Hobbs Happenings

It's MARIO Time!! Game On!

2011-11-04T15:34:00.001-06:00

(This post is very late, I started working on it a few months ago)

So my baby turned 6! She is almost done with kindergarten and making plans already to go to 1st grade, ride the bus with her brother and sister, and eat lunch in the cafeteria.

She had a great birthday. The older kids woke her up before they went to school to give her breakfast in bed, and let her open her gifts from us.

Paul had the day off and we took Lily and Cam J. to McDonald's for lunch before she headed to school. That night she picked to go to Frogurt for dessert.

I don't know if you know this, but Lily is a HUGE video game nut!!! It is so funny because my other two kids like to play them once in awhile but are not addicted. Lily on the other hand can be a little on the extreme!! She loves playing the WII and her DS. Her absolute favorite game to play is SUPER MARIO BROTHERS. We only had it on the WII and finally for her birthday she received the game on DS so she wouldn't hog the tv all the time! I am telling you this because it will explain the rest of my story.

I had had a little birthday party planned for her that themed around "Zebras" because as you know she LOVES them. It was going to be very simple and we were going to invite a few little girls from our neighborhood. As I was almost done with the finishing touches and going to make invites. Lily came to me late one night and looked as though she was really struggling with a delima. I asked what was wrong. She told me that she didn't know what to do about her party because if we did "zebras" it was way too girly and some of her best friends were boys. She then asked very meekly if she could have a "Super Mario Brothers" theme instead. I could tell that this had been weighing on her and knew that it was important to her, so of course I agreed.
Lily had school off that Friday for testing and so we decided to invite some of the kids around the neighborhood for a party. It actually turned out rather well for the little time I had. The ideas are endless. I wish I would have had more time to plan because you can do some dang, cute things for that theme!
Here is what we came up with-

Here is the back drop I came up with the night before the party at about 8:00 pm. Some of my best ideas come last minute and end up doing a quick version of the idea. I also use supplies I already had since going to the store that late is out of the question. It all turned out pretty good for not having much time and Lily was ecstatic with the results.

Here are the favor bags I made using felt and made my own pattern for the characters. They turned out pretty fun!! I filled them with chocolate gold coins, black Bomb-O bouncy balls, Super Mario Brothers Fruit snacks, Mario and Luigi suckers.( My kids always pick themes that are IMPOSSIBLE to find stuff for) I love a good challenge because it makes you get REAlly creative!! Of course, a month later I was at Zucher's and guess what they just put on the shelves?! SUPER MARIO BROTHERS everything- Plates, cups, party favors. Oh well.

Here are the bubbles I gave out. I just modge podged a pic of Mario on it (sorry, it's kind of blurry.)

Lily wanted to be Princess Peach. We already had the dress. Pretty dang cute!

We played the game, "Pop the Goombas" (they are the owl-like things that you have to jump on in the game) We used brown balloons and stuck paper gold coins in them and the kids had to go pop them and collect the coins.

We played "Yoshi's Egg Relay"

We also played, "Watch Out for King Boo" (like Red Light, Green Light).

We also did a pinata.

We did "Power-Up" cupcakes

Too Cute Too Spook

2011-11-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

I am a sucker for Halloween- I love it! My kids and I have so much fun this time of year! We had the usual fun- visiting the Pumpkin Patch to pick that perfect pumpkin, carving the pumpkins into masterpieces, watching "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin", "Booing" the neighbors, making and eating "Monster Munch", going to the neighborhood Halloween Parties. We did do something new though, we went to the "Crazy Corn Maze". We all had a blast. Next time we will know better and bring the flashlights along.
Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

Another Girls Night!

2011-11-03T23:28:00.001-06:00

We sure had a great time while the kids were off-track. So many fun things. My friend and I had the opportunity to take our girls to the Selena Gomez Concert. What a fun night- singing at the top of our lungs, watching my girls get so excited when they hear their favorite songs. I was actually surprised how many of the songs I knew. I am so thankful for the fun times I have with my girls and the relationships we have!!

Practically Perfect in Every Way

2011-11-03T19:16:00.000-06:00

What a PERFECT evening. Spending time with some of my favorite girls!! My mom, Lexi, Lily, and I had an amazing time at the broadway musical, "Mary Poppins."
Mary Poppins has been one of my favorites since I was a little girl. I love the story and the music. They did such an amazing job and my girls and I were singing the songs days after we saw the play. Lexi kept telling everyone and everything how "Practically Perfect" they were and now has become a common phrase in our home.

One of Our Favorite Places

2011-11-03T19:01:00.000-06:00

We love going to St. George. It is one of our favorite get-away spots. The kids were off-track during my birthday in Sept. and surprised me with "The Little Mermaid" tickets at the Tuacahn. We spent four days there swimming, eating, and shopping. It was wonderful!

"The Little Mermaid" was fantastic. The special effects and everything were fabulous.

First Days of School

2011-11-02T23:56:00.000-06:00

Here are the kids' first day of school. Lexi is a BIG 6th grader and is so excited to be the oldest at the school!

Carter is in 4th. He is excited to learn about Utah History.

And my baby Lily, a big 1st grader! This was also her first time riding the bus too!

Hello, World of Blogging- I'm Back!!!

2011-11-02T23:45:00.000-06:00

So here it is November and I am going to play catch-up, finally. The end of summer was just as busy as the first part. We enjoyed getting together with the Hobbs Family. Grandpa and Grandpa took us all to The Living Planet Aquarium where we were entertained by the penguins, had fun feeding and petting the sting rays, and the ones that were brave (not me), touching the snakes. It was a lot of fun!

The Hobbs Family all went up to Hill's Air force Base Museum. It was me and the kids first time. Carter and I loved it- maybe because the two of us are such "History Buffs". Can I just tell you how grateful I am to live in this country and for those who have served in the air force and have fought and protected our freedoms! Some of the jets were absolutely AMAZING!

Paul's company party was at Hogle Zoo this year. It was great! We had a big catered dinner there, got to enjoy sight seeing, enjoyed unlimited carousel and train rides, face painting, all of the snack stands were open for us to get anything we wanted, we got t-shirts, and hats. Fun was had by all!

Saying Goodbye

2011-07-09T01:15:00.000-06:00

My sister Angie and family are moving back to AZ. We are so sad to see them go!!

We have had so much fun over the last couple of years, having them so close. We wish them the BEST of LUCK on their new adventures and look forward to their visits here and visiting there!! We love you Thompson Family!!

Summer Begins with a SpLaSh!

2011-07-09T00:43:00.001-06:00

Cherry Hills time again!!! My kids look forward to this ALL year long!

Some of our favorite things are:

Relaxing by the pool........

.....and in the pool (both are FaBuLoUs).

Racing each other down the blue slides

Seeing how funny we can make Grandpa look by painting his fingernails and toes

What a good sport he is too!

Laughing, eating yummy food, playing games, watching movies at the campsite

Tye-dying T-shirts

But being ALL TOGETHER is the BEST part of all!

Thanks Grandpa and Grandmother for making this the BEST tradition!

End of Year Fun

2011-07-08T23:09:00.000-06:00

I love the last weeks of the school year for my kids. It is always filled with field trips, singing programs, award ceremonies, field day, dance festivals, etc.

The teachers work so hard on these and I love to watch the children SHINE!

Lily's last weeks of kindergarten were so fun! She had the cutest singing program EVER!

A Field Trip to the Zoo

and a Dance Program where they did the "Boot Scoot Boogie", square dancing, "the Chicken Dance" and the Macarena.

Thank you, Mrs. McDougal for the most AMAZING year!

Lexi was involved with the Dance Festival at her school where the 5th graders danced to the 1970's songs like "Dancing Queen" Stayin' Alive" and "Kung Fu Fighting"

Carter missed a few days of the last week because he had the opportunity to go to Scout Camp with his cousin Tycen before he moved to AZ. He had the time of his life!

Easter

2011-05-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

Wow, It has been awhile since I have blogged! I can't keep up these days. We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saturday was filled with Easter Egg hunts at various places. I forgot to charge my camera so I regretfully don't have pictures. We had some friends over after to color eggs (my favorite) I love how the kids so creative with their eggs!

The kids had an exciting morning before church, where they found lots of goodies tucked in corners, up on shelves, in the microwave, and many other hiding places. The Easter Bunny seems to hide things in much harder spots as the kids get older. They still suceeded in finding them all. The kids got one big surprise which was the Kinect for our XBox with an extra game. They were pretty thrilled (Paul and I were too. We love the dance game!)

Paul took a few pics of the kids before church but it was too cold to go outside and none of the kids were in the mood to cooperate. We didn't get any good pictures. These were the best ones, which is really sad!

We will have to try again another time when it is warmer and the kids don't mind so much! We spent the evening with the Hobbs side-it was great.

I am so greatful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. For His love for each of us and for His sacrifice. How AMAZING Easter is and what it represents! I truly feel so blessed!

Is It Too Late???

2011-03-27T22:39:00.001-06:00

So I am FINALLY posting Thanksgiving. I was looking through my picture library and realized I never did write about our fabulous trip! My Uncle Darryl and Aunt Chris were so sweet- They invited us to their amazing cabin in Island Park for Thanksgiving. This was quite an event for my kids since none of them had ever been snowmobiling. Going up to Island Park is one of my fondest childhhood memories and I was so excited to share it with my kids and Paul!

We spent the days and nights snowmobiling, drinking hot cocoa, playing card games, eating, baking, watching movies in the theatre room, laughing, eating, watching the big football games on t.v., making beaded watch bands, playing the WII, ping pong, and more eating. The kids actually went out and chopped down a Christmas tree so we could decorate it. They thought that was the BEST!

The kids were "Pros" from the start. They loved the snowmobiles and it was hard to get them off!

Here are a few pictures of the cabin. As you can see it was AMAZING! The kitchen was my favorite. It had two of everything because my aunt and uncle entertain so much.

Lexi , Carter, and Lily made instant friends with my cousins' kids. It made it even more amazing!

My cousin Stephanie had the a cute turkey food/craft for the kids to do on Thanksgiving morning. They "gobbled" it up so fast, I had to hurry and take pictures!

Here are some of the adults playing one of several rounds of "Hand and Foot."

And Darryl, my dad, and Paul watching a Jazz or football game.

My grandma, Stephanie, and Chris making beaded watch bands.

And finally here is the tree the kids went out into the forest and chopped down for us.

We have so MUCH to be thankful for! Thank you Uncle Darryl and Aunt Chris for the wonderful memories!

January and February Updates

2011-02-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

It has been busy, busy, busy again. I am beginning to think that life will never slow down. I guess I am at that time of my life. I just need to get in, buckle up, enjoy the few scenic parts of the ride, and hold on for dear life at the sudden bursts of speed and ups and downs! But life is great, and so thankful to be a part of all of it!

The kids as always have been very busy with school and extra curricular activities.

LEXI- has been practicing and practicing for dance competitions. They are coming up so soon and we are anxious to see all the amazing progress she is making! Last week she had the opportunity to dance at RHS JV's basketball halftime. It was exciting and great practice for competition.

She also graduated from the D.A.R.E. Program at school.

CARTER- Just finished Jr. Jazz. He had an amazing season. He got really close to his team mates and are planning to be all on the same team next year-with Paul as the coach again.

He received his Wolf badge, his Religious Square Knot, and 1Gold and 5 silver arrows in Cub Scouts. Way to go Buddy!

He also participated in his 3rd Grade's Wax Museum, This is a book report that they do. They pick someone from history, read about them, make a poster to display, dress up like them, and stand still like a statue as parents and the rest of the school walk through "The Wax Museum". Carter chose to do his on Harry Houdini. I didn't realize how interesting that guy was. We had a lot of fun working on this together!

LILY- Had her VIP at school this week (Spotlight). I got to go visit her class and talk all about her. She was ecstatic that the day was all about her! We made a poster:

and we made little gift bags for everyone in her class filled with treats and prizes

Of course we did the whole "ZEBRA" theme because Lily absolutely loves zebras and anything with zebra print!

She also had a fabulous Valentine's Day party that I got to help with

She also had strep throat and then was covered from head-to-toe with hives from the antibiotic.

We had a Super Bowl Party because the PACKERS were in it and I am surrounded by huge fans in this family!! Go PACKERS!

I am finding out that Lexi is quite the baker. She made these treats by herself with me just giving her instructions. The decorating was all her! She did an amazing job!

We had a great time with many family and friends!

Another Year Older

2011-01-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

January is always a very busy month for us. Most people after New Year's get settled back to normal life. Not our family. We just keep on celebrating away! Lexi and Carter's birthdays are just a couple days apart from each other. We also have 2 out of our 3 dads birthdays and many extended family who celebrate theirs in Jan. as well. It been a lot of fun, but I am partied out!!!

Lexi turned 11!!! I can't believe how fast the time goes. She is turning into a beautiful young woman right before our eyes. She has got a zest for life and generally just loves people.

For her birthday she had school and dance practices so it didn't leave much time to do anything else. We did however, go get frozen yogurt in between everything. She got a new American Girl doll and money to go shopping. She was more than happy!

Carter turned 9. He is still my sweet, sweet boy. This year it was his turn to have a party (he and Lexi alternate years, it is to crazy for me to have them a few days apart from each other!)
When I asked Carter what kind of party he wanted he said all he wanted to do was play basketball with his friends. Where do you play basketball with 10+ boys in the middle of January? I called and reserved our church house the next day! It worked out perfect and said it was the best birthday ever!

Of course I did the whole basketball theme and it was probably the easiest party I have ever done!
I kept it really simple!

We had the boys come in their basketball clothes. Paul had them doing all sorts of drills when they got there and had fun music playing. We split them up and they played a game of basketball and we had a pinata, played a Utah Jazz Match-Up game, opened presents, and had Gatorade, cake, and Popsicles and watched "Space Jam" the movie! It was great!

So Clearly Now

2011-01-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well I think it was inevitable, at least one of our kids was going to be cursed with the Hobbs genes -their eyesight to be exact. So far, most of all the oldest grandchildren have had to have glasses at a pretty young age. Lexi came home from school with a paper saying she failed the eye exam. I didn't realize how much she was struggling with seeing the board at school and other things. She was upset she was going to have to wear glasses but changed her mind when she saw the difference they made! Look how cute she looks too!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

We spent the first half of Christmas Eve day baking and cleaning.The kids were so helpful and wanted everything to be just perfect. We then met a whole bunch of family from both sides to go see "Tangled". Can I just say that it was the CuTeST movie! Everyone loved it- even the men.

We then went home and the kids exchanged gifts from one another and received their new pajamas like they do every Christmas Eve.

We then headed over to my brother's house for dinner, games, stories, "Christmas Vacation" movie and made magical reindeer food to spread on the lawn. It kept the kids occupied for the most part, they still would every once in a while ask when it was time to go home and go to bed-Only on Christmas Eve do I hear those words from my kids!!

Before bed we read the "Christmas Story" from the bible and bore our testimonies of the love we have for Jesus, and how we as a family and as individuals can become more like Him. I am so thankful for my Savior, for His love, His example, and for His BIGGEST gift of all to mankind.

Can't forget to put out the milk and fudge for Santa. Yes, fudge. One year we didn't have time to make cookies and I had made fudge the night before. The kids insist that it has to be fudge now because they are convinced that their Christmas loot has gotten better since we switched over, ha ha! They also made Thank you cards to Santa.

Christmas morning the kids were up bright and early, eagerly waiting to see what was in store for them. Paul and I happily granted their wish. We remember all too well what it was like being children on Christmas morning.

Santa was very good to us this year (he usually is though)

My parents came and had breakfast and spent some time with the kids.

We went to Paul's parents later on.

And then back home to meet up with my brother and dad. We had a great time playing the Xbox and Super Mario Brothers.

It was a very Merry Christmas!

The Hustle and Bustle

2010-12-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the time has gone! I haven't even posted Thanksgiving yet and Christmas is just a few days away! We have been so busy but it has been great! We have made a lot of memories and spent some quality time as a family. Here are just some of the highlights:

Lily received the "Principal Pride" award for doing Wonderful Quality Work at school. We had to go early in the morning for a little recognition assembly. She is doing amazing!

Lexi got to show us what her dance team is working on for competition. Her jazz, hip hop, and lyrical routines are going to be so neat. This is Lexi's first year in competition and with this dance company. Paul and I have been impressed so far and Lexi is working so hard and loving every minute of it!

Her dance team also had a visit from Santa. The kids were anxious to talk with him!

We also enjoyed my side of the family's Christmas party. We ate delicious food, played many games including: Around-the -World ping pong, Crazy Sixes, and the adults had a White Elephant Swap- it was hilarious!!!

Paul and I are always trying to find new traditions for our family. We decided to try out the "Zoo Lights"this year. We were pleasantly surprised how much fun we had, even though it was FREeziNg!!! They had many heaters throughout the park, indoor areas, and yummy hot cocoa to keep us going. The lights were darling. The kids also got to visit with Santa and confirm for the last time what they would like to receive Christmas morning. We also got to feed Prancer and Comet. It was fun to also see some of the nocturnal animals out and around. The best was that the 4 tigers (my absolute fave animal) were out playing with a ball on a string on their hind legs and passing it to each other!!! It was amazing!!!! Usually during the day when we have visited they are usually hidden and asleep. So cool!!!

Carter's favorite time of the year is here once again! JR. JAZZ TIME! He has an extra bonus this time, Paul gets to coach. They are both excited and have so much fun together. I love my boys!!!

In the second game he played, Carter had to make some foul shots. He made one out of the two, had quite a few assists, 2 more baskets, and played great defense. Way to start out the season, Bud!!!

Lily had "Elf Day " at Kindergarten today. She came home and had so many stories to tell. I love how excited she is about school and so happy about all her new adventures, things she has learned, and friends she has made. It brings me such joy to listen to her each day as she comes home from school!

Lily and her friend Boston. They are so cute!

Even though it has been crazy, we have had so much fun with all the traditions and everything else. I wouldn't change it for anything! Can't wait wait to see what the next few weeks have in store for us!

Susan's Seuss-ed Up Baby Shower

2010-11-20T16:33:00.004-07:00

I hosted a Dr. Seuss baby shower for my sister-in-law Susan last weekend. Can I just tell you how fun this theme was! My sister-in-laws and I had so much fun planning it! The possibilities are endless.

                                          The invites were darling. Rayma made them. She made them to look like a book. I don't have a pic of them but she had a really cute font and some cute Dr. Seuss images. this is what it said:

Big B little b     b....B....b
Bouncing Baby Boy
Big S little S      S....s....S
Susan's Seuss'ed-up Shower

Oh the palces she'll go
Oh the places she'll see
Because you know
A mother she'll be.

Don't be late for her party
(date)
We know you are a smart-y
(place)

Now you have the power
and 3 is the hour

                                 Here is the mom-to-be in her Sneetch themed shirt that I made.

For the food we had different things that represented some of our favorite books.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

The punch was blue with different colors of sweedish fish, we had a bowl of colored Goldfish crackers also.

Green Eggs and Ham

Green Deviled Eggs. Ham sandwiches, and a veggie and fruit tray called "Greens and Other Things"

The Cat in the Hat

Cupcakes with The cat's hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2

                                         The cotton candy started to disolve and got flat before I had time to take picture
                                         they were really cute at the beginning. next time I will put the cotton candy on the
                                         very last!

Pauline made the cutest advice book that we put on The Cat in the Hat table where everyone could write some advice for the new mom. We put a real goldfish by it, like in the book and put little words of advice on the fish bowl (again, it's in the book) We had a few more fish bowls with goldfish all around the house with advice on them and we actually used them as prizes for people to take home with them!

We played 3 games:

There's A Wocket in My Pocket

This one was just a simple memory game where I bought a whole bunch of small baby items like diaper rash ointment, teething ring, etc.; then a put some really small items like a Q-tip, band aid, nail clippers and put them on a tray or cookie sheet. Give the guests 30 seconds to look at it and then take it away. They have to remember and write down as many items they can to win!

Do You Know Your Doctor?

Rayma, my sis-in-law, was in charge of this game. She said that we all get to know our Dr.(OB/GYN) very well during those nine months of pregnancy (isn't that the truth!!)

For this game she had a whole bunch of sayings or quotes from numberous Dr. Seuss books, that we had to guess.

"You Are In Good Shape, For the Shape You're In"

-Dr. Seuss

We actually didn't have time to play this one but I thought it was cute. You just use string or yarn and guess how big the mommy-to-be's belly is.

The Gift Table:

The ABC Book

We had a Lorax table, because this is Susan's fave Dr. Seuss book.

For the favor table we did Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the Egg

For the favors we made chocolate nests with a mini Cadburry egg on it wrapped in a clear celephane bag. Tied onto it was a poem that Pauline wrote with Horton the elephant on it.

It said:

We're glad that you came.

We're glad all the same.

Now that the time is all spent

We want you to know

We mean what we say

We say what we mean.

We are so Grateful, 100%!

We had a fun time! I am so thankful for great sister-in-laws! We have so much planning these get togethers!

We are all so excited for Susan and Tony and baby Will!

HaLlOwEen FuN

2010-11-02T22:01:00.001-06:00

Halloween/Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I have rubbed off on my kids, and they will probably say it is theirs also. It is not just about the candy for them (although it probably helps). We have so many fun traditions that we look forward to each year.
This year the older two were off-track and Lily was in school. Carter, Lexi, and I spent the last couple of weeks helping in Lily's class and then Lexi and I helped with Lily's class Halloween Party.

Here is a picture of her class the day of the party. Mrs. McDougal is always taking fun pictures of them..

Here are the kids dresses in their costumes:

Carter was a crazed Jazz Fan.

Lexi was a Vampire, even though she wouldn't wear the fangs half of the time

Lily insisted on being a witch again except with orange hair instead of green like she did a couple of years ago.

and Cameron was Mr. Incredible

We spent the week going to lots of fun parties and activities and on Halloween night we went to my sister's house for homemade chili, and trick-or-treating. All of my siblings were there except one. It is hard to believe that we are all old enough to be taking our own children out. It was fun to be altogether and hope to make this a new tradition. We got poured on, and some were completely drenched, but the kids didn't care. They had the time of their lives and were anxious to see what each house had in store for them.

Tycen and Carter

Brooklynne and Lexi

My sister Wendy with her dogs

Lily, Taylee, and Brynn

Paul even dressed up....sorta

My sister Angie and I

My cute grandmother and two nieces Madeline and Gianna

My nephew Brooks

My mom and Maddi

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!!!

At the "Punkin Patch"

2010-10-18T02:18:00.000-06:00

While Lily was off-track, my friend invited us to go to the cutest pumpkin patch with her preschool classes. Paul was off work that day and we had my nephew Cam J with us. Just a little side note: You will being seeing a lot more of my nephew. His is an honorary member of our family now. I watch him during the days and so grateful I have the opportunity do so!

Here are Lily and Cam J right before we left for the pumpkin patch.

We had a lot of fun exploring the corn maze, the farm animals, the pumpkin light alley, and picking that perfect pumpkin to take home!

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of their actual pumpkins and the actual pumpkin patch! Oh well- there is always next time!

Homerun Carter!

2010-10-18T01:50:00.000-06:00

Carter had a great time playing baseball this season. He hadn't played for a couple of years and chose it over flag football this fall. I forgot how good he is and how naturally it comes to him. He hit home runs almost every time and was a killer first baseman. His heart is in basketball, but it is always good to keep your options open.

Too Close For Comfort

2010-10-18T01:35:00.003-06:00

Just a few weeks ago a wildfire hit way to close to our home. I can't tell you what a scary thing it was for our family and community! We were evacuated from our home for a day and a half. We are so blessed to have our home. It was also a great learning experience for Paul and I and our children as well. We learned how each of us would react in an emergency- Paul and Lexi were the calm, collected ones. Without them we wouldn't have packed the important stuff (nothing really is that important as long as everyone is safe). Carter and Lily were the hysterical ones. I cant' imagine being their age and seeing 60 foot flames coming down the mountain outside our backyard. Lily was pretty traumatized for a week. I was the one in denial. I thought my husband was crazy for packing up the computer, the photo albums, etc., hours before we were actually evacuated. Later he said that he just had a weird feeling when he was coming home from church and before the fire had come up and over the mountain that he should pack a few things. It took me awhile before I thought it was anything serious.

I really need look to my husband ( the priesthood holder), I know that he was prompted for a reason and he was protecting our family.

This experience has urged us to become more prepared. We are working on our food storage more, storing important documents where it is easy access and also preparing our family-spiritually. I know that if we are prepared, we need not worry.

Here is a picture of the fire that night right above our home.

This is right from our backyard, as the fire crept up over the mountain.

Sorry this came out so blurry-still trying to get used to my camera.

The Aftermath

This is the mountain above our house a day later. It is amazing what it burned and what it didn't burn. I can't believe only a very few homes perished. My heart goes out to the families of those homes.

I can't wait for our beautiful mountain to be green again and to see the brilliant colors of fall cover it!

BaCkYaRd CaMpOuT

2010-09-30T11:45:00.000-06:00

My parents invited the whole family over for a campout in their backyard. We pitched tents, had a BBQ, roasted marshmallows, and at dusk we watched "The Prince of Persia" on a sheet hung on the outside of their house. I was surprised how well it worked. We had a little station with popcorn and treats. Fun was had by all and can't wait to make this a summer tradition! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for the wonderful memories and time spent together!

Lily the Clown

2010-09-30T11:14:00.000-06:00

Lily had "Clown Day" at school a while back. They were learning about colors and shapes that week and had a fun day dressing up. She is loving school, her teacher, her friends, and just the experiences of kindergarten. Isn't she just the cutest clown?!

Here Goes-A Quick Recap of Summer

2010-08-29T11:27:00.003-06:00

Where does the time go? Summer flew by way too fast and I am so far behind in my blogging! So here goes...I will try to not make this post too long.

The kids are all back in school now! Lexi was so excited (she loves school) She has been counting down the days for 3 weeks. (CRAZY, but good). All of the kids have excellent teachers this year and I am so happy for each one of them to have a great year!

I am especially excited for my Lily girl. She started kindergarten! I was so happy for her and wanted to bawl my eyes out at the same time! She is having a wonderful time already and has a very special teacher this year which is my aunt who by-the-way is the BEST kindergarten teacher ever!

Thanksgiving Gardens

Downtown SLC. My sister and I try to take our kids on a tour every summer. We visit the Church History Museum, Temple Square, Beehive and Lion Houses, and then to Gateway to cool off in the fountains. This time was a treat, we ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square for lunch.

Fun at the Bees Game

Hogle Zoo

We had season passes to Classic and spent a lot of time there

We went to my sister's for a Red, White, and Blue BBQ on the Fourth and watched the fireworks!

We had a family reunion on my dad's side in Idaho. We camped at Lava Hot Springs with my first cousins and their kids. The kids had so much fun and made instant friends!

We also went to the extended Harris reunion, the parade, and the rodeo.

And of course, the kids favorite CHERRY HILLS. My parents, siblings, and their kids have been going for a very long time. We have so much fun camping, playing games,eating, and cooling off at the water park. Now that our kids are getting older it is even more fun!

We had a wonderful summer and we are so sad to see it end!

Twilight Bridal Shower

2010-06-27T15:21:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-laws, nieces, and I had a fun time planning and giving a shower for Paul's baby sister, Pauline. We decided to theme it around the Twilight Series. So awesome! We asked the guests to bring gifts that they(Pauline and Danny) could use during different times of the day: Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Midnight Sun, a New Moon....some were very creative! The night before, Lexi and her two cousins slept over at our house and made "Twilight Tutus" to wear. They did a great job and had fun. I made one for Lily also. I also found Twilight t-shirts on clearance for a dollar and bought me and the older girls all one ( they were too big for Lily).

They also painted their fingernails and toenails red, white, and black.

Here they are:

For the refreshments we had Rosalie's Werewolf Kibble (muddy buddies) in a doggie bowl, Cullen's Vegetarian Tray, blood-red sherbet and sprite drink, and red velvet cupcakes. I also found these fun printable quotes from the books at www.hostessblog.com and put them in frames to decorate with.

My cupcakes turned out awesome until I put the chocolates hearts on them, they were too heavy and smashed the frosting. Next time I will have to use a way smaller heart mold. They are still cute though.

My banner turned out pretty cute too.

For favors we did homemade heart suckers with this label I found at www.bitebella.com

Paul's mom and sisters

Here's the happy couple. We played this game at the shower and asked Danny, "What character are you most like in the Twilight series and why?" He answered, " Edward, because I'm pale. No, actually Jacob because I'm hairy". Funny!!
We wish you two love and happiness for time and all eternity!!

Wedding Day Bliss

2010-06-27T12:26:00.000-06:00

There is just something about weddings that make me feel all giddy inside!!! I don't know if it's seeing two people who are hopelessly in love and wanting to spend their lives together, spending the day with family and friends, eating scrumptious cake, seeing all the beautiful decorations, or going to the temple. I love it all!

Paul's youngest sister Pauline was married on Tues. so it was especially exciting for us. I have known her since she was eight and watched her grow into a beautiful young woman. We have become really close and feel like she is just as much my little sister as she is Paul's. She picked a wonderful guy to spend the rest of her life with and all eternity, and he fits perfectly into the family! Congrats, Pauline and Danny!!!

My parents host at the Joseph Smith Building and made it work to be stationed by where the bride and groom come out of the temple so they could see Pauline and Danny.

It was a fabulous day!

The Month of May

2010-06-26T09:42:00.001-06:00

Lexi and Carter were off track for a few weeks in May so we decided to head towards the warm weather. We found St. George. Oh, the high 80's and low 90's felt so good! We spent most of the time relaxing by the pool soaking up the delicious sun! It was wonderful!

We took time out from swimming and visited the Wildlife Museum, Brigham Young's winter home, Nielsen's Frozen Custard, and Zion's Park.
The Wildlife Museum was really interesting. They gave the kids binoculars so they could explore. The animals were set up in different areas in their natural habitats. Carter couldn't get enough. He loves learning about ALL animals. Paul and I learned quite a bit also. At one point, while we were walking through it the lights were all turned off and thunder and lightning flashed. We could hear sounds from different animals, and Carter says, "What if this is like Night at the Museum, and all the animals come to life?" We all stood there for a moment looking around at all the wildlife we were completely surrounded by and our imagination got the best of us and totally freaked us out!!! Poor Lily! I don't know if we will ever get her to go in another museum again. It was quite an adventure!
.

Brigham Young's Winter Home was fun to walk through. A missionary couple gave us a tour and we learned lots of neat tidbits about the prophet and where St George got it's nickname, "Dixie".

This was the first time the kids visited Zion's National Park. They were in awe by the huge red cliffs and Lexi commented on how you could not know there was a God because of all His beautiful creations.

We saw the Zion's Movie on this huge screen (actually, it is the biggest screen in North America) It was awesome! The movie showed us places in the narrows that you wouldn't normally see and gave us a neat history of the native americans, their legends, and when they introduced it to the mormon missionaries.

It was a fun little get-away!

LILY'S FANCY NANCY BIRTHDAY

Lily's favorite books right now are the Fancy Nancy series. If you haven't heard of them, then I suggest you

check them out! They are fabulous (that's a fancy word for great)!

It is about a little girl named Nancy who makes everything fancy, from her clothes and accessories to her very ordinary and plain family. What I especially love is it broadens children's vocabulary immensely! Lily says the cutest things and it makes me ecstatic (that's a fancy word for happy)!

Lily and I decided to theme her 5th birthday around Fancy Nancy. The options are limitless! We had so much planning it. My friend made darling invites for her and my friend and I learned how to make tutus for our girls to wear. At the party, there was 14 little girls (CRAZY)!! They came in their fanciest ensembles (that's a fancy word for clothes) and my sisters painted their nails while I read the book that introduces Fancy Nancy. We played "Fancy Freeze Dance" and then made candy necklaces. There had strawberries and wafer cookies, nut and mint cups, and strawberry lemonade. Instead of a cake, Lily insisted on an ice cream parfait bar ( that's fancy for ice cream sundaes) since those are Fancy Nancy's favorite! It was crazy, but Lily thought it was great! Next year she wants a rock star party with hot pink and zebra.....we will see. Happy

Birthday cute girl!!!

It's Fabulous 2 B Five!

2010-05-13T14:55:00.001-06:00

I don't know whether to be happy or sad that my baby girl turned five this week.

Sad. She is my baby. She is growing up so fast and it doesn't help that she loves all the things that Lexi loves and THAT makes her seem so much older than she really is. Sad. She starts kindergarten this year. I have a hard time thinking that in another year I will be home by myself during the days. Don't get me wrong, it will be nice ONCE in awhile to have some time to myself but I absolutely love having my children around me. It is just another realization that my kids won't be little forever, and that I have so much more to teach them, to hold them, and to nurture them before they go out on their own. Time goes by way too fast. I need to cherish these years more than ever!!

Happy. It is so fun to see her progress every day. I love each milestone. She is such a smart and very observant girl. She has so much determination and the joy I feel when she accomplishes something is indescribable! Happy. She is so ready and so excited to start kindergarten and that makes it worth it! Happy. It so nice to not have to worry about diapers, naps, etc. and family trips have been much more enjoyable also now that she is getting older.
Happy.
Happy.
Happy.
Happy that this girl is a part of our lives!
Happy Birthday, LILY!!

A Little Family Reading

2010-05-02T18:19:00.003-06:00

The kids have been begging to see this movie:

Based on the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

Paul and I went and saw it with some friends a couple of weeks ago . We were pleasantly surprised how entertaining it was. Paul thought it was better than the Harry Potter movies (I don't know about that) but it was good! It really sparked my interest because I find Greek Mythology fascinating.

We went as a family to see it last week. It is a little intense but, no more than the Harry Potter movies. I had Lily close her eyes when I knew a scary part was coming. The kids LOVED it! We ended up buying the book series and have been reading them with the kids while they have been off track. They are good but I have had to brush up on who's,who? in Greek Mythology. Have any of you read them? What do you think?

For those of you that haven't heard of Percy Jackson ( I was in the same boat a couple of months ago too). My older two kids kept talking about it because apparently they are the hottest books since Harry Potter.

They are about a twelve year old boy named Percy who has been in and out of boarding schools for troubled kids for years. Weird and unexplainable things always happen while he is around. He finally learns the truth about his father, who abandoned his mother and him before he was born. He is not safe in the normal world anymore and goes to a camp with kids who are just like him- a Demigod (half-human/ half- god). So if you are looking for something entertaining for you or your children to read, try these.

Lots Of Catching Up

2010-04-06T16:46:00.029-06:00

We celebrated my beautiful Mother's birthday last month. We had all my siblings over to our house for dinner and cake and ice cream.

She is such an amazing and talented woman! Here are a few things that I love about her:

-She is such a good listener. It doesn't matter when, she is always there when you need her.

- She is the most amazing seamstress! Blessing dresses, Easter dresses, Christmas dresses, baptism dresses, flower girl dresses, and everything-else dresses. My girls have had the most gorgeous dresses EVER because of my mom. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

Here are some matching pajamas she made for the girls and their American Girl dolls for Christmas. They were in heaven but this is nothing compared to her heirloom dresses she makes.

-She is one of the most forgiving people I know.

-She is such a great example to me. I hope I can be half the mother, grandmother, friend, and daughter she is.

-Through all her health problems, she still loves life, loves the Lord, and is happy and positive.

-We share a love for chocolate, Elvis movies, Neil Diamond music and so much more!

-She is one of my dearest and closest friends! We have been through a lot together. We always have each others backs.

LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Silly LePrEcHaUnS!!!!

On St. Patrick's day, the kids woke up to quite a site! The Leprechauns had visited and had caused some mischief around the house while we were sleeping. They had turned the water in the toilets green! The milk was green and the kitchen and great room was all messed up! Stools were tipped over and on the counters, and table. The throw pillows and blanket were strewn all over. The kids got a big kick out of it! I had also written fun messages on the bathroom mirrors in green about how LUcKY I was to be their mom and wife.

The leprechauns made up for it though by leaving them some Lucky Charms for breakfast and each of them a "pot of gold"

I also made these cute Shamrock waffles

We had a fun festive dinner that night. It consisted of Shepherd's Pie, green jello, green punch, and key lime bars.

We watched the Lord of the Dance dvd (Irish dancing), read a LePrEcHaUn story, and played some fun St. Patty's Day games

Fun was had by all. Lily didn't stop talking about those silly LePrEcHaUn's for weeks!

General Conference and Easter Weekend
We had a wonderful holiday weekend. I decided to start a new tradition this year. I saw it on a blog. They had made Conference Baskets for each one of their kids. This is what I came up with:
I just got some cheap baskets at the dollar store, bought some Twistable crayons on sale, a new sharpened pencil, I downloaded Conference Packets from http://www.sugardoodle.net/ (I mixed and matched different ones to accomodate the ages of my kids), I printed off Conference Bingo for each one, made a cute baggie filled with m&m's, marshmellows, and jelly beans for their markers, and filled the baskets with lots of snacks and goodies. I told them that the snacks had to last thru all four sessions. I also put in a bag of instant oatmeal and a package of Easy Mac for breakfast and lunch on Saturday. This made for a very relaxing day for me and the kids did so AWESOME! They were very content working on their packets and snacking. Even my 4 year old did amazing. They sat thru both sessions of conference on Saturday. This is a tradition that we will keep in our family! As always, the talks for conference were wonderful and uplifting, and just what I needed to hear. The kids really enjoyed Pres. Eyring's talk.

In between sessions we colored Easter eggs

My dad came down to go to the Priesthood session with Paul. Afterwards, we had ice cream and played a whole bunch of card games and board games before the kids went to bed. My brother came over too and my dad ended up sleeping over.

Easter morning was filled with excitement as the kids hunted for their baskets.

I am so thankful for my Savior, and for His sacrifice. I know that He lives and loves each one of us. I am so thankful for this Easter day.

More Photos of Carter's Baptism

2010-02-16T23:00:00.006-07:00

Carter and Aunt Wendy
He and his cousin Tycen

His cousin Blake

At the luncheon afterwards

Uncle Cam and Grandpa Alan
Grandma Marcie
Grandpa and Grandma Hobbs
Great-Grandma Pauline

Our family on his special day

Valentine's Week

2010-02-16T21:32:00.006-07:00

Lexi and Carter were off-track for the week of Valentine's Day so they missed out on class Valentine's parties at school. I was worried that they would miss out on the fun but our ward did a Valentine's primary activity and the Relief Society did a fun Mom & Me Valentine's activity also. I was already doing a party for my preschool class and so I told them they each could invite a friend that was also off-track to the party. They went with me to pick out all the decorations and party favors at the store and planned all the activities. Here is what they came up with.........

They chose these cute buckets for everyone to put all their Valentine's in. They picked out cups and heart straws, they served sprite with heart shaped punch ice cubes, they had everyone decorate sugar cookies, exchange Valentines, they gave everyone squirt guns, stickers, lip gloss rings, bubbles, pencils, candy, and erasers.

They played a version of "Don't Eat Pete' with conversation candy hearts
They played "Pin the Heart on the Octopus"
They made these cute Valentine's for someone special.

They also played Bingo, Giggle Belly, Do You Love Your Neighbor?, Musical Hearts, and Freeze Dance. It was a huge success! We had so much fun planning it together and Lexi has already started planning our St. Patrick's party for next month.

Valentine's Day Morning, Paul and Lexi made a fun breakfast. It consisted of pink heart-shaped waffles with strawberry jam, strawberry milk to drink, eggs and bacon. It was delish!

Paul went shopping the night before and planned a fancy dinner for that night. He invited his parents, sister Pauline, and her boyfriend Danny. Lexi wanted to set the table all festive. Being Sunday, we dug up what we could around the house. She did a good job and had a lot of fun being creative.

The steak and shrimp was heavenly! We had a wonderful day and wonderful week spending time with some of the people we love!

Superbowl Sunday

2010-02-16T16:32:00.006-07:00

Who said you have to like football to have fun at a Superbowl Party? Definitely not me, I always have a great time on Superbowl Sunday even though I never watch a minute of the game (the half-time show and commercials I love though)!
My sister Angie and I threw a get-together that day at our parents' house. My siblings, their spouses, nieces, nephews, my aunt and uncle, and two cousins came. We had plenty of "Game food"and stuffed ourselves silly. The guys and some of the kids went downstairs to watch the game on the big screen while us girls stayed upstairs to chat and play games. It had been awhile since my family had gotten together and I think everyone had a fabulous time!

My sister Angie made this cute cake

I made these fun football cookies

Brooklynne, Kendra, and Lexi doing their own thing during the game.

The guys eating and watching the game

The girls visiting upstairs

Kendra, Lily, and Taylee eating their dinner. The rest of the time we didn't see them. The spent the evening in the play room having a ball!

Tycen and Carter were excited to watch the big game with the guys. This was Carter's first Superbowl that he was old enough to actually understand and be excited about!

My cousins Braden and Alyssa

Exciting Times!

2010-01-26T23:53:00.010-07:00

My little Buddy Boy is sure growing up! It seems like yesterday that he was 3 years old and telling complete strangers his name was Peter Parker, trying to climb walls, wearing capes or his Spidey costume EVERYWHERE! He was the stinkin' cutest kid ever! He still is (and sweetest, I might add).

CARTER turned 8 this month. What an important birthday it was for him! He is now a proud Cub Scout. He is loving being a part of the program and takes it very seriously. Last night he was awarded his Bobcat badge at Pack Meeting. He looks so cute in his uniform!

He was also BAPTIZED a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last Saturday. What a wonderful experience it was for all of us. I am so proud of him for CHOOSING THE RIGHT!

The Spirit of Christmas

2010-01-03T22:43:00.004-07:00

We hope your family had a very wonderful holiday season! Our family made many exciting memories, unfortunately my camera broke at the beginning of Dec. and after just buying a fridge and printer for our computer, the camera will have to wait. I am saving up for a really nice one because I am tired of the cheap ones breaking on me. So lets hope we had enough fun that it will always stick out in my children's minds throughout the years.

We spent the month watching Christmas movies, going to the Festival of Trees, In-N-Out Burger, shopping for Sub for Santa, making many fun crafts, writing love notes to one another and putting them in each other's stockings to read on Christmas morning, taking Carter and Lexi to The Forgotten Carols (AMAZING)! Before bedtime each night we would take turns hiding the three wisemen in a different room in our house so they could find them and by the time it was Christmas Eve they were with baby Jesus (not the true story, I know) but the kids really enjoyed it and it will be a tradition we will do for years to come.

Paul and I really tried to focus most of our activites on service and Jesus Christ. It was truly a wonderful feeling to feel the spirit that filled our home this year! My children enjoyed it so much and commented many times on how this was the best Christmas ever!

I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ! My heart is so full when I think of Him, His life, His Atoning Sacrifice, and His love for me and my family!

We love you all, Merry Christmas!

GNO

2009-11-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to Girl's Night Out. My sister and I thought it would be fun to take our girls to Disney Princesses On Ice. We took Trax downtown and met my sister at the Gateway early so we could go to dinner first. We ate at Applebee's and then headed to the Energy Solutions Center. Lily and Taylee weren't sure what to expect since they had never been to one before but it didn't take long after they saw the first princess come out onto the ice to realize how great this was going to be. They squealed and clapped in excitement at everything, and sang to all the music , commented on which princesses they thought looked the prettiest, and were in awe with the ice skating. It was more fun for me to watch Lily and see the sparkle in her eyes as she watched it. What is it with little girls and Disney Princesses? I think it is a mixture of they are beautiful, can sing, wear frilly dresses and crowns, they are kind, in love with a handsome prince that saves them in one way or another, a little magic, and it helps that they have happy endings. What little girl doesn't want that?

My sister and I came to a sad realization though, our nine and half year old girls are growing up. Although they enjoyed the show, the magic wasn't there for them like it was for their 4 year old sisters or like it had been for them in the past. They commented on which "princesses" were wearing wigs, or why they were lip syncing to the songs, or that when the princes kissed the princesses- they really didn't kiss. So we will have to think of some more age appropriate activities for them next time and leave the princesses for the younger ones.

It was a fun evening. I am so thankful for my gorgeous "princesses", Lexi and Lily and for the time I get to spend with them. I feel so blessed to have them in my life and am so thankful to be their mother and friend.

Here are a few pics. They really didn't turn out well hence the reason why I want a new camera. I need something that takes good pics indoors with low light, has a good zoom, and the sports feature. If you have a good one let me know, I need some suggestions.

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

October came and went too fast. We had our fun family trip to Minnesota at the beginning of the month and then the rest was filled with Halloween Festivities. We went on a Witch Hunt in Gardener Village, went to a couple Halloween parties, trunk-or-treats, carnivals, and a pumpkin patch. We made a lot of fun food and treats, watched our favorite Halloween movies, had some great fhe, and of course, went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for awhile and then went to Paul's sister's to do some more with them and my brother's family met up with us.

Lexi the Pirate

Carter the Ninja
Lily as Minnie Mouse
Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Our Trip

2009-10-25T22:34:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of the month, our family took a vacation to Minnesota to see Paul's brother Mike and his family. We told the kids that it was a 22 hour drive and we would visit them for two days and then drive back home. We surprised them on the day we were leaving with telling them we were actually flying which meant we could stay there for 5 1/2 days. They were ecstatic! They have all flown before but Lily was just a baby and was anxious to experience the flight.
We had a wonderful time there even if the weather was bad. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins that they didn't mind one bit and we didn't have a problem finding things to do. Some of the highlights were of course, seeing them and being with them, going to see a Minnesota Twins game, seeing their new baby boy Mason, going to the Mall of America where Lexi got to pick a doll at the American Girl Store as an early birthday present, visiting the Green Bay Packer Store, and seeing the gorgeous scenery. What a beautiful place it was. So green, trees, trees, trees, and lakes. We even crossed the Mississippi River.
Thanks for the great time Mike, Shantel, & kids!

Hop On The VaMpIrE Wagon!

2009-10-13T11:23:00.000-06:00

O.K., so I am one of those crazy, fanatical, "Twilight Moms". There, I said it! Loved the books, and love having a connection with women young and old who also enjoy them. The movie and books were a lot of fun and love Stephenie Meyer's take on the "Vampire World" and of course, LOVE.
I don't usually get into things like vampires and werewolves, and especially have NEVER liked anything scary-related. I am a BIG chicken! Never have liked scary movies or haunted houses, even when it was "Cool" in jr. high and high school.
So why can't I get enough of vampires? And now it seems the world has the same problem I do. The CW just premiered a new show called, "The Vampire Diaries". It airs Thurs.@ 7 PM on CW 30.

I soooooo wasn't going to watch it because I thought it was copying Twilight and that it would be scary but, my totally cute neighbor Hilary said she and her sisters were watching it and enjoying it and my totally cute neighbor Jen had recorded it and talked me into watching it with her. It actually has been fun to watch, it might be because of Halloween coming up, and it is definitely more intense than Twilight (I have to watch it with my friend every week because it is scary).
So being intrigued with it all, a few of us started reading the books....yes, it is based on a series, and I just finished the first one. They're pretty good and easy reads. The author actually wrote these long before Stephenie Meyer had her dreams of Bella and Edward and there are some similarities but very different too. So if your not already on it, jump on the "Vampire Wagon" with the rest of us and enjoy the ride!

The Last One

2009-09-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

Well, my sister Wendy, the baby of our family got married last week. She is #7 and is the last one of us to get hitched. We are so happy for her. The day turned out beautiful and we all had a lot of fun celebrating! The kids looked so cute in their outfits. My mom made the gorgeous dresses (11 to be exact), too bad I didn't inherit that talent.... but the girls felt like princesses! Thanks mom for your blood, sweat,and tears!! We enjoyed all the normal wedding traditions- eating cake, visiting with loved ones, and dancing the night away! Lily had the most fun dancing and on the way home she said, " I had the best moves huh Mom?!"
May you have a wonderful life together, Wendy and Zach!

The Newly Weds and the nieces and nephews.

GLEE-FUL!

2009-09-06T13:43:00.000-06:00

So I am so excited for this Wednesday night. A new show called "Glee" will be on. I just happened to catch the pilot right after the season finale of American Idol. It is about a group of misfits in high school who start a singing club. If you like music from Journey and Air Supply than this is a show for you. I have always loved shows with singing and dancing and put in a little comedy and drama to the mix and Voila! You've got a good show on your hands. So, I am anxiously waiting for Wednesday night to see what is in store for us this season. Hopefully, they will keep it clean and it will be something we can sing along to.

You can see some of the songs on You Tube. Check it out!

Goodbye Summer, We Will Miss You!

2009-08-29T16:30:00.000-06:00

Summer, oh how we will miss you! As it comes to an end, we will take one last moment to remember the fun times. The swimming, popcicles, Cherry Hill, camping out in the backyard, bbq's with so many family and friends, fireworks, Paul's broken toe from the diving board, and the Harry Potter movie. We had a busy but simple summer. One we will never forget!
Here are a few of the last things we did for Summer 2009:

We spent the day at Thanksgiving Pointe and did the Dinosaur Museum with my sister and her kids and then went to the Farm. It had been a long time since we had been to the farm (before Lily was born). The kids really enjoyed it and thought the pony rides were awesome.

For Paul's Birthday he had the day off so we took Lily (the oldest two were at school) and went to Tracy Aviary. The weather was overcast and it made it the perfect time to be there. We then went to Paul's fave Mexican restaurant an that night I made a yummy dinner and Peach cobbler ( his favorite) to top it off. Happy 33rd Sweetie, Love you too much!

We went to the Salt Lake County Fair with my sister-in-law Rayma and her kids. The kids had fun at the little petting zoo and loved the Wii tent where the were trying out the new Wii Resort Game. We will definitely have to buy that one, it was so much fun! We didn't do much else outside because a HUGE wind storm came in and the dust was horrible! I couldn't wait to go home and brush the dirt out of my teeth.

Bring on Fall!!!!!!!!!!!!

School Is Now In Session

2009-08-17T23:27:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess summer is over for our family. Alexis started fourth grade and Carter started second grade today. Oh, how I remember the first day of school when I was young......the anticipation of starting fresh, a new teacher, new prospects of friends, and the idea of getting older. What a fun time in my kids lives! I truly hope that they enjoy these fun new experiences, and treasure the adventures and memories they are about to embark on. I love you, Lexi and Carter! May you have a fun school year and do your very best!

Summer Part 2

2009-08-05T22:02:00.001-06:00

I can't believe summer is almost over. My kids go back to school in a week and a half and I feel like we've only just begun to have fun in the sun. We have quite a bit more planned before school starts but here are a few things we have done in the last few weeks.

One of our favorite things to do is get together with family and friends and BBQ, laugh, play games, and do the occasional fireworks. Here we are at Paul sister Michelle's house after stuffing ourselves silly with their mexican dinner and did fireworks. It was great!

My kids favorite part of summer is going to Cherry Hill with my side of the family during the July 24th weekend. We have done it since my kids were just babies and before then. They love being with their cousins and to swim, swim, swim. Those swimming lessons sure paid off! All I can say is I am sure enjoying my kids getting older. Lily and Taylee had a blast and Angie, Shawn, Paul, and I loved not having to worry about babies. It was very enjoyable. We stayed in tents like always and even though a big storm hit in the middle of our last night, we have to agree we had a blast! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

We had Kennecott Family Day at the mine. This is the first time in over seven years that they have let anyone besides authorized personel down into the mine to climb onto the big haul trucks and see a lot of their machines and equipment. They hired out busses to take the families down where they served us lunch, look and climb onto the machines, hopped back onto the buses where they took us to the Visitor Center for a tour, and then served ice cream. It was really neat to step into Paul's shoes.
This is exactly like the truck Paul drives and he was excited to have us climb on it and show us everything about it. WOW!

Here we are behind the wheel of one of the trucks.

For a week and a half we did a count down for the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We were so excited to see it and decided to do everything related to the famous boy wizard. We had a movie marathon and watched the other 5 movies on the last 5 days of the countdown. The kids were running all over the house yelling out spells while holding out there homemade wands. Lily kept saying, "Diagon LILY" instead of "Diagon Alley"- so cute! We read about owls and bats, made yummy pretzel wands, went to Roberts to make House Badges, did some potion making, and of course had BUTTER BEER. I have to say the new movie was great too! This is their "Pretzel Wands" before they made them disappear like magic.

And last, but certainly not least, we went to the Oquirruh Mountain Temple Open house. We didn't make it to the Draper Temple but we weren't going to miss the opportunity to go to the temple that is only five minutes away from our home. It was the kids first time seeing inside a temple and thought it was beautiful! How truly blessed we are to have so many of the Lord's houses in our valley. I also got the opportunity to usher a week later in the Celestial Room-AMAZING!

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-05T15:02:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July! I am so thankful to live in this beautiful and bountiful country and for the amazing people who fight every day for us to keep our freedom, THANK YOU! We are truly blessed! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and remembers how lucky we are. God Bless America, always!

Hurray! The Last Day of School.

2009-07-05T14:12:00.000-06:00

So Thursday was Alexis and Carter's last day of school. Lexi has had a very hard time with it being over as she does every year because she absolutely LOVES school. This year has been especially hard because she has had the most AMAZING teacher. The two of them had a very special connection and Mrs Hoffman told me that day that she was holding Lexi back next year so she could have her in her class again, I told her that she should teach the 4th grade. We are still negotiating.
I am excited for all that summer brings! BBQ's, 4th of July, swimming, soaking up the sun, late summer nights, Cherry Hill, movies in the park, parades, camping, and spending time as a family.

Here are the kids with their teachers.

Carter's class had a fun little program and each kid was presented with an award. Miss Cook (his teacher) made a slide show of the year's highlights which we watched and each kid got a copy to take home. It was really cute and something Carter will enjoy forever.
Carter got the award for "Most Careful Worker". He is too much like his mom..a perfectionist!
The kids were signing each other's class shirts.

No Lazy Days Of Summer So Far

2009-06-27T10:58:00.000-06:00

No lazy days of summer for our family yet. The kids are still in school and we have had many fun events and activites so far. One of the anticipated events for our family is Paul's brother Mike and family came from Minnesota to stay for three weeks. We hadn't seen them for over a year and Lexi was so excited to see her cousin Madisyn. It was so good to see them. We had a lot a fun over the next few weeks. It was sad to see them go back home.

Here are few of the things we have done so far and can't wait for Part 2 of summer!

We went to the Bosworth Family Reunion Lots of good food, potato sack races, games, rain, family, and more rain.

4 Generations. Paul, his mom Rayma, his grandma, and Carter

Some of the cousins

Carter lost his 3rd tooth thanks to Aunt Wendy. It had been loose for a very long time, but the thing did not want to come out. It only took Wendy maybe two seconds to pull it out. He was excited to go home and put it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy!
For Father's Day Paul got "Guitar Hero". He was so excited to rock out with the family. I love you sweetie, thanks for being the best dad and husband!

That day we went to Paul's sister Rayma's house for dinner. We had a blast playing "Guitar Hero" with everyone. My kids favorite one to do is "The Eye Of The Tiger".

Grandpa and Emily playing a little Fuz Ball.
We went with my brother Cam, his wife Ashley, and their baby Cameron to "Taylorsville Dayz". They had this guy who was a Neil Diamond impersonator who did a concert there. Can I just say, "AWESOME!" Cam and I grew up with Neil Diamond because my mom is a big fan and because of that we are too. I remember dancing and singing with my brothers and cousins to the Jazz Singer album. So fun! Anyway, this guy was amazing and ended with (of course) to the song "America" and kicked off the firework show! Loved It! The firework show was really good and was really impressed. We will difinately be going next year!

My brother Cam and his baby Cam watchin the fireworks.

We went to Murray Park Swimming Pool with Paul's family. Loads of Fun!

This is my neice AnnaLee jumping off the diving board. Susan was teaching everyone how to do flips and such. Unfortuneatly, at the end Paul slipped on the diving board and broke his toe in TWO places, twisted his knee, and the back of his leg all scratched up. Crazy.
The Three Musketeers....McKenzie,Maddie, Lexi
AnnaLee, Susan, And Ashley.

We went to Classic Fun Center. We did the Bounce Zone, the Jungle, and did the water slides. Lily and my nephew Braden weren't sure about the Bounce Zone at first but after Aunt Susie helped them climb some of the big things they became "pros" and absolutely loved it! We couldn't them to try anything else for quite awhile.

McKenzie and Madisyn slept over. The girls were excited to watch the premeire of Disney's "Princess Protection Program" with Lexi's favorite new star, Selena Gomez. They set up blankets, popped popcorn, and made cookies in preparation for the movie. It was really cute! It was a fun sleepover.
The next morning we went to our town's parade. The kids loved the candy of course, the floats, policemen on motorcycles, and seeing many of their friends in the parade.

DaNcE FeStIvAl

2009-06-05T16:13:00.000-06:00

Every year since Lexi was in kindergarten their school has done a Dance Festival at the end of the school year. Each grade gets to do a dance from a specific decade. The kids had fun learning about that decade and the music and "funny clothes" that were worn. It is such a fun tradition and can't help feeling a little nastalgic as I watched the 6th graders dance to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Erasure and The Thompson Twins while wearing leg warmers, leggings, neon colors, and crimped hair. Gotta love those 80's!
Alexis got to do the 50's "Hand Jive" from the movie "Grease" in her poodle skirt and all. Carter danced to the "Twist" from the 60's. They both had a great time and a fabulous job!

Can't Believe It's Over Again.

2009-05-25T09:53:00.000-06:00

Well, the kids went off track and are back in school one last time before the school year is out. We have had an enjoyable time and can't figure out where the time went between swimming lessons, Lily's birthday, Memorial Day, St. George, playing at the parks, neighborhood water gun fights, reading Harry Potter, and playing, playing, playing (they did do their chores because I insisted). It was a lot of fun and I can't believe it's over!

We finally got our trampoline up the day the kids went back to school. They have been anticipating this for almost three summers. We finally got our yard somewhat done so we could set it up. This will keep them busy this summer! Can't wait for the five of us to sleep out on it this year.
We had a fun Memorial Day. My parents invited us over for a BBQ. Jeff and Aubrey brought their waterslide which the kids absolutely loved. It was fun visiting, eating, and playing.

Cam and Ashley on the swing

My cute grandmother

Zach and Wendy
Greg and Jen with the kids

Alexis and Carter took swimming lessons again. They are really doing well and had a blast! Lexi has come a long way since she has always been afraid of water. She still won't go under the water for very long but her technique is awesome. She especially loves the dolphin kick. Carter is doing amazing and is a little fish.

At the Skate Park

Carter has been asking to go to the New Skate Park by our house since the school year has started. I hadn't found a great time to go because it usually is very crowded and there are a lot of teenage boys there of course with some not-so-nice vocabulary that I didn't want my children exposed to. So I finally had a brilliant idea to go while they were off-track....best idea ever! It was not crowded at all because all the older kids are in school. We packed lunches and invited our friends that are on the same track to go with us. It was a big hit, we were there for three hours and finally pried my kids's little fingers off the handle bars of their bikes and scooters so we could go home because we were all so sunburned. We thought we would go again before school started but ran out of time.

Berry Happy Birthday Lily!

2009-05-13T17:13:00.000-06:00

My little girl turned 4 on Monday! Lily has been so excited for her Birthday and her Strawberry Shortcake Party. She invited all her little friends and cousins. They played "Don't Eat Strawberry Shortcake", freeze danced to Strawberry Shortcake music, played "Pass the Orange", & watched a Strawberry Shortcake movie. She had so much fun and loved being in the spotlight. Happy Birthday sweet girl, we love you!

Miss Lily had fun dressing up and delivering her strawberry invitations to all of her friends.

Strawberry Shortcake has to have her berry best pet at her side.

OuR LItTle GeTaWay

2009-05-06T22:41:00.000-06:00

Some of the best vacations are the spur-of-the-moment ones. On Monday, I went to take the kids to swimming lessons since they are off-track and Paul calls me and says, "How about we go for a ride to St. George and soak up some sun." All I could say was "Yay!" So off we went. I was a nice ride. We stopped off in Beaver to visit the Cache Valley Cheese Factory to buy some yummy "Squeaky Cheese" (cheese curd). We had fun swimming when we got there at the hotel, ate at In N' Out Burger,and watched the Disney Channel before we fell asleep. We did some more swimming the next morning and then walked around the temple grounds, and did a lot of sight-seeing. The trip was very theraputic, those sun rays and a little rest and relaxation was much needed! Too bad it was short but it felt great.
Thanks Kristi for some fun ideas to do there!

We went to the golf course where they fimed High School Musical 2. The kids pointed out lots of places from the movie and thought it was a lot of fun!

Fabulous! Lily felt just like a movie star or Sharpay while she was there.

This was the kids first time visiting the temple....it was absolutely breathtaking!

It was so refreshing to swim in a pool under the stars and in the warm sunlight.

My Sleeping Beauty

2009-04-22T21:25:00.000-06:00

So I'm finding out the my little girl sleep walks. Most of the time I catch her doing it but if I'm out cold I don't hear her walking around and later find her sleeping in weird places. She crawls in bed with Carter, lays on the bathroom rug, on the couch, on the kitchen rug, in the hallway, and other unusual places. Paul and I were discussing it one day and laughing and Lily asked what sleep-walking was. We explained to her what it was and she was horrified and said "Well, in the movie "Sleeping Beauty," She sleep walks up to the tower and gets her finger pricked and has to have a boy kiss her to wake her up!"
We don't know what she thought was worse getting her finger pricked or getting kissed by a boy. It was a good laugh. Carter also sleep walks, but usually it's before I go to bed and I have to watch him close because I never know where he's going to go to the bathroom. Whatever it is, it makes for an exciting night.

Just For Fun

2009-04-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

As I was going through my pictures I stumbled across these cute ones of Easter. I had every intention of developing the first one and sending out cards that year for Lily's first Easter but, life got busy and I didn't. So I just had to post these for fun. Hope you have a very Happy Easter!

She had had it in the end....but still so cute!

Go Jazz!!!

2009-03-31T16:11:00.000-06:00

Paul and Carter are the biggest Jazz fans! They are also the biggest Deron Williams fans! Imagine their surprise when they went to the Jr. Jazz meets a Player and it was De Will himself! The kids got to asks him all sorts of questions like what's your favorite xbox game or what's your favorite movie in which he replied, "The Little Mermaid, I watched that one today with my littLe girls." Paul was actually impressed with him. He is really down to earth and was really cute with the kids. Now he is even more of a fan if that is possible. My boys had the time of their lives. Carter got to sit in the front row, got his autograph, and gave him a high five!
Last night for Jr. Jazz, Paul and Carter went with our neighbors to the Jazz game. Carter was able to get Kyle Korver's and Paul Milsap's autographs.
We are excited that the Jazz did so well this season and look forward to the play offs. GO JAZZ!!!!!

Lucky Me!

2009-03-18T20:52:00.000-06:00

I'm the Luckiest Mom Ever!!!
Paul, Carter, and I got to go the Jazz game for St.Patrick's Day. Go Jazz!!!
Our "Green Dinner" consisted of green eggs, green pancakes, green milk, and ham.

Wearin' O the Green

I hope everyone had a very "Lucky" and Happy St. Patrick's Day! The night before we had a fun FHE on leprechauns and shamrocks. We learned an Irish Jig to some fun Irish music, played a game called "Who's Stole the Leprechaun's Pot of Gold" and had yummy "Shamrock Shakes" for dessert. On St. Patty's Day the kids had fun getting dressed in green. That night I made a really quick "Green" dinner because Paul, Carter, and I got to go to the Jazz game while the girls hung out at the neighbors house. It was a lot of fun spending time with Carter alone. We spotted Pres. Monson directly across from us. Carter was pretty tickled that our Prophet is a Jazz fan. He kept giving us updates while looking through the binoculars what he was doing, like he is eating ice cream right now or he is clapping. Paul and I look forward to taking the other two out soon and letting them pick what they want to do.

All I can say is that I am a very lucky girl! I have wonderful family and friends....life is good!

Off Track Time

2009-03-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun time being off track. We went to the zoo, the Kid's Fair, sleepovers, swimming, birthday parties, reading Magic Treehouse books, and American Girl books, movie nights, gameboard days, and being together.

We went to Classic Fun Center for my nephew Cam Jr's 1st birthday. The kids had a great time! Happy Birthday Cam!
Lily with some of her cute cousins.

We were invited to go to the Kid's Fair by my cute new neighbor. My mom and brother's family came with us. We had a fun time at all the booths. There were so many things for us to do. Thanks Hilary for inviting us and Happy Birthday Jen!

This is my favorite pic! My mom was just going to hold the python but at the last minute my mom talked a very reluctant Lexi to do the picture with her. She surprised her by wrapping the snake around her neck. Lexi informed her grandmother that "she owed her BIG time!!!"

Catching bubbles at the Gymboree area

Lily playing doctor with a teddy bear.
Face Painting: Lexi got a beautiful blue butterfly, Carter got a dinosaur, Lily was a pretty princess.
Star Wars characters are always a major bonus!
We took advantage of the Zoo's free day. The weather was actually really nice and the kids seemed to enjoy the outdoors after being cooped up all winter. We went with our neighbors the Barrons. Lexi favorite at the zoo this time were the spider monkeys, Carter - the apes and snakes, Lily the giraffes. Mine is always the tiger.

We had a fun sleepover with my brother and sister's families. We went swimming at the rec center, played a little Rock Band, and went to Golden Corral for my nephew's birthday. Thanks Ang & Shawn!

Paul and Greg playing a little Playstation 3
Sleepover with cousins

Happy Love Day!

2009-02-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

What a fun week this week was! We started off with our FHE lesson on Loving Our Family Members. All week long we secretly did kind things for one another. The kids had fun and I went into my room a few times and found my bed made and my room cleaned! Lily went to a very cute Valentine's Party at a friends house on Wed. and on Friday Carter and Lexi had their school parties. I was in charge of Lexi's and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Then I went to Carter's for awhile. We then had some of their cousin's sleep over that night. I made a fun Valentine's breakfast the next morning, Carter had his last Jr. Jazz game, and then we headed to Grantsville where we met up with three of Paul's sisters and their husbands, left all the kids to decorate cookies and play Valentine's games and we headed to Wendover and ate at the BEST buffet ever!
I love my sweet husband, my kids, and family and friends! Hope you all had a wonderful week filled with LOVE!
XOXOXOXO

Tag: 25 Random Things About Me

2009-02-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

1. I love to cook,, especially desserts.
2. I love to plan and host parties, I just wish a had the funds to really go all out!
3. I thought Paul was way too shy and a weirdo in the 5th Grade.
4. I bit my nails and toenails as a child.
5. I am a teen soap junkie (Dawson's Creek, 90210, One Tree Hill, The O.C., Felicity, Gilmore Girls)
6. I also love a good mystery.
7. I enjoy playing games.
8. I love teaching preschool, and want to do it full time.
9. I hate it when people crack their knuckles.
10. I am a major night owl.
11. I want to travel, travel, travel. I want to visit the New England states, New York, Hawaii, Italy, Israel, just to name a few.
12. I think my husband is a hottie!
13. I like reading people's blogs
14. I am deathly afraid of heights
15. I grit my teeth all the time, especially when I am sleeping.
16. I love water parks
17. I am not really into new babies. I like them about 5 months old.
18. LOVE Disneyland
19. I hope my girls don't go through all the female crap my mom and I have gone through.
20. When I sleep, I have to be in bed, has to be dark and quiet, and nobody touching me.
21. I hate cats! They give me the creeps!
22. I want to run a marathon. I just don't know where to start.
23. I think ice cream should be a main food group
24. I hate the dentist. I don't like my teeth cleaned, drilled, or anything. It grosses me out!
25. I am really starting to like camping.

Tag: Eight

2009-02-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

8 Favorite Television Shows
1. Lost
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. American Idol
5. Prison Break
6. One Tree Hill
7. Criminal Minds
8. 90210

8 Favorite Dishes
1. Lobster Bisque Soup (Zupa's)
2. chile verde burritos
3. prime rib
4. chicken artichoke angelhair pasta
5. fajitas
6. a good deli sandwich
7. oriental chicken salad
8. salmon

8 Things that Happened Yesterday
1. Stayed home from church with a sick kid
2. Scrapbooked ( I love when I can do this!)
3. Watched Gilmore Girls while I scrapbooked
4. Took a 2 1/2 hour nap
5. Helped kids with Valentine's for their classes
6. Had a yummy donut
7. Watched the Grammy Awards
8. Cleaned up throw up (yuck!)

8 Things That I Look Forward To
1. Summer
2. Valentine's Day (I love holidays!)
3. My puppy being potty trained
4. Life not to be so busy all the time!
5. My hubby not having to work so hard
6. A long happy life with Paul
7. Vacations
8. Weekends

8 Things I Love About Winter
1. Hot Chocolate
2. Snuggling in a warm blanket with my man and watching movies.
3. Sledding
4. Soup
5. Snowmobiling (we used to go all the time)
6. Making snowpeople
7. To vacation someplace where it is warm
8. Driving in it

8 Things On My Wish List
1. To get feeling better
2. To lose weight and keep it off
3. To travel the world with my hubby
4. To have money to do #3 and other things
5. To go see "Wicked" the musical
6. For my kids to lead happy, healthy, and righteous lives
7. To be strong in all my trials
8. To just enjoy life

I tag anyone who wants to play along.

Tag: Random Picture

2009-02-09T18:42:00.001-07:00

The Rules:

1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.
6. So here we go.......

My parents bought tickets for Lexi, my niece Brooklynne, my sister Angie, my mom, and I to go to see High School Musical on Ice. We all had fun singing to the music and enjoyed the amazing props and costumes that Disney always goes all out on. My parents are always taking the kids to such fun things and spending time with them. Thanks Mom & Dad for all the memories!