gIrLs JuSt WaNnA hAvE fUn!

And when you put 5 women on a roadtrip in an minivan, FUN doesn't even describe it! Jami, Jeni, Janette, Bobbi, and I headed off to St. George on Friday afternoon to run races and enjoy a 'Girls Weekend' in warmer weather. Thanks to Jami for the music (she burned some awesome 80's music mixes :), Jeni for volunteering her awesome minivan and chauffering, and everyone for the fun discussion topics :), we had a blast from the minute we got into the car!

~Here we are pre-race - Janette and Bobbi ran a 5k while Jeni, Jami, and I ran a half marathon~

~13.1 miles later, yea! Glad that's over with, let the REAL fun begin!~

~In-N-Out, the perfect post-race meal!~

~Post-race pedicures - our feet definitely needed some work!~

~I thought I'd try something fun :) - I was so happy to have pretty toes that I left my shoes at the nail salon, we had to have the owner leave them by a dumpster so that I could get them after they salon was closed :) We got a kick out of searching for dumpsters behind a strip mall looking for my shoes. FIGURES!~

~The Texas Roadhouse - my favorite! We had worked up QUITE an appetite, we definitely needed a steak dinner!~

~Bobbi got to ride the saddle at the Texas Roadhouse since her birthday is coming up. I think this photo pretty much sums up our weekend ;)~

~All-in-all, it was an awesome trip! We will have to do this more often, we all came back talked-out :), shopped-out, and totally refreshed. Sometimes, girls just need to be girls! Thanks ladies, can't wait for the next road-trip! I got to know each of these wonderful women so much better through this trip! I love you all!~

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

It's a sad day for our country as it appears that the election is going in a scary direction, that's about all I can say :). I do try to remain pretty neutral and keep politics out of my blog, but it had to be said. Luckily for them (and us), little kids have no idea what is going on in the boring tense grown-up world. A few weeks ago for enrichment I taught a little class on how to make cute fluffy tutu's for kids (or grown-ups :). The sample tutu's have been sitting on the couch in the living room forever and Mason has had no interest in them whatsoever. Tonight he decided to put one on and he and McKinley gave us a little show. This is just a short clip, it went on for a LONG time (lots of pirouettes and 'tippy-toe' dancing :). Thanks for the comic relief! Matt wasn't too entertained by it (as you can probably tell from the video clip), but it WAS pretty funny, you just have to know Mason and his funny little personality! Enjoy! Hopefully this brightens your day, too!

My Cup Runneth Over

I was just reading Paula's blog about her idea to journal (or blog) a 'Daily Thanksgiving' and LOVED the idea - thanks Paula! I thought I'd follow her example and keep a daily list of the things that I am thankful for. I too am so grateful for this upcoming holiday season. Aside from all of the hustle and bustle of the season, I love the spirit of it, the time with family, and most importantly the time to reflect on the blessings in our lives. Feel free to follow suit, here are Paula's instructions:
"Create a Daily Thanksgivng List. I am going to try to post something everyday that I am thankful for. I am going to have a prayer in my heart so that I can trully examined the Lord's hand in my life DAILY! I challenge everyone to do this during the month. Whether you post it on your blog or record it down on a piece of paper, I challenge all of you to do the same. It is my prayer that we can lose ourselves in thought of the things that matter most. According to Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love." Happy Daily Thanksgiving!"

My Daily Thanksgiving
Nov. 01 - the power of prayer
Nov. 02 - innocence of children
Nov. 03 - my family
Nov. 04 - DEMOCRACY - even when I don't agree with the popular choice, I am thankful for the freedom to choose!
Nov. 05 - a WARM house, fireplace, and working heater, it's COLD!
Nov. 06 - a computer that does half of my job for me
Nov. 07 - my hard-working husband
Nov. 08 - WATER! I seriously needed water after our half marathon today!
Nov. 09 - wonderful girl friends - sometimes girls just need some girl time!
Nov. 10 - nurturing family and friends to take care of my children while I am away - THANK YOU!
Nov. 11 - rain
Nov. 12 - a good sense of humor (raising 2 kids and a husband requires it :)
Nov. 13 - cheap gas! I have an SUV people!
Nov. 14 - my sweet baby girl - Happy 4th Birthday McKinley!
Nov. 15 - hard-working firefighters, thanks for all you do! Many more homes would have been lost today without your dedication
Nov. 16 - today, every day! I don't want to look back and wonder where it all went, I am so very grateful for each and every day with my sweet children and wonderful husband
Nov. 17 - WARM days in NOVEMBER! It was 50 degrees and sunny today, now THAT is something to be thankful for! We went on a walk to the park!
Nov. 18 - friends that make me laugh - thanks Janette :)
Nov. 19 - stay-at-home relaxing days with the kiddos
Nov. 20 - 600 thread-count egyptian cotton sheets (my guilty pleasure, I love my bed :)
Nov. 21 - FABULOUS FRIDAYS!
Nov. 22 - a friend to chat with during the BYU game so I didn't have to DIE of football boredom :) (again, thanks Janette!)
Nov. 23 - inspired RS teachers who encourage peace, hope, and love
Nov. 24 - both of my kiddos took naps at the same time so that I could finish my Heritage Makers calendars for Christmas!!!
Nov. 25 - the funny things my little ones say
Nov. 26 - beautiful, warm late-fall days!
Nov. 27 - a day to give thanks, love, and share with the ones I love!
Nov. 28 - nieces and nephews who are such great examples to my children - especially Stephen and Jacob as they serve their missions!
Nov. 29 - WORK! In this economy, the fact that Matt HAS a job is something that I do not take for granted!
Nov. 30 - the beginning of the Christmas season, at time for love, giving, and remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

To be a kid again...

Our kids LOVED Halloween this year! And what's not to love? Well, when you're a kid, nothing! Fun costumes (that your parents actually ENCOURAGE you to wear around the neighborhood!), free candy, and partying past bedtime! It's a kid's dream. It's different for parents. :) We lack the carefree bliss of childhood. We count calories (do you KNOW how many calories are in each of those Reese's that just keep calling my name?), we want to dress up but lack the motivation, and we know our kids have had too much sugar to have any chance of going to bed early. Oh to be a kid again! That being said, we actually did have a fun Halloween. We had a very last minute little Halloween Party lunch at our house on Friday afternoon, decorated sugar cookies and made crafts with friends, then after naps the kids got back into their costumes and trick-or-treated in the rain until their bags were good and heavy. Afterward we hung around the Bowen's house letting our kids run around the unfinished basement hoping that sugar high would wear off - good theory, but no such luck. All-in-all, it was a fun Halloween Night! Happy Halloween to all!Cute Baby Max really enjoyed the party! (Thanks Janette for letting me sneak a picture ;)
The cute little trick-or-treaters ready to go! Aren't we mean parents, we make them wear warm costumes so they don't have to wear winter coats over the top - this year it backfired, though, because the costumes just soaked up the rain and got pretty wet and heavy! Ooops!

From the town of Bedrock, they're a page right out of history!

Meet the Flintstones!Fabric for a last-minute Wilma and Pebbles costume: $6.00A fabulous Wilma wig (since I just got my hair colored and was too afraid to spray color on my hair) : $5.00 (PS - McKinley wanted me to take this picture, she said 'Mom, take a picture of me and put it on your blog... haha!)Borrowed Fred costume, Bam-Bam costume, Betty costume, Barney costume, and VERY fancy Wilma pearls: $0.00 (thanks Amy and Chelsea!!!)Black spray-on hair color for an authentic Fred look: $1.08Riding with the family down the street: $0.00 (courtesy of Fred's two feet :)Having a Yabba-Dabba-do time with the Rubbles (and bringing back a time when the phrase 'we'll have a gay 'ole time' just meant good old fashioned fun - even though our husbands were wearing dresses!) : PRICELESS (yes, there really ARE some things that money can't buy!)The kiddos enjoying hot-dogs and candy at the ward party - (left to right) Mason as the Flintstone's pet saber-tooth tiger (did you know his name was Baby Puss? I couldn't call him that! I would have gone with the better-known Dino for Mason, but I couldn't dress my son as a pink dinosaur!), McKinley as the lovable Pebbles, and Carson as the 'spirited' :) Bam-Bam.My cute little Pebbles!Excuse me, your balls are showing :) Inside joke - please don't be offended :) Men really shouldn't wear dresses!

Shhhh... we're at the Library!

McKinley's preschool class went to the library last week for a fun field trip. They toured the library, learned how to check-out, take care of, and return library books. They also were able to enjoy a fun storytime at the library. What a fun outing! They also had to learn how to be quiet in the library... kind of a hard thing for 7 three-year-olds, but they did pretty well. McKinley loved it!

Come on Barbie, let's go party...

Well, let's just say little ears pick up everything! I had my I-Pod on while I took a shower this afternoon. While I got dressed I could hear the Aqua song "Barbie Girl" playing and McKinley dancing and singing along. I walked out of the bathroom just as McKinley belted out the line "You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere..." AHHH! That's JUST what I want my 3-year-old dancing around singing! Just to clarify, this song was on a random mixed (Jock Jams, yes I'm OLD) CD, and I had never heard it play on my I-Pod before. McKinley had never heard it before, but in the 3 minutes that the song played before I entered the room, she learned the chorus pretty well. I actually would never have thought anything of the song, it just seemed like a silly pop song, until I heard the lyrics come from the mouth of my 3-year-old. So, if anyone is wondering if your kids really pick up what is on TV or music in the background, YES THEY DO! And if you happen to hear McKinley singing the previously mentioned line, PLEASE don't think I am a horrible parent! I really do try! Unfortunately, she LOVES Barbies, so she couldn't understand why this wasn't the greatest song EVER written (lyrics aside, she must get her musical preferences from her dad, I can't STAND that song) :). We had a long talk about how the words to that song don't sound very nice, so hopefully that took care of it, but you just never know with preschoolers!

Preschool Pumpkin Patch Patrons

Last Thursday was McKinley's first Preschool Field Trip (tear... sniff, sniff :)! We took them to the pumpkin patch for a day of fun, play, and pumpkin picking. The kids had a ball! McKinley and Mason have their pumpkins proudly displayed on the kitchen table, they haven't stopped talking about the pumpkin patch since - so I guess that means the field trip was a hit :).

McKinley walking through the cornfields to the animal farm.The class - we actually have 7 kids but one little girl was sick that day :(This is what happens when 6 3-year-olds try to sit on a pumpkin at the same time!McKinley. FYI - she chose her own outfit, and of course the shoes were HER idea at the store. I tried to convince her that backless suede clogs probably weren't a good idea at the pumpkin patch since we would be doing a lot of walking, but she insisted they were perfect. Needless to say, she ditched the shoes once they got to the play area :)McKinley and Mason in the 'three little pigs' house of straw' - at least that's what McKinley called it :)Again, I really was there :) We really did have a fun day! Can't wait until the next field trip!

Ooooh ooooh witchy woman, see how high she flies...

Where do witches hang out all day? At Gardner Village of course! Janette, Bobbi, and I took our kids out to Gardner Village last week to feed the ducks, check out the witches (no Matt, I wasn't referring to US!), take TONS of photos, and of course enjoy a fun day out! The kids loved it - although I think they would enjoy pretty much ANY outing with friends! It was a great mom's day out for us as well, we had fun checking out the cute little boutique shops and giggling like high-school girls all morning :) Here are a few fun photos - the kids were sort-of cooperative, so we actually came out with a couple of decent shots!

McKinley and Mason - notice Mason's 'cheese' face :)

Mason, McKinley, Carson, and Jaxson - this was the best one that I got - at least one of the kids is looking at me!Jaxson, Carson, McKinley, and Mason squashed into a miniature carriage - the things we put them through for a cute picture! I had to at least document that I was there :) McKinley LOVES to pose for photos - at least for now. She goes through phases, but right now she's all smiles for the camera. Mason's a whole different story :)Well girls, thanks for the fun day out! We'll definitely have to do it again! And Alecia, sorry we missed you! Next time we'll try to arrange a better meeting place so we don't lose anyone!

Let's get away from it all...

in MOAB! We (FINALLY) decided to take a quick trip to Moab this weekend with our good friends. When we were first married, we lived a few houses away from Eric and Ashley, and we most likely drove them CRAZY! We were either over at their house or inviting them over for dinner, games, or movies pretty much every night (all the while poor Eric was TRYING to study for dental school exams :). We always talked about doing a Moab trip, but (life comes at you fast) 4 kids (between all of us) and 5 years later we FINALLY managed to make it happen! Sadly, it is only a 3-hour drive away, yet we have not taken advantage of this beautiful haven so close to us. We truly felt like a minority as English-speakers, there were a ton of European tourists there. They travel from Europe to see what we only have to drive 3 hours for! Unfortunately, our long-awaited trip was tainted by rain and a round of stomach flu (that's always fun on vacation)! However, we still had a pretty good time. We definitely need to do it again, let's not wait five years this time guys! We had to photograph our one 'kid-free' moment while Eric entertained all of the little ones :)McKinley, Marley, and Mason enjoying the beautiful view! Way to go Eric! He managed to get ALL of the kids to look at the camera at ONE TIME!Poor Eric, the kids just love him!We all made it to see the famous Delicate Arch - rain and all! BY the way, I really can count, there are actually 4 children on this trip, but little Ivy was cuddled up all snuggly and warm under Ashley's jacket, so no photos of the cute little bundle! Also, we really need to invest in another framed backpack like the one Kinley is in, Mason is just a LITTLE too big for the Snugli :)Matt, McKinley, and Mason checking out the Tunnel ArchThe Daddies and their daughters (Mason refused to be in the photo) at Pine Tree ArchAnd, the final arch of the trip, Landscape Arch. Hope you enjoyed the photographic tour of Arches National Park with us! I promise more adventurous photos next vacation :) With the tummy bug making its rounds through our group, we could barely shuffle through the park on the second day, so rock climbing was out of the question, although we had all brought our gear. Next time!

ALL BOY!

Mason has his moments (which he surely enjoys :) where he gives his father heart-attacks. He will refuse to wear anything but his sister's pink sparkly flip-flops, insist on wearing neclaces (even in public), and occasionally demand the PINK sippy cup (mostly because he knows it will make his sister mad :), and tell Daddy that he wants to be a dancer for Halloween (that was his new one tonight ;). These are things that can put a sports-obsessed 'man's man' Daddy into cardiac arrest. Seriously. Well, underneath it all, he is ALL BOY! He can't keep dirt off of his clothes for five minutes (we go through about 4 outfits a day, it drives me INSANE!), he loves to tease his sister to tears, is obsessed with bikes, and THIS is his idea of a good time:Notice the slingshot stretched across the handlebars and the lack of a shirt - these were his idea. This time his daddy was SO proud :)