Adelie's Birthday

Today was Adelie's birthday and she turned 5. She has been waiting for this day for awhile. She had quite an eventful day. When I asked her tonight if she had a good birthday she said, "Yes, it was the best day ever!" I asked her what her favorite part about the day was and she said, "All of it was, mom!" She got to spend the whole day with her sisters and family and had a great time. She did ask me the other day when was she going to have her friend birthday party and I told her that she already had it a week ago with Adriana and she said, "But mom, that was when I was 4. When am I going to have my 5 year old birthday?" I told her that she had the party for her 5 year old birthday but she wasn't 5 yet.

Whytli, Mallory and Nash got her dress ups.

Brett and I got her a picnic table w/umbrella for 8 kids and monkey dome climber for the backyard.

Brett making her pancakes. They are her favorite and she loves her dad to make them.

Adelie trying out some of her new "rock star" dress ups.

Lunch at Wendy's with her sisters.

She went to the Primrose Retreat Spa with her sisters and 2 cousins (& best friends) to get pedicures, fingernails done, makeup, hairdos, and play dress ups. They gave them pink hot chocolate with pink cupcakes on little tea sets. We spent about 3 hours there playing and having a blast! I have never seen little girls have so much fun!! Anyone who has really girly girls should really consider taking their kids here because they will love every minute of it. It is the cutest place ever!

Adelie getting her pedicure.

Adelie and Whytli with their pedicures done.

Adelie getting her hair done.

Makeup time! They loved that!

This was one of her favorite dress ups!

The girls pretending to have a tea party.

After we got home from the spa Brett was home and we decided to take the kids to Jumpin Jacks in Springville. It was the first time for our kids and they had a blast!

Aunt Lacey joined us at Jumpin Jacks.

After Jumpin Jacks we asked Adelie what she wanted to eat. She wanted what every little kid wants.....PIZZA. So we headed over to Two Jacks Pizza in town and grabbed some dinner.

After dinner we headed over to Macey's for ice cream cones. This was requested by Adelie a couple of weeks ago for her dessert on her birthday. She loves to go to Macey's to have ice cream so that is what we did. Brett's family met us there and had ice cream with us.

After the ice cream party at Macey's we headed home were the girls put on a music concert for us with their new dress ups. Lacey got Adelie a Hannah Montana wig so they had to of course do a concert of Hannah Montana. Brett then went outside with his brothers and mom and they helped him put together her new monkey dome for the backyard. It would have taken him forever without their help. The kids played on it for a little bit but it was too dark to take any pictures but they cannot wait to test it out some more in the morning! I'm so glad Adelie had such a great day.

Nash is 2 Months Old

Nash is 2 months today. I cannot believe how fast time goes. It seems like I just had the little guy! He has been such a joy to us all, we just love having a little boy in our family! His sisters love him so much. Mallory just giggles anytime she holds or talks with him. I took him to the doctor the other day and he has pretty much doubled his birth weight of 7 lbs. 11 oz. to now weighing 14.5 lbs. He is a chubby little thing but, such a cute chubby little thing! He is starting to smile a lot and talk back when you talk with him. The little tiny baby stage is one of my favorites. That is one thing that makes me really sad about being done having kids is that I will not get to enjoy this anymore. I wish you could enjoy them a little longer at this stage but it goes by so quickly. I love when he sees me or someone else is holding him and if I come over, his eyes just light up and he gets really happy and restless and just wants me to hold him.

Yes Jennifer, it shows his herniated belly button a little in this picture. His belly button really freaks her out. But I had to have one naked picture to show how chubby he is and he was kind of smiling in this picture. I haven't gotten many pictures with him smiling yet so I chose this one.

He loves the bumbo chair. Such a great invention!

He got tired of me taking pictures of him and fell right to sleep.

He looks so serious in this picture. He reminds me of someone (Is it his father, who hardly ever smiles for pictures and looks so serious?! Huh...interesting.)

Another picture of him almost smiling. I always get it at the wrong moment.

This picture is for my family, they all will appreciate this. When Whytli was a baby, we lived in Oklahoma and I was really bored because I did not have my family around. Anyway, she was a very stiff baby (just always stiff as a board) so, one day I decided to see if she would stand in the corner all by herself and she did. I took quite a few pictures of her doing it and she could stand there forever! She was so stiff! I would nurse her and her arms, legs and whole body were just stiff as a board and it was really hard to nurse her sometimes. Well, Nash gets a little stiff sometimes (but, not as stiff as Whytli did) so I decided to try standing him in the corner and he low and behold he could stand too and he did it for awhile. The kids got a big kick out of this too, they thought it was so funny! My family thought it was always the funniest thing with Whytli and the pictures of her have always been a family favorite!

Kids say the cutest things

This morning my mom called and asked if Adelie could come down and help her clean her bathrooms and do a few other chores around the house (my mom had a knee replacement a couple of weeks ago). So Adelie went to help her. At first my mom said she was acting really shy but that it didn't take long for her to warm up. She said Adelie talked her ear off the whole time. At one point Adelie asked my mom about her mom and if she died. My mom told her that she had and then Adelie said, "Well, one day you are going to die too Grandma." My mom told her that is right she is going to die one day. She then told her that her mom and dad were going to die one day too. My mom then said to Adelie, "Does that make you sad?" Adelie told her, "No Grandma, because we will all live again together one day." Then when they got done cleaning my mom paid her $5 and Adelie told her that she still had the $2 that she paid her last time. My mom said, "Why haven't you spent it? I gave that to you a long time ago." Adelie told her, "Because Grandma, I just don't have time to go spend it." I thought that was really funny and cute. I just love the things that kids say.

Rees Eagle Award of Excellence in Learning

Whytli got the "Rees Eagle Award of Excellence in Learning" in her class. She was really excited because it was awards day for the whole school and only 2 kids in her class got an award and she was one of them. Her teacher Mrs. Searle wrote that "she was so proud of Whytli and the outstanding work that she is doing. She always does her very best on everything we do. She is a wonderful reader, author and mathematician." Whytli is a great student. She has never once complained to do her homework. She loves it and she has always loved school! She loves to learn new things and is such a quick learner. I am so proud of her and happy that we do not have to push her hard to learn new things. Good job Whytli!

Last Day of Preschool

Today was Adelie's last day of preschool. They had a pizza party and watched a movie and had a show and tell day. She said she had a lot of fun. She loves her teacher who is her aunt Janet. She was such a great teacher and we are going to miss having her be Adelie's teacher. Adelie never complained about going to school. Now it is time for her to move on and go to Kindergarten next year and she is so excited to go! I cannot believe how fast they grow up.

The kids in her class are from left to right: Kynli Anderson, Adelie Rogers, Adriana Duvall, Isabell Hallows, Ethne Tilley, Treygon Tulley, and Brody Duvall. Adelie got along with everyone in her class, even the boys. Thanks Janet for being such a great teacher!!

6 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by Chelsey to post 6 random things about me awhile ago and I kind of forgot about it until I saw that Shannon finally posted hers (cause Chelsey tagged her too) and that reminded me to do it. I have to admit it was kind of hard to think of but here it goes:

1. I love to cook but I hate to bake. I love getting new recipes for dinner and making something new for my family. It is seriously my favorite thing to try something new out and have it turn out and my family love it. But I hate to bake breads, cookies, and goodies. I love to eat them but hate to bake them. So if you ever have any yummy new recipes that you want to share with me send them my way.

2. One of my favorite restaurants is Outback Steakhouse BUT I never eat steak there. I always get this pasta that I love there. In fact, I never eat steak at any steakhouse. I usually get their pasta if they have one. And this totally drives Carrie my sister CRAZY! She says you cannot go to a steakhouse and not get steak but I just am not a big fan of steak and if I do have it it has to be a really thin piece of steak and VERY well done, we are talking almost burnt and crispy. If it is cooked that way then we are talking about a really yummy steak but no one ever cooks it the way I like so I never get it and I am a huge fan of pasta.

3. I can fold my ear. I know that sounds really weird but I have been able to do it since I was really little. I used to suck my finger and fold my ear. It was always my favorite thing to do. I don't suck my finger anymore but I still fold my ear on occasion. :) Now this may sound really weird but my favorite was always when I would come in from the cold and my ear was really cold, I would love to fold my ear at that time because it just felt good. Next time you see me you can ask me to fold my ear for you and I might do it. But the only problem is if I smile or laugh it makes it pop out and will not work so you cannot make me laugh. My family used to make fun that my ears had no cartilage in them but I think they do they are just really soft. Sometimes I wonder how I ever thought to fold my ear and how it all started but I have no idea.

4. I am obsessed with having my house clean when I go on vacation. I cannot relax on my vacation unless I know that my house it spotless back at home and that is what I will be coming home too. There has been many times that we are leaving for somewhere really early in the morning and my whole family is in the car waiting while I am vacuuming and doing the finish touches before we leave. It drives Brett crazy sometimes and we fight over it almost every time because he thinks it isn't necessary. So then it is really crappy because we are grumpy with each other for a little bit until we both decide to get over it. Usually, he gets over it faster than I do. I guess I am stubborn.

5. I always buy myself some kind of treat when I go grocery shopping that I think I will crave during the week and will need that little extra something. But I always hide this special treat and eat it while nobody it watching cause I don't want to share it with anyone. And believe me it always comes in handy and pretty much gets eaten every week.

6. My favorite thing to do is scare Brett. I love to hide and when he comes I jump out and scare him. It gets him every time! It seriously never gets old and it works almost every time! And I do this a lot too. I sometimes will pretend to go to bed and ask him to come here or if I know that he is going to be coming upstairs I will hide at the top of the stairs and jump out to scare him. I have even gone as far as turning on the water in the sink in the bathroom to make him think I am in there getting ready for bed. Sometimes I feel like such a kid sitting there giggling to myself just waiting for the right moment. I got this from my dad, he used to do this to us all the time growing up and it was seriously I think his favorite thing to do too.

Now I tag Carrie, Kellye, Melissa, Elizabeth, Lacey, and Laura.

Adelie & Adriana's Birthday Slumber Party

On Friday night Stephanie decided to have all of Adelie and Adriana's friends sleep over at her house and have it be their birthday party combined. We always combine their birthday party since they are only 6 days apart and they basically have all the same friends (which pretty much consist of their cousins and Isabell Hallows). Anyway, I was not going to complain since she was the crazy one to have them all sleep over and I was not the one having them all at my house sleeping over. The girls had a great time. The night consisted of them playing outside, eating pizza, opening presents, painting their nails, watching a movie (High School Musical), and eating lots of candy. They stayed up until 12:30 in the morning and woke up at 6:45 in the morning. So needless to say Stephanie had a great time with that. (I was only there at her house until 9:00pm so she had to deal with all of that) Then she was so great and made them pancakes and bacon and then of course the girls had to put their makeup on that Adelie and Adriana got as some of their gifts. They all had a blast and I think Stephanie is ready to do it again REALLY soon! :)

Another Photo Shoot with Aunt Lacey

I had Lacey do some more pictures of my kids and I think they just turned out so dang cute! She is just so good at taking pictures. I am in love with these pictures and there are so many more to come but she did not have time to show them all to me because she is leaving for a trip tomorrow morning. I will be posting more as they come. She is up for hire if anyone is interested. She is amazing with kids and so patient. She only charges $75 and that includes your session time, 4x6 printed proofs, and all photos saved on a CD. Her sessions are not timed, but usually take 1-2 hours long. During this time you are welcome to change outfits, and do whatever may be needed to keep your little ones happy. Session prices also include her editing time, and converting your proofs to color, black and white or sepia tones. Then you receive everything on your CD, so you can make as many copies in as many different sizes as you want. If you want to check out more of her pictures go to her blog at http://www.lacey-revolutionphotography.blogspot.com/ and check out some of her recent pictures. She did some recently of Stephanie's kids that are just to die for. I love them all! You can contact her by her email at laceyrcollins@gmail.com if you are interested in getting any pictures done.

Mother's Day Fun

I started out my Mother's Day on Friday by going to lunch with my mother-in-law LeeAnn and my 2 sisters-in-law Melissa and Elizabeth and also Haley (Robi's girlfriend). We went to Ruby River because Lacey my other sister-in-law was working as well as her husband Kellen. So we decided to go there and have them serve us. It was a lot of fun (even if I don't like Ruby River all that much).

Saturday Brett worked hard on our yard that we are redoing and that is my Mother's Day gift so that I can enjoy a nice new yard this summer. Included in that he will be getting a drinking fountain that I have wanted for our backyard that will make my life so much easier in the summer.

Sunday, I started out my day with a ice cold bucket of water being dumped on top of me when I was in the shower by my lovely husband Brett. As he dumped it on top of me he said "Happy Mother's Day!" I then felt a pinch on my arm and it is him saying "give me a smoochy dear!" I wasn't really in the mood but he wouldn't leave until I gave him one. After I got out I told him worst Mother's Day present ever. There is another part to the story I guess, which is that I did the same thing to him about 2 weeks before that. But mine was only with a glass of water. I guess I did do it twice while he was in the shower and I sure thought it was funny. So I guess I had it coming but on Mother's Day? He said he remembered today and had to do it while he remembered because he usually is not home when I shower except for on Sundays. Father's Day is always coming up, I guess we will see what happens that day that I happen to remember.

After Brett's fun he decided to be nice and make me breakfast burritos. They were delicious! And Whytli & Adelie gave me some more cute cards and books that they made for me at school. As always those are fun to get. Brett's family came over at noon to call his brother Robi who is on a mission in Italy. That was great fun talking with him and hearing how he is doing. I am so jealous that he is in Italy and we hope to go there one day.

We were only able to make it to the last half of church because we talked to his brother for so long. During Relief Society all the men of the ward took over all the callings for the women in the whole ward so that everyone could come into the cultural hall and there were chairs set up all around in circles and the bishopric served the women all different kinds of cheesecakes and milk and water. It was so fun and such a great idea! Everyone really enjoyed it.

After church we went to the park with my family to have a barbecue. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time playing on the playground. Then we went to Brett's moms house to have dessert were she made creme brulee. It was delicious too!

It was a great Mother's Day and even though my day started out with a cold bucket of water (I wasn't too mad) I had a great day and I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, my wonderful kids and both of my great families! I am also so grateful to my mom who is such a wonderful person and a great example to me. I am grateful to LeeAnn too who is also a wonderful person and great example. I want all my family to know that I love them very much!

Do you love me? Yes or No?

Today Whytli brought a flower home from school for me for Mother's Day and a card that she had made at school. This is a picture of the card. On the front she tells me that I rock, she loves me, I am great, and the best mom ever. On the inside I open it up and it says "Dear Mom, I love you! You are the best mom ever! You are pretty! Do you love me, sign yes or no on this line. Love, Whytli." She had drawn a line for me to sign yes or no and taped a pencil for me to answer her question with. I thought it was pretty cute and really funny. I had just gotten home and got distracted with Nash and feeding him and had Carrie's kids there waiting for me to babysit them so I did not write my answer down right away. Well she asked me a couple of times if I was going to put my answer down. When Brett got home she told him about the card and said that mom hadn't answered her question yet. He did not know what she was talking about until I showed him the card. He got quite a kick out of it. Aren't kids just funny. Whytli always makes the cutest cards, books, letters, etc. So to answer your question Whytli "yes, I love you very much and think you are really cute! Thanks for the great card, it made my day!"

Girls Playing

Now this is a sight that I like to see! Playing well together with no fighting, crying, whining, or telling on each other for every little thing. I just love it when they can play for several hours together and play well like this. And most of the time they do - they are the best of friends. But we do get the occasional fighting and not getting along so I decided this was worth recording and showing how cute they are when they are getting along. They really enjoy playing dress ups, polly pockets, barbies, house and pretty much any little girly thing you can think of.

Nash's Blessing Pictures

These are some of the pictures that Lacey (with Revolution Photography) took of Nash in his blessing outfit. We ended using the first picture below for his blessing invitation. It turned out really cute. We had all the writing in the blank space with the background and it had Nash down in the corner. It made it look like this little doll down at the bottom. I was really happy with how they turned out. She did a great job! Boy blessing outfits definitely aren't as fun as little girls blessing outfits but we did the best we could with what you can get. Isn't he just a little cutie?! I love him so much!