Letting go

I have stopped nursing Abby and I feel a little silly because I'm kinda sad. I liked being the one and only one that could completely take care of her. I couldn't leave her with anyone longer than 4 hours because she wouldn't take a bottle. So she would come with Dan and I on our dates, or go with me on my errands. I liked that she would usually fall asleep in my arms and snuggle close searching for comfort. I miss her looking up at me with those big blue eyes and smiling because she was happy to be with me. Tonight Dan put her to bed and she did so good, she drank her milk and went to bed so easy. Time goes by so fast. I want to enjoy each day that I am given and make it the best day. I enjoy being a mother so much and I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home. I hope that I cherish each day that I have with these beautiful spirits. I know the Lord has entrusted me with these spirits for a reason and I hope and pray not to let him down or my kids. Its an amazing responsibility to be a mother. Sometimes I think that I get so caught up in the everyday duties of home and life that I forget what is really important. I love the summer time because we don't have a busy schedule, no school, no sports and so on, we just play together and enjoy being a family.

Finally!!!

It has finally happened I lost 10 pounds. I know for most people its not such a big deal, but for me its huge. I have been trying to lose weight for forever and no results. But today was my weigh in and I did it. I finally feel like I can do it and it will come off. Everytime I try a plan I fail, and I always have some excuse for it, this time I have ran out of excuses. In the past eight years I have been pregnant or nursing with hardly any break. Seriously eight years equals 96 months and out of those 96 months I have been pregnant or nursing 86 months(not including miscarriages and surgeries). So I have a lot of baby weight I never completely lose. I just quit nursing 2 weeks ago and so the excuses are gone. So I am determined to meet my goal. If you have any suggestions I would love the extra help.

Swimming Lessons

Parker searching for lost pirate treasure(pennies).



Bryson waiting for hos turn to float.

Brittons group float in the deep end.

Abby sitting patiently day after day in the hot sun. She's such a sweet girl.

Bryson passing off the back float.

Britton gained the courage to take the leap.

Parker practicing his front float. He does it so well.

We put all three of the boys in swimming lessons. They were all in different classes. Parker was in the preschool class. It consisted mainly of games, floating and blowing bubbles in the water. Parker loves the water and isn't afraid to put his face in the water. So must of the skills that were being taught weren't new and he really wasn't interest in what they were teaching. He would just go off and play by himself. After the first week he played better with the instructors and passed the class and now is ready for level one.

Bryson was in level 1 and did so good. He loved his class and all the friends he was able to meet. He learned all his floats and passed off all the different skills. He is ready for level 2. He wants to learn to swim so bad because he wants to jump off the diving board and go down the slides at Farmington Pool. He is so fun to watch because he gets so excited for all the fun new games. When he is finished with his lessons he always gives you the play by play(he doesn't forget a word and a thing that went on). He is so cute.

Britton was in level 2. He did very well. He passed off about half of the skills. He is terribly afraid of the deep end. Getting him to jump off the diving board was quite an experience. They put life jackets on all the kids and he still won't jump. He is definitely my most cautious child. He did eventually jump off the diving board with the life jacket but won't jump without it. So him and Bryson will be able to take level 2 together and that should be fun.

The Dinosaur Park!!!

Fun at Dinosaur Park

Parker wanted to go to The Dinosaur Park for his birthday. It was his first time and he loved every minute of it. All the boys love dinosaurs so it was a fun day for everyone. We had a blast and the boys were so fun to watch. Abby had a good time too. See loved the fossil dig in the sand. Thanks Parker for planning a wonderful day!

Parker's 3rd Birthday!!!

The sharp tooth cake

Finally mine own scooter!!!

The Cave!!!

Breakfast at Krispy Kreme's.

A day with the dinosaurs

We love birthdays in our home. A month before(because it takes so long to decide) each of our kids birthdays we let them pick a party theme. Then we make up games, the cake and the treats to go along with the theme. Parker decided that he wanted a dinosaur party. So a few months ago we found a bunch of stuff in the Target dollar bins that worked perfectly for party favors and games. The rest of the party we made up ourselves and had so much fun doing so. My dad works at Lowe's and was able to get a frigde box that we used for our cave. We had all the kids paint the cave. We bought little glow in the dark dinosaurs that we buried in the sand box and told the kids they were digging for fossils. We blew up balloons and had all the kids pretend to be a certain dinosaur and they had to hatch the egg(which was the balloon). And we played a dinosaur memory match game.

The kids all had a lot of fun. We had a dinosaur sharp tooth cake and ice cream. Parker got a lot of fun new toys and was so excited all day. We love Parker so much and are so grateful he is in our home. He brings a special kindness to our home and always has a hug and kiss for everyone. He is a good big brother for Abby and loves to play with Britton and Bryson. Happy 3rd Birthday, Parker.

A little getaway

We rented this cabin for the weekend and had so much fun. Dan found this cabin and organized the whole weekend. He is so amazing. We invited my parents, Brian and Hillary, Michael, Lisa, Macy and Jake, Matt, Amy, and Ethan, Ben, Cassie, Carter, Hallie and Ellie and all our kids. Their was enough room for everyone and everyone even had a bed. We went exploring with the kids and sat out on the deck and just relaxed. It was a much needed weekend for all of us. The kids had so much fun. We took my dad's canoe and went to the lake for the day. The kids played in the water and built sand castles and dug holes. I hope that we can do something like this again soon. Thanks Dan for all the good ideas.

Dan's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dan!!! The started with a fun new recipe, strawberry shortcakes. It was an easy new recipe and they were yummy. I made shortcakes and cut them in half, then topped the bottom layer with strawberries, then I put the top on and piled it with more strawberries, then dumped on the whipped creme and poured on a little syrup. Dan loved them and it was so fast. Then we went to two baby blessing. Our first was in Lehi and I thought the blessing started at 11:00 but it didn't start until 1:00 and didn't realize my mistake until 10600 south. So we just turned around and went to the temple and walked the grounds and took a tour of the Conference Center. We went on the roof of the Conference Center and the boys thought that that was so cool. After looking at all the water fountains and any water features we could find the boys were ready to go so we went to the first blessing. It was for Seth Bull and it was a wonderful blessing. There home is so nice and inviting. The boys love to play in the basement and see all the cousins. Then we went to the next blessing. It was for Mable Anderson. It was a wonderful blessing also and it was great seeing those cousins again. We don't always get to see them so whenever we see them we always have a good time. Then back home for a little nap and just a quite evening at home. I made Dan a strawberry-banana cake and he almost ate the whole thing by himself. It wasn't the best birthday but it was a great day. He wants to go to Corbin's Steakhouse for his birthday dinner. I heard that they have great food.

The 4th of July

The kids in their fourth of July clothes at the parade. They were so good and waited so patiently for the parade to start(we sat at the end of the parade so it took forever).

Dan getting a break from work. The fourth is such a long day for him.

Pools, pools, and more pools. Water always makes the party more fun.

Abby loving the water.

The Backyardigans hop-scotch water pad. It was something new this year. All the kids seemed to like it.

The Beck firework show. We give them two thumbs up.



The kids all enjoying the fireworks.

We had a fun 4th of July. We started are morning at the Layton parade. We haven't been to the Layton parade for years. The boys caught lots of taffy and enjoyed the fire engines and all the horses. They also thought it was cool because Dan was in the parade this year he was the last entry. After the parade we went to Grandpa and Grandma Mack's for swimming and dinner. We set up four swimming pools and a hop-scotch water pad and the kids had a blast. We all sat around and watched the kids play. After dinner we did our own firework show. Julie's boys were in charge and did an excellent job. We were also able to see the Layton firework show from there and enjoyed those fireworks too. All the kids had glow necklaces, sparklers and lots of treats. They really enjoyed the day. I love the 4th of July. We are truly blessed to live in a land with so many freedoms and opportunities. I complain sometimes because Dan always has to work the 4th and I just want him to be with us and get to be apart of the days activities, but then I remember how many families don't have their father or mother during the holidays because their serving our country somewhere and keeping us safe and protected.

Abby's 1st Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Abby girl!!!
Our sweet Abby turned one day. She is such an angel. She is always happy. This is her after a day of shopping with the girls.

She loved opening her presents. She had fun riping the paper and would hug each present after she opened it. We got her a new baby, a stroller, a purse, and a tea set.

The pictures are a little fuzzy, but she loved the stroller. She was so happy once we got it out of the box.

I love the face she's making. She did that after each present got opened.

We had breakfast at the donut shop for Abby birthday. The boys and Megan were excited about that.

Abby is such a joy in our home. We are so grateful the Lord blessed us with her. She loves to play in the water, play with her "boys"(brothers), sing while she plays, play in the dvd boxes, just be outside and do anything with mom. And she already has dad wrapped around her little finger. We love you Abby.

Farmington Pool!!!

We always have so much fun when we go to the pool. My sisters kids love to dive off the high dive and they are always trying new tricks. My kids are still learning to swim so we stay away from the diving boards and deep ends of the pools.

Parker has loved the pool this year. He has no fear of the water and will float around the pool for hours. We swam from 12:00 until 6:45 that day. And he still wasn't ready to go home.

Cousins are so fun. Julie's boys are a lot older than my kids but they all have so much patience for all the little kids. They played all sorts of games with them and watched them swim. Parker is getting a shark ride on the back of Kyle's back.

Here's Britton practicing his front float. I think that this is a little freaky. When I first saw him do this I raced over to him and grabbed him, he said whats wrong I'm just holding my breath. He can hold his breath for a long time, so it still gets me a little worried. Britton is doing really good this year with his swimming, by next year I think he'll be ready for the deep end. We've only swam a handful of times and he's already so tan. He has the best skin. Lucky boy!!!

Bryson decided to take a break from the pool and play on the water toys. The water that shoots out is so cold. I think that it comes straight from Antarctica. The kids don't last too long over here, but it cools them down real fast during the safety breaks from the pool. Bryson likes to fill the bucket and watch it dump out, especially if someone is standing close by.

Abby is a little mermaid. She loves the water. I wish that she was a little more cautious. She will start at the shallow end and just keep walking deeper and deeper. She has been so much fun this year. She loves to cheese for the camera.