Josh and Erika Thorne Family

first b-day party

2011-03-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting about this little man's birthday bash. We had an island theme party complete with shredded pork roast and all the island mixed plate staples; rice, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and fruit salad. These pics were taken right before the party started. I had to include his yelling photo :)
After dinner it was pinata time!!
I'm not a very ambitious mom when it comes to creating adorable birthday cakes (oh how I admire those mommies!) so my kids get to have birthday cakes ala Costco :) At least they are delicious!
And Kai got in there and enjoyed his cake
What a crowd, he's in there somewhere being adored by all his cousins while he chows down! We are so lucky to have so many loving relatives :)
And now it was time for a little soak in the tub to clean off all the chocolate goodness!
It was a very fun First birthday party can't wait for many, many more!!!

One year ago....

2011-03-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

..this precious little bundle entered my life and melted all our hearts! Has it really been a year?!?Things he "does" now..

-Walking or running everywhere

-Still no teeth but that's nothing new to us. Teagan was the only one to cut a tooth before his first birthday.

-He's a 20 pounder

-Won't smile for you until you earn it. But a pleasant little guy otherwise :)

-Loves his big brothers and sisters more than anything! They are his VIP's for sure

And now he's still a little sweetheart but with a budding fiesty side :) This is his "what the...?!" face. Oh how I love you! Happy Birthday to you, my little Kai-Kai ;)))

Courtside fun!

2011-02-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

First of all this is a pic of Maddy from last Fall but her first game of the new year is this Saturday and she is beyond stoked about it! That serve is coming along beautifully :)
Sadie participated in a mini-cheer clinic this past week that our cute babysitter Ashley, who cheers at Bingham High, signed her up for and she got to cheer and perform a dance during halftime at the girls basketball game. She was adorable, of course :) I would include the video of the cheer but I just can't get a file that large to upload onto blogger for some reason, ugh!
And then Josh and Alex got to have a little fun on the floor of our very own Utah Jazz. A member of our ward is an owner of Groove satellite which sponsors the pre and post-game shows from Energy Solutions Arena and they were able to arrange a little tour of the court as well as a meet and greet with some local greats.

A for Alex :)
Alex and his best buds and neighbors, Jack and J-Mo at the desk of Jazz great Thurl Bailey and reporter Alema Harrington. Such a cool experience for Alex!

Valentines!

2011-02-15T10:48:00.001-08:00

So since Josh and I go on a date every weekend we decided that we would always spend V-day with the other loves of our lives, our kiddos, because unless you are in a serious relationship or married this holiday is actually quite lame! So several years back we began the tradition of having a candlelit dinner on our lovely wedding china (the one time a year that we use it) and we would have crepes stuffed with all types of yummy things as well as hot chocolate in the tea cups and sugar dipped glasses with sparkling juice. The kids have sooo much fun! Sadie was especially enchanted this year and couldn't stop talking about it all night :)We turn off all the lights and Josh plays a fun mix of tunes and I quietly cringe as my little ones try not to spill (or break!!) their hot chocolate.
My lovely ladies :)
and handsome gents!

A cute story I shared with my kids was the tradition that my dad had of always door bell ditching our house while leaving a box of Cherry Cordials for each of us every Valentines. I still love those chocolates to this day! I just have fun imagining my young dad sprinting to the back of the house after ringing the bell after a hard day at the power plant and walking in the house totally baffled at who could have left his children such a nice gift. He never really fessed up to it either; just a cute wink and a smile :) I love my dad for that! It wasn't much but at the same time it was soooo much! My dad's the best.

Hope you all had someone special to share this silly day with :)

First haircut!

2011-02-13T15:54:00.001-08:00

It was time for this cute monkey to get a haircut and let me tell you, I have been pretty nervous because as you may know from previous posts T-man has all but traumatized us when it comes to clippers and scissors to the ol' noggin but man, it was time cause this little dude was lookin' downright Shaggy! I mean....
the kid went from girly ponytails......
to manly awesomeness!
All thanks to Josh and I and a steady hand. Kai didn't squirm, cry or freak out in the least! Yaaay!! Maybe we won't have to re-live the terror T puts us through!?!??!

Sooo handsome :)

Spelling bee 2011

2011-02-13T15:44:00.001-08:00

Maddy and Alex both qualified to compete in the school spelling bee this year. They are both really great spellers but sometimes those words can be buggers! They did great and I am so proud of them :)I really need to figure out how to use my camera! I never get good shots in their school gym and I can't figure out why but hey, at least I got something right?

Blue and Gold 2011

2011-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

The theme for the scouts Blue and gold banquet this year was "Mexican fiesta". The scouts each made a cake that was then enjoyed by all for dessert.Typical Alex :)
ole!

Christmas 2010!

2011-01-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

We celebrated a few days early with my family and I was able to host the party this year. We enjoyed a delish Turkey dinner (thanks dad!) and everybody helped bring something yummy. I love being with my family (the Magleby's), it's always a good time :))eating and visiting......Josh with my little brother Micah up top with three of my SIL's, Tonya, TIff and Steph.
My three older brothers, Jared, Todd, Cory and my SIL Krista.
Three stinkin' cute cousins! Carly, McCoy and Kai
Three older cousins and silly goofballs! Walker, Tommy and Alex.
Sooo cute!
The two eldest grandkids, Taylor (sorry, he goes by Charles now but he'll always be my tay-tay!) and Tanner. Such handsome men!!
Getting ready "backstage" to put on The Nativity. This is a family tradition and the roles have all been passed onto the grandchildren. Grandpa does the reading as the kids re-enact :)

We do this with musical hymns and other numbers throughout that we all sing to and my sis always plays piano.

My mom provides all the costumes. Good work mom!
And then it was onto the talent show. Sadly I only got one pic of that though because I had to deal with a tantrum from a certain 3 yr. old:( Madeleine played guitar while her and cousin Kyra sang a Taylor Swift song.
My sis and her darling family (except Tommy, where is that kid?)
And now time for the kids' favorite part, PRESENTS!!
Cute wall decor from Aunt Steph and uncle Jared!

And now onto Christmas Eve.......
Josh and I started our own family tradition several years ago of going to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. It is such a big part of our Christmas and the kids look forward to it so much.
Getting ready to order some yummy hot chocolate covered in whipping cream, mmmmmmm...
Nice T-man! He stayed home with grandma for the past two years because he was just too wild!! I think he enjoyed his first experience at Mimi's :))

And then onto Aunt Shirleys Christmas Eve party.....
Playing pass the present game
Alex and cousin Jonah playing with their new toys
These girls are tight as glue :)
this one couldn't wait for Santa to arrive......
We had to put T's gift at the top of the sack because he was getting sooooo antsy!
first present from Santa :)))
Telling the old elf what she hopes he'll bring her.
Alex rattled off his wish list!
Maddy, such a trooper to humor her parents and go sit on Santa's lap!
Grownups are not immune from this Santa ritual.

And then we headed home to leave out the treats for Santa, open some new jammies and share the real Christmas story with the kids and hit the sack!

The calm before the storm....
Yaaaayyy!!!
Hang on, let me get a pic before we rip through those lovely presents!
My favorite little baby :))
Sadie loved her new baby...
T finally got the gift he'd been drooling over for months!
Kai enjoyed his one and only gift (come on he doesn't know what's going on!)
what a mess!

where's Kai???
Maddy had a nice little pile of gifts. Everything she asked for except a cell phone, so sorry my dear but it was a long shot even asking :)
Playing his new games for Wii.
And we spent the rest of the day at Ron and Susan's for the greatest brunch ever, I wish I had taken pics of it, and for some more gift opening and being with cousins. Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did!!!

AAAAH!! I'm so behind, but first.....

2011-01-18T18:16:00.001-08:00

....I had to do a quick "10 months old" post on my baby. I have a ton of Christmas posts to do still but since it takes so stinkin' long to upload pics onto this blog I have had to put it off over and over.

ANYHOO...as of January ONE this little man has been a walking machine! He just wants to keep up with all the busy bodies in this house and he was pretty persistent about figuring it out. I love his little waddle and I love when he gets so excited and tries to run and then gets caught up in his own feet :) What a cutie he is, good job Kai! We love you!!!!!

Some holiday going-ons....

2010-12-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

A visit from "Auntie Clause". Our dear Aunt Rakell dons this adorable little red outfit and showers gifts on her loving great nieces and nephews each year. She exhausts herself I'm sure, but the kids really love it! Thanks Kell' we love ya!All the ladies.

Too fun!!

2010-12-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ginger bread houses, a MUST at the holidays....Some pretty ladies making some pretty houses. Thanks to Grandma Sue we are never short on icing!

Josh gets them started while Teagan checks out the goodie table and decides what to eat and what to decorate with.

Alex is really into army stuff right now. You'll notice the "dead" ginger bread men that just got taken out by the pretzel bazooka. Hmmmm....should I be concerned???? Such a silly kid!

2010-12-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

A dance recital....Sadie danced at the festival of trees as well. She loves to dance!

Thanksgiving in paradise!

2010-12-13T10:09:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Grandpa Ron We spent Thanksgiving this year in Maui with Josh's family. It was amazing but, when is Maui not amazing?? We started off at the SLC airport on to San Francisco on to Honolulu on to Maui. It was quite the excursion just getting there and as a result of so many transfers and unpredictable weather and a plane being struck by lightning (crazy right?!?) It took us a bit longer to arrive in Maui than we had hoped. We spent about 7 hours at the San Fran airport because the plane we were supposed to take to Honolulu had been struck by lightening and some lengthy repairs etc. were required. Fine with me! I'd rather get there safely than have the plane fall apart over the ocean!! The kids made the most of their time in the airports that day and it all became something we laughed about and forgot shortly after inhaling that lovely tropical air :)So excited to leave! But how much longer?!?!
A gorgeous rainbow in San Fran. The first of many we would see that week.
Yeah we're here! Let's load up the rentals and get to the beach!!
That's a happy kid right there! Gotta love the ocean!!
A little nap after some quality beach time. I love those sandy little toes!!

The kids competed in a build- a- raft competition put on by the resort we were at.

Discussing how to build the thing.....
and finally putting in the water. Maddy and Jona's team won. Alex was a gracious loser :)
This was a day at Big beach, and it was.

Cuteness kiddies right there!
Josh caught some nice surf :)
Some beautiful ladies :)

Me and my girls :)
Gracie was my little nanny all trip. If I didn't have Kai then you knew Gracie must have him :) I love how much she adores him, he does too!
Run!!
The view from our balcony.
I love this pic of the girls taking a pic of themselves with Hanna's phone :) classic them!
Thanksgiving Luau feast! Look at the girl below totally grossed out when they brought out the pig hahaha!
Sadie and the girls went up and demonstrated a little hula for us.
The Gazebo!!! A most delicious little eatery that is just a gazebo and they happen to make the most amazing breakfast!
Oh my, my, my!!! banana macadamia pancakes with coconut syrup and a huge mountain of island style fried rice and hash. yum, yum, yum!!!
Just some fun in the water!
Josh and Teagan enjoying the water falls in the pool and some quality hot tub time with Gramps.

A day in Paia. A very cool little town.
We are such a sight when we go on vacation! There are lots of stares at our huge bunch :)

Halloween left-overs!

2010-12-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post about my cute SIL's halloween party with all the Magleby's. This is a tradition that we all look forward to. From her famous soup in pumpkin bread-bowls to the pumpkin carving and cake walk; Krista really is the "Hostess with the Mostest" and I didn't want to forget to post about her party! A crowd of Magleby kids. I love this group!! We are missing the two eldest cousins though :( darn growing up and having jobs to be to! (we missed you Tay' and Tan') Cousin Johny in red at the top is an honorary grandkid at these events :))
Wrapping Grandpa up like a mummy. Fun!!
Beautiful cousins and besties! Madeleine is sooooo lucky to have her cousins Sydney (above) and Hanna. She loves them more than she loves Justin Bieber! (me too!)

8 months old

2010-11-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

8 months old and this little guy is on the fast track to walking (yikes!) I'm not ready. I want him to be an infant forever!!

Right now he is pulling himself up to anything he can. Yesterday he started letting go of things and balancing on his own for up to three seconds at a time. He totally knows what he's doing because he'll concentrate really hard to stay balanced and not sink to the floor.
This pic was mid laughing :) I love it!!
Here he was being such a show-off for his adoring sibs by pulling himself up to the ottoman and dancing and shaking once he got up. He was laughing his head off at them laughing at him! Fun times around here at night :)
My beautiful boy. We love him so much!

It's over, thank goodness!!

2010-11-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

It was the usual: pumpkin carving, multiple parties, parades and let's not forget the trick-or-treating. The kids had so much fun and got way too much candy and goodies! They were freezing cold and a little damp when they got home but I think they accomplished their mission well. We love Halloween and now, let's move on....My darling, costumed bunch :))
Beautiful Cleopatra (at school anyway). The next day she went trick-or-treating as a Bingham Miners fan? I think it was less work and way warmer to be in jeans and a hoodie than a thin dress, go figure...
He thoroughly relished being The Joker! No one says "why so serious?"creepier or better than Alex! He collected the biggest bag of candy out of all of them and he came home worn out and soaked. He enjoyed a nice hot bath for an hour :)
Gorgeous Princess Tianna and her frog prince. She lasted about 15 houses and she was soooo ready to come home. She still finds Halloween to be a bit too freaky, especially the darker it got. She had more fun handing out candy at the door.
T-man was either Batman or Robin (or "Ramen" if you ask him). It was just dependent on his mood at the moment. I love his expression in this pic! He is cooking up some trouble in that mind of his! He only made it to three houses and he wanted to get home, he was way too cold! (he might be my brightest child)
Kai was utterly confused (and maybe a bit disgusted by our bizarre behavior?) I think he was ready for sanity to be restored at our house, if our house was ever sane to begin with!

Hope you all enjoyed a spooky, fun, festive Halloween. It's going to be Turkey time before we know it!!!

Fall fun :)

2010-10-25T09:01:00.001-07:00

Fall has been fun so far and I love that all the holiday activities of the next couple of months are under way. And I admit, it is nice to wear hoodies, jeans and my Uggs again, but after Christmas I turn back into a winter Scrooge!! So, first up we had to visit the witches at Gardner village....

My beautiful girls xoxoxox!
And then an afternoon at the pumpkin patch.....
..on the hunt...Teagan picked about 12. As he would add it to the wheel barrow we would take it back out and leave it. He didn't seem to notice..
Some of my handsome men :)))

My Favorite five!

And some pumpkin carving at Grandma Susan's.....The three babies. Aren't they the cutest?? Kai, Ella, and Oliver. Oliver is 6 months older than Kai and Kai is a about 3 weeks older than Ella. Fun times ahead for these three cousins!
Teagan put Josh in charge of designing and painting a Batman pumpkin for him. It turned out pretty cool!
Handsome Alex made a creepy monster out of his.
Madeleine did the cute ghost above.
Silly Maddy and cute Hanna :)
Sadie loves to pose for pics and insisted that I get a shot of her "lighting" The pumpkin. Good thing you're so darn cute :)

Up next, Halloween ;)

He did it!!

2010-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Alright, Teagan decided to make me the happiest gal around and figured out this whole potty training thing. We have been trying on and off for a few months but finally after placing toys' r us on the shelves in the garage he decided it was time. I started with a bag of toys from the dollar section at Wal-mart and that proved to be a no-go. Then we placed a Mr. Potato Head set up there and that peaked his interest mildly, then I added some Iron Man action figures which really got him anxious. Finally, Buzz Lightyear showed up and that was the last straw! T-man stepped it up and showed me that maybe it was time to cut the crap (no pun intended) and finally do what we all knew he was capable of doing months ago and, voila! Success! Now Woody has a buddy and all is right in the Universe.
Teagan generously shared his Potato Head with his baby bro.

Halleluiah! another daunting parenting task conquered! Now on with the approaching teenage years that are right around the corner, speaking of crap!!

Piano recitals

2010-09-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

It was recital time and these kids of mine did great considering neither one of them hardly touched a piano all summer! This was the only pic I got of Alex because I was fussing with my camera trying to get it to focus!
Good job Mads!

Receiving those hard earned trophies from their amazing teacher Marcy. We love her!

Kai enjoyed himself too! I had to throw this one in :)))

I love my talented kiddos!

Labor Day weekend '10

2010-09-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to take the kids downtown and be tourists for years now but Josh is never up for it so this year I talked him into letting us go on Labor Day. We always go at Christmas time but it is so cold, dark and crowded that the kids never even see the beautiful city in and around Temple square. Alex thought our city was so cool! The flowers were in full bloom and all the beautiful fountains were running. I love it down there!We started at the Joseph Smith building but we decided not to see the film because of the little boys. But just walking through was fun and we showed the kids which room we had our wedding breakfast in and how we felt when we walked in to see our families and friends after just being sealed to each other and what a beautiful day for us it was.
My beautiful girls in front of some beautiful flower beds.
We did a tour of the Beehive house which is just so cool! I couldn't believe that Josh had never been there. The kids loved it! The above pic is Sadie drooling over the cute pioneer toys in the "playroom".
My family listening to the sister missionary tour guide as she explains some fun facts about the house. Don't my kids look so quiet and attentive? :) I was shocked!
I love these five treasures!
It was such a perfect day!
Josh and I have a pic of us sitting in that tree behind us on our wedding day 12 years ago. The tornado of 2000 ripped it out of the ground but they were able to replant it.
We then went to the visitors center on Temple square and let the kids see and watch all the great exhibits about our ancient prophets.
Then we went to the church Geneology museum and the little ones had fun playing in the children's area.
Maddy was captivated while reading about other people all over the world who came to Christ and how their conversion happened.
We finished up at the Lionhouse Pantry with some delish rolls with honey butter and some pie, old fashioned bottled soda and a few bags of old fashioned lemon drops. Yum!!
Holding up their treats! Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day as much as we did :)

6 months old!

2010-09-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, time is really flying by quickly! This darling chunky monkey of ours turned the big 6 months yesterday. This little ham weighs 18 pounds! making him, officially, our chubbiest baby!
Things he is good at (or "tricks" as Gpa Ron would say) are..

-Rolling from belly to back with lightning speed (not so much the other way though)

-sitting up with 95% success, we still keep those pillows around him .

-Eating solids once a day-- Baby rice and recently baby rice with dehydrated fruit in it (Now the diapers are getting a bit more "interesting")

-Reaching for things and managing to hang on to them once he gets it. Still clocks himself in the face with toys though (Depth perception still not 100% accurate yet :)

-Smiles a ton! He loves faces and he doesn't care if you are looking or talking to him he will still think you are giving him all the attention and he'll cheese it up for ya :))

-Laughs at his dads morning face. Even though Josh is still asleep Kai will laugh at him. SOOO cute!

The only thing that makes me sad about him at this age is that I don't get those looooong, multiple power naps every day from him anymore, bummer!! He's too busy to sleep his little life away so, hello catnaps, you wicked teases! Now I'm really getting nothing done!
Love you Kai!!!!! (kissy, kissy, kiss, kiss!!!) You can't resist him can you???

Cool!!

2010-08-25T09:36:00.001-07:00

One of my good friends from Emery County (where I grew up until the age of 13), Willie, is a test pilot for the U.S. army/airforce. He flies the Apaches, which is just a giant, loaded weopon! And he happens to work in SLC not far from my house. Way back in May he generously invited my family to come and take a tour of the helicopter hangar he works from and to take an up close and personal look at these amazing flying weapons. I am only just now getting to post about it. It was way cool. Alex was in heaven! Alex thinks anything military is pretty cool.
Teagan enjoyed the riding tractor. Whatever bud, just lay low dude and don't. touch. anything!!
He felt pretty stinkin' cool sitting in that seat :)

That is some serious ammo! Willie explaining some of the cool gear to Josh and Alex. Josh felt like a little kid again being so close to something so cool :)We see theses things on a regular basis flying over our house and now we have a whole new appreciation for those "Peace keepers". We also got to see some Blackhawks. My kids will always ask now if I think that's Willie up there. Thanks again friend it was awesome!

Got Milk???

2010-08-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

'Cause apparently Teagan thinks that he does......yikes!

Sunday morning was getting crazy, as usual, and I had to leave Kai in his crib while I got the zillion things done that need doing before church. He was crying and sad so T-man went in to comfort and play with him when he realized that he must be hungry. So in his high sing-song voice we hear him say...

"Don't worry Kai, I'll make you a bottle"

What???

And this is what I walked into.

I have to give him props for persistance though. But darn it, that breastpump just wasn't producing that magic milk for him. If only buddy.......then again, definitely not! It looked so funny and then slightly disturbing.

Thanks for trying though. I could always use more help around here :)

Lake Powell '10

2010-08-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

Powell this year was amazing! I took like 600 pics so it took a while to pick some to post. The weather was perfect in my opinion, not as hot as previous years and a little unsettled at times but with a baby I was grateful for the cooler temps (still hot enough though). We ate ourselves silly and cooled of in the amazing water when it got too hot. There was an amazing lighning storm our last night that lasted for hours, it was amazing to watch! This is my very favorite vacation ever. Enjoy!

Someone LOVES Lake Powell!
This is what our little pit stops looked like...I think we made a total of 10 stops because that cute little baby of mine can only stand being in the car for about an hour and a half at a time before he becomes unglued!
"Denny's Wigwam" with the cousins for a souvernir. A tradition! The boys all picked racoon hats, hahaha!
Killing time in the houseboat with some acrobatics :)
what it's all about!
Just leave me here all day!
Baby boy loved sleeping and swimming and sleeping and swimming. What more do you need at Powell??

Extreme kyaking!

My handsome little devils!

All Alex cared about was catching air. He caught sweet air for the first time and managed to stick it as well. Good job dude!

throwin' out the peace sign--classic Mads :)
Gorgeous!! (sunset is nice too)
Darling girl of mine.

We had the most amazing beach this year! Super soft sand, clean beach and water. It was perfect!

Some father/son playtime :)) and some fishing with gramps! We love Lake Powell!!!

Pinewood derby

2010-07-05T10:03:00.001-07:00

This was Alex's first Pinewood derby. His car looked pretty sweet and it looked pretty fast too. Unfortunately, It came in dead last every time!
Josh has some serious redeeming to do!! Alex's car would roll in last and he would just look at his dad with the most bummed out expression. I know it broke Josh's heart, and mine :(
He's such a good sport though. No anger towards anyone, he genuinely enjoyed watching all the cars and cheering on the winners.

He had fun anyway and his dad is now more determined than ever to help him create a champion car for next year. I however think that kid is a champion with or without a fast car! Love you Alex boy :)

Oh brother!

2010-06-30T22:49:00.001-07:00

So Madeleine hated the pics I posted of her in the last birthday post and made me delete them so I agreed to find a new one and now a new post (eyes rolling). Mads turned 11 in May and I can't even believe how fast the time has flown by. I don't know what I would do with out her, my little Moozey moo. she has always been so witty and funny since she first learned to talk, which she did super early on. I love her sense of humor and her desire to always do the right thing. Can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with my forever baby girl!

Birthdays!

2010-06-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

So it was birthday time again at our house and this year we only threw one party for Sadie. The older ones are just not that into it anymore. All they want to do is go out to dinner and maybe have one or two friends over. So first up is Alex....
Such a handsome funny kid. He loves soccer, oragami (seriously) and playing outside with all the neighbor boys. Pretty average stuff for a nine year old :)
He picked Olive Garden for his birthday lunch and he felt like a king when we ordered him his very own dessert. He didn't have to share with me or Josh but he insisted on doing it anyway. Such a generous kid.

Sadie turned five and I let her have a Luau pool party. She shared her party with one of her best friends, Kenzie.
This was the closest thing to a smile I got from her at the moment. She had her first "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" tantrum and she's lucky she didn't get a real birthday spank to go with it from me! She was mad because I wouldn't let her swim without a life jacket. Mean me!
See that bratty little face she's making? She actually stood up at this moment and stomped into the house. We were actually singing to her and Kenz at that very moment. Poor Kenz was just looking around wondering if she should just blow out both candles! Ugh, I love that girl but I have to say I really miss her sweet toddler stage.

Anyway, I already posted T-mans birthday so I think that covers it. Happy b-days to my little darlings. Each year is better and better because of these sweet people who call me Mom :)

Kai's blessing

2010-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo far behind on this blog and it doesn't help that Kai is getting bigger and more active so now I REALLY don't have the time to stay on top of it but I'm going to try and catch up this week when I can. Anyhoo, Kai was blessed May 2 by his dad. It was so sweet. If you had told me a year ago that I would be blessing yet another child I would have said that you better check me into the nut house because I was in no way up for doing the baby thing again! As it turns out he has been the answer to a prayer I didn't make. He was always to be mine and to be in our family and I have enjoyed him maybe more than my other babies. I just feel the need to savor him and enjoy this time because I know how quickly it will be over.

Anyway, it was a fun day filled with all the people we love most and all the food I love most :)
Such a sweet, handsome guy!
Grandma and Grandpa's Magleby and Thorne. Such lucky kids I have to have two sets of active, involved grandparents that live so close to them. I remind them of this daily!
Our fifth! We are so lucky:) Love you little Kai.

Happy 3rd T-man!!

2010-05-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Teagan was born May 10th 2007. The first thing I said when I saw T for the first time was "Oh my gosh he's bald......and he's white!" hahaha! I thought I had a mold with my older three. Then I held him and got to see his darling blue eyes (another first in our family) and I thanked Heavenly Father for breaking the mold and sending him to us.
That smile says it all.."I'm sweet but the wheels are turning in my head and you'll regret turning your back on me!" I love him XOXOXOXOX!!!!!
His favorite B-day gift was this toy tool kit. Dad is grateful for it too. Now maybe he'll stay out of dads real tools in the garage!
A good friend of mine works out at airport 2 where he is a test pilot for Apache helicopters. Very cool! That is a post for a later date. Teagan had fun visiting them for his B-day
Then it was McDonalds for dinner! It's all about T today :))
Happy Birthday to you!! Time for cupcakes and presents!
On another note....This little dude has some pretty cool stacking skills. I'm telling you, I can't take my eyes of him for even a second!
Love you Teasy!! What would we ever do without you??? Life would be dull city! :)))

Happy Birthday!

My Soccer Stud!

2010-04-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

He doesn't talk much smack on the field, we teach him to be polite out there. But we did over hear him saying this as he was running the ball down the field.. "Try and stop this!" Ha ha!! and they didn't stop him--GOOOOAAAAL!!

I have always assumed that each spring I would be hanging out at the baseball fields watching my boy play. He was such a little baller when he was a toddler and he proved to have great potential in little league when he was five. I didn't think that he would care to pursue soccer past 1st grade and we would move on to baseball. Unfortunately, watching The Sandlot (I love that movie) didn't warm him to baseball as I thought it would but rather, it became a movie that he can't even stand to watch. Why? because of the scene where "Smalls" receives a black eye after being hit in the face with a baseball that he was unable to catch. Alex happens to have a mortal fear of black eyes! He actually can't look at people with any type of facial injury, especially a black eye without getting physically ill. I don't know what he would do if he actually received one himself.

So Soccer was the sport that he chose to pursue. Even though at first watching the sport always seemed really dull to me I have to say that as he has advanced past Rec league and is playing a little more competitively, it has been so fun to watch him! He is fast, aggressive and so far scores most or all of his teams' goals. Plus, he looks pretty awesome all geared up.

I am proud to be the soccer mom of this rising soccer Champ!

Easter 2010 in St. George

2010-04-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!
Here is what our car looks like loaded up with five kids! I'm not gonna lie, it gets a little crazy in there!! Ha Ha :))
Dying Easter eggs. Such a fun and messy ritual!

Teagans egg cracked when he dropped it in the dye and he just kept saying "Oh no, look at my egg!" Since I couldn't fix it he got a little upset.....
...Okay, really upset....
...downright Postal!
Finally calming down. I'm sure that middle finger is aimed at me :)
Sweet baby boy! xoxoxox!!
Getting ready to go find some easter eggs...
One more group shot :) Time to hunt!
The little ones got a headstart....
now the big kids can hunt.
These two are trouble wrapped in darling packages! Ask Grandpa how much mischief they can stir up! ha ha!! Speaking of going postal.....:)))
Getting in some pool time in the not-so-hot-weather. At least it wasn't snowing like it was at home!

A day at the art festival.
Fun at the arts and crafts tables.
Teagan is relentless with Kai!! The poor baby gets no rest with that brother around!
MMMMMMM, deep fried Twinkie :)
Homemade icecream!
Beautiful Grandma Susan.
Jake was all worn out!
Enjoying some downtime at the festival while watching a bluegrass duo perform.

A couple of handsome Thorne boys!! (Baby Oliver and Alex)
Dads make the best jungle gyms!
Sadies new purchase. We always appreciate loud, piercing whistling instruments in our home...not
There is a new and fantastic splash park in the city center and I am so excited to take the kids there next time when it isn't as crowded and it's nice and hot!

Teagan had another famous meltdown after his shirt got sprayed. Heaven help me!!
Face painting..
...and it was super itchy, which explains the tears.
Decorating egg shaped cakes. Sadie opened the blue food dye and apparently thought it was hand lotion?!? Geeeesh!!

Who needs a napkin when you have a tongue?

4 weeks old!

2010-03-31T18:38:00.001-07:00

Time is flying by too fast, my little newborn is growing too quickly :((( Isn't he the cutest though?!!?Sadie is the GREATEST babysitter! If only she were 8 years older. No one takes better care of this baby (besides me) than Sadie-girl :))

I LOOOOOVE that little face! xoxoxoxox

So fabulous

2010-03-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sadie put together this lovely outfit and makeup and then insisted I get out the camera and allow her to model it for me. She is my little fashionista! Notice how she looped my earrings OVER her earlobes? She doesn't want to get her ears pierced so this is her solution. Works for me!
I think the umbrella pulls it all together nicely don't you? :)))

Photo Shoot

2010-03-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the 100 that she took! They are all amazing!!

A sweet friend of mine, Heidi, happens to be a very talented photographer and I feel so lucky to have had her take pics of little Kai. He was just 6 days old and an angel through the whole shoot. It was so fun! I so wish she would have been around to take pics of all my newborns.

Thanks Heidi!

Baby Kai!!

2010-03-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

Kissing the baby bump goodbye :)
Love at first sight! My new little boyfriend :)))
Passing the time on the Blackberry. Josh actually got a lot of work done while we waited.
Alta View provides a cute little dinner for you and your hubs to enjoy on your last night there. The food was pretty good too. I thought it was a cute gesture.
My sweet, sweet Kai. Did I mention I am totally smitten with that face?
Teagan is hiding in the back, you can see his little head, that rebel wouldn't get in the pic! Are these five really all mine?!?! I am so lucky!

Labor and delivery was awesome! My fabulous Doctor helped induce me so that I wouldn't have to risk having my baby without him here (he was going to be gone for 9 days right during my due date) So Kai was born about 11 days before my estimated due date. The epidural was placed early because there were like 5 c-sections on their schedule that day and they didn't want to risk missing the chance to get me one. So I didn't have to feel even one contraction which is always fine with me. You women who choose to suffer through all that pain are amazing to me! I wouldn't have a tiny cavity filled without pain relief so there is no way I am giving birth without it! But to each their own and I tip my hat to you :)) Recovery is going great and baby and family are adjusting smoothly.

Baby Kai came at 5:20 P.M. Tuesday, March 2. We all love him to bits and are so very grateful that he came to our family.

Seriously?!?!

2010-02-15T10:14:00.001-08:00

Holy cankle! Another sports related injury for Josh. He rolled it wrong at a church ball game and now he spends his evenings icing it and elevating it.
Gross I know! But knowing Josh he'll be back on the court by Thursday game for sure :))

Blue and Gold banquet

2010-02-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with the other scouts
This year they had to make a cake and bring it to the banquet to share with everyone. Alex thought up everything for his cake and I think he did a great job!
Maddy helped him add some nice finishing touches. He wanted a Wolf cake since that is what he is right now. He loves passing off each achievement and is ready to move on.
The finished product. Good job buddy!! Love you!

What's on your mind?

2010-02-09T13:35:00.001-08:00

It isn't very often that I catch this little guy in a moment of quiet contemplation but I love to ponder what might be going on in that cute,little head of his.

I think he might be thinking about what wall or piece of furniture in the house he has not yet defiled by a pen, pencil, crayon or permanent marker. Maybe he is thinking that he will take that playdough behind him and break it into small bits and then mush it into the rugs. Maybe he wants to strip down to his diaper and then torment me by threatening to go for the full monty at any moment, especially if that diaper happens to be "full".

Or maybe he is just thinking about what a happy little life he leads and, hopefully, how much his mom, dad, sisters and brother love him. I really, REALLY hope that's it! Love you T-Man!!

Sadie's Christmas recital '09

2009-12-25T20:22:00.001-08:00

Sadie with her cute dance teacher Kylie.
We must have had our camera on the wrong setting and I'm so bummed about the quality of these pics but, whatever, Sadie did a darling job, as always. She LOVES dance and we love to watch her do it :))

Pretty little girl of mine!

Disneyland '09!

2009-12-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Maddy made a build-a-bear, bunny :)
Cousins group hug!
Sadie and Teagan were in heaven tracking down characters to visit with :)
Teagans Hero!
Maddy couldn't get enough of Maliboomer! Alex missed the height by an inch :(
Maddy finally got over her fear of characters!
Teagan has a serious crush on Jessie!

THE man himself!
Looking at bugs in "Bugs Life"
Sadie was meant to LIVE at Disneyland! Cute cousin Hanna :)
I sat down to rest and these two couldn't wait to hop in my lap, I'm running out of lap space!

Janeen braved the rapids with Maddy, Jonah and Alex on a cool day. What a champ :)
Kickin' it with grandpa.
Sadies fave was the jellyfish drop at California Adventure.

I told you, he has a serious crush on that redhead!
Fun times in Disneyland! Can't wait to go back :)

Ginger bread houses!

2009-12-07T13:08:00.001-08:00

Helping Teagan construct his train. Hot glue is the way to go for sure!
Maddy picked a tree this year and then gave up on it! Not feeling super creative I guess...
Poor Susan stayed busy whipping up icing all night. She puts so much work into this fun tradition!
Sadie loved, loved, loved creating her house.
The boys both needed a little help from dad. That icing is tough stuff!

The Cabin

2009-12-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hangin' with uncle Justin
The kitchen, our favorite hangout spot!
Baby Oliver is under there somewhere! The kids were relentless with him!
fun in the snow!
He climbed on me to give me a hug and ten seconds later he was sound asleep :)
Pulling out the D.S.'s
Grandpa taught Teagan to play ping-pong. They were besties after that!
Cute girlies!
Sadie loves little Oliver soooo much! We all do:)

After Thanksgiving we always go to my Father-in-laws' cabin for the rest of the weekend. there was enough snow for some snowmobiling and sledding. I always eat waaay too much when I go there and I spent as much time sitting around doing NOTHING as I could! I'm so glad that Josh loves to go out and play with the kids because this year I just didn't have the steam to even try. I love that place so much, mostly for the time that we spend as a family and that the kids get to just relax, play and have fun with their cousins.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Pool fun at the hotel.

Making a glitter snowman with cousin Abby
Sadie eating some yummy pie!
Alex getting ready to launch his bottle rocket
Grandpa Staples, the one responsible for this huge group of people :)
Crafting with Grandma Pam. she put so much work into this fun day! Thanks Mom!!!

Thanksgiving with my side of the family is always a HUGE affair! We have to have it at a church because of all the people. This year we celebrated with my moms side of the family. I think we had somewhere between 70-80 people! Lots of food, fun crafts, a brilliant "coupon" clinique and fun games. My brother Todd rigged up a bottle rocket station outside that kept all the kids and kids at heart entertained ALL day and I heard that they brought the house down with Rockband later that night but, sadly, we were not able to stay for that.

It was held in the Richfield area so Josh and I decided to stay at the local Marriott so we wouldn't have such a chaotic day of commuting. And then we headed up to the my in-laws cabin for the rest of the weekend. Fun times!

Ladies man

2009-11-11T12:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Alex tells me in all seriousness that he doesn't want to go out to recess anymore because it's too scary. I'm like "Oh no, is there a bully or someone being being mean to you out there?" He tells me no but there are "at least" 20 girls who have a crush on him and chase him down as soon as he gets on the playground. Now, maybe his estimates are off a bit, but I have to say I think he is a handsome little dude and I'm not surprised that he gets chased down by a coupe of admirers.

Halloween!

2009-11-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, Maddy is now taller than her mom!! Surreal is the only way to describe it!
Well it came and went in the blink of an eye it seemed. Halloween is getting to be such a wild holiday now.

Anyway, this year Maddy and a couple her friends dressed up as dead fairies. It was fun to help them put together their costumes and listen to them plan out their evening of trick-or-treating. Alex had a very stressful time picking something to be this year. He had a meltdown about a week before Halloween crying that he has already been everything he has ever wanted to be and there was nothing cool left. I was not sure what to do to help him out but at the last minute he did let me spray his hair blue and he wore one of Josh's old little league Bingham jerseys. I think it all worked out in the end!

Sadie was a pretty fairy and Teagan was a reluctant fireman. Josh and I just didn't have the energy to dress up this year! Now we have way too much candy at our house and I am using every bit of will power that I have to stay away 'cause in a few short weeks I will be wanting to pig out on pie after all!!

Labor pains...

2009-10-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

Well not for me but for my poor children! Every fall it is time for some serious yard work and we have a lot of large shrubs and plants that need to be trimmed, dug up, and loaded into the trailer for a trip to the dump. It takes a few days to get it all done.

The truth is I am so grateful for the chance the kids get to really labor in the yard like this. We always have fun in the Spring when it is time to plant new things and they all love to help but the Fall clean up seems to spell dread for them. I am always happy that their dad has the patience and ability to make these big work days fun and rewarding for them. That doesn't mean we never hear complaining (Maddy, I'm lookin' at you!).

I remember dreading the looooong Saturdays of yard work as a child but It taught me so much and I can now say that I love getting my hands dirty and smelling the soil. Besides at the end of the day we always went to the 7-11 or Harts convenience store for hot dogs, fountain drinks and my dad would make THE BEST oreo shakes that night.

I know that as they grow they too will come to appreciate the hard work that it takes to enjoy a beautiful yard. Now Josh and Alex are off the the U game and we get to stay home and drink hot chocolate and watch a movie. I mean you have to reward yourselves after a day of hard labor ;)

Pumpkin Patch '09

2009-10-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Josh took the older kids to the Pumpkin Patch this year while I took T to the Dr. to check out his croup :( ! Anyway since I wasn't there I'm not sure how it went other than they all picked out their own pumpkins and a few baby ones for Teagan. I know they had fun and I'm always happy when Josh remembers the camera because you know me I love to photo document everything I can!!

Now to carve them up!

Too funny

2009-10-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

Teagan has discovered Alex's DS and now I think we have a junkie on our hands! He doesn't know how to play it but since when does that matter to little boys? It's funny to watch Alex try and beg him to give it back to him and Teagan is just in a zone, fascinated by the buttons and sounds. But like all techie toys that are in our house, we practice moderation so Teagan only enjoyed it for a little while and it got put away to play with on another day.

Baby Thorne

2009-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well to update, I am now 20 weeks along and we just found out that we are having a boy!

The boys will now outnumber us Thorne ladies but that's ok 'cause we are a fiesty bunch and we know how to tame those men when they need it. The kids were all really happy to have a new little man. Maddy wanted another sister but not bad enough to feel sad about getting a sweet brother. Sadie didn't care about a boy or girl she just wants to have her very own baby to love. Alex was super stoked to get another boy in the family and Teagan doesn't even realize what is going on :) but I know this little guy will have to be tough as nails to deal with T-man as a big brother. I can't wait to watch them grow up with each other.

Josh and I are always just grateful that the baby is healthy and well so far. I just hope I can maintain my sanity and get through the wild holidays ahead :))

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

You have got to be kidding!!

2009-09-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've had enough! This is my personal kitchen pharmacy right now. If you know me you know that I loathe taking meds of any type. I would almost prefer the ailment to the cure. But this cold from you -know-where has had me seeking out anything that can offer some relief at all. Everyone who has had it has told me that it takes about 3 weeks to run it's course. I hope not!!! I'm starting day 11 tomorrow and I am ready to rip my own head off! It's the sore throat that is the worst about it. If anyone has any remedies that have worked for you, then please, for the love of pete share!! :)

Here's hoping I'll be all better by the weekend :))))

My independent girl!

2009-09-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

The great thing about Sadie is that she is the most chill, go-with-flow kind of girl. She does what she wants when she wants and as long as you're cool with that she's cool with you. I love her sassy but sweet little personality so much.

Anyway she decided to teach herself to ride her bike without training wheels last week. Josh tried with her a few weeks ago but she wasn't having it. And then she hopped on her little bike last week and just took off. It took her a few times of not falling but she was persistant about getting it. Now she puts in her brothers helmet and rides like a crazy maniac.

A cute side note about her bike, it is her brothers first bike so it's blue with a crocodile decal on it. I noticed that all her little friends on the street had all gotten brand new pink and purple "pretty" bikes for their b-days this year so I asked her if she would like to get a pretty new bike too. She just said "no, I already have a bike with a crocodile on it" and she merrily went on her way. It was the sweetest thing to hear! I hope she'll always remain this grateful for what she has in life. Plus it will save us some serious $. We love that girl!!

Labor Day II

2009-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just some pics from our fun with our friends. Our kids are seriously more like cousins than friends. They have all known each other since birth. I love The Wardle Family, we always have so much fun together! Sad though, I didn't get any pics of their cute new little one Stevie! She is so adorable, I could eat her up!

Labor Day

2009-09-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day this year Josh and I decided to take the kids on the Alpine in Park City and then to meet our friends The Wardles at Josh's dad's cabin for the night. The slide was so fun but riding the lift up was so nerve racking because Teagan was being such a wiggle worm. He brought two little action figures with him and of course dropped them both!! He couldn't figure out why he couldn't just hop off and get them. Maddy and Alex were beside themselves with concern for his safety and kept telling Josh and I to "hold on to him tighter!". Sadie almost didn't make it off the lift when we reached our stop because she was a little intimidated at the thought of jumping off a still moving lift. My heart stopped for a moment as she started to ascend with the lift but we got her off just in time! The slide was so fun and the kids LOVED going as fast as possible. There are so many cool new things up there to do! I want to try them all.

Anyway we finished off with some dipping dots and headed to Oakley to meet our friends at a the cute Road Island diner. We stayed up way too late talking and laughing etc. and then spent Saturday outdoors 4-wheeling and playing.

Look what I made!

2009-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

My fabulous next door neighbor Jennifer, who can put Martha Stewart to shame, made this darling Fairy skirt for her daughter to wear to a Fairy party that my other neighbor does each year for all the little girls. She assured me that it was so simple and that I should make one for Sadie to wear to it. I should mention that this was all the night before the party and I was sure I could never do this HUGE feat in such a short amount of time. So she accompanied me and our friend Becky to the fabric store and helped us pick out the few small things required and sure enough she was right, It really was simple to make and it only took 20 min.! They all turned out so darling and I must say I am pretty proud of myself! I will be making one for Maddy as well for Halloween.

Thanks Jen, you're awesome!!

By the way this party is so cute! This sweet mom themes a party at the end of every summer around fairies. The little girls are so enchanted! I don't know how she does it but I am so grateful.

Thanks Angela, You're awesome as well!

High School Musical!

2009-08-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Maddy was in the local community production of HSM. She had a great time! She sang and danced two small parts with about 40 other kids and the main roles were all performed by teenagers of course. I'm glad she had fun but I learned that I am definitely NOT a stage mom! I really have no desire to let her do another one until she is in middle school. It is a real time commitment! Although she does have her eye on the Aladdin production they will be doing next year. We'll see....

Good Job Mads!!

baptism day!

2009-08-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Alex's baptism day finally came and he was so excited to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints. He is such a sweet boy who tries his best to make right choices and to listen for the spirit in his life. He really enjoyed all of his family and the love that he felt from each of them on his special day. We love him so much and are so proud of him and his choice to be baptized. He got to share his special day with his cousin Jonah who was baptized earlier that morning in Alpine. Needless to say, it was a fun and busy day for everyone.
Teagan was the only one who wasn't able to be there for his brother but it landed right at naptime so we figured we were all better off if he stayed home with a sitter (is that awful of me?!). Love you Alex!!

Success!

2009-07-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

The first day of school went so well for the kids, especially Maddy, she's the one who is always the most nervous. Maddy has a really great and fun teacher, Mrs. Simi. Alex gets along well with any teacher and is pretty low maintenance compared to his sister.
It is such a relief to have happy kids!

Lake Powell!!

2009-07-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Every July we head to my very favorite place on earth, Lake Powell. I love the heat, the hotter the better, the warm water, being with family and this year, watching my kids learn new tricks. We always stop in Kanab for lunch at "Houston's trails end", a real cowboy epxerience, and to Dennys wigwam for a fun souvenir. I absolutely love this vacation! It's our fave for sure.

These are just a few of the over 400 (gasp!) pics I took this week .

Learning to dive :)

2009-07-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Alex's Thank you note to his wonderful second grade teacher :)

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

"Dear Mrs. Roberts, I loved you so much!!! And you don't smell like a monkey. You were the best teacher ever and I will miss you in third grade. I was overjoyed with all you do for us.

Always,

Alex"

I thinks his teacher will appreciate his silly monkey comment but I know that I will definitely miss Mrs. Canales-Roberts. She was so great and now my little guy is off (sniff-sniff) to third grade!!! (Whaaaaa!)

"Birthday season" come and gone!

2009-06-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

Between April 26 and May 23 all four of my little darlings celebrate their 10th, 8th, 4th, and 2nd Birthdays. So I have dubbed it "Birthday season" and I look forward to it and dread it at the same time. We decided this year that Maddy and Alex would not have parties but that we would let them pick their favorite place for dinner and an activity to do as a family instead. Alex picked Tepanyaki for his b-day dinner and an evening at Boondocks. This is so classic Alex and I loved it! We had fun gathering tickets like maniacs so he could bring home a big bag of crap, er, loot. He was a sweet brother though and he shared his haul with his sisters and little bro.

Maddy chose Olive Garden and to go see a movie. The movie wasn't a very good one but Maddy still had a cheery attitude and was glad to be with her family on her special day

Sadie baby was the one who got to have a party because I just couldn't resist letting her have her "wonderful" Tinkerbell party. She was the most excited 4 year old you ever saw and she just couldn't wait to share her beautiful pinata and cupcakes with her guests. We just played fun little games and let her feel like she was the most fabulous 4 year old ever!

T-man had no clue it was his birthday and he really could have cared less but we still had him open a few gifts and we sang to him and let him blow out candles. He actually HATED being sung to and cried the whole time until the torture ended :)

I love my kiddies so much and I hope to celebrate many, many, many "Birthday seasons"

with my little monkey's!

Delton lanes baby!

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Every June the Orr family, that is my mother in laws family, host a family reunion at the family bowling alley in West Valley called Delton lanes. The name Delton is a combo of my mother in laws parents names; Milton and Delta. We used to have this reunion at a park every year until my BIL Justin suggested to one of his uncles, who now own a manage the bowling alley, that we should have it there and the rest is history! The most amazing part about these reunions is watching some really incredible bowling from this family! My MIL is amazing since she grew up bowling every day after school as a little girl with all of her siblings. It is like nothing for these people to bowl into the mid to high 200's! Such a fun family gathering, they have cash raffle's and endless drinks and pizza, seriously the coolest reunion around :)!

I am terrible at bowling so I won't even acknowledge my score but my kids love, love, love this reunion and being with all of their extended cousins.

Boulder Mountain 09'

2009-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on blogging lately! So I will start with our most recent goings-on.

We just returned from our annual camping trip to Boulder utah, it's in the Fishlake national forest and we had so much fun except for some mild meltdowns of my own. It was the first time we had taken our little camper out and it ended up being pretty tight for our little family but for now it will work. We did the usual hikes and a visit to the water hole (in some cloudy, sprinkling weather) but the kids never care about temperature if there is water around. The first day there it started raining and we had left our camera out and it got ruined. So I only have few pics of the trip :(

It wasn't my favorite year at Boulder because of the rain and my meltdowns! :<

But the kids had so much fun and that makes it all worth it! Here's to next year!!

Handy recipe

2009-06-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

No this is not a glass of urine on my kitchen counter. It is a fantastic little remedy for getting rid of pesky summer fruit flies and it totally works! Here's what you do...

-Pour about a 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. APPLE CIDER vinegar into a glass

-add about a teaspoon dish soap (I use any kind )

-Cover with saran wrap tightly

-Poke with a fork

Let it sit on your kitchen counter. It catches tons overnight, I couldn't believe it!

Happy hunting!

Love it!

2009-06-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

My fabulous visiting teacher( and friend) Melanie guided me to this wonderful blog--mykitchencafe.blogspot.com . I am so excited to try all these delicious, and seemingly simple recipes. I have been in such a slump for a while and I love that these are all tried and true. So I want you all to check it out and tell me your family faves!

Thanks Melanie!!

I'll do it.......some day!

2009-05-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

Ugh! going private is proving to be more time consuming and extensive than I had hoped but I am still planning on doing it in the very near future! I just wanted to remind anyone who wants an invite that I do need your email address in order to invite you. Thanks to all who read and follow along with our life. I love checking all of your blogs!

Why I blog.

2009-05-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

When I first decided to start a blog I was REALLY hesitant to do it because I had talked to a number of people who were very anti-blogging. The basis was that it was considered self-indulgent and a complete waste of time. I never really agreed with that, and since I have always enjoyed reading about my friends and families life in a way that I would never have seen otherwise, I decided to start journaling small parts of my life through this blog. Besides, I figure you don't HAVE to read it :)

I was reading the obituaries today, as I always do, and I was drawn to the Obit about a young mother just a few years younger than me who passed away after a 3 year battle with cancer. I was curious about the type of cancer that she had so I googled her name and found a blog that she and her husband had been keeping chronicling her battle though her illness and finally up to her death. It goes back several months and you kind of take this journey with them through it.

It was a very inspiring blog and I felt the strength of this family and the love and faith in The Savior that they have. I feel so grateful for what I have today because I know that it can all be taken away, if The Lord deems it necessary, at any moment.

I never take for granted that my posts are about the light and simple in my life. I am not good at journaling at all! but I do take tons of pics and video of my family, and I blog (not very well). I hope and pray that all of my "posts" can be about the simple and pleasant but I know that the day may come where I may be sharing a painful journey through my blog or posting an obituary of a loved one. But until that day, if it ever comes, I will continue to be grateful for( and blog about) the joys in my life and maybe just a few of the bumps in the road.

Going private!

2009-05-09T06:43:00.001-07:00

I have to protect my babies from all the sicko's out there! Let me know if you would like an invite!

Happy 10th Maddy Rose!

2009-05-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

It really doesn't feel like ten years have gone by, but then I can't remember life before our Maddy was born at the same time. She came nearly a month early and I think it was so that she could make sure that she was on t.v.! Local Channel 2 news was doing an early mothers day segment and I happened to be the only mother in labor that morning so they stayed with us until she was born and all of Utah got to see Madeleine's first moments into the world! She's SUCH a showoff!

We love her so much and I want to share our top 10 favorite things about our Mads...

1- She is OCD about caring for her younger siblings, a true helper to us for sure

2- She is very kind and nice to everyone. Some girls at school, who pride themselves on being "mean", asked her yesterday why she is so nice to everyone and she just said because being mean to people would be lame! I love it! She values friendships deeply, especially her friends from when she was 2 and 3 years old and only gets to see occasionally. Once a BFF always a BFF

3- She is very alert and always knows what is going on around her, even from her infancy. Nothing gets past her!

4- She is always teaching Alex how to be a better person. She teaches him and reminds him to pray, and to be kind to everyone, even girls! She shares her testimony with him. It really is amazing!

5- She prays always! At home, at school, in the car....She truly feels a closeness to our savior and knows that when she prays he is always close-by! I am always in awe of her faith

6- She LOVES being a "tween"! (Although I think she has been one since she was 4!)

7- She loves her grandparents and thinks that they are amazing. She loves each and every one of her 23 (and counting) cousins. They are her favorite people and she loves learning from each of them!

8- She is honest. I never worry about her lying to me and I never have. It isn't in her to know how to tell me an out right lie. Even the few times that she tried to she caved within seconds and came clean because she couldn't stand it.

9- She fights with her siblings and mouths back to her parents on occasion, and she has been known to stomp through the house and slam doors when she is really angry . Ok, I don't love this but what else could I expect? She IS human after all!

10- She is a social butterfly! Ask her teacher--that is ALWAYS the "area that needs improving" at parent/teacher conference. :)

We took her out for her B-day last night to celebrate and she picked Olive Garden for dinner and then a movie after. The movie had a couple of popular Disney actors in it and we thought it would be fun. When we got there we noticed that it was rated PG 13. But Josh and I, against our better judgement, decided it couldn't be that bad with these "clean" actors in it. The movie started and right away we didn't feel like it was appropriate for Maddy and Alex but it was her B-day and we thought maybe some of the material would go over her head so we wouldn't leave just yet. So josh and I are fidgeting and discussing what to do when Maddy says "Mom, I think we should leave." Without hesitation she pokes me to get up and we all leave. When we left Maddy said that she didn't feel right from the moment it started. And as it went on she felt worse and worse. I feel horrible for taking them in anyway! She told me that she started singing primary songs in her head and saying a prayer before she told me that we had to leave. I am sooooo proud of her (and ashamed at myself) for her willingness to listen to the spririt and to leave a bad situation when she felt prompted. Once again, I have learned a valuable lesson from my sweet Maddy. I hope she never loses her desire to listen to and submit to the promptings of the spirit.

Wicked!

2009-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

This was me and Maddy's second time, the first was last year in L.A. on a girls trip with my in-laws, and Alex's first time to see this incredible production. We are both pretty rabid fans and I can say that we were not disappointed! Jenny found these cute green boas (come on, we had to represent!) and we stood out like sore thumbs! But I didn't mind cause I believed the occasion called for it, and it was all the more fun for Maddy and Gracie -- Tasia was waaaay too cool to go along however :) j/k Tas! Alex said it was good but not enough to see again (such a boy! but I know he liked it) and poor Sadie cried and cried as we drove away but she is just a bit too young to sit through a show like that (she has been singing "Popular" since she was 2). I vow to get Josh to it one day, I know he'd love it!

Walk now for Autism!

2009-05-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of walking on team "I like Ike" for the second year in a row this past Saturday to benefit Autism awareness. Isaac is our nephew who was diagnosed with autism when he was a young toddler, he is now 8 years old. He is such a loving, adorable little guy with so many gifts and talents to share!

I just have to tell you all how truly amazing his parents are! Especially his sweet mom (Sorry B!). She throws her whole heart and soul into caring for her precious Ikey (as well as her other two darling kiddies). It isn't always easy, maybe it's never easy, but she always manages to find the beauty and humor (she can be hilarious!) in this frustrating disorder. I know that they both say that they are lucky to have Isaac, and there is no doubt that they love him deeply, but anyone who knows these two know that Isaac and his two siblings are truly blessed as well for having such FANTASTIC parents! They are such an inspiration to me.

Anyway, the walk was incredible! Jenny did such a great job putting team "I like Ike" together and doing sooo much for the walk itself. The day started out rainy but as the actual "walk" got started, the rain let up and we were able to stay dry, a little chilly however but it was worth it!

My kids truly love being a part of this and they sure love their cousin Isaac. I am so grateful for the lessons he teaches us all. I can say that we don't just "like" Ike, but we LOVE that kiddo to death!!!

Easter!

2009-04-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

We went to St.George this year over Easter break and enjoyed the sun, not much warmth, but at least SUN! I was hoping for the hot 80's and we were lucky to flirt with 70 and clear skies. It was so fun and the kids just loved being outdoors without coats.

We went on a fun little "hike" around Pioneer Park. Teagan went nuts climbing and crawling through every rock, cove, narrow we could find, he loved it! and we just crammed in all the outdoor recreation we could biking, swimming, The Dunes (Jenny's VERY Favorite part!), and just hanging out in our favorite place ever, St George.

We dyed Easter eggs and of course the Easter bunny delivered some goodies. We attended the local ward for Sacrament meeting and it was crazy! It was like a stake conference, but so amazing to see so many people, on their vacation, come and partake of the sacrament on such a sacred sabbath day. I love Easter and all that it represents! New life, The Resurrection, Hope.

Anyway we had a great time and I hope Spring and Summer last FOREVER!!!!

Hair cut from H***!!

2009-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Teagan absolutely HATES getting his hair cut. So as a result I rarely take him in for one. But this time his hair has been too long and getting too thick to spike or faux hawk, so it was time. The woman gave him a sucker first, hoping that would distract him but I knew better and I just told her to jump in with both feet and get it over with. It was funny though because he kept getting hair in his mouth from crying and so he was licking his sleeve to get it off but he had hair all over his sleeve (and sucker now too) that he couldn't escape it! The best was watching him actually try to push the poor woman away from him and grabbing her wrists while she was trimming. ....I just wanted to share his torture with everyone. :)

In the end he got his balloon and a new sucker and all was well again. I just hope I can make this haircut last about 2 1/2 years :)

More Alex..

2009-04-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

I just had to share Alex's April fools joke with ya'll. Of course we don't really have puppies and the best was listening to him laugh when someone would read it. He thinks he's such a prankster! We love ya dude!

Jealous?

2009-03-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hey can your kid play Mary had a little lamb using just their armpits? Well, mine can! And just when I thought I couldn't be more proud he blew my mind by proceeding to play it using the backs of his knees!....I know, he's the coolest. Love ya Alex :)

So grateful!

2009-03-12T21:03:00.001-07:00

I don't know why but today I am just feeling extra grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life and I just want them to know. I am so happy that my kids have both of their grandparents who live so close to them and who get to be such an active part of their lives. I didn't have that growing up. As much as I loved my grandparents they just were not around for special times in my life and I remind my children constantly of how lucky they are. And to have so many siblings and in-laws who I love so much and I adore each one for all of their unique qualities....

But today I just want to feature my immediate siblings (No offense to all my wonderful, wonderful in-laws, your time is next)

*Heidi-My sister and hero! I love you so much! You have been my savior so many times in my life and taught me more life lessons than I think you could ever imagine I survived a few heartbreaks only because I had an older, wiser, compassionate sister to cry to! She taught me everything I know about being a mom because she was the greatest example to watch. I love that you lived so close to us growing up, I don't think I would have survived without you! I could write pages and one day I will :)

*Todd-My oldest brother and the coolest dentist I know! I have always tried to pattern my life after yours. Always so patient and put together but so fun at the same time. I always hoped I would marry someone half as great as you (How'd I do?). I admire your family so much, you are such a great husband and father to your brood and they are so lucky to have you!

*Cory-My brother and the smartest person ever! I only survived math in college because he was there to tutor me with more patience than anyone should have to muster with me as a pupil! Cory has a very Christ-like nature that I have always admired. I love how hands on you are with your boys and how dedicated you are to Tiffany's comfort and happiness. You exude peace and I love that when I am around you.

*Jared-My older brother by 11 1/2 months! My protector since we were toddlers. He used to watch over me when we were in the orphanage and even after we were adopted. My heart always breaks to imagine the pain he must have felt at such a tender age trying to watch over his two young siblings and probably not understanding why we were alone or what ever happened to our mother. I know he went through hard times for a while in his young adult years but I'd like to see anyone go through his experiences and NOT come out feeling a little bit lost. He used to carry me over mud puddles when I was little and when I got older he made sure I had everything I could possibly need or want even if it cost him his whole paycheck. I am so proud of you Jared and your beautiful family, your testimony and your sense of humor which mirrors mine to the T. We have a bond for sure and I love you so much brother!

*Micah-My baby brother! Such a cutie, I used to resent him because everywhere we went everyone would gush over his long lashes and cute smile. My brother has always been able to smile away a bad situation. I love him for that! When he left on his mission I was so sad it was like he had died. I just needed his comforting nature and positive attitude around me. I loved the time we spent together before he left because we were able to be such good friends. I love kidding around with him and teasing "Jo" :). I love you baby brother!

Okay now that I am bawling I can't help but feel so lucky for my fantastic family and I hope and pray everyday that my kids can grow up to be strengths to each other the way that my brothers and sister are to me.

SoCal

2009-02-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be in SoCal during their little 80 degree warm up so we hit the beach and just enjoyed being outside while we could. We had two beautiful days in Disneyland but on the third day we had to leave early because of the stupid rain and we have been in that same storm ever since! ...Anyway the kids had a blast as usual. Maddy got up the guts to ride every fast, scary ride at California Adventure and I had fun watching her conquer her fears. She still hates anyone dressed as a character though. Alex finally got to do the Jedi training and defeated Darth Vader, we were so proud :). They collected cool seashells and starfish from the beach and then left them in the back of the car to stink the whole place up the next morning! Gross!!

I was able to get my Sprinkles cupcake fix and we all loved the Newport Marriott resort we stayed at.

I just loved being with my family and our good friends the Hairs.

Maddy's blog

2009-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

Maddy has started a blog and at first I was hesitant to let her do it but then i figured it could be a cute and fun way for her to document/journal her young, sweet life. It is actually pretty funny to hear the things that are in a nine year olds mind.

Anyway, it is private, of course, for her safety but if anyone would like an invitation to view it just let me know and send me your email address and you will be granted access into this very prestigious blog:)

So sorry....

2009-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

OK, the last post was from Josh, a huge Utah fan, and I really hope it doesn't offend anyone! I think it's funny cause I am also a Utah fan but we mean no disrespect to all of our BYU fans out there that we happen to love regardless:)

Go UUUTES!!!

2009-01-09T07:43:00.001-08:00

Pool Party anyone?

2009-01-06T21:21:00.001-08:00

A few days ago the snow had melted just enough that Sadie could see the blue pool cover in the backyard and I teased her that maybe we could go for a swim. Next thing I know she has her swimsuit on and she is ready to go out there. So I suggested we have a pretend pool party in the family room instead. This is even better because we get to see (and feed) "nice" sharks, and we have "seen" all kinds of sea life. I thought it was clever that she added the blue blanket for the water. We have built enormous sandcastles and learned some fancy dives. I love her imagination. Teagan even got into it. It has become a daily ritual for her. This has been one way for us to power through the long, cold winter!

Teagans latest ouchie!

2009-01-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

Teagan has been sporting three tiny little stitches in-between his eyes this week. He was playing in a precarious spot in the family room and slipped on the small ledge he was standing on and ended up splitting his little skin open. I was down stairs on the treadmill at the time and had music on but I could hear Maddy and Alex screaming like crazy "Teagans hurt!" I get to the top of the stairs to find my baby crying with blood all over his face and Madeleine on the verge of hysterics; she doesn't do well with injuries, especially ones to her siblings. She was in charge of watching Teagan while I worked out so she was feeling all kinds of guilt, poor thing. Anyway I couldn't tell where he was hurt because he was so covered in blood and I was worried that he had broken his nose. I sat down instantly and started cleaning him with a towel so I could see the damage. When I realized it was only a cut I was relieved but I knew it was so deep he would need stitches for sure.

The funny part was that because I had just been on the treadmill and then had to bolt up the stairs when I heard the screaming I didn't properly slow my heart rate down before sitting on the floor with Teagan so within moments I started to get all light-headed and whoozy so I told Maddy to call her dad to come home right away because I thought I might pass out and we needed to get T in a.s.a.p. So Maddy calls Josh, still bawling, and all he manages to hear was Teagans hurt, blood everywhere and pass out. Meanwhile I'm on the kitchen floor with my head down trying to blot the cut on Teagans face and yelling at Maddy to calm down, everything is fine! Of course Josh was so freaked, that he bolted right out of the meeting he was in the middle of and raced home; I can't imagine what he thought was going on:) ...Anyway all was fine and our little guy gets to have some cool stitches.

Thank goodness that in life there is never a dull moment.

Christmas

2008-12-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

I will warn you in advance this is going to be a long post but it is for journaling purposes so bear with me, I guess you could always just stop reading;). Trust me, this is the super condensed version:)

We have so many annual activities and traditions each December. They include doing ginger bread houses , seeing Christmas plays, sub-4-santa's, Magleby grandkids Christmas party, Temple square, Festival of trees, etc... I know, it's the same for every family! Some people hate all the hussle and bussle and running around but I love it. This year it started with "Auntie Clause"; a character that Josh's aunt Rakelle began doing a few years back. She comes and showers gifts on her adoring, anxious nieces and nephews. the kids have grown to really love this.

Christmas Eve for us begins at Mimi's cafe. We started going there for breakfast about four years ago and it has become one of the things my kids look forward to the most. It kicks off all the mayhem and calorie-packed festivities that take place over the next four days! After Mimi's we went to my moms Christmas eve party, which started at one o'clock so that family who traveled far could get home at a decent time. We were still full from Mimi's but that didn't stop us from pigging out on delicious food! We also have all of the grandkids act out the Nativity in full costume (my mom goes to a lot of work for this and I love it!)

Next it was on to visit Grandma Thorne for a bit and then on to Josh's aunt Shirleys food-fest, I mean Christmas eve party:). Santa himself always shows up but this year he hurt his knee and just couldn't make it so Darren stepped in as a personal helper and handed out gifts. Teagan stayed close to the olive bowl all night; funny how the little ones learn right off the bat to put those things on your fingers, And Sadie got to call all the Bingo cards during Christmas Bingo. It is always fun to be with this part of Josh's extended family... Then it was back home where we opened Christmas pajamas, left out the cookies and milk for Santa (oats for the Reindeer) and shared the true Christmas story with the kids. I always fear that this gets lost on them in all of the other Christmas activities.

Christmas morning was fun, of course. It is fun to see the kids get so excited. Then we headed over to Josh's parents where they always prepare an enormous brunch. We spent the rest of the day there with his family opening gifts, acting out the Nativity, and eating, eating and eating (See a theme here?). Then it was home to prepare for a couple of nights at my father-in-laws cabin. We always have so much fun there in the winter. We snowmobile, sled, play games, crafts, watch movies etc. Josh gave me book for Christmas that I had been wanting and I was able to read the whole thing while relaxing there.

We got home and took Christmas down immediately! It was time. We have had it all up since before Thanksgiving. Christmas was fun and now it's time to lose some serious holiday weight, Bring on 2009!!

Sadies dance recital

2008-12-14T12:31:00.001-08:00

Sadie was able to perform at the Festival of trees last week and then got to perform again at her recital last night. This is for all you family who were not able to make it to watch her dance. She did such a great job, of course they all did! (To stop my music so you can hear the video go to my playlist at the bottom of this page and push pause.) It was a lot of fun watching her perform wish you could have made it:) Thanks to those who did!

My first tagging!

2008-12-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I guess I am just supposed to post the fourth photo from my fourth file ....

So Kristin this is funny because it is a photo from Cabo as well. It is of Alex and we were on a glass bottom boat ride with Josh's family! fun memories:) He was so cute, I think this was about five years ago.

Now I tag Lisa (gotta break you in right!), Michelle B. and Mary H.(if you ever check blogger!)

Coldplay!

2008-11-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I was a big fan before but now I am a passionate fan! They were here on Saturday, and thanks to our great friend Dustin who works for Energy Solutions, we had great seats close to the stage. We went with our good friends The Wardles and had dinner at Tuchanos at Gateway first and caught most of the Utah game at Skybox (Yeah Utes!!)

It was a fun day!

Happy Birthday Josh

2008-11-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

Josh is a wonderful husband, and most importantly, a wonderful father! this man has been peed on by all four kids at least once in their infancy, he has caught his babies poop in his bare hands mid diaper change, he has caught at least two of his childrens puke in his bare hands when they got sick unexpectedly , he has had his head barfed on while carrying his three year old into Disneyland and he can strip a carseat that has been puked, pooped, peed on with lightening speed! Oh, and he just finished scrubbing Sadies poop out of her bedroom carpet! He does it all as if he was born to do it:) Now that it sounds like we have some seriously disgusting kids; I am going to let them share some of their favorite, not gross things, that they love about their dad on his birthday

Teagan loves--That dad gets him up and feeds him breakfast every morning

Sadie loves--That dad hasn't rung her little neck yet (She is a professional three year old after all) and that dad always reads to her. He also makes a great jungle gym!

Alex loves--That he plays with him in the gym, and Lego Star wars, and that he is a nice dad

Maddy loves--That dad plays guitar and piano (her inspiration for doing both), and that he is fun!

Erika loves--His banana pancakes, that he always finishes the laundry when I just can't get the mountain of it to go down, that he puts up with me!, that he loves to have fun as much as I do, That he honors his parents, that he honors his priesthood, that he values his testimony, that he is patient, that he's not bad to look at;), that he treats being a husband and father as a both full-time job and an honor. I could go on and on........

We'd be lost without you babe! I love you, Happy birthday

Lame flag football!

2008-11-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

So Josh was playing flag football this morning and while jumping up for the ball landed right on his shoulder and separated the ligament. Now his shoulder is all deformed and he will probably need sports therapy on it. I realize that it could always be worse and I am so grateful that this is the only crisis we have had to deal with this week but lets face it; when Josh is my right hand man around here it is real inconvenience for the whole family when one of the parents get injured. So being the mean wife that I am, but also a loving wife 'cause I do hate seeing him injured, I have forbidden Josh from playing flag football again. He already decided that he is ready to retire anyway, so at least we are in agreement.

Halloween fun!

2008-11-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to my brother Todd's house in Layton for their annual Halloween party. It is always so much fun. We carved pumpkins and ate Krista's delicious soup out of fun "pumpkin" bread bowls. They also have an adorable dog that Teagan would not leave alone! I had ordered costumes for Maddy and Alex and they hadn't arrived by the time of the party so we were able to improvise with other clothes and costumes we had around the house. two days before halloween their costumes made it to us and they were able to wear them on trick -or-treat day( they were just from Target and for some reason way cheaper than buying them from the store). Anyway, Maddy was a Spider geisha, Sadie was a ladybug fairy, Teagan was a bumble bee and Alex would not go with my bug theme and insisted on being something scary (I miss my little super hero of past years) He wanted guts and gore but I settled on the Grim Reaper. He really did look kinda scary with his mask on. Sadie really got into the spirit of trick-or-treating and she just couldn't get to the next door fast enough! When she woke up the next day I said "Sadie, Halloween is over now we get to look forward to Thanksgiving when we get to eat a big turkey and tons of pie!" and she just screamed "Yay, I looove Thanksgiving!" I love spending this fun time with my kids. Bring on the Turkey!!!

Well, that's a first

2008-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

So I'm at Walmart yesterday doing a little grocery shopping and I find myself at the dairy case looking for whipping cream when a kind elderly gentleman asks me if I'd like to sample the soymilk he is handing out. I try some and even decide to grab the last 1/2 gallon on the shelf. As I 'm thanking him for the sample he starts to compliment me on how I was sure a "cute little thing" and I couldn't be more than 16. I just laugh and tell him thanks and start to walk off when he says he knows that I must be older than 16, I tell him that indeed I am and he then asks if I'm married. I tell him that I am married and he kind of hangs his head and says "awww". So I just laugh and say "you must have had someone in mind huh?" I'm thinking a grandson or great grandson....

But he then tells me that his wife had just passed away and that he is too old for the young girls and too young for the old gals. It took a second before I realized that he was about to ask me out! He starts telling me that he is 83 years old and begins pulling out photos of his great grandson. All I could feel for this poor old man was sympathy. I can't imagine feeling young but knowing that you aren't and being lonely at the same time and unsure how many more years you will live alone (5,20?). I hope this sweet man finds him self a vibrant soul to share the rest of his life with but I think I would advise him from hitting on anyone under the age of 50.

!!!!!!!

2008-10-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

I was reading through my posts and realized that I use the exclamation key a bit too generously!!!! So sorry, I really don't shout that much when I speak to people:) I'll try to hold back a bit....

Maui favorites!

2008-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

These are 10 of our favorite things from our Maui vacation but not necessarily in that order...

1. Shave ice--Yum!

2. The Beach, of course

3. Hyatt Regency luau--it's the best show and the food?Yummy......

4. Going for an early morning run along the beach when the moon is still high and all you hear is the ocean and the birds--then running back, the horizon to the east is all shades of pink while the sun is rising..love it! Makes the treadmill at home seem soooo droll!!!

5. Being with family! Nothing beats a great vacation with cousins

6. Not knowing or caring what time it is or day of the week...We really adopt the aloha spirit. Our only concern each day was 'should we start at the pool or the beach?'

7. Surf lessons--I didn't this time but next time me, Maddy and Alex are all doing it! Josh rented a board and got to ride a few.

8. Paia, a cool town with some great surfing ( we only watched, the waves were too big) and even greater food!

9. Marriott oceanclub resort (where we stayed) amazing pools and a bonus pirate wading pool area for the little ones. There were kids activities everyday.

10. The Gazebo, Jake and Tas told us about this cool little beachside breakfast place the banana/macadamia pancakes and omelets were insane! I highly recommend

What are the chances?

2008-10-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

So We are at my nephew Tommy's baptism a few weeks ago and Teagan is trying to wrestle out of Josh's arms during the talk and throws his back and hits the hard armrest of the bench and totally jacks his ear--it started swelling and bleeding and of course he is in a lot of pain and crying really hard. Poor little thing....then two weeks later we are at his cousin Gracies baptism and again during the talk he does the exact same thing to the same ear( It is still black and blue from the previous bonk) and reopens the same wound and comes completely unglued (I don't blame him!). I felt his pain..anyway here is a photo--I hope the poor little thing has learned his lesson!

Poor Teagan

2008-10-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to write this post while it is fresh on my mind because the reason I became a blogger was because I am terrible at journaling and I want to remember all of our precious moments vividly as soon as they happen. This incident, however was not very precious, in fact it was a nightmare! We just got home from a really great vacation to Maui with Josh's family and I am so grateful that my father-in-law treats us to these fun trips ( I will be be posting more about the trip later) but when I found out that the only flight that we could arrange to come home on was a red-eye to L.A. I got really scared.

If it had been just Josh and I or Josh, I and the older two it would have been ok but my Teagan does not take a binky and will only take a bottle if the mood suits him. He is also a finnicky sleeper and needs to be in a crib of some type to fall asleep otherwise he doesn't know what to do with himself and just comes unglued! So when he is in the middle of a tantrum there is nothing to do but let him throw it and hope for the best. At home this is no problem because we can use distraction or a little crib time but on an airplane with passengers who are trying to sleep? Anyway for the first hour and a half of the flight Josh and I shuffled him back and forth to each other while he squirmed and cried (Meanwhile Josh and Maddy are each sitting split up from me, Alex and Sadie). For the next 45 minutes I take my screaming baby into the bathroom and let him play (GROSS!!) so he won't wake up more people and I won't have to see the dirty looks being thrown our way. There was an older couple sitting next to Josh who were really hating their lives. I finally come out of the bathroom to a line of people that suddenly formed and they were all just staring me down and now Teagan has started crying again! I am feeling more helpless than I have ever felt and then a sweet woman asks me if she thought Teagan would let her hold him for a bit. I knew he would freak so I told her thank you but no. She then told me that she had babies who did the same thing on airplanes and not to worry it is OK. So now I just start bawling, I didn't realize how much I needed some compassion just then. I took Teagan to Josh and sat in my seat and just sobbed and said a small prayer for my baby( I knew the only one with a real problem to deal with was him) for a good 10 minutes. Within moments Teagan was asleep and my Sadie woke up uncomfortable and crying but we got her comfy again and she went right back to sleep. Meanwhile Maddy is sleeping on a strange mans shoulder and doesn't even realize it! I don't think he appreciated it very much, I know he was uncomfortable but there was nothing I could do. But on a positive note, the flight from L.A. was only an hour and twenty min. and both my babies slept soundly! Josh and I... not much at all, but we are hoping for a nap but not for a while because all four of the kids are wired and running all over the house as we speak!

Sadie's bottle battle!

2008-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

My silly Sadie has finally reached a major milestone (at least as far as I'm concerned) and has decided to be potty-trained. I say SHE decided because it really was ALL her, I just stood by and refused to hope that I might be one child less in diapers.

Now we have a new battle with Sadie. ...the bottle! It is more of a problem for Josh than it is for me. I know she is too old for it and I NEVER would have allowed Maddy to have a bottle at this age (she actually never had a bottle, we went straight to sippy cups) but I feel like we finally kicked the binky and diapers (neither one an easy task) so I'll let this slide for just a little longer.

My weapon!

2008-10-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

So I took a picture of my vacuum because I thought it was a funny insight into my day to day. It is pretty much plugged into the wall all day long because I know that when I roll it up and put it away Sadie will spill beads all over the the family room or Teagan will dump out a box of cereal in the kitchen, it never fails. It's like having my weapon drawn at all times and not nestled useless in my holster! Whenever Josh gets home he lets out a big sigh and winds it back up and puts it away and then I smile when I hear "uh-oh" ........

Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

For family night this week we took the kids to a cute little pumpkin patch near our house. the kids each got to pick any pumpkin that they wanted. Alex and Maddy decided to go all the way to the opposite end of the patch,(even thought there were plenty right by us) to find theirs. Alex could only carry his for a few paces and then he had to stop and roll it for a while. Sadie was happy filling the wheelbarrow with a bunch of "babies". There was also a mini corn maze for the kids. We had so much fun!

I still haven't decided if we are going to carve them or paint them next family night so for now they will just sit on our porch until some vandal decides to smash them across the street.....

Maddy's first piano recital!

2008-10-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

So Maddy had her first piano recital yesterday and we are so proud of her, she did such a great job. Sadly, however, she thought that she did a terrible job and spent the rest of the recital out in the hall sobbing. I blame myself for riding her all afternoon to slow down on her piece because I didn't want her to race through it and then get nervous and then really get lost. She also had her piece memorized but decided at the last minute that she wanted to take her music up with her as a comfort. When she got done she was mad at herself for taking her music up because she wanted everyone to know that she had worked hard to memorize it. Also when we got to the recital she learned that she would have to introduce herself and the name of the piece she was playing, now she was really horrified which really surprised me because she isn't one to get that nervous if she is performing for a crowd. She was the third to play and she spent the first 15 min. shaking. Then it was her turn and she did a fantastic job! I didn't hear one mistake neither did her teacher or anyone else. I just made her an emotional mess so bad mom award goes to me! Thank goodness for her grandma Pam and grandpa Dale! They knew just what to say to console her and they really helped her to feel so special. And of course they thought that she was the most beautiful, talented one in the room...Thanks so much mom and dad you saved the day!

2008-09-16T08:30:00.000-07:00