BEHOLD, High Adventure 2008!!!

This past week Eric went with the Young Men in our ward on a 4 day adventure. He loved every minute of it!!! I think that he would have stayed another whole week if he could of. The place they went was amazingly beautiful, and they all had some cool adventures. Eric loved being with these boys and the other leaders, and he told me that this group of boys are some of the best he has ever met. He learned a lot from them, but said that they were just super cool! We missed him while he was gone (O.K. maybe not that much because we were all partying) but we were so stoked that he had such an amazing time! Check out some of their cool adventures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

When the Boys Are Away The Girls Will Play!

This past week several of our husbands went on the "high Adventure" trek with the young men in our ward. So my buddy Annie thought that it would be fun for all the moms to get together in her backyard and have a campout! It was so much fun! Between Annie,Liz,Tracy,Natalie and I we had 13 kids camping out. WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! So thanks Annie, for a fun time! Check out some of the cute pictures of our kids!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Grandma Auntie!

My sweet Aunt "Grandma Auntie" came up this past week to spend time with us. She weathered cancelled flights, sickness, and a bump on her head, but she kept smiling the entire time. We all just adore her and were grateful for all the wonderful experiences that we had with her. We were all so touched by her kind spirit, and her amazingly generous heart. She spoiled us so much, (I hate that I have to start doing laundry again, LOL) and it was such a joy to spend time with her. We all miss her terribly, and want her to know that we love her!

Happy Birthday Peanut

Yesterday was my sweet sons birthday! He would have been three years old. Sometimes when I am missing him I try to imagine what he would be like had he been able to live a little longer. Last night we spent some time talking about some of our favorite memories of our little peanut. What a fun experience to think of all the things that made him so special! One of the things that Emee said was that she loved that he always smiled, and laughed at the word "BOTH". Hannah said she loved reading to him on the floor, and having him play with her hair. Eric said that one of his favorite memories of Caleb was hiding in closets with him and jumping out to scare mom, which he totally loved. I think one of my most favorite memories of Caleb was when he and I were alone, and he would just snuggle up to me as close as he could and fall asleep. There are so many things that we loved about our little man, but I think that most of all he taught us how to love. He taught us what it meant to completely forgive, and to look past the things that sometimes cloud our lives, and to enjoy every tiny thing that life has to offer. Peanut made us all strive to be better, and as we talked about him last night, we all felt like we needed to rededicate ourselves to those things that matter, to become more like him so that someday we too will have the joy of being with him again! As I write this I can't help but cry. The neat thing is that I am not crying that gut wrenching cry, you know the kind where you heart feels like it is breaking, but the sweet cry of knowing how blessed we are, and how honored we were to have him in our lives even for a short time. I miss my sweet son, and what a wonderful time it was to celebrate our love for him, so Happy Birthday son, we miss you!!
P.S. If you would like you are welcome to share a thought about my little man, just click on the comment button below this post!

Which Princess Are You?

I just found this little survey online and thought that it was fun! I am not sure about the having common sense and wise part, LOL, but it was fun! So try it out ladies (or gentlemen if you are so inclined) and let me know which one you are! Just click on "Which Princess Are You" and then leave me a message under comments, I can't wait to see which princess you are!


You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Fourth of July EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!

For the fourth of July this year, my cute next door neighbors, Ed and Kelly told us that they have a good 'ole fashioned block party every year. Everybody BBQ's, lights off fireworks and just hangs out.We were so lucky to be a part of it. IT WAS A BLAST! We had the most amazing food, and Ed made snow cones for everyone. All the kids, and Rick Sager, played on a huge blow up water slide in our front yard and loved it! Eric and I were talking about it, and between Ed and Kelly and us, we had about 100 people there! The fireworks were so much fun (especially the illegal ones), and it was so great to spend time with our wonderful family and friends, and to have the chance to meet some new friends! Ed and Kelly sure know how to whoop it up, so thanks guys for a super fun day and for letting us be a part of it! And thank you to all who came and made it so great! It was so much fun hanging out with everyone! My buddy Annie Sager, our amazing photographer extraordinaire, took some fun pictures, so I thought that I would share a few of my favorites!

Emee's Special Day

Well, she did it. My little Emee was baptised yesterday! What a special day!!! I still cry every time I think about it! (Which I am sure is not much of a shock to many of you!~) It has been so neat watching her prepare for such a special ordinance, and to see her perfect little smile when she came out of the water is such a tender memory that I will never forget. We really made sure that this choice was hers and hers alone, and it has been so neat watching her tiny testimony grow. Yesterday she was feeling so sick. Fevers, chills, the works. Eric and I were talking about who we needed to call to cancel, and my sweet little daughter said, "Hold on Mom, let me say a prayer". So she went into the bathroom and prayed by herself, then she came out and said, "Mom, I think that I will be O.K., let's do it". Amazingly her fever stopped, and she was able to get all the way thru her baptism, feeling good. It was crazy but as soon as we got home, her fever started again, and once again she was so sick. What amazing faith my Emee has. I know that my own testimony has been strengthened just by watching her. We love you so much Emee, and are so proud of you of the decision that you have made. What a neat little lady you are.

We also wanted to thank all of our amazing friends and family for their love and support on her special day. We love you all, and feel truly blessed to have you all as a part of our lives! So thanks!

Girls Night Out!

This past weekend, my good buddy Annie Sager invited some of the girls, (Kelli, Kim, Liz, and I) to go up to her cabin in McCall. McCall is AMAZING, it is so beautiful up there! We had a blast! We were celebrating my buddy Kelli Pabst's birthday, and it was all just perfect! We all made a yummy dinner together (shrimp fettuchini,salad and garlic bread, and the world's yummiest ice-cream cake (thanks Annie)) at the cabin,and then we went to an outdoor theatre to see The Rogers' and Hammerstein's version of "Cinderella". We tried to sneak in some sparkling peach juice during the show, but were promptly asked to only use it outside of the theatre. So here's a toast to you my friend, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love ya!

It's Almost Time!!!!

This Saturday my Emee will be getting baptised! She is so excited and we are all so excited for her!! I can hardly believe that she is old enough to get baptised! This past Sunday was her Bishops interview. For those of you who have no idea what that means, basically Emee sits down with our Bishop, by herself, and he asks her questions about Baptism. I think it gives the Bishop an opportunity to be sure she really understands what Baptism is, and the covenants that she will be making with our Father in Heaven. Bishop Kohler was just recently released as our Bishop (which was so sad for all of us, he was such an amazing Bishop and we are sad to see him move on to another calling) and Bishop Ashby was just called. Emee was his very first Baptismal interview. Anyways, Eric took Emee in on Sunday morning for the interview. I stayed home with Hannah, so as soon as Emee got home, I was so excited to hear how it all went, you know, how she felt, what questions he asked her, etc. In typical Emee style, she said, "Mom, I could tell he was REALLY scared, but (and she shrugs her shoulders)so was I so it was O.K." I asked her, "Did he say that he was scared"? And she said, "Nope I could just tell, he was so scared mama". Good thing she was there to help him thru it! LOL!!!!So cute! She really is ready, and it is so special for me to see her own little testimony growing, and the joy she finds in the gospel! I love it. When Hannah was getting ready to get baptised we took her in to get her pictures taken in her special Baptism dress. So today, we did the same for Emee. What a pro, boy. You would have thought she was a little model with all of her poses, and ideas for the pictures! She knew exactly how she wanted it all to go, and they turned out very sweet. Oh before I forget, for those of you planning on going to the baptism, the time has been changed. It was originally supposed to be at 1:30 this Saturday, but it has been changed to 3:30. Sorry about the confusion! Anyways, we are all looking forward to her special day! P.S. I am adding Hannah's baptism picture as well, because I think they both look so cute! There is something so beautiful about being dressed in white, it makes everyone look so ethereal and peaceful!

Braces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today my little Hannah got her braces on. I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT!! It just seems like such a grown up thing to do. She even looks more grownup to me, and she is only 9! I never thought we would put braces on one of our kids so young, but she only got them on her top 6 teeth, and it will really help with all the over crowding that she is having. Needless to say, she did amazing. I was so proud of her! She was so excited that she could hardly stand it!!! She got turquoise and teal rubber bands,(just like her favorite "Older Sister" and babysitter, Alicia Birch) and has been smiling ever since! They took pictures of her teeth from all angles, so I snapped of few of them myself! We added some of her before and after pictures, and of course she lovesssssssssss the freaky open mouth one! Way to go Hannah, you have a perfectly sparkling smile to match your already sparkling personality!

Introducing Hailey!!!

We have the cutest, and sweetest little friend that lives next door to us. Her name is Hailey and she could be my third little daughter. She looks so much like my Hannah, with her red hair, fair skin and blue eyes! She fits in perfectly with our family! In fact I have taken her several places with us and I always get comments on how cute all three of my daughters are!! She is such a smart, witty, and kind little thing, and we just adore her!

Swimming with the Reagles & Munsons! YEAH!

We had a super fun day at our good buddies Ed and Kelli's pool the other day! They are always so kind to us, we just adore them! They are by far the worlds best next door neighbors and friends! They had a special barbecue and swim party with us and our good buddies the Munsons! (who we also just adore) The kids had a blast! All of the kids were trying to outdo each other with their jumping in the pool!!!!

Emee's Special Day!

This weekend we celebrated my little Emee's Birthday! My kids birthdays are my most favorite days of the year! I think that I am usually more excited than they are! I love to remember the moment when we first saw our children, and how instanly in love we are with them. Pretty sappy, I know. My little one turns EIGHT this week, and I can't believe that my baby is that old. I just love this little girl so much and am in constant awe of her. She is so loving and tender, so much fun, and so full of life!!! She started off the day by picking her breakfast, (lemon pudding, bacon and frog eyes), (I know totally vomit inducing, but she loved it)! She then opened all of her presents. Then she picked a family game for us to play. Next we went and saw "Kung Fu Panda", totally cute by the way, and then went to Panda Express for dinner. We had a whole Chinese thing going! Anyways, it was so much fun, and it was the perfect celebration of her. We love you Sass!

Build-A-Bear Magic, Just for you Sass!

Two weeks before Caleb passed away the Doctors sent him home from the hospital and said that it was time to take him home and let him go. We decided that it was really important for my girls to have something very tangible to hold on to and love when he was gone. We decided to take the girls to Build-A-Bear, with Caleb, and build something special just for them, from their brother. We recorded his tender little laugh, and he helped the girls pick out their bears and kissed the tiny hearts before they put them in their bears. While we were there, I of course had a difficult time holding back the tears. The girls were so happy and Caleb just smiled the entire time. While I was crying the manager came over and asked me what was wrong. I explained that we had so little time left with our sweetie, and she told us that Build-A-Bear would love to pay for their bears, as well as the outfits. Apparently there is a program that helps children in times of grief by supplying them with something to hold and cuddle. Needless to say, there is not a day that goes by, even still after a year, that my little ladies don't listen to his laugh, and snuggle their little Caleb bears. I guess the reason that I am telling you this is that their bears have become a very important part of their lives. They never go anywhere without them, and every holiday or birthday their bears received something special. This past weekend we celebrated Emee's birthday because we knew that Eric was going to be in New York the whole week. Emee's bear received some special gifts as well, and she just loved it. She wanted us to take a picture of "Snowy", so here you go little Sass!

Me!

One of my bestest buddies, Annie Sager had this on her blog. I loved the idea so I thought that I would steal it.

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Eric
C-Cake or Pie: Banana Cream Pie, and ALL cakes!!!
D-Day: Favorite Day of the Week: Saturday, I love lazy Saturday mornings with my little family!
E- Essential Item: My kids
F-Favorite Color: Brown, it reminds me of Autumn!
G-Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy bears, the kind in the gold package.
H-Home town: Lake Arrowhead, California
I- Indulgences: Definately pedicures with my girlfriends, and hot baths with a good book!
J- January or July?: I should say July, because of my birthday, but I LOVE WINTER.
K-Kids: Hannah, Emee, Aubrey, and little peanut
L-Life is incomplete without: Eric and my little ladies.
M- Marriage Date: Feb.4,1995
N-Number of Siblings: 1 amazing sister and 2 crazy brothers!
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges, I HATE FRESH APPLES! But I like apples in pies. Big shocker hugh!
P- Phobias or Fears: SNAKES!!
Q- Quote: "I love you"
R- Reason To Smile: I have the best little family!
S- Season: My idea of heaven would be Fall all year round!
T- Tag Four: Misty, Annie
U- Unknown fact about me: I can only roller skate and ice skate backwards. Crazy, I know, but I can go pretty fast!
V- Very Favorite Store: TARGET
W- Worst Habit: Definately biting my nails!
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I hate both, I never get good results..
Y-Your favorite food: Pizza and seafood
Z: Zodiac Sign: Cancer, love the crab

WE ARE BACK!

Well hello to my family and friends, we are back!!!!! We were so lucky to go on an 11 day vacation to Southern California, as a family! It was so amazing, and perfect, and great! We stayed in L.A., saw the Broadway show Wicked, went to the beach for a few days, hung out with Misty and her cute family, and followed it up by hanging out in Carson City, NV. with Eric's family for a few days. It was so great to spend time with everyone, and I loved every second with my sweet little family! Look below to see some of the fun things that we did! I am so excited that the girls are out of school, and that I get to see them all day every day! This is one of my favorite times of the year! P.S. Be sure to check out my cousins POST, they are all so adorable!

So Sweet!

My little Emee NEVER sleeps. She goes strong all day, is up by 6:00 am, NO MATTER what time she goes to sleep. I think that we finally tired her out on this vacation! Is'nt she so sweet! I love how fuzzy and warm my kids are when they are sleeping.