Kayner Family

Double Digits!

2010-03-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Our CRAZY Zachary turned 10 this last week and we celebrated with an EXTREME Birthday party!

We made an Extreme Motocross Birthday cake that we found in the Family Fun magazine.

We also played some very fun games....We first played a Sporty Relay Race using a skateboard that had to be sat on and scooted across the lawn, shooting a basket and a football type "tire drill".

Then we played a few of the "Minute to Win It" games from the new game show on NBC.

On the game show the name of this tissue game is "Hanky Panky" (not a fan of the name, but we liked the game!) Each person is given a full box of tissue and the first person to remove the tissues one at a time, using only one hand is the winner :)

The boys all loved this one! This one is called "Junk in the Trunk"...we used plastic eggs instead of ping pong balls and we used 12 instead of 8...basically the boys had to remove all the eggs from the tissue box, that was attached to their backs, without using their hands! :)

This one is called "Movin' On Up!" Only removing one cup at a time the boys had to rotate the red cup from the bottom position all the way through the stack and back to the bottom position :)

This game is called "This Blows"...each boy had to blow up a balloon and only using the air in the balloon they had to knock down the cups off the table!! :)

The boys seemed to really enjoy themselves!! It was easy to put together and really cheap because the items for the games were all inexpensive or things we already had in the house! Lots of fun for us and them! :)

My Posting Slump...

2010-03-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

...is over!! (I hope) On my food blog that is! Here's the link if you haven't checked it out in awhile: scrumdiddlyumptious!

Crazy Half Day!

2010-01-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Today the children had a "Crazy Wacky Hair Half Day!" They both wanted something really crazy, and this was the end result. As you can see they were both thrilled!! :)

Princess Presto to the Rescue!!

2010-01-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

Amelia celebrated her 5th Birthday last week with a very special Super Hero Birthday Party! She loved being Princess Presto from Super Why!

She invited all her friends with a rhyming request:

Calling all “superheroes”! The time has come.
It’s Amelia’s 5th Birthday. Let’s have some fun!
We’ll rescue the world and save the day.
After we’re done, we’ll eat lunch and play!

When the children arrived we made superhero capes cut out of black, pastic tablecloth, and adorned them with large, sticky-backed felt stars and sticky-backed felt letters (each child had the first letter of their name).

Then we tested the superheroes abilities with a relay race. For lunch the children ate pizza and washed it down with a fizzy "Super Hero Power Drink" (sprite with pop rock candy!) I attempted to make a cake with a recipe that I had not tried before, and it was a disaster, so last minute, Brian bought a cake at the store, and saved the day! (what an awesome superhero dad!!)

Amelia loved playing with her friends and when asked what part she like best, she said, "Everything!"

Christmas Wish Fulfilled!

2009-12-31T19:54:00.000-08:00

The children have been talking about going to Disney for years now! We have been telling them that we wouldn't go until Amelia turned 5 years old...(she will be 5 in January) So, when we surprised them with a trip to Disney World a couple weeks ago, they were very surprised and extremely excited! We didn't tell them until the day before we left, which made it really fun for us and them. Here are a few cute pictures of the children:

This was a hot day at Epcot (about 85 degrees + humidity!)

In front of the Magic Kingdom on the 2nd day of Disney touring...The weather was perfect...low 70's with occasional rain misting, which kept people away!

We all had a blast and enjoyed visiting our friends who live in Florida :)

Our Christmas Miracle

2009-12-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

Early Friday morning (4 AM to be exact!) we awoke to the piercing sound of our Fire Alarm! As I began to gather the children, Brian tried to find the source of the smoke or fire. No luck! We couldn't smell any smoke and we didn't find a fire...?? Brian thought perhaps our detectors were going haywire and began to disable the alarms. We still were nervous that there was some problem and thought perhaps the source was in the computer room, which holds most our electrical stuff. While investigating Brian noticed a drop of water coming out of the smoke detector in the office...all of the sudden it hit us!! The upstairs bathroom is directly above the office and water must have leaked through the detector from the bathroom causing the wires to get wet and setting off the alarm!!! AHHH! Sure enough...upstairs toilet was plugged and the water was running! Almost a half inch of water was all throughout the bathroom and the carpet in the hallway and partly in Megan's room.

Miracle you say? YES! We think one of the children had gone to the bathroom just a short time before the alarm went off, and plugged the toilet without realizing. And the water only came through the floor (ceiling downstairs) about 1 foot in diameter, and it happened to be right where the fire alarm was, which caused the wires to get wet, which caused the alarm to go off, and alert us to the problem! No one was due to wake for another 2 HOURS, so the toilet would have continued to run and caused a MUCH bigger, nastier problem than we currently have! We feel very blessed!

Here's the damage:

It shouldn't cost too much to fix...we are drying out the carpet and plan on having it re-installed in a couple days (or maybe after Christmas...we aren't in any hurry), and we might have to replace the flooring in the bathroom...not sure yet. We did have someone come to our home to access the damage to make sure we were doing it all correctly and not missing any water damage, and that did cost a bit. Having the carpet re-installed will be an expense, but other than that we shouldn't have to do too much! :)

Cookbook Giveaway :)

2009-12-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Check out a fun giveaway on my Hobby Blog :)

Merry Christmas!!

Wonderful Family Pics!

2009-12-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Angie, is a wonderful photographer (check out her work)!!! She took our pictures last week and I just wanted to share some highlights (BTW, it was raining...(ok, misting, not real rain) and getting dark, and they still turned out great!)

Family Group...Tulla included, who looks like she has just noticed a Squirrel! ;)

Here is our little angel Amelia...

Cute, darling Anna...

Calm and Cool Zachary (rare occasions only!)

Beautiful Megan!!

Their true personalities coming through...

Our beautiful girls...

...and the handsome boys...

The lucky couple...

The Beauty of the Earth

2009-11-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we had an amazing sunset, and I just had to share! Aren't we blessed to live in such a beautiful land created by such a loving Heavenly Father? :)

A Dream Come True!

2009-11-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was a Dream Come True for me!! I have been wanting to dress the children as the "Four Seasons" for ages! Some good friends in FL dressed as the Four Seasons years ago, and I've been gradually grooming the children to accept the idea, and finally this year it worked! I also thought it would be so fun if I dressed as Mother Nature and Brian (the hum-bug) was Father Time! However, only part of that dream was realized...Brian said he would wear a watch and that was it!!! Oh well, we still had a great time coming up with the costumes!!

Our sunny, energetic Summer!! She was so excited to go Trick-or-Treating this year, and she outlasted all the other children :)

Our lovely Spring! This outfit was an old ballet costume that we revised! The rain boots were a last minute choice (I didn't think about shoes), but they are "Springy"...right? April showers? ;)

Winter (a.k.a. Jack Frost) turned out great!! The snowflakes on his shoulders are battery-operated lights that we poked through the fabric of the jacket. BTW, we found the suit at a second hand store for under $5 total, so I didn't feel bad about painting it and poking holes in it :)

The beautiful season of Fall...

Group photos with a close-up of my Mother Nature Crown, which is a little over the top, but it's how I envisioned it looking (when Brian first saw it, he called me a "Dork!")

Farm Field Trip

2009-10-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Anna had a field trip to the Thomasson Farm to learn about soil and the working farm, and also play! Brian, Amelia and I joined Anna and her class, and everyone really had fun! The weather was very cold and windy, but they still enjoyed going through a Jr. Corn Maze, playing with some children friendly farm equipment, jumping in a huge corn box (corn instead of sand!), petting the farm animals, having a tricycle race and the best part picking out a pumpkin to take home...

Anna sporting her tie-dye field trip t-shirt on top of 2 jackets and a long sleeve shirt! Like I said, it was VERY cold and windy! ...we were all grateful it wasn't raining!!

Amelia showing such excitement...almost borderline crazy! ;)

Water is such a fascinating draw for children...

Fall Flag Football

2009-10-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

Zachary is playing football for the second year in a row, and he is really enjoying the game. He has really improved and has shown better focus. Each Saturday we get to watch him play, which we all enjoy too :)

The Chargers (Zach's team name) cheering for the other team after a fun game...

Brian practicing football with Zachary and the neighbors in the park behind our house...

Sisters Together Forever!

2009-09-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the General Relief Society Broadcast for all the women in the world! And given to us were messages of strong sisterhood and unity among women. I love listening to our general leaders who keep us directed towards our Lord and Savior. :)

Here is another tribute to Women everywhere (PAUSE music to listen)...

Grandparents Day!

2009-09-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

This is Anna's last year in school to celebrate Grandparent's Day, and my parents were able to come, which isn't always a luxury in their lives. Here is a picture of Anna, Grandpa George, Grandma Judie and Amelia :) Thanks mom and dad!

A Project 4 Years in the Making!

2009-09-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to paint our master bathroom ever since we moved into our house 4 years ago! Every time we painted a room in our house I would take a sample and paint it on our bathroom wall to see if I liked it in there too. At least 10 swatches later and living with the accidental, modern painting on my bathroom walls, I decided on a paint color! Monday, Brian and I painted our tricky bathroom....lots of cutting and trim work, so it was time consuming.

A picture of a painted room never quite shows the correct color shade, but this should look bluish with a hint of green :)

Any ideas for the blank wall above the tub??

Back to School & Routine!

2009-09-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

First Day of School!!! I'm not sure who was more excited the children or me! :) We really have had a great summer; however, there is something to be said for routine and a schedule that helps get things done :) The children had a good time seeing friends, and meeting their teachers. It should be a great year!

Driving Megan to middle school!

On our way to the bus for Anna and Zachary :)

Anna in her new classroom this morning....Zachary was too embarrassed to have his picture taken in class ;)

Amelia and I stayed home and got a couple things done that I've been wanting to do all summer, but couldn't. However, I had unrealistic views of how the day was going to be, and I soon realized that having Amelia home by herself will still require my time and energy to keep her busy! She wanted to pick from the family fun jar, and the slip she drew was "Making Fruit Loop Necklaces", which kept her very entertained ;)

Cookie Dough Sculptures!

2009-08-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today the children had some friends over and wanted to draw an activity from the Family Fun Jar :) They each got to pick one, and then they voted on their favorite. The winner was Pie Crust Sculptures, which was quickly changed to Cookie Dough Sculptures! Here are the artists hard at work...

Unfortunately, I can not take credit for dressing this one.... ;)

Here are the finished sculptures ready to go into the oven...starting from the top: 2 slugs; Fuzzy (the pet Caterpillar that passed away...the bucket home that the children created for him didn't prove too smart during the pouring rain); a square die; a snowman; a smiley face; a cloud; a small smiley face; a sideways happy face :)

I didn't get any pictures of the cookie creations after they came out of the oven, but pretty much any of them that were tall before they went into the oven were not, when they came out ;)

Our New "Fuzzy" Friend

2009-08-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

The children found a fuzzy Caterpillar today, and they have decided that "Fuzzy" is their pet. They have made a home for him in a bucket, and can't wait until it turns into a butterfly :) I think they will be disappointed when either 1) it dies because it doesn't have enough food, or 2) it actually continues it's life cycle and becomes a moth, not a butterfly! :)

NEW Hobby Blog!! :)

2009-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been wanting to start a new hobby blog for awhile that allows me to post some of my favorite recipes! I started it this week, and it's titled "scrumdiddlyumptious"!! My focus will be "Culinary creations which strive for the status of scrumdiddlyumptious!" I plan on posting often...daily if I can, and each day will be a different focus. I plan on posting a recipe, maybe a picture and the family critiques :) I would love to hear about your successes or failures with the recipes, and your opinions on the taste as well! Hope you enjoy! :)

Welcome to the World!

2009-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

We have four new babies in our family this year! Mostly boys so far :)

My sister Cori had Quinten a couple months ago, my sister Honor just had baby Quinn a couple days ago, my sister-in-law Veronique is scheduled to have their baby this coming Monday, and we will find out if they are having a boy or a girl (it's still a surprise!), and my sister Siri is due in January with her 2nd boy! Such fun!

Here is a little tribute to our new additions:

It's the same old story
Yes it's nothing new,
Just a gift from heaven
Just a dream come true.
In a flash of glory,
In a ray of light,
Welcome to the world
That will hold you tight.

Welcome to the world,
That is shiny and new.
Welcome to a lifetime,
Of dreams come true.
Welcome to the joy,
Of living each day.
Love is all around you,
And here to stay.

Little Clips of the Past 2 Months!

2009-07-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last week the children and I were able to go to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon Coast for a Family Reunion of sorts with part of the family. Lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandma Judie and Grandpa George! I only took pictures on the first day, and the only shots I got were the cousins finding a message in a bottle! They were all so excited, and we didn't want to spoil their fun by telling them that we didn't think the bottle had traveled very far. We all had fun...

Some close friends recently went on a hike to Greenwater Lakes, and I was reminded what a fun hike it is for children, so we did the same hike a couple weeks ago. We loved the bridges along the hike and the fishing...not so much the mud...

The MUD...AHHH! It was everywhere...

Zachary's first time water-skiing and he loved it...

We went to the Buckley Log Show for the first time, and we loved watching the competitions! We decided that all the Logger type guys looked a lot like Uncle Tom, Brian's Sister's Husband. Many times we would have to do a double take because we thought we saw Uncle Tom...

Anna's Dance Recital as a dancing flower...(the first picture is a clip from a video I took, because I can't manage to post videos, so I clipped a scene)...

Amelia blowing bubbles in the sun....

Tulla's 5th Birthday Celebration with a homemade dog food "cake"....

Feeding the sheep at Grandpa & Grandma Kayner's on Father's Day...

Baseball games for Zachary occupied much of June...

The Memory of Memorial Day

2009-06-08T14:45:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post these pictures for awhile now! For Memorial Day we visited Dyan and her family at Lake Tapps, and the children had a blast swimming in the cold, cold lake! Megan and Amelia's first dip in the lake...Amelia wasn't too happy!

"That was Cold!!"....

Cold Anna taking a break from the freezing lake...

To end our day we went to Grandma Judie and Grandpa George's house to enjoy some family time. My brother's family came up with some fun games for the children to play! Here are the participants of the First Annual Memorial Day Games...

The Egg Run was the first challenge of the day!

The children LOVED the donut eating contest...

Water games, that required help from Grandpa ;)

In the end, they all just wanted to get wet...

Should He Stay or Should He Go??

2009-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Brian forwarded the following email to me with a request to fill one of the temporary positions...I of course said no, but do you all think I was a bit too hasty with my decision??

EMAIL in Question:

The Office of International Aviation is soliciting qualified candidates for technical positions in Afghanistan and Iraq to help rebuild the civil aviation systems in those countries. Chosen candidates will have the opportunity to enhance their careers with experience in a challenging and rewarding international environment while supporting top U.S. foreign policy objectives. Each position offers an attractive compensation and benefits package and return rights to the FAA at the completion of the foreign assignment. Below are the vacancy announcements for these positions:

Kabul, Afghanistan (Temporary, NTE 18 Months)

Baghdad, Iraq (Temporary, NTE 12 Months)

New York

2009-05-24T20:19:00.001-07:00

My friend, Dyan, and I had a wonderful opportunity to go to New York City! We stayed in Times Square and toured through the city, did some shopping, went to the Broadway production "Wicked", participated in the studio audience of the Live with Regis and Kelly, had some laughable experiences trying to use the Subway, and witnessed the aggressive tango of pedestrians and drivers! All in all we had a great time!

One of the highlights of our trip was serving in the Manhatten, NY temple.

We enjoyed some amazing views in NY...From the top of the Rock...

View from our hotel window...yum, yum chocolate...

View of Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry...

We took a tour on the first day of our trip, and we LOVED it! We were able to highlight all the NY treasures and learn some very interesting history. Here is a collage of some of my favorite places that we visited on our tour...

Anna's Classic Tea Party!

2009-05-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Anna turned 7 years old yesterday and we celebrated by having a Tea Party with some of her friends! Each girl had her picture taken with this darling backdrop! We served dainty sandwiches and delicious bite sized desserts! The girls played a classic game of musical chairs and made a bracelet to take home. It seemed like everyone had a good time, and I personally loved putting the whole thing together!

The Flower Pot Desserts turned out really cute, and the girls loved them!

This was my first attempt at making the delicious Cupcake Pops, that were created by Bakerella, and featured on the Martha Stewart show...

Goofy birthday girl blowing out the candle on the darling cupcake pops....

The Birthday Decorations! The bright pinks with the black and white was really fun! :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!!

2009-04-20T11:03:00.001-07:00

Our neighborhood made available group tickets to the Opening Day of the Tacoma Rainiers! So, we bought tickets, which included the game, hot dog dinner, Rainier hat, 50th anniversary mug, and a firework show! We really had a great time watching the game and hanging out with our neighbors! :)

Family Photo...Finally!

2009-04-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

My wonderful family! I love this big group...we have so much fun! I'm grateful everyday that we were able to blend together without too many problems :) Thanks Angie!

My beautiful sisters and me....

Easter Sampling...

2009-04-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

Each year our ward has an Easter Egg Hunt and breakfast. Anna and Zachary were the only ones who would let me take their picture. Megan didn't want her picture taken, and Amelia wouldn't hold still long enough for a photo! :)

"Spring" Break in the Snow

2009-04-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

As a family we enjoyed a couple days in the mountains during spring break. The children loved the "pioneer type" conditions (no running water in the cabin, however we did have electricity and heat), but we didn't let on that we really had it pretty good. ;) We did lose power for a few hours due to the wind and mild storm, but all in all the weather was nice and we had a great time!

Our die hard sledders...they averaged a few hours a day in the snow!

Our small cabin at Camp Zarahemla...

Zachary's Birthday!!

2009-03-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zachary turned 9 years old! He didn't want to celebrate until he officially turned 9 at 12:03 p.m., so right at 12:03 during church he turned to me and told me he just turned 9 years old :) I was instantly reminded of the experience I had bringing him into this world, and became a bit emotional. Brian was in MN at the time and wasn't due home for another 3 weeks, so my dear mother and sweet sister, Honor were there to hold my hand and help during the delivery.

We were all surprised at how quick Zachary arrived, especially the nurse. I mentioned to the nurse about an hour before the birth that it would be nice if Zach would be delivered by noon. She assured me that it wouldn't be that soon, however I was off by 3 minutes! I was very grateful!! :) Zachary was such a content, quiet baby, and now he is full of energy, but so much fun and we love having him in our home :)

The Flu Bug Flood!

2009-03-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

The flu has come,
It's here to stay.
We really hope
It goes away!

Each poor child
Has had a turn,
With coughing, aches,
And fever burn.

We are prisoners
In our own place,
Walking around,
Masks on our face.

We're trying not
To spread the crud,
And keep at bay
The Flu Bug Flood!

http://www.flufacts.com/know/default.aspx?zip=98075

CREATE...

2009-03-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend today about how we are so much more drawn to doing things that allow us to create, as opposed to folding mounds of laundry and cleaning sinks (we didn't create those things...unless you say we "created the mess", but then that's not usually true because our children typically do that, which is probably why they do it so well, because it is the deepest desire of the human soul to create!! :)

I love this video presentation using one of my favorite General Conference talks given by Elder Dieter Uchtdorf in October 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

Chocolate Brownie Explosion!

2009-02-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

Last night Zachary's Cub Scout Pack had a cake auction to raise money for Cub Scout Camp. We made a Chocolate Brownie Explosion Volcano "Cake"! It turned out really cool! It is 5 layers of homemade fudge brownie with chocolate frosting, hard candy lava exploding out the top, and red vine licorice racing down the sides! The cake was purchased for $61.00!!! That was the second highest bid of the night! The top cake of the night was made by my friend Angie and someone bought it for $85.00!! The boys had a great time and it was a very successful evening :)

FINALLY!!! Our Hawaiian Vacation Photos...

2009-02-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

This was our beautiful view from the condo we stayed in, courtesy of Brian's lovely Aunty Penny and Uncle Harry! We really enjoyed visiting with them and loved seeing the beautiful islands of Maui and Kauai! :)

2009-02-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

We witnessed some beautiful panoramic views from the top of Haleakala on Maui!

2009-02-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

Brian and I love the "Road to Hana" on Maui! We find it very relaxing and we think it is beautiful! It was incredibly windy, and this picture is Brian leaning over a cliff completely held up by the wind!!! DUMB!!! I was not happy at all, but I did get a great picture of his moment of possible death!

Black Sand Beach on Maui....

SCARY!! I really don't like high places, and this was completely out of my comfort zone!!

Our secret falls, that wasn't so secret this time :) There were many people visiting the beautiful location....last time we had this place all to ourselves!

2009-02-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Brian and I went on a guided tour of the gorgeous National Tropical Botanical Gardens on Kauai. We saw some beautiful plants and trees, but my favorite by far, was this amazing tree, that was featured in the movie Jurassic Park. It looks so magical!

2009-02-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed some beautiful hikes

in the amazing Waimea Canyon on Kauai :)

2009-02-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our North Shore drive on Kauai!

Winter Warm-up!

2009-02-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

I invited over a few friends for a Hot Cocoa Party (thanks Tiffany for the wonderful idea!!!) Angie took some cute pictures of our dainty cups with personal tags, the awesome hot cocoa maker and dispenser and the yummy candy we stirred into our chocolate numminess! :)

Here are the Hot Cocoa favors I made for each guest....

2009-02-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

Zachary receiving an award at school :)

2009-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

A beautiful snow scene during a hike that Brian took with friends :)

2009-02-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

Amelia as our beloved Mary during her Joy School nativity play :)

Christmas 2008

2009-02-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

Finally Christmas photos posted...not much, but it's a start!

POST Thanksgiving POST

2008-12-02T00:52:00.000-08:00

I should have posted this before our Christmas Tree post, but I didn't have my camera with me on Thanksgiving day (always seems to happen to me!), so I didn't have any pictures to post. However, my siblings did post pictures, so I'm going give links to their blogs if you want to see some Thanksgiving pictures! Poor Anna was sick that day, so I stayed home with her during our traditional Thanksgiving Breakfast at G&G Kayner's home (which is not photographed), and she stayed home with dad during dinner at my parent's home.

Maybe next year I will have my act together! Until then I get to enjoy other people's photos! :)

Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Tree hunt is on!! After an hour of searching through all the trees we couldn't find one that we liked better than the first one we saw in the pre-cut section. We could have saved ourselves a lot of time had we just taken the one we saw first! However, the children had fun looking and playing in the trees :) ...And surprisingly enough everyone remained happy and carefree through the whole experience!! :)

The children were so excited to ride the train! They all crammed into the back of the caboose and surprisingly there was enough room for me too, but very uncomfortable!

Snow!

2008-11-25T10:47:00.001-08:00

Last week Brian got home from CA and discovered that it was heavily snowing in the mountains, and he really wanted to see the snow. So, he convinced me to drop everything I was doing and drive into the mountains :) We decided to go to Crystal, and saw a little bit. Had we driven a bit higher we probably would have had more on the ground. It did snow just a small flurry when we were there :)

50's Halloween!!

2008-11-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

I was so surprised when I was able to convince all my children to dress thematically this Halloween! It started with Megan...she wanted to dress in a 50's outfit, and when Amelia saw the picture she wanted a skirt too (originally she wanted to be a fairy), then of course, Anna was on board as soon as she found out that Amelia and Megan wanted the same costume (originally she wanted to be a Chef). Zachary was a little bit more of a challenge...he really wanted to be a karate guy, but I told him that I could only find a karate outfit at a karate store and it would cost way too much, so by default he chose to join the group! :) I wish Zachary's jacket was leather, but I really didn't want to buy a jacket just for Halloween!

Flag Football

2008-11-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Zachary has been doing Flag Football this last month and he really enjoyed it. The short season is now done, but he is looking forward to next year.

Zachary running with the ball! Believe it or not, but that guy trying to snag Zach's flag, didn't get it!! Zach ran for a couple more yards before someone got him :)

Zachary just realized that he was going head to head with his good buddy McKay! I love the facial expression! :)

Names To Go By (thanks Honor)

2008-10-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Bibs Expedition

2. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR'S NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Paper Rain Tour

3. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Moose Tracks Sinckerdoodle (doesn't sound very Gangsta)

4. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) E-Kay

5. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)

Green Bear

6. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) White Stanford (if we are getting really technical...I don't have a middle name, so it would be Blank or None Stanford :)

7. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Kayem

8. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

The Red Water

9. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)

William Kenneth

10. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Journey Hot Tamales

11. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Duncan Frampton

12. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

Hartwell Halifax

13. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)

Autumn Daisy

14. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Apple Shoesy

15. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

Cereal Evergreen

Sorta fun...something I haven't seen before...most of the get to know you things I have seen and done, this was something different, so I thought I would post :)

New Piano!! :)

2008-10-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Look what I bought on Craig's list today!! :) I really LOVE the piano!! It was built in the 1920's, and so it looks/is antique...Brian is having a hard time with the less than perfect look, but I think it adds to the beauty :)

However, I would like a little input...the arrangement of the pictures and furniture need help!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK??

PROBLEM #1: I think the sailboat pictures are too big/tall above the piano (they are just leaning on the piano right now...I would hang them, not lean them). Should I swap the sun/vase/ picture frame /lantern ensemble for the sail boat pictures? I do like the silhouette the sun ensemble makes above my hutch....sorta a triangle. However, the hutch is shorter, so the sailboat pictures might look good above it...it could look too top heavy?? I don't know?? Any ideas?? Perhaps something I haven't thought of.

PROBLEM #2: Also, the furniture arrangement...I like the set-up, but I'm not loving all the dark furniture at one end, and the light couch at the other end...think I should swap the couch and the chairs?? Also, does anyone think I need drapes?? What color?? Any other ideas?? :)

We're Alive!!

2008-09-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

We are alive and well, and this will be a long post, so I can update you on all the things that have happened in our lives the last 2 months (so pathetic...I know!) August was a pretty quiet month. We didn't travel, but Brian did!! He was gone 3 weeks during the month (home on weekends, but gone during the weeks...coming soon to our blog..."Where in the World is Brian?"). The weather wasn't very nice, so we did a lot of home body activities, and....

PAINTED ZACHARY'S ROOM! I love it! I will have to post pictures soon...it is bright and fun. It took 2, almost 3 days to finish. Brian was out of town, but my saintly sister, Karen, come over and helped with the painting (and kept my sanity in check!) :)

September was a lot busier...here are some things that kept us busy:

WILD WAVES!! We went to Wild Waves with our friends the Robinson's on Labor Day. The weather was cold and overcast, but it never rained on us. Since the weather was so yucky the park was pretty quiet. We didn't play in the water, but the children had lots of fun riding the rides :)

SCHOOL STARTED!! YEAH!!! Megan is in 6th grade and that means MIDDLE SCHOOL! I really must be getting old! She has really enjoyed everything, but the bus...she has to ride with H.S. kids too, and sometimes she hears things she wished she hadn't. She now takes a book, or her iPod. :)

Zachary is in 3rd grade! He has a wonderful teacher this year, and I think it's going to be a great year for him :)

Anna started First Grade!! She loves to read and so far enjoys doing homework...we hope that sticks! :)

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES! Megan is now a member of the middle school band...she is playing the clarinet. Zachary started Flag Football, and all the girls are now taking dance. Our after school schedule has filled up!

Snacks after school have been jazzed up too. I've never really been great about giving snacks after school...if the children tell me they are hungry I tell them to grab a piece of fruit or a handful of goldfish crackers. This year I thought I would make some fun after school snacks. I've done something different each day since school started, and I've really enjoyed it....I'm not sure how long it will last, but for now, I'm having fun!

Here are some Mini Caramel Apples that I made...I've also made Edible Indian Corn, Carrot Patches (we used peanut butter instead of hummus),and Snail Snacks.

THE FAIR!! I love the fair...the smells (except for people smoking), the tastes (corn dogs and cow chip cookies), the exhibits and all the people! Brian on the other hand hates the fair, but he is willing to compromise for me, but he only lasts for a few hours, and he has to comb the aisles of all the stuff for sale. He never buys anything, he just likes to look (except one year we did buy a mattress and that was the best purchase we have ever made!!!)

Since we just went to Wild Waves, we told the children they could each go on one ride:

Megan and Zachary decided to ride the Wild Cat! They had a blast! :)

Walking away unharmed and happy!

Anna chose the safe route...a boring ride that rotated in the air. She was debating between this and the swings. She ended up loving this...however, after she saw Amelia ride the coaster, she wished she had chosen that ride.

Amelia chose the Lil' Coaster in Sillyville. She was very excited to go on the ride, it seemed a little fast for her, but she insisted.

Holding on for dear life!! Look at those eyes and death grip on the bar! :) We were laughing so hard, so were onlookers around us!

She survived! And a happy face still...she is still talking about the ride at the fair and claims she loved it :)

Megan's Mystery Birthday Party!!

2008-07-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Megan had her birthday party last weekend! The girls played a Mystery Game...each guest arrived in costume and had a character to play. They had a script to follow and they had to figure out who the assassin was! Between each round we served a course of their 3 course mystery meal. The menu was all coded, so the girls didn't know what items they were ordering. Some girls ended up with all their utensils in one course, or no utensils at all for pudding or ice cream! The girls truly had a great time, and Megan loved her birthday celebration!! :) See slideshow below....

2008-07-29T21:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Beautiful Girl!!

2008-07-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Miss Megan celebrated her birthday! I've been slacking a bit with blog posts, so this is late. She started her day with an agonizing hair braiding session (I really wanted to try a new braid style...turned out pretty cute, I think :)...then she went on a "hike" (the trail was closed but they had fun anyway) with the Achievement Girls....then as a family we went to "Space Chimps" (the children liked it...but we adults thought it was so very lame!!! We usually like the animated films, but this was really bad...we've decided we are Pixar fans, and this is NOT a Pixar film at all!!!)....anyway, we then went to dinner and topped off the day with a trip to Petco...Megan has been begging to look at all the animals...we didn't buy anything, but the children loved looking around at all the pets :) Megan had a pretty nice day, and on Saturday she will be having a friend birthday party that should be a blast! :)

Enjoying the Great Outdoors!

2008-07-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took some time to visit one of our favorite places...Mowich Lake. We thought we might get some fishing in, however the lake was still covered in ice! We still had fun with the snow in July!

This was the first day that Mowich Lake was open, but we were shocked by the amount of snow that was still on the ground. This was a hug pile that the children turned into a sledding hill :)

The mountain was looking very majestic on our journey toward Mowich Lake!

Don't hate me girls!!! We are missing 3 ladies in this photo, but this gives a basic image of us getting ready to leave YW camp :(

Tagged by my Mom!

2008-07-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

My mother extended the invitation to add this to my blog, so here it goes...

I am - - - avoiding my housework!
I want to be - - - happy always!
I need - - - to finish my housework!
I wish - - - for my family to happy always!
I'm scared - - - that my house will not be clean for Megan's birthday party on Saturday!
I will never forget - - - the happy day I was sealed to Brian :)
What the world could do without - - - is anger and hate!

My turn to tag someone - - - anyone reading this, who feels the desire to add this to your blog...you're it!

Water Bums

2008-07-13T14:18:00.001-07:00

Brian and Zachary were invited to water-ski yesterday, and although Zachary didn't actually ski (he just hung onto the knee board), he is getting used to the water and someday wants to learn how to ski like his dad.

Independence Day Celebrations!

2008-07-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

We had a great, relaxing holiday! We did miss our sweet Megan, who is in UT with her Aunt Karen, but other than that, the day was fun! We spent some time at the lake with my good friend, Dyan. Then we went home and shot off some fireworks in the driveway!

The girls looked darling in their patriotic outfits!

Lightshow observer...
Too loud?...
Our Pyro Techs...
Happy patriot....

Oregon Adventure...

2008-07-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Sunriver, OR last week. We enjoyed being with family, and enjoying the beauties of Oregon. We visited a Lava Cave...very cool (temperature and visually!)

Crater Lake...
Family Shot...
Sibling Love...

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime...?

2008-07-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Have a WATER BALLOON fight with some great friends!

I love Mr. M's wind-up and throw...future pro ball player for sure! :)

Poor, unsuspecting Anna....

Blowing The Competition Out Of The Water!

2008-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight Zachary participated in his first ever Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta! We did some research online and found a cool boat design that we thought would do pretty well. Zachary did a very nice job putting the boat together, and he had a really good time racing!

Blowing his boat down the gutter...

Zachary was doing really well during his races, and he hadn't lost a race, so one of the leaders tried to give the other guy a fighting chance by preventing Zachary from blowing his boat down!

Zachary won 1st place, and he didn't lose a single race! The first prize was a cool Cub Scout T-shirt!

Bracing for Change!!

2008-06-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that the book is always better than the movie, but I was really hoping that Twilight the movie would turn out okay. However, today when I watched a trailer that I hadn't seen before, and they showed a scene that did NOT play out the same in the book. :( I suppose things have to change, and especially the ending (which is the scene portrayed), so everything isn't predictable and will better fit a movie script. I was just really hoping it would be exactly like the book...oh well, I am preparing for change, and I hope it is still entertaining and clean!! :)

Here is the link if you want to check it out!

What Time Is It? ...Summertime!!

2008-06-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Megan, our Elementary School Graduate!! For the last day of school all the 5th Graders had a Geography Bowl, and they were suppose to have WACKY HAIR! Pretty Wacky, huh? :) Megan is so excited to move on to middle school! :)

She was trying to finish some last minute assignment!! 3 minutes before school was out for the summer, and she was the last one to finish!! They had to write a letter to the future 5th Grade students :)

Megan's class had a Countdown to Summertime!!

Yesterday the school had a "Movin' Up" Assembly for all the 5th Graders, who will be in middle school next year! Megan was surprised to be 1 of 3 students who made the "All A's Honor Roll"! The last 2 trimesters she made the "A-B Honor Roll", so she was quite thrilled to advance to the All A's!

Anna completed kidergarten! Today her teacher had an informal graduation, and she made graduation caps for each student and presented them with a certificate of completion! :) On to First Grade!

You're Ugly and Your Mama Dresses You Funny!

2008-06-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

I guess that title isn't really true because Amelia is not ugly, and her mama did not dress her today...she put together this little ensemble all by herself! Notice the sweater poncho without a shirt underneath...the too small pants that are inside out, with the underware poking through the top...and my favorite: the mis-matched footwear (one boot, one shoe)! Gotta love it! :)

Where The Wild Things Are!

2008-06-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Zachary had a field trip to NW Trek last week, and we had a really good time. Getting pictures on the tram was a bit tricky, especially since I didn't have a window seat, and we were moving, but I managed to get a couple :)

Concentrating on a game that requires matching textures by touch...that really captured his attention...of course he has always been a "texture boy".

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband and father of my children! He is a great dad, who really tries to have fun with them. This is a picture of Amelia and Brian making pancakes for his Father's Day dinner (that's what he really wanted, and he really wanted to make them too). Brian considers pancakes, food for the Gods! :)

Yesterday we had a family dinner at my dad's house to celebrate Father's Day! My dad was opening up gifts from the family in this first picture, and the second is a picture of him playing BBQ Chef...one of his favorite things to do. My dad has always enjoyed cooking, and we've always enjoyed eating his creations (as long as he doesn't go too crazy with the experimenting ;) We are very blessed to have such a wonderful father in our lives! He tries to be funny, and we laugh at him (I meant with him ;) He also loves his children very much, and we love him!

We were able to enjoy some time with Brian's dad, Grandpa Kayner, at his house yesterday. Grandpa Kayner has a big heart, and he is always willing to help Brian with different household projects. He is an amazing mechanic, and takes care of all our automotive needs! :) With Grandma (and sometimes without) he has time and time again taken care of our children whenever Brian and I go out of town! We are so grateful for sure a loving father! :)

"My Family" Mystery...TAKE a GUESS! :)

2008-06-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet, Anna drew this picture in church a couple weeks ago, and I was mortified when I first saw it! Is that mad, angry woman waving a broom...me? Is that a child in the background, sad with tears because he is scared of his screaming, lunatic mother? Or perhaps an equally, mad, frustrated father, teaming up to dish out wrath upon innocent children?? I instantly realized that my role as mother was being portrayed very accurately by a 5 year old child, and I was so ashamed. Unfortunately, I do raise my voice (something that I have really been working on, for the last 10 years!) ...something that has obviously been ingrained into my daughter's mind!

I realized that I needed to find my daughter and ask her exactly what her picture was telling me! I asked her to "tell me about your picture". What do you think she said?? This is your chance to guess, before you scroll down to finish the story. Go ahead take a guess! :)

Did you guess yet what this picture is trying to tell us about her family??

I was surprised and thankful to learn that her drawing illustrated me receiving flowers (yes, that is a smile, with flowers, not screaming with a broom!), and Brian is behind me, jealous that he didn't get any flowers! I was so glad that she wasn't airing dirty laundry to all her friends at church!! :) However, I am still a little disturbed about the bra type shirt...what's up with that??

Missing the Sun!

2008-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Brian and I went to Arizona for a wedding, and some time together! We were able to witness the sealing of Valerie and Daniel in the Mesa, AZ temple. When we lived in FL, I served as a YW leader for 4 years, and Valerie is one of "my girls". Valerie is a wonderful lady, and she is so very strong! She is an example to me, and we loved being there with her :)

When we weren't doing wedding stuff, we had time to hang out together, which was really nice. We ending up spending a day just sight seeing...we went to Montezuma Castle and it was truly amazing!

There was a lizard in a tree, and Brian had so much fun taking pictures of that lizard! He took almost 20 pictures! Here are two of my favorite! He was a pretty thing, but please, lets move on... :)

The Many Faces of Anna!

2008-06-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Angie took some pictures of our children a few weeks ago, and I'm now just getting them posted! I think they turned out really good! I posted my favorites on the side bar under Spring Photos.

I do have to share some of Anna's Many Faces....she was quite a ham that day!

What Happened in Vegas....

2008-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Dyan and I went to Vegas this last weekend and we really had a good time! I had never been to Vegas and I loved seeing all the amazing hotels and shows (KÀ by Cirque du Soleil was AWESOME!!) The weather was warm and we tried to make it a relaxing couple of days! :) Here are some of my favorite pictures from our hotel tours...

Caesars Palace front gardens with a hint of the Bellagio in the background...

The pool area at Caesars Palace...I love the columns and greenery...

I loved the hot air balloons at the Bellagio...

The "Eiffel Tower" at the Paris Hotel...

This was my favorite thing to see...the Fountain at the Bellagio...this was the view from the "Eiffel Tower" while the song "Time to Say Goodbye" (Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli) was playing!!

View of the strip from the "Eiffel Tower".

Putting Around

2008-05-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

We took the children miniature golfing today, and they had a really good time. This was Amelia's first time, and after a few quick lessons, she loved it!

I was surprised that Anna stayed interested the entire game! Since we took the Water Course we had many water traps, that the children loved!

This is Megan telling us how pathetic she is :)

This is the only shot we got of Zachary...

Super Heroes to the Rescue!!

2008-05-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Today was Super Hero Day at school, and the children had so much fun creating their costumes and Hero Profiles!

"Lightning Boy!" is known for his Super Speed! He is never without his deadly lightning bolts, which when thrown sends bolts of electricity into the air! This hero is well liked and his charming ways allow him to negotiate with the most stubborn villain!

"Girly Girl" is known for her girly ways and instincts! She has a shopping bag full of secret weapons...including: Lipstick, which looks innocent, but can produce deadly darts; a Hair Dryer, which has a super wind feature, that can blow you onto another planet; Ribbon, which is as strong as steel and can whip any Super Villain into place; Perfume, easily disguised as a powerful poison spray; Hair Brush, which shoots out laser beams and fries you to a crisp; Nail Polish, when applied can tickle out the darkest evil secret! This hero may look cute and dainty, but bad guys beware!

"Super Girl" aka: "Girly Girl's Sidekick" (she couldn't make up her mind!) is known for her super strength and beauty! This hero has the ability to stare you down with her ice cold eyes and freeze you instantly! She is also sneaky and quiet, and if you aren't watching closely than your valuables might disappear, never to be seen again!! :)

HOT Weekend at Disney!

2008-05-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to CA for Brian's cousin's wedding, and since we were so close to Disney, we of course took a full day and played! We took Megan and Zachary and left the little girls home with Grandpa. Next year we plan on taking the whole crew, but for one day from 9AM to 11PM, we knew the girls would never last! It proved to be a very good choice! :) The weather was extremely HOT...in the 100's!! We loaded up on sunscreen and had a great time! :)

This is a group shot...In the front: Brian's older sister, one of Brian's younger sisters with her son, and me. In the back: Megan, older sister's daughter, Zachary and Brian. This was in the evening when the day started cooling down.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been very blessed to have 2 wonderful mothers! My mother Lorrie, was called home to our Father in Heaven when I was 11, and in that same year the Lord blessed our family with my mother Judie, who has cared for us and loved us as if we were her own :) I will always be grateful for such elect ladies in my life!

I have many happy childhood memories with my Lorrie-mom. I look forward to the day when we will see each other again and share our happy experiences together. I know that she watches over us now, just as any mother would. Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom!

This photo was taken on the day that my parents, George and Judie were married. My sister, Amber wasn't in the photo, and obviously Damon wasn't born yet. This was the beginning of my Judie-mom's courageous journey to blend two families....they did a wonderful job and for that, I am eternally grateful to my mom! Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom!

Mother's Day Luncheon :)

2008-05-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Anna has been talking about the Mother's Day Luncheon for weeks! She was so excited to have me come to her school today. She made a beautiful hat (that I wasn't currently wearing), a placemat, a beautiful vase with flowers and a card. They served us lunch and cake and we both had a great time. (Tomorrow will be repeated with Zachary)

Just in case things don't work out with Brian...

2008-05-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

2008-05-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

We hope you are having a wonderful Cinco De Mayo! This picture was taken years ago when I was little. I'm the one trying to hit the pinata (you can see the back of my head). My Uncle Steve is holding the pinata; next to him is a family friend; next to him is my Aunt Jill; next to her is my Aunt Suzy; and next to her is another family friend. I have a better picture of us children dressed in our beautiful clothes, but I can't find it, so this will have to do for now :)

Smart Little Cookie!

2008-04-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Megan was honored today at school, and received 2 awards. One for the Honor Roll and one from her teacher (pictured with Megan) for Great School Work. What a smart girl!

Derby Racing!

2008-04-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Zachary participated in his first ever Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby Race tonight! He loved the whole experience! He ended up coming in 7th! He also received a certificate for the "Fastest Looking Car!" Here's the car line-up! There were actually 13 cars, but here are some of the contenders!

Zachary did a really nice job painting his car! I helped him just a little bit with the flames on the top, but he did the flames on the sides and the rest of the painting!

Watching paint dry can take forever!

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Sister!

2008-04-27T21:52:00.001-07:00

Karen turned 32 today!! Happy Birthday to you!! Karen and I took these pictures last week, just for fun and here are my 2 favorite! The top one is the one Karen liked the most because we look sneaky :) She is really one of my best friends! When we were younger my mom would always say that she wished we would be best friends...and we would just think she was crazy. Since we are just one year apart we had a way of really annoying each other, so it wasn't always a peaceful relationship. Now, we are best friends, and I know that our mother is very happy about that development! :) I love you Karen!!

I've Been Tagged...

2008-04-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is what you do:
1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

The first book I picked up was "You Can Never Get Enough of What You Don't Need...The Quest for Contentment" by Mary Ellen Edmunds ....Very wonderful book, author and speaker...love her!

The 5th sentence on the 123 page is, "If we are striving for peace, joy, and contentment, but are spending time with violence, immorality, materialism, and all else that is so prevalent in the various forms of media, what effect might that have on our families?"

Pretty good sentence, huh? The whole book is wonderful! :)

I'm going to tag: Judie, Siri, Karen, Honor, Cori and Veronique (okay, I know that is 6, but I had to include all the females in my family who have blogs!) Have fun!

New GLERK'D Family History Site!

2008-04-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

My mom, Judie has created a special website for the White and Frampton's Family History! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful lady in my life! Check out her hard work and dedication to our Family History. Thank you mom!

Poetry Winner!

2008-04-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Megan entered a Poetry Contest hosted by Buckley Pierce County Library and she WON! She wrote a very creative poem and she has been asked to read it at the Poetry Jam event! We are so excited for her and Megan is thrilled!

Witch Stew

I am very hungry; I don’t know what to do.
Oh wait, I have an idea, I’ll make Witch Stew!
I’ll put in some green toenails, and some ugly dead plants,
Also some warts, and boils, and a group of fire ants.
Some mold, and dirt, and chewed up gum, and a pair of dirty socks,
Lots of smelly garbage, and dead rats stored in a box.
I’ll also put in eyeballs, and lots of raw fish,
Some disgusting, dirty water in a disgusting, dirty dish.
I need one more ingredient, oh what shall I do?

Oh wait, I have an idea, I’ll just use you!

Grandma Locke's 87th Birthday!!

2008-04-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

My Grandma celebrated her 87th birthday yesterday, and we had a large family gathering! She was thrilled (yes, I know she doesn't look thrilled, but she was) that most of her family was there to be with her! If I had known we were taking pictures, I would have dressed our family more appropriately, but they turned out okay :)

Sea of Tulips

2008-04-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

I went to the Tulip Festival today with my good friend Dyan. It was beautiful!! I love the bright, vibrant colors of the flowers!!

Our Lucky Girl!

2008-04-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

Megan will have Good Luck forever!! She found a 4-leaf clover in our backyard today! I'm so jealous...I have lived for 33 years and I've never found a 4-leaf clover! Megan is just a lucky girl! :)

Spring Break in Utah!

2008-04-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

This last week was Spring Break and Brian had to be in Salt Lake for 2 days of business meetings, so we decided to drive together and make it a family vacation! It is a long drive, but we had fun and it was nice being together!

General Conference at Temple Square

2008-04-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

We started our week by walking to Temple Square to listen to General Conference. As usual Temple Square was beautiful. Brian took a few candid shots of us during the prayer, which turned out pretty good...especially since he had the camera cradled under his arm, and just pushed the shutter button...no aiming!

Some pictures of the children listening to Conference with the Temple....

Temple Touring

2008-04-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed some time on Temple Square by touring the Conference Center and watching the movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

While we were waiting to see the movie "Joseph Smith" in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Brian found a really beautiful view of the temple from inside the waiting room.

We took a tour of the Conference Center and had our picture taken in the very large auditorium.

Jack's Birthday Party!

2008-04-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

We loved being with Jack on his 1st Birthday!

Swimming!

2008-04-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

The children were really excited to go swimming at the hotel!

Reasons I love my Mom! (#41-50)

2008-04-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

41. My mom is a wonderful teacher of truth ~ she taught me the true gospel of Jesus Christ and she showed me how to live with integrity.

42. My mom taught us the value of hard work and how to do a job the right way the first time!

43. Every time I sit in a restaurant or eat dinner in someone's home, I hear the voice of my mother reminding me how to behave at the table...she tried so hard to raise polite dinner guests. :)

44. I love that I can call my mom on the phone and ask her a question or ask her for advice and she always heads me in the right direction.

45. My mom always looks cute and dresses well, and she has always encouraged us to walk out of the house dressed nice and not looking like "an unmade bed". :)

46. I love that my mom is organized! She taught me to embrace my inner organizer!

47. My mom loves the scriptures and showed us how to study them and appreciate them everyday at the early hour of 5:30 AM!

48. My mom loves to learn and she has given us that desire through encouraging us to go to college, always continuing our education, or just teaching us the importance of making time to read a good book!

49. I love the way she calls the family to "Pray-er!" I don't think I will ever be able to call my family to prayer without making prayer a 2 syllable word! :)

50. I know that my mom has a testimony of the Gospel and she shows me that by how she lives her life. I will always be grateful to my wonderful mother for loving me and caring for me during a difficult transition in my life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

For reasons #1-10 see Honor's blog; #11-20 see Cori's blog; #21-30 see Siri's blog; #31-40 see Veronique's blog; #51-60 see Karen's blog and #61 see David's blog! :)

Dirting Adventure

2008-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Uncle Richard took Zachary on the Quads yesterday for his birthday present! They had a great time, even though the weather was cold and they were a filthy mess when they were done :)

Zachary was soaking wet, dirty and freezing cold after his fun adventure :)

Happy Birthday Siri!!!

2008-03-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you Siri! We get to be the same age for one week! :) :) I hope you have a special day :)

Happy 8th Birthday Zachary!!!! :)

2008-03-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Zachary had a wonderful, special day! He was baptized today, on his birthday :) He was very excited all day, and we are pleased that he has decided to be baptized as a member of the Church :) Zachary is a wonderful boy, who really wants to make good choices! We love having him in our family...he keeps us busy and brings some good rough and tumble to a sea of girls! :)

Crazy Week!!!

2008-03-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

CRAZY SNOW!!!! This was Wednesday, MARCH 26th, and we ended up getting 3 almost 4 inches of SNOW! It snowed off and on all day Thursday, and Friday, and it's still snowing!! Hopefully our weather will warm up and we can get back to Spring! :)

We were so looking forward to Spring!! Now our poor flowers are frozen and covered in snow!

Very ironic seeing the snow fall with the blossoms on the tree!! CRAZY!

CRAZY ENRICHMENT! Our ward had our Relief Society Birthday Party yesterday. YEAH! It's all done!! Yesterday's weather was so crazy with heavy snow one minute and the next sunshine...we didn't know for sure if we should cancel or not. I'm really glad that we didn't because the roads were really clear all day, even though it was snowing. The party went really well, I just kept forgetting things that needed to be done, so it ended up being more busy then I had planned!

CRAZY BIRTHDAY PARTY! Zachary had a birthday party at Super-Jump on Wednesday, and 20 children came to help him celebrate, so it was really crazy!

CRAZY HALF-DAYS! It was a week of half-days!! So, it just added an element of craziness, since our normal routine was out of balance!

Happy Day Late Easter Greeting!! :)

2008-03-24T21:45:00.001-07:00

The children's new Easter outfits! Isn't Anna's hair darling? I did this for her during Christmas time too, and she calls it "Monkey Ears"...and she has wanted me to do it ever since. It takes a long time, but I thought Easter would be a good time, and she was thrilled!! :)

Goodies from the Easter Bunny :) This was actually Saturday morning...the Easter Bunny must have known that his arrival on Sunday morning makes our getting ready for Church routine very busy (since we have the 9:00 am time). And, it makes our Easter Sunday's focus a little more Christ centered.

Emily or Emma...You Decide!

2008-03-18T20:00:00.001-07:00

Take the Quiz here!

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but the test was fun :)

According to the end results, I am:

You are Emma Woodhouse of Emma! You like being the queen of your social circle (small and provincial as it may be), and feel it's your duty to help those less influential than you. You often meddle in the affairs of others, though you do it with a pure heart. You are often deluded in your flights of fancy, but your good intentions and creative spirit make you someone anyone could like.

Thanks Ladies! :)

The Wearin' O' the Green!

2008-03-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a St. Patrick's Day dinner of Green Spinach Chicken Alfredo (the noodles were dyed green during cooking); Green Broccoli; and Green Lime Jell-O! The children loved it and they all asked for seconds (I didn't tell them the green stuff was spinach until after they were done! :)