4 Turleys and 2 Bostons

Happy New Year...2 months ago.

2012-02-16T13:53:00.002-08:00

I kind of have a bad rememory but I think this might have been the first time we have had a New Years Eve party. If not, it's been a while at least.

Grandma Loni brought party hats and blowers (that's what they are called right?), of course we had root beer floats and other goodies, played mexican train (politically correct, yeah) and all kinds of fun!

(those scars on Chlole's face were not done by my sweet angel darling daughter, I'm sure)

Carson and Soph had a little dance party in the kitchen that was HIL...wait for it (I've been watching too much HIMYM)...LARIOUS!!! Carson would NOT dance in front of Karen so she was instructed, by him, to leave the area. As soon as she was out of sight, oh boy did he have some sweet moves. Sophia is no stranger to the dance floor and can cut a rug but Carson was cracking us up because he kept an eye out for Karen the whole time to make sure she wasn't watching and he was tearing it up with his moves!! Funny kid.

Played a couple rounds of 'head bands.'

Just before 12 we turned on the strobe light, called all the kids into the living room, watched the ball drop and drank sparkling cider from the bottle, well the kids did, after it got passed around to all the kids we decided to just skip out on that;)

Soph was too pooped from all the dancing but at least she had her hat on still.

I think I forgot something.

2012-01-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I did.

Christmas morning was great!

The kids loved their gifts from Santa (a Green Machine and a Princess 4 Wheeler)

Along with all their other gifts of course. This year was fun to see them help and be excited for each other.

One of Sophia's famous "cheese" faces:)

We got this cool helicopter for "Jackson"...guess who has played with it AND broke it the most so far? (Answer; Codee, twice. It is pretty fun though.)

Lego...Shoes. Ya can't go wrong there.

We even went to church at 9am and got a pretty decent family picture afterwards.

It was hectic getting there and a little crowded at times but well worth it.

A Time Out

2012-01-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

On this day (yesterday, monday the 23rd) I woke up to my alarm and decided to let Jackson sleep in a little. Instead of giving him the 5-minute-wake-up-warning I jumped in the shower. When I got out and went to proceed with the school morning as usual I again decided to let him sleep a little longer. This time it was probably going to mean being late to school but one time wouldn't hurt anything... At 8:45 I finally went into Jackson's room to wake him, this time I did, and then I asked him if he would rather go to school or stay home with me and Soph. He gave me a look like 'do you even know me?' and grogily said "stay home...can I watch a cartoon?" (As it dawned on him that it was a free day) Soph woke up just then, she must have sensed us talkign about toons. The rest of our day went like this:

Cartoons and cinnamon rolls in moms room for the kids

Mom has a chance to get ready in her bathroom, relatively peacfully

A trip to Krumpets just cause with 2 perfectly well behaved kids (seriously)

McD's for lunch, nuggets and hot chocolate (it was a rainy day and we loved it)

Meet Jay, Chloe and Claire at Costcos again just cause, we love Costcos

Home for Sophia's nap with a friend in tow for Jacks (Chloe)

Coloring, painting, Legos and gumballs for the buddies

A haircut for Jackson (w/a well rested girl)

Dinner and a movie in the living room:)

Baths, Books and Bed time

Love it

Christmas Eve

2012-01-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Even though Kim tried with all her might to get us to go on Friday, we headed for Alamo Saturday afternoon. We were welcomed by family and fondue, not a bad start. I am not really sure how the Christmas spirit so strongly encouraged everyone (well, the women) this year but it did and it resulted in a lot of hopeful new traditions being made. We went caroling around town on a hay bailed trailer, which was quite funny cause we can not carry a tune and we knew everyone that we sang to (the whole town). We of course had delicious home made Chicken noodle soup at Grandma Shirley's and the kids opened their exchange gifts back at Ga's.

Sophia got this tea set that she absolutely LOVES. She made sure everyone had plenty of tea and cookies...pretty cute.

Jackson and Codee;) got some much needed Legos...obviously he doesn't NEED any more but man they make the kid happy. You might think he would get tired of them eventually, hasn't happened yet.

The adults stayed up late playing Just Dance for Wii...I think Matt won, and getting ready for the big day...

Very Professional Christmas Pictures;)

2012-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve

after opening a few presents

and putting on Christmas Eve jammies

we thought we would quickly snap a picture or two of all the kids...

It was such a breeze

all the kids co-operated

sat still and smiled nicely

Bandit and Bella stayed out of the way

(ok, NONE of that is true, but for having 6 dogs there just 1 being in the picture isn't bad)

------------------------

I tried to get one of my kids and the dogs

ok, scratch that

just the kids

NOT any better

this pretty much sums it up...

One of the babies?

Sure!

...

right...

(I think these are my favorite)

I LOVE THEM ALL!

Have a Merry Christmas?

2011-12-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

We did!

We had a Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year...

and now it is 2012!

I can't believe the new year is already here. The older these kids get the faster time goes by.

Explaining to Jackson why we celebrate New Years inspired me to actually make a resolution this year (I never do). SO, here it is...

This year I am going to make BIG changes.

I'm not talking about keeping on top of the dishes or exercising more, I mean BIG!

Nothing in particular (although I have a few in mind), but possibly life changing big.

Wish me luck.

COUSINS!!!

2011-12-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

We love 'em!

It's the only reason we live here!!

I will save you the counting...18!

I am still amazed that we got someone to take pictures of all 18 of them together and it turned out good!!!

2

2011-12-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

That's it. She's 2. We are officially in for it. Not that we haven't been for the last 7-8 months but I have a feeling this little Christmas package is only going to get cuter, goofier, sweeter and attitudier. Which means that we will get even more wrapped around her finger, even more laughs from her and even more headaches from her:) I am always amazed at the amount of attitude that this girl has. She has been so strong willed and independent from day one. I don't see it but people say she looks like Jackson, I guess that may be but they could not be more opposite in their personalities. She is totally my sour patch kid, sour one minute then instantly sweet the next. She knows all she has to do to get her way with Daddy is cuddle with him (seriously, he can't resist it). She knows just how to push Carson's buttons (her current favorite is to take his hat off and throw it on the ground). She knows that Mama is pretty much a sucker for anything, i.e. bat the eyes, stick out the bottom lip, say "peease" or ask for a hug. She knows that her Aunties are even bigger suckers than her mom:) I am pretty sure that above all this she knows how much she is loved and adored by everyone around her...and if you don't feel that way then take a hike!

This morning she got herself dressed in her Minnie Mouse jammies, that are too small, and her new fancy red skirt from Ga. Nice. I had to bargain with her to get her to change...we traded the Minnie Mouse top for the red Santa one and the bottoms for some jeggings but only if she could wear her pink twinkle toes. It was a little better.

Yesterday was her actual birthday and we had some great birthday plans; lunch w/Jay and Brandi and the kids, birthday cupcakes from the sweet tooth fairy then Staheli farms with everyone for the nativity, reindeer and hot chocolate...instead we got a call from Jack's school at 11:30 that he was sick in the office. So we stayed home and watched Christmas movies instead. She wore her 'Birthday Girl' shirt and her crown (upside down) all day and I let her have way too many pieces of bubblegum and other treats and that made her a pretty happy girl. I guess it was OK since the birthday celebrating and spoiling started 2 weeks ago and didn't let up til today:)

Party Time!

2011-12-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Princess Sophia Marie's 2nd Birthday Gumball Party!!!

Codee put up with my unorganized, last minute, plans for a birthday party again, and helped me (well, a lot of people helped actually) throw together a little backdrop for a cute photo op. It turned out so fun! I am so glad we did it! I didn't get any traditional party pictures because the camera was set up in Sophs room the whole time but I was ok with that cause I thought this would be worth the sacrifice...and I was right! I love all these pictures so much! It captures Sophia's goofy, crazy, fun, loving family and neighbors perfectly! It also helped cause Crystal (my awesome-amazing neighbor) ran home and grabbed her camera for some cake, present and game shots of the party! Seriously, I would prob not get anything done if it weren't for all the help I receive from everyone who loves me:) and it certainly wouldn't be as fun with out all of them!

Soph totally is a gum thief right now so we set up a gumball bar for the kids to have their way with (your welcome parents) and had a bubble blowing contest; 1st place: Ryanne, 2nd place: Carter (or was it Cooper:), 3rd place: Owen! Soph got spoiled rotten with a ton of gifts that she loves already!!! and a very pretty princess cake with a crown on top and everything...cause she is kind of a princess. It was kind of a simple, relaxed party but that is how we do it and I wouldn't have changed anything, we had a blast and the clean up took FOREVER!!!!

*Just last night at J&B's Soph was talking to herself "princess, I'm a princess". We might be giving her a complex or setting ourselves up for a whole lot of trouble.

LOVE

2011-11-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Guess who these items belong to.

I really love her, I can't believe she is almost 2!

She got her first Birthday present from Ga today, she loved it!

She opened the princess and horse to play with right away and

changed into her new dress immediately.

I think she will enjoy her party when she gets tons of presents and attention...

and gum.

She seriously loves gum.

and purses...

and boots...and horses... and kitties...and dresses...and sleeping in Mama's bed.

Among many other silly things.

*Random side story* lately she calls other little girls "princess" (namely the ones with pretty shoes or something of the kind), last weekend at walmart she looked at the cashier girl ringing us up, then looked at Codee and whispered "princess". I am not exactly sure why but it was pretty dang sweet.

Not NY...again?

2011-11-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm really not sure if there is a good enough explanation as to why I have now done TWO posts and neither of them have been about New York...what the? But this is just a super quick post, look at all these cute baby pictures I have on my phone!! I thought it was funny:)

Do you know who is who?

No pictures, please.

2011-11-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

I am sure that I will soon be flooding this blog with a ridiculous amount of pictures taken in New York but before we get to that I just want to remind myself what it was like to leave my kids...actually that part was pretty welcome, let me rephrase that...what it was like to come back to my kids;) While I wasn't crying at every baby I saw (like someone else I know), at the end of every night, no matter how exhausted or how bad my feet hurt (it got pretty ugly one night) I couldn't help but to lay in bed and wonder what my stinkers were doing. There was a very strong sense of feeling that I was not where I was needed most. Let's face it, I spend A LOT of time with the little goofballs so I wasn't feeling guilty or worried (I knew they were being spoiled rotten) I just couldn't shake the desire to take care of them. I'm not sure I am getting my point across well enough but if you are a mother, I'm sure you catch my drift:) When we finally got back to St. George I was anxious to see them. I was tired, they were too, still we stayed up too late looking at pictures of my trip, playing with their new gifts I brought them and laying in my bed...and I couldn't get myself to ask them to leave my side...so they didn't! We all three slept in my bed, even all three on my SIDE of the bed. I hardly slept at all for fear of waking up Soph who was smashed between Jackson and I but it was well worth it. I held Soph way too much today...even rocked her to sleep (while standing up holding her). It's good to be home:)

Lucky Me

2011-11-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

What are you doing this morning?
Me?
Hanging out with this cute little ladybug. Jealous?

My Little Lady Bug

2011-11-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

Springdale for the afternoon.

2011-11-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

July 14th Jay, Karen and I decided to pack up the kids and head for Springdale. We were looking for something a little different to do with the kids but mostly we were looking for somewhere that was a few degrees cooler than St. George:) It wasn't some spectacular event but it was a day full of cousins and ice cream and running around. That is what is (is what it is;) so great about living by your fam...every day is spectacular!! (wether you ask for it or not:)

I totally love my nieces and nephews...even the ones not pictured here...enough to put up with all their parents crazy, just for the chance to hang out with them.

She likes to hold hands, be the boss, make everyone run and she LOVES Carter!

p.s. where's Jackson?..anyone know?

One Random Night

2011-11-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

So you know how I am crazy right? Well I can't stand doing these posts out of order but I also can't get myself to blog anymore without doing these...they are on my blog 'to do' list. I know it's pathetic but what can you do. So here goes three out of order posts...if I can go through with it.

*July 9th, 2011

*Ice cream @ DQ with E & K

*Watch the kids run till they are sick

*Fiesta Fun for mini golf

A fun night for all (even Eric and Codee) complete with rain and fireworks!!

Brighton:)

2011-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

We LOVE to "watch" Brighton.

(we just play the whole time)

I say "we" cause Soph totally loves him too.

It goes without saying that he is the cutest, chunkiest, most fun baby...

you can't be that fat and not be in that category:)

Ballerina

2011-09-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Picture taken: Sep. 7, 2010

Once upon a time I had a sweet little princess that did adorable tricks, smiled all day, made everyone laugh and was practically perfect in every way.
One day my sweet angel woke up on the wrong side of the crib, she has yet to find the "right" side.
Boys run from her, she scowls from sun up to sun down, she will NOT laugh when you try to make her and she even argues with her momma!
I am embarrassed when she scratches and hits her cousins, I sometimes cry when her attitude is more than I can handle on my own, I make excuses for her poutty little butt as she waddles away from the nice old couple trying to talk to her.
All things considered she is the light of my life.
There are 30 redeeming minutes almost every night just before bed. She is the funniest, cutest, sweetest little girl there ever was.
*fingers crossed* We make it through this stage and live happily ever after...maybe even with Carson still as a friend:)

Can NOT wait for this.

2011-09-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Picture Taken: Dec. 18, 2008

Picture Blogged: Almost 3 years later...cause Christmas is right around the corner.

I can NOT wait for the cold weather to get here this year! Just came across this photo in my old phone picture libabry and wanted to be there so bad I could feel the cold. Codee and I are both so ready for it. In anticipation, we went and bought some new sweaters for our trip to Provo this weekend...I hope we freeze!!!!

Two LONG Awesome Weeks and a MEGA Sleepover!!

2011-09-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

"That's right I said MEGA SLEEPOVER! All the children (and 2 extra adults) seen here had a big ol' sleepover at my house last week. It was so fun, I LOVE that my kids have so many cousins!! There were 17 of us total and if you have been in my house you know it doesn't really accomodate that many people, it barely accomodates the 7 that actually live here! Another thing that doesn't accomodate 17 people is mine and Jonis vehicles but we made it work."

*That's right, I stole from Jamie's blog again...deal with it.*

Brandi and her kids moved to California about 7 months ago and this was the first time we had seen them since. They were here for 2 weeks and we made the most out of every second of it! We had all the kids over at Matt and Shenelles the night they got here to surprise them and we didn't leave there until about 1 in the morning. That was pretty much how the next two weeks went, staying up way to late then meeting up again the next day way to early! I think most of the kids are still trying to catch up:-)

Another post by J-Me for V.P. I couldn't resist!

2011-09-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know how these got overlooked! I love love love these pictures of all the girls. My fabulous friend Chelsy took these amazing pictures of Chloe, Claire, and Sophia. It was so fun, the girls got their hair done and pics taken! Good family fun! Thanks Chelsy, we LOVE them!

-it is killing me that these are out of order but I had to have them on my blog and in our book!!

A hi-jacked post of our 4th of July party:)

2011-09-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Joni and I threw a killer Fourth of July party this year, just ask anyone who was there, it was awesome. (We really missed you Karen but it was still awesome and next time you should take us to Puerto Rico with you) We made super fun invitations that looked like firecrackers (3D). Once you opened them there was an invitation in there and some little pop its (we call them poo poos, I don't know who started that but that is what they are in my family) for the kids. I didn't take pictures of them but I think Joni still has one at her house if anyone wants to see it.

We swam in the pool

ate licorice, popcorn, watermelon and salt water taffy

played on the swing set

visited, laughed, and had fun

had a corn on the cob contest, Jason won, and now I know why

We made our own Italian Sodas, super fun and super delicious

Carson REALLY wanted his own

and Carter (I'll be honest, I wasn't positive that was Carter so I asked Billy and he's really not sure either so I'm going to say 90% sure that's Carter) REALLY enjoyed the whip cream on his!!

And last but not least some pictures of the hostest(s) with the mostest(s) and their cute baby girls!

Oh yeah and we played slip n slide baseball, here's Eric and Carson running the bases, it was pretty cute!

FUN FUN FUN!

I love my family and I am (usually) so glad we all live so close together!!

Except Brandi and her family, we miss you guys!

-created by Jamie, stolen and reposted by Joni-

Today...

2011-08-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

...Jackson woke me up by saying "guess what mom. I love you" then gave me a kiss on my cheek.

...I argued with Sophia more times than I care to count about what is and isn't a bracelet (i.e. parts to my blender).

...Sophie took it upon herself to repeat EVERYTHING I said to Jackson while helping him with his homework.

I know I have said it a million times before but MAN, these kids are funny!

What a Difference a Kid Makes.

2011-08-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

Picture taken: Sept. 26, 2008

Not only is my little buddy a first grader who is gone ALL day now, when he gets home we have to do homework! (which takes way too long) After playing for an hour or so with friends it is time to do reading, take a bath and get ready for bed...all this considered, the biggest challenge is having to do it with spitfire Sophie around!!!

This picture reminded me of our little set-our-own-schedule, make-our-own-rules, nothing-stopping-us team Jackson and I had in these days. I am so glad to have had that time with him, wouldn't change Soph for anything in the world, but it was good:)

WWWWhhhhaaaaat?

2011-08-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

This morning this kid (whom I can barely carry to his bed anymore) started the first grade!

He was feeling pretty confident when we left the house this morning. On the drive to school I asked him (for about the 5th time in the last 24 hours) "are you nervous?" when all previous replies had been "NO!" this time he calmly said, "I might be a little bit scared about mostly everything". Notice the nerves setting in a little as we arrive to his class...

He was sure that he wanted me to walk him to his class (which is good cause I needed that more than him) and VERY SURE that he did not want me to walk INTO his class! I was not allowed past the door:) I lingered for a bit at my station, even though he refused to acknowledge me. All day I kept thinking "is it normal to call the school to check on your kid?" I should have known that he was fine! By the time I picked him up he was a pro! (a little excited about the big playground)

Side note: Last weekend in the car Jackson asked me if I would get him an iPod for his birthday, I thought on it for a second then said "sure!" then Sophie, clearer than anything she has ever said, and with perfect timing and inflection said "Wwwwhhhhhhaaaat". (Sounded just like the minion on Despicable Me) So now we can't stop saying that at everything:)

Sorry Jay:)

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Picture taken: August 22, 2007

Sorry about the picture Jay...I realize it is not your best BUT look at that arm!!!!! I couldn't resist posting this, it is obviously a very old phone pic but I love it! I think Jackson was about 2 1/2 and he still had some serious arm chub:) What a cutie, right? Don't' answer that, I'm not looking for an affirmation here, I already know it is the truth.

The night this picture was taken Jackson and I were in town from Alamo for a visit and Jay and I stayed up late looking through tubs of baby clothes and halloween costumes from the boys. Jamie and Jackson tried on the pupmkin hats.

I LOVE fat babies/toddlers:) and late nigths with my big sisto! Tonight we are going over to Jay's to have a "MEGA sleepover" (more on that later) and I am sure that many a funny things will be said and done...and not nearly enough sleep happening, well worth it though!

What More Could He Ask For?

2011-07-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Jackson has gone camping at Kolob twice this summer without me or Codee. He loves it! Kim and Dee are there on a service mission all summer and love having Jackson with them for company and entertainment almost as much as he likes going. He always has a good time when he is with them, even more so when it is one-on-one time and always comes back with goofy stories and new little inside jokes..."sticky butt?" (all three crack up if you say it). The last time he stayed we went up to get him and stayed the night so they could show us around a little, when it was time to go they asked if he could stay a little longer (of course) but Codee wanted him home. They agreed to let him go with out a fight if he could come back soon, like the next day...with Cooper and Carter...uh yeah, Jackson was on board.

I really don't know what he would do without these two.

Kim said that when they were shooting the guns one of the boys leaned over to the other and said "we better not tell Dad about this".

They wore their "bantanas", apparently not their shirts, came home filthy and had so much fun! When Jamie asked the boys what Jackson's grandparents names are the next day they said "Dee and Ga." :)
Aren't awesome Grandparents the best!?!

Huh.

2011-07-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

These lovely ladies are just some of my sisters (and if you are my sister then you get the title:) I just now decided that I am going to randomly pick a picture taken with my phone to post and write about when I only have a few minutes (let's see how long I stick to it). I love phone pics, they are not the best quality but they are always the candid shots which by far makes up for not being a clear shot. This pic was taken on my birthday, my sisters and mom took me to play bingo...no I didn't turn 70, it is a lot of fun even in your 20's. If you are with my family it is anyway. This photo reminds me why I live here in this blasted hot, boring town... I LOVE these girls! (and the ones not pictured) we have such a good time together, I wouldn't rather live anywhere else right now if it is not by them. I don't care if they say the same or not, we are seriously lucky to have each other; to make each other laugh, raise our kids together, bring each other a soda when it is much needed and just be there. Love everyone of you... so lets all move together! Ready? Go!

This Little Girl:)

2011-07-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

This little girl had a 6 month birthday today!! We were not about to miss it! Jackson, Sophia and even Quinn and Ry and I went ALL the way to hurricane (man I am getting sick of that drive, time to move Jay!!)to celebrate with her. I was the lucky one to pick her up from her nap too and let me tell you it is a treat! She is such a sweet heart all the time just waiting for someone to talk to her, I can never stop talking about the anticipating look she has on her face like she just can't wait to see who is going to play with her next:) BUT I swear it gets even better when she just wakes up from a good nap, she gets so surprised and excited when you go in to pick her up she smiles so huge it just melts your heart. (She even cuddled with me for a half of a second today, don't tell Jay, she might get jealous)

Oh yeah, and she has a cute tiny tongue.

While this girl is a wee bit of a punk sometimes she is never, NEVER naughty when it comes to Claire. Oh boy does she love her! She always wants to hold her (but not for too long), share blankies with her, give her kisses and lay by her. It is incredibly sweet!

THIS...is not so sweet...but it's pretty funny huh?

Happy Half Birthday Sophia Marie!!!!

2011-06-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

My teeny tiny girl turned 18 months old on Sunday, I even tricked some of the fam into celebrating it and everything:) I snapped some cute shots of her in her half birthday outfit which I will def post later, this is just a few candid shots of Soph that I feel sums her up pretty well right now...

Innocently looking for something to do...
See that look? That means she has an idea...AND this one means she was told no. She DOES NOT take well to being told no!So shortly after, she gets her way...like I said, about sums it up.She is my little sour patch kid, she is sour and then she is sweet, ohh sooo sweet:)

Camping Trip...cut short.

2011-06-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day...YAY!!!

Camping at Cottonwood... YAY!!!

Four wheeling, fishing, sunburns...and snow?... WHAT?

Friday morning I bust my butt to pack EVERYTHING up. Friday night we meet Codee in Alamo and drive up Cottonwood Canyon and get settled in...everything is going surprisingly smooth so far. Saturday Matt and Misty arrive and we have a perfect camping day, we should have known something was coming. Sunday morning we wake up to this!! Scratch that, this is Sunday afternoon when the snow has begun to melt already, what we woke up to was a full on blizzard...for the desert anyway. It was the craziest, most unexpected thing! The last day of May and we almost get snowed in...huh. Happy Memorial Day.

I freakin' rocked this hills world!!

2011-05-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest hill I have ever climbed.

When Codee and I went out riding a few weeks ago I was a little scared at first cause it had been so long since I had been on my bike, even longer since my last time in the sand. I got over it though, I didn't want Codee to make fun of me too much:) So after a few less intimidating hills, some goofing around and watching Codee go up it a few times I finally got up the nerve. And Codee got it on video, SWEET! I like having my triumphs on video just in case anyone is ever doubting my badassedness, cause lets face it, I can be kind of a wuss sometimes. Anyway, I am glad we got out on our bikes again and I am excited to take them camping this weekend.

Sunday, Sunday

2011-05-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

This was such a good sunday, and the fact that I actually got some pictures of it, I could not pass up the opportunity of blogging about it. It was the opitomy of a good sunday, in my opinion. It was a while ago, a few months actually:) Claire's blessing to be exact, which is always a nice start to a sunday, church with the whole family! It was perfect weather so after the gathering at the Blackwells we came home for some much needed r&r. That evening we made pizza and mississippi mud (so good) and ate it outside picnic style. (Soph made a mess) The kids LOVE eating outside, we do it often when the weather permits, which suprisingly it has been a lot lately. Lucky us!

Looks good, right?

After dinner we went out front to play with the kids for a while. Soph found some flowers to explore and was entertained for quite some time. I couldn't ruin her good day by wiping her face so she was "pizza face" the rest of the day:)

Jackson was just mastering a new trick (standing up while riding) and showed us countless times how good he was a it, and practiced his pop wheelies, the next trick he conqured. Sophia, as always, was delightfully entertained by everything he did!

At the end of the day we took the kids down to see the horses, Jackson on bike, Codee on scooter, Soph in jogger and me running to keep up:) We pet and fed the horses then rode/ran home for baths and bedtime. Such a nice and relaxing day I had to share it, but I will be honest, mostly I just want to remember how much I enjoyed this laid back day.

Double Duty Post

2011-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Not the most eventful Mothers Day but a pretty great weekend on a whole to make up for it:) and a picture of me and my babies (I know, neither are babies) not really a great one since neither of the kids are looking or smiling but a picture nonetheless, so I will take it!

And one shot of this cutie with me cause Jackson was done with the camera, after only one pic, what a butt right? Oh well, I love them and being their mom and our not-so-glamorous, everything-is-half-ass life:)

To Alamo for Easter we went! SO good to have the whole Turley family together again! With all the babies lovin on Uncle Kenny and someone for Codee to make fun of again it was a great weekend. The kids had a good Easter Sunday too, Jackson loves being in Alamo with Ga, Laynie, Papa and Kenny (some of his favs) as much as ever. We had an egg hunt for the kids outside and Sophia totally got the hang of it right off the bat, it was so cute! She ran around collecting eggs till she could find no more, then she dropped one and it busted open...she was shocked!!! Ali and Dean-o were pretty into the whole thing also, I love seeing them together, I think Kim and Dee do too:)

He's Back! He's Back!

2011-05-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Jackson has always been close to Kenny, even more so since he lived with us before his mission. When Kenny left he was pretty sad but didn't really get the concept of how long two years was, after about a year though it was really sinking in for him. Seriously, over the past 4-5 months Jackson had been talking more and more about Kenny and almost every night at bed time he would say "I miss Kenny." So it came as no surprise that he was elated when Kenny got home, he really loves his uncle...

what was a little bit of a shock was how much Sophia instantly loved him too! Little miss nothin-to-do-with-strangers was all about Uncle Kenny! From the very first time she met him she was smitten, hugging him, preferring him over Codee or ME! Crazy! Here she is, in his arms (where she spent much of the weekend), showing him her Easter loot:)

Happy 6th!

2011-05-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today, May 3rd, is Jackson's 6th birthday. On Sunday we had a kick butt lego party for him, complete with tons of family and friends ...

...an awesome lego cake (don't look to close there were a few flaws, but the kids thought it was awesome!)...

...as many lego games and contests as we could think of...

...a rockin pinata (wouldn't be a real party w/o one)...

...and so many cute babies the photo ops were endless! (and billy?)

Plus lots of presents, popsicles, and good times! (don't miss Campbell's art work, hint: it's on his face.)

A Little Girl Thing

2011-04-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Soph got these cute little pink jellies a few weeks ago, along with this tutu swimming suit, the day we brought them home and tried them on she did not want to take them off. She ran from me every time I attempted to take either of them off. She thought she was hilarious. Even now, weeks later, she prefers them over her other shoes. Just try putting another pair on her, it wont last long, she will take them off and bring you the jellies. She is a girl about fashion, prob more than her mom already:)

Spring Break Wrap Up

2011-04-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

HOW could I forget this?

2011-03-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

My cousin and I went on a little road trip to fresno, we ditched the kids (sorry kids) with the in-laws and drove out for a long weekend... alone.

It turns out that there isn't too much to do in our home town for two married mormon girls, so we created our own entertainment.
We had a good time being us:) We rocked with the Beibs, got ready way too many different times, had some good food and some even better inside jokes;)

And this happened...

One night after dinner we had a little extra energy. It started as innocent singing (maybe a little too loud) and somehow turned into a full blown music video. Hair, make-up, wardrobe the whole bit, even a photo shoot to wrap things up. Only one person has that video and she is protecting it with her life!

We have entered the World of the Tooth Fairy

2011-03-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

I didn't even know it was lose.

He couldn't have been more excited about it.

Oh This Boy.

2011-03-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

This boy cracks me up!
He drives me crazy sometimes, makes me want to pull my hair out even but then he makes up for it all by being so sweet and cute and funny.
While driving through town yesterday we passed a big clock on the side of a bank to which he said
"A clock?
Really?
Who needs a clock when you have a watch or a phone?
EVERYONE has a phone.
DUH.
Stupid clock."

Look at What I Did!!

2011-02-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have always had a thing about guns, I never liked the thought of them being in my house or around my kids, then I realized that I was scarred of them about 2 weeks ago when Codee got out his new pistol to show me, I panicked. I had no idea that I had become afraid of them. I am sure that I was letting it happen and didn't want it to get any worse, so I decided to face it head on...cause I AM NO SISSY!! So, finally today, after 7 years of Codee asking me if I wanted to shoot his guns, I did. I wish that I could say that it was some eye opening, liberating experience but I can't. All I can say is that I did it, I am glad I did and I do feel a little less like a chicky baby when it comes to guns. My heart was racing, I stopped breathing a few times, if it weren't freezing out I probabaly would have had sweaty palms and I think I closed my eyes every time I shot, none the less, I did it! I shot a gun for the first time in my life today, I shot 3 different guns actually and right now I am feeling a little bad ass because of it.

Look at What I Did!!

2011-02-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well Look At You St. George

2011-02-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Big time St. George finally got a new airport!

A few weeks ago my mom stopped by our house to pick me and the kids up on a whim to drive up to see the new airport, the curiosity was apparently eating away at her:) We stopped in Arizona;), and flipped out a little bit about the long strip of new highway that you take to get there that we did not even know exsisted. We knew the airport was where the old moto cross track was but we didnt realize we wouldnt be able to get there the way we used to, so we took the long detour around and finally made it.

The kids thought the bathroom was like so totally awesome! Not sure why, Maybe it was the echo or maybe they were just bored so anything was entertaining? They also loved the vending machines, but that one is totally understandable. We went upstairs to get a good view of the runway and a few planes, Jackson could have stayed there all day. He says he can't wait till he gets to go on a plane like Krizi did:) We went to the airport to say bye to Krizia when she first moved to Austrailia and now that is what he thinks of everytime we go to an airport.

Lunch with Ga & Mr. Mane

2011-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Kim and Dee (Ga and Papa) came into town to run some errands and hang out with the kids for the day but since niether had anything pressing they couldn't refuse when Jackson invited them to have a sleepover with him. Jackson also had his "class friend" Mr. Mane for the day so he had all kinds of adventures with them!

Never too old

2011-02-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Jackson got this dang thing for Christmas when he was 2!! I don't know why or how it is still working. It has taken a good beating. I am pretty sure it originally had a cover over the battery, a front bucket and a trailer, all are long gone. The neighbors and cousins come over and hike eachother on it, push it up and down hills when the battery isn't working, I think it has even been rolled once and yes, Codee and I have both rode it. For along time now, prob 6 months, it has been sitting in the garage because I misplaced the charger, until last wknd when I found it right where it is supposed to be. Who knows what happened there. We charged it up and took it out in the backyard and Jackson had a blast! Even if your knees are almost hitting your chest, you are never too old for any form of fun!

Sick Day:(

2011-02-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

Jackson Stayed home from school today because of a nasty sounding cough, he was totally on board with that decision. I stand behind the decision but I had no idea this morning what I was getting myself into. On top of Jackson's cough Sophia is breaking a tooth today and while I really do feel bad for both of them...MAN! What a bunch of needy babies! They both stayed in their jams all day. Jack has spent most of the day in front of the TV, watched TS3 twice and Soph has spent her day either in my arms or pestering Jackson. On the up side, if it hadn't been for Soph occupying my arms all day I am pretty sure that Jackson would have been trying to get me to carry him around and they are BOTH napping right now! I think I will make it through the day with all my sanity after all.

Happy 1st Birthday Deano!!

2011-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend in Alamo to visit with everyone, finally ride Jacksons new four wheeler (kind of) and celebrate Dean's first Birthday. It was sort of a windy wknd and not all our plans were executed but we got just enough sunshine and warmth to have a big bash for the birthday boy. Soph had a good ol' time on the swing set with Daddy, it was a little more than he bargained for, she wouldnt let him stop:) Good job Soph, he totally deserves it:) The three babies are always so funny together because no matter how hard we try to get them to play together they just really dont care to pay attention to one another. Except when Dean was having his cake, then Soph stood just as she is in the picture the whole time and watched him. Jackson always LOVES being in Alamo and playing with his cousins, he was heart broken when it was time to come home, I almost left him there, dang school!

My Little Tortilla

2011-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sophia wanted to help pick out what she was going to wear. I put her in her cutest baby legs and a little dress and sweater...she was NOT happy about the sweater. She opened her bottom drawer and got out her black boots and her bunny hat for her addition to the ensemble:)
She has also taken her dish washing skills to a new level (Jay, I am sure you will get to experience this one soon enough). Not only does she push in the drawers and close the door after every dish that you put in, she will move whichever dish you just put in then close it for you, after EVERY ONE!!!

2011-01-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

She also likes to harass these two...or anyone, actually:)

Opposite

2011-01-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

My kids might look alike but this little girl could not possibly be any more different than her big brother.

This is Daddy's cup. Soph LOVES it! Usually when Codee is home he will let her play with some of the contents, some are probably not baby safe. However today she wanted to play with it and Daddy is not here...what options did she have really? She carefully got it off the pedestal table and set it on the floor without spilling anything, all by herself. Here is example #1, I am not so sure Jackson could have done this w/o spilling or breaking something even at 5!

She took everything out one at a time to inspect, taste and play with.

After dumping the cup she set it back on the table, by herself. Example 2, there is NO WAY Jackson would think of putting something back w/o being told at 1...or 5. It cracked me up to watch her, i wish i would have caught her in the act with pictures but i didn't want to risk distracting her.

She is 100% Jackson's complete opposite!

He is content, timid, sensitive, cautious...she is...well, not.

She already climbs on everything, gets hurt regularly, is a total busy body, feels absolutely free to boss ANYONE around and man has she got an attitude!!

Claire

2011-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I should let Claire make her blog debut:) It's my right since I did all the "hard work" right Jay? Kidding. Both Jamie and Claire did so good and are still doing well and will hopefully be settling in at home soon!

What a sweet little chunk! All that hair, 8.15 lbs and already a fat roll under her chin...you could have convinced me it wasn't a Blackwell. So very glad to FINALLY have this little angel here.

And here is the "hard work" I mentioned earlier:)

"My dad shaved this."

SNOWWW!!!!

2011-01-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

I just love it, love it, love it!

ONE!?!

2010-12-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Sophia's first birthday! I can not believe it! Walking, talking (if telling dad "no" counts) and already 1?
We celebrated the big 1 with an outside, over the top, holiday bash. It pulled together pefectly in the last minutes, Soph slept through the first hour of it but that wasn't her favorite part anyway, she woke up just in time for all the fun...it couldn't have happened without her:)

1. Hesitant at first, she needed a little help opening the first few presents. 2. Caught a glimpse of babies and got a little more interested. 3. Three babies! Is this heaven? 4. Not getting this one out of her hands, even to get it out of the box. She will just cuddle with the box for a while, she doesn't care. 5. More presents than this girl knew what to do with. 6. cleared away the present madness, sang to her, plopped a bright red cake in front of her and she still wouldn't losen her grasp on the babies:) 7. Ga decided to help her with the cake since she didn't have a hand to spare. Sometimes princess' have to be hand fed. 8. Decides to give it a try. 9. Even shared a little. 10. Good food, fires and gifts, lots of pretty stuff to look at and all her favorite people, a good way to turn one!

I have to say how lucky I am to have so many people surrounding me and my kids that love us and want to help us! My totally awesome big sisto hauled all of her kids to our house the day before the party to make this cake with me. It was our first, posssibly took way too long, but we are proud of the way it turned out:) One of my amazing sister-in-laws left work in the middle of the day to come assist Soph's photo shoot (hence the cell phone in one of the pics, we were all dancing to get her to laugh). Another amazing sister-in-law stuck out hours of shopping and a little tending to make the big event happen, even though she couldn't make it;) Codee's mom made tons of delicious food, as uasual and spoiled us all while she was here. Even my best friend helped from the other side of the world keeeping me company while I was haunched over the toilet friday night till 4 in the morning:) So loved, so lucky.

Oh Yeah!!!

2010-11-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Got my first taste of Christmas cheer last night!

Codee pumped up the Chritsmas jams!

Can't wait for the tree and to start putting presents under it!

November already!!

2010-11-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Am I too late? 1-2 weeks isn't that bad! Who can blog right as things happen anyway? October was great, I knew it would be. Aside from our little get-a-way wknd, we had a pumpkin party at our house. I am not that great of a host but i love doing it! Sophie got her two top teeth (that makes 4!) and took her first steps:) and of course...

HALLOWEEN

All the kids costumes were so great and original this year, i loved it!! We have such a bunch of goof balls!
Oh yeah and I know I am a huge dork. I just got an itch to dress up this year, not sure why, so I threw this not at all lame Dot Matrix costume together with some DI finds and a can of spray paint, oh and Eric's chest protector, I am not really THAT weird looking on my own:)

Now the big question...how soon can I start decorating for CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

Relaxing Wknd and a Beautiful Wedding!

2010-10-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

I Have great kids!! I know that you are probably thinking that yours are pretty great, but mine are amazing!!! Yours too? Ok fine, but this is my place to brag :) The drive to Ca. and back went so well! We didn't really have a schedule so there was no hurry either way which was nice for a change. It usually feels like we are rushing through everything to get to what is happening next, to slow down and go at whatever pace we pleased, for once, was great. We let Soph nap when she needed and Jackson swim when he wanted. Jackson got dirty playing in the hot tub and sand at the Kirchhausen's house and at krizi's wedding and I didn't say a thing to him about it (it was hard for me). We ate whatever we pleased, whenever we pleased, paying no attention to a "regular food schedule." Walked to dinner in the rain one night and saw the slight (hour and a half) wedding delay as a photo op. We didn't have a care in the world... we pretended we didn't anyway:)

Everything on the big day was fantastical! It could not have been more perfect and fitting to Krizia. The relaxed feel of the whole occasion was just right for her, she was beautiful and absolutely on a cloud! Houman looked pretty happy as well;) The last minute ceremony was fitting, her dress had to have been made just for her, the kids were adorable (tears and all) and the cupcakes were delicious! The night was topped off with a campfire and s'mores on the beach, such a good idea! Everything, including our 9th grade talent show act, was perfect. Just Perfect!! And they rode off on their tandem bike and lived happily ever, ever after :)

I feel silly posting three pictures of just us but this is my tribute to my best friend:) I love her and she is the greatest! Which makes me the luckiest to have her as my best friend! I am so happy for her and hope for all the happiness in the world for her and her new husband. She deserves it. I can't wait to see her again...maybe in Australia (fingers crossed). And hope that she moves back soon! I love you Krizia!!

There Goes The Neighborhood

2010-10-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for some "good guys" to harass?
Plotting their next crime?

Maybe just KILLIN' time?

I can't be quite sure what was going through their funny little minds but I think it was something pretty cool!
They invaded my house with as many weapons as they could round up, even had Sophie hostage at one point,
but Soph and I didn't mind one bit. It was the funniest thing I saw all day and Soph just sat and watched in amazement.

It's over!!

2010-09-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today. Was. Long. I am not 100% sure that I could have made it to right now (the end of today) without this little dress-up time Sophia let me indulge in:) While jumping on the trampoline was a good suggestion (thanks for your input Jay) this activity was just the pick-me-up I needed to get me to the end of my week from hell! What can I say, I can not sit still.

Along with this never ending week coming to a close, so does this years official longest month!! I realize that I am not making a whole lot of sense right now but stay with me. Not to say that September was uneventful, it just seemed to be seriously dragging on forever! The whole school thing is screwing with me...yeah, I'll blame it on that. Well October, I greet you with open arms. Bring it on!
p.s. don't feel the need to say "it's already been broughten", I got that one covered for you.

WE MADE IT!!

2010-08-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

We made it through the first day of school, with no crying (on either end). There was a little rebellion at first but he quickly came around. Watching him walk up to his school by himself was bitter sweet, what a big kid. Cute too!

Good bye summer :(

2010-08-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Kylie's parents have this awesome pool that they so generously invited me, my sisters and ALL the kids over to for a last day of summer pool and pizza party!! It was a great way to end the summer! Thanks Kylie, you Rock!

It wouldn't be a REAL party without Soph in a little polka dot swimsuit there:) She is such a trooper, she went the whole time without a nap, smiling and laughing all day. She did almost fall asleep once in the pool (as illustrated below) until she caught a glimpse of me trying to get a picture of it, then she sat right up and smiled at me!!

A few things I love

2010-08-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

#1. a) I love that our friends are our families. b) I love Oscars!
#2. I love the crazies that I live with, they make me laugh.
#3. I love when Soph does new things, this time it was how to make a lovely little mess.
#4. I love pudgy little painted toe nails!

Our Weekend

2010-07-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

We left our house late Friday night (guess who drove and who slept) and pulled into Orem at 1:30 am. I can't complain though, night is my fav time to drive, especially if everyone is sleeping;) Even though Soph was wide awake from 1-3 she woke us all up bright and early Sat morning to begin our fun; Breakfast with our fav Sievers fam, took Jackson to Toy Story 3, hilarious!, took Codee to Cabelas, not so hilarious, then to the Richmonds for a rockin' party! Bucky was hilarious! He totally loved me, I think it may have stemmed from jealousy of Sophie getting all my attention. I'll take his love however I can get it. Big and Little Kenny put on a mini Stadium of fire, Jackson barely lasted to the end of the show. After all this excitement we finally headed up to our next hotel in SL, arrived there just after midnight, a small improvement over the previous night.

Jack and I decided to let the babies nap Sunday morning while he and I hit the town via Trax. He was a huge fan!! He did not care even a little bit where we were going or what we were doing, he just wanted to keep getting on and off, so we did:) We got our favorite snack at Starbucks and played some checkers. After some lunch we all set out for the Zoo. Jackson really enjoyed it, he loved the bird show and the baby elephant Zuri and paid tribute to CoopsCar by making a huge fuss over the penguins and alligators, I think they could convince him anything is cool. Soph didn't care about anything but Jack's blue icee and Codee was a trooper. I, on the other hand, am a huge dork, I know. I love the Zoo!!! I always have. I am pretty sure that I liked it way more than the other three combined:) Jackson was having to tell ME to settle down, I was running around like a little kid, embarrassing Codee the whole time. When we got to the Zoo the parking lot was completely full, when we left the park there were only a handful of other cars left. They all but had to kick us out, needless to say, we were pooped. Unable to pry ourselves off the bed for dinner, we ordered room service... best decision ever... at that moment anyway:) Delish! The hot tub ended day two perfectly, it even put Soph to sleep.

(I can't get this to move to the middle)

OK, you caught me. That is actually Sunday nights dinner, I didn't get any pics of Mondays happenings. It did start with more room service though. It's a good thing we didn't stay any longer cause we were hooked! After one more nap for the babies we checked out and made one more stop before heading home, Cowabunga (or Bingaha) Bay. Vicki, Tyden and Hadlee met us there and I am so glad they did, Jack and Tyden always play so good together!! A fun little park, key word, little. They seriously need an expansion pack for that place, still a good time though. Jackson even got to have an ice cream, churro and 44 oz. (or something ridiculous like that) soda for lunch, not sure how he talked Codee into that one:) He must have learned it from his mom;) I am so glad we went, it was a great little trip for our fam! Just what we needed!

Happy Half Birthday!

2010-06-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

Our little princess is 6 months old! Well, closer to seven now but when these photos were taken a few weeks ago she was :) For her birthday she picked out her own toy for the first time and I didn't gripe the next time Jamie tried to sneak her a little something sweet. Still no cans of pink icing, but i will let a taste of ice cream slide now that she is half way to 1!! Jackson helped me get a few pics of her, she will always laugh for him:) She is totally a ham until I get out the camera, then she just wants to try to get it from me, so it' s a good thing I had Jacks help. I swear he can do anything and she will laugh, he must be the funniest person she has ever met!

If that is not total admiration I don't know what is.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2010-06-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

(i am not sure why but I never published this post, it's 2 months old. there are 2 new posts, don't miss 'em!)

Now that she is four months old and so over being a tiny baby, she decided it was high time she had some real food. So with my assistance, she plopped herself down into her bumbo, put on a super cute bib (even big girls can be a bit messy) and prepared herself for a new and exciting taste adventure!

The shiny black camera posed a bit of a problem, it is very hard to concentrate on the task at hand when there is something screaming for your attention in the background. While bananas are fun to spit out immediately after being fed them, you gotta look good for the camera!

It turns out that on top of being a great toy, these things actually tatse good too... as a matter of fact she would like some more... and could you hurry it up please.

back from a small break

2010-06-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

SO, we broke our laptop a while ago which resulted in a little time away from the internet world, but we got a new one and our back in buisness:) With all of our spare time I talked Codee into remodeling our down stairs bathroom/laundry room, actually I talked him into quite a few weekend projects, I don't know how I managed that. And almost everytime he talked Billy into helping, even with his busted ear, thanks Bill! Here is the bathroom then and now. I love it!

The problem with this is that now I want to redo the other bathrooms:) I need a good color scheme for my master bathroom, any suggestions? Codee gets on my case about using too much brown and he hates red and I am not a big fan of green, what's left that is appropriate for a bathroom?

He's 5!!!

2010-05-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! He is 5! It was a long, eventful day for him, filled with as many blue things as we could think of:) It started off with a big bright blue breakfast, BLUE eggs, toast and milk. Hold up, it actually started with him sleeping in till 10, this boy knows how to enjoy a birthday! When first offered blue eggs his response was "mom, that's impossible!" but Jessica proved him wrong and he was impressed. After the colorful breakfast, with only a little hesitation to try it, he moved on to sqiurting everything he thought he could get away with drenching with his new color blaster (blue water, of course). Next on the agenda was the water park then nachos, blue ice cream and 5 candies of his choice from judds, some of which were also blue, to wrap up the afternoon. A few hours spent with his Aunt Misty and some cousins, i think there was even a piece of Asphalt pie involved. He partied hard till after 9 with that crazy crowd and came home to blue balloons, blue cupcakes and sparklers!!!! Finally crashed in my room watching star wars to end the day. I think it would be safe to say he was one happy boy today! I sure love my hilarious, nutty, entertaining and super sweet 5 year old:)

4 months and 27 years.

2010-04-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

We had two birthdays in our family this month!! Sophie turned 4 months old:) and I turned 27, ahhhHHHH!!! Sophie is hilarious these days! She can almost sit up on her own, she eats bananas and gags when I try to give her rice cereal. "Sof" is what her big brother calls her and she lights up when he talks to her, she is VERY tickleish and just discovered her tounge some time last week:).

I, on the other hand, have not had so many cute mile stones lately. I did take Jackson to register for Kindergarden and that was quite a moment for me. On my birthday my sisters, mom and I went out for lunch, froyo (did I get it rigth Chloe?) and some light shopping. Thank you for the lovely evening girls! Codee managed to pull through with an awesome gift and a sitter so the two of us could go out, well done Codee:) While waiting for the sitter we had a mini photo shoot and niether of us are at all photogenic so it started getting a little out of hand, good thing Jamie showed up when she did! All in all, a great day!!

When boredom sets in...

2010-04-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

If all else fails I am pretty much guaranteed to find some way to entertain myself with Sophie:) Be it playing dress-up, making her lip sync, or putting her in a stroller that is intended for a baby doll (the plastic kind!). Boys are great fun and all but I can only play Lego's or Batman for so long, but dress-up, I could do that all day long! Speaking of dress up, I am not a big fan of the big bows, while this one is SUPER cute, I put it on just for the sake of the picture and I must admit that it looks pretty dang cute. I guess what it comes down to is that anything would look cute on this little doll:)

Cede's 6th birthday

2010-03-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

I mostly wanted to learn how to put a movie clip on here, atleast I think that is a good excuse for posting this clip of Cede opening her birthday peresent. When I showed this to Codee he said "oh no, we are starting to treat our dogs better than our kids." I don't know about that but I will admit that I get to much enjoyment from the stupid poochies:)

The Blessing

2010-03-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it, I wrote that title with the voice of the old man from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in my head. I can't say or hear those words without thinking it. I know I am a huge nerd but knowing is half the battle, right?

I didn't really want to showcase myself qutie this much but it was the only way I could get it to work, I swear, so here are some pics. of sweet Sophia in her fancy dress with her Mom and Dad:)

We blessed Sophie last Sunday, it was so special of course and OF COURSE everything that could go wrong, did. Jackson came with his Grandma and almost missed the whole thing, almost everyone was late (shout out to Jamie and Karen for being on time!), the mic. wasn't working so only those in the circle heard the actual blessing, I assume it was a good one though cause Codee was crying like a baby the whole time:) and someone was a little under prepared for the lunch afterwards...opps! It's a good thing I have a patient and understanding family who can bare with us through all our mishaps:) Eventually we got it together and had a great day!

2010-03-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does Sophie look a little more than 6 weeks older than her cousin Dean?

Someone got wizzed when her Aunties decided to play dress up with her:( Not so sweet,

then the princess convinced her Dad to sneak away from the party and take a nap with her. It was a big day for both of these babies:)

My Happy Morning Girl

2010-02-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

I may have mentioned before how Sophia is happiest first thing in the morning, which I think might be a pretty normal thing, but I just can't get over how happy this girl is in the morning. I don't have any idea where she is getting that from cause I am so NOT a morning person. It totally bums me out that nobody but me gets to see her like this either. I often try to take pictures of it but the minute a get the camera out she can't take her eyes off of it and pays little or no attention to me. I have even tried calling Codee ( maybe even Jamie once) so they could at least hear how much she talks to me in these happy hours, well hour and a half anyway, then it is back to bed, that never works either. Yesterday morning was the height of all happy mornings, I was playing with Sophie as usual when she let out an actual laugh!! I was so excited that I jumped up clapped, turned around looking for the phone and scared the crud out of Sophie...nice. I called Codee right away in hopes that he could hear it too but I think I ruined any chances of her doing it again any time soon with how overly excited I got the first time around. Duh Joni. I hope she does it again soon cause it was so dang sweet and the cutest thing I have heard in a while! And anyone that would like to come visit my little happy morning girl is more than welcome to:)

Happy 2 Month Birthday!

2010-02-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

2 months old today! Smiles All the time and...

already helps with the laundry:)

2010-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that I never posted this?? I am a little scatter brained, to say the least. I think my original intention of this post was a shout out to all of Sophies fantastic Aunts!! They really are great, she is completely spoiled and adored by them:) But now that I realize that I let this sit there all ready to go but never posted it, for almost a month, I can' t let the issue go without addressing it... I have reached a new level of forgetfulness. This kind of ridiculous, obvious thing happens with me ALL the time. Am I just not paying attention? Is my brain even older than my two kids make me feel?

Afternoon Fishin'

2010-02-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

We spent Wed. afternoon fishing with Misty, well I say we but really just Jackson fished with Misty. Sophie and I went but just for laughs! Good thing Misty has such a flexible work schedule or we couldn't have gone fishing with her on her "lunch hour" (more like three hours that turned into taking the day off:)

Jackson, like his mom, refuses to touch the fish so Misty gets stuck with all the dirty work! It's a good thing it doesn't bother her cause Jack is a serious fisherman. He caught 3 fish!!

He also took time out to feed the ducks!

He is not very sneaky so he couldn't get near as close as he wanted to but he had a blast! Thanks Misty:) We love you and your craziness!

Sweet Baby Girls

2010-02-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

We spent this last weekend in Alamo, of course we had a super bowl party and got put to work a few times. Codee's sister, husband and their kids were there for the weekend as well. Sophie and her cousin Ally are only 4 months apart and were very interested in each other:) We laid the two girls down on the bed and when one caught sight of the other she would just stop and stare. We were all cracking up at it, it was so sweet to watch them just look right at each other. Then they started getting a hold of each others hands, Ally even managed to get Sophie's in her mouth a few times, and eventually they got a little restless and started whacking each other, not as cute but still pretty funny! I'm excited to see these girls grow up so close together!

8 Weeks!

2010-02-02T11:42:00.001-08:00

My cousin Jessica gave Sophia a bunch of super cute bows for her hair a few weeks ago and while she doesn't get to wear them to much YET, we do play dress up with them quite often! I couldn't resist a photo shoot when I tried this one on her one morning!! She is so good first thing in the morning, she is all smiles. She coo's, does a silent luagh where she opens her mouth real big and throws her head back, and makes some super cute faces. It is amazing how entertained we can be by the simpilest things when it is your baby doing it. Girls are SO fun!

cousins

2010-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

Joni's blogging tutorial

And four makes... a blogger out of me

2009-12-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

After having this pretty little girl, I thought to myself "I really shouldn' t be so stingy with my kids, pictures and stories, share it with the world Joni! Some of them deserve to hear about it and see it too.

Sophia was born Dec. 12, 2009 8.6 lbs. 20 in. with many admirers awaiting her arrival.