In a world where you can be anything... be yourself

Florida trip... Picture's for the HOWE family :)

2012-01-26T12:11:00.007-07:00

Kennedy Space Center....
Britt and her family decided to stop at the space center on the way to Cocoa beach.... these are some pictures her and Mark took...
I don't know what they are so there are just a bunch of pictures of there visit there.... For sure something we would go to next time (when our kids are older)
Hope you guys had a blast!!!!

Bailey and Tanner

Bailey and Tanner
Bailey and a space dude :)

Tanner, Bailey and Britt
Mark Bailey and Tanner
Cheese... Mark
Tanner
Bailey
Britt Bailey and Tanner

A little friend in the water

Bailey

Britt and Bailey
Tanner and Mark

Mark Bailey and Tanner
Bailey and Tanner

So glad you guys were able to stop, looks like you have a ton of fun!!! Miss you guys! xoxoxo

More Florida Pictures 2011

2012-01-26T11:34:00.004-07:00

We are about half way through our trip in Florida... At this point surprisingly the kids are still getting along really well and we haven't had any major issues.
These are some pictures of Animal Kingdom and Epcot

We went to a little show called Nemo and after the show Zac had to "have" Crush.... he was so excited to buy it all by himself.
My kids all but Tator in the sharks mouth... they had a little play ground type of thing the kids were able to play on.
Tanner trying to smile as big as the shark :)..... loved this picture!!
Outside by all the Nemo fish..... Hailey, Britt, Tanner, Mark, Me, Zac, Hailey and Bailey.... Again Drew was taking pictures and poor Taylor was stuck in his stroller
The kids outside of Epcot
This was inside a show at the Animal Kingdom Bug's life i think... the show was "ok" if we would have know how "Exciting" and "HOT.. HUMID" it would have been i think we would have passed....
Zac and some stranger looking at the camera weird... playing the African Drums at Animal Kingdom
Bailey.... showing everyone how it's done
Howe Family in front of Epcot
This was on the Jungle Cruz ... i have to say this was one of my most favorite rides in Animal Kingdom.... we got to see sooooo many animals and the guide talked about each animal we saw, it was very interesting and really a good ride.
I think this picture of the Elephant is beautiful the bight blue water it looks like its not real
Another of an Elephant... so huge and amazing. I think if i could be an animal one animal i would choose would be an Elephant....
The Giraffes ... there were a bunch of them. These pictures look like somthing you would see in a wildlife magazine
Zebra's .. i forgot the real name of them but it was a cross between a zabra and something else, very interesting!!
Rhino's and a ton of them too
Zac and his Bug glasses
Tanner and Ashley.... sporting their new fashion Bug glasses
Bailey... Bailey... Bailey... how many times do we need to tell you!!! Quite picking noses :)
We had just made it pass the gate and here comes Pluto (i think) the kids were the first ones and before we knew it there was a huge line... it was crazy!!!
Another animal we saw on the Jungle Cruz i don't know what they are called but look at those horns.
Fun times we had....

Family vacation Florida 2011

2012-01-23T19:33:00.009-07:00

So here are some more random pictures from our trip to Florida....
We had so much fun.... i love to look through all these pictures and remember the fun time we had and how much i really do miss family!!! We had such a blast and i can't wait for the "next" family vacation!!!

One of Taylor's favorite things is Mickey Mouse... So we had to get him one, and he LOVED it and still to this day 4 months later he can't sleep without his Mickey!
Crazy Kids with Mr. Potato head.... Brianna Jace Zac and Hailey.... Some "new" cousins the kids got to meet and have fun with
Zac and Mr. Potato head
Downtown Disney... Ashley, Brianna, Jace, Hailey, Taylor, Zachary, Me, Marta, Galen and Jeremy and of course BUZZZ
Lego Land.... Ashley Zac and Hailey with BUZZ
Zachary Galen and Marta in front of the Rain Forest Cafe
Poor Taylor every picture i find he's in this stupid stroller.... i think he was kind of sad and tired of ALWAYS being strapped down in this thing.
The Howe's .... Britt, Mark, Bailey and Tanner
This was our group most of the time plus of course Drew who seemed to always be taking pictures.... Me, Taylor, Britt, Mark, Zac, Ashley, Hailey, Bailey and Tanner.
Jeremy and Zachary.... Zac loved to play around with Jeremy and he was such a good sport to play with Zac and be buddies.
Down Town Disney.... this lady was AMAZING!!!!! she looked like a figurine and would move very slowly, it took me a while to realize she was real when she reached out for the kids hand. This is Bailey and the "AMAZING" lady
Ashely and the "AMAZING" lady.... it was so neat to see her facial expressions with each child my kids thought she was so neat!!
This was a condo day.... the condo we stayed at was an entire day of fun in the sun and water... there were so many different pools and lazy rivers and miniature golf courses and water slides. We had so much fun hanging out at the resort and relaxing. My little man he loved the water coming up outta the ground... he was so funny to watch.
It took him a while to catch the water coming up from the ground and when he finally did it he was so excited
Hailey with the lady.... she was so pretty too
Bailey and Taylor .... he finally got a mouth full
Britt Mark and Tanner.... it was so nice to "relax" one day. We had so much going on it felt so good to not be in a crowd and enjoy being together!!
hahahaha i LOVE this picture.... i've gotta say he's just the cutest kid there is!!!
Scott.... we saw this street named Scott and i had to take it in remembrance of Drew's dad who always took him to Florida .... it was sad to be there without him and we all had our moments when we wished he was there with us.... we sure miss him and wish that he was there with us!!!
Taylor having a blast.... he loves water and loved playing in the fountains!
Our lovely van.... it was a piece of crap, we had fun being able to switch kids back and forth with Britt.... and the car behind us is Mark if you look closely enough
Disney World Castle
Our group .... again with Drew missing taking pictures not quite sure where Zac was when this was takin
This kid was sooooo heavy!!!! the rest of the group went on a ride he wasn't tall enough for and while we were waiting he had crashed in my arms..... we sure wore out all the kids and for Zac to sleep anywhere but a bed is very rare!!!
Nice one Mark ..... flipin the birds :)
Electric Parade.... Peter Pan and Hook flighting
Cinderella in her carriage
The snail off of Alice in Wonderland.... i hate this part of the movie, but it looked so neat all lite up.
The kids LOVED it!!! they didn't want to sit and watch a parade but they were sure glad when we decided that we were taking a rest and watching it
Bald Eagle with the American Flag.... Gorgeous!!!
Electric Parade
It's a Small World
Bailey and Britt
We really were having fun... this picture is pathetic :) i think we were all REALLY tired!!!
The first float of the parade..... I LOVED it one of my favorite things the music ...the characters ... it made me feel so young and the excitement..... the MAGIC!!!! was AWESOME!!!

Well i still have a ton more pictures of our wonderful trip.... but this is it for now....

Florida vacation.... MAJOR pictures

2012-01-17T20:03:00.008-07:00

we did a 5 day hopper pass to Disney world... we ended up doing Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Planet Hollywood and Magical Kingdom.... Plus we did the beach and the condo and Down town Disney... we did soooooo much and had the time of our lives. These are just a few of the pictures at Magic Kingdom. I will be posting more in the next few days of our trip and the fun time we had.... we are so glad that we went and that we were able to make wonderful memories with family and our children!!!! We look forward to the next "family vacation" all together again.

So WARNING TONS and Tons of pictures..... hope you enjoy :)
Bailey and Tanner... on Dumbo
Drew and Taylor.... he was sooo good and loved all the ride we took him on!!!
Taylor
Bailey me and Taylor riding the carousel
Britt Tanner and Zac ...... It's a small world
Taylor being a big boy and riding the horse all by himself
The group of us getting off big thunder rail road... as you can tell from Hailey's face.... she LOVED it
if you look closely you can see the group of us the second to last car back two rows and the first row of the last car....
Taylor.... look at the poor boys little face.... it was soooo hot and sticky

Mark with tanner and Zac riding the carousel
The boys minus 1 he's taking the picture..... Uncle Mark was a favorite
My little Family.... I think we were waiting in line for Pirates
Tanner and Hailey.... they are 2 months apart in age and the best of friends

Mark and Tanner
Me Drew and Taylor....
Zac and Tanner.... Zac was always budding up with someone and changed his "favorite" quite a bit

The Howe's Britt, Mark, Bailey and Tanner
Britt, Mark, Hailey, Tanner, Bailey, Ashley, Drew and Zac waiting in line for a ride..... not sure what one though
Drew walking around with Taylor waiting for the rest of us to get off the ride
Tanner and Hailey.... they were best buds most of the time
Bailey and Ashley having a blast.... Mark and Britt on the other hand... (Mark looks like he's ready to puke) Britt was just enjoin and hoping Mark wasn't gonna loose it :)
Bailey and Ashley.... they had so much fun together and did almost everything with each other.... sooo good to see cousins having fun together
Britt and Mark
The Castle
Taking the tram to Disney World
Ma and Britt.... such a cheesy picture
Me and Zac on Aladdin the flying carpet
The Main Street parade
Woody
Monsters Inc
The girls dancing on Main street before the parade
Ashley and cousin Tanner
Me and Taylor
Cousin Bailey and Zac
Drew, Hailey, Ashley, Zac and Taylor waiting in line for a show
Ashley, Zac, Hailey and me in front of Holly Wood studios
The kids in front of Mickey's hat.

I have so many pictures and so much more to blog about.... this is just a few. I look forward to posting more tomorrow, but as for now I'm gonna go to bed and "dream" about the happiest place on Earth.....

Start of vacation in Florida

2012-01-17T19:48:00.002-07:00

Our vacation to Florida. Day 1
We started our vacation a day earlier then the rest of our family. We decided that on day 1 we would go to Hollywood Studios while the rest of the family were flying in.

This is a picture from the Hotel we stayed in the first night.... it was so beautiful in Florida HOT and very HUMID but so pretty.
A water Fall they had on the side of the Hotel...
Taylor causing trouble already.... the kids had a fun time on the plane but they were done and ready to be in Florida after about 2 hours.... when we got to the hotel it was late we grabbed something to eat and then tried to get as much sleep as we could.... of course when you sleep in a hotel with kids you end up getting woke up early so our day started bright and early.
Zac on the patio waiting for everyone to get ready so we could FINALLY go.... talk about one excited little boy :)

Part 1 Disney World October 2011

2012-01-17T11:33:00.002-07:00

September/October 2011
We decided to go to Disney World with Drew's sister and her family and Marta and Galen and his kids... it was going to be a big group of us (about 20) and we were staying in a time share Drew's dad had. It was in a way a little family reunion.... we planned our trip a day earlier then everyone and a day later then everyone so our trip ended up being 10 days.... we had sooooo much fun and the kids had a blast not only doing all the parks but spending time with their Aunt and Uncle and cousins and Grammy.
I was really lucky because this was also my Birthday celebration. It was so fun being with family and being able to do so Much!!!!
SOOOOOOOOO many pictures so i will do many posts about our fun filled vacation!!!

Fist time on a plane (that they remember) Ashley and Zac were so interested in the air nob
Me and Taylor getting ready to take off
Zac and Ashley all ready just waiting patiently
Ashley Taylor Hailey and Zac ..... at the airport waiting for the plane to show up so we could board.... they were so excited and it was taking FOREVER :)
Hailey Bug on the plane.... the kids could not believe the time had FINALLY come and they were headed to Disney World for 10 days

Halloween 2011

2012-01-17T11:17:00.002-07:00

Halloween 2011
I am not a person who get very excited about holidays and like to do the parties and games. But this is something i am slowly starting to change. Growing up holidays weren't very exciting some just seemed like another day.... and i don't want my kids to feel that way. So even though i didn't do a party or have games (2012 will be different) i think they and i were able to create some fun costumes and they had fun at the school carnival as well as out trick or treating in the neighborhood.

Hailey was a mummy.... this was her idea so i stained an old sheet and sewed it onto and old sweat outfit... she looked AWESOME!!!
Ashley was a dead bride .... she is growing right before my eyes and it's not until i go look through pictures that i see how much. She loves make-up and high hills and is very fashionable. i think she turned out looking pretty good, and she loved having all the make-up on and walking in her hills....
Taylor..... my little cowboy. He was so cute and so funny to watch.... holding out his bag asking for candy and saying thank you to everyone we got candy from... and if they didn't hear he would stand there and keep saying it until they realized what he was saying.
Jack Sparrow..... or ummm Zac :) He is so into super hero's and pirates and star wars... he had quite the hard decision trying to figure out what to be.... of course we just got back from Disney World earlier in the month and he loved the Pirate ride.... he turned out pretty Handsome i think and such a cute little goober!!!
Jack and his dead bride..... also know as my adorable kids :)

My BABY turns 2

2012-01-15T11:23:00.005-07:00

My BABY turns 2. So much has happened in the last two years and to think that it has all gone bye so fast. It was a sad day for me my last "baby" turning 2. That I'm not having anymore kids so to experience these little things that at the time i took advantage of for the last time was heart breaking.
Taylor is the favorite to all the siblings i don't know if it's because he is the "baby" or if it is because he is so loving and fun and friendly and takes care of everyone.
I think he is the cutest little guy there is and of course i thought the same thing with Zac and i still do at times :)
It is amazing to me how fast the grow and how much they learn and sooo fast.. Taylor's favorite things are his mickey mouse, his frog pillow pet, his trucks and cars, his Sisters and brother, bath time, cartoons, food, and loves to go bye bye. He loves to talk and will copy anything you do or say.... is so funny and so scary at times too.
So Happy Birthday to my precious handsome little guy... i couldn't have asked for a better little spirit he has blessed my life so much and no matter what mood i am in i can't help but smiling when i look at him.

This was Taylor the night he was born.... He was so wide awake and alert and such a GOOD boy!!!
This is the first time i got to hold him, I didn't get to hold him until i was stitched up and sent to my recovery room (I had a c-section)
This is right after birth they, were cleaning him up and he was all sprawled out loving the attention
A fully picture of the little guy... he looks so big in this picture. He was my smallest baby 6.5 pounds
This was the day he was blessed... I had him on the 28th, came home from the hospital on New Years Eve and we blessed him only 5 days old. Drew's Mom and Dad were down helping us with the kids (he was born on Drew's mom's birthday too) and we wanted some family here so we blessed him on short notice.... i look like CRAP and felt like CRAP and couldn't move my feet were so huge i wore my biggest flip flops to church that day cuz i couldn't fit into anything.

Taylor with Dr. Tiesure. He was AWESOME!!!!
Drew all dressed up waiting to go into the surgery room
Me "before" waiting to finally meet my precious boy
TaDa.... Taylor Drew Johnson 6.5 pounds born at 1:23pm Tuesday afternoon 20 inches long. Blonde curly hair and beautiful blue eyes.
Sorry about the very graphic picture....
Taylor getting his vitals and all cleaned up.
This is him 2 years later... eating cake like a big boy, talking in full sentences, pure JOY, full of energy, everyone's "favorite", mama's boy, and stealer of my heart!
He is so big now... he was clapping for himself for blowing out his candles
This was his "nasty" cake.... i ran outta time to make him and so good ole smiths saved me and it was so discussing would have been better just not to have had one... he didn't mind though and ate his cake and ice cream better ten the other 3 kids no mess from this little guy!!!
The kids wanted to stay up and watch movies... and wanted Taylor to sleep with them ..... before we went to bed we went and checked on them and this is what we saw. Zac loves warm jammies but always ends up with them un- zipped or the shirt off... Hailey is very snugly and looks like she got a little carried away snuggling with Talyor or she was trying to keep him quiet not sure :) Ashley sleep like me... give me my space and DON'T touch me
Taylor with a Grasshopper Grandma Mac made for him.... and the cars too he liked to put the cars on top of the grasshopper and pull it all over the house.
We took the little guy out to Weck-fast for his Birthday.... he was sooo hungry and wanted his food now, Drew couldn't cut his french toast fast enough.
Ashley and Taylor (his favorite little mama)
Hailey Taylor and Zac.... this is Taylor's forced smile... he just started it and i think it is sooooo cute
Look at those eyes... he wasn't quite sure what to think about the big cake and the candles. He had such a wonderful day, lots of presents and lots of attention!!!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-15T10:49:00.002-07:00

Christmas was FINALLY here my 4 kids were beyond excited for this day to come.... The girls this year came to me and asked if Santa was real.... The DREADED day had finally come. I was sooooo sad the girls were very cool about it as if they had known their entire lives.... I on the other hand cried like a baby all day! It made getting things ready for Christmas a lot easier with the girls knowing.... I was able to wrap and not have to stay up all hours of the night so nobody would hear me, i was able to go do some shopping while the kids stayed home and watched a movie. It was a hard thing to swallow.... my girls are growing up :(

This is what our tree looked like right before we went to bed.... all ready for the kids to get up
With light.... there were plenty of gifts for everyone! It was suppose to be a smaller Christmas since we had just gotten back from vacation to Florida in October, but it wasn't as small as planned!!!
Our house Christmas Eve, Lined with luminaria's ..... i had never seen these until we moved to New Mexico and it has become one of our little traditions to do on Christmas Eve.... right before the sun sets and we go look at Christmas lights as a family.
A luminaria or a farolito is a small paper lantern (commonly a candle set in some sand inside a paper bag) which is of significance in New Mexico and some neighboring states at Christmas time, especially on Christmas Eve.
Traditional Christmas Eve luminarias are made from brown paper bags weighted down with sand and illuminated from within by a lit candle. These are typically arranged in rows to create large and elaborate displays. The hope among Roman Catholics is that the lights will guide the spirit of the Christ child to one's home.
Santa Fe and Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico, are well known for their impressive Christmas Eve luminaria displays.^[3] Luminaria displays are common throughout New Mexico, and most communities in New Mexico have luminarias in prominent areas such as major streets or parks. Residents often line their yards, fences, sidewalks, and roofs with luminarias.
Drew and all the kids lighting the last of the Luminarias..... Another family traditions the kids all get new jammies on Christmas Eve and this year the whole family got them... so this is the only picture i have of them sporting the new Christmas jammies.
We have our BIG Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve (well something nice other then ham and potatoes).... This year Drew smoked 3 full racks of baby back ribs along with them we had pasta salad and rolls.... i've gotta say he has become quite the master at smoking ribs!!! I never liked ribs and now they are one of my favorites!!! Christmas morning i had made the traditional dinner Ham, Potatoes, rolls, veggies, and salad!! We had some close friends come over after church on Christmas to have dinner with us and play games until 2 the next morning!!! It was a ton of fun and made being away from family a little easier to cope with!

One of my FAVORITE Christmas Presents 2011

2012-01-14T17:42:00.002-07:00

I LOVE my sister Britt!!!! She knows that i LOVE Lehi Mills Raspberry muffins.... and she knew that's just what i NEEDED :)

I baked one whole bag and i'm saving my last bag for when the kids are gone and i can enjoy them all to myself!!
HEAVEN!!! When i die i am sure that these muffins along with Diet Dr. Pepper and Chocolate will be there awaiting my arrival!!!
YUMMMMMM!!!!!! Thanks Britt!!!! You are the BEST......

Christmas 2011 "NEW" family tradition

2012-01-14T17:24:00.004-07:00

This year (last year) we started a NEW Christmas tradition... the night before Christmas Eve we sleep as a family under the tree and read Christmas stories.... So we gathered the sleeping bags the pillows and the blankets and made ourselves comfy as much as we could and had a good night together.

Hailey, Taylor and Ashley all under the tree listening to me read Christmas stories.
Zac, Hailey faking like she is asleep and Taylor ..... this picture makes it look like they were being so good and just laid there to listen.... WRONG!!! Zac was a goober and was playing the whole time Taylor climbed all over everyone and Drew on the couch crashed out before i finished the first story. I would like to say that we do this every year and we will "try" again next year and hope that it runs more smoothly. I guess they were just a tad excited Christmas was finally here and the excitement of starting our own little traditions was pretty fun.
The full picture... Drew got the couch and i got the floor the bottom right where the maroon pillow is.... i think there was a point i ended up in the hall on the tile. Taylor climbed on top of everyone and ended up sleeping on me.... and Ashley got kicked out due to coughing all night. Next year i pull in the bigger couch and Drew and I will share the couch the floor was NOT fun :)
it was great to start our own thing and the kids are already looking forward to it next year!!!

FINALLY a Dream come True....

2012-01-14T17:07:00.003-07:00

Drew's "DREAM" has finally come true.... sad but true his "DREAM" was NOT me!
As long as I have known Drew he has always wanted and "older" truck... well after almost 13 years a really good promotion and raise and a good bonus i gave in..... he looked and looked for what seemed MONTHS and finally found the "right" one.
He took a 7 hour drive to Tucson with Hailey to look at the truck to make sure it was reality, to make sure this was the one.... and well it WAS.
So Yesterday he flew to Tucson and drove home his DREAM.... needless to say he is one happy man!!!!

1987 Chevy k1500.... it is in AWESOME condition the 1 thing he doesn't care for is the tires and wheels.... soooo ......yup you guessed it that will probably be happening next weekend.
He is in LOVE.... he deserves it and he will enjoy driving around his new long awaited friend "TUG"
Drew and Taylor.... Taylor loves it almost as much as his dad.... he says "daddio's truck big.. fast ride" so cute
And a bonus, it fits in the garage... so what vehicle does he like more.... his car or the truck? Looks like the truck might have won cuz it's parked happily in the garage.
Taylor and Drew "playing" around in the truck.

Congrats Drew on finding your "DREAM" for working hard and getting your awesome promotion and raise and bonus!!!! Thanks for all your hard work and i hope you enjoy EVERY minute!!!!

SNOW....

2012-01-12T10:09:00.003-07:00

Miracle... OK not really but very rare
We here in NM hardly EVER get snow and snow that sticks to the ground and isn't melted within a few hours. It's really weird we can have snow on the ground and they will cancel school and my noon it is all melted.
Anyway here are some pictures of my kids enjoying the snow... well trying too anyway

This is a picture of my girls and the neighbor kids and one of the dads over at the park in back of my house playing in the snow.... they threw snow balls and made a snowman and just had a really good time out in the FREEZING cold.
The dad pulled all 6 kids on sleds to the arroyo they they tried how to get everyone down the hill without getting hurt.... it was pretty slick.
And this was the safest way.... sliding down then he pushed them up the other side...
This was Ashley freezing in her sweats because we don't have any snow gear.... she still had a great time.
And Zac not so much, he was freezing refused to wear gloves and a hat. Then i made him come inside and get warm and he was NOT happy.... especially when he saw the girls at the park having fun.
I love the peacefulness of a cold winter day fresh snow and no foot prints in the snow... i wouldn't really mind snow if it didn't get ugly after the first day and look dirty. And if it stayed off the roads i don't like to drive in it, but living in Utah my whole life i know how to.... but not many people here in NM do and it is scary to be out on the roads with everyone else when it has rained or snowed (yes you read it right people don't know how to drive in rain either)
A tree in my back yard it's an ugly tree in the summer and fall, but it looked really pretty covered in snow :)
Hailey Bug in her layers of sweats trying to stay warm.... when they were all done playing in the snow they came in and took a bath to get warm.... they cried and cried because the water burned so bad. I ended up doing 3 loads of laundry because they had so many layers on.

We enjoyed the few days of snow we got.... so glad it is gone and we are back to sunny days.

SANITY

2012-01-12T09:58:00.002-07:00

IN with the NEW

OUT with the OLD

I was so excited when Drew approached me the the idea of a NEW washer and DRYER... I was doing about 10 loads of laundry a week and to dry all those clothes was about 15 loads. Our dryer didn't dry the clothes all the way so most loads i had to do 2 cycles to get them dry.

So this was my Christmas Presents one I NEEDED really bad.... and I only have to do 3 loads of laundry a week and it drys the first time around :)
Another plus is it is RED!!!! I LOVE this color

Sick days....

2012-01-09T20:23:00.003-07:00

So I promised myself that i would Blog once a week at least.... and well the week started today and I realized it just might end up being a LONG one. And this might be my only chance to get to my blog so I thought i better post about something.....

???? FLU????

Ashley stayed home from school on Friday saying she wasn't feeling well and Drew decided to head to Tucson Arizona to look at a truck he took Hailey with him, and they had a really good time. It didn't register to me until later after they left that of course someone was sick it ALWAYS happens when he leaves, i get to tend a sick child. Well luckily Ashley didn't end up being to sick and rested most of the day.... Drew on the other hand got sick 30 minutes away from his hotel he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it, but not having a place to stop and Hailey snoozin in the back he pushed forward and made it and was able to have a good nights sleep.
Well just when we thought everything was going strong again Drew wakes up this morning wiped out extremely tired achy and nauseated .... really i thought we were in the clear and the "flu" wasn't going to get us.... i think i might be wrong. Drew is in bed by 8 Zac got tucked in at 7:30 not feelin well and i have been SO tired i feel like i am just going through the motions of an everyday mom. If we do have the flu i hope that its just the nasty achy exhausted feeling and that the vomit misses our house.... I HATE VOMIT!!! something i don't deal with very well especially myself (I have thrown up maybe 4 times in the last 12 1/2 years of marriage it is something i refuse to do).
so this is my post for the week, and if i get lucky and we all feel better i will make another visit soon :) as for now I'm going to bed 8:30 and all 6 of us in bed 2 nights in a row.... for sure not normal.

Sorry for the boring entry.... but this is my journal and part of my life.

Trip to California for Mother's Day/ Drew's work training May 2011

2012-01-03T20:06:00.009-07:00

May of 2011 (Mother's Day) Drew and I went to California. We had Drew's mom come up and stay with the kids while Drew and I went to California for a work training. He was gone most of the day and I stayed at the beautiful hotel and read, worked out, sat by the pool and when he got back we went looking around to different places. It was very relaxing and was very nice to get away from the kids for a while and "relax" and not have to do anything but enjoy doing what i wanted.
Here are a bunch of random pictures of the trip

This was our last day in California, Our flight didn't leave till later and we had already checked out of our hotel. So we went exploring this is Sea Port Village.... we were trying to find a parking spot and at the stop sign next to us was this beautiful Horse Carriage.

Drew vacationed a few times as a child with his dad sister and step mom.... this was one of the restaurants that they ate at.... it was neat for Drew to have some good happy memories of his dad.
There was a guy there that balanced random rocks on each other.... he would gather all different sizes and stack them. It was really cool.
We were going to go see a light house on Port Loma and on the way we saw this cemetery. We decided to stop and look around. It was a Navy Cemetery and i thought it was extra neat because my dad served in the navy for a few years before moving to Utah.
This is Ocean Beach... I thought this picture has such a peaceful look to it.... it was really cold but soooo pretty.
More of the Cemetery... it was on both sides of the road thousands and thousands of white head stones. When we stopped and looked around we saw dates from just months before to years and years ago.... it was so pretty and so sad, i couldn't believe all the service men and women who had lost their lives.
It goes on forever.... was truly amazing!!!
This is Drew at Ocean Beach .... it was a little cliff he was standing on.
Me... it was cold and windy and being by the beach it was even colder.... but sooo pretty

We went to the USS Midway and toured the Aircraft Carrier.... This is Drew in one of the cockpits that was on show.
A Naval ship headed to sea.
Another picture of the ship
Drew by his favorite jet F14.... Top Gun fan
This was a picture outside of our hotel room.... they had a bunch of water sport races going on the day we left there were about 100 row boats.... looked really neat and was fun to watch them race.
We went out to lunch right next the the midway at a restaurant called the fish market. And while we were there we saw a boat out there following something pretty slow you could tell they were looking for something and then all of a sudden you could see this dolphin. It was so neat to watch them feed the Dolphin and they even got him up on the boat.... made lunch very entertaining.
A huge ship on the main street Harbor Drive.
This was outside the USS Midway Museum. I took it cuz it reminded my of my dad and i thought it was cool :)
This was standing on the main ground and zooming in.... the ship was huge and we could have spent all day there if time allowed but we didn't get there till later and they closed about 2 hours after we got there.
This is a picture of the Dolphin up in the boat.
Cheese... this was in the hotel .... i had sat by the pool and got fried and it was cold outside and all i had brought was this black jacket i wore it everywhere i was sooooo cold.
This is a picture from our hotel room... it was a really fancy restaurant and they had some kind of convention going on..... which reminds me. Drew and I were headed to go somewhere and as we were walking out i ran into an old neighbor. It was so cool i ran up to him gave him a hug we talked for a few minutes and then we left he lives somewhere in Utah and me from NM met up in California i hadn't seen him in 20 or more years it was pretty cool.
This was the bay outside our hotel.... our hotel was gorgeous and the area surrounding it was so pretty.... for sure a nice paradise to relax!!! Only thing that would have been better would be warmer weather and not windy.
This is the sunset outside our window the first night we got there.
Drew and I got up early one morning before he had to go to his training and went to the San Diego Temple. This is the most beautiful Temple EVER!!!! I always wanted to get married there and of course that didn't happen but it was so nice to go there and visit... for sure one of the most beautiful places on Earth!!! This picture was taken from the car driving there. It was so neat to go up a hill and then to see the temple beaming in beauty....
This is what it looked like when we walked out of the temple... beautiful blue skies. And if you look closely that is ME standing there in front :)
Another picture as we were pulling up to the temple... i like to see the white fence surrounding it with the palm trees.... AMAZING!!!!
This was about 5:10ish in the morning.... the session we went to started at 5:30 and it was packed.
We visited old town... a lot like NM Old Town, but this guy was dancing with swords and he was awesome.
Me in front of some old wagon thing in Old Town.

This was a really fun trip i was able to sleep and be lazy (well not be a MOM anyway) and got to do what i wanted, we were able to explore and see the surrounding areas. A few other things we were able to do that i didn't take pictures of were..... we went to the lamplight district nearly every night for dinner, it was a street filled with restaurants block after block many different choices and a fun atmosphere. We went to a really good pancake house that was on the food channel i forget the name but they had the most amazing pancakes (Cinnamon and Sugar German Pancakes). We went to a comedy club and laughed our butts off.... i don't remember laughing so hard and crying so hard from laughing it was great. We went across the Coronado bridge and took the long way around and saw into Tijuana.
It was a much needed get away and Thanks to Drew's mom for watching the kids so i could go. It was nice to come home and see my kids the week went by faster then i had thought it would and even though i missed them it was the perfect amount of time away!!!

Year 2012

2012-01-02T19:55:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year!!!!

It feels so weird to have another year gone, it seems like the last has gone by so fast and yet it felt like forever too.
Since its a new year and i didn't accomplish some of my goals from last year I am determined that i will accomplish them this year.... more of just to prove to myself that i can and therefore i WILL.
So hear are some of my goal for this year and some things i am looking forward to....
< Since I am "blogging again" I have so much to post from last year and previous years.... not that anyone reads this but i guess for my own type of journal i have a lot to catch up.... so I am going to blog once a week.... at least (i kind of get addicted once i get started and i hope it turns into a habit).
< I am going to FINALLY learn how to digital scrapbook and get ALL of my pictures scanned and start scrap-booking them.
< I am going to finish a couple quilts i have in mind.
< I am going to run a 5k .... my goal was to do this before i turned the BIG 30 and since i am still trying to convince myself that I'm not that old..... I'm going to do it before it catches up to me.... so this will start me running again (I'm looking forward to that!)
< I'm going to be a better MOM I'm going to be more patience and understanding.
< I am going to finish painting my home and finish decorating it.
< I gonna plant a garden and flower beds this year... that means lots of time working in the yard (and it really needs lots of time)
< I'm gonna be more forgiving and mend some hurt feelings.
< I'm looking forward to a trip to Utah this summer.... spend some time with some friends that i have missed so much.... and visit my family (grandparents and aunts/uncles)
< I look forward to a family reunion up near Jackson Hole.
< A possible tag-along with Drew on a work trip.
< I'm gonna be more organized ... meaning finally going through boxes and getting rid of stuff or organizing them.

Well this is a start lots to get done in the year and i hope that i get most it if not all of these plus more accomplished. I hope you ALL have a great Year with many hopes and dreams fulfilled!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-06T22:10:00.004-07:00

Our trip to Las Vegas Nevada for thanksgiving... It was a last minute decision to go to Vegas and spend Thanksgiving with Drew's Brother and sister in law and his parents.... we had a really great time and the kids enjoyed spending time with grandma and Grandpa.... and uncle Kyle and Janelle.

As we entered Vegas the girls were excited to see all the lights and the casino's .... so later in our trip we thought we would show them a little of the strip and go to the M&M store and the Coca-Cola factory. This is Hailey and the Coca-Cola Bear... she thought it was pretty cool.
The strip was sooooo busy and we decided it was time to leave.... lots of crazy people. This is Zac Me Ashley and Janelle.
We were able to get all the kids Grandpa and Grandma with the Coca-Cola Bear.... Taylor wasn't quite sure what to think.... he had Grandma laughing with all his unsure expressions.
Zac with the Bear.... he was scared at first and kept telling me the Bear wasn't for real.... i think it made him feel better as he was trying to convince himself the bear was just a man dressed up.
Grandma with the kids in Kyle's back yard.... even though Taylor was being a goober it still turned out to be a cute picture.
Zac with Orange....
Taylor had picked a hat up off the table and put it on....
Our ginger bread house we made .... the kids grandma and I.... Pain in the butt but the kids really had a good time.
My goobers with Red ..... My favorite :)

We had such a good time spending time with family.... feels like we don't get to see them very often so it was nice to get away and have some fun. While i was there The girls (Me Janelle and Grandma) went to Mannheim Steamroller. It was sooo good and fun to hang out with the girls :) Drew and his brother also slept outside RC Willey to get me a touchpad for Christmas.... i've had so much fun on it and LOVE it :) We hope to make it down to Vegas again this coming year but if not this year next when Drew's brother graduates college. Thanks for having us down we miss you guys!!!

2011-12-06T10:58:00.002-07:00

The BIG day... Drew's Birthday
We didn't do much for Drew's birthday because we were celebrating it in Las Vegas with his parents and Brother. So we just kept it simple ...... he still was quite spoiled though!!!

YES you didn't look at this wrong.... those of you that know Drew... knows that he hates the thought of cell phones and has refused to get a cell phone for well the last 12 years...... I FINALLY talked him onto getting one and well guess what.... he LOVES it!!! I was finally right (doesn't ever happen :)
The kids and I made him Breakfast. And since it was Sunday he had meetings and not much time before heading back to church... his choice was cinnamon and sugar German pancakes with sausage and juice..... and it can't be a birthday without candles
Dinner .... Steak citrus grill shrimp baked potatoes and a family mix to drink.
I didn't get any pictures (good ones anyway) of his dessert but it was yummy :)
Happy Birthday Drew, I hope you had a good day and got everything you wanted... or didn't want

Christmas Excitement

2011-12-05T20:43:00.004-07:00

Knowing we were going out of town to Drew's brothers house for Thanksgiving we decided that for Drew's birthday (November 20th) we would put up our Christmas tree....
Well it was the Wednesday before (November 15th) that i had decided to get things started and i reorganized the 2 front rooms so we could put our Christmas tree up. Drew had church meeting so while he was gone the kids and I pulled out all the Christmas boxes and the Christmas tree.
Since I was excited and couldn't wait any longer I put up our tree and decorated the house all by myself (the kids helped decorate the tree).... Drew came home after about 3 hours of meetings and the decorating was mostly done and the tree was up.
Drew decided this was his best birthday present ever.... house decorated and Christmas tree up all before his birthday and he didn't have to do any of it... (well inside anyway... he put the Christmas lights up on Saturday the 19th).

My favorite colors this year for my tree is Red and Gold.... along with the kids ornaments
Every year my mom makes these beautiful snowflakes that she crochets throughout the year....
My dad made some wooden ornaments.... i think they look so awesome on my tree
My angel.... LOVE this angel not exactly sure why but one of my most FAVORITE ornaments
The finished product i think it looks pretty and i think i did a good job putting it together .... it is almost twice the size of me. Of course it's not like the Utah trees it's not one of those beautiful REAL trees you cut down by yourself that is huge and full.... Here in New Mexico you either get a fake tree or a snoopy tree... so I LOVE my tree!!!
A couple new bulbs I bought this year... I really like the gold with red
Our stockings that Drew's step-mom made of each of us (still waiting on Taylor's) and our stairs all wrapped with garland and lights
another view of our stairs
The outside of our house... the girls helped Drew put the lights up... all in all i think out house looks pretty good!!!
I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas that you are able to reflect on our Saviors Birth and enjoy being with those you love...... and a Happy New Year!!!

Oooops..... I had tooo

2011-11-16T21:29:00.004-07:00

So today I decided to rearrange our front room so we could put up our Christmas Tree on Sunday for Drew's Birthday.....
And well I got a tad excited and put the tree up tonight all by myself.... so when Drew got home from meetings it was up and decorated!!!

This is a cool little ornament that my dad made a few years ago... i love how cool it looks

And every year we get at least one of these beautiful snowflakes that my mom crochets for us

This Angel I don't know why, but i LOVE it.... one of my most favorite ornaments
I hope you all get in the spirit of Christmas soon and enjoy this season (I know i am early and i'm sure you will see more... as i pull more treasures out and decorate my house).

Now just make sure we get a little SNOW at Christmas time.... It would make my Christmas almost perfect :)

Christmas makes me HAPPY

2011-11-16T13:28:00.003-07:00

I'm getting my house ready for Christmas and it has put me in the BEST mood.... and I started wondering "why" it made me so happy.... so here are my thoughts of Christmas.

Random Thoughts....

I love to sit on the couch in the dark with nothing but the Christmas lights on and think....
To look at the ornaments and remember the meaning behind them
The sparkle in my children's eyes
The stress of shopping/the love of buying gifts for others
The Christmas carols and the music
Remembering our Savior and his birth
The cold weather (I don't like cold weather .... but it can't be Christmas without being cold)
Snow.... (not likely here in NM.... but sometimes we get lucky)
Baking.... I LOVE to bake .... the giving of only the best treats and the aroma in the house
Pulling out my nativity scene's
Creating Christmas cards
Family.... remembering their importance
Religion... knowing the TRUE meaning of Christmas
Remembering a special trip we took with my parents to Temple Square..... Memories
Missing Family and Friends....
Making new traditions with my kids
Pulling out all the Christmas story books and reading snuggled together by the Tree
Wishing i lived closer to HOME (where all my family is)

50 Things about...... ME

2011-11-14T20:37:00.002-07:00

So because I'm trying to get back in the hang of blogging again I decided read some of my OLD blog posts and thought it would be fun to redo one....
The title was 50 things about me December of 08 (i think)..... I've decided to do this for a couple different reasons.... one to see how much i have changed.... two because I'm on the laptop and don't have any pictures on here that i want to blog about tonight.... and three because it's quiet and i can think :)

So here it goes.

1. I LOVE hot showers.
2. I have 4 kids... there was a time when i wanted more a few more.... but i am so GLAD i just have the 4 i do (especially today)
3. My Favorite color is purple, but I'm starting to really like red and pink.
4. I miss Tooele
5. If I was to go to school I would want to be a Dental Assistant.
6. I love to do girls hair (teenage girls for dances and special nights)
7. I don't like animals
8. My favorite treat is Chocolate
9. I wanna run a 5k this coming year.... (that means you too Tiffanie :0)
10. I am scared of the dark.
11. I would do anything in a heartbeat for my children
12. I love to wear my jammies all day
13. I think i'm gonna die in a car accident
14. I cant sleep in my bed if it hasn't been made
15. I have to have my kitchen clean or else i can't concentrate to cook.
16. I love to bake and experiment cooking different recipes.
17. I love to text... not fond of talking on the phone much anymore
18. Wish my family lived closer to us.... not us closer to them
19. Love to hang out with my friends and be carefree
20. I love to go on vacation without kids
21. I discipline my kids similar to the way i was disciplined as a child
22. I have the best in law family
23. I am jealous that Drew is such a good father....
24. I wish i could have been a better friend growing up
25. I have to have my house clean to sleep well
26. I like to quilt
27. I hate to take out the garbage and iron (but i iron all mine and Drew's clothes)
28. I hated my teeth as a child and begged Drew for braces when we got married
29. I love to go out and eat.... it doesn't matter where as long as it's OUT
30. I have crazy dreams about high school
31. I hate sending my kids to school
32. I'm not very smart and tell the kids often to ask their dad because i don't know the answers
33. I love my mom and dad more since i have moved out then ever before
34. I Hate driving... traveling
35. Bugs creep me out
36. My favorite season is Fall and Spring
37. I hate snow on the roads.... or perfect snow then somebody walks through it.. drives me crazy
38. I hate the word CANCER
39. I wish i would have enjoyed my teenage years more and takin things more seriously
40. I love water falls
41. my favorite smells are rain and (skunk)
42. I can't sleep while snuggling... I like my space
43. I like to wear socks to bed
44. I love Diet Dr. Pepper
45. I love to shop for other people.... just for fun
46. I love mail... i guess its the thought of getting something exciting other then bills
47. I have a love/hate relationship with running
48. I love to think.... remember... dream....
49. I scare myself often ... not on purpose but thinking too much
50. I am scared of dying or loosing a close loved one

WOW that was kind of hard.... to think of 50 things and then to put them down for everyone to read.....
Hope ya'll dont think i'm crazy.... ;)

Family Photo Shoot

2011-11-12T11:38:00.007-07:00

It has been along time since we have had "Family" pictures.... so I decided it was time to do it!!! So I made an appointment with a friend and didn't tell Drew till it was toooo late to back out and he didn't have a choice! So here are some of our family pictures.... I think they turned out pretty cute and I for sure have my Favorites.... ENJOY!!!

This is one of my Favorites.... not quite sure why, but i really like it.

Me and my Girls.... all i gotta say is my girls are so beautiful!!!!

Daddy and his girls... they sure love their dad

Ashley and Hailey.... they are best friends and LOVE to hang out together
The 4 monkeys i gave birth to.... This picture is totally Zac always a ham, he kept saying he couldn't hold his smile anymore. LOVE these kids!!!
My cute little family....
Another FAVORITE!!! I LOVE Taylor's face in this one..... he is soooo cute and was soooo excited
Two of my most favorite little guys in the whole world.... these two boys are MAJOR mama's boys.... hopefully always will be too
My 3 handsome boys.... Drew is such a good dad and the kids LOVE him!!!
Me and my boys

I like this picture alot and the coloring of it..... turned out pretty good

Drew doesn't look very excited in this one....
Hope you like em'

A time to be Thankful

2011-11-09T21:13:00.006-07:00

Because it is that time of the year.... the time when we express our gratitude and appreciation and give thanks for all the many things we are blessed with. A time when we are gathered with family and friends .... a time for being with those we love.
I have a lot of thoughts going through my head tonight and it is really hard for me to put my feelings and emotions into words.
But because i have so much on my mind and I'm WIDE awake and my family is all sleeping i thought that i would try to put a few of those feelings and emotions down by listing 25 things that i am Thankful for.

So my 25 things i am Thankful for.... or blessed with

1. I am THANKFUL for my husband... who kisses me goodbye and tells me he loves me every morning at 4:45 am just before he leaves to work. No matter if i slept on the couch or he did.... or i'm up all night with a sick kid, he will find me before he leaves give me a kiss and tell me he loves me. Most of the time i sleep through it but if he didn't do it i know because it wakes me up.... I'm weird i know :)
2. I am THANKFUL that my husband has a great job so that i can stay home and be with my children and not have to worry about not having enough. He works hard to provide for us and sacrifices alot for his family.
3. I am THANKFUL for my oldest Ashley.... who is a huge help around the house and with the kids. She is a joy to have around... fun, silly, loving and my little pal who likes to have mom and daughter time.... i LOVE it
4. I am THANKFUL for Hailey who is the most loving little girl she loves to hug, hold hands, snuggle, and spend one on one time with her parents.
5. I am THANKFUL for Zac who i swear is gonna send me CRAZY.... he is the craziest, funniest, smartest, meanest, sneakiest, most loving little guy i have ever met.... he will be so mean but turn around and give the biggest hug and kiss ever and tell you he loves you a million times a day. He is a mammas boy and i LOVE it!!!
6. I am THANKFUL for Taylor his smile, his curly blonde hair, his voice, watching him learn (but closing my eyes when he's learning something from Zac) his kisses he is a huge mammas boy and there is a battle between the boys... who can love their mom the most :)
7. I am THANKFUL for the two little babies i lost... it made me love and appreciate the ones i have now... and how precious life is.
8. I am THANKFUL for my MOM she has so much faith and so much determination its hard for me to comprehend.... she is my best friend and i wish i would have appreciated her more growing up.
9. I am THANKFUL for my DAD it wasn't until i got married that i came to appreciate him and the way i was raised. To realize what a great person he was and a role model. He has taught me a great deal more then he realizes and i am proud to call him my dad.
10. I am THANKFUL for my childhood... the friends that i had who impacted me so much as a child.... to still have those friendships now and be able to laugh about the good days when life was so carefree.
11. I am THANKFUL for my high school years.... i hated HS but i had some really great friends i learned alot, who i wanted to be what i wanted outta life and what i needed to do to be able to do that. I wish i could go back to those days and enjoy them more and change a couple things but no matter what i succeeded in or failed in i grew from those experiences.
12. I am THANKFUL for love.... for true love.... for fairytale's.... for dreams... goals.... MEMORIES... firsts.... heartbreak..... happiness.
13. I am THANKFUL for the little things... my bed, a hot shower, my pj's, my blankie, warm socks, Diet Dr. Pepper, good movies, music, pictures.....
14. I am THANKFUL for my In Laws.... i really lucked out i have some of the best ones out there... they loved me from day one and accepted me into there family.... i have become one of there own. Its so neat to have the relationship of a friend but also the love and relationship of a parent or sibling all in one. It's hard for me to explain .... but i married into an amazing family!
15. I am THANKFUL for the gospel.... i was always raised in the church and there was a time where i had to figure out what i wanted in life... some people came in and held my hand and guided me to where i needed to be.... i for sure wouldn't be where i am now with out those great friends and influences in my life.
16. I am THANKFUL for the trials i have gone through.... the tough ones and the bad ones. I have learned so much from them and they have made me stronger. I have been able to truly appreciate what i have and learn to express gratitude because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
17. I am THANKFUL for my Brother and Sisters... we might not have the best relationship and we might never talk, but i am thankful i was blessed to be a part of their life/family. I do love them and and thankful for the memories and fun times we have shared.
18. I am THANKFUL for me... (ya its weird i might not like the way i look and there are alot of things i wish i could change).... but i am healthy and i can see and hear, feel, touch, taste, breath.... there are so many people that don't have the little things that i take for granted i am thankful to be who i am.
19. I am THANKFUL for life .... i guess i never realized how many people sacrifice their life on a daily basis. It wasn't until i got older that it was my friends and neighbors who went out everyday to help others or fight for our country. I am thankful for their love and example.
20. I am THANKFUL for everyone that i have met throughout my life... they have all influenced me somehow. Of course i remember some more then others it might have been a long heartfelt conversation with a new friend... or a simple gesture from someone. It all happened for a reason at that point in my life, i might not understand why things happened the way they did.... but maybe one day i will!? Maybe one day i will be able to personally tell and talk to these wonderful people who have influences me so much.... some have passed away and some are still out there, i miss them and i love them and i'm very thankful for them!!!
21. I am THANKFUL for moving to New Mexico... at the time i thought it was a BAD idea... but throughout the last 10 years i have learned so much and have grown and have had to rely on myself and Drew.... it has been tough but i dont think i would change it for anything!!! i can call NM home!
22. I am THANKFUL for my kids who want to talk and talk and talk about anything and everything and dont care or feel funny sharing their dreams or crushes or fears. And who feel safe in their home and know they are loved.
23. I am THANKFUL for friends, i have so many but only a few i can call close or best friends. I think they know who they are (i would hope anyway). They have been there for me so many times. Just the simplest things from checking on me.... long conversations... talking about memories and the good old days... just a message saying HI.... just to know they care it makes life a little more easier to have such good friends.... i really admire appreciate miss (the ones who aren't here)and love them!!!!
24. I am THANKFUL for being able to experience being a mom and a wife.... it has many challenges and times can get pretty hard and i wonder what was i thinking.... but in the end i am grateful for the learning experience the emotional experience the joy, sad, hurt, anger, peace.... it is a blessing to be a MOM and a wife!!!
25. My last THANKFUL.... that even though this might be gibberish or not make much since i was able to clear my mind in hopes of getting a good nights sleep :) I have so much to be THANKFUL for but like i mentioned earlier it is hard to put those feelings and emotions into words.

So all of you who have stumbled across this or was just checkin in, i want to challenge you to write down 25 things you are THANKFUL for.....
GOOD LUCK :)

4th of July 2011

2011-07-14T13:01:00.009-06:00

Just a warning... major picture overload!!!
Drew and I were lucky to have his best friend Seth and his family come down from Texas to spend the 4th of July weekend with us.... here are some of the many pictures of our good visit with them!

Drew and Taylor at the Balloon Fiesta park waiting for the fireworks to start.
This is a picture of all the kids.... Left-Right Back to front... Zac Hailey Ashley and Taylor (in the front) then its Hayden Payton and Carter
Taylor Drew and I watching the fireworks
Taylor and his first sucker... he was so cute and loved it!!!
Brianna and Hayden
Taylor and his ice cube..... anything to keep all the kids happy
Payton Hailey and Carter having turns in the wagon
Luker Family.... Carter Seth Payton Brianna and Hayden
Carter pulling Hailey Hayden and Payton in the wagon ..... up and down the hill
Hayden Hailey Ashley Cater letting little Payton try to pull them in the wagon..... the joys of being the youngest child :)
Taylor
Seth Carter Payton Me and Zac sitting on the blanket enjoying the kids playing waiting for the sun to set
Payton flexing his muscles
Gathered all together playing a game enjoying spending time together
Pool time.... Drew throwing Hailey up in the pool doing a flip
Zac trying to do a flip.... while Drew was trying to get Ashley to give him a piggy back ride
Hailey doing a back flip
We all ventured out and went to IHOP the morning of the 4th..... and surprising they all did very well we were all surprised that we left with out being kicked out :)
This one was a bad one Hailey didn't get turned over all the way and ended up landing on her back really hard.... notice Drew's face.. he knew it was going to be a bad one
Carters turn.... the kids all had so much fun together and was very sad when their friends left
Ashley getting ready for her turn
Two at a time.... good thing they didnt collide ... or break the pool :)
Ashley trying to show the rest of the kids how it was done
Hayden
Brianna and Payton
Zachary.... he just liked to dunk himself
Drew trying to take it easy :)

Taylor loved the pool..... and Ashley loved pushing him around in his floaty
Hayden..... took the kids a little while to really get into the pool and start having fun

Taylor i love this smile!!!
All the kids in the pool.... i was surprised that our pool didn't break with all the people and the splashing going on..... we really had a great time and a lot of fun hanging out together.... we look forward to the visit in December on their way to Idaho!!!
Thanks again for the wonderful time!!!! miss you guys already :)

Paint Finished

2011-07-14T12:20:00.002-06:00

Our house has been a work in progress.... always something to do something to fix or something to decorate.
When we moved into our home it was a nasty yellow color and i hated it.... the plan was to have my "brother" paint my house.... but it makes it hard when he lives in Utah and I need Help in New Mexico. I started going through a phase where i didn't like my house anymore.... and it was because it felt dirty... when we moved in the walls and floor boards were a nasty yellow cream color and the paint was a flat finish... so everything seemed dull and dingy.
So Drew and I took on the challenge of painting our house by ourselves.... Drew painted the very high walls while i painted where the "normal" ladder went and floor boards.
Our whole house is now a beautiful taupe color and I LOVE IT!!!!

This is Zac's room. When we moved in it was a deep navy blue and a horrible paint job. There was paint everywhere!!!! We now call this the Chocolate milk room (thats the color of his walls) with navy blue and dark red decorations.... i still have decorating to do, but Ashley will move into this bedroom in a year or so.... so i will wait and decorate it for her when it is time.... as for now this is all the decorating he gets!
This is the girls room.... it is a huge room and fits bunk beds really well (the boys will move into this room when Taylor moves into a big boy bed).... as for now the girls share. This room was also the nasty yellow everywhere, floor boards and all.... now it is a pretty purple with white decorations.
This is another view of the girls room. This is from the halls entrance into their room.
This is the Loft.... was painted a maroon color and was all over the floor boards too. I got a Terra-Cotta color and I love it.... this room is the kids TV/game room.
This is another view of Zac's room.... we need new blinds in all the kids rooms but that is further down the replacement list :)
This is my front door.... I LOVE my front door!!!! now that it's a different color it makes my whole house feel so different and makes me happy!
This room is for now a sitting room, we want to make it into a library but i need to find a book case for my dad to make us and i'm having a hard time finding the "right" one. This is the room where we go for quiet.... either to read nap or just time out :)
This is another view of the same room.... it is the same color as the rest of the house but i painted one wall and the over hang a eggplant purple..... it has turned out to be one of my favorite rooms.
This is the family room it is all painted... new blinds on the high windows that we never use and my wall is no longer that nasty purplish brown color :) and i painted my fireplace the same green as my front door.

This is another view of the loft.... when we moved in the door was not there it was a window.... we ended up putting in a door and building a deck. And this is where i attempt to exercise while watching my shows :)

So we have done a lot to our house making it into a home.... we still have a few more things to do... my room needs new paint and decorations and Taylor's room needs to be done (Hailey's soon to be new room). and the majority of the house still needs to be decorated.... little by little. But it's coming along :)

Random Thoughts.....

2011-07-12T21:28:00.002-06:00

Headed to Utah on Sunday.... (date keeps changing) wishing Drew was driving down with us instead of me and the 4 kids alone on a 10 drive..... will be sooooo glad when Drew flies into SLC Friday night....
Looking forward to seeing my Mom.... lots of talking....lots of hanging out together..... excited to be taking her to Idaho with us and up to West Yellowstone with my family and my in laws for a few days.... going to be a lot of fun and going to make lots of memories.....
Excited to see and stay with my wonderful in laws Britt and Mark... spending time with my niece and nephew and taking them with me wherever i go.... late nights watching the kids have fun.... talking... laughing.... being crazy....
Seeing PaPa .... shopping in Park City.... lunch with friends..... new hair do's.....
Seeing my Mother in law..... spending time with her quilting..... hopefully finishing one quilt..... starting another.... taking lots of GOOD fabric home for more quilts..... bbq's and fireworks.... golfing (hahaha i don't golf but spending quality time with the hubby :)
Going to Idaho and seeing my in laws..... Raspberries.... yummy food.... comfort of home.... love.... games.... family.... friends.... Artic Circle.... Taco Time... La Frontera.... Buddy's ..... Tasty Treat.... Ross pool... Lava Hot Springs.....

So Much to do and so little time to do it all in..... Scared death to drive alone with the 4 kids i hope there aren't any car troubles and i don't loose my patience..... Sad to leave Drew for a few days and will be so happy when he flies in.....

just a few thoughts going through my head.... excited but dreading the drive.... it'll all be worth it :)

HELLO.... Lots coming up

2011-07-10T19:54:00.002-06:00

Just a little HELLO.... lots of stuff going on and lots of pictures of our fun summer to follow.... Just wanted ya'll to know i'm still here. My goal for the week ... get caught up on my summer blog posts before i go to Utah/Idaho. That means I have 7 days. I leave to Utah on the 18th and up to Idaho on the 24th.... I will have so much to share when i get back I can't wait.... so hopefully I will be back tomorrow because if i'm not I will not meet my goal :)

Hailey Celebrating her 7th Birthday with lots of family

2011-05-18T13:12:00.008-06:00

Hailey Turned 7 over Easter weekend. She had a lot of family come down and spend time with her.... she was able to celebrate all week and enjoyed seeing her Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents..... Here are a few pictures of the BIG weekend
no special order... it was a weekend long Birthday :)

Hailey was coloring Easter Eggs.....
We went to Tent Rocks and did some Hiking with the family..... This is a picture of Grandma Call Hailey, Ashley and Zachary
Hailey stopped long enough for us to snap a quick picture before she was off running again
Ashley and Hailey standing by some cool roots from a giant tree
We went to Texas Land and Cattle for Hailey's Birthday dinner..... This is Hailey and Grandma Call
Taylor and Drew while we were hiking.... Taylor had so much fun being up on Drews shoulders
this is a picture of most everyone going up the trail.... Hailey, Zac, Grandma, Ashley, Aunt Janelle and Uncle Kyle
My little rascals taking a break by a big rock
Me and Taylor..... either Drew or I carried him the whole way up and the whole way back down... talk about a work out he's turning into a little chunk
the whole group Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Janelle, Hailey, Drew, Me, Zac, Ashley and Taylor..... it was a great time and fun to spend time with the family
Aunt Brenna... also had a BIG birthday.... and Hailey wanted to wait until Uncle Kyle and Aunt Janelle came to have cake and ice cream.... we decided to have a celebration with aunt brenna Uncle TJ and her cousins too...... it turned out good and was lots of fun
Uncle TJ always gets caught feeding my kids ice cream.... here he is doing it AGAIN!!! good thing we love him :)
WOW look at that smoke.... Yes Brenna had her "40"th birthday and Hailey had her 7th.... i think the smoke is from Brenna's :)
1...2...3... they blew them all out in 1 breath .... hopefully there wishes came true :) Happy Birthday
Hailey, Aunt Janelle, Taylor and Ashley taking a break at the tent rocks
Hailey wanted to wait until Uncle Kyle and Aunt Janelle came to have cake and ice cream.... her birthday was on Wednesday and Uncle Kyle wasn't coming down until Thursday night.... so i asked her if she wanted to have something the night of her Birthday and she chose to have a m&m Mc Flurry we had to put in a candle and sing Happy Birthday to her :)
She got new roller blades from Grandma Call..... and she loved them!!!
These were most of her presents she got.... she ended up with some clothes, treats, flowers, makeup, toys, movie, and misc fun things...... she made out and really had a good birthday... Thanks to all the Family that came down and made it extra special for her!!!!
She chose to have "purple" pancakes for her breakfast dinner..... they didn't look very appetizing but she loved them... and grandpa didn't think they tasted too bad either :)
Another cute picture of Aunt Brenna and Hailey.... getting ready to blow the candles

Girls just need to have a BREAK.... Girls weekend

2011-05-12T11:50:00.000-06:00

So one of my really good friends and I have been jogging/walking/running the last few months, and one day we got together and we decided we were both done.... done with everything.. just the daily routine of being a mom.
So we jokingly said lets go somewhere (our good friend had just moved to Gilbert Arizona and we missed her and hanging out with her) so we said lets go to Arizona.... both really meaning it but not thinking it would really happen... so we made plans and talked it over with our husbands and they both agreed we should go.... so we DID.
We were both a little nervous leaving our families that we've never left and going somewhere without them.
We had such a good time.... hanging out, shopping, eating, laughing so hard we were crying, late nights, talking about bucket lists, future, life, family, everything...... it was so much fun we were defiantly sad it was time to go home....
So here are some random pictures of our little weekend getaway to Arizona..... notice they are not in order (sorry).

These two girls are my favorite... they are the most fun to hang out with!!! i love them!!!! Stacy and Tiffanie laughing and being goobers.

Stacy and Jimmy were in the process of doing In Vitro.... i was amazed at the timeline and process they had to go through to make this happen... (it made me appreciate what miracles babies really are) This is Jimmy giving Stacy her first of MANY shots.
This was my "Welcome Home" sign the kids had made and had hanging in the hallway for me when i walked into the house...... They are the sweetest kids EVER!!!!
Jimmy giving Stacy her shot.... he was being funny and trying to take the anxiety out of what was going on.
So i am a dork (we all know it) and i wanted to take pictures of our journey... so on the way home we pulled over to take a sign of the NM sign with us in it and they were too goofy i couldn't put one up so you get just the sign :)
This is Tiffanie and I leaving Arizona... we were looking at all the cactus's and i wanted a picture with us and the ugly cactus's so we tried and well it didn't work out so good.... you can kind of see the cactus behind us....
This was our beautiful bed and breakfast.... Stacy and Jimmy were so welcoming and so nice and let us stay in there new beautiful home.... it was so nice and comfy we LOVED it.... even sharing a room/bed with Tiffanie :) and the 12 different personalities i heard :) hahaha love you Tiffanie
We got pedicures and hot rock massages..... and laughed at all the nasty dry skin they scrubbed off my feet.
When i got home and pulled into the garage there were these very precious notes hanging on the door welcoming me home.... my Kids were so glad to have me back.... and i think Drew was too (i hope).
This is me and my beautiful friend Stacy.....
This is the three of us me.. Stacy.. and Tiffanie .... BFF's
These guys are the cutest couple.... it was so funny to hear Jimmy when he was getting ready to give her the shot.... NEVER a dull moment in this house :)
This is my beautiful BF Tiffanie.... this is on our way to Arizona.... we look like goobers :)
Stacy and Tiffanie..... i took a million of these two because they couldn't stop laughing.... and finally was able to get one :)

Thanks again Tiffanie for all the wonderful unforgettable hours we spent talking to and from Arizona.... for always being there to talk to and always listening and giving me advice..... i had so much fun and look forward to our "next" trip together :)
Stacy thank you (and Jimmy) so much for being so fun and loving and inviting.... we had so much fun hanging out with you guys. Your home is beautiful and i feel privileged for you guys letting us stay with you.... loved the late nights laughing so hard we were crying... Jimmy's funny stories and just hanging out.... we miss u :)

Can't get enough of this little Man....

2011-05-10T16:05:00.005-06:00

Taylor is the happiest little boy ever.... and he LOVES bath time.... here are just a few pictures of Taylor in the tub

I love this picture he gets so excited and makes the funniest faces.... he cracks me up

The look on his face .... he knows he has me wrapped around his finger

this is totally him all the time he loves to laugh and loves to smile... he is so happy all the time!! I LOVE IT
My baby.... sad how fast they grow

What a year... WE LOVE AND MISS YOU PAPA

2011-03-17T22:10:00.005-06:00

I don't know where to being, or what to say..... and maybe I shouldn't say anything... maybe I should just look at all these pictures and just enjoy the memories! Today marks the 1 year of Drew's father passing..... it has been a rough year and we have all experienced many feelings and emotions. We will never know what he was thinking or what was going through his head.... and its hard to move on we will never get the answers or fully understand everything that lead up to that day and we all have questions and we all want to know the answers!!!
It is very CLEAR to me looking at these pictures the LOVE he had for Drew and for the rest of us.... He was a very proud father and grandfather and there was NEVER a time he didn't tell Drew, Me and the kids how much he loved us and how proud of us he was.....
I have many regrets and wish i could have done things differently, but we all know i cant change things now.... but no matter what happend or the emotions and feelings involved I know that he knew we LOVED him and most of all Drew LOVED him and stood by his side through thick and thin!!!!
He was my friend, he was my Father (I was .. AM very fortunate to have WONDERFUL in laws.... I don't think i could have asked for better if given that chance), he was a protector and he was a great man!!! I LOVE AND MISS HIM DEARLY!!!!!
There isn't a day that goes by that i don't appreciate or think of him in some way..... and thank him..... Drew is a wonderful man and even though he wasn't in Drew's life the whole time he made his marks in him.... and i appreciate what Drew has learned from Scott... in his early days and today!!!!
Scott you are missed and loved by so many and we think of you all the time!!!! I have so much to say... and so many thoughts but i cant express them in words!!!! He truly is missed XOXOX

Scott and Ashley.. He was always with the kids in the water.
Hailey, Tanner, Ashley and Papa
Scott and Ashley..... he always liked being with the kids when we went swimming.... and always hung out and took care of them
Ashley Loved the water
Scott and Hailey ... my kids looked up to Scott and ADORED him!!!!
Ashley and Papa.... Always being buddies
Scott and Hailey
Hailey, Scott and Ashley being silly... always having fun with Scott
Ashely, Scott and Hailey
Zachary and Papa..... Scott's middle name is "W" and his dad's middle name is "W".... so when Drew was born scott passed on the "W" to Drew.... it was only fair (and because we wanted to) to pass the "W" onto our first son..... I think Scott was proud and happy that he was named afer him and his dad and Drew.
Scott and Ashley.... ALWAYS smiling and ALWAYS having fun
Zachary was in the NICU and there could only be me and a visitor or Drew and a visitor (there could only be two in the NICU at one time... per infant)..... I LOVE this picture of Scott and Zachary... Price-less if you ask me
JOn and Scott at the Phoenix Nascar race
Ashley and he favorite man.... other then her DADDY
Brandy, Scott and Marta...... When Brandy got baptized
Ashley Scott and Hailey..... I think that when we went to visit him or when he came to visit us he was wiped out by the time we or him left.... my kids loved him and had so much fun with him.. they would never leave him alone!!!
Scott and Zachary.... he loved to make the kids laugh and have a good time. He didn't like to see them sad or unhappy and if they were he would always change that.... and FAST!!!
Papa and my three little kiddo's...... i am SO glad that we always take pictures, because it is at times like this that i cherish these memories and the love my kids had for Scott and to see the joy in him eyes and on his face when he was with his grandkids..... we may never know what was going through his head but we will always know HE LOVED HIS KIDS AND GRANDKIDS!!!!

March 17th ..... ALOT on my mind

2011-03-17T21:03:00.004-06:00

This (HE) has been on my mind ALL day.... and ALL week!!!! There is so much to say that i just can't put it into words!!!!
I LOVE AND MISS YOU PAPA!!!!!!

Scott LOVED Nascar .... and LOVED Dale Jr. Drew and him went to a Nascar race in Phoenix as a fathers day gift a few years ago and had a great time together.
This was Papa's driver..... Guaranteed he would be watching EVERY race on Sunday afternoons....
This is Ashley giving Papa a hug.... my kids ADORED Papa..... and he ADORED them!!!!
This is a picture of Hailey and Papa.... Hailey had been really sick and just got out of the hospital..... she wanted Papa and daddy to take her out to ride the horses at the mall.... she was still very weak so her and Papa sat on a bench on the Merry go round.
Scott went to church with us every time he came to Albuquerque to visit us.... this was one Sunday before we all headed out.
Scott LOVED to play with the kids and was as big of a kid as the little ones.... He was always in the pool with the girls splashing and having fun.
Ashley and Papa..... He was always so fun to be with and my kids always LOVED when Papa came to visit.
Ashley and Papa.... they were always being goofy together....
Ashley and Papa
Scott was always so nice and let the girls help him do everything.....
Caught being goofy AGAIN
He was here for one of Drew's biggest accomplishments ..... he made sure he was here to see Drew walk down the aisle on his graduation day.
Zac and Papa.... One of the few pictures of the two of them together.
This was at Drew's gradation party at our house.... we like to call this the three stooges..... my dad Scott and TJ (Drew's brother in law).
Ashley Hailey and Scott
Ashley LOVED her Papa.....
This was at his Father's funeral 5 years before his own passing.
Hailey and Scott at his mom and dad's house..... This was when his dad passed away in 05.
When the kids are little Drew and his dad always balance the kids in their hands.... well Ashley wasnt so little here and he was balancing her in his palm.
Proud Papa.... Scott was here for all but 1 of the births of our kids. And he visited frequently to Albuquerque .... he loved his grandkids and was very proud of them and his children.

St Patties Day

2011-03-17T19:01:00.005-06:00

I decided to "try" to be a good mom and celebrate St. Patties day this year..... it all started yesterday when the kids were out playing with the neighbor kids and found a green bead.... and thought that it was a clue to find the leprechaun.... (oh to be young again). After setting "traps" and making "beds" and "trying to find him and his gold" i thought it was too cute not to do something fun... or try to make it fun for the kids.
So to start the day out I made green pancakes for breakfast (i forgot pictures..... but the kids loved them).
Then off to the Zoo... it was PACKED we had to park across the street and walk a ways to get there (should have known it is spring break here in Albuquerque).
Then we cam home and had Green Ham.... Green scrambled eggs.... Green hash browns.... Green punch w/sprite.... and Green mint ice cream.
The kids had a fun time and after all is said and done i guess it was "fun" to do something out of the ordinary and have some fun.

This is Ashley.. she could NOT wait to eat her scrumptious dinner....
Hailey was ready to dig in and was excited to see what green eggs/ham/and hash browns tasted like..... and WOW to her surprise they tasted just like they do when they aren't GREEN.
This is how gross the scrambled eggs looked....
They were so excited.. it was pretty funny how something ordinary was so exciting to eat because it was a different color.
And dessert.... Mint chocolate chip ice cream.... had to stick with the "GREEN"
This is the "green" ham and "green" hash browns
This is a picture of the kids in front of the Zoo..... it was a beautiful day in the 70's (i love Albuquerque weather)
Hailey wanted a picture with the elephants.... the baby ones were out today and were so cute!!!
Zac and Ashley with the giraffe
And my Kids ALL love the Zebras..... I don't understand why but all of them love to visit the Zebra's .... you would think the stink would change there mind but NOPE there is NEVER a time that we don't visit the Zebras..... all in all it ended up being a nice visit even though they were crazy busy.......

2011-03-12T18:14:00.003-07:00

A few things about Ashley
* She was born at 11:01 pm.... 24 hours later after I was admitted into the hospital.
* It was the perfect day... it was about 70 and blue sky (a lot like today).
* Some of her favorite foods are shrimp... steak.... artichoke... salmon... and Peanut Butter.
* Her favorite treats are Gum... candy... salt and vinegar chips...Reeses peanut butter cups... and Ice Cream
* When she grows up she wants to be a Cake maker and a MOM.... she wants 4-5 kids.
* One of her favorite things to do is go swimming or ride her bike.
* Her favorite color is Light blue.
* She wishes she had brown hair
* She loves to help in the kitchen (but her mom is grossed out with food and kids.... so she has to wait for visits from Grandma to cook).... Yes I admit i'm a mean mom!!!!
* She loves to go camping.
* She LOVES to play and visit with her cousins
* She is the most loving and caring little girl you'll ever meet.
* She wants a cell phone REALLY bad (but as you all know... her DAD hates cell phones so he won't buy any of us one..... I'm still WORKING on him getting me one!!!)
* Her favorite subject in school is math.
* If she could have anything right now..... she would want to go visit her grandparents.
* She misses her PaPa and wishes he was still here.
* Her favorite place to go on vacation is to Disney Land.

Ashley is a very thoughtful and caring girl... she loves her friends and her family and would do anything for them!!!! She is a huge helper and loves to teach her brothers and sister new things. She loves to learn new things and is someone you can always count on!!!!
I love you Ashley.... you are an amazing little lady and you teach me new things everyday!!
xoxoxox

This is Ashley when she was about 3 or 4 (?) She loved wearing Papa's glasses.
This was when Ashley was about 7
I think Ashley was probably 4 in this picture.... she's always been a cute little stinker :)
This is one of my favorite pictures... this was takin as Scott and Marta's old condo in Stansbury.... but i LOVED these jammies she was in....
Drew and Scott always had a thing for balancing the kids in there hands.... Ashley LOVED it!!!

Ashley's 9th Birthday

2011-03-12T15:29:00.006-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated my little Girls 9th Birthday (okay she's not so little anymore). We (I) am on strike and didn't want to do much..... so this is how her day started.
She woke up to have her favorite thing for breakfast (store bought waffles.... for a couple of reasons... 1. I don't buy them very often and 2. I broke our waffle maker and have never bought a new one). Of course with every meal they have on there birthday I put candle in whatever they are eating and we all sing Happy Birthday.... so I managed to put a candle in her cut up waffles and we all sang Happy Birthday to her.....
Since she would be at school for lunch and I wouldn't let her stay home..... I let her pick out what she wanted for her "special lunch" she chose the have a Pizza lunchable (another thing I NEVER buy) and a can of root beer and a whatever treat she wanted.... she even wanted apples ( I thought that was strange.. she could have whatever she wanted and she still wanted apples.... and i didn't even have to make her).
She had Dad bring her brownies and milk to share with her class for her birthday celebration...... (I got to make them dad got to take them). Then her dad picked her up at the bus stop.... they always beg him to meet them at the bus when he is home... so she was very excited to have him there waiting.
She came home and found all her presents lined up in the front room waiting for her.... she was SO excited to see she got a NEW bike and a NEW helmet..... along with shoes and more shoes and a game from her sister and brothers.... and a dress and jacket from Grandma and Grandpa Call..... a hat she got to pick the fabric out for from Grammy and Galen with money.... she cant wait to go shopping..... a bunch a fun little things with more money and a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa Mac and a few card and phone calls from family and friends...... Then we went out to dinner where ever she wanted to go..... and out of all the places she could have gone she chose Olive Garden.
We then went to the park and played and celebrated another friends birthday with them... came home and had a huge cookie and milk (I didn't want to make her a cake.... or pie.... or more brownies... or cookies.... or anything) so i took her to the store and let her pick out whatever she wanted and she chose a huge cookie sandwich then we had her name written on top..... she ended up having a good day and was pretty spoiled.... or as her dad says i was the spoiled one since i didnt have to bake a cake or make dinner.... anyway you look at it i guess it was a win win situation :)

This was the "BIG" cookies sandwich that she picked out..... we will be eating this for the next month... it is huge and sweet and yummy!!!!
These are the kids being silly at Olive Garden.... and her "NEW" hat that Grammy made for her.
Ashley eating her "FAVORITE" Shrimp pasta with garlic butter sauce.... Hailey had to sneak into the picture.
This was Ashley's expression when she saw her "BIKE" ..... she was so excited!!!! But the sad thing she is so short the big is toooooo BIG for her.... she'll have to grow over the next couple of months so that she can RIDE it all summer long.
SORRY.... Pictures are kind of backwards.... this was her breakfast (store bought waffles) with her candle :)

My Kitchen

2011-03-02T19:58:00.002-07:00

So this is my NEW kitchen.... the whole house was cream/yellow and my cupboards blended into the walls and i HATED it!!!! So instead of getting new cupboards I decided to add some color and RED it was.... and a tan.
This is the view from our dining room door.
This is looking into our kitchen from the living room.
Just another view.
This is from the back door.... I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN!!!!!!

Progress on the Painting

2011-03-02T19:49:00.003-07:00

This is the "NEW" family room.... you can see the color change on the left side of the picture... it is really pretty.... we still need to do a second coat on the top above the TV..... Drew was excited to put his speakers in the wall... soon the TV will also be mounted on the wall and i'll be painting the speakers black..... it's starting to come along and it will sure be nice when it is ALL done!!!!

Drew's NEW TV... we upgraded to a 65" TV (SPOILED) is all I can say!!!!

The yucky brown/purple wall .. starting to look normal. It will look really good when the fireplace is green and we have the blinds back up.
These are my jail birds.... they sat and watched us from the top of the stairs while we slaved away painting. They wanted to come "help" so bad.
This is Drew getting the top with an extension ladder..... he had to come all the way down every time to get his roller full of paint...... i'm a mean wife and wouldn't do it :)

It's starting to look really good and i'm getting really excited :)

Finally painting my house....

2011-03-02T19:02:00.006-07:00

We are finally painting our house.... its been alot of talk and no action until NOW!!!! When we bought the house we said that painting the house would be one of the first things we did..... well after a year i finally went and bought the paint and now we have started......
The owners before up had painted the house a cream/yellow color and used flat paint, but when they went to touch up they used a satin base cream/white..... it looked HORRIBLE!!!!!
I finally decided on a color that i thought i would be able to change decorations around..... it is a taupe color and it's looking BEAUTIFUL!!!!

This is the hallway from the front door.... this leads to my bedroom and the living room and the closed doors to the left is a family room/library/sitting room (we aren't sure yet what it will be)
This is our living room the ceiling are two stories high so painting will be a little tricky (i think they are 18 ft ceilings)..... and there is the LOVELY brown/purple wall YUCK!!!! I am painting the fireplace green (when i find the right color).
This is coming down the stairs looking at the front door.... two stories high here too.
This is another view of our living room.... i only have these 4 pictures up because i didn't want to decorate when i had to take everything down to paint..... and to be honest it was suppose to happen within a few weeks of moving in! The opening on the top is our loft... that was a red/maroon color that we painted a Terra Cotta color (love it)..... just need to decorate it now :)
This is another view of the ugly wall..... soon to be pretty :)

2011-02-24T22:56:00.002-07:00

Zac's first birthday party..... I tell ya i'm not a good mom I hate throwing kid party's.... I LOVE get together's but to entertain kids freaks me out :)
Anyways Zac and his friends had a great time and in the end i was glad i did it..... I'm just glad they don't expect one EVERY year.... at least i hope not

2011-02-24T22:49:00.002-07:00

Halloween 2010
Ashley was a Fairy
Hailey was a witch
Zac was Thing 1
Taylor Thing 2
did I mention how cute my kids are????? what do you think????

2011-02-24T22:37:00.002-07:00

Hailey's First day of 1st grade.... she is following her class and looks back to see something turns around and slams right into the door!!! YUP she knocks her two front teeth so loose that they bled every time she did anything, so Drew had to pull them out...... poor little girl her mouth was so bruised and hurt!!!!
so as of today she still has NO two front teeth (that would be 6 months ago they got pulled)

Marta and Galen Wedding July 10

2011-02-24T14:35:00.003-07:00

Marta (Drew's Ex step mom) got married in Idaho Falls in July of 10.... we decided to go up to the wedding and help them celebrate. We are very happy for Marta and her new husband Galen... we don't know him very well (YET) but we know that she is happy and that is all that matters. We hope you guys have many many happy years together!!!!

My Baby BOY

2011-02-24T14:02:00.008-07:00

Taylor Drew Johnson Born December 28th 2009 1:23pm 6 lb 13 oz 19 1/2 inches.
I was quite sad to have my LAST baby.... although i new i couldn't have/handle anymore. He was truly a blessing and i LOVE him so much!!!!
He is the most easy going little guy and he LOVES his mama!!!!!
Here are a few pictures from when he was born..... I got a c-section (because the scary experience with Zac).... so we decided to have him on Drew's mom's Birthday... there are some graphic pictures so be prepared :)

PaPa Funeral March 2010

2011-02-24T13:27:00.007-07:00

Drew's Father committed suicide 3-17-10.... This was not expected although he had been sick and going through some depression and family issues. However we were ALL shocked and heart broken and confused and.... well the list could go on and on. Here are some pictures of the "Horrible" day we all had to face and pull together to make it!!!! This was a really hard post to do the emotions are still very strong and hard to deal with......It'll still be hard for a long time i am sure!!! I wish there wasn't as much drama in the issue, and I hope that we will all be able to heal in one way or another...... there are still alot of problems to this story, however due to the respect of the family i will not go into detail!!!! There has been some good come out of all of this and that is the "family" Drew and his sister have become BEST FRIENDS..... "we" are very blessed to have her back in our lives and i hope it will always stay that way!!!! It's NOT fair that a 30 yr old has to bury there father especially this way!!! WE LOVE AND MISS YOU PAPA!!!!! xoxoxox
There is also a Picture of Grandma (PaPa's mom) the grandkids.

Ashley's BIG 8th Birthday

2011-02-24T13:02:00.007-07:00

Ashley decided that for her 8th Birthday she would get Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. So instead of having a big "friend" party we had a "Family" party that lasted all weekend long. Grandma and Grandpa Mac travel from Tooele to be here... Grandma and Grandpa Call came from Idaho.... Uncle Kyle and Aunt Janelle C\came fro Las Vagas.... and to "her" surprise Grammy, Aunt Britt, Bailey, and BriAnn came from Tooele and surprised her!!!! She had many friends here also and had a great time!!!!
And of course everytime Uncle Kyle comes down We ALWAYS have to end with our oreo's and Milk...... My kids "treasure" that time with there uncle!!!

Hailey #6 Birthday

2011-02-24T12:55:00.003-07:00

Hailey had her 1st Birthday party ever.... because i'm a BAD mom. Her are some pictures of her BIG day with all her friends.... she had a great time and i'm glad i finally gave her a party :)
They played games we decorated flip flops and painted toes and nails (that was the hard part.... a bunch of 5-6 year olds and yucky toes and fingers.... GAG but they had fun.

Some pictures of our NEW home..

2011-02-24T12:38:00.017-07:00

Here are Some pictures of our NEW home..... we have added alot to it and are in the process of painting over the HORRIBLE paint job the previous owners did :) I HATE painting but we are coming along pretty good. we added grass on the side yard and front yard... had a HUGE deck built and other misc things done inside the house and outside (pulling bushes and tons of weeds.... still more to do)

Jamez water spring

2011-02-24T12:26:00.012-07:00

We went to the Jamez while the kids were out of school for "some" holiday.... seems like they are out of school for some reason or another all the time.... anyways we went up the mountain as a family and had a picnic and did some hiking.... then went to the water falls. Drew was brave to sit in the FREEZING water and the kids were bribed to sit down with him for an ice cream cone when we got home (what my kids would do for ice cream) it was FREEZING.... here is a few pictures of our day trip.

Zachary turned 2

2011-02-24T12:19:00.009-07:00

We always call Zac a monkey.... he's got the funnest personality and is so wild and goofy.... so for his Birthday he wanted a monkey cake.... it looks kind of funny but hey i tried :)

Hailey started Kindergarten

2011-02-24T11:11:00.008-07:00

Hailey started Kindergarten while we were living in the rental.... this was a huge deal to stay in our school district or the church.... we loved the school and didn't want to move wards.... so we were really sad when the house we found moved us away from both!!! Here are a few pictures of her first day at school.

Our Rental

2011-02-24T11:05:00.006-07:00

This is the rental we lived in for 3-4 months (WAY too long). It was completely furnished which made it hard because we didnt have any of our own stuff..... we were soooooo glad to find our "HOME"

Pictures of our first house

2011-02-24T10:47:00.006-07:00

These are some pictures of our first house.... we had three kids there and lots of good memories!!!

Presidents Day

2011-02-22T21:31:00.004-07:00

A good friend of mine and I decided to take the kids to the Aquarium and the Botanical Gardens on Presidents Day. We ventured out with 8 kids and 2 adults and surprisingly they did awesome!!! In fact it reminded me of how much fun it is to get a group of friends together and have a fun day hanging out together...... we for sure will be making many more trips out this summer and letting the kids hang out and have fun!!!!!

This was Ashley playing with the huge hose at the Botanical Gardens on Presidents Day....

This is Abby my friends little girl... she is the cutest thing
Ashley posing by the Castle at the Gardens.
The giant Pumpkin... the kids were playing tag and having fun.....
Ashley and Brawn hanging on the Faucet at the gardens.
Most of the kids standing in front of the Dragon at the Botanical Gardens.
Ashley could not get enough of Abby.... She was always trying to get me to take there picture.... Hailey slipped into this one though :)
This was the group of kids minus Taylor who was with me taking the pictures.... 8 in all it was a fun outing and the kids had a blast.
This was the kids in front of the sting ray display at the Aquarium.

A New Start

2011-02-20T21:18:00.003-07:00

Okay.... I have entered the Blogging world.... AGAIN!!!!
YES it has been forever, so I am going to bring you up to date on the last several months.

July 2009..... we sold our house after 13 days on the market.... this was AWESOME but we had no place to move into. We ended up renting a house until we were able to find the "home" we had been looking for. We weren't planning on being able to sell our house so fast.. we had talked about it and thought it was worth a try and if nothing happened in 6 months we would just stay in our house..... so after finally getting brave enough for the "thought" of a bigger house we listed it and to our surprise we sold it (the buyers knocked on the door and i let them in we didn't even have an appointment). So when we got our offer I was surprised to find out that it was the ones knocking on the door wanting to look at the house...... anyways we were able to rent a house on a week to week basis until we found the house we wanted in the area we were looking in.

October 2009..... we FINALLY found the "HOME" I had dreamed of.... (it doesn't take much to please me) but this was truly my "DREAM HOME" ...... it wasn't in the area we were looking in... but I was able to talk Drew into it and he knew there was no talking me out of it..... so we FINALLY moved into our HOME the week before Thanksgiving 2009. This "HOME" of mine needed a little TLC to make it my "DREAM" home so we have been working on this little by little and hopefully this summer we will be DONE with most of our wants of changing..... it's looking BEAUTIFUL!!!!

December 2009....... I was blessed with a BEAUTIFUL baby boy.... i had a healthy pregnancy and after having Zac in 07 i knew if there were to be anymore children it would have to be a c-section.... so i was scheduled for a c-section on Drew's mom's Birthday (12-28) he was a beautiful and healthy little boy 6 pounds 13 ounces. Although i wanted the c-section it was very painful and a hard recovery but with the help of Drew and his mom coming down i was well takin care of.

March 7th....... My oldest turned 8 and was Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We had many family members make it down for the big Birthday celebration. And many friends and Family members here to witness her Baptism.

March 17....... We got word that Drew's dad had committed suicide and passed away. We were very shocked and heartbroken ... and not prepared for the family drama this all brought on..... i will not go into detail on this but this is one event that has changed my life forever in so many ways...... i have had many different feelings.... many doubts.... many questions.... many tears.... some regrets......and i still don't know how to feel or how to deal with the issues that have been brought up!!!! The one thing i know is Drew is so much stronger then I and so forgiving...... I often wonder how i was so blessed to have been the one he wanted to marry!!!

July 2009...... Got word my mom has Terminal Breast Cancer that has metastasis in her lungs.... i don't have a lot of information on this but she is doing "WELL" right now (i feel it is only a matter of time before she gets really sick).

These are the few highlights of the past several months between sicknesses and family issues it was the WORST year EVER..... i have never dealt with so much pain and heartache EVER!!!!

BUT this is a new Year!!!!
I have a lot of things to figure out and a lot of decisions to make..... i am thankful for my Children and my Husband who have been strong through all of this..... i defiantly don't deserve him, but very thankful and blessed to have him!!!!

Here is to a new year with lots of pictures and lots of posts!!!!

MY GIFT TO YOU!!!!

2009-04-14T20:45:00.000-06:00

Here is the deal:
The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2- What I make will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do whatever I want!The catch?

Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.

Let the games begin!

Hailey's Cute Hair Do

2009-04-01T13:43:00.004-06:00

So since all the kids have been sick, and i have lacked in the fun bonding time with them... i decided to play with the hair today and this is what I've done....... she was a trooper and thinks it is so beautiful..... i love it when they like there hair and thank me for making it so pretty!!!!

Hailey with the side shot of her hair

the top back of her hair 5 french braids with ribbon

this shows the bottom of the back of her hair... i think this is one of my favorites!!!! i love to do my girls hair and make them look beautiful!!!! they are my pride and JOY!!!!

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY ASHLEY

2009-03-13T09:12:00.011-06:00

March 11 2009
Ashley's BIG day.... i can't believe that my little girl is becoming such a little lady... i love this stage she loves to talk to ma about her day and everything that has gone on, she's my best friend and i love it!!!!!
We didn't do much for her big day since we are celebrating the kids Birthdays in Disneyland too.... so this was just something fun for there special day!!
I had gotten her favorite cereal for her birthday breakfast.. she thought that was pretty cool... then while at school i decorated the down stairs with balloons and set out all her presents, she was very excited when she got home!!!
Ashley posing by her presents wishing her daddy would come home soon so that she could open them... she was a good sport though and waited patiently until he got home.

these were her first bouquet of flowers.... these were sent from her Grammy.... the delivery man messed up so they were waiting here at home when she got here, they were supposed to deliver them when she was home so she could receive them.. oops

she got a really fun game from Grandma and Grandpa Call..... they had so much fun playing it and Zach even got into it. It was a really cute game and they love it!!!

Ashley was doing her winning dance.....

Ashley got to pick out what she wanted for Dinner and she chose: Shrimp pasta...salad... cheddar biscuits and chocolate milk (she loves to pick out dinner!!)

this is our little tea party.... Aunt Brenna gave Ashley a tea set along time ago and we finally pulled it out (okay the reason why it too 3 years was because it was porcelain and way cute.. i didn't want it to break now she's old enough she can enjoy it :)

Close up of my tea pot birthday cake.. it was so fun and so easy!!!! and it went along with our tea party :)

Ashley getting ready to blow out her 7 candles.... (did i mention i can't believe she's 7?

Way to go girl friend she did awesome it took a couple of try's but she did it..... hummmm what did she wish for? eating with the princess in Disneyland... i think :) (maybe that was my wish?)

This is my favorite they are "cheers" with there little tea cups filled with ice cream... too cute if you ask me!!!

Well Ashley i hope you had a great Birthday, and hope that all your dreams come true!!! you are really a special Little girl and i would keep you this way forever... (i told her i was going to put her in the freezer and freeze her so she wouldn't grow up any more.... she got kind of worried ... if only it was that easy!!!)

your are a great big sister and a huge help.. i love you and am so blessed you are my daughter.... you are my best friend and i hope that we will always be friends!!!!! you are the BEST and I LOVE YOU LOTS!!!!!

Thanks Brenna for the very funa nd very cute teapot set... we really enjoyed it!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS

2009-03-08T21:09:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Britt!!!!

This is Drew's Favorite sister and my favorite sister in law...... ya it has takin a while for me to be able to say that but i can proudly say she is my FAVORITE!!!!

Britt i am so thankful that we are family!!! And I'm grateful for the things that we have gone through together, for the bad, sad and good. I guess that's what sisters do.... and how much i appreciate it all..... Thank you for being my Sister, my friend and my family!!!! I hope that you know that we love you so much and how lucky we are that we have you!!!!
This is the cutest baby picture..... it is too precious ... cute then and beautiful now!!!!

This is my all time FAVORITE picture of you!!!!! You are GORGEOUS!!!!!!

Thank you for being such a wonderful sister, and accepting me into your family..... i have really grown to love you and i am blessed to have you as my Sister!!!!

I (WE) hope that you have a wonderful Birthday and know we are thinking about you and wish we were there to celebrate with you!!!!!

We love and miss you tons!!!!

NEW YEARS EVE 2008-2009

2009-03-08T20:29:00.008-06:00

New Years Eve 08/09

We were able to stay at Drew's cousins Rentia and Judy's home for new years eve..... Ashley had been talking alot about what is New years Eve? and What do you do? My response was you stay up late on the last day of the year until 12:00 (midnight) and then it's a new year... well what do you do? I couldn't think of much to say all i could think of was you bang pans together and dance... well she was determined along with Hailey that they were going to stay up late and celebrate with us.... Okay i didn't care of course i thought that would be passed out way before the new year so i didn't think it was that big of a deal.
Well Hailey and Ashley started a movie and we played games until about 10:30 when Ashley told us Hailey was conked out.... so we let Ashley play games with us,we put Hailey to bed and waited to see how much longer Ashley would make it.....
to my surprise she stayed us until 1:30 (i think) when we all decided it was time to go to bed.... Ashley had so much fun and thought she was something else getting to stay up with the "grown ups" and not have to go to bed.... it was a lot of fun, but most of all it was fun to see the excitement she had..... everyone else was too tired.

Renita helping Ashley get all dressed up to celebrate the NEW YEAR!!!

Ashley... she was blowing the whistle and jumping up and down, all we could do was laugh because we were so tired and she was so awake and excited!!

Renita and Judy.... having a good time while Ashley was the center of attention!!!

Ashley getting all her stuff together so we could start counting down.... 3-2-1

HAPPY NEW YEAR.... she was done blowing her whistle and jumping like a crazy woman she decided to bang on pans, with left over chop sticks from dinner.

we went outside to finish celebrating and watched the fireworks next door and around the Bountiful Temple.

We had so much fun, and we were really excited to spend time with Drew's cousins. Thanks to Renita and Judy for putting us up and having fun with us.... our girls still talk about how much fun they had!!!!! And I'm sure Ashley will never forget being a "grown up for a night"

Happy Birthday Grandma Elle

2009-03-08T20:10:00.005-06:00

Sunday December 28th
Drew's mom celebrated her ** Birthday :)
I was able to make her a German Chocolate Cake (her favorite) and we were able to spend time with lots of family... it was really a nice day and i think she really enjoyed it!!!
Hailey and Grandma blowing out her candles surrounded by her Extended family

This was after we made her dinner for her birthday. We felt like we couldn't wait till evening when the rest of the family was coming to sing to her, so we put a candle into a raspberry filled donut (my fav) and sang her Happy Birthday!!!! it was pretty silly but we had fun.

This was just before we went to Church....

This was a family picture the morning of her Birthday before Kyle and Janelle headed back home to LV .... (L-R) Kyle and Janelle Call Bill and Ellen (Grandma and Grandpa) Brandy, Zach, Drew, Ashley and Hailey Johnson.

we hope that she had a great Birthday... i know it has been a while since she has had so much family with her to celebrate her special day... we all worked hard to make it special. I hope she knows how much we all love her and how much she means to us... she is a wonderful mom... Mother in law... Grandma and wife.... we are all very blessed to have her in our lives and we love her very much!!!!

GREAT memories with GREAT FRIENDS!!!!

2009-03-08T19:59:00.002-06:00

These are the BOYS..... These are Drew's Best Friends!!!! Drew has grown up with these boys and have gone through alot with them and has grown very close to these men. Drew had gotten the boys together and was able to spend the day with them and go snowmobiling with them (all but Brandon who's wife was due ANY day)..... us wife's were able to meet up with them after there day of fun for dinner in IF.

it was so nice to have the gang back together again even if only for a couple hours. we had a ton of fun and most of all was nice to see all of them again after so many years.
(L-R) Seth, Hayden, Carter,Brianna, Hayden (Luker) Tom and Yungsun (Baker) Brandon and Brittany (Moon... with baby Brigham in oven) Brandy and Drew (Johnson)

I'm glad to see that they are still friends after so many years and still make the effort to get together when ever possible..... i hope we are able to do it again soon and look forward to many more picture like this for years to come!!!! we love you guys and thanks for the wonderful evening!!!