the stewart seven

sometimes you're just blah...

2011-04-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

yup. i am here. after being gone for 5ish months. life is just tooo busy and lets face it, i am lazy. i had good intentions of being a good blogger at the turn of the new year but they went out the window with my goal of not eating chocolate. hehe. me not with chocolate? funny.

the kids are all right. the hubs is the awesomest and life is pretty dang sweet. i feel like me and the hubs have got a good thing going lately. maybe we just have been married long enough to work out the bugs although he is pretty fun to be with, i love the guy. he even gets snaps for washing and replacing the sheets on our bed with out my asking. yeah, hes cool like that. and he is the best part of me. if that makes sense.

miss marie is getting taller and prettier and older and wiser everyday. she is a good lil confidant and always seems to know when something is amiss. i know that she is going through some growing pains and is starting to think that i dont have a clue as to what i am talking about BUT she still smiles at me and talks to me and i love that.

megra has grown a little bit too. my big 9yo 3rd grader is sporting size 6x jeans now. lol. she is a sassy lil payback and i love her. she is completely set on a new dog and i am not sure about that. any bets on who wins that battle?

parkster has figured out more that his fair share of torture devices. his latest include ripping off a fingernail and then having what was left of said nail surgically removed 2 days later and then the infamous flipping himself in the eyes with a bungee cord. seriously. and these were less than 2 weeks apart. i know why he came in a tank sized body at birth now. and i am sure my dr thinks that i might beat my kid...

teej is happiest with a thumb in his mouth and a shirt tag in his finger. yeah dont judge me. i know he is almost 5. chillax. if he is still attached to his thumb when he plays football at the Y i will do something about it. he is sweet and always tells me that dad is his favorite... i am not sure how to take that. but he makes me smile with the hugs he gives me so i wont worry... to much.

mr miles is the baby. the baby baby. which i think is kinda sad. he passed his first birthday. he is starting to walk and starting to talk a little. he is a genius i am sure. just holding his breath for when he can get a word in. i took the little stinker for tubes today and i cried a little in the car, i wont deny it. i started thinking that before i know it he will be 11 just like sadie. i never knew that this went so fast. i really feel cheated.

at easter i saw the big picture. i was with all my bro's and sisters and all of their kids and it kinda freaked me out. there are some really cool people in my life and some really great examples out there for my kids. my mom and dad are really amazing and it is pretty crappy that it took me a while to figure that out. they have started something big in a great way.

all in all life is good. i wish it would slow down for a while so i can be the kind of mom i want to be and do those things that i know should be done. i hope that my kids grow into the little amazing people that i get a glimpse of every once in a while. i bet they will.

until next time...

Really?!? Here's to the over-achievers!

2010-11-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, my sis has been gracious enough to host a FHE where we carve pumpkins. Let's just say the creative competition has gotten a tad fierce. Like over the top... But in a fun, non-"your the loser for a year" if you don't win kinda way :/ !

Just as long as you are the winner...

This is my brother Jared's pumpkin. He didn't even have a template... I have a love/hate relationship with artistic people. Wish I was in that club.

Jaret pulled out the heavy artillery for Brady. Skill-saw... gotta get me one of those!

This is my Sadie's pumpkin! She did most of it herself. Impressive? YES!

Jon-boy is well, just plain hysterical. Loved that pumpkin!

And this is Mikes.

Again, NO template.

First vision.

Hmmm.

Makes me feel unworthy.

Thats all.

I'll be going now.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Where to start....

2010-09-28T08:44:00.001-07:00

Busiest summer ever!

We had fun, played hard,

became beck and call gardeners,

vacationed, relaxed,

chased, snuggled

and laughed the summer away!

We saw fireworks, rodeos,

cousins, friends from across the country,

grandmas, great uncles,

frogs, fish and parades.

Glad things are slowing down just a little.
these kids are growing faster than i like.

and time is flying.

Froggy Friend

2010-06-07T10:48:00.001-07:00

Thanks to our friends the McKee's, Parkers life long ambition of owning a frog has come true. He has been trying to get me to take him frog hunting for quite some time and I would if I knew where to find the little guys BUT since we have this one I am safe.

Isn't that a face only a mother could love? He is kinda cute and I am not opposed to holding him either. He makes a chirping noise and has been a good little pet for the boys.

We are going to let him go so he can be free again soon- I don't want his demise on Parkers shoulders.

But for now we will enjoy our newest little friend.

Sadie's Summer Dance Recital

2010-06-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

She did such an awesome job! They all did-

For those of you who know them, Maizie, Mollie and Quincy are in here too but the wigs make it hard to tell who is who. Watch for Sadie with the white exercise ball, Maizie with the skip-it, Mollie with the jump rope and Quin with the heeleys.

This dance was so creative and funny!

Sadie has won "Best Showmanship" two years in a row now because she is so crazy with her facial expressions. Where did she come up with all of those faces?!?

For those of you who need a great dance studio that doesn't get into competitions (THANK YOU NATASHA!) check out Limelight in Payson. They are great!

Spring Fun!

2010-05-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Late, i know but here's the scoop on our sPrInG BreAk!

Started off at Training Table... Yummy!

Then headed to the Kamas Pool!

You may think to yourself, yeah that is out of the way (even i was wary about driving an hour to swim) BUT let me just tell you how awesome this place is. It had a kids climbing area, waterslide and that super spongy bottom that doesn't tear up your kids piggies. We loved it and had to pry our kids out of there. The water was a perfect temperature even for mr. miles!

There was also a high dive (blast from the payson pool past) and miss sadie LOVED it!

not ready...

2010-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

~i LOVE this picture~

it was taken at the smithsonian in dc

it was the ONLY place sadie wanted to go on the trip

she loved it

i love that she loves to learn

i love that she follows her heart

i love that she is so dang smart

someday it might not be cool to love to learn

someday i might have to fight her to do her homework

someday she might choose boys over books

i am not ready for someday

my boys...

2010-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

oh how i love these boys

even though they may bite....

...sometimes they "love" to much

and have mischievous grins...

i don't know what i would do without them.

so, lets hear it for the boys!

Bumps and Bruises

2010-04-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Woah! What a day! Sadie and Megan collided on the swing set... OUCHIE!

Black-eyed Sadie wasn't very thrilled. Apparently bruises don't go along with her outfit.

DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! and it was all for April Fool's Day! Gotcha!

I have a 10 year old?!?

2010-03-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sadie-B-Bug is TEN!

Wowsers!

What a race of a decade-

SCARY how fast that went...

Here are my top ten favorite memories of you (so far)

1- when you were about 6 weeks old you showed us your talking skillz in the back of the car and babbled on for a good 20 minutes to nanny cowan...

2- when you were two-ish you developed your bionic nose and could be brought out of a deep sleep by ANY smell

3- when you were three and we took you to disneyland to meet belle- the sweetness in your hug and "i've waited my whole life to meet you" made dad cry

4- "i need to tell you sumpthing", "no touching my" and "snapping turtle"

5- your singing - to ANYONE who would listen... "wonderful female, wonderful day" from zippity do da and who could forget -- opera A, B, C's?

6- your no fear attitude- be it a two story water slide, rip roaring roller coasters or tubing behind the boat- you are the first to volunteer...

7- my girly girl in dress-up clothes spinning in a circle

8- the day you "called" nanny on the cell phone and talked to her for 10 minutes before i realized that you really did call her and she really was talking back

9- the way you used to rub my ear when i would hold you- people would beg to hold you for that reason- it felt so good!

10- my spelling b champ! what a proud day!

I could go on but those are some of my favorites! I hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday to my Sadie Lady Drama Mama!

amazing

2010-03-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been thinking about moms in general-

what we do

how we do it

and why we do what we do...

I love being a mom but sometimes i wonder if i am doing it right

or if my kids will need years of therapy to undo the damages...

There are plenty of things that weigh me down, wear me out and make me want to scream BUT then i think about my mom and all she did and still does for us.

See that amazing sunday dinner spread?

My mom makes this almost every week for at least 30 people.

That is 20 pounds of potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed with just the right amount of butter,

it is also 10-15 pounds of the very best roast that you will ever eat and don't forget 5 pounds of carrots (cooked with the roast so the are SO good), peas and corn for the sides. Then add the BEST GRAVY EVER and hot out of the oven rolls and you know what you've got?

A Sunday Dinner that is made from the heart and a memory that will last a lifetime.

My mom is AWESOME and someday i hope to be just like her-

and i hope that my kids will look up to me like i do her....

I love you mom! ~~ Jill

SnOW fuN!

2010-03-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Since Spring is being shy and won't stick around, I thought that I would share

some fun SnOW pICturES!

The kids were so excited to play in the fresh white cold snow!

Maggie, Parks and Walter the Dog

Teej thought that snow balls were for eating, not throwing.

Sadie Lady knows better than to throw that at the woman who makes her food...

4 Months!

2010-03-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

Miles is 4 months old- how time flies!

He weighs 12 and a half pounds

(He was 13 and a half but lost a lot when he was sick)

Smiles non stop!

and loves to watch his brothers play!

He is such a sweet boy!

Not for the Faint of Heart

2010-01-26T12:11:00.001-08:00

Poor little TJ and his burned hand!

This was the first time that they changed his bandage, 2 days after the pro-chef decided to cook. They are a little out of order but they show the gory details... I know that some of you may have seen these on FB so sorry if this is overkill... I just have mommy guilt about this.

The second degree burns go to the middle of his palm and the blister on his pinky wraps around the back of his finger. The sagging skin at the bottom of his palm is another blister. All of the blistered skin that will have to be cut off, anyone want to come to that appointment???

He had first degree burns up to his elbow. They have healed almost and don't bug him very much

What a trooper! He was good until they had to wash the burn then it was all down hill. They have his hand wrapped in non-sticking bandage, gauze, an ace bandage and then some of the stretchy sticky stuff that looks like casting material so that he won't damage it or get any infections. He looks like he has a broken arm. He will probably have to be bandaged for about a month.

Man I hope he gets feeling better soon. He is so sweet and doesn't deserve to be hurt!

20 Days of FUN!

2010-01-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

Seriously! The Stewart's have had a hard 20 days.

Many of you know that I have been really sick but it seems that our family can't catch a break.

It all started on the 4th of January...

Miles had his 2 month check-up which went smashingly well until his little man parts got checked- the Doc thought that he had a hernia which is apparently "not a big deal". He had me make an appointment with a Urologist. No sweat...

Then came his immunizations which were OK we thought. Two hours later his little leg was swollen from his knee to his thigh, felt fevered and had a big nasty purple bruise in the center. It looked like he had been hit with a baseball and would cry out in pain if you even touched the carseat that he was sitting in.

Back to after hours clinic we went... Miles had a reaction to the immunization and to add insult to injury, the nurse had hit a vein or gone to deep into the muscle which caused the big nasty bruise. We had to keep him doped up on Tylenol to keep the little squirt from hurting. Poor little baby!

Tuesday my troubles started. I didn't feel well and thought that i might be getting a sinus infection. My awesome OB called in some Amoxicillan and I thought that was that. I wish I could be so LUCKY! Wednesday I got the shakes so bad that I couldn't even dial Justin's number on the phone, it had Parker so scared that he was looking at me like I was a stranger in his house. By luck, my little sister Marilee called and she came over to help. We called the Doc and they told us to go to the instacare cause their schedule was full. At the instacare we were sent to the ER for more tests to be done. I had a fever of 105 and they couldn't figure out why. The ER said that it may have been a sinus infection but not likely and ran more tests which all came back with nothing to alarming. They gave me fluids and pain meds and sent me home. Fun use of $75 for the copay I thought...

Then came Saturday- I had still been fevering to 103 every time the drugs wore off and now to add to the fun had a few more *ahem* problems to add to the mix. Lets just say those problems had to do with my "nether regions" and I will spare you the gory details...

Back to the ER we get to go. Yeah I love this place and all of the weirdy people that one might encounter there. And oh did i mention we got to pay another $75 co-pay?!? So lucky!

More testing, a lower blood count and nether region problems = lucky you- you get a free pass to be admitted but I didn't want to- I have 5 kids and a newborn that doesn't appreciate bottles that well. So they gave me some morphine and in exchange I gave them comedy relief (i guess that I am a lightweight when it comes to drugs and i was saying funny things- i disagree but can't remember anything..) The ER doc said if I left the pic-line (IV needle) in my arm and came back in the morning for a blood test i could go home and that we wouldn't have another $75 co-pay. He started me on some really potent antibiotics which meant that I had to pump and Miles had to be on formula. Hooray! I am sick, have a fever, a needle in my arm and now I get to pump for 20 minutes and still make a bottle for my baby. Thank goodness for my mom and sisters. Miles was very well taken care of. That in itself was OK until I read the drug disclaimers- The first one said "has been shown to give animals CANCER" and the second one said something to the effect of "Weakens tendons which may snap". Lucky- i am so excited to take these!!

Sunday we went back to the ER. When I got back into my room (by now I have my own) all of the nurses and staff that I entertained all came by to see if I was on Morphine today cause they wanted a laugh. Sorry- no comedy today. Just more "nether region" problems and a blood test which went lower. The ER doc talked to a specialist and after a lot of torture and things that I hope to NEVER experience while I am awake again, he said that I needed a Colonoscopy to figure out what was going on. Could be cancer, crohn's, colidis or a fluke- I'll take D please, fluke sounds just fine to me... and ps colonoscopy's are for older people- sicky! They said that i could/should be admitted again but i politely declined and went home but not before they asked for another $75 CO-PAY! Jerks!That's $225 in three days...

Monday I got the Colonoscopy which was loverly. I was asleep thank goodness. They did a biopsy and to the Doc it looked like it could be Colidis but the fluke one- YEAH BABY! follow-up will tell for sure.

Tuesday- Sunday i was really weak tired and sick still. I can't believe how many people stepped in to help our family out. THANKS!!

Next week...

Monday - me getting better everyday

Tuesday at 2:00 AM Parker came in our room. He said that he had a sore throat so we gave him a drink and that seemed to ease that.

Wednesday at noon Parker decides that he doesn't want to eat cause his throat still hurts- yep, you guessed right, STREP THROAT! ugh.

Thursday- my follow up appointment- blood tests and biopsy differ, one says Crohn's or ulcerative colidis and the other says neither. I am still going with FLUKE!

Friday the 24th AM- me still getting better every day and Miles has his appointment with the urologist. Yep chalk up one more- he has a hernia, which thank goodness they will watch for now...

Friday at 5- TJ decides that he will become a pro-chef at age three and finish making his Ramen Noonels (as he calls them) ALL by himself. 2nd degree burns all over his hand and 1st up his arm. REALLY?!? You should see it... OUCHIE!

Saturday we just watched and waited for something bad to happen...

Sunday we haad to take Teej in to have his burn washed and the bandage changed...

and today is Monday.. PRAY for the stewarts!

Thanks to you....

2010-01-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, just when you think that you are getting back into the groove of life, you get knocked flat on your butt. That happened to me and I was down and out for two weeks. These are just a few of the people who stepped in to help me and my family out.

I don't know what my kids would be wearing or eating with out my mommy. I don't deserve all that she has done for us but I GREATLY appreciate it!

Rex had taken on the job of two busy non-stop boys every day from 9-5. What a great grandpa!

My sisters were there to take baby Miles and make sure he was OK. I think that he has been spoiled!

...last but not least JUSTIN for everything from a shoulder to cry on to trying to make me laugh when i wanted to curl up and die. How did I get so lucky!?!

Thanks to you all. I feel so blessed!

Best. Outfit . Ever!

2010-01-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Funny day! Teej wanted to go out and play in the snow.

I told him that he needed to get his snow clothes on first so he wouldn't

be cold and so he did. How cute are his little white legs?!?

You gotta love the boots!

Happy Birthday Megan!

2010-01-03T09:18:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet little girl!

Here are 8 things that we love about you!

1- Your SMILE! I love that your whole face smiles when you are happy

2- Your smallness- you are so tiny and sweet

3- Your BIG heart. You can't stand to see other people sad

4- Your determination. You can do anything that you put your mind to

5- Your HeLpInG hAnDs! You are always such a good helper

6- Your Curly Hair- I love that it gets curlier when you are mad!

7- Your hugs- You give the BEST hugs!

8- Your notes. I love, love, LOVE to get your notes! They make my day!

Hope that you have the best birthday ever!

We Love You!

This crazy time of year

2009-12-22T11:53:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to let all of you know that we are alive and well

and enjoying our sweet baby Miles.

Life is crazy and busy but we wouldn't change a thing.

We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Love, The Stewart Seven

Meet Baby Miles

2009-11-10T09:34:00.001-08:00

Proud Daddy

Lovin' my new little man

Sweet Baby Boy

Snuggling at the Hospital

Just too cute!

Miles Hugh Stewart

7 lbs 14 oz

19 &1/2 inches

November 4th, 2009

12:05 PM

We are in love! and so happy that he is here!

TJ the Birthday Boy!

2009-10-26T08:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Baby James!

My Three favorite things bout you are...

1- Your Sweetness- big squeeze hugs, "i yuv all you guys", cuddling and thumb sucking with your taggy... could it get any better?

2- Your husky little man voice and the funny things you say... "come on mom, there might be trains down dere", "woah awesome" and "hands up" any time we drive up or down a hill.

3- Those EYES! who would of thought that i would get such a blue eyed boy? I love your peepers and i love you!

Happy Birthday to my sweet little man!

Parker, Parker. PARKER!

2009-09-30T10:26:00.001-07:00

Well Buddy- Today is your big day! You are five & I can't believe it!

We have had our share adventures. Your energy never fails.

We have had our share of mishaps too. 1 broken arm, stitches, 5 concussions, lots of big bruises and scratches to name a few, but you always come out on top.

You are constant from sun up till "son" down. You go, go, GO and are always thinking. You want to see how things work and have taken apart a chair, a scooter, toys and many other things. You have also "helped" assemble the basketball standard, christmas tree, bikes and trikes and anything with batteries.

You remind us to sit back and have fun. My favorite question of the day is "Do you and dad just not like fun or something?!?" I think about that all the time.

You also remind me how simple and fun life can be. This morning after opening your new remote control you said "this has got to be a dream- cuz it is the best day of my life!"

So here's to you Parks! Keep on being that great kid that you are. I love you! Love, Mom

Slacker Blogger... but for a reason!

2009-09-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy!

I am H U G E!

I can't eat sugar... :(

our house is under complete remodel (nice! but crappy timing!)

and our baby is due in 6 weeks.

so cut me some slack... please

i will post new house and project pictures soon.

5K's and Fun Runs

2009-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Justin wanted to run the Mark the Great 5K. It was a benefit race for one of his friends who had passed away unexpectedly. They held the race here in Benjamin and so we made a day of it. The kids raced too and did great for not training at all. You can see Parker in his division- He is a good head taller than the rest of the kids and he was pretty funny about it- When I walked him over to line up- he looked around at all of the little petite girls and said " I am SO gonna win this". I laughed but thought how cocky is my 4 year old?!?

Here is our cute and somewhat sweaty family after all of the races. Parker was pretty excited about his gold medal! and no I didn't run this one- I didn't want to make anyone feel bad when they got beat out by a fat pregnant lady! Next year I won't be so nice... he he

Sadie and Megan ready to run. They did awesome!

Justin and the kids after his 5K. He has been training and running hard all summer. He is going to run the 10K in Payson next week- what a champ! He had a great time on this race and he even helped one of his friends who had pushed himself to hard walk the rest of the race and cross the finish line. What a good guy!

...and they lived happily ever after!

2009-08-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my one true love...

11 years has come and gone since we got hitched...

CRAZY!

I am so glad that you were there and pulled over to help some broken down girls on the side of the road!

(you were a lot cuter than the cop...)

I am happy that you asked me out and waited for a postcard in the mail (just to make sure...).

I remember talking to you on the phone for the first time-- we talked for almost 2 hours. I knew then that you were a great guy from what we talked about.

I loved being "friends" with you for so long- You were a great listener and still give the best advice.

So here's to you for putting up with me for this long. I hope that we get forever! ~~ and "just another day in paradise!"

Catching Fun at the Fish Farm...

2009-08-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

"Grampa Strawberries" as the kids call him, takes all the grandkids for a "sure thing" fishing trip to the Spring Lake Fish Farm every year. They have SO much fun!

Megan and Ben had a fun time sitting and relaxing under the tree.

Sadie is using her "inner fish" to communicate with her latest catch-- she isn't shy when it comes to bating a hook or grabbing a wiggling slippery fish.

TJ was the last of the grandkids to reel one in- he wasn't sad though, he enjoyed every minute of it!

Parker and Kade caught snakes first (with Uncle Justin's help) and played with them. They thought that was the best!

What?!? We already missed the bus? it is only the first day!!!

2009-08-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

There we were taking first day of school pictures and the bus went whizzing by! Going in the opposite direction then in previous years and stopped to pick up kids down the road-- Woopsie!

What a great first day! After the girls made a non-successful sprint to catch it, Justin loaded them in the car and chased it down... ahh the joys of being a "field kid".

Megan the big 2nd grader! (sporting the ONLY thing she wanted for back to school- Punky Brewster-ish hand warmers) What a cutie and polar opposite in style than Miss Sadie. I love it though... She can make a pair of Basketball shorts look darling :)

Sadie is in 4th grade (how did that happen?!?) and she is still into the skirt/dress scene. I think we are going to have to limit her again to Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for skirts and other days would be her version of "casual Friday's". Silly Girl-- but she looks so cute!

I love the smell of Clorox

2009-07-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am not gonna lie and I am not ashamed.

I *HEART* the smell of Clorox bleach right now.

Justin sprayed some bleach in a cooler in our kitchen and the next day I all but wanted to climb in and close the lid and let that heavenly sent carry me away.

Call it weird, call it pregnancy cravings--

I don't care, just don't take it away.

Happy Birthday to you...

2009-07-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my best friend!

Here's to the best dad a bunch of kids could have.

We love you so much!

Here is a little tribute to one of the best-

J is for just plain fun!

U is for so understanding.

S is for the silly things you say "like daddy praying mantis!"

T is for the time you give to help your friends and family-

I is for "bring IT on"- you always leave me smiling!

N is for a really nice guy who knows everyone under the sun!

Hope that you have the best day! Love ya!

A little bit... blue.

2009-07-08T20:32:00.001-07:00

So lately, I have been a little bit tired,

a little bit hormonal (at least that is what Justin said)

a little bit hungry

and a little bit sick.

And it all has to do with this little guy...

We are so excited to get another sweet little baby in November.

Hooray for little things!

Little Arm

Little Face

And a little leg!

We kept the gender shot to ourselves to keep it on the modest side--

so in case you didn't figure it out, think trucks, trains and dinosaurs!

My Blog is BACK! end of schooll year here we come!

2009-07-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

OK this did happen at the end of the school year but it is really fathers and sons- what a cute little guy!
Megan did so good narrating her play. She is a funny little girl!
Parker and Miss Lindy. He loved preschool and asked everyday for 2 weeks when he could go back.

Justin was able to go on both feild trips with the girls. What a good daddy! Sadie had a blast with him at the State Capitol and Clark Planitarium.

Uncover Cops, Girl or Female and Cookie Does...

2009-05-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Parker is full of it lately-

Most of the time he is...

His main goal in life is to "be as funny as Josh"

(his older cousin who I might add is very F U N N Y!)

a few of the funny things said have been so random that they have gotten a great deal of laughter which only feeds the fire...

One day while driving through the countryside admiring all of the large marge homes and scouting out some possible picture sights with Marilee, we heard the following conversation...

Parker: Kinners, you better get your seat belt back on...

Mckinley: Why?

Parker: Cuz there might be cops...

Kin: No there isn't, I checked.

Parks: Well you never know- they might be "uncover" cops and they look just like normal guys but they arrest you and take you to jail.

Kin: worried look, clicks the belt and spy's on the car behind us...

While pulling weeds with me, the following tender moment-

Me: Parks, look at this huge caterpillar...

Parks: Oh cool, Can I keep it?

Me: Sure

Parks: Do you think it is a girl or a female? I don't like girls - so it better be a female.

Me: Uhh, OK?

Same Day- Different flower bed-

Me: Parker look at this, I think it is a cocoon for a butterfly.

Parker: That isn't a cocoon, it is a Chrysalis and it is probably for a moth...

Me: Oh. (don't i feel smart...)

Excited conversation after Fathers and Sons-

Parker: Mom we went on a hike to see deer and we saw a mom and three babies!

Me, (Still bugged after the "chrysalis" incident): So what is a mom deer called?

Parks: That's easy- "cookie does"... ! Smirk and smile and walk away... then quick turn to say: "They are called Does mom, and the babies are called fawns and bucks are the dads." I just called them that cause Kade did... and he is funny..."

Me thinking to myself- 'nuff said- my four year old is officially smarter than me :[

San Diego Temple

2009-05-04T07:29:00.001-07:00

This little hummingbird was right next to us in one of the beautiful flower beds. Parker was pretty sure that he could catch it if we stayed long enough.

The group that went to the temple. It was fun to be there together with the cousins.

Our Forever Family!

Sweet Sisters!

Such a pretty temple. It is so amazing!

Sea World!

2009-04-30T08:39:00.001-07:00

The Journey to Atlantis ride... Justin is a champ and goes on all the rides with Sadie. She is a little dare-devil. Notice Shelly and Olivia in there too. Olivia is a tough little girl. She actually wanted to go on the ride even after she saw the "plummet to your death" part...

This is how Parker looked at any of the shows. He loved it! Despite the grumpy look- he was in HEAVEN! He loved everything about Sea World except how cold the water is when Shamu splashes. His favorite show was the Dolphin Discovery and he loved the sharks too.

In the Shark exhibit. I don't know how I feel about the tube where the sharks swim above you. Kinda freaked me out, not gonna lie... da duh, da duh, da duh... (think jaws:])

Outside of the Manatee's. Probably my favorite. I could watch them all day. We did have one comical moment in there- A scuba diver came into the cage to vacuum (the poop I assume) and TJ freaked out. Not just a little... He was shaking and crying and scared to death. He kept saying "No hurt the fishy, scary guys!.. Go way!" although, with out hearing it in his lisp, it really isn't as funny...

Group shot with Haley, our Hochey poke cousin who was able to join in with Nanny and Papa and come! She has twin brothers that act crazy like Parker, so she was a big help. Thanks Haley!

Tide Pools at Cabrillo

2009-04-27T11:26:00.001-07:00

This was the first day that we spent in San Diego. Marianne and Ferdie had been to Cabrillo before and recommended that we hit the tide pools. This was the first time I have ever played in a tide pool and it was great. The kids saw fish, crabs, coral and caught hermit crabs and a sea slug. We played in the waves and the water and had a blast!
TJ is a lot like his mom and believes that all water should be as warm as a bath. He liked it from a distance and loved the swimming creatures.
Megan and Brinlee had a fun time climbing and playing. Aren't they a couple of cuties?
Sadie was the first to see the sea slug. It was an awesome find. She was quite the little explorer and was really brave despite her girliness. She reached in the water and grabbed at whatever she could.
Parker loved the sea slug. He was in heaven. He loves to collect bugs and get in hands first so he was right at home here. He was a climbing fool and like Sadie, not the least bit hesitant to reach in the cold water and grab at the next crawly critter.

Cabrillo is awesome and if you are heading to San Diego any time soon, plan some time there!

Wicked Weekend

2009-04-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know that the pictures are out of order-

I hate that but don't care to fix it right now...

What an amazing date. Best date of my life I am pretty sure...

I loved, lOvEd, LOVED Wicked. It could not have been any better.

Seriously people, I was amazed! Justin really liked it too.

We had a great dinner (I heart pasta), met some really cute ladies at dinner, and had great seats with friends around us. We were blown away that all of that could be packed into one night on the stage. I know that I sound like tamn from *Seriously so blessed* but Holy Crap! I love Wicked!

Parker is SO hungry!

2009-04-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

silly boy!

you started with a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast

then you moved on to eggo waffles, two with butter and syrup, just how you like them. then some dry cereal and pears.

after that you raided the pop-tarts, asked for a cookie and in trying to be healthy i offered string cheese. you ate three...

and now you sit there telling me that your belly "is as flat as a doughnut" and that you are starving. to death. and that it has been "a year" since you ate...

what a painful death

i guess i better fix lunch...

My Sadie-Ladybug is 9!

2009-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

She is 9! and if she is telling you it is "4 more years til I am 13"!

S C A R Y!!!

I am going to copy (marilee) cause I thought that this was a fun way to pay tribute to a cute girl.

S- is for sweet and so kind to her family.

A- is for always reading and writing her own stories.

D- is for "dang cute"! She has her own little sense of style!

I- is for intellegent, she is so SMART! This picture is at the 3rd grade Spelling Bee where she took 1st Place!

E- is for energetic. She is a dancing and twirling queen.

We love you Sadie-bug! Hope that you have a great day!

Parker-ism- things that make him go hmmm

2009-03-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

This morning after trying on his sisters Heeley's.

Parker: Mom I think these are out of gas or air or something

Me: Why Buddy

Parker: Cause I can't get them to skate pretty well...

While laying in bed...

Parker: Mom, you know how there are black and white sheep?

Me : Yeah

Parker: How come there isn't one this color-- (points to gray)

Me: Good question?!?

Another night time thought...

Parker: Did you know that a fly trap could bite off your finger?

Me: (thinking about sticky flytraps) No buddy, I don't think so.

Parker: Yeah they could, They have mungus jaws and really sharp teeth, and can grab you.

Me: (Oh, now I get it--Venus Flytraps) They still can't bite your finger off.

Parker: Have you ever let one try?!?

Me: Nope (you win this round...)

Parker: Let's get one and have the girls try it...! Giggle, giggle.

After going to the Post Office to pick up the chickens that Justin ordered-

Parker: Can I see?

Parker: OH, That is where baby chickens come from!!!

Mom & Dad will just leave it at that...

One day out of the blue-

Parker: Mom, I don't want to grow up. (kind of gets a little misty eyed)

Me: Why Bud? You won't grow up for a long time.

Parker: Because, then I have to kiss girls- and I think that is so SICK!

Me: You don't ever have to kiss a girl if you don't want too

Parker: (really teary) But Sadie and Megan said I do and it has to be Chloe (our next door neighbor)

Me: No you don't, I will talk to the girls

Parker: If Chloe tries to kiss me I am going to punch her.

Me: Don't hit girls buddy, just don't let her kiss you...

Parker: That is gross, I might get a disease or something...

Just keep thinking that bud, just keep thinking that...

No More Monkey's!

2009-03-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures but I wanted to tell you what we did today...

My little monkey TJ was playing in the bubbles while I washed dishes last night. He was having a blast and must have forgotten that he was teetering on a bar stool. I was washing, he was splashing one second and he was screaming and I was freaking out the next. He had tried to take another step (i think) to get the big bubbles and fell down on our slate kitchen floor. ouch! He was so sad and just wanted his Daddy. (How come these major things always happen when Dad's are let's say, on the other side of the US?!?)

His foot was red but nothing to major. But he wouldn't walk on it. I called the after hours nurse and waited on hold for (no lie) 15 minutes. The nurse said, and you will love this... " We close in an hour and a half and it takes longer than that to get an xray and have the Doctor look at it, so why don't you give him some motrin and call back tomorrow... really. that is it. you want me to let my poor baby suffer? geez, even if it isn't broken, have some empathy. i can't wait til you have kids...

So today I called the Doctor and he said to bring him in. He looked at it and then watched him walk and then sent us for an xray. What a delightful experience that was... Screams so loud you thought there was a torture device there...

Then we waited and waited some more. I am not a patient person.... Still more waiting, all I could think about was bathing a casted two year old foot. and then yesss. a phone call and relief. NOT BROKEN! just a bad sprain and a gimpy little walk to go with it, but it is so cute..

Happy days are here again!

Bye Bye, Front tooth!

2009-03-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

It was a fun time to be Maggie at the BYU Basketball game.

She got to sit by Mike and Ashley- She pretty much wishes that they were her parents. What's not to love about cool aunt ashley and uncle mike especially when they spoil you rotten?!? and tell you how cute you are and never make you clean your room???

Would't you like him for a dad?!? hmmm

Mag's tooth had been hanging on by a little thread. I had been begging her to let me pull it out. She looked like Nanny McPhee and the other tooth was already showing behind it. Do you think that she would let me? Yeah, right... I am just her mom. (her real mom!)

But good ol' Uncle Mikey asked if he could do the honors and what do you know? She let him...

Pretend parents get all the fun...

Thanks Mike!

Ward Talent Show

2009-03-03T08:12:00.001-08:00

This year the primary hosted a ward talent show. Everyone wanted to do something, even Parker! Justin was forced into it too. Parker told a joke, Sadie sang a solo, and Megan sang with a group of friends. Justin had the Elders Quorum have a pie eating contest. It was hysterical. I will try and post video of the girlies singing... They did so good!

St. George Trip

2009-03-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

In January we were able to go for a quick weekend getaway to St. George. It was wonderful and the kids had a blast. We were in the pool as much as possible. This hotel had a pool that was indoor/outdoor. The weather was cool but the girls had a ball swimming "under the wall" to go outside. Parker was a little fishy. He jumped and jumped off the side. TJ tolerated it but liked the hot tub better. As you can see in the picture, he was not impressed with the idea of jumping in. We had a great time! What a fun trip!

We are back in Business!

2009-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Boo Yeah! Justin bought a cable yesterday! I can blog about cool stuff again!

Flashback Friday Returns

2009-02-27T12:23:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Flashback Friday

2009-02-20T11:45:00.001-08:00

Because my camera cord is STILL lost and I need to post something, I decided to start "FLASHBACK FRIDAY!" I want to try to post something older, either pictures or a memory or who knows what... You will just have to check back and see what is there...!

For my maiden voyage with this new concept, I wanted to highlight my husband and his super-split skillz. or lack there-of...

These pictures lovingly and very plainly capture the essence of a torn hamstring. A torn hamstring that was acquired at a bowling alley. You may ask how one would "tear a hamstring" bowling, so let me explain.

My sweet husband and father of my beautiful offspring is not as flexible as he first thought himself to be. We were bowling with some friends (at and EQ social of all places) and Justin decided that he would love to impress the other men in the party by doing a "mock split" after he bowled a strike. What he failed to factor in was that he was in bowling shoes and on a slick bowling alley floor and the amount of adrenaline that he would have pumping through his veins after that perfect bowling posture. When he went for the mock split he got a full split and bonus torn hammy. (But you did look so good doing that babe! love you!) He managed to get up and into his chair with out shedding a tear. I went to check on him (being the awesome wife that I am) and realized that he did not have any color in his face, he was sweating bullets and may or may not have been in shock. The jury is still out on that one.

I felt really bad for him but I couldn't stop laughing. I am a really mean wife. I kinda feel bad about that now, sorry! I had to help the poor guy hobble out and I even had to help him "climb" into our mini-van. Apparently we have some big lift kit on our van that not everyone has...!

These pictures were taken about a week after "the incident" happened. There was so much blood in his leg that it started seeping down into his calves. He had to wrap it really tightly with an ace bandage. That is what the stripes are from on the backs of his knees and the coloring on the back of his calf muscle. What a great memory. for me anyway... LOL

2009-02-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas Morning

2009-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

The only thing that miss sadie wanted for Christmas, Ruthie- an American Girl

doll. she was one happy girlie.

Mags got a new bike and a bunch of dogs. She wanted a real dog but Santa reminded her how freezing cold it is at Christmas time... wait, it is still FREEZING COLD!

Parker-boy got the airport geotracks set. it was a hit with all the boy cousins. awesome.

TJ got a choo choo. he loved it and rides it everywhere!

Christmas morning. is it just me or does TJ look like he may have just been waken against his will? that kid respects sleep just like his momma.

we had a great Christmas. the kids were happy, we were happy and life is great.

So much to Blog about....

2009-02-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have so many things that I want to blog about but I lost our camera cable. I am not happy about this. Anyone know where I can get another one for cheap? Booo

Thomas the Train

2009-02-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

They look innocent enough, don't they?

They don't appear to have temper tantrum written on the side...

In fact these shoes, (the character shoes I SWORE I would never buy) have become the source of problem in our home.

It all started with a trip to the mall. Parker needed new shoes so we went to Finish Line. They were having an end of season sale on Crocs, we are talkin' 4.98 a pair. (and not all of them are the nasty character kind. I got Sadie and Megan the cute Mary Jane in the baby pink color and darling flips for summer.) Sorry, off on a tangent, I just love good deals!

I was busy looking at sizes for the girls when TJ started into a hysterical state saying "gook momma, choo choo shoes, choo choo shoes! GOOK!" and there they were. The cause of our present day trials. Thomas the Train Crocs.

TJ immediately grabbed the pair nearest to him, sat on the floor and tried putting them on.

He had his shoes off in a second an was so excited about them that I couldn't deny the little guy. So we bought them. And we haven't taken them off since. Not even for naps. He wants to bathe with them and sleep with them and I swear this is WORSE then any little girl with pretend heels.

What's a mom to do? I guess I should be glad that he is so passionate. But about shoes? Is that even close to normal? Oh well!

Bugged

2009-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel bugged?
Welcome to my day...
The thing is, I don't really have a great reason to be bugged either.
I just am.
Bugged.
Bugged that my stinkin' baby weight is stuck on me. Bugged that I look like I am a teenager with this face that I could play dot to dot on. Bugged that laundry NEVER ends. Bugged that I can't go shopping for some retail therapy (who wants new chubby girl clothes, no fun!) Bugged that it is SO FREAKING COLD outside. Bugged that I have to walk at the gym so my lungs don't freeze. Bugged that my Bikini Body Fast DVD girl is so chipper. Bugged that fore mentioned title lied (i would scare the pants off someone if I donned a bikini, Stretch marks look strangely like a bear mauling gone bad). Bugged that I am 31 and gravity has set in, big time.
But now, having said all that, I feel somewhat better.
Thanks for listening.

We all have our quirks...

2009-01-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

It's a 6 Random things/quirks tag, and Jannda tagged me, so here are the rules:

1- Post the rules on your blog
2- List 6 random things about yourself.
3- Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4- Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
5- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I know that I have way more than 6 random things going on but for lack of time and in following the rules, I will limit them. That way you won't know all of my secrets! :)

1-)I don't pour milk on my cold cereal. I just eat it plain. I don't really love milk. If I think about it too much it makes me sick.

2-)When I was little, all of my elder (and more beautiful sisters) often teased me and told me I was adopted. They did this cause I had tan skin and I was the only one out of the 12 Kids that didn't have blue eyes. I HATED IT but now I think that it is awesome. Some of my siblings eyes have changed (gone lighter/ added different hues) and I am pretty sure it is because they want to be as cool as me. NOT!

3-)I can't make it through the Star Spangled Banner or Called to Serve Him with out tearing up. And I don't cry, it is not in my genes. Not even at funerals, people. My husband is the emotional one around here. Does that make me a candidate for some sort of emotional therapy?

4-)I clean better when I have music on. I don't know if it helps me focus better or if it makes me forget that I get to start again the next day or what... Clean House?... just add music.

5-)I like to watch people eat. Not in a disgusting way. I just love how happy they look. Next time you take your kids to get an ice cream or their favorite treat, look at their eyes before they take the first bite. Then you will know what I mean.

6-)Once while driving to Northern California, my sisters, my best friend (you know who you are...) and I stopped at every Burger King we saw and got a Whopper with cheese. and fries, and a coke i am sure. i am not proud. I think that we ate around 6. I know, disgusting! Please don't throw up on your computer.

Well now that you know a lot more than you ever wanted too, I tag Andy, all of the "J" sisters (to be fair), Sherry, Brittney and Haley Hoch. Have fun. It feels so good to get these things off of my chest... I don't care when you do this so i am not setting a deadline.

2009-01-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Funny thing about Teej.... Confessions of an OCD thumb- sucker

2009-01-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Teej has always had a love for his thumb. It is great cause it is always there for him and it never gets lost. I also never have to find his binky during the night, bonus!

Lately he can't suck his thumb with out his taggie. He loves silky blanket tags. You know, the ones that say how to wash and care for them. He is the true living Linus off of Charlie Brown. He grabs the tag, rubs it together with his thumb and finger while he sucks the other thumb. It is instant gratification for him...
We always carry a spare but this night we forgot to grab it. Smart little fella found his own, right in the back of his shirt. Nice, real nice.
He has also located the taggies on the kitchen towels, carseat headrest and Justin's ties. His all time favorite find was in the back of one of the Brown's shirts, I believe it was Mariannes or Ferdies but he was excited none the less.
To put it plainly, he may look like he needs a helmet/ padded room/ ticket for the short bus but I think he may just be smart. While all of his co-harts in his age group all bawl about what they may need, he just finds what he can to make do... I know this may sound like I am pushing the limit but really, look at him- He is just a kid who loves his thumb- with a slight obsession to all things silky!

Loves to the OCD kid.

Dancing Queen!

2009-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sadie's Dance Concert

I can NEVER get the pictures where I want them and in the order that they go, so they are backwards! This picture is after the group dance to HairSpray. They will be performing again at the BYU Halftime on the 21st of February if you want to come. They did SO good!

This is Natasha. She is their teacher and they LOVE and idolize her. She is "the coolest dancer" ever in Sadie's eyes. We think that this was the best dance concert that we have taken part in. It was so well done and darling too. The outfit that the girls (Sadie and Mollie) are wearing was for their lyrical routine to the song "Bubbly."

Sadie before the concert, cheesing it up. Where oh where did she learn to smile that big?!

Happy Birthday Megs

2009-01-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

So as generic as this may sound to all of you reading this...
I really can't believe that Megs is SEVEN (7)!!!
Really. Truly. CRAZY!

Sadie in third grade and baptized doesn't hold a flame to this one.

My little nugget, my picky eater, my little miss determined,
my total pay-back is ... 7.
FREAKY!

So here is are the seven things that make her great
and a few of the reasons that I love her.

1- seriously the best snuggler in the house. she loves to snuggle with the grandpas the most but every once in a while she picks me.

2- her determination. sometimes this is a small speed bump for us to over come BUT she doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. i hope that she will always be able to do this. it will save her from a lot of heartache in the years to come.

3- her hair. lets face the obvious fact, i always wanted curly hair and now i can live vicariously through hers. :)

4- her little-ness. she is everything tiny, her features, her size and her nickname... "nugget"
what other 7 year old could wear her 4 year old brother hand me downs?

5- the other mother factor... right now she is making hot cocoa for parker. she always makes sure that everyone has everything they need.

6- her love of life. she wants to go and do as much as she can. she was even my running buddy last summer. she did her first fun-run and is looking forward to more this year.

7- the way she smiles with her whole body. from her little rainbow eyes to her excited shoulders, she is all about fun.

Happy Birthday Maggie.

I sure do love you. ~~ Mom

No pictures, just funny...

2008-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Parker constantly keeps me hopping, but lately he has become a thinker.
Thinker + Active + Free time = BIG MESS! especially with his new "toys".
He has a new found love of Bungee cords and zip-ties. For any of you out there that may have an inkling to get him a Christmas Gift, he has requested his OWN zip-ties. My kid is gonna again be the one who stumps the Claus when he asks for those instead of let's say, a toy. (for any of you Cowan fans, think Sadie and the cut & cut & cut year...) OH well, I guess that I should be happy that he isn't asking for the red-neck fix all pack which includes a 200 foot roll of duct tape.

Here's to being the White Trash clan...
(and yes he will get a wife-beater to wear while playin' with his new toys!)

Can you guess what today is?!?

2008-10-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

CRAZY HAIR DAY!!!
Everyday this week has been something different for Red Ribbon Week.
Megan has been looking forward to this ever since Sadie was in Kindergarten. The lovely ladies like to go all out on these things...
She wanted "star-fish" hair. Where did we come up with that?!?
Here is a shot of the backs of their cute lil' noggins...
...and their cute lil' faces! Thanks Seitz girlies for being in the pictures!

Disneyland FUN

2008-10-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the pictures that we took at Disneyland. We didn't take a ton cause we were to busy running! Sadie and I LOVED the Grizzly Rapids ride and got soaked one night with all the cousins. I think that we road that ride 4 or 5 times in a row. Parker was super stoked when he saw Buzz. It made me laugh because he was a tad nervous to actually get close to him. Megan and Gracie were in the right place at the right time and got to meet Aladdin and Jasmine. TJ was content to sit in his stroller and people watch. His favorite ride was Monsters Inc. It is SO cute. At the end of our whirlwind two days, we all felt like Parker in the stroller and wished we could ZONK out. I can't believe he could sleep like that. All in all we had a great time and made some awesome memories!

8 Things...

2008-10-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Andy, so here goes...

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch
1. Biggest Loser
2. ER
3. Lipstick Jungle
4. Brothers and Sisters
5. THE OFFICE
6. SNL Political Update
7. Hero's
8. I can't think of another... I really don't get to watch much TV

8 things that happened yesterday
1. Cleaned up the house
2. Went to Albertson's
3. Made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Made a Birthday Cake for Teej
5. Made Melissa's Potato Cheese soup- did I mention my love of food?!?
6. Cleaned up a big mess in the kitchen!
7. Had a house full for FHE and ate good food
8. Gutted and carved Punkins'

8 Favorite places to eat
1. Ruby River
2. Costa Vida or Cafe Rio ( I'm not particular)
3. Carraba's
4. Los Hermanos
5. La Dolce Vita
6. Mi Ranchito
7. Glade's (no mocking this one...)
8. PF Changs

8 things I am looking forward too
1. BEDTIME!
2. Thanksgiving
3. Christmas Music
4. Spring
5. Aveer to pull through (long story, don't ask!)
6. Day after Thanksgiving shopping with my sisters (full contact sport anyone?)
7. Seeing my sisters that live far away
8. Little Joe's return and a Costa Rica trip

8 things on my wishlist
1. For Parker to start sleeping through the night (in his OWN bed)
2. A new porch
3. New Carpet
4. Another date with my husband
5. BYU to go to a BCS bowl and Justin to be there, Go Cougs!
6. to finally get the boys room painted
7. more time to get things done
8. Movie night with the girls

8 people I tag
My sisters (7 down He HE HE)
I don't want to make anyone do this so do it if you want too. It is fun..

Balboa Bars... and Newport Beach

2008-10-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

I had never been to Balboa. Marianne and Ferdie had and wanted to show us the all famous Balboa Bars. We put our car on a little Ferry ride and ended up on this really cool peninsula. It was like Jackson Hole meets the beach but instead of cabins, think Beach homes. It was awesome. We ended up at this little roadside stand that made Balboa Bars. It had been there since 1945. We got the bars and Boy were they good! It is a big slice of ice cream dipped in chocolate and then rolled in the topping of your choice... YUMMY!

We hit the Beach and played in the waves. The weather was great, about 85-90 degrees. The kids had a ball body surfing and jumping the big surf. I found a Sand Dollar, which Sadie thought was the best and we even saw a pod of Dolphins. They were swimming about 100 yards off the shore. I had never seen anything like that before.
The kids were SO excited. I tried to get a picture but I have a little camera with an OK zoom. They just looked like waves in the picture so use your imagination... I will post more about Disneyland tomorrow or the next day....

What in the World???

2008-10-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Funny Story... Justin came home from playing Basketball Wednesday morning and said "I think we could use a vacation."
I said "Yeah that would be great- Sadie and Megan, HURRY or you will miss the bus!" Justin showered and then started playing around on the computer and asked if "I knew where my sisters were staying on their California trip." I said no- "why, are you really serious about this?" I guess he was cause3 and 1/2 hours later, we had officially copied the Cool Club (aka Marianne, Melissa and Lindy, this time) and invited ourselves on their Vacation. Sorry guys! Hope that you like tag-a-longs...

We hit the beach, Balboa Island an Disneyland. We played hard and had FUN! Here are some quick pictures. I will blog more later- I have laundry to do....

It's times like these...

2008-10-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

I really thought long and hard about whether or not to post this. I don't want this to turn into a "pity-party or poor me" post but I needed to share some experiences that I have had.

In August we found out that we were having a baby. We were scared (5 kids!!) but SO excited. We waited a while and then told a few people, mainly friends and family.

Last Friday we went for our 12 week and to hear our lil' baby's heartbeat and found out then that we had lost our baby. It was hard and I cried (a lot) that weekend. It was a shock because I had had no signs of mis-carriage. We had to deliver some heart breaking news to some devastated big sisters-to-be. Then we had to contemplate a tough decision- whether to wait for nature to take it's course or to have a D&C. Now like I said, I am not sharing this because I want your sympathy but more to share what I learned.

In the hours, days and time that passed, our family was the recipient of so many blessings, phone calls of support and love and visits "just to see if we needed anything". Love came so strongly that I can't tell you what it meant to us. Justin and I have always felt that we have been very blessed by way of our family and friends and the support that they give to us but we now know what a true blessing they are to us. We are so very grateful.

As the time came to decide what we were to do I had a very special blessing given to me. I was surrounded by family and could feel the prayers that had been said in my behalf.

Yesterday I had the D&C. It was scary and not something that I would ever like to do again but I can already tell that I am healing. It is still hard to think that we no longer get a new baby in April but it is easier with the love that I have been shown. It is not easy for me to accept this much help. I told Justin that I didn't know what I would have done with out it and he said that we are lucky to have such great family and friends. I agree- Thanks to all of you who have been there to help me and my family in our time of need. We love you all.

Happy Birthday Parker!!

2008-09-30T08:11:00.001-07:00

Today you turned four. I can't believe it. You are sweet and cuddly and and a whirlwind all in one. You are smart (too smart) for your own good. You make me laugh with the things that you say (and cry sometimes with the things that you do...) You are unstoppable and you could fly to the moon if you want to.
I can't help it if you are a crazy adorable boy. It is who you are. It is hopefully who you will always be.
You are a great Big Brother (when you feel like it) and I can tell how great of friends you and your brother are going to be.
But Parker- you have to stop eating his food!

So here's to my sweet, crazy little man. Have a Happy Birthday! You deserve it!

Our Lil' Soccer Star

2008-09-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

Megan started playing soccer and she LOVES it. She is really good too! She is little and quick and has some great kicks. (but I am biased cuz I am her Mom!)
She has been playing goalie during the past couple of games and does well with that too. She had 8 saves in one game. She is her Soccer loving Dad's dream come true!
Good Job Maggie!

Preschool is FINALLY here!

2008-09-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

After weeks and weeks of Parker waiting as patiently as a three year old can....
Preschool has started and he could not be happier!
Parker and Miss Lindy.
He loves her!
One of his school buddies and best cousin friend Brinnley.
This is how sad TJ was that he didn't get to stay.
I hate his big man tears. They get me every time!

First Day of School!

2008-08-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Megs is in FIRST Grade! I can't believe it!
The cutest girls at our house, ready for the bus to come...
Sadie the Big THIRD Grader- Can she be that old?!?
essentials for school- you have to have a cool backpack!

Has it been that LONG?!?

2008-08-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Happy TEN Year Anniversary!

Justin would tell you that our ten+ years have felt like ten minutes.....
under water, with NO air.
Ha Ha! He is quite the comic.

I really can not believe that we are here at the 10 year mark. It seems like we are still little kids trying to figure out life and that
we just got married a little while ago.

I thought that I would give a ten things / favorite memories of why I love my husband SO much!
Some may find this cheesy or gaggish so read at your own risk...

*The first memory is while we were dating- I was car shopping and I drug him (aka Dodge Boy to my family) around with me EVERYWHERE to look for a car. I was picky about what I wanted and he teased me about how spoiled I was. (Rude, I know... Me -- spoiled?!?) I got really mad at him and he started laughing and said that was one of things that he liked about me- I didn't settle for less than what I wanted and that was determination in his eyes.
Hmmm, Interesting spin on spoiled!

*That we were "just friends" and could date anyone else we wanted. Unless of course it is the 4th of July and you are going on the 3rd date with the same "other" guy. Then there may be problems and you may have a cute kid waiting for you when you got home who thinks that "we shouldn't date other people anymore, just each other!" Fine by me, it was what I wanted the whole time...

*When he asked me to marry him. I was so happy!
It was one of the best days of my life!

*The day we got married- It was SO early and I15 was closed down. We got married in the SLC Temple and the day was a beautiful blur of happiness.

*Moving into our first house. He had been building it the whole time we were engaged. He is such a hard worker. He still is. I love that about him.

*Having him there with me at the ultrasound when they told us that our little baby Sadie was there, alive and well and that there was NOTHING at all wrong with her. I got to see him cry his first Daddy tears that day.
He is the best and most patient Dad.

*His comic relief on my behalf. I get a little stressed out sometimes and I can always count on him to calm me down with some funny comment. These won't mean anything to you guys but here's too... "Bring it On! LIAR! and SHEESH!" and when Parker the tank was born... "I think He wants Steak."

*How he makes me feel so loved. I can feel trampled, beat up, torn down and broken and He can make it all better. He is SO good at that.

*The way that we are in this together. We make all of our life decisions together, share all of our crazy ideas (well mostly his, at 2 in the morning no less)
and are living our dream. It is awesome!
He is constantly looking for ways to make our life better and has more energy then Parker when it comes to making them work. Heres to Steedra, Aronia, house #8, and the many more to come.

*The fact that he is still here. I am not the easiest person to deal with, I have an evil gene that likes to rear its ugly head and make me freaky every once in a while. I am not as patient, hard working, or even forgiving for that matter. But everyday, he is there, making my world a better place.
I sure am lucky and I sure do love him.

Thanks for the best 10 years so far. I am looking forward to a whole bunch more!

Parkers Bugs... well a few of them!

2008-08-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

One of Parker's favorite things to do is catch bugs. I am good with that cause for the most part, it keeps him busy. BUT- I do not like to see out of the normal bugs. I am alright with rolie-polies, grass-hoppers and praying mantises. Check these bugs out and then tell me your best excuse to a three year old as to why he can't keep them in the house!
Now that's a face only a Mother could love!
Can anyone tell us what kind of beetle this is? It made a weird clicking-hiss noise.
What is that?!? It is the biggest moth I have ever seen!
Check out that wing span.
Did I mention that I am scared to death of Moths? creepy little spawns of Satan

BTW! Our computer is up and going. I will be posting a whole lot for catch up!

We are still ALIVE... I think

2008-07-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that life at the Stewart abode has been just a little LESS than uneventful and it all started with a flood in my basement the day before I left for Chicago. Yeah!

I had a great time in Chicago but due to some funky traffic and sweet fender benders, I missed my flight home by 9 (NINE) minutes. STLL SMILING! even at 2 am when the airport is a obstacle course relay race waiting to happen...
Got home late Sunday night and whirlwind packed for girls camp.
Kissed the Husband (aka "the Manny") and kids g'bye for an action packed week at girls camp where the most serious problems we had were spider bites, stinging nettle and 4 BEAR! Did I mention that I DON"T DO BEAR!?!
Came home from camp to a normal week home and the boys got matching concussions, isn't that cute?!
Took the girls to Stadium of Fire where I was pleased to be seated in the midst of 58,000 screaming Miley Cyrus fans. If you are ever tempted to go, take along some Excedrin. Don't say I didn't warn you....

Came home from Miley Cyrus with ringing ears to find that "an act of nature" (as Rocky Mountain Power calls it, therefore shrugging all responsibility) had happened at our neighbors house which sent 240 volts of electricity into our house frying every electronic appliance we had plugged in except those that ran on a 220 volt. Could I get a moment of silence for the wii? so very, very sad...
Did some more laundry (thank the stars that still works!) and packed AGAIN for Bear Lake (just so you know, there were no actual Bear present during our trip, phew!)
Now we are home and fighting like mad to get a TV to watch. I am not asking much, just a blasted TV!
Wish me good luck with the battle over insurance! I will post pictures when we get a new computer... I have mountains of them!

School Carnival!

2008-05-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

I love the excitement at the end of the school year. It is fun to go on the field trips and watch the programs. I have had lots of fun this year "helping" out at Sadie and Megan's school. When we found out that there was going to be a carnival, it was an instant count-down- they were all so excited!
Laura, Megan and Shayla, just waiting in line.
Sadie and Quinci- These two are BFF'S.
Quinci is such a cutie! She pulls the silliest faces!
Kiah, Sydnie and Nate- waiting in the REALLY LONG line for treats. They had just had their hair spray-painted. So fun!
Love that hair Parker! He thought that he was a big kid with his wrist band. He loved the slides and couldn't get enough of the bounce house. It also helped out that he was bigger than most of the Kindergarten class. Hurray for little giants!
Sadie and Quinci with Miss Nelson, their teacher. This is the second time that she has taught them. She was their Kindergarten teacher also (bless her heart!). They LOVE her. She was a good sport and got a matching spray-paint hair do with the girls.
As Sadie and Quinci would say... She totally ROCKS!

Bug Boys!

2008-05-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I got a new camera. (yeah!) I took these pictures of Parker with his cousins Kade and Sam. These boys would be fine to sit and look for bugs for hours on end.
Looking for centipedes and rolly-polly's (or ravioli's as Parker calls them).
Kade looking for the next big rock to overturn
Sammy catching a big wormy!
Thanks to Aunt Lisa for the use of her beautiful flower bed and not getting to upset at our little adventurers!

Friday Faves

2008-05-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Jannda did this and I think that it is a fabulous idea. I will say that I might not post every Friday BUT -- Here is to my faves this week!

I love to plant flowers and do yard work
(you would NEVER know by looking at my yard though... )
I went to the IFA with my sisters and mom today so I am going to do my favorite flowers... I wish I was cool enough to import pics but it is late and I don't like electronic devices SO-
use your imagination!

1- Bleeding Hearts- I think that this comes from a friend that I had that died from a Heart Condition when we were in third grade. The only thing I remember about her funeral was all of the amazing flowers and that somehow (in a good way) they tied those flowers in to her funeral. I have loved them ever since.

2- TULIPS- i LOVE these! They are my all time favorite flower and I personally think that it is a cryin' shame that they are limited to spring. There is nothing better than a field FULL of tulips. Someday I will post a picture of me in Holland with them in the background....

3- Peony- Once again a flower with a limited growing/blooming season. I am not talking about the flowers that our Grandmother cut for the Cemetery on Memorial Day. I like those BUT I love the big double pink variety.

4- Candy striped phlox- So cute and looks great all summer long. I love the color of the petals and how they all look like they have been hand painted.

5- Hibiscus- LOVE these too. The Marriot Center (in Provo Utah of all places) has a bush that actually survives the UTAH COLD! I can't wait to plant my own.

6- Who am I kidding... I can't limit this one! Here's to my other faves! Ornamental poppies (in RED), Hydrangea, Martha Washington variety of geraniums, Ivy Geraniums, mini Daffodils, Asters, Lily of the Valley, fountain Lobelia, Gazanias, and a whole bunch more......

Not so Happy Haircut

2008-04-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

Teej is 18 months old and this is his very first haircut. I know that seems a little long to wait but he has the cutest curls and I didn't want to lose them. It started out OK ....
I think that he realized that he wasn't having fun anymore.
Fun's gone and so is the love! What are you doing Nanny!?! I thought we were friends!
Goodbye Mullet! Goodbye curls! All is lost now....

Eight already?!?

2008-04-07T07:37:00.001-07:00

Marilee ROCKS! Look how great these turned out!
and look at that amazing hair! Thanks Jen
She looks So grown up
This picture is one of my favs!

I can NOT believe that my little girl is 8! We are sending out invites for her baptism so I had Jennie (Sadie's personal stylist) give her a new do and Marilee (her personal photographer) snap a few pictures yesterday. I think that the pictures turned out absolutely beautiful! I am just a tad biased though...

Thanks again to Marilee and Jennie for all of their hard work and patience with my little diva!

Sadie- I am so proud of you and the girl that you are. Keep your love of life and stay sweet.
I love you! ~~ Mom

New Paint

2008-03-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

I had a case of "Ihatehowmyhouselooksitis", SCARY... I know.

My Mother-in-Law and her BFF Pat came to my rescue!
The cure, a freshly painted living room! Yeah Baby!

My new CLOSET

2008-03-03T15:25:00.001-08:00

Yeah, so I know that this picture is in the wrong direction and YES I know that I shouldn't be so darn lazy and fix it BUT, OH WELL! I am just really excited about the fact that Justin is building my sweet closet organizers! (and how hot he looks building them!)
We have built numerous houses and they have all had sweet closets but we waited three years to do these. Go Figure...
Did I mention that I am SOOOO happy about these? I will actually have a spot for all of my clothes and they can all be super organized. YEAH!
Yes. It was a long day and YES we did move our bed out of the room. (The man needed some space to move:) ) When it was finished I moved all of my clothes into my awesome new closet. Now we are going to paint and get a new light and new carpet and new blinds and new curtains and re-do our bathroom and, and, and! Let the fun begin....

I've been Tagged (so tag your it, HALEY and AMBER!)

2008-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

I have never been tagged before and had I known that this was waiting for me on Amy's site I would have restrained myself from visiting... BUT, Because I am such a great sport, I will play along. He He He...
20 YEARS AGO...
I was 10 and I was a happy go lucky kid livin' the life I loved. We had a sweet dog named fuzz-ball and I think that was the spring that Lindy and I turned the Raspberry patch into a pond for the frog we were going to catch... Lindy, did we ever catch the frog?!?
10 YEARS AGO
I was just friends with a guy that I ended up marrying... He sent me Yellow Tulips and it was all down hill from there. (What can I say, He knows my weak spots...)
5 YEARS AGO
I was a new mom to my second baby girl. She would have been 2 months old. We were living in the house that Justin built in Payson on 200 east. (not to be confused with the fix-er-upper houses on 300 east, 200 south or 400 west... Man I LOVE moving, good times!)
3 YEARS AGO
I was trying to get settled after a whirlwind move again (on Christmas Eve no less). I also had another baby named Parker (5 months old at the time) who would change the world as we knew it. Never a dull moment folks! He had just come home from a nice stay in the hosp-ital for RSV. (are you guys noticing a trend? moving and babies are apparently what I excel at!)
1 YEAR AGO
I had another new little baby, TJ. He would have been 4 months old. He is a great little addition to the family. We were NOT moving though.
SO FAR THIS YEAR
I have NOT kept any of my New Year Resolutions. I was supposed to be a skinny momma livin' in a CLEAN house. But that apparently isn't working out for me. We have spent time in the Hospital with Teej for a bronchial virus and hated it. We started organizing our house (one room at a time) and that is about it. Oh yeah, I was promoted to Unit Manager in Lia Sophia.
YESTERDAY
I tried to accomplish something by way of cleaning our house, cooked dinner and then went to BUNCO where I spent time with my very best friend Andy, who I have not seen forever! She won a stinking cute clock and I got some yummy body butter from B & B.
TODAY
I have been tagged, I am dressed for the day (major accomplishment), and I have washed barf sheets from Teej. Poor kid!
TOMORROW
Clean house, get dressed and hopefully not wash anyone else's barf sheets....
THIS YEAR I HOPE TO
BE a skinny momma livin' in a clean house, not move, get organized and not clean up anyone else's BARF!

2008-02-25T11:50:00.001-08:00

GRAPES!!!
I was hanging laundry up and Parker was playing with TJ. I asked him to be my "big helper" and watch TJ really close so he didn't get into anything that he shouldn't. (TJ really LOVES to draw with markers... all over the wall!!) I heard the boys giggling and then came the laughter that no mother of two boys likes to hear... I walked up to the kitchen and discovered that Parker had taken his job of watching TJ to the next level- he was feeding him snacks. Not just any snacks, my $2.50 a pound grapes and they were ALL over the floor
"so that Teej could reach them mom, He thinks I'm funny"
A picture of the happy boys and the grape covered floor!
"we were just hungry mom,
didn't I do a great job watchin' him?"
Say AHHH!
The hiding spot for little boys with a "not so happy" mom.
If you have seen Melissa's "Oatmeal adventure" pictures, I have nothing to complain about BUT if not... WAAAAH for my loss of grapes and a sticky floor!
Love those boys.....

Dancin' Skills

2008-02-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

So I saw this on another blog and stole it... I think that it is stinkin' hilarious.
Enjoy.........

My Oh-So-Sick Baby

2008-02-12T12:03:00.001-08:00

POOR TJ

February 8th 2008
I don't know how to explain how sad TJ was, so I took this picture. When he could stay awake, this is how he looked......... It is a little bit out of focus, but you get the jist of it.
Most of the time he spent at the Hospital he looked more like this. He slept and slept and it scared me. They never did figure out what was wrong exactly and he started to get better so they didn't want to test for anything else. We do know that it wasn't RSV, Pneumonia or Influenza A or B.
His IV had to be in his head cuz they couldn't get it in his hands. They tried both but because of how dehydrated he was, the veins wouldn't work. Poor little Ninja man. He did smile occasionally but as soon as anyone "suspicious" looking came in he did this sad little Oh-Oh noise and said "mom... out". He is no dummy!
Here he is with Nan. He was so happy to see someone who wasn't coming at him with a needle. As soon as she came he loved her and was out like a light again.
More Nanny lovin'...
We had to stay overnight and then it was Bye Bye needles and IV, Bye Bye mean Nurses and Doctors and Hello to my own bed. He started to perk up and be himself on Saturday but still gets really worn out. He is such a little trooper and we love him so much!
We are so glad that he is doing better now!
We love you little man!

Parker New Pets! FINALLY!

2008-02-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here they are, scary as they may be... Parker's pride and joy!
Isn't he the cutest (pretend) farmer that you have ever seen? I get so mad at him for wanting to be a farmer but I should get over it really quickly-- Since I am SCARED to death of live chickens, I have never seen how happy he is out there...
Here's to FARMER PARKER!

We will be Back to "Normal" soon

2008-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Whatever Normal is....

We are getting our computer back this week.

Yeah!

That means that I can finish the family intro's and finally post Parker and his new "pets".

We ate chicken yesterday and I had to explain to the little man that I did not kill his pet "Mumbo".

I kindly explained that as much as Daddy wants to pretend that we are farmers... We are not! I have no intention of de-feathering, gutting or deboning a chicken, much less killing it.

Parker looked at me with those killer eyes and said "So we will just kill the eggs?!?"

Yuck! Can't win for losing...

Hopefully he won't need years of therapy!

Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

So... Some good has come from the worm incident. I found these pictures of Sweet Baby James (aka Tjers to most of you) and his first moments of life. You don't realize how fast life life goes by til you have a moment like this to take a look back.

And we worried how he would do with a brother... From day one Parker has loved his little brother. Sometimes he loved him a little too much but he has really taken the role of Big Brother very seriously. I think that they will be best buddies forever.

I remember that on this day, all Parker wanted to do was show TJers his new jammies that he and nanny and marianne had brought. Then he wanted him IN them and wanted to love him "all by myself"... Thanks to a very patient nanny he got his wish - except the "all by myself" part.

She was SO excited to find out that we were going to have a new baby join the family. She had been praying for a baby for months before we told her that he was on his way. SHe is going to be a great mommy someday!

There's Megan for you~~ She fell head over heals for him! She just wanted to kiss him non-stop. She was and is very attentive to whatever TJ or mommy needed. She to will someday be a Super-Mom.

How sweet he is! He is the perfect fit for our family and it has been fun to watch him develope and grow. I love you Sweet Baby James...

This SUCKS!

2008-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

I HATE NOT KNOWING HOW TO FIX COMPUTERS!
I am here on Justin's laptop venting cuz I can't update my blog.
Apparently, we have a virus, or THREE!
All I want is to get to MY pictures on MY computer and I can't cuz it is sick
All of you forwarders of the funny stories, listen up!
I don't care if I will have 50 gazillion years of bad luck, don't send them to me!
That is where we contracted this alleged virus...
It is even worse that that... IT IS A WORM!!!
Do you know what a worm is?!?
Neither do I BUT apparently it is not good cuz the nice guys at nebonet charge a mere $65 an hour to DE-WORM my computer...
ISN'T THAT SOMETHING YOU DO TO A DOG?!?
"Mrs. Stewart, it may take two hours to get rid of this...
You mean I will get to pay you at least $130?
"Mrs. Stewart, that is in addition to the $35 dollar house call charge..."
What the.. $165, GET OUT! and don't call me Mrs Stewart!
Smart little techno geek!
Throw me a freaking bone.
My kids need to eat and I just want to post a picture of Farmer Parker and his new chickens...

I will go pout in the corner now with Justin's stupid laptop.....

My Megan

2008-01-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

Megan, Maggie, Megsie-Wegsie, Monkey Bear and more!
6 years old

What can I say about Megan that you all don't already see in her face?
She is the type of little girl that can captivate and take over when she wants too or just sit back and watch the world go by silently. She does not crave the spotlight but loves attention. She is the best cuddler that we have in our house. She is very loving and is the best nurse around. As her Nanny Stewart would say, "She has the Sweetest Little Heart". She adores animals and would be happy if she could have one of every kind of dog. Megan loves to be loved and it makes her happy when her baby cousin McKinley follows her around and says "Megs, come on!" She loves to be home with our family. It is her favorite place to be. She has big dreams but I am interested to see how they play out. If we can all go to college with her then she will be fine...

When I think of Megan and what she will do to leave her mark on the world, I think of her loving heart and wonder how that will help her accomplish what she was sent here to do.
She can do anything that she wants too...

2008-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

Meet Sadie

She is 7 years old, boy how time flies.

I remember bringing her home from the hospital just like it was yesterday...
She was a great baby and as she grew up I could under stand just how big her spirit is inside of her little body. She was and always will be the boss of the family. She keeps us on the straight and narrow and says things to us that are wise beyond her years. She is a loving girl who opens herself up wide to let others in. She adores the spotlight and proved that very early in life by doing a very lovely Opera rendition of the Alphabet song for perfect strangers. She can do anything that she sets her mind to and can be her own worst enemy
when she sets herself limitations. Her dreams are endless and I love to hear her talk about everything that she is going to "fix" when she gets big.
I can't wait to see what she makes happen.

She will move mountains.

Here We Go!!!

2008-01-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it. Marilee held my hand (through the phone) and Janalee came up with the SNAZZY name but we finally have a blog. I have wanted one for a while but I am a little scared of electronic devices! I am excited to let you all have a little peek into the very crazy world of the Stewart 6. It will be fun to read up and compare notes with all of you out there too... Here's to my first ever post!