Photo Story Friday--Birthday!!

It's hard to believe that my kids are growing up. Hard to believe that my first little baby is eight!! My sweet, shy, heart of liquid gold, Parson turned eight on Saturday.

We celebrated with his friends and had a Star Wars party. It was a lot of fun! We played a few Star Wars games. I think the highlight of the party was making lightsabers for all of the kids. With the help of my friend Google, I found this awesome, easy, and even cheap way to make personalized lightsabers for each of the kids.


I made him a Star Wars cake. I know I am no professional (by any stretch of the word!) but I have to say, it turned out SO much better than last year's cake. And he thought it was cool, so that's what matters.


Later we celebrated with family. We had a pizza party. For this party cake, I decided to make a trifle. It was my first ever attempt, and it was awesome. It was easy, and everyone LOVED it! I think I will definitely be making it again. Especially for feeding a large group. I found it on my Betty Crocker ipod app. I just made it in my punch bowl and it was perfect.


All in all, we had an AWESOME day! Thanks everyone!

Happy Birthday Parson, I love you!!

Happy Brithday Dad!

My dad. Grandpa, or Crappa as my boys called him early on. Fixer of everything. Answerer of all my medical questions. Pitcher of our softball team. Awesome boat captain. Teller of jokes. Sweet roll maker, Mmmmmmmm. Hard worker. Teacher of many. My personal tutor, growing up through all my school years. My personal nurse and chauffer in my trying and complicated pregnancy. Lover of sports, biking, hiking, and nature. Supporter and fan of all his kids/grandkids.
Growing up, I thought my dad could do anything. (Sometimes I still do!)
Love ya dad! Happy Birthday!:)

Birthday Fun!

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. You are all very nice! I had a great week. Monday, we celebrated Matt's birthday. Can you guess what one of his presents was?


Wii rockband!! It's super fun. Although I wish they (the game makers) had picked some better songs.
Wednesday, some of my neighbors threw me a surprise barbeque.
Friday, one of my brothers and one of my sisters and their families came over and we played some games (Wii Rockband, Mariokart, and Boomblox). Oh yeah, and look what Matt gave me for my birthday! I will never be lost again!!
I still haven't messed with all of it's features, but let me tell you, it is cool! I also got clothes, cards, and a cookbook from my siblings. (interesting cookbook--I'll save it for another post!)
Saturday my other brother took me and Matt four wheeling for my birthday. It was so fun!:)


Sunday, my whole family had a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me. So this year I got to celebrate over a few days, which was fun. Doesn't this cake look delicious?! My sister in law made it for me, and yes, it tasted as good as it looked!!:)
All in all, we had a great week! Maybe 30 isn't so bad, after all...

30 for my 30th!

That's right, I'm 30! I am officially old! And that makes Jaysi the winner of my very first giveaway!:) Yeah Jaysi, you are going to love this prize! Go ahead and start browsing the catalog on my site and I will email you later today!

30 things about me you probably never wanted to know:

1. I am the third of six children.
2. I never had any wisdom teeth.
3. I love lip gloss. And I have to put chap stick on every night before bed.
   
4. My left big toe is quite small in comparison to my right.
5. I swam in a triathlon last year. And survived. And didn't come in last.
   
6. I LOVE a looooong, hot shower.
   
7. My first job was working at Dairy Queen.
8. I love sports.
9. I love my shark vacuum.
10. I love to go shopping and I love a bargain even better.
    
11. My arms are shaped funny.
12. I am late 9 out of 10 times.
13. I HATE spiders more than I can even say.
14. I shop online a lot.
15. I faced my fear of sharks last year.
16. I was not a very good student.
17. I have never had a professional pedicure.
18. I want to buy an xrail.
19. I never wear pantyhose or high heels.
20. I will not eat anything out of the ocean.
21. My husband is a much better cook than I am.
22. Aside from my c-section, the only surgeries I've ever had were for a bone spur and bunion on my right foot, and eye surgery.
    
23. I have seasonal allergies.
24. I cut my own hair (and have for the past 6 years).
    
25. I love to rock in my rocking chair (my parents actually gave me my first very own one when I was about 5).
    
26. Last year I found out I love to snorkel.
27. I love to go to Lake Powell.
28. I am NOT a morning person. I can stay up all night, but don't expect me to be up early.
29. I am left handed.
30. I have never seen the movies "Greece" or "Wizard of Oz" (and probably never will).

Happy Birthday To Me!

Don't you hate it when someone asks you how old you think they are? And then you start to get all nervous because if you say too young they will know you are lying but if you say too old they might be offended. That can be so awkward!

So...it's my birthday tomorrow. How old do you think I will be?
And just to make this more fun, how about a little give-away? I've never done one before, but heck, it's my birthday, so I can if I want! I actually won my first giveaway a few weeks ago on Laura's blog, and it was fun. So, here it is: The first person to guess my age correctly wins a prize. A good prize.

You know I sell Scentsy, right? And that I love it! I love my house/car to smell yummy! And since this is my blog and I can do what I want to here, how about a little scentsy plug? Just to let everyone know, in the month of August, everything is 10% off. You can visit my site here. Or if you happen to be in my area and want to do a party or anything, just let me know. I am so not a pushy salesperson, I promise! If you want any more info. or have any questions about scentsy or any of their products, please feel free to email me. Plug now done, back to the contest!

So, whoever guesses my age correctly first wins a Scentsy warmer of their choice and 3 Scentsy bars! That is over a $39 value people! So get guessing! Also, I must specify one guess per person.

PS- If you know me in real life and know my true age, you are officially disqualified!

Happy Birthday Matt!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. As you can probable guess, this post is for him.

Matt is such a great guy! He is very fun. And funny. He jokes a lot. He is very sarcastic. He is a very big tease to everyone. He is not shy. He has no problem meeting people or speaking in large groups. (which terrifies me!)

Matt is an awesome cook! He doesn't care for baking or for sweets, though. He can make things that I would never think to make. He enjoys finding new recipes and trying them out, sometimes putting his own twist on them. And let me tell you, most of them are delicious! He also enjoys doing themed meals. For instance German night, or Greek night, or Hawaiian night, or Mexican night...and every dish in the meal goes along with the theme. He knows a lot more about cooking than I do and I have actually ruined a few of his creations by trying to help (for instance, 2006's Thanksgiving gravy!) There are a lot of spices in our cupboard that I never would have thought to buy, (some of them I'd never even heard of!) but now I know how to use some of them. He also loves to barbeque and is very good at that, too. I reap the benefits of this often.
Matt enjoys sports and is very good at them. He really loves to play volleyball. And trust me, you don't want to be on the other team digging his spikes. It also sucks to be trying to spike with him on the other team trying to block you. He also likes basketball and can hit a lot of outside shots. A few years ago he tried his hand at indoor soccer as our goalie and was surprisingly really good at that as well. (I only say surprisingly because he's never really played soccer before.) He likes to be active and work out a lot. (I get to reap the benefits of this as well, hehe.) He also likes to go camping, hiking, and biking.
He is a wonderful husband and an amazing father. He works hard to support our family. Our kids love to play with him. I think I fall in love with him all over again every time I see him playing with our kids and how he interacts with them, sometimes looking like a kid himself.

I could probably go on and on about him, but you've probably read enough.
Happy birthday baby, I hope it was great!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday. Therefore this post is going to be all about her.

My mom has six kids, 12 grandkids, and one on the way!

My mom has a lot of health problems. So many, in fact, that doctors run the other way! Nobody wants to treat her. She lives in a lot of pain daily. This is something I wish I could take away from her. Her 2 most recent surgeries have caused her death, in which she was brought back both times (thankfully!) She is not on any kind of disability and she doesn't have a handicap sticker (although I keep telling her to get one!)

My mom has so much compassion for others. She is the most sympathetic, empathetic person I know when it comes to someone being injured or sick. She took care of me and my family during my twin pregnancy. She took care of us again last month when I had back/shoulder issues, even though I know she was in pain, too. She is the first to help any of us out when we are sick or injured. I am very thankful for this.

My mom is such a great mom and grandma. She baby sits several of my nieces and nephews every day. She tends my kids when I need her to as well. She gets down and plays with them and they all absolutely adore her. She is concerned for each of their well beings. She is active in her kids and grandkids lives. We are quite an active family. She and my dad make an effort to come to all of the sporting events that we are involved in--whether it be me and my siblings, or my kids. My mom loves her family. Of this, I am certain.

She takes a lot of crap from her kids. We joke and laugh at, ahem, I mean with, her. She puts up with a lot from us.
Happy Birthday Mom. I love you!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

I can't believe he is 5! He is growing up so fast! Let me tell you a little about Joshua. Josh is my funny child. He definitely keeps me guessing. And laughing. He talks loudly and constantly. He is a sweet talker and a charmer. He has adorable little freckles and a dimple, too. He doesn't like to be tickled or kissed (ewe!). He can be a very big help when he chooses to be. He loves his family. He loves his extended family, especially his cousin Alyx and his Grandma Carmae. He loves to color and play games. He absolutely LOVES to be bald! And if you talk to him about it, he will try to convince you to be bald, too! Every time I do someone's hair, he comes in to tell them how amazing they look. He tells me I'm pretty and beautiful on a regular basis-especially when I wear a dress or skirt. Last year on my birthday, Matt asked him what they should get me and his answer was immediate, "a dancing dress!" He was popular with all the kids (and teacher) in his preschool. He is always talking to people everywhere we go and considers everyone to be his friend. Last week at the park he said, "look mom, there's my friend!" I asked what his name was and Josh had no idea. He had just met him. He loves everyone. He reminds me regularly that "We have to love the bad guys and strangers, too". He has energy and enthusiasm that would make anyone smile. He uses the words "sweet" and "oh snap" on a regular basis and I have no idea where he picked these up. Last night, he said "Look Dad, I ate all of my dinner!" and Matt said "Good job, buddy!" And Josh said, "Dad, you could have said you're excellent or you rock!" (insert an extreme amount of enthusiasm!) I love you Josh!
Today for his birthday, he wanted to ride the train to breakfast again, like we did for the girls' birthday. We actually pulled up just as the train was leaving and missed it. We gave him the option of going somewhere else, or waiting the half hour for the next train. He wanted to wait. All morning he had been talking about ordering a scone for breakfast and he was dead set on getting that scone!
We had a party for him on Saturday with my family. It was a lot of fun. He wanted to have a swimming barbeque party. We set up 3 little swimming pools and a slip n slide and had water balloons, while Matt did barbeque duties. Joshua's parties are my favorite of all my kids because I love doing backyard parties! I never really wanted a summer baby, but now I love it! I love that all the kids can just roam and the parents aren't constantly worried about them. We can just sit back and relax and visit, while watching them run and play. It just works for everyone! Anyway, back to the party.
I don't know if anyone noticed, but in my girls' birthday post I didn't mention much about the cake. Well that's because I made it and it was a disaster! And after such a cake nightmare, I have to admit I wanted to buy one for this party. But Carissa inspired me to try again and look what I created!
Yes, it's a snake! And yes, it's the easiest design I could find but let me tell you something, Joshua LOVED it! And he wanted a chocolate cake and a banana cake, so depending on what side of the cake we cut, we could choose our flavors. How's that for fancy? Ha ha.
Anyway, Josh had a great birthday. Thanks to everyone who came!

Birthday Fun!

As I've already mentioned, it was the girls birthday today. We had a great day, so I decided I would post again...I know, I know-twice in one day that's just crazy!:) This picture is proof to me of a good day because they are sitting willingly and smiling for the camera. That NEVER happens! This is totally a first! Usually when they see the camera they run away or scream or cry. I have been able to get maybe one of them smiling, but not both.
Anyway, we started out by going to breakfast. I guess it was more like brunch. We rode the brand new front runner train to a mom-and-pops diner type restaurant. Matt rides this train every day to work, but it was a new experience for the kids and me. It was pretty cool and the kids loved it. I don't imagine it would be very fun if it was crowded, but today it was perfect. There weren't many other people and the kids could explore and be as noisy as they wanted. (I forgot my camera, dang it!) Brunch was yummy! I think we all ate too much!
After that we came home and the girls took a nap, while Matt and I cleaned house, wrapped presents, and made cakes.
Tonight we had a party with my family for the girls. We started off with some pizza. Then we all chatted for a while. After that we were ready for presents. Unfortunately the girls weren't very into this idea. They each opened up a present from my brother and his wife. They were baby dolls. After this, all they wanted were those babies and they didn't care about any of the other presents. (Sorry everybody!) But thanks to everyone that came and for the gifts you brought, too.
After I finished opening their presents, we talked and laughed hysterically (my family tends to do that a lot. We always laugh until we cry! Do any of you do that?) Then we had cake and ice cream. MMMM...Good. I made the cake and it really didn't turn out very well.....Let's just say it tasted a whole lot better than it looked...


What a great day!:)

Happy Birthday! x2

Happy Birthday to my sweet little girls! Can they really be turning 2 today? They are growing so fast!
I have loved them from the moment I found out about them. Getting them here, safe and healthy was a very long, hard process. Yet as a mother, I would do it over again in an instant. The hard times are/were definitely 2x's harder. The joys and love are also 2x's stronger! I get double the love, double the smiles, double the laughter, double the hugs and kisses. And that outweighs any of the bads for me. I love having 2 of everything. It wasn't something I asked for or planned for, but it happened to me. And I can't imagine life without my Abbie and Ellie! I wouldn't want it any other way. They are special girls who had to come in a special way--together! Although they fight a lot now (they've already mastered the 2 yr old attitude!), I am hopeful that they will always be close and have a special bond. And I am excited to witness this and be a part of it.
Isn't it amazing how much a baby can grow in two years time?
From this

To this




Happy Birthday Abbie and Ellie! I love you!

Happy Birthday Parson!

Friday March 14 was Parson's birthday. I can't believe he is 7! He had a party that day after school. This was his first 'friend' party. We took him and Josh and 5 of his friends to see the new movie "Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who." The kids ranged in age from 3 to 7 and they all absolutely loved this movie. It was a great time. I even found myself laughing a few times. Then on Saturday he had a party with my family and everyone came over for pizza and fun. He got some great gifts and I think he had a great time! Thanks everyone!