TAGGED- this is deep.

Share three of your joys, fears, goals, current obsessions, regrets & facts about yourself... (the directions didn't say to give an explanation, but I wanted to anyway) Then, tag 5 more people & leave a comment on their blog, so they'll know!

Joys:
1. FAMILY- sometimes a joy, sometimes not so much, but mostly joy. :)
2. MUSIC- Hobby, Interest, Joy, Passion- anyway you want to look at it.
3. MY CHURCH CALLING- I absolutely love singing with the kids! Believe it or not, I really enjoy making the visual aids & games as well.
I have a lot of joys in my life, but will refrain from being too sappy. :)

This picture gives me joy!

Fears:
1. The Big Earthquake!
2. Being known as the crazy one in the family (there's one in EVERY family, right?)
3. My kids getting run over by a car, or lost, or kidnapped, or hurt, or worse...
I have more fears that I almost listed, but decided I'll just keep them to myself, thanks... (I want you all to sleep well tonight)

Goals:
1. LOOSE 5 LBS- then when I accomplish that, I'll want to loose 5 more, & on & on...
2. MO-TAB w/ HUBBY- (see you there, Becks!)
3. Become a FOSTER or ADOPTIVE PARENT- (I've had this goal since before we were married- Brett wants to wait for our kids to be older, of course.)
Many more goals as well. (I know you people don't have all day, though)

Current Obsessions: (I have many)
1. That CRAPPY LAWN- every year there's a new problem. Is it too much to want a lush, green lawn, so we can frolick around in our bare feet??
2. BARGAIN SHOPPING! I get a major adrenaline rush every time I get a good deal! (Who cares if we didn't need it? It was on SALE!!)
3. SKIN CARE- not only for me & my wrinkles & acne, but for my children as well. Both boys have eczema- it all just drives me batty!

Regrets:
1. I also regret not finishing college.
2. I also regret not enjoying my youth (childhood, high school, college, etc.)- I wanted to grow up, go figure??
3. Another regret- constantly expecting too much out of Hunter- thereby, inadvertently making him grow up quicker than he needs to (maybe it's not to late to change that one!)

He's only 3, Sarah!

Facts:
1. I like fruity candy (starburst & skittles) better than chocolate.
2. My vision is horrible & keeps getting worse with each kid- I need an eye appointment.
3. Sometimes I break out into a song for no apparent reason.

Okay...I now tag Brandie, Brianna, Holly, Irene, & Winnie- please share with us your deepest, darkest fears, and all of your hopes and dreams!

Calling All Cruisers

As our 2008 summer of fun comes to an end, it's time to start planning for 2009!

We are wanting to go on a Carribean Cruise the last week of January- without the kiddies!! We've been finding some really good deals (like 5 days for about $250 +tax/fees) and just want to send the invite out to all our vacation-loving friends.

If you're interested & think you can swing it, call or email us!!
P.S. Hey grandparents, will you watch our kids? :)

Birthday Party Pics

On Sunday we had Kye's birthday celebration with the family!

One thing I love about summer birthdays, is the endless array of outside games you can play. (My brothers both have August birthdays and my mom is super creative... Think: Food Fight!)

We decided to start out what will hopefully be a lifetime of fun birthday parties, with a watermelon eating contest! Everyone (except the birthday boy) had to eat a huge slice with no hands!

Believe it or not, Kye was not the only one with a juicy red-covered face!

Next, it was time for daddy to help open presents.

I don't know who loves presents more, Brett or the kids. ;)

We have a lot of boys in the family- They were all interested in all of the trucks and tractors and what not...

Kye's favorite present was this cute little book. He's been VERY territorial with this book. When Hunter tries to read it with us, Kye pulls it away! (I guess he can only take so much sharing...)

Kyler's Train Cake

Little did I know, when I started trying to be all cute making home-made birthday cakes for Hunter, I would have to be fair to the rest of my children. (What did I get myself into?)




Kye loved his cake

(I knew he would- he's a major eater- He usually can pack away his own food, plus his older brother's leftovers).

I didn't even get any still shots of Kye eating his cake, so last night we needed to reenact the mess!

This birthday DAY has turned into a birthday WEEK.

Is he not just the cutest little munchkin in all the land?

Baby Kye, My Cutie Pie

Kye's birthday was Thursday, and I've been feeling pretty darn sad about it this entire week...

Why is it with the oldest I was so excited for all the firsts and this one I want to stay little for longer? It really seems like this year has gone by way too fast- faster than any other in my life! I also feel like it's been a lot harder to enjoy all the baby moments with Kye because we're so busy with both kidlets. (Man, if life is this crazy with two, how will it be for the next kid?)
But on a happier note, to celebrate Kye's birthday we went out to Red Robin (he has to love the "Double R" if he wants to be his daddy's son, right?)

We then took a trip to the batting cages/mini golf place that is literally around the corner (funny, we've lived here 5 years and never been before...)

Kye was very interested in the silly hats the boys wore! (Safety looks silly!)
Here's how I'm keeping Kye little for longer:

1) To prevent early verbal skills, we're all using Pig Latin from now on.
2) Forget veggies- Growing big and strong is for sissies!
3)I'll just push him down when he tries to walk.

I'm claiming the right to have my baby be a baby for another year (unfortunately, I think he might have a different idea...)

So, if in the future, I give my five-year-old a binki, you'll know it's because in my mind, he's going to look like this little munchy elfkin forever!

The Next Michael Phelps!

Hunter's first swimming lessons were a hit!

He loved playing "trains," "jets," and "chop-chop timber!"
He was really good at following the teacher's instructions, except for when asked to float on his back. To that, he replied: "I don't want to do that and I don't have to!" (Why am I posting my defiant child's words??)
So, watch out for the 2020 Summer Olympics, we've got a fish on our hands!

Too Funny to Ignore!

I better jot down just a couple memorable things Hunter has said/done this weekend:

(As we're driving, he's looking out the window at the mountains) "Whoa, look! Those people have their homes on top of the mountain!" Also, "Hey look at that beautiful sunset," and "look at that blue, blue, sky!"

(As we were watching the olympics) "Oh I can run that fast, see!" & "I can swim faster than that," & "Oh I can dive like that!" (If we all could only have the confidence of a three year old... well, if adults talk like that they just come across as overly cocky...)

We usually help Hunter say his prayers. Usually he repeats what we say. The past two nights, after I told him to say "I'm thankful for my brother," he just sat there saying nothing. So, I moved on. So did he. (I guess he decided not to say it if he didn't mean it...)

After Brett gave Hunter his "almost time to go" warning, grandpa watched him run outside. Would you believe it?! He sat waiting for us, already buckled in his carseat. (I didn't know he could even open the car door... scary!)

Last week we took a REAL vacation (meaning without the baby- thanks mom)!! We went up to Flaming Gorge again, and despite the fickle weather, had a blast!Hunter had lots of fun with his little friends. (Most of all, I think he was really pleased to have his parents all to himself.)
He especially liked being dressed up by M. :) (Brett's not going to be very happy about me posting this...)Here we have the boys pretending to roast marshmallows.

Memorable Moments:
1) Hunter and M were holding hands on the tube. M turned to Brett and said, "Hey maybe you and my daddy should hold hands too!"
2) Funny kid climbing around on the playground. (Maybe you had to be there for that one...)
3) Even funnier drunk guy on the playground. (So you REALLY had to be there for that one!)
4) Don't you hate it when you pack lightly and then spill jello salad all over your only pair of jeans? (Oh wait, that kind of stuff only happens to me, right?) I'm sure it was a very funny sight when I dropped my plate on my lap!
All in all, the trip was a success! We had a lot of fun! Thanks for the great time guys!

Thank Goodness for Ice Cream!

Here's why:

My day started out as a typical Tuesday morning trying to get out the door (me running around throwing random items in the diaper bag, Hunter singing a song as he S...L...O...W...L...Y puts on his shoes, Kye crying because as soon as I get them loaded up, what do you know?- he needs a diaper change... you get the idea)

So I planned on running a few errands on the way home from Hunter's swimming lessons. One of those included "quickly" getting the check-engine light checked.

Unfortunately, as we pulled up to the pool, the car was smoking.

Double-unfortunately, I forgot to throw my cell phone in the bag (I do it occasionally. It drives Brett crazy. Now I see why). So, I figure I'll just run over to this place that's really close, no big deal.

Tripple-unfortunately, this place was not close to any stores or restaurants. Top that off, the "quick" checkup turned into a 3-hour long process. My kids were pretty good... For the first hour...

Quadruple-unfortunately (yes I'm that cheesy) I also forgot Kye's bottle. (There's a lot to remember when you're packing up for entertaining child #2 while child #1 is busy, and a lot more to remember for when child #1 gets out of the water...)

*Fortunately* I had my little umbrella stroller.

*Double-fortunately* I had some sunscreen in my bag.

*Tripple-fortunately* I also had a water bottle and some crackers.

*Quadruple-fortunately* (I can be optimistic in these situations) after walking about a mile on a busy street, in the blazing hot sun, we saw the beautiful sign for BASKIN ROBBINS calling to us!!

Any time your plans go awry, there should always be ice cream nearby. (No I really didn't mean to rhyme- it just came out that way).

So, like I said, Thank Goodness for Ice Cream!

Kye, Our Late Night Cutie Pie

This was at 11pm (I know, we're crazy horrible parents who keep our kids up all hours of the night... The good thing is this is usually only on weekends, and they sleep in until 9-9:30 in the mornings!)

Weight A Minute!

The Good News:
I can usually loose weight pretty fast if I try really hard.

The Bad News:
I can gain weight even faster without trying.

The REALLY Bad News:
Today I polished off an entire loaf of bananna bread by myself! Everyone beware- tomorrow I'll be carrying an extra 5 pounds of chubbage...

Parades & Ponies (or little horses...)

Last week I posted way too many times and still forgot these fun pictures of the Bountiful parade/carnival. We love this parade because it's in the evening so we don't sweat to death!
We met Brett's parents there and had quite an enjoyable time (not including the part where I almost got in a fight- parades are for children, not teenage punks who spew profanities and push kids out of the way, am I right?)
Hunter LOVED his pony ride! (Only, he kept getting frustrated when I called it a pony. It's a little horse, mom. (Duh!) My three-year old has a little too much attitude sometimes, so it's a good thing he's cute, eh).
Bountiful City sure has done a great job making their festivities a grand event! Where else can you take a non-holiday evening and get a parade, carnival, fireworks, and (mostly) great people all at once?! I just hope they'll give me some royalties on the advertisment I just made for them... :)