The Crandall Gang

Happy Birthday

2011-09-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

So the big 8....I can't believe she is 8. this year I was a little stressed because we had just gotten back from a trip, school started, i needed to plan her party and the plan her baptism party. I was venting to Jeff one night when Karlee walks in and Jeff says, " Karlee i will give you 50 bucks and take you out to dinner if mom doesn't have to plan a party for you!" to which she replied, "OK!" she chose to go to Fudruckers and the Mattisons came too. when then came home and had a donut cake and played headbands! Happy Birthday sweetie!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!

2011-08-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Oh how I have waited for this day to come. The kids were so ready to go back too! happy learning!

Gunsite

2011-08-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Ganems have a cabin just outside of Prescott so we decided to take one final getaway for the summer. We had a lot of lazy time, which was so nice. The first night we were there we played a song game where you have 2 teams...you write down some random words and then draw. You then have to think of songs with that word in it alternating back and forth. We played moms against kids(dads came up the next day) and we have never laughed so hard. the next day we thought it would be fun to swim in a lake...then Lisa & Tiffany decided to add a hike in the plans....I am not much of a hiker. only because I don't see the purpose in walking around aimlessly. But I was game to hike and end with a jump in the lake. Well there is no swimming in the lakes allowed. We made the kids run up and down the doc and do crazy things and then we attempted to do a jump at the same time....That didn't really work out so well. We met the dads in down town Prescott for dinner and walked around for a while and then went home for more games. The next day the boys loaded up the truck (outside too) and went to the shooting range. We had a great time!

2011-08-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe that these are all the pictures of swimming I have for this summer. We went swimming nearly every day. Karlee and Grady are like little fish and Cole likes to tease from the edge of the pool and occasionally jump in to cool off. We went to The Ganems house every Tuesday and had lunch and swimming with a ton of kids. It was super fun for the adults to lay in the sun reading magazines and having great conversation. But by the time school started I was so done with swimming.

Newport beach

2011-07-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple years that we were able to go to Newport with the Crandalls. It was super fun. The entire Crandall/Harman group went. We had three units with a total of 8 bedroom and 6 bathrooms. There was 44 people in all...yikes! So we just beached it for the first few days. On the first day we saw a huge group of people swim out to where the waves first start to break and realized there were dolphins catchin some waves. so cool! Jeff spent the majority of his time digging holes for the kids. We bought some boogie boards and Karlee sure was catchin the waves. Cole was content to drag his around on the sand with him. He did get the board close to the water and then when the waves would come in he would ever so lightly move. Grady spent most of his time playing in the sand and running back and forth to the beach house and back. It was kind of a nightmare with him because he is such a wanderer. on Sunday Tyson got lost and we had to get the beach patrol involved...it was super scary, but they told us that if we have kids that wander to write their name and a phone number on their hand. So when we decided to go to Magic Mountain that is exactly what I did. Karlee and Cole were tall enough to ride all the ride but 4 and they had a blast. I think they were a little scared on Goliath for a good reason, cause it is pretty intense. Jeff and I switched off in kiddie land with Grady and we didn't loose him. The rest of the week was filled with golfing and deep sea fishing for the boys, and shopping an pedicures for the girls. We finally had a big enough group to have a good game of volleyball and some late night Mafia which was so much fun. The week went by too fast, but was so much fun!

Fourth of July in Heber

2011-07-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Lisa's Family found a great place to stay at for the 4th of july and were nice enough to invite us. It had a big wreck had with a full size kitchen, a master bedroom, 2 full baths and upstairs was a loft with a bunch of bunk beds. then if you walked down the road a little ways you came to 4 bunk house's and 2 full baths. We satyed in a bunk house. It was perfect. We did all the normal festivities...parade and carnival to follow, but the huge bummer was NO FIREWORKS! bummer! we still had so much fun. after the parade we went swimmimg in the lake that was on the property. The kids had a blast jumping off the doc into the water. while i was taking all those action shots, Lisa yells my name...I turn around to find that grady has found a boat and oar and was taking off on his own. what a crazy man! The Grandma's read with their feet in the water and all the kids got boat rides. The quads were also a huge hit. We found some great hills and had lots of fun. what a great trip.

Random summer memories

2011-06-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

It was time to get ready for bed...as i went into the kids room, i found that grady had found himself a nice little place to play the ipod. I walked over to Lisa's to see if Grady had wondered over, only to find him playing games with Brendon. His remote was not hooked up, but he didn't know the difference. The Girls decided it would be so fun to make their own smoothies. They experimented many different things and honestly...not to bad. Grady and my mom have a really special bond. Most every night they read together and i often find them in this position. I Love it! My dad had a lot of curbing put in one day and we caught him in a good mood. He let all the kids (even Roco) put their hands in...we put the names of all the grand kids that weren't there.

last day of school and kindergarten graduation

2011-06-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Lets start with Karlee and her second grade year. She had a wonderful teacher this year. Mrs Workman is a extraordinary women. She has a piano in her room that she uses as a teaching tool that truly works. Karlee came home humming the tune to Welcome, welcome sabbath morning...when i asked her what she was singing i learned that Mrs. Workman had changed the words to teach the 13 colonies. she is a member and uses "firework feelings" to talk about feeling the spirit. Not to mention all the holiday parties and classroom programs. Oh, i could go on and on about her. she was just great and i am so grateful Karlee got to be in her class. Cole Got to be in Mrs. Silveras class. Every parent teacher or even when i would help in the class she just raved about him and his behavior. I Can not believe that he is graduated from Kindergarten.

Fathers and sons

2011-05-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

I obviously was not there so i am relying on Jeff's interpretation...It was up by camp Geronimo. They had a few car problems getting there and back, but thank goodness Jeff is so handy. They were by a creek and Grady was determined to spend all of his time in the water. they loved the tent so much that Jeff said it was the first time ever they were asking him to go to bed. Grady was difficult, but all in all it was a good trip.

Karlee plays soccer.....

2011-05-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

this girls was super excited to play a sport. she has always done dance and things like that but never a sport. She was super nervous at the first couple practices but as soon as she learned to be a little more aggressive she loved it! needless to say we have signed her up again.

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Seriously....what a good looking group of kids! Just a few snapshots in the Easter get ups before church...Grady got a little tired of taking pictures at the end, but I got some really good ones!

Foot Rodeo

2011-04-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

My Mom And dads ward does a foot rodeo every year. Its like a tiny lehi days and it really is so much fun. the main events were the three legged race, which we have learned to never pair Karlee and Cole together again, there was get the ribbon off the goats tail, wheel barrow race...good job Jeff... Horse stick races, there was also the catch the chicken, and all you can eat popcorn, snow cones, and chili. It was a great night!

Cole turns 6

2011-04-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

This boy could not wait for his birthday to come this year. He wanted to do a huge party that costs lots of money...we opted to have 10 boys at the house and play lots of games. My friend Tiffanys daughter has a party planning business ( she is 12) Her and her BFF plan the parties, do the invites, bring the cupcakes and everything at the party...AWESOME!!!! So they decided to do a bunch of games. There was hose head tag...my favorite...they had tights on there head with a ball at the end and ran around trying not to let anyone pull the tights off their head. Then there was egg toss, and find the egg in the balls and even an obstacle course. the boys had a great time and when it got hot...we sprayed them with the hose. it really was a great party! Happy Birthday buddy!!

Wicked

2011-04-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Santa brought the girls tickets to see Wicked in California. They earned money by doing the Cookie Chic's...and the time has come to go! we got a hotel for 2 nights and made a little weekend out of it. We drove up on the actual day of the play. We arrived at our hotel, got dressed up, painted toes, curled hair and we were off to dinner. we ate. Then off to the play....well we got there just as they were about to close the doors so no potty break...we were literally running to our seats in heels! It was just as great as the first time, we loved it. The next day we had a beach day and shopping....does it get any better? We all found some great things. We ate dinner near the peir and then headed back to the hotel for some swimming, well hot tubing. we left the next day and stopped at the outlets on the way home. It really was such a great trip.

Karlee and Kalli carnival spectacular....

2011-03-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

So for like 3 weeks Kalli and Karlee planned a carnival. They had notebooks full of ideas, signs made, and many games planned. The big day finally came and as soon as they got home they started setting up all the events and there accompanying signs. They had a practice run with Hannah and Grady...notice the fishing...he got 1 Doritos! :) i was laughing so hard at that. they also had a cookie walk, ball toss, and sack race. But the main event that was unplanned was a rooster that flew into the pasture and couldn't escape. The kids all watched while Grandpa tried to catch it to set it free ( Grady also tried to "tip toe" over to catch it). With out any success we ended up keeping it and the kids named it Studly Dudley.

THE COOKIE CHICS

2011-03-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

How darling are they? Santa brought these girls tickets to see Wicked in California. Well as time got closer they really wanted some spending money for shopping. So Lisa had this brilliant idea to do a Homemade cookie delivery service. It was a hit! Lisa sewed the aprons and we had a little help with the flyer and we were off to sell. They sold to 17 families! it was a great way for them to earn some money and also to learn the art of hard work.

dont' pinch me!!!

2011-03-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! Its spring break so we decided to take the kids for some good ol' fashioned ice blocking. We heard that it was frowned upon by the city but we decided to take a risk. We sure are glad we did. we made memories there for sure. We had a few bad crashes with a few big tears, but for the most part just fun. the kids decided to make a train which ended badly...so the adult tried and succeeded. Cole was the MVP cause he could cruise down the hill like no other. Near the end i look down the hill only to see the cutest rear end ever...he had to pee! as we were on our last run the grounds keeper came and very nicely told us about the city ordinance so we left. Good times!

GO SAINTS!

2011-02-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

Seriously i have never had so much fun watching football....these boys are great! Cole is having the time of his life cause he is really pretty good. For the most part he gets all the touch downs for the entire game. They have tried him at both quarterback and receiver and he is doing awesome at both. It is helpful that his dad is in the backyard throwing ball to him all the time. every time he scores he kinda looks over his shoulder with a goofy little grin on his face just to be sure everyone saw him. Jeff is assistant coach and i love that they have this fun time together.

Spa Day

2011-02-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

So I walk out back one Sunday afternoon...after my nap...to find that all the kids were having a spa day! Hanna had gotten Lisa pre-school tubs for each kid and then rubbed and painted. Grady was having his own spa day right beside them in a bucket....how fun!

Basketball

2011-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

Cole started Basketball for the first time and he loves it. He is especially excited about getting basketball shoes. The season started when Jeff was still in Colorado and let me tell you it was not easy....practice was on Wednesdays of course cause it made it super hard for me to ever get to mutual on time. Fortunately Jeff came home for good soon after the start of the season. Cole was a good player, but we have learned that he gets very board near the end of the season....who knows?!!! Go Sharks!

Birthday Boy!!!!

2011-01-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New year! Grady turns three this year.....and what a hand full he is. the first thing he said to me that morning was...i don't want my burfday! well we just couldn't have that but we kept it small. Just everyone that lives on the compound and Keely who was nice enough to bring him a gift. We had cake and ice cream and that's about it. He was thrilled and so was I.

2010-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Santa's lap

2010-12-30T14:05:00.000-08:00

so we got to see Santa and sit on his lap twice this year. First at our ward party, Karlee was incredibly nervous to tell Santa what she wanted. we had to coax her up the stairs to get in line. Come to find out it wasn't Santa that scared her it was everybody else hearing what she wanted. She wanted a baby alive and she was afraid people would think she was a baby. We told her to whisper in Santa's ear...It worked! Second was at the Crandall family Christmas party....they each got a present this time so they loved it. Merry Christmas!

Christmas tree time!

2010-12-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much fun it is for kids to decorate the tree. Karlee and Cole were begging for days to decorate the tree so we finally put it up. Its tiny this year cause we don't have a great amount of room, but they sure didn't care about that. Cole insisted on wearing his beene for some reason. they did a great job!

who's party is this?

2010-12-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

So my moms ward had a great ward party scheduled and we decided to crash it! They had 8 tons of snow delivered which sounds like more than it really is. anyway, they had a big kid (youth) side and a primary side. Grady was diggin the sledding. Grandpa would wait in line and then he would run up with him. Grandpa gave him a giant push and he loved it. Karlee and Cole were more interested in the snow ball throwing. It was a great time and i am now all about crashing parties!

Temple lights, 2nd grade musical, and dougnuts!

2010-12-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. Jeff is still up in Colorado and we miss him like crazy. I attempted to take them to the Temple lights with my mom and dad....they loved it for about 10 min and then they wanted to run around like monkeys. so we left! Karlee and Kalli had their 2nd grade musical and Karlee had a solo part. She was so excited and she nailed it! one of my favorite nights is doughnuts and hot chocolate...how can you go wrong with both of those things.

Fashoin disaster, projects and car accidents...

2010-11-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

What a crazy time in our lives. The little thing in life seem so much harder when you are a single parent. First we had fashion disaster...how great do they look? Then i found a buffet table that i have been searching for at the good will for 60.00 and Angela helped me refinish it....so exciting! and finally the accident. sitting at a stop light after a young women's activity i got plowed by a young man who was texting. I was driving my dads truck so the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been, but i had some major whiplash. now we need to work out the kinks in some Physical therapy and work on getting dads truck repaired...fun times!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

This week was super hard as it was the first week that Jeff was in Colorado and it was Halloween....and there were so many partys. I really missed him and so did the kids. I still say that Halloween is my favorite holiday...when else can you just get free candy?

get away

2010-10-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Jeff accepted a job in Colorado that starts in a week. He will be back and forth every so often, so we decided to take the kid s a go to California for a little fun family time. We stayed with Jade, Ty and Peighton. They were great hosts. We had a beach day and a day at Knotts Berry Farm. All i have to say is, it will be a while before i go to an amusement park again! Our kids are still too little. Karlee could ride a lot of them, Cole could ride a few and Grady...well he was just a pain in the rear end the whole day!It was great weather and good company.

Its "POTTY" time!

2010-08-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is the site i get to see quite often these days! good job grady!

happy birthday Karlee

2010-08-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Karlee has wanted to go ice skating for her birthday since about January...so we did! It was quite an event. I cant believe she is 7. we love her so much she is such a blessing in our family.

First day of school

2010-08-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

First day of school....what a day. Karlee is now in 2nd grade and got Mrs. Workman who is the coveted teacher at quartz hill. she is so happy. Cole is starting Kindrgarten and got Mrs. Silvera and i dont know much about her.We took them on the first day, but they now ride the bus which is so great to not wait in the parent pick up line. all in all they had a really great first day and its looking like a great year to follow.

back to school fashion show

2010-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

For Family home evening we decided to do a back to school fashion show with the Mattisons...we made a runway with Brendons skate board ramp and the kids loved it! They are so excited to start school and wear their new clothes...Grady was a pill but finally decided to join in!

Coles Broken Leg

2010-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

So....I was finishing cleaning up dinner when Karlee runs in screaming, "Cole broke his leg!" I should start off by saying I had spent most of the day at the hospital with Josh who was in his first round of chemo..and Karlee has had a huge infatuation with breaking her leg. She even talked my mom into buying crutches from good will while I was at girls camp. So my initial response was.."whatever" well I look out the window and see Jeff hunched over him and the I thought..."you gotta be kidding me!" Jeff was out jumping with all the kids as he does most days and he caught a bounce and came down wrong. apparently it made a cracking noise and was followed by lots of crying. We packed up the car and headed to the hospital. On our way out Karlee was very sad and said, "I wish it was me that broke my leg." It was very traumatic for him until he got some vicadine. then it was pure entertainment. He was super loopy and very funny. It got a splint and we went on our way. 2 days later he got his cast which is all the way to his mid thigh and very red cause that's his favorite color. They said he could walk on it with a boot in 24 hours so the cast could set. He was so nervous so I carried him for the first 5 days and man was that hard. We even had crutches and he was to nervous...I think the pain was still too fresh. now he is a walkin fool on his boot and he very rarely uses his crutches. there is not much that slows him down...no swimming was the hardest. I caught him on the trampoline jumping....what a weirdo! Family walks became a "who get pushed in the wheel chair" fight. Karlee and Cole would share and Grady would just throw himself on the ground. Its kinda crazy he has to start Kindergarten in a cast...so did Karlee. We have started a tradition.

Fourth of July

2010-07-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Oh how we love our trip to Heber for the fourth of July. The weather is great and the fireworks are amazing. we did all the same thing...parade followed by carnival thingy..then a nap and off to the high school to get a good seat for the big show. We had a while to wait so we ate and danced...Karlee held a snake-eek! We always have such a great time with lance and Lisa and their kids...another great year!

Arizona plumber

2010-07-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Who does love a good sunburned plumbers crack?

Singrinocity

2010-07-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

We decided Karlee needed to have a little extra curricular after her breakdown at the beginning of the year so we put her in a Broadway musical class. She loved it. It was a little singing and dancing and she even got a solo...the Lion King's "I'm gonna be a mighty king. she did a great job.

Cole graduates with honors

2010-07-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic preschool graduation by Mrs. Lisa. each of the kids said what they wanted to be when they grow up and Cole chose to be a plumber so he can be with his daddy. Is that the cutest thing you ever heard. Jeff sure hopes he doesn't stick to that. At the practice Grady joined in and took a seat at the end of the row and even got a hat. Good job buddy....now here come Kindergarten!

I love to see the Temple....

2010-07-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I got to go to the Gila Valley open house with the youth and it was so great. it was my first open house I ever attended and I really wanted Karlee and Cole to have this experience. We decided to pull the kids from school early one day and headed up for a quick trip. Mom came with us and we had so much fun. It was for sure a long day in the car but i am happy to know that my kids loved it. they are a little young to understand everything, especially Grady who thought the baptismal font was a small swimming pool as he yelled out..." i swim!" Karlee loved all the fancy chandeliers and wants one in her room. After we walked through we took some pictures and had a race. We are so lucky that a temple is being built right down the street...i wanted a before and after picture...so this is the before and we will have to wait a while to get the after.

My eye feels sleepy...

2010-07-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

The kids decided to have a lemonade stand/yard sale so we set everything up and let them wait for some customers. Karlee comes in to tell me that she got something in her eye...I look and see nothing. She then tells me her eye just wants to go to sleep. we got a wet paper towel and I told her to stop rubbing it. Lisa went out to get some lemonade and Karlee told her the same story and Lisa had the same reply...don't rub it. Well a few minutes later i go to round up the kids to meet grandpa Tom at peter piper. She comes in and this is what I see...Holy Crap! she says" I told you" oh my gosh I began to panic. Jeff comes in a tells me to give her some Benadryl and she would be fine. I immediately though of the movie Hitch and knew she would be fine. She was a little trooper with this big ol' eye doing the jumping jackpot at peter piper pizza. it took a few doses of Benadryl before she was back to normal.

Memorial Day

2010-06-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a bike ride to McDonald's before it

too hot. We first went down to the "hammer lady's"

house and jumped in her pool. (its a house that is

for sale down the street from my moms...it got its

name because she bludgeoned her husband to death

with a hammer.)Jeff to the little ones on the quad

so it wouldn't take as long. It really wasn't as bad as

i thought it was going to be. We ate some lunch and

of course a ice cream cone and headed home. later

we went to max and dawns for some yummy BBQ

and swimming. all in all it was a great day!

2010-06-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Most everyone who know me knows that i love to organize....My aunt came to me with a little project that i gladly accepted. This really is so fun for me. it took about 5 hours and now i a toying with the idea of maybe doing it as a way to earn a little extra money...i don't know that it will ever happen, but i would sure love going to work every day.

THE ELLEN SHOW!!!!!

2010-05-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

oh so much fun! Two years ago Keely gave me a wallet for my birthday...inside was some home made tickets to the Ellen show and she told me she was getting tickets. Fast forward two years and i get a call from her screaming,"we are going to Ellen on April 28th!" so we packed up our families and our bags and made a road trip out of it. We had Ellen on Thursday...we ate breakfast at McDonald's where I almost got in a brawl with some lady in the bathroom...well i go in and right after I locked the door there was a knock. I totally assumed it was one of my kids so I Said, "What?" to which this not so kind lady replies..."whachoo mean what? i"ll beat yo A__!" i was dying of laughter and when i opened the door and explained to her that i thought it was one of my kids she quickly apologized for cussing at me. Needless to say that phrase was used quite a bit throughout our weekend. So we get to Ellen a little early so we checked in and the grabbed a bite to eat down the road. We get back to the waiting area and after a while 2 ladies come out to tell us that they will be coming around to visit with us and if they wanted to visit more they would ask us to go back to the green umbrella. She gets to me and asks if i had ever been there before and i told her I was a first timer. She then asked me how many in my party...and then asked us to go back to the umbrella. There are like 50 people back there. They then move us to a back parking lot and put us in a single strait line (execution style) and they come around again and ask us a few questions. So then they ask me to go over to the bungalow and they would be right there. the girls went back to there seats and I was all alone....they then move about 8 of us to this little room and ask us where we are from and what we do, how many kids, what is our favorite thing about the show...i said Know or Go. after that information they proceed to tell us that if we are to be called up that we have to be willing to do anything...and then they asked us to practice how we would react if we were to be called up. So we did that as a group and then individually (awkward.) we then go over to the studio where the girls were already sitting and as I am trying to brief them...someone comes over to us and moves us. And before you know it they are calling my name and... Yep we are playing Know or go. It was so much fun. The whole audience got an ipod touch and then I got $800 bucks for playing the game. Pretty much me and Ellen are best friends now! the next day we went to Disneyland. The kids had so much fun. it was really busy, but for some reason the lines went pretty fast. We had a lot of fun, we even got to dance in the parade with some of the characters. its probably cause i am famous now. anyways, we ended it with a little stop at the beach which was so cold and Grady referred to it as the B----! it was a really fun weekend for us and i totally want to go back to Ellen.

swim lessons

2010-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

i guess its that time of year again. This year Grady is my only one in lessons....but...he has no fear of the water. In a period of 2 weeks he jumped in the Rockwoods pool..she jumped in fully clothed to get him, and has gone under in lessons countless times. I have jumped in with my tennis shoes, in a skirt, grabbed him by the arm and even Shannon had to get him once. This summer gives me so much anxiety to think of him and swimming. He really loves his lessons and is doing well, we just need to put a little fear in him. Crew has the same class this year so thats always fun too.

foot rodeo

2010-05-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

My parents invited us to go to their ward party/fundraiser and we had so much fun. the had a little bit of horse roping for the audits to show their skills, but it was mostly games for the kids. Cole and Grady participated in the stick horse races, the shoe pile race, and the chicken chasing. There was also popcorn and sno cones, a chili cook off and of course face painting. Karlee had fallen asleep and was not waking up for Jeff which is why you don't see her in any pictures. I was so happy my dad came to help with the boys they had a great time. and my mom won first place for the chili cook off and got a pedicure.

Need help Grandpa?

2010-05-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Where are your clothes boy? I came outside to find my sweet little boy with no clothes an a shovel just helping his grandpa move some dirt. He sure loves living with grandpa and having a lot of freedom!

Birthday Boy!

2010-05-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Another year...its so hard to believe he is 5. This year he really wanted to go to Bounce Jungle so he got to invite a few friends to jump with him for a couple hours. They had so much fun. We brought cupcakes and drinks and asked if we could use one of the tables...the told me it would be fine if I paid $75. WHAT? I only paid $45 for them to jump for 2 hours and you want $75 to sit at a table? So we took our presents and goodies outside on the curb. Good times!

Easter

2010-05-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter. What a fun day. The Easter Bunny came in the wee hours of the night and left some goodies for the kids to find. It was a little different this year because it was General Conference...so no Church. We had a brunch at my moms, with a little hunt to follow and then off to the Crandalls for dinner and another hunt. Karlee found the $5 egg and Cole got $1 and some coins. They all got more candy than they needed but they had a great time.

Another one bites the dust!

2010-05-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Karlee came home from school on this particular day to find that one of her guppies she adopted from her school class had gone to live with Heavenly Father. Oh my goodness the sadness that came out of this poor little one. I had Lance and Lisa's kids and Brendon took the initiative to dig a hole for this fish. all the kids stood around and watched as he worked....goodbye Butterscotch.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2010-03-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

We for sure didn't get pinched today. What cute kids!

Ready, set.....football

2010-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is Cole's first football team and boy does he love it. Everyday when he wakes up..."is it football today?" He is so funny. The first game he scored 2 touch downs and pulled 5 flags. The first touchdown he started running towards me so I had to point him in the right direction. He ran as fast as he could to the end zone and kept on running right up the hill. It gave all the parents a good chuckle. they have to wear mouthpieces which makes them even cuter than they already are. This last game that we had I caught him doing the "I"m watching you" gesture to the other team.. I about died with laughter. He is quite the little athlete. Good job Cole

look mom, no wheels

2010-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Finally- for some reason this was really hard for Cole to grasp. He is very athletic and can do most anything he wants, but he tried and tried to do this and couldn't. the neighbor kid is younger and got a big bike so he ran inside and told Jeff he wanted his training wheels off and he wanted to ride without them. He saddled up and got it on the first try. I should have known that's how it was gonna be. When it came to potty training it was completely on his schedule. Good job Buddy!

Grady turns two...

2010-02-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that my sweet baby is now two. How time flys. He had quite a Birthday. We started off with a walk that ended at the park. Cole had brought his skateboard so they got to attempt the skate ramp-and they did pretty good if I do say so myself. We had a little lunch with a few of his closest friends :) at Chick fil la. He loves him a good ice cream cone. we then went home for his much needed nap and ended the night with the Beaudoins helping us celebrate with a game of T-ball and a giant cookie thanks to April. It was a super fun day for him and he is bringing new meaning to the terrible twos! We love you Grady!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-02-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

We decided to bring in the new year by taking a road trip. We went up to Williams to play in the snow. We started the night with some pizza at a local pizzeria-YUM and then came back for some indoor swimming and hot tubing. The kids thought it was so cool to be swimming and at the same time look out the window at the snow. We settled into our rooms, and began the card games and food. we had popcorn-there was a line waiting for the popcorn as Brendon handed it out, chips and dip- the dip was had stirred with a stir straw from the room and was not easy. Good job Lisa. We even had some sparkling Apple cider. We woke up to Brendon having a migraine and throwing up into an ice bucket- after that he felt much better so off tho the snow we went. Only problem was we could not find a hill to sled down. We drove, and drove, and drove ,and then Jeff hit a berm of snow and we were stuck! we all piled out and tried to make the best of the place we were going to be for a while. It ended up being fine. Lance tried to make a path-that didn't work so some of the kids decided to build a snow man. It was quite good and had no adult help. Lance found a little bunny hill and pulled out the snow board- Yep I did it. it was so fun. Grady didn't like the snow so much, and Cole was just as crazy as ever. All in all it was a really fun trip with the Mattison's and Beaudoins.

2010-01-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time! what a great time of year. This year was super fun. All three kiddos were very excited for all the festivities. It was a very busy time. we had lots of parties and family get togethers. We had the opportunity this year to adopt a family with all the Crandall's. This was a Family with 8 kids and the Father is a Tile layer and had cut of 4 of his fingers which left them at a little disadvantage for Christmas. Joe dressed up as Santa and took in a ton of presents. It was so fun. We then had the Crandall Christmas party at the church because we are way to big for any ones house. that is always a good time to see everyone we don't see all year. Christmas Eve was split with both which next year will be different, I haven't quite figured out how but it will change. It is way too much to do both. Grady got a basketball hoop from Santa and after he saw that he could care less about anything else under the tree for him. Karlee and Cole got razor scooters and MP3 players. We then went to the Mattison's where grady got a shiner on his head. And then it was off to the Crandall's for more Christmas fun and food. all in all it was a great Christmas. Until next year.

Happy thanksgiving

2009-12-04T15:49:00.001-08:00

What a great day of food, family, dodgeball, and pinatas? we had lots of fun this year we spent time with both families and ate way too much. We only had one casualty -Karlee's toe got smashed pretty good. I'm sure she will loose it. The next day we went to Jeff's Dads house for some unusual Thanksgiving activities...Yep fishing for treats(jello boxes and knock off pink and purple crocs) and the a pinata breaking. Fun was had by all and weight was gained by most. Till next year.

moments I don't want to forget

2009-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

It has been a while so lets catch up...

Cole brings this noise maker home from primary and says he made it to make people happy. fast forward later that day we played dog pile on daddy- he pretended to be sad so I said," stop!daddy is sad." Cole jumps up runs out of the room and comes back in playing this lovely instrument and saying nothing. It was so funny like-Okay now everyone should be happy!

Earlier in the month lance, Lisa, Jeff and I went on a date. So we got Garron and Brendon to babysitt... The next morning I find a ton of wet towels shoved in every nook and cranny. I asked Cole what the were for and he simply looks at me and says"oh, those were from our slip and slide." yep the had a slip and slide in my hallway with water and all!

I was laying in bed with Cole and he started talking really close to me and he had some feirce breath. I told him "go brush your teeth" to which he replied..."No can do Mom!"

Cole made this in class and proudly showed it to me and I hear a little voice in his car seat (Grady) say"HOT!" So cute

Happy Halloween

2009-11-03T09:18:00.001-08:00

What a great holiday. you go from house to House getting free candy and lots of it. Sometimes I think that I like it more than my kids! Although Grady got into the grove this year, and by the end of the night he was like a machine. I try to educate my kids on how to more effectively trick or treat. Do they listen? no. Karlee got a blister because she didn't wear the shoes I recommended and Cole ran for the first 20 houses instead of pacing himself. It's like a marathon I tell them every year hoping they will wise up:) Karlee was a witch, Cole was Wolverine and a darn awesome one if I do say so myself, and Grady was a cowboy. We had a lot of fun at Max and Dawns again this year and as if all the Halloween festivities weren't enough Karlee lost her tooth. Cole was playing with a balloon throwing it up in the air and knocked her square in the kisser. it was hangin on by a thread and Max came to the rescue with his dental floss trick. Good times!

Fall Break Fun

2009-10-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lisa had a great Idea for fall break to make it fun for the kids, but cheap for us. So each day we were to do one fun thing.....

Monday- We had a softball game with the Mattison's

Tuesday- Dollar Movie (gforce) and then fun at the mall
Wednesday- made necklaces in the morning, and a camp out at Lance and Lisa's that night. We had a bar-b-que and fire pit. they pitched tents and we even made s'mores. Thanks Lisa

Thursday- not so much for the kids, but they got a babysitter, and me, Lisa and April went to lunch and a little shopping.

Friday- Jeff and I went on a youth trip to the Snowflake Temple (so fun) so Grandma was here when the woke up. they did lots of crafts with her and spent the majority of the day with her. Then Lance and Lisa and crew came to take the night shift. From what I hear they had loads of fun and Uncle Lance even built o fart for them to sleep in.

It was a fun week and now its back to the grind!

Mark Allen Mattison 9-12-09 - 10-2-09

2009-10-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

What a Bitter sweet day. We all know that he is back with his Heavenly Father where he is so happy, but that does not make it any easier for us mortals left here on earth. I wasn't there the night of his passing but my mom told me what had taken place. She sang to him as she rocked him and loved him for the last time..I am a child of God..which was a song he had heard from her every time she visited. Mom got sick the very next day and was told she had the Swine flu. I swear it is the funeral flu cause it was the same thing she had when Sandy died. She even wore a mask on her face too. My dad spoke on the atonement and it was short, sweet, and perfect. Keely sang a song and then the Bishop spoke to us. After the service I brought the kids balloons to release- Halle did not want to let hers go:) Keely asked me to put together aome pictures of Mark to display and I was so happy to do it. I am so grateful for my testimony of the Gospel that I know we will see him again. I know that he is up there with so many people that love him and will watch over him. He willl be missed.

Baby Mark

2009-10-01T21:43:00.001-07:00

Mark had his surgery a few days ago and did very well. He is retaining fluids, but they can't figure out why so he is just a little puffy, but still so cute. He is not doing as well as we had hoped. He kind of took a little turn for the worse, but we are waiting to see if this strong little boy can fight through another battle. My mom has been his little buddy through all of this. spending anywhere from 4-8 hours at the hospital in a day. She stands over his bed and sings him primary songs and tells him how much he is loved. In my opinion, she is really the reason he was doing so well. This is a special little boy.

Irrigation day

2009-10-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to be at my mom and dads on the very exciting first irrigation day. My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. They could do what ever they wanted but they had to stay on the tarp. They had a great time. We promptly went in and took a bath in my moms "swimming pool" tub which just continued the fun. Good times!

miracles really happen

2009-09-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

this baby has taught me a very valuable lesson. On Saturday night (9-19) all my family went down to the hospital where he has spent the first week of his life to say our good byes. He was not doing well and were under the impression that Jeff and Keely were going to have to make the hardest decision of their lives on Sunday. He was not doing well. Every time they took out the tubes to change or clean them he would crash. As we were all sitting there in the waiting room of the hospital we were talking of the inevitable events to come, my Dad piped in and said,"I think you guys are giving up on him too fast, he's gonna pull through." not much was said to that through all of our tears and sadness. On Sunday afternoon they were to meet with the Doctor one last time to see what else could be done. They decided to take him off the EC-MO slowly.....he did great. so they clamped it off for about 30 min...he did great. The doctor was doing a little happy dance and took him in to remove the EC-MO completely and he is now in critical condition, but STABLE! They want to do the surgery soon to push the organs back where they belong. miracles never cease.

night,night!

2009-09-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

This sweet little boy has finally learned how to fold his arms for a prayer. He is so proud of himself. When the amen comes he throws his arms up in the air and yells aaahhh! he makes me laugh. This particular night I put him in his bed got his blanket, which all of a sudden he has an attachment to, and gave him his bottle ( I know he's too old for a bottle) I walked out of the room and said," night, night baby, I love you." and I hear this little voice say,"yuh yu." Oh my gosh I thought I was gonna melt into a pile of goo! He is so sweet and a lot of days gets me through. I thank my Heavenly Father on a daily basis for him.

Batter up!

2009-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

This was seriously one of the funnest family nights. of course we were in great company, but we decided to have dinner together (chicken alfredo pizza) and play softball with the kids. Lance and Lisa and kids came too! I love that our kids get along so well because us adults like to play together! We actually feel very blessed to have such great friends and it is a bonus that they are family. Anyway we played at the park across the street and it was boys against girls. of course we didn't keep score and thankfully the kids didn't care. They caught on a lot faster than I thought they would, but it was great to see Karlee on second showing Lance her infected ear, and Kalli on first doing a hand stand, and Grady for some reason decided to throw a fit in the middle of the field. It was really fun. We ended the night with some brownies and showers!:)

happy birthday Mark

2009-09-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Keely's baby boy is here. He was born with a diaphragmatic hernia. So a lot of his vital organs (liver, small intestines, and part of his stomach) are up in his lungs. He was 7lbs. 8oz. and absolutely perfect on the outside, but so sick on the inside. A few hours after his birth we were told things didn't look good. He was given a blessing, and put on EC-MO which is the last thing they can do for him to try to get his lungs to function properly. they actually had to paralyze him so he would not exert any energy. for me that was the hardest to see him laying there so still and not be able to pick him up and hold him. no one knows at this point what will happen with this sweet baby, we all hope he stays here with us, but Heavenly Father may have other plans for him.

Go Diamondbacks!!!!

2009-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Karlee had her first performance for this year before the Diamondbacks game. It was very exciting. they had it on the feild at the wierdest possible position so we were not able to see her very well. It was kind of a bummer. She had a lot of fun. We stayed for about 4 innings while we at hot dogs and nachos. Cole got to have a spend the night with Noah and thought he had hit the lottery.

Like Mother... like son

2009-09-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wow- this has defiantly been a year of hard knocks for Cole and his front teeth. After the camping trip with the Crandall's where he tried to slide open the cell phone and busted his tooth, I took him in to get them both pulled. I was trying to avoid this moment for quite some time only because I lived through it and hated it. kids are not very nice about it. Good thing he is so cute and really doesn't care what people say- or maybe he is just not still long enough to hear what people are saying. Hang in there buddy- just a few more years until those permanent teeth come in!

Crandall Campout

2009-09-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend. We decided it was time to go camping again with the Crandall side. we had an event full time and the kids were so happy to be out in the woods. we went down to the nearby lake and had a picnic and some fishing, and in a moments notice turned into a swim party. let us not forget about the horny toad that was found who's name became Princess Horny. We celebrated Tatum's 9th Birthday and also learned that Kenny and Marie are pregnant again. good times!

Refreshments for 40!!!

2009-08-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

So I get a call from my Sweet husband who is the weeblos den leader, telling me he needs refreshments for 40 people for the pack meeting that was in about 6 hours form that time. My first thought was to go buy a bunch of donuts, but since we are in a recession, I decided to take on the task of making a ton of brownies. Well I have two very eager young boys who desperately wanted to help. We pulled over a stool for Grady and a counter top for Cole and we started baking our little hearts out. 4 very cute pictures and many hours later I had accomplished what I had set out to do ( even though I had to run them down to the church cause they weren't quite cut and put on a tray) but i swear the next time I get that call it is donuts for sure!:)

Happy birthday Jeff

2009-08-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

one year older and definatly wiser. Happy

birthday I love you.

Young Womens... WHAT?!??

2009-08-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yep- you are now lookin at the new young women's president. Seriously my first response was, "are you sure this was inspired?" Bishop Taylor assured me it was, but some times I wonder. Jeff sure said he would support me quickly, I think he was just happy it wasn't him. Oh man am I nervous. I will keep you pasted on the fun times that are to come.

Cole's first day of "big" pre-school

2009-08-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every big event I make my kids take pictures. Cole is usually impossible to get to cooperate well today was the exception. He was doing all sorts of posses and telling me to take his picture. It was so fun and he was so excited to be in the big class this year. He woke up and came into my room fully dressed with his back pack on. the only disadvantage of being in the big class is that you have to wait until 12:30. He waited the entire day with his backpack attached. We love Mrs. Lisa.

party at the movies!

2009-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I can't really say that I love to give birthday parties, but I can say I am glad it's over! We started by saying she could invite 5 friends and we could go to the movies to see aliens in the attic. Well she started naming Kalli & Hannah, Brynlee, Presley, Amanda & Melanie...well she already reached 5 just in cousins so we said okay a few friends. She goes on to name Sydney, Rylie, Jenisis, and Kalli W. and Ava from dance...&... Macie and Sadie...and...NO MORE! so we ended up with 13 little girls at the movies. They all did really goo and sat through the movie but it was the coming and going and herding of 13 little ones hat made me a nervous wreck. We came back and did presents, cake and Ice cream and topped it off with some dancin fun! The party wound down at about 10:30 and she was pooped. Good times!

Birthday girl!

2009-08-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

It is very hard for me to believe that Karlee has turned six. Its true what they say that the years fly by. It doesn't always feel like that on a day to day basis, but as you look back on it its hard to think where the time has gone. She has all day school now so I thought it would be fun to go to her school at lunch with some McDonald's and stay with her during her lunch. She was very surprised to see me and it was a blast from the past to eat in an elementary school cafeteria. Then she wanted me to stay for recess so I stuck it out in the heat. it was super fun then we went to chick-fil-a for dinner. they had family fun night so there was a face painter and a balloon blower upper and free kids meals and ice cream. How can you go wrong? Happy birthday buggaloo. we love you!

frist grade...

2009-08-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Karlee was so excited for school to start. she was up at 6:15.."mom, is it time for school?" she looked ever so cute in her fancy new outfit and loved to see her cousins there. Sydnee ran up to her and gave her a big hug. It seriously brought tears to my eyes cause I was nervous and I know Karlee was too and for Sydnee to leave her friends and run up to her little cousin was so sweet. Tanner met her over at the lines and made her feel more comfortable too. Karlee's teacher is Mrs. Hayden who is about 3 weeks from having a baby so we got to meet the long term sub which turned out to be Mrs. Ramos who subbed for her class last year when Mrs. Turley died. As I was waiting in a gigantic line to pick her up Shannon calls to find out where I am and to inform me she had Karlee and that she was sobbing cause she couldn't find me. Oh man did I feel like a dead beat parent. Other than that she had a really good first day of school.

Cole's secrets

2009-08-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

So- I was asleep one morning kind of waking up, but not wanting to, in and out of sleep only to suddenly hear the sweet whisperings of Cole... " I KILLED, MUFASSA!" Oh my gosh I thought I was going to die laughing. He thought he was funny for a little bit only to stop laughing to ask me to get up and get him some juice. Now if I want to tell him a secret, he says to me first- Don't say you killed Mufassa. He makes me laugh!

Summer movie fun!!!!!

2009-08-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

this year was actually pretty fun. a lot of the movies we hadn't seen so it was super fun for my kids. not to mention we had Lisa and her 4 kiddos and April and her 4 girls to add to the mix. but the best part for me was my mom was nice enough to take Grady for me! woohoo! that kid does not like to sit or be quiet for any length of time, even for candy. I think the biggest hit for my kids was spiderwick....till next summer!

Wicked

2009-07-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

I got the Chance to go to Wicked the play with Max and Dawn and Kaylie. Let me tell you it was so fun and for a few days later that was all I could think of. It was so good, and so was the company.

Pioneer days Panguitch style

2009-07-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a road trip up to Panguitch for the 24th of July. Laresa and Eileen were there with their kiddos already so it was a fun weekend to go. We pitched a tent in the backyard and my mom and dad took up their trailer. The parade was one of the funnest parades I have been to. we had 2 days full of quads, hiking, and swimming at the indoor pool that we reserved just for our family. It was so nice to be able to be outside and not melt. The kids were outside all day and had a great time. The drive home just about killed us, but all in all it was a good weekend.

Naughty, Grady!!!!!!!!

2009-07-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

My worst fear came to pass today. My darling little boy who sleeps better than my others ever did climbed out of his crib. all I could do was panic! I thought maybe get a net to trap him in, but where can you get those and not get turned into CPS? The crib was already as low as it could go, so I had a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) to take out the spring thingy all together and put year supply boxes down on the floor for the mattress to sit on. It would work both as a storage spot for year supply, and also trap my child in!:) so far so good.

4th of July Heber style

2009-07-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

So we finally got home from California did a lot of laundry, and went to bed. Woke up packed and loaded up to go to Heber for the festivities. We kinda got a late start so we were late for the parade, but we got there in time to see most of it. After that we went to the little carnival type thing they have right after where the kids enjoyed some games and bounce houses. Then we went to where my parents had set up camp and took a much needed nap. We woke up and headed down to the high school which is where we go to watch the fireworks. This year Karlee really wanted to dance by the D.J. so i took her up there and showed her some of my moves. She especially enjoyed the robot, the cha cha slide and of course thriller. she still thinks I'm cool so I have to live it up before she tells me "mom don't dance!" I know its coming cause I said it to my mom:) there was a lot of family bonding Grady would run up to Hallie and rest his head on her lap, but my favorite was Cole wanted a sword that was $7 and i told him to go tell his Grandpa that he was the best and he loved him very much-He did! I never thought he would, but he did it was so funny.anyway great fireworks as always and lots of fun.

Newport Beach

2009-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

We finally made our way back to the beloved Newport. We totally scored cause we called on Friday about a vacancy on Saturday and they took more than half off the price. fortunately we were able to pack in a few hours and get on our way. it was a lot of fun. usually we do multiple theme parks, but because of every ones situation this year we decided to just beach it and go to knotts berry farm. Karlee was able to ride almost all of the big rides so she went off with her dad and cousins. I stayed at camp snoopy with Cole and Grady. they had tons of fun. it was a little warm, but for the most part fun was had by all! We also did a lot of walks down the board walk, and the boys had some tackle football on the sand. My very best favorite part was the daily run to the seaside donut shop:) after all the festivities came to an end, it was really good to get home again.

fathers

2009-06-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Fathers day has come and gone. I have alot of special Fathers in my life. Most important, my husband. He is great. I really wonder how I could do it with out him. i love him so much. and then of course my dad. He acts tough, but he has a tender heart. Grady can get him to do what ever he wants:) As for the rest of those handsome men, they are my brothers. what a great group fathers. between all of them there are 19 1/2 kids. Happy fathers day to the special men in my life.

Happy Birthday Kalli!

2009-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

you can never go wrong with a good ol' fashioned slip and slide. Kalli has her 6th birthday party at the park behind her house. I think this was the first slip and slide Cole had been on and for sure Grady. they had a good time. and of course there was cupcakes and presents. Grady was in his element this day. It was cloudy and very unusual weather for June, so he ran all over this park having so much fun. He and Hallie played so good together. the kids talked me into going down~ let me just say, grass in your unmentionables is very uncomfortable:) It was a great party.

End of the year Dance Recital

2009-06-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

So Karlee had her Dance recital. It was quite the long day. She had so much fun. There were 2 shows and she was in both matinee & evening. the only difference for her was she did her ballet routine in the matinee show. She was in 5 dances in the matinee and 4 in the evening. She was so cute. I know I am a little bias, but she was. anyway, we were there from 12:00 to 10:00pm with a little break in between. You would think that she would have be exhausted, but she was bouncing off the wall. She kept telling me how sad she was that she was only in 4 dances. what a nut. I think she really loved being backstage too. I ran back to help her a few times, and she was having a great time watching everyone behind the scenes. The best part of both shows in my opinion was the DADS DANCE and yes Jeff participated. Him and Guy were very reluctant, but in the end they stole the show. Way to go boys we are very proud of you. Karlee thought it was pretty great too! She had lots of people who love her come and support her. Thanks everyone! Great job Karlee we are very proud of you!

Cole and Noah's first sleepover

2009-06-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

this was a night that Lisa and I both knew was coming because these boys are the best of friends ( when their not fighting) We have told them many times that they can't sleep over until they can sleep in their own beds... I am beginnig to think this is never going to happen. Anyway one night Lisa took all the girls which left the boys feeling all sorts of heartbroken- so we caved. they actually did really good. I put on Bolt for them and made them a bed right in front of the T.V. and they got to have a snack of their choice. It did't take long before they were both asleep. they didn't come into my bed until 3:00am... and their were no tears wanting to go home which is always a good thing.

The red dot theory...

2009-05-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have been much enlightened this past week. You may or may not have heard of the red dot theory, but I was very grateful to be let in on this little secret. It seems that when your kids lie to you a red dot appears on their head that only moms and dads can see. Karlee was overhearing the conversation I was having with the other mom who let me in on this secret, and she was very concerned. She asked me if it was true and I quickly told her, " I didn't know what it was, but I had noticed something." It has totally changed my life. when I know they are fibbing, I just have to look at them and they start laughing. Cole doesn't get it as much as Karlee but it still works wonders. The best story I have is I was driving Karlee home from dance when she very enthusiastically tells me,"Mom! I did a back bend from standing up all by myself with no spotter!" I said "really?" as I turned back she quickly covered her forehead so I couldn't see the red dot and says, "Ya, I really did I promise." All I could do was laugh and then she laughed. It was so funny.

Karlee's Kindergaten graduation

2009-05-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

This was quite the celebration for the kiddos. It was really hard for the parents and teachers because of the obvious absence of Mrs. Turley. Miss Iris was really nervous but did a fantastic job. The kids did a little performance and then we had refreshments. The best part of the whole thing was the day before graduation, the room moms had the kids write a little message for Mrs. Turley and then they attached them to a balloon. Each kid had one to let go of so Mrs. Turley would get a note from each one of these special kids. It was so great to watch the kids release the balloons and watch them go so high. The day could not have been more perfect. It was overcast so you could see the balloons for much longer than if it was sunny, not to mention it wasn't blazing hot. It was a great way for the kids to say their goodbyes to their sweet teacher.

The monkey bar queen

2009-05-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen anything so painful? The girl just can't stay away form the monkey bars. She has had blisters all year long, but these are the worst. Did it stop her form doing them the next day?....No and now we have bloody blisters. We have threatened her with he life if she does another monkey bar until they are healed- I guess we'll see. Oh she got the award at kindergarten graduation for being great at the monkey bars:)

goodbye Mrs. Turley

2009-05-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

After my trip to Vegas I got some really sad news. Karlee's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Turley passed away over the weekend. She was having some headaches and very tired but she was a mother of five and working full time. She thought the headaches were from the heat. Well she admitted to the hospital on Thursday May 7 and was diagnosed with leukemia. She was told it was treatable so they started treatment and her body had a reaction to it and her organs failed. She was put in ICU, and died on Saturday May 16th. She was only 39. The principal called all the families so the kids would know before they got to school. Karlee had so many different questions than when my Aunt Sandy died. She wanted to know how you caught Cancer, and then pointed out that she was 39 and I am 31. I was very sad for her and just explained that she is with Heavenly Father and he Loves her and will take care of her. She was also concerned about her kids. All I could say was Heavenly Father will take care of them. I am grateful that she was in Karlee's life. She was a great teacher and she will be missed. I wish that I had got a picture of her earlier in the year, but I was procrastinating until graduation. I am more grateful to be with my family everyday. I am striving to live each day better.

Vacation Bob!

2009-05-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

This was my first trip away from my kids and husband. I got to go to Vegas with my mom, Aunt Regina and her ex-husband Bob and his current wife Becky. I know that this sounds absolutely crazy, but this situation really works well for these people. Bob currently lives in Vegas and has invited us up many times before only no kids are to come which put a damper on my situation cause I got 3. I had heard much about vacation Bob as apposed to the regular day to day bob...Well let me tell you I love vacation Bob. All he wants to do is spend his money on you. seriously we had so much fun. He got us tickets to see Jersey Boys..awesome seats and a fantastic show. he is quite the dancer so he took us to a casino lounge to get our groove on- yep I even got out there...I felt really stupid, but I knew I was never gonna see these people again. We ate all day long. each meal he was planning where to go for the next meal. I had a really good time but I will say I am glad for my sheltered life. I saw things there that I had no Idea was out there. I missed my husband and kids and the feeling in my home. the spirit does not dwell on the Las Vegas strip. we flew home and I was so excited for my kids to run up and give me a huge hug...Karlee did, Cole kind of a one leg squeeze and my sweet baby-turned around and ran back to his dad. My feelings were so hurt. I guess that's kids for you. you never know what kind of mood they are gonna be in.

A day in the life of my 5 year old DIVA!

2009-05-12T16:12:00.001-07:00

So Karlee is going through a difficult time right now. She is testing her boundaries and is quite sassy. I have never been more humble and open to suggestions, or have I ever spent as much time on my knees about how to parent her than I have lately. Though she is a pain, I still love her and over the past couple weeks she has made me very mad, but She has said some of the funniest things ever... In her Kindergarten class they take turns through the month on who brings the snack for the day. Soon after our recent move Jeff got her up , threw her hair in a pony, and off they went. I usually check the calender often, but come on I had just moved twice and I was a little tiered. So I go to pick her up and she runs up to the car, opens the door and very sternly says," You forgot snack today, WOMAN!" Oh dear, how do you respond to that? I thought I was gonna pee my pants, and then quickly told her to get in shut the door and never talk to me that way again. Soon after that we were in my bathroom talking, and she was lying to me and I knew it. So I asked her,"do you know where liars go?" to which she replied after a brief pause," I don't know...Juvie?" First of all how does she know of this place and second...lets go with this, maybe this will cure her!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start the day. All three rug rats joined me in bed for some quality together time. This was the first Mother's day that my kids actually got into. Every day leading up to the big day they would ask,"is it Mother's day?" they got me my very first IPOD. it is very exciting. Thanks guys. I love you!

This special lady is my mom. I sure Love her. We have always had somewhat of an unusual mother/daughter relationship, in that we actually like each other most of the time:) sometimes we act more like sisters especially when it comes to telling it how it is. I sure am grateful for her and all that she does for me. From what I hear I was not the easiest child to raise, and I am grateful to have her around to help me with mine. My kids sure love her and so do I.

This is Jeff's mom. I am very grateful to her for having my husband, and teaching him to be such a good person in a very hard situation. She is incredibly strong and usually gets her way:) What a great thing to have a day set aside to celebrate these special ladies.

Cameron and Brenda

2009-05-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Another great day! This time was a little harder only because we had just done the same thing 2 days before. they had the reception in her parents back yard and it was beautiful. It was bright and very summery. It brought back a lot of memories of our wedding that was very simple in my parents back yard. my mom was so nice to offer to keep Grady because he did not have very much fun a t the previous reception. so our expeirienc was a little more relaxed. the kids had a great time at the candy station, and Cameron rode up on a horse to take her to the car- The horse was spooked by all the people, and hot wax from one of the candles spilled on the horse so for a minute everyone was a little scared, but all turned out well and Cole was yanking on my skirt to go home. you know it has been a long week when Cole says he's tired.

kindergarten mothers day celebration

2009-05-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Karlee was very excited this day to have all of us be able to go (even daddy). They performed a couple of numbers and then there was refreshments and lots of picture taking. Good job Karlee.

Amber and Sams wedding

2009-05-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Weddings are always such a great time for families to get together. I love to attend Temple weddings where I am reminded of the blessings I have in my life from being married in the Temple. Sam and Amber's was no exception. it was a beautiful day full of family, and lots of it. Food, yummy in my tummy and in Grady's hair (someone decided to smush Cake in his hair and all over his face.) and dancing, Karlee's favorite time especially when her dad dances with her. It is also full of tantrums, mostly from Grady who wanted his bed and Jeff who wanted him in it. and tired kiddos. by the end of the night I was completely done trying to get Grady to stop playing with the lights. He proceeded to wrap himself in them with Mallory at his side. I also bought some Cute shoes for this special occasion, and still have the blisters to show it! Weddings are such a great day, I am truly glad that they are few and far between.

super glue...

2009-05-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

I swear there is never a moment of calm in our house. The night before the double wedding weekend Cole decides to war with the china cabinet at Grandma Harmans and guess who won! Nothing a little super glue can't fix. He was quite a brave little boy.

Dancin' fools

2009-04-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Cutie Tuties!!!

minis learning at the convention

Sydnee Grand prize winner of all minis! awesome job!

Competition time....Shake it!

"That's the way you do it dawg."

Well it was another competition for Karlee. This was a convention too. So the first part of the day they learned little ditties from professional dancers. They had so much fun. They had hip hop, jazz, lyrical, tap and the last one was jazz which was also an audition for a scholarship....Sydnee (my niece) won the grand prize scholarship. she did so good- I was a nervous wreck for her. After that was the completion. Max & Dawn and all the kids were in the neighborhood and came to support and take awesome pictures. Thanks guys! They did a great job, but most importantly they had a lot of fun. Jeff had the boys at home all day and was such a great help. he even unloaded the dishwasher and took them both to the grocery store.:)

Happy Birthday Cole

2009-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm Four!!!!

2 weeks...

So Small...

1st birthday....

2nd birthday...

3rd birthday..Arg!

Four years ago today we were blessed with this small baby with a large spirit. He was 4 weeks early, and so small. Jeff took Karlee on that day to pick out a baby doll so she could have a new baby just like mommy. she picked one that came with a little bassinet, and yep it was just the right size for Cole. Cole is full of life and keeps us on our toes and we love him so much...happy birthday buddy!