Busy, Busy, Busy, Crazy, Busy!!!

One more busy, crazy weekend! Andrew and Kylie had their reception in St. David and so we made one more trip down to the warmer weather this weekend. We got to eat dinner with Misty and her family on Friday night, and then spent the night at Brandy's house in Maricopa. The kids had a blast riding the dirt bikes and the four wheeler on Saturday, and then we made the trip to St. David for the reception that night. We had to be home for church, and so we ended our weekend at about 2:30 on Sunday morning! We are all so sick of driving! Here are some pictures of one more of our little adventures!!!
Mike convinced Katlyn to ride by herself. After just one near wrek that made my heart stop she did awesome!

















I love this one of Bryson and his cowboy boots and helmet. He wouldn't take it off. He's quite the cowboy!

This was the highlight for Gage and Katlyn! Cotton Candy! The reception was beautiful, and the food was awesome!







I think this was Katlyn's 4th or 5th trip to the cotton candy machine.







Carter on the other hand is not a sweets lover. So, he ate pretzels all night. This boy will pass up candy any day. He gets it on a regular basis at school, and always brings it home for Gage. What a nice brother!

These have got to be the cutest boys in the world.









And these are the cutes girls in the world.

Here is the best family picture that we could get. The kids looked so stinkin' cute.







Love this one!!!





All the cousins. This is the best we could do!







This one isn't that good, but it's the only picture I have of Kylie and Andrew. Congratulations guys!




This is Mike, his brothers, and his dad.

Happy Birthday Brandy Jo!

How old are you now? I think it's the big 30!!!!! I love you a ton, and hope that you have a great day!

My Baby is 3!!!! Happy Birthday Gage-O!

I can't believe that my baby is 3. Time has flown by! Here are a few of the things that I love about Gage and things that he does that make me smile!
1. You always say you are sorry!
2. I love your smile!
3. Instead of saying I don't want to, you say "I neber want to." (always with the "b" sound.
4. When you say something funny and we all laugh, you say "stop laughing! I not funny!"
5. You are so nice to your sister and brother about 50% of the time.
6. You hate clothes, and so as soon as we walk in the door you strip them off. Every time!
7. If you have your spiderman p.j.'s on you say "I'm Spiderman" but if you don't you say "I'm not Spiderman. I Gage.
8. You look nothing like me or dad. Several times people have asked us if we are babysitting you!
9. I love all your little kisses.
10. I love all the cute little prayers that you give. I also love that you are patient and let Carter help you when he wants to!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAGE! WE ALL LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Weekend Safari......(Oh, and a wedding too!)

Our weekend was a lot of fun & also REALLY tiring! First, I got to go to lunch with my friends Robin and Ashley. I love getting together with them and just visiting. We all have such busy lives so a few hours every once in a while is fun. We went to the Bass Pro Shop on Friday night with Nana & Papa. Papa had fire training this weekend and so we decided to meet up for a while. The kids got to take a picture with the Rhino and they also got to touch it. They thought that it was really cool! Katlyn and Carter are both excited to take the pics to show and tell. Who needs the zoo?










This is in front of the big fish tank. Gage was not happy about taking this picture. He kept saying that the sharks were going to get him. He jumped off Mike's lap right after that and would not go within' 10 feet of it unless Papa was holding him. There is an elevator behind the tank, and Carter and Katlyn loved that! They rode, and rode it.












Oh the guns! I love shooting. I grew up doing it. My poor dad had 5 girls, and 5 sisters. Not one brother either! I was just fine being the one that did all that boy stuff with him. I would much rather be outside than inside any day. We fished in the snow (so cold), hunted coyotes, hauled wood, built fences (which I pulled down with the tractor!) and we did a lot of shooting. Now that I am a mom and wife, I wish that I would have spent at least a little time learning to cook like my mom. Poor Mike has to go to her house to get good food! So, while Nana looked for some shoes to take on their hunting trip to Africa (I am so jealous!), we all took a few shots! Katlyn was really good! I think she takes after her mom!












Gage just kept pulling the trigger and saying "fire, fire." Notice that he has no shoes on. No, he does not normally walk around in public like that, but I bought them some generic crocs at Wal-Mart, and they rubbed the skin off the sides of their feet. Carter toughed it out!












I love this one of Papa and Gage. Papa would hold the gun where it needed to be and would tell Gage to fire. Gage would yell "fire" and pull the trigger! It was so cute. Thanks mom and dad for putting up with us for so long that night!
On Saturday the Papa family received a new sister in law. We are so happy for Kylie and Andrew. I am pathetic, and did not get any pictures, so if you would like to see a few check out Laura and Jill's blogs. They are way better at it than I am. It was fun to be at the temple with everyone. Mike's parents and their spouses were able to be there with all of their kids. I did not even think about that until I read Laura's post, but I think that is so amazing. What and exciting day for parents, to have all their children have made the choices that it takes to be at the temple.
After the wedding we had a little pre-birthday party for Gage at the pool. It was way to cold for whimps like me, but the kids, Mike, John and Josh got in. I will post pictures after his real birthday on Tuesday. We ended the night with Mike watching UFC at John and Jill's house. I stayed at Misty's with the kids. Although I will admit that I would have liked to watch St. Pier fight. I never thought that I would like UFC, because it is two guys beating eachother up, but thanks to Mike, and our friends Rachel and Shaylar I am kind of into it now. So that's it. We had a long and fun weekend, and now it's time to unpack and go to bed!

I want to be a dentist when I grow up!

Carter went to the dentist today! He had a filling that fell out, and so we headed over to Show Low, and our amazing friend Dr. Hatch, and his assistant Paige fixed it for him. They even let him have a mask and some gloves. He loves them! Out of all three of my kids I would have thought that Carter would have that hardest time at the dentist, but he sat down in the chair and said, "Mom, go out." So, I did and he did awesome. I treasure all the good moments like this!

Our Week in Review!

The warm weather has sort of come, it you count the 30 mile per hour winds ever day, and so Mike is working on getting the back yard ready for grass. The kids loved the bobcat, and all got a turn to ride in it. I was a wreck. At one point I was talking to Brandy on the phone and Carter walked right behind it while Mike was backing up. He saw Carter, but I didn't know, and so I screamed for all the neighbors to hear and shut my phone. Poor Brandy thought for sure someone had died!













I had to post this picture of Gage. He is attempting to potty train, or actually I am trying and he doesn't really care. After 3 pairs of pee underwear in a record 20 min. I told him to go to his room and get some more on. This is how he came back into the kitchen. I want his girlfriend's to see this someday! He makes me so mad sometimes, but he got a laugh out of me with this one.










We rented the movie Water Horse. The kids have been dying to watch it. We are having a cousin movie party tonight with Amy's kids, but I gave in and let them watch it on Wed. This is how Carter and Gage spent the first 20 min. of the movie. (Hidden behing the couch!) Katlyn was a great big sis, and told them that it wasn't scary. It is a really good movie for the whole family.










This was the "stick" that Carter brought home from the "forest" yesterday. There is a huge place accross the golf course that has a bunch of trees and the boys call it their forest. That thing was huge, and he drug it all the way across the green! Thank heaven there weren't any grouchy old men golfing at the time to yell at him! I love how amazing his imagination is!









Our last event was Katlyn getting her hair cut. She was not very excited about it, because she wants her hair to be long, but Tia the sweet girl that cut it made her feel much better about it. Mike whistled at her when we walked in the door, and that was enough to make her LOVE it. I can't believe how big she is getting. It makes me so sad and proud at the same time. She is so sweet, most of the time, and we love her so much!
WOW, Mike just walked in the door from taking Katlyn to school, and filling up the truck with fuel. I can't believe it! $120.00 to fill it up! That is like getting puched in the stomach! Since I am keeping this as sort of a journal for my kids to have I thought that I should put that in here for posterity!

Always the Dare Devil!

Carter is scared of nothing! This is his new trick that his dad taught him. (His dad who is also scared of nothing!)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Grandma Debbie! We hope you had a great weekend at the beach!

Head, Shoulders, Knees & What?

This is Gage's version of the song. He came up with it during family night last week! (Don't forget to pause the music.)

TAG

Misty tagged me and so I am going to try it out, but I warn you, my life is really boring!!!

If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go, and who would you go with
I would go to New York City first, and then to Paris. I have always wanted to go to both places. I am not usually one that likes huge cities, and lots of people, but I feel like these are two places I would love to go to, and I know that I will regret if I never do. I would absolutely take Mike with me. Things like that just aren't the same if he's not with me.



When was the last time you cried?
On Wednesday night. I watched No Reservations, and those types of movies always make me cry.



5 things you were doing 10 years ago 1998?
1. I was a sophmore in high school.
2. Most likely I was playing sports.
3. I was pretty much a little brat teenager!
4. I worked at a hotel from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 serving breakfast, and then went to Greer to waitress for the rest of the day almost every day that summer! (Kristen and I were crazy!)
5. I hung out with Kristen a lot.

5 Things you were doing 5 years ago 2003?
1. I had Carter that year, and we were so excited to have a boy!
2. We built our first house.
3. I was going to school.
4. I was in the Primary Pres. in our ward with some awesome ladies that taught me so much!
5. I told you I was boring. I can't think of anything else!

5 Things you were doing a year ago 2007?
1. We had just moved into our 2nd house, finally!
2. Mike surprised me and took me to Vegas for my birthday to see Phantom. (amazing!)
3. I decided that 3 kids was my limit, even though I always wanted 7. (What was I thinking?)
4. We went to San Diego with the Papa family and had such a blast.
5. Mike and I were that Webelo leaders.

7 favorite hobbies.
1. I love to read! (Mike also hates it Misty!)
2. I love to be outside working in the yard.
3. Volleyball. I get to play once a week, and I play on a city team. It's so much fun, even though I am way too old and slow now.
4. I love to quilt. I have an awesome mom that taught me how.
5. I love my walks in the mornings.
6. I also need to find some new hobbies Misty.
7.

5 favorite foods.
1. ice cream
2. strawberries
3. candy
4. anything mexican
5. my moms sourdough waffles

5 places you've been
1. Las Vegas
2. Niagra Falls
3. Vermont
4. Tennessee
5. San Diego

5 favorite memories
1. My little ones being born. Not much can top that feeling!
2. Being sealed to Mike in the temple for eternity!
3. Going on vacation with my family growing up. We have lots of fun memories. (Like Brandy crying when we put her on the puddle jumper plane in Vermont!) My parents always made our vacations a blast!
4. Getting wood with my dad when it was just me and him.
5. The first time that Mike made an attempt to talk to me! Hilarious! He was so shy.

I tag Vanessa, Rylee & Brittany(both of them)