The Wattersons

Zane turns 1!

2012-02-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

Our sweet, little Zane turned 1 this January! We can't believe it has been a year since he was born. What happiness and joy he has brought into our family. Poor kid, unfortunately had a birthday on a very big Bronco playoff game day - so his birthday was cut a bit short. Anyone who knows NIles would appreciate the swiftness in which he conducted Zane's birthday festivities. I was seriously still eating my dinner while Niles started to load the kids in the car! Niles sped home (and Niles never speeds) for cupcakes, pictures and birthday wishes! the entire time NIles is rushing, rushing because the game is going to start any minute and his nacho cheese dip is not ready yet!!! At the very least, it was entertaining to see Niles in such a hurry;) and Zane won't remember anything anyway. Happy Birthday baby Zane!

Christmas 2011

2012-02-05T10:05:00.001-08:00

This year our holiday weeks of fun turned out to be our holiday weeks of fiasco and ruin! And through it all we still were able to enjoy the season with our family and had many opportunities to choose to laugh at the situations - life my friends is not perfect.
A few memorable examples.

1) Our family tree cut excursion. this misadventure began when Niles thought I was watching for the turn off in the mountains, but was actually sleeping....oops! 4 hours later, in the dark, we just decided to go to Qdoba and pull our fake tree up from the basement.

2) Our annual Denver parade of lights got the axe when considering to take 3 children downtown in subzero temperatures didn't seem so fun and festive. First year in 4 that we haven't gone. There is always next year!

3) I did get everyone to go ice skating downtown even though it was freezing and windy! Poor Zane was miserable....and we ended up leaving early due to our freezing wind chapped children. OH well - you win some, you lose some.

At the very least, these misadventures will provide lots of laughs for us in the future. The season provided us with many great opportunities to remember our blessings and what we are truly grateful for in our lives. How fortunate we are to know that we have a loving Savior that came into this world for our benefit.

Things to remember....

2012-01-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and speak it again.”

President Howard W. Hunter

Thanks to my great friend Erin for posting this on her blog a while back. A great reminder - love this quote.

Annual Family Pictures

2011-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

My sister is a great photographer. She graciously takes our pics every year and is always very inventive. This year was no different - thanks again Twink! I would like to add that Niles is very gracious as well to show up every year for these family pictures that he does not enjoy for one minute - ever:).

Halloween 2011

2011-12-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

We once again had a fun and eventful Halloween. Halloween is no longer a one night-er. It is a week long sugar - party'fest'. Between the school party, ward party and our friends fire pit Halloween fiesta prior to trick or treating - we had plenty of fun festivities to fill our time and our candy bags. Fortunately, we found out about The Switch Witch this year. She's a lovely witch that comes and takes your candy from your front porch and leaves a little gift in its place. One word - fabulous! Love, love all the fun things I get to do with my kids!

numero tres

2011-10-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Niles has completed 3 marathons as of this past weekend - he is a stud! We love him and are so proud! Way to go!

The waiting....

and more dreaded waiting!

The final .2 miles.

family photo after the finish line.

"he may never move again" look.

A St. George weekend

2011-10-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love St George and look forward to our annual trip down there each year. It is beautiful, warm and filled with sore people shuffling around after 26.2 miles of pure agony and elation of the ST George marathon. We spent another great weekend there with friends and our kids. Friday we spent a majority of the day at Zion's National Park. It was so great to finally take them there and enjoy it with them. They were great little troopers and I was surprised at how adventurous they were. Next year we are planning to go back and do more exploring!

Niles ran the marathon for the third time on Saturday! The twins loved waiting on the sidelines, watching for him to come around the corner....for about 10 minutes. Then they became impatient and wondered why dad couldn't run 26.2 miles faster? come on, right! :) When he finally made his appearance they ran the last .2 miles in with him. What fun for them. We love St George and can't wait to get back. Maybe it will be my turn to run next year!

Bus ride up the canyon.

Zane in is his mini man hat:)

Cute Soren

Love went a bit deeper and got alot wetter then she intended.

This is about as deep as we really got. Next year maybe we will man up and really get wet!

Poor Zane unsuccessfully attempted a nap on our excursion - he was so frustrated by the end!

The big decision

2011-10-06T16:48:00.001-07:00

The only thing Love asked for her birthday this year was to get her ears pierced. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was something outrageous like - 12! So, when is the right time?! Well, from the pictures below you can see we gave into the peer pressure and let her get her ears pierced. She has proven to be very responsible about taking care of them and it was not nearly as big of a deal as I thought it was - go figure:). She did great - and told me that it hurt less the "practice" chinese pinches she had been requesting from me in preparation for the "BIG" event.

The whole family went to show moral support - it was a fun little family outing.

Love and Soren turn 7!

2011-10-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Somedays it seems like just yesterday that I had these two munchkins - time has flown by! Birthday #7 was fun and very low key! With the "everyother year birthday party" finally put into practice (wahoo for me!) they opted to take one friend each to their school's outdoor movie night. So much fun! The twins ran around playing on bounce houses, eating happy meals and popcorn for dinner and then crashed for the movie once it got dark. After the movie, we went back to our house for cake, ice cream and presents. I think they had a great and memorable birthday!

13 years

2011-08-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Niles and I celebrated our 13th anniversary this past July. It seems like yesterday we were headed out to Arizona for graduate school after our wedding! How the time has flown by. It has been a wonderful and fulfilling 13 years with many more great times ahead. We spent our anniversary at The Garden of the Gods with our kids. It was a perfect activity for the day - We loved it.

Summer swim team

2011-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

This year we convinced the twins that it would be fun to wake up early and swim laps in cold water for an hour every morning.:) They were only fooled the first time. The rest of the time they were bribed with Krispy Kreme donuts and threatened with having to return their hard earned reading money if they didn't stay in the water. You win some - you lose some. As the weather improved, so did their swimming experience. They ended up loving the swim meets (they're a bit competitive) and managed to withstand the torture of practice . All in all, it was a good experience that left them better swimmers and taught them they can do hard things. I'm curious to see what next swim season will bring!

Girls Trip #2

2011-07-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

If you were to ask Niles he would say this was Girls Trip #100 for the year! When I reminded him I was going and started discussing the (his) itinerary for while I was away - He said "Haven't you already gone on 3 or 4 girls trips this year???" There hasn't been that many and unfortunately there won't be.

This trip was for my dear friend Heather's 28th birthday. We flew her in from Texas and went downtown for the weekend to celebrate. We have all missed her immensely and it was great to have her all to ourselves for 4 days! It was so much fun - I think we should fly her in every year!

There was a pool on top of the hotel that was so nice!

Out to dinner.

Of course, at yogurtland....our first stop.

We went to see our sweet friend Rachelle's new baby girl.

Did some shopping - where Joc tried to convince me, jokingly that this fab number was cute. Then watched me squirm while I tried as kindly as possible to tell her she was dead wrong:) Anthropologie - what were you thinking!

Bubba

2011-07-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Our not so little Zane has been affectionately called Bubba for quite some time. Weighing in at 17lbs 11oz at 6 months is a record at our house. Soren didn't weigh this much until he was a year old! He is a wonderful little man that we all just adore.

THE OTHERS - We do have other children that we love just as much and as frequently as the little man. London and Soren continually amaze and impress us. Their little personalities keep us always entertained.....and how can you not love the millions of freckles on their faces:) Really, what's not to love.

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed another fabulous weekend up in Granby for the July 4th holiday. We love it up there! We did all the traditional, fun Granby activities - Parade, barbeque, kids competition in the park and then up to Grand Lake for fun at the beach. Later that evening we went to Fraser for some great fireworks. It was a wonderful weekend! We loved every minute.

Our traditional family hike at Adam's falls in Grand Lake - Yes, Lovey has tp in her nose. It was a rough hike for her:)

Girls Trip 2011

2011-06-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Went to Vail this year for a girls trip with some great friends! I love these girls - they are the best. We had so much fun staying up late laughing, eating all things unhealthy, playing some tennis then lounging poolside and going on TERRIFYING, scream-your-head-off rides. It was a very memorable weekend.

Seriously - scariest thing I've ever been on.

Erin - who isn't afraid of anything - screamed like a baby on this ride.

Zane

2011-06-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

This Little guy has brought a lot of joy and a little less sleep into our home. We all just love him. He is sweet, happy and content. He spends hours being towed around in his car seat and is happy to just be. He has a fabulous belly laugh and has a smile for almost everyone. You can just feel the happiness and peace in him. I can't believe he's 5 months already. The time is going by too quickly - I squeeze him and wish he could stay little. How grateful we are to have him here. What a little blessing.

Zane 5 month stats: height 27.5 inches, 15 lbs 14 oz.

A Week Away

2011-06-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

In May, Niles and I went to the beach on the Gulf Coast in Florida - So. Amazing. White sand, warm clear blue water and a week off of laundry, need I say more. We slept in, we laid on the beach, logged in about 30 hours of Scrabble and ate lots and lots of yummy seafood. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we are seriously considering going back next year! We loved it! Lots of pictures of us eating to follow! The food - So. Good.

This is how Zane spent every evening out to dinner. He's a gem.

Trying Key Lime Pie on a stick - A bit over rated.

Niles eating frog legs and pretending to enjoy it.

Eating at The Red Bar. Loved it! Best Key Lime Pie EVER!

Cute little swimmer baby.

Once again at another yummy meal.

Spring break skiing 2011

2011-05-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yes - I realize it's summer and I'm just getting these up. A combination of lazy, forgetful and exhausted has created a lack of anything except the absolutely necessary getting accomplished. Blogging has been no where on the absolutely necessary list. Summer is here and with it a renewed sense of "get it done-ness". And with that is the need to record our family memories. I want my children to remember all the fun times we have together. Many of our fun memories have been up in the mountains. We love it up there! The twins get excited every time we tell them we're going. Skiing this year was great. It's amazing how much they continue to improve. Skiing with them is one of my favorite things.

Music Theory Recital

2011-05-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

London started a three year music theory program last fall. The first year students start off learning basic music theory and playing bells, by the end of the third year they compose their own piece on the piano. She has loved and enjoyed every minute of this program. At the end of each year they have a recital for all the students. It was so great to see what all the kids had learned through the year. London did a great job! We're so proud of everything she is learning.

Love with her friends: Ella and Sierra at the recital.

Easter

2011-05-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

We had a nice and low key Easter with family this year. I have been extremely bad about picture taking since Zane has come. I gave myself a nice pat on the back for even getting this snapshot taken:). We haven't quite got the "hold-the-baby-and-smile-for-the-camera-and-look-like-your-enjoying-it" posing down quite yet. We're working on it.

Spring break 2011

2011-04-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

We headed up to the cabin for spring break this year. It was great to play in the snow and go skiing with our kids. Soren and London are so much fun to ski with. On one of the ski days Soren begged to take a run by himself! It was only the bunny hill run, but it was still a big deal for me to let him go on the lift alone. I'm not sure who was braver - me or him?! London finally decided that she liked skiing this trip. By the end, she was going down all by herself. We were so proud of her. I love going to the cabin - such good times.

Zane - 2 months

2011-04-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

2 month stats: 11.5 pounds - 24 inches

At 2 months, Zane.......

Loves to smile and laugh.

Loves to stick out his tongue.

Loves to kick his legs.

Loves his older brother and sister.

Loves to smile while he's eating. (this kid likes to eat!)

Loves his binkie.

Loves to be held.

Loves to take showers with dad.

Loves to sleep next to mom. (this is very bittersweet)

We love you Zane!

Zane's blessing

2011-03-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

We were so fortunate to have lots of family come to be with us for Zane's blessing. It was a great day. We enjoyed having everyone at church with us - and at our home afterwards. 16 kids and 12 adults is a lot of commotion to fit into our house! And we loved every minute. Zane loved being passed around and held by everyone - poor guy was exhausted by the end of it all. Thank you to all our family for making it a wonderful and memorable day. Beware... photo overload to follow!

The hospital

2011-02-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of Zane's arrival! The hospital I had him at was great - They call it "Spa Ridge". I would agree with this on all accounts barring the food menu - it was a bit sketchy. I ordered a salad, which I found out upon receiving was pre-made ..... 2 days earlier! And was later told from an employee when I didn't eat it - "You should keep it for later, it's says its still good till tomorrow." No Thank you. :)

The twins loved coming to see the baby and thought it was great that they could sit and pick from a list of movies to watch in the room. It made the visit much more enjoyable for all party's involved. Friends and family came by to visit our new little man. We are so grateful to everyone that took the time to come see us.

Poor Zane went through the wringer during delivery.... and looked it. Niles commented that he looked like Burgess Meredith and furthered stated "I had to pretend that he was cute. Did you too?" As all the swelling, bumps and double cone headed-ness have gone away, we are happy and relieved to say he no longer resembles Rocky's coach.

Fun with 3

2011-02-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

Everyone keeps asking me how I'm handling having 3 children. They don't believe me when I tell them how great it's going! It's been such a smooth transition. The twins are amazing little helpers and Zane couldn't be a better baby. The kid is already sleeping 7-8 hours a night! We are having so much fun with our three kiddos!

Little Zane : 2 weeks

2011-02-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

My super-talented friend, Tamara, took Zane's newborn pictures. She is a genius with a camera lens - especially since Zane was intent on showing off his "package" throughout the photo shoot. Capturing his cute little body - minus certain parts- was a major undertaking. Thanks Tam!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

This year we enjoyed a fun Christmas with the Krainik side. We spent all free time eating and gaming - After hours of practice, my brothers are now quite proficient Settlers of Catan players. They may even beat me one day. :) The twins had so much fun playing with their cousins. London and Keslie loved playing with their American girl kitchen sets and Soren spent hours with his legos and DS games - which involved some very nice quality time with his dad. It was a wonderful Christmas.

Week 4: Hudson Gardens

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

On week 4 of our Christmas excursions, Auntie Eve went with us to see the lights at Hudson Gardens. It was super fun and SUPER FREEZING! We opted for the horse drawn sleigh ride instead of walking everywhere - worth every penny. MInus the frigid temperatures, we had a wonderful time!

Week 3: The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-02-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

The boys were excluded from "Christmas fun" week 3 this year. London and I went to see The Nutcracker with our friends. She loved it! - and reminded more than once during the performance that she needed new ballet shoes. I think she was having dreams of being a prima ballerina the entire time. So glad we went. Next year I think we should bring the boys.

Zane George Watterson

2011-01-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we welcomed the latest member of our family. Zane George was born Friday night after 14 hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing and a grand finale of a much needed vacuum. He was 8lbs 2oz and 21.5 inches long. We are overjoyed to have him finally here! He is an adorable, sweet little guy. We feel so blessed.

Zane on the lights.

little guy had a special pillow ordered in for his head due to the use of the vacuum during delivery.

Me right before going to the hospital. Proof that I was HUGE!

Week 2: Denver Parade of lights

2011-01-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

For the past three years we've made the drive up to Denver for the Annual Parade of Lights. It never fails to entertain. We fill up on Two Fisted Mario's Pizza prior and then spend the rest of the evening freezing, watching high school marching bands go by while enjoying over priced, luke-warm hot chocolates. It's the trifecta of fun for 6 year olds: up late, dinner out, entertainment. A no brainer - can't wait for next year!

Tree lighting and ice skating

2011-01-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

During the month of December, we try and do something festive each week as a family. This year we started it off with an evening of Santa, tree lighting and ice skating. It was a great way to start off the Christmas season.

32 week stunt

2010-12-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

If anyone has seen me as of late, I look like I'm smuggling a very large basketball under my shirt - very attractive. About two weeks ago, when I was 32 weeks pregnant, I happen to discover that I could balance my drink on my belly. Since then, It's become a regular activity to see what belly balancing I can do - So for, a bowl and a pitcher. By the time this baby gets here I should have a good itemized list going.

Box of Shame

2010-12-08T19:30:00.001-08:00

Not too long ago, I bought a stroller for our newest addition. It sat in the box for weeks, while the twins repeatedly asked "when are we going to put the stroller together?" Niles and I thought, - how sweet, they're so excited for this baby they even want to help get his stroller ready for him. We couldn't have been more wrong. At the final request to open "the box" NIles caved and project stroller commenced. Within minutes of the stroller parts removal, London and Soren had the box and were about their own business for the rest of the morning. Niles and I each had an "Ah, we're suckers" moment - they were after the BOX the entire time! They named it the "box of shame" and it has since supplied hours of endless entertainment for them. We've considered replacing their Christmas gifts with empty boxes. :)

The Lone man on project stroller assembly - Poor Niles.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-07T18:45:00.001-08:00

In my current condition, I've become increasingly lazy with regards to using my camera. So, Thanksgiving picture taking was sparse to say the least. That aside, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all the Watterson clan. We are so fortunate to have each of them in our lives.

Soren and his barely there dinner.

13 of the 15 grandkids present.

The girls playing dress up after dinner.

Halloween 2010

2010-12-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

We had a GI Joe ninja and Wonder Woman this year for Halloween. I ordered both costumes online and unfortunately Soren's costume came a bit smaller than expected. Luckily, the kid is SOOO skinny he pulled it off....barely:) Next year, I'll do a little less "guess-timating" on sizes.

Pumpkin carving

2010-11-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

We got together with our great friends, the Jensens, for a night of pumpkin carving. In past years, we've attempted to get the twins to brave the innards of the pumpkin - and each year, we've been thwarted in our efforts to help them overcome the "eewww gross" of the project. Finally, they decided to man up and face the dirty job. A fabulous turning point. We all had a great evening.

Niles surprise party

2010-11-04T17:35:00.001-07:00

This year I surprised Niles for his birthday and thru him a surprise party. We had all his close friends and family for the big shindig. For the main entertainment of the evening we divided into teams and played a team version of "Minute to win it". It was hilarious! I hope he enjoyed himself because the next party he's getting will involve canes and wheelchair races.

the Invitation

Tonight...

2010-11-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

London starting wailing she had a stomach ache.... while holding a half eaten snickers bar in her hand. Needless to say, she didn't get much sympathy from me. One day I'm hoping she finds the documentation of this outburst as funny as I did.

St George Marathon

2010-10-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Niles ran the St George Marathon again. The first year he ran the race, it was record cold and rain. This year, it was a record heat wave! He did a great job and made a personal record. He even managed a smile at the end, instead of cursing his wife for getting him mixed up in this sport! Next year is my turn again.... the weather will most likely be perfect:)

A Big Bummer!

2010-10-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to run The Boston Marathon in April. I went to register less than 24 hrs after it had opened and it had closed already! I can't believe it! Below is the Article on it from The Associated Press. Such a bummer!

Boston Field Fills Up in Eight Hours
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 18, 2010

The Boston Athletic Association said the 2011 Boston Marathon field was filled via online registration in eight hours. Registration opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 5:03 p.m. During that time, about 26,800 runners registered for the 115th running of the world’s oldest annual marathon.

Runners must meet qualifying times based on gender and age. Guy Morse, the association’s executive director, said it took more than two months to fill up the same-size field last year. The 2011 race is April 18.

birthday season

2010-09-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

"Birthday Season" is what I've coined the tornado of birthdays in our house. When there's 4 people, 4 birthdays, 5 days apart.... it's a tornado of events. Some years, it can take the month of October for me to recover:) This year was no different. The twins had their party this year at Monkey bizness and loved it. Turning 6 was a very BIG DEAL!
An even bigger deal was Niles birthday... the BIG 4-0! Yikes. I can't believe I'm married to a 40 year old. He's hot, so I figured it's ok:) To commemorate his big day I did nothing... until a week later. It completely threw him off. He thought for sure I was planning a surprise party (which I was) but gave up hope after 6 days. Poor guy thought dinner out and a gift card for a massage was all he was getting.

Overall, it was a successful birthday season. We all (especially me) survived! Until next year!

Pictures of Niles party to follow soon!

blowing out their candles.

The grandmas and aunts that came for the fun and support:)

Half of the birthday crew..24 kids total!

Soren taking a breather with his dad.

London with some of her cute friends.

Our dinner out to Benihana's for my birthday. Delicious.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

We headed up to the cabin for Labor Day weekend this year with the entire Watterson clan. It was a great weekend filled with hiking, playing, campfires, eating and relaxing. We all had such a wonderful time and really enjoyed spending time with family.

bedtime stories with Grandma Nila.

Late Night Dance Party...thanks to Sarah Jean!

Soren and Joel at the dinner campfire.

Me and Love eating our yummy smores.

The Circus

2010-08-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went with Niles' family to the circus. The kids had never been to a circus before and were so excited to go. It was a great show! The kids laughed, were amazed at all the stunts and ate lots of cotton candy:) It was a super fun night!

The Twelfth Year

2010-08-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Niles and I celebrated our 12th anniversary in July. In our personal family history books, this year will go down as the year of "Parallel" lives. It's been a busy year, during which we didn't actually see each other all that often...at least when either of us were coherent. Between the kids, work and Niles going to graduate school full-time there wasn't much time for anything more than sleep. Our quality time has consisted of us exchanging either a quick smooch or the occasional high five with a "catch you later". The culminating "parallel" achievement was that we didn't actually have to be at the same place at the same time to conceive a child. Really. (That may have been TMI..... but there it is.) Fortunately, he did show up for the "Grand Finale".

With that said, I wasn't going to let our 13th year begin with how our past year was spent. I planned a weekend trip to the mountains, crossed my fingers and thought of multiple ways to guilt or threaten him into going. Luckily for me, he was all for it. No manipulation or promises of romance were necessary. Probably, a first for that all year!

It was a great weekend. We went hiking up Adam's Falls, went to the beach at Grand Lake, ate at my favorite ice cream shop, had a camp fire and made smores. Best of all, we enjoyed our kids and each other. It was exactly how we wanted to spend our 12 year anniversary. I'm so fortunate to have such a kind and hard working guy for a husband. I hope to see a lot of him in year 13.

Oh boy! Oh boy!

2010-07-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

London and Soren are getting a brother! We are so excited and can't wait for the little guy to come! London is still coming to terms with the fact that it's not a girl. We had a conversation about a month ago that involved her saying that she would only "sort of" love the baby if it were a boy. She tells me she's starting to be ok with it. I'm sure by the time he gets here she'll be thrilled! Of Course, Soren thought it was great.

July 4th weekend

2010-07-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

We headed to Vail for the fourth of July weekend. It was a great time as always. The kids enjoyed every waking minute with their cousins and left all good sleeping and eating habits at the hotel door. We spent the weekend enjoying yummy food, swimming and family. It was so nice to visit and relax with everyone. Thanks mom and dad for a fun weekend!

Brock is home!

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

Brock has finally returned from his mission in Chile! We all were so excited to see him. It will be so fun to have the summer to catch up with him before he heads back to Utah for school in the fall. We love you Brock!

Poor Kid

2010-07-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows I can not stand cheetos. The dislike for this particular snack has escalated exponentially since being pregnant. Some appeared in my kitchen via Niles and I wasn't thrilled. Soren found them and was adamant about having them while he watched his afternoon cartoons. Fortunately, we were able to make a compromise that worked for the both of us.

Soren enjoying his cheetos and cartoon via the family room window:)

Coming January 2011!

2010-06-27T07:07:00.001-07:00

Project procreation has finally begun once again for the Niles Watterson clan. We are so excited to have the new little arrival come join us this January! The twins have already been giving us their ideas for names: Daisy and Sonic are the front runners:) Very creative. (pardon the bad ultrasound shot; my scanner is broken)

Girls trip 2010

2010-06-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

This year we headed back to Newport for our girls weekend. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by great friends. We had a great time just beaching it, eating out and staying up till all hours laughing. (Well, I attempted to stay up, but fell asleep always within moments). What can I say, I'm not a night owl like the rest of this crew. Anyway, it was a great weekend to visit and enjoy each other minus kids and our crazy lives. I can't wait till next year!

Field Day!

2010-06-26T21:01:00.001-07:00

Way back in May, London and Soren had their first Field Day! It's nothing like it used to be.... everyone's a winner these days. They have done away with the blue ribbons and green participation ribbons. Which, in some ways is great. No one wants to go home with the "green" ribbon. But, the sense of competition is somewhat lost. I'm competitive, so it makes me a little sad. The twins on the other hand, could not have loved field day more. They loved spending the day outside playing games and having popsicles. I'm pretty sure it was Soren's favorite day of the enitre school year :)

The Swagger Wagon

2010-05-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

Just watched this video on YouTube! Hilarious!

Swagger Wagon

Easter 2010

2010-05-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

This year we headed down south for a very fun and low key Easter at Rob and Kara's(my sister-in-law). The day started out with Easter baskets of course and then led to the little girls deciding they needed to burn all that chocolate off with a workout video. It was entertaining to say the least. I'm pretty sure Nya(my niece) may very well be the next Jillian Michaels. We spent the rest of the day eating everything in sight and attempting to stay coherent during general conference:) It was a great Easter.

Cheerleader

2010-04-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Soren was playing Mario Play on the Wii. As usual, London was there to cheer him on. I was upstairs and heard this from the family room.

London (yelling at the top of her lungs) "You can do it! You can do it! You're the Man! YOU ARE THE MAN!...I'm not...YOU'RE the Man! S, O, R, E, N! Soren! You're the Man! You're awesome!"

It's no big secret that Soren's biggest fan is London. He will definitely continue to go places with her by his side.
Hopefully, further than the next level up on Mario Brothers :)

Spring break 2010!

2010-04-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

This year we enjoyed a layed back spring break.

We went to the zoo.

We swam.

We held headstand contests.

We ate at the twins favorite place, Red Robin.

We took London to the mall to make her first purchase with her very own "savings".

We let (really just me, Niles could care less) London sport the same blue sequince scarf and t-shirt for all of it. :)
(I've learned to pick my battles.)

A day, a week, a month behind

2010-03-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

I keep waiting for life to slow down around here. Instead, It seems to continually get busier and more hectic. Thank heavens for a snow day! We got over a foot of snow last night and life was forced to a small halt for a bit. (giving me sometime to play catch up!) Forever ago, I lost my camera charger and finally got a new one and have once again started taking some pictures of life around us :) I've been a slacker with regards to blogging, so this is going to be a crazy blog post of the last 5 weeks.

First up is Valentine's Day. My friend Tosha is a fabulous creator of anything and everything eatable. She loves to have parties that are surrounded by food and has a big, beautiful dinner for friends on Valentine's Day. Everyone is required to bring their favorite romantic movie clips... very interesting. I never would think Napolean Dynamite or Taladega Nights fell into the "romantic" catagory. I was wrong. It was an amazing, yummy and super fun night!

The Allreds and Cooper-Leavitts

Jensens :)

Sverre making our valentine's picture extra special :)

Me and Tosha.

Half the group waiting to start the movie clips.

Next up, is the horrible flu-cough we all got(minus Niles). It was miserable and I'm glad we are at the tail end of it. I was the last to get it after the twins. I finally just crashed in bed one day last week and barely moved. The twins disappeared downstairs for a bit and then came up with adorable cards and "nourishment" to help make me better :) Best Doctors ever.

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GIFKyMwbLkg/S6rFhJoFqbI/AAAAAAAABgI/0yEx1lWTM_g/s1600/CIMG3499.JPG">

Then we have St Patrick's Day. The leprachaun's once again came and made a mess in our kitchen and threw candy everywhere. We tried to keep with the green breakfast and decided to try out "Irish" pancakes. (green german pancakes). I'm thinking we will try something new for next year. We still ate it, inspite of it's uneatable appearance.

With every holiday come cards and a $1 dollar bill for London and Soren from Great Aunt Cindy. They love it and are always so excited to get mail! Thanks for the Valentine's and St.Patrick's day cards. They loved them.

And lastly, for the grand finale of this month's fun.....Tosha and my (oops!) matching outfits at her son Collin's baptism. Really, what are the chances we would wear the exact same thing. Crazy!

Olympic dreams

2010-02-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

Soren was mesmerized tonight with The Olympics. We couldn't get the kid to come into the kitchen for dinner.... so, we just went into the family room and joined him. (I know, we're weak!) He loved the speed skating most of all. This was the conversation that took place about it.

Soren: (pointing at the t.v.) Mom, I want to do that.

Me: What? Speed skating.....ok.

Soren: (looking at the t.v. and scratching his head in concentration) But......ummm, I'll have to practice, cause I've never done it
before.

Me: Sounds good :)

God's Insurance Plan

2010-02-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

Life (I've learned) doesn't always go as we plan. Or perhaps I should say how I plan; I'm a planner (my sister-in-law referred to me as "Type A" the other day; I'm still not quite sure if it's a pro or con, but I'm going with it). I like things to go my way and I work hard to make sure they go as planned in my head. Unfortunately, life most likely will trump that plan in your head every time.

My high school class voted me most likely to have the most children. Very ironic, seeing that it hasn't worked out that way. For Niles and me, conceiving is difficult and no where close to free. We should have named the twins Bentley and Mercedes :)

With that said, having more children since the twins has been one fiasco to the next. A daunting situation that has led no where. We were to the point of facing "acceptance". Acceptance, to the fact that our little family would stay just that, no more. I hate acceptance. It means our time, energy, prayers, etc. failed. I don't take to it lightly, but was headed there kicking and screaming. This is where God's Insurance Plan comes into play.

Thru trial and even more error, I've come to learn that God has his own plans for us and they are usually more suitable for our overall happiness. Just when I had made up my mind that my two little miracles should and would be enough, God pulled a wild card. Now, don't get too excited. NOT PREGNANT. It still doesn't happen that easy. But, this is the sequence of events that make me very aware that we are watched over and cared for by a Heavenly Father that knows our wants and desires.

#1- The tumor that made the previous IVF cycles fail--POOF, GONE. the first MRI, it was there....6 months later gone. The neurologist had no words for it. Only a few meds needed and my body is now capable of being a hospitable host :)

#2- The next month, Niles got an amazing new job that he loves.

#3- This new company's insurance plan covers IVF 100% with 0 deductible. I've called them 5x, it's legit.

For those of you in the dark......this is unheard of. Companies don't purchase cadillac insurance plans that pay 100% for expensize procedures. This is why I lovingly refer to it as God's Insurance Plan. Just when I thought "my plan" was being forced to change, God insured that we get another try.......and I could not be more grateful, ecstatic and overjoyed!

I've never been so eager to be poked, prodded and drugged:)

So, wish us luck! We hopefully will be a bigger crowd by the end of the year!

The iPhone

2010-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

I have been the happy owner of an iphone for a little while now and am very glad I broke down and got one. So are my kids. They call it the "gamephone". They watch movies, play games and listen to music all the time. I am constantly asking them where it is and if they could PLEASE remember what they did with it :) Like any other day, London and Soren were listening to music on MY phone and a bit of an argument occurred.

Soren: MOM!!!!!! London won't let me listen to my song!!!

Me: What's going on?

Soren: She got to listen to her song (it's a song that has her name in it, so it's her favorite) and now I want to listen to mine.

Me: Ok, Love let him listen to his song. ( I turn to Soren) What's your song anyhow?

London: It's Single Ladies.

Me: Really? (trying not to laugh)

Soren: Yep (with a shrug)

Ok. Great. Just as long as he doesn't learn the dance :)

Missing a friend

2010-01-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

One of Soren's best friends and London's "boyfriend" (and first kiss) moved a few weeks ago. They keep asking to play with him and are so sad that they can't. Fortunately, I've been able to cheer them up by reminding them that Logan now lives right next to Disneyland! This makes them very pleased, knowing this inevitably means a trip there. We miss you Logan! (And you too Mar!)

Soren, London and Logan.

This weekend.....

2010-01-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

We dressed up in 80's themed wear and made our way to Skate City for a birthday party.....so fun. The absolute perfect place for an 80's party. We had so much fun seeing everyone's outfits and remembering how to skate(it's been a few decades). It was a great time!

December 2009 Highlights

2010-01-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

In December we......

Went and saw Santa.

Went to the Denver Parade of Lights.

Crashed after the Parade.

Got new Christmas pajama's made by Grandma Nila.

had fun opening gifts Christmas morning.

Got fun Christmas presents from Mimi and Papa.

simple words

2010-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I am not normally a fan of children of a certain young age giving their testimonies in sacrament. They are usually words of rambling repetition, lacking much in actual testimony. With that said, a little girl in my ward shared a testimony worth repeating. It was simple and priceless. This is what she said...

"Jesus is true. And now you all know...... because I told you so. Amen." I think she's four.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T15:03:00.001-08:00

The magic of Christmas time seems to grow exponentially with our kids. They eat up everything Christmas. We got "The Elf on the Shelf" this year and had so much fun with it. It's a fun little story and elf that you adopt that keeps watch and reports back to Santa each night and shows up in a new spot each morning. The twins thought it was the best thing ever.

We spent Christmas up at the cabin this year and had a great time relaxing, skiing and of course gaming. I love a good Settlers of Catan match! We took the kids sledding and skiing over the weekend and they played every waking minute with their cousins and downed any treat they could get their hands on. It was a great Christmas!

The Bump it

2009-12-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

The bump it hair revolution has increased our laughs at Christmas parties all season long this year. For any who use this hair piece seriously, this blog post may not be for you. My circle of friends however, have spent ample time mocking these new hair piece wonders. It has been given as white elephant gifts at every party we've been to and it is hilarious. If this company were really progressive they'd sell it as a set. "But wait, if you order now you get a push-up bra and jersey accent included for only an extra $9.99". They'd make millions.

33rd Anniversary

2009-12-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

My parents were married 33 years ago over Thanksgiving weekend. Since everyone was in town, they took the entire crowd out (including kids) to dinner to celebrate. It was a fun evening of food and family. The twins and the rest of the cousins were in awe at the food being made in front of them. It was great to watch them be entertained! Thanks mom and dad for a fun evening.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-13T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all my siblings (minus Brock, who's in Chile) at my parents house this year. It was such a fun and crazy weekend with all the cousins....10 kids under age 7. The twins had a blast spending every minute with them and their newest "cousin" Spike(Chance and Katie's new puppy). It was a great weekend filled with lots of food, laughing and late night Settlers games. Thanks to everyone for making it such a fun time. Love you all!

What happened in November

2009-12-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

This past month was a whirlwind of activity. This is the re-cap.

Soren's end of season soccer party....They got "trophy" backpacks this year instead of actual trophies. He loved it.

The twins had reading time with principle Poole and got to meet their school Mascot.

London got creative and even more opinionated about her wardrobe.

And most importantly, the New Moon pre-release showing! No crowds, no lines, 10 moms and an empty theater. Thanks Heidi! So fun!

What every girl wants.....

2009-11-30T21:15:00.000-08:00

to never hear from her husband. "Wow, You've sort of got a Sarah Palin look going on."

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T14:19:00.001-08:00

Halloween costumes are a big deal in our household. London and Soren start deciding what they're going to be months before the actual holiday. This year, I tried numerous times to convince Soren to be a Gorilla(so cute).....unfortunately, it was a no go. I was informed (very delicately) by Niles that "didn't you know? Gorilla's aren't cool." Now I know. So Soren was a VERY cool black Power Ranger and London was a black cat. It was a super fun night filled with great friends, lots of food, trick or treating and an attempt to learn Michael Jackson's Thriller dance....also a no go. It was a great Halloween.

This kid was the cutest, I mean toughest Power Ranger.

London aka little black kitty.

All the mom's.

The zoo of kids that were at the party.

Example A of Niles bromance with Jeremy...they do this just to get a rise out of me. It works!

Brrrr!

2009-10-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's been snowing for over 24 hours and is still going strong..... with no signs of slowing. For those of you in warm weather, (you know who you are) I'm totally jealous. This is the scene this morning from my bedroom balcony.

Fall Fun!

2009-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Niles let me sleep in (nice guy) and took the twins out to rake up the leaves in the yard. I woke up and went down to find the three of them playing in the leaves. There had been no yard work of any sort going on. Leave it to Niles to be the funnest parent on the planet. After they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves, the leaves finally made their way into our garbage.

Eye rolling

2009-10-26T16:20:00.001-07:00

This morning London asked me how to roll her eyes. I gave her a quick "eye rolling 101" and then (because I remembered I'm her mother) made sure to mention that she shouldn't do it very much....probably not the most polite thing to do. She looked up at me a said, " But mommy, you do it all the time." Oh goodness, that girl doesn't miss anything.

Soccer

2009-10-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

Soccer season is in full swing for The Watterson family. This year London decided to join up and is now on The Twirly Girl team.....perfect name for this group of girls. They are all hugs, kisses and everything girly. Soren is also playing with a group of friends, half of whom are from church. This has made it great for rescheduled games, can't have it on Sunday when half your team won't be there. It's definitely worked to our advantage. It's been great watching them have so much fun out on the field. Soren spends most free time at home kicking a soccer ball into one wall or another. Nothing broken yet......

Sight

2009-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for vision screenings in kindergarten or we never would have known. I almost broke down at the doctor watching her try and complete the eye exam. Come to find out, she mostly uses only her right eye to see. Glasses are going to be a whole new world for her. Lucky for us, she thinks it's pretty cool. She had so much fun picking out her first pair of glasses and of course they are hot pink.

A conversation followed post eye exam between me and Lovey.

Me "Love, aren't you so excited for your new glasses, now skiing won't be scary for you. You'll love it!"

Lovey "Mommy, that's not why I didn't like skiing. It's not that I couldn't see, it's that I couldn't stop."

Smarty Pants.

St George Marathon

2009-10-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went and ran the St George Marathon! The weather was perfect (no rain like last year!) and it went great. My friend Rachel was my training partner and she was awesome....a great person to train with. Thanks to all her organized training I was able to get my best time and was able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Britt came down with Thatcher and met me at the finish line. Then she took me home to recoup on her couch for the rest of the weekend in Las Vegas. I'm glad I did it and now very glad that I'm going to get a little break....I still can't walk normally!

Rachel and I on the flight out.

We were lucky enough to get a private ride up to the starting line..thanks Eric!

Rachel and I right before the race.

Britt and I afterwards.

New Playroom?

2009-10-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

The picture below is evidence to what I found when I returned home the other day. Niles decided to dry out our tent from a scouting trip and thought hey why not let the kids play with EVERY single crayon, paper, pencil, marker, paints, tape, scissors, etc we own in it....in our front room. Everyone will be happy to know that I did not kill the instigator of this fun time project. He is gratefully alive and well.

Out my kitchen window

2009-09-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

I was making dinner the other night and looked out the window to check on the kids. The picture below is what I found. The memory of them all tangled up talking and laughing is one I hope never gets erased.

American Trails 1/2 marathon

2009-09-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

As is becoming tradition, either Niles or I run the Labor Day American Trails 1/2 marathon in Colorado Springs. This year was Niles turn. Unfortunately, Kara got sick and wasn't able to run it with him. He did a great job solo. In true Niles/Brecken fashion I dropped him off at the starting gate right as the announcer was counting down 10, 9, 8,....1! He did a great job minus having anytime to warm up for a 13 mile run!

Coming around the last turn.

Coming into the finish.

His personal cheering section...lucky guy!

Birthday week at the Watterson's

2009-09-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Every year, this week is a whirlwind. The twins birthday on the 9th, Niles on the 10th and mine on the 14th. If I had been given any choice in the matter (obviously not!), we'd have them a bit more spread apart....for sanity's sake. The twins had a birthday party at this new park by our house. They all made clown cupcakes (another blog post altogether) and we attempted a water balloon toss. (a complete disaster, but luckily they are too young to know that!) The kids had a great time and I'm just relieved I only do this once a year! All in all, it was a fun week filled with family, friends and lots and LOTS of cake!

Pirates Cove

2009-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I took my kiddos to this fun waterpark, Pirates Cove, with two friends from college. We all had so much fun with our kids on the lazy river, in the sand and pool. We even got the kids to go down the big, scary slides. It was so much fun and I can't wait to take them to Water World next summer for some really "big, scary slides"! Thanks Shauna and Megan for such a fun day!

5 years old

2009-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today my little munchkins turned 5 years old. It has been 5 years full of good times with these two! I was looking at pictures of them when they were babies and it never stops amazing me how much they've grown and changed. They are turning into such great little people. We are so fortunate to call them ours. Happy Birthday Lovey and Soren!

A Klomp Expedition

2009-09-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we went up to our friends, Justin and Shelly's, family cabin. We had a great time visiting with everyone. We went on a super fun 4-wheeling excursion that left a majority of us covered in mud.....the guys of course had to go multiple times thru the worst parts(just for fun). It was beautiful up in the mountains, we had a great time.....can't wait to go up again.

Jocelyn, Cami and I before we got muddy.

Niles and I mid excursion.

Our hosts.

Everyone on the way out.

Cami, me and Shelly.

all the guys figuring out how to get the Bills out of their unfortunate situation.

I promise there's a moose in the picture....just squint real hard.

Words to Live by

2009-08-31T09:41:00.001-07:00

One of my great friends emailed this list to me. It's was written by a columnist in Ohio. I have never heard of her, but loved this list of "45 lessons of life", and thought I would share it. #10 and #22 are some of my favorites....enjoy.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come..
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
>

confident borderline cocky

2009-08-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I heard Soren schooling Sydney (the neighbor girl) on the ins and outs of basketball. He said "Here, you want me to show you how to do this because I'm really good at it...see how I do it. This is how it's done." He continues on for the next 5 minutes showing her his mad "skills" with the basketball while telling her how great he is at it. Luckily, this went on long enough that I was able to grab my video camera. I didn't get some of the really great lines, but you'll get the idea.

BYU Girls reunion!

2009-08-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

While in California I snuck in a little girls reunion with some of the girls from the dorms my freshman year at BYU. It was so fun to reconnect with all of them and find out what is going on with everyone. They are all beautiful and amazing! It was such a fun time! I can't wait for next year! (Hopefully, next year I can stay the whole time!) Thanks Melissa for organizing everything!

All the Girls outside The Getty museum in LA

We're pretty sure this is a famous guy..on ER?

Dinner at the restaurant outside the museum.

There is no crying in Kindergarten

2009-08-12T21:10:00.001-07:00

Above is what I repeated to myself as I took my kids to their first day of kindergarten. I had the official "team work" talk with London with regards to kindergarten ward-drobing and we were off. (not allowed to look homeless at school) Some kids cried, some kids held their parents hands and looked timidly around...my kids asked why I have to walk them all the way to the door...because and I quote, "mommy, we totally already know the way." They loved it and thought they were pretty cool stuff...which they are.(just a little biased.) Gone are the days of using kindergarten as a bribe or a threat.......now I'm on to Santa.

Rest for the weary

2009-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

During Chance's wedding we stayed at a beach house in Laguna. After the wedding, Niles had to get back to work so my sisters, our cousin Leah and I (with kids in tow) stayed at the house for the rest of the week. It was beautiful and just what we needed. It was this great house right on 1,000 steps beach. Beautiful, but 142 steps from the top of the cliff where the house was to the beach. This may not seem like alot, but add a cooler, beach chairs, umbrella, towels, boogie boards, castle constructing equipment and 7 kids under the age of 6......it's not easy! Britt, who's 8 months pregnant thought it was great! (She's a trooper!)

The cousins played on the beach all day long, everyday. The boys "boogie boarded" or "surfed", which really consisted of them standing on the boards and waiting for the tide to rise up the beach to move them about 2 inches! It was hilarious, but kept them occupied for hours! We built numerous sand castles, took walks on the beach and ate lots of yummy treats on the beach...for the smaller beach goers ( Kirra & Grace) sand was the main snack food.

While we were there, we went and saw Noah and Twink's new condo in Ledara Ranch where they are moving next week. It is beautiful (15 minutes from Laguna) and I am so happy for them! Honestly, happy for me because visiting California is a bit more fun than Utah!
It was a wonderful week with my sisters! Thanks girls for a wonderful time!

The fabulous Watterson Sand Castle.

racing on the beach with the kids...my calves hurt for 2 days after!

Family picture on the big.

Tyler, Noah and Niles after a morning of surfing.

Twink with the kiddos after playing a game of football.

Mid football game.

Twink, Britt, me and Leah at the mini water park by Twink's new place.

Soren and Lovey warming up after playing in the water fountains.

Three boys taking a breather.

Ferris ride and ice cream cones at the Spectrum Center for Jake's birthday.

Ice cream cones on the deck.

Me and my sisters on the beach.

The Garfield family.

Noah showing the kids how it's really done...they were in awe.

Served lunch on the beach...mind, that was 284 extras stairs that I climbed....major mom points!

The boys and their boogie boards.

Lovey instructing Grace on proper castle building technique.

Soren "surfing".

Lovey and Kirra out cold!

Chance's wedding

2009-08-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

We all headed out to Laguna Beach last weekend for Chance and Katie's wedding. She was beautiful and the wedding was great! Niles and I were just glad we made the wedding...we got lost and they had to wait for us to get to the temple to start the ceremony! (not our finest moment). I'm pretty confident that I apologized to the point of being annoying....and I still feel horrible.

The reception was done in an adorable carnival theme. The twins spent the evening gorging on hot dogs, cotton candy, ice cream, etc. London's favorite part of the whole evening involved either being glued to Aunt Katie or taking pictures of herself in the photo booth. She's a shy one, that London.

It was a wonderful day! We are so happy for Chance and Katie.

4th of July!

2009-07-12T10:05:00.002-07:00

This year we were once again up in Vail for the 4th of July. It was beautiful! I love Vail in the summertime, it is one of my favorite spots. The whole Krainik family was in town for the weekend!(minus Brock, he's in Chile on his mission). We had a great time! The cousins loved spending every waking minute playing with eachother. Thanks for a fun weekend everyone!

family pic before the Vail parade.

Britt and Grandma June at the parade.

All the kids waiting for the parade to start!

just thought this picture was so cute of Jake and Lovey holding hands. So cute!

Gondola ride with the kids. They thought this was probably one of the coolest things we did all weekend.

Swimming with dad at the pool.

Children's craft fair in Vail Village. The twins decorated their own festive visors for the parade.

Soren getting a ride from Uncle Chance.

The cousins on the last day of the trip...all tired and happy!

summer days

2009-06-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

We've spent ample time this summer at the pool. Easily, the nicest place to thoroughly exhaust kids....love it, don't know what I would do without it!

My New Motto

2009-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

I found this add via another blog and I loved it! It is oh so true. Sometimes a delicious baked good is the only cure for what ails you.

Baseball

2009-06-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

As most already know, Soren has begged all year to play baseball. (Well, at his age its Tball-but we still call it baseball). On our way to his first practice he says "Mom, is baseball exercise?" I wasn't quite sure how to answer this. (There's alot of standing around!) He got a vague "sort of" and was satisfied. Regardless if he is improving his overall health or not playing the sport, he is loving it! Had a big smile on his face the whole first practice. At his first game he came running into home smiling and waving at us!

New Toy

2009-06-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

We are now proud owners of a trampoline (something Niles said we'd never do)! The kids LOVE it!!! My "cool mom" status has been growing exponentially with every trampoline trick I pull out for them. I'm very pleased with the purchase, I've reached new superstar trampoline status and they spend every free minute jumping on the new toy.

Words

2009-06-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

As of Late, London has entertained us with her "words". The comments coming out of this 4 year old are pretty funny....at least to her parents. Maybe, you too might have a little laugh.

scene 1: hiking over the weekend. We were hiking into an area that was pretty wooded. As we start walking through, we hear Lovey say "We are now entering into the belly of the beast!" What?!

scene 2: Telling on Soren and his friend Cooper. "Mommy, the boys are being mean....they are listening to SATAN!" This was my personal favorite.

Scene 3: Playing a game of washuus. She made maybe 2 shots out of 16. None the less, I was excited for her. She leans over, shrugs her shoulders like "No big deal" and says "yeah, I"m a bit of a natural," then saunters off.

I am dismayed that there will be a time when I won't remember all the small moments and "quotes" of my children's childhood. I hope they continue to remain confident and speak their mind as they do now. It would be a shame to miss out on all that goes on in those cute heads.

Memorial Weekend Camp out

2009-06-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

"Really, be honest,.... have you ever gone to the bathroom...outside?" This is the question asked by Niles on our way to our "maiden voyage" camp-out with the twins. A "yes" from me and then a quick "I don't believe you", followed with a chuckle from Niles. This is how our trip began. Luckily for me, I have many other qualities that Niles admires that over shadow my ineptness at camping. ( ei: Target shooting, Niles 15-20, Brecken 20-20.) I won't pee outside, but I could kill dinner if needed.

Minus the cold and rain it was a fabulously fun weekend! We road 4 wheelers, hiked, played baseball, shot guns, ate smores and brought home tired, happy kids.

The view from our campsite. beautiful.

Soren ("the expert") giving London (novis) pointers.

family hike

ride on the razor.....so fun.

Hmmmm....smores.

first night in the tent...not so comfy.

dinner with the cousins.

4 wheeling with dad.

I just thought this picture was cute.

Field trip!

2009-05-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

At the end of the year Miss Kim goes on a field trip to the zoo with all her preschoolers. It was literally a zoo with all the kids! Fortunately, we managed not to loose our minds....or our children on the excursion! As always, we had a great time. It has made me a little sad starting all the end of the year activities knowing they are going to kindergarten next fall. Where the time has gone, I'm not sure. At the very least, it reminds me to treasure all these fun little moments we get to have together.

The twins and Miss Kim.

Safety First

2009-05-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is what I found when I turned around to check on the kiddos the other day in the car. I couldn't stop laughing. Soren sort of smirked when he caught me looking at him and said "I just wanted to make sure horsey was safe." Cute kid. I guess he is turning into "MR SAFETY" like his dad.

Women's Conference

2009-05-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Every year I go on a girls trip with some of my best friends from a ward I was in 6 years ago. We go someplace different each year and this year Women's Conference at BYU was nominated as "THE" place....PROVO...really?? I was really pulling for the beach somewhere....I lost. We went to Provo and I couldn't be happier. It was great!!! We had a wonderful time going to classes and discussing all the things we were learning. It was definitely an experience I wouldn't mind repeating every year. Thanks girls for such a memorable trip!! I love you all!

All of us outside the Marriot Center.

Dinner at The DoDo. One of my favorite spots in SLC.

Oops! No Diet Coke on Campus?! Mindy with our recovery coke.

A group of us in class.

Yvette and Mindy chowing on our staples... "Nothing Bundt cake" and Diet Coke.

Me and Tosha at the movie...that we walked out on!!! Matthew McConaghey, what a dissapointment.

The rest of the girls that lost there $1o bucks.

Lunch with Twink, Chance and baby Kirra...what a cutie she is.

Yvette's second birthday fiesta!

The J Dawg...thank you Erin for making me eat one....it was a revelation.