Bon Voyage!

We are off to Spain. Catch up with all of you when we get back! Love vacations.

Happy Birthday!

3 years ago we were blessed with a handsome little boy who has become such a fun part of our family. He definitely keeps us on our toes.

A little background on what was going on in our family at the time. B had just been transfered to Park City and we were having our house built. It was not going to be finished till June so we asked B's parents if it would be possible to live with them. They whole heartedly agreed and were thrilled we would be living so close. They did tell us that GGma Creswell was moving in with Aunt Linda in October and that they would occupy the family room downstairs. We thought about it and decided we could make it work. Our family would take Joe's old room because it was the next biggest room and had bunkbeds for the kids. We moved in and I will just say that those 6 months were the most emotional 6 months of my LIFE! There is a LONG story as to why but I will spare everyone, including myself, the trauma of those months. When February rolled along I was a little nervous to bring home our newest member of the family to the 'circus' we called home. And it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I did get family visitors at the hospital, which I don't prefer, sorry Rachel and Lyn no offense. But the day we brought F home everyone was gone. The house was quiet and warm. The perfect environment you want to bring a new baby into.

F was born on a chilly Saturday. My doctor scheduled me for an induction and I was more than happy to pencil him in. I love schedules. They're safe. Lyn was making a big breakfast when we got a call asking if we could come in right then. We didn't hesitate and said we'd be there in 30 min. I can't remember how long I was in labor...it didn't seem long but it was probably about 2ish. I was a textbook delivery. There is no real story to tell. I went in, got bored, and he came. Simple as that. I was so excited when he came and happy that he was healthy and strong. And what a looker. He was so handsome from the get go. I remember playing with you in our hospital room and I never did that with the other 3. Mainly because I was so exhausted. But it was nice to enjoy you and spend some one on one time with you before I had to share you with the rest of the family.

We love you, F. And are so blessed to have you as part of our family. Happy Birthday!

F's bday is actually on the 26th but we are celebrating it early since B and I won't be here for it.

Hilarious!

Becky sent me an email with some hilarious 'Husband/Wife' jokes. I laughed so hard that I thought I would post some of my favorites. Enjoy and Thanks, Becky. You're the best.

WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.

An earlier discussion had led to an argument and

neither of them wanted to concede their position.

As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,

the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'

'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.'

WORDS

A husband read an article to his wife

about how many words women use a day...

30,000 to a man's 15,000.

The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...

The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What?'

The Silent Treatment

A man and his wife were having some problems at home

and were giving each other the silent treatment.

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him

at 5:0 0 AM for an early morning business flight.

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence

(and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,

'Please wake me at 5:00 AM.'

He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM

and he had missed his flight

Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him,

when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.

The paper said, 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.'

Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

Hiding and Two-Wheels

Sunday the kids were playing with B. Or I should say...ON him. I swear, sometimes I think he's a jungle gym. The game turned into Hide and Seek. He would hide in a room and lock the door and the kids would get a butter knife or some other object to unlock the door. He couldn't find any good hiding places so he picked a room and just sat against the door. This is what I saw when I came down the hall.

All four of them saying, 'Push! Push with all your might!' Goofy kids.

This weekend it was so nice outside. B took K for a bike ride and when he came back he took M's training wheels off her bike. It was exciting to teach her to ride. We'd push her up and down the street. And she did really well. She took a pretty good fall and then she was done for the day.

Since the kids had no school today, M asked if I would help her practice on her bike. So I took her outside and she was really frustrated and whiney. So I told her that learning how to ride a bike is hard work and that she needed to stop whining. She went to her room and when she was ready she came and got me and we tackled it again. And she did it!

I was so excited for her. She rode up and down the street like a pro. When learning to ride a bike, try and live on a culdesac. She learned to turn all by herself and now can ride up and down the street without me running beside her. That's a good workout! She's so excited to show B when he gets home from work. She even told me that she could call daddy and tell him to come home early so she could show him. And as I was taking her pictures she said, 'I can't look at you mom, I have to concentrate.' Love it. Way to go, M! I am so proud of you.

A and F were having fun outside while I was helping M. They were playing frisbee. A on rollerblades and F on his bike. It was fun to watch F run after the frisbee as it rolled down the street. He is just too cute. They both are. They kept saying, 'Take a picture of me, mom!' Love it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

How many times can I use the word LOVE today?

I love Valentine's Day. I wish I had tons red and pink decorations for my house...but sadly I don't. But I love reds and pinks. I love conversation hearts...not eating them just looking at them because they are so fun. I love making heart crafts with school kids and decorating cookies. I love Valentine's Bingo and Heart Towers built with chopsticks. I love sending Valentine's, which doesn't happen because I am a mom and 'mom's don't do that. Only kids'. One day. I love finding little Valentine's treats for my kids and husband. And I love Valentine's Parties.

My kids found these on the piano this morning from my hubby. I love them. Thank you for thinking of me! And what I loved more was the card. B hardly ever gets cards because they say too much of the wrong thing. This card was perfect. It said just what he wanted to say. I love you so much for your thoughtfulness. You are the best father, husband, and friend a woman could ask for. I love you. Oh and I love my new Uggs too. They are a perfect fit and so comfy. Thank you. I love flowers. I could sit and take pictures of them all day long. They are so pretty.

I am the self appointed 'Party Coordinator'. In Kindergarten we played a game and decorated mini cupcakes! I asked Mrs. Green if I could bring in some fun games and she was delighted. DELIGHTED! I don't think I have ever seen a teacher so excited for a real party with crafts and games. Okay there was one other but only because we had great mom's that came up with the coolest games and crafts for the kids. She was excited and I was excited. So from now on this Kindergarten class will have fun parties.

I love Kim's comment on my last post... 'they do not do games here either, at least not very often today at tanners party they had to sit quietly and eat there dounuts and chips, they always have chips even with there pizza,I know, and they wonder why there kids are fat.' I laughed so hard! But it's true. I love schools that do fun parties. And those of you who are in those fun party schools don't take it for granted. School should be fun and that included parties.

Mail

I love mail. Especially when it has my name on it and it's not a bill. I love the mail I get from Lynette because I know that it's from CARD SWAP! I love it. These are the cards from this month and I love them all.

What wonderfully colorful birthday cards I got. I love mail like this. It gets me excited for next month. I am going to be stealing Lisa's 'Happy Day' card. Love it so much. I am so excited! Now I just have to get them done and mailed out the week before. Hurray for mail!

Tagging and Bragging

My Husband

What is his name? Honey, Lover, Dad, B(on my blog)...his given name is Brandon!

How long have you been together? Almost 12 years.

How long did you date? 3 months

How old is he? 34...and he thinks he's sooo old.

Who eats more? Well I'm not really sure. Brandon doesn't eat breakfast and sometimes doesn't eat lunch so when he comes home from work he eats constantly for about 3 hours.

Who said I love you first? I honestly can't remember

Who is taller? Brandon

Who can sing better? Me

Who is smarter? Brandon, definitely!

Who does the laundry? Mostly me but he helps on the weekends.

Who pays the bills? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me. But only if it's the side furthest from the door.

Who mows the lawn? Brandon

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me but Brandon cooks better.

Who drives? Brandon

Who is more stubborn? Me, definetly!!

Who kissed who first? I think he kissed me.

Who asked who out first? Brandon moved to Provo so we could date so I guess it was me who asked him to move there...so Me.

Who proposed? Brandon would say me...but I think it was a mutual thing and there wasn't really a specific proposal.

Who has more friends? Socially, me...but Brandon has a ton of friends at work. So probably about the same.

Who is more sensitive? Me. Infact I was just telling Brandon that when I was at the gym there was a program on honoring Mothers who have gone above and beyond. There I was on the treadmill and my eyes began to water while reading the captions. 'Snap out of it!' I said to myself. 'You're at the gym. You can't start crying at any given moment.' It was funny looking back.

Who has more siblings? Me, 7 to 6

Who wears the pants? Me but i genuinely care what he thinks and try to make decisions accordingly.

Now I am tagging.....Lynette, Mel, Che, Lisa J, Maren and Melissa.

Date Night

This is the second time in one week that B and I have been able to get out of house without the kids. B said that we haven't had to pay a babysitter in 3 years because we lived so close to family and great friends who loved swapping kids. I took that for granted. We had a church meeting and then went to dinner with friends.

We went to Beijing Palace...not the best but it was okay. We always have fun with friends. Deciding what to eat was a problem. I leaned over to B and said, 'Not exactly Panda Express.' At least there I know what I am ordering. I finally ordered the Lemon Chicken...which was fried a little too long but the soup was yummy and so were the potstickers. I love those things.

After our dinner the waitress brought our fortune cookies. This is what mine said...'You shouldn't overspend at the moment. Frugality is important.' Wow. This cookie really knows me. B's was about creativity. He says he's not creative but that he would be if he added the words 'in bed' after his fortune. Such a man. It was nice to get out and spend time together.

Bowling

Last night I was invited to hang out with the Directors of Marriott's Timber Lodge and Grand Residence Properties. It was so fun. We went out for pizza and met spouses and Jackson. Jackson is 2 1/2 and he was with his dad cause mom was home sick. He was so stinkin cute. Anyway...we had dinner then we went bowling. I lost out of 8 people. Which was okay but my first 2 bowls...I didn't hit anything. I needed my warm up and didn't get it. Not that I'm saying I would have won if I got it...but don't you warm up with every kind of phyical activity? Oh well. It was fun to meet some new people B works with and they were all really nice.

China

We took a quick trip to China tonight. Thanks, Joey for the free airline tickets. The boys really loved it. We walked around downtown admiring all the funny looking signs and tried to pronouce some of them. But we had tourist written all over our foreheads.

Cub Scouts are always prepared so we had our 'Cub's Chinese Dictionary' to help us with translation.

We learned that 'qing tou xie' means 'please take off shoes' and 'tian dian ma?' means 'would you like a snack?' We went to the Jiang Kai Shek Museum and learned so many interesting facts about Taiwan and China.

Our guide told us that the Chinese people have a strong belief in heritage and honoring their ancestors. They believe that when they die they go to a spirit world and they NEED 4 things to survive there. Money, a Car, Food, and Clothes. it is the responsibility of the children to provide for their parents. So the children burn these items in these paper bags

and that is how they 'send' them to their ancestors. Some people burn real cars, real money, and real clothes. Some people burn pretend items.

Our tour guide read us a kid's story about a little boy who had sweet toots. that's gas for those of you who don't know what toots are. And his sweet toots brought him prosperity and wealth. There is so much to learn about China and their rich culture. More than we had time for in one night. We will definitely be going back. What a fun night at Cub Scouts.

Bored

Since half our family is away in Idaho we are soooooooooooo bored. This is how I found M and F this afternoon. They had fallen asleep watching a movie and I was watching the Super Bowl preview and scrapbooking. And the house is super quiet. We don't know what to do with ourselves. Good thing tomorrow is a school day and we can also go to the gym. Weekends just aren't fun with out Dad, K, and A. We miss them.

Good-bye For Now...

Our beloved prophet President Hinckley died last Sunday night in his home surrounded by his family. I remember a couple of years ago when his wife passed away...the media said, 'Sister Hinckley died at home surrouded by her family.' I remember thinking how peaceful that would by to be surrounded by your family and to tell them one last time, on this earth, how much you loved them.

President Hinckley was a wonderful example. He loved the Lord and has a strong testimony of the restoration of the gospel. There are two things that I will always remember about him. First...his 'thing' was temples. He put more temples on the earth than any other prophet before him. What an amazing accomplishment. The second was during one session of conference. I don't remember the year or whether it was April or October...I remember he simply bore his testimony and it was at that time that I realized that he was just a man. i have always thought of prophets as perfect men who lived righteously all the time. President Hinckley mentioned that he was faced with temptation just as all of us and I had never thought of that before. I am grateful for his loving example and tender words of encouragement. 'Don't just do your best', he would say. 'But do your very best.' He will be greatly missed. We are grateful that he is reunited with he dear wife and what a sweet reunion that had to have been.

B's grandmother passed away this week as well. He is in Idaho with K and A attending her funeral services. She, too, was a great lady. It was hard for me to see her in the nursing home. I hate hospitals to begin with and so to see her in a place I dislike was very hard. Before her strokes, about 4 years ago, she was so alive and going. That's the only way I know to discribe her...she was always going. She loved playing games with the kids at the cabin and that's one of our very fond memories of her. My mother in law would sometimes take the kids to visit her and they would play more games and watch 'I Love Lucy'. That was one of her favorite shows.

Genevieve's husband died when my father in law was 11. So her reunion will be a sweet and tender one as well. I was blessed to know her and grateful that my kids could spend what little time they had with her.

Happy 10th Birthday

Today my oldest turns 10! Where has the time gone. I can remember 10 years ago....

I was leaking something all morning. Finally after talking to my mom, I asked B to take me to the hospital just so they could take a look. We got there and an older nurse checked me and said, 'Yep, your water broke. We'll call Dr. Baxter.' Not 2 minutes later I was checked by a younger nurse who said, 'Your water hasn't broke. And you're only dialated to and inch so you can probably go home.' She leaves and returns in about 30 seconds and says that the older nurse had already called my doctor and he wanted them to start me on petosin. ( not sure how to spell that) anyway...i was kind of bummed but happy because that would mean she would come today and not on Ground Hogs Day! We waited all day and the petosin was awful. I was in so much pain because they wouldn't give me an epidural until I was at least a 4.

Why women don't get epidurals is a mystery beyond my comprehension. There is no reason to be in pain. It doesn't make you less of a woman. Crazy.

Anyway...When they finally gave it to me I was so relaxed. B left a couple of times because he was so bored...I don't blame him. I slept and he went shopping. He bought a camera and returned with a Whopper! I was a little miffed because I could smell it but couldn't eat it.

The last time he left and it was time for K to come...the nurse asked, 'Does your husband have to be here for the baby because she's coming right now!' I immediately paged him and as his pager buzzed he came waltzing in the room. 'It's time' the nurse said.

After K was here B was so pale and the nurses were very worried about his health. They got him a chair and some juice. 'Can I get some of that?' I asked. They cleaned K up and placed her on my tummy. She was the most beautiful baby in the whole world. I remember B holding her and he started singing to her. He was so set on a boy but when that little girl slept in his big arms he was smitten. She is still his favorite whether he likes to admit it or not. There's always something special between a daughter and her father. We couldn't get enough of her. She is such a joy to have. We love you, K. Happy 10th Birthday.

The kids had a special day at school today. Along with K's birthday, A and K also received academic awards. A got academic excellence (all a's)

...and K got academic achievement for Honor Roll (she got all a's and ONE b) . We are so proud of them. They have done such a great job this year with their school work.

Big Light!

When B was a little boy he took his mom's keys and decided that they fit perfectly in the light socket. That night before bed he said, 'Big light' because of the big spark it created when he stuck it in. His mom said that the rubber on the keys was melted and that it was a miracle that he wasn't hurt.

Well F has the same facination with the sockets as B did when he was little. Tonight he was playing with a dime near my camera charger that is always plugged into the wall. He slid the dime down behind the charger but it was still plugged in. I caught him as he was trying to unplug the charger. 'NO, F!' I pulled him away and pulled the charger out myself and there was a big spark. I actually think I saw a flame. I explained to him that playing with the sockets was dangerous and that he could get a big owie. This is what happened to the socket. That makes 2 in our house. I hope he has learned his lesson.

Church Ball

It's that time of year again and for the last month, every Friday, B has games. Tonight was happy and sad. His team had a double-header. I really hate these. They totally creamed the first team but because they were so tired from the first game they lost by half the second game. Which was really sad because I think if they had all their energy they could have kept a pretty close game. The two teams were a good match. It was sad but there's always next week! B's team has only lost one game so it will be interesting to see who they play next week.

I love Church ball...and sadly enought they don't have it for women here. I was a little upset. And our enrichment committee has finally agreed to do indoor soccer for enrichment night for those who'd like to but now there are construction workers working on the gym. Oh I can't win. At least I still have the gym for my workouts. And happy to report that I have gone every day this week. Hurray for me. Still lots to lose.

Del Sol Model

I love Del Sol products. They change colors in the sunlight. This past summer M modeled for them and now she can see herself on the internet. Click on the link below and check her out. She's so cute. She's on the homepage and then click on products. I am not sure if they are going to do a catalog this year or not but these are cute. I have all her proof AND she had so much fun.

http://www.solkids.com/

Virginia City

B was reading one of his Louis L'Amore books and it was set in Virginia City, Nevada. So when he was finished he decided to take the family to see it. For those familiar with Park City's main street...it was a lot like that. But about half the size. We walked along the 'boardwalk' and saw a few cowboys showing off their guns...

and in the shops there was a lot of history. There was a fireman's museum we went into and the tour guide said that oxygen masks weren't really worn until the 1950's and before that you were not considered a 'real' fireman if you wore one. We ate lunch at the Delta Restuarant and the waitresses were dressed in 'pioneer' dresses. I personally don't think I could work somewhere if I had to where a costume. The food was yummy though. B and K got some historic books of Virginia City at the Mark Twain Bookstore. And we all got salt water taffy at one of the general stores. This place was awesome. It was filled with all kinds of old fashion signs...like Hot Dogs 10 cents and parking signs like...Princess Parking Only. There was a corner for Coke lovers, Betty Boop lovers, I Love Lucy lovers, John Deere lovers, fishing lovers, hunting lovers, Choppers, all kinds of Root Beers, and the lists goes on and on.

What a fun store. And we had a good time as a family.

Swimming in January

My visiting teacher came over last night and asked me what we had planned for the 4 day weekend? Nothing. B still had to work and I still have to go to the gym. So she invited us to go swimming. Swimming in January?

So at 8:45 am we were off to the gym for my workout. Then we went home to shower, scrapbook, eat lunch, and find swim suits. I am so white it's disgusting. Shana was asking why we were so tan? I think the lighting was affecting her vision. Anyway...then it was off to the pool.

It was so fun. The kids just loved it. The Swim Center had 2 slides, diving boards, a theraputic pool (super warm), and one of those kiddie pools with water shooting out everywhere. They even had large nerf balls so F was in heaven. M and A braved the diving boards while K conquored the slides.

She also went off the high dive. That's a feat that I won't even do anymore. We had a great time! Thanks, Hamblins!

The kid's school was having a fundraiser at Baskin Robbins so after dinner we went to get some yummy ice cream! It was so yummy.

Then off to see Daddy ref a basketball game and then play in one. What fun.

I had the worst time taking pics of the game. I tried the fast motion setting...blurry...then the P setting...somewhat better. I finally just left it on the P setting with and ISO of 1600. I can't remember if I used automatic setting for white balance or changed it to florescent but I do remember one of them didn't work and I want to say it was the florescent. But here are some of them.

I took a ton and now have to weed through the ones I don't need. Ugh. But what a fun day.

Ink and Scrapbooking

I finally got my ink...then there was a frustrating 2 hours trying to by pass the 'use espon ink only'. What a pain. But we are up and running and happy to be. I have a ton of stuff waiting to be printed. Lots of scrapbook pages that I put together and journaling will be the final touch. I purchased a Quickutz hand tool with one letter set and I like it but it would be much much faster if I just had the Silhouette Craft Cutter. Maybe I can get it for...my anniversary! I'd say Valentine's Day but that's a little too expensive for that holiday. For us anyway. It would be so nice to just type my titles and have them print out in the font I want. So convenient. But for now I will just be happy not to have to use an exacto knife.

It's January and I have been inspired by Lisa to get scrapping again. So I have been busy getting this summer done. Sad that it's taken me this long but it's just so convient to download my pics to my computer and let them sit. Between downloading and editing them I am exhausted and don't want to look at them for awhile. But I am now motivated. It will pass I am sure of it...it always does but we're living for the here and now, right. So here we go. I am posting them here because this is all I have been doing for the past 2 days.