The Saedi Bunch

Announcing.....

2011-08-09T17:01:00.001-07:00

Celeste Oldham-Donations Please!!!

2011-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I'm excited today to post about my amazing sister in law, Celeste. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was just 19 years old. She married my brother in law, Matt, in July of 2000 as a healthy, vibrant young woman, but within a few months, she was very sick. Within a year of their marriage, she was completely dependent on others and has remained that way for the last 10 years. She has continued to amaze us all with her determination, faith, and above all, her cheerful attitude. She is convinced, as we all are, that she will walk again and that her miracle is just around the corner. She has tried many different treatments, all of which have been extremely expensive and she has seen improvements over the years, but not the big miracle we've all been hoping for. Her mother, who cares for her full time, recently found a treatment in Mexico that sounds like it might finally be the answer they've been looking for. A man in Salt Lake is said to have gone for treatments and now has complete control of his upper body, which he didn't have a year ago. We are hoping and praying that she will have the same results. These treatments, and her continuing care, are very expensive, and we are asking for any and all donations that could be made. Even a very small donation can make a huge difference and would be appreciated more than you could know. I love Celeste so much. Dan and I got married a week before she and Matt and I have always felt guilty that my life has gone on so easily while hers has been so difficult. They would love nothing more than to lead a normal life, have children, and for her to be able to walk. Please help me spread the word. There is a page set up on facebook with a video about her life and a link for donations. Go here to learn more. Or go here to donate immediately. Thank you so much!

about a silly boy

2011-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

This super silly little boy, lights up my life! I realized there are so many funny things about Kellan that I've never posted, so I decided I'd better get them written down before I forget them all. First off, since the picture made me think of it, he is the first of my children to be independent. My 3 older boys have always been content to have me help them with everything and never had the attitude of "I want to do it myself" which can be both blessing and curse. It's minimized the trouble they get into, but it also gets old when you have a 5 year old that doesn't want to dress themselves, see my point? But, Kellan seems to want nothing more than to be like his big brothers. Whatever they do, he wants to do it just the same way. For example, he doesn't like to eat anything that doesn't come with a fork or spoon and is served in a bowl or on a plate. He is not a fan of me feeding him, because obviously he never sees me feed his big brothers. One of his favorite things to do, is play Xbox with his brothers. We have a special (broken) paddle that is his to play with and whenever his brothers play, he leads me to where his paddle is kept and he pretends to play with them, no matter how long they play. He seems to fall asleep in the funniest places lately. And at the oddest times. Below are just a few examples.
Yes, doesn't that look comfy? Laying on Mommy's big ol' pregnant tummy. Well, it might have been for him, but I was suffocating! And below, once again, super cozy. Sitting up on the couch. He is so funny.
Kellan loves loves loves water! And it doesn't seem to matter what form it comes in. Baths, showers, pools, sprinklers, sinks, you name it, he loves it. He has loved baths ever since he was a newborn and the obsession has just grown and grown. I took him and his brothers to the Lehi Legacy pool during spring break and I wish I'd gotten pictures of him. He thought it was the greatest thing ever.
If you've ever heard Kellan talk, you know how funny he sounds. Most of his "play talk" sounds like he's trying to blow his nose at the same time. I don't know why, but he apparently thinks that when you talk, it should come through your nose. It's so funny to listen to. Luckily, when he says real words like "mama", "daddy", "ball", "gank oo" (thank you), "cacker" (cracker), and "baba" he leaves the weird snot sounds out, so hopefully he won't be a weird-o when he's fully talking.

Some of my favorite things about Kellan right now:

When he throws a tantrum, it's usually silent. It's so awesome! We tell him no and he throws himself down on the ground, but he doesn't make a sound. I am crossing my fingers that he keeps this up all the way thru the terrible two's.

He often refuses to drink his bottle when he first wakes in the morning unless I am laying with him cuddling him. He is super affectionate. He loves to give us all hugs and kisses and when he first wakes up, he loves to cuddle. In fact, if he doesn't get his morning cuddles from me or Dad, he usually has a rough start to his day.

He loves my long hair. For whatever reason, he loves to take my hair and rub it all over his head. He's done it so much that I've started playing along. I tickle him with my hair, cover his face with it, or fling it around him and he loves it all.

He would play outside all day if he could. It doesn't matter what we do outside, he just loves to be "out". After all winter of being mostly inside, he is now ready to spend every minute in our backyard. Usually, he is playing in the dirt, until I catch him and make him get out.

He just learned to say "ball" and now wants to play with them all the time. I was walking through KMart yesterday and he saw one of those big cages with giant balls in it and he was so excited. He just kept pointing and saying over and over "BALL! BALL!".

He is a major "Daddy's Boy"! He would like nothing better than to be his Daddy's little shadow all the time. Every day when Dan leaves for work, Kellan tries to put shoes on so that he can go with him. It breaks Dan's heart every time.

Things I don't love so much about him right now: (trust me, it's a small list)

He has discovered the joys of putting things in the toilets-I hate this phase!!!

When he gets mad at me when I'm holding him, he uses his forehead as a weapon. He bangs it as hard as he can into my cheek and it kills! I think some people at the ball park thought I was abusive the other night cuz they saw me getting mad at him, but they didn't see that he'd pulled this little stunt right before.

He loves to walk through my pile of dirt when I'm sweeping. I'm almost done, I've got a nice little pile of stuff to toss in the garbage can, I turn my back to grab the dustpan and guess who I find walking back and forth through the mess? Yep, Mr. Trouble himself. The worst thing is, I can't really get mad at him, because he looks so happy and delighted about it.

I know I'll be adding to this post as more things occur to me, but for now, that is the "Wonderfulness" of my little man, Kellan. I love him so much!

Pinewood Derby Winner!

2011-04-28T10:16:00.001-07:00

Dan worked with Mason so hard on his little derby car. It was pretty disastrous at first. It kept breaking and started falling apart. Then, Dan was adding the weights to it at work using their scale (which was incorrect) and it weighed 2 oz more than it was supposed to, and there was no way to remove the weights. He finally told me, "That's it, I'm done!". So, I said, "Ok, well maybe Kade (my brother who only has daughters) would like to help him with it, since he'll never get to do one himself." Dan looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No, I want to be the one who helps him." And that was that. They got a new kit and started all over again, this time, with much more knowledge and experience to go on. So, last night, we were having a hard time getting out the door. I had kids picked up late from the Day Care, Dan was supposed to get his hair cut, and we still didn't even have the wheels on the car. Needless to say, we were feeling stressed and we left for the race 15 minutes late. I had prepared Mason for the fact that he probably wouldn't win any of the races, because we had no experience at any of this, so he should just be happy and enjoy watching his car race. I just hoped that he might win one of the races they would do, but I didn't have my hopes up high for even that. They set his car up for his first race and imagine my surprise, and his, when he won it! It was so fun to see how excited he was about it, you could tell he was not expecting that. Then, he proceeded to win every race he was in but one, that he lost by a hair. But, when it came to the finals, he won the whole thing, which totally blew us away! Dan is still laughing about it. Mostly because we know it was total luck. We still don't know much about the pinewood derby, but we sure had fun!
I sure love that adorable little "Wolf". He makes my life super awesome!

Projects for Savanna

2011-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, I have a list a mile long of projects that I want to get done before our little Savanna makes her appearance. One of those, was to re-cover my nasty old Boppy pillow. The poor thing was in bad shape when I bought it. I got it second-hand at Kid to Kid a few years ago, and as you can see, it has been through it! Well, that was alright for the boys, but girls can't have ugly things with holes in them, right? So, here is the before....

Don't you love all the holes with the batting coming out? Super classy, huh?

And here is the after...

Now wait a minute my friends, do you see something super cool about this? I sure do. In fact, I'm beaming with pride looking at the picture of it right now. It's a zipper. That's right, I sewed a zipper!!! I have avoided ever doing this on any project for years now, but I found this awesome blog, with instructions on how to do it, and in about 30 minutes (literally, from start to finish!) the whole thing was done. LOVE IT!

Time to change the blog title.....

2011-04-01T08:05:00.001-07:00

because we won't be a family of all boys for long.

Family Pictures-2010

2010-12-01T08:36:00.001-08:00

Family Pictures-Sneak Peak

2010-11-17T06:53:00.001-08:00

If you'd like to take a sneak peak at our new family pictures, go here.

Dan's cousin is an amazing photographer, if any of you are looking.

Enjoy!

Melissa and Doug Giveaway!

2010-11-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I LOVE Melissa and Doug. Firstly, because they make the best kid products and secondly, because it happens to be my Bro-in-law and his new wife's names. Double love.

Melissa and Doug (the ones who make the toys) are doing an awesome Giveaway and I had to share. The winner will receive the Melissa and Doug Puppet Theater and 3 puppets. Melissa and Doug items are so sturdy, and since I started the Day Care, I have become obsessed. Their toys are always the kids favorites. Amazingly, they also hold up to the sometimes 11 kids I have in my care without a problem. I love it!

Go here to check out the contest and enter for yourself.

Little Runner Boy

2010-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Mason's school held a 5k fundraiser last weekend, so I signed up and Mason told me he wanted to run it too. He went running with me a few weeks ago and I was amazed at how great he was, so we both signed up. Bless his little heart, it was definitely a struggle for him at times. The race was at 9am and he didn't eat breakfast before so he was complaining the whole time about how hungry and tired he was, but he ran most of the time and got 2nd place for his age group. I'm pretty sure he was the youngest one in the race.

At the end, I told him to start sprinting as fast as he could, and that I would try to keep up (which I couldn't do) and he finished very strong. Dan and I were both so proud of him! I'm crossing my fingers that I have a little runner in the family that I can run with someday. Hopefully this didn't kill any chances I had of that.

On a sidenote: I've lost about 5 pounds since I started trying to lose weight. I signed up to run in the BYU Cougar Run in a week and a half, so hopefully I won't make a fool of myself there. I'm far from fast, but at least I'm running again! I can fit in my pre-pregnancy pants again, thank goodness (my wardrobe was super sad). I still have about 8 pounds to go though. I just wish it would go faster!

For Paige....

2010-09-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest Paige,

Roses are Red,

My fingers turned blue,

Running in the icy wind with you,

Was too good to be true.

Love,

p.s. I'm not as good at the poems as you, sorry.

Keep your comments to yourself....

2010-08-20T12:59:00.001-07:00

I am posting about weight loss today. I will admit, the only reason that I am posting about this is to give myself some sort of motivation to actually exercise and diet. I feel like I need to know that people know I am trying to lose weight, in order to stay motivated to do it. Because heaven knows, if I slack off and don't do it, you might all come after me, right? (I'm kind of hoping you all said, "yes" there).

Baby # 4 is now weaned and I am ready to start losing some of my baby poundage. I have 10 pounds to be back to pre-baby weight, or about 13 to be where I would like to ideally be.

I bought myself a cute little shirt at Target yesterday, knowing that it wouldn't fit. It's hanging prominently in my closet in the hopes that it will give me extra motivation. It has helped so far today. Even though I'm hungry, I don't feel tempted to break my diet because I desperately want to fit into that cute little shirt! Not to mention the twenty or so others that are sitting in a box in my closet that I haven't worn in over a year and a half.

My diet is "Weight Watchers", which I haven't signed up for, of course, but I have all of my Mom's papers from when she joined a few years ago and I am tracking my points like crazy. I had only eaten fruits and vegetables today until a minute ago when I tallied up my points and realized that I was barely using any at all. I decided to have a little treat and had 13 Cheez-it crackers for a little snack. Working in the Day Care with all of the kids fun snacks is going to kill me off.

For exercise I plan to run, like always. I love running, but I'm also having a hard time being motivated to run knowing that I'm headed into fall/winter. My favorite time to run is early, around 6 or 6:30, but the days are getting shorter, so that's not ideal (not a fan of running in the dark all alone). Not to mention the fact that when I really get running, I want to run for at least 3 or 4 miles a day and I don't have that kind of time because kids start to show up for Day Care at 7:30. Add to that, the fact that I rarely get to bed before 11pm these days, because my house is always a disaster when I come back upstairs in the evenings, and you can see why I'm having a motivation problem, right? I'm going to try to start running in the evenings, we'll see how that goes.

Now, back to the title of my post. If you must leave a comment, please let it be something scary, like: "Get your butt in gear!", or "It's about time!", or "We're watching and you'd better be losing weight!". You MAY NOT leave me a comment that says anything to the effect of, "You don't need to diet, you don't need to exercise" blah blah blah and crap like that, ok? The last thing I need is to feel an extra lack of motivation!!! (did that make sense?) If you can't do it, then KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELF!

Catch-up-YUCK!

2010-08-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

I hate it when I have to play catch -up on my blog. I'd rather just leave it blank, which is obvious from my recent lack of posts. Oh well, here it goes, but in a very very abbreviated version and in no particular order.Well, my cute little Kellan boy is growing like a weed! He is now 8 months and a huge food lover, which is awesome! He's a good baby most of the time, but lately he seems to be working on his two bottom teeth, which has been miserable for us both.
Dan's Mom and Dad got their mission call and they left last week for Boston, Massachusetts. It was a very rough few weeks for me. I love Dan's Mom and Dad so much, but I'm so excited for the people in Boston. They will be amazing missionaries.
Ethan turned 6 at the beginning of the summer and got to have a really fun water party in our backyard. I can't believe how big he is!
Dan demonstrated what a fun Dad he really is by having a sleepover with the boys on the tramp. They all LOVED it.

And, Ethan graduated Kindergarten. He was so darling in his end of year dance. He loved being in Mrs. Montgomery's class and I'm heartbroken to think of him being in 1st grade this year. Where does the time go?

Ok, I feel slightly less guilty now. We'll see how long that feeling lasts, eh?

Day Care Stories

2010-04-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the Day Care has been a huge hit so far. I'm having way more fun than I even imagined I could. The kids are so fun and good and we have been doing some super fun things together. Here are just a few examples.

Here we are enjoying some "art time". Their paintings turned out so cute!

And here we are enjoying some "dramatic play" with our dress-up trunk. Aren't they adorable?

Day Care Items Needed

2010-04-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! The Day Care will be ready to start in a few weeks and I have a few items that would be super awesome to get. I can make do without them, but it would be very helpful to have them. Here they are:

If anyone has any of these items they don't need or want to get rid of, I would gladly take them, or buy them if they're super cheap! It doesn't matter if they are in rough shape, I would be happy to sand and paint them if necessary!

Bookshelves, Entertainment Center, Toddler Beds/Mattresses, Play Kitchen Items (dishes/food), Children Sized Table/Chairs, Outside play equipment, Kitchen items (pans, pots, etc.), Rugs, Toys, Etc. Thanks!!!

Spread the word.....

2010-02-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

I am starting a Day Care in my basement. If you happen to know anyone who needs a day care, or who might be interested in switching Day Care's, please send them my way! Here is a blog I set up to give some info while I am working on getting licensed. I should be ready to open it up in April.

Thanks!

p.s. Dan and his brother Matt designed me this cute logo, isn't it fun?

GOING UN-PRIVATE....

2010-02-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

You weren't expecting that one, were you?

Well, you can add me back onto your automatic feeds, because I'm going to put the fun back into blogging!!!

Funny Aidan

2010-02-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

On our way to Kaylen's Baptism on Feb. 6th, Mason and Ethan both had little coughs and were coughing in the car. Apparently Aidan felt a little bit left out, because he told us, "Mason and Ethan have the coughs, and I have the burps."

This little angel....

2010-01-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

slept 8 1/2 hours last night! I am so in love with this little boy!!!

Thanks Gina for the picture!

Watch him grow...

2010-01-23T20:10:00.001-08:00

The poor boy was super jaundice and had to be on the bili lights 23 hours a day for 2 weeks! Here he is, getting ready to go back in. Luckily, he liked them, because it was so warm.

This one "cracks" me up. (get it?) -I'm such a dork!

World's cutest baby, with the world's saddest face!

What a goofy face, but man, I love it!

Isn't he getting chubby?

Delivery/Hospital Stay

2010-01-12T08:16:00.001-08:00

From the moment this little boy was placed in my arms, I have been in absolute heaven! He is such a wonderful little baby boy and we have loved every second of having him in our family.

OK, so here is the birth story. The Sunday before Kellan was born, I started showing signs of pre-ecclampsia. My blood pressure had already been too high at my last several appointments, then I woke up and my hands and face were swollen. I had pre-ecclampsia with Mason, so I'm at higher risk to get it again.

So, we headed in to labor and delivery and after a few hours, they sent us home because my blood pressure finally started to go down, and all of my tests were negative for pre-ecclampsia. Then, at my Dr. appointment on Tuesday, Dec. 1st my blood pressure was up really high again and I was still swollen so my Dr. decided that she didn't want to take the risk of keeping me pregnant, so she had me walk across the street to the American Fork Hospital and they admitted me. Luckily, I had guessed that there was a good chance that all of this might happen, so I had my hospital bag in the car already.

I called Dan while he was at work, and he hopped in the car and came to meet me. While he was on his way, I started to get really nervous. I had had them go ahead and get me hooked up to my IV, but I wouldn't let them give me my pitocin until Dan arrived. Dan came, and I had him give me a blessing, because I was getting super scared and that calmed me down a lot. Being the super big wuss that I am, I got my epidural just about 30 minutes after they started my pitocin, which was great. My epidural was such a good one this time. I could still feel all the pressure, and maybe just a hint of pain, but nothing really painful.

At about 10pm I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. The Dr asked me to give her a mini push just to see how things might go, then she prepped me for delivery. So, on the next contraction she told me to bear down. I started pushing and she was saying, "Wow, I think on the next push, he will be out." and I was thinking, Give me a break, you can't have a baby in 2 pushes. But, sure enough, on the next push his head was out and with one more small push, he was here! It was so great!!!

My poor little man came out super bruised though. They even had to put a sign in his bassinet that said "I am bruised" because he looked like he was turning blue from lack of oxygen. The next day and a half went smooth and we were able to take him home on Thursday morning.

He got to visit with lots of fun people in the Hospital. Grandma Hubbs came to visit him, and brought along his brothers for their first glimpse of him. So did Papa Gary and Papa Levor. Grandma Oldham had a cold, so she didn't want to come and risk getting him sick. Jim and Megan also came, bringing us an awesome baby blanket!

Isn't he perfect? I love this little man!

Funny Boys

2010-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

After Christmas, we were driving in the car, and Ethan asked Dan and I, "Why do we have to put up Christmas decorrections?"

For Mason's birthday, we took the kids to Pirate Island Pizza in Orem, and as we were leaving Dan told the boys to come put their coats on. Ethan got a really confused look on his face and said, "Dad, we already have our clothes on!". We got a kick out of that.

Every Sunday, when we take the sacrament, Aidan likes to put his cup back in the tray (in one of the small holes) and then he says, "This is the big one." I think he says it because he used to try to put it back in the big center hole, but Dan and I started making him put it on the end, because he would spill some of his water into the other cups (eeww). So, I think he says it to make himself feel better that he can't drop it in the middle.

Aidan really wants to be the "boss" at our house. I've told him several times that he is not the boss, he is just bossy. Well, he has taken that to mean, that he is even better than the boss, because every time Mason and Ethan tell Aidan ,"You're not the boss, Aidan!", Aidan says, "Yes, I BOSS-EE". And then he looks at me and says, "Right Mom, I boss-ee." and I laugh and say, "Yes, you're bossy, but not the boss."

Aidan has apparently confused the words "dance" and "sing", because every time music is on, he starts dancing like crazy, but he says, "I singing".

Kellan Eric Oldham

2009-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here he is! Kellan Eric Oldham. I'm a little bit biased, but isn't he gorgeous??? He was born on December 1st at 10:16pm (which was the day I was hoping for). The delivery went awesome, and we are both feeling great and are so happy to be home! Kellan is living with a bili-blanket right now, while we try to get rid of his jaundice, but other than that, we are doing awesome. Dan and I (and the boys) are so completely in love with him!!! I'll get into the delivery story another day, but I thought I should at least post a few pictures in the meantime.

HOORAY!!!

2009-11-24T09:10:00.001-08:00

Check out the floating baby to the right! I'm 37 weeks, bedrest is officially over!!! Life is good! My house is actually somewhat clean for the first time in about a month!

Kid Quotes

2009-11-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

Ethan:

One day, Ethan was sitting at the bar, eating lunch and drinking his milk. He turned to me and said, "Mom, I know where milk comes from." So I said, "Where?" and he said, "cows". I smiled and said "good job buddy". Then, a minute later he asked, "Mom, why do cows pee milk?". I got a good laugh out of that while I explained a few more facts about cows to him.

Aidan:

Aidan has started saying the most random things. One day, Dan was telling the boys that they needed to learn to "wipe" better, because they keep clogging our toilets. So, being silly, Dan started to do a little demo on Mason (with his clothes on, of course). Well, apparently Aidan thought it was pretty great because when Dan had finished explaining the process, Aidan said in the most excited voice, "Dad, that was AMAZING!"

A few weeks ago, Aidan got into trouble for something, and Dan was threatening to spank him. As quick as could be he said, "Just give me one more chance!!!". Dan and I laughed too hard to discipline him after that.

The other day, Aidan and I were leaving Sam's Club and when we got to the car, I had us both wash our hands with antibacterial. He asked me, "Mom, why we need this? Cuz us got germs?" I laughed and said, "Yes, we have germs on our hands from being in the store, and we don't want to get sick." Then he said, very happily, "Now us won't die!". Apparently I've scared them a little too much about the dangers of germs, eh?

Our first visit from the Tooth Fairy

2009-11-18T10:07:00.001-08:00

Well, my cute Mason boy finally lost his first tooth last week. It's kind of a sad story, but I know it will just make us laugh really hard someday. His tooth had been really loose for a week or so, and his grown up tooth had already come in behind it, so we knew it would be coming out soon. Well, one day, he came walking in the door from the bus with his cute cousins, Shalyn and Logan with him. He was holding a bloody paper towel to his mouth and crying. Apparently, the mean girl in his class (he's told me about her several times before) punched him on the bus and knocked his tooth out. To make matters worse, his tooth was completely lost. That was the thing that he was really upset about, he was afraid that the tooth fairy wouldn't come because he didn't have a tooth to put under his pillow. I explained to him that the tooth fairy knows he lost a tooth, even if we couldn't find it, and that we would just leave her a note under his pillow explaining what had happened and that everything would be just fine. Luckily for us, it all worked out. Mason woke up to find this note from the tooth fairy, along with a crisp dollar bill. He was so happy!

Halloween-2009

2009-11-18T09:57:00.001-08:00

Pay no attention to the fatty in the wheelchair! Dan was so cute to wheel me around all day while the kids did their trick or treating.

This was my favorite part of Halloween. My sister, Saesha and her husband dressed up like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and his "wife". I would never have pictured Saesha in an outfit like this, but it was a HUGE hit. People stopped them every few feet to tell them how much they loved their costumes. It was hilarious. The best part about it is, this costume couldn't be more out of character for Saesha. She is the sweetest, cutest, most adorably amazing woman you could ever meet. It just made it that much funnier.

Look at my cute little nieces and nephews. I love Halloween most because of the fun we all have together!

HeeHaw Farms

2009-11-18T09:48:00.001-08:00

Dan and I went with Ethan's Kindergarten class on their field trip to HeeHaw Farms. I was so happy to have Dan come with us, he always makes everything more fun!

Grass....

2009-11-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Who ever would have thought that something as simple as grass could make you so happy?

I'm breaking the rules......

2009-10-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Please don't tell Dan! The time has come during this pregnancy for me to be "down". I snuck upstairs for just a minute to check my emails and spend just a few minutes enjoying my computer and the change of scenery. I am supposed to be sitting on my couch in front of my tv for a solid 14 hours of every day. I take a quick break from this routine to lay on my bed for about 9 of those hours while I sleep, then the whole thing starts over again. Sounds like fun, eh? Just so you know, the extra hour of the day is spent going to the bathroom and grabbing the kids some food. Dan has been awesome though, he is so much help, I don't know what I would do without him! My Mom has also been fantastic, stopping by to help straighten up whatever new disaster the boys have created, bringing me food and helping me get laundry and dishes done. Oh my, what would I do without awesome family. The funniest part about this bed rest, is that it hasn't even been sentenced on me by my Doctor (yet), Dan is the one who has forced me down after a bunch of weird pains I've had this week and LOTS of contractions. Oh well, only a few weeks, and then I will have my little boy in my arms!!! I seriously can't wait!!!! Hope everyone is doing well! I think I will make Dan set up my laptop on a tray by the couch, so I'm not so super bored!

Ethan's 5th Birthday

2009-09-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it happened so fast, but my cute Ethan boy turned five on May 31st!

Here he is with his brothers and cousins, Shalyn, Logan and Spencer. We were actually in Oregon for his birthday, but we couldn't do a whole lot of celebrating then. So, we had a mini-party for him at home a few days later.

I love the look on his face here, he was so stoked about his Spongebob cake! I love this little boy so much! He is growing up way too fast!

My Summer Surprise

2009-09-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

So, to keep up with the recap of the summer, when we got home from our Oregon trip, I had a fun little surprise waiting for me. Our ward split while we were gone and I was called to be the Primary President in the new ward (Spanish Highlands). The hilarious thing about this is that it didn't really scare me at the time, but if I had known then, what I know now, I would have been shaking in my boots!!! I feel so bad for all the times I've been in Presidencies and totally taken the President for granted! I swear, that is probably the biggest reason that Heavenly Father gave me this calling, to help me understand all of the stress that those women went through! Anyway, that was one part of our fun summer. Luckily, I was just getting over my morning sickness when they called me, so at least I didn't have to deal with that as well.

Summer Recap-Oregon Trip-The Beach

2009-09-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Beach in Oregon on Dan's Birthday. We went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory first, of course, because it's everyone's favorite stop, and then went to this fun little beach with lots of wildlife.

Here is the real reason I go to Oregon. To see this beautiful girl and her wonderful family! Oh my, I'm missing them like crazy right now!!!

My cute Mason and Ethan, enjoying the water.

The whole crew, even Kade and Sara were there!! The first time Kade has been to Oregon since we moved 13 years ago!

My cute adventurous husband, loved searching for this little guy in all the rocks. Isn't he adorable?

Quick Announcement......

2009-07-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

I should post the ultrasound pictures along with this, but I'm in a rush today, so I'll get to it later. We are having a..............................................................................................................................................

BOY!!!

Heehee, four boys! Is that craziness or what? I was actually about 100% positive already that it would be a boy, even though pretty much no one agreed with me. I think it's official, Dan isn't capable of making girls! Oh well, these boys really are fantastic, so I can't complain one bit. And even more important, he is a very healthy looking little boy, and that was the main highlight for me! Dan of course, is the proudest Daddy in the whole world. He told me after the ultrasound, well Babe, I guess now we know, there is NOTHING girl about me. I should be mad at that, but it cracked me up!

Oregon Trip-Part 1

2009-07-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

In June, quite unexpectedly, we went on a trip to Oregon. My best friend's brother was getting married, but I didn't think we would be able to go, because Dan's work was so busy. But, he surprised me and we decided to go ahead and go anyway!

Look at the boys, this is how they looked during the entire 14 hour drive! Glued to the XBox. I never thought I would say this, but THANK HEAVENS FOR XBOX!!!

About an hour from my hometown of Forest Grove, we passed by Multnomah Falls. It is so gorgeous, but even though I've passed it hundreds of times, this was the first time I can ever remember stopping to actually see it up close.

Isn't it gorgeous? Dan took these fun pictures of Mason (they were the only ones willing to hike up where it gets you pretty wet)

You can see our camera lens just kept getting wetter and wetter.

Thanksgiving Point

2009-07-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

For the last day of school, I decided that we should celebrate, so I took the boys to the Children's Garden at Thanksgiving Point. Dan was out of town that day and the last thing I wanted to do was go sit at home. I'm so glad that we went, I never would have realized that they had such a fun place for kids to play.

They have this awesome water park/play area. The kids absolutely LOVED it.

They also had a bunch of fun little adventure places to explore, like this Lighthouse, which we could climb up inside of.

The water park was the main highlight. Most people had their kids in swimsuits, but I hadn't been planning to go play in the water, so my kids just started shedding their clothes as the day went on.

Ethan apparently got hit by a fountain and felt a little picked on.

Mason would have stayed there all day if he could have. As it was, we were there for about 6 hours.

They had some fun building block things too.

We left, and picked up Wendy's, and then came back. Once you pay, you can leave and come back all you want, it was so nice!

I don't know what they are doing here.

They explored the bear cave.

And the bear tunnels.

It was such a fun day, we will definitely be going back soon.

Mason's Kindergarten Graduation

2009-07-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here is Mason with his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jenkins. She was such an awesome teacher, we both loved her!

Here are my three little monkeys.

What a showoff!!

Here is Mason performing his "Singin in the Rain" dance with Sydney from his class. He was so cute, but as you can see, his teacher didn't remember to pin his pants, so he had to hold onto them so they didn't fall off, poor kid! He still did a great job though!

Ethan's Preschool Graduation

2009-07-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ethan had so much fun at preschool this year and we had so much fun watching his cute little program at the end of the year. Ethan loves to sing, so it was awesome to watch him sing his little heart out at graduation.

Mason's First Soccer Game

2009-07-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mason played his first season of soccer this spring. He was so cute and so into it. He was a great runner, he's pretty fast. He was also great at kicking the ball towards his goal, but he would always get a little overwhelmed when he got close to the goal, and then he would lose the ball.

We also noticed that he has a tendency to fall down a lot (on purpose). Anytime he got jostled the tiniest bit, he would just flop on the ground.

Kindergarten soccer was hilarious to watch. Every single game we had kids trying to score a goal in the opposing team's net. Dan and I laughed so hard.

Here he is, gearing up for action! I love how intense he looks here.

Good Cop?

2009-07-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

One day I was sitting at my computer, and Aidan came up behind me and when I turned around, this is what I saw..........

.........and this is what he said. "You unner arress!"

Baby #4

2009-06-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, here is the scoop on Baby #4. I know in a few years I will have forgotten all of the little details surrounding this pregnancy, so I want to write it down and make sure I have it saved. Beware, this could get really long and boring!!! So, Dan and I started "trying" for number 4 last spring. Much to our surprise, we had absolutely no luck until January of this year. I got pregnant sometime around the end of December and found out around the beginning of January. We were so excited. I made it to my eighth week (or right around there), and then went in for an ultrasound to find out when my exact due date was, only to find that the amniotic sac looked empty. The Ultrasound tech assured me that it was probably just too early to see anything and that I would just come back next week. Needless, to say, I didn't sleep at all that night and by morning, I was a total wreck. I knew that the baby should have been big enough by that time to see, so I was pretty sure I knew what it meant. I spent the next week totally freaking out and then had my second ultrasound and blood tests which confirmed it, I had miscarried. At that point, I had pretty much no hope anyway, because my sickness had rapidly started to disappear within the last 24 hours. I was so upset. Almost a year of trying, three weeks of being sick, and now I had to start all over again! The Dr. gave me my options, and I chose the D&C, because I knew my emotions couldn't take waiting for it to pass on it's own. I needed to have it done with and behind me. So, I went in for a D&C the next morning, which was actually quite wonderful. I woke up from the best sleep of my life and barely had any spotting when it was over, just some mild cramping. The Dr's recommended that we wait 3 months before trying again, and I was happy with that because I felt like I needed some "me" time. I started running a few weeks later, and was really enjoying it again. Then, about 4 weeks after my D&C I started feeling so tired that I could hardly get out of bed in the morning. Running at 6am was out of the question, I was just too exhausted. I didn't think too much of it. Well, about two weeks after that, I started having some of my classic early pregnancy symptoms (sore breasts, lots of fatigue, sensitive smell and gag reflex). I took a test and was amazed to see it turn positive. When I told Dan we were both pretty subdued, but still happy and excited. We were both scared it would end the same way the first one had. So, I waited a few weeks, and the nausea came (yippee skippee) and then waited a few weeks more to make my Dr's appointment to find out my due date. I obviously didn't have a period between my miscarriage and this pregnancy, so I didn't have any solid ideas on a due date. So, I went in for my ultrasound, absolutely terrified. To make things even worse, Dan was supposed to come with me, but couldn't. I was already tearing up on the way up in the elevator. I didn't want to have to face it alone, and all my recent memories of my Dr's office were not happy. But, I went in and laid on the little table and as soon as the ultrasound started, I could see that beautiful little baby, with it's heart going like crazy. She turned on the sound, and I started to cry, it was the best sound I have ever heard. I can't even begin to describe how relieved and overjoyed I felt! What an awesome blessing! Since then, everything has been going great. I'm 13 weeks now, and the nausea is starting to fade, and I'm starting to get some good energy back. I still have moments where I feel sick, but they are mostly at night, when I am tired. My house is finally starting to feel clean again and my bed has been made every day this week (a true miracle!!!). I had a Dr's appointment a week and half ago and everything was looking great. Now, with all of this that's happened, can you blame me that I honestly don't care one bit whether it's a boy or a girl? A girl would be fun, because obviously we don't have one, but I will honestly be just as happy about a boy. A healthy baby, that is all that matters!!!

How loyal of a follower are you???

2009-05-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have to wonder how many people loyally follow my blog, especially when it goes through months of no updates. Well, I am about to find out just who is the most loyal, even when I am way lame. So, here is my excuse for being a terrible friend, horrible blogger and just plain lazy and useless lately......

9 weeks 5 days

due December 16th 2009

Let the comments begin!!!!

p.s. I know I'm biased, but I think this is the most beautiful ultrasound picture I've ever seen. I can't stop looking at it!!!

Temple Open House

2009-04-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here is our trip to the Draper Temple Open House (forever ago!!!). We had such a fun day. The boys absolutely loved the Temple and they've talked about it a lot since.
I think one of their favorite parts was getting to ride the bus to the Temple.

LOVE vs. HATE

2009-03-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

5 Things that I HATE:

Weather that won't make up it's mind!

Knowing that I've hurt someone's feelings! -there is no worse feeling for me!

Cleaning my plantation shutters-can you see the dust??

When my kids get sick!

Having to replace the toilet paper roll!!!!

5 Things that I LOVE:

Babies!

My adorable family!

A facial at the Azalea Day Spa in Pleasant Grove!

My job!

Watching re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond while I fall asleep at night! Ahhh, that really is heaven!

What do you love and hate??

Chain of Love...

2009-03-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jana, posted this on her blog and I participated with the promise that I would keep the chain going. So here it goes...The first five people to comment on this post will get something in the mail (or hand delivered) from me. My friend promised something homemade, but I can't guarantee that, so it might be semi-homemade...who knows? It will be though, I can promise that. The catch is that if you are one of the five to comment, you do have to post a similar post on your blog. This keeps us all busy and thinking of others. Hope you decide to participate!!! P.S. In your comment, let me know if you would prefer something "scrapbook-ish" or "sewn". Thanks!

FInally....the TRUTH!

2009-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this story as I was signing into my Yahoo account and I wanted to share it with all of you. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am one of those totally gullible people who truly believes what they see. Even though logically I know that photos are airbrushed and photoshopped, I still can't help trying to look more like them (losing battle, let's be honest!). This is Kim Kardashian, I guess someone made a mistake when posting this photo online and instead of using the photo-shopped version, they used the pre-photoshop picture. I couldn't believe all of the little details they changed in the picture! Not only did they thin her legs, and remove the cellulite, they also thinned her arms, waist, fixed her hairline and many other things! No wonder we all have low self-esteem!!! We don't know PHOTOSHOP!!!

SOLD!

2009-03-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I have closed my first Real Estate deal, and even more thrilled to announce that it was for my own property! The townhouse is SOLD!!! I am a happy woman!

Navy Belle Hubbs

2009-03-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here is my newest niece, Navy Belle Hubbs. She was born on January 6th, 2009. Her blessing was yesterday and it was so much fun. Isn't she gorgeous?? Her parents are Kade and Sara Hubbs. Her sisters are Makayla (almost 6) and Sage (2 1/2).The kids all had so much fun playing on Mom's little wiggle bikes, but imagine our surprise when while trying to get all the grandkids to smile for a picture together, we saw BJ come flying past us all on one. It was hilarious. As you can see, he didn't exactly land gracefully.Here are all of the grandkids on the Hubbs side of the family. We're getting pretty big, huh?All the cute little girls were so sweet to give Aidan rides on the wiggle bikes. He loved it.Here is my adorable little Lu-lu (Saesha's little girl). Isn't she gorgeous?Saesha and I were talking and eating when Sara's brother in law pointed out that we were wearing the same shoes. We got a big kick out of it. It's kind of freaky how often Saesha and I end up doing things the same things. We actually both saw a painting at a restaurant that we liked (at different times, and not together) and we both took pictures of it thinking that we might be able to copy it ourselves. Saesha was telling me about this cute painting she saw at Jaxies and I started to laugh and said, "wait, is it the one with the bird?" and she said, "yes, I loved it so much I took a picture of it." and I laughed and grabbed my cell phone and showed her I had done the same thing a few weeks ago. Sometimes it's spooky. We did buy the shoes together ($3 at Old Navy!!!), but we certainly weren't planning to wear them together.

BIG BOY

2009-02-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know exactly how it happened, but somehow, he just potty-trained himself. It was like a miracle. I honestly thought that the stories you heard about kids potty-training themselves were just urban legends, but as it turns out, it really can and does happen. I am the very lucky recipient of one of those amazing children. I should have posted it forever ago, because he's been in "Big Boy Undies" for a month and a half now. He is so fun, and I am so thankful that he is such a little smarty! I love him in underwear too, his little bum is so fun to pinch!

Here are some of the funnier things Aidan has said and done over the last few months.

Today, we were in the car and I had one of the kids tapes playing. An annoying song came on and Aidan said, in a snotty voice, " I hate this!", to which I said, "Aidan, please talk nice!" and he said, "Ok, Mom", then in a very soft and "nice" voice he said, " i hate this." Apparently he thought I didn't like the "way" he said it.

He is way into being "naked". If his shirt is off, he instantly starts to run around saying" I NAKED-MAN". Apparently he's one of the slightly less well known of the super-heroes, but his powers of making me laugh are unparalleled!

Earlier this week, I overheard him in the next room, playing with his "guys" and telling them very heatedly over and over again, "That not fair! THAT NOT FAIR!!!". I think they had it coming personally, those "guys" never seem to play fair!

Today we had a friend come over to play with Ethan after school. Her name is Sydney. Aidan and I were on our way to pick Ethan and Sydney up from preschool and I was explaining to Aidan that Sydney would be coming over to play. Aidan is struggling quite a bit with his "His vs. Hers and He's vs. She's". It's hard to get straight when you only have brothers. So, I told Aidan that Sydney was coming home with Ethan and Aidan said, "Sydney? Him's coming to play at my home?" and I said, "She's coming to play." to which, he said, "She's Him's coming to play at my home?". I was laughing, but even harder when after 10 minutes, I still could not get him to repeat it the right way. He is such a nut!

His latest thing he says all the time now is, "I don't wuv you Mom." and then almost instantly, "I do wuv you Mom." Shoot, I love this kid!

Want a Real Cinderella for your daughters Party?

2009-02-25T12:46:00.001-08:00

Check out this link, my good friend Janeece dresses up like Cinderella for Birthday Parties. She is literally the cutest thing on earth!

Cinderella Princess Party

The Funniest Valentine

2009-02-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

My brother's (Koby's) little girl (Kaylen), who is 7, typed this Valentine letter for her Dad without any help from anyone. My Mom came downstairs to find this letter printed out. I thought it was hilarious!

Mason's 6th Birthday

2009-02-24T21:32:00.001-08:00

I am so far behind with my blogging, I don't know if I will ever truly catch back up. But, I have to try at least, right? Here we are back on December 27th, 2008. Mason had an awesome 6th Birthday. He was so so spoiled, he had 3 parties. For years I've felt guilty about the poor kid's birthday being right after Christmas, so this year, I decided to make sure it was all about him, and it really was. He had about 15 friends and cousins over on the big day for a super fun Batman Party. Mostly they just ran around like maniacs, but they also played a few games and ate some pizza and cake.
Lori gave me this game idea and it was so cute. The kids drew a picture of Mason and decorated it, then played "pin the nose on Mason".
Here is Ethan, being the "loner" as usual. He's so funny, he doesn't do well with crowds, but he warmed up to it eventually.
Here they all are, eating their pizza and waiting for the cake.
After cake, we also had a ton of fun with a Transformers Pinata (they didn't have a Batman one at the store), but I was too busy helping with it, so I didn't get any pictures.
They gathered like mad-men to give Mason his presents. They were all shoving and yelling, wanting him to open theirs first. It was so cute.

How cute is that? Mason lucked out that Gene-Boy and Bennion were here for Christmas, so he got to have them at his party.
Here is our family party, which we had the next day, on the 28th. Our Oldham Family Christmas Party ended up being on the 27th after Mason's friend party, so we decided to have the family party the next day, when things had calmed down a little bit.

Do you think he likes it? heehee.

Here is Party #3. It's kind of a tradition in my family that we have the kids parties at Chuck E Cheese, which the kids love and most of us adults do too.
Here is my cute Dad with Aidan.
This picture of Ethan cracks me up. He looks so serious.

My cute Mom and Dad picked up this cake for Mason on the way, because I was running to late to get one.
All in all, I think he had a pretty awesome birthday. 3 parties, tons of presents, and lots of cake.....what more could a kid ask for? I love this little boy. He is such an awesome kid!

I LOVE SPRING!

2009-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

I think that this is a turning point for me. Fall has always been my favorite season, but this year, I think Spring is going to take the lead. I know we're still not really out of the winter weather yet, but the weather today is so amazingly wonderful that a blizzard striking tomorrow couldn't wipe the smile off my face, because now I know, that Spring really is coming!

Christmas Day

2009-01-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

Trip to the North Pole

2009-01-05T09:51:00.001-08:00

We took a little trip to the "North Pole" this year and got to see Santa Claus! The boys were so excited. Well, that is they were all excited, and then we tried to put Aidan on Santa's lap and he freaked out.

This is the first year that Ethan has been willing to sit on Santa's lap. It was so cute to see him sitting there chatting with him.

Mason cracked me up. He just sat there and talked like he and Santa were old friends.

A few days after we saw Santa, Dan was talking to the boys about what Christmas really means and he asked Aidan...."Aidan, what's Christmas all about?" and Aidan said, "Santa det me presents.". Even though it wasn't the answer we were looking for, it was so cute and hilarious! He understands so much more than I give him credit for.

Bowling with the Boys 12-1-08

2009-01-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

We took the boys bowling for FHE on Dec 1st. I'm not sure we'll be doing it again anytime soon. As you can see from the picture above, it wasn't all fun. Aidan freaked out whenever it wasn't his turn. He was so funny. He LOVED carrying the ball.
I love this picture because it shows Ethan "willing" the ball to get a strike.

The boys all did great, and I think every one of them got a better score than me.

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-03T13:55:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was at my house this year (with my side), and it was so much fun! I was worried that Dan wouldn't be too thrilled with tons of kids running around our house, but he actually loved it. I loved being able to just stay put, rather than packing everyone up along with the food. I just stayed in the comfort of my own house and got ready. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day. Alexa (above) is so tiny that she managed to fit into one of my toy boxes!
Here is Alexa (or Lu-lu) with Nanny. The picture isn't the best, but I love how happy they both look.
Here is BJ with Sage. She is scared of me still, but not as bad as she used to be. Isn't she so gorgeous??
Here is Dan with Aidan.
And here is Dan with Lu-lu. She is such a huge fan of her Uncle Dan. I think it's because he loves her so much. We beg Saesha every time we see her to let us keep her. I think it's only fair, she already has a girl and everyone says that Lu-lu looks more like me anyway.
Cute little Kaleb, playing with toys.
Here is the whole group gathering to play games. You can see our terrible mess in the kitchen behind!

Dinosaur Museum-11/24/08

2008-12-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Jesus wants me for a ..........cowboy?

2008-12-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Last week, we went to the dinosaur museum (post to follow) for Family Home Evening. On the way there, we sang an "opening song" and the kids picked "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam". After it was over, I was trying to explain to the kids that Jesus wants us to always be happy and positive and try to be like Him. I could tell Mason was thinking about it pretty hard, and then he said, "But, I want to be a cowboy!". Dan and I cracked up. Where do they come up with these things?

Touching Story on YouTube

2008-11-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

Dan called me today to tell me about this video on YouTube. It's some friends of ours from our last ward. We taught their oldest son in Scouts and I was her visiting teacher. Her husband was sent to Iraq when their youngest baby was about a year old. When Dan and I moved out of the ward, everything was still fine, but a few months later, her husband had a terrible head injury, which should have killed him. Luckily, he seems to be recovering, although he definitely is still struggling with his injury. Anyway, if you want to hear a beautiful story about an awesome family and see what awesome blessing they have just received, take a look. Kendall and Sarah Redmond Family

Dad, this one's for you.....

2008-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this on someone's blog and it made me laugh really hard. I knew my Dad would get a kick out of it!

Don't hate me....going private.

2008-11-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I am not a huge fan of when people make their blogs private, but Brandee and I just a had a huge discussion about it and a special they did about it on KSL and it scared the tar out of me and I've decided, even though it's not nearly as fun or convenient, that I should make my blog private. So, I need everyone's email addresses, but if you don't want to post it, here is mine, so you can email me and I will send you an invite saedranne@yahoo.com . If you don't get around to it soon, just find me on facebook (if you don't have a facebook account yet, then repent and get one, because it's so much fun!) and I will get your email address there. Love you all!!!

Here is the link for the ksl story, for any of you who have asked!

Tag, I'm "it". The 4's

2008-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Brandee tagged me, and for once, it sounded like something simple enough that I didn't feel like I needed a nap just thinking about it. So, thanks Brandee. My 4th picture in my 4th folder is..................

I was surprised that this picture happened to be the 4th. I have so many random, pointless pictures that I can't believe I got a fun one with all of us in it! This picture gives me some happy memories. This was taken last year (only about 3 weeks away from today in fact) when we were on our way to our first day of Disneyland. It was such a fun trip and I wish we were headed back there right now! I can't believe how little Aidan is in this picture! He has grown up so fast.

Ok, I don't know who to tag, because I know I've seen this on most of your blogs already. Ummmm, if you haven't done it yet, consider yourself TAGGED!!!

I love this boy.......

2008-11-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

.............because he's yummy!!!

Halloween-2008

2008-11-01T17:21:00.001-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year! Every year, my sister, Mom and I take our kids trick or treating down Center Street in Provo. My sister (Saesha) lives in Pleasant Grove and for a few years we just felt bad for ourselves that we never got to see each other on Halloween or see the kids all in their costumes. Then, one year we decided to meet in Provo and trick or treat down Center Street. It starts at 3:00, so it never interferes with any ward parties, or regular trick or treating and the kids love to get to see each other, as do Saesha, Mom and I.

Here we are, the four pirates. I don't usually dress up for Halloween (which is weird, because it's one of my favorite Holidays) but this year, I couldn't resist joining in with the boys.

Here is most of our group (Koby, Lori, Kolton and Kaleb all came a few minutes later).

Aidan was so stinking cute in his little pirate outfit. I loved his bandana, but mostly, I loved how proudly he wore his costume. I was afraid he wouldn't want to wear it, but he loved it and it was so fun to watch him strut around. He wouldn't say "trick or treat", but he did say "Hawoween!" (Happy Halloween) to a few people. He was pretty good about saying thank you though. He cracked me up once, we went into a shop and there was a really cute girl behind the counter handing out the treats and he said as we were leaving "Dank dou, dirl" (thank you, girl) which made me laugh and laugh.

Ethan was so adorable. He kept pulling his hat down over his head really far, so it looked really funny. I had to keep fixing it, but it never lasted long. He really got into trick or treating this year. Last year, I remember him having a hard time and lots of tantrums, but this year he was just cute and sweet and always remembered to say "thank you" after he got his treats.

Mason was Captain Jack Sparrow (thanks to Saesha for lending me the costume). He loved being Captain Jack and actually told a few superheroes that we saw that night that "he could beat them, because he was "Captain Jack". He's such a nut.

Here we are at our Ward Halloween party the night before (on the 30th). Dan and the kids had a blast. I had fun too, but I missed everything that happened outside of the primary room. We did a Carnival Style Halloween party with games and a spook alley, etc. But, the Primary Presidency had to be in charge of our two games (bean bag toss, and ring toss) so I missed everything else. Dan said the Spook Alley was great though.

Also on the 30th was Ethan's Preschool Program. He was so cute. He'd been telling me for at least a month that he was going to "scare all of the Mom's" during their program. I was worried that he wouldn't go up to the front. He gets really bad stage fright. But, he went up and after the first song, he actually started singing along and looking like he was having fun. We were really proud of him.

It's Officially Official

2008-10-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am a REALTOR!!! Hooray! It only took me a year and two months to finish, but I passed my final Real Estate Test a few weeks ago, and I've signed on with Osmond Real Estate in Spanish Fork. I put our Townhouse up for sale this week (the sign out front has my name on it and everything-teehee!). I even have one of those awesome Risco ReaderKeys that I can use to get into houses....How fun is that? Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that I am done! HOORAY!!!! Here is my business card proof. I'm so official!!!

Lake Powell-October 2008

2008-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here is my excuse for being a very negligent blogger.....Life has been absolutely insane, and I am so behind with my blogging, that I don't know where to start anymore. I've finally decided to just get Lake Powell done and then I can work from there, so a few weeks ago, we went to Lake Powell with Dan's family and it was so much fun. I know, I lead a very rough life -heehee. Dan's Mom and Dad decided to try going to Lake Powell late in the season this year, for those of us in the family who missed the June and August trips they made. They have since decided that we will make it a tradition because it was so wonderful. The water was still plenty warm, but the days weren't too hot and the lake was so empty!! It was like having all of Lake Powell to ourselves for the most part. We had such an awesome trip!The kids spent about 99% of their time playing on this beach. Aidan kept telling me, "Mom, I play sand, I play dirt". They had such a great time.
Doesn't he look like he's having a great time???Dan went knee boarding (just for the heck of it) and it looked so weird, like he was floating on the water, or walking just beneath the surface really fast. Anyway, I thought it was a cool picture.Aidan and Reese were so cute together. Aidan was a little punk though, he kept trying to steal Reese's baby doll she brought with her. He's never really had a chance to play with a doll before, so I think he was fascinated. One night, Dan caught him about to dunk her head first into the lake. I caught him washing her in a tub of water on the back of the boat one day (and she is not a waterproof type of doll!). Dan's neice and nephew "Camryn and Gavon" caught these adorable little frogs one day and I absolutely loved them. The kids all loved playing with them of course, but I felt like I was more fascinated than any of the kids. I've been tempted ever since to buy my kids some pet frogs, if only animals didn't stink, I might.

The Funny Things They Say.....

2008-09-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few funny quotes from the kids lately....

Ethan today.... "See ya suckers!", to which I said, "Ethan we don't say that" and he said, "Oh, that's a bad word?" and I said, "Well, it's just not very nice." The next thing I know, Aidan is saying, over and over again...."See ya, sussers!" Is it bad that I laughed??

Today at Walmart Aidan says to me, "Mom, I Miderman (spiderman)" and then, he makes a swishing sound, and waves his arm, like he's shooting webs. That kid kills me!

The other day, Mason was explaining to Ethan that the shoes Ethan was wearing, used to be his (Mason's). He was explaining that they used to fit him, but now they didn't. Then, sounding totally confused he asked me, "Mom, why do our shoes shrink?". I love the logic of a child.

I was holding Kim's (who lives in our basement) baby the other day and the boys were all loving him and Aidan came to give him a kiss. I asked Aidan if he wanted to have a baby brother or sister someday, to which he replied "brudder". I laughed and asked again (hoping for the answer I wanted!) if he wanted to have a baby girl or baby boy at our house, and he said "BOY!". I guess it's official, I am the mother of only boys. No matter how many times I have asked him since, he always answers for the boys, and never for a girl (DANGIT!!). p.s. I am not pregnant. Just wanted to clarify :)

Mason knows me too well. He asked me a few days ago if he could play a game on the XBox and I told him, "That is all you think about, Xbox, Xbox, Xbox." and he answered back without skipping a beat, " All you think about is, Computer, Computer, Computer." Well, that shut me up pretty quick!

One of my favorite things that Aidan says now is "Tute" (cute). "Mom, baby tute", "Mom, doggy tute". He is the "tutest" little boy ever!

Today, Ethan told me that he wanted an apple. So, I cut one up, hoping that he would actually want to eat it, which he didn't. He asked me for a seed, so I gave him one, then he asked if he could "put it in the dirt, so it would grow a giant beanstalk". I laughed and said, "Apple seeds don't grow beanstalks, they grow apple trees." so, he insisted on taking it outside to put the seed in the dirt so it could grow a tree. About five minutes later, he was looking out the windows and asked me, "Mom, where is my tree??". If only it worked quite like that, huh?

Cupcake Fun

2008-09-19T12:55:00.001-07:00

Today was Teresa's birthday, so a bunch of the ladies in the neighborhood all got together for a little party at her house. Lori (my SIL) just got a new cupcake decorating book yesterday, so we decided to try it out for the party today. Sadly, they aren't as cute as they were in the book, but they did still turn out pretty cute.

Mr and Mrs Frog

2008-09-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

Dan and the boys got a little carried away with the camera while I was watching a movie tonight. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard! Enjoy!

Mr and Mrs Frog

(Mason and Ethan)

Race for Recovery 5k

2008-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Jana and I have been running for a little over a month now and we decided to try running a few races, just for fun.

So, yesterday we ran in the Wasatch Mental Health Race for Recovery 5k. We were pretty nervous, so we were setting really low goals for ourselves, like finishing in under 40 minutes (which would pretty much be walking most of the time!). So, it just made it that much more fun when we had no problem running the whole time, and when we finished well below our goal. Our official times were 29:13 (me) and 29:14 (Jana), which means that we got 3rd and 4th place for our age range. It was so fun! It's such a beautiful course, and thankfully not very hilly. It was, however, extremely cold when we started!!!

This year, Dan and the kids came to cheer me on, which was awesome! I've never had Dan there when I finished a race before, and it motivated me a lot to know that he and the kids were waiting at the finish line.

I ran this race last year, by my self, but it wasn't very fun all by my lonesome. I told Jana yesterday that I will never run a race without her again! It was amazingly better to run with someone! So, our next race will be the Cougar Run 5k, anyone want to come along???

Blast From the Past

2008-09-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

My Dad sent me this picture that he found of my siblings and I in Orderville, Utah (I'd never seen this photo before, so it was way fun to get!). My Grandma Hubbs had a house in Orderville and we used to visit her there quite a bit. I love this picture, even the fields behind us look 80's. How is that possible?

Shown in this picture:

Koby, Kade, Saesha and Saedi

1930's Housewife

2008-09-10T16:11:00.001-07:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

When I saw this on Gina's blog, I knew I had to do it. I had a feeling that I would get a pretty high score (I don't know if that's good or bad though). Apparently I was born in the wrong age.

Townhouse for Sale

2008-09-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dan and I have listed our Townhouse for Sale. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send them our way. Here is a blog I set up with pictures and info.

http://spanishforktownhouse.blogspot.com

Thanks all!!!

Mason and Ethan-1st Day of School

2008-08-28T16:27:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 27th was Mason's first day of kindergarten. He was so excited to go! Mason goes to Rees Elementary School and his teacher's name is Mrs. Jenkins (we both like her alot!).

He lucked out that he knows quite a few kids in his class already. Braiden Stubbs, Ammon Gathercoal and Brooke Martin (and there may be more that I haven't noticed) are all in his class, and in his CTR6 Class at church. I thought I would get emotional about leaving him, but he was so excited about it, that I couldn't help being excited too. Next year will be the killer. I don't think I'm going to handle all day school very well.

After we picked him up we got McDonald's and went to the park and library to celebrate his first day of Kindergarten.

Thursday, August 28th was Ethan's first day of Preschool. Ethan was super excited too. After watching Mason go to preschool all last year, Ethan couldn't wait to get to go. I was pretty nervous, because Ethan is definitely my clingy child, but thankfully, he only clung for a minute or two, and then he relaxed and started playing. When I picked him up, he was so excited and happy and he told me that he loved it. He goes to "Country Kids Preschool", which is run by a lady in my ward, Chris Kelly. Thankfully, it's just a minute down the road, so it makes drop-off and pick-up time super quick.

Game Night

2008-08-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

We lucked out this last week and got to have 2 game nights with the Davies and Lloyds. We love playing games with these families, they seriously are the best! This is Brandee Lloyd, with cute little Stetler above (isn't he the cutest little guy ever?)

We played 2 games, "A to Z "(one of our all time favorites) and our new favorite "Panic". Dan and I are undefeated when it comes to playing "Panic", which I am very proud of, because it's the only game we ever win.

Ryan and Dan asked Jeremy if they could eat some jalapenos from his garden, so Jeremy went out and fresh picked them each a jalapeno. It was hilarious to watch them sweat and drink milk and eat cookies after it.

Jeremy decided to have a little nibble of the stem of one of them, but luckily for him, didn't eat the entire thing like the other brainiacs. Dan and I feel so blessed to have such awesome friends to hang out with. They are fun, hilariously funny, and most of all, they're always there when we need them. We love you guys!

Sunny Ridge Ward Party

2008-08-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was our Ward Party, and it was so much fun! We went to Canyon View Park and had a great dinner, then played games and visited.

Dan and I did a three-legged race, and then Mason and Ethan did one. They were so adorable, they were the last to cross the finish line (they kept falling down) and when they did, all of the older kids cheered for them. They thought it was great!

They also did an egg race, and I'm pretty sure they came in last for that too! They had so much fun doing all of it though. I was surprised that Ethan was so into it, because he doesn't usually do too well in crowds.

Dan helped with all of the games (just because he's so cute!), so by the end of the night, all the kids loved him, as well as all the adults. They also played water-balloon toss and kick-ball.

Our poor little Aidan got his first bee sting while he was playing. He was way tough and only cried for a minute. Dan made me suck the poison out of it, since we were nowhere near our black ointment, and we can't believe how quick it healed. I think we may do that from now on, instead of the black ointment! (sorry, that was an odd sidenote)

Safety Fair

2008-08-25T15:48:00.001-07:00

We went to the Safety Fair at Macey's this last Saturday and we were surprised by how fun it was. The kids got to look at a LifeFlight Helicopter, a Firetruck, an Ambulance and a Police Car.

They also had a blow-up castle for the jump and slide on, which is always a huge hit! And they had games and contests that were lots of fun. Dan's favorite part was the snowcones they had for a quarter.

We ran into Val and her kids while we were there, which cracked me up, because I had a feeling that we would see them while we were there. Val is always doing fun stuff with her kids.

Aidan's 2nd Birthday

2008-08-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

I got a little carried away with my Cricut trying to make something for the top of Aidan's cake. I can't believe that Aidan is already 2! He is growing up way too fast. He is such a fun little guy. He makes Dan and I laugh so hard all the time. He's talking a ton now, and I love to hear the cute little things he says.

My cute Mom and Dad came to watch Aidan open his presents. Unfortunately, they got him his favorite presents of all time, which made him extremely upset, because we didn't get them out of the boxes fast enough. I will never wake a child up from a nap to open presents again! They bought him a bunch of little tools, some of which really move. He loves them so much!

Aidan's toys were a huge hit, and not just with him. Mason and Ethan haven't stopped playing with them all week. Some of his other presents included: A blow-up ball pit, 2 new sets (one is an airplane) for their GeoTrax trains, 3 new baby-movies, a toy sword, a leapfrog magnetic animal maker from our family, a fun book from Papa and Nanny Hubbs as well as all the fun tools, $30.00 from Papa and Grandma Oldham.

Aidan's Birthday was the same day as Dan's work party, so Aidan had the biggest Birthday party ever! They had lunch, cotton candy, snow cones, a rock climbing wall, big inflatable bouncers and slides and face painting. It was tons of fun!

My Birthday

2008-08-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

I'm falling behind on my posts, yet again. I realized that I still haven't posted anything about my awesome Birthday, and I need to get it done so I can post about Aidan's birthday.

So, girls, get ready to guilt your husbands.............Dan gave me THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! I spent the morning of my birthday (the 11th) driving home from Oregon, but I got home around 2:00. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw that Dan had put up this huge birthday banner with balloons on the front of our house. It was so cute.

If you look closely, you will see that there is a picture of Marilyn Monroe inside of the letter "d". I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan, so I thought that was a perfect touch. Then, I came in the house to find that Dan had flowers for me on the bar, flowers on the bedside table, and a HUGE bouquet of the most gorgeous roses laid on our bed.

Also on our bed was "Breaking Dawn" which I was putting off buying until I got home from my trip so I could really enjoy it. There was also an envelope filled with coupons that Dan had made for things like...."Go to the mall and buy yourself a new shirt"......and "Good for one night of Dan watching the boys"......"Good for 2 new cricut cartridges" and the list goes on and on!!!

Then, he had presents for me hidden throughout the house, and he told the boys that if they could find them, that he had prizes for them too. So, we went from room to room and they found my gifts, which were: 3 new shirts, 5 new bottles of perfume (yes, FIVE!!!), new pajamas, a new pillow, lotion and bubble bath. So, as if that wasn't enough, he also took me to Pizza Factory for dinner (my pick, I was craving their salad bar) and then he let me go rent two chick flicks, which he watched with me. Seriously, has any woman ever been as spoiled as me? I still can't believe how out of control he got. Normally, an awesome birthday for me would have consisted of ONE of the million things he did for me. He is honestly the cutest husband on the face of the planet. So, do you think he missed me a little bit?? Heeheehee.

Family Pictures

2008-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

We had our family pictures taken the day before I left for Oregon and Meredith posted a few of them on her blog. If anyone needs a good photographer, she is seriously AMAZING! Take a look.

Oregon-Part 3 "The Beach"

2008-08-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

We took a day and went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (always a highlight of our trips) and then to Cannon Beach. We ate at the Cheese Factory and got their amazing ice cream (seriously, the BEST ice cream in the world!) and then headed off to Cannon Beach. The pictures look like it was cold, but it was actually pretty nice, just overcast and breezy. I was way surprised by how warm the water was. Usually the Oregon ocean water is freezing, but it was really nice this time.

After our fun beach day, we went back to the Longs house and played games. Here I am with Marissa and Aidan. They're such cute little stinkers.

Oregon Trip-Part 2 BEWARE-not for weak stomachs!

2008-08-13T12:39:00.001-07:00

Well, this was the part of the trip, that really stunk. I mean that literally, my cute little Aidan stunk to high heaven! He'd had stinky breath for a few days before my trip, but as he had just gotten over strep, I didn't think much of it. Well, after a few days in Oregon, I suddenly realized that the smell was just getting worse, and that it wasn't really his breath, it was his nose. His right nostril stunk really bad (like manure) and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Then suddenly, it hit me. I realized there must be something stuck up his nose. I looked up it with a flashlight and I could see something white in it, but no matter how hard I tried to suck it out with a nasal aspirator, it wouldn't budge. Finally , Buff's Mother in law told us that I needed to take him in, because if it was stinky, it was probably infected. So, I took him to the ER and waited 5 hours to be seen. While we waited, Aidan charmed every single person in the ER waiting room. Everyone was watching him and laughing at him and when I explained why we were there, they howled with laughter. Most of them knew him by name by the time we left. Well, we finally got to see a Doctor (two of them actually) and they were the biggest jerks on the planet! They wouldn't listen to me, all they heard was that I thought it was something stuck up there, and that he had recently had strep. They looked up his nose, but said they didn't see anything that shouldn't be there (such idiots!). They gave me a totally useless antibiotic, telling me that it was just a sinus infection and sent me out the door. But not until they let me know that they had "panicky Moms" in all the time that thought their kids had stuff up their noses, and it never turned out to be anything but an infection. Well, I gave him the antibiotics, all the while thinking, I don't think this is going to help, but the Doctors know best. Needless to say, it didn't get any better and a few days later, he was crying and out came this little wad of string that stunk so bad. Well, a few hours later, I realized there was more stuff up there, so I got a bobby pin, my Mom held him down and I pulled out this huge piece of batting (from one of his quilts I guess-the picture is above). The smell was instantly gone, and he could suddenly breathe again, the poor kid. So, my trust in Doctors is somewhat shaken. Dan is going to call the hospital and give them a serious talking to. They actually sent me a survey and man, I gave them an earful. This is proof to me that when it comes to my kids health, I need to be more forceful and not such a wuss. So, that was one of the more exciting parts of my trip, and gross. Sorry if anyone is feeling nauseous now.

Oregon Trip-Part 1

2008-08-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back from our trip, and if I avoid posting for much longer, I will go crazy. We had such an awesome time in Oregon. We went for Brandon Herbert's baby blessing (pictured above). Brandon is my best friend (Buff, or Valerie) 's newest baby. She also has a little girl named Marissa, who is 2. Buff and I have been best friends since we were born, and we try hard to keep in touch and visit each other atleast once a year. Last year, we met at Disneyland (with all of our families, who are also best friends) and the year before that, she came to see me, so this year it was my turn. It's always so awesome to get to see the Long Family. Even after being apart for 12 years now, it still just feels natural when we're together. My Mom and Saesha and all our 6 kids were all there, so it was crazy, but way fun. Mom and Saesha stayed at the Longs house (Buff's parents) and my boys and I stayed with Buff in her new house.

One of my goals for the trip was to finally visit the Portland Temple. I'd been there as a teen for Baptisms for the Dead, but I'd never been there for an endowment session. It was so gorgeous, inside and out. Buff and her sister-in-law, Emily were nice enough to watch all our kids for us so we could go together.

One of the other things we always like to do when we go, is visit the Pittock Mansion in Portland. When I was a teenager, my Mom and I got to take some classes that they had here, and because of that, we got to take the very first tour they'd ever given of the entire mansion, including the attic and the basement, which had never been seen by the public. It's such an amazing building, and I love getting to see it.

FYI

2008-07-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone is aware, I am not ignoring your blogs, nor your comments on my blog. I am in Oregon right now at my best friend's house having an awes0me time. I will be home around August 12th, give or take a day. I doubt I will get to much blogging while I'm here, but I will be sure to catch back up when I get home. I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the last of summer!

WAHOO!!! I finally did it!

2008-07-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

I spent the last three days studying until my brain literally feels like it might explode, but it was all worth it because I finally passed one of my Real Estate Tests. I have two more to take, but the first hurdle is done!!! I am so happy!

This is a picture that Dan took of me studying, yucky!

Spanish Fork Carnival

2008-07-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking, why on earth would Saedi post this picture on her blog? Good question........the only answer I have is that it made me laugh. Dan and I got a new camera this week, so we've been practicing with it alot. He was taking all of these serious pictures of me, so while he ran to the ATM, I took one of myself that was a little more fun.

This was Dan's favorite, don't ask me why. It looks like I have something in my eye, but I was supposed to be winking at him. We are such goobers!

This was my favorite of Dan. Shoot, isn't he so hot?

Me and my cute little monkeys!

Dan and Aidan sharing some yummy nachos and italian ice.

Mason and Ethan riding on the dragon ride.

Mason, Ethan and Aidan riding on the car ride.

We ran into Ryan and Melissa and their family while we were out, so we got a quick picture with them. They're the cutest!

This was my only ride of the night. I don't do well with scary rides, but I love the ferris wheel.

Mason, Ethan and I were so excited to get to ride the ferris wheel together.

Dan and Mason had lots of fun on this ride, but I can't remember what it's called. Ethan was about to get on, but he changed his mind at the last minute. We had such a fun night, it all ended too quickly for all of us.

Girls Night

2008-07-23T09:38:00.001-07:00

Last night I had a girls night with my sister-in-laws and Mother-in-law. We went to Celeste's house and watched a movie on their outdoor big-screen and projector. Matt (Celeste's husband) was awesome enough to set it all up for us.

Here are all the girls that came.Bottom row (left to right) Shalyn (Lori's daughter), Angie (she didn't realize she was supposed to be smiling), Celeste, Megan. Top Row, Lori and Mom.

Matt was so cute, he bought these special "Theater style outdoor chairs" for us to use. They were way fun and comfy.

Here's Matt, hard at work, setting up the projector.

Here's Megan and I, sitting back, enjoying our comfy seats.

And here is the movie. We watched "The Devil Wears Prada", which is one of my favorites. Celeste had never seen it before, so we knew we had to watch it for Girls Night, because there aren't many movies that Celeste hasn't seen. She is a major chick-flick fan. We had a great night, I love getting to spend time with these amazing women!

Mason has been tagged!

2008-07-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

1. What does your Mom always say to you? No, I can't play games

2. What makes Mom happy? Hugs and Kisses

3. What makes Mom sad? Being naughty, not getting kisses or hugs

4. How does Mom make you laugh? Being silly, that's how you make me laugh

5. What was Mom like when she was little? Barbies and even Spiderman

6. How old is Mom? 16, 17, 20? Are you 20? (Yes, I am son. Yes I am.)

7. How tall is your Mom? 20

8. What is Mom's favorite thing to do? On the computer, and kissing her boys, and getting married (that sounds really funny)

9. What does your Mom do when you're not around? We should find you (this explains why i never have a moments peace. If the kids aren't around me, all they can think about doing is finding me!!!)

10. If your Mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Being handsome, or being cute

11. What is your Mom really good at? On the computer, and doing pictures

12. What is your Mom not really good at? Turning Dad's game on

13. What does your Mom do for her job? like, do your homework, and do your coloring, and eat your food

14. What is your Mom's favorite food? bananas and cereal and real food and candy (don't ask me where the bananas and cereal came from)

15. What makes your Mom proud of you? To clean up my room and put my shirts on and eat my food and do my homework

16.If your Mom was a cartoon character, who would she be and why? A superhero girl

17. What do you and your Mom do together? Clean up my room

18. How are you and your Mom the same? We have the same hair

19. How are you and your Mom different? Because you growed when you were little............Mom, I wish you were a little girl, so I could play with you, that's what I been wondering about

20. How do you know your Mom loves you? Because I came out of your tummy and I gave you flowers and hugs and kisses

We tag, anyone who wants to do it!!!

Spanish Fork Parade

2008-07-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

For our quarterly Primary Activity this month, we decided to join in the Children's Parade that Spanish Fork does every year. It's alot of fun, but also lots of planning and stress. I can't claim that I did much of the planning or had much of the stress, that was mostly the Primary President (Kristie McMurdie), she made it way more fun than I would have ever even tried for! The theme was "Traditions", so we stuck with Spanish Fork Traditions. The kids dressed up as softball players, cowboys (Anita Hales made these really cute little horses for the kids to ride), or pioneers. I'm just thankful that I was the one taking the pictures, so no one gets to see me in my pioneer outfit!

Here is Chanel and the most adorable cowgirl I have ever seen, sweet little Aurora!

Bro. McMurdie (Kristie's husband) made all the signs and banners and they turned out so amazing! He works for BYU making posters and signs I guess (atleast I think that's what he does).

He also made us these awesome ships to represent the Icelandic settlers. They were way fun!

The funniest part of the day was about a block down the road, the trailer got a flat tire, so we had to quickly pull over, get all the kids out, and then continue on foot. A little ways down the road, they had it fixed and caught back up to us and we loaded the kids back in and continued on our way. I think the kids all had a great time, I know mine did.

A Day with Brooke

2008-07-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

I had such a fun day this week. My best friend Brooke, was here visiting from Texas, so I got to go spend part of the day with her and her cute little kids. Brooke and I became best friends when we were about 5 years old and I am so happy to say that we have managed to stay friends and keep up with each other pretty well over the years. I wish I got to see her way more, but I'm very thankful for the times I get to spend with her. She's an awesome friend, and I miss her alot! p.s. today is her birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!!!! love ya!

Smith Reunion-Part 3

2008-07-19T14:00:00.001-07:00

This was on our way home. We stopped off and got "Square Ice-Cream". Apparently it's a tradition in Dan's family to stop here on the way home from the reunion. We haven't been to the reunion since they started it, but we were sure happy to get to be a part of it this year. It was really yummy!

Aidan insisted on feeding himself with one of the mini sample spoons.

Here we are, sunburnt and exhausted and ready to go home!

Smith Family Reunion-Part 2

2008-07-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

This was the rock, that all the kids were obsessed with climbing. Whenever I wondered where they were, it was either on the huge rock, or on their way up. It was a nice, because it kept them distracted from the river.

Three of the cutest boys ever created!!!

I didn't realize when we pulled into camp the night before that it was so gorgeous. When I woke up the next morning, my jaw dropped!

These two are the whole reason we went to the Reunion. We don't get to see Dan's grandparents very often. They're always busy on their farm, and they tend to get overwhelmed very easily by lots of people, so they didn't get to stay for very long, but it was awesome to get to see them. It's always amazing to me to know how hard it is to be around people, because they never seem the tiniest bit uncomfortable when they're there. They are two of the funniest people I have ever met. Dan's grandma had me laughing until my sides hurt.
Dan wanted to be a total maniac apparently, and sumbmerge himself completely in water that couldn't have been more than 30 degrees. He did get a dollar from Melinda for it though. He'll do ANYTHING for a buck, I guess.
This is one of the many times that I caught Aidan eating dirt. I've said before on my blog that he is a good eater, but this proves that he will eat ANYTHING!

Smith Family Reunion-Part 1

2008-07-15T15:02:00.001-07:00

I have to break this down into parts, because it's way too long to finish all in one sitting.

We left last Thursday afternoon and drove 6 or 7 hours to Palisades Reservoir in Swan Valley, Idaho to go to Dan's family reunion on his Mom's side. We arrived around 8pm, we followed Chris and Levor (Dan's parents). Robert and Melinda arrived a few

minutes later with all their kids, and Angie, Gilbert and Andrew came a few hours after

that. Bill and Kendra were already there (Chris's brother and sister in law) and so were Kimble and Genet (Chris's other brother and sister in law). Genet also brought her daughter Jenna and her baby Claire. Grandma and Grandpa Smith came on Friday

morning and only stayed a few hours, they're always super busy and they only live a few hours away.

On our first night we ate hot dogs and made smores and the boys wasted no time getting filthy dirty. We set up our tent-with some help from Levor.

- funny sidenote, my Mom and Dad got us this awesome tent about 5 years ago for Christmas, and sadly, this was the first time we have ever used it. It's an awesome, huge, 3 room tent, easy to put up and take down, and we loved it.-

I got a bed made for Mason and Ethan in one room, and one for Dan, Aidan and I in the other. We slept ok, but it was pretty cold at night, so we had to keep warming the kids up.

The Strep Triplets

2008-07-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

That's right, strep, again. This is the 3rd time that my boys have had strep in the last 5 months. Does that seem excessive to anyone else? The Doctor told me that if they get strep 6 times in a year, that they might have to have their tonsils removed. Part of me loves that idea, and the other part of me hates it. I would love to not have to keep dealing with this issue over and over again, but I also think that your tonsils are a slightly important part of your body, and I'm not too thrilled at the idea of them not being there. I also HATE the idea of any of my boys suffering in any way, shape or form, so I wouldn't be too thrilled with that part of it either. Luckily, they got started on antibiotics yesterday, so they're doing much better today. Aidan came down with it while we were camping this weekend for Dan's family reunion (which I still need to blog, but haven't because of the sickies), then Mason and Ethan came down with it the day after we came back. It's been an exhausting week!!!

Happy now Val? What are you the blog police????

Family Home Evening

2008-07-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Brandee, Val and I

(I just got out of the shower, our water was off all day while the water softener was being installed, that's why I look so lovely)

Jeremy, Dan (isn't he so cute?) and Ryan

Val with Brandee's baby boy, Stetler

Ok, so this was the funniest home evening ever. Dan and I are really good friends with two families from our previous ward, the Lloyds (Brandee and Jeremy) and the Davies (Ryan and Val). Well, try as we might, we never seem to be able to get together with both of them at the same time (which we love to do cuz it makes game nights so much fun). So, I invited Brandee and Jeremy to come over for FHE this week a day or two before it and I wanted to call the Davies too, but I knew there was no way that they would be free at the last minute (they have 4 kids that are all involved in a million things). So, instead of doing the smart thing and inviting them anyway, I decided to save myself a phone call and sad rejection and assume that they wouldn't be able to come (that was my mistake!!!). Monday afternoon, I called Brandee to settle our plans for the night and she told me that she just talked to Val and that now she felt really stupid that we didn't invite them. I got excited and said "Could they come???" and she said, "Yes, but I didn't want to invite them to your house for you. Do you have enough food?". I laughed and told her I had enough to feed an army. WARNING: the conversation that follows will sound extremely rude, but I promise you, it is all said in fun. Val, Brandee and I find great joy in being rude and trying to make each other cry. I immediately called Val and before I can even say "Hi" she says "Is this a sympathy call?" and instead of telling her I felt bad, I decided to tell her, "It's all your own fault! If you guys weren't so busy all the time, I might actually make the effort once in a while." I then proceeded to tell her that if they would come, they would make my whole night. So, thankfully, they came over and we had a great night. I made cafe rio salad (thanks to Melissa Morehouse for the dressing recipe) and then we played some fun games. We played Druthers and Celestial Companions. Ryan and Val always win Celestial Companions, but this time, Brandee and Jeremy came very close to winning, they had to have a tie breaker at the end. (Hey Val, do you need a mint?) Dan and I always come in last when we play (we aren't very in sync when it comes to games). When they all left for the night I was saying goodbye from my porch and I yelled out "Maybe you could invite yourselves over for dinner again sometime!!". I think maybe I did make her cry, or at least I can hope!!!!

Swimming

2008-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

This was our first swim in my Mom and Dad's pool this year. We have been wanting to go for a few weeks now, but it's never worked out. We've been swimming quite a few times in Dan's parents pool, but it's indoors, so it's not quite the same. We had so much fun, and thankfully, the kids were exhausted when we finished!!!

Aren't these two so handsome?

Here is my cute Mom and Dad. They're the best!

Now this, is the cutest thing I have ever seen! He makes me weak in the knees!!!

Mothers and Daughters 2008

2008-07-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Dan's family has some really fun traditions. One of my very favorites is the Mothers and Daughters. Every year (usually around the 24th of July, but this year was the 4th) the guys all go away camping for Fathers and Sons and the girls all stay and have Mothers and Daughters. So, Dan took Mason and Ethan with him and Aidan and I stayed home.

Day #1

We all met at Target at 5:30 for our gift exchange. Mom gives us all 5 dollars and we all draw names and try to find the coolest gift for that amount. Then, we went to Teppanyaki's for dinner, which was delicious, of course.

Day #2

We met at Olive Garden at 5:30 and had an awesome dinner, then went to the Hale Center Theater and saw Little Women. It was so fun, and totally fitting the occasion.

Day #3

This was our free day. We played card games, we had relay races, water balloon fights and lots of fun food and treats. Then, when it got dark, we played with sparklers.

This is truly one of my very favorite times of year. I've had so much fun this year, and now I just can't wait till Dan gets home with my little boys. I hope they had as much fun as I did.

Eight Years-Part 2

2008-06-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

I had to add a quick little update to say that our Anniversary was wonderful. We ate at Magleby's, which was delicious, then we went to see "Get Smart", which was hilarious! Dan and I absolutely loved the movie! We hardly ever see movies in the theater, unless it's a kid movie, but we loved this one so much, we want to go back again. Dan and I are huge Steve Carell fans, so that made it that much sweeter for us. I love the way Steve Carell can be so funny/dumb, but in such a serious way. So, we highly recommend the movie to anyone who thinks it looks remotely funny. Anyway, we had an awesome Anniversary, and when we went to pick up the boys from Nanny's house (my Mom) the next day, they had had so much fun, they were way bummed to see us. Even Aidan, who I expected to miss me like crazy, ran from me when I walked in the door. My Mom and Dad are so cute, and they said that they had a ton of fun with the boys. They said that Aidan was hilarious (just as I expected). So, all in all, 8 years was so much fun, I am totally looking forward to next year, especially if the kids are that good, maybe we can extend our stay next year!!!!

Eight Years

2008-06-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

Today is our 8th Anniversary! Dan is seriously the most amazing husband in the world! I don't know what I would do without him. I swear, being married to Dan just gets better and better all the time. This morning the UPS man left a package on our doorstop and I opened it to find 2 dozen gorgeous roses with a vase, a box of chocolates, and a sweet card. As if that wasn't enough, Dan also planned our whole Anniversary celebration tonight for me. I have planned our Anniversary every year since we got married, but I just didn't have it in me this year. I was ready to just call it a loss and have us just go out to dinner and call it good, but Dan planned for us to go to dinner, a movie and stay tonight at the Hampton Inn. He really is such an amazing man, and I am so blessed to have him!