astronaut....or maybe a hamburger cooker guy.
He cracks me up! If there's one thing I can say for Isaac, it's that he is one funny little man! He makes me laugh everyday! He's thoughtful and sweet, brave and wise beyond his years. I don't know what we'd do without him in our family! He sure is patient with those sassy sisters of his! There's nothing he wouldn't do for them!
Yesterday Isaac had a family birthday party with his Grandma Diane (we won't say how old she is, I don't want to get in trouble!)He was sure Isaac about all those people showing up just to "celebrate him being borned." We really do try to work on his grammar, but I must admit I love his way with words!
*Pics of the party to follow*

She's nine!

2010-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Nine years and eleven days, actually. She's already counting down to ten!

When I think about Daisey I picture this little girl:

So, how has this happened?

Time flies huh?

This year we had a family bbq party. There were lots of cousins to play with, lots of yummy food to eat and lots of girly presents! Daisey was a very happy girl!

She gave me specific instructions on what kind of cake and decorations she wanted but I got sick and it just didn't happen. She picked one out at Sam's Club and sure enough, the world didn't come to an end.

My favorite part of this picture is Maggie's face. She's just as excited to see what is in that present as Daisey is!

And, I love Isaac's face in this one! You can almost hear him saying, "Are you kidding me? Another barbie? Is this girly party over yet?"

Her gift from us this year was a fish tank. It's what she wanted more than anything in the whole wide world!

At the end of the day, after everyone had gone home the birthday girl announced that she was so happy her heart might burst! Aww, now that's what every mom loves to hear!

After much twirling in her new pink nightgown from Grandma, they all went to bed happy and high on sugar. And they all lived happily ever after!

Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles!

2010-09-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Bubbles aka boredom buster! We used this bubble solution recipe but there are plenty of bubble recipes out there. We were supposed to let it sit for 24 hours. We waited about 8 and the bubbles still turned out great! How cute is Daisey's label?

For hours of bubbly fun, round up bubble wands in all shapes and sizes,

including fly swatters from the dollar store that we cut big circles in, I know, weird. But they were a hit!

Pour bubble solution into a container large enough for sharing. Sharing is key.

Then let them have at it!

Bubble machine? Don't waste your money. We were unimpressed.

Enter Bubble Train.

This little guy however is awesome! We learned that after 3 full hours of play the batteries run out. 3 hours of laughing and playing and (get ready) no fighting is well worth the money spent on batteries in my book!

Back to School!

2010-08-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Daisey and Isaac's first day of school! Daisey is in 3rd grade and Isaac is in 2nd. They both feel so big and couldn't be more happy about going to a new school this year. It's close enough that they can walk or ride their bikes.

Maggie can't wait for the day that she starts school! But, I think she kind of enjoyed the alone time with mommy and daddy after a whole summer of teasing from her siblings! I'm happy to have her home for one more year!

Look how big they are compared to last year! Wow!

2nd and 3rd grade! That seems so big!

Diva

Mancub

New backpack and bags! Daisey insisted on an over the shoulder bag this year. Mags insisted on a matching smaller one.

Off they go!

They both came home and announced that they had a great day and they love their new school!
After school snacks!

Aren't they the cutest? You can find them here and yes, they look super cute with faces but I didn't have time for that! The kids ate them up anyway!

August

2010-08-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

I missed a lot this month while recovering. I think we always try to cram a lot of fun into August as the summer comes to an end. While I was home recovering Robert and the kids went swimming, to the park, to the fair and up the canyon.

One day when they left I was sleeping. Someone shut my bedroom door when they left and when I woke up I couldn't open the doorknob! I don't know how long I was in there until I finally figured out how to open it with my foot!

My Grandpa came to visit the week I had my surgery. I wish I'd been feeling better so I could have spent more time with him. I'm so glad for the time that my children get to spend with my grandparents. That special time is a gift that only grandparents can give.

Grandpa, Maggie, Adeline, Lauren, Noah, Daisey and Isaac

Reading a story to Daisey and Lauren

On the mend!

2010-08-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been three weeks since my carpal tunnel surgery and I'm doing a little bit better every day. One thing I have had to learn in the last 3 weeks is patience! It seems like it's been months rather than weeks since I had surgery. I do a lot with my hands, so not being able to use them has been very frustrating for me. In my opinion this has been worse than being on bedrest during my pregnancies. At least I could crochet or sew or scrapbook to keep myself from going crazy! As I slowly regain use of my hands I feel like I'm regaining my independance, as well. I've had to depend on others to help me in nearly everything I do. My family has been awesome during my recovery! I'm so happy to be on the mend and have this whole carpal tunnel issue behind me!

This is me after I woke up from my surgery.

2 thumbs up! I'm still on good drugs and happy as a clam! The pain will come later.

Sad, bruised hands. They used the laser on my hands leaving only a small 2 inch scar on my wrist. Inside they made a 6 inch cut, so there is a lot more healing going on then I can see for myself.

My happy little helper! I needed helping doing nearly everything for the first few days.

My 8 year old make up artist!

My little tv buddy! I think we were watching "America's Funniest Home Videos" which he thinks is hilarious!

Silly girl! Also, notice all my pretty pictures and love notes that my kids made and hung on my closet doors! I feel so loved!

With lots of hugs, pain pills, ice and help from this guy I'm feeling so much better! We celebrated our 11 year anniversary on the 14th. And by celebrate I mean we went to my family reunion, I got worn out, came home, took my pills and passed out for the night while he entertained my family! What a guy! I think I owe him a date or a cookie or something!

See ya in 4 weeks!

2010-08-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'm having carpal tunnel surgery tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't take 4 weeks for me to recover but that's what I'm planning on. If it takes less I will be pleasantly surprised! I'm having both of my wrists done. I thought if I'm going to do one I might as well do both and get it over with.

And with that I will leave you with a pic of Daisey's first sock monkey. She sewed it, stuffed it and named it Peace! Way to go Dais!

Can't find your iPhone? Ask the 4 year old on the toilet!

2010-07-14T20:47:00.001-07:00

Summer!

2010-07-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

On the last day of school the kids came home and wrote down everything they wanted to do this summer. We added the lists together and made a great big list that we hung on the fridge. We've already checked quite a few things off our list!

They're so funny! The put everything from ride bikes and climb trees to Lagoon and Disneyland on the list!

What have we checked off so far? Take a look!

Lagoon!

Every year we go to Lagoon on my dad's work Lagoon day. Every year it usually falls around my dad's birthday. The kids think we go to celebrate Dad's birthday! And, that's ok, it's a fun thing to do!

I spent most of my time in Kiddie Land with Maggie. Daisey and Isaac are getting big enough to ride the bigger rides. Daisey even went on Wicked and Colossus!

Isaac and Ethan

Lauren and Maggie

Daisey and Val

Chris and Noah

Maggie and Mommy

Mommy and Daddy

Little Water Boys, Ethan and Isaac

Robert and the boys

Summerfest!

It's always a fun thing to do here. There is good food, live music and plenty of crafts and fun things to buy. It was pretty pricey this year though. The only thing I bought this year was $1 balloon animals for the kids! It's always fun to look though!

They really wanted one of these hammock chairs!

And I really need to find a pattern for this cute hat that Daisey wanted!

This summer we've also played in the water:

Hiking!

We hiked the up to the Wind Caves with our friends, Jess and Augest and their girls, Sydney and Alexis. I was impressed at what little troopers our kids were hiking up that mountain! Even Maggie just kept climbing! I have to say that I was the biggest baby of the bunch! My allergies were killing me and that fresh mountain air wasn't helping things!

The Cruise In!

Fourth of July Fireworks!

Picnic at the park with Grandma

Slept in a tent!

Blog Slacker #2

2010-07-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I remember I promised I would be better at keeping up with my blog and I had every intention of doing so.....and then our computer crashed.....dun dun duuuun! Thankfully our new one is working great!

So here it goes, another 3 month catch up with Bob and Britt and kids!

April:

Soccer! In Utah soccer season starts at the end of March and ends in May. Craziness I say! We had a few games with really nice weather but Daisey and Isaac played quite a few in the rain, snow and hail!

I don't have pictures of them wearing sweats under their uniforms and snow hats on their heads but believe me, it was cold!

May:

School let out at the beginning of May, it's been a long summer!

The teacher gifts were all Daisey's idea. She wanted to plant flowers and paint "Thank you for helping me GROW" on the pot. How cute is that? We actually painted the pots with chalkboard paint and the kids wrote the sentiment and their names on them. We added foam handprints with their names on them. Maggie insisted on giving "her teacher" one too. That would be Grandma Diane because she goes to preschool at her house. I think they turned out really cute! I should have made one for myself!

Their teachers this year have been awesome! We'll miss them!

Mother's Day Flowers!

The kids made sachets for their grandma's from a tutorial we got here.

Robert had a birthday and joined me in the big 3-0! This is him on his birthday, a model of maturity.

June:

New nephews!

Congratulations to Zack and Erika on their little one, Zaydan!

And congratulations to Nicole and Aaron on their little one, Daniel!

Aren't they sweet? Awww.....

Look who got a retainer! She's very excited about it!

Isaac went to a Star Wars party. This is what a Jedi with a mohawk looks like! Oh yeah!

And snow in June! WHAT?!!

Remember our new suburban? We love our suburban! Bertha is her name. Maggie calls her

"Su-Bertha". It's very cute! Anyway, 1 suburban named Su-Bertha +1 tired daddy getting out of the suburban to open the garage door + forgetting to put the suburban in park =

Oops! Thank goodness for insurance!

We went and saw Shrek 4 in 3D. It was a cute pic and I LOVE this pic of my family in 3D glasses!

Daisey has been growing her hair out for years but decided she wanted to chop it off to her chin. She looks so big!

Before:

After:

Father's Day! They gave him an awesome handprint fish card (instructions) and a tool belt full of cool "daddy things" including a flashlight, batteries, nails, a pencil, a notebook and lots of candy! Basically I let them go crazy at Family Dollar!

They sure love their Daddy!

And last, but not least, new cows! Last year's were Tom and Jerry. The year before the cows were named Pinky and The Brain. This year the kids have named them Ren and Stimpy! Haha!

Wild Thing!

2010-04-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah!

Chickens and Bunnies and Bears!

2010-04-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

That's right! Baby Animal Days had bears this year! The kids were super excited about the bears. Then they were super disappointed when they realized that they couldn't hold them! The bears were very sleepy and very cute! This is the best bear picture I got. Look at his little tongue hanging out! Don't you just want to squeeze him?

As always there were chicks and ducks and bunnies to cuddle. They pet the cows and sheep and ponies. And Mommy fell in love with the cutest little piggy you've ever seen! If Daddy hadn't been there we probably would have come home with Little Miss Potbelly!

*click the collage to see larger images*

The pony rides are always a favorite! Isaac was a little disappointed that he had to take off his cowboy hat and wear a helmet instead. I have to say he still made a great little cowboy! Maggie's face turns to sheer delight when she sits on the saddle. She's still a little nervous about it though and wants her daddy by her side. Daisey always looks natural on a horse. Just watching her ride make me want to move to the country and buy a ranch. Then I decide that sounds like a lot of work and riding horses once or twice a year will have to do.

As we were leaving I had to snap this picture because this is what Spring in Utah looks like. Snow and flowers....both at the same time. Pretty huh?

Blog Slacker Catch Up

2010-04-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been bad. I've neglected my blog baby and I apologize.

So, today is what I call "the last 3 month blog catch up". Enjoy!

February

Snowman!

I turned 30! That's really, really, really old...just ask my kids!

Look what Robert and my dad made me for my birthday! Fantabulous!

100 Day at school, 100 hair clips, 100 dots

Happy Valentine's Day!

Val's Happy Birthday Sock/Gum wreath!

March

We went to visit my sweet Grandma Roush in the hospital. She was in a terrible car accident but she's a trooper and is improving every day.

We love you Grandma!

After nearly 3 years of waiting our good friends, Brynn and Eric finally got the call that their adoption process was final. Their family is complete at last and we're so happy for them!

Welcome home Omar and Marisol!

April

Happy April Fool's Day! The kids like to play jokes all day long! I like to fool them with food and this year we had chicken nuggets, corn with mashed potatoes and gravy? April Fools!It's ice cream and caramel!

Mother Nature's April Fool's Prank! After a week of beautiful Spring weather we woke up to this!

Our niece, Kristi married her sweetheart, Taylor! She looked absolutely beautiful! I don't have a picture of the happy couple yet. But, I do have a picture of the clock we gave them. :)

Easter!

We thought it was about time we traded our little Neon in for something bigger for our growing kids. So we sold Celine Neon and bought a Suburban. It was kind of a bittersweet moment when I watched our Neon drive away but we're enjoying the Suburban.

Look who got glasses! Doesn't he look distinguished?

Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" was awesome!

Lava

2010-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

What's better than spending the morning with your honey in a hot spring pool of relaxation?

Nope, I got nothin...

See that person surrounded by steam? That's me! And that my friend is what you call bliss!

Thirty

2010-02-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

That's right! The big 3 0! Honestly, it feels a whole lot like 29!
It was a good birthday. Robert took me out to dinner and brought me flowers. The kids made me a beautiful 30 year old princess crown! They also gave me a lamp. Because "now you can use the lamp to see in the dark when you are crocheting while we watch tv and you don't have to turn on the light anymore because that is annoying." Aww...so sweet!

Meet Jack

2010-01-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

Someone (who's name starts with an R and ends with and obert) gave in to our children's plea's and bought them a new pet to cuddle and love.

His name is Jack. Mags talked Daisey and Isaac in to the name Jack after hours of conversation. Why Jack you ask? Simple. "Because THAT is his NAME!" so says Margaret Elizabeth.

As you can see they're all in guinea pig heaven!

Also, have you ever heard of vertigo? Yeah, I'd heard of it too but I didn't really know exactly what it was or what it felt like until a couple weeks ago. I wish I could go back to not knowing what it felt like because it's been no picnic! It's unlike any kind of dizziness I've ever experienced. Combine weak, tired and light headed with falling down the stairs, headaches, nausea and passing out and that about sums it up.

This has been me for the last few weeks.

It's finally starting to let up, thank goodness! But I've been unable to drive or work or do much of anything lately.

So, thank you to my sweet husband who loves me and takes care of me when I'm sick.

And thanks Clar for not only helping with an awesome fiesta for our friend, Brynners but basically carrying out the whole thing. Love you! And Brynn too! :)

Guess who's FOY?

2010-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm still playing catch up it seems and wondering where December went!

But ready or not our baby turned 4 on the 3rd of January. Another bittersweet moment, I love watching my kids learn and grow, I just wish they wouldn't do it so fast!

We love our Maggie Mo! She is such a joy in our lives! She's a little pistol full of sass and sweetness! She makes me smile every day and I'm so proud of the silly and smart, loving and feisty little girl she is!

Mags' birthday was on the 3rd but she got sick and said, "I want to do my party on another day when I feel good." So she spent most of the day watching cartoons in mommy's bed with a cold wash cloth on her head. Some birthday huh? We had to talk her in to blowing out her candles on the pretty princess cake that Grandma Marilyn made for her. Isn't it cute?

By the next Saturday she was feeling good as new and ready to party princess style! Her princess cousins arrived in fashion and as cute as can be! It was so fun to watch all of them play together in their pretty princess dresses!

Maggie's favorite Disney princess is Belle and she insisted on having a Belle dress for her party. I looked all over town and finally found one at Kmart. She was thrilled until she decided it was itchy and threw it on the floor! Thus, the yellow sweats under the yellow Belle dress!

We decorated princess tiaras. We read "The Princess and the Frog" (if you haven't seen this movie you must go! it's our new favorite!) We played "Pass the frog" (you know, hot potato with a twist).

We played "Place Cinderella in her tower" (again, pin the tail on the donkey with a twist).

We opened princessy presents and we ate princessy cupcakes and princessy ice cream

And the princess was very happy and all was good in her kingdom.

And also, princesses need flowers.