Zions National Park

We spent this years memorial weekend in Zions national park. Craigs family invited us to all go and stay at the lodge in the park. It was a great trip. We did some hiking, horseback riding, exploring,eating, Ice cream, etc. We also celebrated Alans birthday when we were down there. I was so amazed at how much fun it is and how convenient it is to stay in the actual park. It was awesome. The kids did major hiking. Especially the boys. Andrew and Jacob did Angels Landing (scary hike) with their dads. They took it like a couple of champs. When they got back all they wanted was ice cream. They really desearved it after that adventure. Here are some of the pictures from the trip.

The narrows Hike (cali and I just walked to the water part) The boys did the whole hike.

here is Andrew flexing at the top of Angels Landing. Holy moly that kid is strong!

One of the things you can do for the kids is buy these jr. ranger booklets for a dollar. The kids have to fill out information about the park and help pick up trash etc. When they have finished they say a pledge and get jr. Ranger badges. The boys were thrilled to accomplish this. They are so cute!

Great to Be a Mom

Well most of the time anyway. I had a great Mothers day this year. First I had the best gift..finally having Craig Home from being gone for 3 weeks.

My day started off with breakfast in bed. Yum. Then I got flowered with homemade gifts from the kids and flowers from my wonderful husband. Well truth be told Cali didn't wait until Mothers day to give me her surprise. She was just too excited.

Here are some of the gifts i got....

Made by Cali:

Made by Andrew:

The day I became a mother my dreams came true. I had been practicing being a mom my whole life. I used to iron my cabbage patch dolls clothing. The day Andrew was born was truly the most important day of my life. That day I became responsible for someone else. Andrew was the sweetest baby. He did not sleep very well at night but I cherished that time alone I got to spend with him. Thank goodness my Mom was there to help guide me on those first nights. She made me feel that everything was o.k. It was very overwhelming and she made me feel safe. Thank goodness for Mothers. Thank you Andrew for making me a mother. It has truly been a blessing. Andrew was the best first baby I could have asked for. He loved his binky and that made things easier for both of us. This picture is Andrew the day after he was born. He was so skinny his knees were wrinkled. He had the most chappy lips too. Poor worn out baby


Then:

Now:

This was the day I became a mom of my baby girl. What a special day that was. It is so vivid in my mind I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was thrilled to be a mom once again. I was a lot less nervous. I felt more confident in my abilities to ake care of a newborn. Plus I got to play dress up with her everyday. Cali you mean the worl to me. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. You are my sweetheart and I am so glad I got my baby girl.

Then:

Now:

Being a mom is so rewarding and so frustrating and wonderful and hard. I am constantly learning as I go. I certainly had and have a lot of wonderful role models. I have 3 wonderful mothers and an aunt (paula) who have shown me the way to be a mother. I know i am not perfect but I am growing as I go. I just hope one day my children will look back and say they had the most wonderful childhood and most wonderful mom they could have had. I am thankful each and evryday for this role I get to have. i love you Andrew and Cali. thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your Mother.

Update for May

Sorry again for not posting for a while. Craig has been at training for his new job for Three weeks. He is home now but let me fill you in on what has been going on in his absence.

Every time Craig leaves town I usually tackle some painting project that needs to be done.i LOVE to surprise him. This time I thought I would just maybe do some deep cleaning or get ready for bulky trash. On the way to Andrews baseball game My mother in Law suggested we get Craigs den done in the basement while he is away. I was very apprehensive because that was the only room that wasn"t completed with framing and electrical work. But then a miracle happend...My dad (who is a very talented builder) and My uncles came to work on a project in Salt Lake and they wanted to stay with me. Well anyone who wants to stay with me ends up earning their keep it seems. By some small miracle I got my dad to finish the electrical, my uncle mike to fix a plumbing issue, my plumber to move a heating vent and my framer to come finish the job all in one week. i hired a guy to do the drywall, texture and finish work. My sweet Mother in Law helped me paint the room and ceiling. I painted baseboards, casing for the door and the door all by my self. I also found an super bargain on remnant carpet. I truly got it all done with one day to spare for laundry catch up and cleaning bathrooms. Yes I know I am crazy for agreeing to do it while I was home with my two kids but with help from my family I accomplished a lot. I even had time to squeeze in some girls nights. It was a daunting task and caused me A LOT of stress but I got it done and Craig was absolutley shocked and GREATFUL.


BEFORE:

AFTER:

Well that is why I havn't been blogging. I have been busy with something else! How does it look?

Now all my house guests will not have to share the room with an office.Yay! High Five for me.LOL.

Spring break

The kids had a great spring break. I tried to think of stuff to keep them busy for the most part. Here are a couple of the things they did over break...
I took Cali to see Hannah montana the movie. I thought she might be a little young for it but she hears other kids talking about it all the time. She ended up really enjoyed going and she got to go with her girls. i think it's more about the popcorn and treats but it was great. Andrew went somewhere with a friend so he didn't have to be tortured by a GIRL movie.

I was a little sad to find out later that Miley Cyrus showed up at one of the other theatres in Utah. Had we only picked that theatre and that time the girls would have been so thrilled. Oh well it was fun anyway.

One of the days Grandpa wanted to take us all to the discovery Museum in Salt Lake. This place is so amazing for kids. They have so many things for the kids to do. For all of there ages. All of them had such a wonderful time. It is a great place to go.

Easter

Easter was a busy weekend for us. Saturday we had a neighborhood egg hunt, then a Baptism, then a Birthday party for the kids cousin Jacob. Wow it was a whirlwind but was a lot of fun. We started our Easter morning with visit from the easter bunny. The Bunny left Baskets and tons of eggs for the kids to hunt for. They both made out pretty well on the candy.

Once the baskets were too heavy to carry ....we decided to color eggs. The kids love doing this every year. It was a lot of fun and mom and dad Joined in on the funThey Turned out BeautifulThen Off to Grandma and Grandpas for yes..another egg hunt with cousins. My children have been on a sugar high every day this week. They made out pretty well on the candy there too. I love this picture of cali and her "girls". She is all dressed up and looking beautiful and you can see her elbow has a big rug burn. She loves everything girl but she is no dainty little girl. She is as rough and tough as they come. Cali's Nina bought her this dress when we were in Texas. Thank you Nina...It was beautiful on her. She said she is ready to get married in that dress.Our family in our Sunday bestCraig and His beautiful Mom

It was a great Easter. All throughout the day I kept thinking of the savior and what he means to our family and his wonderful example. I am so greatful that I see and feel him around me all the time. I can't imagine how my life would be different without his influence and sweet spirit. He is very special to me and I am so greatful that he is in my life. Hope you all had a wonderful easter.

Birthdays & Sparkle Toes

I had a birthday a few weeks ago...The big 30..I know it's crazy but true. This year my "Girls" as I call them, and I decided to do a little something special on our girls night to celebrate my Birthday and Diana's Birthday (Far Left). We all have had pedicures and they are awesome but this time we decided to try something different. We like to call it glitter toes. Something fun and different. it is done with Gel and it turned out soo cute. It was so nice of The girls cousin to do it for all of us. Then we had dinner at squatters (one of our favorite places to eat). Then to a movie.
I normally would never allow a picture of my ugly feet but I had to so I could show off my glitter.

It was a great Birthday. I just can't believe I am another decade old. Things are good for me at 30. I just hope this ride of a life keeps getting better every year. Thanks girls for always making GNO a super fun time.