Summertime

This summer Bowdee and Matia have made the swim team. So we go to the pool everyday for at least 2 hours. It has been fun to watch them go and do their workouts and watch Treg go on the "Big Red Slide". This is the first year he has been able to do it alone and he just loves it. He is barely big enough so some of the lifegaurds won't let him go. Then he is just heart broken, but he puts on his life jacket and loves the lazy river. Since this week has been so cold it has been nice because nobody is at the pool.

My kids are also in a Summer Scrappin Camp that they go to once a week. Of course I am hosting it but they are having fun getting with friends and creating their own memory book.

Then on every Friday we go to the "Sticky Shoe" for their discounted summertime matine's. It has been so fun for the kids to look forward to getting out of the house and away from the pool for a little. I am just loving being off work and catching up on a few things around the house.

Nights are spent watching Bowdee's baseball games or Treg's Tee-ball games. If we don't have a game then Terry and I are in the basement working finishing Bowdee's bedroom and spare bedroom. It is coming along and with the bad weather we don't feel like we are missing much. We do miss spending time on the boat but we can wait for nice weather... I think... Anyway that is what we have been upto.

13 Great Years

I can't believe it was 13 years ago that I took the drive up the canyon to be married to my best friend. The last 13 years have been well... Life. We have had our ups and downs we have had our moments to treasure and moments we would like to forget. Yes I would like to take some of those moments back and change them. But I would never never change the man that shares those memories with me. I have learned alot from being married to Terry I have learned to take honesty and appreciate it. I have learned to do everything my best otherwise it probably isn't worth doing. I have learned that no matter how much you love someone you can always love them more. I have learned to love unconditionally no matter how things change and no matter what happens, I will always love you Terry.
I will always appreciate our life together. I feel like we are more like one person. My heart will always beat for you. Thanks again for standing by me and being my best friend. I love the dad that you are to our children. I love the ability you have to do anything! I love how you are such a hard worker. I love that you know when you need to play. I just love you and I pray you can handle me for 50 more years. Happy Anniversary sweetie.

Bee's Game

So Troy called Saturday and invited "2 of us" to go to the Bee's game with him. Well with Bowdee being in Baseball it wasn't a hard choice. We sent Terry and Bowdee with him and his 3 cute girls. They had a wonderful time watching the game but to be honest with you I am sure Terry enjoyed being with his bro more then he enjoyed the game. Of course he loves taking Bowdee to those venues just to expose him to a good game. But it is not so much Terry's thing. He would rather be playin then watching just about anything. Thanks boys for showing my boy a good time. I played video games with Treg and then took them out for icecream. Came home and fell asleep and I finished #5 of the series I just read. Love those little moments.

Baseball Season

So a few weeks ago Bowdee started on his first Minor League Baseball Team he is on the Padres. He has done really good for his first year. I must say it is not as exciting to watch as his soccer games, but I guess it gets better as the team develops. I know it sounds like alot to have him in both but we really want to give him the chance to be a well rounded boy. And he is proving to be a boy of many sports. On his first game his coach started him out as pitcher. I think his coach can tell how much Bowdee is trying to do his best. He has pitched in about 1/2 of the games and he does pretty good. Way better then I could do that is for sure! Good job Bowdee I am so proud of you for giving it your all, all the time! Treg just started on his first T-ball team. He has a very devoted coach and most of the team members are is buddies. He is so cute when he hits the ball he is supose to run to the first base and stop. But he just keeps running and gets to second before anyone can get him to stop. Good job Treg keep it up and you will forsure be as good as Bowdee one day. Your just toooo cute. Matia said she didn't want to do Coach Pitch but now she is going to all the boys games and wishes she would have done it. We held her out because at the time she was in dance, soccer and swimming lessons. Maybe next year girlfriend.

Soccer Days

So just in case you have been wondering what we have been up to... I just have to say we survived another soccer season. This was the first time we have done spring soccer and it had it's moment where I wasn't to sure if it was worth it or not. In the end I am glad we did it. The kids love it and it keeps them moving. Bowdee was on the "Flying Monkeys Team" with Izak. Bowdee's skills have really taken off he made the most goals on his team. Matia was on the "Gators" team. Matia love having Daisy and Emma on her team and she will forever love her coach Conor! Treg was on the "Panthers of Thunder Mountain" or "Thunder" team for short. Treg is still in that bumble bee swarm stage where they all just chase the ball as fast as they can. Treg was the smallest on his team but he used his head alot to stay focused and image where the ball is going to be. They all did wonderful. Bowdee tried out for a competition team so we will see where that will take us. Nice work Kiddos!

Super Stars

So the year is finished for my Super Stars as well. They have been such a great group of kids and the moms were amazing at putting up with all my small mistakes through the year. Thank you mothers for the help with the Super Star backpack and treats and fieldtrips. You were all amazing. Thank you Super Stars for making class so fun. For being so excited to learn and come to class. I enjoyed everyone of you and I appreciated all of your unique characteristics and I will miss them all! Good luck in Kindergarten I hope you all enjoy your new teacher and class. Have a great summer and remember to enjoy all the moments! I have to thank Deena and Curtis for this wonderful photo! I didn't have any photos of this graduation and I thought this one turned out so well. You guys are wonderful!

Missing my Superkids

I am already missing my SuperKids, each one of them made me smile so much. I will forever treasure the cute pictures they drew for me and the silly things they would say. So today was our big day, the day we say goodbye and goodluck to all. I will sure miss all my SuperKids. I can't believe most of you will be going to Kindergarten. I just want to say everyone did wonderful in our program I am proud to call you my students. I hope to hear from each one of you in the future. Just remember you are special and I will miss being your teacher. Congratulations to all of you. Thanks for a wonderful year full of memories! Love always and forever Miss Kristi.

Treg was among those that graduated today. I can't believe all of my kids are now elementary school age. There are no more preschoolers that live at my house. Treg has been such a good student I will surely miss having him in class. Treg good luck in Kindergarten I just hope you are as good there as you were for me. I will always love you and miss these moments we shared together... Yes the good and the bad will be missed. Love mom

I Love you MOM!

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking...


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one,
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer,
and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight,and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you care,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked...and wanted to say THANKS for all the things
I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

Today I am mostly thankful for the mother I have. She is my best friend, I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She stabilizes me and even though many times she doesn't understand my irrational thoughts she tries and she values the few differences we have. My mom truely knows many times before I do that something is wrong with me. Thank you mom for always being there for me. Taylor Swift wrote a song for her mother that makes me think of my mom. It is call Best Day. The other day I picked up my mom because one of my favorite things to do with my mom is go shopping for flowers. So we spent a few hours together picking out flowers for this years flower beds. She will never know what those few hours meant to me. We both share a passion for beautiful flowers of all kinds. Mostly wild and colorful flowers. I think she likes them because they remind her of me (yes I am kinda wild and colorful). I like them because they remind me of all the times I would sit next to my mom when I was growing up and we would weed all those stinking crab grass and morning glories out of our flower beds. At the same time she was teaching me so much. Mom just being with you driving from nursery to nursery looking at all the flowers are my best days. I love asking you questions that I will never remember the answers to. I wish I could transfer all your knowledge into my mind. Thank you for all the things you have taught me and thank you for loving me so unconditionally even through the times that I was not so loveable. I hope I am making up for them now. Thanks for everything, thanks for believing in me and loving me! Thank you for being such a wonderful grandmother to my children. They love you so much and you have given them great reason to love you. Happy Mother's Day!

OOPS!

So lately I can not remember anything to save my life! It seems like I am constantly a step behind and being reminded all the time of things I have forgot. This has been going on for about 6 months and I am seriously going out of my mind. Everyone says it is because I have too much on my plate right now. I am not convinced, because I always have alot on my plate. Anyway last Thursday night I accidently left the water on next to the window well to my preschool room. Well Terry found the lake on the side of our house at 6:30 the next morning and woke me up. Well needless to say when he left for work I was in tears and then I spent the next 3 days an emotional reck and cleaning the basement. While Terry spent the next few days tearing up the grass and fixing the outside damage. When Terry came home at 12:00 to help, he had flowers for me because he knew how hard I was being on myself. Oh man can I just tell you when things happen like this it just kills me. I don't think to myself "oh well accidents happen, lets just clean it up and forget about it" no I get really hard on myself and frustrated. Well thanks Terry for being as good as expected in such a situation. Now that it is all cleaned up and fixed I can look back and try to learn from my mistakes but during a small crisis like that it is just no fun at all. So learn from my mistake and turn off the hose when you are finished watering your flower beds. That is just a little advise from me to you. Not that any of you would forget a silly thing like that. I did have the carpet dry and the room put back together in time for preschool on Monday morning. But it was a close call!

Covington Suprise of 2009

So my parents came to me last week and told us they have a suprise of a lifetime. One that was bigger then anything else they have sprung on us. But, they couldn't tell us until Monday. So Monday finally came after about a million ideas went through my head trying to figure out what it was they had in store for our family. So we all went to Mi Ranchito for dinner and to have them reveal the "BIGGEST SECRET EVER" to us.

And they did... They have purchased a Carribean Cruise, a stay in Vegas, and a stay in Puerto Vallara Mexico for 3 days as well. They paid for all of us kids and spouses and we just have to float the airfare and childrens tickets. I am so excited to spend this time with my family. To create memories that will never be forgotten. For all of us to be there with our families and to watch how the cousins experience something like this together. Vacations have always been one of the most bonding moments in my mind. I can't wait to go Scuba Diving with all those certified. To experience Walt Disney World with the Glads and all the little ones. And just to simply be with them in a beautiful breathtaking place. Thank you mom and dad for this wonderful gift you have given us. This will be something we will never be able to put a pricetag on.... PRICELESS! I am so excited. I feel like shouting at the top of my lungs "I'M GOING ON A CRUISE WITH MY FAMILY!" because yes I am that excited.

Then my dad got down on his knee and gave my mom her original wedding ring with a real diamond (she lost her diamond in a bat of cheese she made many many years ago.) and a marque diamond on the side like she has always dreampt of. He asked her if she would marry him again. Oh it brought tears to my eyes to see them so in love still after all these years. This will be their 45th anniversary and they still get googly eyed! So stinking cute.

Spring Break

This year we spent spring break at home. With Terry's new job he doesn't have much time off yet. So me and the kids stayed here and played while he went off to work. We did alot of fun things like going to Build-a-bear, Chuckie Cheese, We went to the movies, Maggie Moo's, Legacy Center swimming with cousins, and of course we will never forget the fun snowmen we built over spring break. So you are right the weather was not the best a little to cold and the 8 inches of a snowy suprise we got Thursday morning almost did us in. But like they say we used those lemons and made lemonade... or snowman in this case. I just have to say I love spending time with my kids and it seems lately we have been running around like crazy with all the kids in soccer and then scouts, dance, preschool, baseball, swimming, friends, homework and all the other issues we have going on. So it was nice to have all those things cancelled for a week and just be together wether it was sleeping in or staying up late it was GREAT!

1 Year Ago

So it was just over one year ago that we lost our sweet sister Tonia. I can say I have thought of her and her family every day since then. If you don't know they are all doing pretty good. Ryan has remarried a really sweet true to life person named Kristi. She is just so fun to be around so alive and so real. I love that she is there for Ryan and the kids to help them through this life. She is amazing herself and the way she is with the family is just great. She is not afraid to mention Tonia and to tell us just how much Tonia is alive in their family. Thank you Kristi for easing the pain just a little. I know Tonia is in a better place and she is happier with a body that can keep up with her. But as long as I am on this earth I will miss being around her. I miss the long conversations we would have on the phone about our kids and how they are. I miss going to the family party and feeling like she is excited to see us and our kids. You could always read just exactly what Tonia was thinking. Poor Tonia, being Terrys sister she was tortured by his teasing. But I must admit some of the things he would say to her just to see her reaction was priceless. And then the second she would find he was teasing her it was all in her eyes. We love you Tonia and you will never be forgotten in our home. God bless you and your family. Both Terry and I heard this song "Sissy's Song" by Alan Jackson within the same day seperate from each other yet we both thought of her. We love you Tonia and we believe we will be with you again someday. Thank you for teaching us to enjoy every moment of life. For we will never know when it may be taken from us. We have lived this last year a little differently it is so hard for me to leave Terry when we don't have to. I would rather be with him than anything else. Terry I do love you even when you do test my patience.

Home to me

As I ponder about home I have 2 images that instantly come to my mind. It is not a house made of wood and stucco, or even the farm I grew up on and learned so much about life. The first image is of Mount Timpanogus and the canyon opening. This is where my escape is, when I just need to feel home this is where I go. I will never be able to explain the feeling of peace and belonging that I feel when I escape to these beautiful mountain tops.

The second image that comes to mind is part of the Timpanogus mountain range. Just north of the Timpanogus peak you will see this beautiful range. This is the range that gives me a sense of security. It is strange but as I come from the North into Utah County I always immediatly glance to the left to feel an incredible feeling of security. As I glance to this mountain range it feels like I am hugged from above. It feels like when I see my dad and he always wraps his strong comforting arms around me in a hug that seems to protect me from everything. These are the reasons I will never be able to leave this area. I am rooted, strong and deep.

April Fool's

So the morning started off with us waking up to all the door handles greased and toilets saran wrapped with love by daddy. He thought he would get us before we had a chance to get him. Then I made pancakes for the kids (something I don't do too often) but they were filled with salt. Then the fun begins with all the kids tricks here and there. Bowdee covered my steering wheel with grease. At preschool I gave the kids all a maze that they had to complete but there was no way to make it to the end. For dinner we had a Mystery Dinner which we have never done before. We all choose 3 things to have for dinner. They were all starving so dad didn't take it to well when all he got was olives and cheese and a fork.

But it was fun anyway. I also did the good old I'm Pregnant trick. But I sure hope Karma doesn't come back and bite me on this one. Anyway we do love a good trick at our house the fun just goes on and on through out the whole day. Terry even taped my cell phone so I couldn't hear on it. Funny Boy!

Rock Hounding!

This weekend we set off for a quick adventure since the weather was so nasty. Instead of going camping we settled for a free room in Wendover and a long drive through nowhere to get to the Geode Beds once again. We hit Elderado once again with finding many Geodes then we headed to Topaz Mountain to try our luck.

We found the Teardrops but on Friday we didn't have any luck finding the Topaz. We came home and googled it and decided we just had to go back and give it another try. So Saturday morning we headed back to Topaz and we got lucky. We ran into a really nice couple that gave us some good tips on where to find them.

I tell you this stuff is addiciting. We got there at about 1:00 and stayed until 9:45pm. We found some nice Topaz and the kids thought it was great just digging through rocks looking for "Crystals".
Terry and I on the other hand took it as a challenge. Who could get the biggest and prettiest. Out of the two of us I think I kicked his butt. I am really determined to make some kind of necklace with the topaz I found. We will see if that works or not.

Geode Hunting

This weekend we had planned to go to Moab. However, we had a little trouble with our four wheeler trailer so instead we stayed home and fixed it until Saturday. Then Sunday we took it out for a spin. We went out to check out the Geode hunting out West by Dugway.

We started digging at the pit and we were having some luck. But then a nice old man came by and showed us where the jackpot was. So we followed him and sure enough there was a vein full of Geodes.

After a little while of digging and hunting Treg and Tia got cold and hungry. So Terry took them to the truck to eat while Bowdee and I went to town. We dug up 1& 1/2 buckets then Terry came and finished filling it up. It was cold and muddy but it was fun at the same time. Notice in the second photo there is no snow. By the time we left the ground was covered in the great white cold snow!

Treg is 5!

It is still so crazy to me that Treg was born just 4 days after Matia's 2nd birthday. So in March we get a little crazy at our house. When I was pregnant with Treg I remember thinking this will never end, I am going to be pregnant FOREVER! But time did it's thing and flew by. Before I knew it my little caboose was here and letting us all know about it.

Treg has been such a delight to me. I love watching him keep up with his brother and sister. He never seemed to do the baby stuff it seemed like he just wanted to be like Bowdee and Tia so much that he didn't play with the baby things. In fact we called him our little monkey because he would climb as high as he needed to, to get what he wanted. My brother Kyle called him "Hoodeenie" because if you took your eyes off him for too long (which was about 30 seconds) he was into trouble.

I can't believe next year my little buddy will be going to kindergarten. This last year I have shared some pretty special times with Treg. Before Matia went to Kindergarten I had so many kids around all the time we hardly ever got one on one time. But Treg and I have shared some moments that I pray will last in his memory. I have loved having you home while the big kids are at school. I just hope you will remember forever how much I love you. Happy Birthday my little, big guy!

Matia's 7

Wow, where does the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in Eagle Mountain with a brand new baby girl. I remember at first being so nervous that she was a girl because after all I had a baby boy and I knew how they worked. But a girl this was all new to me and could I ever possibly love her as much as I loved Bowdee? Would I make a good mother to her?

Well time goes by, and only time can answer some of those questions. My life would simply not be complete with out my Matia. We named her Matia becuase it reminded us of a place we love to vacation in California and also because it means "Gift of God". Matia has truely been my gift from God. She lightens my heaviest of loads just with a smile.

I love the way she is so tender hearted and thinks of everyone all the time. I love how she claims she is now a tree hugger and a tomboy who doesn't like pink anymore. I love her spunk and her charm. I love that you have a mind of your own and you are not afraid to tell anyone about it. Although I am sure at times your father would love for you to keep some of your hunting point of views to yourself. I love you Matia for everything you are and everything you are teaching me to be. Your amazing in all aspects of life. Keep living with a smile in your heart and a dance in your step. Happy Birthday sweetie.

Draper Temple

Treg has had a small obsession with going in the Timpanogus Temple. So I was so happy for the day the Draper Temple opened up for the public to view the inside. Finally he would be able to go through most of the temple and see what it was all about. So I got tickets for the day that they were out of school.

Mom came with us which I was so completely grateful for. I loved being in the temple with you kiddos you will never know how special it was for me to see all of you there with me. I know someday you will understand better the full meanings. My dear friend Christina was also able to bring her 4 boys with us. I tell ya life just won't be the same without friends who love and understand us.

Snowboarding Sundance

Sunday we headed up to Sundance to take the family boarding together. My brother Kyle gave us 2 free tickets so that helped on the price a little. My favorite part was just being up in the mountains with my whole family. I do have to say that Sundance is probably the most beautiful ski resort I have ever been to. I wouldn't say my favorite but I just couldn't get over the fact of being nestled right there under Timpanogus.

It took my breath away every time I looked around me. Matia wasn't feeling very well so after the first run I took Treg and her to the car to hang out. Treg loved it but was a little tired after the first run. Bowdee is amazing for how little he really gets to board. This to me was like a day spent in heaven. Thanks to my family for making it so special. It wouldn't be the same without them.