The Lehi Eagles go 11-1!!!

This is a picture of Zach's basketball team this year.  They played on a leauge at The Flash Factory, and had an awesome season!  They hadn't lost a game all season and made it to the Tournament.  They won their first 2 games which were really close, it was so fun and exciting for them!  They played for the Championship against the Sharp Shooters, and ended up being a close game.  They only lost by 1 pt! They played so hard and deserved to be there! They are a good little team and had alot of fun! Thanks to the coaches who took the time to practice with these guys!

During an intense "time-out" in one of the games!

It's a GIRL!!!

Wow! I feel like I am living in a dream right now!!! We went and had our ultrasound yesterday!!! And.... it's a GIRL!!!  I am in shock!  I went and picked up the kids this morning from school! They were so excited to be able to come with us to my doctor's appt.  We met Morgan there, and Brinley was SOOOOOOO excited she couldn't even hold still! (Before we even found out!) The kids were so cute when they saw the baby on the monitor and saw the cute little face, fingers, toes, etc. And they even got to listen to the heartbeat! They thought that was pretty awesome! She was so cute, she kept putting her feet and hands up to her face! Brinley already thinks she is flexible just like her! :)  So, when the nurse got down to the bum, she had her legs wide open, with NOTHING sticking out! Ha ha!

The nurse announced that it was a girl, and I thought Brinley was going to jump through the roof! I immediately started crying and couldn't hold back the tears! I was so happy for HER! She came over and gave me a hug with a big SMILE on her face! I think she was surprised to see that I was crying... since kids associate crying with sadness.  I told her, it was because I was so happy!  Then I heard a little voice coming from somewhere else... I didn't know who it was.  I looked over, and Boston was curled up in a little ball with his face buried in the chair,  CRYING!  It broke my heart! He wouldn't let anyone touch him, or hold him! He was so sad!

K- I pictured this day going exactly opposite! I thought Brinley would be the one crying, and we would be consoling her for the next 5 months!  When I had my first ultrasound at 12 weeks, the nurse told us (even took a picture of) that she was positive it was a boy! So, Morgan and I have been thinking this whole time that this little baby inside of me was a boy! I was expecting Brinley's world to be crushed today!

After the ultrasound I held Boston and talked with him.  I asked him what he was feeling inside.  He just said he was sad. :(  In the car we talked, and by the time we got to where we were eating lunch he was fine! 

I have to say too, that Zach was SO cute with Brinley, he was so excited for HER! It was so sweet! I was wishing so bad that I had my camera there with us to capture the excitement on the kids faces and the little guy curled up in a ball!  I meant to grab it, but was too excited I forgot! I guess it's just one of those memories I will have in my heart forever! :)

Bow-Tie Chicken & Broccoli

I got this recipe from my sister and made it for my family last week.  They all loved it, and it was fairly easy! :) So, if you are looking for something new to make in the kitchen, try it!

Bow-Tie Chicken & Broccoli

1 c. broccoli chopped

2 c. carrots slices thin

2 T. veg. oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken cubed

2 cloves garlic

1/3 c. green onion (finely chopped) 

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. grated parmesan

12 oz. bow tie pasta (cooked)

2 tomatoes diced

2 T. parsley (dried)

salt, pepper

1/3 c. parmesan freshly grated

Cook broccoli and carrots.  Heat oil in skillet over med/high heat. Add chicken and garlic. Cook 5-10 min. until done.  Add green onions- saute 1 min. Remove from heat. 

White Sauce- Melt butter in saucepan. Blend flour and milk, add to pan.  Cook until thickened stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

In a big bowl combine pasta, chicken and veges, and white sauce. Top with remaining parm. tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper.  Toss and Serve.

sNoW in MaRcH!!!

On Saturday after Zach got done with Baseball practice I took the kids up to Logan to go to my parents house.  I was sick of being at home and needed to get away.  Morgan has been really busy at work, and was busy moving his branch across the street to the Chase branch.  So, we left town! The kids didn't have school on Monday, so I thought it was a good weekend to get away! My brother took the boys to the Aggie game Saturday night, and they had a blast! We got to keep their cute little girl Bailey and Brinley was in heaven having a little sister for the night! On Sunday we hung out and played hookie from church! Me and my mom made dinner and had all my family over.  It was my nephew's birthday and he turned 18! WOW! It was such a fun and relaxing weekend.  Well, Monday morning we woke up to SNOW! Not just a little, this picture was taken at 9:00 in the morning! It didn't stop snowing ALL day long! It was so crazy!  I wasn't about to drive through Sardine canyon with all that snow, so me and the kids decided to stay one more night! Yeah! Pary time! They were so excited to get to stay at grandpa and grandma's longer and be able to see their cousins! And not to mention they got to miss school the next day! On our way home on Tuesday I got to stop at one of my bestest childhood friends house in Brigham City. It was so fun to see her and her cute kids!  I'm so glad that we went up and were able to have a fun weekend! Heaven knows we all needed it! :)

2+2=4

Yup, that's how old my little buddy turned on Sat.! I can't even believe he is 4, and growing up! He is so stinkin cute, and I swear he already acts and talks older since his birthday! (O.K. I'm sure it's just me, but hey!) I don't know why, but Zach and Brinley are always more excited on his birthday than he is...well, in the morning that is. They both can't wait for him to wake up and open his presents! Brinley came down into my room at 6 a.m. and I made her make a little bed on the floor until he woke up. Then Zach comes bee-boppin down at 7:00 and so kindly woke us all up! The funny thing is Morgan was out helping someone move in our ward, and we had to wait until he got back to open presents anyway! His daddy even made him a special birthday breakfast with his favorite things! Normal Pancakes (he doesn't like puff pancakes like my other kids), crunchy bacon, and orange juice. He loved all of his presents, and was so cute when he opened them! So grateful for a 4 year old! :o) Zach hurried and set up his Geo Tracks for him, and then him and Morgan whisked off to basketball practice for a few hours.

I had promised Boston that he could have a friend birthday party this year. He has never had one, and was so excited! I was worried beforehand how I was going to pull it off feeling the way I have been, but thankfully I felt pretty good the few days before and was able to do the things I needed to get ready. I just kept praying the morning of his birthday that I would feel good enough to do his party for him. And miraculously we made it through! His party wasn't until 4:00, and the poor little guy had to wait ALL day long for his friends to get there! ( I didn't even think about that part, Way to go MOM!) His party was so much fun, he loved having everyone there for HIM! We kept it pretty simple, and did some of Boston's favorite things. He LOVES to play games, so we played Musical chairs, Pin the tail on the donkey, Duck duck goose, and everyone's favorite... hitting the pinata! I feel like I didn't get very many pictures of the day, because I was busy videoing (is that a word) the whole thing. Boston chose a baseball pinata and was determined that HE was going to be the one to break it! After all, it is his birthday right? :o) So, he got to be the first one to hit, and then his friend Maddux was next, he busted it open on his second hit! We weren't expecting THAT to happen! :) So, Morgan rigged it up and tied a rope around it, so all the kids could have a turn hitting! They were all so cute, and excited when they candy came out!

Then we went upstairs for pizza, presents, and cookies! It was a fun day, thanks to all who made Boston's birthday special for him! He was worn out by the end of the night, and so was I!

Oh, I have to give an explanation about the UTES shirt! Ever since my brothers and nephews were here watching the Sugar Bowl Boston has been a Ute fan! It is the funniest thing, because my family are all Utes fans, and Morgan grew up liking BYU, and is now the typical Utah Valley BYU fan (even more so since we live here) So, I get a kick out of Boston liking the Utes. My mom was asking what she could get him for his birthday, and I told her if she got him ANYTHING Utes, that he would love it! So, when my sister came over and let him open his present, he went running around the house going crazy because of this shirt! All of his friends were just staring at him...seriously! I wish I would have got it on video, I think it's the only thing I didn't get of the day!

Morgan thought it would be fun to take the family to the Utah v.s. BYU game this Saturday, Boston wants to wear his shirt, I think I may even go get me one! :o)

Enjoy this slideshow of Boston's special day!

4 things I love about my 4 year old!

1. He is funny

2. He is tender

3. He is my buddy!

4. He is nice to everyone!

I love you Buddy!

Fun Pictures!

Here is a little re-cap of our week! Life is good, and I have the best kiddos in the whole world! I feel like I haven't been taking as many pictures of my kids where I haven't been feeling well. And I LOVE taking pictures, so this has been hard for me!

So, here you go, sit back and enjoy! :o)

So, Brinley has been asking me if she could have "side bangs" forever.  I don't like bangs on myself, so I just figured she wouldn't like them.  And have been trying to talk her out of it.

Well, yesterday I told her I would, I don't want to be one of those moms who doesn't let her kids have their own opinions on things... it's not like she was asking me to dye her hair pink or anything like that. But then we didn't ever get to it, and she was so sad.  So, this morning before church, I went down and got my scissors, and we cut them off! She was SO EXCITED! I actually think they look really cute, and think she looks older!  We may end up cutting them a little shorter, but we'll see how this works for awhile! I love you sissy!

The other night, Boston wouldn't let us help him get ready for bed.  He wanted to do it "All by myself" which is a big milestone for him! We usually have to do everything for him! But he did it! He even brushed his teeth all by himself! He was so cute, and so proud!

TA-DA!

Zach was really bugged by his music teacher the other night, seeing how music is his least favorite subject at school, he doesn't really enjoy singing the songs! (Unlike Brinley, I can always tell when she has had music at school, cuz she goes around the house singing the songs all week) So, Zach was trying to explain to us what his teacher is like, she is an older lady, and sounds like she is set in her ways, and has been teaching for a long time.  So, Zach pulled up his shorts as high as he could and just started singing "My Darling Clementine" with his pointer, acting like his teacher! It was hilarious! We were all laughing our heads off! I think he felt better after being able to vent about his teacher for a bit! We all need that once in awhile right? (Zach, I hope you don't kill me for putting these pictures on, you know we all love you, and you make us laugh so hard!)

Zach being goofy!

"Now you listen to me, or else..."

Cute little Boston fell asleep the other night while we were watching "Space Buddies".

Brinley has been sick with a bad cold and stayed home from school on Fri. she made her and Boston a little bed with blankets and pillows on the floor, and got to stay in her pajamas all day! This is the life!

On Thursday I had to take Zach to the dermatologist to get a mole removed that was on his neck.  He thought it was so cool that he didn't even feel anything.  They stuck the needle in to numb him, and that was it! He didn't feel them shaving the mole off with a razor blade! He had one taken off his back too.  He thought it was pretty cool!

While we were there, we had them freeze a wart off his finger that he has had for awhile.  Now this hurt!  The doctor told us that it would get a big blood blister underneath, but to be careful not to pop it.  He has a hard time not picking at it, but loves to show all his friends! They said it can take 1-3 weeks to go away! I am just hoping we don't have to go in for a second treatment!

Brinley LOVES to read! She has made all these little books at school, and we have kept every single one of them.  The day she was home from school, she got out her little box and started reading.  She wanted to read them ALL, but after 2 hrs of reading I told her she needed to take a break, and give her eyes a rest!  I hope she always likes reading this much! :o)

8 Things about ME!

My friend Tiffany tagged me this week, so here goes my first ever "tag blog"

Here are the Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six '8' items
3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 FAVORITE TV SHOWS

1. American Idol
2. The Office
3. Extreme Home Makeover

4. Good Things Utah
 

K, so I don't watch T.V. that much! I know it's pathetic I can't even come up with 8 shows!

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY

1. Took Brinley to the doctor

2. Went to Jamba Juice! So Yummy!

3. Talked on the phone

4. Picked up Zach from school

5. Took Zach to the dermatologist 

6. Ran some errands

7. Went and saw Morgan at work

8. Went to Pizza Factory 

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

1. March 13th We are going to Phoenix to visit and St. George for a baseball tournament!
2. March 27th we get our ultrasound to find out what we are having!
3. April 15 Spring Break!
4. May 29th The LAST day of school!
6. The snow to melt!
7. SUMMERTIME!!! YEAH!
8. This baby to be born in Aug!

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

1. Tepanyaki
2. PF Changs
3. Cafe Rio
4. Olive Garden
5. Gandolfos
6. Pizza Factory
7. Macayos ( a mexican restaurant we loved in Phoenix)
8. Chilis

8 THINGS ON MY WISH-LIST

(Do I have to stop at 8?) Ha Ha!

1. A new house
2. Organization
3. A cleaning lady
4. Someone to cook for me
5. A clean garage
6. A whole night of uninterrupted sleep
7. A healthy baby
8. Some sunshine!

8 PEOPLE I TAG

1. Cody
2. Shannon
3. Jessica M.  
4. Jessica S.
5. Jill
6. Kari
7. Tara
8. Holly

Free Breakfast Anyone?

So, who wouldn't wake up their kids at 6:45 a.m. to take them to Denny's for a free breakfast before school?

Only to get there and see that there is a line out the door?

So, we resort to IHOP instead, because the husband doesn't want to wait.  Where the service wasn't the fastest... this is Zach waiting for his food! :o)

And my cute kids that agreed to get their picture taken at 7:00 a.m.

(notice the tired eyes)

I had to add this picture, Boston wanted to wear this sleeping mask last week, and I went upstairs to see that he had totally fallen asleep with them on! I might have to try those on him more often!

DuE dAtE!!! :o)

So, we went in this morning and had an ultrasound because I was unsure how far along I was... but I guessed pretty dang close!  I am exactly 12 weeks and 4 days! With the baby being due on Aug. 3!  We are so excited!

We get to find out what it is on March 27!  Brinley is of course hoping for a little sister.  She prays every night that it is a girl!

Morgan was able to come in with me, and we took Boston to my friend Jessica's house.  I was just going to take him with us, and she thinks I am crazy, so she always talks me into bringing him to her!

So, I also was able to see my doctor today.  My appt. on Mon. was pretty lame, they didn't even do anything, but I was dehydrated and ended up going to the hospital for another IV.  So, that I was thankful for.  It always makes me feel so much better! I am so thankful for everything I am able to do right now, it is just amazing to me with how my other pregnancies have been!

My doctor says the baby looks great, and is right on with it's growth and measurements, I feel so relieved to know that everything is o.k. I know it is perfectly normal to worry when you are pregnant, but with this one, I have worried an extra lot! I just wanted to be sick when I wasn't so I would know that something was going on inside my body (like a healthy baby was forming) I know I am weird, but I feel a lot better about things now!

The kids are so cute, when I showed Boston the ultrasound pictures, he took one look, and said, "Is that the baby"?  "It looks like an alien"! I just busted up laughing!  After I picked the kids up from school, they just came running to the car wanting to know when we were going to have the baby! Yes, I have been talking about this ultrasound ALL week, I have been pretty excited!  So, when I showed them the pictures, and was showing them the little arms and legs, and little feet, they both just went "OHHHHHHHH".  They thought it was so cool that you could see everything!

We told them they could come to the next ultrasound when we find out what it is! They are very excited!

Well, sorry these last few posts have been about me... I will try to focus on my family more now! Ha ha!

I appreciate all of your concern though, it really does mean a lot to me! I figure this is the easiest way to inform everyone of what is going on with me right now!

I never thought I could do a post without pictures... but I don't know what I could put a picture of??? Me at the doctor???

I did add my pregnancy ticker on the side though, I love that it keeps track of how many weeks I am for me!

Just thought I would share with all of you my exciting news on this happy day! YEAH!

Take Backs!

I take back everything I said about not being sick!!! I didn't have a very good week last week, and ended up in the hospital Friday night to get re-hydrated! It was a great feeling after not being able to eat or drink for 3 days! I pretty much felt like I was going to die on Friday and had to call my friend Jessica to see if she could come get Boston for me. What a sweetheart! She is always there when I need her.  After spending the 2 previous days with me in bed, I figured it wasn't fair to him.  He always has a great time at their house, and their are plenty of kiddos to keep him entertained! She even went and picked up Zach and Brinley after school when I found out I was going to the hospital and took them to her house.  They had a great time as well, thank you so much, it was so nice to not have to worry about them while I was there!

So, I have been feeling great since I came home, I have even been able to EAT!  We decided to take the kids and do something fun on Sat. since we had been home all week.  We had a fun day together! I have the best kids I could ever ask for, they are so good, and Zach and Brinley are such a big help when they get home from school!  I just love 'em!

Friday night we were going to watch a movie, and Zach came downstairs with our box of "home videos" so we popped one in of when he was born and it was so much fun to watch! The kids loved it, and we had to go through each one... we watched them the next morning too, they were getting a kick out of seeing themselves, and kept saying "I wish I could go back to that age". It was so cute!

So, this post goes to my family! They are the greatest! I couldn't go without thanking Morgan for taking care of everything last week while I wasn't feeling good.  Everything from getting the kids dinner, helping with homework, doing baths and bedtime, cleaning the kitchen, and helping pick up... I could go on and on! Thanks honey, I couldn't have done it without you!

Let's just hope that I continue feeling as good as I do now... We'll see what this coming week brings! :o)

Love you guys!

HoLiDaY cAtCh UpS!

I know I have been a slacker in the blogging world! It has been awhile since I posted... Sorry to you faithful readers!

First of all, my dad and brother are doing great and are on the road to recovery!  This surgery is such a miracle, and we feel so blessed that everything went well! As some of you know, 2 days after the surgery my dad had a minor heart attack! Luckily he was in the hospital and they were able to catch it, I'm afraid if he would have been home, that wouldn't have been the case! He didn't feel a thing, and didn't even know he was having one.  When they rushed him down to the Heart Center and did the angiogram, that is when they found out that his main artery was 100% blocked, and he had a huge blood clot!  They were able to put a stint in right then, and needless to say he had to spend a couple of days in ICU which made his stay at the hospital a little longer than anticipated! He and my mom were able to go back home to Logan last Wed.  They were both very happy to get back!  Thank you for your prayers and concern in our behalf!

On a side note... 

Yes, for those of you who haven't heard the news! I am PREGNANT! That would be another reason for my slacking abilities at this time!  I got to take a pregnancy test for the first time in my life! It was so fun!  With my other kids all I had to do was start puking and that was how I found out! But nope, not with this one! I actually got to enjoy the signs of being pregnant (as much as you can enjoy them) Ha ha! I actually wrapped up my test and put it in a box with a poem and had my kids open it up on Christmas Day! It was so much fun! We saved it as the last gift, and they got to open it when they were all done opening all their presents.  Zach came running over to me and gave me a hug, and we both just started crying! It was a tender moment for sure! It is so fun having him be older and have him understand things, and he is so cute to ask me how I am feeling every day!

We had my sister and Morgan's brother (who are both single) with us Christmas morning, it was so much fun to have them here! They are definitely the "fun" aunt and uncle!  I had already told my sister, she was here when I took the test! :o) But, it was fun to have them here and share in our excitement!

I have been very lucky and have felt fairly good for being pregnant, considering how sick I was with my others! For the most part I am just sick sick at night, which I think is a blessing since Morgan is home at that time! I am able to get up in the mornings and help the kids get ready for school, and able to take care of Boston during the day, which is a blessing as well! That is definitely the hardest thing for me being so sick, that I can't take care of my family! I get nauseous at night time, so Morgan has to take on dinner duties, which he always does with a smile! :o)  Anyway, I could go on and on about me... but I won't! I just wanted to share our exciting news with all of you! I go to the doctor on the 26th, and I will find out how far along I am! Which I'm sure you are all dying to know "WHEN"!  So, I will keep you posted!

I know I never posted about the holidays, but I am just going to roll with it instead of trying to catch up at this point! We had a wonderful time with family and it was so nice to have the kids have a break from school for a couple of weeks! We needed a week to recover before they went back to school, it was hard getting back on a schedule of going to bed early and doing homework, reading, piano, etc... after school! The boys start basketball this month and are very excited! 

O.K. I can't handle not posting any pictures... here are a handful from our holidays!!! 

Boston is way into Transformers right now! These are all the ones he got for Christmas, and of course he wanted to dress up as Optimus Prime!

Boston with his toolbox Santa brought him!

Zach with his new bike!

Brinley surprised that she got an American Girl doll from Santa!

The kids dressed up on Christmas Eve, Boston was mad and wanted to be a shepherd!

The kids with their cousins at Temple Square on New Year's Eve! 

We talked my brothers who are BIG UTAH fans to come watch the game at our house! It was alot of fun! I think it was the first time I have ever heard Morgan cheer for Utah! But of course HIS team wasn't playing!

The cute boys after the game!

The boys watching the game!

We took the kids to see Bedtime stories on Christmas Day! We have never been to a movie before on Christmas so we thought we would try it out! The only bad thing was that we had to get out of our pajamas! It was a really funny movie, better than I thought it would be! The kids loved it! This is my sister and Morgan's brother with the kids!

Sorry I kinda went overboard... Thanks for bearing with me!

"Son Donates Kidney to Dad"

Doesn't that just give you chills to even read?  

So many of you have wondered how my dad and brother are doing that I thought I would post a little blurb on the latest...

Yesterday Dec. 30 was the day of the surgery. It really happened this time!

It was a long day for everyone.  My brother and my dad had to be at the hospital at 9:00 a.m. They took Matt back at 11:00 and got him started.  Me, my sister Sonnet, and my brother Ryan headed over to the hospital around 11:30 and were able to see my dad right before they took him back.  He really was in good spirits and didn't seem nervous at all! All he could talk about was how cute his doctor was! (That's just my dad!) So, we all spent the day in the waiting room with my mom and Matt's wife Angie.  There were lots of laughs, and tears while we were waiting.  I'm just glad we could be there with them to pass the time.  My brother Rhett joined us later, and my brother Mike couldn't come until the next day because of work.  The doctors were great about keeping us updated on their conditions.  As soon as we heard that Matt's kidney was out and they were putting it in my dad... we were all just like "WOW this is really happening!  The surgery for Matt took a little bit longer than expected.  He had 2 arteries connected on each end of the kidney (most people only have 1) that made it harder to remove.  We were all anxious during this time to hear how he was doing. Matt's doctor came out and told us he was done and was doing fine, and that he would be in the recovery room for a couple of hours before we could see him.  By 5:30 my dad's doctor came out and said they were DONE and that my dad was doing great, and that we would be able to see him in about an hour.  We decided to leave the hospital for a change of scenery and went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner.  We went back to the hospital and were able to see Matt, but were still waiting on my dad.  We went in his room and visited for a bit, but he was still really sleepy from the anesthesia.  He was able to talk but couldn't keep his eyes open.  It wasn't until this time that I realized what a sacrifice this was for my brother to give his kidney to my dad.  I didn't realize how hard it was going to be on him.  The recovery time for the donor is a lot longer than for the recipient. Once my brother decided to donate his kidney, he never looked back.  Not even after all the tests they had to run on him to make sure he was a match.  I respect him for this decision he made to help prolong my dads life.  

My dad didn't get out of recovery until about 9:30.  He was having a hard time breathing and his blood pressure and oxygen levels were low.  They had to get him to where he was stable before they would let him come up to his room.  The nurse had called and talked to my mom, so we were all anxiously waiting for him to arrive.  They both just kept wanting ice chips, and you couldn't give them fast enough! We were relieved that they were both in their rooms and were through the initial part.  We left the hospital about 11 and called it a night, hoping they could both get some rest!

What a miracle! They are both doing really well today. I just got back from the hospital tonight from seeing them and they are both up and WALKING already! The new kidney in my dad is working wonderful, it is just amazing!  I don't have any pictures, because my brother requested that no pictures would be taken of him!  Oh well, it is the memories that we will have to remember right! 

 This is truly a Christmas we will never forget! It has been so great having the family all together, and spending time together.  That is what it is all about!  We have truly seen the greatest "gift" ever!

Thank you for showing your concern, and pray for a quick recovery for both of them! :o)

I Love You All!!!

Yesterday when I went to the mailbox, I didn't have ONE christmas card! It was the first day in a couple of weeks, that I hadn't gotten at least one!  I was a little sad, but today made up for it!  We were leaving to run some errands today, and I realized I hadn't gotten the mail yet, so as I was pulling out of the driveway I decided to "drive" by my mailbox.  Hence the big snowstorm we had yesterday I wasn't thinking about the big snowbanks on the sides of the roads... we got 12 in. in one day! My kids were in heaven, they were outside playing in it all morning, until I made them come in and get ready for our family party we had that night.  So, I drove up to the mailbox, just like I always do, but didn't even make it that far! I totally got stuck right in front of our house! I felt like an idiot!  After spinning my tires for 15 min. and flipping snow everywhere and getting NOWHERE, my neighbor had to come and TOW me out with his truck!  Yes, I said TOW! He and Zach tried pushing a few times, and he could see I wasn't going anywhere, so he said he would go get his tow rope and be right over! I felt so stupid, but I was so glad he was there to help us!  Would've been a funny picture but...

So, when I finally got my mail (which Zach had to climb through the snowbank to get) and brought it to me, I got 15 Christmas cards today! I was so happy, it was so fun to hear from you all! Me and the kids had so much fun looking at all the pictures, and reading about your lives! So, I had to take a picture of all the envelopes cuz I am a dork!  Thank you for making my day!

Merry Christmas!

7 things I love about my 7 year old!

Today my little girl turned 7! Zach and I went into her room to wake her up and sang Happy Birthday to her! I had blown up balloons last night and put them all over her floor, but after she woke up and saw them Zach decided it would be fun to cover her with them in her bed!
We had church at 9:00 so there was no time for Brinley's favorite birthday breakfast before, so we had it when we got home! They sang to her in Primary and she loved that it was her birthday today! She had waited to open her presents until after church so she would have more time.  Zach could have never done this, you would think it is Christmas morning the day of his birthday, and he is up at 6 ready to open his presents! He has been this way since he was little!

Brinley even let me take pictures of her in her new dress that my mom gave her for her birthday before we opened presents!  She was so cute and thankful after every present she opened she would come over and give Morgan or I a hug and say "thank you".

My kids favorite thing for breakfast is Puff pancakes, and they always choose this, whenever I give them a choice... especially for birthdays!  

Brinley also decided it would be fun to make homemade pizzas for dinner, so at her request I got out my BOSCH and made some pizza dough! I have decided that this is alot of work, and that's why I don't do it very often! But it is so yummy, and if I would do it more, then it wouldn't be such a chore! I felt like I spent all afternoon in the kitchen! So, while the  dough was rising I read Brinley her new books she got for her birthday.  I got her the American Girl Kit series of books, and I loved them just as much as she did! We snuggled on the couch for a good hour and read, it was so fun! 

I talked her into letting me make her a cake this year! She wanted a Littlest Pet Shop cake, so I told her I would buy her the little figurines to put on top, and she was happy! She is my chocolate girl, so we did a chocolate cake with the yummy chocolate frosting recipe that is on the Hershey's cocoa box.  It turned out cute, and was way easy!

My sister came over this afternoon and brought Brinley a scrapbook kit for her birthday, Needless to say she had never done it before because I haven't scrap booked for so long! She loved it! I got out some pictures I had developed and she used some of them, and did about 3 pages by herself! No one even showed her what to do! It was so cute, she was so into it!

After cake and ice cream, and singing Happy Birthday for the 10th time today ( I think we sang to her all day long) we watched Home Alone with the kids! They were laughing their heads off! They had never seen it before, and it had been awhile since I had seen it, it was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid!  

It was a fun day! Thanks for letting us spend the day with you sissy we love you! 

Here are a few more pictures from the day..
I loved this picture of Zach and Brinley!
My sister with the kiddos! And Boston picking his nose! ha ha!
Brinley with her cake!
Zach, Brinley, and Boston

Brinley in her new birthday dress! Thanks Grandma Udy!

7 things I love about my 7 year old!

1. She is beautiful!

2. She is a friend to everybody!

3. She is a good sister to her two brothers!

4. She is goofy (especially when it is time for bed!)

5. She loves school!

6. She likes to clean!

7. She is my princess, and she makes me smile!

I love you Brin! Happy Birthday sis!

Let the Celebration begin!!!

So, Brinley decided last night that we were going to start celebrating her birthday this morning instead of on her real birthday because it is on a Sunday! Pretty smart girl, she knows that she can get 2 days of fun and celebrate all weekend long! :o)

We started by waking up this morning (bright and early) I swear my kids can never wake up for school, but for some reason on the weekend they wake up at 7:30 just fine!  Morgan had to work this morning, so my sister and I took the kids to McDonalds for breakfast and took them to go see BOLT! We had already seen it, but my sister hadn't, so we willingly went and saw it again! SUPER cute movie!  When we came out of the movie at noon there was a blizzard outside! It had been snowing the whole time we were inside the nice warm theatre (yeah right, when is the last time you sat in a WARM theatre?) And it was dang cold outside, the wind was blowing like crazy!  My sister needed to finish her Christmas shopping, so we went our seperate ways.  My friend Jessica and her family were supposed to be moving into their new house this weekend, and since it was snowing, we thought we would stop by and see if they were still going to be able to move their stuff over.  Sure enough, they were moving! I think Jess is so ready to get in her house, she was moving, SNOW or not!  So, the kids ran around while I helped her clean for a bit until Morgan got off work.  Brinley had decided she wanted to go to Jump on It! So, we took the kids this afternoon, and had a blast! I jumped with them the whole time, and man did I get my workout in! I don't think it even phases the kids, but after an hour I was ready to quit!  Then we went to Brinley's favorite place to eat... Tepanaki.  So, yummy! I don't know what she likes better, the food or the entertainment! She has been counting down the days to her birthday just for her special yummy dinner here! They sang Happy Birthday to her, and brought her out some ice cream with chocolate and whip cream, her favorite! She was grinning from ear to ear the whole time! Of course I didn't have my camera with me, so I don't have any pictures from today, but I have the memories, and that's all that matters right?

She wasn't very excited that her birthday was on a Sunday, I think just knowing that we couldn't go out and do anything on that day.  But I think she will enjoy getting to be home, and hey they will get to sing to her in Primary!

I just got done blowing up balloons to put in her room, and wrapping presents, and I am very tired... so I will post some pictures from tomorrow for sure!  I can't believe my little girl is turning 7!

Getting the mail has never been so fun!

K, I feel like a slacker, I haven't even taken the time to blog since Thanksgiving! And here we are almost 2 weeks from Christmas!  I LOVE this time of year! Every day this week I have literally ran to my mailbox to see who is going to send us a Christmas card next! I have gotten at least 2 or 3 every day, so please don't let me down! Keep 'em comin! :o)  It is so much fun to hear from everyone! I didn't get our Christmas stuff out before we left for Arizona for Thanksgiving, so the day after we got home, I made many trips up and down the stairs bringing all my Christmas stuff up! I've decided it is alot of work!  The kids and I put the tree together, well it was mostly Zach! I think he could have put the whole thing together himself!  I will have to add some pictures from Thanksgiving later.  We had a great time!  I was so set on getting my cards out that I opted not to do a letter this year! I have done one ever since I can remember, but I had to let it slide this time! And anyway, with my blog I feel like I have been catching you all up on what has been happening in our lives!

Brinley's birthday is on Sunday, I can't believe my little girl is going to be 7!  I will for sure do a post for that!  Happy hustle and bustle to ya'll!

SuNdAy!

I love the weekends, but I mostly love Sunday because we get to sit around all day just being together doing whatever we want, which means we usually don't have to go anywhere! The only thing I really have to worry about is what to make for dinner, and I usually worry about that on Sat. So I would have to say that on Sundays I don't have to worry about much! I also have a Sunday free calling right now, being in scouts, so that is extra nice too! I just love my kiddos! They do the cutest things! Oh, and my other favorite thing about Sunday is that we are always guaranteed to eat dinner together, which during the week doesn't always happen.  Today at dinner the kids were being so silly! Brinley started by laughing at something and couldn't stop! She had tears running down her face she was laughing so hard! Well this resulted in all of us laughing, we just couldn't help it! It is always good to laugh for no reason at all! Needless to say I didn't get any pictures!

After we got home from church Brinley went upstairs to change, and I couldn't figure out what was taking her so long.  She came down and was so excited for me to come up to her room.  To my surprise, this is what I saw! She had made her bed (without me even asking her to) and put all of her favorite animals on it! What a cutie!

Last week I rearranged the couches in the living room and Boston has been loving playing behind them.  Zach taught him that it's a good hiding spot.  So, after lunch today he ASKED me if he could take a nap back there! I said "Sure you can!" so we got him a blanket and pillow from my bed and within 5 minutes he was asleep! It is unusual for my kids to just fall asleep by themselves, I always have to lay by them... so this was a rarity at our house!

BYU v.s. UTAH

Saturday we went to Morgan's boss's house in Kaysville  for the "BIG" game.  That there is no need to talk about!!! Morgans other friend who is a manager also, lives close by and was there with his family too.  We don't get up there very much, but when we do we always have a great time!  These guys are so good to Morgan, he is lucky to be able to work with such great guys! There were a total of 13 kids, now that's pure entertainment right there! Thanks Skip and Tracy for all the yummy food and for hosting the get together, we had a great time! They really didn't watch the game cuddling on the couch like this! I made them sit together for their picture which they were real happy about!

Cameron, Boston, and Easton

The girls were busy all night writing up their cheers! They were so cute! They would take forever writing them, and then come perform them when they were done! They didn't know which team they were cheering for!

The boys being crazy cheering for BYU!

Brinley eating!

Peace dude!

All the kids...minus the 2 oldest ones! Aren't they so cute?

The 3 princess's! They all are the only girls in their families, with a bunch of boys!