Backseat Singers

Aquarium

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

I just made Aliah's spotlight poster for Kindergarten. She thought it was awesome to feel so special and have me come in and brag about her in front of all of her friends. But as a great consequence of that, my hard drive is connected to my computer and I can post some fun pictures of our trip to the aquarium a couple of weeks ago!

I love that fish behind them!

Inara was really worried that the sharks were real. She wasn't so sure they couldn't get through the glass to eat her.

This was the funniest part. Do you see that alligator in there? Kimball LOVED it. He was growling at it and trying to get its attention. Even after we moved to look at other stuff he kept running back and growling at it some more. I think we should get him an iguana or something. He'd think it was the coolest thing.

These little guys were my favorite. I'm determined to have them as pets someday. Aren't they so cute!

And here is why we went. Aliah had studied penguins all week at school. And they had just celebrated with a penguin party that day. Aliah dressed up in black and white and made me fix her hair like a macaroni penguin. I figured going to see real penguins was the perfect way to end the week. It was a really fun trip!

Drought

2012-01-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Does your blog go through droughts? Mine obviously does. So does my picture taking. Here is the ONE picture I took at Christmas. The kids in their Christmas PJ's. (And one my awesome SIL Ashley took for us.) Hopefully the new year will bring a storm of blogging. We'll have to wait and see.

Family Fun 101

2011-12-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Start with a cute little group of buggers.

Add food,

A little shopping spree,

And a few less expensive forms of entertainment.

Let your 5 year old take pictures,

And act goofy for a while.

Throw in a train ride,

And a few games of Yahtzee,

And you're on the right track.

Add some shooting,

of a variety of sorts,

But don't forget the safety instructions.

Grab your new pet bunny Pirate,

Some doughnuts,

And you're all set.

Wash up,

And remember...

The Family Who Plays Together...Stays Together!

Self Portrait

2011-11-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Do you take pictures of yourself? I don't. Ever. It just doesn't ever cross my mind to hold out the camera and snap, unless someone else is in the picture with me. But some people asked to see my birthday haircut, and Spencer's shots looked funny to me. Something about the angle. Because he's so much taller than me, maybe? Anyway, I took matters into my own hands.

But I just couldn't get it right.

Maybe I wasn't taking it seriously enough.

Maybe.

Oh there we go.

That was hard work!

SpOOky

2011-11-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

We had a SPOOKY Halloween! We got a visit from a black cat,

a witch,

a vampire,

and Frankenstein!

Spooky indeed!

Masquerade

2011-10-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Masquerade!

(Can you hear the song from Phantom in your head every time you hear that word like I do?)

Spence and I had so much fun going to a Masquerade ball with my sister Sarah and her husband Luke. I've never done anything like it. It's fun to get dressed up and go out. When's the last time you got dressed up? I mean REALLY dressed up. I think for me it was senior prom! I hope we can make this a tradition each Halloween!

Hair

2011-10-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

Today my kids went from looking like this...

To This...

Either way they are the cutest kids in the world!

Joseph

2011-08-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

Meet my new husband. His name is Joseph, and he has an Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.

Spencer was crazy amazing in the show! He was like a super star, every night after the show he was signing autographs, taking pictures with strangers, and getting mind blowing compliments about how great he was. The best part was that when people found out I was his wife I always got, "*Gasp* YOU'RE Joseph's wife!" I might as well have been famous by association.

Tonight was the cast party. I had such a fun time making these yummy treats for it!

Here's a little peek for those of you who didn't get the chance to see it.

Isn't he great?! Playing Joseph was one of his dreams come true. I'm so proud of him!

My Baby Girl

2011-07-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 3!

She wanted eggs and toast for breakfast,

French fries and icecream for lunch. And mac and cheese for dinner. Anything for my baby!

We filled the day with a trip to Liberty Park.

Playing at the playground,

Riding the rides,

And Inara's favorite, swinging!

Inara's one request for her birthday was a purple cake! And gosh darn it, if my baby girl wants a purple cake, a purple cake she is going to get!

I also made these cookies because truth be told that cake was super gross.

Oh ya, these guys were there too.

Inara is the best little girl in the whole world! She is so sweet, and so smart, and so beautiful! I love hanging out with her. She's such a ham and she knows she's funny and that just makes it all the funnier. Inara is also pretty shy. She usually prefers to play by herself then in a big group of kids, but one on one she is really friendly and sweet. She is super sensitive too. Spencer calls her his little peach because she bruises like a peach. You could just look at her wrong and she'll get her feelings hurt. It's actually really cute. I love her so much! My favorite thing about Inara right now is how prissy she is. She hates dirt and water. She won't leave the house without her shoes on. And she's always got headbands, crowns, rings, bracelets and the like all over.

Here she is taking cover from the rain at the 4th of July parade. Were you there? It rained like 3 drops. But it was too much for prissy little Inara.

And here all of my and Steph's kids were playing in the sand and river. Not Inara though. She needed to stay way up on the table. Just to keep her necklaces from getting dirty I guess!

And lets not leave out her always being in a princess dress! And that she always asks for an apron before she eats.

She's just the best girl in the whole world!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

So far...

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

So far this summer we have...

...watched lots of fireworks...

...gone hiking...

...visited friends...

...spent lots of time with these two...

...dressed up and watched the 4th of July parade...

..and gone swimming. It's perfect. I can't wait for the rest!

Easter

2011-06-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

I think I missed my two week mark so I thought I'd just show you some pics of my cuties on Easter.

(Yes, of course the boys are wearing matching ties.)

Lilacs

2011-05-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love lilacs. They were one of my mom's favorites too. I think it was a tender mercy from Jesus that when he created the earth he made the lilacs bloom just in time for us to take a big bundle with us when we visit my mom every May 17th. It's the perfect way to remember her, and remember the beauty she brought to earth.

2011-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Do your babies love chocolate chip cookies like mine do?

(Do you take 100 pictures of your baby eating chocolate chip cookies like I do?)

Handsome Little Devil

2011-04-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have such a handsome little devil. We couldn't deny it. So instead, we celebrated it on his birthday!

(Deviled Eggs. Haha! I crack myself up!)

(Devil Pops!)

My handsome little devil is so much fun. He loves to play. His favorite game right now is to hand something back and forth. He hands it to you, you hand it to him. He laughs a lot, then hands it to you again. It can go on and on and he never gets sick of it. He loves to wrestle too. It's so funny how a tiny baby can love to roll around and pretend to fight. He's such a boy. Spencer was thrilled when he got his first boy toys for his birthday so he doesn't have to play with princesses and pink tiaras anymore. He knew just what to do when he got his first car and started pushing it right up the hall. My favorite thing about Kimball right now is what a little snuggle bug he is. When he sees you he gives a huge smile and starts crawling toward you as fast as he can. He usually doesn't make it before he just has to stop and get a hug, so he ends up hugging the floor. It's pretty funny when he's far away because he ends up stopping to hug the floor a few times. Mostly he's just a mama's boy though and sits around on my lap. He has three words now. MamaMama, DadaDada, and NahNah. We thought he was trying to say Inara because he only ever said NahNah when he was playing with her, but now we realize he's saying No No because he's great at shaking his head while he says it. Kimball is getting really adventurous too. He's always getting into the cupboards, crawling out the door to eat some dirt, and sticking his hands in the fish tank. He can even crawl up onto the couch and back down now. I can't believe how grown up he is. (I even had a good cry about it a few weeks ago.) I'm just sure that he is going to grow up into the greatest boy in the world. And even though I want him to stay a baby forever, I can't wait to see the awesome man I know he'll be.

My "Boy Boy"

2011-04-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

Guess how old my little buddy is today?

I can't believe it.

(Aliah made him a birthday crown first thing this morning.)

I love this little troubler with all my heart. I am so overjoyed to be his mommy. I feel like he is my best friend in the whole world. It's crazy the bond and closeness I feel with him. I never dreamed I could feel this way about him when I first found out he was a boy. I panicked, I cried, I mostly feared the unknown. But now... now I'm just head-over-heels in love.

Staycation

2011-04-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Spencer has been traveling a lot this past year as part of his responsibilities as FBLA-PLB National President. But the last trip he was sent on was just up in Layton, and he had his own hotel room, so we tagged along!

To kill time while Spencer was working we went back to the Treehouse Museum.

The girls were getting hungry so they decided to cook the squirrel for lunch. I advised against that and instead took them across the street to picnic on the Odgen Temple grounds. The weather was wonderful and the flowers and fountains were so beautiful.

The girls thought staying in a hotel was the coolest thing they had ever done. We stayed up late munching on snacks and watching TV till everyone was tired enough to fall asleep at the same time. Staying at a hotel with kids is tricky!

The next morning we went to hear daddy give his speech. It was great, I would put the video on but you can barely hear Spencer over the kids crying and me yelling at them in a whisper to be quiet. All in all a bad idea, but we managed to make it through the two hours by dragging them out into the hall for timeout a lot.

We finished our "Staycation" with a trip to the Hill Aerospace Museum before heading home.

The best part about the trip was that the kids fell asleep at 4:30 when we got in the car to drive home and didn't wake up until the next morning! Best nights sleep I've had in a LONG time. Haha. It was tons of fun and I think we're gonna take more small trips like this in the future. It's fun to feel like you're doing something special even though it's not expensive and you're close to home.

P.S. This handsome little devil will be ONE next week. Eek! Can't wait for his party.

Classic

2011-03-31T22:32:00.001-07:00

Classic Skating was a "classic" for me through jr. high and high school. I have fond memories of "snowballing" with random cute kids that I would never see again, going to watch Amber couple skate in competition, and stopping myself on the water slide even though it was against the rules. So when the ward announced the next activity was skating I was super excited to go back. It was good to be there with the family and experience it again.

Fail

2011-03-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the Discovery Museum at the Gateway this week. It was an epic fail. Remember THIS post I made about when we went to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden? I expected to have the same wonderful experience. Boy was I wrong!

Not only is it way overpriced, it was super super full.

Where are my kids? I couldn't tell either. It was like Where's Waldo!

Plus it was super dirty.

See kids, the hooks are there for a reason!

Toys were just everywhere. No one was having their kids clean up after themselves or keep the toys at the right display so when you got to the next part, like the store for instance there were no shopping carts or food because other kids were walking around with them all over the museum. Seriously people!

And the other little ones were so mean! As I was trying to take this picture some little bugger who I would guess was about 6 walked straight up to Inara, grabbed the hat off her head, and pulled on the dress hard enough to unlatch the velco in the back and make it fall off her shoulders! I told her it wasn't her turn and looked around for her parents, they were nowhere in sight. No parents was a trend I spotted. I think I had to discipline like 15 kids while I was there.

Despite how miserable I was, the kids didn't seem to mind, and I did manage to snap a few good pictures.

But you better believe I'm NEVER going back!

Feelin' Lucky?

2011-03-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm feelin' lucky. Here's why:

These little kids could not take a good picture today. It was awesome and I felt lucky that I have such quirky little ones to hang out with.

Here's the result of an insane amount of mess. I feel lucky I didn't have to go home with all the littles who were hyped up on sugar.

You know what I love more then all the green that goes with St. Patty's Day? The RAINBOWS! I feel lucky that these chubby little toes love me to paint them.

Can you guess what I'm doing here?

You're right! Lucky!

Wanna know what else proves I'm lucky?! THIS. Go ahead, click on it! Just read and see who won that awesome giveaway on the Pebbles Inc. blog.

Wanna know why I'm so lucky? I've got three beautiful lucky charms!

FHE

2011-03-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

What did you do for family night tonight? This is what we did.

Must Be Spring

2011-03-11T23:00:00.001-08:00

There's chalk on the sidewalk.

My tulips are coming up.

We're having picnics.

And we're playing at the park.

Must be spring!

I did it!

2011-03-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

I did it! I actually posted two weeks apart like I promised I would! I thought you might like a peek into my daily chaos.

In the A.M. we sit around in our skivvies for as long as possible.

Mommy puts Kimball to work on the chores.

We watch the boob tube till Aliah has to leave for school.

Then mom looks around and wonders if anyone else's Christmas decorations are still piled behind their couch. (No? Just me?)

The girls get out every toy possible and then never play with them.

Instead they play with things that I'll have to wash later.

We complete the nightly ritual of a song and dance show.

(Remember how the girls don't leave Kimball out?)

Do you sometimes use your kids clothes to leave subtle hits for Daddy? (No? Again, just me?)

And then it's off to bed. Getting the kids to sleep can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 3 hours. Can you relate? What a perfect (if only I were richer) life!

Coolest Kids on the Block

2011-02-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today I posted on Facebook that I'm obsessed with my kids. How could I not be? Just look at them!

I'm constantly showing pictures of them to people from my camera that I carry in my purse. At. All. Times. Somehow hearing someone say, "Wow your kids are so beautiful," makes me more beautiful. If someone sees them at the store with messy hair and dirty clothes, I must be unkempt also, BUT if someone sees them fixed up nice with cute clothes, I must be a cool trendy mom. And if they happen to notice their miss-matched socks I'm a cool trendy mom that's down to earth and doesn't take life too seriously. Am I the only one who reads so far into things? Just admit it, you agree with me. You agree that you read into things, AND that my kids are beautiful. (And just maybe that I'm a cool trendy mom!)

Feb. 17th

2011-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I've been married to this handsome guy for 5 years?!

Neither can I.

Treehouse Fun

2011-01-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

We went to the Treehouse museum in Ogden this week. It was a long drive (Spence had to go to Odgen anyway, so we just tagged along) but TOTALLY worth it. I've never been anywhere so cool in my entire life! There is SO much to do and explore. We got there when it opened at 10 and stayed till it closed at 5, and still didn't see and do all the activities we wanted to! There are dozens of different little areas...

...and you can dress up at all of them! What more could a girl want?!

And in each place there is a craft or other hands on activity.

Even this little guy found plenty to do.

And there was so much more! The battery on my camera died when I was about 2/3 the way through the FIRST FLOOR! There was SO SO much more. The girls got to go in the art room and paint, and the music room and play the instruments, dress up in military costumes, visit a farm, ride a bull at the rodeo, build in the woodshop, plant in the garden, and be in a play! I could go on and on and on! Clearly they've made a fan out of me. GO! It's so fun!

A Pictureless Christmas

2011-01-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but I really don't have any pictures of Christmas!!! I have a little bit of video from the Christmas pageant but that's all. I might regret that for the rest of my life, but the truth is I was just too caught up in the moment to think about clicking away. (Best part is my camera broke the week of Christmas so I had just gotten a new one on the 23rd!) Anyway, you know me, I like to start the new year with a bang so here's a little bit of what we did this first week.

We rang in the new year with Chocolate. There really isn't any other way to do it.

If you stay up till 3 AM on New Years make sure you don't sleep in longer then the kids. If you do they might get out the makeup Santa brought them for Christmas and play beauty parlor.

Luckily the girls are really good big sisters and are sure to never leave Kimball out.

That's okay, He cleans up nice.

Next was our yearly sledding trip.

Kimball got the short end of the stick this year and ended up in some "hand-me-downs."

Next was a rollin' night of...

... yep, bowling with the whole gang. (That's Inara, not Aliah. Crazy, right?! She so big!) I love when Abby and Joey are in town. Not only because I get to see my sweet Avie,

but because we get the whole family together A LOT!

(Oh the joys of trying to get a nice family picture.)

That was apparently not enough fun for me because one afternoon I got bored and gave the girls some sour patch kids, just for my own entertainment.

Kimball didn't get to have any, but I think he was plenty happy with his peach puffs!

And we didn't stop there! We had a great family dinner at The Olive Garden, and a wonderful temple trip with some of the sisters. Plus lots and lots of just hanging out. It's been a great year! (So far!)

When?

2010-12-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

When did this little girl with peanut butter all over her face grow up? On Sunday Aliah asked if she could bear her testimony. It was her first time, and she went up with no help at all, hopped on the stool and said, "I'm thankful for God. And thankful for Jesus. And thankful that Jesus helps me pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." It's the most beautiful testimony I've ever heard. Of course I was crying. She took maybe 10 seconds but I went from dry eyed to nearly bawling. I've never been so proud of her. Way to go my little Aliah! I love you so much. You are a perfect example of what I someday hope to be.

My Boys

2010-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Just had to post this ADORABLE picture my SIL Michelle just sent me. I love these two SO much. Aren't they just the handsomest guys you've ever seen?! I sure think so!

The List!

2010-11-27T01:36:00.000-08:00

The list is ready!

30 Before Thirty

1. Read the book of Mormon

2. Go to the Temple every month

3. Write 30 journal entries

4. Watch the sun rise

5. Get my 3 months of food storage

6. Pay off my credit card

7. Plant a Garden

8. Visit all the Temples in Utah

9. Sing a solo

10. Graduate from college

11.Make a quilt

12. Read

13. Take a class

14. Learn to use Photoshop

15. Hike to the top of Mt. Timpanogos

16. Loose weight

17. Run a 10K

18. Have a date night every month

19. Scrapbook

20. Cook Dinner

21. Teach Aliah to read

22. Blog every two weeks

23. Take a ballroom dance class with Spencer

24. Keep the house clean

25. Organize pictures

26. Decorate the house

27. Give handmade gifts

28. Organize my bookmarks

29. Finish my unfinished crafts

30. Float the Provo River

If you want more details (and a few insights into my soul) you can keep reading, but if you are just so inspired and off to make your own list, don't worry the rest are all repeats.

1. Read the Book of Mormon – I’m not sure I've ever actually done this. Maybe once for Seminary. What a wonderful thing to do to strengthen my testimony.

2. Go to the Temple Every Month - Ditto

3. Write 30 Journal Entries – I love to write in a journal. It’s really therapeutic for me. And what a wonderful thing to leave for my kids to read someday. My mom only kept a journal for one week of her whole life, but she left an incredibly powerful testimony in it that none of us have ever forgotten. I hope to leave something like that for my kids too. Kids, the church is true. Don’t forget it! And don’t forget that Mom and Dad knew it!

4. Watch the Sun Rise – I want to get up early enough to see it. That will be a mental determination that I need a lot of practice on. And I want to look at God’s beautiful creation and remember that I’m just a tiny part of it.

5. Get my 3 Months of Food Storage – We really need to be prepared. I know something horrible is going to happen and we will NEED our food storage. We've just got to buckle down and do it. Putting it here will make that happen. I might procrastinate this list, but you better believe I’ll try so hard to get all of these things done!

6. Pay off my Credit Card – The prophets teach that not being in debt means you aren't in bondage to anyone. Got to get out!

7. Plant a Garden – The prophet said to plant a garden. ‘Nough said.

8. Visit All Temples in Utah – This is part of something on my life list. My life list says visit every temple in the world. There are over a hundred so it probably won’t ever happen, but it’s worth a shot! There are 13 temples in Utah right now. (Two more were announced last General Conference but they aren't built yet.) I have another goal to visit the temple every month, so why not visit a different temple every month and check off two things!

9. Sing a Solo – This is just so I know I can do it. So I can conquer my fear, and be the person I once was. Not shy and scared, but friendly and talented. I need this goal more than any other I think. Just thinking about putting it on this list and knowing I’ll work so hard to accomplish all of these things this year is making me anxious. That’s how scared I am. I MUST conquer. I’ll probably be horrible at first, but being able to perform takes practice.

10. Graduate from college. Just 1 credit left. Literally 1. No reason I can’t finish. I need to say I graduated from college. Plus once I graduate I never have to think about it again! If I just bite the bullet and finish I’ll never again have to have that stress in my life, and I’ll always be able to tell my kids, “You can do hard things! I went to college and had three babies at the same time. If I can do it, you can do it.”

11. Make a Quilt – I want to learn to sew SO bad. More than anything else right now I want to learn to sew. A quilt is the perfect way to start because it’s just straight lines. Sure none of the corners will line up, but that will just add to the charm… I hope!

12. Read 12 Books – I’m not a reader. I use to be, and then some time in my old age I decided I didn't like it any more. I need to read. It's important to read, not just so I can have intelligent conversations, but also so my kids see it and see that I think it’s fun. Then they’ll want to be readers too.

13. Take a Class – No idea what, or when, but I think it’s important to always be improving yourself. I hope I’m always “taking a class.”

14. Learn to use Photoshop – I just think this would be awesome. I’m not gonna do anything fancy, just use it to edit my photos for my scrapbooking. But I’m gonna love it I’m sure. (Hmm... maybe this can go with #13.)

15. Hike to the Top of Timpanogos – Can’t live my whole life in Utah and never get to the top! I’ve gone to Emerald Lake, and that’s almost worse than not trying at all. Giving up is way worse. I need to cancel out my lame attempt by signing my name at the summit.

16. Lose 20 Pounds – Or some other amount that will get me back into my clothes. Plus I need to learn to exercise every day. I’m sure it’s a habit I'll need for the rest of my life. Better start now before I’m too old to care.

17. Run in the 10K at the Freedom Festival – See above!

18. Have a Date Night Every Month – Spence and I SO need this. When we get a chance to be alone we really come together. We talk so openly and recommit to working hard to always be happy together. I would love to say go out weekly, but for the sake of accomplishing all the goals on this list, I said every month. It’s more realistic for us. As our kids get older hopefully our date nights will increase.

19. Scrapbook 30 Pages – This is solely because I love to scrapbook and want a good excuse to shirk my family duties.

20. Cook a Full Dinner Once a Week – I’ve got to learn to cook. My poor family. My kids are so small now that it doesn't matter, but soon enough they will be big and actually NEED me to cook. I guess I need to learn and form the habit now. I know it will make me feel a lot better about myself. And I know it will strengthen my marriage because it means a lot to Spencer when I cook and clean.

21. Teach Aliah to Read – I don’t like teaching. End of story. So I know I’m going to struggle with helping her learn. I want this to be a goal so that I don’t give up. If she doesn't actually learn, that’s okay, she’s only 4/5 this year, but I need to try. I need to be a good mom and try.

22. Blog Every Two Weeks – My blog is more like a list of things my family does, so it’s like a journal for the day to day stuff that I rarely write about.

23. Take a Dance Class with Spencer – Spencer loves to dance. And he’s really good at it. I hate to dance, I think it’s embarrassing, but I need to do it for him. It would make him so happy. And you know I want him to be happy. (A satisfied man has no reason to stray!) (Not that he ever would, but I’m just sayin’.)

24. Clean Each Room in the House Once a Week – Again, this is for the fam. They need this. And frankly I need this. I’m such a better mom when the house is clean! I feel better about myself, and the lifted spirits bring encouragement to be better in every way.

25. Organize ALL Pictures – So needs to be done!

26. Decorate the House – Aside from the arguments Spence and I will have because we have completely different taste, I think this will be the funnest thing I’ve ever done!

27. Give Handmade Gifts – Honestly I probably won’t do this, but I want to try, Well I shouldn’t say I won’t do this, but I know I won’t do it till January. And that’s okay, I’ll still count it if I start then!

28. Type up and Organize my Craft Bookmarks – I hate that I’m always loosing all my good ideas, and crafty blog bookmarks. I’ve got to get them in an online archive I can get to from any computer!

29. Finish my Unfinished Crafts – Part of de-cluttering the house.

30. Float the Provo River – 100% random. I just want a tan.

So what do you think?

A Visit with Steph

2010-11-10T22:59:00.002-08:00

Visiting my BFFITWWW Steph was the highlight of my year. (Wait... did I have a baby this year?) Okay, okay my Kimbo was the #1 highlight, and then this. I was just so thrilled to stay up late talking, play games, go bowling, and eat the most delish doughnuts in the world at the best farmers market I've ever been to. But what I'm most happy about are these 2nd generation friends!

Letter D

2010-11-10T22:58:00.004-08:00

Dinosaur Museum at BYU. (Bad lighting...fun day.)

Doughnuts! Watching them make doughnuts at Krispy Kreme... and then enjoying them!

Letter C

2010-11-10T22:58:00.003-08:00

Crowns! This was a twofer because we did Crowns for letter C but not till the end of Family Night were we talked about being of royal birth. Perfect!

No letter C week would be complete without a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese! (Luckily Rex was having his birthday party there that very week!)

Letter B

2010-11-10T22:58:00.001-08:00

We had another GREAT week!

We read Books at the library,

made Beaded Bracelets,

took a Bubble Bath,

and OF COURSE ate at Baskin Robbins!

Sorry

2010-11-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've missed my two week deadline. The cable to get pictures from the camera to the computer is broken. Hopefully we'll get a new one this week.

Six Months!

2010-10-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

Kimball is the best kid in the whole wide world!!!

Oct. 11, 2010

2010-10-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

As I was reading Rosemary Wixom's talk from General Conference I really felt the spirit. Spencer and I have been trying so hard to work on building a stronger family and a stronger relationship. I'm much much too impatient and quick to anger with my kids. Right now Aliah is 4, Inara is 2, and Kimball is 6 months. Obviously Kimball doesn't bother me, except for maybe crying when I need to get things done, but letting him cry and listening to it doesn't bother me, except that I feel bad. But the girls are always getting on my nerves. And why? Just because they are being kids. Just because they are doing what they are supposed to, what is natural. Now obviously sometimes they are disobeying and could get hurt, or wake up a sleeping baby, or ruin something we worked hard for... but most of the time they are just playing. For no good reason it's annoying to me. They are either too loud or too wild or something. Well my impatient self thinks they are too wild. They are generally just fine though. They are just kids who are playing. I've been trying hard to remember that. Spencer and I have talked about it and decided to do our best at just letting them be. Letting them play and realizing that they are just kids and need to be kids. Kids need to be kids. Kids grow up so fast and in today's world they are almost expected to. The world wants them to grow up fast so that they can start introducing them to the evils of the world. Even the little kid celebrities of the day are growing up too fast. For example, Miley Cyrus. Spencer and I used to adore her. We wanted our kids to grow up equally as confident and outgoing. But before she was even 16 she was making music videos that are barely appropriate for adults, let alone young girls. And they are certainly not appropriate for her tween fan base. But that's how the world gets our little ones. There is a song by the country band Lonestar called "Let Them Be Little." I don't actually care for the song, but it's totally how I fell. I can only remember one line right now but it says, "Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle. Oh just let them be little." I want to put this on a sign in vinyl lettering and hang it in my house. It's such a good reminder to me of what Spencer and I are trying to do. To just let them be little, and not worry about them playing. To get upset at them less and less each day, and to build an unbreakable bond of love and trust. We will need that with them so that they trust us when they get older and the world tries to takeover. Hopefully, if we do things right now, they will turn to us and see our example of following Christ and because of this bond we've built they will trust that we know what we are doing, follow our example, and stay close to the spirit of Christ, shunnig the ways of the world. I have heard the story of Joseph Smith having pieces of his leg cut out without anesthesia a number of times, but I didn't realize he was only seven years old. Oh to have the spirit so strong in my home that at seven my babies could say, "I will have my father sit on the bed and hold me in his arms, and then I will do whatever is necessary." How could a seven-year-old already be so prophetic. It's no wonder the Lord chose him to bring the gospel back to the earth. I am so grateful that he did. How I, even in my adulthood, hope to someday have that kind of faith. I hope so much to have my Heavenly Father "sit on the bed and hold me in his arms" so that I can do "whatever is necessary" in this life to live with him in heaven again.

This Week was Brought to You by the Letter A

2010-10-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

A is for Apple.

Aliah style...

...a.k.a. covered in glitter.

Aliah is learning the Alphabet at preschool. I'm sort of obsessed with making sure she learns it well because I know she needs to learn to read next year. So I've got a weeks worth of activities, crafts, and food for each letter. So last week was letter A.

A is for Alphabet.

Aliah had a great time trying to spell things. But mostly she just put a bunch of letters together and made me try to pronounce them.

A is for Alligator.

A is for Animals.

We went to the pet store, and this has never happened to me before, but it honestly took ALL of my will power to walk out of there without a puppy. They had my two favorite dogs of all time, a beagle and a pug! And they were affordable! I honestly about died.

A is for Annie.

I'm trying to force the kids to love movie musicals. So far so good. Aliah can sing Tomorrow, and it is the cutest thing in the world, if I do say so myself.

A is for Arby's.

You can only eat so many Apples in a week so I thought this was a good idea.

A is for Aliah.

This girl just is my everything! She drives me nuts, and makes my heart swell with love at the same time. She loves to sing and dance. She's great at art too. Her drawings are so cute so I'm gathering a bunch to frame to put up in her room. She's easy to teach, and loves to learn. She's such a great thinker, and super observant. The other day she said, "It smells like rain," and sure enough about 15 minutes later it started. A couple of weeks ago Spencer was eating in the car and Aliah wanted some. It was a really messy food so Spencer told her no we don't eat in the car. She said, "Dad, you're eating in the car." Spencer said, "I know sweetie, but I have a lot of practice." Aliah's clever retort was, "Well Dad give me some so I can practice." She tries super hard to be obedient. The best thing about my sweet Aliah is the spirit she brings. She is always teaching me lessons, asking forgiveness, or reminding me to say sorry and not get mad. She's such a joy and a blessing. She makes my whole life worthwhile.

Letter A was so much fun. I'm super excited for letter B this week. Stay tuned!

2010-09-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

A Promise

2010-09-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

So my sweetest SIL Michelle and her wonderful family moved to CA a few weeks ago. I was (am) devastated! I told her the only way I was going to accept it was if she promised to update her blog at least every two weeks and include pix of all the kids. Well obviously I have to keep that promise also. Hence all the pictures I've added lately. I know Michelle will enjoy, I hope the rest of you do too.

Aliah had her first day of Pre-K.

Here is a cute little apple we made for her teacher. (I got the idea HERE.)

The girls had a lot of fun hanging out with Daddy over Labor Day weekend.

And Mom had fun forcing the kids into a photo shoot in the flowers. There aren't too many good days left so I had to take advantage!

Kimball wasn't super cooperative,

But the girls were great!

2010-09-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't usually watch the videos on blogs (Tallie) just watch this. If Inara isn't entertaining enough, check out the guy in the background. Yes I realize I wasn't being super reverent, but I had to catch this and happened to have my camera in my purse.

Another Goodbye

2010-09-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

I have another sad farewell to tell you about. If you've seen me any time in the last 5 years I'm sure I was wearing these shoes.

I'm so sad to say goodbye. I remember exactly when I bought them at Target at about 10P.M. with Emily. I was pregnant with Aliah. I remember thinking 'These will be perfect this summer when my feet are all swollen.' Little did I know I would wear them everyday the weather permitted for the next 5 years. Goodbye shoes. You were worth more then the $7 I paid for you!

Because I don't think I should post just about my shoes, here are a bunch more pictures of our summer.

Thanksgiving Point with some of the clan.

Spencer wins PBL National President.

A little Sass.

Inara's 2nd Birthday

I gave away a bunch of Aliah's toys so we took pictures so she could remember them.

Pony rides at Thanksgiving Point.

Inara was scared to death. I forced her cause I'm such an awesome mom.

4th of July.

Kimball is obviously thrilled to model the shirt I (okay, mostly Charlene) made.

4th of July Fireworks.

Stewart Falls.

Dress Up.

I even make the boy match. Cause that's how I roll.

All the men that blessed Kimball.

Lindon Pool (a.k.a. Scariest day of my life.)

Hogle Zoo.

Devil's Kitchen.

7 Peaks for NuSkin company party.

Goodbye

2010-08-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Goodbye summer. You were great!

Blur

2010-07-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie I'm tired, but it's getting better. I'm so sad that my baby is three months old - HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? It's amazing how fast time flies when you live in a sleep-deprived blur.

I can't wait to get back to my life soon! But until then...I'm going to snuggle this little creature and enjoy every sweet smelling second!

(I love you too buddy. I love you too.)

I Miss You

2010-06-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Oh blogging world how I miss you! So sorry for being away so much, turns out I'm no good at having three babies. I can't seem to get any time for the "extras" in life like blogging and scrapbooking. Oh well, I don't mind much, my treasures are worth it.

My Favorite Time of Year

2010-05-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

The middle of May is my favorite time of year. School is out, it's finally warm outside, and I get to spend a lot of time with family. This year is especially nice because little Kimball is a month old.

The first "Family Holiday" we get to celebrate is the anniversary of when Spence, Aliah, and I got sealed.

Now I get to have these lovelies forever!

Next we celebrate Mothers Day. These are the best Mothers Day flowers I've ever gotten!

Aliah also gave me these awesome coupons.

Our last Family Holiday is the anniversary is the when my Mom died. I'm so grateful for her. You know after she was diagnosed with cancer people would often ask her if she thought she was going to die, she would always tell them, No, I have to raise my children. I can't die till Kelsey graduates from high school. That seemed like a long shot because I was only 4 years old. But she had the most perfect faith of anyone I've ever known and she did just that. She died the very week I graduated. There is no better example of faith and prayer in my life. What a wonderful legacy she left!

Three Weeks

2010-05-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

My little buddy is three weeks old now.

Here are a bunch of pictures of us lately.

Did any of you watch your baby boy get circumcised, or am I the only one that morbid? Look at that little torture chamber! So sad!

Most of Kimball's life has been spent in this bili bed. Something weird was going on and his jaundice got worse and worse because of his nursing. Breastmilk jaundice they call it. Who knew?

The girls have been wanting to sleep together, so rather then get Inara out of her crib we just put Aliah in. They think it's great fun.

Blankets and thumbs. What more could a little girl want?

Kimball

2010-04-18T21:53:00.001-07:00

7 lbs. 11 oz. of PERFECTION!

From his adorable dimple...

To his tiny little toes.

The girls ADORE him...

And our family finally feels complete.

Kimball made his debut quite suddenly. Spencer was a champ standing there holding his little head while the nurses walked in. (Yep, you read that right.) Oddly it was one of the most peaceful moments I've ever felt. I sorta wish no nurses had shown up and it could have been just us.

He's such a sweet little guy. (But still a trouble maker like before because of his jaundice.) I'm so in love I can't imagine that I ever didn't want a boy!!! He's my little buddy, and I just can't wait to spend forever with him.

Welcome to the world my little one!

Trouble Maker

2010-03-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

I wish I had pictures, I really do. But I'll sadly be disappointing you again.

Do you all remember that I didn't want a boy? I'm well over that and I couldn't love this little man inside me any more then I already do. It's insane. I don't remember loving the girls this much before they were born. (Though I'm sure I did.) Let me tell you why I didn't want a boy. Boys are trouble makers! This little bugger is no exception! I've been given a lot of grief because I have such easy pregnancies and quick deliveries... well unfortunately this one is not going nearly as well. And I'm sure it's just because it's a boy! (Girls must know that they will be mothers someday too and take it easy on us or something.) So I'm 37 weeks today. (Wow right!) The baby is breach. Or worse yet he's "transverse lie." Apparently that's the worst kind of breach. It means that his shoulders want to come out first. (OUCH!) See if you can wrap your head around this statistic, I can't. 3%-4% of babies are breach at 37 weeks and of that 3%-4% 1 in 300 are "transverse lie." So they'll try to turn him, (50%-60% chance of working) and if they can't then it's a C-section for me. Yuck. It's funny because I was totally set to have him naturally and everything, so of course something complicated had to come up so that I won't be able to. So I just have to let out a little "I told you so!" about how boys are trouble makers! Maybe you'll get lucky and I'll have pictures of the little guy next time I post. (But honestly, how can you look at that little face of Charlie's right below and not just love little boys!)

Charlie Allen Behrend

2010-03-27T09:20:00.001-07:00

Michelle and Logan's little treasure is here! Isn't he just adorable! I'll admit I cried when I saw him and held him. The next three weeks just can't go by fast enough for me! Way to go Michelle, you did great!

P.S. It's totally weird to only have one baby ticker on my blog. I have a couple of friends that are pregnant, but I feel so lonely that no one else in my family is pregnant. That's never happened to me before. It's one of the joys of being in a huge family. I can't wait to hear who is pregnant next!

Forcing it

2010-03-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Can you force the "nesting" stage? I'm feeling nothing (no motivation), and nothing at all is ready for this little guy. According to the side of my blog I have 4 weeks 5 days left. Aliah and Inara were both two weeks early. (I wonder/hope he'll follow tradition.) Four weeks is plenty of time... two weeks however, is not. I could be ready in two weeks, but because I'm just not feeling that surge of "nesting" energy, I'm pretty sure I won't be. What's a girl to do? My sister Michelle is having her baby today. TODAY! I can't believe it. I've been focusing on her pregnancy to make mine go by faster. It worked. But now that her big day is here I'm having such mixed emotions. I'm beyond excited to meet my new little nephew! But I'm crying (pregnancy tears, nothing real) because I've never felt so jealous of anyone in my entire life. Strange. I'm hoping to force a little energy this week that will hopefully spark my "nesting." That should make me feel better, don't you think?

P.S. I know, I know. I don't like posts without pictures either.

Randomness

2010-03-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some things that have come into my head lately.

*There's nothing in the world I want more right now then to know how to sew!

*I can't be in a dark room with a mirror because I always think of the old Bloody Mary thing and it scares me. (I did however conquer my fear of the Boogie Man last year, and now I can sleep with my feet uncovered!)

*I always drink out of the milk carton. Why dirty a cup?

*My biggest dream is to live on a farm.

*Thinking about growing old makes me cry... everytime. (Like right now, just writing it.)

*I think I deserve easy pregnancies and deliveries because my mom is dead. I hate when people "hate me" for it. It's not in my control people!

*I think grapefruit juice tastes like throwup.

*I'm not creative. I'm RE-creative. I can copy anything, but never never come up with my own ideas.

*I'm computer illitarate. I can't do anything without step by step instructions. (And yes, that includes posting to my blog.)

*I'm not a picky eater any more. I love lazana, and I even ate sushi, complete with fish eggs on top.

*I love magazines. I get 4 or 5 a month. (Well I used to. All of the subscriptions have run out, but I think I'll get some new ones today.) I got Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens, Scrapbooking Trends, Family Fun, and Cosmo. Spencer gets Backpacker and Popular Science (that I ordered for him) so I look at those too.

*I have 386 bookmarks (not counting the 100 or so I had on Spencer's laptop) of crafts I want to make, and blogs of friends, family, and strangers that I like to read.

*I get dressed everyday. I own one pair of pajamas... but I don't know where they are.

*I eat cookies for at least one meal everyday.

Good, now that I've got that writen down and out of my mind maybe I can focus on more important things like how I'm due to have a baby BOY in 7 weeks!!!

Feb. 17th

2010-02-18T03:34:00.000-08:00

Feb. 17th is a special day to me. It means I've been married to this handsome guy for 4 years.

(To see us through the years check out this post from last year... and ignore how round my belly (and my face) is this time.)

We love to celebrate. Who wouldn't?! Everyday I want to celebrate that I have Spencer forever. He's the best husband and dad we could ever ask for... plus much more!

This year I got to go on a sleigh ride!

I know you're all jealous, just admit it.

It's been a wonderful 4 years. We have two beautiful daughters,

and I'm sure an equally handsome son (in just a few weeks, did you notice I'm in the single digits on the countdown?!) to prove it. Three kids in four years. Not bad, not bad at all!

Fun Filled January

2010-02-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't have a New Years Resolution to take more pictures, but I happen to have one for nearly every day in Jan. I thought I'd share a few with you!

We started out the year sledding with our cousins!

Aliah went to her first day of Sunbeams, and Inara went to her first day of Nursery.

We made homemade pizza,

practiced the piano,

and played with Daddy.

Aliah learned about the Statue of Liberty,

and now thinks this is the appropriate pose for every picture.

Inara continued her obsession with having her shoes on at all times,

and little toes continued to pick up glitter and track it all over the house.

This was the best night by far. We had show tunes blasting, I was washing dishes, Spencer was folding laundry, and these two little princesses were dancing the night away!

I hope your January was as fun filled as ours!

2010-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

I feel like I should post because apparently even Spencer is better at it than me. So I'm sure most of you are wondering, why there has been no talk of this baby that's on the way? Well... without sounding like a horrible person I couldn't post before. But just so everyone knows, I'm due to have a little BOY April 21st. (And yes Michelle I added a ticker.) I was totally sure it was another girl and I was thrilled about being pregnant and planning all my princess adventures with them. So when I found out it was a boy I was more then shocked. (I was mad, confused, annoyed... you get the picture.) I was this way for about a month, but now I'm changed. I'm super excited to have a new kind of adventure that will likely include, trucks, bugs, sports, and who knows what else. (Not to mention the fun I have picking out little boy clothes for him to wear. It least I have an actual need to go shopping!) My favorite thing to say is: I guess I'll be trading in some GLITTER for some DIRT!

2010-01-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

Spencer is writing this.

I try not to post on here very often, but I had to tell this story about Aliah, and Kelsey is napping so she didn't see it first hand. We just came inside from playing in the snow.

I know cute right! How I ended up with the two cutest girls in the world I'll never know. (Although Erica (Dunaway) gives them a run for their money and it's hard for us to admit.) As we were playing in the snow three horses came by. Aliah dropped everything and ran to the sidewalk to watch them go by. She stood as still as the snowman who had only just had his eyes put on. She didn't move a muscle until they were well out of site. I stood back on the porch and watched her slowly sink down to sit in the snow. She sat there for a minute without looking back.

"What's the matter Aliah?" I called. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder without looking up from the cold snow and through a choked voice said, "Dad . . . I wish I had a horse." Then she burst into tears. I ran over to the sidewalk and sat down beside her in the snow to try and console her.

Those are the moments where you would give up all your dreams just to make that sweet little wish come true. Luckily for her, Daddy wants horses too!

You Better Watch Out!

2009-12-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

This Month

2009-11-28T12:23:00.001-08:00

This month has been so full of fun activities. We celebrated mine and Spencer's birthday's, Aliah had her first ever dance concert, and of course it was Thanksgiving!

My highlight this month was Aliah's dance performance. She was so adorable!

Most of the time!

(Little Purple Pansies.)
We missed getting her picture in her pumpkin costume, but this nurse one is super sweet. This dance was Chicken Pox for Christmas and she sings it all day every day now.

My birthday was fun. Spencer made me a yummy no flour chocolate cake, and we went to a fancy steak house and to the symphony. It was Broadway night and the singers were crazy awesome. One had won a Tony, one was playing Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway now, and one was the only guy who had ever played both the phantom and Raul in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Crazy awesome, right?!

Spencer's birthday was fun too. We invited friends and family to Pizza Pie Cafe and had a great time hanging out and eating the all you can eat pizza, pasta, and salad bar all night.

Thanksgiving was fun. We got two days worth because Spencer's family ate together on Wed. And we ate with my family on Thurs. We had a lot of fun eating, talking, and just sitting around.
Now on to CHRISTMAS!!! Happy Holidays everyone!

Family Pictures

2009-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

(How many of these can I post without seeming vain?)

Emily Thornton did an AMAZING job, don't you think?! She was so fun to work with and SO affordable! Check her out at imagesbyemily.blogspot.com
P.S. Do you like the new look?

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from
Super Mario World!

Rex William Rowley

2009-10-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Rex is finally here. After months of bed rest, emergency C-section, blood transfusions, and separate hospitals we are SO happy to say that Sarah and Rex are home together safe and sound. Congrats Sarah, you're such a trooper!

Look! Look!

2009-10-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Do you see those little blades of grass? Hurray! Few things have ever made me so happy.

When's the the last time you made one of these?

It was a blast!
(And yes I realize I got out of control with the candy bars.
My constant stomach ache from eating so many
reminds me daily.)

Do this too. It's loads of fun, and your kids will think you're really cool.

Love from us to all of you!

FREE Nursing Cover!!!

2009-10-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just did this and it totally works!
My total was $8.95. Awesome.

This is THE best kind of coupon code! Udder Covers is giving away 1 FREE Nursing Cover, all you have to do is pay for shipping. Their nursing covers retail for $32 and come in six adorable patterns. I love, love, love nursing covers... use coupon code "cousin2" to get yours free!!

(P.S. I got this from this blog. I'm not cool enough to figure these things out for myself.)

Check It Out! Check It Out!

2009-10-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Inara is walking! Hurray! She's getting old and I was starting to get nervous that the pediatrician would think something was wrong. (Okay I'll admit it, I was worried they would think she was dumb.)

Doesn't Aliah look great? She fixed her own hair. (I'm so glad that it was bedtime so that I didn't have to take her into public like this.) My girls are the best!

2009-10-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Welcome baby Cohen!

Ashley and Matt had their baby boy. What a little treasure!
(As always I still have two baby tickers. Hurray for Logan and Michelle!)

Happiness

2009-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

My girls are asleep and I'm eating a Snickers. Enough said.

Too cute.

2009-09-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Aliah just asked Spencer if he could take her on a date tonight while I stayed home with Inara. TOO CUTE!

You know what else is too cute? Listening to this laugh.

And seeing this smile.

A little Catch Up

2009-09-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I think I'll play a little catch up just because we've been having all kinds of fun lately.

Today was Aliah's first day of Preschool. She acted like she loved it, but when asked if she liked it she said, "No, I was too dizzy." I don't have any idea what that means but I'll bet she'll be happy to go again on Thursday.

Something fun about Aliah going to school is that I get special one on one time with this treasure.

Today she put that peanut butter sandwich in the fish tank.

Aliah and Inara's birthday party was a blast. Here are a few pictures of the photo shoot we did.

At the birthday party we played music, ate snacks, made rock and roll necklaces, put on tatoos and dressed up like rock stars. We were working on a pink electric guitar cake that was awesome. (Nothing like what Steph could make but still cool.) But our nephew wanted to see it and didn't ask for help so he ended up pulling it out of the freezer and splatered it all over the floor. I ran to Macey's and bought this ready made one for $20. Not cute but it fed people so it's okay.

(The Larsens)

(The sisters)

(Aliah and Lily)

(Me and Spence)
We had a great time.

The highlight of my life so far was buying Aliah her first tap shoes. I couldn't be more excited about it!

Spence and I also left our kids for the very first time over Labor Day weekend and went to Arches. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast, which was also a first, and loved it SO much.

This summer we also went on a number of hikes and campouts including a campout to Mirror Lake with Spencer's family and a trip to Dinosaur Land with mine. I can't catch up on everything but those are the highlights.

Bath Time

2009-08-28T14:15:00.001-07:00

I just caught Aliah and Inara in the tub. Aliah had hoisted Inara in and then with all of their clothes on and no water was washing Inara's hair with conditioner. Awesome. Thanks for your "help" dear.

2009-08-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

I made dinner tonight. I haven't done that in a long time. Woot! Do you do that? Do you go ages without actually preparing a meal for your family? Probably not. You're all Martha and Betty and whoever the perfect mother is rolled into one huh. I think so. Just admit it, you are. I'll try to be more like you.

P.S. I made sweet and sour chicken and it was SO good and SO worth it!

2009-08-24T17:27:00.001-07:00

A Sunday Adventure

2009-08-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today after church we wanted an adventure. So we packed a lunch, hopped in the car and drove.
We ended up at Strawberry Reservoir.

Spencer made this fire without any matches or a lighter.
He's such a good boy scout!

Perfection. (#2)

Free Sham Wow

2009-07-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Do you have one of these?
(The Sham not the guy.)
I do.
It's the greatest invention for anyone with kids or pets.
(I have both so it's used daily around these parts.)

Here's a link to a little freebie. ***http://www.avoniablue.com/offer5_entry.php*** You just fill out a small survey (seriously small) and give them your address and email. They don't want any credit card info or anything. They say they are sending you the free Sham Wow for filling out the survey but I'm thinking the way they can give it away is because they sell your information. Not a really big deal. A little more junk mail. One thing I do is I have two different free email addresses (gmail, and hotmail). I use one for regular emailing and the other just to sign up for stuff or order things online. Then I don't get any junk mail in the email account that I use daily. It works well for me. Anyway I thought I'd pass this on because

everyone NEEDS a Sham Wow,
and anything that is FREE is good!

Bear Lake

2009-07-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

PERFECTION.

The Big One

2009-07-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

My baby is

Can you believe it?!
We've gone from this

to this

in one short year.
We celebrated with cake

and Nara's favorite

FIREWORKS!

Can you tell?

Inara is such a bundle of joy! I can't believe how lucky we are to have her in our family! Her personality is through the roof. She smiles at everyone. Even strangers at the store will stop to say hi when she gives them a toothy grin. She can wave and she can clap. And she sings when we're driving in the car, and always dances if there is music on. It is so sweet to see her grow up and become her own person. I'm so proud of her and how good she is when putting up with Aliah. She's always just a sweetheart no matter if she's getting loved or shoved. Inara is such a blessing. I couldn't wish for a sweeter baby. She's perfect, and I love her more then I can even understand.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BIG BABY GIRL!

What I Love About Summer

2009-07-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

You know what I love about summer? I love how everyone is out doing things and not home blogging about them. Don't get me wrong, I love reading blogs as much as the next girl, but there are always fewer posts through the summer. It makes me feel less guilty. Here's what we've been up to lately!

The 4th of July was so much fun. Of course we camped out for the parade like we always do, but this year was great because Lisa and Jon camped with us. It made it so much fun. They are the funnest couple! Plus we got a fantastic spot right at the start of the parade that was shaded the whole time. Awesome! Aliah killed time by practicing to be a model. (Which she is plenty gorgeous enough to do!)

And here are my little firecrackers at the parade.

We've been doing lots and lots of summer activities. We're always hiking or riding bikes or playing in the water. I'm so grateful to get to share most of these activities with my best friend Sarah. She's the best and always up for whatever, whether it's going to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point, going to the petting zoo at Gardner's Village, or splashing in the water at Bridal Veil Falls. Aliah and Micheal are best friends. (Aliah says so every time you ask.) I love to see these "2nd generation friends" become so close.

Waiting their turn on the pony ride at Farm Country.

Looking like buddies at Bridal Veil Falls. (This is before Aliah pushed Michael into the water.)

The biggest event this Spring/Summer was Aliah being potty trained. The first part was easy-peasy. It's the not having accidents when we're out that is still a struggle. But she is getting better and better. (She's got to be if she wants to start preschool in the fall.) I love seeing her tiny bum in panties. It's just so cute. Now all her pants fall down and one day she told me, "Mommy I need to wear two panties so my bum be big and my pants no fall down."

This picture is to show off Aliah's panties. She and her cousin Tavia wanted to wear all the leg warmers at once, so Aliah thought she needed her pants off so we could see them all.

Sometimes I feel like Aliah always gets center stage because she's at the age where she does so much and is learning so much. But this girl...

...deserves so much attention too. Inara is so grown up now! She crawls, she says Mama, Dada, Baba, and Nana (food). She has 5 teeth, and she eats everything! Inara is such a sweetheart. She loves to cuddle and most of all LOVES to play with her big sister, who she addores. (We aren't sure why because basically Aliah just beats up on her most of the time.) The funnest thing about Nara right now is that she gets really mad and just yells at you if you are eating in front of her. She will not let you go without sharing. Her smiles and laughs just melt your heart, and something that's fun about it is that Aliah never really laughed at this age and it's such a sweet sound that we were missing out on until Inara came to our family.

This next video is one that I've been trying to post for months now but couldn't get it working. We've started a family band. Here's your exclusive sneak peak!

Shattered Realities

2009-05-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I've made it 2 years and 10 months without anything I truly love being ruined by my children, but it happened tonight. I didn't even know I loved this stupid bowl until it shattered on the floor. I wanted to yell, but that's not my style, so I just started crying. I no longer have an adorable, perfect for holding dip, red polka dot bowl. Oh well. Things are just things, right?

What beloved things have you lost to your children?

To My Beautiful Wife - A Post by Spencer

2009-05-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Lately I know a lot of attention has been on me because the things that I do are so visible. Your always saying how awesome I am for all the things that I do. Well, I think the whole world should know how awesome you are. How you have the energy to do all the incredible things you do I can't figure out. To go to school full time, mother full time, and still have all the energy in the world to scrapbook, and take the girls on bike rides, and clean and cook, and do the shopping, and get the garden ready... and a million other things. You are truly amazing. I could never hope for a better mother for my sweet angels than you. You're awesome because you do everything you do and never ask for anything in return, except for the occasional "medium sized" back rub. One day is hardly enough to show you how amazing you are, or to tell you all the ways you think that I am awesome are only because you are there cheering me on, encouraging me. I hope that someday Aliah and Inara understand what an incredible mother you truly are. I think they already suspect it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for all that you do! You...Are...Awesome. Happy Mothers Day Sweetheart.

Love, Spencer

I better go get started on breakfast.

Happy 5 de Mayo from my Little Señoritas

2009-05-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

I know I'm way late. My camera was lost, but my family so graciously took pictures of my kids for me. I got them in my email today, and I couldn't wait to post pictures of my adorable girls!
Of course we had an Easter egg hunt and Gma and Gpa's.

(I love this picture. I think it perfectly illustrates Easter egg hunts.)

Aliah and Sammy searching.

Aliah (and Joanna) bragging.

Aliah and Daddy checking out her loot.
That egg had $1. Spencer found an egg with $10! Hurray!

No holiday would be complete without a craft! I made a bunch of shirts with bunnies on them and matching flower clippies, but I gave them all away before I got a picture. So if any of you who got one wants to take a picture and send it my way, that would be awesome!

This is Inara's Easter basket that I made this year.
Here's a close up of the fabric. I LOVE it!! I've never been very good at picking coordination fabrics before, but I think I did a good job on these so I want to show them off!

It's BY FAR the hardest craft I've ever made. I got better and better so the top is much nicer looking then the bottom. But oh well! There's joy in the learning of it!

Your Best Hour

2009-04-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Visiting Teaching was great today. How is it that I always learn more then I teach? This month the message is about studying the scriptures. The dear sweet sister that I visit teach taught me a great lesson today. She said, what are your best hours? Are they right when you get up, or when the kids are napping maybe? During my best hours I always sit down at the computer to read blogs or play computer games. We should be studying our scriptures in our best hours, instead of cramming them into a busy schedule or falling asleep to them because it's just before bed. (Unless of course just before bed is your "best hour.") If we do that we are bound to learn more, and fell the great spirit that studying the scriptures brings into our lives. That's my challenge to all of you! Study the scriptures in your best hour, then do everything else.

My Little Leprechauns

2009-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

We've been having all kinds of fun lately! I had to make something for the girls on St. Patrick's Day, so they ended up like this:

On St. Patrick's Day Inara and I left to visit Abby in Virginia. Inara did a great on the airplane. Avie is the sweetest little angle. I just loved to cuddle her. She is such a treasure!

Unfortunately I didn't take very many pictures, but here's my Nara at 8 months and Avonelle at 10 weeks. Look at the cute little decorations she's sitting next to in the picture below. That's in Abby's house. She's so good at decorating. Her whole house looks like it's right out of Better Home and Gardens. It's SO pretty.

We were flying stand-by (THANK YOU Lindsay!!!) and didn't make or Sun. night flight, but we got on first thing in the morning Mon. But because of that we had an 8 hour lay-over at the JFK airport. So what is a girl to do? Take the bus to Manhattan and go shopping OF COURSE!

While I was gone I missed Aliah and Spencer like crazy. Aliah loves to get herself dressed and this is what she came up with today. She's my Punk Rock Princess.

It's good to be home and back to normal life. (Not good to be back at school. Yuck.) But I can't wait to see Abby, Joey, and Avonelle again!

P.S. Do you think I'm a horrible mom for letting this happen?

Cora Hadley Green

2009-03-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Jamie had her baby on Monday. What a cutie! And what a beautiful name! This is number 6 for them. Way to go Jamie! You're a super-woman!!

P.S. Did you notice I still have two baby tickers on my side bar?

Favorite Things

2009-03-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

There is little I love more then carrying cuddly sleeping children in from the car.

Give Away!

2009-02-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (Might be a little while.)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. (I will take suggestions though.)
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who respond. The first 5 people to do this and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Feb. 17th

2009-02-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

Our Wedding

1st Anniversary

2nd Anniversary

3rd Anniversary

How lucky am I to have been married to this gorgeous guy for THREE years!!!

The Perfect Job

2009-02-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

I figured out today that the most perfect job in the world would be to sing on Karaoke tapes. Wouldn't that be the best?! Think about it, you would be singing for a living, you would get to sing thousands of songs and all different types, and the best part of all, you don't have to sing in front of a crowd. Someone else is singing over the top of you! Perfection!

My Loves

2009-02-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

My Valentine's Day was full of all of the things I love most.

My kids

My Hubby

My Crafts

(Goodie bags for the girl cousins.)

(Clipies for Aliah's hair.)

(Books for Grandma and whoever. I still have two.)

How was your V-Day?

Scrapbook

2009-02-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

I made this scrapbook for my sister for Christmas because she just had a baby in Jan. (Beautiful Avonelle that you see a few posts down.) I figure that since I'm always trying to get people to come to scrapbook night (every Thurs. at 8:00) maybe if I post some pages people will think I'm okay at it and want to join me. (Shout out to Kristine who's the only person who's ever come.) There's a page for each month of her first year. Minus Dec. because I didn't like how the Christmas page turned out.

1:51

2009-02-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

The time is currently 1:51. Both my girls are sleeping, all 4 of the kids I was babysitting are gone, and I'm sitting down with a bag of Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to read my favorite blogs. Today is good again.

9:22

2009-02-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

The time is currently 9:22. Two time outs, three threats of time out, a blow out diaper, a nearly strangled baby, and spit up on 2/3 of my shirt. I think I've change my mind.

Good Day

2009-02-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

The time is currently 8:37. We're up, we've had pancakes for breakfast, I've done the dishes, and folded two loads of laundry. It's gonna be a good day.

2009-01-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

Avonelle Elsea Warden!!!

Abby had her baby! She's is SO beautiful, don't you think?!! I wish so much that she were here in Utah so I could hold her. Hopefully I'll get to go to Virginia to visit her soon. Good job Abby and Joey, Avonelle is gorgeous!

Way Back When

2009-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't ever missed my hair until I found this picture today. I also didn't realize I still had so much baby weight from Inara. Man I was skinny! Aliah is a year old in this picture, I figure I have six months left to look like this again.

2009-01-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas traditions! We don't have any that are super unique, but I love them just the same. So here's the play by play. Every Christmas Eve we go down to Andy and Melissa's house and stuff ourselves so full with the most delicious food.

We have lots of fun seeing Grandma and Grandpa Behrend because we hardly ever get to.

And of course we act out the Nativity. This was Aliah's first year being in the pagent. She loved dressing up like an angel and going to see baby Jesus.

Then of course the night ends with Christmas PJ's!

Christmas morning was great too. We opened presents then went over to Spencer's mom's to open more presents. Then we met back at my dad's to eat a Christmas Feast, and of course, open more presents! Here's Aliah with all her loot.

(Just to brag about my savvy shoping, we only spent $30 on her!)

I arranged for a talent show in both families. Unfortunately I can't upload any video, but it was really great. We had singing, piano, guitar, flute, cello, and even a saxophone number. I'm so excited to make my family do it again year after year and take credit for this grand new tradition!

We hope everyone's Christmas was Merry and Bright! Ours sure was thanks to great friends and family!

A Fun Couple of Weeks

2008-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun couple of weeks! School's out and I'm LOVING being a stay at home mom! It's going to kill me all over again when school starts back up in Jan. I'm so happy to have been home for all the fun stuff the girls have been doing though! Inara started rolling over, and eating rice cereal. She LOVES it! She's always grabbing the spoon and pulling it into her mouth.

And Aliah has started potty training, again. She's really not any more into it then she was last time. It's just something for her to do if she's in the mood really. (It's nice to have my own cheer leader though for when I go. Each time I flush I get a "Yeah Mommy! Big girl Mommy! Treat Mommy." It's great. And I do always get myself a treat! :)) I realize it's much more work then I'm willing to put into it. But if I don't do it now when I'm home from school, when will I?

The girls also met Santa for the first time. Or course Inara couldn't have cared less, but Aliah didn't want anything to do with him. Well I take that back, she wanted his candy, but wouldn't sit on his lap or talk to him.

The girls are growing up way to fast! And they are having a lot of fun playing together. For all of you out there (and there happen to be a bunch) who are pregnant with your second baby, two really is better then one! Here's a little preview of the great things to come!

Telling secrets. (Sitting in a toy bin. Don't ask, I don't know.)

Watching movies. (I think Inara looks like Steph's baby Sage in this picture.)

And genuinely having a good time doing everything together. It's really easy to get Aliah to do things now because all we have to say is, "Inara is doing it." Works every time. Except once when I wanted to cut the girls nails. Instead of agreeing, Aliah ran away yelling, "Nawa no, hurry, it's owie!"

Oh I love these little treasures!

A First

2008-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Aliah had her first hair cut the other day. I took her with me to the salon when I went to get my hair done for my birthday. She LOVED it. I didn't think she would hold still at all, but she soaked it up and kept saying she was a princess. It was very cute.

She loved the cloak Jenni put on her.

Here's the new Aliah. She doesn't look any differend really, but her mullet is gone now. Jen is sweet she didn't make me pay for Aliah's haircut. We grew up around the corner from eachother and she does my hair every year for my birthday.

Here's me after my haircut. I'm holding 13 inches of hair that I donated to Locks of Love.

The Best Day of my Life

2008-11-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

A little over a year ago I wrote a mass email telling everyone about the best day of my life. It was one lazy afternoon when Aliah was maybe a year old and she was laying on my stomach and we were both laughing our guts out at each other. Do you remember? Well I didn't think anything could top that but today something did. Aliah was dancing and singing around and apparently Inara thought it was the funniest thing in the whole world because she was laughing harder then any of us. It was Inara's first time laughing so it was so fun to hear anyway, but having my two little treasures laughing together was just music to my ears. I'm happy to report I have a new Best Day Ever!

We're Off To See The Wizard

2008-11-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Dorothy

Lion

TinWoman and Scarecrow

Here's my cute family in our Halloween costumes. I love dressing up. Spence and I have already planned next years outfits. I guess some people would say we're out of control. Oh well, I love it!

Spence and I also went to a couples costume party thrown by some friends in our ward, it was a lot of fun. We dressed up as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. This isn't a great picture, because you can't see our outfits very well, and they were the best part. I forgot my camera. :( But at least it's something!

Fall Fun and a Bunch of Pictures (A Power Post)

2008-10-30T21:12:00.001-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today. I've never been before. I didn't really like it, but that was probably because I was by myself. And Inara was crying most of the time. This picture turned out really cute though, and I'm already dreaming up the perfect scrapbook page to compliment it. (Someday I'll post my pages.) Doesn't Aliah's smile in this picture just melt your heart? She's so much fun.

She wanted her picture taken with all of these. She got her head stuck once. It was pretty funny. She didn't care about anything there, not even the animals. Except for the ducks of course. She always likes ducks.

Here Aliah is painting pumpkins with her cousins Tavia and Joanna. I think Joanna looks so pretty. (She's the one looking at the camera.) Her dimples are so cute. (Tavia is adorable too, but you can't really see her face.) Aliah had so much fun. She loves crafts and things that let her work with her hands. Eventually she started eating the paint so we had to make her stop. We'll see if there are any long term effects when she starts school. :)

(Oh funny side story. The other day I was writing a card to someone, a real card with a pen. And I drew a smily face like this. :) Like I was typing. I laughed so hard. We sure live in a technical era huh. I can't even write normal anymore!)

These are the girls Halloween Party outfits. I didn't want their costumes ruined before the big day.

Lets see, what else?

This was kind of funny. We left the girls with Spencer's mom for a couple of hours and forgot diapers, so when I picked them up Inara was in this towel. It's a good thing she wasn't with someone in my generation because they wouldn't have know how to use a cloth diaper. We were so lucky. It made me think about using cloth diapers all the time. It seems a lot more environmentaly friendly, plus I'm sure it's better on the baby's sensitive skin. They still have diaper services right?

My sister Abby and Brother-in-Law Joey were here from Virginia. It was great. We had a baby shower for Abby, and went to the BYU game together. (Go Courgars!)

ALSO...
We made lots and lots of applesauce and various other apple things. It was a good harvest.

Here are my spoils, minus the stuff we already ate, and the other 2/3 that stayed at my sister Sarah's house. We also did peaches and apricots this year.

Here's my unbelievable handsome husband, (seriously he's like a movie star!) with my two beautiful children. I'm the luckiest person in the world.

This last picture is my favorite. What a gorgeous little girl Inara is turning into! Her smile is kind of goofy, but I just had to show it off. It's so big, and when she sees me she always smiles like this. It just melts me. (Like Aliah's smile in the first picture.)

I'll leave you with this little video. We call this freestyle walking.

Being a mom is SO great!