Gone Green

Our family has hopped on board the healthy bus. Have you every heard of Green Smoothies? Well, let me tell you... they are delicious! Niel makes his very own homemade smoothie every morning.
The boys and I use Garden Greens Essential Greens mix. We add a banana and some low-fat yogurt to make it taste just a little better!

Niel's smoothie consist of Kale, Spinich, apples, bananas, and water! Yum!

Do you see these happy faces? They love their morning smoothies!!!! Do you also see their big muscles? I think the greens are helping them grow up big and strong!

It is our secret recipe to a long, healthy life!!!

A Saturday at our house!

Our lives are always so very busy!!! I thought I would give you a play by play of one of our days!

6:45 - Time to get up! Got to get going for the day!


7:30 - Niel heads out with Garrett to get him to his football practice before the game.


8:15 - Me, Conner, Stockton, Megan, Zander and Jerin all jump in the car to head over to Grandma Dean's house. Grandma Dean is going to get Stockton to practice for us because we are all ready busy with Garrett and Conner's games.

9:00 - Arrive at Garrett's football game! Yeah... another blowout. 24/0!


10:30 - Niel heads off with Conner to get him to his practice.

10:45 - Megan and I head off to her house in Provo. She has a Primary Program practice to attend!

11:45 - Arrive at Grandma Deans house to stop for a quick lunch!

12:00 - Conner's football games starts. Niel and Jerin are at Conner's games for support. They even got to play on the BIG new field!! Conner's team has a blow-out 27/0!


12:10 - Stockton's game gets a late start. Me, Zander, Garrett, Grandma and Brynlee are all there to cheer Stockton on. They barely win.... 14/13! Talk about a close call.

1:45 - Head home FAST! We need to get ready for Stockton's birthday party! Grandma Dean takes Zander and Garrett with her to help us out. Grandma Dean takes them to Kanagroo Zoo!! Thanks Mom!

2:30 - Birthday party time!!! All the guest arrive.




2:45 - We load up the kids and head to Boondocks!


3:05 - Arrive at Boondocks and attempt to play! The rain gets in a way a lot. The race track keeps shutting down. So we golf. Then we wait in line again only to have the track shut down a few more times.
5:00 - I leave Niel with all the kids (brave man), and I head to get pizza and drinks.

5:30 - Get back to Boondocks. Eat pizza! Play Games!!

6:00 - Gather all the kids together and head back home.

6:30 - Drop off each kid at their homes.

7:00 - Head over to Grandma's house to pick up Zander and Garrett.... they want to stay abd live with Grandma & Grandpa forever!!!

8:00 - Get back home. Have the kids get ready for bed.

8:30 - Put Zander and Garrett to bed. Make sure Conner, Jerin, and Stockton are settled with a movie.

9:00 - Finally.... some quiet time. Niel and I are exhausted!!! As we veg on the couch, watching some TV, we are just happy we made it through the day with little conflict! Plus, it was a great day!!! We are tired, but we are happy!

What a great life!!!!!

The Big Yellow Slide

Niel and I headed out to SLC for our grand adventure at the Utah State Fair! There are so many things to look at. There are people of all different types, an assortment of booths with just about anything imaginable, and all the junk food you could possible imagine. But my favorite thing to do at the fair is ride the big yellow slide. Wheeeeee!

Here we are at the top....

.....and down we raced!!!! Yes, I am the proud Big Yellow Slide winner!!!

Saturday Fun!

Saturday we get to do the most fun thing..... FOOTBALL!!! Conner, Stockton, and Garrett are all participating in Lone Peak football this year. Can I just say, it is soooo much fun! Seriously, I look forward to watching these games all week. The boys are very dedicated to the sport and spend a lot of time during the week preparing. Each of them has football practice 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. Plus, on game day, they spend an hour before the game getting ramped up. I am so proud of all the word work they are putting into this sport. They are each doing really well this year. Both Conner and Stockton's teams are undefeated 4/0. Garrett's team had a little tough start at the beginning, but they have been going well the past two weeks. They are 2/2!! Each of the boys have their own blogs and are in the process of updating them weekly with their football success.

Go Lone Peak Knights!

My Jewelry Box

For my birthday this past January Stockton gave me a jewelry box. This was a very special homemade gift for several reasons. First off, as most mothers, I love the handmade projects my children make for me. Stockton spent a lot of time preparing this cardboard artistic project. All the glue, tape, markers and construction paper were placed perfectly to make such a priceless piece of art. There is even a top for it. There are two trays... one for my "neklisis" and the other side for my "erering's"!
The second part of this special gift was the fact that I had been asking and looking for a jewelry box for about 2 years. When ever we would go to a new store I would stop at the jewelry counter to glance at the boxes. I could never find one that had everything I wanted or one that was in my price range. The fact Stockton remembered I wanted one so badly.... and the fact he created one to meet my needs, made the gift even that much more special to me.
I have cared and loved this handmade perfect gift for nearly 9 months. Unfortunately the construction paper has been worn to the bone. Water splats are decorating the outside of the box and it is withering away quickly. I decided to go out and purchase a wooden box to place my jewelry in. Mostly because I wanted to savor Stockton's gift before it got ruined far beyond salvaging.
My new box will never hold quit the same meaning. I will keep Stockton's handmade present in a safe place and in my heart forever!!

Lagoon

Most of the family got to go to Lagoon twice this summer. We had a blast both times.

The first time we went with Grandma Dean, Aunt Ang, Arianna and Alayna. What a special treat to have them in town. The day was hot and crowded, but all the thrilling rides were exciting. Stockton tried The Wicked for the first time. He was scared at first but loved it. Another event to remember was Zander's temper tantrum in Pioneer Village. Ok, so maybe I want to forget that one. I think that was the worst temper tantrum he has ever had in public. All because he didn't want to share an ice cream cone with me. Kids! Jerin also got to come with us. Conner and Jerin went on the Tidal Wave 11 times in a row (Crazy)! Arianna went on it once and I doubt we will see her on that ride again, at least not for a while. haha!

The second time we went was with Niel's work. It rained a lot that day but cleared up in mid afternoon. The park was nearly empty and the weather was just perfect with a nice breeze blowing all day. Zander found a new best friend, Gordan!

Once again I took too many pictures. Oh, but so many great memories!!

Stockton's Baptism

Stockton took the big step.... be got baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It sure was a special day. So many friends and family come to support him. I appreciate you all for the support and love you offer to our family! We are very blessed to have incredible examples in our lives!

Stockton wrote some of his thoughts about his baptism. Check out his blog if you would like to read them.

Happy Birthday Grandma J

It is hard to find the words to express the essence of this incredible woman! I believe most of you who know me also know Joyce. I believe you would each agree with me that she is someone pretty special. She is very thoughtful and sincere! She is accepting and makes me feel comfortable! The first time I meet her was on New Years Eve, 2004. She welcomed Zander and I into her cabin and treated us just like we had known each other for ages!! As a grandma she is perfect in every way. The kids look forward to spending time with Grandma J. She goes out of her way to make sure we are all happy. She even has a magic table!! I always know I can count on her to help out.... with anything! She takes the kids to school, supports each of her grandkids with their various interests, and is the best cook on this planet. You will even see her sledding down a steep, snowy hill in the winter or getting in her swim suit and boogie board with rest of us. I just love to have her with us because she makes everything so much fun!! She is also a great friend. She listens, laughs, cries, and comforts. She inspires me to want to be a good person. I often find myself saying, "I want to be like Joyce when I grow up!" She is beautiful and full of life! She is just one of those people who will forever leave her footprints in my life. I love her!

Happy Birthday Grandma J! Thank you for everything!!!