Thompson Family

Casen's 3 Year Old Bday

2012-01-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

My little Casen Man is actually 3. I can't believe it. He is growing up too fast. He has been such a joy lately. I am really enjoying him. He was so excited when he woke up on his birthday. We let him open 1 present in the morning before the kids went to school. We made him a CARS blanket and so he got to open that. And then all day he helped me Make his CARS cake and buy his CARS balloon and set up his CARS birthday. And he kept singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME all day long. It was so freakin cute! And every errand we ran, we had to tell the cashier it was his birthday. He was actually pretty patient all day long. I was super surprised. I even had to carpool to dance and he took a cap nap in the car before his little party! He was so patient. I was amazed!

Grandma Nanny and Grandpa Norm came up and we just opened presents and we let the kids do a Pinata and then we had cake and ice cream...not a huge deal, but Casen still loved it and appreicated it. He kept giving me hugs and telling me THANKS for his CAR party!

Before the Party

Opening Presents

Loved his Lightning McQueen Table from Nanny and Norm

Casen had about 30 swings at it. My kids never get alot of turns at the pinata when you have tons of kids over, so they had fun with this one, getting to smack it alot. We even duct taped it so it would last longer. They each got to hit it about 20 times or so. Now we just need to find friends to give the candy away too after our last dental bills we just got paid off.

Cake & Ice Cream Time

I couldn't wait to give Crew ice cream and cake till his 1 year old bday. I gave in and gave it to him last night!

Baby Crew trying out Casen's new table!

Casen's New Pretend Rifle from Caderman!

Casen's Bike that hooks up to TV with Games. Me and Matt gave him this. He kpet seeing it on TV and wanted it!

Little spinning toy from Corey!

Still loving that table!

Crew's First Time

2012-01-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, the kids decided they wanted to get in the hot tub. So they talked Daddy into it and I decided to let Crew get in. Crew loved swimming for his first time down in St. George last weekend, so I knew he would love the hot tub. He loves the bath and so anything this big is like a glorified bathtub. He loved the hot tub, espeically cause it was warm, but not too warm. Matt is a wuss when it comes to hot water, so he keeps it at about 100 degrees unless guests are coming over, he will hike it up to 102 or so. But the baby loved it and the other kids always love it too. I think it calmed him right down and relaxed him, cause he went to bed super easy!

And Crew eating a cookie. Wow this was only a half of a choc. chip cookie and he made this big of a mess.

My Little Casen Man is 3 Today!

2012-01-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that 3 years ago today I gave birth to my little Casen Man. I remember he was born at 2 in the morning and I was exhausted. But I am sure glad the Lord brought Casen to us. He is such a joy. So funny and so cute! He wants to do eveything his older siblings do. He loves his mamma and his daddy! And he is such a good boy. He helps clean up, he watches after Crew, and he is very cautious and always stays near mom. He can be LOUD. He can whine alot. He can be a monster if he is woken up from a nap too early. But we are willing to look past all that because we LOVE him and he brings such happiness to me and my family. Love you Casen and Happy Birthday. Oh and did I mention he is obsessed with LIGHTNING MCQUEEN?

A Chill Weekend

2012-01-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend was kind of nice. We did not really have any plans. No Sam's Club on Friday night. No Village Inn on Saturday night. We just brought home take out and hung out at home! I took the kids to see a movie Friday after school and then we brought home take out and then we just let the kids play in the garage all night. We backed out the cars and let the kids play. Cade had some room to ride his go-kart he got for Xmas and Cade also needed to practice his basketball skills for his first game on Saturday morning. The kids loved it. It does kind of suck living in a cold weathered place because the kids just want to be outside, but it is too cold. So good thing Matt built a nice size garage. Even Crew loved it. We locked him in the kids play/truck in a seat belt and he would just sit there and watch them. So funny!

Saturday, Cade was a little nervous for his first game. This is the first year he has played basketball. To be honest, I was a little nervous for him too. But it just took him about a minute or so to get the feel of the game and he did awesome. He even had 2 break aways where he was the only one by the basket and he scored. Kinda cool. Now lets just hope he is not a ball hog and passes every once in awhile. He was way more coordinated than I thought he was going to be. YEAH! And I could tell that he loved it! I was a proud mom. I was so happy he loved it!

Saturday night we did the same thing again...I brought home Subway sandwhiches and the kids just played in the garage. And of course Matt watched the Republican debates. Annoying! But other than that, it was kind of relaxing.

Then Sunday, today was our first church meeting at 9 AM and we did it. We had everyone ready and actually even ate breakfast and made it on time. I was amazed. Might not be too bad! And I even got a Sunday nap in! Now to prepare for Casen's birthday tomorrow! I think we are just going to make it Chill also!

New Years Trip to St. George

2012-01-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

We went this past weekend to St. George with some friends and had alot of fun! We stayed with Matt's mom in her St. George House and Ammon and Alison and Dan and Marsh and their families stayed in a condo across town. We got there a day later than everyone, but when we got there, the kids needed to get out of the car and let off some steam. So we unpacked everything and Matt the two families up at the Rocks. They love this place and they want me to take their pcicture on every rock. So we have alot of rock pics. We stayed there till close to dark and then went and got something to eat and then all went swimming over at Winnans community pool. But of course I did not get any pics at the pool. With two little ones who can't swim it was kind of hard to take pics.

We left Crew at the house with Nanny!

They had 7 kids in that little hole. It was funny to see them all pile out. Even Casen was in there and did not get claustrophobic. I would have!

Then the next day we went out for breakfast with Winnan. And then she offered to stay home and watch Crew and Casen while we took the older kids on a fun bike trail. And of course I do not have any pics of that either. I get having fun and forget to take pics. The kids did pretty good on the trail...Corey fell a few times and got hurt because mom forgot to bring her the right shoes. Dan's family and Ammon's family met us over on the bike trail too. They rode for a good hour or so.

We went swimming later with the kids again and that night after Ammons family went home, we hung out with Dan and Marsh and their kids for a bit. Went to dinner and just chilled. Then about 10:00 the kids were getting tired and we decided to head back to the house. The kids only made it till 10:30 on New Years and me and Matt fell asleep on the couch right after midnight. We were laughing and saying that we are getting old, but that we both did not mind being on the couch on New Years falling asleep.

The next day, Dan and Marsh went home in the morning and we stayed for most of the day. We went out to get something to eat, then we looked at some real estate, which the kids did not love, and then we headed over to Snow Canyon and let the kids play in the sand dunes. They loved it and got pretty sandy. I was kind of stressed because Matt wanted to get home and so I did not get to bathe the kids after the dunes and our car is so sandy now! Sucks! We played there for about an hour and headed back to the house, cleaned up, and headed home. And oh WOW! It was a long ride home. The longest day of my life. I did not feel great, I WAS SO TIRED and Crew was not the best. Trying to entertain an 11 month old for 6 hours is rough!

We love St. George. Everytime we go there, we find new fun stuff to do for us and the kids. I just wish it was a little closer.

Crew loved it too. The sand was so FINE and cold! It felt good on our feet!

Forgot to post this pic! Casen had alot of fun on the rocks too!

5 New Xmas Posts

2012-01-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

I posted 5 New Xmas Posts. Can't believe Xmas is already over and New Years is Over too!

One Last Fun Thing Before Fam Goes Home

2012-01-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

We wanted to do one last festive fun thing before my family had to go home and get back to normal life. So we decided to go up to Hardware Ranch up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. It was fun, but everyone else in Cache Valley had the same idea. So it was a long line and crowded. We had to wait in the cold for about an hour and my kids got so antsy and annoying! But it was worth it! There were about 200 elk, but not very many Bulls. Only a few spike elks. So that was dissapointing! But it was still neat to see it. Then later that night, my mom babysat and let me go to a movie with Matt and my dad and Becca. Em stayed home with mom!

He was so heavy because he was a little puff ball and we had a blanket on him too. Him and Casen both fell to sleep on the actual sleigh ride! So funny! KIDS!

My kids trying to slide down snow with no snow pants. Annoying! Next time we will wear snow clothes!

I totally slipped on my bum coming down this hill, in front of the whole line of people. Embarrassing, but oh well!

Papa entertaining Crew. He was the MOST antsy in line!

Christmas Day Has Arrived!

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning had arrived once again and my kids actually slept in again till 8:30. I was glad because we had all my family there who I am sure did not want to wake up at 6AM. But here they are waiting in the hallway for the Go-Ahead to go and look at their Santa presents!

Cade got a new go-cart. He was super excited about that!

Casen loved his new Lightning McQueen 4-wheeler! He was so funny. He is kind of OCD. He was staking all of his presents so neatly and cleaning up his wrapping paper as he was opening his presents! We were laughing!

Corey got a Kindle Fire this year and Squinkies! She was Happy!

Uncle Steven was helping Crew open his presents!

Becca and JR opening a few presents!

Matt was actually not sleeping through it all this year, it just looks like he is!

Auntie Em opening her stocking!

Casen was not thrilled with his scripture case. He did not want it! He was giving it away! Another funny moment!

Dad covered in presents! It is his birthday too Dec. 31st.

Mom opening a few!

Uncle Steven!

Dad got alot of stuff for his new garden he wants to start back home in CA.

Em is a scrapbooker and she made me a box of scrapbooked cards to use! Best present ever!

Getting ready for church. So glad we had it at 1:00 PM or it would have been alot rougher!

Letter from Santa. He loved Auntie Em's cookies!

My kids acting nerdy in their Xmas Kitchen Aprons and hats! Crew was not happy!

We actually did go back over to Winnans house for Xmas Eve leftovers about 4:00 after church. We stayed for a bit and ate and then came home and just relaxed the rest of the night! It was a nice day, but I am always so exhausted after Xmas.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

We started out Xmas Eve making rolls and a jello salad and then heading over to Nan and Norms house. We ate around noon instead of dinnertime because Brit and Toph had to get back for Xmas Eve with Brits family. It was actually kind of nice having it earlier! So we ate and then let the kids open presents!

Casen is my worst eater. Look at his plate. Cookies and banana bread! He will not even try anything!

The kids all got hats from Nanny and Norm, but my neice Teisha made all of them. She is so talented! My kids loved their hats!

She made Dallas hats for all the boys!

All the younger grandkids except for Jordyn in their new hats!

The kids Aunt Teisha and her boyfriend ---she was the one who made all the hats!

Crew opening his present!

Casen got a bunch of Lightning McQueen stuff from Jaice and he was loving it...especially the scooter. We were all laughing because he was so excited. As far as he was concerned, Xmas could have been over right then and there and he would have been happy!

Trying out the new scooter!

A cute board that Lynley made for Winnan!

Our little house elf named Mr. Peeps in our tree on Xmas Eve ready to go back with Santa!

Don't laugh...we do this for the kids. They love to put on the Nativity Story and we never have enough actors. So this year we had enough actors and we did a 10 minute enactment of the Story!

Wise Man Casen

Daddy Shepherd!

Becca and JR- Joseph and Mary

Em a Wiseman/Wisewoman and Steven was the donkey!

Wiseman Cade

Mommy Shepherd

Grandma Shepherd

Papa was the Narrator!

Becca laughing riding the Jack Ass to Bethlehem!

Corey was the beautiful Angel!

Crew was the baby Jesus for about 30 seconds. That is all he lasted!

Christmas eve dinner!

Thompson Kids Dance Party they planned at 8:00 PM sharp!

Grandpa starting the party!

Let the kids open a few presents. Casen got a Lightning McQueen couch and shoes. Loved them!

Crew got a little 4-wheeler. Casen wanted it! He kept saying it was his!

Cade got a parking garage..

Corey got an American Girl doll. She was so excited.

We also had the kids open up some new PJ's like we do every year. Could not find Xmas PJ's this year so we just did regular jammies. Corey loved her Justin Bieber PJ's.

Thompson Family Xmas Party

2012-01-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

We had the Thompson Family Christmas Party at our church again this year because our families are getting alot bigger and there is not enough room in someones house for all of us. I brought my family this year and we ate a good meal and this year we actually did karoke instead of games. It was fun!

I made this delicious veggie pizza and some pumpkin cookies. I was nervous making them for the first time but everyone ate them, so I was glad.

Then we sang a few Xmas songs until Santa arrived. It was cute! He had a gift for each of the kids and they sure do love him coming every year.

Corey got to carry his bells in...

He sure had all the kids attention..

Crew fell asleep with Grandma...

Santa giving Crew his present as he is waking up. He was confused and not sure what to think!

Cade was so excited for his present that Santa asked if he would do jumping jacks and he did. I was laughing pretty hard! He said he was embarrassed but it was worth it for the present!

Casen did really good. He was not even scared!

Corey always gets a little shy, but she was brave!

Saying good-bye to Santa!

Playing Games with other kids!

Karoake starting....Cheryls family started us off!

Our number....some people loved the karaoke and some people hated it cause they are too shy. My mom and sister would not get up. And neither would Winnans whole family. Still pretty fun!

Holiday Festivities

2012-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

My family came into town for Xmas and we were all so excited. My parents came and my younger sisters Em and Becca came too. Em's husband Steven came for a couple days and so did Becca's boyfriend/practically fiance' came too. We really did have alot of fun, even though it felt like we were on the go alot. We also spent Xmas with Matt's family and my family, which was nice too!

Crew - Wrestling Mommy's Xmas decorations- 11 months

Corey - 8.5, Cade- 6.5, Casen-almost 3, Crew- almost 1

So hard getting a pic of all 4 kids...

My parents first stopped into SLC to visit Em at work. She works at PF Changs with Becca. Then my parents went to Temple Square to see the lights with JR and Becca.

Corey's Last Indoor Soccer Game- Pretty Fun & good practice for them.

Corey - #4

Impossible trying to get a Pic of just the 3 girls!

Elf Play/Musical we go to every year up at the University. It is put on by the Pickleville Playhouse. Love it! This year it was still super funny, but it also had a FEEL GOOD theme to it too. Loved it!

The first year Corey did not want to sit on Santa's Lap. Not sure why!

Family pic after the play. Matt was home babysitting Crew. He does not love plays and I do not love taking Crew to plays!

Grandpa trying to embarass us by dancing on the way to the car. He always manages to embarass Corey! She always turns red!

Just a random pretty Xmas pic of Becs and JR.

Super Busy December

2011-12-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

So this month has been super busy already, but isn't December always crazy busy? I think the more kids I get the crazier it gets. But I have managed to get a few pics of some of the things we have been able to do this month.

This first thing I did with the kids was to go and put some Christmas Decor on my grandparents graves. I am the only close relative and so it gives me a chance to help my parents show their love for their parents and for me to remember the memories with my Grandma Allan and My Grandma and Grandpa Maughan. We do this every change of the season.....spring, fall and winter. But it does confuse my 2 year old. He thought Grandma Christy and Papa (my parents) had died the other day. I had to try and explain that that wasn't the case!

I also had the chance to take Cade and Casen and their friends to a Polar Express Activity at Hamiltons Restaurant. They got to wear their PJ's, decorate cookies, and watch the Polar Express. And then at the end, they got to sit on Santa's lap for a pic. There was no time for talking though. It was getting late and the line for Santa was HUGE! But they sure enjoyed the activity! And Casen has not been afraid of Santa this year. In fact, I don't think he was afraid of him last year either. I love that! I think he sees his older brother and sister not scared and so he isn't either!

So another thing or should I say THINGS that have happened this month and that I have cost our family some money and that are not GOOD MEMORIES are....I slipped on a neighbors slippery driveway, one night when it was snowing, with my car and hit their rock pillar. Their pillar was sturdy as ever and undamaged, but my car was a differerent story. I just barely got it back from the Body Shop. They had it for over a week. And now I am scared to drive it. It feels brand new again. I was driving Matt's truck all week, just hoping not to get it scratched or dirty! Cars are annoying! And so is the snow! Then we just took our family to the dentist and that was a major cost and I had to get a root canal.....freaking $850. I had to go to an Endodontist. What a joke! It took him 30 minutes and cost us so much! Ridiculous! So to say the least, I was expensive this month!

The kids also decorated Gingerbread Trains this month, the same time dad was watching the Dallas Game. They are "DEEAFYED" as Matt calls it. He tells them to go get "DEE-A-FYED" in their Dallas Cowboys stuff. The kids had fun decorating and were almost finished with their trains until Casen had to ruin the fun! He was crying that his nose hurt and then I could see that he had BLUE SNOT! He had stuck a tiny jawbreaker up his nose. Are you freakin serious? Matt was worried and pissed. He did not want to pay $800 to go to the ER because Casen had candy up his nose. We could see it with a flashlight. It was way up there and REALLY SMALL! So we put him in the bath, put water in one nostril and out the other, sucked with the baby booger suction, and after about an hour, MOM got it out. Cade even called me "A GENIUS." I think Matt was jealous cause he likes to be the GENIUS. But we sure got after Casen and everyday after that we have talked to him and reminded him to NEVER PUT STUFF UP HIS NOSE. Why do kids do that? Isn't it obvious it is going to fit up there and get stuck?

So this year, my parents and a couple of my sisters are coming to my house for Christmas. We are so excited. I debated about how many Christmas decorations to put out because Crew is into everything, but I decided to put them all out because my family would be here. Crew has finally gotten bored of the decorations and leaves them alone, for the most part, but it took a good 2 weeks. But if you haven't noticed, our tree is kind of ugly! It is only decorated about half way and up because Crew pulls everything off the tree. He really loves the lights when they are lit up!

Oh and he has started walking this week and he is only 10.5 months old. He is growing up so fast. He looks like a minature Frankenstein when he walks. He is picking it up so fast. And he has 4 teeth now! He is looking so much older. I am excited for my parents to see him!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

You gotta love Thanksgiving with all the good food and the good conversations and the good nap that follows all that. Right?

I had a fun Thanksgiving.... Toph and Brit came up and so did my sister Becca and her boyfriend JR (otherwise known as JAR by Casen or AIFF by Crew). We hung out a few nights with Toph and Brit and Becca and JR and just sat around and talked and watched movies. And Casen got to play with his favorite playmate "Hallebugs." Thanksgiving dinner was awesome once again at Nan and Norms house and Nan always does such a good job at cooking all the major stuff. She let us bring some Carmel Apple Cookies and Chocolate Covered Strawberries this year, but I never feel like she lets me help enough with the cooking. I need to learn how to do all that Turkey stuff someday, so I can help with it too. Toph and Brit were there and so were Mandy and Reg and their families. Becca and JR ate with us too. (I feel bad too cause Cade was there with us too, but I did not get any pics of him. Oops!)

Then afterwards the girls sat around and talked while the guys watched the Dallas game. And then we all went home to our separate houses and finished watching the game. And I actually got a nap in, which was amazing! My younger kids slept for a couple hours.

The rest of the weekend, we ate out a couple times, hung out at Mandys and had some girl talk and let the kids play. Toph and Brit went home Friday, but Becca and JR stayed a little longer till Saturday. We took them ice skating and in our hot tub. Oh and don't forget, we ate dinner at Sam's Club that night too cause Matt is always up for a good bargain!

JR and Becca had to go home Saturday about noon, but Corey had her dance show around 4:00 PM at Novemberfest, so our family got to go and support her. Her dances were adorable and she is so good and fun to watch! But little Crew was a pain in the butt and it was so crowded and hard to maneuver around with little ones. It was almost worst than church with a 10 month old. I was excited to get home. Grandma Nanny came too, to watch Corey!

This weekend was fun! My kids even slept in till 10:00 and 10:30 two days in a row and me and Matt were loving that. I have not got to sleep in that late in years! We were spoiled this weekend. I am so grateful for family and for all the blessings Matt and I have been blessed with. We have a beautiful house and a beautiful family and Matt has a great job. And I love having Britt and Mandy around cause they feel like sisters when my sisters are father away and not able to be with me every holiday! But it was also nice to have Becca here too. I wish I could have my whole family with me at every holiday, but I know I can't. But I love having at least one of my family members here with me. Love ya Beccs!

My Crew Baby

2011-11-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

My little baby is growing up and it is making me sad! He is at the most fun stage right now! He is almost 10 months old and so freakin cute! I just love him!

Eating Chocolate chip cookie and loving it!

Turkey Costume Dress-up!

Liking it at first.

This is when mom wished she had a better camera with a faster shutter speed!

Holy Cow! We got one with him looking at the camera!

OK! Now he is done and hating it! He wants that hat off!

Still hating it!

Thought maybe a change of scenery! Nope! Still hating it! But the cutest turkey ever!
And Matt said he looked Gay! Guys just don't appreciate cute stuff! You can only do this kind of stuff when they are little.

A Few More Pics from Halloween Party

2011-11-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

I got a few more pics from our Halloween Party from Marsha Thatcher. I still wish I had a few more pics of some of the families there, but we both did not get pics of everyone. Busy moms everywhere and we only have so many hands and only one brain! It really is hard to multi-task....host, take care of kids, and take pics. I am terrible at it.

Catching Up

2011-11-03T22:16:00.001-07:00

I have multiple posts below. Had alot of catching up to do and we have been busy! Finally got them all done!

Halloween Day

2011-11-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

The morning of Halloween the kids had a parade at their school and they got to show off their costumes to the parents and to the other students. This was the first time I have been to this parade at their new school! It was cute to see them and all the other neighborhood kids in their interesting costumes! And I think the kids like to have me their too. Casen liked it too!

I went with some of the nieghborhood ladies/friends out to lunch with our kids in their costumes and then afterwards we took them to the local grocery store to go trick-or-treating. It was fun for the kids. I have never done this before, but the kids liked it. Casen got a little scared in the haunted house and it was so funny because they give them other things too besides candy. For example they gave them a toothbrush, choc. milk, carrots, string cheese, etc. and everytime they gave him something besides candy he would say, "I not like this." I was laughing! But it was cute to see all the kids walking around with their little baskets. And it was also funny to see all the old people who were ticked that they chose to come grocery shopping on a day where the store was filled with kids trick-or-treating and in their way!

This was an hour or so before they kids started trick-or-treating! They sure were hyper and that was before they ate the candy!

I even kind of dressed up a little!

It was so cute to see Casen try and keep up with the older kids. I was so afraid he was going to fall. We only had one injury of the night and it was in the first 5 minutes of trick-or-treating and it was Cade. And his costume held up. No holes just some skinned knees. Casen was also very picky about his candy. He did not want any chocolate bars with nuts, only Hersheys. And if someone did not have anything but candy bars he would say "No Thanks." And if they let him choose his candy, he took forever. He was into the nerds, laffy taffys, smarties, suckers, etc. He definitely was not living up to his costume. He was not Speedy Lightning McQueen. He was so slow! I love watching the kids trick-or-treat at this age.

Daddy being a good sport! He likes to watch the kids trick-or-treat too, as long as it is good weather!

Zonked out!

Our Annual Halloween Party

2011-11-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

We decided to do our annual Halloween Party (well I guess not annual) this year because we had alot of the couples say they wanted us to do it again! I was thinking about doing it and could not decide and then when everyone wanted us to do it again, then I went ahead and started planning it. We just had soup and Subway sandwiches and the families brought a bunch of goodies for us all to share. We had such a good assortment of foods. It was fun! And all the kids were dressed up and some of the adults. I feel bad I did not get a picture of everyone that attended, but Marsh said she had some more pics she would get to me. The party is always fun...a little hectic for the host...so I did not get a ton of pics.

But we ate and visited for a bit and let the kids play and then I had some games planned for the kids. We played the 4-5 Halloween games I had planned, one of them being the MUMMY WRAP! And then afterwards we did a pinata for the kids. So it turned out great and it was fun to see everyone, especially in costume!

And afterwards, it was so nice because everyone helped clean up, which cut my cleaning time in half. And no one left anything behind. Can you believe that? And also everyone helped out with Crew so that I could host! It is so fun to see how all of our friends families are expanding! I think we had 12 families or so come...which was about 24 adults and 35 kids or so. It was a great turn out and something we love to do every year or every other year!

A Fun Grown-Up Girls Witch Party

2011-11-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

This was a few of the neighborhood girls that were invited to Lynleys Witch Party that she had. She also invited a bunch of her other friends too. It was fun! We just ate and mingled and spent a night together without our kids, which is always nice! We all need that get away sometimes! I am sad though because you cannot see my outfit very good. I had on this cute black tutu with black and purple striped tights and these cute witch boots. Oh well!

A Few Fun Holiday Things

2011-11-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

The kids had a few fun activities going on the week before Halloween at school. It was Red Ribbon Week and so they had crazy hair day! The kids look forward to this day every year, but I hate it because I am not very creative and the kids want these extravagant hairdos done! But they always have fun!

These are just fun Halloween outfits that we found for the kids! Nothing much, just something to get them in the spirit of Halloween!

This year we did go to the Pumpkin Walk, but we left Crew home with Matt because it was pretty cold. By the end of it, we were all freezing and ready to go home. And we even brought our winter hats, coats, and gloves and we were still cold!

But it was fun! This years theme was FAVORITE THINGS! They had exhibits from Mickey Mouse to Angry Birds to Sound of Music, to The Christmas Story, to Tangled and Calvin and Hobbs and Many More. It was cute and Casen was actually Not Scared, which was a Miracle! He has been scared of everything lately. And then of course afterwards, they have to run around to all the wooden statue things and put their faces in them and have me take pics. I just posted a few!

This was actually Corey and Cade's Pumpkin for the Pumpkin Contest at their school this year. If you can't tell what it is.....it is suppose to be Justin Beiber. We didn't win anything this year and I think the kids were kind of embarrassed of it afterwards because it did not receive any awards and people did not like it like we thought people would. We thought it was a cute idea, but I am not a great artist, so it looks more like an old man than Justin Bieber, but WHO CARES. It was FUN! The kids are already thinking of their ideas for next year!

Corey actually got to go to the twins WITCH party that they had a few days after Lynleys witch party that she had with her friends! The twins invited like 20 girls and they all dressed up like witches and ate food and did a few crafts! This was Corey's little outfit!

Hunting Trip

2011-11-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Matt left California a couple days early so that he could go hunting and camping with his buddies. He has not gone for a couple of years and this year he really wanted to go. They just went up Logan Canyon to the girl scout camp. Early Saturday morning Nate Daugs did get a good size deer. I went up and visited them Saturday night, with the kids and ate dinner with them and then came home. It was a little scary trying to find them in the dark. I was just hoping my tire would not blow so that I would not have to walk in the dark to find help with my kids. I would have been freaked out if that would have happened. It was so dark! Matt was pretty exhausted after alot of hiking, but he always loves to go and I am sure it is more relaxing without the family tagging along.

Matt also took Cade up a few nights after work, just up past our house, hiking, to see if they could spot any deer. Matt said Cade spots deer really well, but all they saw were female deer. Cade was pretty wiped out though, every night he came home. Matt must have really worked him good!

End of the Year Soccer Party

2011-11-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Corey had her end of the year soccer party a few weeks ago. They decided to go to ice cream at A & W's to celebrate. Their coaches Brett Brunson and Kurt Sadler treated them. What a cute bunch of girls. They ended up in 3rd place out of 8. They did so well! Her whole improved throughout the fall season and it was really cool to see that! They also got better just playing together as a team. They will also play with the same team and coaches in the spring and they can't wait. Corey has actually become good friends with a few of her teammates! The whole team goes to North Park Elementary, except for Corey and the twins. So Corey doesn't get to see them at school, but she has done some fun things with them after school and on weekends. They really are a fun bunch of girls! She misses playing soccer already!

Part 4: Trip to CA....2nd day @ Disneyland

2011-10-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

So the 2nd day was not quite as smooth as the first. First of all, the kids were still pretty tired from the day before. We actually went out to eat the night before at like 10:30 PM at a restarant right by the hotel and my kids were dozing while eating. It was sad! But we had to eat dinner. And the hotel was really HOT because I did not know how to work the AC right. So we sweated all night long. And then from the very start of the morning Matt was so grumpy and I could just tell the day was not gonna be great! Oh and the kids were fighting. The kids actually had a good time though.

We started out over at California Adventure and it was not crowded at all. I wish Disneyland was like that! My mom had driven home the night before and driven back to meet us for the 2nd day! I was so glad we had her because we definitely needed her. California Adventure was pretty fun, but the kids liked Disneyland better. My favorite ride this day was the TOWER OF TERROR. I know this is sad to admit, but watching my kids SCARED FACES is so funny. Corey was not so sure of this ride at first, but once it was over she liked it. Cade does not really get scared. He just won't go on it again if he did not like it. But we had fun! Matt and I went on the SCREAMER roller coaster. Awesome! And the Ferris Wheel I would not recommend to anyone. Line takes forever and we decided to take the box that swings. OH IT SUCKED! It made us sick and not to mention Casen had a poopy diaper that we had to smell the whole ride. We also met someone famous on the Aeriel ride. Corey got to shake his hand. His name was Tyler and he was from our show PRETTY LITTLE LIARS! That was cool, but she would not let me ask to take a pic with him. I am so bummed we did not ask! Dang it!

After half the day over at California Adventure, we headed back over to Disneyland for the last 3 hours. The park closed at 6 PM that night. So we headed over to Thunder Mt. again because the kids loved that ride. We also did Its a Small World again for Casen and Crew and then finished off with The Haunted House. I think the Haunted House and the BUGS LIFE 3D SHOW really put Casen over the edge. He has not been the same since that trip. He is scared of everything now. He has turned into a real WUSS BAG! And it doesn't help that Halloween is near and everything is scary! But it is getting really annoying. Whoever thought The Jungle Book Movie and ET would scare him, but it did. He was freakin in the car when we tried to watch both those movies. But all in all it was a good day, until the end, when we were all tired and ready to go and mommy and daddy started arguing and the kids wanted a souvenier in a store with an hour long line. And then I yelled at the TRAM driver because he wouldn't let Cade sit by the edge of the tram and he wanted me to move over to the edge with a carseat and diaper bag in hand and ANYWAYS I had had it by that time and I freaked a little and said a few swear words and embarrassed my kids. But who cares. I will never see those people again.

The trip was fun and it was great to see my parents and my family. My two little ones were not themselves there...Crew was not sleeping well and Casen would not go to anyone and was scared of everything and I was kind of ready to come home. Everyone needed mommy and mommy needed some time alone and some space. And not to mention, we almost missed our flight because CALIFORNIA is TOO BUSY! We got stuck in traffic in the carpool lane and we also had to wait in a long line to return the rental.....Matt had gone home a few days earlier so I had to travel home alone with all the kids. And if my parents had not been there to help me with the luggage and kids and the rental at the airport, we would have missed our flight. So all in all, the trip was fun, but now I am ready for a vacation by myself or with Matt and NO KIDS!

These last 3 pics are actually from the day before and I forgot to post them, but I thought they were the cutest pics and I did not want to leave them out.

Part 3: Trip to CA.- First Day @ Disneyland

2011-10-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

This first day at Disneyland went really well for how many people we had. It was our family, my parents, My sister Becca and her boyfriend JR, my brother Mike and his girlfriend Angie, and my sister Steph and her whole family. (Em wasn't able to make it on this trip. She was sad and we missed her). But it was not too hot and supposedly not too crowded, but I think Disneyland is always too crowded. But it went really smooth and we did not have to wait in too many long lines. My parents were so helpful in watching the little ones when we would take the older ones on the bigger rides. And all the kids got along too. The only bad part was one of my sisters little boys started throwing up at Disneyland that day. Yes, he was the first to catch the flu from Corey. It sucked. I felt bad for Steph. That always adds stress to a family trip..when someone gets sick. But she took it like a champion mother that she is and she just dealt with it. Love her! And we also had an amazing rib lunch. It was so good! Uncle Wrights knew right where to take us for that!

My kids loved it. I think their favorite ride was Thunder Mountain. I think Space Mountain was my favorite ride at Disneyland. And Matt handled it OK too. He did complain too much (well on the first day. The second day is another story!)

It closed at 8 PM that night and so we said goodbye to everyone and our family got a hotel close to Disneyland because we were going a 2nd day. And my mom was going to meet us the 2nd day to help us out!

Part 2: Trip to CA.

2011-10-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

We had a few fun get togethers with Stephs kids at my parents house and they all got along really good. Steph and he family just live about 30 minutes north of my parents. The kids had a soccer scrimmage one night and we tried to take cousin pics and pics with grandma and grandpa, but as you can see from our pics, it is nearly impossible to do with this many small kids. But they still turned out cute! We also got to see Stephs 2 older girls Faith and Taylor in a community play the MUSIC MAN on one of the nights. It was cute, but Casen my 2 year old was terrible, so I had a hard time sitting thru it and enjoying it. But they were cute in it and Cade and Corey loved watching them. We love the cousins and my kids sure miss them when we have to go home and Steph always cries too when we have to leave and then it gets me crying too. I really do wish we all lived closer together and got to see each other more. I feel that way with my whole family! Love them!

Part 1... Trip to CA.

2011-10-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

The first place we went on Saturday, the day after we got there was of course THE BEACH. Daddy never goes with us to CA in the summer because he is too busy with work. So he never gets to go to the beach with us. So we decided to take the kids to the beach. It was pretty warm for October. We left the house, inland a little and it was about 80 degrees, but when we got to the beach it was about 70-75 with some wind. The kids loved it though. Casen was scared of the waves. He thought they were going to take him away. And Crew didn't love the sand. You can see in some of our pics, he is lifting his feet because he does not want to touch it. We were laughing so hard when he was doing that. It was nice and relaxing. And I can say I miss the beach, but I miss the laying out and relaxing and swimming in the ocean, but all those things I don't get to do anyway when my kids are in tow. So anyway. It was fun to go and spend some time there. My sister Becca came too with her boyfriend JR and so did my parents.

That night we went up to San Clemente to my sister Stephs house to let the kids swim and to have a BBQ. That was pretty fun too, until Corey got sick and started throwing up. (Our whole family had the flu the week before we came to CA and I just thought Corey got lucky and never got it. Bummer she had to get in on vacation and the worst part was that it was so catchy that it went thru my sisters whole family while we were there and my mom got it too. Sucked for them. I felt bad!)

Then Sunday, I took my kids to meet a few of my old friends and their families at a local Pumpkin Patch. Wow it sure has changed since I use to go there as a kid. Instead of just pumpkins, it is everything from food to bounce houses to rock climbing walls, to hay rides. We had fun seeing all my friends and their families. It was a little hard to actually get to talk alot to each other because we all had our kids and it was HOT and hectic. But it was still fun to see all of them. I got to see Karen, Tiff, Jamie, and Ty and their families. It was like 85 degrees and my kids were miserable. We waited in a couple of long lines and then decided to call it a day! We all joked afterwards that we should go to dinner next time, just girls and maybe just bring pics of our kids...so we can chat more and get caught up. But it was still fun!

New Fall Family Pics

2011-10-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

We finally got some updated family pics taken and boy was it a pain in the butt. We had to do it before my sister-in-law has her baby and we needed a new family pic with Crew in it. So you know how family pics are the worst nightmare ever....getting everyone ready and perfect...getting there on time...and not letting anyone get messed up or dirty ...and then getting everyone to smile and look at the camera. So the first time we went up was on a Friday and Mandy was so bummed because none of the pics turned out. We did not have one pic where everyone was looking at the camera and the lighting was terrible because of the time of day we went up. So we had to re-do it 2 days later on a Sunday afternoon, but we actually got some good ones. And I have been having terrible allergies so I was sneezing and itching so bad and trying not to look watery in the pics or snotty. So glad it is over, but I love how the pics turned out!

October Family Fun

2011-10-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Matt turned 35 on October 5th and so we celebrated with him. Matt and I went out and got a bite to eat at our favorite restaraunt...Chilis...love their chips..... and then we came back and celebrated with the kids too. They opened daddys presents and we had some cupcakes and ice cream. Matt's favorite present we gave him was of course the cheapest present. He loves big heavy glass cups from restaraunts. So we found some at Wal-Mart. And he loved them! I can't believe Matt is 35....Corey said "that rounds up to 40." Can you tell what she is learning in Matt this year? She told Matt that 35 sounded so old to her. We were laughing.

We also decorated our pumpkins on Friday night. We did something a little different this year and painted them. The kids loved that. They always have fun doing crafty things. And Casen especially loved painting but he sure got messy! WOW! And then afterwards, they did a little treasure hunt and found some Halloween PJS at the end of the hunt for their reward!

Saturday, Corey had another soccer game and they did pretty good! Then we decorated our house a little bit for Halloween. And we also tried Chuck-o-rama for the first time ever.... for dinner. It was awesome. But we cannot go there very often because there is too much good food and that is not good for the diet! But the kids ate great there and they loved it too!

Today we finished decorating the house for Halloween and Corey and Cade even decorated their rooms a little bit. It cracks me up to see me and Matt's habbits and traits rubbing off on our kids. Corey is such a planner...she drew up a blueprint plan to show how she was going to decorate her room. It was so cute! And Casen is very clean and always such a good boy to clean up his toys. But tonight I asked him if he would help me clean up the books we were all reading and he said "No thanks mom, you can do it!" I was laughing so hard. At least he was polite. The other night, he melted my heart when he told me that Crew was his Best Friend. They really are so cute together. Crew looks at Casen like he knew him from before this life. Crew loves Casen too. It is so cute!

My Little Soccer Pro

2011-10-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Corey is 8 years old now and is playing on a competitive soccer team named HAVOC. She loves it and I love to watch her play. I use to think that I would enjoy watching her dance more, but I actually love watching her play soccer more because I use to play. Competitive is also alot more intense to watch then rec soccer, so it makes it that more interesting. But just this year while playing and practicing with her team she has improved so much! And they are pretty good this year too so the games are always so close. Corey ususally plays mid-field and sometimes defense and sometimes forward. But her main position is half-back. She has gotten alot faster this year and is able to dribble alot better. She has probably scored about 5 goals this season. She also plays with her cousins Reygan and Ryley who she is obsessed with, so it makes it that more fun to go to practice and the games. Her Fall Season is almost over and then we will have to wait until Spring to play. She is sure going to miss is. In fact, Corey and her cousins made up a cheer for the team and they do it every game. It goes like this "We're awesome....We're Crazy....We're Havoc." It is so cute! They have also made some cute friends on the team!

Daddy (Matt) is a little intense watching Corey play. He knows how good she can play and what her potential is, so he cheers and yells the whole game and Corey gets bugged. She just wants to play. She told Matt that she "knows what she is suppose to do, and she doesn't need him yelling at her the whole game about what to do." I have to remind him that she is only 8 years old and not to get so intense.

They will probably get about 3rd place or 4th place this year out of about 8 teams. They are so fun to watch and I have lost my voice at many of her games cheering them on. I am so glad that she is so competitive at soccer because I really enjoy watching it! Oh and we are teaching her to not be TOO COMPETITIVE because after alot of her games, she ends up in tears because of a bad call a ref made or because they lost or something of that nature and I have to remind her that it is just a game!

An Afternoon with Gramps

2011-09-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

We get so busy with our lives and it makes it hard to do the simple fun things like visiting grandpa in Wellsville. It is so peaceful out at his house and I love going there and so do my kids. Corey has something every night of the week right now except for Friday, so after school last Friday I picked the kids up and we headed out to Aunt Mandys house for a couple hours (It had been awhile) and then we headed to grandpas house too for a couple of hours. Grandpa loves to take the kids on his four-wheeler over to the dam to feed the ducks. So I followed them over and took some adorable pictures. We also found a really nice park over there too that the kids played on for a bit. I love my grandpa and I love spending time with him. He is so cute with my kids. I know he is heading back to San Diego next week and we are going to miss him. I wish I would have made more time to go and see him this summer. I love it that he comes here every year and we get to spend some time with him! I love my grandpa!

Annual Diabetes Walk for Teisha & Chad

2011-09-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

We went to the annual Juvenile Diabetes Walk again this year to support my neice Teisha and her dad Chad. We were only able to go to the opening ceremonies this year because Corey had a morning soccer game and their team needs Corey and the twins to play a better game! So we got there about 9 AM and took some pictures and let the kids run around and play. They got their faces painted for their soccer game and they also made some tiger masks. We also listened to a band that was really good and then the lady in charge introduced a few important people and let some kids talk about when they were diagnosed with diabetes. The kids also got to show off Teisha's T-shirts. And then we had to go. I was bummed we had to miss the musical number while they let the balloons go. That is my favorite part. It gets me all emotional. We love you Teisha and Chad and hope they do find a cure someday. You two are both very special and it sucks that you have to live with this the rest of your life...until they find a cure! Glad to be able to support you every year. Love ya!

Getting Caught Up

2011-09-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

My mom and sisters were here last week and we took alot of pictures. So this week I had to get caught up on blog entries. I added about four entries from when they were here over Labor Day weekend and the week after...

Finally a trip to Lagoon

2011-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

The last fun thing we did while my mom was here, was we decided to go to Lagoon. Becca and my mom and Em had never been before. And neither had JR. It had also been 2 years since we had take my kids. So we decided after Corey's soccer game that morning that we would try and get to Lagoon for 7-8 hours. It eneded up being really fun. It did rain really hard for about and hour and we were so bummed..hoping it was not going to stay that way for the whole day. Luckily it stopped raining and it was just cool weather the rest of the day! But it was fun! My kids ended up going on some of the bigger roller coasters this time...some I might've pushed them to go on and they were a little too scary, but they survived. I did not make them on Wicked or Colossos. Those are even scary for MOM! The baby and Casen were so patient when we went on bigger rides and they had to wait. But we also took turns with the adults going on some of the bigger rides. And we split up towards the end and me and my mom stayed with the kids and let them ride the kiddy rides while Matt took Em and Becca and JR to go on some of the bigger rides. It was a fun day and we can now say we have done our LAGOON trip for the year. My kids sure are getting bigger and growing up. It is making me sad!

We had a fun time while my mom was here for a week and my sisters. I always miss them when they leave. But I know that I get to see them in a month, so it helps me get by. I usually am very grumpy and sad after they leave because I am homesick for them, but this time I did OK and I think it is because I know we have a trip planned down there to see them in a month. I always say this, but I can't say it enough....I wish we lived closer to them!

Willow Park & Dinner with Family

2011-09-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

We did a few fun things while my mom and sisters were here. We got to go out to dinner one night to a Mexican restarant. It was yummy and my kids were pretty well behaved. Becca also brought JR or as Casen calls him.. "JAR." He is alot of fun and the kids really do love him.

One morning while my older kids were at school, me and my mom and Becca and the two little ones walked the Riverwalk by the Golf Course and went and walked Willow Park Zoo and played at the park there too. It was fun and felt good to get out and get some exercise. But as I look at these pictures I realize I need to get out more and get some more exercise. EEWW! I look gross! Having kids sure is hard on the body and it gets harder and harder to lose the weight.

Funeral of a Loved One

2011-09-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

While my mom was here visiting her Aunt Geanne died. It was sad, but she went peacefully and she was ready to go. It actually ended up being good timing for my mom while she was up here.

But we went to the viewing Tuesday night and then the funeral/dinner on Wednesday. My older two kids were in school, so I took my younger kids with me and thankfully I had my sister Becca to help me. My kids were pretty well behaved, but sitting through a funeral with a 2 year old and an 8 month old is rough. But it was a beautiful funeral. They said some really special things about her...that she is in heaven dancing with her husband Gene and her sisters Bonnie (my grandma) and Joey. They also talked about what a beautiful love her and her husband had for each other and the reason that they made it work for so many years, was because they put each other first. And I realize that I need to do that more with Matt. With 4 kids and 2 of them being so young, it does get hard to put my husband first sometimes. The little ones are so needy. And they also talked about how their family had FHE faithfully every Monday. Our family has it almost every Monday, but I always feel like it is so rushed and last minute.

So leaving that funeral, I took a few things from it. I want to live more like the people of older times...slow our lives down and live the important things better. We get too busy in our lives, that we forget to do the little things better. We all loved Grandma Geanne and she will be missed, but she is in a better place with her loved ones.

Grandpas Labor Day Parade/Party

2011-09-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Every year my grandpa has a labor day lunch at his house in Wellsville. It is actually the day that Wellsville celebrates too with a parade and lots of other fun stuff. We usually go to it every year and get to meet all the relatives and do the whole parade thing. My kids love parades, especially this one. This year was extra special though because my mom was in town. My Uncle Brett and Aunt Janice usually come every year now to help my grandpa with the luncheon, but this year my mom decided to come up too to help and be with her family. So the kids were super excited to see her and get to spend the week with her. We had fun...the parade, the Sham Battle with the Indians and Cowboys and then lunch with the relatives. Grandma Nanny and Toph and Brit and their family came to the parade too. And we also got to see Marnie and Missy and Cheryl and Nate and their families too. And we also saw Marsha and Melissa and their kids. So it was a fun parade and the kids got to see cousins and friends.

My Babies R Growing Up

2011-09-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

My babies are growing up. Casen is 2 1/2 and he is so cute. He has really been a good little helper lately ...telling me when POO (Crew) is crying or when Crew needs me. He runs and gets me things like diapers and wipes and spit-up rags. And he is talking so good lately. He is obsessed with books right now and I think we read the same 10 books over and over again everyday. And he is obsessed with about 5 songs that he makes us sing before he goes to sleep. He's so funny right now! And we are working on not saying SHUT UP to everyone. WOW! Hope I didn't teach him that. I am sure the kids did.

Then there is Crew. He is almost 8 months now and crawling everywhere. He is so cute too. I love his squishy soft skin. I love the way he makes out with my face and gives me slobber kisses. And I love the way he looks at Casen and the way he laughs with Casen...like he remembers him from heaven before he was born. Crew loves Casen even though Casen is the roughest with him. He is also into food now and grabs at everything I am eating and drinking and wants to try it. He picks up on everything the big kids do too. Like if I lay on the ground, he will come over and lay on me and wrestle me. It is so funny! With my 2 older ones in school all day, I have had some more time with the little ones and I just keep realizing how big they are getting and how quickly they are growing up.

Camping with Friends

2011-08-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

We went camping up Immigration Canyon this past weekend and it was pretty fun. We went with some of Matt's friends from high school and their families. We went with Nate and Kristy and their family and Dan and Marsh and their kids. We always have alot of fun with them.

I love camping and we wanted to use our camper again before winter. Camping is so much work though for such a short period of time and it is a little difficult with young ones. But we made it thru and we had fun! We just went up on a Friday night and made fajitas for dinner and roasted smores around the fire. And the kids played while the adults tried to talk. Then we actually made it thru the night with everyone sleeping a little bit. Casen did not moan this time and we all figured out our sleeping arrangements better, but this time we were all a little cold and did not bring enough blankets. It seems like everytime we have something that we would do different. We are learning! We did have to get up and kind of leave early because Corey had a soccer game, but we still had fun and want to do it again soon! I did not get a ton of pics and of course I got none of me, but I was there and had a fun time too. And of course everyone kept teasing me about THE BEARS! I am terrified of Bears if you did not know that! That is why we traded in our pop up trailer for a more hard shelled exterior trailer, so I can protect my babies!

This pic of Matt is so funny! We were laughing cause he was shooting his gun and forgot ear plugs! So he made his own.

NERD ALERT!

First Day of School

2011-08-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Corey and Cade's first day of school. They were so excited last night, they had a hard time falling asleep. Cade started 1st grade today with Mrs. Allred and Corey started 3rd grade today with Mrs. Campbell. We got up a little too early today because I wanted to curl Coreys hair for the first day (it probably wont happen again). Anyways,we got ready a little early and had some lag time, but it was the first day and we were not quite sure when the bus came. So we made it to the bus a little early, but the new bus driver got confused and almost didn't pick the kids up. But they made it to school and had a fun day! Cade loved the school lunch hot dog and he loves his class. He loves his friends on the bus and the kids in his class. And they all seem to be happy! Cade was a little worried that he lost his $100 lunch check that I sent with him for the next couple months, but we dug in his backpack and found it and all it good! And Corey loves her class and her teacher and the kids in her class. They are excited to go tomorrow too! And Cade actually did OK lasting the whole day instead of a half day! I was a little worried about the transition, but he seems fine! Yeah for school starting!

Poor Casen though....was so bored today! I usually do not have to keep him busy when the other kids are home, but I had to keep finding stuff for him to do today! And it was only 10:00 this morning when he asked if we could go and get the kids from the bus stop. So lets just hope his naps last really long and let the day go by faster for him and me or we might have to plan some play dates with the neighbor kids!

A Few Fun Days Before School

2011-08-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

We only had a couple more days before school started to do some fun things and of course one of my kids had to get sick...Casen was sick for almost a whole week, with a high fever and so we did not get to go out and do much. Our pool dates were put on hold and we had to stay inside. It sucked. He ended up having that Hand Foot and Mouth virus and luckily no one else has gotten it. Keeping our fingers crossed!

So Tuesday Corey did have a soccer game and we had a neighborhood activity at the REDNECK WATERSLIDE in Wellsville. It was fun! We had Matt's mom come up and babysit Casen. You know how it gets as a mom or a parent when your kids are sick and you are just so ready for it to be over, get caught up on sleep, and get out of the freakin house. Well I was at that point. So grandma Nanny babysat for the soccer game and then Matt opted to not go to the nieghborhood party and stay home with Casen.

Corey did pretty good at her first soccer game of the season. They did win 4-3, but it was at 5:30 PM and it was so freakin hot that it felt like we were watching the game in slow motion. All the girls felt sick because it was so hot. So they could not wait to go and get wet on the waterslide. So we ate dinner and hurried over to Wellsville. We were a little bit late, but we got there in time to hang out for 1.5 hours or so....it was a 5 hour party. The kids had a blast on the slide. I even went on it twice. Last year I was pregnant with Crew and did not get to go on the slide, so this year I was pumped to go. It was kinda scary the first time and then it was fun. But it was so bumpy towards the end, that I have bruises on my legs and hips. I dont know how the kids go on it countless times and love it. I guess they do not weigh enough to get as far as the adults or the trains of adults go to make it hurt. Or maybe I am just a wuss. Then when it was dark, we went home.

Then Wednesday, Casen was still sick, so Aunt Lynley offered to take my older kids swimming one last time before school started. They were excited about that and had fun! Can't believe summer is over and school is starting. It is kind of bittersweet. I am excited for them and a little break, but sad that summer is over! And what will Casen do with his siblings gone all day?

A Few More Fun Summer Days

2011-08-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

I got to take my kids to another kids museum down in Ogden because Auntie Em had the day off of work and wanted to meet up. So we brought the cousins Reygan and Ryley too and they had a fun time. We were probably there for 4.5 hours and the kids did not get bored. I wondered if they would, but they stayed busy the whole time. And I got to visit with Em. It was fun. I love these museums because they have make believe stuff for the kids and the kids get to play and use their imaginations too. They also went to a little readers theater thing and Reygan got to be in it. And they went to the art center and made FISH HATS. They had fun! Casen did not remember it from last year when we went, but he was loving it. Me and Em just followed him around.

After we got home that night, we met the neighborhood at the local ice skating rink and the kids loved that. Our neighbors do it every other year....they rent it out and invite the neighbors for a fundraiser. They also provide pizza for everyone. We missed it last time, so my kids were super excited to go this time. They had so much fun. It was almost impossible to get them out of there and it was ten o'clock. Matt and I even skated. We each pushed a kid in a stroller. They let you bring strollers on the ice. So Casen and Crew got to participate too. It was fun to see everyone and get caught up one last time before school starts next week.

Ice Skating Party with Neighbors....did not get very many pics.

Crew's 6 month shots....Isn't he the cutest? For as chubby as he is...he was only 20 % in weight at 17 lbs. and 25% in height at 27 inches. I thought he was so chubby, but maybe it is because he is so short.

The Local Summer Fair

2011-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

So every summer the fair creeps in to town and I kind of dread it. Last year we tried to go to the rodeo and my kids were terrible...would not sit still..... walking up and down the bleachers and I think Casen spilled a whole pop all over the bleachers. Anyways, we did not make it to the end of the rodeo last year and I swore I would never go back until they were older. But my kids love the fair rides. So they always spot the fair when driving by or see the signs all over town and they beg us to go....

My idea of the fair and a good time is going and sitting on the grass, at night, letting the kids play and dance to the bands and eating a bunch of good fair food and walking around looking at the booths. The animals are even fun. I love to see the kids, especially Casen's age, react to the animals. But my kids are obsessed with the rides.

So this year, we did get to the fair and got a little something to eat....it was just our family. Toph and Brit ended up not coming into town, and Mandy did not feel like going, being prego and bringing two kids who hate strollers, and our neighbors ended up not coming too. So it was just us, but we did run into Dan and Marsh there and hung out with them, which was fun! But we listened to the band while daddy ate some dinner (we ate at home). And then we went over and looked at all the pigeons and bunnies and the sheep and piggies. Casen loved that part. Then afterwards we hung out on the rides and let the kids each ride about 6-7 rides. Corey and Cade loved the swings and Casen loved the train. It was his favorite. They love the fair.

I don't love to go during the day beacuse it is too hot, but once the sun has gone down I don't mind it. But it is always crowded and I hate pushing a double wide stroller around and trying to find a place to breastfeed and waiting in those awful lines. But the kids love it every year and when it is over, Matt and I always complain that the rides are so expensive and we should have just gone to Lagoon!

Park Day with Cousins

2011-08-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

We have not seen Auntie Mandy and Cousins Skye and Jordyn for awhile, so we decided to meet them at the park and hang out for a bit. It is a cute little park on the south end of town and it has a little splash pad and a playground. The kids stayed busy for about 2 hours and played while the adults chatted. Mandy brought her neighbor and Grandma Nanny came too. Casen finally warmed up to the idea of the fountains and getting wet and was having fun. It is a super cute park and the kids had fun with their cousins. When we were getting ready to meet the cousins there I told Casen we were going to meet Cousin Skye at the park and he said..."And Cousin Jordyn." I did not realize he made that connection...that they are sisters and that they come together. Sometimes I underestimate my kids. Anyway it was a fun time. I am still loving the heat and I get depressed when I think about winter slowly approaching! I love summer!

A Day in Salt Lake with Aunties

2011-08-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

We wanted to have one last day in SLC with my sisters because school will be starting soon and the weather will be changing and it will be harder to get down and see them. So we met Auntie Becca around lunch time and hung around the kids museum for about 3-4 hours. My kids love this place. We also had some lunch and came back and played at the museum again. It was nice because my kids were playing and allowing Becca and I to get caught up and talk. Then she had to go to work.

And Em had just gotten off of work and wanted to meet us at the mall and hang out for a bit. So we left the museum and went and met Em. We got the kids some ice cream and played in the fountains. They were very dissapointed that I forgot their bathing suits. Because all the other kids were in their bathing suits in the fountains. And they did not want to get super wet because we did not have a change of clothes with us or any towels. But they got cooled off a little. We did shop at 1-2 stores, which was miserable because it was about 6 :00 PM and they were hungry and Casen had not had a nap. So that did not last long. We said our good-byes to Em and left to go home. It is fun to make time for my sisters, even though sometimes it is just for a short time and they fit us in between work shifts. Salt Lake just does not feel close enough. Wish we lived closer and could hang out on a day-to-day basis.