Our Crazy Little Life

#2 You're A Rockstar Baby!!

2010-03-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

So, I am kind of slow with my ideas. And I am just starting out......but I am sure having fun being a new Close To My Heart Consultant. Here is #2 on my creation list. You're A Rock Star!

Fun, bright, and uplifting. Great for any little boy or girl.......or big boy or girl for that matter! I can make these into a kit for you to put together.....or I can get you the supplies so that you can make your own creation........or I would love to teach you and your friends how to do this fun stamp resist embossing that this page shows. Click on the pictures to see a better view. :] Leave a comment if you are interested. Make sure you leave a way for me to get in touch with you!

Have a FABULOUS scrapbooking day!!!

*These layouts are made with Close To My Heart scrapbooking supplies.

Close To My Heart Scrapping!! What FUN!!!

2010-03-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

# 1 - So Lucky To Have You

So, it's official! I am a Close To My Heart Scrapbook Consultant. I am so excited! What is this all about? Well, SCRAPBOOKING!!! If you would like to buy scrapbook supplies, then I'm your girl! If you would like to buypre-made scrapbooking kits, then I'm your girl! If you would like to start your own scrapbooking club, then I'm your girl! Keep me in mind for ALL of your scrapbooking needs. In future, I will be getting my own website. But for now, I will be posting my creations to this blog. If you are interested, please leave me a comment with a way to reach you and I will contact you. All pages are made with Close To My Heart stamps & supplies. (Sorry, the pictures aren't the best.)

I have always loved to put scrapbook pages together for myself, but when I moved into my home a few months ago, I became involved in a Close To My Heart scrapbook club. Instantly I was hooked!! Once a month, I meet with my girlfriends and we scrapbook. A CTMH consultant, teaches us new techniques and introduces us to new stamps and products. And to top it off, it's affordable! All I can say is I had so much fun, that I decided that I wanted to do it too. So, now I have taken the plunge and I sell the products. If you are familiar with Close To My Heart, then you know that their products are top notch. I absolutely adore them. Please keep me in mind if you are ever in need of anything. If you would like to know more, feel free to leave me a comment and I will get you a book. Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you! :]

Thanks for your support and business.

This Ones For You Kym

2009-10-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, I have been very relaxed in the blogging world lately. But, I need to do better. This is
supposed to be part of my family journal! Show's how well I'm doing at that, right? So, not that I think any of you are dying to know what's up with me and my crew - I am still going to share with you all anyhow. Be prepared, it's catch up time!!!

A very awesome brother-in-law sent me this picture of my dad's named carved in a tree. He found it south of Panguitch while he was hunting. I liked it alot! Thanks Neil!

So,

speaking of Dad, he turned 4. Yes, he's growing hair and he's reversing in years. We are going to be rich! No, the #4 candle was all I had when Kym, Kaelyn, and Arb brought Mom and Dad out to see my house and where I live. Dad actually turned 85 on the 10th - WOW!!!! So, we decided to celebrate a little early. I love him so much. I am so grateful that he is still here. I loved that he got to see where I am settled. I still yearn for his approval. When he told me that I had a nice home, a nice husband, and nice kids, my heart beamed. Thank you to my awesome siblings who brought them out here. It wasn't easy, but thank you, thank you, thank you! It meant a lot to me.

Jax loves brushing hair. She loved having grandpa and grandma here. Wish they could have stayed longer. She was very excited to show them her room, her playset and all of her stuff.

We visited Mount Rushmore, or Mountain Rushmore as Stetsyn calls it. We went to North Dakota on the truck with Wayne to deliver a load that he had, and on the way back, we dropped down into South Dakota to see this awesome sight. Wayne had been before, but I hadn't, so it was pretty great. My kids liked it a lot more than I thought they would. It's crazy! I always think that I will go on the truck to visit these places, then I won't have to go back. Problem is, I always find stuff that I want to go back for. This area was very pretty, especially since the fall colors were starting to come out. We were in awe that people did this. I would have been too scared to hang down the mountain on cables. Very awesome!!! No magnificent!

This is the Crazy Horse Monument that isn't finished yet. We only viewed this from the road, but it was pretty cool too.

We've made vegetable things. This totally reminded me of Mr. Tomato Man from back in the day at the Dog. I have a picture of him somewhere. But anyhow, Jax had to make a bug out of edible items. So of course, since she loves butterflies - her choice was a butterfly. Stetsyn made his all by himself. His is a spider. He was VERY VERY proud of himself. I LOVE this smile!

Jax did get a little help from me, but her eyes and the grapes were all her own idea. She put on all the colorful fruit snacks on the wings too. We had a lot of fun doing this together and it really entertained us all for like 3 hours. Her teacher told her that it was great!

We grew really long tongues. Don't know what happened, maybe it's something that's going around.

We've hunted, and hunted, and hunted. But yet we still didn't get anything. I think it's going to take us awhile to get used to hunting up here. We need to do some more investigating to get used to the area. But we had fun trying. That's the point, right???

Boy, I love this guy. So grateful that he came into my life when he did. And that I was smart enough to snatch him up. No one else could put up with me. (Am I really posting that????) I guess it's true. Grateful to have a sweet, hardworking, caring man in my life.

Stetsyn had to carry his play shotgun everywhere! He was pretty happy that he got to go walking with dad. I think that we were finally able to teach him how to whisper. FINALLY! Every week at church I have struggled with him, but now I say, we have to use our hunting voice and he usually quiets down. YAY!! He gets it!

Stets and I had to wait in the truck on several occassions while dad would walk. We would get bored. Stets took this pic of me holding his play gun.

Look at those brown eyes and those dimples. He is going to get away with alot by playing up those features over the course of his life. (Maybe I shouldn't write that down either!)

Waiting for dad and watching for deer.

Hunting was not our only hobby, we fished as well.

Dad was pretty patient with us, but we usually got pretty distracted. So, we played with mud, and looked for bugs, and wrote our names in the sand. All in all, a fun pasttime.

Jax played soccer for the first time. She did really great! She scored 4 goals this season. She got an awesome medal for playing. Plus, they gave her a donut and a drink. I think that was her favorite part! She takes after me - loves the food part!

Jax lost another tooth, that's 3!!!!!

Dad and Stets built stuff for our new house.

Jax started 1st grade. Crazy that I have a first grader. She is doing so well and we are so proud of her. She loves school! We just went to her first parent teacher and her teacher said that she loved having her in class and that her reading is currently where it should be by the end of the year. She loves to read and I hope she keeps it up!

We went to a fun concert at the park and got to see Eddie Money and some cool fireworks. My kids were very excited. I love Eddie Money, because Arby liked Eddie Money. I can remember him listening to him when I was probably Jax's age. I have always liked him because of that. So therefore, my kids like Eddie Money too. The only thing that could have made it better is if Uncle Arb would have been there with us. We did get 2 frogs. Their names are Eddie and Money.

After Grandma was in the hospital in July (is that sad, that I am blogging about July????). Anyhow, we stayed with Uncle Arb for a few days. We got to ride horses and feed Uncle Jan's doagie lambs. Can you say SUPER FUN!!! My kids didn't want to leave. Can't blame them. I didn't want to either.

Then, we went to the Gleave Reunion. It was extra special, because we got to stay with Jan's kids in a tent. Uncle Arb stayed with us too. I won't say that I loved the cold, hard ground. But I did love getting to spend some time with these great kids!!! I love them so much. And in our defense, I would never lead them astray - to do such things as toilet papering, shaking tents, etc. We are innocent!

Hopefully, it won't take me another 4 months to post, but I guess if it does - then it does. I guess the important part is that I am writing it down at some point right? These are great moments! And even now, they make me smile. Just think of the smile and tear they will bring in 10 years, when things have changed, and kids have grown, and people have passed. In 10 years, I won't recall what was even happening in these pictures. So, lets all take the time, to write down a little more. Let's all work towards recording these moments and in return, making this time, and these people, and these places immortal.

Some Moments Just Need to be Recorded

2009-08-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in quite some time. Therefore, I have a lot to talk about and update with. However, I was looking back through my pics on my photo card and found a moment that was meant to be etched in time. I decided that it shouldn't be bogged down with a whole lot of other pictures and information - it should get it's own recognition.

1 swimmers cap = $2.00
1 set of ear plugs = $ .80
1 nose plug = $ 1.00

4 "Federation" Boys leading 1 little boy astray = Priceless!!!!
(Check out the pics and you'll understand.)

See what I mean! I figure that they won't like this much. But I also figure that they posed for the pictures, so they'll just have to deal!!!!!

These pics were from when my mom was sick in July. We were all in St. George because she was there in the hospital. To kill some time, my brother, Arby, my husband, Wayne, and my 2 nephews, Jace and Rhett took Stetsyn swimming. Brittany, Alayse, Jaxlen and I ran off to Tai Pan Trading for a little shopping. When we came back, this is what we found in our room. The boys had been to Wal-Mart and had bought swimming supplies. Swim caps and nose and ear plugs. They were all dressed up for the event. Hearing them talk with the nose plugs on was so funny. Maybe no one will think this is as funny as we did. But we thought that it was hilarious!!!! Thanks boys for a good laugh!

(Also,, boys if Jace isn't part of the Federation, after these pics, he should be.)

A Whole Lot of Craziness!!!!!

2009-05-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

So, the last few weeks have been crazy! We found a house that we liked quite a bit out here. We decided to put in an offer on it, just figuring if it worked out then it was right – well, it worked out. I don’t think we were expecting it to happen ‘cause with all the housing issues going on in the world and we are self-employed we have run into several problems getting a loan for a house out here. So, I think we’ve been kind of numb about the whole thing – like it’s not really happening. But we are excited to be home owners again. We close in about 2 weeks. I know, we are probably crazy to be buying in this economy – but we figure that prices out here are SOOOOOO high, that in the end, we are probably doing the right thing by buying when the market is down. We know that we are in the right location. That’s all we know! Everyone we ask tells us that we made a good deal – Who knows???? We tell ourselves we did good and we’ll be okay.

What am I most excited for about a house? You’ll never guess! Yard work. I miss it alot!

Needless to say, between the house and school getting over, traveling south for Jace’s graduation, work and all the other stuff……..life has been busy. Hence, the slacking on the blog. So, prepare yourself for catch up.

Nice dress Stets

In April, Kym’s girls and I went to Las Vegas to watch the taping of the George Strait, Artist of the Decade Award Show. It was AWESOME!!!! (to say the least) – well, it aired last night. Jax, Stets and I watched it and of course they had to get dressed up. They danced and sang. Jaxlen was the boy – in her nice sequined get-up and Stetsyn was of course the girl. Jax said they had to dress that way so that they could dance. Whatever!! But they had fun and it was great to watch the show and to know that we were part of the show. I have such great memories of George Strait concerts, Kym and her family, Stanton’s family, Arb, mom, my other sisters. We have had such good – NO GREAT – times attending his concerts. I will always be grateful for these fun times spent with family and friends. Now, we just have to meet him!!!!! If anyone has any ideas, let us know.

For Memorial Day, we went to Escalante and stayed with Aunt Kym and her family. Jace was graduating from high school, so it was a great excuse to travel down. Wayne got to go with us, so it was a fun little break. We got there Friday and got to stay until Sunday. It was nice to stay for a few days, it made the long drive more tolerable. Below are some pics of that trip.

Stets with his birdhouse. (Aunt Kym, this could possibly be the best $2 you spent that weekend.) He held it for quite awhile on the ride home. Stetsyn is infatuated with birdhouses. It started when he got a little Black & Decker tool set for Christmas, which included a little birdhouse that he could build. One day we went outside and his little birdhouse was shoved into the wire fence outside the trailer house. We asked him why it was outside and he told us it was a bird house and he needed to give the birds a house. Sometimes, we go outside and the birdhouse has fallen and he gets upset and has to put it back up. We are very excited to put this birdhouse up at our new house. His dad is also excited to help him build a real birdhouse at our house too. Needless to say, since then he has loved birdhouses and is drawn to them. So when he saw this one at the craft fair in Escalante, he had to have it. Mom had no cash, so Aunt Kym picked up the tab. Thank you Aunt Kym!!

These were just some pics we took on the Boulder. We had carved our name in a tree in a particular spot on the Boulder approx. 2 years ago so that we could take a picture of it when we went through sometime. Well, we got out and looked, but long story short we couldn’t find it. We got some fun pics though. The Boulder was very pretty. It was rainy and there was lots of water everywhere. We want to go back there and camp sometime. Anybody interested????

That same day, we met Aunt Kim, Uncle Neil, Dixon, and Ruger in Wayne County to decorate Wayne’s brother’s graves and to remember them. We miss them a lot and wish they were still here! It seems like yesterday, they were. J.D. has been gone for almost 7 years! I can’t even believe it. Dustin almost 2. Time flies, it stops for no one.

Seeing Aunt Kim and her family was fun though. We miss them and don’t get to see them much. It’s crazy to see how much those cute boys Dixon and Ruger have grown. They certainly are not babies anymore. We were going to have a little cook out together, but it was so cold we decided to just go to a restaurant. I don’t know why, but I didn’t even take my camera out. So, sorry no pics. We went and saw the Torrey Kiva House. It was a rock building that you could rent and stay in. It was kind of cool. You could walk up on top of it. We met a nice woman from Kentucky there who was renting it for the night. That made me sad for the old days of waiting tables at “the Dog” and meeting people from all over the world. Those were the days!!!

I’m kind of a geek with my camera and every once in awhile I dress the kids up and go take pics, well this is some of the pics I took out behind our trailer in the field. They are by no means perfect, but we had fun.

And last, but certainly not least, is Jax and her tumbling class performance. Jax is part of Tumbling Connection here in Roosevelt. Her end-of-year performance was last Tuesday. She did very well. She is in the beginning class and has learned to do a really good cartwheel. She is learning how to flip too. She can also walk on her hands pretty well. She got a medal for the best in her class for best back bends and spider walk. No one else in her class got this medal, so she was pretty proud. And I have to brag, so were we. I can’t believe how well she does. She isn’t scared like her old mother is about this sort of thing. Tumbling has been very good for her. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and the kids just get to have fun. I loved it when we went to class one day and they had her hooked in a harness that lifted her up off the ground and she got to fly. She loved that! And it was very fun to watch. It’s great!! Good job Jaxee!!

backbend in action cartwheel in action hand walking actionback flipping action

Fun weekend with the Sivils’

2009-05-06T18:14:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we took a trip to LaVerkin to visit Mel and her family. It was great fun! We got to go up into Zion’s Canyon and ride the bus up into the canyon. Uncle Al was the bus driver and my kids thought that this was all pretty cool.

Riding the bus was a lot

of fun. The kids especially loved the cookies we got to eat at one of our stops.

We saw a lot of turkeys on our trip. The kids were quite excited about the turkeys. When we got off the bus, Stetsyn tried to chase them. This picture was of the kids looking at the turkeys.

We had lots of fun – other than the long ride. We look forward to going back again. Thanks Aunt Mel and Uncle Al for the fun weekend.

Birthday Hangover

2009-04-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

So, I feel like I have a birthday hangover! Too much SUGAR, too much CRAZINESS, and too LITTLE sleep. We had fun though – if you couldn’t tell by her cheeser grins. She is a spoiled girl, no doubt about it. I asked her if she felt older and at first, she said yes. But she couldn’t really say how she felt older. When I asked her what was different about being 6, she said, “That I want to be 7.” I guess we are never happy!

So, I’m a little crazy, I know, I know - but I like birthdays - So, I tend to over think things just a bit. Therefore, we started the day off with a candle-topped egg sandwich. My kids are eggheads and they love them. She was thrilled. This is the 2nd year we’ve done this. Maybe it’s tradition now? Yes, it’s a tradition…….maybe that makes me sound less crazy!

Then we went to Jaxee’s Kindergarten class and had cupcakes and juice with her class.

Jaxlen with her good friend and classmate Nora

After school, we kidnapped Jaxlen and took her to a local “malt- shoppe-type” place to eat. It’s called Marion’s. She had a chocolate ice cream soda and you guessed it……..an egg sandwich with pickles.

We watched the neighbor boy, Robert for a bit while his mom worked. Jax got to open her first present then. You will see from the following pics what she received. She loved it!

She got the Sing It Wii game and a Hannah Montanna dress up outfit. She goes in her room and comes out in this.

Needless, to say…….she can walk better in these things than I can.

I know, I know……….Hannah Montanna!!!! I keep thinking she is going to grow out of this faze. But, she still loves her, so I endure.

However, she has been telling her friends that her name is not going to be Hannah Montanna when she grows up. It’s going to be Hannah Strait. Apparently, I must be doing something right?

Then, Uncle Rob’s family came over and we had a pizza party, opened presents and went to the movie Monsters vs. Aliens. It was an okay movie and the kids seemed to like it. Jax received lots of fun gifts from everyone, including an ipod and a Hannah Montanna DS game and doll. But most of all she got lots of fun memories with her cousins, who after the movie, had a slumber party with us. We thank them so much for coming and staying with us!

Brax & Stets

We went for a walk and went to a spot up the road where there’s a little creek and a big culvert. We had lots of fun throwing rocks and getting muddy.

Jayden, Braxton, Stetsyn, Jordan, & Jaxlen

Happy Birthday Jax!!!

I’m glad birthdays are done for awhile! YIPEE!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Jaxee!!!!

2009-04-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

So my girl is 6! On Friday, it’s official! How did that happen? Seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and Wayne and I were trying to figure out how to be parents.

Just some of our favorite things about Jaxee –

*She’s a pretty darn good big sister.

*That she always has a smile and everyone is her BEST friend (or her BFF)

* She’s honest. She tells the truth, even when it’s hard.

*How she sucks her fingers and plays with her belly button at the same time. She’s done that since she was a baby. I know it’s not the greatest habit – but ahh well.

*Active and very independent – always has been and we hope she always will be. She always wants to go for walks or jump on the tramp.

*She goes in her room and turns up Hannah Montanna and sings – wait – NO jams out. But we can’t watch – (but when she doesn’t see that we are watching it is absolutely hilarious.) And someday, she will be known as Hannah Montanna. She has already requested that we change her name to that. We informed her to talk to us about it when she turns 18.

*When she tells a story, one that she thinks is exciting, she gets a twinkle in her eye. It’s just this look that we hope to never forget.

*She loves, of course, Hannah Montanna, music, Stetsyn, swimming, Dad’s big truck, Lita, jumping on the tramp and being outside, reading, Uncle Arby, visiting, tumbling, and playing with friends.

*Her favorite foods are shrimp (much to her dad’s disgust), spaghetti and candy. Best of all, she is not picky!

*She’s just Jaxee! What more can we say? There is no one else quite like our red-headed girl.

We love you Jaxee! More than you will EVER know.

Love,

Mom & Dad

Also, Happy Birthday Kymmie!!!

We love you !!!

The Woes of a Girl with No "I"

2009-04-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have not been deathly ill. I am completely and utterly sane (most of the time). My family is well. No one has died. I am finally getting settled in after our move...........so why, you ask has it taken me 4 months to post? The answer is, my letter "I". Have any of you ever lost a key on your laptop? I have and it's not pretty! Approximately 6 months ago, the letter "I" on my laptop popped off. Maybe it is not this way on all laptops (or perhaps, I'm just stupid) but on my laptop, it would not go back on. We tried and tried and tried, but it would never go back on. Well, I always have wonderful intentions, so my plans were that I would go and get it replaced. Well, needless to say, days became weeks, and weeks became months......and I never got it took in to the fix-it shop. At first I could use the "I" but soon it wouldn't work at all. Then after the first of the year, it got difficult because I was trying to get taxes done and I couldn't do without my computer. So, long story short, I was cutting and pasting my "I" on almost everything that I had to do and it was painful.

Anyways, moral of the story is: You never realize how much you miss your "I" until you don't have it. And I am the queen of procrastination.
However, my problem has been rectified.

So some quick catch-ups for our family:

Easter was a ball. My kids got way too much loot (as usual) and spent quite awhile trying to locate the Easter bunny. If anyone sees him next year, inform him WE DON'T NEED SO MUCH CANDY NEXT YEAR!!!!!!! Mom just eats it. We went on out on the Uinta Mountains and rolled an egg - or threw an egg - or two and roasted a hot dog. The Easter bunny came again and my kids were pretty excited. "Oh my word," and "Holy Cow," were Stetsyn's favorite expressions on this day.

I went to Vegas with Kym and her girls to the taping of George Strait, Artist of the Decade Award Show. It was a lot of fun. I will never be able to tell Kym thank you enough for all that she does for me. She has been the "Ring Leader" on many great trips that are packed with memories. Just a few inside jokes from this trip were Flat Stanley, I'm not drunk, just pregnant.........I SWEAR!!!! and of course the NA love you GEORGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry if you don't understand - but we do!
Tune in May 27th on CBS to see the taping of the show. It is great if you love George like we do!

Jax lost her first tooth - she lost her second tooth not long after. She thinks she's rich since the tooth fairy visited her. Sorry Grandpa, she has informed me that she HAS NOT kissed any boys to lose her teeth!!

Jax 1st tooth

And last but certainly not least - my Stetser turned 3.

I cannot believe that he is 3!

We celebrated by having a pizza party at the park with Uncle Rob's family. He was so excited. Where did those 3 years go?

Stets' Fave things:

Playing outside

His girlfriend - Shara

trampoline

the park

candy

Uncle Arby, Uncle Rob, and Braxton (these are his best buddies, he says)

I love you Stets and I am so glad to have you in my life. You have been such a blessing!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2008-12-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

So, Santa did find us!! Hope he found you too! And dear old Santa, spoiled us all rotten!

Stets got a bike

and a new tool bench (he says he is making a birdhouse for babies) He told me just this morning, "you birdhouse me?" So we made birdhouses all morning. He loves it!!!

Jax got a doll house. I think that Santa needs to check his measurements better next year 'cause I believe we could all possibly move into thisdoll house. It is a little larger than Santa anticipated. Jax also received a DS that she cannot put down! The first thing she said is that now she doesn't have to borrow anyones anymore.

All happy over their loot!

Dad being a transformer.

Another shot of the dollhouse. It's really cute but a little big for our current residence.

Jax got Hannah Montanna and Miley Cyrus dolls! WOW! Was she excited!

Santa's cookies. Jax made most of these all by herself. Check out Santa. His legs and hands got a little singed cause those parts of his body aren't quite as "full" as the rest. It couldn't be that my nice green oven is a big piece of HUD!!!!!

Something magical happened at our house on Christmas Eve. This snowman cheeseball somehow showed up in our kitchen. Jax had seen it in a magazine and thought it was cute. She was very excited to see this at our house. When she saw it, she said, "Oh, something magical has happened."

Stets feeding the snowman.

Christmas Eve in their new jams and slippers.

Stets showing off his cape that attaches to his pjs.

Overall, it was a great day. We were tired but happy. On Christmas when we went to bed, Stets asked if Santa was gone. He is - but the memories of this day will be forever. Hope you all had a great Christmas and hope you all have a wonderful, safe, healthy happy new year!! We love ya all!

Just A Little Shout Out

2008-12-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

Just a little shout out to Alayse who just had her heart surgery repeated today. Sorry I couldn't be there and I am so glad that you are okay!!! Take advantage of those sisters of yours and milk it for a few days!! I love ya and hope to see ya soon!

So I Am Accepting Bribes - CASH ONLY!!!!!!!

2008-12-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

So, this is one of my fave pics that I have taken from this Christmas season. We went to Wayne's Christmas party and Jax and Stetsy received a Santa hat. Well, Stets didn't take his off the whole night and the next morning he put it back on. He loved it and pretty soon, he was telling us that he was Santa. Needless to say, we all, yes even Wayne and I, had to sit on his lap so that he could be Santa. Then he'd pretend that he'd give us something.
So, if you have been naughty and need a good word or two put in with the big guy - I am accepting cash bribes to have your name put on the nice list!!! You only have 2 days left - so hurry!!!!!

2008-12-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

So, I have been a real slowpoke with the whole blogging thing lately!. So here's a quick catch up for ya all! Picture above is Jaxlen all ready for her singing recital. She is striking a pose and Stetsy is being a copycat.

My handsome Stetsor. All dressed up in his Christmas suit. Jaxlen was trying on her Christmas dress and she started to twirl around like a princess. When we put on Stetsy's suit, he started to twirl around. He thinks he is hot stuff in this suit. Which he is, of course!

My pretty princess. She's getting so big and she is soooooooo excited for Santa this year.

All dressed up for church.

All tuckered out after church. Being so darn handsome is tiring work!!!

Making our ginger bread house. Which the other night, when we were eating dinner, Stetsyn informed us that he had eaten all the windows and doors. After close inspection.......he was right. He has eaten all the candy from the doors and windows. At least he fessed up though!

Meeting Santa. Santa came to Wayne's work Christmas party. Neither of my kids were scared of him this year. In fact, Stetsyn was supposed to by like 10th in line to see him and he butted in line and was second. He told him that he wanted a Spiderman toy. But after hearing most of the kids say that they would like a DS, he tried to go back to tell Santa he wanted a DS too.

Happy 50th Old Boy!!!

2008-12-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

So, we surprised him!!!! Yes, that is the best part of the whole deal - we actually surprised him! For those of you who don't know, Arb turned the BIG 50 today. But a little over a week ago, we surprised him with a party. He thought we were getting together for our families Thanksgiving dinner, which we did do. But the real reason for the celebration was Arb. Many friends and family joined to help us pull this off. Special thanks go to "the boys" for helping keep Arb entertained. Special, special thanks go to Wayne for leading Arb on a goosechase. (I luv ya honey).

Even though our kids spoke frequently of Uncle Bob's party......he didn't know.

Even though Brittany announced that the broom would be her dance partner at the dance....he still didn't know.

Even after he pulled up next to the band's vehicles parked in back......he still didn't know.

And it was worth it.......because his reaction was priceless!

I know that he is a bit embarassed because he got a little choked up - but watching him get emotional over his party, still gets me emotional when I think about it.

Who can beat Uncle Bob? No one! No one can hunt raspberries like Uncle Bob. No one takes care of kitties like Uncle Bob. No one likes to go fishin' like Uncle Bob. Nobody dances like Uncle Bob. What would we do without him? We love you Arb - and want you to always know just how much you are loved and needed. You have and will always have a special place in each of our hearts. Not many days go by that your name is not mentioned in our home. Thanks for being the great Uncle Bob that you are! You are always much more fun and patient than us moms and dads. Happy 50th Arb! We love you!!!!!

Arb's fave!! Borderline was there and we danced our little legs off - and we ate a lot too!!! Thanks to everyone who brought yummy food!

Just a few of the party goers. We figure approximately 150 people attended the big night!

The high-flyers of the party! They got the front row seats for the big surprise!

Just some fun pics from the weekend. We rented the old Piute Courthouse for the weekend. It was alot of fun too. We want to go back when we can relax a little more. We highly recommend this place. It's really cool inside and it was alot of fun having most of our family stay under 1 roof together. Even mom and dad stayed in the courthouse. When Kym asked Dad if he ever thought that he'd spend a night in the courthouse, he said, "Well, I thought once or twice maybe in the jail, but not like this."

Yes, this is Karter Code playing his DS under the hammock!

Drinks anyone??????

2008-11-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not just showing you my nice green stove.......

(but it's nice right???)

I was just wanting to show you what happens

when a red-headed monster makes

chocolate milk.

I was in the kids' room trying to get everything moved in. I thought Stets was watching a movie.....apparently he was making a beverage too. He got in the fridge got the brand new bottle of chocolate syrup out and filled a cup almost clear full with it, then he apparently dumped it out. All I know was that the bottle was gone when he got through. He did try to clean it up though. And he obviously had fun trying to make my green stove brown. How could a mom get mad? Especially when he looked at me with his big brown eyes and said, "Sorry". It was the cutest thing.

CHEESE!!

2008-11-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

So this is Stetsyn showing off his CHEESER grin. He does this quite often. He is also sporting a new haircut. He has needed a haircut for awhile now - but I hate getting him one because it makes him look so big when he gets one. It makes me feel a little sad.

I'm glad my kids have each other to fight with, to play with, to get dirty with. I love that they love each other - even if these moments of getting along are often fleeting.

So, I have had a request for me to put up the Christmas Draw List

Here goes:

Karter - Devyn

Kort - Jaxlen

Taylie - Karter

Rayce - Taylie

Kym - Kort

Devyn - Stetsyn

Jaxlen - Kym

Stetsyn - Rayce

Terra - Tempe

Alayse - Danni

Tempe - Brittany

Brittany - Terra

Danni - Alayse

Luv ya,

Terra

Totally Spookable!!!

2008-11-05T09:10:00.001-08:00

So.......totally spookable!! Jaxlen has been using that comment

quite a lot lately. She talks about

bats and vampires and witches.....

and how they are totally spookable!

It makes me laugh because she is dead serious.

Ya know........ As hard as these

days with a 5 year old and a 2 year old

can sometimes be -

I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world -

because eventually, this too shall pass and

then I'm gonna miss it.

S0 - I am grateful to be a mother of 2 little rugrats who drive me BONKERS (no wait) MORE BONKERS - every day!!!

Stetsy laying on the backseat of Wayne's truck eating a Kit Kat. I think he almost ate the wrapper. His dad was not happy to see him eating chocolate in his truck!!!

Betcha didn't know that on Halloween Wayne and I were able to mingle with Miss Hannah Montanna. Our body guard was the Hulk. He whisked us around on his get-away vehicle.......a nice pink Hot Wheels!! It was lots of fun!

The Hulk would stand on the steps of each house and get a piece of candy with all the other kids - then he'd wait until all the other kids were gone and then he'd stand there until the person would give him another piece of candy. I don't know if he asked for more or if he gave them the big brown eyes or what....but it usually worked. Unfortunately, the Hulk gave out about 1/2 way through the 2nd street. He had to be packed and fell asleep almost as soon as he got in the truck.

Miss Hannah was not pleased with the short night of Trick-or-Treating. She would've went all night long I think if we would have let her.

Anyways, Halloween was a success at our house. Other than we have way too much candy, which I will most likely eat most of and gain 10 lbs from it.

Ahhhhh well, I love this time of year!

So, it's been Awhile.........

2008-11-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, for numerous reasons, I have not posted anything lately. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my life, living in a camp trailer, with 2 children and 1 husband. So, I'll just say that due to technical difficulties, I've been unable to participate in the wild world of blogging. But I'm back in the game now and I have a lot to catch up on. I hope that no one is upset that I am posting a picture of children who are not my own.......but some of these pics are too cute to resist!

1: Dad will be P-R-O-U-D of this one!!!!!! No wait - oh yeah!!! I saw him (Ryan) wearing this too. So no big deal Raycer Boy!! For those of you who don't know, this is Tempe's son - doesn't he look pretty it pink?

2: Cake, Cake and more cake for Devers.

Alayse, I just want to take her home with me!

First....the snag!

2nd - Oops! I got caught!!

3: But it led to this - cake - sweet cake!!!!!

Well, I will try and post a little more tomorrow. I am definetely not through on "catching up". But, quite simply, I'm tired.

Luv Ya All!!

Leave Him Alone!!!!! He's Fixin His Hair!!!

2008-10-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Thank God for kids!! That's all I can say! Aren't our days a little brighter by the things they do? A not so great day was brightened by a little boy fixing his hair with, yes......a kitchen can opener. And to top it off, he was VERY upset when I tried to take it from him. He yelled at me, "Leave me alone, I'm fixin' my hair!" Needless to say, I left him to do his business! I, in the meantime, went and laughed with Wayne - one of those really good laughs where you feel it all over. Who knew the can opener was so versatile??????

A Hunting We Will Go.........

2008-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

So - it's been a few days since my last post.......we've been busy! We went muzzleloader deer hunting with Wayne's family. Wayne took a couple extra days off and we spent 6 days in the mountains. It was really beautiful. The leaves were changing and it was just really great to get out in the mountains. Our hunting trip was also a time to remember Wayne's brothers - JD and Dustin - who have both passed away. We miss you boys!

Our kids went with us hunting - they were with us almost the whole time. They had a ball! Stetsyn loved riding on the four wheeler. He'd fall asleep and just kick back on the "bag-thingy" Wayne has on the back of the four wheeler and he would sleep and ride. It actually worked out quite well. Needless to say, we were unsuccessful hunters. But we were successful in the department of fun. We had plenty of that.

Supermodel Jaxee!!

So tired it hurts!

My little Hot Rod!!

Again.......so tired it hurts!!!!

So I Have Been Tagged!!!

2008-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Five Friends Tag-

FIVE

10 Years Ago I.....
1. Had recently met the love of my life Wayne & was in a new, exciting romance!
2. Worked at the Hungry Coyote (what a great place - many great memories there)
3. Lived in Tropic
4. Was driving my cool Dodge pickup that we girls (Alayse, Temp, Britt, Marj & Kal) used to ride around in.
5. Was working at Ruby's Inn at the Car Care Center - a 2 job summer - but it was soooo fun!

5 things on today's "to do" list...

1. Work-Out at the gym (Who knew I would love it like I do????? SHould've stared years ago!)
2. It's Wayne's days off - so enjoy time with him.
3. Get ready to go hunting..... Wayne & I have muzzleloader deer tags. Don't ask me where we will put a deer if we actually get one.
4. Chase Stetser around and try to keep him out of mischief.
5. Go food shopping. (I hate this with a 2 year old!)

5 snacks I enjoy...

1. Diet Coke - too much!!!
2. Chocolate - I really love Reeses Sticks! (They remind me of Britt & the Car Care almost every time I eat one.)
3. Almond Joy candy bars (yet again - chocolate, but I especially love the almonds!)
4. Skinny Cow Ice Creams - they are yummy!
5. Cheetos - those new spicy ones that have the green on the label - they are so yummy! I could eat the whole bag!

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...

1. Make mom & dad's home a place where they could live better and hire a team full of people to help with their care.
2. Pay cash for the home I am trying to build - complete with scrapbook room - fully furnished of course!!!
3. Eliminate debt.
4. Help others
5. Have Wayne work less - spend more time with our families

5 places I have lived...

1. Kingston
2. Escalante
3. Tropic
4. Cedar City
5. Salina

5 jobs that I've had...

1. Waitress, Hostess, Dishwasher @ The Hungry Coyote
2. Maid @ The Bryce Valley Inn
3. Arby's
4. Bakery @ Maverik
5. Billing/Office Manager at doctors office

: Each player answers the question themselves.
At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, t
hen goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

I tag:
1. Priscilla
2. Emily
3. Kena
4. Lacee J
5. Marvalee

Stetser

2008-09-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

So my little guy loves the 4-wheeler. I go outside to find him and if he isn't on the tramp - he's usually on the 4-wheeler. Needless to say, we keep the keys in the trailer! Notice his right hand and the glove. He's a professional! He packs that glove everywhere! He does great 4-wheeler sound effects while riding too! And apparently in the 2nd photo, he is doing some handy work on my home - the 5th wheel camp trailer. We truly are red neck.

Flippin' for Hannah Montanna

2008-09-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

So my kid is braver than me. She loves to do flips on the tramp....... I was always kind of a scaredy cat when it came to that - but not her. She started a tumbling class 2 weeks ago and she loves it. She can almost do a cart wheel already.

So she informed me the other day that she does not like her red hair. I told Wayne. He asked her why? (I think we both kind of thought maybe she was getting teased about it at school or something.) Her reply was because she would like white hair - because if she was going to be Hannah Montanna when she grew up she would have to have white hair. So if any of you would like to meet Hannah Montanna, apparently I am living with the future one - you can come check her out her rendition of "7 Things I Hate About You".

SO TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

So today was a long day!!!! After a LONG ride home from Mesquite, me and the kids were very glad to be home. We got home at about 1:30 AM, which really isn't too bad - but somehow I feel like I have been on a 2-day drunk! Apparently our 3 AM mornings were a little much - even without alcohol! My eyes still hurt, we are all ornery, Jaxlen fell down coming out of school and you would have thought that the world had come to an end. She cried and cried and cried. And of course Wayne chose today to venture to Wal-Mart..........just where you want to go when you are in the worst mood possible.....especially with 2 small children. Ahhhhhh well, it's over with now.

So all you moisturizing girls.....I washed my face the way that ya'all told me to........and my face has been burning ever since. It's not a really bad burning, just an annoying burn. Is that ok???? Is that normal? Just wondering........

Love ya all and miss ya all already!!!!!

School Pics & Little Brownie

2008-09-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

So, today was Jaxee's first time with school pics. This pic is her all ready to go have pictures taken. She was all dressed up in cowgirl gear. Her dad was so darn proud. And I have to admit she was pretty dang cute! We told her to smile big of course. So when she got home, we asked her how she smiled and she said, "I didn't smile real big but I gave it all the smile I had." So I guess we will see how much "she had" when we get pics back.

So, I'm announcing that we have a new addition to our family................................. a dog...........Stetsyn always pretends to be a dog. He gets down on all 4's and attaches the dog's leash to his shirt and goes around panting and barking. He even tried to drink water out of the dog's water dish!!!! He comes over to you and sits there until you pet him on the head. So we thought we should name our new pet. I decided to call him Brownie (because of his big brown eyes) and Jax said that he should be called Little Brownie. So Stetsyn has a double life......one moment red-headed monster......the next he's a pup called Little Brownie. I am happy to say that I am much more happy with this dog than the other dog I own!

My Whiz Kid!!

2008-09-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

So, he'll kill me some day for this photo of him on the pot - but I don't care! I am proclaiming to the world that he FINALLY peed in the potty!!!!!! WHOHOO!!!!!! Maybe we will finally start getting somewhere with potty training this boy. I've been letting him walk around without pants or diaper on and off for awhile and today......he just got it! He calls his unit his dude. He stands up after and gives you stones and says "I ROCK!" He loves his Spidey Undies too.

What a blessed moment in a mother's life! WAIT! He just peed everywhere - all over the couch, his unders.......maybe I shouldn't be too happy.

Jaxee, aka Kindergarten Gossip

2008-09-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm late......but better late than never, right? So Jaxee is an official Kindergartener!! She has been going for a full 4 days now. She has got in trouble 2 days in a row. She even got a note from the teacher on Friday. Apparently, she has the Gleave gene and likes to visit....... which made it so she didn't get her work done, which then led to other children not getting their work done. So if anyone has any advice on how to handle this, then let me know.

Overall, she is quite happy at school. She has a friend, Nora who she likes a lot and already knew from primary. So that is good. She informed me on Thursday that she had found a new best friend. (You should know, every friend is her "best" friend.) She pointed her new best friend out to me. She said,"See Mom, the girl with the hair to her ears". (She had short hair). I said, "Oh that's fun, what's her name?" She told me that she didn't know....she had lost her name.

Stetsyn is doing pretty good with Jaxee gone each day. Anytime we get in the car or do anything that he thinks is "us getting ready to go somewhere" he asks - "find sister?" He misses her. He hugs her everyday when we go to pick her up. He also wants to ride the bus - BAD!!! We have to go every morning and watch her get on the bus. He blows her a kiss as she rides away. He likes going to the gym each morning. He says that he's gonna find his friends.

I DID IT!!

2008-02-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

I am quite impressed......I just built a blog spot! Who knew that it just wasn't that hard? But maybe, I haven't made it to the hard part yet.