Austin's 5th Birthday

 

 

Austin wanted an Angry Bird themed party, and I must say I had a blast decorating!! Two days for a 45min party...yeah baby ;) A few kids over for a treasure hunt (to find the cake), cake and ice cream, piñata, and presents. It really was perfect....anything more would have been too much! Thank you all for his wonderful gifts!

Elko Trip

 Papa and His Grandkids

 Madison and Lucas

Madison and Dallas

 

 Happy Birthday Boys!!

 Lucas

 Dallas

 Dallas walking!!

 

Lucas

 

Had a great visit!! Got to go Trick-or-Treating with the cousins, (pictures on my phone, of course, hopefully I can upload them soon!), My sister and I got to watch the kids for a little bit, and had the boys first birthday party!! Got to meet the new puppy and have our doggies play together for the first time. Went out with some friends and had a blast with karaoke!! All in all it was a really fun, really great trip. One that I will remember for a long time. Thank you everyone for all the great memories made :)

Canyon Pictures...with the Dog?!?!

They turned out pretty well I think...Miles even got to play in the water! He loved it!

Last Game Pictures

Love his smile here!!
Austin and Arie.

    His Soccer Picture

 

 Pretty Girl

 

 His Coaches...they were great and did so good with the kids!!

September!!

September was super busy with soccer, cheer, and hunting. Soccer is almost over, only one more game, and I am a little sad for Austin. He loves to play and looks forward to going to the games. Last game they were short so he got to play almost the whole time. He loved that!! He's getting the hang of it and gets more and more excited each time he gets to play. He has scored a goal in each game he has played since his first goal, and last game almost scored 3 times!! I'm looking for something else to put him in when this is over. He definitely needs something to get all his energy out!! And he hasn't had a single asthma attack since his last one, which is a relief!! I'd hate to have to tell him he couldn't play!
 Madison is still in cheer, for now. Not sure if this is the route we want her to go, so I am going to try and give her different options. We've thought about horse riding, which I would love, but with winter coming it is too far too drive and will be too cold!! Maybe in the spring we can pick that up. There is a dance "studio" in the neighborhood behind us that does dance and tumbling. That will probably be the route we take next for the kids.
School is going great for both of them! Austin has started reading, which he seems to have picked up pretty good. Madison is having a little problem with comprehension, but it gives us something to really work on with her. They both are loving school and are excited to go each day, thankfully!!
I have started something new at bedtime, which I love and want to share. After story we tell each other what we are proud of for each of us, or what we liked the most about what the other person did that day. Its nice to hear what we all come up with and on the really rough days its nice to have a positive end to the day. I urge you to try it....I'm sure you will love it and it will become part of your bedtime routine!!
Garrett went hunting last week, and although he ended up having tag soup, he had a great time and made some awesome memories. He even got to take the kids one afternoon and they were able to sneak up on a doe. The kids loved it and it won't be long and he will have two little hunting buddies!!
This month we also sneaked in a concert. My sister, Garrett, and I went and saw Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Thompson Square. It was a blast!! We had so much fun and were able to meet up with Steve and Sarah and a few other friends of Garrett's from High School!
Looking forward to a slow October, maybe a Halloween visit to Elko. Will be uploading pictures later today and I will try and get them emailed out.

Soccer and Asthma

Austin had his second soccer game and did so good!! He was out front with the ball whenever he played and was more aggressive with the other team, which the coach told me later that it is a good thing. It just means that he has what it takes to play soccer. Madison never did that, but then again, she never really liked it! Watching Austin play is completely different than when Madison played, so maybe soccer will be his thing, as long as his asthma holds off. Last night, after playing hard all day, Austin had his first full blown asthma attack. He woke at 10p.m. and couldn't breath. I've never heard him wheeze so hard!! It was super scary, but we (ok Garrett....I was a wreck.... again) got him calmed down with help from his nebulizer, inhaler, and a walk in the fresh air. His lungs are still tight and he's "barking" like a seal, but seems better this morning. My friend has a boy who has attacks like this 2 times a week and she told me that we have to find his "trigger." Could be allergies, the cold rain he was playing in yesterday, or the fact that he played outside, hard, all day. For now we are giving him extra cuddles and lots of rest....for all of us :)

First Soccer Game

 Practice

Every time he ran by me he waved!!

 Falling on the ball.

Miles watching the kids!

End of August

School has been going really good. Madison loves her teacher and is busy making new friends. Austin is doing really good in school and on his off days I have him working on concentration skills on the computer. Miles is doing great!! Already at 11 pounds and is so smart. He knows basic commands like sit and is pretty good at staying. He's doing really well in the front yard without a leash, but does like to bark at the kids coming home from school!
Austin had his first game last Tuesday and did great! Almost scored a goal, for the wrong team, but it would have been awesome!! Did touch the ball with his hands, but we think he fell on top of it. He's loving it and has practice tonight.
Madison is still doing cheer. She loves it so we keep taking her. Yesterday I had a mix up with the times so she actually ended up in the tumbling class, but did really good. I got to go in a watch for a little bit. She's getting really good with her back bends and is good at hand stands.
SO between soccer, cheer, and new puppy we are really busy around here.

School year 2013-2014

Its been too long!!

Wow my last blog seems likes ages ago!! The kids recovered from the Foot Hand and Mouth Disease just fine. Austin caught the flu shortly after getting better. Seriously I only got one day break in between the two :( But we are all good now. We got a new puppy the week they were sick. Couldn't help the timing. We found him on KSL and I instantly fell in love with his cuteness!! He's a Lab/Vizsla mix, and we named him Miles. He's been a great dog, very smart, and we are loving having him in our family. He's sleeping through the night and is potty trained, for the most part, as long as you are paying attention!!
We squeezed in a camping trip a couple weeks ago to the towers. A one nighter, but it was all we needed to cure our itch to camp. Camping is so much work....I need a trailer ;) Miles did very good camping and even took his first RZR ride. He wasn't too thrilled to be riding on my lap, but hopefully in time he will enjoy riding in the RZR and the truck.
The week before school kept us busy with last minute summer activities. We went to the splash pad with our friends, went and saw Planes in the theatre, and had a blast at Garrett's work party at Cowabunga bay (a water park in Draper). And Madison and I enjoyed a Mommy/Daughter day getting pedicures and having lunch. It was a fun afternoon and I hope to make it a back to school tradition!!
Yesterday was the first day for the two of them. Everything went smoothly and the kids seem really happy with their classes. Austin is in his second year of preschool. She combined the 3yo and 4yo class this year because they were both so small. We will see how well she can get the 4yo ready for kindergarten. I'm not worried they won't be ready, she's an amazing teacher and she also has a 4yo to get ready for kindergarten next year. Madison is in 2nd grade and not in class with her buddy Kesler. I think it will be good for both of them to be apart and make other friends. Her teacher seems very nice and I can't wait to help out and be apart of it this year.
So that's what we've been up to. Not a lot but enough to keep me busy. Hopefully I can get pictures up....my camera didn't want to auto focus yesterday for school pics :( so I will have to try to upload from my phone. (wish me luck!)

Sick Kiddos :(

A friend down the street informed my neighbor and I that her child was sick with a fever. Since our four children were all playing together this weekend we were keeping a close eye on them. She took her child in and was told it was strep. So my neighbor and I made appointments for our kids. I took my two in and got them swabbed for strep. The doctor looked in Austin's mouth and said, "Oh no, that's not strep, that's Hand and Foot and Mouth Disease." WHAT!?!? She looked in Madison's mouth and wasn't too sure about hers, but did a second swab on both of them since the first came back negative for strep. We won't know for sure til Thursday but we are just treating the fever and pain with Ibuprofen, there is not much else we can do since its a virus. The fevers have been mild I think, but the pain for them is the worse. Their throats hurt so bad they can barley drink or eat, and the pain or the run off from Madison's throat makes her throw up, which I can only image is painful!!  So we are looking at a week of this mess....maybe more, maybe less. I talked to my cousin whose baby had it last year and she said that with Austin already having the sores then he's already on day 3 of it. We are hoping and praying for a mild case, and that I can keep them hydrated. Please keep us all in your prayers....its gonna be a long week :) 

Here are the pictures!!

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Anniversary Trip!!

Cancun...ahhhh.....what can I....it was an amazing trip and we are very thankful to Kevin and Michelle for watching the kiddos. They had a great time and didn't want to leave!!
Day 1- An early start to a long day of traveling. Arrived in Cancun after a 5 hour flight, which wasn't bad at all. Got to the hotel and were greeted with a cool towel and a glass of champagne. Got an upgraded suit with a Jacuzzi bathtub in the room. Headed off to Ginger for some dinner. Best sushi ever!! After dinner we grabbed a drink and headed to the beach. It was 7pm which we found to be the best time to walk the beach. There is only a few people there and the sun is setting. So peaceful!!
Day 2-Amazing breakfast buffet. Coffee, oj, and mimosas!! Walked to the beach, then meet up with a guide to help us plan some fun trips around Cancun. Settled on Xplore, Jet Skiing, and Snorkeling. Lunch, quick nap, and a swim around the HUGE pool. Ordered a Superman to drink....yum!! Got ready for dinner, got some drinks, and then went ring shopping!! Got me a very nice pink topaz ring!! Headed to an Italian place for dinner, which was not very good.
Day 3- Off to Xplore after breakfast. After a 45 minute drive through Mexico we arrived a huge "amusement park." Our first stop was ATV riding through the jungle. Garrett drove and I got soaked going through a waterfall!! Next we swam in the caves, only taking the short 5 min route. They had a longer one but it was 30 mins long and I am not sure how anybody could swim for that long! After swimming through the dark caves we ended at the center point where all water from above ground fell into the water. It was a huge circle waterfall that we were in the middle of!! So very cool!! Next was cave rafting, where you get on a raft with paddles on your hands and raft the cave maze. It was so fun. Garrett and I got the hang of rafting together pretty quick. The stalagtites (sp) were really amazing! Last adventure was the zip line. The longest wait for the longest ride! Altogether it was a 3 hours of waiting and zip lining. One zip line was over 80 seconds!! I had a little trouble making it down a few. But the guides there made it work. Ended up with the last zip line going through a  waterfall and landing in water. A very nice cool down. Had some lunch, then went back for another cave swim and cave raft tour. Back to the bus for a tour through some classic VH1....Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Elvis.....great entertainment :) Back to the hotel where we had Tequila slammers....our new favorite shot!! Back to room for dinner where we ordered half the menu from room service!! Got to Skype with the kid, do a little more shopping, and watch a fire show!
Day 4- Rest day!! Slept in, then enjoyed a nice breakfast with ocean views. Spent the day at the beach. Laid out, swam in the ocean, grabbed a drink, then laid out again. Did that for about 4 hours. Grabbed some lunch and ate on the beach...so nice and relaxing. Got sunburnt of course, but we did lather up twice.....kinda hard not to get burnt when you are there....just part of Mexico I guess. I am now very tan, Garrett on the other hand is still peeling LOL. Ended up eating at Ginger again but this time in there private rooms to watch the Hibachi show. Sat with a three sisters and their mom. They were super nice and we enjoyed their conversations and company throughout dinner. Headed back to the hotel and crashed!!
Day 5- Had an early breakfast and rushed off to our Jet Ski adventure....or so we thought. There was a mix up and we had to reschedule for later that afternoon. We were okay though with that though, we woke up sunburnt and a little sick, so we enjoyed a nap before spending the day in the sun again. When we finally made it to Jet Ski, we met a family from Utah, and a fun, younger couple. We jet skied for a little bit in the marina before stopping by the reef to snorkel. What can I say about that....its definitely a must do!! I loved it, my favorite thing about the trip and will defiantly be taking the kids when they get older!! We got to see a sea turtle, tons of different fish, get a clam shell from the bottom, and hold a star fish. It was awesome!! Went jet skiing more and ended at a place in the water where the cool water comes in. It was so blue and cold!! Very neat but we didn't try to make it to the bottom. After a quick snack we headed back to our Resort where we got dressed up for dinner at Ginger....again I know, but it was so good!! Ate with a couple on their honeymoon from Georgia and again had another nice, pleasant conversation for dinner. Everyone was so nice!! Got to Skype with the kids again, and they told us all about their day. Still wasn't feeling great so we went to bed early.
Day 6- Slept in, ordered room service for breakfast. Swam around the pool. More shopping and then to the beach for another quick swim. Headed to the Lobster Pot for dinner. It was AMAZING!! Ordered Crab Trimble (?? I think) for appetizer....yum! Got salmon and rib eye for dinner, and an amazing brownie and cheesecake for dessert. The  best meal yet!!
Day 7- Trip to beach for sand and more sea shells. Room service for breakfast. Then we got ready to leave and packed. Quick lunch, then it was off to the airport. Had a nice flight home, 45 minutes early! Met Kevin and headed to their house. The kids were very excited to see us and we enjoyed an evening of sharing pictures and new drinks. We then attempted to play pool.
Stayed a day with them and enjoyed the pool with the kids. Had yummy bbq for dinner. Next day was rough saying goodbye, of course. So glad we were able to stay a day with them....those kiddos are growing up so fast and it was nice to watch them play with our kids!
We had an amazing vacation. We enjoyed each others company, the scenery, and all the fun things we were able to do. Thank you again guys for watching the kiddos....couldn't have done it with ya :)

Fishing with Grandpa

Fishing With Grandpa

Here is one I got on my phone of them carrying the fish back to the truck. 25lbs of catfish!!



End of May

We've been busy busy here wrapping up the end of the school year. We also have started the summer off with a few fun activities. The weekend after Austin's Graduation my Dad came for a visit. We took him fishing where we caught around 20 catfish!! We kept about 8 good ones and had a wonderful catfish dinner, yum!! My dad was very happy and had  a smile on his face the whole visit, which was wonderful to see! So glad we were able to catch some catfish. (They were also the biggest we've seen too. My dad caught an 8 pounder!!)

Madison's last week was busy. She had a dance festival where she learned and performed the Electric Slide. She also had a fun filled field day. She said she had a blast, but is super sad to see first grade be over. It doesn't help that her teacher won't be at her school next year.

Last Friday we went to the local Demolition Derby that Eagle Mountain hosts. It was a blast!! We had such an amazing time and will defiantly have to go back! The kids liked watching all the crashes and had a blast with Bryce and Jen who came with us.

Saturday morning was the annual parade. The kids had fun waving for candy and Frisbees. Austin even blew kisses to the princess!! Parades are so fun for me and remind me of my childhood. I'm glad I can share them with my kids and hopefully they will with theirs.

Next on our list is getting ready for Cancun!! Only 15 days and we are headed to Colorado. I'm very excited, but nervous. They are getting pounded with rain right now with a chance of a tropical storm! But we wait and watch and hopefully it will clear out before we go.

I do have pictures but they are not uploaded to our new computer yet. Soon though, just have to figure it all out!!

Preschool Graduation

 

Austin's graduation from the 3 year old preschool was last night. We are so proud of him!! He sang all his songs and was great on stage. He will be in preschool next year as well. I'm glad he gets an extra year before kindergarten. I'm not ready for him to grow up just yet ;)