Happy Easter 2009

We celebrated an incredible Easter holiday this year! It has been a while since ALL of my sisters and ALL our kids were in the same place at the same time!!!

We all had a GREAT time together!!

Conner and Megan set up an Easter egg hunt of the younger kids. As you can see.... there were plenty of eggs for everyone.

My beautiful sisters! I love them both so much!!!

It was a divine feast. Niel smoked up some delicious ribs for us all to eat!
(Good thing Niel is a good cook. I don't even know how to bake a ham)!

Mom and Dad! Brooke and Rick!! Ang and Pat!!! What more could I ask for?

Niel and I love food! It was just such a perfect day!!!

More Rockband

I know I post Rockband stuff ALL the time. It is just because it is TOO much fun!!!

Brooke and Rick invited us over for a Rockband Festival! We had drum off (WAY fun!). The ultimate drummer winner was Conner! Way to go Conner!!

Here is Megan and Stocks rocking away!!

Sing your heart out Brooke! G-man is a cray wild drummer and Rick and Conner go wild on the guitar. These guys made an incredible Rock group!!

This was my first time singing. Can't say I am that great, but it was still fun. I had a great group to pick up my slack!!

Thanks Brooke, Rick, and Brynlee for such a great night together!!

I thought this picture was too cute! Zander wrote General Conference on a piece of paper. He sounded out each letter to spell it Zander's way:
Genrol Cfrns

I {Heart} Faces - Kids

The theme this week on I Heart Faces is:

My Friend and I

This was the first picture I thought of. I guess I would have to change the title a little to read... My Friends and I. Arianna, Garrett, and Brynlee are three pea's in a pod! They have such a great time together! This picture was taken at Garrett's fourth birthday party. I hope they can always stay good friends!

I {Heart} Faces - Adult

Niel and Steve.... don't kill me!!

The theme for this week on I Heart Faces is:

My Friend and I

I thought this picture was perfect! While the photo isn't necessarily picture perfect, the picture sure does catch the essence of their friendship.

Steve and Niel have been good friends for longer then I have known Niel. This picture may be goofy - but it is just right! I appreciate the friendship Steve, and his amazing wife Megan, have shown both Niel and I.

Love you guys!

A Great Lesson

Yesterday, Stockton went to a birthday party for a good friend of his. The reason Stockton is good friends with this boy is because I work with his mom. It has been fun to hang out with my friend while Stockton can hang out with his friend.
The party was coming to a close. Stockton was getting his things. He had such a great time! They had played some fun games and Stockton had a great time hanging out with friends! As Stockton and I were getting ready to head out, we noticed my friend (I am leaving out names because she was so embarrassed). She was sitting out on the back porch having a hard time breathing. She was scratching her neck and her eyes were watering. I thought for sure she was going to pass out. There were several other parents and friends there.... all very concerned. Someone call 911 and I could hear the ambulance sirens in a distant, staring to get louder. I knew help was on the way. I felt so bad for my friend. She was in such pain! I wanted to help her so badly, but I also didn't want to get in the way. I could tell she was hurting, but I could also tell she was embarrassed and didn't want to draw attention to herself. I stood inside the house and watched from the window. I could see the paramedics coming to offer her help. Others were standing around to offer support. I felt very concerned and very helpless.

The paramedics gave her a shot in the arm, which seemed to help. After assessing her vitals and getting her breathing back to normal the paramedics took her to the hospital to make sure everything was ok.

As Stockton and I got into the car, we talked a little bit about it. I told Stockton, "I hope she is all right." Stockton said, "Me too!" Then I said, "I wish I could have helped her more. I felt like I didn't help out at all. I felt like I was just in the way."

Then Stockton told me..... "Mom, you are never in the way. I am sure she was glad you were there, even if you couldn't do anything. I like it when you are just there."

We sat in silence for a while. I think I was trying to just hold back the tears. Stockton brought me great comfort and I have been thinking about what he said a lot since then.

I think often in life I like to be in control. I like to be able to fix the situation. Most of the time there isn't anything I can really do. Life can be difficult at times and I feel like I have all the answers. There are things in my relationship with Niel I wish I could take hold of. There are things with the kids I feel like I know what would be best for them. I struggle with those types of situations often. It is hard for me to realize that maybe I just don't need to do anything.... I just need to be there.

It is amazing the lessons I learn from my children. I love those little learning moments. I thought I would write this one down so I didn't forget.

Thanks Stockton!

My friend is all right. Turns out she had a severe allergic reaction to someone perfume or something. She is back home having fun with her son!

Sunny California!

Niel and I had the opportunity to visit four of our favorite people! There was one thing lacking in our visit..... SNOW! I didn't miss it one bit! California was nice, sunny, colorful, inviting, fun and SO enjoyable!


Uncle Pat, Aunt Ang, Arianna and Alayna let us crash at their house for a few days. It was GREAT to see them!!! We miss them so much!

Niel and I were celebrating our 3 years of marriage. We had a delightful time!

We went to the Broadway play, Wicked!

Incredible! It was just as good as everyone told me it was going to be!!

Our driving adventure to the Orpheum Theater was.... well, lets just say we got to see a lot of Northern California. We started on I-87, then went to I101 and then I-237. Then, Nancy Neverlost told us to take I-280, and then 6 miles later she told us to take I-237 to I-880 and I-680. All this driving around got is so confused. We had to stop off at Jack in the Box to fill our bellies before we got even more grumpy. Once our stomachs were happy and full, we gave up on following Nancy Neverlast and took I-84 back to I-101. The 50 minute drive took us nearly two hours.... good thing we left early. We did find a $5 parking lot and it was just 2 blocks away from the theater. We arrived just in time and had an watched an incredible show!

If you haven't seen it yet.... I highly recommed Wicked!

We also got to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. "The Boss" put on a rockin show. My favorite part was all the people watching I got to do. I tell you, there are ALL kinds of people!!
We had a great time!

Smile! We are at a Bruce Springsteen Concert!

Happy Anniversary Niel! We have shared many adventures during the last 3 years!! I love our continual exciting life. You are the perfect one for me to experience life with!!!

I love you! Thanks for a great trip!

Zander is 5?!

It is hard to believe my baby is 5 years old! Where as all the time gone?

We celebrated with some friends and family!!! Zander was SO excited!

All he wanted for his birthday was a new bike. His another one fell apart last year. He rode it in the house, but when we got it outside he grew slightly nervous. Hopefully he will get a little more comfortable.

Our little family is growing up fast and big!

Aunt Brooke, Uncle Rick and Bryn all came to celebrate. Thanks for the fun times!

Rachel and Devin came to celebrate with us! It was great to get to know Devin better. Niel and I both think they are a perfect couple and hope to hang out with them even more. They are tons of fun!!

Karalee and Rob came to celebrate with us too! It has been a while since we have seen them. They have always been so good to Zander!!

What would a party be at out house without Rockband. Everyone took a turn and I think everyone had fun!!

Until next year ...... which will come all to fast!

We Picture - Black and White

I love to take pictures, so I figured "Why not enter a photo contest?"

We Picture is having a {Black and White} themed contest. I absolutely love this picture of Garrett. He is a little - tough guy with a mean - football face. Classic! Hope you enjoy it!!

Pizza Rolls

We found ANOTHER recipe that our family simply loves.... PIZZA ROLLS! This yummy meal is not only tasty, but it is about the most simple, easy recipe to make. It is so simple, Stockton made them all by himself. Stockton loves to cook. He actually spent an hour reading through Singing and Spinning in the Kitchen. This is our favorite recipe blog. I know I posted about this a few days ago.... but it has become a hit in our family. Check it out.... it is a great find!

Happy Toes Give-a-Way

Today is the last day to enter the Happy Toes Give-a-Way posted on my Delightfuldots site. My favorite person, Rachel, is giving away a free pedicure. I think it is a perfect way to start out spring.... so enter!

Baking FUN!

Gman and I made some delicious cookies!!! Garrett is a great cook and it was fun to hang out together. We found an excellent recipe blogsite that has got the entire family talking and looking forward to trying out new recipes. We thought we would share it with you! Click here to find some yummy treats!

Happy Blogging!!!

Green 2009

I Love St. Paddy's Day!!! Every year we sit down together and make clover sugar cookies. Each person helps decorate. Then, we pass them along to our family, friends, co-workers, and teachers. The kids love it! So do I!!

Delicious! Not one cookie alike!

This year we started a new tradition. The kids woke up to a silly, clumsy little leprechaun who had spilled gold nuggets (chocolate candies) all over the house. The kids had fun picking them up and storing them for later.

There is one time during the year that tattoos are allowed in the house (smile). Conner is getting a little too old for the little kid traditions. I had to beg him to put on a tattoo. He was a pretty good sport.

I am so lucky to have four of the finest boys! They sure do brighten up my life!!

The leprechaun left Conner a shirt that had his name on it. It was even spelled correctly.

Garrett and Zander got some green flip-flops!

Green jello is fun to make for St Paddy's Day. Each of us puts in our favorite fruit, let them set up, and then apply tons for whip cream! It is an easy treat and a very fun thing to do with the family!!

Zander is all smiles with his green jello! It was a fun, green day!

It's the little things in life....

I was reading a friends blog and she posted some little things in her life that she enjoys. You know, those simple pleasures. I thought I would share a couple new finds I have learned I cannot live without.

Downy makes this spray that gets the wrinkles out. It is amazing stuff! If anyone asks me what is my least favorite chore to do around the house, my answer would be ironing. I simple do not have the patience nor the time. Often times I would just send the kids, and myself, out the door with a few wrinkles. Not anymore! A couple sprays of this amazing stuff and the wrinkles are gone. Try it! I promise you will be pleasantly surprised!Dippidee is a new pastry shop a friend of mine recommended. AHHHHH! This place is heavenly! I must warn you that if you are dieting, don't continue reading. They have the most delicious desserts, sweets, cakes, cookies, pieces of heaven you will find anywhere. The store is located in Lehi, right next to Costco! Try it! Let me know what you think!!

What are some of your simple treasures?

Basketball 2009

It has been a great Basketball season for us this year! The boys played their hearts out. Niel coached is guts out.... and Zander, me and Megan watched and cheered as loud as we could!

Niel was the coach of Stockton's team this year. Since he was the coach, he let Garrett play a little. Garrett is a wild animal when it comes to basketball! He is the smallest guy on the floor, but super speedy and an excellent dribbler. He can also steal the ball pretty quickly. A comment I got from one of the parents was, "What are you feeding that kid?" It was fun to watch him get a taste of basketball this year. He is looking forward to the time when he gets to play on his very own team!

Stockton learned so much this year! At the beginning of the year he was standing around just begging someone to throw him the ball. By the end of the season he was playing some amazing defense. He learned how to move around the floor and get himself open. He loved to play and we all loved to watch! Niel had a great time coaching!! The kids on the team loved him. He gives much encouragement and praise!! I was proud of him too!!

Conner had another great year! He was lucky enough to get the same coach he had last year! He won most rebounds several weeks in a row. One game he was highest rebounder and most points! Conner is good at listening to his coach. He knows his plays inside and out. He is strong too!! The coach has to remind him he is playing basketball, not football because he can just run right over the other players!

It was an excellent year! Basketball season is over, which means time to get ready for football... all ready!

Gobstopper Science

Megan took 1st place in the Provo School District Science Fair! Yeah Megan! We have a little scientist in the family!!!

Her experiment was about Gobstoppers and if they dissolve is different types of liquid.

To read all about it, click here to go to Megan's blog!

March Goal

It's the beginning of another month... time for a new goal. To recap my goal from last month... well.... I have good news to report. I DID IT! I went an entire month without my precious Dr Pepper. And guess what? I really haven't missed it all that much. I actually decided to eat a lot better this best month. Not only did I not drink sugary drinks, but I did a pretty good job of not eating sugar either. Some of the plus sides... I have been sleeping better at nights. I have felt more energy through out the day, and I shed a few pounds. SWEET! The downside.... well, let's just say going with no sugar, for someone who is addicted to sugar, has been difficult. I have craved sugar like crazy. I even had a few dreams of ice cream, and french fries. And, I have been in a slight irritable mood. But alas, hopefully my sugar intake will be more controlable...haha!

I am really looking forward to my goal this month. Since I work full time out of the home, a lot of my time at home is spent trying to get EVERYTHING in. Often times, I feel I fall short as a mother. Five kids, a husband, work, keeping up a house, and trying to maintain my sanity can be difficult at times. I believe my beautiful kiddos see my impatient side more often then my nurturing side. For March I am going to make BIG efforts to be patient. I am going to be more attentive to their needs and listen. I am going to be a GREAT mom.... not just a good one. Each night I will spend some extra time with one child per night. For instance, tonight Conner and I stayed up past his bedtime and watch American Idol together. Usually, I would make him go to bed and have some time to myself, but tonight we watched, cheered, judged, and even voted together! It was a very fun night!!! I love my children so much and I often take for granted how incredibly blessed I am to have each one of them in my life. I am going to diligently work hard to be a better Mom and spend more quality one-on-one time with each of them.