Happy 7th Anniversary!

Happy 7 years for Brian and me today. 8 years ago we met on a blind date and went 4 wheeling. It was a great date and we were together ever since. Since 6/29/2002 landed on a Saturday, we figured it was right to get married exactly 1 year after we had our first date. The day was hot and pretty. We were married up at Sherwood Hills under a gazebo in the bright sun. The day was perfect. It was so nice to have all our friends and family their with us.

During our wonderful 7 years of marriage we bought a house, produced 2 beautiful children, were sealed for all eternity in the Logan Temple, and got a new dog. We have had 7 great years with many more to come.

Pictures from Temple Open House

Our latest creation

Here is what we were up to:

Brian built the kids a sandbox. It is a nice size for the kids to play in. I helped load some sand but not a lot. I was away to a meeting when he did all this so I came home in time to do a couple loads. The kids were loving it.

Aren't they sweet? They were sure cheesing it up so I had to snap a closeup.

They don't care if they get dirty... can you tell!

My silly kids. They were making silly faces.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the great dads of the world. I wanted to wish my wonderful husband a happy father's day. Brian is an amazing dad. He is a hands on dad and loves to help in every way. One of my favorite things that he helps with is the kids bath time. He takes the kids in and gets their baths done while I get my own time. It is a great help. Plus the kids love to splash daddy. But no seriously, I am so lucky to have Brian and the kids have him as a daddy. He is a great dad and a kid at heart. You can truely see that both kids love their dad. I love him too!

I also want to wish my dad a happy father's day. We couldn't be together on the big day but we did visit with him the day before and had a lot of fun. Dad, you are a great father and a fun Grampie. I know growing up we had our moments but I sure do enjoy and appreciate everything you have done being my dad. My children love Grampie and I am glad you are around to enjoy them.

Not to be left out, happy father's day to my father-in-law. Verl, you are a great dad. You have raise a wonderful group of children and now are spoiling the many grandchildren. Just think, at the end of the year you get to call yourself Great Grandpa. haha. No really you are a great father-in-law. Thank you for all your spiritual guidance and support. Just don't stress too hard Bishop... :-)

Happy Father's Day to all the men in my life that are dads. It is fun to see all my cousins become dads. How we have grown.

Blessings to all until next post.

The start of summer

Well it is the middle of June and it doesn't even feel like summer. We have had 12 days out of 13 that were rain. And we aren't talking a little drizzle. We are talking downpour rain. I think we haven't had to turn our sprinklers on at all this month. Granted we like free water for our lawn and garden but we haven't got to play outside and enjoy the warm summer months. So needless to say, we are ready for summer. We had a day without rain yesterday and boy we were outside most of the day just enjoying the sun.

In the meantime, we have got to do a couple fun things. With our older kids (no babies right now), we are able to go play in the mountains and 4 wheel and just enjoy. So that is what we did one day. We have tried since but the weather hasn't cooperated. I am just not into cleaning mud off two kids. Here are some pictures:

Isn't my hubby so handsome!

Matthew had fun being a monkey and climbing the ramps.

My hubby's favorite activity.

These sweeties are just too cute.

Kimberly and her battery powered 4 wheeler. She is such a daredevil on it. Funny because when she got it on her 3rd birthday, she hated it. It scared her. She would not ride it for 1 year. Finally on her 4th birthday, she dared to ride and found she loved it. Now that she is 5, she isn't scared of it at all.

I just loved this picture. Matthew smiling and Kimmy zooming around on her 4 wheeler. Matthew did get on it with his sissy and had fun.

This picture makes me laugh. I was trying to get a cute new picture of Duke and here I caught him licking his lips. But the picture caught him with what looks like his tongue in his nose.

Brian was starting a little fire for us to cook some hotdogs. This picture looks like Matthew is telling daddy how to do it.

This picture is so sweet. Shows you how much Matthew loves his daddy. He was so tired.

Kimmy and I were off for a ride. Just a little one up and down the road. The only problem we had was Duke followed us wherever we went.

I love this picture. Now before anyone start spouting off about not wearing helmets, we do wear our helmets when we ride. This was just a little ride around where we were parked. We are very big on wearing our helmets, especially the kids.

Hopefully we will get more days like this one. We are trying to plan one with the Peterson clan before some of them head off to California. All I know is we need more sun and warm weather. The kids are ready for some fun in the sun.

Blessings to all until next post. :-)

Matthew's 2nd Birthday

On May 30th, we celebrated Matthew's 2nd birthday. I can't believe two years has already past. Where does the time go? Matthew was born on May 30, 2007 at 9:09 a.m. He was a hard baby to carry. I carried him all in front and that was rough on my body. I was having contractions pretty much the entire month of May and my dr told me to stay close the home the entire month. He was sure I was going to come early with him. But nope... Matthew stayed in my tummy until the day we decided he should be born. He wasn't due until June 6th but I really wanted him to come in May. Since I was having to schedule a c-section, I asked my dr about May 31st. He said that wouldn't work for him but May 30th would. Fine by me. I wanted him in May because we have a lot of June birthdays in the family. So we went into the hospital around 7:30 and had Matthew at 9:09. The nurses and drs said he was so huge and he was. He weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz. He was such a little chunk. So cute though. He gave us some struggles at first with choking and jaundice but he has turned out to be a healthy boy. So proud to have a little Brian running around the house.

This is Matthew's official number 2 birthday picture.

This was his way of showing 2 fingers. Not as easy as one finger.

Matthew wasn't sure of us singing to him. So he was making really weird faces to us.

Matthew loves blowing out fire (candles on the table, etc) so we gave him more than just his number 2 candle to blow out. He had a ball (see below):

We had a fun day celebrating his birthday. Grammie and Grampie made it home for it and the kids loved having them visit. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and they are sweet as ever. Our sweet neighbors Clare and Marian came over with a present and Aunt Barbara and family dropped off a gift. Matthew got spoiled as did Kimberly. For some reason people seem to think that if one gets a present, the other needs one too.

Oh the joys of our little ones. They truely do put smiles on our faces.

Blessings to all until next post.

What we have been doing...

Man it has been awhile since I blogged. I have been so busy and it has just been crazy for us. Here is basically what has been going on:

On May 14th, my grandmother (Mere-Mere) returned to her Heavenly Father. It was a blessing because of the pain and condition she was in. It is still hard and sad to think of her not with us on this Earth but we know she is in a much better place right now. We made it down for the funeral and then the kids and I stayed a bit longer to see what we could help my mom with in Texas. There was a lot to do down there and now I am paying for it. My back and muscles hurt and need a couple days of rest to heal.

Brian wasn't working much this month and we started to worry what we were going to do. Now it seems work has picked up so we should be okay. Otherwise my hubby is determined to get a part-time job somewhere to help pay bills. He doesn't want me to work and that is a nice thing. There are just so many more benefits to me staying home.

The kids have had a nice time in Texas. They got to play with all their second cousins and got to meet all the family. Of course everyone adored them. But Kimberly took advantage of us not being in our home and tried to push my buttons. Kids will be kids. Matthew is talking so much more and it is a joy to listen to him. Even Brian was getting a kick out of him speaking when we got back home from Texas.

Our puppy Duke turned 1 while I was in Texas and daddy took him for a good run on his birthday. He is still a cute puppy and I do love him.

Matthew's 2nd birthday is coming up this Saturday and we are pretty excited for him. I will have to blog with some pictures afterwards to share.

Blessings to all until next post.

Happy Mother's Day

I know this post is a day late but my Mother's Day was insane. First off I have to tell my mother happy mother's day. Unfortunately my mother was in Texas so I didn't get to give her a big hug and kiss from me. But I did call her that morning to wish her a happy mother's day. Of course I had to find her the perfect present that would send tears to her eyes (and it did). Second I have to wish my mother-in-law a happy mother's day. She is an amazing woman and I am so glad to be in her family. She is a great mother and a great mother-in-law. Some people do not get along with their in-laws but mine are great. Next I want to wish all the mothers among my family and friends a happy mother's day. You are all wonderful women.
I had a great mother's day. My children gave me big hugs and my hubby was sweet as always. He fixed us a yummy breakfast. Primary was great and church was wonderful. The Primary did so good singing in church (even though I had to go up there too) and we got a wonderful present from the ward. Then we went to my in-laws to wish my mother-in-law a happy mother's day and have dinner. Got to visit with family and just enjoy the day. Too bad we can't have a mother's day like once a month. haha

Blessings to all
:-)

Thunderstorms

Our first big thunderstorm of the year for the kids happened in Texas. Something new for them and for my hubby... Texas thunderstorm. The alarms were sounding on the tv about severe and you couldn't take you eyes and ears off of it. Then my hubby got the talk from my mother about how you don't take a shower during one of these, you don't talk on the phone, you prepare yourself for a tornado. Even my grandmother asked my hubby if we were going to have to get into the closets. The quick moving storm hit and yes there was lightning everywhere and thunder that rattled the house. The kids were a little scared but it came and went pretty fast. The rain it dropped was amazing. It was pretty cool to see puddles on my grandmother's lawn after that little bit of time.

Then we come home and just the other night we got a great thunderstorm. The lightning was everywhere and the thunder rumbled the house. We got a ton of rain. The kids weren't as scared at this storm (they are getting used to them now) but the look on Matthew's face was priceless. I wish I would have taken a picture. He was in daddy's arms and his eyes were so wide. His mouth was wide open and he was happy. Kimberly was actually brave enough to leave daddy's arms and watched the storm out the window. I used to be terrified of these storms and would have to hide my eyes and be in Brian's arms. Ever since I had kids, I have realized that I need to be strong and brave so my kids will be too. So now I brave the storms and laugh and enjoy them. Inside I still tremble but I know my kids are liking them and that is all that counts.

Thanks mom for teaching me that trade. I still remember those trailer days that we would watch the lightning storms.

Blessings to all.

Family gatherings

Why is it when families get together, the women find a way to chat around the food, the men chat around the tv, and the children get more wild and run all over the house. I swear, my daughter seems to think when we are at a family member's house, she doesn't think I see everything she does. At least she knows (or at least I think she does) right from wrong. I know that will change in her upcoming years but for now I can be proud. As for Matthew, he is starting to come into his own and he loves to show off. It may take a few minutes for him to warm up but then he becomes the life of the crowd. And he really wants to be a big kid and do what the big kids do. Oh well.
At least we got to visit with family and especially my niece Rebecca and her hubby Justin. They just came in from Oklahoma where he was stationed. Now in a couple weeks, Justin will be heading to Korea while Rebecca stays here growing bigger and bigger. We just found out a week ago she is expecting. So that makes Brian and me great uncle and great aunt. I am too young to have great in front of a title. haha.
It is pretty fun to be part of a big family though. Many people to turn to for advice, comfort, and just plan chat time.
Blessings to all until next post.

Texas Goodbyes

What a trip. We just returned from Texas visiting families and seeing my Grandmother, Mere-Mere. A month ago Mere-Mere was given less than 3 months to live due to cancer. Sort of a shocker to the family. My grandmother is a strong woman and has lived by herself for the past 14 years while being a diabetic. She is still a very strong woman. She has made it a month since she was given her timeline (which only Heavenly Father really knows when her time is up) and she is still doing things on her own.

We were able to take a week and go down to see her. She was so happy to see us and really enjoyed her time with us. Matthew and Kimberly warmed up to everyone, but especially Mere-Mere. Matthew was playing ball with Mere-Mere the first night we were there. He also could say Mere-Mere and night night which were perfect for Mere-Mere to hear.

My mom has been there since Mere-Mere was given her timeline to take care of her. What a blessing my mother has been to my grandmother. A few years ago my mom decided to take classes and become a CNA. She worked in a nursing home for a couple years until she was physically unable to do it anymore. All her knowledge has come in handy while taking care of my grandmother. Watching my mom made me so proud of her. She is a strong woman. My mom would be CNA Pam while taking care of my grandmother but would be daughter Pam when she would talk personally to her mom. It was sweet to watch. Unfortunately, my mom is taking on a lot of stress and pressure with all this. Every night after she gets my grandmother to bed, she second guesses everything she did for the day, hoping she did enough. I feel so bad for her. Hopefully she will take some advice and talk to the hospice people about all her thoughts on taking care of my grandmother. One bright note for my mom was seeing her grandbabies. She really enjoyed us there.

The last night we were there was the hardest. Knowing that was more than likely the last time I was going to talk and see my grandmother on Earth was very hard to deal with. Just looking around the house and remembering all the memories I had there ... a lot to deal with. I was trying to be strong when telling my grandmother good bye but I still broke down. I love my Mere-Mere more than words can express. She has always been an amazing woman and someone to look up to. I just hope we have enough memories to tell the kids when they get older about their Mere-Mere. Not very many people get to know their great grandparents.

While we were in the big city of Killeen, we did do a couple other things. We got to go to a duck pond and feed the ducks. Between Matthew's eating the bread and feeding the ducks, Kimmy never stopping in her feeding; those ducks and fish were full when we left.

We also made it to visit the gravesites of my grandfather Jon-Jon and my cousin Troy. One main thing I wanted to do was get a picture of Matthew behind Troy's headstone because Matthew was named Matthew Troy after my cousin.

All in all it was a productive trip but one of the saddest. At least the weather was mostly warm and the kids were able to go outside to play. They enjoyed the fact they could go outside, wear shorts, and had to have sunscreen on. They were sure hoping it was good weather back home so they could continue their outside time. Lucky for them, it has been beautiful since we got home.

God be with you Mere-Mere till we meet again!

Blessings to all until next time.

Baby Animal Day

Every year Logan has a baby animal day out at the American Heritage place. It is a lot of fun for the kids to see baby animals and get to see, pet, and even purchase baby animals. There is a lot to do at baby animal days like food, treasure hunts, candy cannons, rodeos, easter bunny, crafts, food, etc. Brian's favorite part was the spiders, snakes, scorpions, and turtles. The kids had a blast even though it was a bit muddy. Enjoy the slide show of the baby animal day pictures.

Matthew and the tutu

Kimberly came out the other night with Matthew in her dance tutu. He thought he was pretty cute. So Brian took this video of him dancing. Kimberly, of course, is showing off as well.

Dance Recital Day

Now for the next big thing that happened in our little lives. Kimberly had her dance recital. She was super excited for it and you could tell she was a little more mature this year. She wanted to do good and she wasn't really nervous. Here are a few pictures (especially for you mom):

This was Kimberly pre-recital. This is the only time I can get her to do the curlers.

Matthew's excited for Kimmy's big day too. haha

All ready for the recital with hair done and makeup on.

Not the best quality of photo but I couldn't resist this one. Matthew was waiting (not so) patiently for his sissy to come out and dance.



I had to show this photo... Kimberly is in the dead middle in the front out of all these girls. The funny thing is that this is only half of the girls in her dance company.

That's Kimmy in the middle. She is doing her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star dance. The tutu is her absolute favorite.
After the show, her instructor gave all the girls a medal, a rose, and a certificate. Kimmy got the Good Technique award. Very proud of her.

This is Kimmy's two instructors. Marianne is on the left and she was her teacher this year and Vicki is on the right and she was her teacher last year. Kimberly really loves both of these ladies.

Here is Kimmy at home after it was all over with. She scored on flowers this year from daddy and mommy and matthew, grampie and grammie, and her rose from her teacher. She really loves flowers so she was so excited.


I had to show these. The picture on the left is the recital program. That little girl is Beth and she is in Kimmy's class. The picture on the right is one of Kimberly's pictures that they took a month ago. Pretty cute considering she was pretty sick that day.

All in all, Kimberly did really well. I am so proud of her. She smiled most of the time on stage. She didn't wave to us this year. She said she couldn't see us. haha. We did video the dancing (don't worry mom, we will bring it) and we ordered the DVD. Kimberly loves dancing and I think she will do this most of her childhood years. Thank you Marianne for a wonderful year of dancing at Memories in Motion Dance Company.

Now we get to slow life down for a week. I can't wait. Preschool is over at my house (today was my last day of teaching) and dance is done until August/September. I have one week were we don't have a lot of stuff. It will be nice for a little downtime... for all of us.

Blessings to all until my next posting. :-)

Kimberly's Birthday

Today was Kimberly's big 5 year old birthday. I can't believe my first born is 5 years old. The years go by so fast. Kimberly asked me today how do I know that she is 5 years old. I got to tell her I know because I gave birth to her. Then her Grampie and I told her how long that day we had to wait for her to be born (24 hrs from the time my water broke to when she came out vie emergency c-section).

Kimberly was excited for her birthday the second she woke up. We surprised her with fake balloons on her bed. The fake balloons are because Kimberly is not fond of real balloons. She is so afraid of them popping. So she begged me not to have real balloons so I made fake balloons with colored paper and ribbon. She loved them. After we got her ready for her day, we finished decorating the house by making 5's to put on the windows.

Kimberly was lucky to have her Grampie Toomer come spend the day with her. Unfortunately her Grammie Toomer was in Texas spending time with Mere-Mere (that story is another blog another time). Kimberly had so much fun with her Grampie. They got to have their favorite Chinese food for lunch. Grampie got to meet all her friends at her party. Grampie is probably glad he only had one child after the full house of kids we had here.

Kimberly invited 7 of her friends and cousins to come spend an hour and have a party. We played stick the doggie on the fire truck (similiar to pin the tail on the donkey). Then Kimberly opened her presents from her friends. Then they all got to blow out a candle in their cupcake after they sang happy birthday to Kimberly. After messy cupcakes and ice cream cones, the kids got to play with a pinata. They make them now where you don't have to beat them to break. You can just pull on the strings and the right string breaks open the bottom of the pinata. The only down fall was the 3rd kid found the right string so the other kids didn't get a chance to try and open the pinata. But they got candy and that made it all better. It was a lot of fun but wow... glad it is done.

Then Kimberly got to open presents from her Grandma and Grandpa Peterson, Grammie and Grampie Toomer, and mom and dad. She was so happy with everything she got. I think her favorite present of the day was her Hannah Montana guitar from Grammie and Grampie. She hasn't put it down all night. Daddy is going to have Hannah Montana stuck in his head all night at work. haha.

Overall it was a fun day. Matthew had a ball with all of sissy's friends and toys. He even got a guitar from Grammie and Grampie that plays music (leap frog). He didn't get his usual nap and boy he is tuckered tonight. I am so happy my daughter is growing up. I do hope another year older means she will grow up and lose some of her attitude. haha.

Below is some of the pictures from her birthday. Hope you enjoy.
Blessings to all until I return.

Day before the big birthday

I had to show off my creations for Kimmy's birthday... mainly so my mom can see since she isn't going to be around. Kimberly really wanted an Ariel cake for her birthday but for her party we went with cupcakes. Oh and Brian told me I gave Ariel a little cologen for Ariel's lips. haha. I will write back after the birthday with pictures.
Oh and there is a goofy picture of Matthew being silly!