Sun Valley 2007-2010

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My Beautiful Family

Finally... a post.

I couldn't help but share the beautifulness that is my children.

I have to say, I owe it all to my gorgeous husband and of course my even more beautiful friend and photographer. So, to the both of you... Thank you for these beauties. Enjoy.

Addison Claire 2 years old

Sydney Alaina 3 1/2 years

Tanner Dallin 7 years

Kaitlyn Jade 9 years

A Day with the Girls

Fun at the bubble park and bike ride with my cute girls.

Sun Valley in the summer is my favorite. I got to spend the whole day with my cute little girls. They are so much fun... and growing up so fast.

"Welcome to the show everybody"... as said by cute Sydney.
Is there nothing cuter than a ruffle bum and 2 little braids on my cute 2 year-old.

This is the life... literally. We love biking in Sun Valley. The view is beautiful, and the bike trails go for miles and miles... which makes for easier biking when you're pulling 70+ extra pounds.

Love this old railroad bridge.

Can you see cute Sydney peaking through the window?

A Bragging Post

Yeeaaah... I did this.

...and I am so proud.

This is my first vegetable garden.

I guess we'll see if anything actually grows.

But until 50-70days until harvest...

I will just keep patting myself on the back.

Addison is Two!!!

Happy Birthday Addison Claire!!!

My precious Addison... Happy Birthday.

We are so grateful to have you in our family. You are the frosting on top of our family cake. It just wouldn't be right without you. Thank you for joining our family. We enjoy your personality sooo much.

Lately, you are loving:
DORA

Jumping,

your new dollhouse,

catching "buff-flies"
playing with your best friend Sydney,

Stepping on our gardens seeds,

your sandbox,

pretending to be a buff-fly,

BOOTS (from DORA)

staying up until midnight,

making sounds like a howler monkey (while staying up until midnight),

Hanging out with mom and dad at night (when you keep making sounds like a howler monkey at midnight),

Giving Sydney her blanket when she's in Time-out,

rubbing and kissing anyones "owies",

your mom and dad.

Some things I love about Addison:

Addi-bear hugs,

kindness to others,

putting dollhouse mom and dad in bed with snoring noises,

scrunching up your nose when you laugh,

howler monkey noises at midnight,

playing with you alone until midnight,

the way you say "buff-flies" and flap your "wings",

the way you blow out your candles,

your gorgeous curly hair,

your big blue eyes,

the way she says Dora,

the dance you do to the Dora theme song.

I look forward to many more years to come with you.

I can't wait to see what you'll do next.

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Kaitlyn's Butterfly "Scients" School

Kaitlyn made this sign about 2 years ago... and it's been outside her bedroom door ever since. She is simply adorable.

Kaitlyn is teaching a very eager student the butterfly lifecycle. It's so precious how Sydney listens with such great interest. Sydney can identify a morning cloak and a tiger swallowtail just like the rest of the kids.

A cute drawing of the butterfly lifecycle.

Kaitlyn is a natural teacher and obviously a lover of butterflys.

Every year she is so excited about raising more caterpillars for butterflys or moths. It's a fun hobby that has been in our family since Kaitlyn was a tiny baby. I love my butterfly girl.

Viva Las Vegas

Vegas kid style.

Actually... we would've done the same things if they weren't with us.

Our Las Vegas is very different from the worlds Las Vegas.

We loved the Bellagio water fountain shows. We sat here one night for 1 1/2. The kids LOVED it. They also loved the Mirages volcano water show with fire. So awesome.
Swimming in the Cancun resort pool. It had 4 tube water slides and of course was super fun. Unfortunately... our camera was acting up so ... not a lot of pictures.

Cute Sydney with her noodle swimming chair.

Kaitlyn is in LOVE with this albino lion from the Mirage hotels Secret Garden. They had 8 month old white tiger cubs, Leopards, and HUGE Siberian white tigers. We also loved the dolphins. Sydney especially loved the dolphins.

Is this Heaven or Las Vegas?...asks Kaitlyn.

Beautiful gardens at the Bellagio Conservatory.

I had to add this picture because Addison never holds still long enough for a picture. Such a toddler. There she goes.

Finally Toothless Tanner

Finally...

my cute Tanner lost his first tooth.

He's been waiting a very long time for this moment.

You can't really tell.. but it's the bottom tooth.

Dallin can't look at a mouth directly anymore :).

I guess he's used to looking at everyone upside down and backwards.

Tanner using Dallin's tooth fairy pillow from when he was a kid. Kaitlyn has used it everytime.. and now the tradition is passed to Tanner.

What a proud, cute little 7 year old boy.

The dreaded question...

Tonight... my precious son asked me why...

get this... why sex is a bad word.

Did you all catch that?

It's absolutely true.

After collecting my thoughts and

quieting my internal screaming,

I asked my precious offspring where he had heard that word.

He told me... and this is the saddest part of it all ... that it is from one of the songs from my ipod. Seriously?!?!?!?!?

It's an early 90's song from the Vipers called Turning Japenese.

In the song is says, "No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women"... and continues on to sing some more with it's oh-so-super catchy tune.

Thankfully we had a super cute babysitter that told my children that sex is a bad word. Thank you Jessie Groesbeck and her family for raising such a great girl. The sad part of it all... is that I felt if I never said anything... to my children it would just be another word. They don't know what the Vipers are really singing about anyway... right? We just like the tune. Right? Isn't that what I said when I was a teenager. Right? So here I am, stuck cleaning up a mess... that I made.

I told my son all the age appropriate things (he is 6 1/2), and definitely a very G-rated version. Then he says to me, "If it's so sacred, why do you and daddy kiss in front of us kids?" Again, I am dying. I just said, "we just don't say the word sex, so please never say it to your friends or your teachers at school". Then, my son, who is going to be my ticket to heaven says, "Well mom... if that song says a bad word, then we shouldn't listen to it anymore, right?"

Yes Tanner. You are right.

I just might get to heaven after all. I love you son.

Random Addison

Addison matches my house.

She looks like a throw pillow... but much cuter.

This is a daily occurance at our house. Addison loves to see EVERYONE go to the bathroom. Most of us cover the whole toilet seat... with Sydney she gets more of a view. It's hilarious...AND sanitary.

I love that Addison loves to dress herself. Even if it is in a plastic lei and squeezing her legs into one leg of the underpants. She is sooo cute.

Let the clothing battles begin...

I HATE my sons new "light up sketchers".

I could truly die. I hate these kind of shoes. So please... do not pass judgement on me when you see him "lighting" up. I gave in and told him that 7 year olds don't get to wear those shoes (he's 6 now)... so he should enjoy it while he can. I am so embarrassed. They are that hideous. Wouldn't you agree?

What is not hideous... is watching my son watch his feet as he walks. The joy is fantastic for him. Like I said earlier... enjoy it while you can Tanner boy... because mommy gets to pick out the next pair. And here they are...

So stylish yet comfortable. With convenient velcro straps because I have yet to teach the boy to tie his shoes. The style, the attractiveness... the fulfillment of mommy's pride. My pride will be patient. In the meantime... I might not get my son to look me in the eyes for a while. He'll be too busy looking down, playing in a dark room enjoying his super awesome light up shoes.

Yeah.. that's right.... THEY'RE SUPER AWESOME!

I Want

I usually do not use my blog to vent or

even to share random thoughts about my life.

I should more often. So today is that day.

Why is it so hard to be the mom?

Today, simply put, I don't want to be the mom.

I want to put dishes in the dishwasher without a 20 month old taking all the dirty dishes back out - usually putting dirty spoons in her mouth.

I want to be able to put my makeup on without tweedle-dee and the other tweedele-dee (I would never call her dum) hugging my legs dying for me to pick them up or at least give them the attention they so desperately seem to think they are starving for.

I want to be able to leave my house without having to fight someone to put shoes on, go potty, fight to leave the blanket home, sit in the car seat, etc.

I want to not be told, "mommy, I want to play play-doh, do you understand?", "Mommy, I want you to sit by me and watch Wall-E, right now, do you understand?", "Don't eat my chips, mom, do you understand?". Damnit... I do understand, I'm just ignoring you.

I want to be able to turn on a movie and not have to sit down by her. Doesn't she understand that I am paying that "babysitter" a lot to watch her for that time. Seriously.Geez.

I want to use the bathroom without an audience.

I want to sleep in.

I want Addison to not poop in the bathtub anymore.

I want Addison to not write on the walls.

I want no more runny noses.

I want the children to be in bed at 7:30pm.

I want to not to have to brush their teeth.

I want my husband to have an office manager. I'm tired of him babysitting all of his employees. It's exhausting for me. I know it is for him. We haven't seen him this entire week.

I want my husband to brush their teeth again.

I want my husband.

I want to loose 8 inches off of my waist.

I want to have my beautiful long hair back.

I want to HATE carbs. I so do not. I love them.

I want to be a good... no EXCELLENT mother.

I want to not feel the undying guilt of being a mother.

I want to know that I am producing responsible, hard working

citizens of the world.

I want to know that I am helping my children combat Satan

everyday of their lives.

I want to know that they are gaining a testimony of who

they are as a child of God.

I want to know that I am teaching them in a way they will respond too.

I want them to know how much I love them.

I want to pray, always.

I know that King Benjamin exhorted his people

to impart of their substance to the poor and feed the hungry,

clothe the naked, etc...

"according to their wants". mosiah 4:26.

I know I want to have freedom at times... and I know that one day I will get what I want. On that day, some of the wants will be welcomed... but most... especially the wants of my 2 little ones and the frequent headaches they cause ... I will be sad they've grown. I hope when they all do... they will say...

"I want all that my mother wanted for me." Hopefully they will still want me.

P.S. I want to gobble her up. Crazy hair and all.

My little social-lite.

So put together...ish. HA

We are starting the new year so...well-"ish". The job charts are up and actively being stuck with stickers... even Sydney has "jobs". She is to help pick up toys, be nice everyone (especially Tanner who she teases relentlessly), and to be happy. She was thrilled to be able to stick on stickers for the first time.

Kaitlyn taught a beautiful FHE on the Plan of Salvation. She drew all the pictures of the different phases. SOOO Cute!

Tanner finally wore the sport coat we bought him 2 years ago. Luckily we only paid $8 for it... because this was the first time he actually wore it without pitching a fit. I think it fit him better 2 years ago... don't ya think?

More sticker excitement!

Oh yeah... JUST KIDDING.... We aren't put together AT ALL. The above was out of the ordinary. This is more of a "norm" at our house... everyone in their underwear. This day, the cuties decided to shake it up a bit and put "panty Dora" on their heads AND over their pants.

Seriously... don't take my picture AGAIN!

and then there's Sydney... who will pose for any photo.

Just a cute picture of Tanner and Addison playing trains.

I love them all!

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

My baby Addison is already working on her new years resolution. Actually it is my resolution for her... but she seems anxiously engaged to follow through. What a sweet baby. She just learned to walk 2 months ago... why not potty train now.

Addy bear having ALOT of fun running around the Sun Valley resort. She wouldn't hold still for any pictures... this was the best I could do. She is so happy to finally be walking.
Say Cheese. I usually don't like to get in front of the camera... but a nice woman wanted to take our picture as a family and I am glad she did. It is proof that I was around during these crucial years of my childrens lives.
Every year, Sun Valley Resort has gorgeous ice sculptures and snow sculptures.

How did I get so lucky. They are precious.