The Chesnut Chat

yes...so overdue yet again.

2010-02-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

yeah, ok so my plan to post often didn't work out so well. sorry. I wanted to do a post but so much has happened since my last post in Sept that catching up seems so daunting. So I will just start fresh. I also know that so many of you already saw these pictures on FB but I'm gonna go ahead and post them again just cause I am having fun now that I have finally learned how to use my scanner to scan my old pictures. So here are just a few of my favorites. Look how much my girls have grown in six years. Goodness where does the time go? This first one is of Camrie, Then Jason, then me. We are all around the same age...so who does Camrie resemble most?
I am sure that now that I know how to scan that my posts will be more often, and possibly more interesting.

I am sooooooo overdue...

2009-09-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

I am sure most of my blog followers have long given up on me....and I wouldn't blame them. I truly have slacked these past 3 months. But I have set a new goal to update once a week now. There has been so much going on lately that there is no way for me to catch up so i will start with the most recent and work my way backwards. Last week I went to California with my good friends Kera and Angie. Kera went for a HS friends wedding and so Angie and I tagged along. It was so neat to see San Francisco in all it's splendor. We flew into Oakland Saturday morning and went to Keras parents house to put our luggage away and get freshened up. Then Angie and I braved the city all by ourselves. We rode the rapid transit system into the city and then took a cab to pier 33 to walk around and enjoy the sites. We walked around pier 39 and fisherman's wharf, walked around the cute little shops, had lunch and then went on a ferry to Alcatraz island for the tour. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It was really quite interesting. After we got back, we intended on walking around and then getting on the cable car for a ride into china town and then back to the rapid transit station to head back home...however that is not exactly what happened. We got on what we THOUGHT was the cable car. It wasn't...it was the commuter car. BIG DIFFERENCE!!! As we realized that we were not going in the direction we should have been we were discussing the possibility of getting off and finding another way of getting to the station. Right then...and I do mean RIGHT then the cable on the car snapped and our car stopped. The driver told everyone to get off and find another means of transport. Well the Lord was certainly looking out for us because we had stopped literally 2 blocks away from our original station. It was scary to think of being lost and trying to find our way back not having a clue where we were...and oh yeah, we had a baby with us as well. So we got back to Pleasant Hill safe and sound. The next day Keras parents were kind enough to take us on the tour of the city. We went across the golden gate bridge, went through China town, went down Lombard street (the crookedest street) went to get a chocolate sundae at Gheridellis (sp?)drove through the financial district, golden gate park and then had lunch at the beach. It was quite chilly and the waves were big and daunting. After lunch we drove through Castro district (gay community) That was quite the experience. Quite different from little Spanish Fork. There was a guy out in the middle of the sidewalk in jeans and headphones doing a full on pole dance for everyone passing by. It was so hilarious. I got a few pictures but nothing does it justice. On Monday we went to the Oakland Temple which is beautiful, and then to lunch a a popular creamery. Then we had to get to the airport to head home. It wasn't a very long trip but it was very fun to go with such great friends and see some amazing sights. Thanks gals.

Camping at Fish Lake

2009-06-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

We took our annual family camping trip to Fish Lake last week. We usually go in June because it's nice weather and it starts our summer off right. This year thanks to the unusual amount of rain we have been getting it was colder then usual. The first day we got there at 3:00 in the afternoon it was 67 degrees which was perfect. We played softball, went on a walk roasted hot dogs and ended the night with some good hot cocoa to warm our tummy's. We went to bed in the trailer without the heater because of some short with the wiring (oh goody) and woke up to the sound of rain hitting the trailer roof. Even though I love the sound of rain I was worried about getting stuck inside the trailer all day due to wet weather. it would have an occasional 10 minute break where we could get out a little bit. We took a drive to a different lake because you cant fish from the shore at Fish Lake because of the horrible moss. Jason, Kaycee and Haley all tried to get some bites while Sydney, Camrie, Powder and I played in the water down the shore a bit. Powder wore himself out swimming out to get the sticks we threw into the lake. Even though it was still raining that evening we enjoyed a delicious dutch oven dinner. Of course on the day we had to pack up and leave the weather was sunny and beautiful. We got to play for a few hours and then headed home. We really love spending time up in the mountains and we LOVE Fish Lake.

Fun times in Parowan

2009-06-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I took the girls down to Parowan to spend a week with my mom and dad. I do this every summer and it worked out great since Jason had to be gone anyway to Wisconsin for work. I loved spending time down there. I love the comfort of being in my parents house and the memories it creates for me. My mom is such a great grandma, always taking time to do specieal things with my girls whether that is making cookies with them or sewing with them. Kaycee made a darling skirt this time. My dad is pretty great too, taking them out for pizza, rootbeer and then frozen yogurt. This trip was especially fun because I got to spend time with two of my very best friends from high school. They came over for lunch one day and the kids all got along so well and played outside and let us girls talk and laugh about our old high school days. Look at all of those girls. Of our combined 12 kids there is only ONE boy and he is the baby.

It was so fun to spend time down there. My younger sister and her family came over once for a make over day (so fun) and once for dinner out on my parents deck. I loved sitting out on the deck and listening to and smelling the rain. Such a joy to feel the comforts of "going home" The girls roasting marshmellows (leaves) over their campfire (weeds)

Chesnut Family Reunion at Little Creek Ranch.

2009-05-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

This years reunion was soooo much fun. We went to a huge cabin up the canyon from my hometown. This is the 3rd time doing it and the kids have loved it every year. It is always so enjoyable to be with family members and the kids loved being able to spend the whole weekend with their cousins. We missed having mom and dad there but feel sure that they are enjoying their time in Texas.

It's been waaaaay to long

2009-05-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have seriously neglected my poor blog lately...but it is May. My absolute craziest month of the year...even worse then December. With school coming to a close it seems like everything else is too. Dance, gymnastics, Hershey track meets, school programs, softball, volleyball, Ahhhhhhhhh How am I supposed to keep up? So I will just post some fun pix of some things we have enjoyed lately.

A night of Baseball is a great activity for F.H.E. when the weather is so beautiful you just can't stay inside. It's also great to enjoy a picnic in the sunshine.

Now just some random pictures. This was crazy day at school. This was our "spring" breakWe took the girls up to Cabellas for a fun activity. They loved looking at all the animals. Crazy kids LOL

OUCH!!!!!

2009-03-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Note to self: If your going to kick your dog for scrounging in the trash...don't wind up your leg to far...and try not to connect with his leg bone.

(yes I realize it's not attractive---deal with it)

Camrie Quips

2009-02-24T16:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening the girls were in doing the dishes (as they always do on Sundays ) and before long we could hear them start to bicker with each other. 2 seconds later Camrie comes into the living room and before she could even start talking Jason said "Camrie, if you are in here to tattle, then I don't want to hear it"

Camrie looked at him very decidedly, narrowed her eyes and said "then plug your ears"

That kid can make me laugh like none other

I just LOVE my silly girls

2009-02-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything new to blog about but I am way over due for an update so I will do one anyway. The other night we had my bro-in-law over for dinner and afterwords he wanted to play the wii with the girls. Kaycee has a ninja game that she loves to play so he decided to have a battle with her. He did end up beating her (just barely) and he beat Haley at it too. When it was Sydney's turn to take him on,.....she KICKED HIS TRASH at the game and he didn't even mean to let her win. It was hilarious to watch. Just goes to show you cant be to cocky with kids because when you end up eating crow, it's pretty dry and tough to swallow...good job Sydney.

This scary world we live in.

2009-01-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

I had an experience the other day that left me extremely sad and a little bit paranoid. I go to Camrie's kindergarten class once a month to be a parent helper. I was there last week and right in the middle of doing our project the principle comes over the intercom and says "this is a safety drill" At first I am thinking fire drill...or possibly earthquake drill?

OH NO

This was a safety drill in case a SHOOTER was in the school. The teacher had to lock the door from the inside and get all of the kids away from the door and windows. They had to sit there quietly for about 10 minutes while all the rooms were checked to see if they did it correctly.

I was almost in tears to think of my sweet little innocent children having to be told why they had to practice this drill. Why do they need to know that there are people in this world who want to kill you for no reason. How do I keep them safe and preserve what little naivety they have?

What is this world coming to?

Christmas is here again...well it WAS here again

2008-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was a wonderful experience...again. I absolutely love Christmas time. We always do a big Christmas eve dinner and party over at the UVU institute (Jason's mom worked there so she is still able to reserve it) which is a good thing because nobody house is big enough for our big group. We have a wonderful turkey and ham dinner, play lots of games, have a talent show with all the grand kids, eat lots of sugary treats, exchange gifts with siblings, exchange gifts with grand kids and have a white elephant gift exchange. I certainly learned my lesson to keep th gifts decent since last year my 16 year old nephew ended up with the Santa teddy that I brought...yeah nice hu? After coming home, the girls open up their gifts from each other and their pajamas. They all sleep together in the bedroom upstairs.

Christmas morning started at 7:00. I guess they woke up at 6:00 but stayed in their bedroom for an hour playing...what great kids hu? They were SOOOO excited to find that Santa had left them a wii this year, but I think their daddy was secretly the most excited. It is so funny to watch them do the boxing and tennis and Camrie is quite the little bowler. She rolled 4 strikes and 5 spares in one game.

Jason and I decided that our gift to each other would be a pass to the indoor tennis court and tennis gear. I have always thought it looked fun and we wanted something that we could do together. We still haven't had a chance to go but tomorrow is the big day. I'm pretty sure I will be so stinkin' sore because just playing tennis on the wii made my arm so the next day...I know...I'm pretty pathetic. I also got a juicer to help in my quest to lost weight and be healthy. I have actually really enjoyed getting up in the morning and making me some new concoction. I tried to make my own version of V8 but it turned out so incredibly nasty. I will stick to fruits thank you very much.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a happy new year

Here's to 2009

Half way to 70.....UGGG!

2008-12-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

Isn't that a pleasant way to put it? So yes I just had a birthday and yes I am now 35. I truly remember when 35 sounded so old, and now it soooooo doesn't. I had a great birthday. My girls gave me the movie Napoleon Dynamite which is one of my favorites and season 1 of "the office" which is my favorite tv show. My very sweet husband gave me a day of pampering at the spa...exactly what every girl wants! I can not wait to go get my hot stone massage!

We were headed to Provo for dinner that night but the storm was so nasty I didn't want to be on the freeway so we did the next best thing and went for Pasta and Salad which was what I was craving anyway. Thank you to my sweet husband and girls for making my birthday a wonderful day. I love you all to pieces!

Haley's Beautiful Quilt

2008-12-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a few of these cute pictures of Haley making her quilt with her grandma. Jason's mom has a really cool tradition that when the girls turn 10 she has them go shopping with her to pick out material for a quilt and then they spend a few evenings making it together. Haley had so much fun having one on one time with grandma and she is so proud of her beautiful quilt.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We were in Parowan and 5 of the 7 kids were there with their families, including my little sister who came home all the way from Chicago to be here. My mom knew there was NO way that we were all going to fit in her living room for dinner so she had the brilliant idea of turning their big garage into a giant "family room". It was perfect! My dad insulated the walls and put plastic on the ceiling so that the heat would not escape. Then they hung a bunch of my moms beautiful handmade quilts on the walls to make it cozy. They got some carpet to lay down on the cement and then brought in some great propane heaters so that is was toasty warm. Add some wonderful lights, some plants, and 3 big tables with plenty of room for everyone and it became the room everyone wanted to hang out in. When we got there Wed. night we had a "pig dinner" Remember from my last post about how my mom always made dinner fun. Well this is another example. My dad made her a bunch of pig troves out of plywood and then covered them in foil. The object of dinner is to keep your hands behind your back and eat...well...like a pig. Sounds immature and gross, I know, but it keeps everyone laughing.

Thanksgiving morning started off with the "turkey bowl". My parents have a huge field next to them so they had the perfect place to show their "manliness" to us wives. Jasons team won of course (Go baby) but the whole day was wonderful and the evening after the meal was spent playing lots of games and laughing our heads off. One of the things my family does well is the pie fest. This year I believe we had 13 or 14 different pies. It makes choosing very difficult.

Friday was our annual Christmas tree hunt in the mountains followed by my moms fabulous homemade cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. I love that my family has so many wonderful traditions. We have been doing this since I was very young and I have always loved it. It is a little harder with tiny kids but that is when you should be creating fun memories right?

Saturday all 5 siblings and spouses went to Cedar City to watch Twilight. It is always so much fun to spend time with family and this was a blast. Even though it was not my favorite movie (by a long shot) it was so memorable because of the company. I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that it kicked off a great Holiday Season for you!!!

Funny Family Home Evening

2008-11-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, I remember my mom doing a lot of things to keep dinner fun. Whether it was going out to the gap and roasting hot dogs on the WRONG rake (my dad didn't come out until later and only then did he realize that the rake she brought was the one he had used earlier that afternoon to spread fertilizer in the garden...,..OOOPS!!!!), or going up to the Yankee and all of us squishing back into the car to eat cause it's too cold outside, and being called a bunch of "pantywaists" by my dad, and then all of us unable to stop laughing so dad had to say the blessing on the food, and then HE starts laughing in the middle of saying the blessing. Ahh good times...good times.

Another of my favorite dinners was what she called good sport dinners. We would always have these when there were getting to be a lot of leftovers in the refrigerator so she would heat up a bunch of different left overs and put them on plates (each plate having something different on it) then she would cover the plate with a bowl so you couldn't see what it was. Then each plate was numbered and we would draw numbers and have to eat the corresponding plate number and be a GOOD SPORT about it. I remember being realllllly bummed sometimes with what I got, and other times feeling pretty lucky, although not TOO lucky because the really good dinners never had any leftovers--logically!

But probably my favorite of the fun dinners was "try to eat spaghetti with this" night. She would chose her hardest utensils in the kitchen and we would have to try to eat spaghetti with it. There are some really funny pix of us growing up doing this but since I am an idiot and don't know how to scan and use old pictures, you will just have to trust me on this one. I did however take plenty of good pictures of doing it the other night. It was fun and the kids really enjoyed doing it. I think this is one tradition that will go on in my little family.

Sorry about the double pix of me (even though it's sooooo attractive). for some reason it posted twice and I couldn't figure out how to delete it.

Chicago baby!!!!

2008-11-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

I had the great privilege of experiencing Chicago last week. Jason had to go out there to attend a packaging show for work and asked me to come along with him. His wonderful parents were gracious enough to take our kids from Sunday morning until Friday evening...what would I do without amazing in-laws.

It was an experience I will always remember. When we got there on Sunday night we drove out to my sisters in Rolling Meadows for dinner with her family and my other sister and her family. (they live in Cary). It was very fun to sit and visit with everyone and play with the nephews. When we got to our hotel to check in, we were somewhat dismayed to find that it was not a great hotel and it was in a somewhat questionable area. Our room was on the 3rd floor and oh yea...THE FLIPPEN ELEVATOR WAS BROKEN! So we cart all of our stuff up to our room which had a double...not queen, double bed that is very very uncomfortable. Our TV was so small that both Jason and I burst out laughing when we saw it. The next morning we had the horrendous smell of cigarette smoke coming through the vent in our bathroom cause we were next a smokers room....of course!

On Monday I had planned on having Jason take me to the L-train station downtown and I would take the train out to Valerie's. I was quite nervous about getting mugged...or lost...or both. Jason was worried as well so he decided to drive me out to Valerie's before he headed of to his show. We drove out to Darla's for lunch and another visit. When Jason was done with his show and meetings, he came back out to Valerie's for another dinner and Family Home Evening. When we got back to our hotel that night we were heading towards the stairs when the "hotel handyman" told us that he had the elevator working so we could ride up to our floor with him. He said that had been having problems with the hydraulics but they had fixed them. At almost the exact moment he said that, the elevator stopped. I can get claustrophobic at times so I was trying to keep it together and not start freaking out. He said "well I guess we didn't quite get it fixed' and starts JUMPING UP AND DOWN. At this point I'm thinking "KNOCK IT OFF YOU IDIOT!". Well since the jumping didn't work, he used his key to turn off some things in the breaker box which made the lights dim. Again, trying not to freak out. So finally he says, "well lets just hope we are close enough to your floor for you to climb out" I looked at him like...You have GOT to be kidding me...but NOPE he wasn't. He pries the door open and about 5 feet up is our floor. So yeah, we got to climb out of the elevator onto our floor. It was definitely an experience I will 'treasure' always. Needless to say we didn't take the elevator again for the remainder of the trip.

On Tuesday Jason had to go back to the show but this time I went along and read down in a lobby. Driving to the McCormick arena (where the show was) was quite an eye opener. Jason wanted to show me what south side of Chicago was really like. We drove down Archer Ave. which is well know for it's ummm...how shall I say this as politely as possible...scariness! There were bars on ALL the windows and some business that had me chuckling. There was one sign that said " DUI troubles?...Real Estate needs? call Paul Powlusky. I was thinking wow a lawyer of all trades. One other thing that cracked me up was you would see Medical emergency rooms that were in little strip malls, sandwiched between, Li's nails and Aurthur's Pancake house. I guess when you get shot, you can get fixed up, get a manicure and some hot cakes without having to take your car out of park. Kinda funny!

After he was done, we drove around downtown for a bit and headed out for some famous Chicago stuffed pizza. It was really good but I could only finish one piece.

Wednesday was by far my favorite day. After Jason was done with his meeting, we got ready and headed down to walk Michigan Ave. Of course it had to rain the ENTIRE trip we were there. I would never want to live in the hustle and bustle of Chicago but it was a fun place to visit. We were walking around and decided to stop for lunch. The restaurant we were in had a table of a bunch of missionaries, and sitting right in the middle of them was the mission president who is from Spanish Fork and who Jason knows quite well. What a small world hu? After we did a bit more shopping (which by the way, Old Navy out there ROCKS, it is 3 stories high and has the best stuff) we found a great little place to eat dinner and then we got to fulfill one of my dreams...to see the musical "WICKED". I have been dying to see it for sooooo long and it was everything I thought it would be. Just absolutely fabulous. The Theatre was amazing and our seats were really great. I would love to see it again, and again and again. Even Jason says he would see it again (which is his way of saying he liked it alot).

Thursday was more meetings and then more sight seeing with a wonderful dinner at an amazing steakhouse. I absolutely loved getting to enjoy my dinner without having to prepare 4 little plates first. One thing I had to mention, is that for some reason, Chicago LIVES on Dunkin' Donuts. There is one on about every other corner...and that is not an exaggeration. They are EVERYWHERE! It got to the point where every time I pointed one out I would burst out laughing.

Friday was pretty much just spent at the airport or in the plane. It was so good to come home and find all is well with everyone, and with a darn cute welcome home sign and lots of balloons. Thanks girls xoxo

All in all, a very very fun trip.

Political giggle

2008-11-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

Today Sydney came home from school in a panic.

Sydney--"Mom did you go and vote yet"

Me--"Not yet but I'm going in a few minutes"

Sydney--"Please please PLEASE don't vote for the one with black skin, what's his name?"
(at this point I was a little worried that my 8 yr old might be racist)

Me--"Do you mean Obama?"

Sydney--"Yes, cause my friend says if he wins...he will make us go to school on SATURDAY!

Oh the horror...actually I can imagine how horrific that would be for an 8 yr old.

No--THIS is scarey!!!!

2008-11-04T14:15:00.001-08:00

Kaycee and Haley's face say it all-----YIKES!!!!

Ooooooohhhhh....scarey!!!!

2008-10-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Halloween is allways anticipated in our house by 4 excited little girls. I kind of spaced it off this year and didn't start getting costumes ready until the day we were to go trick or treating down main street (last Saturday) Angie really saved my butt and let me borrow 2 of her costumes...THANKS ANGIE!

I really like that Spanish Fork has that tradition. All of the buisnesses on main street sit out if front of their store and hand out candy to thousands of little grabby hands. We have done it every year that we have lived (10 yrs---holy cow), and my kids love it. Usually by the end my patience has about had it. I thought the girls costumes all turned out pretty dang cute!

We will be doing trunk-or-treating in our church parking lot so that means less walking for everyone...yeah!

Kaycee's idea of a "death spirit".....oookay?

Have you ever seen such a pretty "spider queen"

Okay this picture just makes me giggle......"AAAARRRRGGGG Matey!" I have flying monkeys....DON'T make me use them!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!!

Thank you...thank you very much

Pumpkin Carving Fun!!!

2008-10-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last night for Family Home Evening we did our annual pumpkin carving night. Sydney for some reason has some funky fascination with cleaning out pumpkins. After she stripped her pumpkin of EVERY seed, she moved onto Haley's. Haley can't clean pumpkins because when she has done it before she gets huge hives all up and down her arms. They each picked a face and then Daddy cut it out for them. Of course they wouldn't be satisfied until we had put a candle in to see them glowing. I hope they haven't caved in on themselves by Halloween night. Good thing we have pictures to remember them by just in case.

We ended the night with Carmel Apples and Egg Nog...yummy! I love fun Family Home Evenings.

Jason doesn't think I look hot as a "dude" Do you?

2008-10-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

So it was time for Halloween theme Bunko tonight. I was a bit stressed because I had no idea what I was going to dress up as because I never do. I finally decided on a "white trash guy ". I found me a mullet wig and tattoo arm bands. Add dark eyebrows and a 5:oo shadow and I was ALMOST done. My sweet and innocent 12 year old suggested the cigarette and beer bottle (it was from our homemade root beer kit). I thought the final affect was pretty funny. When I went outside to take pictures in the back yard, I came through the fence and Powder (who was in his kennel) FREAKED OUT! He was jumping and barking up a storm until I got close and talked to him and reassure him that it was only me. It was pretty funny.

In the end it was all worth it because I won "best costume" at Bunko. Everyone looked so funny. My camera was just about to die so I only got a few shots. If you want to see everyones costumes you will have to go to Angies or Nikkis blog as soon as they get them posted. It was so much fun.

Thanks Jaime for hosting it and thanks gals for the wonderful laughs. Cant wait until next year.

Want a free purse?

2008-10-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

Love handbags and purses as much as me? Go here and sign up to try to win a free one.

http://www.handbagplanet.com/

i aM nOt ReaDy

2008-10-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Kaycee went to her first Jr high dance yesterday...Jason about had a panic attack!

I am SOOOO not ready to be the parent of a teenage daughter going to dances yet. Am I really that old? HoLy cRoW!!!!!

Just had to share

2008-10-09T15:28:00.001-07:00

Ok it may seem like I share more stories about Camrie then my other kids but I really don't mean to. She seems to have a mind that works like no other and keeps me laughing all the time. I just had to share this sweet story about her. 2 weekends ago I was down in St. George and Jason was at home with the girls. He (being the great dad that he is) wanted to do something fun and memorable with the girls on Saturday afternoon, so they headed up the mountains to do a little fishing. He only had one pole and so he would bait the hook and throw it out and since the fish were biting often, each girl got to take a turn reeling one it. Well I guess this wasn't enough for Camrie, she wanted her OWN fishing pole. So she went and found a stick and asked Jason to tie some of his fishing line on it. He did it ( to amuse her and to get her off his back), put some power bait on the hook, and she threw it out...about 2 feet...into the weeds surrounding the shoreline. She went off to play but every so often she would come back to check if she had a fish. After a while of not having a fish she told Jason, "I'm going to say a prayer so that I can catch a fish" She then proceeded to fold her little arms and mouth a quiet prayer. Jason just kind of chuckled and thought it was cute.
About an hour later when it was time to go they were preparing to leave and Jason told Camrie to bring her line in (all 2 feet of it). As she was pulling it in she said "see dad, Heavenly Father helped me catch a fish" He looked and...sure enough on the end of Camries line was A FISH!!! She didn't seem surprised at all. She knew that Heavenly Father would help her catch a fish. I wrote that down in my journal so she will always remember that experience.

Oh to have the perfect faith of a little child, what this world would be like.

Soft-ball and soccer season is finally OVER!

2008-10-05T18:52:00.001-07:00

Ok I will be the first one to admit that I do enjoy watching Jason play softball and also my kids games. BUT...this year Kaycee, Haley and Sydney all wanted to play soccer. Haley and Syd ended up on the same team so that condensed it a little bit but not enough. Their soccer games were on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kaycee's games were on Wednesdays and Fridays. Add on to that Sydney's gymnastics and Haley and Camries dance class all on Tuesdays and I was pert near about to pull my hair out. Now keep in mind that Jason was playing softball on 2 separate co-ed teams which played on Mondays and Thursdays and then on the Big-o team that played on Wednesdays. Yeah can you see why I am so FREAKIN' glad that both seasons have come to an end. I do have to brag a little about my awesome (and dang hot) hubby. He hit so many home runs this year it became the usual. Also his big-o team ended up winning the championship. All 3 of the girls did so great in soccer. It is so funny to watch little Sydney out there on the field. She usually played defender (guarding the goalie) so every time the ball started heading her way her little feet just couldn't keep still. She actually scored a goal on her last game. It was awesome. Kaycee was really happy with her team this year because they played very aggressively. She hopes she can be on the same team next year. Haley did great to...but again...I'm SO glad it's over.

2008-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ORDINARY life,

Love gives us a FAIRYTALE!!!

When I was a senior in high school I came home for lunch one day and found a letter for me from someone by the name of "Elder Chesnut". I had no idea who this was, but it was not an uncommon thing at the time. My friend had left on a mission about 6 months before and was having quite a few different companions write letters to me. I have never professed to be a good letter writer and so I didn't write back to any of them (including this Elder Chesnut in KY, Yes I know how bratty that sounds but...whatever). After reading the letter I realized that Elder Chesnut was not connected to my friend at all. His friend (who was on a mission in AZ at the time) had been writing back and forth with my older sister. She had sent a picture of her and I to this Elder, who had then sent that picture to Elder Chesnut with a note that said "This is the girl I am writing to and this is her little sister Paige. You should write to her" I thought that this was pretty neat, but again...not a good letter writer.

Jump ahead about a year and a half, I was living in Provo going to school and working at the same Chinese restaurant as my sister. One day while she was working (and I wasn't) in comes 2 guys she has never met. One of them was the guy she had been writing to (they had a mutual friend who had set them up to write) and the other was his friend Jason. After talking to them for a while she invites them to come to her house that night for a birthday party for her roommate. Then she calls my mom and says "I just met the guy that Paige is going to marry" My mom said "Well why don't YOU marry him" LOL!

So I went to Michelle's house that night but I was in a bad mood. I don't really remember why. When Jason and Mike showed up, I came out to meet them, then went back in the bedroom. So at this point Jason was thinking that I was quite the brat. After almost everyone had left I came out and Jason and Mike were still there. We started talking and his great sense of humor had me laughing in no time. From that moment on we talked every day. We hung out as friends for a while and started dating after about a month. We dated for 4 months before we got engaged, and then on September 30 1994 we were married for time and all eternity in the Manti temple.

I cant imagine how empty my life would have been without my best friend who makes me laugh on a regular basis and is the very best husband in the world. Every year honestly just gets better and better. He is the absolute best father. His girls adore him and his wife thinks he's dang HOT!!!

Thank you for 14 WONDERFUL years sweetie. I love you soooo much.

Another Birthday Tribute

2008-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

My kids birthdays are spaced about every 3 months so it feels like I have been doing these birthday tributes often.

So Saturday the 20th was Haley's 10th birthday. I was thinking back to her birth and it had me chuckling for my poor moms sake. I had invited my mom to be there for her birth but she lives almost 3 hours away so we wanted to make sure we gave her enough time to get there. 3 days before Haley was born, I started to have contractions that were pretty regular for about 2 hours. I thought "ok this is it" and I called my mom to let her know. She dropped everything and headed up, so OF COURSE the contractions stopped.
She stayed there waiting with me for 3 days with the hope that my labor would begin again. The downfall is that this was at the peak of her canning season and she had corn and beans in her garden at home that needed to be put up before they went bad, so Saturday morning she left to head home and get the things canned. Saturday afternoon I was at Albertsons. I reached up for something on the top shelf and felt...leaking. I thought "I sure hope that wasn't my bladder. It happened a few more times pretty quickly so I was sure it wasn't just my inability to control myself. I went home to tell Jason and we headed to the hospital to make sure it was my water that had ruptured.
When we got to the hospital we were walking down the hall toward maternity when Haley moved around and whatever hole she had been pressing down on to only leave me with a small trickle...suddenly became a HUGE gush of water...right on the floor with some teenage kid standing right next to me. He jumps back with this disgusted look on his face. At that point they checked me in and we called my mom again. Mind you she had only left that morning to drive the 3 hours home and this was around 3 pm. So she hopped in the car and headed back up AGAIN! Luckily she had had enough time to can all the beans and corn. Haley was born at 12:20 a.m. weighing in at 6lbs 8oz. She had no hair but the sweetest disposition ever. She was such an easy baby so in tribute to my sweet 10 year old girl, here is the 10 things that I love best about her.

1. She has a very soft heart and is so willing to help me when she notices that I am getting a bit to stressed out. She is always offering to help in the kitchen. If only I could get her to want to do that in her other chores as well :-)

2. She is going to be a phenomenal mother someday. She has loved being with babies and little kids for as long as I can remember. She is so good with kids that they just naturally go to her. She already has a little babysitting gig 3 days a week and she absolutely loves it.

3. She is very responsible with school. I never have to worry about her not getting something done or handed in. She does her homework at school so she never really has to bring anything home. She is very bright and excells at academics. She is doing both math and spelling that is beyond her grade level and it comes naturally to her. She sure didn't get that from her mother.

4. She is an excellent big sister. She is good about keeping her 2 younger sisters included in whatever she is doing. Every night after family prayer she takes them upstairs and reads them stories and tucks them into bed. She has kind of taken over what is generally a mothers role there.

5. She has a wonderful sense of humor. She is silly and fun to be around. She has the funniest yuk yuk laugh. I love when Jason gets her laughing because then I get to laugh at her laugh.

6. She loves animals. I think she takes after her 2 aunts. She loves animals and animals love her. Powder wont even consider sleeping in anyone elses room but hers. She has a hamster that she takes really great care of. I think that goes back to her tender heart.

7. She is confident in who she is. I am so glad that she has had her braces to straiten out her teeth, but even before she had them put on, she never complained about her crooked teeth. She was happy just being her.

8. She is so well behaved at church. Jason is her primary teacher and I have also subbed for her class and she is reverent and answers the questions. She is diligent about reading her scriptures and saying her personal prayers. She tries hard to be a good girl.

9. She can be extremely bull headed. This isn't always something that I love but I think it could help her in the future. If she puts her mind to something, nothing anyone does can sway her and that could really be to her benefit if it's developed in the right way. Good luck to me hu?

10. She isn't shy about showing her affection to her mom. She is still so willing to let me hug and kiss all over her and she doesn't act all embarrassed. She is such a fun and happy person to be around and we are so grateful for the 10 wonderful years we have had. Happy Birthday Sweet Haley. We love you!

Camrie quips

2008-09-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

So lately my youngest has thrown me for a loop a few times. After reading this you might question my parenting skills but with some kids (meaning Camrie) you just NEVER know what is going to come out of their mouths:

Camrie was laying on couch and Kaycee came over and jokingly laid on top of her and started tickling her. Camrie laughed and played along for a second then all of the sudden looked surprised and with big eye's said "Kaycee...you have boobies!" Nice hu?

The other night she was asking me a bunch of questions and I was kind of half listening. She said "so where is that place that has a stage where you take off all your clothes...is that called...college?" ummmmm....I was absolutely shocked because I have NO idea where she would learn about something like that. Certainly not on PBS which is pretty much the only thing she watches. Jason and I are starting to really worry about this little one of ours.

Yesterday I was getting her ready for school. I had a cute little black tunic shirt for her to wear and she wanted her hair in a ponytail so I topped it off with a black ribbon. She also had black sandals on. She looks at herself in the mirror and goes "Geez I guess I'm turning Gothic" What the...I didn't even know she knew what Gothic was.

I'm quite sad that the innocence of a 5 year old is a bit lost on her. Any ideas on how to get it back?

Family Reunion in Torrey

2008-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

This labor day we spent the weekend down in Torrey for the Chesnut Family Reunion. It is always so much fun for everyone. The kids LOVE having all that time with their cousins and of course the adults love to have time so sit and chat as well. Most of the kids free time was spent in the pool or doing little craft projects.On Saturday evening we were going to do dutch oven dinner so of course it rained all afternoon and into the evening. We were pretty worried that the wet ground would make it impossible to get our coals hot but Rick saved the day (and dinner) by providing a dutch oven table to cook on. Rob did bbq smoked chicken that was so tasty it's hard to describe, Jason and Rick both did dutch oven cheesy potatoes, I did baked beans and Rick and Lorrie did peach cobbler. Add to that 2 scrumptious salads and you've got yourself quite the meal. On Sunday afternoon we headed down to Fruita for some play time. We were in one of the orchards helping ourselves to some apples and pears (none of which were ripe enough to eat) when this buck walks in casually as you please. It was neat to see it so close up. Camrie was a little unsure at first but then decided she was going to "sneak up" on it. She did get about 3 feet away from it. Monday was hard because we had to pack up and say goodbye to our house in Torrey. It is the house that Jason's dad grew up in and his grandma lived in until 5 years ago when she needed to come up here and live in assisted living. His parents and all the kids pitched in and purchased the house and land so that it would stay in the family. For a variety of reasons, the time has come that we needed to sell it. It was very hard on all of Jason's family because they have so many memories of Torrey and that house. It is hard on the girls to because they are just creating memories. Luckily we will still get to do family reunions down there because the hotel we stay in is next to the house. It will just be hard looking over there and realizing it now belongs to someone else. It was a hard but very fun reunion.

Camrie and her Daddy--"napping buddies"

2008-08-28T11:59:00.001-07:00

Just too darn cute not to post.

7 Peaks trip

2008-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Every year for the past 4 years we have had the tradition of going to 7 peaks the day before school starts. Kind of a...last hurrah of summer. This year was a lot of fun because Camrie was big enough to be in the lazy river without a floaty and also big enough to want to try other things like the little slides and the wave pool. My girls love 7 peaks so much that we may consider doing a summer pass next year. One thing that I found particularly enjoyable was my sweet 12 year old. I was very aware of other girls there that were Kaycee's age. Most of them were in skimpy little bikinis and giggling and watching the boys. My awesome 12 year old was in the pools being a "mermaid" or a "killer whale" with her little sisters. Boys were the absolute furthest thing from her mind. I know it won't always be like this but...man I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Back Tracking a little bit...

2008-08-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

About a week before school started I went down to spend a few days in my awesome hometown of Parowan with my parents so that I could get my "fix" ( I need that every once in a while) and also because my kids had not been down to grandma and grandpa's since March. My oldest sister from Chicago was there with her 2 boys and we also took Kaycee's best friend Julie with us so it was a very full house. On Wednesday we went on a hike up to Hidden Haven. Anyone who has gone to Parowan Elementary knows about Hidden Haven. It was a fun hike and the girls absolutely loved it. Then the next day we spent the day at Parowan Pool. I didn't get any pictures but it is funny to me that the pool has not changed AT ALL since I was a little kid. The mermaid mural is still painted on the cement back wall...however it is fading now. Since I didn't take pix at the Parowan pool I thought I would include some cute ones of the girls at Spanish Fork pool during swim lessons in July. Then on Thursday my sister and I took the kids over to Bryce Canyon. I worked there for 2 summers and it is amazing how many memories hit me when I went back. I had not been to Bryce for about 6 yrs. I forgot how utterly beautiful it is. We didn't take the kids down into the canyon on a hike because they were all complaining about the heat which wasn't even that bad, and also because my dads STUPID dog had chewed up Camries shoes that morning and so she only had on a pair of croc's and was not up to hiking in those. They also had a fun time in "old Bryce town" taking funny pictures in the jail and all. The girls slept out on my parents deck under the stars every night. I remember how much fun I had doing that as a kid. I love, love, LOVE to be down in Parowan!!!!!!!

SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Man I am becoming as bad as my sister on the new post stalling. (j/k Michelle-don't hurt me) I have been busy with...oh who am I kidding, I have been trying to get through Breaking Dawn...and having a hard time of it. This one is dragging for me. Anywho I am sitting up in my room--my very quiet room--being so thankful that school is back in. Not that I don't love my kids to pieces...but after 3 months of non-stop chattering and bickering and begging for snacks and looking for something to do, I'm kinda ready for some down time. Kaycee started school on Tue because she is now in 7th grade and they wanted the 7th graders to go a day earlier then the bigger (aka-meaner) kids so that they could get their barrings a little bit. I am such a paranoid mother worrying that she will find all her class rooms ok and worrying that she can open the combination on her locker ok and worrying that she might get picked on or teased by some stupid popular "valley girl" and worrying about..........you get the picture? She really liked her first day and was ready for today when she would be there with the bigger kids. When the bus picked her up on Tue, she looked so lonely in that big ol' bus, seeing as how she was the ONLY kid on the whole darn thing.

Haley and Sydney started school yesterday and both were so excited. Haley was lucky enough to get the "coolest" teacher in elementary school. Mr B is so popular because everything in his class is tied to Harry Potter and because he throws mini-marshmallows at you and lets you eat treats and chew gum in his class. I would have wanted him too in 4th grade. Sydney has a really great teacher and one of her very best friends in the class with her. I sure hope she enjoys this year. She is my one that is always struggling a little bit with school. She seems to have a hard time staying focused on anything for a long period of time. Jason says he was like that too so maybe she inherited that...thanks babe! (j/k honey--don't hurt me)

Camrie is going in to take her kindergarten assessment test today. I am not worried about her at all. She is a very smart kid. She not only knows all her letters going into kindergarten (which Sydney did not) but she is reading pretty well also. She can sound out any word given enough time. She still likes to have me be with her all the time but i don't think she will have a hard time adjusting to being away from me at school for 3 hours a day. She has 3 very good friends in her class so I know she is excited about that. I can't believe that I am at the stage where all of my kids are in school. This was a long time coming and I am so looking forward to some quiet me time everyday.

Maybe I will eventually get through Breaking Dawn.

Sydney's Baptism

2008-08-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Sydney was baptised last Saturday and it was wonderful. The person filling up the font was not yet used to doing it and instead of setting the temp at 104 they accidentaly set it at 140. When I walked by the font I felt the hot steam and so I leaned down to feel the water. It was EXTREMELY hot. So I asked them to put some cold water in to cool it down a bit. I had no idea that you can't add cold or hot water, you just set the temp and the one spigot comes out of the water heater so there was nothing they could do. They didn't even have any ice in the freezer to put in it. When It was her turn to go down in, it took her about 5 minutes to go down the steps and get used to the water. Jason said that his legs were burning being in the water and Sydney is so short that the water came up to her chest. When Jason put her under, I felt such happiness but so sorry for poor Sydney. When she came up the stairs I wrapped her in a towel and said "well how do you feel" Sydney said "well.....I'm not cold!" When I took off her jumpsuit to get her changed, her body from chest down was bright red. The words "baptism by fire" came to mind. She looked so beautiful in her little white dress and the service was really beautiful. Chalise gave a wonderful talk on the Holy Ghost and she and Ammon, Nick (Michelle's husband) and I sang a song. I am so proud of Sydney for making this choice. Afterwords, we went down to Canyon View Park for a luncheon. It was really nice weather and so enjoyable to sit and eat yummy salads and visit with family. All in all a wonderful day and I want to thank everyone who came and contributed. I have the best Family and In-laws ever.

Finally a new post

2008-08-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

OK so I am way...no make that WWWAAAYYYYYY overdue for a new post. We have had a busy few weeks. We went down to spend a "last hurrah" weekend in Torrey before it is sold. We went down with Jason's sister and her family. Our kids are the same ages and are the best of friends so being able to spend a whole weekend together with their cousins is a dream come true for them. It was a lot of fun. On one of the days we went down to Fruita which is right at the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. We had a picnic and played in the water and Frisbee. The red rock in the background is so gorgeous. The kids have so much fun down there and I love that the same things that Jason loved about it when he was a little kid are the same things that our girls will have memories of as well. We really love being in Torrey and will miss it when the house sells but...such is life.

Time for another baptism!

2008-07-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Sydney had a big birthday last week. She turned 8 yrs old. She is so excited to be getting baptised next Saturday. On her birthday I was telling her how her birth happened and it got me thinking back and remembering all of my girls births. Sydney's definitely was swiftest. I keep telling her she was just so anxious to come down and join our family because I went into labor 10 days early. By the time we got to the hospital at 8:00 a.m. I was in full labor and couldn't even walk into the hospital so they came out with a wheel chair and got me up to labor and delivery. She was born 12 minutes later weighing in at 6 lbs 4 oz. She was so tiny. The doctor took a look at her and said "If she was a fish, I would throw her back." She was such a beautiful little baby. I am so glad that she is part of our family. She has the funnest personality. So in tribute to her 8th birthday I am going to list the 8 things I love best about her.

1. She keeps Jason and I in stitches with all of her funny little spurts of chatter.

2. She is usually pretty patient with her little sister and is willing to let her tag along...sometimes.

3. She amazes me sometimes with her understanding of choosing the right. We had a F.H.E. a month ago and I asked them questions about what they would do in certain situations and her answers not only astounded me (in a good way) but put a lump in my throat with how sweet she is always trying to be.

4. She has a personality that can light up any room that she walks into. She smiles all the time and her funny little giggle just makes my heart melt.

5. She is very thoughtful of her friends. She is always willing to let them choose what to play or what character to be. She never wants anyone to feel sad or left out.

6. She is always giving her mom and dad a big squeeze and telling us how much she loves us. I know that will change as she gets older, but I don't want it to.

7. She is a good eater. No matter what I make for dinner, I can pretty much plan on her eating 2 or 3 helpings of it. It makes me feel like my time in the kitchen was well spent. I have also come to the conclusion that her food is metabolizing as she is chewing it. She can out-eat me any day and still is the size of a bird.

8. She is just such a fun person to be around. She is so happy and has such a funny sense of humor. She is very loving and and all around great kid.

Happy Birthday sweet Sydney. We love you very much!

Just for fun!

2008-07-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

I have seen this posted on a few other blogs, but after leaving a post with Angie Clayson, I decided that I too would see what people have to say. I just hope that you are all nice. LOL

Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice please! ;)

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.Come on all my blog followers... I want to post something about you, let's see this on your blog!!!

Blog Tagged

2008-07-13T23:46:00.001-07:00

The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.

1. Closet

2. Laundry room 3. Fridge

4. Kitchen Sink

5. Favorite room

6. What your kids are doing right now (Kaycee is at girls camp, girls are making a mess)

7. Toilet

8. Favorite shoes

9. Self Portrait

10. this one is supposed to be your dream vacation, I still don't have my Hawaii pictures on the computer so I couldn't do that. I would love to go back to the islands again!!!

Now I tag...Angie, Diana, Marilee, Lindsey and Becky's (both) Have fun girls :-)

All about my Mom!

2008-07-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

All 4 of my girls were tagged to do this quiz on me so here are their answers.

Kaycee's answers:

What is something your mom always says to you? I Love you
What makes mom happy? CD's (okay?)
What makes mom sad? When we don't eat dinner
How does your mom make you laugh? Being silly
What was your mom like as a child? Loved to read
How old is your mom? 35
How tall is you mom? 5 ft. 1 inch (thank you I'm 5'7")
What is you moms favorite thing to do? Read, play volleyball and play with family
What does your mom do when your not around? I'm not there to see
If your mom becomes famous what will it be for? Acting
What is your mom really good at? Volleyball
What is your mom not really good at? Soccer LOL (sad but true)
What does your mom do for her job? Night Patrol (pretty close)
What is your moms favorite food? Tomatoes. She eats anything. (thanks kid)
What makes you proud of your mom? She is high spirited (?)
If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be? Lady Tsunade from Naruto
What do you and your mom do together? Talk and go places
How are you and your mom the same? We love to read alot.
How are you and your mom different? I don't like make-up
How do you know your mom loves you? She shows it and says it all the time?

Haley's answers:
What is something your mom always says to you? Go take Powder out to potty
What makes your mom happy? When we are good
What makes your mom sad? When we are bad
How does your mom make you laugh? When she makes funny faces
What was your mom like as a child? Cute (you betcha')
How old is your mom? 35 (ouch not for another 6 months)
How tall is your mom? As tall as two couches on top of each other (not sure how to take that)
What is your moms favorite thing to do? Watch movies with the family
What does your mom do when your not around? Read
If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Cooking
What is your mom really good at? Drawing (uh that would be a NO)
What is your mom not really good at? Carving pumpkins. ( I leave that to daddy and take pix)
What does your mom do for her job? Watch other kids (again kinda close)
What is your moms favorite food? Tomato sandwiches (yum that does sound good right now)
If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be? Minnie Mouse
What do you and your mom do together? We play card games together
How are you and your mom the same? We both never leave the house without our smile (oh cute)
How are you and your mom different? We like different kinds of music
How do you know that your mom loves you? Because I love her

Sydney's answers:

What is something your mom always says to you? Be reverent on Sunday
What makes your mom happy? Cleaning (especially when the girls do it)
What makes your mom sad? Being mean to each other
How does your mom make you laugh? Tickling me
What was your mom like as a child? She cried whenever someone brushed her hair
How old is your mom? 25 (that's more like it)
How tall is your mom? 70 inches
What is your moms favorite thing to do? Cook
What does your mom do when your not around? She does dishes
If your mom became famous, what would it be for? Dancing
What is your mom really good at? Singing
What is your mom not really good at? Building a house
What does your mom do for her job? Take care of kids? (I'm not sure if she meant them or my nightwatch girls)
What is your moms favorite food? Spaghetti
What makes you proud of your mom? She loves me
If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be? Little red riding hoods mom
What do you and your mom do together? We watch movies
How are you and your mom the same? We have the same nose
How are you and your mom different? She is older then me
How do you know you mom loves you? She kisses me all the time

Camrie's answers;

What is something your mom always says to you? I love you
What makes mom happy? When I hug and kiss her
What makes mom sad? When I fight with my sisters
How does your mom make you laugh? She tickles my feet
What was your mom like as a child? Cried a lot
How old is your mom? 20
How tall is your mom? 5 inches
What is your moms favorite thing to do? Eat (thanks again kid)
What does your mom do when you are not around? Sitting down reading the newspaper
IF your mom became famous, what would it be for? She would be a rock star!
What is your mom really good at? Cooking
What is your mom not really good at? Cleaning the lights on the ceiling
What does your mom do for her job? Cleans the house (some days it feels like that)
What is your moms favorite food? spaghetti and tomatoes
What makes you proud of your mom? When we give each other hugs (doesn't make sense but its pretty darn cute)
If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be? Belle
What do you and your mom do together? We read stories and sing and play
How are you and your mom the same? Blond hair and blue eyes
How are you and your mom different? Mom has long nails and I have short nails cause I bite them
How do you know your mom loves you? Cause she snuggles with me!

Now I tag anyone reading this blog!!!

Tee hee hee

2008-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was watching family fued with Haley and Sydney. The question was asked "Name something an older woman buys for her boy toy?" One contestant said "a hooker". Haley started laughing which startled and disturbed me.

Sydney "What's a hooker"

Haley "Something you hang up your clothes on"

Yep kiddo you just go right on thinking that!!!

Youth Conference

2008-06-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

This year I was asked to go to youth conference with the young men and young women. I remember really enjoying youth conference when I was in YW and since this was Kaycee's first year going, I thought it would be alot of fun to go along. We started off the first day by waking up at 4:00am because we needed to be at the church by 5:00 to leave for the Provo Temple to do baptisms for the dead. Again I remember really LOVING to do that as a youth and I was excited for Kaycee to get to experience that. As I sat in the room watching our youth I was so impressed with all of them. As I watched Kaycee walk down into the water my heart swelled up and the tears started to flow. When she came out she had this HUGE smile on her face and she walked up to me and said "I feel so happy". What a great thing to hear as a parent. We were done by about 8:00 so we went home to get cleaned up and ready to leave. We went up Manti canyon to camp. It was so much fun to be around all
the youth and getting to know them. That evening we drove down the canyon into Manti to watch the Manti Pagent. It had been 14 years since I had seen it so I was excited to watch it again and Kaycee had never seen it so I was excited for her to see it as well. Watching it again made me so grateful to have my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Kaycee loved it as well. I figured that the kids would be so tired from getting up at 4 that they would all konk out on the way back up the canyon...not so much. Not only did they stay awake but they continued to stay that way until 2:00 that morning so many of them had a 22 hour day. Friday was filled with lots of fun activities such as fishing, playing in the lake and going out in the canoe. They also had a marshmallow war where you shoot mini marshmallows out of a piece of pvc pipe with your mouth. It was funny to watch them all running around trying not to get hit. That evening we had a devotional/testimony meeting and again I was so very impressed with the youth of our ward. They are phenomenal! I have grown to love them very much. Saturday morning we broke camp early and headed home for some much needed sleep and a shower. I am so grateful that I was asked to go and hope that I can do it again in the future. Kaycee had a wonderful time and is excited for her first girls camp in 2 weeks.

6th annual Fish Lake camping trip

2008-06-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful time camping at Fish Lake. We always like to get the same camping spot because it has a big open field for playing. This year we brought along the badminton set. The girls loved playing with it but I think Jason and I spent the most time trying to beat each other. Check out that beautiful lake in the background. We love being up in the gorgeous setting and the cooler air. Thursday night it was just our family but on Fri. my parents joined us. It was very fun to have Grandma and Grandpa there to camp with us. On Fri night we had dutch oven bbq chicken, dutch oven potatoes, baked beans, jello salad and homemade rolls and for dessert dutch oven peach cobbler. YUMMY!!! It just doesn't get any better then that. Jason and the 3 older girls spent Fri morning out on the lake doing some fishing. They all caught a fish and got a nice sunburn (even coated with spf 50). None of them seemed to crazy to actually touch the fish. Camrie and mommy took Powder down to the lake so he could get wet by fetching sticks in the lake, which he did for an hour. Camrie seemed to be the only one who kept constantly falling down and getting hurt. Nothing major but she came home with a few bumps and bruises. She did a faceplant on the gravel and ended up with a big ol' scab on her nose. Poor kid! On Saturday we had a nice big breakfast and then took my parents down to see our house in Torrey which is about 15 minutes from Fish Lake. They loved the red rocks and the quaint small town feel. We decided to come back on Saturday evening because 3 days of being dirty and smelling like smoke is enough for me. It was a great trip!

More Camrie crack-ups

2008-06-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

This pix of Camrie makes me laugh because it's so accurate. A few weeks ago we played croquet for Family Home Evening and she was upset because she wanted to win and didn't understand why we weren't letting her win.

So tonight after her bath I decided to take a look inside her ears with my head-lamp for wax build-up. I have a long handled spoon-looking thing to get the wax out with. I am always very careful and in fact the girls love it when I do this (so does Jason) because they say it feels really good. I have them lay their heads on my lap and my arms go around them. Tonight as I was finishing up doing Camrie's ears she said "that feels so good, just like a cow hugging me"

WOW, thanks kid, my confidence needed that huge boost

Sydney slip-ups

2008-05-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sydney: "Mom you are going to see me on TV when I'm a grown up"

Mommy: "Oh really, how come?"

Sydney: "Because I'm going to be on American Idol. I don't know about that Simon though, he is kinda mean"

Mommy : "Yeah he is kind of mean but maybe he wont be there anymore."

Sydney: "Then I will be famous...just like David Enchilada"

Camrie Crack-ups

2008-05-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this cause it made Jason and I laugh. Last night for Sunday dinner we were eating Roast Beef. Camrie isn't much of a meat eater so it surprised me when she finished all the roast beef on her plate.

Camrie: "Can I have more chicken?"

Mommy: "No because it's not chicken, it's roast beef, but yes you can have more"

Camire: "Well... I just call it pork"

Okay so maybe it's not as funny reading it but Jason and I got a kick out of it.

My CRAZY May!!!

2008-05-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Man oh man am I glad that May is almost over. looking back over my planner for the last month it's a bit of a surprise I haven't had a stress attack. I have had so many things going on but I know it's because it is the end of the school year and dance year and gymnastic year. So I thought I would share some pictures of all the things keeping me so crazy busy. First was Haley's track meet (which I already posted pix of) Then it was Haley's school program. It was super cute. Then Haley and Camrie had their dance recital (again already posted the pix). Then Sydeny had her 2nd grade camp out. Last week was Camrie's pre-school graduation. The program she did was so darling. Most of the song's they sang were Janeen Brady songs from my childhood so not only did they bring back memories of my youth but I LOVED seeing my 5 year old sing songs that I loved as a child. The next day was Kaycee's track meet. She did very well too. She ran the 200 and the 400m. She placed 3rd in both races. Then that night was Sydneys gymnastics performance. She has learned a great deal this year and she loves it. Plus she definitely has the build for it being as tiny as she is. The next day was Camrie's preschool party and then that night was Bunko at Angies with an 80's theme. I must confess it was kinda fun to put all the make-up on and make my bangs big. All Jason said when he saw me was "I'm glad I didn't know you back then" Camrie looked at me weird and said "Mommy you look pretty......weird" Yes I know. And then to finish out this week tomorrow is Sydney's track and field day at school and Haley's water day. Oh I almost forgot, today was Kaycee's country report day. She did her report on Australia. She looked really cute and did a great job. Her class is doing a time capsule that I just found out about so tonight I have to rummage up some pictures of her and the things she loves, find some newspaper clippings of current events and write a letter telling her what I love about her at this age. They will be mailing us the package in 10 years. Should be fun...but still a bit of a stress to get put together tonight. So I guess I should stop typing this and go get started. Again I will be so happy when May is done and over with.

Dance Recital

2008-05-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last night was Haley and Camrie's dance recital. They both love to dance and they both are so coordinated and good at it. Haley has been taking from this dance co. since she was 4 and this is Camrie's 2nd year. They both looked soooo cute in their costumes and neither one were the least bit nervous to perform on stage. I'm so glad that they both love to dance because I did as well growing up. I took dance from age 5 to 17 and loved every year. Haley wants to do competition team next year which means more $ and a whole lot more time, but it's what she loves so I want to help her pursue it as long as she can. Camrie loved dance this year because she had 3 great little friends in her class with her. They all did so well and looked darling.

My "young woman"

2008-05-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am a little late getting this post done. I'm following the example of Lindsey and Angie by doing a birthday tribute to my birthday girl. Kaycee just turned 12 so these are the 12 things that I love best about her.

1. She is growing into such a responsible young lady-and helps out her mom a ton with being willing to babysit her sisters on a pretty regular basis.

2. She is so kind hearted and sensitive about peoples feelings. She has been known to choke down some food she really despises just so she wont hurt someones feelings who made it.

3. She is confident in who she is. Even though she doesn't fit into the norm of typical 12 year old girls, she doesn't mind being different and doesn't change who she is to fit in. I love that about her.

4. She is usually very happy. She makes friends easily and is a fun person to be around.

5. She is a natural leader.

6. She is extremely creative. She has written quite a lot of stories that are well thought out. She also is an amazing artist.

7. She has the CUTEST laugh

8. She isn't shy about talking to Jason and I about most anything, I hope it stays that way through her teenage years.

9. She has a very good understanding of the sciptures and a sweet testimony of the church.

10. She understands her important role about being the example for her younger sisters.

11. She loves her sisters and is willing to play make believe stories with them and sleep together with them on the weekends.

12. She treats her parents with respect and doesn't do the eyeball roll and the "WHATEVER"

I am so thankful to have had her in our family for the last 12 years. Happy (belated ) Birthday Kaycee. We love you so much!

"Speed Racer"

2008-05-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ok so I just have to brag a little bit about my speedy little Haley. On Tue the 6th she went to her first Hersey Track Meet. She was extreamly nervous about how it all worked but I knew she would do well because when she races Kaycee she can beat her half the time and Kaycee is really fast also. Haley ran the 50 meter and the 200 meter and also did the long jump. She won both of her races and so she went onto the semi-finals in the 50 m (they don't do semi-finals for the 200). She also won her heat in the semi-finals but they only take the 7 fastest times so even though she won her heat she didn't make it to the finals. She felt really good about how she did and I wasn't about to be one of those parents who argue with the officials. I am so proud of my speedy little racer. Kaycee's Hersey Track Meet is a week from Tue so she is excited as well.

WAY TO GO HALEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will miss you daddy

2008-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Camrie asked Jason to give her a horse ride up to bed (her on his back, he on his hands and knee's).

Jason: "sorry honey but daddy's knee's hurt when I do that because your getting so big"

Camrie: "oh okay....Daddy, I'm going to miss you"

Jason: "miss me? why will you miss me?"

Camrie: "because your getting so old and that means your gonna die soon"

Jason: "Oh.....well how long do you think you will miss me?"

Camrie: "Umm...about 11 weeks"

Me from A-Z

2008-04-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

So I just did one of these things but I got tagged by my friend...so here goes.

A-ATTACHED OR SINGLE-Happily attached for almost 14 years now.
B-BEST FRIEND-Obviously my man that I am so happily attached to.
C-CAKE OR PIE- Cake but only if it's cheesecake.
D-DAY OF CHOICE-I have always loved Sundays ever since I was a little kid and it has carried over as a parent. I love that the feeling from church just stays with me the whole day.
E-ESSENTIAL ITEM-My planner, can not remember ANYTHING without it.
F-FAVORITE COLOR-Yellow or I really love Periwinkle too.
G-GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT-Having 4 happy healthy well adjusted daughters.
H-HOMETOWN-Parowan, best little town ever.
I-INDULGENCES-Getting my hair cut and colored.
J-JANUARY OR JULY-July I suppose if I have to choose, I don't like the heat but I LOATH the cold.
K-KIDS- Kaycee 12, Haley 9, Sydney 7 and Camrie 5
L-LIFE IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT-A good sense of humor and someone to make you use it
M-MARRIAGE DATE-September 30, 1994
N-NUMBER OF SIBLINGS- 2 older sisters and an older brother, 2 younger sisters and a younger brother. I am literally THE middle child
O-ORANGES OR APPLES-Oranges
P-PHOBIAS OR FEARS-Traveling at high speeds
Q-QUOTES-By Neal A. Maxwell "The special spirits who have been reserved to live in this day of trial and tribulation, and who overcome, will one day be praised for their stamina by those who pushed handcarts"
R-REASON TO SMILE-Wonderful husband, wonderful girls , wonderful parents and siblings, wonderful in-laws, wonderful friends...etc
S-SEASON-Fall. the crisp cool air, the sound of walking on leaves, the smells, the color.
T-TAG 3 FRIENDS-Diana, Katie and Lindsey
U-UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME-I am a major procrastinator and it's something I have had to work on daily for pretty much my whole life.
V-VERY FAVORITE STORE-Right now it's Home Depot because there are so many projects I am wanting to do. I could spend hours and major $ in that store.
W-WORST HABIT-Not eating breakfast until lunch time. Mornings are to busy and I don't get hungry until around 12:00.
X-X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND-Loved getting the ultrasounds but never again thank you.
Y-YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD-French fries or chips and salsa
Z-ZODIAC-Capricorn

Spring Break in Parowan

2008-04-24T13:44:00.001-07:00

This year since the girls had a whole week off of school I decided to go down to Parowan so they could spend time with grandma and grandpa. It was really fun being down there without a busy schedule of places to go... just nice and relaxing.One thing that I love to see is the girls exploring and loving the same things I did at their age. My parents yard has ample places to explore and with lots of big fields around, one is never bored. On one of the days we walked to the elementary school (which is half a block from their house) to play on the playground. As we went around the back of the school I noticed that the door to the kindergarten room was open so I wanted to go look in the room...for nostalgia sake. Surprisingly the room looked just the way I remembered it. I took a picture of the girls in my old kindergarten room. Then I took them on a tour of my school and all my classrooms. I loved going into the lunchroom and library because it looked EXACTLY like it did 29 years ago. Holy crow...am I REALLY that old? Ouch!!!! Their favorite part was going into the girls bathroom because it has a mirror on the wall next to a hallway so you can create funny images with your body. I took these funny ones of the girls. After we left the school we walked up to the city park. It has changed completely, but when we went into the Library it was another blast from the past. Nothing in there had changed...same red tables and blue chairs. They still have their card catalog to look up books instead of a computer. I love that about my small home town! My mom was so wonderful that week. She had the girls bring down the aprons she had made for them so that they could help her cook. Kaycee and Haley loved helping her make apple juice with "the big pink pig" which is a juicing machine my mom has had for as long as I can remember and very aptly named. They each got to help with one breakfast and one dinner. My girls love to cook but I don't really have them help much because they fight over who gets to do what and seem to be underfoot to much. Camrie of course was in heaven with the 2 huge bins of dress up and old dance costumes. I don't think she wore her normal clothes much that week. At the end of the week I was anxious to get back and see my sweetie. The ride back (and down) were so nice in my wonderful new Pilot because the girls were able to watch a movie and stay entertained. It was a great week and it made me soooo grateful that I grew up in such a great small community and with such a wonderful family.

My "baby" is 5

2008-04-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today was Camrie's 5th birthday. I can not believe that she is getting so big. Looking at these pictures makes me realize she isn't little anymore. She is growing up so very fast. She is constantly writing "letters" to everyone and the amazing thing is that even though she doesn't use spaces in between her words, you can totally make out what she is writing. She sounds out her words remarkably well. I think she will fly through kindergarten without a hitch. She is reading more and more each day. What a fun personality she is to have around. She says some of the funniest things. I also realize how much she looks like me when I was her age.
Happy Birthday sweet girl.
On another happy note, I have a NEW CAR!!!! Well not actually a car, an suv. On Tue. we went and picked up my new Honda Pilot. I absolutely LOVE it. It drives so smooth and is so beautiful. I want to get a picture on the blog of it but the last few days have gotten it dirty so I need to go wash it so it's nice and clean for the pic. We decided last night that we would put the van for sale on KSL just to see if we would get a response. Jason typed in the add and hit enter. I'm not joking when I say that before one minute had passed the phone rang. The girl said that they were coming from Orem and asked us not to sell it to anyone else before they could get here. within 20 min. they were at our house with cash in hand. We told them of all the problems with it but he wasn't concerned because he said he could fix it. So we posted it on KSL at 7:30 and by 8:00 it was driving out of our driveway. No more van...Hello Pilot!

First camping trip of the year

2008-04-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping with our friends Mike and Angie and a group that they camp with every April. We went out to Eureka (sp?)on Friday afternoon. It was quite the trip. They had blow-up slides and bouncy things for the girls to play on and more then enough 4 wheelers to keep everyone occupied. There were 5 families in all. We had a blast and the girls have repeatedly said that this was their favorite camping trip ever. It was fun to get away and enjoy nature...even though it was quite cold and the dust about killed me. Being dirty is something I do NOT enjoy. That is why 2 days is about my max. It was really fun to sit around the fire talking and laughing. Powder wore himself out chasing the 4 wheelers around but he was in heaven having all that freedom to roam. All in all, a VERY fun trip!

Camping fun

2008-04-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

I...

2008-04-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

I know...that I married my perfect other half

I believe...that I will be with my family forever

I am angered...when I feel taken advantage of

I love...crisp fall days with classical music playing and chili cooking in my kitchen

I need...more sleep

I take...a bath when I need to de-stress

I hear...giggling in my girls room when I want them to be sleeping

I drink...milk anytime I eat a tomato-based food like spaghetti or pizza

I hate...owls. I think if the devil had a body, it would look like an owl

I use...chapstick and lotion like they're going out of style

I want...to have a food storage supply like my parents'

I like...playing volleyball with Jason

I feel...like I learned a lot about trials and faith last year

I wear...perfume or smelly lotion to bed every night. I love to smell good.

I left...a candle burning in my bathroom to long and now have an ugly burn spot on my counter

I do...one journal entry on Sunday afternoons.

I hope...my girls never question my love for them

I dream...about movies that I have recently watched. I'm usually an observer, not a participant.

I drive... a piece of *$%# van right now but hopefully that will change soon.

I listen...to Dr. Laura when I am in my car in the afternoons.

I type...about the same speed as when I was in high school.

I think...that my kids are the cutest and best in the world.

I wish...that I had stuck with piano lessons and not quit.

I am...convinced I had the best childhood of anyone I know

I regret...that I didn't take college more seriously

I care...about political issues much more then I used to.

I said...that I would never get as busy and stressed as my mom...ha ha pretty funny

I wonder...what technology will be like when my girls are grown

I cry...whenever I try to explain to my girls how special they are to Heavenly Father and Jesus

I lose...my train of thought constantly

I leave...hairbands in my kitchen so that I can pull my hair up when cooking.

I should...not focus on what others think of me and instead concentrate on thinking of others

Thanks to my friend Shantelle for giving me this idea. It was fun. Give it a try

2008-03-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Daddy, Sydney and Camrie at the Torrey house
A night of playing games
Jason is the master checker player...nobody can best him
The girls at their "Chesnut Tree"

Climbing the hills.

Easter in Torrey

2008-03-27T11:37:00.001-07:00

This year we celebrated Easter down in Torrey for the first time. We went down Fri. morning since the girls were off of school. We did the Easter egg hunt up in the red hills. It was a gorgeous backdrop. When we first started out it was chilly (hence the coats) but by the time we were done and the girls started digging into the candy it was perfect weather. The whole weekend was perfect. It was a quiet time to spend with the girls without interuptions. We played a lot of games (someday, somwhere, someone is bound to beat Jason at checkers) and the girls and Powder had a blast spending lots of time running around outside. We definatly want to spend a few more weekends down there over the summer.

2008-03-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

I have a new name!

2008-03-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Jason has given me the new name of....."Hamster whisperer" because I was able to bring Nibbles (Haley's hamster) back from certain death yesterday. I am still amazed at how everything worked out but somehow it did. I figured poor Nibbles was a goner but after the girls left for school I went in and picked her up and put a small droplet of Karo syrup on her mouth. Her little lips started to move and her tongue started licking...so I put on another drop. Amazingly that seemed to perk her up just a bit but she started shaking. I kept her in my hands and warmed her up. She didn't seem to have any balance and kept falling to her side. I gave her a cheerio and she ate it...slowly. I kept rubbing her to keep her warm and after a few more minutes she perked up a little bit more so I fed her another cheerio and a few seeds. She ate them as well. I kept it up for a while longer and when I could tell she was feeling better I put her in her cage to sleep some more. I called the vet to report her progress and after listening to me, the vet tech said "well I think your hamster is hypoglycemic." WHAT THE... I didn't even know an animal could be hypoglycemic. I already knew what that means because I am hypoglycemic and so is Kaycee. It basically means that if you go to long without food your blood sugar drops way to low and you shake, get disoriented and pass out. Yep sounds about like what Nibbles had experienced. I couldn't believe it...still cant. When Haley got home she was ecstatic to find Nibbles improved and when I told her what the problem is, Kaycee burst out laughing and said "Just like me!!" So now we have a hypoglycemic hamster. Who would have guess. LOL
On Monday evening for F.H.E. we went to a pet store in Orem to get Kaycee a new hamster but when she saw that the selection was pretty pitiful she decided instead to get...a rat. Jason was quite skeptical but I was all for it. My siblings wont be a bit surprised seeing as how I had rats when I was growing up. Kaycee's rat is an albino one and sooo cute. She named it Zoey and she has been playing with it non-stop. She still talks about Cheeto and misses her but I think Zoey will really help her get over it much quicker. So as of today we have a dog, a cat, 9 fish, an albino rat and...a hypoglycemic hamster. Quite the farm family hu?

Going through heartbreak...AGAIN

2008-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ok so apparently I didn't learn everything I needed to learn to help one child through the pain of loosing a beloved pet. Now I get to do it all over again. This morning as I was doing Sydneys hair for school, Haley came in holding her pet hamster Nibbles. She said "Look mom, Nibbles is sleeping so soundly that she's not waking up in my hand." Right then my stomach dropped because I knew something was wrong. I looked at Nibbles and she looked just like Cheeto did before she died. She was breathing but completely unresponsive. I tried to keep positive for Haley and told her I would do what I could while she was at school but I'm so afraid that she is going to come home to find her little hamster is now with Cheeto. DANG IT!!!! Nibbles wasn't the sweet hamster that Cheeto was but I am every bit as heartbroken for Haley's sake. We had planned on going to the pet store tonight to get Kaycee a new hamster so it looks like we will be getting 2 new ones. I know that Nibbles died of something else because we figured out that Cheeto died of a kidney infection but Nibbles doesn't have any of the same symptoms, so I am at a loss of what to think. I'm baffled and frustrated. Man what a week for animals in my house.

Ok so it's been a while

2008-03-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

I have been properly chastised by more then a few people for going so long without an update. It would be a great time for me to do it during my 4 hours of work but I don't have any of my pictures on the laptop so any updates I do here will be picture-less ones. We just got back today from our Easter trip to Torrey and I got a lot of cute pictures so I will post them from home tomorrow. We have had a lot happen from my last posting on the 3rd so I will try to remember some of them. Jason had his first trip since going back to Traco, on March 9th until Mar14th. He was in Minnesota. He used to travel quite a bit and even though I don't like it, I did get kinda used to it. But now it's been over a year since he had to go anywhere and I'm not so used to it anymore. I REALLY don't like doing the single mom thing. It's to hard. On the weekend of the 13th-16th my little sister Chalise came up to visit with her darling kids. They stayed at my house and it was really fun having time to visit and laugh. On Wednesday the19th I went and registered my LAST child for school. It was a weird feeling. I had taken Camrie in to get her kindergarten shots the week before and I was again amazed at my little trooper. I had not warned her that we were going in because I didn't want her stressing about it. We went to a different place then usual so she didn't have a clue what was going on as we walked back into the room. When the nurse shut the door, Camrie looked at me very suspiciously and said "Mom...what are we doing here?" We had to do 4 shots in all, 2 in each arm. As they were doing then I expected her to jerk or cry or something but she sat there still and silent. After the nurse was done she told Camrie that she was the bravest kid and that she did wonderful. Camrie waited until she shut the door, turned to me accusingly and said "Mom that hurt" and started to cry. Break my heart. She calmed down pretty quickly though. On Thursday I had the last S.E.P conferences with the girls teachers for this school year. It boggles the mind how quickly this year has gone. Then we went home and packed up our things to get ready to leave for Torrey the next day. The girls were out of school and so Jason took it off work so that we could leave in the morning and make a whole day of it. I will post pictures of it tomorrow. It was a really fun weekend. One last thing I have to mention, I had the unhappy experience of being the parent to a heartbroken child who has lost a beloved pet. Kaycee's sweet little hamster Cheeto died last week. She was doing fine when Kaycee left for school but by the time Kaycee came home and went to get her to play, she was doing very badly. She was still breathing but would not respond or move at all. I called the vet and tried to help her but after about 1/2 hour she quit breathing. I held Kaycee for a long time and just let her sob but I was crying to. It was HORRIBLE!!! There is nothing worse then when your child is hurt whether physically or emotionally and you would do anything to take that pain away from them...but you cant. All you can do is love them and cuddle them and squeeze them really really tight. I felt so bad for her but also for the loss of such a sweet little thing. Cheeto was such a good hamster, she never bit and was so fun and playful. Haley has a hamster to but she is a temperamental little stinker that bites everyone so nobody wants to hold or play with her. Kaycee and I are going to go up to Orem tomorrow and get her a new hamster. We both hope that this one has a disposition as sweet as Cheeto. She died on Mon the 17th and when I got up on Tue. morning I noticed that Kaycee had written on my calendar for the day before 'R.I.P Cheeto.' Oh Kaycee :-)

Way to go Chase!!!!!

2008-03-03T00:54:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write this update today because March 2nd 2007 was the day my very good friend Season got the diagnosis that her sweet 10 year old had a cancerous brain tumor. The year that followed has had incredible ups and heartbreaking downs, but Chase has been a trooper. She hit her one year mark today and she is cancer free for now. YEA CHASE. She had all her treatment at St. Judes hospital in Memphis TN and her mom kept a carepage (kind of a blog) on her progress and everything happening to her. She is such an amazing and courageous young woman that I would love my girls to aspire to be like. She is wise beyond her years. During her time at St. Judes she did some incredible things and met quite a few famous people such as; Brad Paisley and his wife, Scott Hamilton and his wife, Survivor host Jeff Probst and others that I can't even remember. She did a photo shoot with Probst for St. Jude and also did a commercial with Ray Romano for St. Judes as well. I think the thing she will remember most is when she was told to go to a hotel lobby to hear "a few" members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. They were in Memphis performing but she was unable to go because her treatment had made her immune system shut down and she couldn't be in crowds. A friend of Seasons whose parents traveled with the Choir asked if a few members could go to the hospital and sing to her but the more choir members who found out about it wanted to be involved so they had to do it in the lobby of the hotel to fit everyone. The news crew that follows the choir caught it all on tape of Chase and her parents entering into the lobby to be greeted by the ENTIRE Mo-tab choir. They gave an impromptu concert for Season and her little family. They showed it on channel 5 news a few days later and the whole time I was watching it the tears were just streaming down my cheeks. They showed it again during last conference in-between sessions. The choir talked about how that was by far the most memorable concert during the tour and for some it was their favorite experience they can recall. It was so neat and such a boost for Season and Chase to build them up for the long road ahead. She is now at home and going to school and living the life of a normal 11 year old. I wanted to congratulate her and send her my love.

Everyone needs a good laugh now and then...

2008-03-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.toilette-humor.com/the-man-song.html

Jason showed me this song a while back, and every time I hear it it still cracks me up. So if you want a good chuckle then click on this link and enjoy. Dont be discouraged by the toilet-humor name on the link, it isn't crass at all.

All about my Sweetums

2008-02-29T23:12:00.000-08:00

What is his name; Jason Clay Chesnut

How long have you been married; 13 years 5 months

How long did you date; 9 months

Who eats more sweets; He does. He loves ice cream and pudding pies while I am more of a chips and salsa or popcorn snacker

Who said I love you first; He did but I followed immediately

Who is taller; Him by about 7 in. just the right height for my head to lay on his chest :-)

Who can sing better; We both can sing pretty well but he wont ever let anyone hear how well he can sing. He was in accapella in high school so that tells you something.

Who is smarter; I like Michelles answer "he is smarter yet I am always right, go figure"

Who does the laundry; I do. I actually enjoy doing it. I am kind of particular about it also.

Who pays the bills; We both do but he enjoys it while I just tolerate it.

Who sleeps on the right side; I do

Who mows the lawn; He does. Just like me with the laundry, he enjoys it and is quite particular about it. I have never mowed the lawn and he has never done a load of laundry

Who cooks dinner; Mostly me but he is a wonderful cook and makes my 2 favorite meals

Who drives; He does. It makes him carsick to be in the passenger side

Who is more stubborn; He is, only because I'm really not that stubborn

Who kissed who first; He started it but boy did I finish it.

Who asked who out; He did. We hung out as friends for the first while then he and his friend asked Michelle and I out on a double date to dinner and a BYU game.

Who proposed; He did in his usual fun creative way

Who is more senstitive; I am for sure but he has his moments

Who has more siblings; I have 6 he has 3

Who wears the pants; I have always hated that question. I would say he probably does but he always says that my mood dictates the mood of the house so maybe that's his way of saying I do. I suppose that question is best answered with "we both have one leg in"

Okay so I tag Angie C, Lindsey, Diana and Darla.

Another fun Sunday

2008-02-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we had plans to have Jason's sister and bro-in-law and their kids come over for banana splits. The girls were SOOO excited because they love to have cousins come over and play. Well as luck would have it she called me a few hours before their arrival to say that 2 of their kids had stayed home from church throwing up and it wasn't a good idea to be bringing sick kids over. When we told the girls they were of course very upset but I figured as long as we still did the banana splits they would be okay....WRONG!!! Both Haley and Sydney burst into tears telling me how unfair their life is. Haley had a harder time of it I think. Jason got upset after they continued to carry on about it and told them that instead being mad that they are sick that she should remember to pray for them that night that they would feel better. Haley still was throwing a fit so she got sent to her room. Sydney and Kaycee still had scowls on their faces but at least were silent and Camrie sat on the couch with eyes closed and fingers together. When Jason asked her what she was doing she whispered, "I'm saying a little prayer for Ashley and Kate". I think she thought that if she prayed for them right then they would feel better and still come over. The faith of a child hu :-). So in order to try and salvage the night and make it fun we decided to play freeze dance. I played music while the girls danced then when I paused it they had to freeze, if they moved they were out and the last one standing wins the round. They girls laughed quite a bit and forgot about being jipped. It was fun. We had banana splits and called it a night.

Science fair here we come...AGAIN

2008-02-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

So I had the pleasure (lol) of helping with another science fair project. Haley's 3rd grade class did the fair this time. The teacher wanted them to try and do most of it on their own. Haley wanted to do a project showing how rain is formed. She had a quart jar with just a tiny bit of water in it. Then we put the lid on upside down and put ice cubes in the lid. After about 8 min. the rain drops had formed on the underside of the lid and dropped down into the jar. It was a fun project to do (and thankfully quite easy). When we walked thru her science fair we could tell that the kids, not the parents, had done their work. It was fun to see all the different projects but I swear if Sydneys teacher does a science fair as well I might throw something. I just cant believe that we are on the down curve of the rest of the school year. Kaycee freaked me out a little the other day when she informed me she had less then 3 months left of elementary school. Oh my GOSH!!! Talk about a wake up call at how fast time is flying...sheesh!

I am so sick of snow....but still

2008-02-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Okay I am done, no let me emphasize...DONE with winter. The dreary months of Jan-Mar are so blahhhhh. However when I see the smiles and excitement on my girls face after playing out in the snow for a few hours it makes it a little bit more tolerable. Camrie and the neighbor boy spent 4 hours out playing in the snow last week. Thanks to our lovely snow drifts on the side of our drivway we had quite the little slide for them. It was fun to watch them and it almost made me want to go out and play in it myself. That feeling could be resisted though!

2008-02-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share how proud I am of Kaycee. She and her friend Julie did a science fair project together. When I went down to the school to see all of them it was VERY apperant that half of them were done by the parents instead of the 6th graders. Kaycee and Julie came up with a very creative idea on their own, did the testing and hypothesis and made the board. It was a really cute project. They determined that Cheeto (kaycee's hamster) would use her nose to find a salted penut if they hid it in different places. They ended up winning 4th place, which considering how many entries there were, is darn good. I was really proud of her.

A new favorite on my list of movies

2008-02-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

So I just watched a show today that will be on my list of movies I could watch over and over. One of the reasons I like it so much is that it is full of fantasy (something that I LOVED as a kid and reminds me of my childhood.) and mythical things. My kids watched the 2nd half with me and are now dying to watch the whole thing. It is the movie "STARDUST" with Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro. It may sound like a corney plot but it is seriously sooo good. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone in the mood for a good flick.

2008-02-11T11:32:00.001-08:00

Okay I realize the pictures from the next post are compleatly out of order but I have yet to figure out how to do the post first and then the pictures to follow. Anyone who knows how to do this....please share your knowledge with me. Thank you kindly!

Why I LOVE Sundays

2008-02-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

As far back in my childhood as I can recall, I remember how much I loved Sundays. Maybe it was because I didn't have to go to school, part of it was that Sunday dinners were especially yummy, but I think the biggest reason was that our home had a very special feel to it that seemed to be enhanced on Sunday. My parents would listen to the Morman Tabernacle choir and after dinner the kids would all pitch in and do the dishes and it just seemed to be a peacful family day without any outside interuptions. I have since tried to make those same memories for my kids. Yesterday just happened to be one of those days. Church was wonderful and then we came home to the smell of the roast cooking. Dinner was my kids favorite; Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and french bread. After dinner the girls did the dishes while Jason and I sat in the living room talking. Then Jason went in to make our traditional Sunday cake. Yesterdays cake just happened to be "killer chocolate cake" which happens to be my favorite. However Kaycee not realizing that the recipe only calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips, proceeded to dump the whole bag in. While it was baking we played a game of family hide and seek. The whole house was used. It was sooooooooo fun to just be silly and play with the girls. I won best hiding place. I was in my closet behind the floor length dresses with the pile of shoes covering my feet. After the cake came out it needed to cool for a while so we decided to take a family drive. We drove around for about 15 minutes when we came upon a herd of 10 huge bull elk out in a field. We were able to park the truck about 100 yards away. They are amazing and beautiful animals. We sat and watched them eat while the sun went down. The girls started getting a little restless so we headed home to eat cake with a big glass of ice cold milk. The girls went to bed and Jason and I had 3 hours of quiet time to talk and watch news. How much better of a day can you ask for.

A fun Family home Evening

2008-02-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was our "activity" family home evening and we had a really fun time. We went over to Barnes and Noble because Kaycee's favorite author was there for a book signing. She brought her books with her to get them signed. It just so happened that her entire 6th grade class was there as well so they all got a picture with him. The line was pretty long but we got through it in less then 1/2 hour. She was really excited to meet him and have her books signed. His name is Rick Riordan. Then we walked down to Coneys for some frozen custard. Nothing like a freezing treat on a freezing night but the kids didn't care. The taste of frozen custard brought back memories of going to St. George when I was young with the family and my dad would love to go get frozen custard. They only have one flavor of the day besides chocolate or vanilla. Last night was Reeses penut butter cup....YUMMMY! Although I must give some advice, you probably shouldn't eat something that cold if you have a tooth that is extreamly sensative. I was in A LOT of pain afterwords but darn it tasted good. After that we went to Petsmart so that Camrie could pick out some new fish. If you remember from my last posting her other fish had "rested on the bottem" so she was in need of some more fish. This time we just got her a few of the tiny feeder goldfish so that they can stabelize the water before we get any more larger fish. She was excited to get them home and watch them swim as she fell asleep. To me there is something so calming in watching a fish tank with bubbles and lights in a dark room. It works well as a night light. Anyway it was a very fun evening and the girls have been talking about it alot today so Jason and I realized we need to do stuff like this more often. It seems like the fond memories we both have of our growing up years were the little things like last night.

Random update

2008-02-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

I know these aren't the greatest pictures but I wanted to post them because I thought they were humorous. If you have ever wondered how Sydney compares in size to the rest of the kids in 2nd grade...well here is the proof. They had their 2nd grade program the other night and Syd was front and center. However looking at her in comparison to the kids next to her you can see how dang tiny she is. She literally came up to the boys shoulder. Poor kid. She is in gymnastics which is perfect for her little frame but even there it is evident how tiny she is. A month or so ago I was there watching her and the class of 10 girls were each taking turns running down a line and jumping on the boucy thing that they put in front of the vault and then jumping strait up in the air and landing on a mat. Poor Sydney ran and jumped with all her might down on the springboard...and the thing moved down maybe and inch. Her teacher tried hard not to laugh and I was laughing (outside the room of course) and feeling bad all at the same time. She outweighs her sister by 3 ounces but is 3 yrs older. Her pediatrition told me she is the size of an average 3-4 yr old and she is almost 8.

So I have had an interesting experience at work lately. In all the years that my friend (who is in charge of nightwatch) has been in her postion, they have never had a girl attack one of the staff...until this week, and that staff just happened to be me. Lovely hu? On Tuesday night I was working and we had a brand new girl that had just been brought in. She woke up a little after midnight and became quite restless. After being up and sitting at the table with us she walked into her bedroom and came out with a coat on. We asked her what she was planning on doing. She said she was just going to go outside for a while. That is compleatly prohibited and we were trying to calmly explain that to her but she didn't want to hear it so she headed for the door. I quickly ran to the door and stood in front of it so she couldn't reach it. She said that she had been in other programs before and they were so bad that she would rather be in a police station then stay there. She saw me as the only thing between her and her freedom...and went balistic on me. She was clawing and hitting me and yelling profanities. She caught me in the throat with her elbow and gave me a huge knot on my arm from bringing her elbow down on my forarm. Luckily there was a 3rd staff there that night and she was pulling her off me and trying to get her to calm down. The girl then went over and started banging on the window trying to get out. The window wouldn't break so she came back for another crack at me. She wore herself out after a minute and started just pacing the floor asking us to call her parents (which live on anther continent). By the time the supervisor came in she had calmed down enough to be reasonable. I left at 3:30 and went home to bed but my adrenilin was still going so strong that I couldn't calm down to go to sleep. I ended up finally going to sleep at 5:00 a.m. only to get up at 7:30 to get my kids ready for school. Needless to say I was a bit tired that day. I am working again tonight but Im not worried because this girl is getting pulled out of the program in the morning.

So everything else is going really well for us now. Poor Jason is probably freezing his butt off tonight. He is on the Klondike with the scouts tonight. Im sorry but who ever thought the idea of taking a bunch of crazy adolecent boys and taking them up into the mountains to sleep in the snow, was a good idea, either doesn't have kids...or needs to be smacked upside the head. This is the DUMBEST thing they do. I hate that they have to do this 2 times every year. Jason bought himself a sleeping bad that can handle weather up to 35 degrees below 0 but still...dumb dumb DUMB!!!!!!

I have been making little changes here and there in the living room. I finally found me some curtains and cute home decore. It is really coming together and I love it. The girls are all doing well. We just cant seem to get over this dumb stomachache thing. Everyone in the house has dealt with it. I am getting so anxious for spring I can't hardly stand it.

One other thing I wanted to mention before closing up is a funny thing that Camrie said. She has been asking for some more fish lately because the 4 that we got her in her tank for Christmas all died within a month after Christmas. When she was down to the last fish Jason would ask her everyday how it was doing. One morning she said "It's doing ok. it's just resting on the bottem" Jason looked at me with a 'should we tell her' look but I couldn't keep a strait face. So I need to go get her just a few of the tiny feeder fish to help normalize the tank water and then hopefully she can get some more fish later.

Well I need to go get my kids ready for bed. Later.

2008-01-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

They're Creepy and they're Cooky...Mysterious and Spooky...They're all together Ooky...The Chesnut Family. Da da da da (snap snap).

WE ARE DONE...(well, mostly)

2008-01-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

So as of last Saturday night we have finished the painting and now just have to focus on finishing up with a little here and there. I need to find me some curtains that I like and Jason needs to get the crown molding up. I also have a beautiful picture of the SLC Temple that will go on the right side of the big painting behind the TV. It is called "Last Crossing" done by my very own, very talented little brother. It hung in the Church History Museum and the Springville Art Museum last year. Lucky for me Kyle didn't have room to store it at his house and I had this big wall to show it off. His loss my gain I say. So I need to get the Temple picture up along with a cute smaller shelf with pretty candle and a plaque that says "Trust in the Lord". I am excited for my living room to be done but I need to be patient and take it one step at a time. Also the kitchen still has stuff to be finished. We want to put B-board on the wall about 3 feet up from the floor on both the big red wall and on the half wall. That will be a creamy tan color. Then I have a very pretty country quilt that my Mother-in-law gave me that will hang on the big wall. Again this is all going to take time but I have big plans.

So things are going pretty well for all of our family right now. Luckily we haven't had any real sickness's (knock on wood) just a little tummy-ache bug that hit Kaycee for a while, then Haley and now me. Jason is back at Traco and doing well. He has a new territory this time. Last time he had the northeast states but now he has the Midwest. That means that when he goes out to Chicago I will try and plan it so that I can go to. I am the only one of my siblings that hasn't gone out there to see Darla and Valerie and go to Nauvoo. One thing I am especially anxious for is to see my new nephew and then go see "Wicked". That play has become my latest obsession and I will not rest until I have seen it performed. So hopefully that will be in the not to distant future. My work is going well also. I was becoming a bit of a Zombie from lack of sleep so Jason suggested (rather correctly) that I either needed to drop one shift a week or quit. Now that I am only working 2 nights I am not so sleepy all the time. I still stay really busy during the days even with only one child at home. All though in all honesty Camrie is more like 2 or 3 kids at home. That girl is quite a fire cracker. The other night she said "mom when I die and go to Heaven, I'm going to ask Jesus to make me a mermaid or a dragon." When I explained that Heavenly Father doesn't do that because He wants us to look just like we are she sighed a dejected sigh and said "Oh Crap!" I probably shouldn't have laughed at that but I just couldn't help it. All the girls are doing really well. Kaycee is excited to be doing spring soccer this year. This is the first year that they have offered it so that will give her an extra-curricular activity soon. Haley is doing so well in her 3rd grade class that her teacher asked me if it was okay to switch her up to 5th grade reading and spelling. She is doing remarkably well. Sydney is just an absolute riot. She has this new thing of crinkling up her nose when she laughs that is hilarious to watch. And Camrie.....what can I say about that ball of frustrating joy.

Okay well I think thats about it for now. Later.

The changing of the colors...

2008-01-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

Phase 2- putting on the primer
fun times

The journey begins. The menial task of taping off the floorboards
What the walls looked like before...

Jason doing the "not fun" stuff.

So we have been talking about doing something different in our living room for quite a while now but there was always something preventing us whether that was money or time or whatever. We finally decided that since we couldn't afford to go get new furniture, that the best way to change things up a bit was to change the color of the room. We both liked the idea of doing red on the big wall and then having the other walls a soothing shade. We found a green that we fell in love with so we had our colors picked out. Last Saturday we finally went and bought the paint and primer. We have been told repeatedly that when doing a wall red that you have to plan on at least 3 or 4 coats to cover everything. With 18ft walls you can imagine that didn't excite us to much. But we were excited to get going. We got the primer on that night and had to let it dry for 2 hours before we could put on the first coat. Jason just got to anxious to wait for me to finish bathing the girls and so he started the first coat without me. When I came down the stairs, it shocked me. The color looked almost like a pumpkin at first. I was really nervous but as it dried it darkened beautifully. The color is called red rock and it is exactly what I was hoping for. Now we just need to get the other walls painted and so I can get my cute family wall of pictures up. I am really excited to see it all come together. Of course it will take some time before it is truly done. I have to get curtains to match and we want a new rug as well so it wont be completely done for a while, but hey we are well on our way.

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

Season, Lisa and I with the kids
Addie gettin' a big smooch from Powder
The kids playing in the snow at Grandma and Grandpa's
Camrie is more then willing to share the icicle she found

Hello and happy new year. We are very grateful to say goodbye to 2007. Its been an interesting, tough, learning experience kind of year. We are sure that 2008 is bound to be better. It wasn't all bad though and we learned that we are tougher then we thought. We spent 5 days down in Parowan over the holidays. It was great to be with my parents and some of my siblings. Michelle and Nick were there for part of the time and we got to see Chalise and Ammon and their darling kids. The first night we arrived 2 of my friends from high school came over with their families and visited for a while. Season has also had one of those years. Her sweet 11 year old has finished up her chemo for a cancerous brain tumor in Oct. She is headed back to St. Judes for some more testing and we are all keeping her in our prayers that all will come back normal and healthy. It was so great to be able to visit with them again. The days down in Parowan were relaxing and fun. Its always fun to be at my parents house during the holidays. My mom of course spoiled us all with wonderful dinners. On Sunday she made one of my all time favorites, Filo Chicken. Jason had to do some convincing to get Camrie to eat more because she is not at all a fan of stuffing. Finally she looked frustrated and said "Fine dad, I'll eat one more bite of the five little chickens. Filo chicken...five little chickens I guess it sounds alike. We got a kick out of that. We came back home Monday afternoon and spent our new years eve with Carla and Robs family. We have been doing that for about 7 years now. The kids were downstairs playing and the adults were upstairs completely immersed in the card game we were playing that we didn't even realize that the time was 2 minutes to midnight so the kids had to remind us. We brought in the new year with some noise and a spot of the bubbly...cold duck style of course. Well the adults just had to finish up our game so by the time we did, it was well past midnight. Luckily the kids were having so much fun that they forgot to be tired. We didn't end up getting them home to bed until 2:30. Thankfully I have kids that like to sleep as much as I do so we all stayed in bed until 9:30 the next morning.
So now the decorations are put away and we have a big project coming up of painting the living room. We have the colors all picked out and are quite excited. We hope to be done by next Saturday...fingers crossed. We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season as well and that this new year brings even more joy.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Girls in their new Christmas Pajamas

This year was a really fun Christmas. Both Kaycee and Haley got Hamster cages from Santa. Kaycee already has a hamster and Haley got a gift card to the pet shop to go pick hers out the next day. Sydney got a Barbie Laptop and Camrie was absolutly determined that she wanted a fish tank so that is what she got (also with a gift card for some fish that she got to pick). They all got cute aprons with their names on them from Grandma and Grandpa Vincent (which is perfect because they all love to help mom in the kitchen) and some great books. Grandma and Grandpa Chesnut gave them a darling homemade blanket and matching teddy bear. Jason and I decided that our gift to each other is that as soon as the the tree comes down, we are going to do a huge project and paint the living room. The big wall is going to be red and the other 3 walls will be a really pretty olive green. We are realizing now what an undertaking this is going to be but we need a change and this is the funnest way to do it. I am also anxious to get it done so I can put up all my cute pictures on our new "family wall".

Christmas Eve Party

2008-01-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

"The Gang" at our Christmas Eve Party
Yummy Dinner
Silly Cousins
Having so much fun
Good Times!
We had our annual Christmas eve party with Jasons family this year. Each year we have our get together at the Institute at UVSC. There is a game room/kitchen that is just perfect for our size of group. We had a delicious dinner followed by gift exchange with the cousins and a white elephant gift game for the adults. What I didn't realize when I was putting my white elephant gift together was that the 2 oldest grandkids (Garrett -17 and Ashlee-15) would be joining us this year. That might have made me think twice before putting together my gift of a naughty little Santa outfit, fragrance lotion and some mints. Well as you can probably guess my gift ended up in the hands of........a 17 year old boy! Yea his ears were red but not as red as mine!

2007-12-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

I need to brag a bit about my sweet girl. a few years ago Camrie fell and chipped the top of her front tooth up at the gum line. Because of the chip, it was open to food and a cavity began. It was to the point that the dentist was concerned but he was not willing to fix it with a filling because he said it would not have stayed but would have fallen out. We decided that since she would have been losing that tooth within the next few years anyway, we might as well pull it now. However she also had a cavity in her molars that did need a filling. At first we had decided to have her put under while he fixed the cavity and pulled the tooth because it would have been a lot less traumatic for her. However our insurance was not so cooperative and it would have cost us a pretty penny to do that. So she went in thinking she would get to go to sleep and when she woke up it would be all done. She is terrified of shots (as is any normal kid). When she sat in the chair, they used the Nitrous (laughing gas) on her so that she would be relaxed. Then they put a gel on her gums for a few minutes to help numb it for the shot. When the Dr. came in to do the shots, I just held her little hand expecting her to cry and thrash around. That darn Dr. was none to gentle with the needle but my little trooper held up so great. She tensed up a bit and I could see the tears welling up her little eyes but she never even made a peep. The Dr. and the nurse were absolutely amazed at her, as was I. Then they had to put a thing in her mouth to keep the jaws open while they worked and then put a device called a "raincoat" which looked soooo uncomfortable on her. I could tell she was having a hard time but again never made so much as a sound. The horrible part is that after the Dr. got in there he discovered that the cavity in her tooth had reached the nerve so he had to do a baby root canal. It took an hour to do and Camrie patiently toughed it out. She was making a few gagging noises and I was worried that the gas was making her sick and going to throw up, but the nurse pulled aside the raincoat and noticed that her mouth was full of water that missed getting suctioned out. Camrie had not cried or complained at all. By the time they were done with everything, she had been in the chair for 3 hours and again she NEVER even cried or complained a bit. How many 4 yr olds do you think could do something like that. I was so very proud of my sweetheart. Now with her tooth gone she has the cutest little smile. She can be a bullheaded little stinker sometimes but then she crawls up into my lap and kisses my cheek and whispers "I love you Mommy" and I just think I'm the luckiest mom in the world. I sure love that tough little kid.

Sir Lancelot

2007-12-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

I just had to share these funny pictures. Kaycee went to a birthday party with a Holy Grail theme and she was supposed to dress up like sir Lancelot. For those of you who have seen the movie and remember what his costume looked like, I think I did a darn good job re-creating his outfit. She looked so great and played the part well.

Blog Tagged

2007-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

Okay well everyone on my link list has done this I'm sure so I can't tag anyone. I'll go ahead and do my 6 facts anyway just for fun. I have been thinking about it today and can't come up with any crazy psycho stuff like my sister ;-)

1. I have an INTENSE love of good fragrances. I am not exaggerating when I say I have 22 different bottles of perfume. I also have about 15 different smelly lotions and about 30 candles. Anything that smells good that I can burn in my house or put on my body, I'm a sucker for. Every night before I climb into bed I put on some lotion and snuggle up to Jason and wait for him to tell me how good I smell. I can't really pick a favorite fragrance because I love so many different kinds.

2. My new favorite kind of music to listen to is Celtic music. I have about 15 different Cd's that I change between and I'm not tired of it yet.

3.I love to write in my journal. Every Sunday I sit down and write about my past week. I write funny things that the girls have said or done, about how crazy my life is right now and all the stress my mind needs to get out. I also have a "journal in a jar" where I pick out a different question about my life and then tape it to the page and write about it. It is one of my favorite pastimes to get out my old journals and read entries from years ago. One way it has really come in handy is that the girls love to hear about when i was pregnant with them or when they were little.

4. My new favorite colors together are pink and brown. In fact one might say I have become a little obsessed with it. My purse is pink and brown as is my church bag and my work bag. Last month I had my girls pictures done and they were all wearing pink and brown. It turned out really cute though so thank heavens for my obsession. We have a brown dog as well but Jason has threatened me if I put a pink collar on him.

5. I have a guilty pleasure that I'm kinda ashamed to admit. One of my favorite shows to watch is.......Americas Next Top Model. I know I know, Jason gives me crap about it to but I really love it. I started watching in its 2nd season because there was a Mormon girl on it. Of course she was an absolute twit but I got hooked on it. I also love the show "So you think you can dance". Last year a Mormon kid actually won it and he was an incredible dancer. I'm reading this now thinking "Man I sound like a teeny-bopper". Like I said GUILTY pleasure.

6. I am the only girl in my family with a middle name and one of two that was born without and extra toe on each foot. I also am the only one without a birthmark. Because of this my older brother used to try to convince me I was adopted. The U of U was doing a study about this particular gene and wanted some of my babies blood if they had the 6th toe but we ended up learning that because I didn't have the toe I don't carry the gene. However a few of my siblings have passed it on to their kids.

Okay well I think that's it. Now you all know some of my darkest secrets;-)

Thanksgiving Pictures.

2007-12-10T15:20:00.001-08:00

The Boys making gravy
Haley and Sam can hardly wait for the turkey

We had dinner at Grandma and Grandpas church
Jason teaches Dylan not to talk "smack"

The girls love being with their cousins.

Funny Girls

2007-12-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Okay I just have to share a few funny things. The other day Jason and I were talking about his job situation and some decisions that need to be made and I put my head in my hands and said I just don't know what to do. Sydney pipes up and said, "Maybe you should call Dr. Laura." I laughed quite a bit at that one. Then today Camrie was down stairs singing Christmas carols and it became apparent to me that she has been watching some Monte Python. I heard a pretty voice singing "Silent night...Holy Grail." It's a good thing I write these down because some of the things that come out of their mouth has me rolling.

2007-12-08T22:20:00.000-08:00

Camrie spends pretty much everyday in dress up. This one is currently her favorite. She also loves to take Powder with her wherever she goes.

2007-12-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

This year we have the living room arranged differently but we still have the tree in the same spot. The problem is that the TV is now where we used to put the presents. I have always put my village under the tree and the gifts on the side but this year we had to tweak it a little bit. I have the village under half of the tree and then rounding the corner in front of the TV. The other half of the tree will be used for the presents. It turned out okay I guess.

2007-12-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Fun in the Snow

2007-12-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

Last week we finally had a good snowstorm with enough of the white stuff that the kids could play in it. Now when I play Christmas music it fits into the weather. The girls had so much fun but I dont think that even compared to how much fun Powder had. They stayed outside for over an hour and he stayed with them the whole time. They came in with red noses and cheeks so we had to warm up with some nice Stephens cocoa.

Want to see some cute pics of the girls?

2007-12-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

Go to the link announcing joy in my link list. Then go to the gallery. Then click on the big picture of the girl in the hat with the big red flower on it. Go to the bottom of the page and click on older posts. This is the site of my friend who took the girls pictures. She does such an awesome job I will never go anywhere else for my girls pictures. Check out all the cute designs she does for cards. I am going to have her do baptism announcements for Sydney. Jason asked me if I felt bad that I will be doing announcements for her but didn't do it for Kaycee and Haley. My response was "well they didn't do announcements back then and besides, Kaycee and Haley actually have a baby scrapbook done, Sydney and Camrie don't".

2007-12-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is probably my favorite picture of my girls. My friend did their pictures this year and this is also the one I used on our Christmas cards. Maybe I'm a bit biased but I think my girls are about the cutest ever.

2007-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Haley 9
Sydney 7
Camrie 4

2007-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

Kaycee 11

2007-12-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

My Silly girls

This is still so new and fun for me. I don't have that many pictures to post because we have only had our digital camera for a few months. This picture cracks me up because they were doing the dishes on Sunday afternoon and I asked them to show me what they REALLY think of doing dishes and this is the face they pulled.

anxiously waiting for sisters return from school

2007-11-30T15:08:00.000-08:00

This is the sight I see every school day about 3:00. Somehow Powder knows when its time for Haley to come home to him. Camrie is also anxious for her sisters to get back so she has someone besides Powder to play with. Camrie has Preschool Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Dance class on Tuesday so her only day without anything is Thursdays. Those are generally our days to go to the library and park.

My first posting

2007-11-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have considered myself computer challanged for quite some time now so my learning curve might be considerable. I think this is a fun way to keep up with family and friends both old and new. It will probably be me that does most of the posting but Jason may throw a few in there for good measure. He might even throw in some hunting pictures just for my sisters benefit :-) So my life is pretty busy at this time and I remember when I was younger watching my mom constantly go from one thing to another. I recall thinking I would never be that busy when I grew up. Can you guess why I find that so humerous now. My girls range in age from 11 to 4 so that means I will have a teenager in the house in a little over a year. Another 5 years from now our life should be nice and hormonal. The nice part though is that I now have a built in babysitter. yea! I took advantage of that tonight while I went out to a dinner/ornament exchange with some friends.