The Bullock Family

Dance CRAZY!

2011-04-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

Splish Splash I was taking a bath...
Baby Mine don't you cry...
I just love these costumes! They are adorable!!
First dance competition was at Thanksgiving Point! The girls did great! Britten, Jeff and Ian picked out some flowers for Sarah!
Here are the girls in St. George - our 3rd competition for the season!
More of the girls but not all... there are 14 girls on her team.
Sarah with her best friend since she was 2! Makenna!!! We actually drove down to Milford on Friday night and had a sleep over with our besties... then we woke up at 6 am to drive to St. George! It was a long day of driving but so much fun to be with our friends!
Sarah with her second trophy! She is so super excited about the trophies. After she got her first one she told me she was the richest girl in the world... (I think she thinks they are solid gold)
I am one of the team Mom's for her dance group and we started a gift bag/bucket for each competition. This was the bucket some of the Mom's put together for this last comp. It is a splish splash bucket full of fun stuff and Sarah wanted to get in the bath right away!
Last summer Sarah tried out for a competition team at her dance studio. She has been dancing since she was 3 and we thought it would be a good opportunity for to compete on a team. She made the Sweet n Sassy team and now it is okay for me to call her sassy! Because let's face it she is one sassy and sweet little girl!

A few more Disney moments from the cell phone...

2011-03-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I rode the teacup together and did not spin at all... Jeff on the other hand spun Britten and Ian into a dizzy mess.Guess who got to sleep with this MONKEY? Yours truly. And this is how he slept every night... the red striped pillow is mine. I got kicked at least 6 times an hour. I was one tired chick and so ready to get home to my own bed. Totally should have brought the pack-n-play because they did not have any!
So that is me in the back row, on the left. This is a totally funny story that would probably not even sound funny to anyone else so I won't even go there... but after leaving the line twice we finally made it back on and rode the ride. I laughed about it all the way home to Utah. This was the day that our California cousins met us for the afternoon because they have season passes! So much fun!
Here is my handsome little man, we stopped by the Lego store on our way home! He was in Heaven and I am sure was wishing I was a millionaire so he could buy every Lego set in the store...

Disney or BUST!

2011-03-29T21:31:00.001-07:00

Day one excitement... We decided very last minute to go to Cali... left at 3:30 pm Monday and arrived at 2 am! Kids were up at 8 am ready to PLAY!Britten, Sarah and Ian with their Nana... She took us on this wild and crazy adventure!
Ian and I on the Matterhorn. He just met the height requirement but as we buckled in I was thinking what kind of mom takes a 2 year old on a fast roller coaster ride?? Apparently me... and he was scared but liked it! All day as he saw the mountain he said I go on that one again! He also has not stopped talking about the eyes on the abominable snowman. Such a cutie!!
They always love the Buzz Light Year ride!
It's a small world was my favorite ride as a kid... my kids love it too!
I really enjoyed watching Ian this time. It was his second visit but 1st time to really take it all in!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! What a fun place to be for a holiday!!!
We went to Disney with our Nana, Auntie Mary and cousin Ryder... this is Mary cracking up on the bugs life caterpillar ride. It was so funny you just had to be there...
We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the park and man did we have FUN! We rode every ride we wanted to and our favorite ones twice! The weather was beautiful! 75 degrees and sunny! It was such a great get away from the cold and snow. Thank you so much Nana for the super fun, super spontaneous trip to the happiest place on earth! We made some fabulous memories!!!

MARCH madness!!

2011-03-08T18:13:00.001-08:00

Britten just 5 days old... can't believe he will be 8 years old this month!
Britten meeting Sarah for the first time... now they are the best of friends!
Sweet little Sarah will be 6 years old this year!! Where has the time gone?
Let the madness BEGIN... anniversary, birthdays, dance competitions and more!!!

March 9th: Jeff and I will celebrate our 9 year anniversary! It seems like we have always been together!! I am so thankful he is my hubby!!

March 17th: St. Patty's DAY!!

March 19th: Sarah's second dance competition!! At the last one they placed 1st and 2nd!!

March 23rd: Sarah's BIG day!

March 25th: Sarah's third dance competition!! {in St. George!}

March 29th: Britten's BIG day!

And all the fun in between! We have birthday parties to plan and in April Britten is looking forward to getting "bathtized". That is what he used to call baptized when he was 4!

I think I will make these...

2011-02-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Don't these look good... I think I will make these and some chocolate oreo truffles for my favorite Valentines...

Temple Square at Christmas Time!

2011-01-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

I love that Sarah is giving herself bunny ears here... and I love how freezing my mom looks!

Some guy was outside giving rides on this old couch with a remote control! The kids totally wanted a ride!
While my parents were here we went to Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square. I can't believe I have not been since I was in college... It was so beautiful! It is amazing how many lights they put up and the beautiful Nativity they have! So glad we were able to go.

Tae Kwon Do

2011-01-29T13:53:00.001-08:00

The kids started Tae Kwon Do last year from Mrs. Tina in our neighborhood. She is awesome and teaches in her basement. Sarah got her white belt with yellow stripe and Britten got his white belt with black stripe. It is fun to watch them and see what they are learning! Ian even likes to do kicks and punches too. Since they started they have had a few bully encounters and they are not scared of anyone! Not sure how good that is... We were at Kangaroo Zoo and I look over and see Sarah grabbing some 12 year old by the shirt and swinging him around. Sarah also was sparing an 8 year old in her class and he kept backing up and she said, "you gotta defend yourself dude!" Britten is doing great and improving quickly!

Ice Skating Outing!

2011-01-28T13:04:00.001-08:00

Sarah and Nana going around the rink! She did so good and she actually wants to have her birthday party here with her friends... I went around with her a few times and she kept saying speed up slow poke!
Britten and his Dad... I was so impressed with how determined Britten was to get this ice skating down. He had spaghetti legs when he first started and was all over the place. He fell so many times but he was determined to skate around the rink on his own. By the time we left he was doing a pretty good job!
Papa John and little Ian. I thought it was so cool that they had skates Ian's size. He was the cutest little peanut out there!

We had a lot of family visit us over the holidays! Jeff's family likes to do something FUN everyday they are here. We decided to go ice skating at the Olympic rink in Provo and the kids had a BLAST! It is something that I recommend anyone who lives around here and we will totally go back!

Since it is snowing today...

2011-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Ian at our neighborhood pool!Ian LOVED swimming this past summer! He even wore his floaties around the house sometimes! He would not let my dad take a break from this trick!
Britten and Sarah with their cousin Ryder in Nana and Papa's backyard!
Ian was not so sure about running through the sprinkler...
Here are the kids at the fun hotel in San Antonio!
My kids are like little fish in the summer time! I seriously think they spent more time in the water than out of it! So glad they love to be outside and in the water so much! We are looking forward to next summer to swim some more!

Snowy PLACE

2011-01-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

sledding up Parley's Canyon... it was so beautiful!Christmas Wreath covered in snow!
view from the front door...
view from the back...

So for those of you that know me and Jeff we both grew up in Houston, Texas. Never in a million years did I think we would grow roots in Utah and live here. When we first got married we went to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After Jeff graduated we moved back to Houston and then he got a job offer in southern Utah and a transfer here to Eagle Mountain. Above are a few photos I have taken of the snow around our house. I always LOVE the first few snowfalls... by the 5th or 6th I am ready for the pool to open and warmer temps for sure!

Flash BACK!

2011-01-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Back in August we adopted a new kitten and named her Cinnamon. She was so little when we brought her home and so scared! In fact we brought her home and put her down in the garage and she darted underneath our stairs and would not come out. 2 days later we had to scare her out and put up a baby gate to keep her from running and hiding. Well, her name really suits her personality! She is the SWEETEST cat we have had and believe me we have had many in the past few years! We love our little kitty!!

You've Got A Friend in ME!

2011-01-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Ian got a buzz lightyear costume from his Nana and Papa John... It took him a few weeks to discover and since then he has been wearing it daily!! He LOVES "buzzyear". He walks around the house singing "I gotta friend in you... I gotta friend in you..." And many nights he request that I sing the "Toy Story" song to him before he goes to bed! Too bad this costume was not around when it was Halloween!! This is my favorite age and I love how Ian is my little bud!

blogger cast away...

2011-01-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

i can't believe how much time has passed since my last post!! i am in the process of a bloggy make-over! i am so excited to start blogging again! it might be random flash backs for a while... because there are a few fun moments i would like to capture here on this site!

Our Crazy visit to Texas!!

2009-11-20T14:49:00.001-08:00

So get your box of chocolates or something... this is a LONG one! The first weekend we got to Texas we had a fun cousin sleep over with Caroline and then headed over to DEWBERRY FARMS! Here is Sarah on the rope swing!
Britten on the potato sack swing. Not sure what this thing is called but he loved it!
Ian and I on a little tractor ride! WEE!! I totally broke the plastic container - OOPS!!
Here is Connor and Britten on the BIG trampoline thing. Connor just turned 15 years old. He was born when I was a freshman in college!! MAN time flies. He is turning into a handsome young man! I'm sure he would love to hear that!
Here is Lilly! My kids love Lilly and so do I! It has been so fun to be her auntie and watch her grow! She is in 5th grade and cheering with high school girls! I was able to watch her practice for a competition and it was cool!
Here is Jimini and Britten! They had a mining station where you buy a bag of sand and pan for "gold" which was coins, stones, sharks teeth, etc. It was very cool and all of the kids had a blast doing this!
Caroline is Bill and Nicole's youngest and she is a doll! She is a year older than Britten and they all play so well together. Caroline always leads my kids in some kind of craft when they get together. Britten and Sarah LOVE her and I'm sure my mom LOVES when they get into all of her crafting stuff!
Here is Sarah on the pony ride. This girl is going to grow up and get a horse I just know it! SHE LOVES them so much! You can tell by her face she is totally HAPPY! I have about five and she is grinning from ear to ear and petting the pony in all of them!
Hello!
Here are a few shots of the Woodlands Mall! My kids have always played in the play area there and have loved it! This was Ian's first time and he did not want to leave. I was sad to notice Britten has really outgrown this area by the height chart but he played anyway!!
Wish I knew what Ian was thinking at this moment!

We went to the Woodlands with Nana! Nana has always taken the kids to the mall to play, ride the carousel and get double doosies. She also always takes them to the book store! They love to pick out books and they sure LOVE their Nana! Thanks Nana for the fun books!
We got some good ones this time!
Are you thirsty yet? This is so not like me but still blogging... Here are the kids at the Children's Museum! They have completely redone it and it is AMAZING! If you live in Houston or are visiting you do not want to miss it! We went here with Nana and Papa John and the kids could have stayed hours longer! Here are Britten and Sarah at the grocery store.
Sarah is taking Nana's order and the restaurant.
Ian is driving a truck in the small kid area of the museum.
Here is Sarah in the science/experiment room! She is designing something.
Here we are on the way home... the kids were totally wiped out from the busy day! And the stomach bug...
The Downtown Aquarium!!! One of our favorite places to go when in Houston! My kids always want to go there so we do! Here is Sarah and my mom on the shark train ride! Even though they know the shark is going to jump out of the water Sarah got totally scared! It was Ian's first time and he was holding on tight to me and cried when the shark jumped out of the water and splashed him!!
My Dad, Britten and Ian! Must have been loud because Britten is plugging his ears!
Jeff and Ian on the Farris wheel! I HATE this ride but my dad bought me a ticket. Totally had anxiety on this one!
Britten and Sarah got their faces painted there - Britten is a transformer and Sarah got a unicorn. Oh to be a kid and get your face painted!
LOVE this shot of Britten! He loves transformers so I was not surprised he picked out this design.
I can't believe it has already been a month since we were down there! From the pictures we all look happy and healthy but that was not the case! Monday night Britten had the stomach flu, Wednesday night Sarah and Ian had it, Thursday night Jeff and Britten had it, Friday I took Britten to a clinic and found out he had strep throat, Saturday night Britten had throw ups again!! So I never threw up but there were several nights I just knew it would be my turn. Sadly we did not do half of the things we had planned or did we get to see all of our friends we wanted to see! I guess we will be back again!! One last important note: we did get some GOOD Texas Mexican food! YUMMY!

MY little Red Necks!

2009-11-20T14:42:00.001-08:00

Britten and Sarah had just as much fun as Jeff and I wearing the mullets we bought for Halloween! Here are a few shots of them being totally silly!

Gotta LOVE the mullets! I decided red necks have way more fun!!

some HALLOWEEN favorites!

2009-11-20T14:33:00.001-08:00

Ian was very busy eating his banana!! Britten was Darth Vador (i don't think he has even seen star wars), Sarah wanted to be a witch this year and Ian was a little monkey!! Ian below 17 months old!
Britten is 6 1/2!
Sarah is 4 1/2!!
We had such a fun Halloween this year!! I love watching my kids get so excited to get dressed up with the hopes of getting lots of candy!

Soccer Season has come and gone...

2009-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

Jacob and Britten in the field!
Britten running and in action!
Britten was never afraid to go after the ball.
He is such a fast little runner!
Britten with Andrew and Coach Sabey! He started the season having never played soccer before and he did so well! His coach really taught them positioning and gave them each a chance to play different positions during the game. It was so fun to watch him play this year! I think they tied one game and won the rest!! Way to go EAGLES!

Melting Chocolate Chips = YUMMY

2009-11-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

DOES LIFE GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS??

Ian at the pArK!

2009-11-05T14:13:00.001-08:00

Santa Monica Pier

2009-09-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

I grew up riding bumper cars on the Santa Monica Pier. Sad to say they are no longer on the pier but replaced with a whole bunch of rides. My kids had a blast on the pier! Sarah spotted some "hotten candy" and had to have some! Here we are eating at Bubba Gumps right on the pier.
Ian got his grub on!!
Here is the gang at the bar. They arrived two hours before our reservation. The bartender LOVED them!! He also totally laughed when I showed up at the end of two hours and ordered a "virgin" pina colada!
Here we are on the very end of the pier! I was seriously in Heaven! I had such a great time!
LOVE this shot of Ian.
Uhm here is the guy that does not move until you give him a dollar! The kids were a little scared of him and he tried to get fresh with my dad and myself! Jeff was hiding in the crowd.
Dad with kids and Bubba shrimp guy! It was so fun to see my Dad so relaxed and happy! I think he really enjoyed spending time with his side of the family!
Sarah is hugging the shrimp's tail!
Jeff and kids at beginning of the pier. It was Jeff's first time there and he had a good one!

Fair Well Aunt Sabel

2009-09-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons for our summer Cali visit was to be there for my aunt Sabel's ash spreading ceremony. She passed away a few months back from cancer and it was her wish to have her ashes spread over the cliffs of Palos Verdes. Above are my cousin's Allie and Christian. They lost their mom way to young if you ask me. The fly over after our moment of silence. The timing was impeccable.
Here is a picture of my Dad and his sisters, Ronni and Corel! They are so awesome!
Spreading the ashes over the cliff!
My aunt Ronni read a very sweet poem on the cliff!
My Dad and I.

My auntie Corel and her boyfriend Glen!
Here is the house my grandparents lived in, in Palos Verdes. I remember coming here as a small kid. I used to love winding up the hill to get to their house. It is such a beautiful place.
I was not sure what to expect for my aunt's ceremony, I have never been to one before. It was very sweet and nice to be a part of. My aunt Sabel was a great lady with a great sense of humor. She will be missed much by all of her family.

A Favorite Childhood Memory!

2009-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is where my Grandma and Papa lived when I was a child. This was the highlight of my summers! My mom would put my brother and myself on a plane and we would stay with Grandma in Santa Monica for a month or so. Papa always picked us up in his Cadillac with their dog Buffy. He would drive us home and Grandma would be there waiting! Of course she immediately made us her famous yummy pancakes! Well they weren't famous they were just Bisquick but they never tasted better!
Every time I am in LA I take a trip by Marguerita and 18th Street. It is a walk down memory lane. It always feels a bit odd that someone else lives in my Grandma's house, but I could sit for hours taking in the memories! I love the picture above because it is on the front side of the house. It is the color of pink that the whole house once was. It is fun to show Britten and Sarah where I used to come as a kid. Below they are sitting on the front step.
Here it is! My mom has the building plans and I think it would be cool to build someday! Good thing I know a builder...
We had such a great time in California! More pictures and stories to come! I decided next summer we are going to rent a condo on the beach and live there for about 6 weeks! Love the California sun!

2009-07-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

BBQ Chicken Salad!

2009-07-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Warning! This salad is highly addictive! (This is the salad I referred to in my previous post!)

Here are the ingredients!

Lettuce of course

tomato

avocado

hard boiled eggs

yellow or orange bell pepper

pickled beets

green peas (best fresh from the garden)

cucumber

grilled chicken (baste with olive oil/salt and pepper)

top with homemade ranch dressing and bbq sauce of your choice!

YUMMO!! This is seriously the best salad!

Canning Beets and Cutting Hair!

2009-07-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yeah to first hair cuts!! and good bye to mullets!! I'm not sure what it is about my kids and mullets but Sarah gave herself one last Christmas that has finally grown out and Ian has been sporting one for a few months!! They can so get away with it though...
My friend Kjirsta's sister gave us all haircuts while we were canning beets! I was seriously surprised that Ian sat so still the whole time.
I think he was afraid to move! Here is the finished product! A handsome little guy that looks a lot older now. boo hoo!
About the beets... I love beets! My girlfriend and I have been making this BBQ chicken salad ever since we met! It is a tradition when we get together! One of the yummy ingredients are her mom's pickled beets! Needless to say over the years we have eaten all of her mom's supply. So this past week her mom made some more and let us be part of the process! It was fun to learn how to make them and I am excited to make more! Her mom recommended we wait about 2 months but I could not wait! I ate a jar already and they were fabulous!! 2 jars are left so I better start making some more...

2 of my favorite guys!

2009-07-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

Britten loves going with Jeff to get his hair cut! They both came home with the same do.
um could they be any cuter??
I LOVE my boys!

3 Friends from long ago = 11 kids playing at the park!

2009-07-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jacob R., Spencer K., Britten, Ian, Sarah B., Sydney K., Shayla K., Claire R., Kate R., Saryn K., Luke R! I got them all! Don't know if I spelled them all right! Here are the girls below!
The newest additions! Aren't they cute!
Stacy, Melissa and I! So I met Melissa through a mutual friend in high school and met Stacy through Melissa! These girls are amazing and were such good friends to me in high school! They were such great examples of Christ! They will be friends for life I'm sure! It was so fun to get together and see all of our kids playing! Man time flies by when you are not looking!
Check out the playground at this school! sweet!
Ian had fun hanging out!
Sydney and Britten go way back! We did a preschool playgroup together when they were 3! I'll never forget the wrestling match they had back in the day. (Stacy and I laughed so hard watching that one!) I think Britten might have a little crush on Syd too!
Thank you Stacy and Melis for the fun day at the park! We love you guys!

Fun day at the SPLASH park!

2009-07-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

This was a hot day!!! But the kids had a blast running through the chilly water! Ian also loved eating some watermelon! Thanks Michelle for sharing your watermelon with us!
We spent a few hours at the splash park with my girlfriend Michelle and her kids and her sister's kids! They had a blast! Here are the girls...
And here are the boys... pretty handsome if you ask me.
Britten loves hanging out with Jake!

Good bye Oreck. Hello Dyson!

2009-07-14T08:06:00.001-07:00

Here they are... out with the old, in with the new! I must say the Oreck has been good to us over the years but along the way it stopped sucking up the dirt and just made lines on the carpet! I had been looking at the Dyson at Costco for a few months when we finally decided to buy it! It seems like Jeff and all of my kids suffer from allergies so we thought it would be a good investment.
This is the dirt and dust that we vacuumed up just from the living room carpet area. The container was half full and I was totally sick by the dirt on and in the carpet. I kept thinking Ian has been crawling all over that... GROSS!
Now I love to vacuum! Thank you Jeff for the Dyson!

Goblin Valley Father's Day!

2009-06-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

For Father's Day weekend we went to Lake Powell with Jeff's parents and sister! (those pics to come later because i did not have my camera on the boat!) On the way home we stopped at Goblin Valley with the kids!
It really is amazing all of the rock formations! I guess they call it Goblin Valley because the formations look like little goblins!
Here are a few of the "goblins" we found!
No, it was just us!
Dad and Ian up on a big goblin rock!
Sarah posed at every corner saying, "hey mom, get a picture of me!" And most of the time her legies were crossed!
Sarah and Britten!
Ian loved it for about 15 minutes then he was ready to hit the road and take a nap!
Daddy and all of his goblins! Britten and Sarah sure LOVE their dad! I think every time we go somewhere they both say, "I want to sit by daddy!"
Happy Father's day! We are so blessed with great Father's and my kids with a great Dad!! Thanks to our dad's for all they do! We love you!!

Sarah's Dance Recital!

2009-06-16T20:19:00.001-07:00

Sarah had her first dance recital!! I think the mom's were way more excited than the girls! It has been a fun year for her to go to dance once a week! I have been so proud of her and she has learned a lot! Here are a few pics from her recital! This is her friend Meela in our neighborhood.
They danced to Ariel the little mermaid song. Not sure what the name is but so appropriate for little Sarah! She has loved that movie and song since I can remember!

Grandma and Jimini came all the way from Texas to see Sarah perform! It was such a special day!
I was so proud of my little girl!! (so side note! Jeff was going to pick up flowers in the morning but Britten woke up with strider and had to go to the Dr. for a steroid. Anyway - they barely made it back in time to see her dance and did not have a chance to pick up some flowers. Thank heavens they sold some there!!)
Dad and Sarah! She sure loves her daddy!
The Bullock Family!
I had asked Sarah later that day about dancing up on stage in front of all those people and she said, "Mom, I could feel the Gospel while I was up there." What she was meaning is that she could feel the Holy Ghost while she was dancing. I told her Heavenly Father was so proud of her and that what she was doing was a good thing! She agreed and wants to keep on dancing!

My baby turned ONE!

2009-06-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

These pictures are totally out of order - backwards! I can't figure out how to move them with my apple! Ian got a vacuum from his mom and dad and he played with it all day long!! If it would have worked my floor would have been totally clean!
He also got some fun bath toys from his aunt Mary and uncle Rich!
If you look down about 4 shots, Ian is totally happy about his cousin Hunter hanging by him. Next Hunter takes a little frosting and puts it on his face like Ian. Ian is not too happy about this! Then Ian is totally ticked and this last picture below is classic of his expression!

Here he is sharing the frosting with me! Right in the eyeball!
Cramming it in! This is good stuff!

Happy Birthday sweet little boy!
The birthday crew! Aunt Barbara, cousin Porter (who was leaving on a mission), cousin Hunter, Aunt Mary, Uncle Rich and cousin Ryder!
Here are some pics of Ian in the morning! Just being a one year old! For some reason I love this picture of him standing up!
This is classic - Ian uses his high chair for a walker! He would walk all over the kitchen if he did not stop at the trash can!
I was trying to get a shot of his two teeth! Not so successful!
He loves his binky still!
Ian, I can't believe you are one! Where has all the time gone! We all find so much happiness in being around you! You light up the room with your smile and we love you so much!! Happy Happy Birthday!!

Last Two Weeks of Kindergarten! boo hoo!

2009-06-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks of Kindergarten were totally jammed packed with fun! We had Science day, bubble day, monster day, carnival day, water day, community service day and a few more! I certainly don't remember having this much fun in Kindergarten! Here are a few pics of water day!
Here is Madison starting the water obstacle course! We had a balloon toss and water gun tag.
Here are some pics from our carnival day! This was such a fun day!! The kids did sack races, bowling, ring toss, leap frog, bean bag toss and a donut game.

Britten was amazing at the sack race! I could not believe how fast and high he jumped to the finish line! He was awesome!
Here is the donut eating contest!
Here are some pictures of field day! This is a picture of the amazing clouds! This is also a shot of the back of Pony Express Elementary school.
a few friends...
Getting ready to relay race!
Needless to say I was so busy these last few weeks of school! I guess that is what you get when you sign up to be the party planner mom! I had some great help from Becky and Damaris and a few other mom's came to help! It was a lot of work but so worth it to see how happy the kids were! That is so what it is all about if you ask me!

Britten's Kindergarten Program!

2009-06-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

Britten and his little friend Madison M. (above) Below is Britten singing in his top hat! I think my favorite song was the ABC disco one because Britten was totally busting a move! I swear that kid has more rhythm!
Here he is about to say his line, "Parents are very nice people!"
Here are two of his best friends from Mrs. Reid's class this year! Shawn and Madison S.! It was fun to get to know their mom's too!
Here is Addy our next door neighbor and one of my kids best friends! They would play with Addy everyday if I let them!

Fishing FUN!

2009-06-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

The day after the backyard camp out we went fishing at Vivian Park. It was such a fun day and everyone caught a fish or two! I love to fish and I am not sure why. I don't know how to tie the hook on, I won't touch the fish and I feel bad when they die.
Bear enjoyed fishing too! He actually jumped in the water several times to chase a duck and I am sure scared a fish or two!
Sarah caught the biggest of the day!!
Britten caught two fish! He is our lucky lane baby!
Waiting patiently to catch one! He only had to wait about a minute!
Ian had fun too until he got cranky!! I think his teeth were hurting him because after this moment he started crying hard until he passed out! Poor guy!
Um, did I mention what a beautiful place this is?? I really LOVE Utah. It is so beautiful!
My three little amigos!

Weekend Camp out!

2009-06-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

The kids wanted to go camping so I suggested a backyard camp out since it is still pretty cold in the mountains! (and this was over a month ago...) Above the kids are playing "tick tag toe"!
The tent fit nicely in the back yard! It was a little chilly!
The kids had a blast and so did bear! Sarah came inside about 10:30 because she was cold and Britten and Jeff came in about 3:30! I was fast asleep in my bed the whole time! My kind of camping!

Ian's Room is FINISHED! for the most part...

2009-06-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

So I have to start by saying a HUGE thank you to my girlfriend CYNDI!! She made his bedding and it is completely amazing!! She is seriously one of the most talented people I know and those of you who know me well, know that she has taught me how to sew and make other fun crafts! This fabric was the inspiration for Ian's room! YEAH it is finally finished! Well, almost I still need to hang things on the wall!
The blanket above! LOVE the ruffle trim!
Bumper, sheet and bed skirt! GORGEOUS!
She used a gray swirly minky fabric that I love too!
Ian's first time in his new room!
I had Jeff put a 3 inch bead board six feet tall with a trim around the top! I love the bead board so much! I also love that Jeff knows how to do this kind of thing. I repainted an old dresser of Jeff's that his Pomp made for him years ago! Solid wood!!
Ian on the rocking chair! I did make the baby quilt behind him.
Checking out the drawers! My baby loves to open and clothes things!
I'm so glad Ian is finally in his own room! Even if it took us a whole year to get him there! Now we have to finish the basement so Britten can have his own room! He got the boot from Ian and has been a good sport up in the bonus room!

2009-05-22T20:14:00.001-07:00

stay tuned! more post to come! hopefully tomorrow!!

2009-04-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sarah told me today, "I miss Jesus Mommy, that is why I am sad." Then I told her how sweet she was and how much Jesus loves and misses her. I also told her that every time she prays she is talking to Jesus and he loves to hear her prayers. She says the sweetest prayers by the way. I keep thinking I need to video both Britten and Sarah praying because they are so sweet and straight from the heart!

BatH TiMe!

2009-04-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

Rub a dub dub Ian LOVES the tub!! He usually cries when I take him out!

Britten turns 6!!

2009-04-01T10:00:00.001-07:00

Britten was about 5 days old here!! Where did the time go?
Britten wanted to see Monsters VS. Aliens for his birthday! So we invited 10 of his friends and went to see the 3D movie!! Then we headed next door to the pizza place to eat some pizza!! These are a little out of order so...
Make a wish!!
Here is the group!! Such good kids! When we first talked about his birthday party I told him he could invite 10 friends because we were going to the movie! The first name on his list was his kindergarten teacher Mrs. Reide! How cute is that? So she and her son came to his party!
Britten loves cheese pizza!! (so do shawn and cj!!)
Monsters cupcakes!!
Britten has two little girlfriends in his class and they are both Madison's!! And they are adorable!
Taden and Breck! Britten and Taden have been friend since they were born! Born on the same day too!
Addy and Sarah!
The whole gang of kids! Madison x 2, Taden, Breck, Shawn, Britten, CJ, Addy, Sarah, Jake, Jack, Austin, and CJ!
Britten's birthday was on Sunday! He wanted fajitas and his big cousin Porter came over to help us celebrate! My kids LOVE him!
Britten and his daddy!
Britten was so excited about his power miners Lego! He thinks it was from his dad! (the totally fun present!)

And the "Sunday suit" was from me!! Britten wanted a new suit for his birthday and I think he looks so extremely handsome!!

"handsome rob"
heading to church!
Britten we LOVE you! You have grown into such a sweet, happy, obedient, loyal, funny, good boy!! We are so proud of you and the choices that you make! I am so glad you came to our family first to lead the way for your brother and sister!

Sarah turns 4!

2009-04-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sarah best friend Makenna surprised her by showing up at her birthday party!
Sarah wanted to get a blow up jumper and slide castle this year for her birthday!! Luckily the weather was nice! It was in the 70's believe it or not!! We had about 20 little kids here jumping and playing!
The birthday girl!
What is a party without a pinata??
She wanted to have a Barbie and the Diamond Castle cake/theme! She LOVES that show!
Thought this pic was so cute! Little Ethan gave Sarah some shades and sparkly flip flops!
Sarah is heading in to the jumper!
Getting ready to slide!
My kids love their birthday balloons!
For her birthday dinner Sarah wanted burgers and shakes so we went to Red Robin.
Her new favorite movie!
A few new sun dresses! Now if the sun will only come out!
Bike from Grandma and Jimini!! She LOVES it!
Sarah!! Happy Birthday little princess! You are such a ray of light in our lives!! We all love you so much and are so glad you are part of our family!!

French Fry

2009-03-30T20:29:00.001-07:00

loves them!

quilting 101!

2009-03-19T21:46:00.001-07:00

Yeah! We have finally finished our quilting project! It all started with a little trip around last October to Gardner's Village! We found a fun quilt in Pine Needles and decided to start a project for ourselves! After logging several hours of sewing time, a few trips to the fabric store and dropping them off to be quilted we are DONE! and super excited about our new blankets!
They are the same kit but a little different! We had so much fun learning as we went! I think we also cursed at our machines a few times for sewing a little crazy!
I love the flower and initial! If you look closely the quilting lady did the cutest flower pattern around the border and did a leaf pattern throughout the quilt! She did such a fabulous job for a great price!

I also love the back! It is totally funky fabric from the moda chick line!!
Now I don't know if I should hang it on the wall because let's face it fabric is not cheap these days or use it for a lap quilt! Any suggestions?

9 months and growing!

2009-03-19T20:04:00.001-07:00

Ian is over 9 months but I was just thinking I have not posted pics of him lately! I think he has been sick on and off for a few months now. He usually has "eye nuckies" or dried boogers on his nose and it does not make for great shots!! I took him to his 9 month appointment and my little dude is in the 10 percentile for height and weight! This is so funny to me because Britten was in the 75% to 90% and Ian could out eat Britten any day!
I love this shot of Ian because it captures his funny hair! I can't quite figure out what it is doing. He has more hair in the back but not so much on top. He has a Grinch like point on the crown of his head! I also LOVE his eyes! Sarah has my color, Britten has Jeff's and Ian has these blue gray eyes. They seem to mesmerize me!
Ian is such a happy baby! I think the only time he cries is when I wipe his nose, when his food is all out (after he has eaten, oatmeal, fruit and a vegie) and when I walk out of the room! He is such a sweet good baby and I don't know what I would do without him!! Love you little dude!

my sweet little lady!

2009-03-18T20:21:00.001-07:00

The other morning Sarah woke up, did a few things and then came to snuggle by me. After we got up and had breakfast I went into her room to pick out her clothes for the day and this is what I had found. She had gotten up and made her bed all by herself!! I thought it was too cute and had to take a picture! Don't you love the crocodile?? My mom bought that for her one day at old navy and it always sleeps on her bed! This totally made me smile! I love my little lady so much!

A work in progress!

2009-03-18T20:08:00.001-07:00

Little Ian is waiting so patiently for his room to be finished!! It is a work in progress!! Funny story about the paint! My girlfriend got me hooked on Benjamin Moore paint! It really is great paint and does a fabulous job! Well, since Jeff has the hookups we get it at a contractors price. (Less than half the normal price!) For some reason Jeff ordered 5 gallons instead of 1 and now we have tons of bright green aka dill pickle paint! So, if anyone is wanting to use any of it you know where to get it!!
Jeff just finished the bead board tonight! We did a three inch gap and did it five feet tall! It looks really cool and the top trim will be in Friday!!
I think this picture was taken after the first coat so it is a little darker! We are going to paint the bb antique white and glaze it with an avocado color! I am super excited for this project to be done! My girlfriend Cyndi made some amazing bedding for him and so I am dying to get him in his room with his new bedding!! More pics to come!!

Dancing with the STARS!

2009-03-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would finally tune into dancing with the stars probably because Melissa is on it now! Anyway, I thought maybe Sarah would enjoy watching it with me. So the other day I got on the computer to watch it on abc.com Sarah saw all of the dance outfits and wanted to have them all. (A little worried at this point because they show a lot of skin...) Then they interview the first dancer, the rapper lit Kim. Oh dear. She dedicated her dance to all of her fellow prison mates and danced to nasty boys. As soon as the dance was over I hear Sarah sing, "Oh you nasty boys!" Well, we turned it off but I thought it can't be all that bad. Do any of my fellow friends watch this show with their kids?? Let me know!

Yummy Fajitas!

2009-03-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our seven year anniversary!! It has been seven years of marital bliss! Well not really but it has been fun! It is amazing to look back over the years and see how much we have grown as a couple and as a family! We have been so blessed over the years! Sarah was sick yesterday so instead of going out to celebrate I made some fajitas! My girlfriend Marie actually made these one night for a girls night! Here is the recipe. They are so easy and so great!

4 chicken breast

4 Tbs butter

4 Tbs soy sauce

4 Tbs apple juice concentrate

1 tsp garlic powder

slice chicken and cook in the above ingredients!

Saute sliced onion and bell pepper for topping!

We also used the tortillas that you cook! Serve with homemade guacamole and get your grub on!

February recap!

2009-03-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it is already March! Time sure flies when you are having fun! My pictures are a little out of order but oh well! Some February highlights were Jeff's Birthday and Valentine's Day! Between being sick and having fun here are a few pictures of what we did! Of course when we asked Jeff what he wanted to do for the day it was go to the mountains! We spent the afternoon up American Fork Canyon and it was a beautiful day!

I love Valentine's Day! We had a fun breakfast with the kids and our Nana and Papa John! We always love it when they come to town!
We had heart shaped waffles and a banana breakfast split! It was yummy! The kids enjoyed the week getting surprises from the Love Bug! Every morning they would wake up and look for a little treat left by the bug.

Our sweet Gran-Nana passed away this month too. We will surely miss her but we know she is enjoying a sweet reunion with Pompa!

I will try my best to post sooner than later!

2009-03-05T22:49:00.000-08:00

So I have often wonder how or why one takes a blogging vacation, well now I know! This is how it happened to me... My computer crashed, my kids have been sick - Sarah with the throw ups and poor Ian with multiple ear infections and crazy sinus/eye infections! Britten has been sick too a time or two. Did I mention my computer crashed?? Our good friend Roger got all of the data off and is working at fixing it! I have a lot to update on, my camera class was cool, Jeff had a birthday!! We have an anniversary coming up on Monday! Anyway - more to come! Hopefully tomorrow because it is midnight and I am going to bed!

Kangaroo Zoo take 2!

2009-02-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

Britten, Taden, Breck and Sarah had so much fun jumping around today! I wish I had one of these in my backyard at all times!I love this shot of Sarah in mid air!Ian even had fun in the little baby section! Not quite sure about crawling through this thing yet! Maybe next time!

Finally!!

2009-01-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

One night we were sitting at the dinner table and Sarah started singing "reproduction, where does the pollen go" when I decided Grease 2 and Mama Mia are probably not the best musicals for my kids to watch. Of course I skip the not so kid friendly parts still... So we finally bought High School Musical which my kids had never seen! They love it, Sarah especially and she says her favorite girl is Sharpae. She also calls it "hysical musical"!! So now we just need to see part 2 and 3!

So, I just watched this on my friends blog and thought it was hilarious!! It is Sesame Streets "Preschool Musical"! I don't know how to upload a YouTube video to my blog so click on the link to watch it! It is pretty funny!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMB7Rn8KGE

What Ian thinks about REAL bananas!

2009-01-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Something to be thankful for...

2009-01-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

While I was in bed for over 36 hours with the stomach flu... here are a few things I was thankful for...

My hubby!! He stepped into my shoes and took care of the kids all day and me!! Thanks for the Gatorade and toast!! I think he has a new appreciation for all I do and is wanting to help out a little more!! See there are benefits to having the stomach flu!

My sweet kids!! Britten and Sarah were so concerned that I was sick and both said prayers for me that I would feel better and not throw up anymore!! It was very sweet!

A good book!! In between sleeping and ... I read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I just love her name and I love her books! It was a good one.

I was also thankful for Gatorade! I think I drank so much because I was so dehydrated!!

So, today I feel like I am back in the land of the living!! I am still taking it easy but there is much to be done after mom takes a day off.

I'm also totally thankful for my health! Being sick makes you realize how lucky you are to be healthy most of the time!

Also!! on a side note. I noticed in my last post the camera I posted is the D300 when I did an image search I was looking for the D90! That is the camera I got. It still is pretty fancy but not as fancy as the D300!!

Not feeling so HOT!

2009-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

I think I have the crud the kids have had... I have a horrible sinus infection and to top that off I have a tooth ache! yikes! Does anyone have a good dentist they recommend??

On a more positive note... I am super excited about a birthday/Christmas present I got from my Mom, Dad, Grandma, Lynnie and PJ. Everyone donated towards my latest endeavor. Those of you who know me know I have taken pictures since I can remember! I always had my camera with me to capture fun times and memories. I really wanted a better camera and nicer quality when I started having kids! After watching them grow up so fast I wanted to capture each stage they went through! SO... this is what I got...

Jeff also got me photoshop and I am ready to get learning!! Erin and I are taking a photography class starting Jan. 27th and Lindsay gave me my first lesson in photoshop! I think I may have a new addiction since I kicked the diet coke one!

2009-01-17T19:26:00.001-08:00

Test post

The Reasons I Love Going Home to TeXaS!

2009-01-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

REASON #1: I love going HOME to the house I grew up in! My parents have been in the same house since I was two years old! There is nothing like going home!

REASON #2: Seeing FAMILY! I love to see our family! My mom and dad, my grandma, my brother Bill and his wife Nicole, his kids - Connor, Lilly and Caroline and Lynnie and Papa John! I especially love to spend time with my nephew and nieces because I don't get to see them much! The kids spent the night at grandma's a few nights and we had fun! We went to see Bedtime Stories and the kids all slept on the floor in the game room!REASON #3: I love MEXICAN FOOD!! My favorite would have to be Lupe Tortilla's! I think we usually go the day I arrive and I always go at least 2 or 3 times total! There is nothing like good Mexican Food! YUMMY!

REASON #4: SHOPPING with my mom! My mom works during the week but we always spend some time on the weekend doing some shopping. In fact my mom wears me out and I usually can't keep up with her!

REASON #5: Seeing my GIRLFRIENDS that live down south!! I usually try to see all of my friends while visiting!! Unfortunately over the holidays it was hard to see everyone but I did see a few! One night we went to Cheesecake factory to celebrate Erin's birthday!! We also went to see 7 Pounds after! Did anyone like that show??

Kim Parker and Stacy Kirkham!! My college Roomie Natalie came too!! Stacy singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was so funny because they sang so loud in the restaurant and so off key! We were cracking up!

I also went to lunch with my girlfriend's Kristy, Natalie, Lyndol and Judy (Kristy's mom)! Kristy and I have known each other since 5th grade! We used to do gymnastics in the front yard and all sorts of crazy things together! Lyndol, Kristy and I all went to high school together! Those were the days! Lyndol is living in Paris right now and is a very talented artist/photographer/musician... nanny! She does it all!

REASON #6: Getting my nails done! I have been going to the same girl down there for a long time and I always enjoy going back when I am home!

REASON #7: Eating Bluebell ice cream! Need I say more?? Dutch Chocolate is my favorite!

REASON #8: Sleeping in! My mom will usually get Ian up in the morning and my dad will get my kids a bowl of cereal so I get a little extra shut eye! I love it!! I totally catch up on my sleep when I am home!

REASON #9: Cable TV! I know I think we are the only people on the planet without cable tv. When I go home I always catch up on my shows! Iron Chef, Project Runway, and a few others.

REASON #10: Going on fun outings with Jimini, Grandma, Nana and Papa John! There is always so many fun things to do in Houston! This time we enjoyed going to the Aquarium with Nana and PJ. The kids LOVE the shark train ride and enjoyed getting their faces painted! Nana has those pics on her camera! I'll have to post them when she emails them to me! We also went to a fun arcade with my dad! The kids had a great time!
We will enjoy our memories until we go HOME again!! Thanks MOM, DAD, NANA and PJ for making our visit such a great one!!

If I could only FREEZE time!

2009-01-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

7 Months and Growing!

2009-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Your HIRED!

2009-01-13T15:41:00.001-08:00

Meet "Mr. and Mrs. Dishwashy"! Britten and Sarah spent over an hour the other day washing the dishes! They had so much fun and I told them they were hired! They then proceeded to clean my whole kitchen floor on their hands and knees with wet rags. It was so cute to watch them play together and wash the dishes! I did not tell them I put them in the dishwasher while they were not looking!

My Man with all the MOVES

2009-01-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is seriously some of my daily entertainment! I love to watch my kids dance! Check out Britten's mad moves!

My little hair dresser!

2009-01-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

This was the inspiration!! Nana and Papa got Sarah this darling hair salon chair with a doll to go with it! Along with the chair comes a comb, brush, rollers and little plastic pretend scissors.

Here is the doll! She is adorable and comes with clothes to change! We opened her up and Sarah said, "Mom I can cut her hair with real scissors because she is my doll!" I then told her no she can't cut the dolls hair with real scissors and can only use the play ones! After we opened the rest of the presents I had a feeling to pick up all the scissors lying around from cutting into the toys. Note: Sarah's cute hair I think it has just grown out from when I had to cut the comb out that Britten got stuck. When dinner time rolled around I was looking for Sarah and found her in the play room with hair all over the place. She had found more scissors at Nana's kids craft desk! Watch the video to see her new do! I called it the Rosie O'Donnell cut which she sported for a few days until I could get her into get a real cut!

Here is an after shot after her hair cut! The gal did a pretty good job for what we came in with! It is really short in the back with an a-line in the front!

It is a good thing Sarah is so cute because she even looked good with her mullet! yeah right!

Christmas FUN!

2009-01-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

We spent the holidays in Houston this year and have had such a nice and much needed vacation! Christmas Eve was great - my brother Bill and his wife Nicole came over with their kids!Britten, Caroline and Sarah eating a sugar cookie!Bill and Grandma Jess!Christmas pj's! We started this tradition years ago and I love it! Ian went to bed so early so i was not able to get a pic of all the kids together! Nicole gave me this cute cupcake stand and Sarah was very excited to put it together and leave some treats for Santa and his elves! She set it up all by herself!Britten was so excited to get Big Daddy from Santa!My little Lego man!Sarah with her stocking goods!I love this picture of Sarah in her new dress ups!

My mom has a new dog named Lucy and Sarah just loves her! When we leave and come back home Sarah announces, "Lucy I'm home!" She has been feeding her several treats a day and loves to hold her. Santa brought Sarah a dog in a bag with a leash and Sarah took the leash and put it on Lucy and said, "Now you can't run away!" She also told my mom she could bring Lucy to Utah next time she comes to visit!

Santa brought Sarah a cupcake maker for Christmas! YUM! You actually need a cup of water to wash down the cupcake and the frosting so does not look like the box. go figure...

Ian had a fun time too! I love this age because they are so much more interested in the wrappings than in the actual presents! If only they stayed that way...
Here is Ian Christmas day over at Nana and Papa John's house! He got lot's of presents from his Nana and Papa! We had a yummy dinner with Jeff's parents and a fun filled Christmas night!

Stay tuned for pictures of Sarah's new haircut...

2008-12-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

My little DANCER!

2008-12-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Sarah had a dance showcase tonight at her studio. It definitely was the highlight of my busy week! She did such a good job and it was comical to watch! I thought she would get stage fright in front of all the parents but she didn't! I was such a proud mommy tonight!

My COLLECTOR!

2008-12-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

Britten always seems to amaze me! I love the way his little brain works! He is always asking me questions and they are ones he has put a lot of thought into. Something that Britten has done since I can remember is collect things. If you come into his room you will find his collection of pirate ships, or coins. He also has a nice collection of transformers. Before Pompa passed away he offered Britten a few boxes that he had some coins in. Britten was in heaven and LOVED the boxes. One sits by his bed with some of his treasures! I love this box because it contains some of his favorite things. And if you happen to take something out or move it somewhere else he will know!

Ian's first time to EAT some grub!

2008-12-17T20:45:00.001-08:00

I know these are blurry but I had to capture this cute moment! Jeff likes to change my camera settings on me and then not change them back! I think this was the action/night setting. Anyway, Ian was so happy to finally eat some food! The kids were excited to watch him! It it is so cute how he has little cheerleaders at all of his milestones!

You mean Thanksgiving has come and gone?

2008-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

We drove down to Arizona for Thanksgiving and had a fun time! Dinner was the best! I wish I had taken pictures of the feast! We got to visit with Jeff's Nana we call Gran-Nana and with Aunts, Uncles and cousins. We also got to visit with Jeff's Grandma Bullock too! It was a long drive but worth it to see family! We went to play mini golf with cousins Porter, Emma, Hunter, Stockton and Emma! The kids had FUN!

hUNTER and sTOCKTON! mini golfing ninjas!

When Britten and Emma got a hole in one they would say, "yeah, I got a HOME RUN!" It was pretty cute!

Here is Britten with his cousin Jack!

Girlie cousins dressing up!! Kate, Sarah, Ellie and Emma!

Having fun!

We visited this old mine town there in Arizona! It used to be a GOLD mine where they found a ton of gold! Britten was in heaven and totally hoping to find some gold!

They had all of these cool old tools and machines they used in the late 1800's early 1900's. It was pretty cool!

Here is an old elevator they would send down in the mine.

An old windmill!

We went on a little train ride and got a good history of the place!

tICKeTs to rIDe!

Ian had a fun time too!

2008-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

Friday morning while Britten was in school Sarah, Ian and I went to Wallymart to do a little shopping. On the way out of the store I was in a bit of a hurry because Ian was starting to get fussy so Sarah was trailing behind me a little. As I was heading out the door I hear Sarah announce very loudly "I don't have ANY money". I turned around to see her talking to the salvation army coin collector from a distance. I looked at him and he started laughing so hard! It was such a funny moment and I am sure she made his day...

Birthday FUN!!

2008-11-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

For my birthday I thought it would be fun to go bowling!! We had not been since Sarah was a little baby and Britten was two! The kids had so much fun!!Even little Ian enjoyed watching everyone play!Britten and Sarah patiently waiting for their turn to bowl again!!My good looking husband! I still have my mad bowling skills that I learned in my college bowling class! I think it is one game I can beat Jeff at!About a month ago my girlfriends and I decided to buy tickets for Twilight! It just so happened to come out on my birthday!! So what a better time than dinner and a much anticipated movie with the girls on my 33rd! We had dinner at Japano's Japanese and it was so good!!Then we were off to the movie!! Thank goodness for assigned seats because we got there right in time!! We were all super excited!! I think we all liked it to by the expression on our faces afterward!I only took this picture because here are the real girls that should be excited. They are the 12 - 14 year olds! Oh to be young again!!

Now I guess you could say we all have crushes on Edward...

Back to my birthday!! I had such a great day!! My cute little Britten wanted to make it such a special day for me. He told me on Thursday he was planning my "lunch in bed". I thought that sounds great, I'll stay in bed until lunch time. He also knew he wanted to get me a present from costco (flowers) and he had to go Thursday so I would have them by Friday! Jeff had to work in the morning and so I had to wait until today to get my breakfast in bed. As I thought back on my life I could not help but feel so happy for what life has brought me so far at the age of 33. I am so blessed with a great husband, 3 fabulous kids, a beautiful home, my health, good friends, wonderful parents... I could go on and on! I look forward to the year to come and all that it entails!

Me oh MY!

2008-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

I love this tag, I have seen it on a few friends blogs! I think so often as a mom it is all about the kids and hubby! This one's for me!

I am: A daughter of God
I know: my husband LOVES me!
I want: to live life to the fullest!
I have: so many blessings!
I dislike: cockroaches and sick kids!
I miss: the beach
I feel: happy!
I hear: my washing machine - it's always running.
I smell: my yummy pumpkin roll scentsy!
I crave: donuts from the lehi bakery and of course chocolate covered cinnamon bears!
I search: for the truth.
I love: my husband and children. They are the sum total of my heart!
I worry: about being a good mommy.
I remember: childhood visits to my grandma and papa's house in santa monica!
I wonder: where i will be in 5 years from now!
I dance: every chance i get! usually with britten and sarah!
I don't: like to argue.
I argue: with rude people at walmart!
I write: not enough! my blog gets most of it!
I win: occasionally! i was not blessed with my dad's good luck.
I like: girls night out!
I lose: when i play cards with jeff! (and i taught him how to play - no fair!)
I wish: to go on a fun trip with my hubby! (maybe back to hawaii... one day!)
I listen: to mostly country music! i love christmas music too!
I hate to: clean toilets.
I am scared: of car accidents and losing someone i love.
I need: a diet coke!
I tag: Any one :)

Our dinner table conversation!

2008-11-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

My poor kids! With their daddy away I seem to make quesadillas, eggs or cereal for dinner. Nothing time consuming and always simple! Last night I was at the store and walked by the rotisserie chicken section and the smell was so good and homemade!! I thought well, I am going to get us a yummy chicken for dinner! (still totally simple). I also got a sweet potato. This is our dinner menu: garlic and herb chicken, mashed sweet potato, costco organic corn. My kids cleaned their plates and both had seconds and thirds! (At that point I felt really bad for not feeding them so well over the past week and a half). Then Sarah asked:

"Where does a chicken meat come from?"

Britten replied, "from a chicken".

Sarah: "Was this chicken on the farm?"

Britten: "Yes Sarah it came from the farm."

Sarah: "Who killed the chicken? The grocery store?"

Britten: "Probably the farmer, I think."

Sarah: "Are those his legs?"

ME: "No, those were his wings."

Britten: "Where is his heart?"

Me: "Let's change the subject and talk about something else because Mommy is losing her appetite."

a few minutes later...

Sarah: "Where is his head?"

Britten: "They chopped it off."

Sarah: "Oh, I can see the hole where it was!"

ME... so not eating anymore chicken!

Sundays Post!

2008-11-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

So, it has been a while since my last Sundays Post! I have been thinking about this for a while and have not had the time to write it! Our church held it's 178th semi-annual general conference this past October. It is a time when the president of our church with the apostles and leaders share inspiring and motivational talks. One thing I love about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that we have a modern day prophet that leads and guides in these times. The prophet is an amazing man named Thomas S. Monson. On my last post I think I mentioned that my Grandma joined the church in Canada and was one of the first members in her area and Thomas S. Monson was the mission president there at the time. A few years back he came to Houston to do a conference and took about 30 minutes out of his busy schedule to visit with my Grandma and my Mom. I know it was a great experience for them! President Monson gave a talk titled Finding Joy in the Journey this past October that really touched me. Here are a few things he said:

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.
In closing, I pray that all of us will reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where does my spirit go when I die? He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. The time came when He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

Here are the youtube links to his talk! There are two parts and the whole talk is great!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcH1jFL1cIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvOp8a6tnE

Here is a hard copy link:

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-26,00.html

What a blessing it is to have a Prophet that leads and guides us in these times! I am so grateful for the Prophet in my life and the life of my kids!

Bumbles Anyone??

2008-11-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am hosting a Bumbles watch open house this week!!

When: Wednesday November 5, 2008
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: MY casa!

Please feel free to stop by and bring a friend!! It's a open house so you can pop in when ever it is convenient for you!

November 1st and the Neilsen's!

2008-11-02T08:27:00.001-08:00

I love the month of November! It is probably my favorite month of the year! This November started out FABULOUS!! We all slept in until 10AM! Can you believe it?? Then we stayed in our pajamas until 2PM! Then we headed up American Fork Canyon with our great friends the Neilsons! We met the Lindsay and Jeremy back in Houston in 2002! We lived in the same apartment complex and were members of the Champions Ward! Since then our friendship and families have grown! I think they are some of the nicest people I have ever met! I consider them the "salt of the earth" so to say! We also have a dutch oven dinner tradition with them so of course we made YUMMY chicken enchiladas and Mississippi mud cake!
Britten, Sarah, Kennedy and Bridger all sitting by the fire!

Lindsay and I! When I met Lindsay she was 19 and I was 26. I remember when she told me how old she was I was completely shocked because she was so mature for her age! She is such a great mom and super crafty and talented and beautiful!This is Bridger and he totally cracks me up! We brought sprite up for the kids and Jeff opened them up and passed them out! Bridger took a sip and said, "YUMMY! I never had one of these before!" I guess this was his first and Jeff was the one to give it to him! Sorry Lindsay and Jeremy now he will probably always want sprite... Bear had so much fun running around and played with another dog by our spot! He is getting so big and really is such a good dog!

The leaves are already mostly fallen off the trees but it was still so beautiful and the weather was great! What a way to start the month of NOVEMBER!

All good things must come to an END!

2008-11-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

This is the cutest mermaid I ever did see!This is the cutest fighter pilot I ever did see...This is the cutest little spider I ever did see... Hey what happened to your costume! I'll have to post a few later when he actually stays in it! The head part kept covering his head completely and he could not see...

Well, this is my last post for October! I can't believe how this month has lasted! It has been FUN but I am so glad it's DONE!

The PaRtY mOm!!

2008-10-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

A few jewels among a BUSY somewhat stressful day!

As all of you know Britten has started Kindergarten this year! When it came time to volunteer I think I signed up for just about everything except for the room mom! When no one wanted the job Mrs. Reid approached me to see if I would be willing to do it and of course I said yes! But I had also signed up to be the PaRtY pLannEr and organize the parties. I decided out of the two I would rather do the parties. What was I thinking?!? I have been stressing out all week over a party for FIVE year olds! Since Jeff had been gone for three weeks I saved most of the organizing and planning until this week so I was not able to recruit much help from the other moms! I think I have been to the store at least once each day for something and have been cutting, copying and laminating like crazy! Today amongst my mindless chaos (and I have some friends that can vouch for the mindless part!) I had a few jewels that I wanted to share!

One is about Sarah!! Today was her preschool Halloween party and I was able to go and spend the morning with her. It was so great to have some one on one time! We both enjoyed it! She and I love to sing along to music in the car together! A remix of I will be there for you was playing today and as we were both singing it, Sarah stopped and said, "Mom, I'll always be there for you!" I then told her I would always be there for her! She continued to say, "Mom, we'll always be friends!" and I said we sure will and then she said, "We'll be there for each other!" What a sweet moment it was for me! Sometimes the things they say are sooooooooo Heaven sent!

Later in the day after going non-stop Britten wanted to run with me to pick up some balloons and run into the store. He got his costume from his Nana today and was so eXitEd and SuPeR proud! He put it on right away and wore it for the rest of the day. So, here we are walking through the store. Me with the cart and my little fighter pilot pushing the stroller. I looked at him and realized how big he was getting and what a responsible little boy he is turning into! Another sweet moment for me amongst a crazy day!

Sweet little Ian watching me run around from here to there! He only cries when he is hungry and is such a trooper! I am so thankful for him in our lives! His smiles and laughter were such sweet moments for me today!

Halloween Party take 2

2008-10-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays! Jeff and I went to Erin's Halloween party as the "cheesy Christmas couple" from the eighties! We were totally cracking up all day and then when we got ready to go.Check out my bangs! I teased the heck out of my hair and bangs! I so needed some aerosol hairspray but did not have any. Check out Jeff's curls too.I had fabulous eyeshadow and red lips! I don't know how women survived the eighties! I was ready to wash my face immediately and it took me a few conditions to the hair to get the snarls out!Could we be any cheesier?? So the funny thing was we went to this party where I knew a few people and Jeff knew no one except Erin and AP. We felt like the biggest dorks in our outfits! Good thing no one would recognize us if they saw us on the streets now. Here is a picture of Erin the fabulous host! She threw a great party! And made the cutest costumes! Thanks for the fun party Erin!!

HEE HAW!

2008-10-22T08:35:00.001-07:00

Hee Haw fun!! We decided to take the kids to Hee Haw farms on Monday because the kids were out of school! We had so much fun!! We stayed for about 4 hours and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! The kids were in heaven and the weather was beautiful! Here are some pictures of the many things they did!Kendyl is such a GREAT girl! She played and played with the little ones and took Sarah down many of the scary slides! Thanks Kendyl!Here comes Britten!This slide was out of control fast! You ride down on a potato sack and pray you stop at the bottom! Michelle and I both ventured down this beauty! Where is Britten? They had so much fun playing in this huge corn box! They all got buried! And then we found corn for days after!Here is Sarah in the corn!Here is one of me!?

They also had pony rides! Check out the mountains in the back ground. Utah is such a beautiful place to live!

My little horse LOVER!

They had this track with these little go carts! TOO fun!

Here I am trying to pick up a piglet for the kids to hold! Big mistake. It was squealing so loud!

Britten and his bud Jake

Britten, Jake, Addy and Ian - Sarah was being a stinker and wouldn't get in.

The P is for Party and the A is for Alright! The R is for Rowdy and the T is for tonight! The Y is for YOU and you know what to do so PARTY!

2008-10-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have to say we live in the greatest neighborhood! There are so many families and kids!! We love it here! My girlfriends MeLisa and Jodi threw a Halloween Party and it was so much fun! Michelle, Laila and I went together because we were husband less! It was fun but I wish Jeff could have been there!The boys and a girl... The girls...
We played so many fun games! We also went out on the golf course to golf in the dark! I think the girls planned it so while on the green the irrigation system turned on! Everyone went running and screaming! Thanks for the fun party girls!!

Our little visit to Milford!

2008-10-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Milford for a few days to visit our great friends!! Kjirsta and I hung out together all the time when we lived in Cedar and so Sarah and Mckenna became best friends! (at least Sarah thinks so!) The Yardley's decided to move to Milford because that is where Brandon works on his family farm. They moved a few months before we moved here to Eagle Mountain. We sure miss being close to them and Sarah has big plans to move to Milford!We spent all day Thursday in Cedar City! My old stomping grounds!! It felt so good to be back in that small town! There are definitely benefits to living in a small town! We met up with our girlfriend Crystal and took the kids to the park. It was such a beautiful day and the kids had a great time. They spent most of their time climbing this great tree! I think Sarah thought she was a monkey because she just hung there for a while!
Here are the MOMS! Me, Crystal and Kjirsta! I have always felt so completely blessed to have such wonderful friends!
This is classic here! We were trying to get a "good" close up of us all! This was the second picture we took because the first was not so great! The girls had no idea I was making a CRAZY face until they checked it out to see how nice it turned out! Anyway we had a really good laugh until you cry! It was funny.Sarah and Mckenna working on puzzles while waiting for the best pizza!Pioneer Pizza! This has got to be the best pizza I have ever eaten! This place is family owned and operated and opened in Enoch when we lived there. Kjirsta and I got this at least once a week so of course we had to get it again! YUMMO! Gage is digging the pizza! Sarah says she is getting her "rub" (grub) on!
Cute little princesses!! I love this picture! Kjirsta took some pics of the kids in their pj's while I was getting ready. I think this is the sweetest picture of Ian. He is getting so mobile these days and is rolling all over the place!

Thanks guys for letting us come hang out with you!! And thanks Brandon for the yummy steak and rocking Ian to sleep! You guys are the greatest!! We miss you already.

Nothing like FRIENDS!

2008-10-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Kirkham's were in town this past week! We went up to Midway to spend an evening with them in their parents new home! It was so much fun!! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the over sized been bag and had so much fun playing together! You've got silly Saryn, Britten, Sydney, Spencer and Sarah! There is nothing like a good friend!!
And here is one of mine!! I have know Stacy since I was a junior in high school! I am sure I have mentioned her before but she is one of my bosum friends!! I am a better person because of her!!

Who invited the SNOW!

2008-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our first snow of the season! Luckily it wasn't to much and did not stick long! It sure was chilly though!! Time to buy some hot chocolate and pull out the winter sweaters!
Bear did not mind the snow one bit! He was playing with a white golf ball. He would throw it up in the air and then have a hard time finding it if he did not see where it landed.
Here he is in action! So, about bear... I have become the official pooper scooper with Jeff gone. Britten helps me by holding the bag and we both pull our shirts up over our noses! Big dog + Lot's of food = HUGE poops! It is so gross... when are you coming home JEFF?

Baby Ian and my scarecrow!

2008-10-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would post some pictures of Ian awake and smiling! He is such a happy boy most of the time! He is already acquiring his daddy and brother's charming skills. His smile seems to brighten a room and charm any lady who stops to talk to him!

His eyes always seem to mesmerise me!
I asked Sarah what she was doing and she said, "I'm posing like a scarecrow mom"!This is how you position your feet!And this is how to smile like a scarecrow! I think i might stick her out front to scare away all of our spiders and bats!

The Witches are out!!

2008-10-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Like most of you I love the fall and especially LOVE Halloween! Erin and I ran up to Gardner's Village the other day to visit a quilt shop and the kids enjoyed seeing a few witches that were out! Britten was going to give this witch a KISS! Here is a flying witch on a bicycle! Notice how cute Sarah is sitting on her own! Taden and Breck think she has cooties. Little do they know!

Ian likes the witches too!
This is Isadora the "real witch"! She was so much fun!!
We are ready to go back with our friends in a week or so when they have their scavenger hunts and hay rides!! I also wanted to post my new Halloween BANNER! I made this at Erin's fabulous Friday last week! It was a lot of fun and I love this banner! Thanks for the invite Erin!Here is a close up view! We are going to make a Thankful, Christmas and Birthday one in our ward!

Oh the things they say...

2008-10-07T04:33:00.000-07:00

Sarah has started to do something that Britten never did. Maybe because Britten didn't have anyone else to blame besides himself or maybe because he is a boy, I am not sure. But here are some of the things Sarah has been saying lately:

Two mornings ago Sarah came into my room and I noticed she had changed her pajamas so she informed me, "Mom, a monster wet my bed!"

A day before that she was sitting on our over sized chair and brought to my attention a gross rigging on it. When I asked her if she did it she said very casually, "NO, it was baby Ian."

We have been having a few flies bugging us around the house. Britten said that we needed a "fly swapper" and Sarah said, "or we could just get a frog."

They crack me up! I love how their little minds work in this big world!

It's about TIME!

2008-10-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

YEAH!! I finally got my act together and got Ian's birth announcements made! My cute friend and old neighbor Michele from YView made them for me. She is so very talented and creative. Check out her blog she just started for photo cards! Thanks again Michele! And Thank YOU Jodi for the great pictures!! I LOVE them!
http://photoexpressionsphotocards.blogspot.com/

Sundays Post!

2008-10-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I know who I am. I know God's Plan. I'll follow him in Faith.

I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I'll honor his name.

I'll do what is right. I'll follow his light. His truth I will proclaim.

I am going to try something new on my blog. Above are the words to a children's primary song titled I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That is a mouthful right? After listening to Women's Conference I decided I need to make more time to increase my spirituality. Sure we read scriptures most nights as a family and say a family prayer but I don't make the time to think about my Savior on my own. Here is a little background on how I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

My grandmother was living in Port Hope Ontario, Canada when two young men came knocking on her door. They were missionaries. My Grandma invited them in and loved the message that they had to share. She decided to get baptized into the church and was one of the first members in her area. My grandpa Gordon was a business man in town and did not think it was a good idea for him to be baptized but he supported my grandma and his kids. My grandpa passed away shortly after that from a heart attack and my grandma moved my mom and her brother to California to be around more members of the church. My mom grew up, met my dad - dated him a while and they got married. My dad is not a member of the church and my mom was not the type to go to church every Sunday but as a kid I went to church and learned a lot about the Gospel through the children's program. As I got older it seemed more like a chore to go to church. Then when I was in high school I met the cutest boy who was LDS (latter day saint or Mormon). I was not in love but maybe wanting to marry him when I got older... That was a turning point for me for some reason. I saw this great guy and thought to myself, I want to be a great girl so one day I can snag a great guy like him. That for me is where my testimony began to grow. I was a junior in high school and stopped some of the bad habits I had begun and started going to church activities, reading my scriptures and making new friends that shared the same standards as the gospel. I went to Rick's College in Rexburg, Idaho which was a church school and my testimony grew exponentially there. Skipping ahead in life... I now am married to Jeff and have 3 amazing kids and love my membership in the church. My testimony is so much of who I am. I don't know what I would do without it in my life. I know my Savior Jesus Christ! I have felt his arms around me in my life. I have felt him cry with me, laugh at me and smile with me. I want to make him proud of me. So, there it is, I have started a new tradition for myself. Maybe every week or two I am going to try and share a portion of my testimony with my family and friends through my blog called Sundays posts!

Ian James is 4 months old!

2008-09-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here he is 1 day old! Here you are 4 days old!
Here you are almost 4 months old!
I must like it when you are sleeping because I take a lot of pictures of you that way! Maybe because my hands are free and you look so peaceful!

Where does the time go? I took Ian in for his 4 month check up on Thursday the 25th and he's doing pretty good!! He is weighing in at 15 lbs 5oz and 25.5 inches long. I love how chubby he is starting to get! For the most part, Ian is a good baby! The past two nights he has decided not to wake up every two hours - maybe he is realizing I am a much happier mommy if he is not up so much. It is fun to see his personality coming to life. He loves to talk to me when I give him my undivided attention and he loves to watch his brother and sister. He laughs at Sarah when she dances for him. I know it has only been 4 months but I don't know what I would do without him. I love him so much!

Morro Bay Get AWAY!

2008-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here we are at my cousins wedding! It was a fun family get away for a few days! I was born in Santa Monica, CA and always LOVE going to California!! Here is Jeff after the wedding trying to find out the BYU scores! His phone was not getting the best reception.
The Bullock Boys! We girls are outnumbered.
Here we are with the BRIDE!
Ian catching a little shut eye before the reception.
Here are the kids in town! They had the cutest street full of shops and yummy food!

It was pretty foggy but there is a huge rock out behind the kids that we drove out too. Britten loved it!

We had lunch at the Flying Dutchman and it was yummy! Clam chowder and fish tacos. The kids loved the pirate guarding the restaurant.

Some Sarah FIRSTS!!

2008-09-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sarah was the flower girl in my cousin Jennifer's wedding!! We spent a few days in Morro Bay California for the fun event!! Congrats Jenn!! You were a beautiful bride!! We are so happy for you!!Sarah shared the flower girl duties with Bella! She is the daughter of one of Jenn's best friend Kocab. She and Sarah have a birthday one day apart! How funny is that?Sarah dropped one flower at a time!! I did not think they would make it all the way down the isle! I coached them from the side! Keep going, drop some flowers, watch your step! It was so funny to watch!The proud MOMMY!! PRE-SCHOOL!! Sarah started Pre-School this week because we were gone last week!! She LOVED it!! She is going to Mrs. Anna's Smartie Pants school! She is so proud of the fact that she is getting so big! We love you Sarah! Britten and Sarah are so cute together! They are so supportive of what the other one is doing. Every morning before Britten catches the bus, Sarah wants to give him a kiss and a hug!!
When I dropped Sarah off at pre-school, she climbed out of the car and said, "Bye Mom! I love you, you and Ian be safe today without me!" it was so cute!
My little dancing queen!! Sarah LOVES to sing and dance! What little girl doesn't!! She probably would have done great last year in dance but we started this year! She was very excited to go and did such a great job!! I sat outside and watched a little!!

Her teacher Mrs. Misty kept saying, "good job Sarah!!". It will be a fun year for her in dance!