Confession

I have a confession to make...(no judging) and I am blaming this one on my mom:) (even though she no longer participates or watches) I am a Days of our Lives junky! and have been for as long as I can remember; from the time I would get home from school and sit down and watch up until now. Why I feel the reason to share this is beyond me but I thought I would get my guilty pleasure out there. Seriously one of my most relaxing times of the day that I get all to myself (I watch it in my room with no little eyes or ears around) with my Diet Coke and a bowl of 94% fat free popcorn sprayed with I cant believe its not butter spray, and I sit for a good 30-40 min (thanks to DVR's and the magic of fast forwarding all the commercials and dumb story lines) and escape into the soap world. Silly I know, and some may say a total trashy waste of time, but really its my sanity break. So thanks to all the good people of Salem (the town the show takes place in) and all the crazies who live there who make me cry,(yes I admit I have cried), laugh, and wonder why in the world I watch this stuff... but I am hooked!

Lehi Rodeo!!!

Our annual Lehi Rodeo tradition with friends, the Houselys, Brennys, and Lomus, was last night!! And as usual it did not disappoint; we had a great time! We started off the night with a yummy BBQ at our house and then headed to the rODeO! The horses, bulls and cows seemed to do more of the winning rather than the cowboys and cowgirls... but none the less we still had a lot of fun! The kids are so fun to watch with their friends... love to listen to their conversations and watch their little faces light up when they see something exciting. I think the favorite part of the night is always the motorcycles jumping and doing all their tricks. They are crazy to watch! This really has turned out to be such a fun tradition that we have done for 4 years now... I look forward to it every year. I hope my kids always have these memories of doing things like this! We are so lucky to have so many great friends live so close who are willing to create fun traditions and play with us! We love Rodeo season... Oakley next week!

Lehi Tigers

I have said many times... Baseball is my favorite season! I am sad to say that it has come to an end this year. Usually by the end of any season I am ready to move on but for some reason this time I'm not. Mason played this year for the first time on a Super League team. It was a good introduction to one. Usually Super League teams are super intense, loaded with games and tournaments but this team had a bit of a late start so we went middle of the road and played not as many games and weren't quite as intense as anticipated. It was a good balance, which is what I keep telling myself because I am finding out more and more I am the ultra competitive crazy mom who wants Mason to be the star and shine at everything (no pressure Mas), wants to coaches to see all his talent and put him in the choice spots all game. Yes, I know I am crazy and tell myself to chill, all the time:) But really I just want him to excel and continue to LOVE the game... which he does. He loves baseball! So anyway, he had a great season full of ups and downs, but definitely ended on a high note of not striking out at all in the last 2 games and fielding all the balls hit to him... YEAH!!! He is full of talent and love of the game and now its just teaching him to focus and have a bit more killer instinct and drive... Hopefully it will come with age and time. (Yes, I know he is only 8 :) He played outfield and 3rd base most of the season and did great! As usual, made lots of new friends, Porter being the new best buddy on the team. Ryan spent a lot of time in the backyard working and playing with him and sharing this common love of the game. We love baseball around here... and look forward to the next time we can hear the sounds of the bat hitting the ball... ping, the ball being caught in the glove... pop, cheers in the stands, slides into home, kids playing on the grass, smell of hot dogs being grilled, and sitting out on the grass on beautiful summer nights cheering for #5! Go Tigers!

mY gUyS

hApPy FaThErS dAy to my guys!!! I am one lucky girl to have grown up with a great dad and then to marry a guy who is a great dad too... Being the only girl in the family I was lucky enough to have a special relationship with my dad. Yes, he spoiled me but also taught me how to work hard and go after what I want. He always supported me in all my activities and encouraged and expected me to do my best. My dad has always put his family first and made us feel like the priority...even up through today. Some things I think of that remind me of him are... skiing, running, biking, the cabin, my trip to Moab with him, his one of a kind laugh, love of dogs, love of nature, always trying new things, he is the advice guy, plans for the future, buys what he wants and hard to shop for, baseball, loves his yard, St. George, loves taking pictures, THE Granite Farmer, loves his mom, loves my mom, Diet Coke, 7-11 runs, he can make a car last, Excedrin pm, works hard, loves his kids, loves his grand kids, music...oldies and today's hits, loves American Idol and 24, kind, generous, Harley rides, friendly; LOVE my dad!
I am also very lucky to have a wonderful father-in-law who takes such great care of his family... both when they were all growing up and now when they are all big and grown. He is a really hard worker and has taught his kids the value of that. He is a wonderful cook, loves riding horses, involved in his community, and is always coming up with new ideas to try. He raised Ryan right and taught him wonderful principles on how to be a great husband and father... Thanks Mike!
Ryan... When I married him I knew he would be a good daddy but he really has surpassed all expectations that I had. His kids have him wrapped around their fingers! And yet he just has a way of getting through to them. He can play with them, reach them, love them, cuddle with them, tell the best stories to them, spend quality time with them. They ADORE him. when he isn't home they ask me all day when he will be home and then when he gets home they are glued to him and are so disappointed when they have to go to bed. I am so grateful that his way of relaxing is spending time with his kids and family. Really the greatest dad... I am envious of the relationship our kids have with him. I am truly grateful and feel so blessed that he chose me to be the mother of his children. It really is such an honor to be their mother and his wife!!! I love ya Ry!!!

PS... Can you believe that pouty face on Claire... little heart breaker.

Random thoughts

It was so fun to see Mason the other night at his first guitar lesson... he had that excited yet nervous smile on the whole time and when he was finished he just kept saying how much fun it was. He also started scouts yesterday. He has been waiting for so long it seems like. Every Wednesday afternoon when his friends would go he wasn't too happy that he wasn't 8 yet and had to wait. He had a blast at it. He really is growing up... taking on so may more responsibilities.Ella is terrified of the of wind or big rainstorms... I have no idea what started this but this past spring when the wind blows it puts her in a melt down. She hides under the bed, under the table, she cries and just can't quite get a grip. Its hard to know what to do... we have told her stories about the wind fairies racing out there and tried to show her all the great things the rain can do for our flowers and some of that seems to help but I can't seem to get her over it. She had her preschool end of year sing recital the other day. It was darling. She sang all the songs beautifully... can't believe we are done with the first year of school. Claire thinks she is 3 or 4 instead of almost 2. She follows her big sister around everywhere and thinks she should be able to go to friends houses. She is independent and now wants to feed her self, thus making a huge mess, she throws major tantrums when she is mad... boy oh boy... I have never really had a "terrible 2 yr old" it was always the 3's that were tougher for me, maybe she is skipping 2 and going straight to 3. Good thing she is cute and gives the best squeezes... saves her:)
I am coming to the realization that I am lazier than I thought. I need to kick it into high gear and stop doing things mediocre if at all. Pull it together!!! Clean, exercise, craft....Ryan is super busy right now. I swear he is running on no sleep, or barely any sleep. He works all day, plays with the kids for a couple of hours, and then goes back to work at his desk for all hours of the night. I worry he is going to get sick again. I need to find a way to help him chill and take time for him.
We are going out tonight for Yvetts birthday... can't wait. I really need some girlfriend therapy... some good laughs and dessert always seems to do the trick. Our yard looks really good this year. I love being outside in it. Although because of the wet and cold weather this year it seems like it is about a month behind in blooming. Maybe I'll get to enjoy it a month longer in the fall.... fingers crossed. Love watching my kids dance and sing in the car, love the smell of freshly cut grass, my guilty pleasure in movies in Sex in the City... love those girls:), excited for Mason to get baptized next month, I swear I think about it once a day, want to have another baby... lets hope it doesn't take too long to make that happen, I love watching So you think you can dance... it amazes me how much control people have over their bodies, I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!, I have a bit of a sweet tooth and some of my favorite bakerys are... Dippidee for sugar cookies and all decorated cupcakes, Sweet Tooth Fairy for cupcakes, My Dough Girl for all other cookies, and Beyond Glaze for fabulous doughnuts. I should go get some breakfast for the kids and start the cleaning process!!

Mason's Birthday Party Pictures

So when I asked him what kind of cake and ice cream he wanted for his party he told me that instead of that he wanted Root beer floats and Pumpkin pie and Banana cream pie... so that's what we did!!! He was spoiled of course... Boston Jersey and necklace, clothes, electric guitar (starts lessons on Tuesday), Lego building sets, slip and slide, remote control airplane, sling shot... spoiled rotten!!! Thanks to our wonderful family for supporting us and coming! Happy Birthday!

8 is gReAt

June 6th 2002... the day I became a mom. There is just something special about having your 1rst child that never leaves you. And now I can't believe that day was 8 years ago. I am in big trouble if the next 8 years go by as fast as the first 8 has. Before I know it we are going to be fighting about me buying him a car or him buying his own... Yikes! I could not be prouder of who Mason is and who he is becoming. All I see in his future are amazing things... truly he has no limitations (well except for being the Ginnie pig for his dad and I ... hopefully we don't mess him up to much) Luckily he came with a big heart and a desire to always do good. He still is a ball on energy that only stops when it is forced upon him. He is an athlete in every sense of the word... loves just about every sport and excels in them. I can't remember him ever complaining about having to go to a practice or a game. He loves sports... baseball, football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis...you name it. I love that about him, its one of my favorite things to go to one of his games and cheer him on. I really hope he continues through out his life in sports! He is the best big brother... he sisters adore him. He is a protector to them, he plays with them, yes he does tease them to no end, but he truly loves them and I love watching them watch out for each other. His dad and him and the best of friends... Mason insists on them hanging out every night. They have to play something; catch, cards, video games, watch TV, read a book... something, and if its too late he is so disappointed. He loves his dad being at practices and seeks his approval beyond all others. In a way I envy their relationship a bit. One thing I worry about a bit is I see some compulsive behavior with him especially in video games. When he gets started that is all he can focus on and when its taken away or when its uses as a motivation (or bribe:) that is all he can focus on. He loves playing. I stress some about that, hopefully I can help him get a grip. Luckily he does play a bunch with his friends and run and plays outside to no end as well. So I guess what I am trying to teach him is moderation in all things. Lets see if I can list some of his favorites... colors; red, orange & blue, food; cereal, chicken and rice, sour candy, mac & cheese & hot wings, shows; Sponge Bob, & StarWars Clonewars, teams; Packers, Red Sox, Jazz & Cavs, school subjects; recess, PE, computers, & math, sports; baseball, best friends, Braden, Jane, & Cade. He has lost 4 teeth so far, he hates wearing underwear and shirts:), loves cuddling with blankets at night, has a huge heart with not one mean bone in his body, a bit of a tease, hates wearing jeans and would live in warm-ups, basketball shorts and jerseys, loves building with Legos and creating tanks and airplanes (we may have an engineer on our hands), makes awesome paper airplanes, would stay up all night if I let him, loves to go to work with his dad, is quite the negotiator and deal maker, needs to work on his handwriting, excels in math and problem solving, makes friends where ever he goes, loves to be with his family, needs to work on focus a bit, a social butterfly, hates his hair gelled up, great at cleaning the basement, takes care of those he loves and has wonderful things in store for him. He is smart and talented and has a desire to do well in everything he does. I am so privileges to be his mom. He is an amazing kid!!!! LOVE you Mas. Happy 8 buddy!!!!!

lAgOoN... its what fun is!!

So the Lunds had some of their good friends in town from AZ for Jeni's wedding and we were the lucky ones to be able to have some fun with them after the wedding celebration was over. Steph (Nana) took Ella with her on Thursday night up to the condos to play with Bonnie (aka... grandma Bunny), Janice and her husband Ryan and their 2 girls Abi (5) and Kenna (3). Ella had so much fun playing and watching movies and swimming with them and was even more excited when she found out that they were all staying at our house Friday night and then we were all going to lAgOoN on Saturday for Mason's birthday celebration! All in all it was a busy and really fun weekend that totally wore these kids out. This was the first time we had guests stay at our house. I was a bit stressed at first, just wanting to make sure everyone would be comfortable but everything turned out better than expected and was really fun. I can see why Ryan and his family have just loved these guys for so long and am grateful that they are so sweet and easy to be around and fun. If they lived here I think we would be together a lot more! Anyways... Saturday we headed to Lagoon. Tons of fun, in fact I wish we could've afforded a season pass, the kids loved it! The weather was perfect and the lines weren't bad at all. Mason went on everything! Nothing was too big or too fast for him. Wicked seemed to make him the most nervous but it did me too. He loved The Spider, Jet Star 2, The Bat, Colossus... not much he didn't enjoy, which didn't surprise me. Ella did surprise me bit though, she is more of a dare devil than I give her credit for. She would've gone on way more rides than her height allowed her to. On the Tidal Wave she even put her little arms up and laughed and giggled the whole time. She loved everything she could go on. Claire, now she is my little nervous Nellie in new situations, especially ones that are a bit out of her control. She went on some of the kiddie rides and would tense up so tight and get nervous, even cry a little, but afterwards would say "dats fun" or point to again and want to give it another shot. So she tried... but its not quite her cup of tea yet. But she did so good, we were there all day and with no nap and being crazy all day she held up really well! We even stopped for a fun silly tradition I always did growing up which is to get ice cream in Pioneer Village... it is sooooo yummy! Mason seemed to have a fun birthday celebration, one that he will remember I hope. I loved going to Lagoon when I was little, and its even better now than it was then. Ryan and I had a great time riding rides together... not much will keep us from trying a ride. We love the thrill! Happy Birthday Mason! and thanks to the Kottraba family and Nana for spending the day with us!