Random Pics of the kids...

Allison and Abigail

Austin loves to give the girls piggy back rides and the girls love to get them!

Cousin Kody giving Allison a ride at G&G C's house.

Daddy giving Abigail a ride.

Austin riding his 4-wheeler.

Austin as the Incredible Hulk and Allison as Cinderella. Doesn't she make the perfect Cinderella!

This was Abigail at Halloween...she was a Charger Girl. Right before we left to go trick-or-treating, she got into my Long-Lasting Lipstick...which really is LONG LASTING!

Keith and Abigail...awww, how sweet!

This is Allie's 4th Birthday party at the park...she is wearing an old performance costume that her Aunt Angie gave her...she HAD to wear it! :)

My kids make me smile...

Here are two conversations I had with Austin and Allison recently that made me smile...

Conversation with Austin:
AUSTIN: Mom, I am the most handsome kid in my class...
ME: You ARE? Well, how do you know that?
AUSTIN: Well...I have the most beautiful mom!
My Thoughts: Awww, we'll just forget that your grounded from the TV for a day. :) (AND NO I DID NOT TRAIN HIM TO SAY THIS)

Conversation with Allison:
Background...I took Allison with me for some lab work I needed thinking that it would help her overcome her EXTREME fear of needles and blood (she has passed out three times at the site of her own blood). I got my blood drawn and she said that I was really brave...
ME: Allie you can be brave too the next time you have to get a shot.
ALLIE: I know mom, but I think blood should stay in me...not come out of me.
ME: I guess your right Allie, blood should stay in you. (She does have a point there.)

And so I don't leave sweet Abigail off...something she says lately that makes me smile everytime she says it...instead of calling me "mama" which she usually does, for the last couple of weeks she has been calling me "honey." And she says it so cute!

Beautiful Zion!

For those of you not from Utah or who have never been to Zions National Park...it is probably one of the most beautiful National Parks in America...towering cliffs of red sandstone, waterfalls, wild animals running free almost everywhere you look. It is quite amazing. For the avid hiker or rock climber it is absolute heaven. While I wouldn't call myself "avid" at anything (except maybe blogging) - my family does really enjoy hiking...even our little Abigail, we found out.


As soon as it hit the mid-60's anywhere within an hour of where we live, we were sure to be there. A couple of weekends ago, it did just that at Zions and we headed down there for a full day of hiking fun and SUN! Here are the pics from the day...(which don't do the canyons justice AT ALL!)


We went on two hikes...the first one was up to Emerald Pools...(2 hour hike without kids, 3 hour hike with kids)

Do you see the deer in the back ground?...that was one of many we saw that day. Other animals that you may see are squirrels, lizards, snakes, mountain lions (unlikely), wild turkeys.

This is the lower waterfall...you climb up more to see the upper waterfall. Abigail actually hiked all the way to this point but started to go slower than the bigger kids had patience for so we finally put her in the back pack!

FINALLY THE TOP...when we reached the top this was the amazing site we found. It had dropped about 10 degrees right in the cove where the waterfall was and was actually acting as a snow machine. It was breath-taking. Like I said...pictures can't do it justice.

As you can see the kids actually LOVED the hike and can't wait to go on another one!

This was the second hike we went on...Weeping Rock (15 min with or without kids). You can't tell from the picture but we are actually standing under a slowly falling waterfall. They call it weeping rock because the rocks actually look like they are "weeping" water.

Baby Alex...

This weekend we went to Las Vegas to bring our nieces and nephew to see their parents at Sunrise Children's Hospital. They are currently with their fourth son, Alex, who is just barely 6 weeks old and has been on Life Support. He got RSV, then pneumonia and to top if all off he has some gastrointestinal problems. It has been a very scary and sad time for them and the whole family but we had a lot of great success this weekend. Alex was finally able to come off the ventilator and is doing really well with his respiratory problems. He is still in ICU but might be able to come out as soon as today. Hopefully he will be coming home by the end of the week. Once again we have felt the strength that comes through family and ward prayers and fasting. It is amazing all the people who come together when things like this happen...and heaven knows Chris's family has needed a lot of support in the last 6 months with both his nephews being in the ICU.

This was Alex three weeks ago...

This is Alex on the ventilator...

A SPECIAL THANK YOU: To my sister and brother-in-law for letting Chris' family use their time share while in Las Vegas. You guys are AWESOME!

Yes...#4 is on the way!

Today's post is short and sweet...YES, we are havin' a baby! Expected arrival is the beginning of August!

The House and the flood...

Here are some pics of our "not so new anymore" house. I am attaching "before we moved in" pics because I am embarrassed that after almost 6 months I still have no pictures on the wall. I can't make up my mind on what I want to do so I just do nothing! Pathetic, I know. Anyway, here are the pics...

The garage entryway...

Austin's room...future office room

Now...the flood...

The day before Halloween our basement flooded! The WHOLE THING! 4-6 inches of MUD and WATER in the whole basement! I look at these pictures and it still feels surreal. We had an outside water line break right by one of our window wells (which is not covered by homeownders insurance). The water went up under the window well and filled the window well. There was so much pressure on the window that it broke the window and continued to fill the basement. Luckily, we were only gone for an hour and a half or it would have just continued to fill up! We just happen to have bigger water lines than most people (which is good for most things just not when you are filling up a basement) so it filled up quicker than it would have if we had smaller water lines. The basement wasn’t 100% (only about 80%) finished however we did have our office down stairs. We had two computers, two desks, a printer, my treadmill, our fire-safe box (which we realized is only fire safe NOT water safe), our food storage, about 50% of the kids toys and some storage bins that were all downstairs. We had carpet in the hallway that we had to throw away. Our computers luckily were not completely ruined…after cleaning all the mud out of them we only had about $500 in damage to both of them. We threw away a whole bunch of cords, three toy boxes and about 2 dozen toys BUT my treadmill still works if I start it on a higher incline than the first level…lol. Even with all that we lost, Chris and I still feel really blessed because it could have been so much worse. Chris is actually thinking about moving the waterline so IF it broke again it wouldn’t go in the window well. But that will be a big job so he isn’t sure yet. Here are the pics…yes, it will be OK to cry along with me.

Thank goodness for family! All of Chris' brothers and sisters who lived in town at the time showed up to help clean up. We couldn't have done it without them! His sisters are all so tuff! They just get in there and do what needs to be done!

It took about 4 months to clean all these cables and everything else that was in the basement. Besides the carpet being gone it actually looks as good as new...almost! We are even working on finishing our first room down there...the cold (food) storage room!

You can see the line where the water was before we started pumping it out...

Where to start...

OK, this is kind of crazy to be back online and blogging again. YES! We FINALLY got the internet back. It is a long story but lets just say that our cable/internet company is so indebted to us I don't think I will see a bill for quite a few months...lol! (NOW I CAN LAUGH!):) Anyway, it was a definitly a weird experience not having the internet for so long. My husband and I have now realized that the internet has become the next bathroom....you can't live without it. AND "dial-up" is like having an out-house...there is almost no point! :) I know some of my family can't wait to see some pictures of the kids so that is what I am going to start with.

SLEDDING
I am definitly not a snow lover. BUT since I DO live in a city where it snows often I figured I better start thinking of some of the positive things that can come from snow. Here is one of them! We had a blast sledding with the kids. And the kids love it too! Both Austin and Allison were little dare devils too! People had built "sled jumps" and both kids went over them and got quite a bit of air. Neither Chris nor I would try them...lol!










More pics to come!

Stay tuned...

We have moved into our house and are still getting settled. We are currently WITHOUT the internet...I know, don't everyone gasp at once! Our subdivision is in the process of getting it and we should have it by the end of the month. In the meantime I think I am going through detox...yes, I have since learned that I was addicted to the internet although I do still hold strong to the fact that I do ALL my billing online not to mention that my phone book, blog, dictionary, movie time/locater, e-mail, etc is all connected to the internet in some form or fashion. I am sure most of you can relate! So, in the meantime, I will not be posting much for the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for the Grand Tour of our new home, our family vacation, and some random picks and posts of the kids.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Eleven years ago, if you asked me what I thought my life would be like...this is NOT what I would have pictured. Eleven years ago I was on a very different road...a road that I didn't necessarily want to be on but one I didn't know how to get off of. But my Heavenly Father was very aware of me and of my situation. He literally threw a boy in front of me that would not take "no!" for an answer. A boy that was so different then I could have ever imagined being with or even being interested in me. Several miracles later (and I don't mean coincidences...I mean miracles!) I married that boy and we are living happily ever after!

Reflections - Life Lessons on Building a Home

We should be FINISHED with the house tomorrow and will be ready to move in! So, I have been thinking a lot about this whole house building/buying process and here is what I think...

Things you should know before you build your own home...

1. It is really, really hard! Fortunately, it is a little like being pregnant...while you are doing it, you tell yourself you are never doing this again, but after you see the results you forget about the pain and start talking about when you are going to do it again. AND no one can possibly understand until they have done it themselves...but with that said continue to read to learn how to make it easier.

2. You should have a work truck...if not, be prepared to make your current vehicle into one. This includes getting it oily, muddy, dirty, eating in it A LOT, driving around constructions sites, hauling tools around, trying to pick up supplies that don't quite fit but if your kids squish to one side and duck maybe it will be possible...

3. Have a stock of tires available for the said "work truck"...preferably three. That seems to be the lucky number of flats you will experience. I actually visited The Tire Company so many times during this process they knew me by name and started giving me a discount on all of the things I needed...broken tale light, broken head light, three flat tires, three inspections.

4. Have jumper cables available for the said "work truck" especially if you are using it as a living room for the kids to watch TV, nap, eat and keep them entertained while you work on the house. The battery WILL run out.

5. Keep a spare car key at the new house under a rock so that when your kids are done watching TV and lock the keys in the car you don't have to try and find one.


6. Buy and USE lots and lots of sunscreen! Working in the sun again after you have blistered yourself is fairly painful!


7. If you don't own a shop vac - one of those vacuums that vacuums up everything from nails to water to glass to saw dust, etc. then GET ONE...A BIG ONE! In fact, if you are a homeowner at all you should own one. They are awesome! Chris has been wanting one for years (we had a little teeny one). It was finally time to give in and buy one.


8. If you don't already have an awesome family...adopt one...you will need it!

9. Dirt is a precious resource! Use it wisely!

10. We have heard from several people that building/buying a house can have a lot of strain on a marriage. Luckily, this was not the case for us but maybe that is because we were forewarned...so consider yourself forewarned!

11. Be prepared to be disappointed...a lot! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our house and how it ended up but it seemed that every step of the road was paved with disappointments. These disappointments can come from lack of funds, time constraints, miscommunication, lack of funds OR sometimes the exact thing that you wanted and got still doesn't turn out exactly how you wanted it to; Oh, and did I mention that everything is EXPENSIVE! lol

12. AND lastly, enjoy it! Most of the time, I have to admit that Chris and I were too tired to really enjoy much of anything but there were times when we just sat back and realized what an awesome blessing it is to be able to not only own a home but be able to build one. Our children, even though they too, are tired of us building the house, understand how much time and work went into this house. We built it together and we will reap the benefits together...isn't that what family is all about.

Things I have learned while building a house

1. I CAN do hard things...not necessarily happily...but I survived them with few breakdowns.

2. I learned that I can cut and lay base and casing; cut, grout and lay tile; run a watering hose, use a table saw and a lay wood floor, CLEAN like a MANIAC, and according to Chris give a whole lot of moral support!

3. I learned how to check and put air in a tire.

4. I learned that I am a lot more materialistic then I would like to admit.

5. I learned that my husband is even more amazing than I thought...he never complained having to work 16 hr. days-6 days a week. He also dealt with my breakdowns so well. :)

6. I learned just how much a family can accomplish when they work together.

7. I learned that I am pretty indecisive especially when it comes to decorating.

8. Dirt is expensive!

9. I am capable of much more then I thought but still have much more to learn and even more importantly I am excited for it!

Rebellious Child?

So, this parenting thing is really starting to test me. Before your kids go to school, there are few people who really influence them...maybe you, your spouse and a couple of other relatives. Once your kids start school they are bombarded with all different kinds of belief systems, peer pressures, thoughts, ideas, etc. I actually believe, for the most part, that this is a good thing. I think we have to allow our children to "practice" making the choices that we see as productive and beneficial to their lives. This morning, I gave my son a chance to "practice" making a choice hoping he wouldn't feel good about it OR that it would pass quickly. I let Austin choose to wear a mohawk to school! So what is the big deal about a mohawk? I dunno...maybe I am just old but in my day that represented a form of rebellion. Does it any more? I am not sure but I figured either way it is just a hair-do. What is the worst the can happen right?

Well, I will tell you the worst that can happen....I picked him up from school and the following conversation pursued:

Mom: So how was school?

Austin: Good (his usual response)

Mom: So did anything fun happen? (my usual pursuance)

Austin: my friend Rian (a GIRL friend) came up and kissed me on the cheek! (a big smile across his face)

Mom: She did?

Austin: yep

Mom: Did you tell her there was no kissing in elementary school?

Austin: no...I liked it!

PAUSE.....

Austin: she liked my Mohawk!

UUgh...I knew it! Why couldn't I just be a dictator and tell him there was no way he was wearing a mohawk to school! Luckily this morning, we "didn't have time" to do his hair because I kept putting it off because I was trying to figure out how to deal with this issue. He didn't seem to have a problem with that so he went to school with messy hair and I think I might "not have time" to do his hair every morning!

Oreo Peanut Butter Delight!

So one night Chris and I were in a Munchy Mood and all we had were Oreos. To most people that would be enough but it wasn't for us. So we decided to spice them up a little. We spread a healthy layer of PB on top (less if you are not a huge PB fan...although Chris isn't and he still loved them) and then we melted some chocolate and spooned it over the top. If you want to make them look pretty you can dip them but we were in a hurry. Then pop them in the freezer for 20 min. (we almost couldn't wait but your patience will be rewarded...they are better frozen)! ENJOY! If you try it out...let us know what you think.

ATTN: Twilight Fans

For any of you out there that are Twilight fans and were waiting for Edwards version of Twilight - Midnight Sun, it is no longer going to be released, as of now. I actually wasn't that excited about it anyway because I already read Twilight and knew the outcome...how could it be that much better from Edwards point of view? OH, it is! :) I started to read the first few pages of her manuscript and it sucked me in pretty quick. Hopefully she changes her mind and decides to release it. Read here to find out what happened...

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

House Update!

My sister has been wanting updated pics of the house...so here ya go sis!
It is almost done! The outside is completely finished except for the final grading. The painting will be finished this week. Chris is tiling the bathroom now and will be installing our floors the end of this week. Countertops, plumbing and lighting will also be installed by the end of the week. Carpet is being installed the beginning of next week. AND then it should be ready to move in! WOOHOO!




Our linoleum in the laundry room and guest bathroom.

Back door with bench for shoes underneath and coats/backpacks above.


We started packing our first boxes from our rental and when the kids saw what we were doing they started jumping up and down and running through the house...I thought Austin might start crying he was so happy. They are so happy to finally get to have their dad back!

Ashton's Coming Home!

Ashton is doing amazing! Here he is running around like a 4-year old should be. He will still continue his therapy once he gets home but he WILL be coming home sometime this week. They are so excited...especially to be reunited with their daughter. She has been staying with family to attend school in Southern Utah. We are so grateful again for all the prayers said on his behalf. We truly believe in the power of prayer and that his miraculous quick recovery was because of them.