Smith Family Jewels

Casey and Franks Wedding

2012-02-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

In August Madi and I took a little road trip with my parents to California to visit attend my cousins wedding, we visited with Christy and Charlie, My Grandma and Aunts and Uncles, and of course my bestest friend Amy...why don't we have any pictures????

We stayed at circus circus in Reno to make the drive a little more bearable for the little kiddos.

My mom and her bag of gambling money....it totally cracks me up. My favorite part is that she accidently left it in the car so she had to have the valet guy go get the car for her so she could get her bag o change. I teased her that she tipped the valet in all quaters...

The next morning we woke up and headed to Sacramento. I am not going to lie the entire trip was planned around what I was going to eat while I was there. The food included Jim Boys Tacos....oh my favorite, togos, california donuts, BJ's, since we were only there for three days I had to plan out my meals according.

The wedding was gorgeous!!!
Me and Grandma Doris

I love my Aunt Jenny...is it wierd I still call her that????

Madi Cakes enjoying the road trip

Christy and I enjoying that awesome wedding party....because it was a very fun party!

The party included a rendition of YMCA just to tease my cousin since she did not want that song at her wedding, the boy cousins dressed up....well lets just include the picture, this is for you Charlie :)

Sailing and Swimming

2011-08-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Swimming has been a HUGE part of our summer fun. My kids would swim 24/7 if I let them, but since I am such an awful mother they only get to swim once a week or so. Everytime we go to the pool I totally space taking pictures so here are pictures from one of our swimming trips.

I know these goggles are ridiculous but oh my gosh she loves them and they totally crack me up.

Grayson and Maycie have both done so well swimming this year. They can both "dive" which isn't really diving, it's just swimming under water.

I LOVE TO GO SAILING...... Here are some fun pictures from our first sailing adventure with Grandma and Grandpa Rice

My dad is such an awesome Grandpa, he loves teaching the kids new things. They all
loved feeling like the Captain of the Ship for at least a couple minutes.

Oh Madi Bear you are just the cutest thing ever!

Enjoying the great outdoors

2011-08-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

We were very anxious to get outside this summer. We had a VERY long winter and I felt like I couldn't have handled one more week of cold weather, so when it finally warmed up we did some fun things!

We hiked donut falls with the Moons and the Silver Lake with my Aunt Connie and Uncle Ken, and of course Grandma Rice.

Stadium of FIRE

2011-08-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Stadium of Fire was AWESOME.

Once again my sister invited me and to my surprise we were in the front row. No pictures of us together will be included in this post because we both look like poop in every one I took. Kym is the bestest!!!! Anyway it was an awesome show. We got to see Brad Paisley and David Archuleta perform. And as the pictures show we were right up close! I didn't include and pictures of Brad because my phone battery died right before he came out....sad sad day!

Flaming Gorge 2011

2011-08-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

We took 2 pictures...that's it! So normally my favorite summer trip is to Flaming Gorge, but this year it was a little bit of a nightmare. We decided to camp with Jake and Manon which was fun when it wasn't raining but I think there was maybe a total of 10 hours without rain the whole 4 days! We tried to keep the kids dry but it was a joke. So instead of tanning, boating and crawdad fishing we hung out in the tent trying to stay dry, went and got ice cream, and took a tour of the Dam. Thank you Jake and Manon for being such great camping buddies!!!

I like to RUN.....................

2011-08-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I would really like to run, but I do and I am totally
addicted! So here is the recap of my first races:

My first race was the Race for the Cure....not really a real race but it was such a great experience. We had a great time and its pretty safe to say I want to make it a traditon. I did it with Allison, Jessica and her kiddos, they lost their mother and Grandma to breast cancer and I was honored they invited me to come. We had a great time, but it was definantly a day filled with emotion, reading the shirts and signs of the people walking with us just humbled me. It is such a great cause and I can't wait to do it again.

Ok so there is a reason we both look blinded by the light...it was 3:30 AM, niether of us slept a wink and I was totally running on adrenaline. The Utah Valley Half Marathon was my first real race. We loaded the buses at 3:30 and drove up the canyon to the starting point. When we got up to the top I realized my first mistake I didn't take any Ibuprophen, which is a total staple when I run since I have bursitus and it tends to flare up, so after asking a nice lady we found some and moved onto the starting line, once there I took my GU...mistake number 2, don't take GU with caffiene if you haven't taken it before. It totally made me sick. I was so nauses as soon as we hit the 1st mile marker. Ahhh all of my training and I felt like all I wanted to do was barf. Anyway I am still not sure weither it was the GU or the after math of the stomah flu I had the week prior but I finished. My goal was to finish in under 2:20 we had to make a couple bathroom breaks, but after all was said and done we finished in 2:24 (I think). I really couldn't have done it without Allison, she kept me going and stopped with me on all of my potty breaks...lol, I have had 4 kids remember, my bladder isn't what it used to be :)

Double the Fun

2011-08-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

This summer started out with an awesome party to celebrate Maycie turning 6 and my precious Madi turning 1! I still can't believe that a whole year has gone by. So to celebrate we decided on a hot pink and zebra print theme, you can't get much girlie than that! We really had a great time, it was perfect that my sisters were all in town to help celebrate. Thanks to the Smith Grandparents for letting us use your awesome yard! Did you see that cake? I have one talented sister. (thanks Dana)

Where do I begin?

2011-08-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

I have been so overwhelmed with updating since we have been so busy. So I will do my best.

Is it summer yet?

2011-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

We are dying to get outside and soak up the sun!

Running

2011-02-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe this is a little crazy but I have signed up to do my 1st 1/2 marathon in June...when I think about it June it seems like a long time, then I look at the training schedule and I think oh man I am not going to be able to run that far in this short amount of time. So here is to hope....that I will find the time, and keep up with the training schedule. I have always wanted to run a marathon so I am grateful to have Allison who is willing to help me get there. She is awesome, really and WAY to nice, I really need her to kick my butt and tell me to keep going.

As for investing in my first real pair of running shoes..........ta da! I don't love the way they look, in fact they were my least favorite in the looks department (the picture is cuter than real life), but they fit like a dream and I am excited to start training in them.

Funny Bradley moment: At the store I went to they analyze your run to help you find the best shoe, anyway, after I ran for a couple seconds on the treadmill Bradley says, whoa mom I'm weally proud of you I didn't know you knew how to run on one of those fings.....

Bestroyed Bathroom

2011-02-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the kids practicing there oral hygiene.....ahhhhh with the dang blue mouthwash that finds all the places they missed when brushing their teeth! I am so annoyed this stuff is literally like food coloring in a bottle. I swear they conspire and discuss how they can make the hugest mess in the shortest amount of time. Seriously they must have put it in and spit it all over the floor, walls, mirror, and shower curtain. I am SO MAD! I asked Bradley why they like to destroy things, after he corrected me and told me it was "Bestroying" not destroying, I gave up.....someday I will have nice things, and my house will stay clean longer that 10 hours.......

Merry Valentimes!

2011-02-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

"Merry Valentines day mommy, I really wuv you wots"......thats all I needed to hear to make it the best valentines day ever! Thanks Bradley!

It's Party Time

2011-02-16T17:03:00.002-08:00

Allison and Adam

Rob and Michelle

The whole gang

Ok, since we don't have a huge house its always a little stressful having a lot of people over, so we kept it simple this year and had so much fun on New Years Eve. We played the Wii most of the time and pretty much the rest of the time we ate, and then ate some more. I really should have taken a picture of the ridiculous amount of food that we had. The friends we had over were so much fun. The kids played so well and eventually all of them (minus all 4 of my kids) crashed before midnight. This was the perfect way to bring in the new year, family, friends and yummy food!

My kids waited up to pop some "crackers" as Bradley called them. I think they were pretty bummed there were no fireworks that came out. I love that Bradley was so excited to go pop them he put on Maycie's rain boots.

Merry Christmas 2010!

2011-02-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

The kids in their Christmas PJ's.

Smith Kid Cousins

We had so much fun this year on Christmas. Every year we go to Adams parents on Christmas eve and have a great dinner, open presents and my favorite part is the christmas program the kids put on. I love that the kids get to remember the true meaning of christmas.

Maycie got a uDraw for the Wii

Grayson get a Wii fit (which gets played all day everyday and has been a life saver this cold winter)

Bradley got Criss Cross Crash!

The next morning we woke up and had an awesome christmas morning at our house with the kids. They are all at such a fun age and were so excited to see what Santa had brought them. Santa brought me a Flip Video camera and that is why we have 1 picture of Maycie from our family christmas, most are short video clips and I haven't been able to figure out how to load videos onto blogger yet. On christmas afternoon we headed to my parents for round 3 of Christmas and had a great time. My parents, brother and sister were all there and we had a great time!

Dad Relaxing on Christmas

One of two pictures I took at my parents christmas

Maycie in her Christmas outfit

I got spoiled with a new serger, flip video camera and new pots and pans, it was a great christmas!

Winter Dance Recital

2011-02-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Maycie really did a great job, we are so proud of her hard work!

Maycie was so excited for her dance recital this year. This little girl loves to perform and is getting pretty good at dance. Her dearest friend Grace is in her class and since they both needed to get ready we had a little getting ready party at our house. Both girls loved the hair and makeup.

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-02-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

Adam and Dad preparing the yummiest turkey! I love the intense look of concentration on their faces. That turkey was seriously delish!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year, It involved eating at both families houses on the same day which totally ended up leaving us stuffed! The food was awesome, this was the first time I can ever remember really enjoying the turkey. We ate first at Adams parents and then went to my parents for dinner. Of course the batteries in my camera ran out after these pictures which left me with no other pictures for the day :(

My favorite part of the day was these shirts I whipped up the night before for the kids to wear. These ideas always seem like they wont take long but the original thought was to have them done in an hour, 3 hours later, 2 matching hair bows and one tired mama they were finished and I think my little gobblers looked adorable in their matching shirts!

I love this picture, it shows all of their personalities perfectly!
Grandpa always has a yummy treat for the grandkids, this day it was dots ice cream.
Bradley did not want to take a picture...he is so naughty!

Its been too long!

2011-02-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

It has been way to long since I last posted or blog hopped! I am making myself a promise to not get behind anymore. Sorry for the overwhelming amount of posts that will take place in the next couple days!

For the love of Orange

2010-10-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Dearest Grayson,

I am soooo sorry,

that I let you pick out a bright orange safety coned colored costume.

Orange isn't my color nor is it yours.

Love, Mom

Grayson might have been a little excited to see us when he rounded the corner, it was so funny.
Uh Oh Maycie forgot her wings and was a little bummed. So do you see the half of a mermaid in front of Maycie???? A couple days ago the kids came home from school and said that this girl Lexi slammed grayson against a brick wall and chocked him with her backpack.....I know its sad to laugh at that but I find it a little funny. I told Grayson the next time a kindergartner beats him up he has permission to tell the teacher..........

Look at how miserable Adam is....lol, he really was excited to be there and had a lot of fun.

Madi Girl

2010-10-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Madi and Lincoln, she is a month older and just about the same size as him, except for those hands. That little boy has got some big paws!!!!

This is Madis little buddy Max they love eachother, he cracks me up, whenever he see's her he says, "ohhhh, Madi"

Just needed to post a little Madi update, I can't get enough of this little munchkin!!!!

Cabin Fun

2010-10-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

We started our weekend of fun at a little mexican restaurant called Tarahumara. It was yummy!

Aunt Manon helping Grayson build a fort out of sticks. (Adam with his Angry birds game, I think he wasted like 5 hours one day playing that), Papa Smith and Celest

Man this lady can cook up one yummy meal!!!!!

The boys swinging on the tire horses.

Its become a tradition to spend Conference weekend at the cabin. The number one reason I love the cabin is for the FOOD. Let me tell you, it is always yummy, its like a marathon of food the whole weekend and I love every minute of it. I also love that this kids get to play with their cousins, they have so much fun together.

Bradleys Birthday

2010-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Bradley had a weekend long celebration this year. We had a fun family party one night, a party for him the nex day at Grandma and Grandpa Rice's and then we went to the cabin for the rest of conference and had a little celebration there. It was a weekend full of hot wheels, spiderman and cake....lots of cake! He loved every minute of the attention. I can't believe that it has been 4 years since this little guy came in my life. Fun facts about Bradley are, he loves to make people laugh, he thinks he can speak spanish, he loves music and singing, give this kid a microphone and he will entertain you for hours. I love my buddah baker!

Conference

2010-10-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

I heart conference!!!!

Your house is filled with a special spirit all weekend,

The TVs all turned to the same channel blaring familiar voices and,

THE FOOD is always amazing, nothing like ham, funeral potatoes, corn, rolls and cookie salad!

The memories that are made with family are priceless!

Update Time

2010-09-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Grayson with his morning poptart.

We have been pretty busy the past couple weeks. Getting into the school groove has been AWESOME!!! Maycie is gone from 8:30 until 12:00 and Grayson is at school from 8:30 til 4:00. I miss them a ton but let me tell you I am totally enjoying the freedom! I have been spending a lot of time trying to get back into shape. I have about 5 lbs to go before I am at my goal weight. I have an awesome friend that is helping me get back into running shape. I can't remember the last time I was excited to get up at 6 am and go running but I really am enjoying it.

We recently went to Adams company party and had a blast. The hotel room was awesome and I really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time together. A little kiddo update... Grayson is enjoying school and making new friends. Maycie likes school but LOVES dance class. Bradley is my comic relief, as we walked out of Micheals last week he pointed to the halloween decorations and said "mom, look at that holy ghost up there"....lol! He is too much. Madilyn is smiling and talking, she is such a sweetheart I don't know what I would do without her. We have been spending a lot of time with family too. My sister Dana and Adams sister Haley where both here to visit the past few weeks and it was a lot of fun watching the kids play with their cousins.

Sew what!

2010-08-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Of course we needed a matching hairbow!

Done taking pictures

Oh my goodness I can't stop! I am becoming obsessed with sewing. Last week I made Maycie a new dress for church I can't get over how adorable she looked in it. I made her a few other new ones in the past month with a different pattern but for some reason cant find any pictures of them so that post will come soon. I am currently working on matching dresses for the girls but if I continue to sew every night I think Adam will throw my machine out the window....lol. Maybe I should let him do that because the new one I want is on sale this week........hmmmmm

Madilyns Blessing

2010-08-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Not a happy baby!

Madi in her dress that I made her

Grandma and Grandpa Smith

Grandma Rice

Grandpa Rice and Cousin Jason

Madilyns blessing was such a special day. Everyone was able to come and share in this celebration with us. After the blessing we had everyone over for lunch and it was so fun. We are so happy to have Madilyn as a part of our family and we are so excited that we have such a great family to share her with.

A little update

2010-08-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am still alive!
This is her mad face........

Grayson trying to make her smile.

If words could only describe how much love Madi has brought into our home I would write them down but I really cannot tell you how much I love this little girl. She has been such a blessing and I feel like now that I know how fast they grow up I am truly able to cherish every moment with her. I have managed to get back to working a few nights a week but that doesn't come without a little anxiety. I hate having to leave her and all I want to do while I am gone is hurry home and kiss her little face. The kids are so loving and great with her. They help me out so much and I really couldn't have asked for a better bunch of kiddos, not saying they are perfect. This week alone they have, made it snow in my craft room (that requires taking a bag of batting and tearing into a million pieces and then throwing it everywhere), colored all over the walls in the boys bedroom after I spent 2 hours last week with my favorite Mr.clean eraser getting all of the marks off of their walls, broken Maycies bed doing "tricks" on it, and eaten and entire jar of peanut butter and 2 loaves of bread for breakfast this morning, all topped with a little ice cream and yes they left the ice cream out on the table to melt everywhere. With all of that being said I think we are doing good. Life is a little crazy sometimes but we are defiantly getting through.

4th of July

2010-08-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July this year I think we celebrated for like 3 days straight. Saturday morning we headed to Grantsville to watch the parade with my parents and sister. They have in the past taken the kids to this parade every 4th of July but this was the first year I went with them. The cars throw candy and toys to the kids and it was hilarious to watch their faces light up everytime they would get a new treat. We told them that if they waived at all of the cars that passed they would get more candy and so after about an hour into the parade Grayson started to complain that his arm was hurting from waiving so much, but every car that came by he just kept waivig and waiving. That night we went up to Adams parents and did fireworks. Sunday we went to my parents for a BBQ and fireworks and the on Monday we decided to watch the local fireworks show out of our top story window. We made some great memories this year and had so much fun.

Maycie is 5!

2010-08-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Aunt Manon made Maycie a cute butterfly cake for her!

So my Maycie turned 5 a week after Madi was born. Adams company party was at Lagoon and it happend to be the same week as her birthday and we didn't know if Madi would be out of the hospital for her birthday so we celebrated it at Lagoon a few days early. We all had so much fun. It was a cold and rainy day but we managed to have fun. The kids had a blast and they were much more brave than last year, I had so much fun just watching their excitement as they got on and off each ride. A couple days later we had a pool party at Adams parents and did the whole cake and present part of her birthday. We thought getting her a baby carrier and new dolls would be the perfect gift and boy were we right!

I know I know...

2010-06-28T18:51:00.001-07:00

It has been almost 3 weeks since Madilyn was born and I am just finally getting around to posting pictures. Life hasn't changed as much as I thought it would, Madi just fits into our family perfectly! She has been a great baby so far, I honestly couldn't imagine life without her. I was so worried before I had her that it was going to be tough to get back in baby mode, but it has been a really smooth transition. Grayson, Maycie and Bradley have all helped out so much. After the crazy week in the hospital we are so glad to be home and get our life started as.......Smith party of 6!

This was the first picture I saw of her. She was on a ventilator and C Pap machine for the 1st day of life.

After I got my tubes tied they wheeled my bed into her NICU room and I got to see her for the 1st time. I was so sad I couldn't hold her.

Finally after getting home the kids got to hold their new sister, Grayson is such a proud big brother!

Like I always say Maycie was born to take care of babies...she loves her so much.

Madi at 2 weeks

Baby Madi

2010-06-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Our newest addition to our family was born at 5:12 PM on Tuesday June 8th. We named her Madilyn Venita Smith and she is as cute as can be, she weighed in at 5lbs 4 oz. I know everyone wants pictures but I didn't bring my cord to download pictures so I promise I will post some soon. She was having a hard time breathing which was to be expected, so she was taken to the NICU and has been there recovering from her day of being on the ventilator. I finally got to hold her yesterday and it was worth the wait. The kids came on Wednesday and they all got to hold her it was awesome, they were so excited to see her and they can't wait until she comes home. Bradley was so sad when we told him that we had chosen a name for her other than Tinkerbell, maybe he can call her that for a little while. We are so excited to have her little spirit around and we can't wait to take her home. Right now it is looking like we will get to take her home mid next week. I was so excited to hear that the hospital offers hotel stay which means we can stay in our room and sleep at the hospital as long as she is in the NICU, I couldn't imagine leaving her right now and feel so blessed that this is an option for us. I promise to post pictures in the next couple days.

My little Graduate

2010-06-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Maycie graduated from preschool last week. It was so fun to go watch all of her hard work she put into the program. At the end of the program they ask each kid what they want to be when they grow up, she said she wanted to be a baby doctor. She was so funny, she takes everything she does very seriously. We could at times hear her singing louder than all of the other kids, I was laughing the whole time.

She has been holding out on telling me about her little boyfriend Hunter....oh Maycie!

Grandma and Grandpa Rice

Grandma and Grandpa Smith

Baby Update

2010-06-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't put make-up on yet today so Grayson was instructed to just take a picture of my belly.

We are still waiting for the little girl to make her grand entrance. I have officially been on bed rest for 21 days. I did really good for the first 15 or so but this last week has been really hard. I am getting more and more restless as 35 weeks becomes closer. I have an appointment tomorrow and hopefully he will give me a final date as to when she is coming out. I do however have fantastic news. As of last friday she has dropped which means almost a while week without heartburn. Her new position has brought along other problems such as having to pee every time I stand up, and not being super comfortable sitting down but all in all I am hoping for just one more week of pregnancy! I really want to thank my mom, mother in law, Celest, and Kym for all of their hours babysitting my kiddos, cleaning my house, and making us dinners I really couldn't have done this without them!

How do you have a bad day....

2010-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

With this guy around!

He only gives flowers to girls he "wuvs" He must really wuv me because I get dandelions everyday.

Baby Talk

2010-05-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Original due date: July 11th
New Estimated Date of Arrival: May 28th

We may have a new little Smith a lot sooner than expected. Today I went to my first non-stress test for this pregnancy. I wish I could say oh everything went great....but it was pretty much the opposite. Lets make a little list of what went wrong:

1. My Amniotic fluid is low
2. She has an irregular heartbeat, every 4th beat it skips a beat (which meant a 20 minute non-stress appt. lasted 3 hours...poor Bradley and Maycie who I thought could tag along to my "quick" test, they were troopers, but next time I getting a sitter)
3. Her heart wouldn't show any variables in the rate
4. My blood Pressure is still super high

We are praying that everything works itself out and we can have a happy healthy baby. We will try our best to keep everyone posted!

Bond James Bond

2010-05-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I know...I know... what am I doing letting my little boys run around with a gun...well its a BB gun that has a CO2 cartridge so when you don't put any BB's in it, it still makes the same sound and the boys have fun playing with it, and there is no risk of anyone getting hurt.

(They are under STRICT supervision and both know about gun safety)
With that being said, Grayson LOVES going shooting with his dad. It is fun to watch him because he gets so excited. Adam really enjoys shooting and guns so when we got the chance to go shoot his newest toy we made it a family event. The pictures crack me up...

My dirty Laundry

2010-05-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know its not good to waive around your dirty laundry but after 6 years of trying to get my laundry under control we have finally found a system that is working and I'd like to report we have no more dirty laundry..YAY! I seriously can't tell you how excited I am to finally have all of the laundry done, folded and put away. With our house being 3 levels it has really been a chore to find a system that will work for us, the kids rooms are on the 3rd floor and the laundry is in the basement so with 2 flights of stairs between them it is a ton of work to get the laundry done. It is such a great feeling and I am so happy I was able to combat this issue before we added another kiddo to the laundry list.

Feelin Crafty

2010-05-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

With number 4 on the way and the school year coming to an end I am frantically trying to get all of my crafting done. I'd like to report I have made in the last month or so...

1. New hair bows for Maycies collection (they get ratty after a while and needed to be updated)

2. A bow holder for all of her new bows (it cost me $4)

3. Carseat carrier cover for the baby

4. Baby quilt

5. Burp clothes to match the quilt and carrier cover

6. Magnet board to organize my monthly dinner (it is awesome!)

7. Burlap wreath

I love doing crafts!!! It seriously would consume my life if I didn't have 3 kids, a job, and a house to clean!

My Camera

2010-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

When I bought my newest camera I had two requirements...one it had to be small enough I could carry it in my purse all the time so my monsters couldn't get a hold of it, and two was for it to be durable, so when they did find it, it could withstand a little knocking around. Whenever I decide to blog I come across all sorts of pictures my kids have taken. I honestly don't know when they take them but they sure do crack me up. Here are some pictures from when Grayson was playing photographer a couple weeks ago.

I guess he thought this drawing was picture worthy

Look at that pouty face pose

A little zoolander action

Babies

2010-05-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Maycie loves babies...no not dolls real live babies. Dana came to visit with her newest addition and Maycie took a special liking to her little cousin. Because Baya is so small she was able to hold her, rock her, burp and even try to change her diapers. It totally cracked me up. While all of the other kids were outside playing Maycie was rocking the baby to sleep. For those of you who don't know Maycie she is very intense and took her new found job very seriously, she was totally obsessed!!! Cousin Jason is now having to deal with Maycie, luckily he is such a good little guy and is very patient with her. I am so excited to see how Maycie interacts with her new sister....eight weeks and counting!!!

Only 3 more months...

2010-04-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yay only three more months before I can get my life back to normal...I really miss...
1.Bending over with ease
2.Skipping breakfast
3.Fitting into cute clothes
4.Working out
5.Tying my shoes
6.Shaving my legs without having to sit down
7.Take medicine when I have a headache
8.Cuddling with Bradley (the belly gets in the way)
9.Breathing normal (I'm carrying really high)
10.Going to work and not having people touch my belly (I just think its weird)
11. MY BRAIN...I'm seriously losing my mind!

Business in the front...

2010-03-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Party in the back! So this is what happens when Adam has to leave early from church to take our MONSTER home because he won't go to class, or sit still in Sunday school, or not act like a total maniac for the last 2 hours. So for now he gets to go home and take a much needed nap. I made Adam finish the haircut that he thought would be hilarious for Bradley to keep, but I was not about to have to explain to everyone I came in contact with it was only temporary and that it was his dad's idea.

Six

2010-02-13T16:14:00.001-08:00

Grayson turned six yesterday. We kinda made him wait an extra day to celebrate since he was having a party. So officially his birthday was yesterday but we had a fun filled party for him today. We went to see new Alvin and the Chipmunk movie. Each kiddo got their own bag of candy popcorn and drink. They were all so good and I am so surprised that all of the kids were so good. After the movie we had pizza and cake at the park. It was such a fun day! Happy Birthday to my favorite little man, you are such a special part of our family and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

This year in the spirit of popping out another bambino I am going to record each kids birth story with their birthday post. I have a couple friends that have done this and I think it is a great idea so I have each of them written down.

When I was pregnant with Grayson I am lucky it was my first and I didn't know that normal pregnancies weren't that bad. From the day I found out I was pregnant I seriously threw up everything I ate from sun up to sun down. I managed to only gain 12 pounds because of my hourly visits to the bathroom. After making my way to about 32 weeks I got put on bed rest because my blood pressure was raising to unhealthy levels. I was on bed rest for 2 weeks before the finally just induced me. Adam and I were so scared and excited to be having out first baby. So after waiting 2 days in the hospital on petocin with a Foley catheter and not dilating at all the doctor decided that maybe my body wasn't quite ready and sent me home on strict bed rest. That was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I was so sad that I thought we were going to have a baby and it didn't happen. About ten day later the doctor decided to try the induction again which I was not excited about. I didn't know whether or not it would work this time and I was trying not to get my hopes up. So roughly 28 hours after getting started I was ready to push. I was prepared to push for like hours with the horror stories I heard from friends but to my surprise 3 pushes and my little man was out. He weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces and was sooo small. When he was born I remember him coming out completely grey and the cord was wrapped around his neck twice, his eyes were wide open the whole time it was kinda creepy he was just staring at Adam. Meanwhile I had an audience. Another thing I didn't know because it was my first was that it is not normal to have 6 medical students in the room watching me deliver. I remember one of them coming to me and saying I made it look so easy and she hopes that her labors would someday go that smooth...weird huh. Holding Grayson for the first time was a feeling I will never forget. I felt so protective and proud of him, I never thought I could love someone as much as I do my kids. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with Graysons amazing spirit.

New Do

2010-02-12T17:04:00.001-08:00

I know it's a little Utah but hey it's better than what she had! I am hoping that this phase grows fast so we can do ponytails by summer.

Date Night

2010-02-12T16:49:00.001-08:00

Guess who is going on a date?

I have a fun night in store. I made 3 little envelopes(with a little help from my cricut) and each one contains a different date. I sure hope he picks the dinner and pedicure envelope, my poor feet are a little swollen and I need some relief!

*to any of you who have husbands that say they would never go and get a pedicure do whatever it takes to get them to go with you once and I promise they will LOVE it! Adam swore he would never do it and I tricked him one day and it was so worth it!!!*

Isn't she pretty!

2010-01-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

I love and I mean love my new shark steam mop. Having an entire floor of hardwood and tile makes mopping quite the chore since it has to be done every other day, but this beautiful machine has cut mopping from 1 hour to about 15 minutes and it is fully sanitized. My favorite part is not having to wait for my floors to dry, it happends instantly!

It's a....

2010-01-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

So we went and got an ultrasound and are super excited to report that we are having a GIRL! When I found out it was a girl I got a little emotional thinking how excited I was that Maycie was going to have a sister, and how important my sisters and sister-in-laws are to me. We have a couple names in mind but we need to see her before we decide. I was stressing out about not finding any boy names that I loved so I am glad that I don't have to worry about that. The kids have been asking for a couple months now if it was a boy or girl and when we told each of them they really didn't have a reaction, other than Maycie she wants to name the baby Maycie #2... We have been so blessed and are excited to welcome this new little baby into our family.

My Kitchen Project

2010-01-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Since the day I moved into my house I have HATED and I mean HATED my kitchen. With red walls and the white formica counter tops there wasn't much to love. So as a Christmas present to each other we decided to put our money towards fixing the kitchen. I have to say I love it! My parents came over to help and teach us how to properly install tile counter tops. I love the way they turned out. The week prior I painted the kitchen from blood red(that took two coats of primer to cover, oh how I hated the previous owner by the time I was finished) to a vibrant green with an accent wall a couple shades darker... I love it! Thanks to my parents and especially Adam for all of his hard work, he literally worked straight for 3 days to get it done.

Spam, Rice and Ketchup

2010-01-20T14:51:00.001-08:00

YUMMY! That is all I have to say. A couple weeks ago at my parents they made spam and rice for dinner. I was so skeptical of how it would taste but let me tell you it is my new favorite combo. We seriously eat it a couple times a week for dinner and I'm loving this easy delious new combo...mmmm this post is making me hungry for more!

Christmas Gift

2010-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Just so all of my good friends know I'm giving you a preview of what your getting for Christmas next year. These babies are awesome! I put them on for the first time when we remodeled the kitchen. I just simply told my kids I couldn't hear them when I had them on and magically my kids didn't come crying, complaining, or bother me the entire rest of the time I was working. It was magic!! Anyway I know they are not the cutest accessorie ever but man do they work!

What to do?

2009-12-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Okay so I really need some advice as to what to do next with this?

Last week we tried little tiny baby pigtails...not so cute!

I really want to cut it into some sort of style, but there is a part of me just saying....let it grow!

Let's go to the movies....

2009-12-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Maycie loves Alvin and the Chipmunks

Grandma and Bradley

Grandpa with Maycie and Grayson
Going to my Dads Company Christmas Party has become a tradition for the kids, they rent out Jordan Commons and show a family movie. This year they chose UP. I loved the movie the first time I saw it and so I was excited to go see it again. When you get there they hand you a bag of candy for you while you watch the movie, and then after the kids get to see Santa and get a treat bag. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for inviting us we had a great time!

My Grandpa

2009-11-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa was a great man! I have so many fond memories of him. When I found out he passed away on Tuesday night I was so sad, only for my own selfish reasons of always wanting to have him around. When I found out how he passed away, knowing that he had spent a fun filled night with family I some how am at peace with losing him, I wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way. My grandpa baked the BEST chocolate chip cookies...whenever we were coming over he would have a batch ready for us, he was patient, kind and gentle. I remember him hunting, playing and doing what he did best which was watching golf! I always knew that he loved me and I know that he knew how much I loved him. I will always wish I could have seen him one last time but I know that someday we will be reunited again. Grandpa thanks for being the best, I love you!

So Lucky

2009-11-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

So I know that a lot of my post are funny things the kids have done or just boring happenings, but today I want to post about what awesome kids I have. Yestersay as I layed on the couch feeling overwhelmed by everthing that needed to be done before I started work Maycie came up to me and said "mommy does your tummy hurt? I want to help you". Then she proceeded to go into the kitchen and start to clean out the dishwasher. It took her almost an hour doing a chore that would only have taken me 5 minutes, but she was so happy to help me. Then after she asked me what else I needed help with, she went upstairs and got Grayson and asked him to do the dishes. When I got home from work last night and walked into my clean kitchen I couldn't help but feel so grateful for my wonderful children that I have been so blessed with. Thanks to them for their hugs, kisses and daily random mom, I love you.....they are my pride and joy and I am so grateful for them.

Our latest news

2009-11-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

So life has been a little crazier than normal lately. A couple weeks ago I thought I had the swine flu....feeling nauseas, feverish, and not good. To make a long story short...we will be welcoming baby number 4 in late June or early July. I feel like poo and I am hoping that I start feeling better soon! If anyone has any anti-nausea secrets let me know!

Pictures

2009-10-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

We finally got new pictures taken of the kids. My dad did such a great job taking them I really couldn't be happier!

Oh my

2009-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know I grew up hunting, but something about this didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was my kids saying mommy look there is a dead raindeer hanging out of that car...hmmmm

Brad Paisley

2009-10-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know it has been like a month since I went to the concert but I really wanted to post my pic's because it was such a great night. We got invited to go back stage and hang out with Dierks Bentley and we had SO much fun. The whole band was super nice and very down to earth. This was a concert that I will always remember! Thanks Angie for the invite, your the best!

The Zoo

2009-10-17T13:50:00.001-07:00

Karina and Mike invited us to the zoo with them last weekend. Although it was pretty cold we had a great time. My kids love both of them and to be honest it was awesome to have two extra sets of eyes and helping hands.

Bakugon City

2009-10-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who don't know what a Bakugon is they are expensive little pieces of plastic that are impossible to find, seriously we are constantly looking for these lost little things, and Grayson is OBSESSED!!!

Hanging out with my sis

2009-10-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Dana, Matt and James came to visit us so we took them to see the witches at Gardner Village. I love going to see all of the festive halloween decorations they set up...We rode ponies and ate LOTS of fudge mmmmm. We enjoyed spending time with them and wish that they lived closer!

My little man is 3

2009-10-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

My Bradley is now three...we celebrated by going to Chuck E Cheese (my kids favorite place. Angie and Carolyn came to party with their cute kiddos. After we ate at Noodles and Company for a yummy lunch...We ended the night with pizza presents and cake. What more could a 3 year old want!

Free Wifi

2009-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

So after 3 years of free internet we have finally have to start searching for an internet company....dang it. So if anyone knows an affordable internet company let me know. I was wishing the days of free wifi would never end but it was to good to be true. I have to get access soon so I can't post all of the fun things we have been doing lately.

Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-09-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

So I figure if I post about this it might actually help me to follow through with my goal. I LOVE the biggest loser. I think its an awesome show, not only for people who need to lose a ton of weight but for everyone who needs to lead a healthier life. With that being said I am going to for the entire season of the show, eat healthy, excercise daily and just see what happends. I'm not going to go on some special crazy diet, just eat my 1100 alloted calories a day and see by the end of the show what happends.

For the Record

2009-09-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I was going to die this week but I didn't! I really can't believe that I Laurin Smith the most horrible morning person in THE WORLD was up ready for the day and out of the house with all of my kiddos ready and fed by 8:00 (special thanks to maycie for chopping off all of her hair that saves me approx. 15 minutes a day). For anyone who knows my I am up with my kids in the morning but I do not function at all before 10:00, I don't answer the phone I don't get ready I just veg. I just was not born with a wake up and smell the fresh morning air gene. Anywho...I am alive and really enjoying getting up and getting Grayson off to school. This whole positive attitude my change once I throw Maycies dance and preschool into the mix but we will have to see. For now I am so happy being a busy mommy with a structured schedule again!

Viewer Discretion Advised

2009-09-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

I guess these are the pictures that are going to get taken when you leave Adam in charge of the kids.

UGGGGHHHHH

2009-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Adam.........
This precious little jewel is what I came home to the other night on my kitchen table.

The worst part is until I woke up the next morning I didn't even know there was anything in the cage. Don't worry if you can't tell what it is, it's a giant moth...with horns...and it hisses when you take pictures of it...uggghhh

We traded hair for hats

2009-09-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for the cute hat suggestions it seriously has been a great help! We love these cute ones we got from Gardner Village, they have become a daily accessory. We have ordered a few other online and can't wait to get them. It looks like pink and brown will be a hot color combo for us for the next few months.

I hope this is a really bad dream

2009-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

9:30pm Kids asleep
10:15pm Toilet flushes
11:00pm I hear kids fooling around upstairs
11:01pm This is what I found

I had to wait until this morning to take pictures because I found no humor in this situation at all last night.

As if cutting all of Maycies hair wasn't enough, Bradley went ahead and got a little trim too.

Oh yeah did I mention today was Graysons first day of Kindergarten.

Words cannot describe my anger!!!

Bowling is Fun

2009-08-31T14:47:00.001-07:00

We had a BLAST bowling last week. The kids loved it! Bradley beat all of the kids, but grayson was our competitive child he really got into it. Adam ended up calling him Ginny by the end because he was so into it. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our family day.

My big boy

2009-08-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

So Bradley has officially been potty trained for a month and I have been meaning to post this for a while. I am so proud of him. If I would have known that it was only going to take 2 days to get him fully potty trained I would have done it a long time ago. The initall investment of $12.00 for a couple packages of Disney underwear had been well worth it! Not having to buy diapers has been AWESOME. He only had one accident in the grocery store on his first outing in big boy pants, where he came to me and said, "oh mommy, me so sad me went pee in my pants" but after that we have been accident free! I am just so proud of him. This has been very bitter-sweet for me, because it has been a reality check for me...I don't have a baby anymore!

Poor Bambi

2009-07-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Poor little guy, he ran right into the side of our car head first!!! He made a nice little dent, and left a little blood on the side of our car. We didn't even see him until after he ran into our car and Adam looked in the mirror to see what happened. The poor deer tried to get up but couldn't, by the time we decided to go get him off the road a nice guy pulled over and drug him to the side of the road...so SAD! Of course I don't have pictures of this. I think that would have gone a little tooo far!

Smore camping pictures

2009-07-23T10:00:00.001-07:00

Roasting smores was yummy, messy and fun!

Fun in the Sun

2009-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

What are you to do when there isn't a bathroom around?

Grayson and Maycie going for a ride

Grayson and Bradley taking their turn

Boating this year was so much fun, the kids all loved the tube and going super fast was the best part of the trip. Lunch time was fun, we went to the lunch spot that had a fun rock to jump off and swim. The water was surprisingly nice and we had so much fun swimming with the kids.

Red Canyon

2009-07-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

Look at that View!

The kids love their Grandma Smith or Daddys Mom as they call her sometimes.

Bradley refused to smile so Adam helped him out!

We visited Red Canyon this year on our trip to Flaming Gorge. It was gorgeous! Of course I forgot to take a picture of the view because I was busy taking pictures of the kids. I don't know if it was more impressive to look down at the canyon and the lake, or to be on the lake and look up to the top of the Canyon. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our day trip. I wasn't brave enough to take all of my kids to the big cliff, where the warning signs said, "watch children carefully" "steep cliffs ahead" along with other warnings that made me not want to take my children with selective hearing out to the edge of a cliff.

Fishing for Crawdads

2009-07-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Of course one of my favorite nights at Flaming Gorge is when we get Huckleberry ice cream and go crawdad fishing. Even though I opted for double fudge brownie ice cream instead of huckleberry it was still a great night. We wait until it gets dark tie some chicken drumsticks to a string and we start catching them. Last year we cooked them but this year we camped and I wasn't about to set up a whole crawdad eating production. It really is pathetic how much fun I have doing this!

Getting the kids all sugared up for fishing

Disclaimer: I was camping and the bathrooms didn't have mirrors, thats why my hair is so cute!

Grandpa Smith was trying to intimidate the crawdads so they would just jump in the bucket! LOL

Incubus Concert

2009-07-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Adam and I got last minute free tickets to the Incubus concert last Thursday night. We had a great time. The music was awesome, I have always likes their music, and whenever I hear them I think of the good ol days living in Idaho, so their music brings back good memories for me. Of course there isn't a lot to take pictures of except ourselves and the band, and no matter how much I zoomed in the pictures still looked like blurry lights.

My funny little guy

2009-07-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Bradley constantly is cracking me up. From the way he talks to how everything just seems to be so hard and soooo much work. He is just a funny kid. He loves to dance, sing (his new song that he made up is called nemo...its about nemo and it goes a little like this...nemo, neeeemmmmmooo, neemo, nemo, nneeemmmooooo, and on and on and on..) Anyway his new thing is to dress up in outfits like these. Should I worry?

This is Bradley at maycies last dance recital he seriously could not sit still, he was dancing to the music the whole time.

Partys and Ponys

2009-07-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Leiden! We had a great time at Leidens birthday party this weekend. They had a pony themed party complete with REAL ponies. My kids talked about it for days before and were so excited. For some reason I think Maycie thought they were going to be in their house because she kept asking me if the ponies were going to jump around the house....anyway here are some fun pictures from the party.

Summer Fun

2009-07-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time at the water park lately. It is so close and so much fun. The kids ask to go there EVERY day and in an effort to prevent major sun damage to their skin we only go one or two days a week. Maycie and Grayson both love the water slide, Bradley prefers to spray people with a water feature that they have. Dana and James are visiting from Maryland so they have been coming with us.

Fathers Day

2009-06-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Adam for being such a great Dad! Even though the things he teaches the kids are questionable sometimes (peeing off the deck, farting, burping, and watching ghost shows) he really is a great dad. We love you SO much Dad, we hope you had a great day! I posted the picture that made Adam look the worst since he wouldn't take my picture taking seriously...this will teach him huh.

Maycie's Big Day

2009-06-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

The calm before the storm

Maycie's Birthday Friends

Leiden, Addison, Maycie and Sarah

Princess Maycie

So after finding out that everyone who warned me was right, I have to say I have had a LONG DAY! When people tell you that you are crazy for inviting 12 four and five year old to a party you probably ought to worry. I wasn't worried I thought we could have a tea party, do some crafts, eat some cake and open some presents...right..next time we will have 3 or 4 friends come over and that will be perfect!!! Along with a fun party Maycie also had her Dance recital today. Maycie loves to perform and did a great job. I really am so proud all of her hard work, I hope that she continues to love dancing!

Its Party time

2009-06-16T21:06:00.001-07:00

So what are you to do when you go to Michaels to get a cake pan and your daughter pulls down the castle cake set and says "oh mommy this is the one I want"? I really thought it would take some time but I didn't think 8 hours. Maycie is really excited for her party tommorow we will see how it goes, at least I got the cake done...

Bangs

2009-06-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah...today I got bangs...they are already driving me crazy, what was I thinking????

I feel so boring

2009-06-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

So my digital camera has officially pooped out. It used to turn on and let me take a few pictures but it won't even turn on now. I am so bummed...how do you keep up a blog with no pictures! Hopefully I can find a good deal soon on a new camera but I have to decide if I am going to get a nice one or just pick up a cheapo at Wal-mart. We will see... So lately nothing super exciting has gone on. Grayson went shooting with Adam last week and brought home a pet cricket. I am a huge fan of pet crickets, they are no maintenance and they only live for a few days, they can't take them out of the container or it will jump away, he sleeps with the container every night and constantly carries it around. I am not sure if the thing is even alive! Maycie is growing more and more excited daily for her princess party next week. I found the cake I am going to make, it is probably a little over board but she really wants it. I will defiantly post pictures when I finish it. Bradley is growing up so fast, man that boy just cracks me up...

Another Milestone

2009-05-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Rice,Grandma Smith and Aunt Haley came to watch Grayson Graduate.

Grayson loved his teacher Miss Chris! She was so awesome!

Eating some grub at Graysons favorite restaurant after Graduation

Mom and Maycie smiling for the camera

Grayson was so excited to go to school this year. I was able to get him into a great preschool that exceeded all of my expectations. His teachers and classmates were awesome. I can't wait for Maycie to start next year, I am sure she will love it too. His graduation was totally awesome. Of course Grayson was the kid who couldn't stop playing with his tassel and shading the bright spot light from his eyes, but all in all he did a great job. My favorite part was when the teachers gave the students their certificates they asked each kid "what do you want o be when you grow up?" Grayson said a spaceman...but one little boy said he wanted to be a Vampire, which totally made me laugh. We are so proud of Grayson and can't wait for him to start Kindergarten next year!

I wish I would have known...

2009-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

My new addiction has been coupon grocery shopping. I mostly just use the weekly ads and visit the stores with the best deals. I have found my grocery shopping takes me about an hour with all of my kids with me. I have done it for 3 months now and can say that I have cut my grocery bill from $120 a week to around $60 bucks. I can't believe how much I save. I am not one of the crazy ladies who just buys stuff to get good deals, I only buy what I need and am going to use. This week I spent $78.00 at Albertsons before coupons and I left with all of the groceries for $38.00. My next stop was Smiths and I was at $62.00 before and after I was at $26.50. I can't believe how much just checking out my weekly ads really has saved me. I always just thought that shopping at Walmart was the best deal but oh was I wrong!!! I found this hilarious shirt on a coupon blog called krazycouponlady.blogspot.com that says across the back of it "find another check out lane, honey" it kinda cracks me up. Oh another great blog I found for you fellow Target shoppers is attentiontargetshoppers.blogspot.com.

Feeling Crafty

2009-04-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

She cracks me up with her poses!

The top is my favorite part

Okay so I have been feeling really crafty lately and needing a project. I checked out my friend Cindi's blog last week and saw the cute dresses she had made for her daughters, so I set out to make Maycie a summer dress. I have to say it turned out so cute and I am definantly going to be making some more soon. My apologies to Adam for having to eat pizza for dinner and the house being a little less organized than normal.

Oh how I love Target

2009-04-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

My name is Laurin and I am a target-a-holic. I really love target. Everything about that store invites me in, cute clothes for the kids, cute stuff for my house, great deals because everything goes on sale eventually. So yesterday when I saw that my backyard view was going to dramatically change because they are tearing down the old house and field that once housed horses, I jumped online to look at the city plans for the giant lot that was being mapped out. To my surprise they are going to put a Target litterly across the street from my house. Oh my gosh...that just made my week!
Good for me but maybe not good for my debit card.

Oh my gosh

2009-04-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

As we passed by the mall last week Maycie (3) jumped up and said "Mom, oh my gosh, I am freaking out a little bit" so I turned to her and asked her why? She responded by saying "Mom that is my store!" It still to this day is making me laugh...

Sweeter by the minute!!!

2009-04-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Easter this year seemed to get sweeter by the minute! We woke up to three kids just waiting to open their baskets...

About ten minutes before I got up I heard grayson upstairs making himself something in the kitchen, this is what he came up with. I can't blame him for taking after his mom and wanting sweets in the morning, but really a sweet roll with swedish fish and nerds....yummy...

The Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Smiths is something we all look forward too...

The sweetest part of this Easter came in the form of 250 one dollar coins, all wrapped up in a giant egg...who would have thought???? I think we have the worlds strongest easter bunny!!!

The past 7 years...

2009-04-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago we did this...

2 years later we had this...

15 months later we had this...

Then (whoops) 15 months after that we had this...

Accident isn't the right word maybe just unexpected...

And today we have this...

Wow a lot can happen in seven years. I think we have been pretty lucky!!! Thanks to my wonderful husband for all he does for me. I have been blessed! Happy Anniversary Adam.

California Adventures

2009-04-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite picture!!!

Sunday we spent at my Grandparents house. It was so nice to see them and spend time with them. The kids were a little uncooperative because this was day number 3 without a nap, but we had a great time. My grandpa had fun watching Grayson on the WII golf, I think he watched Grayson play for like 2 hours. All in all it was a great time. I miss them so much and I cherish anytime that I spend with them.

We went to California this past weekend and we had so much fun. We spent a ton of time outside because the weather was awesome. We stayed with Christy and Charlie for a few nights (thanks for the hospitality, and putting up with my vacation food cravings.) We spent a day at Lake Natoma. The original plan was to go and rent paddle boats but once we got there and saw how much work it was we decided to just hang out on the beach. The kids loved it, the water was freezing but that didn't stop them from going in.

Monday we went to Golfland, the kids weren't into golfing as much as I thought so we headed for the arcade. I think between all of the adults we spent like $20 on the stupid stacker game, but there was no success...

On the drive down the kids needed to get and strech so we stopped in Reno and took them to the circus shows in Circus Circus. They had so much fun, there is a whole level for just kids, they played games and won lots of prizes. On the drive home I called Circus Circus to see how much a room would be for one night. It was only $45.00 bucks so we stayed the night there. It was definantly a highlight on our trip. I am super bummed though because my camera didn't work the whole time we were there.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the drive...

Fish, snakes and Stingrays

2009-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Since my kids love fish and anything that has to do with water, we thought a day at the Living Sea Museum would be perfect. As we waited in line Adam and I contemplated a season pass, it was affordable and we thought from what we had heard the place was really cool. So we purchased our tickets and went in. I guess maybe I am a little spoiled since the only aquarium I have ever been to is the Monterey Bay Aquarium but I was really disappointed. I feel like our kids could have seen just as much at a pet store. I am so glad we didn't buy a season pass because after 45 minutes I was bored and ready to go.

Cheesecake Mom Day Out

2009-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a fun day at Wheeler Farm. We met up with a few of my friends from work and their kiddos. We ate lunch and had fun looking at all of the animals. Thanks to Angie and Lyndsy for making our first CCF mom day a success.

Forts and Edward

2009-03-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

You know that your kids need to get outside when they start building indoor "candylands." I don't know why they call it candyland, but it makes me laugh, and I think it makes it sound more fun. Our candyland is complete with a house made of blankets, and Grayson gave it the finishing touch of a "smoker" or a chimney as normal people would call it which in our candyland is a golf club. I almost want to get a blanket and snuggle up for a little nap and have long dreams of Edward Cullen (I bought the DVD this weekend and oh do I love it). As the snow continues to accumulate outside I can only dream of the warm summer days ahead, for some reason this year it seems like those days are never going to come.

My new favorite Toy!

2009-03-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

So after a month of bumming my parents computer to make some pathetic blog entries I finally talked Adam into an early anniversary gift. I found a great deal on a used laptop on KSL. I used to be upstairs on the computer while my kids ran free around the house, taking advantage of the fact I was distracted. So far my kids have NOT ruined anything, hurt eachother or the dog, destroyed the house, eatin me out of house and home, or colored on any walls...I think this whole portable computer was the best invention ever. I can sit in the dining room supervise children and get computer stuff done. I LOVE IT!!!

So frustrating

2009-03-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Our computer crashed a few weeks ago and I can't believe how dependent I am on my printer, pictures (saved on my hard drive) and the Internet. Searching and reading things on my itouch just isn't the same. So hopefully soon I can figure out what is wrong so I can add posts with pictures!

Thank you Manon!!!!

2009-02-16T11:48:00.001-08:00

I have the most talented sister in law ever!!!! Look at the awesome job she did painting a mural on the boys wall...Thank you so much Manon!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Grayson

2009-02-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

We left Graysons birthday planning up to him this year. The activities ranged from golfing to eating at a restaurant with a waiter, everyday it would change. So on his birthday he woke up and went to school where they had a party for him. Then we were off to Chuck E Cheese and he decided that he wanted cheese bread sticks for dinner. He was so funny about it he wanted a whole box just for him. We had a great day. Adam made Grayson a WII remote cake and Grayson loved it. I am so proud of Grayson. He is so smart, and probably one of the nicest little boys you will ever meet, I am so grateful to have him in my life he makes each day so special.

Dont run from the animal cops, they'll get ya!

2009-01-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

So a few months ago we got a posting on our door from the animal cops saying that our dog got out, I seriously crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. Well apparently I should have read it first and registered the dog with the city. So a few months go by and I don't hear anything and to be compltely honest I never thought twice about that stupid thing on my door. Then Tuesday I went to check my mail only to find 2 administrative citations from the animal cops. One was for $50 bucks and the other for (get this) $800.00. I could not believe it, so this morning I went and tried to reason with 2 white trash ladies at the animal shelter they told me my only option was to go to court and appeal the fines. To make a long story short, I managed to shed a few tears for the district attorneys secretery and she called the HEAD copper and we got the fines removed. Anyway I am sooo relieved to have this over with, so if any of you have a run in with the animal cops they actually have power and they SUCK!!!!!