Bear Lake

Me and my mom

Paige and I

MaKady and her cousins roasting starburst & marshmellows.

Me and my sisters Tabi and Mary

My beautiful MaKady and her adventurous spirit. She caught this frog and wanted to take it home, but I told her we could take a picture and then she needed to let the frog go. What a good sport!

More campfire cooking

"Jordan's" Castle


My sister Hannah and her husband Bryce

Jared in the canoe. He is so silly. :>)

Beauty Queen Paige!!

Me and my Dad

We went to Bear Lake with my family last week. We camped at Cottonwood campgrounds and rented a boat. We took turns cooking meals and watching all the kids. It was really great to see all of my family, cousins, aunts, uncles and even my Grandma Elaine. The girls had so much fun playing in the sand and playing in the water. They even went "frogging" and MaKady caught a frog (I didn't let her keep it).

Paige was scared to go on the boat so my sister convinced her that Sponge Bob lives in Bear Lake and it helped her calm down until we got her off the boat. I'm not sure why she is scared of boats, but she said she would try it again next year. We went tubing behind the boat and the highlight of the trip was watching my sister Tabi and my cousin Jacob do a barrel roll off the tube and skip across the water. Those of us in the boat couldn't quit laughing. Tabi said it was fun but she was done with that.

We played games and hung out and learned that roasting starburst is really, really good. I can't wait for next year!!

Pure Talent

We went to the Springville Art Museum on Saturday. The art was incredible. We went to see one piece of art in particular. Our friend Cortney Carter did the above piece of art work. It is a scene of Adam and Eve and it is made entirely out of ripped magazines. It's a giant collage 4' x 7'. He has such amazing talent. For Christmas we had him do a charcoal sketch of Jared's Grandpa who passed away a couple of years ago and we gave it to his Grandma. She hung it proudly in her living room. Cortney is an amazing artist, unbelievably talented. Good Job Cortney!!!

Independence Day

We had a great 4th of July this year. We started out our day by going down to the Nephi City Park where the girls got to play games, which included things like the giant blow up jumping houses and slides, shooting paint balls, skeetball, the train (which is pulled by a 4-wheeler) and of course the good old fishing pond. It's also fun for Jared because he gets to run into people that he grew up with and occasionally I see someone that I went to high school with. It's really like a giant reunion. Later in the day we went to our friends house for a bbq and fireworks. We had 4 boxes of fireworks because everyone brought their own and we spent 2 solid hours watching them. It really was a great day.

Babysitting Bunnies

This past week our friends went out of town and we had the unique opportunity to babysit their rabbits. The girls had so much fun. Paige was a little scared to pick them up at first, but as soon as she got the hang of things she really enjoyed them. The girls were really good at getting up every morning and checking on the rabbits and making sure that they had enough food and water.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Jared. He is 32 today. For his birthday his boss and some friends got together and took him out to lunch, then they went back to one of their houses and they had a giant spiderman cake and party hats and masks for everyone. I laughed so hard when they sent me the picture. Happy Birthday Love...

Mommy Tag

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love you

2. What makes mom happy? Give mom a kiss

3. What makes mom sad? Kicking your sister

4. How does mom make you laugh? saying jokes

5. What was mom like as a child? loved her grandma

6. How old is your mom? 16

7. How tall is your mom? 48 tall

8. What is your mommy's favorite thing to do? play nice

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? go to work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? for choosing the right

11. What is your mom really good at? riding a two wheeler bike

12. What is your mom not very good at? saying the "s" word

13. What does your mom do for her job? work

14. What is your mom's favorite food? spaghetti

15. What makes you proud of your mom? funny jokes

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Dora

17. What do you and your mom do together? go to the park

18. How are you and your mom the same? we got the same skin

19. How are you and your mom different? we aren't wearing the same thing today

20. How do you know your mom loves you? because she gives me hugs

We tag Trinity P., Nathan B., Isaac L., Aubree P., Aspin C.

Pictures

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of my sister's kids over the weekend. It was so much fun. They were really awesome to work with.

Slip-n-slide

We bought this slip-n-slide for the girls a couple of weeks ago. They have used it a ton. It makes me miss my brother and our summers when we were younger.

Poor Jared

You know the old saying "three strikes" well that was how Jared's week was last week. He got hit in the face with a metal pipe thus resulting in his black eye, he smashed his hand at scout camp, and his truck rolled out of our driveway and into the neighbors van. I can only hope that this week will be better. It has been so far, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

"ABC" Tag

ABC's "getting to know you" TAG. Complete the ABC's of you. Then, each player tags 3 people and posts their names, goes to their blogs and leaves a comment letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
A- Attached or single: Attached for many, many years now
B- Best Friend: Shannon, and of course Jared
C-Cake or Pie: Any kind of pie, I do enjoy cake, but I usually scrape off all of the frosting
D-Day: Saturday: I get to spend time with my family and not surfing the internet at work. LOL
E- Essential Item: Chapstick & gum - always
F- Favorite Color: Green
G-Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy bears are the best!!
H-Home town: I don't really have a home town, I have moved way too many times.
I- Indulgences: Magazines & chapstick
J- January or July?: July - 4th of July, Bear Lake, & 24th of July, need I go on??!!!
K-Kids: My beautiful girls, MaKady & Paige
L-Life is incomplete without: Trials, & Triumphs, Chocolate, Family, Friends & Fun
M- Marriage Date: July 28, 2001
N-Number of Siblings: 7 Sisters, 2 Brothers
O- Oranges or Apples: Either one, would prefer strawberries or pears
P- Phobias or Fears: Fear of enclosed spaces, snakes
Q- Quote: You get what you get and you don't throw a fit (sorry it's the first one that came to mind)
R- Reason To Smile: my kids
S- Season: Fall, I love the seasons changing, school starting, not to mention Halloween & Thanksgiving!!
T- Tag Three: Dani, Mary, & Naomi
U- Unknown fact about me: I am addicted to Magazines, you know the celebrity ones, i cannot go to Walmart and not buy one
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Oh I really love a great big juicy steak
W- Worst Habit: I am really opinionated and often have to put my foot in my mouth
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: What kind question is this??
Y-Your favorite food: I Love Food in general, I'm an amateur chef and love trying new things
Z- Zodiac Sign: Virgo - Modest and shy,Meticulous and reliable, Practical and diligent, Intelligent and analytical. On the dark side....Fussy and a worrier, Overcritical and harsh, Perfectionist and conservative- this really does describe me.

Jordan

October 11, 2005 - June 12, 2007

We love you and we miss you.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I have been really tired of the rainy weather lately. For several reasons, but one being the fact that Jared does concrete and if it's raining they can't pour, which means no work. The rain makes me feel really down and just plain grumpy. However, I have been trying hard to come up with some happy feelings towards the weather. Here is my list so far:

1. I don't have to drag a hose out and water the lawn.
2. I don't have to wash my car.
3. Everything is nice and green
4. The weather has stayed nice and mild, instead of the regular summer heat

5. Pictures turn out great when you have an overcast
6. The angels shine down (there is a story behind this one)

A couple of weeks ago I took my girls and my niece to the red barn. It was on a Sunday afternoon so it wasn't open, we went for the sole purpose of being able to take pictures with that beautiful background. Anyway the weather was cloudy, but not raining and every once in a while the sun would find a hole in the clouds and shine down. I was taking pictures of the girls when all of a sudden they all stopped what they were doing and looked at the sky. They just stood there in amazement and I asked them what they were looking at. My niece "Trinity" said, looking at the angels. There's my brother, he's with the angels.

I am always truly amazed at the minds of kids. Instead of seeing a sky full of black clouds and hoping that the sun comes out, they see the miracle and beauty of the moment.

Quiz Time

Now that school is out I'm sure that most of you have seen the commercials for the learning center on T.V. and heard the statistics on information we loose while our minds are "dormant" or not in school. MaKady has been really nervous about the whole thing so on the last day of school she asked for "summer homework" which she has been doing faithfully. Anyway my point is that I have been out of school for a long time now and I found this quiz. I did really well. So I challenge each of you to take it. Good Luck!!

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

Finally Here

My new neice is here. After months of bed rest Julie finally had her baby.

Bailey Talia
7 lbs. 7 oz.
21 inches long
Born on June 2, 2008

Fishing

On Saturday it was finally sunny and warm, and the perfect weekend to kickstart the kids summer vacation. We packed up a cooler with snacks and grabbed our swimsuits and fishing gear and headed out to Yuba Lake. The weather was perfect and the girls had a blast playing in the water and fishing. We caught a ton of fish (all carp) which we caught and released, but Makady had a great time learning how to bait her own hook and Jared taught her how to remove the hook from the fish so that she could put the fish back in the water.

I will spare you the pictures that were taken of me. Due to the lack of sunshine for the last 8 months I temporarily lost my mind and decided that I wouldn't wear any sunscreen because I thought I would get a "little bit" of color. I can assure you that I am sitting very uncomfortably in the loosest clothes I could find and the aloe gel is my very best friend right now. I can only hope that this lobster color of red will fade in a few days and turn into a nice tan. I'm crossing my fingers on that one.

Around the World

This is a fun little map I found that shows the places I've been, and the places I've lived.

Graduation

Friday was Paige's pre-school graduation. It was really a neat thing to watch as my baby stood up there and sang with her peers. I loved watching the serious expression on her face as she sat in her chair on the stage. She didn't wiggle or talk, she knew what she was supposed to be doing and that's exactly what she did.

The older I get the more nostalgic everything else seems to get. I have been very excited for all of MaKady's milestones in life, but because Paige is my baby, every milestone for her is a tear jerker for mom. But I am proud of my girls.

Adoption

Costa Rica - 1982

St. George - 2005

May is a special month for our family. We have many family birthday's, Mother's Day, and also it is the anniversary of the adoption of 3 of my sisters. When I was 2 years old we lived in Costa Rica, there is a 7 1/2 year gap between my sister Tori and I and my parent's wanted to fill that gap. At first they were thinking they would adopt one child, but they fell in love with three beautiful sisters who they knew were meant to be in our family. My sister's Katie, Lucy, and Julie joined our family, and I am so grateful for them. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for them and for all of my family.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Last week I found some cute skirts online, but I just couldn't justify paying $70-$95 each for these things. I decided that I could make them for a lot less. So $15/each and 2 days later the girls finally got to wear their skirts. They turned out great.

The weather was great and the orchards were in full bloom. Perfect for pictures. We had a wonderful weekend.

Lost Tooth

On Thursday morning I sat Paige down at the table so she could eat her breakfast and I went upstairs to finish getting ready for the day. All of a sudden she came running up the stairs and straight into the bathroom. She wanted to brush her teeth (which is odd for her because she hates doing it). I asked her what was wrong and she said she had something in her mouth and it felt like a rock or something. I asked her to let me look at it and the poor little tooth was laying flat. I told her she had a loose tooth. I have never seen anybody get so excited about something like that, but she was dancing and laughing and showing everyone her loose tooth. She kept wiggling it and smiling. By the end of the day it had come out. Very exciting for a little girl, a little bit sad for her mom whose kids are getting big way too fast!!!

Museum of Ancient Life

On Saturday we took the girls to "The Museum of Ancient Life" at Thanksgiving Point. They had a blast. They had a lot of great exhibits, including a couple just for the kids. They got to dig for fossils and they also got to play in the sand and water at the erosion exhibit. Among other things they had a display of a huge sea turtle. Jared and I were standing there looking at the massive skeleton of this turtle and all of a sudden it started moving and we look over and Paige had a hold of one of the bones and she was shaking it. I panicked for just a minute, and then I yelled at her to stop, drawing more attention than necessary to our little miss naughty pants. Luckily she didn't break the thing and overall we had a fabulous time.

HOPE OF AMERICA

MaKady was fortunate enough to participate in the Hope of America program this year along with several thousand other students from across Utah. It was absolutely amazing, and if you get the chance to go next year, I highly recommend it.

For FHE on Monday we took the girls to the park to fly their kites because it was so windy all day, but when we got to the park the wind had stopped so they just played on the swings instead.

Weekly Recipes

I love conference weekend because I get to hang out with my family and cook and relax. Here are a couple of new recipes I made this weekend. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Mexican Chicken Soup

1 can corn - drained

1/2 cup uncooked rice

3 cans chicken broth

1/4 c diced onion

1 small diced tomato

1 1/2 teaspoon cummin

1 c cooked diced chicken

Bring all ingredients to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes until rice is done. Serve with avocado, tortilla chip strips & wedge of lime.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1 c creamy peanut butter

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (thanks mom)

1 c flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Mix first 4 ingredients until creamy. Add egg & vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda & salt in separate bowl then add to peanut butter mixture. Put 1 inch ball of dough on greased cookie sheet, then press with a fork & sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Filling:

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons powdered sugar

When cookies are cool, spread filling on one side, then press 2nd cookie ontop.

*Yes I took these pictures..

I love this picture of the girls. We were at the new city center in St. George and the girls loved playing in the water.

Our Family

We had these pictures taken in St. George a little while ago. It was so nice and warm. I'm hoping for spring weather soon.