The Sill Family

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-27T21:27:00.001-08:00

We had a Fabulous Christmas! I just hate that is flies by so quickly. Months of shopping, all the anticipation and excitement, and it’s all over in the blink of an eye. On Christmas Eve we always get new jammies. This year we got slippers too!

Gavin got Camo jammies with a dinosaur on the front and moose slippers. Me and the girls all got pink jammies with monkeys on them and the girls got monkey slippers. Dallas did not want any more jammies because he never wears them so he got a movie instead.

It looks like Santa found us!

We also woke up to one last surprise from our friend Mr. Elfman. He was gone- he went back to the North Pole with Santa but he got into the sugar bowl and left a “snow angel” on the kitchen table.

Yay!! Chapstick!!

Avery got chapstick-of course, her drinking baby, a new comforter for her bed, a plasma car, a v-tech computer, play dough, and a bunch of other little things.. Unfortunately, Santa couldn’t find a candy spider.. Luckily she forgot about it once she saw her chapstick!

She would have been happy with just the chapstick. She ended up with 31 total.

Here’s Gavin with most of his things. He had taken some into his room so they didn’t make it into the picture. He got an mp3 player, a gift card for music downloads, a banana chair (he is sitting in it so you can’t really see it), a pogo stick, a sled, the skylander wii game and lots of characters to add to the game from Grandma Sill, 2 webkinz, a nerf gun, a little guitar, and bunch of other little things. He was pretty happy except for when he opened the pogo stick. It was in a long white box and was heavy so he instantly thought it was a gun.. Out came a pogo stick and he didn’t even know what it was or what to do with it so he was a little disappointed. He got over it pretty quick though!

Mackenzie got a new comforter for her bed, a sock monkey, a Barnes and Noble nook, and a rock board scooter. It’s a pretty neat little thing. I didn’t get any good pictures of it so I will have to remember to take one later. Plus she got also got 2 webkinz, art stuff, and a bunch of other little things.

The kids all got towels from Grandma Anderson. Avery loved hers!

I even got spoiled this year! I got a Kindle Fire and some cooking stuff. I got the new pans from Dallas’s company Christmas party. They had an auction fundraiser and I got the pans there. I LOVE my kindle. I have already almost finished a book!

For once, I was even able to surprise Dallas. He had bought himself a new backpack for hunting and I told him that was his Christmas. Every time I have bought Dallas something, he has snooped and found it. He didn’t snoop this year and he was pretty surprised when he opened up his new Vizio VTAB. He has been pretty happy with it. These little electronics sure are entertaining!

The day after Christmas, we took the kids sledding. It was pretty fun. The kids keep begging to go back!

They had several wipe-outs but I didn’t get any pictures of them. Gavin went flying into the air at one point- It was hilarious!

Avery loved it till Dallas took her down the big hill and she got covered in snow. She wanted to go home after that.

If you want a good workout, go sledding and pull a 3 year old up the slippery hill a couple times!

Time to go home!

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

2011-12-24T08:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve is here! The kids are so excited and can’t wait for Santa to come!

Mackenzie and Gavin both had Christmas programs for their school. We went to Gavin’s but were asked not to take any pictures using a flash. At least we got it recorded with the camcorder! He did a great job and looked adorable! Mackenzie was so funny. I had her hair all done up and at the last minute she had a total meltdown because she said with the santa hat on, she would look like a boy. So after 30 minutes of crying and fighting, we took her hair down and brushed it out. And she was happy!

We had the Anderson Christmas party last weekend. We had lots of good food and fun games.The kids always have so much fun together! It was a great day- until Avery spilled bright blue fingernail polish on Mark and Sherin’s carpet that is…

We went to Layton yesterday and had a little Christmas party with Dallas’s family and the kids got spoiled rotten as usual. Avery came home with 13 chapsticks and Santa hasn’t even come yet! She also got a bunch of art stuff, a cute hat, and a little bowling game. Gavin came home with a movie, a little guitr, a firetruck, a nerf gun, and some skylander video-game accessories. Mackenzie came home with a ton of art stuff, a cookie/cupcake maker, some bath stuff, and a very cute pillow. It was good to be able to see everyone!

We have had a room-mate for the month of December. Meet Fred Barry Elfman.. He is one of Santa’s elves. Santa sent him to stay here to help remind the kids to be good. His job is to watch the kids and report back to Santa. I need to have a talk with Santa though because he sent us a naughty elf! I think he must be really excited for Christmas because at first, he did a good job of just hiding in different spots in the house and watching the kids. But- the last week he has been causing all sorts of mischief.

He made himself a ladder and painted a Christmas tree on the wall in my living room, He made snowmen out of marshmallows, and today when we woke up we saw that he had toilet-papered the kitchen and had gotten stuck in a roll of toilet paper. I will be glad when he goes back to the North Pole!

The kids did see santa the other night and I had taken my camera to take some pictures but my battery was at home in the charger so the camera didn’t do me any good! Avery has been asking for the same thing for months and has not changed her mind once. She wants chapstick, a candy spider (WHAT??) and a drinking baby… Mackenzie wants a kindle, a sock monkey, and a webkinz. For a long time, Gavin didn’t ask for anything. He didn’t know what he wanted. The last few days though, he has asked for a dsi, a new ipod, an x-box 360, and the skylander game.. hmmm… I guess we will have to see what comes!

It’s almost here!

2011-12-22T11:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas is almost here and I still have pictures I have not posted from summer. It’s just too hard to find the time to do all of the things I want to do. my goal for the holidays this year, is to get caught up on the kids’ scrapbooks. I am so far behind! I also need to get my blog all caught up so I can get it printed! Here are a few pictures from when we went to the zoo a few months ago.. Looking at these makes me miss the warm weather!

and here are some pictures from the girls’ Christmas dance performance- which was also Avery’s very first experience of being on stage. She was so excited. Mostly just because she had been dying to wear her costume! She looked adorable in her little pink tutu (especially when paired with her boots lol!).Avery danced with her teddy bear and Mackenzie actually smiled a little bit while on stage- first time ever! She usually looks like she is bored to death while dancing.She was so proud of herself!Avery and her friend Camryn. Cam did not want her picture taken!

Mackenzie and her best friend Jaydee.

The kids got an early Christmas surprise this year… His name is Chester and he is a Welsh Corgi. Dallas has wanted one forever and I finally caved. 2 weeks later, and I am already regretting it though. I guess I had forgotten how big of a pain puppies are. The kids love him though and Tucker- Dallas’s other dog- is thrilled to have a friend.

From old to new!

2011-12-11T20:26:00.001-08:00

After Avery broke the glass in my coffee table, I didn’t know what to do with it! I priced a new piece of glass but I didn’t want to spend over $200 on a piece of glass that would probably just get broken again so I came up with another idea!

I turned it into an ottoman! I cut a piece of plywood and put it in where the glass went, then I covered it in several layers of batting (6 I believe).

I then had Dallas cut about 3 inches off the legs, then covered it in a leather-like fabric.

Finally, I covered some buttons in the fabric and put the buttons in and voila! Our old coffee table is now a new ottoman!

School Pictures

2011-11-30T19:02:00.001-08:00

We all got school pictures taken this year. On picture day, I did not realize that I would be getting my picture taken along with the kids. Even Avery got her pictures taken at day-care. Thanksgiving was last week and we spent the weekend in Utah. We had lots of fun but I neglected to take any pictures. We spent Thanksgiving with my family then me, Sherin and my mom hit the black friday sales at midnight. It was crazy! We found a few things but nothing to make going shopping at midnight worth it. Then on Saturday, Mackenzie and I went to the Ballet West nutcracker. Trey had a part in it and he was adorable! I also finished up my Christmas shopping while we were there. Yay for getting it done early!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-11-11T22:26:00.001-08:00

Carving pumpkins!

Eyeballs and Mummies for dinner!

The kids had a great time dressing-up and trick-or-treating this year. They even convinced me to dress up with them!

My baby girl

2011-11-09T20:13:00.001-08:00

I am so far behind on my blog and I will get caught up… some day! I just had to put up some pictures I took of Avery tonight. Avery has NEVER been a thumb sucker. None of my kids have. This past week though, she has suddenly started sucking her thumb. I would have never thought a three year old would just suddenly start sucking their thumb for no reason. I think there must be someone at Day Care that does it or something and she is just copying them. I just hope it does not become a habit. She has never wanted to grow up and she still just wants to be a baby. She gets mad if you call her a big girl and she still wants to be carried everywhere we go. I think she is adorable! We are trying to put a stop to the thumb-sucking so it doesn’t become a problem but this is how she fell asleep on the couch tonight. I thought I’d better take a picture before I yank the thumb out of her mouth.

DALLAS’S ELK HUNT

2011-10-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Success!

Gavin’s new smile!

2011-10-08T17:40:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is a picture of Gavin with his missing tooth. He was so excited! He was eating an apple and he told me that it was hurting his tooth. So, I looked at the tooth and tried to wiggle it and it wiggled just a tiny bit so I told him that it was a tiny bit loose but sometimes it can take a while for it to become loose enough to fall out. About 5 minutes later, he took a big bite out of his apple and his tooth popped out! He wanted to go to bed right then so he could put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy didn’t disappoint- she left him $5.00!!

I had to put these pictures on here too. These were taken today, Oct 9th. The kids were so excited to build their first snowman! The ended up building three of them. It’s a good thing they went out early because all of the snow, except for their snow-men is already melted.

New Pictures!

2011-09-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

I went out a couple weeks ago and took some pictures of the kids. I think they turned out pretty good. The top three are my favorites!

Avery didn’t want to cooperate. She just wanted to pull faces.

I am just glad I took them when I did. last night Gavin lost his first tooth and I am glad we got pictures done first! I will post a picture of his toothless grin later!

The kids are loving school this year. They both love their new teachers and are always happy to go. Avery is adjusting to her new routine as well. She loves pre-school and seems to be enjoying day-care. Nap time has messed up her evening schedule because she hasn’t napped in over a year, and now she is suddenly napping every day at day-care which leaves her wanting to stay up all night. She is adjusting though, and I am hoping that within a few more weeks, we won’t have a problem. My job is going great! I love it. The days just fly by and the kids in our class are just adorable. It has been so nice to not be stuck home all day every day. It has been difficult to keep up on everything else though…laundry, cooking, cleaning, yardwork, blogging, ect.. But, I’ve just decided that it’s okay if I can’t get get everything done. I can catch-up on the weekends! Yay for weekends!

Avery’s big day!

2011-09-11T16:12:00.001-07:00

Avery’s Birthday was pretty exciting! she really wanted a pink barbie cake so that’s what she got. I was pretty nervous about making the cake and having it look decent but it turned out better than I had thought it would-and she loved it so that’s all that matters! Here she is getting ready for her party and showing me how old she is. I love how she does her “3” with her fingers.She was so excited about her new bike. It took her a few days to get the hang of it but now she rides it all over!

She couldn’t wait to bust open the pinata!

Unfortunately, most of the kids didn’t get a turn to whack the pinata because Gavin hit it a little too hard and it exploded!At least they all got lots of candy out of it! For her Birthday Avery got a new bike and a Barbie play set from mom and dad, another barbie from her friends Kenzie and Oaklee, a coloring book, a cute crayon roll, and a necklace from her friend Hannah, some cute clothes and a really nice Cinderella dress from Grandma Sill, and some money from Grandma and Grandpa Anderson that she used to buy a giant bean bag. She was adorable and had a great day! We Love you Avery!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

2011-09-02T21:53:00.001-07:00

Today was Avery’s 3rd Birthday. It makes me kind of sad. She is growing up so fast! I Love this picture of her. It just makes me smile every time I see it! She was so funny today. She has been so excited about her birthday but when she woke up today and I told her that it was her birthday, she got mad. She would yell at us every time we sang Happy Birthday. She said she does not want presents, and she does not want to be 3. She just wants to be 2. She has always been resistant to growing-up. Most kids are in such a hurry to grow up.. Not my Avery. She rolled-over, crawled, and walked later than my other two. Not because she couldn’t do it, but because she didn’t want to. She slept in her crib till just a few months ago and she threw a fit when we made her move up to a big bed. Even last week, I was watching a 5 month old baby and Avery kept taking his binki away from him because she wanted it. She would sit in the baby entertainer, and wanted to sleep in his play-pen. She still loves being held like a baby and wants to be carried everywhere we go. Dallas isn’t home today so we aren’t going to celebrate till tomorrow but Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came today so we took them over to the Mountain Man Rendezvouz that was going on this weekend. It didn’t take me long to remember why we never go to it! I’m sure my mom loved seeing all of the nearly naked 50 year old men wearing nothing but chaps and a loin cloth. I know I sure did.If only I had taken my camera.Once Grandma and Grandpa came, Avery decided it was okay to be three and then was happy for the rest of the day. We have been working on her cake and are almost ready to party tomorrow! Happy Birthday Avery! We are so lucky to have you in our family. We love you so much and hope you have a great Birthday!

Craziness

2011-09-01T09:36:00.001-07:00

Things have been so crazy around here but it’s been great. We are making lots of changes and I am hoping that they turn out to be good changes. I think they will be. the biggest change is that I am going back to work. It’s a little scary because I have not worked in almost 7 years. I was planning on staying home with my kids till they were all in school, but this job came up, and I decided to take it. I am going to be a para-educator for a Kindergarten class. I am so excited. I think It will be lots of fun! They told me yesterday that over 90 people applied for the job and I got it.. So, I think it was meant to be! so, along with me going to work, means that Avery has to go to Day-Care. I am a little hesitant, but I think it will be a good thing.

On her first day, Gavin and Kenzie had to go for a little while too so I think that helped- having them with her. She got to go on a field trip and ride a “big bus” and she was so excited to tell me all about it when I picked her up. She will be in pre-school too while she is there so I think she’s going to enjoy her time there.

I think they wore her out!

Mackenzie and Gavin also started a new year of school. Gavin is in first grade, and Mackenzie is a big 3rd-grader! I can’t believe it! Where has the time gone? Mackenzie will soon be starting in a sewing class that she is so excited for and she and Avery both will be starting dance classes as well.

This is Avery’s jeep we bought her a couple weeks ago at a yard sale. She was so excited! she plays with it every day!

These pictures were taken this morning.. Avery walked up to me and said “will you get all of this hair off of my shirt?” Then I realized what she had done.. She cut a big chunk out of her hair!! She has done this once before, but she only cut a little bit so it was easy to hide.. There will be no hiding it this time! She is pretty proud of herself.. She said she wants hair like daddy’s!

Jordan and Breann’s Wedding

2011-08-23T08:57:00.001-07:00

Dallas’s little Brother Jordan got married last Saturday. It was a pretty fun day!

Of course, Shelby made an adorable little flower girl

It was a little stressful trying to get everyone ready, but we made it! Shelley had ordered my dress so I didn’t get to try it on until the night before. Of course, it didn’t fit. It was too big so I had about 30 minutes to find a new dress. Luckily purple is a popular color this year!

The candy table was the kid’s favorite part of the day!

mmm.. Cotton candy!!

They also had a photo booth. It was pretty fun. They would print out a copy of the picture for you to keep, and then a copy to put in a scrapbook for the bride and groom . Whenever the kids weren’t at the candy table, they were at the photo booth getting their picture taken!

It’s almost over :(

2011-08-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe school is starting in a few short weeks. there were so many things I wanted to do this summer and I feel like we haven’t done much of anything. It has gone by way too fast! I am finished school shopping for the kids- It’s always a good feeling to get that done!

The kids just finished with swimming lessons and they both passed the levels they were in.. wahoo! Gavin is a pretty good little swimmer. In the little pool he swims like a fish, but when they take him into the deep water, he panics. Once he gets past that, he does pretty well.

They both jumped off of the diving board even! Avery was upset that she didn’t get to go with them so I will have to take them just for fun one of these days.

One thing I have wanted to do all summer is to go camping. We finally were able to do it and we had so much fun! This is the first time that we have gone and not stayed in the campground. I definitely think it was much better!

Grandpa Sill came and brought Preston, Trey and Tage for part of the time. He also brought his 4-wheelers!

mmmm. Tinfoil dinners!

We did some fishing while we were there and the kids were catching them like crazy.. one after another.

One night we cooked some of the fish. Avery LOVED it! I would break it up into little pieces and pick out all of the bones and she would grab it by handfuls and just shove it into her mouth as fast as she could. It was pretty funny! Preston even somehow convinced Trey to eat an eyeball and part of a fish’s brain. I don’t know how much he had to pay him to do it but I’m sure it wasn’t enough-yuck!

They caught a whole bunch of these fish. They were all white or yellow with red eyes. I have never seen fish like that before..

Gavin had developed an aversion to my camera.. Every time I try to take a picture of him, he hides. I love this one of him and Dallas sitting at the lake though- and he didn’t even know I took it!

Avery, on the other hand, loves to pose for the camera!

She spent most of her time exploring and painting rocks.

The weather couldn’t have been better. We could have done without the mosquitos and horse flies though!

Someday she is going to thank me for taking this picture lol!

Of course, you can’t go camping without s’mores!

Ahh.. Time for bed!

I think she will thank me for this one too!

After 4 days, the kids still didn’t want to leave. Maybe we will get lucky and will be able to go out and put our trailer to use one more time before it gets too cold-

Windows Live Writer

2011-08-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

Testing…

My friend told me about using Windows Live Writer on her blog so I decided to try it.

Instead of using the boring blogger fonts, I can use all my own fonts.

You can do a few things with the pictures too.. Drop shadows, rounded edges, frames, and lots more.

I think we are going to be very happy together!

Anderson Reunion

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

Last weekend we had our Anderson Family reunion. It worked out that Leslie would be here with her kids so we all just went to my mom's house and stayed there. We set up our tents in the backyard, ate lots of food, and enjoyed the company. It was good to see Leslie and the kids but we wish Erick could have been with her. Chris and Staci were also MIA. She had a pretty good excuse though- her baby will be coming sometime in the next few weeks. Grandma and Grandpa Palmer even made the long journey from Blanding to spend the weekend with us. It was great to see them. Of course, Grandpa and Grandma Anderson also came to visit while we were there. I didn't take too many pictures. I wish I had gotten pictures of everyone but I didn't. Here's the few that I did get..
Avery wasn't too interested in her dinner. She would rather eat sand out of the sand box. I don't know what it is with this kid but she eats everything she shouldn't eat, then doesn't want to eat the things she should. She will pick up gum, candy, anything she sees on the floor or outside on the ground. She will eat out of the garbage, chew on paper, eat sand, chalk, and last night I saw her licking the cement on the front porch-don't ask me why- She is pretty funny. Hopefully she will get a good immune system out of it lol!
After dinner, we all watched a movie outside with the projector. The boys picked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My kids thought it was pretty exciting to be able to watch a movie out under the stars :)

Time for bed! Avery wasn't too excited to sleep out in the tent but she did it! Mackenzie slept at Sherin's with Sara and Bryn.

The kids all colored t-shirts which has been a tradition for 4 years now.

Then they had a blast playing in the water.

The kids played all day and surprisingly, they all got along really well! It was a pretty fun weekend!

Catching-up

2011-07-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is this summer just flying by WAY too fast? I feel like summer just started and today I was looking at my calendar trying to see how many weekends we have free through the rest of the summer, and I was surprised when I realized that we only have one or two. We have family reunions, a wedding, my class reunion, and a few other things planned and that pretty much fills up the rest of our summer weekends. I was a little bummed because we haven't done hardly any of the things I wanted to do this summer (like going camping). Hopefully we will find the time to fit in a few things before school starts. AHH- another thing that needs to be done- school shopping. Some days I just wish I had a rewind button so I could go back to the beginning of summer and start over. Then other days, when my kids are driving me crazy, I wish I could fast forward to the end of summer send send them to school lol!

These pictures are completely out of order but that's okay. The other day we had a party for the girl scouts. We usually do a field trip at the end of the school year for the girls but this year, there were 30 girls in our troop and we did not want to try to transport that many kids so Gina planned something close to home. The weather could have been better but the girls had a blast!

We had a giant bouncy house/water slide, pizza and snow cones.

TREK
a couple weeks ago, Dallas and I went on the trek with the young men and women. We were one of the ma's and pa's. It was so much fun. I don't have many pictures because we were not allowed to bring cameras. We had 8 kids and we went 25 miles total- a lot of which was uphill. It wasn't nearly as hard as I had anticipated. In fact, it wasn't hard at all. I think the mild weather made all the difference. If it had been real hot I'm sure I would have been miserable. It was overcast most of the time. I still managed to get a pretty good sunburn though on the back of my neck and on my face. I wore sunscreen but what I forgot was chapstick with sunscreen in it. On the last day we were there, I woke up and the first thing I noticed was that my bottom lip felt funny. I said to dallas "I think my lip is swolen" -then he turned and looked at me and just started laughing. I had a tiny little mirror that I looked in and it looked like I had a sausage link on my face. I was so embarrassed, I told him "I am not going out there like this!" Then I held my cold water bottle up to it for a while and luckily the swelling went down really fast.
all ready to go!
Here's our family- our kids were Hadley, Cody, Kalvin, Skye, Parker, Caleb, Kyleigh, and Stephanie.
I was so worried about the weather. At first, I thought it would be so hot, we would be totally miserable. Then as the day got closer, I watched the weather and it said rain and thunderstorms every day so then I was worried we were going to get drenched. We got rained on a little but it was no big deal. When the big storm came in, it was really neat. You could see it raining and lightening all around us but we somehow stayed dry. It was like the storm just split and went around us. I could go on forever about how much fun we had but I won't. I will just say that I am so glad we were chosen to go and I would do it again in a second. It was an experience I will never forget. I was really glad to get home though. After 4 days of no shower I was feeling pretty gross!

4th of July
This year for the 4th we all rode in the fire truck with Dallas. The kids had fun throwing candy to all the kids. I had to bribe them though. They knew that if they were in the parade, they wouldn't get any candy so after the parade, I had to take them to the store and get them some.

That night, the kids went to the neighbors for a bbq and watched the big fireworks with them. Dallas was at the fireworks with the fire dept but since they were setting them off just at the park behind our house, Avery and I stayed home to watch from the backyard. Me and her lit a bunch of sparklers-which she loved- then we sat in the swing and talked and waited for the big fireworks to start. It was actually really fun to sit and talk to her. We don't get a whole lot of one-on-one time so I really enjoyed it! She made it through about half of the fireworks, then she crashed.

The night before the 4th, we went to some friend's house for a bbq and fireworks. It was so much fun. There were SO many fireworks!
Here's the fireworks. All of those boxes on the trailer were completely full.
Avery loved them but she thought they were too loud.

Gavin loves the loud ones!

Mackenzie liked them too but she didn't dare hold any of the roman candles. They scared her which was funny because last year she did a whole bunch of them.

Lagoon!

Last week we went to Lagoon with Grandma Sill, Trey, Tage, and Shelby. The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave. They are already asking if we can go back.

I was so impressed- Mackenzie finally went on a roller coaster. This is huge for her because she won't even ride puff the magic dragon because it goes too fast.

They have this new roller coaster this year and she loved it. I bet the kids went on it 20 times. Avery even went on it twice. The first time she did okay, but the second time she cried through the whole thing. I didn't make her go on it anymore after that.

This is pretty much how Avery's day went though. Almost every ride we took her on, she would cry for the first half, then laugh and smile for the second half. It was pretty funny.

Her favorite ride is still the boats. She could have sat in that little boat all day.

sad

happy

dippin dots- the best part of going to Lagoon

shelby Jade

Mackenzie and Shelby were riding the roller coaster when it broke down. They sat on the track for about 10 minutes before they had them get out and walk the rest of the way down.

They all got soaked on the odyssey

Gavin's favorite part was playing in the water. He begged all day. Finally, at 10:30 I gave in and let him play in the water. Gav, Trey, and Shelby played in it for probably 40 minutes. Of course he was freezing once we got in the car to drive home. We didn't get home till after 1 am. the kids were tired and cranky the whole next day but it was worth it!

"Look Mom!"

2011-07-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

Avery came running into the living room the other day- She was so proud of herself. "Look mom, Look Dad" she says.. Once we tried taking the potty seat off of her head, she was not so happy anymore. I don't know how she got it on there because it was not coming off. We pulled and pulled then it got to the point that if we even came near her, she would start screaming. I really thought we were going to have to cut it off of her. After about 30 minutes or so of fighting her, I finally got it off. I think it's safe to say that she learned her lesson and she won't be trying to wear her potty seat as a necklace anymore!

2011-06-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken a few weeks ago. We got a ton of rain and snow. Then it warmed up and melted and we were left with a pond in our backyard for a few days. The first day that it was warm-ish outside, Gavin went right out to play and within minutes he was playing in the water. It was only about 68 degrees but he thought it was great! Mackenzie and Avery and a bunch of neighbor kids joined him and they spent the WHOLE day playing in the dirty water! This past weekend, the kids stayed with their Grandma Sill for a few days so Dallas and I could go do some things for the pioneer trek we are going on next month. The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and Gavin came home with a new bike. Dallas ran over his other one so Grandma surprised him with a new one. He sure was happy!

To save the best for last.. Avery is potty trained!! Woohoo!! No more diapers! She got her potty chart all filled in and earned a trip to the toy store. I told her she could pick out anything she wanted and she chose some barbies. We tried the potty training thing about a month ago but she just didn't get it. She tried and tried but I ended up giving her a break for a few weeks then we tried again and this time, all it took was a couple days and she was done. She is even wearing panties to bed without any problems. After the trouble Gavin gave me, I think I deserved an easy one!!

SuMmErTiMe!!

2011-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Dallas has already taken the kids fishing several times this summer. The kids love it. Avery and I haven't gone with them yet but we will go next time! Gavin was pretty proud- He caught more fish than anyone else.

Last week my Grandpa turned 80 years old so we had a big birthday party. It was pretty fun. I got to se a lot of family that I haven't seen in years so we had a pretty good time! I didn't take many pictures but I did remember to snap a few!Here's the birthday boy!!

Mackenzie's dance recital!!

2011-05-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie had her dance recital the other night. She did so good and she even smiled!! Usually she just stands up there with the most serious look on her face. Isn't she adorable??
Mackenzie with her best friend Jaydee

GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!!!
I have the best friends ever! We do a girl's night out every month and since I live so far away, I am not able to go all of the time but I go as often as I can. We have so much fun and I just love these girls!!
Ashleigh, Joni, Ashley, Stacie, Danielle,
Becka, Shalom. Lindsay, Rachel, and Misty.This month, we went to dinner at Chilis, then we went to a play at the Hale Theatre. It was called "The Hasty Heart" and it was pretty funny. We even got our picture taken with the cast afterward.
The guy sitting behind us was nice enough to give Ashley bunny ears..

Those that could stayed in a hotel, and Saturday morning we got redy to do am MS walk.You can't tell by this picture but there was a TON of people there. It was really fun. Misty's cousin is in the orange shirt. He was just barely diagnosed with MS. We did this walk on him and his wife's first anniversary. They were so fun!

By the time we were done, it was cold and snowy. Is spring never going to come??

We had a great time! I am so grateful to have such great friends in my life. I don't know what I would do without them!!

Easter!!

2011-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty good Easter this year. I love when we get to spend Holidays with Family. It's just not the same when it's only us at home. We headed to Utah Friday night and spent the night with Dallas's family then Saturday Morning we went to Garland. We took the kids to the community Easter Egg hunt where they got lots of fun goodies!Avery was so excited! Last year she was so young, she didn't really know what was going on. This year she ran and grabbed as many eggs as she could! Gavin and Kenzie were in the groups with the older kids so I didn't get to watch them but it looks like they managed just fine! Mackenzie and SaraAll the kids opening their eggs
and look who stopped by after the egg hunt... The Easter Bunny came to say hi to all of the kids!
We were all there except for Erick, Leslie, and their kids- I wish they could have been there!The kids got to have another egg hunt at Grandma's house. ready....set....Go!! Of course, Grandpa made his famous homemade ice cream.. It was SO GOOD!! Avery and Gavin thought so too!
The rest of the day the kids spent playing. I think they all had a good time. At least I know my kids did! The kids all fell asleep on the way home so we just packed them in, but a dry diaper on Avery and put them in bed so this is what they looked like Easter morning.. The Easter Bunny brought the kids a big cardboard playhouse and markers that they can use to color it! They were pretty excited! They also got baskets with a few treats, books, and movies in them. Mackenzie got Ramona and Beezus and Tangled, Avery is OBSESSED with Tinkerbell so she got 2 Tinkerbell movies, and Gavin got Bambi and Megamind. They were all pretty happy! The Easter Bunny even brought Dallas and I something- a new pocket camera. I LOVE my SLR but it is so big and I wanted something that I could just throw in my purse instead of having to pack around this huge camera all of the time. We got it a few days early though so I could try it out Easter weekend. It doesn't take as good of pictures as my other camera but I am happy with it. For things like "easter egg hunts" it will be nice to have a little camera to take along.After opening Easter Baskets it was time to get cleaned up and ready for Church. We were in such a rush that I didn't have time to get any decent pictures of the kids. I snapped a few of Avery while the other kids were getting ready.
Avery in her easter dress As soon as we got home from church, Avery wanted her dress off so she could put on the tinkerbell dress that grandma Sill gave her for Easter. Mackenzie's Easter Dress Gavin dissapeared outside outside so I snuck a picture when I got the chance! I will have to be a little more prepared next time they wear their easter clothes so I can get a decent picture of them all together!

April fool's and Gavin's Birthday!

2011-04-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have never done anything to try and trick my kids on April Fool's day but this year I decided to! When they woke up, I had fresh bacon and eggs waiting on the table! These are special bacon and eggs because they are made of CANDY! Mackenzie knew- right when she saw them she said "April fools!" Gavin looked at them and poked them with his finger. Finally, he looked at me and said "Mom, these are not eggs."

Avery was just happy to get some candy!

Today is Gavin's 6th Birthday. I can't believe he is 6! It really is sad to think about how quickly my kids are gorwing up. I wish they could just stay little! For the past couple months, Gavin has been saying that he just wants to go fishing for his birthday so yesterday, Dallas woke him up early and took him fishing for the day. He had so much fun! When they got home last night, we let him open one of his presents. It was the movie Secretariat. We had a movie night, then me and the kids had a "slumber party" in the living room. This morning, Gavin wanted to watch his movie again so he turned it on in the girl's room. Avery has this little wood table and chair set in her room and was trying to put the chair up on her bed. The chair fell backward and hit her so she got mad at it and picked it up and threw it (she has quite a little temper). Unfortunately, it landed on Gavin's face.

He immediately had this HUGE goose egg. I felt so bad for him. We got him an ice pack and after a while he was feeling much better. Not a great way to start out your birthday is it? here's the side view As I am sitting here writing this, he looks much better! He's still got the bruise but the bump has gone almost all of the way down.We also had some visitors today! Grandma and Grandpa Sill came to see Gavin on his birthday! I was making dinner but our power ended up going out for an hour and a half so we got some pizza and just let the kids play for a few hours. Mackenzie and Trey spent most of their time playing wii just dance. It's such a funny game to watch! Especially Trey.. he gets so into it and pulls the funniest faces! This is Tigger. My friend had her baby this weekend so we have been dog sitting for a couple days while she is in the hospital. My kids LOVE him and he has been fun but I still don't think I would want an inside dog. Gavin-opening some presents.

He got a stuffed deer and a stuffed elk from Mackenzie and Avery. He also got 2 nerf guns, and a camoflauge machine gun...... and he got some "hockey talkies".. That's what he has always called them. We have tried to convince him that they are called walkie talkies but he just doesn't believe it! Grandma Sill got him another k'nex roller coaster to put together. He loves those things! It's a perfect project for him and Dallas to do together on the weekends. Dallas and his new best friend! (He did not want me to take his picture)and.. more wii just dance! I bought this new silicone baking set that is supposed to make a giant cupcake and Gav wanted to try it out for his birthday. It looks more like just a big blob of cake than it does a cupcake, but- he didn't care! Gavin going to bed with all of his new stuff! He says he had a great day! I hope so! Happy Birthday Gavin! We love you so much and we hope you had a very Happy Birthday!

CoLoRaDo!!

2011-03-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

WaRnInG!! Picture Overload!!
Dallas had to go to Fort Collins for a few days for work so me and the kids decided to make a little vacation out of it and go with him. We had lots of fun and took LOTS of pictures! It was so nice to get away and not have to worry about anything for a few days. No cooking, no cleaning, no laundry, no worries!! We stayed at the Hilton. It was really nice! This was our room.As soon as we got there, the kids wanted to go swimming.. So, after getting some dinner at Applebees, we hit the pool! The kids getting ready for bed
The kids wanted to go to the swetsville zoo. Mackenzie and Gavin thought it was great.. Avery was scared of everything.
They have lots of different animals- all made out of old farm equipment, old car parts, ect.. Avery was terrified of the two-headed dragon!Later that night, when Dallas got out of class, we went miniature golfing. The kids all loved it. Gavin was so upset when we had to leave. After golfing we we went to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, then had ice cream at Cold Stone creamery. Then it was back to the swimming pool!
The next day we went to Ihop for breakfast, did some shopping, then we went to this place where the kids can pick a ceramic and paint it. They thought that was pretty exciting! Mackenzie painted a cat, Gavin a jet, and Avery a piggy bank. I didn't take a picture of the finished product after the ceramics had been cooked in the kiln though.
After painting their ceramics, we went into old town Fort Collins where there's lots of little shops to go into. We had fun just walking around and looking at everything. The kids took forever to pick out their little souvenirs. After that, we met up with Dallas and went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse- I love that place! Then we went back to the hotel to watch a movie.
The next morning I got brave and we got up early so we could drive into Denver and spend the day with my sister Staci. She let her kids sluff school so we could spend the day together!

The kids in the lobby waiting for My friend Amber who was going to follow us. Avery loved this waterfall! Every time we walked through the lobby, we had to stop and look at it.

We made it to the big City!! We couldn't decide whether to go to the zoo or the Museum of Nature and Science so we took a vote and the museum won!

Mackenzie just wanted to see the mummies. She was a little disappointed when she realized they weren't zombie-like mummies standing with their arms out like the ones on Scooby Doo but she was still excited to see them!

This one was the "Poor Woman" They say these mummies are approx 3000 years old. It was a little creepy because you could see her teeth!

Mackenzie and DustyGavin and Hayden
Avery with the "Rich Woman" This one was completely covered in a hard looking shell. (No creepy teeth showing)

Kayla, Gavin, Mackenzie, Madison, Avery, and Briggs looking at the dinosaur bones
More Dinosaur bones

Avery and I in front of a big fossil

and... more dinosaur bones!

Avery and Kyrie. Kyrie wasn't feeling very well so she wasn't too happy to be there.
These lions were Gavin's favorite.

Mackenzie thought the koala bears were "so cute!"
Funny Avery!

There was a health room with so much fun stuff. There was a computer that would take your picture and age your face up to 70 years to see what you will look like when you get old. I didn't do it because it takes forever and there's always a long line. There's also different booths to monitor your heart rate while doing things like riding a bike, a special light that lets you see your blood vessels through your skin, and lots of other fun things. They did a demonstration where they dissected a liver and trachea (I don't know if that's spelled right). I thought it was gross but Gavin thought it was pretty cool. Of course they had to go to the gift shop before we left too!
My kids with their cousins outside the museum. We went back to Staci's house for a few minutes then went back to Fort Collins. We went to Red Lobster for dinner then Dallas took the kids swimming while I watched!

Avery LOVED swimming and she has no fear like my other two have had. Mackenzie especially has always been a little afraid of the water. Avery swims like a fish! Dallas would keep one hand under her tummy and she would just swim around! She would even put her face in the water. Once, when Dallas wasn't looking, she jumped in next to him and went completely under the water. She was upset for a minute, but got over it fast and was ready for more! This was our last night at the hotel so we let them swim as long as they wanted. I think they stayed in the pool till 10:30.

The next day was St. Patrick's day. Mackenzie was upset about missing st. Patrick's day at school because they do lots of fun things but the Lepruchauns tried to make it fun for them anyway. As we were packing our bags to go, they kept finding green treats hidden throughout our hotel room. We couldn't figure out how the lepruchauns got all of this stuff into our room. They must be tricky!

all ready to go..

But.. Then we decided that we hadn't had enough fun yet so we drove back into Denver to my sister's house and stayed there for a night. This time we did what Dallas wanted to do... We went to the Bass Pro Shops store. The kids had fun looking at all of the animals. Especially the big fish tank!

Kyrie got a little bored so she found something to entertain herself with.
Inside Bass Pro Shops there is a little resturant.. One of the appitizers on the menu is alligtor so we had to try it!

I think everyone was brave enough to try it but Mackenzie. She refused! I have to say, it wasn't bad. I just didn't like the green stuff they put on it.

Gavin and Hayden sharing a root beer float
Dusty looks so grown up!

Staci and I with Kyrie and Avery

The kids slept upstairs on the air matresses. They were up SO late! Especially Dusty. Me and Staci were talking and we thought all of the kids had gone to sleep but it turns out Dusty laid there and listened to our whole conversation. I felt so bad because they had to go to school in the morning. I kept telling Dusty that he was going to fall asleep on his desk!After Staci got her kids off to school, it was time to head home! While we were driving, Avery helped herself to the treat bag. I shouldn't have put it next to her lol! "Look mom! I got five!"

We had a great week. I'm sort of sad that it's over. It just went by way too fast! Thank you Chris and Staci for putting up with us!

My Baby Girl

2011-03-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken today.... Now let me give you a little background. Avery is now 2 1/2 years old. when she was 14 months old, we took her off the bottle. When she was 20 months old, I took away her binkies-That was a sad day. Here we are, almost 10 months later and look at her. Every now and then, we will stumble across a stray binki. This has happened 2 or 3 times so far. This one was just found in the bottom of a toybox. Most kids, once they are off of the binki for a few months, forget about it and can be around them without wanting one. Not my little Avery.. She gets SO excited! She pops it in her mouth, and it stays there. She won't let it out of her sight! So, I let her have it for the day, and once she is asleep, it dissapears. When she wakes up, the first thing she does is look for that binki. She must have a very addictive personality! She is going to be one unhappy little girl in the morning. I hate taking them away because she loves them so much and I still see her as my little baby but I know she is WAY too old to have them. I just think it's crazy that she still wants them after all this time!

Mackenzie's Baptism

2011-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Mackenzie was baptized by her dad. She was so excited and we are so proud of her for making this decision. I took a few pictures of her in her dress a while back. I just haven't gotten around to editing them. I finally got a few done. Hopefully one of these days I will get to the rest of them! We took some outside with her pink sweater on and these ones have got to be my favorite but this is the only one I've got edited so far..

all ready to go!!
she was confirmed by Grandpa Anderson

Mackenzie with her best friend Jaydee and her cousin Sara.

After the baptism, we had lunch at the church. My kids were so excited having some cousins there to play with. I think they all had a good time!
Jaxon, Gavin, and Rylee. I don't know where Alek was hiding- I didn't get any pictures of him.
Avery, Joye, and Tylor in their tutus

Rylee was teaching them a song. It was so cute!
Mackenzie got new scriptures, earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace from Dallas and I, a bracelet and a ceramic figurine from Grandma Anderson, a bracelet from her primary teacher, and a necklace and earrings from aunt Jeannie. She was pretty excited!
We also had her name embroidered on a white towel. It has a cute poem that goes along with it.

It was a pretty good day! Thanks to everyone who came and supported her. It means a lot to us. You all helped make her day extra special!

Living Planet Aquarium

2011-02-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to the aquarium for Tage's 7th birthday! The kids love that place. Avery loved the penguins! she had so much fun. She wouldn't even take a break to eat lunch! Petting the sting rays.. Mackenzie didn't dare touch them but Gavin sure did! Carson, Chloe, Mackenzie, and Gavin The kids with their snakes they got from the gift shop.. Avery didn't care about the toys... All she wanted was a treat! Big surprise!

Fun Fun Fun!

2011-01-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is Gavin's favorite Christmas present- from Grandma Sill (she is pretty much the coolest person on earth now in Gavin's eyes). She gave him a K'nex ferris wheel and Roller coaster.. Dallas and Gavin put the ferris wheel together the weekend after Christmas and they just put the roller coaster together the other night. Dallas was up half the night working on it. I think he has had more fun with it than Gavin has! It really is a cool toy. I just don't know where I am going to keep it.. It's pretty big! I guess we will keep it up for a while, then take it down and they can have fun putting it back together another time!

Happy Birthday!!

2011-01-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is 8 years old!! We didn't have a party since we went to build-a-bear but we did have a few friends over for cake and ice cream! I didn't get any pictures of them though- What was I thinking? Mackenzie really wanted a turtle cake. I am definately not a talented baker but we did our best! She was happy with the results so that's all that matters! She has wanted roller skates forever so that's what she got!She also got some toys from her friend Kolby!

and a baptism pillow-case that she gets to color with some special crayons..and a robe- she has been wearing it pretty much constantly since! She also got some money from Grandma Anderson and she really wants to go spend it!

We hope you had a Happy Birthday Kenzie! We Love you very much. You are such a special girl and you have been such a blessing to our family! We are so proud of you!

Party Time!!

2011-01-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

Mackenzie's birthday is on the 15th and every year for their birthdays, the kids get to choose to either have a party with a few friends, or to go and do something with the family.. boondocks, chuck-E-cheese, the zoo, the aquarium, whatever they want. I try to make a big deal out of their birthdays and I want them to choose how they want to celebrate! This year, Mackenzie said she just wanted to go to build-a-Bear. So, saturday we went to Layton and rode the "train" (the frontrunner) to Salt Lake to the Gateway. Grandma, Trey and Tage came with us! Waiting for the train!

Avery was happy until she saw a train pass by. Then she decided she was NOT riding it. Our train came and as I went to step on it, she dove out of my arms, and into Grandma's. Too bad grandma was getting on the train too! She cried for about the first 10 minutes saying "get me off!" Then she settled down and was ok. We went to Jason's Deli for lunch then we were off to build a bear!

Waiting in line to get their bears filled! So excited!
Bath time!

On the train waiting to go home.. We didn't know the train scedule so we just got on it as soon as it came to the station. We waited and waited... after about 30 minutes, we asked someone what time the train would leave and they said we still had another 30 minutes! So we waited some more.. the kids had fun playing on the train though I think!

I think we have a happy Birthday girl. The smile says it all!

Of course Avery made her favorite animal.. a monkey! She named the monkey Seven but since we got home, the monkey's name has changed to Three Seven
Mackenzie made a dog that carries a puppy in her mouth. She named the dog Isabelle and the puppy Bella.

Gavin made an army wolf named Rusty

Trey made a star wars bear

and Tage made an OwlMackenzie with her dogs in their house. After an hour and a half on the train, we made it back to Layton. Grandpa ordered us some pizza for dinner, then it was time to head home! Avery sleeping with her monkey when we got home. We all thought it was a pretty fun Birthday party! I also got to see my sister Sherin's new baby Sydney while we were in Utah. She is 6 lbs of cuteness!! I wanted to bring her home with me!

Sledding!!

2011-01-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

The other day me and the kids went sledding. We didn't last too long with Avery but we had fun while we were there!! I took Avery down twice. She hated it the first time then wanted to go again.. The second time she hated it even more!
CRASH!! She got up and her face was COVERED in snow!

Hopefully we will be ble to go again before the snow is gone!

Santa found us!!

2010-12-28T09:08:00.001-08:00

It looks like Santa found us! We even made a new record this year! We didn't wake up to open presents till 8:00. Well, actually, Mackenzie woke us up at some point and asked if we could go open presents. We told her no and she crawled in bed with us. A half hour or so later, she asked again so I asked her to look and see what time it was. Her reply was.... 4:24. I told her to go back to sleep and that we could get up at 6:30. The next thing I knew, gavin was jumping up and down at the foot of my bed and it was 8:00 am. The kids were so excited!

Dallas's stocking

Mackenzie's stocking

Gavin's stocking

Joni's stocking

and Avery's stocking
This has to be the most important gift of the day.. Avery got her monkey!!

I got some boots

Avery got..CHAPSTICK!! I think she loves chpstick even more than candy! And that is saying a lot!

Gavin got a guitar

Mackenzie got the wii just dance 2 game. I have been watching her and Dallas play it all weekend. It's pretty entertaining!

I got the older kids some new sleeping bags and had their names embroidered on them. They turned out really cute!

This is all of my stuff. Mackenzie picked me the ironing board all by herself! I was impressed!
This is what Gavin picked for Avery. He ws so excited when we bought it!
Avery with the rest of her things. She got the tent, little sleeping bag, and lots of babies and accessories!

This was our family gift. A picture of the Bountiful Temple.

Mackenzie and her goods!

Gavin with all of his new thingsand this is what Dallas got minus a sweatshirt that he was wearing.

Overall, we had a great Christmas! In fact, I think this one has been my favorite so far. The kids are getting older and are lots of fun and we didn't have to go anywhere for 2 days! We just stayed home and played games, watched movies, and had fun spending time together!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! We have had a great Christmas! I took about a thousand pictures so it's a little overwhelming. I will start with Christmas eve then I will post pics from Christmas later! The night before Christmas eve, we went to Dallas's parent's house and spent the night. The kids had so much fun playing. Mackenzie was awake till about 12:30, Gavin till 1:30, and Avery was up till 2:00. She doesn't travel well. She can's sleep unless she's in her own bed so it was a long night! Then, Mackenzie woke us all up at 7:00 so none of us got much sleep. Christmas eve, the kids just played. I had to run to a few stores to pick up a few things and it was INSANE!! I will not go shopping on Christmas Eve EVER again! We had the kids exchange gifts while we were there- then we had a yummy dinner.

TageTreyThis is what Mackenzie got from Grandma and Grandpa. She has wanted an American Girl doll but she has Never played with dolls. Not even when she was tiny so I did not want to spend $100 on a doll that would just end up shoved in the closet. So, Shelley got her this doll that looks a lot like the American girl dolls and Mackenzie didn't even know the difference. She was so happy!! The kids all got books from Grammy. Mackenzie LOVES to read. She reads every night in bed. Gavin wanted a K'nex roller coaster SO BAD and Shelley was going to get it for him but when she went to wrap it, this was all she had. She had bought the ferris wheel to go with the roller coaster but somehow, the roller coaster went missing. We looked EVERYWHERE and everyone was sold-out. So, she bought him this dinosaur to make up for it. It's a really cool toy. It dances, it talks, it runs, it barks, it burps, and it bites. Gavin loves it! Avery wanted a monkey for Christmas and Grandma found her this colorful one. She was pretty happy! KysonAvery LOVES babies! She is such a cute little mommy too! Grandma and Grandpa also got her this baby. It laughs, it cries, it talks, and it crawls. She loves to make it cry! Avery- trying to hold all of her goods! Avery and Chelsey When we got home, the kids opened up their new jammies. The kids usually get a new blanket too on Christmas eve, but this year we did something a little different. Mackenzie and Gavin got little snuggies! They are the funniest things but Mackenzie has wanted one forever! Avery got a blanket that she of course won't use because nothing compares to her favorite blankie! We also had a little drama- When we were on our way home, Mackenzie said "you can fix my doll's arm, huh"! Well, then she tells us that when they took the doll out of the box, one of the arms broke off but the doll had a tight shirt on that held it in place. So, of course, I tell her "no problem!" Well, we get home and that arm is impossible to get back on. Then Dallas decides- if he can get the head off so he can get his finger into the body, he will be able to get the arm on... well, he gets the head off and now, he not only cannot get the arm on, but he can't get the head back on either! Mackenzie was so upset! She was almost in tears. So, he has me open up the seam on the back and he pulls out the cotton so that he can get his hand up in the back. He tries everything.. and still he cannot get the arm or the head back on.. At this point, it's a little beyond being able to exchange at the store, so it looks like Dallas owes her a new doll!! This is a picture from the other day. Mackenzie was making an igloo.
Also, I try to get at least one new christmas decoration every year and this is what I got this year. I think it's pretty cute!

SNOW DAY!!

2010-12-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

Today, school was cancelled and the kids were so excited! We woke up to quite a bit of snow so they of course wanted to play in it!! we tried making a little hill so they could sled down it but it didn't work too well! We need a bigger hill!

Avery doesn't love the snow. She wouldn't keep her gloves on- so her hands would get cold and she would cry.

I pulled Avery around in the sled and she loved it! until she leaned to the side and fell face- first into the snow.
Snow angels! Gavin had his snow pants, coat, gloves, and snow hat on but they got wet so he went in and put on jeans and a light sewatshirt. He didn't stay out for too long after that! This is our ginormous snowman. Me and Kenzie spent about 45 minutes making it!
and here's a picture of our huge snowman next to Mackenzie. we tried! The snow was so powdery it would not stick together at all. We would get a big snowball started and it would just crumble. We had to go into the gutter to get the wet, slushy snow to get it to stick together.. Maybe we will try again tomorrow!

This is what happens when Avery plays with Gavin.
They were coloring with markers and Avery just decided to color herself instead of her coloring book. Then, gavin got in the tub and let Avery into the bathroom. She used the laundry basket to reach my make-up in the cupboard and helped herself to my mascara. Doesn't she look beautiful???
This is the kid's gingerbread house for the year. They are such a pain- they never stay together. Every year I buy one, then I say that I will never buy one again but then the next year comes and I end up buying one anyway. Last year, I got so frustrted, I finally hot-glued it together bacause it kept falling apart. This year- we got it to hold up for just long enough to get a picture! I had to throw this one in. I love this picture. This is from story hour at the library. Avery has seen santa 3 times now, and every day, she asks to see him again. I am so excited to see how she reacts on Christmas morning!!

Party!

2010-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

We have a week of Christmas parties this week.. Last night we had Dallas's company party. We went to Little America and had a really nice dinner. Tonight, we had our ward Christmas party. a yummy dinner, and, of course, santa! It was the cutest thing. Avery LOVES santa. I can't even explain how much she loves him. She was talking about Santa and waiting to see him all day. As soon as we got to the church, she started begging. After dinner, the primary kids did a little program and at the end they were singing some christmas songs and on the other side of the room, they opened the curtain- and there he was. As soon as Avery saw him she dove out of my arms and ran as fast as she could to santa and jumped into his arms. He picked her up and she gave him a big hug. She was so happy! Then he asked her what she wants and she said.. "a monkey!!" She just started saying it yesterday and I have no idea where it came from but every time anyone asks her what she wants, she says a monkey. Then sometimes she says "a scary one." A scary monkey... Funny funny girl! This time, Mackenzie and Gavin both asked for roller skates. The primary singing some christmas songs Happy Girl!

While Kenzie and Gavin were waiting in line to see santa, Avery sat at the table and dug in to her candy bag. She took a bite out of every piece.
Kenzie wouldn't sit on his lap.. She's not even 8 and she's alredy starting to outgrow santa.. sad!

Gavin sat on his lap but he wouldn't look at me- He hates having his picture taken.

Tomorrow they are having a christmas party at the Library for story hour and Santa will be there so Avery will get to see him again! Then, this weekend, we have my family's Christmas party so that's going to be 3 nights this week that I don't have to cook! Wahoo!!

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-12-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

We went to the Craft Fair this last weekend and the kids saw Santa. I thought Avery would be terrified but she wasn't. She was so excited to see him and to sit on his lap. She told him that she wants babies for Christmas. Mackenzie told him roller skates, and Gavin said an i-pod- not hot wheels . I don't know why he asked for that because he already has one... I think the kid before him asked for an i-pod so he just said the same thing! Mackenzie also had her christmas dance performance the other night and she did really well. I didn't get many pictures but here's a few. I did record it though so if I get a chance, maybe I will put in on here.

Mackenzie and her friend Hannah.

say cheese!!!

All ready for Christmas!

2010-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is over so now it is time for the christmas holidays! My favorite time of the year! thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent the day with Dallas's family. We ate lots of good food then grandma took Mackenzie and Gavin to see Tangled in 3D. They loved it! I am a little jealous now because I have never seen a movie in 3D. Someday I will! right now, I would rather do anything than try to take Avery to a movie. The last movie I took her to lasted about 15 minutes. I ended up just having to take her home while Dallas finished the movie the other kids. As you can see, I have no pictures from Thanksgiving. I did take my camera, I was all prepared... I got it out and started taking pictures, then I looked down at the screen and it said "no card".. the memory card was at home, in the computer.. So, just imagine me with a huge plate of food and a mouthfull of olives, and that pretty much sums it up! The kids are all ready for Christmas.. Here's some pictures I snapped before church on Sunday.. Of course, Avery had to have her baby in the picture.
Mackenzie has written about 30 letters to Santa. this is het first one. I thought it was cute.

Dear Santa,

I would like a new bike, a teddy bear to sleep with, a big stuffed animal, a new outfit for my mom (how sweet!), $1,000 dollars, a big bag of candy, a new pet fish, clothes, potatoes, cheese, and crackers, and 2 pillow pets.

ps. the fish I had died

ps. I don't care what pillow pets I get

Love, Mackenzie.

Gavin, on the other hand, could care less. He is very excited for christmas but he doesn't care what he gets. He hasn't written any letters for Santa and I can't get him to be at all specific about what he wants. He did get excited the other day when we were at the store and he saw the hot wheels- he said, "I know, I can ask santa for a hot wheels car!" So, that is his plan- to ask for a hot wheels.. I started laughing and told him- maybe you could even ask for two! It's funny that Christmas just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and here I have a little boy that would be happy as could be just to get a couple hot wheels! I am all done shopping and am ready to just enjoy the holidays. I like to get my shopping done early. It's a good thing but it's not because you say you're done, but then you keep buying more and more and then you forget how much you have bought, and the kids end up getting a lot more than you intended. That's what always happens to me, anyway..This time, though, I really am done- I did buy a little too much I think but my wallet has officially closed! Bring on the lights, the parties, the food, the 5 extra pounds, and the excitement of Christmas!!

Happy Holidays!!!

2010-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Poor Thanksgiving doesn't stand a chance this year! It's all about Christmas! I am so excited this year I can't stand it! I have always loved Christmas- but this year, I do even more so. I don't know why I am so excited... Maybe it's because last year we moved just ten days before Christmas, Put the tree up just a week before, and didn't even put out any of the other decorations. I usually like to decorate the day after Thanksgiving but this year I did it a week before. Dallas thinks I'm crazy. I even put up lights outside and that is something we have never done before. The year after we got married, I bought a bunch of lights for the outside of the house and here we are, 9 years later, and those lights were all still in their boxes- never been used because I could never get Dallas to put them up. So this year, I put a few up myself! and while I was at it, I put the tree up too! I ws a little upset because as I was getting out all of my christmas stuff, I realized that a box is missing. It must have gotten put in the wrong pile when we moved and ended up at the DI. So, both of my nativity scenes and a bunch of other decorations are gone. I'm over it now though- It gives me the excuse to buy the willow tree nativity. I have wanted it for so long! I will just have to buy a few pieces every year though because it's a bit pricey! Up until last year, we had a tall, skinny tree with white lights and pinecones and I would decorate it all matchy and I wouldn't let the kids touch it because I wanted it to be perfect and I wanted the ornaments a certain way. Last year though, I thought about decorating the tree when I was little and remembered how colorful and fun it was and I decided that I wanted my kids to have that so I bought a tree with colorful lights, and let the kids pick out the colorful ornments, and I now let them decorate it themselves. It is messy. In some spots there are no ornments, while in others, there are clusters of them but I think it's absolutely perfect! I can have a matchy tree when I'm old and don't have any little kids- and then I will probably miss my messy tree!

I bought these trees to go outside on the front porch. They didn't last 5 minutes. The wind blows, and down they go. So, they are now inside trees.
The kids also have trees for their rooms and they get a few ornaments every year to add to their trees. This one is Gavin's Of course, Mackenzie and Avery's is pink!

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas and what it means and why it's such a magical time of year and was thinking about what my favorite parts of christmas are...I love all of the christmas lights, the parties, and the community events. As far as our family celebrations, I love doing pj's and blankets on christmas eve for the whole family, and I LOVE doing the stockings.. Out of all of the shopping that has to be done, doing the stockings is my favorite part. The best thing about Christmas though is Staying home on Christmas day- Staying in our pj's all day, playing games, eating good food, and just enjoying the day with my little family. On that day, nothing else matters! It's easy though to sometimes forget why we have Christmas so we have also made it a tradition to tell the nativity story on christmas eve before going to bed. This year, I am hoping the kids can be the ones to tell the story. Tomorrow is thanksgiving though and I do love thanksgiving too. I love spending that time with family, and I love to eat, so it's the perfect holiday! It's a good time to reflect and to think about all that we have and how truly lucky we are. Now I just hope the roads will be clear so that we are not stuck home! If we do get stuck here, my poor family may be eating pizza for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ready or not!

2010-11-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am going through my files and deleting pictures that I don't want and I figured, even though it's old news, I would post these before I delete them! I am so not ready for the cold weather!! It snowed a couple weeks ago and this is what we woke up to.....The trees hadn't lost any of their leaves and the snow was very heavy so we had several branches break off of our trees. Dallas wasn't home so I thought it would just have to wait till he got back but thanks to some good friends, it all got cleaned up that day. Hopefully we can survive the rest of the winter without any more damage to our trees!

I really, really, really don't like the cold or the snow and winter just seems to come way to early and it stays way too long!! I think I am ready to move to florida! Anyone want to join me??

A little bit of everything!

2010-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Soccer has been over for a few weeks but I have been slacking a little bit! This is Gavin's team. I was his coach this year. It was a lot of fun. The kids are adorable but I am so glad to have it over with!

I didn't take many pictures this year as they were playing but I took a few. Avery found the rocking horse and fell in love. It has been in the garage and my plan was to leave it there until we got her out of her crib and into her big bed so the horse could take the place of the crib in her room. Well, now we have it in the living room Avery LOVES it and wouldn't let it stay in the garage.

HaLlOwEeN!!!

For Halloween, of course, we had to carve some pumpkins. The kids had so much fun! Avery even pulled out most of the guts by herself!Then she put them back in.and colored on it with a marker. This was her finished product....When she was finished, Mackenzie carved it for her.Mackenzie and Gavin working on their pumpkins..All finished! at the trunk-or-treat. Gavin dressed up as a cop. Mackenzie ws a vampire. We painted her face for the school Halloween party but she didn't want it painted for trick-or-treating She even had a bat in her hairand Avery was the cutest little elephant I have ever seen! We had to put a flower on the ear so she wouldn't look like a little boy.This is the candy thief.. Gavin went to bed and had stashed his candy on his shelf. A little later I realized I hadn't heard Avery in a while. This is where we found her... She had dumped all of Gavin's candy out and was eating it as fast as she could open it. Gavin slept through the whole thing.

Avery's hair-cut

Before....And after.... This is the 3rd time I have chopped off her little mullet. The back keeps growing but the top just will not grow! It took me quite a while to cut it because she wouldn't sit still but I think it turned out pretty dang cute! I had to throw in these 2 pictures. Avery's new thing is she loves to wear Gavin and Kenzie's clothes. Especially Gavin's swimming suits and Kenzie's pj's. She will go into Gavin's room, pick a swimsuit and she will not give up until she has it on.

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-10-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am late in posting this because I was waiting for the pictures.... On the 13th, Dallas and I celebrated our 9th anniversary!! Holy cow- I don't feel old enough for that!! We celebrated our anniversary by getting sealed in the Bountiful temple. It was a wonderful, amazing, and very happy day for us! There have been times where I really didn't think we'd ever get to this point but here we are! I am very grateful to those who came and shared the day with us. Some drove a really long way to be there and we really appreciate it! It was a special day- the kids looked like angels and they were SO GOOD!! I am so grateful for the experience and it is something I will never forget. Grandma and Grandpa Palmer

We will always cherish these pictures. I don't have many pictures of my grandparents. Especially not with my kids so I was really happy to get these!

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson
Of course.. My parents

Dallas's parents and his sister Bailey
my besties!! MackenzieGavin
Avery

I love these girls!! They have been my best friends since middle school and I am so glad that they were able to come! I wish I got to spend more time with them!
Joni, Misty, Becka, Ashley, and Ashleigh

My friend Ashley came and took the pictures for me. Thank you Ash! I love them!! After we were done, the parents took everyone out to eat at the Joy Luck Club. Holy food!! It was so yummy!! I think I ate enough food to last me a week!! I didn't get pictures of everyone who came but I wish I had. I was just so worried about getting our family picture, and by the time we were done with that, everyone had already gone to the restaurant. Thanks to everyone who came though!

2010-09-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Today I have been so frustrated with my little tornado. I have been trying to get the house clean and it seems she is determined to make me fail. Every time I turn around, I find that she has destroyed another room. I had folded all of the laundry on the table and had taken a pile of Mackenzie's clothes into her room to hang them up in her closet. I turned around to go back to to the kitchen to get some more and when I looked down, I saw a pair of little blue eyes peeking up from over the top of the mountain of clothes that Avery held in her little arms. I took the clothes from her and she had the biggest smile on her face. She was so proud of herself for helping and it was the cutest thing ever! My heart melted. It's the little moments like this that make all of the drama of parenting worth it!! Ever since, she has been my little helper. She helped me carry all of the clothes to be put away, she helped me unload the dishwasher, she helped me clean up Gavin's room, and she "washed" her tea party dishes with baby wipes. I love being a mommy! These are the moments that I want to remember!

In Rememberance

2010-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! it seems like I just did the post for the 3rd anniversary of Tina's death and here we are, at the 4th. Four years. Sometimetimes it feels like it was an eternity ago and sometimes it feels as though it was just yesterday that we said goodbye. I remember that day vividly and I always will. In so many ways, that was the worst day of my life but in other ways, it was also the beginning of a new life for me. Tina taught me so much that day. She taught me that life is so short. It is too short to waste time being angry or judgemental. Enjoy the people you have in your life, and let go of the petty differences. Love your families, love your kids-even when they are driving you crazy. Even when they are coloring on the walls, even when they are fighting and screaming, and especially when they are having a bad day. I am learning that the times when you feel like you could strangle your kids, are the times that you need to pick them up, give them a hug, and tell them that you love them more than anything. That goes a lot further than yelling and screaming back at them. Tina taught me that the important things in life are not how big your house is, how nice your car is, how clean your house is, or how perfect your hair is. What matters the most are the relationships we have- making sure that our loved ones know how we feel about them, raising our children right- because we only get to do it once, and being happy. No matter what our circumstances in life are, we can choose to be happy and to be grateful for all of the blessings that we have. Tina helped me to look at the big picture. She kept saying Please remember that this life is so short compared to eternity. She said that so many times and it really stuck with me and made me really think about my priorities. When I grow up, I want to be like Tina. She was the peacemaker. As much as I sometimes wished she would stand up for herself, I really admire her for that. She was so patient. She loved everyone and and never lost her temper. She accepted everyone as they were- no judgements. I know she is in a good place and that she is doing some amazing things. I think about her daily and me and the kids talk about her all of the time. I have been dreading this day because I had made up my mind that I would listen to the recording of her funeral. In 4 years, I have never once listened to it. I haven't been able too and I told myself that I needed to. The day came, and I still can't, but I realized that it's okay. I can listen to it over and over again and I can look at a million pictures, but that wont change anything. It won't bring me any closer to her and it won't bring her back. I carry her in my heart -we all do and no matter how many years pass, that will never change. She is a part of me because she helped me to be the person that I am today. I will always miss her. I miss our phone conversations, I miss calling her up and saying, "hey, lets take the kids to the park, lets take the kids swimming, or lets go shopping." She was always happy to go. Even if she didn't have any money to go shopping, she would still want to go. I miss just hanging out at each other's houses. Playing with the kids, and talking for hours. those are memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Tina I miss you and I love you and thank you for being you!!

2 years old!!

2010-09-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Avery's birthday a day late becuse Dallas wasn't here on her actual birthday- not that she knows any different anyway! I tried making a train cake- It didn't turn out perfect, but we thought it was pretty cute anyway! We just had some friends over, ordered pizza, had some cake and ice cream, and opened presents. Avery getting ready to blow out her candle. she did it all by herself! cake anyone??Gavin, Kenzie, Becki, and OakleeAvery and KenzieThis was her favorite present. it's a little motorized scooter. she had so much fun riding around on it. It has a flashing light in the back and plays a song that is really loud and annoying- and it has no volume or off switch and she just loves to push that button over and over again!! so fun!! It is fun to watch her though- she sits on the scooter and dances to the music. Taking Kenzie for a rideShe got this little kitty from Jared and Becki. She opened it and said "ooh horse"!! Grandma Anderson sent her these little tigger and Eyore stuffed animals. Thanks Grandma!Gavin and Kenzie both gave her coloring books and colored pencilsShe also a bunch of other stuff that I didn't get pictures of: 2 new pairs of shoes, a jacket, 4 new outfits, and a webkin- she is a stuffed animal lover like Kenzie. She also loves shoes. One of the pair of shoes she got are pink sparkly high-tops and she LOVES them!! They are a size too big but she had me put them on her and she will not take them off!! I just finished getting her ready for bed and she is driving around her scooter wearing her sparkly shoes with her pj's!! I may have to wait till she's asleep to take them off!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!!

2010-09-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

My little Avery is turning 2 today!! It amazes me at how fast the time flys!! Avery is a blast!! It has been so fun to watch her grow. She is very naughty! She doesn't share, she's very impatient, and she has the biggest sweet tooth I've ever seen! I love everything about her! Even when she's at her worst- throwing a tantrum- kicking and screaming, I still can't help but laugh because everything she does is just so dang cute! She definately has the "youngest child" syndrome.. She is pretty spoiled. She knows how to get what she wants. Even Mackenzie and Gavin can't resist her pouty little face. Avery loves playing outside. She loves to jump, play on the slide, and go for walks and bike rides. Most of all, she loves to swing! She also loves to draw... on EVERYTHING!! the walls, the door, the table, in library books, on her arms and legs, anywhere but on paper! Mackenzie and Gvin leave pencils, crayons, and pens, lying around and
Avery finds them every time!! Thank goodness for Mr. clean magic erasers! Avery talks more and more every day and I just love how she forms her words. adyse= outside, gwink=drink, banket=blanket, dooday=birthday, yunch=lunch, pay=play, noni=joni, piwow= pillow, dowa= door, mowa= more, wing=swing, dump=jump. Most of her words she says correctly, these are just a few of those that she doesn't. Avery has been so cute today- I woke her up singing happy birthday and she just giggled. I keep singing it to her and she just smiles and laughs every time. Dallas is gone hunting today so we arent going to celebrate till tomorrow- but I will make some cupcakes today that we will share with the neighbor kids. then tomorrow, I will make her big cake. I am going to try to make a train cake- wish me luck! Hopefully it will turn out okay! Anyhow, I am just so glad that Avery joined our little family. I feel like she completes us- our family wouldn't be whole without her. I don'k know what I would do without any of them. I have the best three kids in the world!! We love you miss Avery!! Have a wonderful 2nd Birthday!!!

1st day of school!

2010-08-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's official!!!.... Summer is over! We have had a great one but we were all ready for school to start! Gavin was SO excited for his first day of kindergarten!! They woke up early, ate some waffles for breakfast, got ready as fast as they could, and asked if they could go out and wait for the bus... Too bad they still had 45 minutes before the bus was coming!! They woke up a little too early! But, I'm sure that tomorrow the excitement will be over and I will be having to drag them out of bed and rush them out the door! all ready to go! Waiting for the bus! Gavin was determined to ride the bus on his first day so once they got on, I hopped in my car and followed them. They are the last ones on the bus so their ride is very short! They go straight to school from our house. Gavin knew right where to go- He walked right to his classroom, hung up his jacket and backpack, and sat down quietly. Then I walked Mackenzie to her class and she was more than ready to start the day!Mackenzie and Mrs. PerkinsGavin and Mrs. Brady. I think it's going to be a great year!! As for me, I am looking forward to spending some one on one time with miss Avery. It's going to be hard for her not having the other kids around. They will be gone from 8 am to 3:45 p.m. mon-thurs so it's going to be a hard adjustment for her. We will have fun though! I am mostly looking forward to nap time which means "ME" time!! Yay!!

kids

2010-08-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tried to take a few pictures of the kids. Avery is turning two so I wanted to get her 2 year old pictures done. Well, we went and got a few. Avery only cooperated for about the first 2 minutes so I think I will take her back another day by herself and try to get a few more. I really wish I could learn how to take pictures using the manual settings on my camera. Maybe some day I can take a class...
I love this one! What a handsome boy!

I love Avery's smile in this one
These bottom 3 are my favorites of the 3 kids.

Lagoon and Cherry Hill

2010-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

These pictures are in the wrong order- as usual!! But, last week my friend invited me to go to Cherry hill with her and I have been promising the kids all summer that I would take them so I did! The plan was to stay in Layton and then go to the zoo the next day but we decided to go to Lagoon instead. Dallas even took the day off so that he could go with us! We had a lot of fun but after 9 hours at Cherry Hill one day and 10 hours at Lagoon the next day, my kids were exhausted and extremely fussy!! It was worth it though!! Shelley and the kids even came for the 2nd half of the day at Cherry Hill and Lagoon.
Avery riding the carousel with grandma

Gavin eating his late-night snack.. an ice cream cone!! Dallas and I - I don't know what this ride behind us is called but Mackenzie LOVED it! I think she went on it about 6 times! I went on it once and thought I was going to throw up! I can't handle rides that just go in circles...
Gavin with his prize!
Tage, Trey, Mackenzie, and Avery with their prizes

This was Avery's favorite ride!! The BOAT!! She went on it a couple times and smiled the whole time! She loved the boat and the "wing" (swing) and was really upset when we went to put her on the swings and she couldn't ride becuse she wasn't quite tall enough so Mackenzie had to go on them without her.Avery wasn't so fond of the airplane ride. She cried the whole time. they had a guy from Vegas there doing a show with birds. Mackenzie, being the animal lover that she is, had to go watch. She got to pet this parrot. He had birds talking, singing, riding little bicycles and rollerblades, and doing lots of other tricks. It was pretty fun.

Dallas and Mackenzie on the litle title wave. I don't know what it's called, but that's what we call it. Gavin wouldn't go on it. He was funny, at first we had to force them both on the rides and then Gavin relaxed and he became much more adventurous than Mackenzie. His favorite rides were the big title wave, the bat, and the odyssey. Mackenzie likes puff the magic dragon, the spinning dragon ride, and the carousel.

Avery waiting while the big kids drive the bumper cars. She wanted to go too!!
Kenz, Gavin and Dallas riding Puff.

the carousel. Avery hated it the first time but loved it the second time. I am glad that we were able to go. It was a fun day! Luckily Trey was fearless and would ride anything so me and Dallas kept taking turns going on the "BIG" rides with him. I got some pretty good whiplash on the Jet Star, then blacked out a little bit on the colossus beacuse of it- when we went on the loops that take you upside down, I got dizzy, then my eyes got really fuzzy, then everything went black for just a couple seconds. After that, I was pretty much done. For the next few days, my neck was sore and I would get really dizzy every time I stood up. I do like going on the rides but next time I think I will skip the jet star!!

CHERRY HILL

My friend Ali and I went to Cherry Hill but she left pretty early becuse she had to get home for a softball game and Camryn was tired. Shelly came and brought the kids, as well as a few extra. Dallas's aunt Mindy came for a few minutes and Mackenzie got to have a sleep-over with Carson and Chloe.
eating some pizza
Avery's kiss face

Avery and Kyson
Camryn, Avery, Gavin and Ali

Avery eating some yogurt. YUM!!

Mackenzie

me and Avery

Gavin

Eating some lunch

Avery

PARK CITY!!!

2010-08-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Me and my friends have made it a yearly tradition to go to park city for a girl's weekend. Thanks Ashley for all of your hard work in planning it!! It was lots of fun! I didn't take too many pictures because I didn't want to pack around my camera. eating dinner at baja cantina

We went to see The Other Guys. It was pretty funny!! We had 11 people this year! This is everyone but Misty, Lindsay, and Tabitha. I didn't get any pictures of us all together.
misty brought her baby CiCi. She is adorable!! I am so glad that I was finally able to see her!We got the EXACT same condo that we had last year. It was really nice!

hot tub anyone???
hot tub gossip is the best!!! Me and Ashley stayed up ALL night talking the first night then we all stayed up till 3 am the 2nd night. I figured I went 43 hours without sleeping. I was a little tired when I got home!!Of course, we couldn't go to Park City without doing some shopping!!

When we got back to the condo we had to show everyone what we bought
these are most of my purchases for the day. I finished up the kids school shopping Yay!! oh, and I also got us all new shirts for our famly pictures and some big star jeans which I LOVE!!
While we were there Lindsay cut my hair and put in a few blonde extentions. I love it! Thanks Lindsay!! I am so lucky to have my friends! How many people do you know that are still close to their high school friends 10 years later??? We are pretty spread out as far as where we live now but we always try to get together a couple times per year. I can't wait till next time!!!