I AM . . . . .

This is a fun little post I stole from my sister Denice's blog....

I AM ... thinking I should hurry and get to bed now that the kids are down.
I WANT... a new mattress, furniture, a bathroom in the basement!
I HAVE ... more than I ever thought I would.
I WISH I COULD ... change the world.
I HATE ... the direction our country has taken.
I FEAR ... for the future my children will face.
I SEARCH ... for the lessons along the way.
I DON'T THINK ... I'm as together as some people think I am.
I REGRET ... not feeling more sure of myself when I was younger.
I LOVE ... the faces of my beautiful children.
I ACHE FOR ... Ed missing his dad, and the people I miss each day of my life.
I ALWAYS CRY ... when I see the bank statement.
I DANCE ... to embarass my children.
I SING ... again, to the embarassment of my children.
I NEVER ... learn things the easy way.
I RARELY ... have time for myself.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH ... the movie "In America".
I AM NOT ALWAYS ... so serious. I don't know why people think I am.
I HATE THAT ... I am so lazy.
I'M CONFUSED ABOUT ... the meaning of life.
I NEED ... water, food, sleep, shelter, and my family.
I SHOULD ... tell my friends and family how much I love and appreciate them!

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!

Olivia is officially in the double digits today. We had to wake her up early to open her gift before Maddie left for school. A gift card to Build-a-Bear because this kid doesn't know the meaning of too many stuffed animals!
Her pink Nintendo DS! She has wanted one for so long!
Now she's a little more awake and ready for a fun day at school! Happy birthday to my beautiful and spunky girl! Wishing you a wonderful year!

First Day of Middle School!

Today was the first day of middle school for Madeleine. No more elementary, no more recess. She is beautiful and eager to be grown up. I still remember taking this kid to her first day of preschool!

August Family Party

We had a family dinner Sunday night to celebrate the August birthdays. Olivia is the birthday princess today and she was thrilled with her gifts. $10 from Cassie and Paul and a gift card to Target from Ella
Keira gets a lift from Maddie
Keira was so cute when it was time for Olivia to open her gift from Grandpa and Grandma. Keira helped Olivia tear the paper off the box and then stood there to watch Olivia open the gift. Olivia pulled out a darling "Piggie" quilt that my mom handmade for her - with Keira's help! That's why Keira was so excited for Olivia to open the present. Keira kept trying to use the blanket and wanted to be wrapped up with Livi. Keira kept asking Olivia about her "night night" and Olivia was very nice to share!
Olivia with her piggie quilt made just for her by Grandma

It's always fun to see the cousins enjoying their time together, and to see how loving our family is with each other. As crazy as it can sometimes be with such a large family, there's always enough love for everyone.

Maddie and Aunt Deb Ally didn't know what to think of the hat!
Aunt Debbie had the magic touch and got Allyson to calm down and go to sleep
Creighton and Keira had a blast playing together
I can always get Creighton to stop and give me loves. Don't know what the trick is, but I seem to have found the key to his heart. He gave me a kiss hello last night without me even asking or bribing him for one!

Asher Loves Livi!

My nephew Asher is so darling, I just can't get enough of him. We had a family party last night and Asher wasn't feeling well but he loves his cousin Livi and would just squeal and smile every time she played with him. It was so cute! Showing off his big boy outfit and shoes
Asher would crane his head to see where Olivia was going
Asher loves to snuggle right in to Olivia. They have a special connection that is so sweet to watch.

More reception photos

It was unfortunate that Ed had to work Saturday night because we had lots of great photo opportunities! My children are all growing up so quickly!

Mike and Molly's Utah Wedding Reception

My cousin Molly and her husband Mike had their Utah wedding reception here Saturday night. It was held in the backyard of her childhood home, which was as beautiful as it always is. My sister Michelle had her wedding in the same yard in 1989 so it was fun to be back there again for a family wedding. My girls helped with keeping tables cleared and Harrison worked all night as a hornet wrangler! The happy couple at the end of a long night!
Beautiful sisters, Molly and Jodi
My sisters Michelle and Natalie, my cousin Cindy, and me

HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY MELINDA!

I'm a horrible sister and didn't get this posted on Sunday like I should have. Happy birthday to my sister Melinda who is 16 months older than me. She is a fabulous Aunt who thrills the kids with photos of her world traveling adventures and she always lives in places that seem much cooler than Utah. Add to that the fact that she has a brilliant mind, fantastic body, and really nice purses. I want to be just like her when I grow up!

Brilliant Blogger Award

My friend Melissa awarded me the "Brilliant Blogger Award." Below are questions that I have to answer and post to my blog. Then I have to choose 7 fellow Brilliant Bloggers and pass this award along!

A. Attached or single? Attached
B. Best friend? Ed
C. Cake or pie? Cake
D. Day of choice? Sunday
E. Essential item? Money
F. Favorite color? Green
G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears
H. Hometown? Taylorsville, UT
I. Indulgence? Having my hair professionally colored
J. January or July? July if it isn't too hot
K. Kids? 3 - Madeleine, Olivia, and Harrison
L. Life isn’t complete without? Family and friends
M. Marriage date? May 20, 1995
N. Number of brothers & sisters? 2 brothers, 7 sisters
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges
P. Phobias? Rodents
Q. Quotes? "Your life is an occasion. Rise to it."
R. Reasons to smile? My kids & surviving another day
S. Season of choice? Spring & Fall
T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)
U. Unknown fact about me? I am messy. Ok, Ed knows that
V. Vegetable? Baked sweet potato from Ruby River
W. Worst habits? Delaying housework and not taking care of myself like I should
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound (What kind of question is that?)
Y. Your favorite food? Grilled Steak Salad from Cafe Rio (if I have to choose just one)
Z. Zodiac sign? Capricorn
Brilliant Bloggers I am passing this along to:
*Denice
*Melinda
*Cassie
*Michelle
*Megan
*Lisa
*Tami

He's Mobile!

After months of prodding and begging, Ed finally got Harrison to give bike riding another try tonight. After 30 minutes outside, they were ready for me to come watch. Another milestone down.



He was so proud of himself! Yea Harrison!

Beautiful Girls

Maddie and Olivia had an opportunity to model for a local business owner. They are such beautiful girls.

Girls Weekend in Seattle

Our gracious hostess Nancy. Her sweet husband Al was such a sport!
The view from Nancy and Al's house. They built a deck off the second floor landing so you can sit outside and just stare at the Puget Sound. It's so beautiful.
I spent a weekend last summer with Lane in North Carolina. I was so happy to see her again. She is a lovely Southern Belle and I just adore her.

I was so happy to see my girlfriends! I just spent 4 days in Seattle with 8 other women from all across the country. We had a wonderful time just visiting and spending time together. The weather was perfect and there was a lot of activity downtown for Seafair weekend. We saw the Blue Angels flying overhead and fought the massive crowds in the Pike Place Market. My friend Nancy lives there so we all stayed at her house and enjoyed our time together.