Halloween cuties!

Our Halloween this year was great. The kids had lots of fun, ate way too much junk and LOVED their costumes! Jasper was the cutest Rock Star I've ever seen and Aram had so much fun being Thomas the Tank Engine. He really 'got' the trick or treating thing this year. It was really cute to hear him say "Trick or Treat, I want Candy". He usually remembered to say "Thank You", too.



The time has come...

Okay, so it's time... I'm going to take the plunge. I'm going to break out of my stubborn, 'I don't want to blog' phase'. Why? Because when I first started this blog it was as a journal of sorts. I am horrible at documenting my childrens' milestones, the going on-s in our life and I promised myself that someday I would make a book out of my blog. That book is going to be very pathetic if I don't get over this lazy blogger streak. So,... here we go! Recently...

We went to Lake Powell,

and had a Family Reunion

We played in the Moab sand and rocks,

rode on Thomas the Tank Engine

and went to Mesa Verde.

Aram turned 2.

Jasper turned 7,



and started 2nd Grade.



We played,

enjoyed the weather,

spent time with Family,

 

watched the colors change,

and shared Love.

Our life is simple, but it is GOOD!



Spring Fling and Wax Museum

It has been almost a month since this took place, but I wanted to document Jasper's school 'Spring Fling'. Jasper is part of a program called 'Explorer's Club' and basically it is just the top students in each class get to participate in bi-weekly activities after school. They also got to do a 'Hero project' this year and display it at the Spring Fling as a Wax Museum. Jasper chose to do Amelia Earhart. For a first grader, this was a little challenging, so I ended up doing most of the work! :P

Everyone that stopped by her display board and heard her do her intro remarked that she looked just like Amelia Earhart. This was the picture they pointed out as they said it. What do you think? The smile? The eyes, the nose? Either way, she was pretty darn cute.

Here is her performance for the camera.

 "Hi, I'm Amelia Earhart. I was the first lady to fly across the Atlantic"

Then we went to visit her classroom which was all decked out in bugs to display what they had been working on recently.

Having a picnic by the ant hill! Making bugs out of goodies.

They had a tent set up where they could read a bug book to their families... Jasper read one to her cousins and brother.

The school has a greenhouse and an enclosed courtyard that they call their "Secret Garden". We found a tulip that had sprung up outside of it's allotted bed and was sheltering under a tree. It epitomized Spring to me, so I had to include it!

My Interests

I was realizing the other day that I never post much about me or my interests on here. This post is dedicated to ME! To remind myself that I DO have a life besides Motherhood, that I can do many things, that I am interested in a variety of things and therefore interesting! :) Bear with me, if you will... while a share a few.

#1 would definitely be the one I spend the most time on... READING! I wish I could write fabulous reviews, but I don't even read to discuss or review afterwards. I just read because it is an escape, an adventure I can go on, a journey that begins and ends within a short period of time. I am one of those people who don't mind knowing what is going to happen BEFORE I read the book (I am not big on surprises). In fact, I often read the end or skip ahead in books. Once I find a book I love, it becomes a life long friend and I love to re-read my favorites. What genres are my favorite, you may ask? Again, a thing that ranges as widely as my interests themselves. I love Fantasy, Paranormal, Classics, Historical fiction among many others. This is a love I have obviously passed on to my daughter. I have been amazed (once again) at her this week. She started reading the 2nd 'How to Train Your Dragon' book by Cressida Cowell and after reading for an hour each night, she finished it in less than a week (211 pages). She just can't put it down, even at the expense of lost sleep... just like her Momma! :)

#2 on my list is Cooking. Why don't I start a cooking blog, I often ask myself? Because then it would be work and therefore not FUN! I love to read others' food blogs, but if I truly immersed myself in that world... I just might drown! It seems so consuming! As it is now, I find a recipe that I want to try (or sometimes invent one myself) and I have a blast creating it (and of course eating it)! Taking pictures rarely crosses my mind and then having to type it all out?! Nope,... I think I will just enjoy this love of cooking and being a Foodie Friend rather than a true Foodie (food blogger). I might try to share a recipe on here now and then, though.

#3 is a recent one I found, Cardmaking. It is so fun, relaxing and creative. If I give myself too many options though, I become overwhelmed and it takes the fun out. So, I keep it simple and don't get too involved in this either.

#4 has already been mentioned on here, but I really like Photography (mostly involving kids). Am I talented in this area? Maybe not so much, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. The part I like the most is editing the pictures! I really need that Photoshop program,... still! :D

#5 HAIR!! I love to dye/cut/fix/wax hair. In fact I was all set to go to Beauty School before getting married. Obviously, I decided not to. That didn't diminish my prospects, though. I still cut hair for those brave enough. :) I'm actually pretty good, I get compliments on my creations all the time. A new fun thing I've started doing is following several 'Hairstyle' blogs in order to find new styles for Jasper's growing hair (click on this picture to see the Hairstyle I did for Field Day). I was laughing at myself this morning because I tend to Bookmark the links for recipes or hairstyles that I want to try and one was labeled 'The Fastest Buns Ever'... hmmm, is that in reference to hair or food! :D (It was a hairstyle)

These are just the most important ones to me. I dabble in many things (quilting/crafting/crocheting), but am by no means expert at any of them.

(Hairclips I made for Jasper)

(Scarves I've made)

Someday, I hope to find a hobby that I love passionately but for now the only thing I am passionate about is my family! :)

Guess what? x 2

The first 'guess what' is this...

My Hubby's first blog. He is creative, has a passion for all things Post Apocolyptic, likes to write and share his ideas. Go check out his first post and the unique way he is writing this blog!



The second 'guess what' is that I got invited to Guest Post on an AWESOME website...

Yes, ME!! I know,.. I was freaked out. I mean, what do I have to contribute?... any ideas would be very much appreciated. It doesn't have to be a tutorial, just something interesting. What would interest you? PLEASE help so I don't have to let this opportunity pass me by! :)

Easter 2010

"Cann-ee"

Daddy takes pictures at the breatfast table... eating food, not Candy!

In between General Conference sessions we had an Easter Egg Hunt. Aram liked to eat the candy out of the eggs, but wasn't interested in finding too many of them. He decided to play instead. Jasper was GUNG-HO about getting as many eggs as she could.

Goofy little Egg hunters. Aram is certainly due for a haircut!

My beautiful Mom.

We finished off the day with a late afternoon stroll.

I love spending time with my family. They are the whole world to me. Easter is always special but this year it felt extra special. It was a joy to see the kids excitement, a blessing to hear the messages from our General Authorities, a peaceful and relaxing day. I felt especially humbled that all that I have was made possible by my Savior, who was not only the reason for this special day but the reason for all the good things each and every day.

The little things

I haven't been very good about posting the "little" things in our life, you know the ones that make it special, enjoyable and just give you the feeling that you are incredibly blessed?
Here are some of my "little" things from today...

My hubby (who is currently working the night shift) got up after only 5 hours of sleep because I wanted to take the kids swimming but didn't want to do it alone. Not to mention I didn't want to go to the dreaded Wal-mart and get Easter goodies with the kids in tow. He is special like that. He frequently sacrifices his comfort (or in most cases, sleep) in order to please me! :)

My cute 6 year old picked up all her brothers toys and books so we could go swimming today. She is special like that, too. She helps out around the house A LOT! (I feel guilt when I think about how much!) :P She is awfully fun to take the pool. She just loves it so much, she pleads with me to "Watch me, Mom" as she tries out new tricks in the water. Sometimes I get frustrated that she wants my undivided attention so much, I mean, she IS 6! Then I remember, she was an only child for an awfully long time. When I ask her why she still wants me to baby her she tells me that I'm lucky she still likes to snuggle! :D (She's right) In addition to making up a song all about how fun her brother is (it was cute), she also showed us how brave she is by jumping not only off the diving board, but also off the HIGH DIVE. TWICE. Her Dad about had heart failure watching. She is one amazing little girl. I wish I would have brought the camera.

Our 'Resident Menace' is slowly becoming a little sweetheart himself. He is 20 months now and FU-UH-NNY! We have a hard time keeping a straight face around this kid. He does the craziest things. He has been torturing my Mom's dog all week (we are dog-sitting) and I swear he has spent as much time in the dog's bed as his own. I am constantly having to remove him from 'the situation' because I know either he or the dog are going to get hurt. He started saying "Thank you" to me today. Melts my heart to hear him learning manners. :) Just driving to town is an adventure with him. He looks out the window and gets so excited at the thing he can see. He spent the entire trip exclaiming in his LOUDEST (believe me, that is very loud), ecstatic voice... "TRUCKS" "BUS" "MOO'S" "HORSE" "CARS". Don't you wish you could enjoy those things as much as a little boy? He was also amazing at the Swimming pool today. He didn't want me to hold onto him AT ALL. (Thank goodness for 'Floaties') It was so enjoyable to see the sheer joy in his little face when he would tell me "Mom, wa-wa" (water) and then take off on his own through the water. His enthusiasm is contagious.

This week has been rough, but I think if I can keep reminding myself of those "little" things, I just might survive. I am so thankful for my wonderful family. I have the best siblings (Thanks for all the phone calls). I have the coolest Dad. I have a Mom who is beyond description in specialness (new word, write it down) to me. I have a Heavenly Father who must love me an awful lot to give me all of this. I am incredibly blessed.

I WON, I WON, I WON!

Do you remember this scene from A Christmas Story?

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!

This is how I felt after seeing this blog post of one of my favorite food blogs.

http://cucinafamiglia.blogspot.com/2010/03/whistler-canada-and-random-winner.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OurFamilyTreat+%28Our+Family+Treat%29

How cool is that? I am so excited too, because I have never tried REAL Maple Syrup and have been meaning to buy some. I didn't even enter a contest. They were just nice enough to choose one of their followers for this gift.
I don't know if I have mentioned on here that my newest hobby/obsession is FOOD. I have discovered that I not only love to eat good food, but I love to create it. It is so much fun. I have several food blogs that I follow and am always trying out new recipes. If I ever get a better camera I believe I will become a "Foodie" (food blogger) myself. For now, I am just thrilled about my "MAJOR AWARD"! :D
A BIG thanks to Brooks and Lindsay for their generosity and their yummy blog.

Disneyland Recap

I would love to say its because I have been busy, but really I have been too much of a slacker to post about our trip to the beloved DISNEYLAND. Our little family loves this place. If we lived closer and were richer we would go several times a year, but as it is... we try to go every few years. This was Aram's first trip there. We had fun, even though the weather was not warm enough and it was busier for this time of year (in my opinion).

Aric and Jasper trying to pull the Sword out of the Stone.

"Horse, Horse", Aram hollered as soon as he saw the carousel.



So much to see, no time for kisses...

I can't remember what he was pointing to... :(

Daddy and his kids in front of the Castle

Definitely the "Happiest place on Earth" for Aric.

Aram with the Mickey hat (that we did not buy, but thought it was too cute not to take a picture) and his '1st Visit' button.

My cute girl with her beautiful smile and her Minnie hat that she got here when she was 4.

Going 'Jungle Cruise' in

No Aric in this picture, but at least Aram is looking.

Having lots of fun...

In 'Bugs Land' (note the giant clover in the background).

Getting ready to go on 'Flik's Flyers'

Jasper got to meet her 2 favorite fairies...
Silvermist

and Tinkerbell!

Aram loved most of the rides because there were CARS involved!

Big smiles for Big fun!

Autopia cars. Jasper was a great driver.

Aram was shocked to come face to face with his favorite thing in the world... LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!! It was so cute, he just stared at him like he was overwhelmed.

Daddy and Aram on the Autopia ride.

Do these faces scream fun, or what?

Jasper (the pirate) and Aram with Mater and McQueen.

I took many more pictures but these are the ones that I want to remember. Happy days with my sweet family!