Four Cute Kids

Eden's Birthday Part 1

2011-02-22T12:22:00.001-07:00

Since we didn"t have school on Eden's birthday, I wanted to go do somewhere fun. We saw a feature on the Midway Ice Castles a month or so ago, and I thought the girls would love that. They didn't know where we were going until we got there, but it was worth it. They were amazed. And to be honest, so was I.

I took a lot more pictures than I thought I would because I just couldn't get enough.

There were even ice tunnels to walk through.

The only problem was that you aren't supposed to touch anything. And for the boys, that was just asking a little too much.

We all had a great time. But next time, we may leave the boys at home!

While I was taking a shower. . .

2011-02-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas! (or valentine's day. whatever)

2011-02-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yes. I know. It's been a while. This is Christmas. I bought exactly 2 rolls of wrapping paper. Pro: My tree looks so awesomely coordinated!

Seth's favorite gift. My least favorite gift. Yes, it was from Daddy. Who does not approve of the "We do not shoot people." rule. Whatever. I'm the mom.

The boys came downstairs and had to be convinced to open other presents after seeing this.

Tayleigh got an art kit. She LOVES it. Also, she loves her hat.

Welcome to the World!

2010-11-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Wanna see the cutest little Frankie boy?

Here he is!

Proud (and super exhausted parents) Adam and Emily.

I had a cute conversation with Seth about Frankie. He doesn't quite get the whole new baby thing. First he asked what Frankie eats for lunch.

me: "He just eats Mama's milk."

Seth: "Who's his mama? You?"

Me: "Nope"

S: "Emmy?"

Me: "Yep."

S: "Who's his dad?"

Me: "Adam."

S: "No! (with disbelief)

Me: "yes!"

S: "Oh, Adam!"

It was pretty funny!

Halloween!

2010-11-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

We really had a 3 day Halloween. It started Friday morning with the costume parade at school. The line was moving so fast that these were the best shots I could get.

Friday night we had a trunk or treat with our ward. I didn't quite get any pictures of that, mainly because I was in charge. Then Saturday night we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's trunk or treat. It wasn't quite as fun, because it was pouring rain. We ran as fast as we could and were done in about 15 minutes.

We had a pioneer girl, (inspired by the bonnet) a black cat, a monkey (yes, again) and a toucan.

And then Sunday, we didn't do too much, but we had pumpkin soup, bat and pumpkin sandwiches And then for dessert, what else? Halloween Candy!

Happy Birthday Eric!

2010-11-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Eric's birthday fell right in the middle of a very busy week. Luckily, Emily invited us all to dinner at their new house, and we combined the house warming party with a Birthday Party.

(please excuse the no pants look. Someone had a blowout minutes before this was taken.)

On Eric's actual birthday, we opened the last of his presents: Thomas, Percy, Gordon and James.

I don't know who was more excited. Seth or Eric.

For future reference: if you ever want to get my boys a present, make it a Thomas wooden train. They are a hot commodity at my house. . .

Zion's National Park

2010-11-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

We took a short vacation to St. George over UEA and made a point of spending a day at Zion's. It was awesome.

The Bob and Julie family at Weeping Rock.

Most of the kids were wet by the time we were done there.

I honestly don't know what she is doing, but I love this picture.

Grandpa was our best friend that day. John didn't come with us, so Grandpa helped out with Seth all day. And I don't know who was more exhausted by the end of it!

This was at the lower emerald pool. It was beautiful.

It was at this point that Eden decided that she was ready to go home. . .

Fall Pictures

2010-11-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. So, we of course have to take advantage of it and take some pictures up in the canyon.

The girls were pretty cooperative, and were at least tolerant of having their pictures taken.

The boys, not so much. They were much more interested in throwing rocks in the stream and hiking.

At least we got a few cute ones!

The Witches Festival

2010-10-30T22:46:00.000-06:00

We spent a lovely morning at the Witches festival a few weeks ago. It is a tradition to go out there with Grandma and Grandpa Turner and look at all the witches. The kids love it.

The obligatory picture in front of the pumpkin tower.

Neither of the boys were scared of the witches this year, which was nice. Although, neither one of the boys would sit next to this witch, either. . . .

And this year was even extra special. Grandpa sprung for glitter eyes. The girls were in heaven!

Seth's First Day

2010-09-12T21:35:00.001-06:00

We started our neighborhood preschool this week. I think Seth had a lot of fun. Although he is particuarly glad to see him when I pick him up.

It cracks me up that his backpack is as big as he is.

School will be here next week. Hopefully I make it through alive.

Guess what we have been doing?

2010-09-11T21:33:00.000-06:00

Yeah. They are watching TV.

First Day of School

2010-09-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

Kind of. . . .

Eden started school one day earlier than Tayleigh. But bing the super awesome mom that I am, I forgot to take pictures of her on HER first day. I did redeem myself slightly by taking pictures the next day.

Don't you like the posing? You should have seen the other choices. . .

This pose is only slightly more natural.

Conversation immediately preceding this picture:

Tayleigh: Can we walk to school?

Me: Well, I'm not sure that I have enough time to get the boys all ready and then walk there before school starts.

Tayleigh: Can't we just walk by ourselves?

Me: You don't want me to drive you? It's the first day.

Tayleigh: I want to walk.

Me: Are you sure?

Tayleigh: Yeah. I want to walk.

And so they walk to school.

I think it's great.

Two Dollar Tuesdays

2010-09-09T21:01:00.000-06:00

We took full advantage this year. Two dollar Tuesdays in August are my favorite thing. We hit the Dinosaur museum, the farm country and the children's gardens. I guess remembering the camera for 1 out of 3 isn't bad.

The lighthouse at the children's garden was a claustrophobic nightmare. My girls didn't seem to mind.

Medical Emergency?

2010-09-08T20:55:00.000-06:00

Notice: One sock, one flip flop. You think, oh, he must have dressed himself.

Nope.

That sock covers a bandaged foot with a missing big toenail.

I would tell you the story but I didn't see what happened. I just got to deal with the aftermath. And the urgent care visit complete with x-ray.

He's fine now, by the way.

Park City

2010-09-07T20:55:00.000-06:00

We spent a few days in Park City this summer with Grandma and Grandpa Ward. We loved riding on the free trolley, exploring with Grandpa, swimming in the hotel pool and exploring Main Street. Do I have pictures of that? Nope. I do, however, have pictures of this:

Grandpa took the girls on a ski lift ride. They admitted to being a little scared, but for the most part, they had a blast.

I also have these because I thought they were cool.

I also remembered to bring the camera to the Olympic Park. Which was awesome. The Austrailan team was there practicing. We spent most of our time there. Because once we went inside the museum the boys were terrified of the statues. And therefore we practically had to run through the whole thing.

Do you see that sky? Yeah. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there.

Happy Birthday to Tayleigh!

2010-08-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

We spent Tayleigh's birthday at Grandma's. She opened her presents, after a day of begging and wondering when that would actually happen. The highlight of the present opening: the butterfly barbie.

Second favorite: the pinata made by Emily and Adam.

Once it was cracked, it became a costume.

It just looked so forlorn hanging there sans body.

Aren't my boys ridiculously cute?

You can't see it, but those are some super cute lady bug cupcakes. Shortly following this picture, Eric fell off a chair and then my mom accidentally dropped the rest of the cupcakes on the patio. Oh, well.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-08-05T22:17:00.000-06:00

My lame birthday ended rather splendidly: Emily and my parents showed up with a cake and presents.

My very first surprise party.

I have the best sister ever.

This is the Place

2010-08-04T22:16:00.000-06:00

Was free. One Friday in July. Which just happened to be the hottest day ever to tromp around in a dusty pioneer village.

Highlight: Free horse rides.

School's Out!

2010-07-05T20:31:00.000-06:00

We waited and waited and waited for the last day of school and FINALLY it came. So, we had a party to celebrate! Almost 20 kids, 2 kiddie pools, a slip and slide and some water balloons. It was a great party!

California

2010-07-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

So, we decided that a trip to California was worth missing a week of school for.

This is what Eric did most of the time he spent around the pool. He didn't love the water so much.

Luckily, he had a partner in crime out of the pool. We all love Kensi.

I think you can tell what we sent most of our time doing. It was a great trip!

I love things like this:

2010-07-03T20:22:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know the picture is blurry. It is the best one I got.

He is asleep. Out. Gone.

And it cracks me up.

Dandelions

2010-05-15T21:03:00.000-06:00

Eric has discovered the joy of dandelions. And we have no shortage of them in our yard. (Much to my dismay.) He tries to blow, without much luck.

But mostly he just hits them and giggles. It just works so much better!

And a token picture of Seth. Because he's "han-som."

We will miss you!

2010-04-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

Our very dear friends and neighbors are moving on to bigger and better things. Oh, how we will miss you!

Spring Revel

2010-04-20T21:43:00.000-06:00

I love spring!

The Teddy Bear Picnic

2010-04-19T21:42:00.000-06:00

Everyone in Tayleigh's kindergarten class gets to take a turn with Brown Bear. While Brown Bear is at each child's home, they take Brown Bear on an adventure. For our adventure, we took advantage of the GORGEOUS weather and went on a picnic.

We went to the Conservation Gardens, which we LOVE. We walked around, we looked at blossoms, we played in a sandbox.

We hid in dog houses and

We even rode ladybugs.

It was a great adventure!

An abundance of riches

2010-04-13T20:29:00.000-06:00

We had Seth's birthday dinner Sunday night. He is one spoiled little boy.

About a week before his birthday I hit the jackpot on KSL. I got a screaming deal on 2 sets of Little People, plus the school bus and fire truck.

Then Grandma Turner gave him this awesome firetruck that has pretty much held his constant attention for the past 3 days.

And it's not even his birthday yet!

Seth's first Birthday Party!

2010-04-13T20:20:00.000-06:00

Seth had his very first birthday party last week. We kept it pretty small (I invited 4; only 2 could make it) I learned a few things at this very first little boy party.

1. Boys don't go for freeze dance like girls do. Well, most boys. Seth loves it.

2. Boys would rather play with trucks than play duck, duck, goose.

3. Boys would rather play with trucks than eat chocolate cake.

4. Boys are perfectly happy playing with trucks for an hour without any organized games.

Guess what we are doing at Seth's next birthday party?

They all had a blast. Well, all the boys. The girls didn't love the playing with trucks so much. . . .

Boys

2010-04-08T13:25:00.000-06:00

This morning when the garbage truck came by, the window just wasn't offering a good enough view. So, Seth opened the door and both the boys stood there watching it for at least 10 minutes until it turned the corner.

I love that my boys find joy in such small (and yucky) things!

Conversation with Seth

2010-04-03T23:41:00.001-06:00

Seth: I'm a little boy. You a big boy, Mama?
Me: I'm not a boy! I'm a girl!
Seth: No. Eden a girl, Mama.
Me: I'm a girl, just like Eden. And Daddy's a boy, just like you.
Seth: No. Daddy's a girl.

This week's project. . .

2010-03-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

We painted the girls room last week. For the first time in all of our lives, we have a cute little girls room, that is actually coordinated. We (the girls) are all pretty excited about it.

We are done! It only took a week and much paint on little people to complete. I forgot to take a before picture, so just imagine that the room is green, with a faux finish on one wall and bunk beds. Tayleigh was tired of sitting up and hitting her head on the bunk, so we took them apart.

Tayleigh insisted that we hang her masterpieces. Am I a horrible mother for hanging them behind the door?

These adorable drawings were done by a friend of ours in our Provo Ward. She gave them to the girls as a gift, and they have been sitting in the closet, waiting for a cute enough room to be displayed in. Thank you, Marianne! We LOVE them!

Eden and Emily's Birthday

2010-02-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Since Eden and Emily have the same birthday we usually have a big birthday dinner to celebrate. This year was no exception. We had a yummy Chinese dinner and then the birthday girls opened their presents. Emily gave Eden this Barbie, which she loves if you can't tell.

The most exciting present, however was this one: a fish. Eden has been asking for a pet for a while now, and knows that we can't have a dog or a cat because of Daddy's allergies, so she started begging for a fish for her birthday. I found a lovely betta fish and he has been named Junie Johnny Ward. Or JJ for short. Or sometimes Henry. It changes often.

Emily was nice enough to bring Tayleigh a present as well. Tayleigh was thrilled with her Valentine's Barbie.

This skirt was one of Eden's gifts. She opened it in the morning so she could wear it to church. Oh, and yes. I made it.

We game Emily a picture frame with a picture of the kids in it. Seth is just making sure that she knows who everyone is!

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Maughan at the birthday dinner with us. We all love Grandma Maughan. Especially Seth.

Happy Birthday, girlies!

My little Diplomat

2010-01-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

I overheard this conversation between Tayleigh and Eden:

Tayleigh: Eden, if I asked you to do something that mom asked me to do, how would you feel?
Eden: What?
Tayleigh: If I told you something to do that Mom told me to do, would you be happy?
Eden: No.
Tayleigh: Then please don't do it to me!
Eden: Oh. Sorry, Tayleigh.

Let me be clear: this does not happen every day. It deserves to be documented!

Sledding

2010-01-19T10:04:00.001-07:00

We spent Saturday afternoon sledding in Payson. The weather down there was so much better than it was up here. We even got hot in all of our layers. Everyone had a blast.

Tayleigh is, apparently, fearless. There was a jump on the hill which she aimed for almost every time. Pretty much everyone else, even the big girls avoided it. She thought it was a blast. And not that big of a deal. . .

Eden didn't go off the jump, but she had a great time and only knocked one person over. . .

Seth wasn't the biggest fan of going down the hill, but he was more than willing to push his Daddy down the hill.

Notice the boots in the snow. Eric had a blast in the snow. He would have stayed out there for hours. Except that we couldn't keep his boots on for anything. And so he was crawling around in the snow in his socks. As happy as could be. His mom, however couldn't stand the thought of frostbitten toes, so we had to take him in. . .

More Bragging

2010-01-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I made lots of Christmas presents this year. And I'm going to brag for a few minutes and then show you where to find how to do it, if you are so inclined!

Molded Crayons

I made these from 2 packs of crayons from the dollar store, a silicone heart muffin tin and glitter. It made enough for each of my kids to have about 10 crayons each., You can learn how to make them here.

Jean tiered skirt.

I took one of my skirts that was headed to DI and cut it in half to make skirts for my girls. I got 2 pairs of shorts at DI and cut the bottoms off. I sewed the skirt on the bottom and voile! Two cute skirts!

Throw Pillows

I made the girls a couple of throw pillows from t-shirts that were also headed to the DI. I just cut the design off the front and a matching piece from the back. Then, just stuffed it. The girls love them.

Hair Flowers

These are so easy. And much cheaper than buying them. The tutorial here is for headbands, but it works just as well to glue the flowers on alligator clips.

Christmas Morning

2010-01-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

And this is what took up most of December. I made all of these pajamas. And yes. I am going to brag about it!

The kids were pretty happy about Christmas morning, despite the fact that we left about two thirds of our presents at home.

I just can't resist taking advantage of that curly hair every once in a while. . .

And, my Masterpiece:

Dessert.

Foam Crafting

2010-01-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sweet Grandma had collected all kinds of crafts for the kids to do while they were there. The kids had a great time putting them together.

The adults, on the other hand, were ready to throw them across the room after about 10 minutes.

The Nativity

2010-01-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

For FHE while in CA we decided to do the whole Nativity early. We had Mary, a shepherd who slept on the job, a baby Jesus who wouldn't hold still, 2 wisemen and 5 angels.

I'm pretty sure the angels were popular because of all the sparkly fabric. . .

Aunt Amy made all the kids winter hats. They love them!

Lucky Kaitlyn was around when Tayleigh was informed that she would not be going swimming that night. . .

Christmas. Yes. Christmas.

2010-01-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. It's been a long time since I have posted. December was an incredibly full month. And rather than try to make life easier and back to normal, I have now decided to rearrange/reorganize my house. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment.

So we spent Christmas in CA this year. I won't put it all in this post. Or it might go on forever. . .

Grandpa tried to take us to the nature park at El Dorado park. Sadly, it was closed that day. But there were ducks to chase!

Caleb and Seth were great friends while we were there. Seth doesn't hold hands with just anyone. Including his mommy!

Kensi was the self appointed babysitter. We didn't complain.

The highlight of the day for Seth was jumping off of rocks. Over and over and over and over.

We were all quite taken with this particular bird. I'm ashamed to say that I'm not sure what it is. . .

I love moments like this. . .

2009-12-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

One night after dinner the girls curled up on the couch and read a book together. They didn't fight for at least 15 minutes, which, I think a record in this house. I couldn't help but take a picture of it!

Boys will be Boys

2009-12-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

And this is what these boys do to entertain themselves.
It's good I love them so much!

Aren't they cute?

2009-11-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

Last week we went on the last photo shoot of the season. If you live in the West Jordan area and are looking for a good place to take pictures, check out the Conservation Gardens on 1300 W. Gorgeous!

Visiting Grandma

2009-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

We spent the day with Grandma last week. The kids love going to visit Grandma. Partly because they love that we stop at Wendy's for lunch on the way. Partly because they love going out on her balcony and counting the cars that drive by. Partly because there is nothing in the hallway to block their races. And mostly because they love spending time with Grandma and listening to her stories. . . . Even if she can't hear them!

This is Halloween!

2009-11-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-31T13:37:00.000-06:00

We actually got around to carving pumpkins this year. (Last year I was in the hospital, so there was no carving. . .) We bought two pumpkins at the farmer's market. Eden was a great help. The other three were just loud.

The first pumkin was easy to deal with. Not so much the second one. The knife went in about this far. So, John got creative.

The drill was the closest thing we have to a power saw.

But when the battery died, John had to do even more creative thinking. Thank goodness for a handy box of tools!

Eventually we got the top off and managed to get some faces in them. The girls picked the shapes for the faces and Daddy and I did the hard work. (Though I do give much credit to Eden for scraping it out.)

Happy Halloween!

Eric's Party

2009-10-29T20:36:00.000-06:00

We had a little birthday dinner for Eric on Sunday. Grandma and Grandpa Turner and Emily and Adam came over to watch him open presents and have cake.

It took a while for him to get the whole present opening idea, and even then needed Daddy's help.

And after opening pretty much every present, it was confiscated by Seth, never to be seen again. We're still dealing with that.

And Mommy accidentally blew out the candle while trying to show Eric how to blow out the candle. Way to go, mom.

The girls helped me decorate the Halloween themed cupcakes. And this is what Eric did with it:

Happy 1st Birthday, my messy little boy!

Possible Christmas presents?

2009-10-28T20:09:00.000-06:00

I have another giveaway going on over on my other blog. These adorable magnets are up for grabs. Enter to win here.

One year. . .

2009-10-27T23:05:00.000-06:00

It is this little baby's first birthday today. Kind of an anti-climatic one. But still. My baby is a year old. And I kind of can't believe it.

Daddy's Boys

2009-10-26T20:44:00.003-06:00

And this is why John longed for a boy:

"Watch football! Watch golf!"
It's a fairly common request around this house!

Up the Canyon

2009-10-24T21:12:00.000-06:00

We took a fun little drive up the canyon last weekend to admire the leaves. The kids "oohed" and "aahhed" the whole way up.

At the top (Brighton) we got out and let the kids play in the snow. Yes. Snow. There is snow at Brighton. And it was COLD! But the kids loved it, and it was really hard talking Seth into getting back in the car.

As you can see we weren't quite dressed for the weather, but that didn't stop anyone!

And this is what happens when you try to run across snow in shoes with zero traction. . .

Things Tayleigh has said to make me laugh today:

2009-10-13T22:02:00.002-06:00

"I wouldn't love Eric as much if he didn't have curly hair."

T: I'm glad I'm not in Mrs. Foote's class.

Me: Why?

T: Because that's a weird name.

MY Weekend!

2009-10-11T21:34:00.000-06:00

Just got back. It was awesome. We ate. We talked. We ate some more. We shopped. We wore matching Pajamas.

And then, our awesome Sara sweet talked the ski lift operator and we got a complimentary ride up the mountain.

Aren't they lovely? Aren't they glorious?

There are the coolest houses in Park City.

So, I didn't take a lot of pictures of us. Which I kind of regret. But, when we are all sitting around in PJ's eating jelly beans and laughing our heads off, the camera just doesn't tend to come out. But we had an awesome time and I'm kind of sad it's over already. Can't wait for next time!

Wee Witches Weekend

2009-10-09T14:53:00.001-06:00

We made our annual trip to the Witches Festival with Grandma and Grandpa Turner over UEA. This is the traditional picture that must be taken every. single. year. Grandma loves the pumpkins. . .

There were all kinds of things for the kids to do. Many of them cost money, however, and we are very cheap. But these coloring pages were totally free! The kids had a great time with them. They also had a witch scavenger hunt. Which we failed at. Anybody see the witch catching bugs?

We even saw real, live witches! The girls wanted their picture taken with her, but were still kind of shy. . .

Seth wouldn't get near ANY of the witches, real or fake. The girls were a little bit more comfortable with this witch than the last one.

For some reason, Seth wouldn't sit by any witches, but he would sit next to this spider. I do think, however, that he had to talk himself into it. . .

Watching the ducks. . .

Notice how he is holding his picture in his hand? He refused to put it in the stroller and insisted on carrying it around with him. Well, it slipped while he was sitting on the railing and landed right in the water. He was a little bummed, but he dealt with the disapointment. And this is the only thing that he remembers and talks about from the whole day!

And what trip to Gardner Village would be complete without Grandpa sneaking away to Sweet Afton's for a treat! Aren't these the cutest elephants you've ever seen?

It happened to me. . .

2009-10-07T14:53:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen that little box in Parents Magazine? The one where parents tell about the most random injuries that their children have received? Well, I have one to send in now. . .

A week or so ago we were all rushing out the door on the way to church. This was before the cold front moved in, so it was still pretty warm. As all the walking children went outside, Eric made a beeline for the door and crawled right out. In the process he laid his arm across this:

Across what, you ask? See that metal strip at the bottom of the door? Well, that metal strip is in the sun for a good part of the day. I knew it could get hot. I just didn't realize HOW hot.

Second degree burn hot.

Yep. That's right. 2nd degree burns up Eric's arm. John took him to the Urgent care while I took the rest of the kids to church.

We kept his arm wrapped for about a week, changing it twice a day. It is healing well, but still looks horrible. (I'm his mom. Any injury on one of my children looks horrible.) The biggest blessing about this whole ordeal is that Eric has been a trooper. We kept him on Tylenol for the first few days, but he has handled it all incredibly well. Thank Heaven for tender mercies.

Family Pictures

2009-10-02T12:26:00.000-06:00

A small sampling of the family pictures that we took. Thanks Aubrey!

This one is my favorite. . .

New Wheels

2009-10-01T10:05:00.000-06:00

After a very successful trip to DI, we came home with 2 pairs of roller blades and two pairs of knee pads. All for $7. You gotta love DI.

I don't have any pictures of the girls skating because they aren't really that good at it. Truth be told, I hold their hands and they try not to fall as I walk up and down the driveway.

They'll get better. Right?

Labor Day (a little late)

2009-09-30T10:03:00.000-06:00

I thought I would try and catch up. This is how we spent our Labor Day:

Finger painting in the backyard.

Daddy played in a Volleyball tournament at UVU all day (and won!), so it was just me and the kids. We spend the morning finger painting because we had no where else to be and I hate finger paints.

It was Seth's first experience with it and he was in LOVE.

Eric spent the morning in the swing. Which was fine with him. He LOVES the swing. Well, as long as someone is constantly pushing him. . .

How Gorgeous!

2009-09-29T15:07:00.000-06:00

We went and did family pictures last week. I'll post more soon, but I think that this is the best picture of Eden that has ever been taken. She wasn't smiling for the camera, she was smiling for real. That makes all the difference!

School Carnival

2009-09-22T19:20:00.002-06:00

The PTA held a carnival last week. It was the inaugural event. Meaning, there were a few kinks. Such as too many people not enough space.

So the kids had fun. The adults struggled to hold off the claustrophobic panic attacks.

From the time he noticed it, Seth was obsessed with the golf game. He was in heaven when it was finally his turn. . .

Watching the ball roll into the hole. . .

It's like watching a professional, isn't it?

The kids had a great time, and despite spending most of the night waiting in line to get their faces painted (which I don't have a picture of, because by the time we got done we rushed out of there with two exhausted little boys), I think that it was a hit. Hopefully, the PTA learned from their mistakes and next years carnival will be even better. . .

Another Giveaway!

2009-09-22T15:16:00.002-06:00

I'm working on some pics of the kids from the school carnival last week. In the meantime, head on over to my other blog to win one of these. . .

Do You have little girls?

2009-09-16T14:38:00.003-06:00

Because if you do, you may want to head over to my other blog to enter my VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

How can you beat $35 worth of adorable hair bows?

But get there soon, the contest ends Monday morning.

Why not to share with a 10 month old

2009-09-05T22:29:00.001-06:00

He won't want to share with you.

How we spend our time. . .

2009-09-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

John borrowed some face paints and face crayons from the primary and we couldn't help but take advantage of them. Seth did most of his own art work. I drew a butterfly on Tayleigh but she did the rest. We had a great time!

Tayleigh's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-31T21:27:00.002-06:00

Tayleigh had her first day of Kindergarten last week. We were all pretty nervous. There was no one that she knew in her class. The day before the first day she met her teacher for the first time, and I think that helped, but honestly, she was more nervous than excited.

This year, despite the fact that the power went off sometime in the middle of the night and we all woke up late, I managed to make it out of my pajamas so I could walk her up to the playground. As I watched her run off to the playground all by herself, I started talking to another mom sending her daughter off. When I told her that Tayleigh didn't have any friends in her class, she found her daughter and introduced her to Tayleigh. Instant friends. Thank goodness for nice moms!

Our New Pet

2009-08-26T21:02:00.000-06:00

We have a new puppy. His name is Eric. He spends most of his days crawling happily underneath the kitchen table snacking on the crumbs that his big brother and sisters so adeptly scatter on the floor. You'd think we never feed this kid!

Seth's Favorite place to watch TV

2009-08-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, maybe not his favorite, I've only found him in there once but I thought it was pretty funny!

On the first day of First Grade

2009-08-24T20:49:00.002-06:00

Eden started first grade last week. She loves it. She has already made new friends. Her favorite part, I think, is eating lunch at school and then walking home with her friends.

Tayleigh had to get in on the picture action on the first day--even though she was still in her pajamas!

The infamous party

2009-08-07T20:11:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures from Tayleigh's birthday party.

The lack of guest afforded Seth the opportunity to hit the pinata as much as he wanted.

On a treasure hunt. . .

At Tayleigh's request plain cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Their Big Backyard

2009-08-06T21:52:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Ward pretty much have the best backyard a kid could ever want. A swimming pool, swingset, slide, multiple wagons, rocking horse and every other kind of sports equipment you could ever want.

Not to mention more cousins than a kid could ever hope for. . .

My Boys

2009-08-05T21:50:00.000-06:00

These are my boys. I just adore those faces!

Sunset Beach

2009-08-04T21:42:00.002-06:00

Early in the week we made a trip to Sunset Beach. Let it be known, I am not a beach lover. After a scary experience at age 15 I never go in the water past my knees. In fact, I rarely go in the water at all. But that is generally because I am trying desperately to keep all of my children from drowning, eating sand, or having panic attacks. All of which are common occurrences when we go to the beach.

Apparently, Tayleigh's swim suit is a little too big. I'm not surprised. This is a common sight around our house. . .

The eating of sand. . . (I obviously wasn't doing an awesome job.)

The only child who actually had fun at the beach. She is the adventurous one in the family.

I'm fairly sure Tayleigh never went in the water. She was the first person ready to leave.

Love it!

2009-07-31T22:13:00.000-06:00

I just started going through the pictures from Lindsay. I'll post more, but this just cracks me up and I had to put it up. This is my crazy son with his cousin Abby.

My Calfornia days are over

2009-07-30T14:48:00.003-06:00

And this is just a taste. Once I get Lindsay's pictures uploaded I'll post a few more. Why do I only have a taste? Maybe it's because my camera battery died the third day we were there. Yep. The entire family was there and my battery died. Awesome, I know.

On the boardwalk on the way to Ruby's. Must visit Ruby's while in CA. But go to the one in Huntington Beach. Yes, the pier is longer, yes the parking is worse but the Ruby's in Seal Beach is just kind of gross. . .

Oh, and order a shake. . .

The Seal in Seal beach!

Can you see the curly hair? California humidity was great for that. . .

We love the front yard at Grandpa's! Seth spent much time soaking himself and others in this fountain.

Jordanelle

2009-07-18T23:30:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we were invited up to Jordanelle to go boating with a couple of friends from John's work. Eden LOVED it. Tayleigh was terrified. Seth was a little unsure and refused to try out the water. Eric fell asleep.

It was a pretty good day.

The 4th of July in photos

2009-07-07T21:01:00.005-06:00

A little story

2009-06-18T07:29:00.003-06:00

I thought I would tell you all a cute little story from our house.

A few days ago I bought Rhubarb on a whim. I haven't had it since I was little, and thought it was about time we try it again. Well, we brought it home and I made rhubarb bars. As I was making them the girls came in asking what I was making and when it would be ready. Tayleigh announced that she was going to try it and that she was going to love it.

Well. . .

The rhubarb bars came out of the oven during dinner, so when the girls were finished they were still too hot to eat. Eden was fine with this. She is generally the more patient of the two. Tayleigh, on the other hand, wanted instant gratification and got a piece of candy out of the pantry, declaring that she wasn't going to try the bars after all.

Well, when the bars were cool enough to eat, Tayleigh conveniently forgot that she had already had dessert and asked for a bar. I was in a decent mood (actually I don't think I was. I'm pretty sure I just didn't feel like fighting) so I let it slide and even though Eden fought it and Tayleigh lied up and down about not having dessert earlier, Tayleigh got her 2 desserts and loved them.

Fast forward about 8 hours later. Tayleigh comes down to my room, saying she had a bad dream and crawls into bed with me. A little bit later when I told her it was time to go back to bed, she turns over, looks at me and says: "Mommy, I lied. I really did have dessert. I"m sorry."

And when I finally comprehended what she was saying, my heart just melted. I gave her a big hug and kiss and sent her back to bed. She really is a sweet (if not a bit crazy) little girl!

This morning

2009-06-06T21:23:00.003-06:00

Way to go Em!

2009-06-04T13:48:00.003-06:00

My sweet little niece, Emily, is the ambassador for tomorrow's Walk for Psoriasis. To read her story, go here.

To find out more about the walk go here.

She's so BIG!

2009-06-02T21:48:00.002-06:00

It's official: Tayleigh has graduated from Preschool. Does that officially make her a kindergartner yet?

They sang "these are the people in your neighborhood" and all the kids had puppets. They had a little too much fun with the puppets to remember to sing!

I can't remember what song they danced to, but when Miss Lisa told them to find a partner, the little boy didn't want to be Tayleigh's partner, and I'm pretty sure it was because she is a girl!This is him. He seems to like her just fine now. . .

My beautiful little graduate! We are so proud of her and I cannot believe that she is almost 5. It is one thing to have your oldest turn 5. It is something else entirely to do it again.

Eden-ism

2009-05-29T15:23:00.001-06:00

Eden: Mom, do you know how to play Cops and Robins? Because I do!

A beautiful little girl. . .

2009-05-25T16:47:00.008-06:00

Tayleigh and I had some alone time this afternoon so we decided to do a little photo shoot in the backyard. I decided we need some new pictures of the kids. Cause I really don't take enough. . . :)

The newest Temple

2009-05-24T19:54:00.002-06:00

I finally charged up my camera so I could download these pictures. These are from our FHE at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. For the full story go here.

Amazing awesome giveaway.

2009-05-13T21:07:00.002-06:00

If you are in the market for a totally amazing giveaway head over to Metroplitan Mama to enter her LAPTOP contest. Yes, you read that right. Laptop.

Tayleigh-ism

2009-05-11T22:42:00.001-06:00

Me: You're my baby.

Tayleigh: I'm not a baby!

Me: You are. You're always my baby.

Tayleigh: I'm not a baby, I'm a tow truck driver!

My littlest Man!

2009-05-06T13:55:00.002-06:00

Eric and I had a little photo shoot the other night. He had so much fun just sitting in the grass and I got some great pictures!

This is his little old man face. I love it!

He has just discovered his tongue and loves to play with it.

I spent the morning with Snakes!

2009-05-06T13:50:00.002-06:00

I went outside this morning to pull weeds. As I grabbed the shovel I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Turns out 2 little snakes have made themselves a home in my yard. So of course I had to run and get the camera.

And when I was finished taking pictures of the snakes, I turned around to see this:

May Spotlight

2009-05-02T12:46:00.003-06:00

Guess what? My other blog, Trapped Between a Scream and a Hug, was nominated (thanks Debbie!) for the Mormon Mommy Blogs May spotlight. I'm sorry if this means nothing to you, but it's a pretty big deal for me! So if you haven't read my other blog, head on over and check it out and then go vote for me! Or if you don't want to read my other blog, that's okay, just go vote for me anyway!

And if you could go before May 7 at Midnight, that would be great!

And then if you felt like shamelessly promoting me on your blog, I promise I wouldn't mind!

Thanks guys!

A General update

2009-04-29T14:33:00.003-06:00

I actually have a few minutes so I thought I would give a little family update.

We'll start with Eden. She went back on track last week after being off for 3. She was so excited to go back, especially because they finally finished putting in the new playground for the kindergartners. She still loves school and her teacher. She has become quite the popular little girl and we are working on keeping it from going to her head. (She got to go to 2 birthday parties last week. It was a hard week for Tayleigh.)

She has started subtraction at school and much to her daddy's enjoyment she is doing quite well at it. She still needs some practice when it comes to writing the numbers, though. Her reading skills are improving as well. She read Are you my mother? to Tayleigh the other day and only needed help on a few words.

Eden is both of her brother's favorite. She can get Eric to crack up better than anyone and Seth will voluntarily give her hugs. Something he is quite stingy with. She is a great help and only complains a little. I don't know what we would do with out her!

Tayleigh is still enjoying preschool, but not so much the reading part. Apparently, she will read to her teacher but I still have yet to really see her in action. When I pull a book out to practice reading it is like I am requesting torture. So for now we aren't going to push it and her teacher tells me that she does great working on reading at school, so we'll just leave the reading there for right now.

Tayleigh is our little drama queen. Life is over if she doesn't have any company. Or if she can't wear a skirt. Or if she doesn't have any pajamas in the drawer. Or if she thinks that Eden isn't listening to her. I could go on. . . But she is a sweetheart when she wants to be.

Last Sunday at church Tayleigh got in trouble for turning around and talking to the girl sitting behind us. After she was scolded, she buried her face in Eden's shoulder and sobbed. Quietly, at least. John and I couldn't help laughing a little, but apparently this was the wrong decision. Eden turned to John with the evil eye and told him to stop laughing at Tayleigh. Which of course made us laugh harder, but also appreciate Eden's love for her little sister.

Seth has turned into a handful. He is one stubborn kid. The girls aren't allowed to get dessert until Seth has finished his dinner because if he sees the candy come out there is no longer any chance of him eating the rest of his food. He wants candy. And that's that. He loves watching TV, a little too much. His favorites are "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "My Friends, Tigger and Pooh." This is especially cute because he has a pooh bear stuffed animal and he will point to it and say: "pooh! Pooh!"

He still only has a few words, but he is getting better. He has started volunteering for prayers, but kind of loses interest about half way through and instead of repeating what I say just repeats the same word over and over again. I think he thinks he's funny. If I really listen to him I can generally figure out the gist of what he is saying. I keep hoping that it will get better sooner than later, but we'll see.

He has a thing for hats lately. He'll put one on in the morning and wear it all day long--including his nap. And the only way he will take it off is for baths. He'll even wear it to bed at night. It cracks me up seeing him run around in PJ's and his Hawaiian bucket hat! Eric has a matching one and whenever Seth finds it he will run and put it on the baby. Luckily, Eric is a good sport about it.

Eric is getting a little happier on a regular basis. He still craves attention, which is hard on Mommy, but we are getting used to it. He is finally falling into a nap schedule, kind of, and will generally only wake up about once a night. (knock on wood) He loves watching the kids play, and I can tell that he likes Seth the best and really wants to play with him, but Seth is usually too busy. I'm pretty sure that once Eric is mobile he will be a much happier kid. Hopefully that will happen sooner than later. He still isn't the biggest fan of tummy time, but he will hang out of 5 minutes or so before completely losing his temper. Especially if there is a toy in front of him. The only problem is that the longer he is on his tummy, the further away he gets from the toy: he has figured out how to move, but in only one direction! Backwards!

I hope that gives you a better idea of what life is like at our house!

In which I brag a little. . .

2009-04-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ( x)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien ( x)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ( x)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (x )
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (X)
6 The Bible - (x ) a little x for MOSTLY. Well, the whole new testament and part of the old.
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte ( ) I read about half then had to stop because it annoyed me.
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ( x)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ( )
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens ( x)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy (x )
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ( ) I have it. Just haven't gotten to it.
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ( ) I'd say half.
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier ( )
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien ( x)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ( )
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ( )
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ( )
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ( )
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (x )
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (X)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens ( )
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ( )
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ( )
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ( )
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( ) I was supposed to read it in high school but I don't think I ever finished.
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (X)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (x )
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ( ) Half of it
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ( x)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ()
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (x)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (x )
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (x )
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - ( )
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ( )
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (x )
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ( )
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (X)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown ( x)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving ( )
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ( )
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ()
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy (x )
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ( )
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (X)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ( )
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ( )
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ( )
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (x )
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ( )
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ( ) Reading it right now
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ( x)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime-Mark Haddon ( )
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (X)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ( )
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold ( x)
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ( )
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ( )
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ( )
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding ( ) I can't believe this is on here. Retelling Pride and Predjudice does not qualify it to be on this list. Should be replaced by Siddartha.
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ( )
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville ( ) Have it. Haven't read it yet.
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ( )
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker ( )
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (x)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ( )
75 Ulysses - James Joyce ( )
76 The Inferno - Dante ( ) Some of it.
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ( )
78 Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ( ) Two chapters. . . I'll pick it up again one day.
80 Possession - AS Byatt ( )
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (X)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ( )
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ( )
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ( )
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ( )
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White ( x)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( )
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (x) I'm not sure. I read one Sherlock Holmes book, but I don't know if it was this one.
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( )
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ( ) Was supposed to read it in high school and would have gotten a much better grade on the AP test if I had. Had to write about Lord of the Flies instead.
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (x )
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ( )
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ( )
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( )
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ( )
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare ( x)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (x )
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ( ) Half of it. It's really, really long.

I got this list off of Brittney's blog. Thanks!

A Tribute

2009-04-21T22:17:00.000-06:00

This is my sister Emily and her husband Adam. They are wonderful. They babysit for free whenever they can, they took the girls to Disneyland, and my children ADORE them. Best Aunt and Uncle a child could ever have! Thanks guys!

Grandma and Seth

2009-04-20T13:43:00.000-06:00

We have a very special lady in our family. Her name is Ruth Redford Cooper Maughan.

When I was growing up I loved that she had so many names. I thought it was so cool. She is my Grandma, my mother's mom. She lived in Florida while I was growing up so we didn't get to see her very often. We went to Florida 3 times while I was growing up and for a long time she would come out to Utah every summer. After I got married, a few months after Eden was born, she moved to Utah. And we just love having her here.

You would never guess that she is an 86 year old woman. She loves to play with the kids and tease them and tell them stories. Especially Seth. And do you know how she won him over? By dancing with him! She first taught him how to dance with a barbie. Then she got down on her knees to dance with him. At the end of each dance she spun him around and then told him to bow and say thank you. If Seth could talk, he would never admit that he enjoyed this. But after each he would get a shy look on his face and nudge Grandma with his head to indicate that he wanted to do it again.

Ever since then he likes Grandma Maughan. And on his birthday he climbed up on the couch to show her his new book. Each time they got to the end of the book both would clap and yell, "Yea!" Both were delighted with the other.

Happy Birthday Grandma. We really love you. I hope your around for a long, long time to make memories with all of my children. They are so lucky to have you in their lives.

Happy Birthday Seth!

2009-04-19T22:34:00.000-06:00

We had a fun little birthday dinner for our 2 year old. I just can't belive that he has been a part of our family for 2 whole years! It seems like he was just a tiny baby, but at the same time I just can't imagine life without him! We love you bud!

He was terrified of this horse when he first got it. It was hilarious. He's fine with it now. Gallops all over the place with it. But that night he wouldn't even walk past it!

After the hunt

2009-04-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

Everyone had a different process when opening the eggs:

Eden had a hard time opening her eggs because she was too busy watching Tayleigh to make sure they got EXACTLY the same amount of everything.

Tayleigh took out all of the jelly beans and sugar babies out, left everything else in and then lined up the eggs.

Seth shook each egg to make sure there really was something inside of it before dumping it in the open bag, held by Grandma.

And Eric tried to eat the camera.

Egg Hunting

2009-04-17T22:11:00.002-06:00

This is my wonderful sister Emily. She took this one herself. Isn't she lovely?

We hid some Easter eggs at Grandma's House and after dinner the kids went out to find them. The girls were off and running, but Seth had eyes for only one thing: birds. He and Grandpa had been watching them out the window before the hunt and he thought that he was going outside for a better look. It took a few minutes to get him to focus a little bit closer to the ground, but once he did, there was no stopping him!

A Family

2009-04-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

This is the first time that I have managed to get all 4 of my kids in the same place at the same time. Whew! Now we just need to get the whole family in one picture. . . any volunteers?

Dressy Easter

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000-06:00

My boys both got new Easter clothes this year. John didn't, but he got a truck. Good enough!

Don't tell Eden, but I just couldn't get over how beautiful Tayleigh looked. Between her hair and the white dress, she was just a little angel.

Eden looked pretty darn cute too!

Dying Eggs

2009-04-14T21:50:00.003-06:00

Eden begged me for 3 days to boil the eggs so we could dye them. I finally got around to it on Saturday. I waited until Seth was in bed, so he missed out. Maybe next year he can be trusted with a cup of dye and an egg . . .

A little help. . .

2009-04-07T09:25:00.001-06:00

We are at the somethings gotta give point at the Ward home. I am, therefore looking for the easiest recipes ever. Wanna help me out?

Eric Brandon

2009-04-03T20:09:00.002-06:00

Eric and I had an impromptu photo shoot the other day. I love this little adorable boy!

2009-03-31T16:06:00.001-06:00

I put the boys together in the bath for the first time last week. It is wonderful to only have to give 2 baths: one for the boys and one for the girls. And Eric loved it. For the first 5 minutes that he was in the bathtub, everytime that Seth would say something or laugh, or chatter or

anything, Eric would burst out laughing. It was so cute! I love my boys!

Toes are yummy!

2009-03-19T17:37:00.000-06:00

Eric has discovered his toes and he just can't get enough of them!