The Peterson family

Girl Scouts

2012-02-03T10:35:00.001-07:00

This year I signed Kimberly up to be a girl scout. I was a girl scout growing up and loved it. There was so much we did and I loved earning badges. So I have always wanted Kimberly to be a girl scout. This year at her school, they started a troop. I was so excited and so was she. The first day we went, they mentioned they needed help like leaders. I don't know why but I knew I wanted to be a leader. Maybe it was because my mom was my leader... not sure why. So I signed up to be a leader. Within the first couple of weeks, I also signed up to take on the title Cookie Manager. I didn't really know what this entailed but it sounded fun. UGH! I should have read all the details of Cookie Manager. Just kidding. It has been very stressful but a good challenge. Our troop consists of about 45 girls. Yes that is a lot but the first year of a troop is free to the troop. It is called a Discovery troop. I am sure when the girls have to pay next year, the numbers will drop. So as Cookie Manager I am in charge of 45 girls' cookie orders. Yes it is insane. Just trying to get all the orders on time was a nightmare (some of the familes don't speak a lot of English). Then I have to proof each cookie order to make sure the additions are correct. Then I have to enter them into the cookie system. That doesn't sound so bad, right. But then we have to guess at how many cookies we might sell during booth sells. When we make this guess, we have to divide it up among the 8 kinds of cookies. This is basically a crapshoot. You never know how many cookies you are going to sell. If you get too many, you are stuck with them as a troop and have to pay for them. If you order too little, you might run out before all your cookie booths are done. A complete joke for a Cookie Manager. Then you have to take all these booth cookies and divide them up among your girls in your troop. They say to be fair and equal... a little hard when you have 45 girls. So much stress! Oh and to top it off, you are on a time-line and have to have all this done by a certain time and date. Luckily I was able to get it all done with 6 hrs to spare. I think I have done an ok job. I hope so anyway. For now I am on a cookie break. Until the end of the month when all 5400 boxes of cookies arrive and I have to figure out a way to get them to my house, divide them up among the girls, and deliver them. Not to mention during all of this... my sweet Kimberly girl scout sold 265 boxes of cookies (most of them door to door). I am so proud of her.. and honestly a little happy with myself too!

Not sure if I am going to take on this challenge again next year. (I do have an advantage having done it one year... don't tell my hubby I said this!)

Family Pictures

2012-01-17T13:38:00.003-07:00

So we finally had some family pictures taken. Seriously our last ones were when Matthew was 1. It was due time. You never know how your kids are going to react to having their pictures taken. When Kimberly was little, she was a doll and so good taking pictures. Then Matthew was a bit of a toot. Not really crying but all our pictures have him with his mouth wide open. So I was curious how Jacob would react. WELL... he started crying the second we got in to take pictures. Man it was a struggle getting him to smile. I was mighty surprised at what cute pictures we ended up with because of his meltdown. Matthew still has a silly grin and Kimberly still is easy to get her picture. But all in all, I am happy with what we got. Here are just a few of our favorites:

Hopefully we won't wait as long to get a new family picture next time.
:-)

2011 Review

2011-12-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year's Eve Everyone! Another year is in the books and we are all looking forward to it. Just thought I would give an overview of our year... so we remember in the many years to come.

Brian: 2011 brought on a year of work in Singles for Brian. Singles has been great since there is pretty much work all week long. Brian also took on a new calling this year in church. Committee Chairman for cub scouts. This means that he is over all the cub scout leaders and has to organize pack meeting every month. Brian is doing great with this calling. I am proud of him to take on something that he normally isn't comfortable doing. Hunting and playing baseball has been his outs and as usual, he enjoys both of them.

Tammy: 2011 was the year of the baby for me. I was the milk machine for Jacob so most of my year was dedicated to that. I don't mind staying home being mom to my children. I stay plenty busy with that alone. But just to stir things up I added a few new titles to my life. Relief Society teacher was my calling for half of the year. Not something I would have dreamed of doing but found a love for the discussions every month with the ladies. In September I took on a new calling... 1st Counselor in the Primary. Oh how I missed Primary. I really do love being with the children and learn and help them learn. This fall I also added student to my title. I have always wanted to help bring in money since I left the job field but felt so busy and underqualified to do anything about it. So with some encouragement from the family, I enrolled in school to become a Medical Billing and Claims Specialist. I enjoy learning more about the medical field and hope to be done in the spring of 2012. In my spare time (haha) I enjoy reading and playing games.

Kimberly: 2011 has been a fun year for Kimberly. She has enjoyed being a big sister and helper for her new baby brother. She also turned 7 this year and is constantly talking about being baptized next year. Kimberly has a beautiful talent of dancing and she is thriving this year in it. This fall we put her in a performance dance group and she is just loving every minute of it. She has already performed a bunch of times and every time, we can see her improving. I can truely say I see a future of dance for her. For fun she has been enjoying friends, riding bikes and scooters, and just being a kid.

Matthew: 2011 meant a wild 4 year old for us. Matthew is such a joy to be around. He is goofy and funny and loving. He has been a great big brother and can't wait for the day to wrestle and be silly with Jacob. Matthew also started preschool online through Upstart in Utah. It is a government preschool and is great for Matthew. He spends at least 30 minutes a day online doing school and it caters to his every nutty whim and silliness. I can see a huge improvement in him. He loves to learn. Matthew enjoys playing every sport he can get his hands on. He also learned how to ride a big bike with training wheels and just loves playing outside every second he can get.

Jacob: 2011 was Jacob's first year on this earth and boy did he grow. It is hard for me to think he started out the year as a tiny baby and now he is this walking around toddler. Jacob has been a joy to our family and we love every second with him. His smile is so big and sweet and now that he is walking... watch out world. He is a very independent little man and loves to get into anything. Fun stuff for Jacob would be listening to music and dancing, playing toys with anyone that wants to play, and giving big loves to everyone.

Duke: 2011 was a good year for Duke. He finally got out of his puppy stage and is really loving a good couch to lay on. He was a great dog for Jacob and they have bonded like no other. Duke has been doing more hunting with daddy and goofying with mommy. He found a love for table food (no thanks to Jacob) and because of it needs to lose a few pounds. We love our dog Duke!

As a family our big adventure for 2011 was our trip to Disneyland. What a great time we had and look forward to another trip to the big ears in a few years.

Well that about does it for 2011. Only a few more hours to go this year before we start a new chapter. 2012 will bring a bunch of fun and interesting things for our family. Baptism, weddings, 10 year anniversary, kindergarten, girl scouts, dancing, terrible 2s, and many more adventures will come this year. We have our heads held up high, our faith in our Heavenly Father to guide us, and smiles on our faces. Bring on a new year... We are ready!

Love to all our friends and family. Have a great 2012! Happy New Year!

Jacob's first birthday

2011-12-20T09:53:00.002-07:00

My sweet little baby is no longer a baby. He is a big 1 year old. I can't believe how quick that year went by. I really didn't think I could love another child as much as the first but wow... my love has just grown for each child. Jacob so loves this siblings and they love him so much. So much fun at our house.

We love you so much Jacob. Thank you for joining our family here on earth!

Odds and Ends

2011-12-05T14:04:00.001-07:00

Kimberly at her first dance performance with LaShars at Festival of Trees. She did great and had a lot of fun. We are so proud of our little dancer.

The smiles may not be the greatest but at least we got all four children in one spot!

At Festival of Trees. What a neat place.

We got to visit with Santa at the Festival of Trees. He was a neat Santa. He took time with each child to see what they wanted. The wait was long but well worth it.

Spoiled mutt! He loves daddy so much.

Playing dead. haha

The lighting isn't the best but I love this picture of the kids. Shows you how big they are.

Jacob wakes up with bad hair almost every day. It makes me laugh.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:20:00.003-06:00

Here are my cute trick-or-treaters!

So this doesn't happen often but Brian dressed up for like 2 minutes. So we snapped some pictures before that wig came off. I wanted to paint his face and let him be KISS but he said nope.

My adorable tiger. He was pretty happy yesterday... could be he just got a dum dum sucker!

Miss Ariel. This might be her last year for a princess so she picked this one. She looks so pretty with make-up on... it scares me. I start seeing visions of her as a teenager and boys!

My scary ghost! His goal was to be scary and it was so funny cause all these houses we know, the ladies acted scared at him and he loved it. I love our neighborhood!

Happy Halloween!

Red ribbon days at school

2011-11-01T10:09:00.003-06:00

This wa pj day but the kids were doing a pirate dance too so they changed and got dirty.

80s day - yes i still have a scrunchy!

Crazy hair day!

Fall 2011

2011-10-25T10:33:00.003-06:00

These are our jack-o-lanterns for 2011. We had a lot of fun carving them. Jacob was really curious why the pumpkins were smiling at him!

One of our favorite fall activities is going to the pumpkin walk. We had a lot of fun this year. Jacob wasn't too thrilled because it was a bit chilly but he sure enjoyed the bus ride and fire pit.

Aren't they cute! Jacob was having a blast putting his head into all the cutouts. Of course my older two enjoy this part of the pumpkin walk the most.

This is our crop of pumpkins. For only 70 cents, we thought we would try planting a pumpkin patch this year in our backyard. We were shocked to see how many pumpkins actually grew! Yes some of them are green but that is due to them hiding under the leaves. Now they are changing into a cool orange color.

We love fall!

9 Months Old Already!

2011-09-18T21:34:00.003-06:00

Mr. Jacob is now 9 months old. I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly. This time last year I was counting down the days because I was tired of being pregnant. I couldn't wish fall here any faster and this year I am so sad that it is getting closer and closer to him turning 1 years old. As you can see from this picture, he is a mobile kid and learning things every second of the day. Yes he can get around crawling and quickly learned how to get up on his feet and hang on to everything. Now he thinks he is so big and brave because he takes one hand off and moves away like he is going to just take off walking. It hasn't happened yet but I believe it won't be long. He is so much fun though. The kids have fun with him and are learning quickly to pick their things up or Jacob will get them. I definitely have to keep my eye on him because he tends to get into everything. I just can't believe how quickly he can move. One minute he is over at his toys in the living room and the next minute I see his feet slip into the bathroom down the hall to explore. I love him to pieces and can't get enough of him. This is the first child of mine that I actually think looks like me. When Jacob smiles, I can see my baby pictures in him. I really can see my dad in him and my mom says I looked a lot like my dad when I was little. I am so grateful for this little guy!

This is just a funny video of him and his crawling. He was chasing this ball around while using just his head. Matthew is the one laughing in the background.

Fun shots!

2011-09-18T21:14:00.004-06:00

Waiting for the Tremonton fair parade. He was super excited even though it was like 100 degrees.

We had fun with curlers one day. I couldn't believe her hair actually held this much curl.

Ready for church one day. Just thought we would snap a couple pictures of me and the kids!

Silly kid! Really that is all I can say about this kid.

Aren't they cute! Kimberly and her pretty attire and Matthew and his mohawk!

A Good Day in the Mountains

2011-09-08T16:20:00.001-06:00

Some pictures from July 24 Primary Parade

2011-09-08T16:15:00.000-06:00

First day of 2nd grade

2011-08-24T09:52:00.002-06:00

Kimberly started the 2nd grade today. She was so excited to start school again. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Wright and she seems really nice. Things she is excited for this year: she gets a desk this year, her classroom has a pet turtle, and her thermos in her lunchbox (so she can have mac and cheese or soup). Kimberly's goal this year... to be the smartest kid in her class. I hope she succeeds!

Big sister vs little brother

2011-08-24T09:47:00.002-06:00

I decided to let Kimberly feed Jacob one day. He didn't cooperate very well but they sure had fun.

Twins

2011-08-24T09:44:00.002-06:00

Tell me they didn't come from the same gene pool!

More fun pictures from summer

2011-08-24T09:21:00.002-06:00

Fun Pictures from this summer

2011-08-06T19:01:00.002-06:00

Hogle Zoo 2011

2011-08-06T18:52:00.003-06:00

We were able to fit in our annual summer trip to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake this year. It was very hot that day but we stayed cool with the misters throughout the zoo. Jacob had fun for his first zoo trip and Kimberly and Matthew were beyond excited and happy. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Jacob's first crawl

2011-08-06T18:48:00.002-06:00

Jacob 7 months old

2011-07-16T12:05:00.001-06:00

Such a big boy!

Happy 4th of July 2011

2011-07-08T14:26:00.002-06:00

Isn't that a great site! Tell me that isn't the best patriotic start to a parade! I am proud of these veterens. (My dad is in here but hiding behind a flag)

Here's my dad... the tall one on the back row on the end. For all my old drill teamers... don't you just want to yell GUIDE! HAHA.

This is the only photo of my kids. Let me explain some things. First off, they are sitting waiting for the parade to start. Second, they are wearing my mom's silly hats to keep the sun off of them (which at present time there wasn't much sun). Third, Matthew has a cracker in his mouth because my kids were a little under the weather. Poor things were outside the day before enjoying Soda sun and 4th of July morning ended up with heat stroke. They couldn't stop throwing up all morning. By the time this picture was taken, Kimberly was feeling better but Matthew had just thrown up again. I had the cracker in his mouth to try and settle his tummy.

We did have a great 4th of July. Enjoyed the parade, had a great time at my parents house, enjoyed visiting with family, watched many fireworks, checked out some old cars at the Cruise-in, and enjoyed the sun. Yes we had a few hiccups in our weekend but all in all we had a great 4th.

Happy 4th America!

Swimming 2011

2011-07-08T14:08:00.003-06:00

Kimberly

Matthew in his alien goggles.

Kimberly hanging out in her cute goggles.

Matthew

So we just finished up swimming lessons for the summer. The kids did great and I am just glad they are over. haha. We take and pay for swimming lessons at the Sports Academy. A bit pricey but worth every penny. The classes are small and they swim indoors so no matter what the weather is, they will swim.

Kimberly did great. Let me give you a bit of background. At age 2, Kimberly would not get in the water... not even for a bath. She would stand in the bathtub and scream. She hated water. I have no idea why but that was just her. Eventually she did start sitting in the bathtub and then started to like water. At age 5, I put her in her first swimming lesson. She was so scared but did what the teachers told her to do. She would rarely let go of the teacher on anything and would not jump into the water like all the other kids. After swimming lessons that year, she eased up a bit at the big pool with us and started floating like she learned. Each year she has been less afraid and more willing to do things. This year she was a fish. She was swimming around by herself the first day. So much so that they moved her up to a different level. She didn't get scared... she loved it. She got to try her hand at side stroke, back stroke, front stroke, and many other things. My favorite part of her lessons... Kimberly leaping into the pool and floating on her back without the help of her teachers. She isn't afraid anymore. I am so proud of her.

Matthew did awesome. This was Matthew's first year of swimming lessons. From watching other preschool groups in the past, my only goal for Matthew was to stay in the pool. I didn't care if he listened or did what the teacher wanted... I just wanted him to stay in the pool. Well he far exceeded that. He was floating around and not scared of anything. I am so proud of him.

In a couple years I will have to put the kids in a few more lessons in the summer. That way the kids can learn and continue to improve on their swimming skills.

He's Mobile!

2011-07-08T13:59:00.002-06:00

No Jacob hasn't been watching Kimberly do backbends. He figured out how to be mobile by doing this backbend to get around. It is so funny watching him do it. Yes if you were wondering, he does have a bit of a bald spot because of this scoot. The only good that comes from this is he puts his feet down flat to do it. He tends to curl his feet in (we have had him checked by a specialist and it will just take time to work them out) so to see him use them flat makes me happy.

Jacob's first big boo boo!

2011-07-08T13:54:00.002-06:00

Poor baby! We went up the canyon to enjoy the weather and ride the 4 wheeler. Duke, Jacob and I were hanging out listening to nature. I decided to get up and get me a drink. I startled Duke and he wiped out everything in site to see why I jumped up. Well Jacob was part of that wipe out. Duke's leash rubbed along side Jacob's eye and boy did it hurt. He screamed pretty loud. I felt bad but not much I could do. Just one of those things. He was a good sport though. Doesn't this picture make you sad though!

Disneyland Part 3

2011-06-10T21:16:00.003-06:00

Friday morning we had breakfast with Mickey and friends in the Paradise Pier hotel. The kids were so excited to see Mickey. First thing we got to do was get a couple pictures with Mickey. I didn't mention this before but we did take advantage of Photopass. These are people that are in special spots all around the parks and will take your picture and will even take pictures with your own camera. Then after your trip, you can view them and buy them. Very handy... we did notice though that they don't take as great of a picture with your own camera. haha. One guy cut off Brian's head. haha. Oh well. This breakfast I wasn't as impressed with but we did have a fun time seeing the characters. We got pictures with Stitch, Minnie, Daisy, and Pluto. During the breakfast, they would have breaks where the kids could go and dance with the characters. Matthew was too shy to do this but Kimmy got into it. She looked so cute.

After breakfast we decided to hit Disneyland again cause we missed a couple lands. Well this was not the day to try and get to Tomorrowland (good thing we hit this the other day). This was the grand opening of Star Tours. You should have seen the line for it. People were waiting 4 hrs for this ride and they had to block off part of Main Street just for the line. And I have to say... Friday or the weekend is not the day for Disneyland. Man I swear you could tell there were 1000s more people there just that one day. We ventured into Adventureland (like that) and first thing we saw... Jasmine and Aladdin. So we got our picture with them. Then we hit the jungle cruise. Hilarious tour guide... made you laugh the entire time. When the kids get older, we totally have to try Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Carribean. Brian and the kids climbed in a tree house but Kimberly got a bit scared of the heights so they came down quickly. We got a chance to ride a pirate boat and after the rapids the day before, Kimberly was a bit leary of boats and water. haha. It was a nice peaceful ride and pretty cool boat. We then went by splash mountain where Kimberly was dead set she wasn't going on that ride. We rode Winnie the Pooh and then Brian rode splash mountain. They had a great deal... if you were a single rider, you could enter thru the exit and only wait about 10 minutes. Much better than waiting the 60 + minutes like everyone else. I was going to ride it after Brian but luck would have it that Jacob got fussy. haha. We checked out everything we could (and missed a bunch cause of scared kids). The kids were really whining that day and Matthew just insisted all day that he couldn't walk cause his legs hurt. We did get a chance to ride the monorail (not as fun as I remember) and that was about it.

Grandparents and family were sweet enough to give all of us some money for souveniers. So we really needed to spend this money and get our treasures. This is what we spent the rest of the day doing... that and swimming. Funny thing about young kids... they have no concept of what souveniers are. The kids wanted to buy toys at every store. Brian and I let them buy one toy but the rest of it we wanted something to remember our trip by. So we got some shirts, jewelry, pens, color books, hats, etc. Here was a funny while were shopping. The kids were really whining and wanting toys and what not. Brian and I were very tired of hearing it. So we were checking out with whining kids underfoot and Jacob was in the baby bjorn on Brian. Well I guess my sugar from the day before got to him cause he projectiled spitup right on Matthew's head. Oh man... that broke the tension. Brian and I busted up while trying to clean off Matthew. Matthew was a little grossed out so he just shut up for a bit. Kimberly couldn't stop laughing, mainly because it didn't happen to her. And Jacob just had a bit smile on his face.. he probably felt a lot better. I guess we needed that moment! haha

By this night, we were tired and ready to head home. We can't wait to go back when our kids are a bit older so maybe we can hit those other rides but we totally wouldn't have changed anything on this trip. Well worth the money and time.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed for home. We were tired and ready to be home so we didn't stop long when we did stop. By the 11 hour of driving, Jacob had had his limit. He was screaming so bad. We felt bad but had no other option but to get home. I have to say what a wonderful feeling it was to start seeing the Wasatch mountains come into view. When we hit Salt Lake, we felt like we were home.

The trip was wonderful, the drive long, but all in all... perfect. Now I need 5 more years to recover before we plan this again!

Disneyland Part 2

2011-06-08T21:07:00.007-06:00

Thursday was the morning that we didn't have a breakfast planned but we did have early access to Disneyland so we still got up early so we could get to the park. What a treat when we got into the park... many characters were lined up to take pictures with right when we walked under the tunnel. The lines weren't long and we were able to get some cool pictures. That morning we also were able to get FastPasses to World of Color thru our hotel so while I ran back to the hotel to get those, Brian and the kids went to Tomorrowland to ride a couple of rides. Matthew really wanted to ride the rockets. After a couple of rides, California Adventures opened up so we decided to check it out.

Right in the middle of California Adventures they are building a couple new attractions. One I didn't pay much attention to but the other one was Cars. Next year they will have an awesome Cars attraction. From the ferris wheel we could see down into the construction and could make out some of the things they were building. Pretty neat! But in the meantime, they have a little area that you can get your picture with Lightning and Mater. We timed it right when it opened and were the second people in line. They were pretty cool replicas. Then Brian and the kids went to check out the Pier while I went to the baby center to feed the little one. Of course the first attraction the kids found was the merry go round. But they sat and watched the California Screaming and both kids said no way! haha. They were not about to get on a roller coaster. From there we got in line for Toy Story. The line seemed long but it kept moving so it wasn't too bad. Jacob could go on it and it was pretty fun. Then we decided to try our hand at the midway games next to Toy Story. Our 1st time pins came in handy here. The first game was just our family and we should have won a little prize. But the lady was so nice and happy it was our first time, she gave us the big prize... Bullseye. The next game was a baseball game and Brian didn't really want to do this one but Matthew did. The worker came out and let Matthew throw all 8 balls for free. Matthew almost made one of them. Then the next two places we were able to get some more stuffed animals. We had money on the card left for one more game so we went back to the first lady and Brian won another Bullseye. The kids were so happy.

Next stop after potty breaks and watching people... Ariel's Grotto for lunch with the Princesses. Kimberly was so excited for this moment. Right when we walked down the stairs, there was Ariel and you got to have a picture taken with her. She was really cute and Matthew was being very shy with her. Then lunch was fantastic. That was probably my favorite meal of everything we ate. They brought out 3 tier appetizers that had fruit, veggies, salad, meat, and cheese. Then the meal was yummy and filling. Then they brought out a tray of many kinds of desserts. Now some of you might know this but I haven't had sugar since Jacob was born in December. (All my kids tend to spit up bad when I eat sugar so I was trying to be good with Jacob). Well this is where I splurged and tried a few things. Oh it was so good and so worth it. During our meal, the princesses came out one by one. Kimberly was so happy but once they came to our table, she turned into the shy gal. She couldn't even talk so she was so star struck. It was so sweet to see her that way. And I have to say... man they picked pretty gals to be the princesses. Once Jacob woke up, he was really interested in their pretty dresses more than anything. Matthew just liked them all and got used to having a picture taken with each one. Great times had by all.

After lunch we headed to bugs land (per a helpful worker's advice). The crew went to try the 3-D bugs life attraction and only made it 5 minutes. Too many things started scaring the kids and they had to leave. haha. But the rides were fun and we had a great time. Then we walked around and found Monsters Inc. This ride was fun cause it was just like the movie. At the end, the head lady (animatronic) was standing there and she was talking to the people. She told Brian what a cute monster he had (he had Jacob in his arms). They were so funny. There was Mr. Potato head just like that at Toy Story... making fun of people.

By this time the kids were itching to try the big ferris wheel so we ran to that ride. Along the way, we came across tons of press trying to get a glimpse of the new Little Mermaid attraction that was set to open the next day. Talk about a busy place. The ferris wheel was very big and fun. We were smart and got in a car that didn't rock. Seriously you had to see the ones that rock to believe what I am talking about. Scary! But the ferris wheel was high and fun and just a nice family moment.

Okay so I am a little scared when it comes to rides (didn't use to be this way). But I talked Kimberly into going on Grizzly Bear rapids with me. I have no idea why I wanted to ride this ride but I did and I wanted Kimberly to experience too. We had to wait a bit for the ride but it was worth it. I seriously think Kimberly would have freaked out on the ride if it hadn't been for the people on the raft with us. They were so funny and cute with her. We got soaked... Kimberly especially. She got a bit scared but we both had a blast together. Good thing this was our last ride of the day cause she was wet and freezing. While we rode this ride, Brian and Matthew went shopping and back to the room. To get warm, we told decided it was a great time to go swim and the hot tub. After dinner in our hotel room and a nice rest, it was time to head back into California Adventures for World of Color. This was probably one of my most favorite parts of our entire trip. WOW is all I can say about it. The water works, the sounds, the movies, the pictures, the lights.... so much to take in but it was neat. Where Kimberly was, she couldn't see everything... good thing I taped it. During the show, they had bubbles going everywhere when they were doing a water scene... they had fire during a pirate scene... water was coming from everywhere. If you were close, you definitely got wet. haha. We were also blessed with being around some really nice people. After the show, everyone was so tired. Once again, 5 minutes after hitting the pillows, snores were heard around the room.

(This is how Jacob watched World of Color!)

More to come.

Disneyland Part 1

2011-06-07T21:19:00.006-06:00

This past week we went on a family vacation. In 2008, Brian and I were lucky enough to go to New York and there we decided our next trip will be a family vacation to Disneyland. We were fortunate enough to save for our New York trip ahead of time so we had no debt after the vacation (a first for us)! So that was our plan for Disneyland. We saved our pennies and were ready for a fun filled trip. My parents gave us a great Christmas present... hotel rooms at Grand California and 3 day hopper passes. That gave us extra spending money for souveniers and what not. We were so excited.

We left around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning and lucked out with good sleepy kids until 6:15 a.m. We stopped at Fillmore for some breakfast. We ended up there for about an hour eating, feeding, and stretching our legs. Our next stop was St. George. Just a quick potty break and then head into Vegas. The kids were so in awe at Vegas. The buildings and what not were so neat to them. So we decided to take a bit and stretch our legs and get a bite of food. Well the fun of Vegas wore off pretty quickly when we decided to walk up to look at the fountains at the Bellagio. It was hot and a long walk and we ended up turning around and heading back to the car. So Vegas wasn't as fun as we thought it would be. Oh and I am a little bitter at Vegas. When did they decide to get rid of the slot machines with coin slots. I wanted to put in a quarter for my Jon-Jon and there was nowhere to put in a quarter. You had to use cards or dollars. Sorry but I am cheap.

(They look so small in Vegas!)

A quick stop in Barstow and a long drive thru the desert and we finally made it close to Disneyland. I say close because we were like 30 minutes away and got caught in rush hr traffic. I thought we would never make it off I15. The kids were driving us crazy by that time. They were so excited to get there and get out of the car. Jacob was pretty good on the drive but he too was very ready to get out of the car seat.

We finally made it and were surprised how much you can't see Disneyland from the road. The walls and trees hide it pretty well. We pulled into the Grand California and were treated pretty well. The people were so nice and when we checked in we were treated to a surprise. They had balloons for all of us, 1st time buttons for us to wear to the parks, and an autograph picture of Mickey and Minnie. How neat. Oh and the girl that helped us went to USU so she was so excited to meet someone from Logan. I have to tell you about this hotel. Very nice... very pretty... and catered to children. The lobby had a piano player, fireplace seating, bar, etc... but they also had a tv playing Disney cartoons with kid rocking chairs. They had kid rocking chairs at the fireplace too. They had a play room (baby sitting room) for kids to do crafts, play games, watch movies, etc. They had an arcade room. They had 4 big pools, two slides, and 4 hot tubs. They had a ton of fun stuff. Each room was equiped with a pack'n'play for your baby. When housekeeping turned down your beds, they put cute chocolates on your pillows with Disney characters on them. We won a bunch of stuffed animals the one day and when we came in after our beds were turned down, housekeeping had arranged all the stuffed animals on the kids bed so cute. I loved this hotel.

(Us cheesing it before heading out for the day)

Since we had a long drive, we grabbed a quick dinner at the snack place and Brian and the kids hit the hot tub. Jacob was so tired by that time that he was ready for bed. Our older two weren't quite ready for bed so we went out on the balcony and listened to World of Color and watched a little bit of what we could see from our balcony. It was a late night but we didn't care. We were so excited to be there.

Wednesday morning we woke up and got ready for our breakfast with Chip and Dale in our restaurant. Jacob slept thru part of the breakfast but was pretty happy to wake up and see characters. During breakfast, Chip, Dale, and many friends came by our table. We got pictures with them all and had a great time. This was a true test how the kids would act toward all the characters and they enjoyed each and every one of them. Even Jacob loved them. He would grab their noses and smile at them. What a delightful way to start out our trip. After breakfast we sunscreened up and headed to Disneyland.

(Just one of the many pictures we got with characters at our breakfast)

Disneyland was everything you could imagine and more. Brian and I were there when we were 10 and 11 years old and we don't remember much. So this was like our first time too. Our 1st time buttons came in handy because people were very eager to give us tips and advice. Very helpful but totally not up Brian's alley. He isn't comfortable having strangers talk to him constantly. I didn't mind but then again, he calls me miss social butterfly. haha. We headed straight for the castle to get some pictures and just awing everything we saw along the way. As soon as we went thru the castle the kids saw the merry go round and had to go on it. Thank goodness the line wasn't long. It was one of the few that day. After the merry go round, the kids and Brian headed to Dumbo. They waited 45 minutes to ride for 1 minute. haha. The kids loved it. By that time, Jacob was hungry so while Brian and the kids rode the tea cups and shopped, we went to the baby center. Let me tell you about this place. This little building had a room with high chairs to feed infants, a changing room with 5 padded changing stations, 2 mini bathrooms for toddlers potty training, and a private area with big wicker chairs for nursing. Oh and did I mention it was air conditioned. I was in heaven here. I wish more places would have a nice area like this for moms.

(They were so excited to be there... it was hard for them to stop looking around for a picture)

After feeding we found the crew and were ready to ride the storybook ride. I was really surprised how many rides Jacob could go on with us. This was one of them. Kimberly sat on the front of the boat and she loved it. It was fun. The next ride was the kids wanting to go on the tea cups with me. I am not much of a rider but I braved it for the kids. We had a great time. Then it was snack time before more rides. Its a small world was our next ride and boy that song sticks with ya. haha. This ride was probably Jacob's favorite ride. He loved all the things to look at and since the song repeated over and over, he fell sound asleep by 3/4 of the way thru. We decided to hit toon town next. Now this was a crazy place. Not really the place but the people. Man it was packed and hot. We really wanted to see Mickey and Minnie and low and behold, there was Minnie taking pictures in her front door. So we got in line to see her and it took about an hour to get thru this line. Minnie was a diva (Brian's words) because she had to take 2 lemonade breaks while we were in line. We were a bit tired of the heat by the time we met Minnie. So much so that we didn't even try for Mickey. We heard the line was worse for him. We did get to see Goofy while waiting in line though.

(Us on the tea cups)

(Before the parade... Brian having a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich)

(Kimmy's favorite part of the parade. Her favorite princess Aurora waved to her)

By this time we were all hot and tired. The kids and I decided to take the train to the front of the park while Brian and Jacob walked back to the hotel. It was a fun train ride and met some people that went to BYU. Disneyland was fun but it was time to go to the hotel and hit the pool. Lots of fun swimming but it was time for dinner and a parade back in Disneyland. We heard they just changed their parade so we were excited to see it. It only lasted 15 minutes but it was a lot of fun. Kimmy was loving how everyone would wave to her and Matthew. We really wanted to stay for fireworks but by 8 the kids were whining and tired. So we decided to call it a night and head to the hotel. Great first day and it didn't take 5 minutes before we had snoring children. haha.

More to come.

Matthew turned 4 yrs old

2011-06-07T21:06:00.003-06:00

On Memorial Day, Matthew turned 4 years old. He got a brand new green bike with a new Lightning McQueen helmet and a bell. He was pretty excited. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. He had to ride his bike in the garage for the first few hrs. He did get out onto the sidewalk and was in heaven.

I know the picture isn't the best but you can get the idea of his excitement about this bike from his face.

Then the grandparents arrived with more presents and he was a happy kid. Grammie and Grampie spoiled him rotten with a battery powered tractor. Too bad they didn't think about the battery part though. It needed 18 hrs to charge before his first ride and we didn't have that time before we were leaving for vacation. So he had to wait almost a whole week before he could ride his tractor. But he was pretty happy when he did get to ride it. Now him and his sister trade turns on riding the tractor and the 4 wheeler.

I can't believe he is 4 years old. It doesn't seem too long ago when he came into this world. He was a chunky little fellow. He was my hardest newborn. I would say he is pretty easy to deal with now but he has hit his rotten 4s and is a total stinker most days. haha. All boy for sure. He loves sports and I swear he will try and play every one in his many years to come. His excitement for the summer... to go 4 wheeling with daddy. He just can't wait for the snow to melt so he can go ride.

This big box is the tractor. This is also one of the few pictures I was able to get of him not making a goofy face. What a stinker.

I love him so much!

Tooth #8

2011-05-16T19:24:00.002-06:00

Love you Grandpa

2011-05-08T21:29:00.002-06:00

This past Monday my Grandpa Toomer passed away. We knew it was coming but took us by surprise how quickly it happened. That sounds silly when I read that. My grandpa's health wasn't good and we have been saying for awhile that he could be going anytime. My dad was in discussion with my grandmother about putting my grandpa in a nursing home because of his health when my grandpa had to go to emergency and icu. From there he was admitted into the nursing home by his doctor. He was there only a couple of weeks and was going downhill fast. The day he passed away seemed like just another day. My grandpa had talked to my dad that morning and just a couple hrs later my dad got the call that he was going. When my dad and mom got there, it wasn't long and he took his last breathe. We know he is at peace now and with no pain. I am grateful for that.

The week was a crazy week. We saw a ton of family and so grateful that we could all be there for my grandmother. Brian and I had to participate in the funeral services. It was a nice funeral. Ya know it is good when there are tears but laughs as well. I think I am seriously emotionally drained right now. It might take me a week to recover from this ordeal.

I do hope my grandmother stays strong and moves on with her life. She is doing ok health wise and I think she should take this opportunity to do things with her siblings and kids and live life. My dad is doing okay. He is a strong man and this really broke him down. I know he will bounce back soon and hopefully get to start enjoying the golfing season.

I will miss my grandpa. He was a sweet guy. I can't wait for the day when I get to see him again.

Love you grandpa!

Love sleeping baby

2011-04-29T22:39:00.003-06:00

Normally I don't put pictures up of me (especially when it is nighttime and I look like death) but I love the sweetness of this picture. Couldn't you just eat those cheeks! I do all the time. Poor kid gets mama moochies all the time... good thing he loves me.

So peaceful. You wouldn't be able to tell by this picture that he is teething. I love sleeping baby!

Happiness is a warm blanket

2011-04-29T22:34:00.003-06:00

Matthew is my Linus from Charlie Brown. This blanket has been with him since he was born. He loves this blanket. The only problem is this blanket has so many holes in it. In fact, Matthew has made handles in it to carry it around. My mom convinced him that he needed to get rid of it. She even bought him a green (his favorite color) blanket. He was all for the new blanket and to get rid of the old one until it was bedtime. He had the hardest time going to sleep and all because he didn't have his comfort. Once we gave it back, he slept fine. One day I will be able to cut this blanket up and put it in his baby book... but that might not be until high school!

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T22:19:00.004-06:00

The Easter bunny visited our house again this year. He was very generous and must have been thinking we were in Spring because he brought all summer clothes for the kids.

This was Jacob's first easter and it really wasn't a big deal for him. haha. Actually he had fun watching the kids run around picking up goodies.

This picture is cute. Jacob looks like he is saying pick me mom when in reality he was ready to grab sister's hair!

This where the Easter hunting begins at our house. The Easter bunny always leaves the new Easter baskets at the end of the hall. This year though the Easter bunny was afraid that the kids would fight over eggs and came up with a great solution. He made sure Kimberly had leopard eggs to pick up and Matthew had baseball eggs to pick up. Clever Easter bunny!
So pretty. She picked out the dress all by herself this year. I think she did a great job (except the dress left sparklies all over anything it touched. By the time church was done, we all were sparkly, even Jacob.

So handsome. Man he is growing up big. Love him so much.

All ready for Easter at church mom! I love him!

Happy Easter!

Dance 2010-2011

2011-04-29T22:05:00.003-06:00

Another year of dance has just ended and boy was it fun but exhausting. I am super glad that I found this dance company for Kimberly's first few years of dance. It wasn't a wallet buster and we got to find out if she has a talent for it. This year we also had Kimberly take tumbling and we found she is a little wimp.. haha. No she just doesn't have much arm strength. But by the time she was done with tumbling, she could do all the things they asked of her. I was very proud of her.

This year the dance theme was 80s. How fun for mom to live out those 80 songs again.

This is Kimberly with her teachers Kelbie and Kenzie. They also taught her tumbling.

The theme was 80s and so we had 80 hair. The bigger the better. Kimberly enjoyed that.

She was loving the 80s look.

I have to vent about this picture.... during the review we as parents don't have to do anything but watch and take pictures and what not. Back stage, there are many helpers that will get our girls dressed. Well this was Kimberly's last outfit and take a look at that bow. We had to make those bows ourselves and I am not the crafty type of gal. I did it though and I was pretty proud of my bow. Well when Kimberly came out on stage, the bow was FLAT! Totally should have been poofed up but nope... I was so bummed cause I worked hard on that bow. I asked Kim and she didn't know what happened. My guess is she sat on it! haha. Oh well.. Just had to vent!

Dance was great but grateful for a 4 month break!

Duke

2011-04-29T22:03:00.003-06:00

How tired do you have to be to fall asleep on a racket. This cannot be comfortable!

Fun stuff

2011-04-22T13:52:00.004-06:00

1st time eating rice cereal. He actually didn't mind it. He is the first kid to not mind rice cereal.

He loves the lights, the noise, and the fact he can pound on this toy. Oh and he loves to sit up.

Cutie pie!

Matthew acting silly but love Jacob and Kimberly watching him.

So happy. Kimberly doing Jacob aerobics.

Jacob 4 months old

2011-04-18T11:34:00.002-06:00

Tell me he isn't determined. Jacob first rolled over 5 days before turning 4 months old. This is a week later and look at what he can do. I am seeing a future for this kid... if he is this determined at 4 months, what he will achieve later in life!

Kimberly's 7th Birthday

2011-03-30T13:50:00.003-06:00

Kimberly turned 7 years last week and we had a fun Fancy Nancy party.We had a lot of fun.

I can't believe Kimberly is 7 years old. Where has the time gone.

Funny Jacob moment

2011-03-17T18:22:00.004-06:00

This is so cute. Jacob loves seeing baby Jacob in the mirror... see for yourself.

Tooth #7

2011-03-17T18:20:00.002-06:00

Grandparents

2011-03-12T15:46:00.003-07:00

Just some pictures of the kids with their grandparents and great grandparents.
Jacob with his Grampie Lewis. They do look alike.

Grampie getting loves from his grandkids on his birthday. I love this picture of my dad.

Jacob with Grandma and Grandpa Peterson on his blessing day.

Jacob with his Grammie and Grampie Toomer on his blessing day.

The kids with their great grandpa Toomer. I love my grandpa.

The kids with their great grandma Toomer. Matthew has a cookie... he is happy. haha

Feb fun

2011-02-23T17:25:00.003-07:00

Blessing outfit... so handsome!

2 month old picture... we love his toe is in the picture. haha

Valentines for school. She had a ball doing her valentines.

So pretty... right before bed so looking a bit tired. haha Gotta love the 1st grade teeth.

This is Jacob's Zhu Zhu pet named Pax. They resemble each other. haha

Cute Pictures

2011-02-10T13:56:00.003-07:00

Tell me this isn't cute! His Grandma found this cute hat and he just looks so handsome in it!

Father and son.... boy they look so much alike!

Getting a wee bit chunky!

So handsome. I have to say that we have some handsome men in our family.

I just realized I have no new pictures of my Kimberly. I think I have been taking a ton of pictures while she is at school. So have to get her in some pictures and need to get some pictures of Jacob in his blessing outfit.

Matthew's ER experience

2011-02-10T13:43:00.002-07:00

I thought we would visit the ER with Matthew within his first couple of years because he was a wild boy. When that didn't happen, I stopped worrying. Sure enough, it finally happened. At 3 1/2 years old, Matthew had to visit the ER with what look liked stitches were in his future.

Saturday night after prayers, he ran to the bathroom to potty before bed. Being his usual silly self, he decided to take his footie pjs completely off to potty. After flushing the toilet, he rushed over to the stool to wash his hands and slipped off the stool and slammed his chin on the counter. I heard this big crash but was feeding Jacob so I couldn't move. Brian ran in there and was very quiet after that. I heard Kimberly go in to see what happened and she went quiet too. I was totally wondering what happened when Brian came out with a naked Matthew. He brought him over to me and all I could see was blood on his chin. All Brian said was, "I think I need to take him." I knew it was serious for Brian to want to take him to the hospital.

Now I always thought I would be that mom that could handle anything, even blood. I have always been squimish when it came to blood but I figured with my children, I would be strong. Boy was I wrong. Brian showed me the gash on Matthew's chin and I felt faint. So grateful Brian was home when this happened.

Before they could run to the hospital, Matthew had to have clothes on. While he was getting dressed and Brian was throwing some clothes on too, I was telling Matthew stories and had him laughing. That made me feel better knowing he was in good spirits going to the hospital.

They were only at the hospital a couple hrs and Matthew had a good time. Apparently the drs and nurses loved him cause he didn't cry or throw any fits. He was a great patient and it paid off. He got to watch a movie, have 2 popcicles, and about 9 stickers to take home. It was a great time for him. The only thing he didn't like was the hospital bed. When I was having Jacob in hospital, Matthew would not come on my bed. He didn't like it at all. Brian said he told him he was not going to sleep in that bed. haha.

No stitches, only glue and a happy kid. I am sure it is the start of all this boy fun. UGH!

Selfless action

2011-01-21T09:39:00.002-07:00

Kimberly and I butt heads probably more than most mother/daughters. But it is moments like these that make me smile and see the beautiful woman to come.

Kimberly wanted to cut her hair off and donate it to Locks of Love. The main reason for cutting her hair is because she is tired of tangles and us fighting over her hair. But she knows the best thing to do with her long hair is give it to someone else. She did this 2 years ago and was very happy with short hair and proud to help someone else. This time around she was ready to cut it again and knew that it would grow back fast.

I am super proud of her selfless moment.

Wonderful Big Brother

2011-01-17T12:34:00.002-07:00

Matthew has taken to being a wonderful big brother. I was wondering how he would act since we have a great time together but he has adjusted well. He loves Jacob so much and loves to entertain him. Even when Jacob could only see a foot in front of him, Matthew was wanting Jacob to see him show off.

One of my favorite brother moments was the other morning. Jacob fell sound asleep on his playmate and Matthew was watching his favorite show Dinosaur Train. So I hurried into the shower. Only 5 minutes is all I was in there and when I got out, I could hear Jacob fussing. Matthew came to the door to tell me that same thing. After I got dressed I came out to find Matthew trying to make Jacob happy. He was trying to get Jacob to take his paci. When Matthew saw me, he was just frustrated that he couldn't make Jacob happy. My heart melted that he cared for his little brother that much. I had to explain to Matthew that it wasn't his job.. he just needed to be a big brother. So sweet!

2010 Year in Review

2010-12-29T10:52:00.002-07:00

2010 Year in Review

Brian had a great year. He changed departments at work that gave him more work and great pay and better hours. He is still working nights but we are used to it now. Brian also got to go "play" a lot this summer. I think he went 4 wheeling more times this summer than he was able to the past 3 summers. I am glad he got to enjoy some time being a kid! haha

My year was all about baby. The first of the year brought us wondering why we weren't getting pregnant and having to deal with some insulin issues. Then we were blessed enough to get pregnant and have a successful pregnancy. December came around and so did our sweet little Jacob. Hopefully next year I will get my health back in line, lose lots of weight, and enjoy the kids even more.

Kimberly had a great year. She started the year off by finishing her Kindergarten year. I couldn't believe how smart she was and how she finished school. Then came summer, which was not long enough for her. Kimberly mastered her bike riding and scootering skills and learned how to roller blade. Then in the fall she started 1st grade and man she seems so old now. haha. She is excelling in school and I hope she continues this her entire schooling career.

Matthew is all boy and enjoyed his year being a boy. He played every sport imaginable with daddy this summer (including street hockey without the skates) and mastered riding his bike with training wheels. I can't believe how old he is now. This fall Matthew got to play soccer at the rec center and ended up loving the sport even more.

Jacob has only been here 2 weeks for 2010 but he sure is cute. His hair is spiky and he has the cutest smile (don't tell me it is just gas). He still hasn't mastered his nights and days but he is a keeper.

Duke has grown to be a huge dog but still has that sweet puppy attitude. He loves to be a lap dog to Brian and me (all 125 lbs of him) and he loves to play. He did get to go hunting this fall and did pretty good. It took a week or so for him to get used to the new little one in the house but now he is a good protective doggie to Jacob.

We sure have been blessed this year! Can't wait to see what 2011 brings for us.

Random Pictures

2010-12-28T11:45:00.003-07:00

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!

Welcome Jacob

2010-12-21T19:57:00.003-07:00

We were blessed on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 7:59 a.m. with little Jacob Lewis Peterson. He came into the world weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 inches long. He has a full head of hair and a great set of lungs.

Jacob was welcomed to the world by his big sister Kimberly and big brother Matthew.

Both sets of grandparents were present and gleaming with pride when they saw the new addition to the family. Jacob makes number 3 grandbaby for my parents and number 30 for my in-laws.

My experience was probably the best out of the three. I am not sure if that is because it was on my mind that this might be my last so I had better live it up or because I was in a different frame of mind spiritually or because my husband told me I had to be nice to people. I know that sounds bad but I tend to not like having to depend on some stranger for multiple things. I have been known in the past to be a little mean to and about some of the people in the hospital. So Brian warned me that I needed to be nice and let them do things for me. Totally needed to hear that to put me in my place and it worked.

Our morning started out early on the 15th. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Luckily my parents came down the day before and stayed the night so we didn't have to worry about our kids. It had snowed that night and so we had a few inches on the ground heading to the hospital. We arrived on time and was greeted by very nice but tired people. One thing that was extremely different this time around was the fact I was in the women/newborn center for the first time. They designed this center around womens and babies needs. It was a very inviting feeling when we arrived. Nothing hurt too bad getting my IV and what nots. The only real concern I had was my nasty cold and cough I had developed a few weeks before. I was coughing extremely hard that morning and was concerned about this. So were all the nurses. When the drug doctor came in to talk to me, I expressed this concern and he was like oh well. If we need to do it again, we will. I was glad he wasn't too worried about it. We made our way to the operating room and first thing I noticed was the window that you could see the tops of the mountains. That made the room feel different from a normal operating room (and I have seen my share). Another thing that was new was Brian was allowed in there with me during the spinal. In fact, he held my hands thru the entire thing. That helped me a lot. During the spinal, I was concentrating on my Heavenly Father because I knew he was there with me. Surprising enough, it didn't hurt and drug doc had success the first time in. Oh and the best part... I didn't cough once. The surgery was pretty uneventful for me. I could feel the relief of when they removed Jacob from me... felt like I had lost a few pounds and a huge weight. The next thing new was I could watch them cleaning and doing tests on Jacob while I was being stitched up. I lost my cookies a bit during this time and had a hard time breathing but they always assure me it is normal and I am fine.

Not long before I was done being stitched up, Brian took Jacob to the NICU. When he arrived, he was greeted by a room full of grandparents snapping pictures and one Matthew with his nose pressed up against the glass. The neat thing was Brian had the video camera running on them so I could see their reaction. The grandparents were beaming and Matthew wasn't sure what to think. I am not sure if that reaction was for Jacob or seeing daddy in scrubs. Meanwhile I was all stapled up and wheeled out to a little room that was just for me. I was only there about 5 minutes when Brian and Jacob joined me. This was a new experience as well. With my last babies I wasn't allowed to see the baby for almost 2 hours after the birth. Here I was only 5 minutes out of surgery getting to have skin on skin contact with my Jacob. Talk about an amazing feeling. I also got to feed him for the first time and that was a neat feeling. No matter how many times I breastfeed a baby or for how long, the first time is always special. After that experience, Jacob had to go back to NICU for some more tests but Brian got to bring Matthew back to see me. That was also new. Matthew wasn't too sure seeing me in the hospital bed but he was cute. Brian and Matthew followed me up to my room where we were greeted by the grandparents. So far I am having a good experience. Not long after we got settled, the nurse brought Jacob in. After passing Jacob around to everyone (but Matthew... he wasn't sure yet), the nurse said it was bath time... right on my bed. This was also new! I got to watch him right in front of me get his first bath. So neat. Then right in the room, Brian washed his hair. The funny thing was my mom forgot to hit the record button on the camera during this and so we don't have it on camera but like I reminded her... I got to see it with my own eyes.

Not long after, Kimberly got to join us from school. She was so excited and right away wanted to hold Jacob. I was glad she wasn't shy or scared. Matthew followed suit with Grampie's help. It was neat to see them so excited about new little brother.

All my nurses were very nice and eager to help. I too was very nice back and it made for a good experience. I couldn't believe how quickly I felt better and was ready to go home. As nice as things were in the hospital, nothing beats being home.

Yes we are lacking a bit of sleep and the kids are trying our patiences but we are enjoying every minute having Jacob in our lives. We have been blessed with so many calls and visits. I can't believe it has been almost a week since Jacob entered this earthly life. It is almost Christmas and I feel so lucky to have received such a special Christmas gift this year. I do hope to get more cute pictures on here soon... when I have a moment HA!

Blessing to all!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T09:40:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving 2010 or better known as Blizzard 2010 was a crazy week. With all warnings of this blizzard coming; schools closed early, businesses closed early, you name it. Well the weather guys were right on here in Logan. Around 3:15 the wind picked up and the snow came and wow... we couldn't even see our neighbors across the street. For 3 hours it was crazy. I was grateful we didn't have to be anywhere but in our nice warm house. After about 3 hours, Brian went out with our 4 wheeler and plow and plowed the road. He looked like a snowman when he was done. haha. The rest of the week was very snowy and I will be honest... I think this is the most snow we have had in November in a long time. The kids sure have had a ball with the snow.

Thanksgiving day was cold but pleasant. We started the day with our annual parade watching and loving every minute. We had to be quiet though cause Brian had to work that night and was sleeping late. Then we got ready and went to Brian's parents' house. It was nice cause we had 34 people there for dinner and then Brian's one sister and family came later in the day. We almost had everyone there for once. Lots of visiting and laughing and playing. Of course we were watching football but since the Cowboys were losing no one cared. haha. Many hours later and full tummies, we ventured home to love up our dog. Gotta love days like that.

Normally we head to my parents for the weekend but since we are very pregnant and I can't even sleep in my own bed, we decided to go up for one day. Since we were only coming one day, my parents decided to come down on Black Friday. This was enjoyment for my mom... not so much for my dad. But it was definitely a good visit. When we went up on Saturday, we had a great visit and saw my grandparents. I am glad we made the trip since I won't see my grandpa before Christmas.

So lots of snow and food and visiting... what a great week! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hunting season

2010-11-09T09:24:00.002-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my hubby loves to hunt for ducks, geese, and pheasants. When we were dating I was brave enough to go out and hunt with him. I don't shoot... I just walk, wait, and possibly call in a bird or two. I had more fun watching the dog in action. It amazes me how a loving, caring lab can turn into a good hunting dog. I know it is in their DNA and it is fun to watch them in action. I got to see our lovable Abby hunt and I was amazed when she got older and couldn't move well, how she looked like a young pup out in the tall grass sniffing up pheasants. Now our young Duke is learning how to train his nose and do what daddy says... truely amazing to watch.

I made a deal with my hubby before kids that I would take hunter's safety with them when the time came. I was sort of hoping for girls that wouldn't want to hunt but I have one little boy that can't wait to hunt with is daddy. He loves to play with his shotgun (daddy makes sure he only shoots up in the air at birds). Brian's "trophies" are few and far between and that is a standing joke between hubby and wife. Good thing we can laugh at each other and know it is still love.

This bird season has had Matthew all excited to see a duck. So everytime Brian comes home from hunting, Matthew greets him at the door asking if he got a duck. When Brian would tell him no, Matthew would be all sad and say "Oh I wanted you to get a duck so we can eat it." Well yesterday Brian went pheasant hunting and when he got home, he was greeted by the same Matthew greeting but this time daddy got to tell us of his pursuit and the chase and the catch. Yes daddy came home with a pheasant. Matthew was so happy. He was jumping on the chair saying daddy got a pheasant, we get to eat it. He continued to say this while daddy got his "trophy" to show the us. When Brian walked in the door, Matthew stopped jumping and asked daddy "What's that?" Daddy said "This is the pheasant." Matthew said "Oh gross... I'm not eating that!" hahahaha. Only from a 3 year old mouth!

Kimberly has said from day one this hunting season she is not going to eat a duck. When younger, she used to be interested in ducks and fish that daddy brought home and cleaned. I guess her 6 year old mind has decided she is too girly for that cause she constantly says how gross it is. Well when Brian came home with his pheasant, she didn't even want to get close to it. Gross she would tell me. So I decided to have a little lesson and talk to her about the pioneers and having to hunt for their food. We talked about them hunting for their dinner and that was how they survived. Kimberly's 6 year old mouth then asked me "Why didn't they just eat cereal cause that is what I would do". Silly girl.

We had many funnies come out yesterday with the hunt but one of my most favorite would have to be from Duke. Brian said he was on the hunt after this pheasant and did really well. But when it was shot and on the ground flapping, Duke picked it up but hated it flapping in his face and dropped it pretty fast. haha. But when they got home, Duke pranced around the backyard with his "trophy" in his mouth more than once. He was so cute. Hopefully now that he got a bird, he will know what to do and be better next time. He is still a puppy that is learning and it shows most days.

I know the day will come when my boys will be out with their dad and I will be proud. I will also be a worry wart cause that is who I am. Good thing I have a few more years!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T16:22:00.003-06:00

Our pumpkins for 2010 Halloween. The kids painted theirs (Matthew got a little wild with the paint) and when it rained/snowed one day, the paint washed away. They were a bit sad.

Duke is pretty cute in this picture. This is the closest he got to the pumpkins.

Princess Tiana and the frog.

Kimberly at her school Halloween parade.

Tooth #5

2010-10-30T16:17:00.003-06:00

The end of soccer

2010-10-15T13:32:00.003-06:00

So some of you may be wondering how did soccer go after my post on the first soccer game. Well we lucked out having a little boy that started enjoying soccer and realizing he was just going to have to be tough.

The remainder games went pretty well. Matthew even got into pushing kids around and if he got pushed down, he would just jump back up. He even would kick the ball quite a few times. I am sure after a couple more years of playing soccer, he will be the one making goals and being the great soccer player.

We are very proud of him!

Silly Matthew and Duke Pictures

2010-10-15T13:27:00.002-06:00

Bullies are not cool!

2010-10-15T13:09:00.003-06:00

It's not good when your daughter comes home from school with big bandages on both knees. As a kid I remember crashing many of times at school (trying to beat the boys to the door I am sure) so I figured Kimberly probably just crashed too. Her nickname is Grace for a reason. When she told me that a second grader pushed her, I was a little shocked. She said he was following her and her friends and then ran up and pushed her down. When asked what happened next, she said he ran off. Our first encounter at school with bullying... great. Luckily she has a great school and the principal was out on the grounds and helped Kimberly to the school nurse and she patched her up great. I asked Kimberly if she cried a lot and she said when it happened, she did. But she said she was very brave though with the nurse and didn't cry at all. I was proud of her but so sad she had to go thru that. Anyone that knows Kimberly knows she can be a bit of a drama queen. I was so glad to hear she was brave and not miss drama. But little miss drama emerged when she told her daddy what happened. All of a sudden, Kimberly couldn't bend her legs and couldn't walk. It was amazing what a queen she can be! Throughout the night, she would forget her injuries but they always came back when asked to do something. haha.

Pretty nasty huh!

This was daddy asking Kimberly to look sad. She was having a good moment right here!

This is drama queen Kimberly after we joked that we would touch her knees. This is the girl we dealt with most of the night.

We are so sad that we are having to deal with school bullies at this young age. We talked to Kimberly about how wrong that boy was and what she could do next time. In reality I wanted to tell her to beat him up next time but I know that doesn't stop the bullying. I hope everyone (esp. parents) will help stop bullies!

Matthew's first soccer year

2010-09-22T10:13:00.003-06:00

Matthew had his first soccer game last night. This was him after we got him dressed in his soccer gear. He was so excited. So excited that he grabbed his baseball mitt and ball and started playing. Wrong sport sweety. haha.

This was after we got there and got his team color shirt. GREEN! Matthew's favorite color. How perfect is this.

The warm up run. This was about the only warmup that Matthew would do. Brian was already on the edge of his seat by this time cause he didn't really want to do any other warm up.

Listening to coach about soccer. Matthew was still in good spirits here. The kids are all 3 and 4 year olds and so Matthew looks small but he isn't too small compared to others. After this talk they got to shoot goals and Matthew loved that part. He was eager to kick the ball in the goal.

Right after the goal shooting, they started the game. Now if you have never seen indoor soccer at this age, they just let the kids kick the ball and try to get it in the goal. There is no goalie and the kids are all over the place. Well Matthew got to start the game by kicking the ball first and then he was shocked that kids started running around. We told him to run after the ball and kick it and he did. The only thing he wasn't planning on was all these kids pushing and tripping and being mean trying to get the ball. After a couple times of trying to get the ball, Matthew decided he had to go potty. Brian took him and they ran back and Matthew got back into the game... for a minute. After more pushing Matthew was back with tears in his eyes and needing to go potty again. I wasn't sure if he needed to or not or if he was just nervous but Brian took him anyway. When they came back, Matthew had tears and didn't want to go back out to play. It was heartbreaking. He kept telling us that he was tired and wanted to go home. Luckily the game was done after that and Matthew got a treat (with the help from Kimberly walking him out to get his treat).

When we got in the car to go home, I asked Matthew if he had fun and he gave a definite NO. Poor thing. We have 4 weeks of this 2 times a week and we are going to go every day. Hopefully by the time soccer is done, Matthew will be back out there to play and enjoy every minute of it. He is a great soccer player and I know he would love it if he keeps trying. What is that saying... make kids try things 10 times to get them to like it. Well hopefully that will work with soccer.

Wish us luck!

Little Grizz Cheerleader

2010-09-22T10:08:00.002-06:00

Here is my LIttle Grizz Cheerleader! Kimberly's cousin Stephanie is a cheerleader for Logan High and got Kimberly to do the day camp and be a little grizz. Kimberly had a ball. She got to perform at halftime at the next football game and despite the cold, she had a blast. She now wants to be a cheerleader but is still a little scared of being a "flyer". Her cousin is a flyer (the person on top of stunts) and Kimberly is scared of heights. I told her she could just be a dancer and not a cheerleader (like I was) but she isn't sure.

She sure was cute though.

My Brave Girl!

2010-09-15T13:00:00.003-06:00

I have to share this story about Kimberly. She is a sweet princess in our house and she is also a major drama queen. If she gets the tiniest bump or bruise, it is the end of the world to her. Matthew has found he can make her cry and loves it.

Knowing this about Kimberly will make you realize how brave she was yesterday. Yesterday she had to go to the dentist for her first filling. I was worried how she would be since I am a big baby in the dentist chair. We have been speaking very positive about this experience for a long time but I still wasn't sure how she would be. I let her take her favorite stuffed animal Heart for comfort.

That morning she had many questions that were funny. She thought the drill the dentist used was like daddy's big "L" shaped drill. She thought she couldn't eat for days because of the numbness. And many others like it.

Well we got there and they showed her the tools that they would use (all except the big numbing needle). I didn't really know how they numb a child but it was the same way they numb an adult. Kimmy was fine during the shot and she didn't even act scared. I asked her if she was ok and she said yup. They did use a little laughing gas on her at first but since she did so great during the numbing shot, they changed her to oxygen for the rest of the time. She felt fine and was enjoying the numbing feeling of her mouth. During the quick filling (and I mean quick), she didn't even flinch once. I was watching her hands on her stuffed animal and they never once grabbed it in pain. When they were done, they told her how great she did. I was just shocked. She was all smiles when they got done and said it didn't hurt or anything. She never once was scared or cried. I couldn't believe this was my daughter. In fact, I was so proud of her that I started crying and couldn't stop. (hormones or allergies or something... haha)

Kimberly has to have another filling next month and she was fine with that. In fact, she told me how easy it was that I didn't have to come with her. Oh she is so grown up!

First week of 1st grade

2010-08-22T14:01:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Kimberly is a 1st grader. She seems so much older now. She was so excited for her first day and I couldn't have been prouder. She wasn't nervous... just excited. She loves school and was super eager to start and learn. I hope this continues with her for 12 + years or more.

Her first day was pretty uneventful. I decided the teachers just use the day to ease the kids back into school. Kimberly said they played at the playground like 4 times and had lunch and just read books. The second day they were on their normal schedule and had to do work. Kimmy didn't mind. She is even ready for homework but that isn't going to come for a week or so. The third day Kimberly was so excited cause she wanted to eat lunch at the cafeteria due to they were having pizza. What a big start for her to get her lunch and what she wanted. She did have to find out how fast she needs to eat... she didn't get much lunch her first day. She will learn to eat faster as she gets older. I remember the faster you eat, the longer time you had to play.

Of course a big part of school starting is getting to wear new school clothes and my little fashionista has enjoyed every minute of new clothes. If she could, she would wear them all in one day and just change every hour. haha. She loves looking cute... too bad when I pick her up, she doesn't always look the way I drop her off. Normal kid things... hair is a little messed up and she might have a little mess on her clothes. Oh well.

1st grade should be fun. She already knows kids in her class and she loves to make new ones. This should be a great year.

Matthew is learning to deal without his sister for an entire day. I think he still asks me twice a day when is it time to get Kimberly. But he is enjoying the peace and quiet and getting to play toys without sharing. We are enjoying our time together ... for a few months anyway. When the baby comes, our schedules and lives will change yet again. Hopefully we all will adjust well.

Later!

Nothing like the past

2010-08-22T13:53:00.002-06:00

So the past couple of weeks I have been "archiving" old VHS tapes from High School. I have learned a few things by watching these videos:

1) No matter the good, bad, and ugly in High School.. it was still a good time.
2) What was a huge deal back then, doesn't mean much now.
3) Everyone looks back at themselves and laughs at the styles we had back then.
4) I was cute and skinny back then, no matter what I thought.
5) Life was simplier.
6) What an enjoyment for my children to see their mommy back then all young.
7) What an enjoyment for my children to see their grammie and grampie back then all young.
8) Friendships were great back then.
9) I am friends with a lot of those people still and it is great to reminise with them.
10) I am proud where I ended up after all these years.

Now looking back makes me think that it wasn't so many years ago but when I start counting the years, I realize that I am coming up on a big class reunion. 20 years goes by extremely fast.

I hope you all can look back on your high school days and laugh, smile, and reminise about good times.

Weekend of fun

2010-08-15T17:37:00.004-06:00

We had a great weekend before school started. Thursday started with a family dinner party with Brian's family. The kids had a ball playing at the park with their cousins and we learned that another new baby is going to join our family in Feb. Congrats Brad and Sarah! We also filled up our new pool so we could warm it up and enjoy it the next day. The kids were super excited to go swimming on Friday.

Friday was a great day. Brian didn't have to work that night so he woke up early and we set up the tent. This was supposed to be our family campout with Brian's family but that fell thru so we decided to have a night in the tent. The kids were so excited to sleep out under the stars. Then they jumped in the pool and even though it wasn't the warmest, they enjoyed a couple hrs of pool and warm tramp. Then we got ready and caught the bus to the fair. The fair was great. The kids rode a few rides, we checked out our nieces' 4H stuff, ate lots of goodies, saw lots of fun friends, and just enjoyed the fair atmosphere. We got home a little before 8 p.m. and the kids were ready for the tent. We stalled them just to wait till dark and around 9 we went out to get them ready for bed. They were so happy, even though it was a bit chilly. It took them another 45 minutes to get to sleep. Too much to look at with all the stars and the moon and all the nighttime noises. The best part was seeing the meteor that zipped thru the sky. The kids were so impressed at how bright it was. Brian was pretty impressed too. While they were out in the tent, prego mommy thought it was best to sleep in her own bed. I could hear everything though cause they were right outside our window. They finally fell asleep but they were a couple times in the night to potty. I don't think they slept the greatest but it was still fun.

Saturday we just relaxed, visited with family, and swam for a few hours. The kids were so tired from their night in the tent that they crashed in their own beds pretty early Sat night. That was pleasant for mom and dad.

Sunday was a pretty day and a great day for church and movie watching.

Two more days and school starts for Kimberly. 1st grade this year and her first year for lunch. She is totally excited. I am ready for her to go to school too. Matthew is in need of mommy time, especially before the baby comes.

Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Morning after campout.

Silly Duke on the tramp.

Kimmy in the pool.

The boys in the family.

My little star!

Blessings to all :-)

Our new baby BOY!

2010-08-06T15:30:00.003-06:00

We are so excited to announce our new addition arriving in December... a little boy! We just had our ultrasound and were so excited to see a little boy. Kimberly is a little sad because she was hoping for a little girl but she knows it isn't our choice. Everything with the baby looked healthy and was measuring exact. We loved every minute of our ultrasound and we honestly went in not wanting to find out. But it ended up a little obvious and still had me in shock.

Here are some pictures of our new little baby boy:

Heartbeating at 145 bpm
Little baby boy in all his glory! haha

We feel very lucky and blessed to have the news we received today.

End of July

2010-07-31T09:45:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it is the last day of July. Where has the summer gone? It is funny that we say the end of summer is July but when school is going to start in 2 weeks, the summer is officially over.

We have had a good summer. We have been busy and have enjoyed the sun. We got to enjoy the 24th of July Pioneer Day. The day starts at the church with our Stake breakfast and Primary parade. The kids decorated their bikes and scooters this year and had a ball riding around the church. Matthew was determined to ride his big bike and he did great. He looked so big in that parade. Then we got to watch the Logan parade. We had a lot of fun because the cousins that live in town all joined us. It is great to have so many cousins live nearby. Then after cooling off at home for a couple hrs, we headed to Brian's brother's house in Tremonton for dinner and fireworks. More cousins and lots more fun. It is a long day but the kids have a great time.

Our other big news this month of July was our new purchase. Brian and I decided this year that we needed a van with our new addition arriving later in the year. We both bought our previous vehicles in December and learned that is a major expense to register at a bad time of year. So we were determined to find a van in July. Well after much research and looking around, we came across a nice Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 2008. It is the perfect size and we love it. It was a little heartbreaking to give up my 4runner but a van was needed. We have enjoyed every minute of and can't wait for when our baby arrives.

The pregnancy has had its moments this time. I had a scare with high blood pressure so we made sure to eliminate all stress out of my life (well as best as we could) and it helped a bunch. The sad thing was I had to give up my Primary Secretary calling. I can't believe how long I have been in the Primary. Kimberly was in nursery when I started. It hasn't been too bad being in Relief Society and Sunday school. I just miss the kids in Primary. Maybe in the future I will be back in the primary one day.

Here are some pictures:

Tell me he isn't cute. Sometimes he is a goofball in the bathtub.

Kids meal toys that the kids thought were so funny. They are pretty goofy.

Waiting for the 24th parade. We did great finding shade. haha

Our new van.

Next month: Ultrasound on baby, dr appts, family campout, and school starts!

Fun 4th of July

2010-07-11T14:39:00.003-06:00

What a fun 4th of July weekend. Because of the 4th falling on a Sunday, we were able to celebrate Friday thru Monday. Friday around noon, we took the kids to my parents for the weekend. Grammie and Grampie wanted to have the kids for a couple days and this was the perfect weekend. The kids didn't even make it in the house... they went straight to the backyard because Grammie and Grampie had their swimming pool and a slide pool blown up. They were so excited. We hurried and put on swimming suits and watched them have a ball. Brian and I left and drove back home by way of Bear Lake. It was a perfect day to see the lake and have a famous shake. That night we watched Logan's fireworks from our truck. We haven't been able to do that in years due to Kimmy not liking fireworks and Brian working. They were great!

Saturday Brian and I did some major kid room cleaning (one of the reasons they stayed at Grammie's house) and checked out the Cruise-In. It was so peaceful in the house and we enjoyed every minute of it. The kids were having a great time too. They got to play at the parks and then hit the big Soda foam. Every year Soda's fire crew make a big foam pit for the kids to play in with their swimsuits. Matthew didn't last long. Some little boy threw foam on Matthew's head and he was done. So him and Grampie cleaned up and went and had free watermelon. Kimmy was enjoying the foam and Grammie finally was able to pull her out to get some watermelon too.

Sunday was pleasant. We haven't been to church without kids in a long time. I actually caught myself telling Brian to take just one of the bread. haha. I guess I am just used to having kids around. The kids got to visit with their Great Grandparents and have a good rest day.

Monday Brian and I zoomed up to Soda early for the big festivities. Soda starts their morning with breakfast and then the fun runs and then the big parade. For a few years I had the enjoyment of dodging horse droppings while marching in the parade. This year was a treat because we got to see my dad march. My dad is a VFW member from his time in the Army in the Vietnam war. We were pretty proud to see him right behind the flags carrying his rifle. What an honor. Of course their is lots of candy and it helps to know people in the parade. We definitely have our summer stash of candy now and it is just the start of parade season. Matthew wasn't too fond of the loud noises of the parade and spent most of the parade covering his ears. Kimberly went thru the same thing but this year she was very brave and was running everywhere getting goodies. She even got her and Matthew a couple frisbees. It is important to wave to everyone in the parade... and it helps to be extra cute. After the parade, there is a bunch of stuff to do in the park: eat, shop, visit, train rides, carnival games with toys, big boucy toys, mini ferris wheel, snow cones, etc. There are even basketball tournaments, volleyball tournaments, and softball tournaments that go on all day long. Lot of fun.

That's my dad in the middle!
Notice Matthew covering his ears... the end of the parade was still going on.

The train ride was a big hit.

Brian had to work that night so we hurried home in the afternoon but we did stay up to do some fireworks of our own. Kimberly used to love snakes but now they aren't very exciting. Poppers are always a favorite and this year the kids found out how much fun it is to throw them in the road and wait for cars to run them over. haha. But we watched some fun fireworks and enjoy visits from the neighbors.

I tell ya... it took us a couple days to recover from our busy weekend but it was sure a lot of fun.

Can't wait till the 24th.

Our Fun Weekend

2010-06-30T13:19:00.004-06:00

We decided we needed a vacation but didn't want to spend a lot of money. So we decided a staycation in Salt Lake would do us good. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on the west side of town and it was fun. They had this great pool area. It had a kid play area (see below) and then it had a basketball pool, a lap pool, and a water slide for adults. It was a lot of fun.

After we checked in and played at the pool for awhile, we went to the Real soccer game. It was very warm but it was fun. The kids lastest for 3/4 of the game and then got bored. Oh well.

I think the kids favorite part was the hotel stay. They thought having a hotel room was great and they actually slept pretty good. It was a nice hotel and we had a lot of fun.

Saturday we woke up and played at the pool for another hour or so and enjoyed ourselves. Then we got dressed, checked out and went shopping. We grabbed a table at the Skybox and ate some yummy lunch while we watched the first half of the USA soccer game. Too bad they ended up losing in the end.

Then we made our way up the hill to Hogle Zoo. It is amazing how you can get away from your town and still run into people you know. We saw a family from our ward and some family friends. It was extremely hot so we were doing our best to stay cool in the misters all around the zoo. I have a bunch of pictures but didn't want to put them all on here. Below was one of the highlights for the kids:

After three hot hours at the zoo, we made our way to the Salt Lake Bees baseball game. That was a blast. We got to say hi to the Bumblebee and ate a bunch of food. We had great seats and sat in the shade the entire time. We would have loved to stay the entire game but after 9 p.m. and still in the 7th inning, we knew we had to get home. (early church and I had to teach)

I think we are still trying to recoop from our fun weekend but it was well worth it.

:-)

Some things in June

2010-06-23T13:55:00.003-06:00

Well as you can see one of our big happenings was Kimberly losing her 3rd tooth. She was so proud because she pulled this one out all by herself. At 6:30 a.m. one morning, she woke me up to show me her tooth was half out. Now how long she had been working on it, I will never know. I told her great and to go back to bed. 5 minutes later she comes back in to show me her missing tooth. After the drama of the last tooth (lots of tears and fears), this was pretty smooth. She still has a loose top tooth and the day after this one fell out, she realized the same tooth on the other side is loose. I guess that means she is growing up.

Here is my little fishy Kimmy. She took swimming lessons at the Sports Academy the first two weeks of June. It was pretty crappy weather outside but perfect for swimming lessons inside. She was a little nervous her first day but then the fish in her came out and she was swimming great by the second day. I was very proud of her. I think she swims better than me and her dad now. haha.

Aren't they cute. They can't resist a good picture with Duke. Duke loves them too.

This was at my mom's for Father's Day weekend. We were outside scootering around the driveway when Brian started whipping the kids around at the end of the sidewalk. Kimberly isn't as daring and screamed and was ready to fall down. But Matthew has no fear, especially when daddy is invovled and my mom captured this great picture. I see Xgames in our future.

Other than the crappy weather, it has been a nice summer. We are enjoying sleeping in and watching World Cup Soccer. Brian is bummed that the games are when he is sleeping but he has been lucky to watch the replays at night.

Father's Day weekend was fun. We spent a couple days at my parents house and had a blast. Got to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and some old neighbor friends. It was pretty weather and I think we hit every park in Soda (not too hard... there are only 4). Then Father's Day was fun. Brian was loved and I am sure he felt loved. We went over to Tremonton that afternoon to visit with his dad and enjoyed family time over there.

Still more June to go and we are busy.

Blessings till next post :-)

2010-06-02T15:03:00.003-06:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Matthew

2010-06-02T14:24:00.005-06:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my little Matthew Troy Peterson. I can't believe he is 3 already. Where has the time gone. He is no longer my baby, even though he still cuddles with me sometimes.

Matthew had a fun birthday weekend. Since his official birthday was on Sunday, May 30th; we had grandparents over on Saturday. We had a great day, even though it rained and hailed. We all went out to lunch and then opened presents. Then cake and ice cream and then a pinata. I had to get a pinata just for Matthew and Kimberly. I found a cute soccer ball pinata and we filled it full of candy. The pinata was so hard to break that Brian had to break it open after 20 tries by Matthew and 20 tries by Kimberly. But the kids loved it.

Matthew got some great presents and his big present was a Spiderman scooter. He seems a little small for a scooter but he is always on Kimberly's so we thought he could use his own. He loves it.

On Sunday after church he got to open more presents and was pretty happy to celebrate more birthday. After the weekend, we were all pretty much birthday'd out. But Matthew had a ball.

Then yesterday my mom came into town to play with the kids and me and we went and got some pictures done at the new place in the mall; Smiles. The kids were great. I had to laugh at Matthew. He takes pictures like his daddy. He will sit there good but he doesn't want to smile. We finally got him to say cheese and we did get a few smiles. I am looking at these pictures and just in awe at how big my kids are getting. I will post the pictures in a bit.

Blessings to all till next post :-)

May Happenings

2010-05-27T13:40:00.002-06:00

I can't believe May is almost done. It has flown by. We have been busy this month. I wish I could say we have been enjoying the beautiful weather but I think we had only 2 days so far that were just beautiful. The rest of the month has been pretty wet and miserable. We even got down into the 30s for a few days and it felt like March. When will summer arrive?

Our big news of the month is the new bundle of joy we will be having this year. Brian and I went to the dr in our 10th week and we had a great appt. The baby looked so cute and we could see his or her heartbeat. I swear when Kimmy was in my tummy she looked like a kidney bean on the ultrasound but technology has changed and we were able to see this little person inside of me. We could see the little nubby arms and legs that are growing. My favorite part (besides only seeing one baby) was seeing the heart beating and pretty fast. Love that sight. That night we sat down the kids and told them the good news. Kimmy took 15 seconds to take in the news and then she got really excited. Matthew followed her example and got really excited but I don't think he understood. But later while we were discussing the baby, Matthew grabbed my shirt and looked down it. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was looking for the baby. haha. I thought that was cute. I explained to him the baby was in my tummy and so now he asks me if my tummy hurts cause of the baby. He has asked me if the baby is in my bum and then he laughs hard. He is silly. But our bundle is new Dec. 21. Since I am having another C-section, I am planning on scheduling the baby a week before Christmas so I will be home for the holiday. I have already told Brian we are having Christmas done by October. He agrees.

The other big news is school is almost done for Kimberly. Her Kindergarten year went by fast and I am amazed at how she has grown. Last night we were invited to an award night and Kimberly got Top Reader in her class. We are so proud of her. She loves school and can't wait to be in 1st grade next year. I am still trying to wrap my brain around that fact. My little girl will be gone to school all day and even be eating lunch there. What am I going to do with her little brother? haha. He worships sissy and enjoys every minute with her (yes they fight but then they are playing two seconds later). We will just have to enjoy our summer and deal with that when the time comes.

Brian hopefully will start softball soon. It has been raining so much that we can never play. Brian is changing jobs at work. He accepted a position in singles (think Kraft singles cheese) on nights. Same pay as before but we at least will know his work schedule 2 weeks in advance, better than 2 days before. Good deal all around. The only big change for us is that he will work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. That means I get to sleep in till 7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. I think I can handle that. :-)

Hopefully summer will come soon so we can play outdoors all day long and enjoy the warm weather.

Blessings to all till next post.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T13:24:00.002-06:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I love mother's day. Not only because I am a mother but because we celebrate all mothers. I love my mother and all she does for me. I am a little sad this year because I can't be with my mom on mother's day. She is in Texas seeing her mother's gravesite and cleaning out her house. I should feel lucky though because some of my friends never get to see their mother's on mother's day. I love my mother-in-law. She is the sweetest lady and my 2nd favorite mom on this earth. I do get to see her on mother's day and that will be nice. I love my grandmother and called her to wish her a happy mother's day. She will be 80 years old in a week and we are glad she is still here on this earth.

I am blessed to be a mother. I have 2 beautiful children and a puppy (yes I am mommy to the puppy). My hubby spoils me as a mother. This morning before church my family let me open some presents. The children gave me the most appropriate card. You open it up and two bunnies start screaming mom in a bunch of different ways and it sounded like my children perfectly. Still makes me laugh. Of course my husband gives me a card that makes me cry. He is so sweet that way. Then I opened the present I had asked for... a book. Then my children gave me a gift they thought I would love... a snuggie. As cold as it has been, it was perfect. Then my hubby came in from the garage with my last present... a hammock. I am so excited for this hammock. I really don't have a place out in the backyard to hang out while the children play so this will be perfect. My grandfather had one at his house while I was growing up and I enjoyed the relaxation of it so I can't wait for my hammock and the warm weather.

Church was great. I enjoy being a mom at church and being in the Primary. The Primary kids (and me) sing a mother's day song to all in Sacrament. Then we get a gift and this year it was something I was craving... chocolate and starburst. Love it!

I hope all my friends and family enjoy this mother's day. I know I am enjoying every minute of it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Funny Story

2010-04-16T10:33:00.003-06:00

So I have a funny story about the earthquake. April 15th around 6 p.m., northern utah/wyoming border (Randolph) had a 4.9 earthquake. According to the news, this earthquake was felt as far north as Jackson Hole. Well I had just sat down on the toilet in the bathroom when the toilet started shaking. At first I thought it was just me and I was having a little dizzy spell. So I grabbed onto the counter and looked at the towels in front of me and they were swaying. It was a little unnerving and lastest about 20 seconds. Brian was on the telephone at the time and the kids were playing outside. I asked Brian when he got off the phone if he felt it. He didn't and asked the kids if they felt anything and they didn't either. hmmm. So I turned on the news to prove I wasn't losing it and sure enough... Breaking news about the earthquake. So Brian did believe me but decided that he was going to tell people it about knocked me off the toilet. haha. My dad made the comment that I had a good bowel movement if I felt shaking. They are not funny!

Happy Easter 2010

2010-04-04T18:02:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. We enjoyed the Easter Bunny, conference, and family time with Brian's family. Was a very nice.

Happy 6th Birthday Kimberly

2010-03-24T21:17:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday to our Kimberly Nicole Peterson. 6 years ago you were given to us by Heavenly Father and we were so blessed. I can't believe you are already 6 years old. Where has the time gone.

We had a great day today. Got to go to Kimberly's school and share some pictures and take some treats. I found out that all the kids in her class think she is a great friend. I loved how every kid's hand shot up when the teacher asked if they had something nice to share about Kimberly. I thought she was a good example to her friends but this proves to me even more what a good girl she is. Then we had lunch with my parents and had a lot of fun at lunch. Afterwards we went home and opened presents. This year I sent Kimberly on a hunt for all her presents and she truely loved it. It was a highlight of her whole day. After presents and cake and visits, it was off to dance practice where they sang happy birthday to her. After dance we took her out to dinner. Right now her favorite place is Chilis so we went there. They sang happy birthday to her and gave her a free dessert so that was nice. We had so many visitors and presents and phone calls today. I think Kimberly finally went to sleep about 10 minutes ago (9:10) with a smile on her face.

Matthew had a lot of fun today celebrating Kimberly's birthday. He was enjoying the presents as much as Kimberly. If you ask him when his birthday is, he will till you not till May. haha.

Our daughter is just growing up too fast. We love her so much!

Happy Birthday Kimberly!

Sportsmen Expo Saturday

2010-03-21T13:13:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we ventured down to Salt Lake City to attend the Sportsmen Expo. This is one of Brian's favorite outings. On the way to Salt Lake, Brian and I commented on how we hadn't headed south of Cache Valley since December (we need to get out more). The expo was very full but we had a lot of fun.

Our first stop was to visit with a couple of KUTV 2 news people. We got to meet Mark Kobel and get his autograph and then had a good visit with Sterlin Poulsen. That was pretty fun for us. Kimberly was happy that she had seen those people on TV. Then we made our way to the splash dogs. This is one of our favorite things to see at the expo. These cute dogs leap off docks into a big pool of water... all to see how far the can jump. A few dogs actually make the jump but my favorite are the dogs that are scared. They run to the end of the dock and then start barking at their toy in the water. haha. Most of the dogs eventually jump into the pool but there are the few that have to leave the dock without getting wet. The kids enjoyed the dogs.

Then we were finding food and found something more important... DOGS FOR SALE. The kids got to pet and hold the cutest puppies. Here are a few pictures:

Then it was off the find the bears. We had seen the cutest baby bears on the news and they said you could see them at the expo. So we looked and finally found them. You could pay to have a picture and hold the baby bear. We looked at them first and realized that we had to hold them and pay the money.

We got to hold the cute bear (it naws like a puppy on your arm) and had a picture.

All in all we had a fun day. We got to see a few more news people (Shauna Lake and Lindsey Storr) and checked out some 4 wheeling stuff. Brian did buy a new toy for the 4 wheeler.

We wore out the kids and ourselves. I would have had much more fun but I wasn't up to par. Oh well.

The Journey continues

2010-02-28T13:55:00.003-07:00

So this past week we have been "staging" our house to look presentable. I know that sounds silly but I hear it helps sell. So we have been going through more boxes and totes, filling up lots of stuff. It is truely amazing how much stuff you can collect in 8 years of marriage.

We did get a storage shed to start putting stuff in and we moved 4 truck loads of stuff into it in 2 days. We still have 3 more rooms to go through and clean. That has been the other big job... cleaning. Not that I don't clean every week but I just don't do the deep cleaning. I make my house pleasant to the eye but if you look closely, you are sure to see something dirty. So I have been on my hands and knees cleaning every corner of this house. I think the most disgusting thing came in our bedroom. We haven't been able to rearrange our bedroom furniture since we got it when we got married. So we figured out a way to move it so make our room look bigger and I couldn't believe the yuck that built up behind the bed. Ugh! Note to self... move the bed at least once a year from now on!

I wish it was warmer to clean up the outside of the house right now. We are having some nice weather but not nice enough to melt all the snow and make trees grow. haha. Plus we are dreading the backyard. Here's a picture... when the snow melts, our lawn will not be green. It will be full of doggie doo doo and it isn't pretty. Good thing that isn't my job. haha.

Well we are hoping to put the house up for sale this week. We have no idea what the outcome will be (I sure hope someone is out there just waiting for our house to go on the market) but we make the best of it.

Until next time!

Our journey

2010-02-21T13:55:00.002-07:00

So some of you may know (and for those of you who don't), we are getting ready to put our house up for sale and try to move. We love our house and our neighborhood and our ward but we are simply growing out of our home. So we are hoping and praying we will be able to sell our house soon and find a bigger home.

We started our journey by boxing up the kids' room. We filled up 7 boxes of toys from both rooms and if you look in their rooms, you couldn't tell. How did we get so many toys and where have we been hiding them for the past 5 years. haha. I then boxed up all my "projects". My mom taught me well... haha. I have been piling up projects that I started, wanted to started, intend to start soon, etc. I didn't realize how many I had until I filled up a big tote yesterday of them all. When we find a house, I am seriously going to take one thing out of that tote at a time and finish it before anything else comes out. Next we need to tackle our mud room. This room has become our storage, throw anything in there, room. I am dreading this room. But it is my next (tomorrow night) project. After that, we are going to touch up any areas we need to fix and hope to get the word out about our house by first of March (that's next week... augh!)

Wish us luck in selling and finding a place.

I can't wait

2010-02-11T11:10:00.002-07:00

I can't wait till he is 16 an on his first date! I am going to bring out all the embarrassing pictures. haha

Valentine Anniversary

2010-02-10T14:01:00.002-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all. This is a special day for Brian and me. Brian proposed marriage to me on Valentine's Day 8 years ago. We had been dating for about 8 months and we were promised to each other but really hadn't talked about getting engaged. It was a surprise to me and he did a great job picking out the ring. He was so nervous... I will never forget how nervous he was. I won't go into the details but it was very special. The funny part ... Brian broke out in hives a couple days later all over his body. We suspect it was from being so nervous. haha.

Love to all on this holiday.

Our Lovable Duke

2010-01-25T12:33:00.003-07:00

Tell me this dog isn't loved.

Sometimes Duke forgets he is a 95 lb lab. He thinks he is a 10 lb poodle. haha

He truely loves Brian. He tries everyday to get in Brian's lap while in a chair or on the couch. This particular day when Brian layed down, Duke got up on his chest and really loved him up. It is pretty sweet to see.

Our Wedding Day

2010-01-16T11:04:00.004-07:00

One of my goals this year was to get older pictures scanned and onto the computer and on disk. Well one group of pictures that we don't have on disk is our wedding pictures. I am only half way thru right now scanning but I love to look at them. This was our first (civil) wedding. We later sealed our marriage in the Logan Temple. I loved my dress and just enjoyed our wedding day. I know my mom was going crazy making sure everything was just right but I didn't feel the stress. Many things didn't go as planned (music got messed up during the ceremony, matron of honor's dress didn't arrive until the day before the wedding, etc) but you couldn't tell. To Brian and me, it was perfect.

This was our engagement picture. It was up the canyon in a secluded spot and it was beautiful. There was a waterfall behind us. Tricky place to get to but still... it was perfect.

I loved my dress. This was up on temple grounds and it was a pretty place to take pictures.

Don't our parents look cute. We all look so young. haha.

Our Matron of Honor and Best Man. Our longest and dearest friends Erica and Paul.

This was Brian's family... they have grown since this picture. All of Brian's siblings, nieces and nephews are in this picture.

This is my family. The contrast between Brian's picture and mine is my picture consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am an only child so no siblings for me. Funny how we have about the same size and yet what a difference.

My flower girls. They are all family and between the ages of 6 and 7. Now they are all teenagers.
Oh we look so young. But so in love.

It is so fun to look back. This year will mark 8 years married and 9 years together. Some ways it feels like we just got together and in some ways we feel like we have been married forever. It is hard to remember life before us.

Love is wonderful. Love is eternity.

Happy New Years 2010

2010-01-07T12:57:00.003-07:00

We had a fun New Year's Eve. This is the first year we decided to let the kids stay up as long as they could. (I know we are silly!) Kimmy was determined to stay up to see the ball drop in New York (even though she kept telling us when the chimes go off).

I had to buy some fun things for them to ring in the new year and they sure did enjoy them. We also had sparkling apple juice and played Wii games for a couple hours. We had a great time. About 9:45 Matthew had enough and crashed in my arms. About 9:55, Kimberly closed her eyes. With 2 minutes to go, we tried to wake her but she was out. So they both missed the ball drop. Oh well. The amazing thing to me is Brian was awake the entire time. I think this is the first year he has stayed up till 10 p.m. on New Years in a long time. I was reading a good book and ended up ringing in the new year at midnight while my house slept sound.

Happy New Year to all. Hope this year is a great one.

2009 Year in Review

2009-12-31T12:24:00.007-07:00

What a year 2009 was. There were a lot of celebrities pass away this year, Obama had his first year of his Presidency, the war is still going, and celebrities are getting into trouble left and right. (shame on you Tiger Woods)

Here in Logan, we had an interesting 2009 year as well. The year started out a bit rocky. Brian's job wasn't working a full week and we started struggling with bills and what not (like many people this past year). Luckily by July, Brian's work went from 3 days a week to 7 straight days for the rest of the year.

Birthdays came and went and we enjoyed them all.

The spring brought sadness to our family. My grandmother (Mere-Mere) was told she only had less than 3 months to live due to cancer in March and passed away in May. We were lucky enough to spend some time with her before she got really ill. We will miss her terribly but we also know she is in a beautiful place waiting for us to return.

The summer was a lot of fun for the kids. Matthew tried hard all summer learning how to pedal his bike. Kimberly learned how to ride her bike without training wheels and we were so proud. She did it all by herself too. She was determined to learn to ride on her own and she did great.

This fall marked a big deal at our house. Kimberly started Kindergarten at Bridger Elementary. She seemed so big going to school. I am still amazed she is old enough for school but loving every minute of it.The holidays came and went and we stuffed ourselves silly at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had a great Christmas and we all feel spoiled.

2010 is on our doorstep (the kids are ready with their hats and horns even though they will probably celebrate around 9:00 p.m. because they will not make it up past that time). We are looking forward to another year of blessings and many exciting adventures. We know there will be some surprises and I am sure some tears here and there. We take whatever comes our way with our heads held high.

Blessing to all for the new year. :-)

Christmas Pictures 2009

2009-12-29T13:09:00.002-07:00

Christmas Morning

Silly dog looking over the couch.

This year's Christmas outifts.

Beautiful girl.

Handsome boy.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T15:37:00.002-07:00

Christmas 2009 has come and gone and boy what a fun one it was. The month of December has been insane and so glad that it is almost over. Between Christmas, school, and church; we have been running.

The weekend before Christmas is always set for Grammie's house. We go up to Soda to take presents to my grandparents and visit with my parents. My mom loves to have us come up to show off her house at Christmas time and this year didn't disappoint. Their favorite new addition to the house, a Jimmie Johnson blowup. haha. Funny dad. One major thing that happens during this weekend is Santa Elves. See my mom has a deal with Santa's elves that they will come and fill up the stockings while we are sleeping. That is pretty fun for the kids to see what Santa's elves bring in their stockings. As usual, Santa's elves overdid themselves and spoiled us rotten.

Christmas Eve was a family day. We spent a few hours at my in-laws visiting with Brian's family. It is a lot of fun for the kids to play with their cousins and everyone is so excited for Christmas.

We have a few traditions during the Christmas season and I think we got them all done this year. One is to see Christmas lights around town. There are a few Griswold houses that always seem to grow each year that we never miss. We didn't make the entire town this year but did get to see some nicely decorated houses. I have to say though, Woodside Drive looked pretty sharp this year all decked out. Another tradition is to watch Christmas shows all December. I think we watched them all this year. Some of my favorites: White Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Christmas Story. This year we got to burn a candle every night and read a Christmas story (my in-laws made us a folder of stories). Then on Christmas Eve we write letters to Santa Claus, put out our cookies and milk, read the scripture story, and get to bed early. All was accomplished.

Christmas morning was probably one of the best we have had. Matthew was just at the right age to realize Christmas was fun and exciting. Of course Kimberly was all ready for what she knew would be exciting. Kimberly was told not to come out of her room till 6 and she listened and didn't wake us up till 6:15a.m. (only for mom and dad's purpose). We finally woke up Matthew at 7 a.m. cause Kimberly couldn't wait any longer. After checking the cookies and milk (they were gone but noticed that Santa left a lot of crumbs), they ran around the corner to see what Santa brought. Matthew started grabbing things so excited and Kimberly just had her mouth wide open with a huge smile on her face. They were so happy! We tore through all the presents we had pretty quickly and then the kids played with things for a bit. Not long after we finished opening presents, my parents came to join us. It is tradition on Christmas Day for me to play host while my parents get to enjoy the kids and the food. So after my parents were bombarded by kids showing off what they got, we opened presents from them. Like always, they spoiled us rotten (oh I mean they showed their love). Thank you mom and dad for everything! Then it was time for Christmas lunch. This is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I get to make everything I want to eat and love to try new things. I think I made many bellies full this year. My in-laws stopped by and gobbled up some food as well and then we got to open more presents. I think we had everything open by 2:30 p.m. The living room was full. Our garage was full of boxes and wrapping paper. And we were exhausted. But it was all worth it.

Christmas night was full of Rockband (thanks to Santa) and Wii games. Good thing the kids crashed by 8 p.m. cause Brian and I were ready for some Wii competition! haha.

We hope everyone had just as enjoyable Christmas as we did. Good thing we have 1 whole year to do it all again!

Love and blessings to all!

Merry Christmas to all

2009-12-13T18:45:00.002-07:00

Great what?!

2009-11-30T10:32:00.002-07:00

I am pleased to announce Brian and I are great uncle Brian and great aunt Tammy. Boy do I feel too old now to have a Great before my name. haha. We have been waiting patiently all year for our niece Rebecca to give birth to a baby girl. She was due on Dec. 19th and her hubby is deployed in Korea right now. She is living with her mom here in Logan. We have enjoyed watching her get bigger and bigger. Well a couple of weeks ago she went to the dr to find out she is already dialating. Instant bedrest for her. Unfortunately things kept progressing and she was getting pretty close. We were hoping for 38 weeks but this weekend the baby finally had enough and decided to come. But we had a huge surprise... what was supposed to be a girl (95% sure by the dr in California) turned out to be a sweet little boy! Mr. Caidon Ryan made his entrance to the world on Nov. 29th at 12:42 p.m. weiging 6lbs 8oz and about 18 1/2 inches long. He had a rough time coming into the world (vacuum was used) and so he looks a little beat up right now. He was able to come off oxygen after 8 hrs and hopefully things are looking up for the little guy. We are so happy to have him in our family and can't wait for the day to hold him and love him up. Hopefully I get to see him thru the window this afternoon.

Happy days for us!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T20:11:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We started the day with the yearly Macy's parade. It is fun to watch the parade route now that Brian and I have visited New York and have walked most of those streets. Matthew really found a love for the parade this year. My favorite part was watching Kimberly and Matthew kicking with the Rockettes. hehe After the parade we headed out to have dinner at my in-laws. About 30 of us gathered together to eat the usual turkey and stuffing and enjoy all the company. Lots of kids running around and laughter. Most of the focus for us adults was on our sweet niece Rebecca. She is due to have a baby any day now and so we had a lot to talk about. Poor thing... she is ready to have this baby. I am so grateful to have such wonderful in-laws. So loving and we have a great time together. Much to be thankful for this year.

Now it is on to my parents house for the weekend. YEAH! 3 days of us and they will be ready to send us home. The only downside is Brian has to work. We will miss you sweetheart. Much love to you.

Aren't they precious

2009-11-14T19:06:00.006-07:00

My two beautiful children were showing off their singing voices.

Matthew's turn.

This made me laugh.

We had to chuckle at this. Kimberly started singing during Matthew's performance and he got mad at her and had to act like he was going to flip her. hehe. Sorry for the shaking but I couldn't help but laugh.

I love having these things on video for when our children are older and can appreciate this. It is so much fun watching them grow.

Gotta love your children.

The dreaded Swine Flu

2009-11-10T14:28:00.002-07:00

Well the dreaded swine flu hit our house and unfortunately it hit the mom. It isn't good when mom gets sick. Daddy does all he can and did a great job but he just isn't mom. So a week ago Monday, I started coming down with something. I figured a little flu bug but that was all. I had the chills and aches that come with the flu. By the afternoon I had a fever. That night I started feeling better but when I woke up the next day, nothing had changed. I went thru the day feeling like crap even though I was really trying to feel better. That night Brian went to work and I thought I would be okay. Boy I was wrong. I started throwing up around 9:30 p.m. and couldn't stop. At 12:30, I tried to called Brian at work cause I knew something was seriously wrong. I couldn't even keep down a sip of water without puking my guts out. It took me until 1 a.m. to get a hold of Brian and luckily for me, he was just getting ready to head home. I told him I wasn't feeling well and would like to go to the hospital. Brian got a hold of his brother, who only lives a few blocks away, and Todd come over to stay with the children while we went to the hospital. We got there and they asked a few questions but then let me know I had the swine flu. For some reason, that never crossed my mind that I might have the swine flu. So I spent the next 3 hours in the hospital bed while 2 L of fluid ran thru me to get me hydrated again. Then they sent us home with strict instructions that I had to be in my room with no visitors for the next 48 hrs. That was probably the hardest part. My poor children weren't very happy they couldn't come see mommy. So the first day I slept a lot and tried to feel better. That night my fever broke for good which was nice. By the second day, I hated my room. I was so tired of seeing it and sitting in the bed. So Brian brought in a chair for me to sit on and I got the computer to play with. That helped. The hardest part was the children. That day the kids had a really hard time with the fact they couldn't see mommy. I had to listen to Matthew be upset all day. That tore me up. But the next day I could come out and see the world again. The only thing was I wasn't allowed to go out of the house for a couple more days. But at least I could hold my children again. I was no longer contagious. I wish I could say I was feeling great but I wasn't. I didn't have a lot of strength and was trying really hard to feel better.

Here it is... a week later and I am finally starting to feel up to par. After I got over the swine flu, I ended up with a nasty sinus infection. My dr gave me some heavy duty drugs and so I am getting over that one now. I wish my taste buds would come back though. Food still doesn't taste good. Oh well.

After what I went through, Brian and I decided to let Kimberly have the swine flu shot at school this week. We were hestitate until my illness. We don't want the kids to go thru that.

Hopefully we are over the sickness for a long time.

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T16:23:00.004-06:00

Happy Halloween! We sure have had a fun Halloween this year. We have been extremely busy. Kimberly had a Halloween parade and party at her school. Matthew and I went and helped with the party in her classroom. We had lots of fun. Then on Halloween day we started our day at the Mall for their trick-or-treat, had lunch at Texas Roadhouse with Grammie and Grampie, then we trick-or-treated at Lee's grocery store (they had a fun spook house that Kimberly would not go thru), and then it was around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Lots of fun this year.
Here are our 5 pumpkins. Duke's, Brian's, mine, Kimberly's, and Matthew's.

They were pretty cute this year.

This was a couple days before Halloween. We got a couple of inches but we were dying to try out our new toy. This is going to be a fun winter!

This was during Kimberly's Halloween parade at school. That day we just sprayed her hair black. That stuff was a pain in the bum. We had black everywhere. ugh!

Matthew was a golfer this year (little lewie). Tell me he isn't the cutest!

Kimberly was Snow White this year. We used a black wig for Halloween day and it was much better than that black hairspray. It did itch but it was nice to be able to just take it off when we were done.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Fun Pictures

2009-10-24T18:37:00.003-06:00

Every year North Logan has a pumpkin walk where they have great pumpkin creations. This years theme was commercials and they had some really cute creations. The kids really liked the cutouts where they could stick their head through pictures. I even got in the action as Harry Potter. Lots of fun.

Crafty!

2009-10-20T13:22:00.003-06:00

At the first of October, Kimberly and I attended a Relief Society Mother/Daughter night at the church. It was a lot of fun and they had many things to do. You could make bracelets, make hair accessories, frost cookies, and paint nails. It was a lot of fun and Kimberly had a blast. Her favorite part of the entire night was making her own hair clip. My neighbor Amy was in charge and showed me all the ones she made. She said it was really easy. I am not that crafty so I had my doubts but I ended up making a cute hair clip. Kimberly was so excited so she insisted we go out and get the stuff to make more. So we did and I finally got around to making some today. I had an hour and hoped I could get at least one done before she got home from school. Well in that hour I made these 4 hair clips. They were so easy and Kimberly loved them. So I had to show off how crafty I can be! haha

The only thing is Kimberly is wanting more. haha. Oh if I could just find the time to make more. Maybe I will be able to do 4 every day until we have used up all our flowers and buttons.

Lots of fun

Fall Soccer

2009-10-16T14:58:00.002-06:00

Another season of soccer has come and gone. (not too sad about it) Kimberly decided she really wanted to play again this year even though she didn't really like it last year. So we let her play this year and she did improve from last year. No holding hands with other girls and skipping but Kimberly is just not a soccer player. She is too nice and not aggressive enough. Quite a few times she had the ball come to her and she would just let it go past or not try to get it. My favorite moment was when it was two boys on the other team and her by the ball. We told her to kick it away from them and she gave us the look that said, why... they have the ball so I shouldn't take it from them. haha. Brian and I came to the conclusion that she will be a great dancer/cheerleader but not a sports girl. So next year we will let Matthew play soccer and she can attend cheer camps and what not.

Matthew loved to be on the field with sissy. This was before the game started so he could run around.

This is Matthew's after game ritual. He loves to run around.

In the middle of game... at least she is running toward the ball but as you can see her attention is elsewhere.

Kimberly's team the Cosmos. Her friend Dallin is by her in the black/white pants. We think most of her team were 6 year olds because Kimberly and Dallin were quite small compared to the other kids.

All in fun.

Leaves changing

2009-09-27T15:16:00.003-06:00

A Day at the Zoo

2009-09-20T16:22:00.004-06:00

We finally had a day off from running around town and doing things, so we took the day to go to Salt Lake and take the kids to Hogle Zoo and then visit Cabela's for Daddy. It was such a beautiful day and warm...almost too warm for a walk around the zoo. Definitely burned a few calories there. The kids were excited to see all the animals but mostly they wanted to see the baby elephant.

Isn't she precious! She was playing with this ball and fell down.
Then she struggled getting back on her feet. It is hard to be an elephant. Kimberly was very concerned why her mommy wasn't helping her back up. We had to explain that animal mommies need to teach their kids early how to survive on their own. But she was sure cute. She walked around and was showing herself off to everyone. I think it was a huge attraction at the zoo because the place was packed.

More animals we saw and had to stop to have a snack. It was hot and we needed some fluid to keep us moving. After our snack we stopped to watch the cute penquins swim. The kids were enjoying that. They swim pretty fast and then pop their heads up and watch everyone. Pretty entertaining.

Cute chessy picture during the penquin show.

After the penquins, we had to see the baby giraffe. We heard about him and so that was our next stop. Cute as a button but the stinker walked outside while we were inside watching him. Then he teased us by coming just to the door. But we still got to oh and ah over him.

This picture doesn't do him justice but he is pretty tall already.

One of my favorite attractions... tigers. I love tigers and they had some cute ones.

My little poser. Matthew didn't want to have anything to do with the tigers.

As you can see in the picture, he wouldn't leave his stroller and wouldn't even touch the tigers. Kimberly is trying to tell him it is okay but he still wouldn't have anything to do with it.

After the kids and daddy visited the snake house (I sacrificed seeing to guard the strollers... without hestitation), we found the carousel. Normally one of us rides with the children while the other takes pictures. This time we both got to ride but Brian insisted I get on one of the animals by the kids. It was entertaining.

Kimberly loves to ride the carousel but she is scared when it starts moving. Matthew thinks it is fun and got a kick out of mommy right by him. Of course Brian didn't get on an animal and only wanted to take pictures.

Next species were the gorilla/orangutan group. The kids were impressed with this cute little guy.

Too cute huh. He was way below us but he kept looking up at all the people. Great photo op for me!

Once again Matthew didn't want to have anything to do with this photo either. Kimmy was cute though and she was impressed at how big she was compared to the mommy.

How did Grampie sneak in this photo? hahahaha. Just kidding dad.

We did ride the choo choo train and after 3 hours, we were tired and hot. Spent a little money but had a ball. The zoo was totally worth it.

Afterwards we joked that we just saw the live animals and now we were going to see all the dead ones at Cabela's. haha. The kids had a fun time at Cabela's but that store was mostly for daddy to find his birthday presents. Hunting starts soon!

Blessings to all!

First day of Kindergarten

2009-08-31T13:17:00.003-06:00

Kimberly started Kindergarten today. I can't believe my little baby girl is old enough to go to school. She was so excited to start school. It is only for 2 1/2 hours but it is still Kindergarten. She had a great day and really loved it. She already met a new friend too. She said that was her favorite part of the day.

This is Kimberly's kindergarten door.
This is her teacher Mrs. Packard. This was the open house night. She is really nice and I know Kimberly will have a good year.

Kimberly insisted wearing her dog shirt the first day.

She had to have a Hannah Montana backpack. They don't make small backpacks.

She even has Hannah Montana shoes.

Heading out the door, Matthew insisted he have a backpack. He wanted to be big just like his sister.

Showing off the backpacks.

Matthew was so cute taking his sister to school. He told her bye sissy at the door and was just cute walking off. Then he gave her a big hug when we picked her up. But he did enjoy his time with mommy. I saw more tears from siblings leaving the school than I did Kindergarteners or parents. Luckily Matthew didn't cry. He wasn't too sad. Hopefully that is how the entire school year will be.

Oh they grow up so fast.

Family Reunions

2009-08-22T19:16:00.004-06:00

The past two weeks we were lucky enough to go to 2 fun family reunions. The first one was the 1st Annual Peterson Family Campout. Brian's family got together for a campout. Granted, not everyone could camp overnight but those of us who were able to had an experience. First of all... our camp was a little ways away from where we parked and were the flushing toilets were. In order to get all our gear up to our campsite, we had to use the one and only handcart. Did I mention it was very hot the first day we were there. Well we made a bunch of trips from the cars to the campsite and we were getting an appreciation for what the pioneers went through (granted we weren't coming even close to the trek they took).

We had a nice night once we got setup. The first night we only were able to stay for dinner because Brian had to work that night and there was no way I was camping with two kids and no daddy to help. The next day we came up and stayed the night. The daytime was fun but I had my scares for the night. It didn't help that the camp rules talked a lot about snakes and many other creatures. Oh and did I mention that earlier in the year they spotted a bear cub there. So needless to say, I didn't sleep any the entire night. I was too busy listening to our sleeping kids, the nighttime noises, and thinking about having to walk the mile if I had to potty. Ugh. Oh and about the time I finally decide I can't hold it any longer and decided to hike the mile to the bathroom, it decides to thunder, lightning, and rain. Lovely! Luckily for us our tent stayed pretty dry during the rainstorm that lasted until we had the cars packed up that morning. We all went home a little soggy and a little tired but we did have fun. We also found out my father-in-law was in the drama club in high school and was in a play or two (something no one could ever guess!)

The other family reunion was my Toomer family reunion. My grandmother was one of the people in charge so we decided to go. Not something I normally do but this year was something special. I am not sure if my grandfather will be able to make another one so we wanted to be there for him. We saw and met many family... some I don't think I have met before. My grandfather's siblings were all there (with exception of my grandfather's brother Tip who died at a young age). It was neat to see them all together.

That is my grandfather in the middle with the oxygen. He is flanked by uncle Blake and uncle Roger. Behind them are aunt Cheryl, aunt Janine, and aunt Uletta. My great aunt Uletta came all the way from Houston to be here despite her health problems

This is all the siblings and the spouses that could make it. My grandmother is behind my grandfather.

This is my grandfather's clan that could be there. There are a lot more of us but only a few that were close could make it.

Makes you appreciate all the family you have. Much love to everyone of them.

Blessings until next post :-)

Things that have been going on

2009-08-11T09:54:00.004-06:00

Kimberly lost her 2nd tooth. She is pretty proud to have two teeth gone.

This was the sunflower cake I made my mom for her birthday.

Mom in her party hat that Kimberly insisted she wear.

Mom on her birthday right before she blew out her candles.

Blowing out the candles.

One of our many sunflowers at our house this year. During the spring, I held preschool and we planted sunflowers. Well we had a few seeds left over so this spring we planted them. At first we planted them in two pots. Well they started outgrowing the pots so we planted them randomly around the outside of the house. We didn't think they would grow to much but this is one of our fattest ones. We have some giant ones... one in our garden is at least 10 feet tall. Something fun for this year. We are pretty proud of our flowers.

Just some of the ones in front of our house. If you look above the house at the sky, you will see it is orange. I wish I would have taken a picture of the sun that day. We had about 24 fires in northern utah that day from the lightning storms the previous night and our sky was orange all day. It was pretty interesting... fun from the kids' point of view.

Next on our list... family campout and Toomer reunion. Hopefully to have some pics from those fun events.

Blessings to all until next post :-)

Happy Birthday Mom/Grammie

2009-08-02T18:26:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom/Grammie. 56 years looks great on you!

We love you very much!