152/365

We Got A Trampoline!!!!

This has been the best decision ever! We decided to go in on a trampoline with 3 of our neighbors we share yards with.  It is becoming the summer hangout spot for all the kids.  

We decided to have a little family fun time as well.

Brighton wants to be like his big brother.... Kade's getting great at backflips

Go Brian. Go!

Connor liked hanging out on the grass.

Avery doing killer tricks!

No one was too impressed with my bounce down on my butt, but after 4 kids, I couldn't even do this without peeing my pants.  I probably won't be spending too much time on the trampoline :)

151/365

(I know I am way behind, I'm trying to catch up... but here's today's post)

Brighton has said some of the funniest things the last couple days.

#1: I was giving him a bath and he had a scrape on his knee. I said, "Oh Bright, do you have an owee on your knee?" He replied, "no.. it's just a birth mark" . :)

#2: OK.. this was funny, but this little defiant attitude he has right now is going to drive Brian and I to drink one of these days..

We were having dinner and of course he decided he wasn't going to eat. After the dishes were being cleaned up, he went into the pantry to get a granola bar. I told him no because he hadn't eaten his chicken. He then proceeded to go to the fridge for some cheese.... same deal buddy... no food unless you eat your dinner.

So I grabbed his plate, took everything off of it except for 3 little pieces of chicken and told him he wouldn't get to eat anything until he ate his chicken.

He threw a bit of a fit for a second and then I saw a light bulb go off in his head as he said, "Mom, I going to Angie's" (she's our neighbor)

uhhhhhhh no he isn't trying to pull one over on me at 3 years old!!! That little pill! He knows Angie will give him treats. He practically lives in her pantry.

As he walks out the door, I call Angie to give her a heads up. Sure enough, a second later, I hear that cute little voice (and I'm sure puppy dog eyes too) through the phone say, "Angie, I want a treat" Oh that little stinker! Now Angie is a sucker for Bright. She loves the kid and he probably get away with murder if he gave her one of his famous twinkley eyed, dimple infused smile. (Yes, it's hard for me to say no to that face too, but this is war! Now I understand I'm being overly stubborn on this one, it's just a couple pieces of chicken, but come on, the kid needs to learn the rules. )

Angie is talking to me on the phone while Bright is trying to pull a fast one on me. Then I hear it..... the words that make me feel happy over the control I've got (ya, ya... give me a break. I know I won't be able to have this power for very many more years!) Angie says, "sorry brighton, you have to go eat your chicken". Then I hear Bright say, "nooo! and starts to make a fake huffing sound like he's about to start a fake cry"

Well, his darling little face couldn't keep Angie strong for long. She held her ground, but said, "bright, here. Lets put some cheetos in a bag and you can have them after you eat your chicken.". Well, it worked! That little pill walked over (with Angie, for supervision, so he wouldn't cheat) and came over and happily ate his 3 pieces of chicken.... then devoured his cheetos!

KIDS!!

YES, they are cute.

YES, they are hilarious.

YES, they are pills.

YES, they make you want to be stubborn just to prove a point.

YES, I can't get enough of their funny personalities.

YES, I love them more than anything in this world.

136/365

Ahhhh, What a Beautiful Day!!

Kaden finally went back to school today.  4 weeks off track, then he got a bonus week off because he was sick.

But today, life was good.  House was clean. Kaden at school. Avery at school. Brighton and Connor took a 2 1/2 hour nap.
Ohhhhh the beautiful sound of silence!!!

135/365

This little prayer made my day.  Some prayers are said just to get them done, some prayers are soul searching, some prayers are full of thanks, some prayers are silent, some prayers are to help in times of struggle. Other prayers are straight from the heart. Simple, pure,  Perfect.... this was one of those. Given from the heart of a 5 year old little girl.
Avery, Thank You for helping me remember what prayers are all about.
I love you.


"Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day. Thank you that we could go to Grandma's for Family Night.
Please bless mommy that she will make pretty cakes. Bless mommy that she will do good at her Bridal Shows.
Bless Daddy that he will do Young Men's perfectly.
Bless Kaden that he will feel better and stop coughing.
Bless Brighton that he won't bite or hit.
And bless Connor that he won't cry in the night.
Please bless me that I won't complain about going to preschool.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

133/365

Avery went on her own little photo shoot today.
My favorite picture is the piggy bank.

132/356

HAPPY 12 YEARS!!!! 

The Top 12 Reasons I Love Being Married To Brian"

12-  He has given me 4 amazing children that are the joy of my life
11-  He puts me and the kids first.  He is always willing to do what ever is needed.
10-  He does the yard work and takes out the garbage cans each week
 9-   He not only supports all my crazy plans, (ex... starting a wedding cake business) but will stay up till the wee hours of the night helping me without a single complaint.
 8-   He is the BEST dad!
 7-   He makes me laugh
 6-   He knows me better than I know myself
 5-   He is my best friend
 4-   He thinks I'm beautiful even when I don't feel so myself
 3-   He makes sure I slow down every once in a while to get out and enjoy nature
 2-   He is always willing to fold laundry, change diapers, do dishes and take the kids when I need it the most.
 1-   He ALWAYS says "I love you" whenever we get off the phone with eachother.. even if it's just a quick call asking him to pick up milk before he leaves work.

I love you Brian.  You are the best part of my life.

131/365

The kids had a blast roasting marshmallows at our neighbors house today.

129/365

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

The highlight of my mothers day was by far spending time with all the beautiful mothers in my life, but today was pretty great as well. Yesterday I had a lunch for my mom, Shauna, Grandma K, Jeannie and Grandma Horton. I feel so bad I forgot to take the picture before Shauna had to leave and Grandma Horton wasn't feeling well so she couldn't come.  It was such a wonderful day for me to celebrate my love for these amazing women in my life.

I'm so blessed.
Beautiful kids,
Awesome Husband,
Other moms in my life that inspire and make me a better person.

128/365 part 2

What a night!

Just spent the last hour an half at InstaCare with Kaden. After a chest x-ray, we found out the little guy has phnemonia.

Poor guy.Publish Post

127/365

Tonight was late over.   I can't believe I forgot to take pictures!!!

The kids wrote special cards for their moms for mothers day, dipped strawberries in chocolate and helped make mint truffles. They were all super excited to give their moms the yummy treats!

It's getting to be pretty funny.  All the kids have favorite things about each house when we do late over.  Jana always makes chocolate chip cookies, Jenni lets them choose what they want to eat, and I guess I've become the craft house. Whenever it's at my house, the kids always come up and ask me what type of craft we'll be doing that night.

 I'm wishing I had one of Jana's chocolate chip cookies right now! mmmmmm.

Day 22 HCG:  loss as of today:   23.2 out of a 100 lbs to lose by April 2012

126/365

First Lemonade Stand of the season.

They made a whole $3.00 and most of that was from Angie and I.

Life is good.

123,124,125/365

Moab is my kids favorite getaway.  Here's a glimpse of our fun little trip.

We LOVE this tradition!


We Rented a fun little cabin. This place is a keeper.  Mini Golf, Swimming, BBQ's, Playgrounds, Scavenger Hunts, Human Chess and Checkers... this place had it all.

Moab trip just wouldn't be the same if we didn't try to push Balanced Rock off the mountain.

  We do a little hiking.... not much, but we do enough that the kids still like it.

There's always jumping off cliffs.  Kaden's now a pro.

Traditional  Sand Burying

and Beach Toys for Sand Dune Arch

The park is always a must.  The kids brought their scooters this year to try out the skate park.  

Check out Kaden riding the rail.  

 

The #1 Reason we go to Moab????

Swimming. Swimming. Swimming.... then some more Swimming.

Did I mention my kids LOVE Swimming???

122/365 moab

We headed to Moab today. The kids waited in the car for an hour while we were finishing packing up.

Ya think they are excited???

121/365

I made a groom super happy with this little surprise today.

I dedicated this cake to the biggest BYU/Jazz fans I know.....Thayne and Jordan.

120/365 ap29

Unless you have had a kid that loves trains, you have no appreciation for this post.
I got all the tracks to fit!!!! (It only took me an hour, and just a couple curse words under my breath, but I got them all to fit!!!!)
This is HUGE news. I'm so proud of myself.



It's all worth it for this cute little guy.  Just look at him?  Ahhhh! I can't get enough. He melts my heart.

119/365

Avery was playing outside with the boys and all of a sudden I hear her come into the house saying, "You guys were not listening to me.  You need to go into time out for a while"

What could they have possibly done to deserve this?? Poor, Poor animals.  

You better mind Avery better next time.

118/365

My two guys sound asleep.  So cute.

144/365

Happy Easter!

114/365

Brian and I were guests to the hottest, most trendy candy store in the city.  The food was delicious!!!!
It was a little pricey, but luckily we had a whole wallet full of imaginary money.
The owner was super nice and was happy to serve us whatever we wanted.  My favorite were the chocolate brownies.  mmmmmmmm

113/365

Happy Birthday Brian!!

36 years old this year! Wow!! We have been together for nearly 19 years!!!


Love you!

Day 8 HCG:  loss as of today:   13.7 out of a 100 lbs to lose by April 2012

109/365

Little Brother wants to be just like Big Brother

This one just lost tooth #5,

This one just wants to show off his teeth for the camera.

107/365

Today was yet another Bridal Show.  There were 5 other cake decorators there this time. This is by far the most I've ever had to compete with.  My favorite part of the show this time was that we had a cake eating contest.  There were 5 couples who were competing for a free wedding cake.  They had to eat a cake (feeding eachother with only their hands). Who ever got done first was the winner.

It was hilarious.

106/365

Brian and I started HCG diet today.  500 calories a day.  No sugar. No carbs.

Oh my gosh, it's going to be a LONG 6 weeks!!

But in saying that, it needs to be a good 6 weeks.  I need to take control of my body. I need to not eat everything I see.  I don't even recognize myself in the mirror anymore.  I don't like what I see.  It's time to make some changes.

Here's the goal:   100 pounds lost by April 2012.

Starting weight is much more than I ever dreamed it would be... now it's time to prove who is in charge! Is it going to be food or myself????   The road will be rough, but in the end, it WILL be worth it.

105/365

Today I helped out my friend with watching her little girl.  

The truth is, she didn't want anything to do with me, but she couldn't get enough of Avery.  

She is an amazing little mom.  She's going to be and incredible real mom someday. 

Thanks Aves for your help.  You saved the day.

104/365

Oh my Gosh, I love this kid!!!
Look how cute his chubby feet are???

He's gotten into a bad habit of crying if he can't see me around.  So, he spends alot of time in this little blue chair on the kitchen counter.  We flirt back and forth while I'm cooking or doing dishes.

103/365

We finally had a day warm enough to play outside.

The kids didn't waste anytime getting out and enjoying the sun! Nor did they decide they were going to make cute faces in this picture.  What in the world are they doing? Crazy kids.

102/365

Today was the annual Springview Farms Easter Egg Hunt. 

The kids had a blast, and even got to meet the Easter Bunny! 

Connor was just chillin in his car seat, fast asleep.. He didn't get to participate this year.

Run Kade, Run!!

Avery loved the bunny!

Brighton had it all figured out. He would grab an egg, shake it, open it up, throw the candy in the basket and drop the egg back on the grass.  (That kid cracks me up!)

101/365

We were really lucky today to have Evelyn Thacker come over for dinner.  She's a lady across the street I get to visit teach. The kids drew her pictures, sang her songs, showed off karate and dance moves, and she even got a crash course of different thomas the train characters.
We had a great night.

                            (I love that none of my kids are even looking at the camera..... nice)

The coolest thing about this lady is that she's 96 years old!
I hope I look this great when I'm that age.

100/365

Tonight was much like every other Saturday night.

We've made a new tradition.

Saturday nights =  Breakfast for dinner in our jammies (mom and dad too), movies and popcorn.
                                              Tonights show:  Nanny McPhee Returns
                                                             I LOVE this tradition.

99/365

Avery had her kindergarten orientation today.

She was one VERY EXCITED little girl.

(We had to have a very detailed discussion that she wasn't actually STARTING kindergarten today)

Here she is with her best friend Sam.  If I have my way, Sam will be my son in law someday. 

He is literally the sweetest kid I have EVER met! 

98/365

Today I spent most of the day working on wedding cakes.  Days like this I feel bad that my kids are being babysat by the television.  When the two oldest were at school, I took some time to just sit and play ball with Brighton.  Then later, he helped me make dinner.
Those little moments were the highlight of my day.  We had so much fun.
I need to remember the small things on my busy days.  It's what life's all about.

97/365

Another spectacular Daddy Daughter Day
Avery played "hookie" from preschool and went skiing with Brian today.
She skiied all day, then went to Zupas for a late lunch.  What could make the day better?
She also made her own "kicker" aka a jump, she was very proud that she could ski on the big hill (she doesn't think Kaden could do), her hockey stops are awesome, and she swore she wasn't tired on the way home only to be snoring a couple minutes later.

What would we do without daddy??? Life is pretty great around here.

96/365

A silly thing to blog about, but I'm doing the happy dance today because the school bus now picks up kids right in front of our house!!!
I can't tell you how AWESOME this is!

On a more "blog worthy" note.....  I've got the cutest boys ever!

95/365

Every time I leave town for any given amount of time,  our house turns into "Clingy World"
Bright wouldn't leave my side today.  He cried when I opened the garage to take out the garbage, and when I put him down for a nap, he said, "Mom, don't leeeeeeve me"!

I'm going to miss these days when they don't need me as much.

94/365

The worst part about coming home....
 87 degrees yesterday in St. George..... 35 driving home today.  Spring in Utah... I just don't get it.

The best part of coming home......
Huge hugs and kisses,  An adorable welcome home sign and kids begging for their presents.  Life away for a few days makes being a mom even better.

92-93/365

For the past two days, this was my life.

A good book.
An awesome Husband.
Sleeping In.
Palm Trees
Warm Weather
and best of all......
NO KIDS!!!!!