Summer Days

So we have been enjoying our summer days so far. The weather finally decided to warm up so we could put away the sweaters and long sleeved shirts for a while. Man 60 degrees as a high those first few June days really were a bummer.

My cousin, Mikayla, came to stay with us for 3 1/2 weeks and we have been having a blast. I'm not sure she would say the same thing (4 kids can be a little overwhelming) but we are loving it! She is an awesome help and I love having her around. I think I may go through withdrawals when she leaves to go home.
We have gone swimming, to Lagoon, to the movies, to the zoo, etc. We are really enjoying ourselves and trying to keep busy and keep everyone entertained.
Sean and I even slipped away Wednesday night for an impromptu date night. We went and saw KNIGHT and DAY. It was awesome. The next day we took the kids to see Toy Story 3. I loved both movies!

We are also working to get our backyard finished. I can't WAIT!! They just finished the patio in the back. Now we just have to get bids for cement. As soon as the grading is done Sean will start the sprinkling system. He is still working hard on the waterfall in the front to get it finished too. He had it all laid out but then changed some things and had to start over. It will be amazing when it is finished. I promise I will post pictures soon! I have lots of them.

We can dance, we can dance

The girls had their Spring Dance Recital Wednesday night and both did a fabulous job. I love watching them dance. I also love to see how much they have both progressed. They love getting ready for the big day and getting up on the stage. They make me proud.

This is Rylee with her teacher, Ms. Jenna. She was so sweet.

Daddy brought them both flowers again

Rylee, Tay, and Kate. Cute, cute girls!

Now they have to wait until Fall again to shake it!

weekend fun

On Saturday afternoon we went on our postponed Memorial Day visit to my dad's grave. It was a beautiful day with only a handful of other people at the cemetery so it was nice. I took Tayler, Rylee and Jackson with me and Jayson stayed home to do yard work with Dad. We met Mom at the mall and then headed up to the cemetery. Mom brought these fun paper flowers to decorate the grave with this year and Tayler and Rylee made pictures.
It is always nice to clean off the headstone and sit around and chat. We had fun walking around and looking at other headstones as well. Tayler found 1 of someone born on her birthday and another that died on her birthday.

I love our tradition of going to the grave. It makes me so happy.

That morning we took the kids to Lagoon. We tried to arrive as close to 10 a.m. (when it opened) as we could so that the lines wouldn't be too long yet. It was perfect. We stayed until 1:00 and then headed out. I have yet to ride Wicked with Tayler. Every time we go that stinkin' ride is closed. Oh well, we have the whole summer right?

Saturday night little Jackson screamed pretty much the whole night. It was so sad. Sean took him to the Dr. early Sunday morning and he has a nasty cold and ear infection. Last night his cries sounded so sad because he had a little bit of laryngitis. The antibiotic is working well though and he is almost back to our happy boy. Love medicine!

SUMMER vacation starts today! WAHOO. Wish we had a car though. The Yukon is back in the shop with other issues. If it isn't one thing it's another. I thought we were done with car repairs on that vehicle, but apparently we aren't! We kicked off the morning having pancakes w/strawberries and whipping cream. Now we just need to find our pool key so we can start headin' to the pool. Let the laziness begin.

p.s. Tayler was 6th in her spelling spree. I am so proud of her. When I asked how it went she said "horrible" so I figured she was one of the first one's out.. nope she said horrible because she didn't win. Funny girl!

Family Pictures

Two weeks ago we had our family pictures taken by my new fabulous friend Lynette. She is amazing and it was so much fun. Thanks Lynette. We love you!

Here are a few of my favorite's:

Field Trip Day

Today Tay's class is going to the zoo for their field trip. She was so excited and today turned out to be a beautiful day-- even with NO rain! Hooray. How cute is she?

Can you believe she is almost a 3rd grader? Man, where has time gone since I brought home my first little baby. This girl is amazing.

Yesterday they had a "spelling spree" in class and 3 kids are picked from each 2nd grade class to compete against each other (at least I think that is how it works). She was one of the 3 kids from her class to make it to the final round on Friday. She came home and said that she has butterflies about it. Cute girl! We have been spelling everything we can think of. She does a great job. Sean said that her and I should have a spell off.. he wasn't sure how to put his money on! HAHA. I told her she will do great on Friday. She has had such a wonderful 2nd grade year. I am proud of her on so many levels.

Memorial Day

There is nothing I love better than seeing the flag flying. There is such a sense of peace and reverence that I feel and gratitude to all those that made it possible to enjoy so many things.

Yesterday was a beautiful day so we spent many hours in our yard. There is always so much to do and it seems overwhelming at times, but if we take it piece by piece it will get done! Sean started the waterfall by our front porch. It is going to be awesome! All of us worked together in the yard pulling weeds. Man those things are out of control. Then I mowed the lawn while the kids had a little picnic eating lunch. It was so much fun to work together. Jackson joined us in his bouncer seat from the porch. He loved being outside and never made a peep (literally the whole day).
Afterwards, we headed to Salt Lake to get Sean his early Father's Day Present. He got a sweet bike. I never had any idea how much a bike could cost. HOLY MOLY! Just a small investment. He is riding in the "cure for Diabetes" for work on the 14th. I think he is riding 65 miles. He'll do awesome now that he has his nice bike. I think I could pick it up with just one finger because it is so light.

After we hurried to Lagoon to enjoy the last 1 1/2 hours before it closed at 7. We only rode a few rides, but it was perfect. I love to have season passes so that you don't feel guilty for only staying a few hours each time. Tayler rode BLAST OFF. She is so brave. The whole time she was laughing and chatting. I have to admit that one scares me a wee bit, but it was nothin' to her. I love that she can ride all of the big kid rides now. It's so fun. I think she has now had the chance to ride every single ride there. We then went to dinner and came home at 8:30 and crashed. Everyone was exhausted. It was a fabulous day in so many ways. Next weekend my mom and I are going to visit my Dad's grave. I enjoy going there too and am glad we are going when it won't be so crazy. I hope all the flags are still up though.

NOW...bring on June! I can't wait for school/dance/soccer/etc. to be over. It will be fun to just go to the pool and Lagoon and not have an agenda. I love summertime.

I AM Mom

I asked Jayson to get dressed a little while ago to which he adamantly said "I already AM mom." I was a bit puzzled wondering how he could get his clothes on that fast. When I saw him I said "Jayson, you're not dressed silly boy" to which he replied "Yes I am Mom, Tigger is my clothes and I'm going to school."

Alright then. How can I argue with that?

He's a GeM!

My little peanut

Today we headed to the Dr. for Jackson's 4 month check up.

You may be asking yourself why my kids look like they are dressed for winter.. well, because it snowed and was 37 degrees out--that's why.

This little peanut:

weight: 13.1 lbs; 14%

length: 25 inches; 50%

head: 27%

Everything looks good. He smiled the whole time at the Dr. and nurse until the shots. I really dislike shots. I think Rylee was really worried about the shots though. She talked about them all night and all morning and then when the time came she covered her ears so that she wouldn't hear him cry. Sad. He was just fine.

We sure do love this little guy. His favorite thing is to suck his fingers. He won't use a binki but he will fall asleep sucking his fingers. It's adorable.

In other news: This weekend my sister Julie came into town. It was so much fun to see her and hang out. Friday we hit Costco after the airport and then went to the mall when Jayson woke up and Tay came home from school. Then Sunday we went out to my Mom's and had a yummy dinner and enjoyed some time together. It was great fun! I enjoyed every minute. I'm sad that I didn't take any pictures though.

He is growing...

Sound asleep on the couch. He usually won't sleep unless he is on his tummy, but this morning he was extra tired and gave up while I was helping to get Tayler off to school.
close up

just a happy boy!

I can't believe that he has been with us almost 4 months already. They really do grow up so dang fast. He is so much fun! We are going to hit 80 today. YAHOO! I am excited to head to the park in a few minutes.

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! It started out Friday night when Sean gave me my mother's day gift which were these awesome dishes! I love them. Everything looks and tastes better on them :) They are so pretty and I am diggin' the square dishes these days. He came me enough to serve 12. I have already loved using them.

Then Saturday my mom came up and we went out to lunch at the Olive Garden and went shopping. It was so much fun! We laughed and had an awesome time looking and trying on clothes. We found some cute one's and some not so cute one's. I loved every minute. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful mom in my life who is also such a great friend. I love her so much and am grateful for the time I get to spend with her.

Then Sunday Sean made an amazing breakfast. He made chocolate covered strawberries (which were so good), Belgian waffles w/ whipping cream and strawberries, sausage & hash browns. He even came me a special glass to drink out of at my place. He really does treat me so good. Yep, he did all that and was SO sick. He had the stomach flu. I told him that he didn't need to do anything (once I found out he was sick), but he kept on going. He fed Jackson and got Jayson ready for church and then we left to give him a little peace & quiet. The happenings at church were one catastrophe after another, but we won't dwell on that. It ended up being okay and I really did laugh at everything that happened instead of stressing. I am sure my ward members think we are truly the circus. Oh well. When we got home Sean had made Cafe Rio pork burritos for lunch. They tasted so good. Then we all laid down and had a nap-- best gift ever! Oh, and I can't forget Tayler's cutest gift too. She was so excited to give it to me. She made it at school and brought it home Friday and then waited to give it to me until Sunday (I know this was hard for her). She kept telling me all weekend how excited she was. So Sunday morning at breakfast she pulled it out. It made me tear up a bit. It was a love jar that had several hearts inside with special things about me on each one and why she loves me. She said "mom, when you need a pick me up just pull one of these out." It was adorable and I really do love it. I have a feeling it will really come in handy ;)

It was a good day. I am grateful to be a mother and have 4 little kids to call my own. I know I fall short so many times in being a good mom and it isn't easy most days, but I am still grateful to be a mother. I know I have many guardian angels helping me along.

The Rescue

Sorry it has been a while since I posted!

...

I need to document the rescue that took place on my mom's birthday. When Sean got home Jackson and I headed out to my mom's to surprise her for her birthday and take her to dinner and a movie. Well, that never happened! :(

On my way out my gas light came on, but I figured I would be fine until I got off of her exit. About 10 miles from her house my car started to decelerate. I had lost all power so I quickly pulled over to the shoulder of the road. I was laughing because I thought I ran out of gas (in hindsight that would have been awesome if that had been it). So I called my mom to come and rescue me. I called her and said "surprise mom I'm almost to your house, but I need your help" After I told her what happened and she laughed at me she told me that she would be there in a while. She had to round up some cash in order to get some gas to bring to me since her wallet had been stolen (that's a whole other story). Dilemma #1. Thankfully she did find some and was there in about 15 minutes. We laughed and I went around the car to put the gas in. After I emptied the gas can I thought sweet let's get out oh here. By this time it was REALLY windy and lots of big semi's were passing at high speeds. I was just hoping we didn't get hit.
We get Jackson strapped back in his car seat and I turn the key and nothing happens. Alright, what the heck. I did remember seeing my battery light come on right when I started loosing speed so I thought maybe I just needed a jump. In order to do that, my mom did a U turn on 1-80 during rush hour so that she was facing my car. It was an awesome maneuver! She got out her jumper cables and has instructions. No big deal right? When I went to hook the black cable on to "ground it" sparks started flyin' (scared the crap out of me). After hooking it all up again I went to the car, turned the key and NOTHING! I was dying. So we redo the connection for the 3rd time thinking something may have been put in the wrong spot and again NOTHING!
UGH, that' s when I call USAA for Roadside assistance. They agree to send a tow truck, but we have to stay with the vehicle. Great. It was hot and muggy and there were 1000's of mosquito's (since we were right by the Great Salt Lake) so we couldn't roll down the windows. Ahh, what a way to spend a birthday right? My mom opened her present that I had for her and then the tow truck came. We packed everything into her car. She had to do another U turn to pull out onto 1-80. We headed up to the Ford dealership where they were taking my car. However by this time it was 7:30 and it was closed so I was stuck. We left the keys so the could work on it the next morning. We then headed to Walmart to get some groceries and picked up a cheesecake for her birthday. Sean ended up bringing all the other kids out because he had a 7:00 a.m. meeting the next morning that he couldn't miss. After the kids were settled and tucked into bed we ate the cheesecake. It was about 10:30. I felt horrible. I really was trying to make it a fun birthday and instead it turned into a circus. I am grateful for a wonderful, easy going mom who was just happy to help. We really owe her big and hope to make it up sometime. I am just grateful that she was there and able & willing to rescue me. I love her!

Well it ended up being the fuel pump. Not cheap. The next day we had to take Sean's car in because it was acting funny too. Another big part that needed to be fixed. Needless to say, I am done with car repairs.

Happy happy birthday

... to an amazing person I get to call MOM!

She is beautiful inside and out and I am so glad that we live close enough to see her every once in a while (although still not enough).

I hope you have a very happy birthday! Thanks for all you do for me.
Loves and Hugs to you on this special day

XXOXOX

Grateful Sunday

family; near and far. It's just good to know you are loved.

health; this weekend I have been down and out with something AWFUL. I can't imagine living this way all the time. Thank heavens my awesome husband picked up the pieces and worked his tail off doing yard work, cooking, cleaning, mopping, taking the kids to the park & church (all 4 of them) so that I could have peace & quiet and sleep. What a stud. He really is amazing.

financial security; I am so thankful for Sean's job and that he has worked so hard to provide for our family even though it includes way too many sleepless nights working on a project he has to finish.

home; I love my home. I love the memories I can create with my family. I hope it will always be a place that they feel safe and loved and want to be.

laughter; sometimes (all the the time according to Sean) I forget to laugh at things instead of getting high strung about them. I should remember the saying "don't sweat the small things" and just roll with it. When I do laugh I love it and definitely need to do it more often.

My little blue eyed boy

turned 3 months yesterday!

He is SUCH a joy to have in our home.

He is now sleeping 12 hours at night (straight)

He can do a full on push up (since he is a belly sleeper) when he wakes up.

He is starting to belly laugh and it makes us all crack up

He is moving all over his crib so I don't think it will be long until he does roll

He is usually content unless he is hungry or needs to be burped

He drinks from a bottle with no problem (believe me that is HUGE for us. All of my other kids were too stubborn and would only eat from ME. It is so nice!

I just can't get enough of my Jax. He is so much fun.

I love each stage that they grow into. However, it does make me a little sad that I just put away all of his 0-3 month clothes. (Ahh, I think he's my last, so it is even a little more sad). I am so grateful to have him in our family.

Park City, Soccer, and Lagoon

Tay's Spring Break this year was right after Easter Weekend so Sean took the week off as well to play with us. He still worked a ton (because he had so many projects to get done, he is amazing) but he was still with us when we were awake and doing something. He stayed up late many nights to work. We originally toyed with the idea of going to St. George or Las Vegas, but in the end we just went to Park City and had so much fun. Sean found this awesome place by the Canyon Resort which was way nice. The kids had their own bedroom and 2 flat screen TV's and we had our own room with a kitchen and living room in the middle. It was fabulous. The kids loved swimming (sorry no pictures of that). We also shopped the outlets and got all the kids summer clothes. That was my favorite part! I am so excited for summer now.

What a hottie!

We also went out to eat, went to Boondocks, saw "How to Train a Dragon" (which I LOVED. It was such a cute movie) and lots of other fun stuff.

On Saturday Tay had her 1st soccer game of the season. She did awesome for not playing for 5 months. Pink Thunder is back in action. Jayson and Rylee made an excellent cheering section again.

We told Tayler if she scored a goal that we would take them to Lagoon and get Season passes. She sure tried her hardest, but didn't get a goal this time. We still took them however. It was Jayson's first time at any place with rides and he loved it. We stayed about 6 hours and everyone had a great time. Tayler is tall enough to ride all the rides so her and Sean headed off to ride the new scary roller coaster Wicked when we first got there. She is a brave girl. It ended up being a really nice day. Not too chilly, but perfect! I think it got up to 67 that afternoon so it was nice.

Their favorite ride of the day was the one with the water slide. I thought they were crazy since it would be cold when they were all wet, but they loved it and wanted to do it over and over again. We all came home a little sun-kissed. Ah, I love the sun!

It was an awesome SPRING BREAK week. I wish it would happen once a month! We loved having Sean around and it was so nice to have a change of pace. I love my little family so much and love the memories that we have of being together. I hope they do too!