Coach Pitch

Garrett just finished up his baseball season (he posted on his blog). This year he played coach pitch.... he is quit the little baseball player.

In one play.... we got 3 kids out! He is so fast.... faster then most kids. Let me explain the 3 out play. The kid hit the ball... it bounced right to Garrett who was standing between 1st and 2nd base. The kid who was on 1st starting running to 2nd... Garrett tagged him. Then Garrett ran to 1st base and got the hitter out. Then.... we ran directly to home and got the 2nd base runner (who was attempting to run home).

Way to go Garrett! He was an aggressive little player. We had to remind him he was playing baseball and not tackle football. Often times his little feet would be running so fast.... we would run into the players we had trying to tag out!!

It was a great season!!!

Photographer Zander

Zander got hold of my camera. I found a few things interesting.....

1st: Zander has a fun style of photography. Not sure how he was able to capture the moment Rocky licked his lips. When I asked him how he got Rocky to stick out his tongue, Zander responded "I was sharing my popsicle!"

2nd: Who knew Zander could hold the camera and take a picture of himself!?!

3rd: Zander convinced the neighbor to take the picture of him and Ben (friend) in their super suits! I am surprised the neighbor didn't call child services on us. What parent let's their kids wear such attire....haha!!

Wise Guys with a Hangover!

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

On Saturday night, Niel and I laughed and laughed.... and then almost cried. We went to Wise Guys Comedy Club in West Jordan. James Connolly was the stand up comedian for the night. This guy is hilarious!! I personally am not a huge stand up comedian fan just because most of them have such offensive language. But Connolly put on a great show!! Niel and I laughed and laughed!!

The night was still young and the kids were gone. We were feeling so good from all the laughing we figured we might as well keep on going. The movie theater was right next door to the comedy club so we walked on over and bought tickets to The Hangover.

This show was freaking hilarious!!! I am a big fan of Ed Helms and just had to see if he was as funny as in The Office. He had me rolling on the floor with laughter. This movie is on my top 5 funniest movies of all time!! Granted I had been awake since 4:30 that day and it was getting past 10:00 at night, but the movie sure was entertaining!

As the night was coming to a close and my sides were happily hurting from the extremely fun evening, Niel drove over to where my car was suppose to parked. He had met me up near 90th South since my work was right there and I didn't want to drive ALL the way home. As we turned the corner to drop me off we were shocked to find the Trailblazer missing. I guess it wasn't THAT big of a shock since there were signs posted everywhere that read

"NO PARKING!"

It was an expensive lesson learned. A day later and $206 shorter on cash, we were able to get the family vehicle returned to us safe and sound. I am not a big fan of Speedy Towing Company.

Thank goodness we had laughed as much as we did earlier that night. Laughter was the antipote to our stressful situation. It made the pain in our pocket books a lot easier to bare.

REAL - David Archuleta

We decided to try out a REAL soccer game. One big plus to the event was that David Archuleta was preforming!!! Zander is David Archuleta's number one fan!

We met Lisa and family at Mi Ranchito for dinner before hand. It was great to see them!! We switched kids. Megan went with the Lunds and Kevin came with us!! Fun! Fun!!

Zander was SO excited when they announced "David Archuleta"



We all enjoyed the night. Even Garrett got up and was jumping around to the music. Zander was afraid of the fireworks. The weather was slight cold.... with a lot of wind. But the game was entertaining enough! David's concert was just the right length for Zander. He sang 4 songs after the game.

We had a great night!!

Girls Cruise (third day)

It was our day at sea. We spent the entire day being lazy..... sweet! I don't get to be lazy very often. Oh... and I ate a lot too. This is what I had for lunch. French fries, mac and cheese, and potatoes and gravy. I didn't want to kill myself, so I did have a glass of water to wash down my complete carb lunch.

Our cruise was almost perfect. The only not-so-good part was the weather. It was overcast every single day. We tried to spend some time on the deck in the sun, but it was just so cold. We were outside for about 2 hours and then headed back inside.

We had to say good bye to Danny. He was our our waiter from India. He was great! It was sad to say our good-byes!

We had a fabulous, restful day!

Girls Cruise (day two)

The best part of being in a room with no windows is the just that.... there aren't any windows. I love to sleep and just not even care about what time it is. We slept in the second day. Amber wanted frech toast so badly, but we slept right through the good breakfast and had to eat at the buffett. It was still pretty good.

We all got ready to head on to land. Our stop... Catalina Island!

Don't I have the most beautiful sister!!! Not only is Brooke gorgeous, but she is a blast to hang out with!

Pretty Bird!

We spent the day shopping. I had fun looking at all the stores and purchasing gifts to bring back home. It was a very relaxing day. Plenty of fun things to look at. I even bought a winter coat... yes, you read that right. I found a really cute winter coat to wear in the snow.

These guys were super nice to us. They took pictures of us. And not just one picture, but he took two pictures for each camera. That was like 10 pictures or more. They were really funny!

Elegant Night is a favorite of mine. I love to dress up. I have some beautiful girlfriends!



We ended the night with a few hours of dancing! I am not the best dancer, but the rest of our group knew how to shake it!

It was a fabulous day!

Girl's Cruise - 2009 (Day One)

My next adventure was on board the Carnival Elation with the finest women I know!

The Girl's Cruise was extremely fun!! Me, Brooke, Lisa and Amber all met at the airport. We boarded the tiny little plan and headed to San Diego. Once we arrived at San Diego, we picked up Priscilla (Boo-Boo). Both Lisa and Boo were new people I had not met before. Probably my most favorite part of this entire trip was getting to know them both and developing that friendship. The next best thing was spending time with Brooke and Amber! Together, we all had a fabulous time!!!




After a lot of waiting.... we finally got on board! The ship was beautiful!

We were so tired from waking up early and doing all that traveling, we decided to take a nap and get rested for our grand adventure. Me, Brooke, and Lisa shared a cabin and Amber and Boo-boo shared a room.

Dinner was delicious.... as always! My favorite part of each meal was the Melting Chocolate cake. Delicious!


After dinner we went to the late night entertainment show. It happened to be a game show night. I was lucky enough to get chosen from the audience to participate. Unfortunately, I not a smart movie buff. One of the questions was a clip played from the movie Star Wars. Darth Vader was talking and we were suppose to guess who the voice was and from what movie. I was the first one to hit my button. My brilliant answer was Clark Gable from Gone with the Wind.

I wasn't even close! In my defense, Clark Gabel and Darth Vador both have deep voices.

It was a great first day!

L.A.

I have been enjoying my summer vacations the past few weeks. Yep... that is right. I decided to take vacation before summer has officially got here. I guess I should call it spring vacation. Either way... it has been a great couple of weeks.

Niel and I took a quick, spontaneous trip to Los Angeles. It was over the Memorial Day weekend. The weather was slightly chilly. I also learned that everyone else had the same great idea as we did. The parks were crowded! Where do all these people come from?

This is one of the shorter lines we stood in. We went to Magic Mountain and Universal Studios.

I loved Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, big roller coasters, junk food, and spending the day with Niel. The waiting in line was not all that fun. We were at Magic Mountain for 10 hours and only got to ride on 7 rides..... CRAZY!

My favorite day was the last day we were there. We went to the beach and just had a lazy day. We rented a dual tandum bicycle and road around the boardwalk at Santa Monica. This is been on my bucket list so I was overly excited to be actually doing it! We had a great time!

10 Seven Year Old Boys and 1 Girl

It was G-mans turn to have a friend party this year. I tell you what... either I am getting too old or we just have too many boys in a small area for too long of time. It was WILD! Garrett had 9 boys show up for his party and 1 girl, Brynlee. That makes for a lot of noise. Bryn held her ground and dove right in for the fun!

We went to the Legacy Center for Pizza, cake and swimming. It was the perfect place to let the kids run around and be themselves!

Garrett had a great time! He said it was the best birthday party ever.

Not only did the little boys have fun, but Niel jumped right in too and played rough and tough with the kids. It was fun to watch!! I think Bryn ended up winning!

I {Heart} Faces - Blurb Photo Book Contest

Since I missed the i{Heart} faces laughter entry last week. I thought I would enter the contest this week!!

Conner is such a fun big brother! Zander loves to climb up on Conner's shoulders and see the world. It is fun to watch them both grow up.



I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

My Yellow Flower

I found this poem tonight that seemed to fit perfectly about how I feel. Today was the 10 year anniversary of little Jayden leaving this life. I miss her so! We took beautiful yellow flowers to her grave. They were perfect! I remember when I spoke at her funeral I said yellow was my favorite color on her. She was a brilliant light in my life.... my little angel.
I miss you Jaydee!

I find an old photograph
and see your smile.
As I feel your presence anew,
I am filled with warmth
and my heart remembers love.

I read an old card
sent many years ago
during a time of turmoil and confusion.
The soothing words written then
still caress my spirit
and bring me peace.

I remember who you used to be
the laughter we shared
and wonder what you have become.
Where are you now,
Where did you go,
When the body is left behind
and the spirit is released to fly?

Perhaps you are the morning bird
singing joyfully at sunrise,
or the butterfly that dances
so carelessly on the breeze
or the rainbow of colors
that brightens a stormy sky
or the fingers of afternoon mist
delicately reaching over the mountains
or the final few rays of the setting sun
lighting up the skies
edging the clouds with a magical glow.

I miss your being
but I feel your presence,
In whatever form you choose to take,
however you now choose to be.

Your spirit has become for me
a guardian angel on high
guiding, advising, and watching over me.

I remember you.
You are with me
and I am not afraid.

Kirsti A. Dyer

Megz

This just can't be?! Megan is 12!!!

This year I decided to take some updated pictures of each of the kids as they have a birthday. She was a good sport. Megan is growing up to be such a beautiful young woman!

Some of Megan's favorites:

I like to read. My favorite book is - The Wedding Planners Daughter
I am very creative and clever. I signed up for creative writing this next year and I am looking forward to writing some stories!
My favorite color is Purple
My favorite food is Beef Stroganoff
My favorite movie is 13 Going on 30
I got to go to Hawaii this year.... AWESOME!
I have 2 Rats and 1 guinea pig
I am very intelligent and a good friend
I am a great big sister because I have to put up up all my crazy brothers!!

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day was perfect for me this year.... well, almost perfect!

I woke up with a nicely made peanut butter and honey sandwich from Zander. He attempted to make some oatmeal. Zander loves oatmeal. He can make it in the microwave all by himself. This Mother's Day morning we added a little too much water. He didn't think it was right so he scratched the oatmeal breakfast and turned to the second meal he knows how to make.... peanut butter and honey. He did a splendid job.... the sandwich tasted delicious. I just love how thoughtful he is.

The not-so-perfect part of my day was taking Conner to the doctor. Turns out he had severe strep throat. I felt so bad for him. He was in such terrible pain with his throat and so many aches, pains and a fever. We spent most of the morning at the doctor's office and the pharmacy. Doctor Freestone gave Conner a bright pink rose to give me. It is beautiful! Conner is feeling much better!

Stocks made he a very colorful hanger at school. I love it!!! And Garrett used his artistic skills to draw me a lovely picture. I think it looks just like me! I love Mother's Day because it reminds me of how lucky I am to be a Mom to 4 incredible little men!

Niel took me on a very nice date. We ate at Sundance. The food was delicious. The second best thing was the rasberry lemonade. Of course the best part was spending a nice night together. I am very blessed to have such a thoughtful husband!

Niel did another great things for Mother's Day. On Saturday night he took me, my Mom, Brooke and Bryn out to dinner. I love my mom very much and I was so happy she came to dinner with us!! Mom doesn't really like eating out too much. She prefers to eat healthy, so Niel took us to Sweet Tomatoes for a tasty meal. It was so great to spend time with my husband and 2 of the most incredible Mother's I know.

I miss you Joyce, Lisa and Ang! Three other incredible Mother's in my life that I wasn't able to spend the day with.

Happy Mother's Day!!

The Law of the Credit Card

Niel has been competing in Toastmasters for a few months. You might be asking yourself what Toastmaster is? Niel could tell you a lot better then I could. I know he has been practicing speaking for a few months. First, he won the contest within his area club. Then, he won the area district (Utah County), and this past Saturday he won The Division contest!!! He keeps moving right along!

His speech is incredible.... and I am not just saying that! He keeps winning!!

His next speech is on May 30th. I will be out of town and unable to attend. So, if anyone is feeling like spending a day listening to some great speeches.... go cheer him on!

!Cheese!
I was just so happy and proud of him, I couldn't help but smile big!

G-Man

It is amazing to me Garrett is all ready 7 years old. The years have just flown by.

Garrett was a good sport taking pictures. We had a great time together.... enjoying this incredible weather. He is such a handsome young man!

Some of Garrett's favorite things:

My favorite color is Red
My favorite food is Niel's BBQed Tri-Tip
My favorite movie is Wolverine
I love to play baseball
I like to play video games
I love to smile
I tease my little brother all the time
I am smart, strong, and a fast runner
I am a good little cleaner, organizer and I can mow the lawn all by myself