The Youngs

2012-02-05T23:30:00.003-07:00

Dear Jax,

At 10 months you are on a mission to destroy everything in your way
You are my BUSIEST baby...which is saying a lot compared to Oakley
Every diaper change is a wrestling match
You are near impossible to feed, you never sit still
You LOVE to chase your brothers around our tiny place and squeal in your highest little voice
You sneak into the bathrooms and unroll the WHOLE roll of toilet paper and eat it
You stand on your tip toes trying to jump into the bathtub
You try to play in the toilet water...our bathrooms now stay closed (not an easy task with 2 older brothers)
You can now reach the dishwasher nob and turn it off when it's on
You try to eat our shoes so they are now piled on our front porch
You are an out and about baby, you love our daily walks
You are past the stage of easily lounging in your stroller, we have to keep moving or get you out
You have 6 teeth and LOVE to bite everything including our toes
You LOVE to sleep...it's painful to keep you up past 7
You LOVE your thumb...SO CUTE
You are starting to show us your little temper, especially when Cam takes your toys
You want to walk, but your legs are still too little to hold you up...but you try A LOT!!!
You wave Hi and Bye
Your brothers can't get enough of you, it's a party when you wake from your naps
You LOVE them...you hate to be alone

pics are taken with my phone...not the best quality

10 months has gone WAY TOO FAST
We love our baby Jax, wish he could stay a baby forever!

2012-02-05T22:30:00.002-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how accident prone Cam is? He trips over everything, walks into walls, falls off everything, gets sand in his eyes every time we go to a sand park. I hold my breathe when he walks down our stairs because I just know he is going to eat it one of these times and we won't mention him on his bike.

I have always wondered where he has gotten his lack of grace from...but I finally figured it out.

So...Ben has been playing football with some guys on Saturday mornings and every time he comes home he is limping. The first time was the worst and he limped all week long. He has done better with just minor injuries and soreness since then. Yesterday he comes in and said he jammed his pinkie really bad. It was quite swollen but nothing much you can do for a jammed pinkie. So as the day goes on it gets bigger and bluer. So the boys and I went swimming and when he came to help me carry their stuff home it looked worse and he was in pain, the whole side of his hand was blue. So I sent him to the ER to get x-rays to make sure his actual hand wasn't broken. 5 hours later, luckily he took school work to study, his hand is broken and his pinkie is sprained and now he gets to go see an orthopaedic surgeon to make sure it will heal OK.

As he is now down to one hand which makes everything difficult including typing, writing his note cards and he can't even change a diaper.:(

Hopefully it will heal quick and we won't have another repeat from when he was in a boot with a broken foot ALL summer long. I still have bad feelings toward him for that one.

I keep wishing that Cam will wake up one day and be cured from his clumsiness...but it's starting to look doubtful as Ben is still breaking bones on a regular basis.

I guess all we "lucky" people can do is sympathize for these "unlucky" people as it's obviously more debilitating for them. But sometimes I just want to put a FRAGILE sign around my husbands neck.

2012-01-25T16:36:00.001-07:00

Look who lost his FIRST tooth...

It has been loose for weeks
Sticking out at a weird angle so mom pulled it out with pliers
Oakley was quite brave
Cam was nervous enough for both of them, I think he was the only one to shed a tear
He was SO excited it came out before heading to school so he could show all his friends
When he got on the bus it was the first thing he told the bus driver
I guess we'll see how generous the Tooth Fairy is, it will be her first visit to our family tonight.

2012-01-21T23:45:00.002-07:00

The Zoo..... again

But this time I talked this handsome hubby into joining us...

These boys were MORE than thrilled...

He carried a FEW things...

He took over the camera...

Not quite sure that was a good thing...

We LOVE having him around...even when he forgets to shave

Even though it took some persuading from me for him to take a couple hour break one Saturday afternoon, which meant some later night studying for him, it was worth the excitement from these boys when they found out he was joining us. They wanted to show daddy all the animals at the Zoo, like it was his first time.

2012-01-21T23:30:00.004-07:00

Look who's big enough for Sippy's....

And he's FINALLY back to his regular 12 hour a night sleeping schedule!
It was disturbed from traveling...we couldn't be more thrilled!

Pheonix Rock N' Roll

2012-01-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

3 hours 35 minutes and 18 seconds...such a bittersweet PR
It was my fastest marathon but only by a few seconds
I trained for a 3:30 marathon which is an 8 minute mile
I was ahead of my goal time
I finished the first 8 miles in the first hour...it felt SO good
My half marathon time was 1 hour 40 minutes...7:45 minute mile
My 20 mile time was 2 hours 38 minutes...average of 7:50 minute mile
I could taste my victory...I was SO close, only 6 more to go
Then came mile 21...I got dehydrated and my body has NEVER hurt so much
It tied the pain of having Jax naturally with Pitocin...It hurt THAT BAD
I tried to rehydrate but it was too late...I even consumed GU Jelly Beans, which I NEVER do
The 3:30 pacer then passed me and it was THE worst feeling to realize I couldn't catch him
Then I tried to place ahead of my last 3:35 marathon time
Made it by seconds...it was a PAINFUL 5 miles
I hit the wall...pretty much face planted it
I have NEVER had such a painful run, NEVER even met the wall before
I NEVER want to again...we are NOT friends!!
It's still a good time, just extremely bittersweet...

The finish line

My hubby taking pics...hadn't noticed him yet

Seeing my boys...SO HAPPY to see them there

They LOVE all the treats I get at the finish lines
It makes me smile to hear Oakley say he wants to do races like mommy when he gets older
Someday we'll run one together

Love Ben for being my support and managing all 3 among the crowds all morning

He is taking care of ALL of us today
He is a SAINT, I couldn't run these races without him

We are ALL exhausted

Even though it was a HARD run, it feels good to have my first post-baby race out of the way.

Hopefully I will meet my goal next time!

2012-01-14T13:10:00.001-07:00

Love how fast these guys are....

It's SO NICE to actually chase instead of wait for them on our outings
I kinda feel like I am working out ALL DAY LONG
I am LOVING the energy from these boys
They are PERFECT

My babe at 9 months...

2012-01-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Jax at 9 months...

He weighs 17.50 lbs. in the 5th percentile, he seems to be going down on the growth chart...

He is 27.50 inches tall, in the 20th percentile...still a shorty

He has 4 teeth

He has mastered crawling

He pulls himself up to stand

He LOVES his sleep...we are SO lucky!!!

He loves his blankie

He LOVES his thumb, SO.DANG.CUTE!

He loves to eat, just started table food

He LOVES his older brothers and gets lonely when he's by himself

He says MaMa and GaGa

He LOVES bath time with his brothers

He enjoys his stroller...he is in it a lot!!

He loves swimming...loves to splash

He is SUPER busy...reminds me a lot of Oakley

We are SO lucky to have him in our little family, he is PERFECT in every way

He is our MIRACLE baby and proves it to us every.single.day.

Love You Baby Jax, SO happy you are MINE

Salt Lake Break...Take 2

2012-01-03T23:30:00.016-07:00

We headed back up to Salt Lake for Christmas break. We packed the car with gifts and made our way to spend the first night in Vegas. We took the kids down the strip to see the lights and the M&M store. They LOVED all the lights.

We made it just in time for Angies' Fit Kids class. The boys were SO ready to get out of the car and jump around.

Ben and I attended our friends annual Nogger. Kim and Tim were the hosts this year and they did a fabulous job! It was great to see everyone in their festive sweaters. Ben and I of course slacked on the sweaters this year... they just don't sell sweaters in sunny AZ.

The girls: Laurie, Carolina due in May, Amy, Debby, Laura due in Jan., Me, Kim due in June

The guys: Luke, Chris, Jake, Nick, Ben, Tim and Ben Schneider as the Elf in the middle

The boys made and ate their Gingerbread house.

We enjoyed some indoor swimming with our cousins. The boys had a blast and were REALLY worn out.

As I go through my pics I realize I have A TON of Jax...he's at such a fun age with everything I can't stop taking pics of him.

We bundled up and headed to a fun park with our cousins. It was cold but the kids stayed warm with how busy they were. They played for a good 3 hours at the park.

They just can't get enough of their cousins when we visit. They have tons of cousins to play with it's so nice to get them all together.

And last but not least we celebrated Ben's Birthday on New Years Eve. I tried to do a little surprise party but it is near impossible to throw a surprise party when you don't have your own place to throw it and you are always together for the break. I could sneak away to get a few things done only after my gym time. And even then Angie was driving me around. I was SO close to just giving up because things weren't working out. So, he found out the day of because I had all the food and we of course were in the same car...oh well, better luck next time!

Happy Birthday Babe...and once again we were driving home on his Bday...just like the last 5 years!:)

Thanks to Amy and Luke for letting me borrow your house...sorry we left a mess!:)

We had a fabulous visit and it was fun to see everyone. Ben and I LOVED our date nights and enjoyed some yummy dinners with family and friends. We ended up driving the whole way home on New Years Day because we were SO ready to sleep in our own beds. The kids did great in the car for 10 1/2 hours, probably due to exhaustion from being so busy while we were away and they were so occupied with their new Christmas gifts.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:58:00.002-07:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Young side on Christmas Eve at Angie's church. We ate a delicious dinner, the kids had a talent show and a fun gift exchange. It was so fun to enjoy the Holiday with the Family.

The Young family minus Alane...she wasn't there yet

Christmas Eve the boys opened a gift...surprise...Christmas Jammies. They also opened a new board game and enjoyed playing it before they went to bed.

Christmas morning they woke up at 6...we made them wait until 7 to head upstairs. Right at 7 o'clock they ran upstairs straight to the tree. I don't think my parents have had an early Christmas morning like that in a long time.

Christmas was so much fun this year with these boys. I LOVE seeing Christmas through their eyes. Holidays are so much more exciting when you have kids to experience all the activities with. They LOVED all their gifts and we enjoy seeing them so happy.

2011-12-18T23:00:00.008-07:00

What do you do on a Saturday when your hubby is at the library ALL DAY
and ALL 3 of your boys have coughs and runny noses,
and you just can't bring yourself to stay home?

You spend the day at the Zoo.

They can run and play without contaminating anyone else
and you get to stay sane while having sick kiddos.....

The weather was a perfect 70
The babe just layed in his stroller and watched his brothers..SO CONTENT
The boys were FABULOUS
Not one fight, they played like bestfriends
Not one meltdown from Cam...I think this was the first meltdown free day since he turned 3
I enjoyed a 4 hour walk in the sunshine
They were all EXHAUSTED and were asking to go to bed at 7

2011-12-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Fourth tooth FINALLY broke through....

that was a TOUGH one! So glad it came before Christmas break...it has been a LONG week.

70 degrees...in December

2011-12-11T23:30:00.008-07:00

We are LOVING the Winter weather down here. It is the middle of December and we are at the parks every day.

Jax took his first ride in the swing today...he LOVED it. My first child to actually like the swing.

The boys will play in the sand for HOURS. Oakley LOVES to build bridges and Cam LOVES to destroy them.

They love to play games with their friends. Soccer and hide and seek are the current favorites.

When we get home the boys know the routine...Strip off their clothes on the front porch BEFORE coming inside, leaving everything on the porch
(they usually have pockets full of sand) and going straight to the tub for a scrub.

Jax LOVES the tub with his brothers. When he hears me start the water he starts speed crawling and whining until he is in the tub. Some days I don't plan to bathe him because he has sensitive skin, but he whines until he is in his bath seat.

December 11th and it was 70 degrees outside...we are definitly not missing the snow!

Family Pics

2011-12-10T23:00:00.002-07:00

While we were in Salt Lake for Thanksgiving we had Kim and Tim do our Family Pictures. We LOVE all of them and I seriously don't know how they took such great pics as that day was horrible. The kids were awful, especially Cam. When we got out of the car we all looked disheveled. My hair of course wouldn't work the way I wanted, Oakley's shoes didn't fit so he got blisters, Cam wouldn't let me touch his hair, luckily it was a little windy so he just looked windblown. Our attire looked like we were heading to a funeral. And of course Cam wanted to fight with us the WHOLE time. I was nervous none of them would turn out. Kim must have done A LOT of editing to get these to look good.

THANKYOU Kim and Tim for taking our pics once again! We LOVE you guys...especially watching Kim jump up and down to get the kids to smile! HILARIOUS!!

8 months already....

2011-12-05T21:00:00.002-07:00

This sweet face is already 8 months....

He is slowly crawling his way around

He has 3 teeth with one more on the way

He is a fabulous eater of all the good foods...doesn't quite like his formula anymore unless it's mixed with something sweet

LOVES his sleep...after a 3 week hiatus of waking up twice a night (probably due to traveling) he is FINALLY back to sleeping all 10 hours

He LOVES his stroller

He is perfectly content just to watch his brothers run and play...just as long as Cam doesn't get too close

He is such a perfect baby...he makes my hard days with 3 ABSOLUTELY worth every minute

Look who's on 2 wheels....

2011-12-03T23:00:00.002-07:00

Cam learned to ride without training wheels today. He had a balance bike before his training wheel bike which helped teach him to keep his balance. He HATED the training wheels, so we took them off and he was on his own on his first try.

First Christmas Present from Angie

2011-12-01T20:00:00.003-07:00

Angie sent some cute gifts home with us for the boys to open on December 1st.

Did I mention my kids LOVE her? Maybe this is why....

All three gifts, cutely wrapped with their own name on them...

These are of course early morning pics as my kids have been anxious for December 1st to get here....

This pic is an improvement for Cam, at least his eyes are looking at the camera...no way was he going to smile though

Watching Jax play with his got us excited for Christmas this year...he LOVED opening it

Thanks Angie for the Count Down To Christmas Calendars...the boys LOVE them!

9 Year Anniversary

2011-12-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

We were able to get a way for a night in Park City for our 9 year anniversary. We stayed at the New Park Hotel and it was FABULOUS! It was SO great to get away without the kids and spend some time together. I can't believe how fast the past 9 years have gone. Here are some pics of our room, it was SO nice with it's own kitchen, huge bathroom, heated tiles, and own hot tub on the deck. We will forsure be visiting again. SO ROMANTIC and SO PERFECT for a little get away....

We went to dinner, shopping at the outlets and relaxed in our room. I was a little sad to leave Jax the first time, but it was definitely worth it to get a way just the hubby and I.

Just a FEW things I LOVE about Ben...

He is THEEE BEST Dad to our 3 boys, they all idolize him
He is THEE BEST Husband, I couldn't ask for anything more
He is VERY affectionate
He is always extremely supportive
He is very PATIENT and ALWAYS on time, even if he is dragging me out the door
He is HILARIOUS, makes me laugh every single day
He is a FABULOUS cook AND he enjoys it
He is very CLEAN and ORGANIZED
He never gets stressed..not sure how with everything he does
He is a very POSITIVE person, always sees the good in things
He is such a HARD WORKER
He is very greatful for everything he has, never takes things for granted
He wants only the BEST for his little family
He puts up with my OCD and crazy quirks and laughs about them
He is still the same person I fell in love with 13 years ago, I KNEW I would marry him
He is my BESTFRIEND

I am SO Lucky to have spent the last 9 years with him and I am looking forward to MANY MORE!

Our 2 week break...back in Salt Lake

2011-11-29T14:34:00.001-07:00

We headed home for Ben's 2 week break and Thanksgiving. We were excited to see everyone and couldn't believe it has already been 3 months since we left. We invaded my mom's house for the 2 weeks while we visited our family and friends. I of course SLACKED with the camera, only got it out maybe 3 times the whole trip. The kids had a BLAST playing with their cousins and friends everyday, I of course enjoyed having my hubby around.

Oakley and Camden loved playing at their cousins house. Oakley had little tears in his eyes when we got in the car the last night. Cam still talks about his cousin Madelyn.

My sis-in-law Angie teaches aerobics at the spa and a couple nights a week she teaches a fit kids class. The boys LOVED going to it, not only to exercise but they LOVE Angie.

Angie and I work out EVERY day, sometimes twice a day while I visit. We head to Xcel in the morning and then she teaches a weight lifting class in the evenings. I LOVE IT...she is SO tough and really pushes me in the gym....she's my free personal trainer. I miss our early mornings AND our talks, my workouts just aren't the same here. I really look forward to seeing her when we visit...looking forward to Christmas for our workouts again!

These are the only pics I took of Jax...such a happy baby with his 2 new teeth. He has now MASTERED the army crawl.

Our good friends Luke and Amy invited us to their farm to see the horses and play with their fun toys. It was supposed to be a warm, sunny 60 degrees, but...it wasn't.

Oakley LOVED Blakes motorcycle and Cam LOVED the little tractor. They could play out there ALL day! The one bad thing about visiting home and seeing all your friends and family is it makes you miss them more...ALL.OVER.AGAIN! We miss this little family so much every day...we didn't see them nearly enough during our visit.

We stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way home to let the kids run around and get out of the car. The WARM sun felt SO good and the view wasn't bad either.

This is Cam SO DESPERATELY wanting a picture...but yet he can't even bring his stubborn 3 year old self to look at the camera.

We had a great 2 week break, even though it was quite cold. We had 2 fabulous Thanksgiving dinners with both families, of course I didn't get pics. We loved going to dinner with our friends, so good to see everyone, it felt like we never left.
While we were there we managed to get away to Park City for our 9 year anniversary, it's so nice to enjoy each other without the chaos of the kids. THANKS to my mom for taking the kids overnight and letting us take over your home.
We are now enjoying the warmer weather in AZ and we'll be heading back to cold SL in 3 weeks for Christmas.

My goal for Christmas break....TAKE MORE PICTURES!

Our first Hike

2011-11-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day I had to turn on my seat heater. It was a little chilly this morning but it actually felt refreshing and FINALLY feels like Fall down here. It was PERFECT temperature for my morning run, it felt fabulous at Oakley's soccer game and it turned out being a great day for our first hike...since we wouldn't sweat to death! We invited some friends, Erin, Olive and Madge, and headed up these black, rocky hills they call mountains. The kids had fun collecting sticks and getting dirty. It turned out to be a fun Saturday afternoon since Ben was studying and it was a new adventure with this chilly afternoon weather.

The boys are at perfect ages to explore the desert mountains and Jax is completely content just being outside, we will forsure be heading up those mini mountains again.

Children's Museum round Two

2011-11-04T19:43:00.002-07:00

I was lucky enough to check out the Culture Pass at our Library to the Children's Museum which gives you 2 free admissions. It was our Lucky Day!

This place is FABULOUS ! The exhibits are all hands on and the decor is to DIE for. The boys are at the PERFECT age. There's a room made for building forts...my boys would LOVE one of those. If you ever come to Pheonix, you must visit this museum. It has won many awards and is ranked one of THE BEST childrens museums in the country.

5+ hours and only 2.5 meltdowns from the 3 year old...

our adventure was a success!

Halloween

2011-10-31T23:00:00.003-07:00

This year for Halloween we had 2 Transformers and a frog. Oakley was Optimus Prime and Cam was Bumblebee. Jax was the famous frog that Oakley and Cam were when they were his age. It was on it's 3rd time being used but it's SO cute Jax just had to wear it too. Even if it's made for Salt Lake weather. Halloween snuck up on us this year as it is still in the 80's and it doesn't feel like Fall here so it was weird to Trick or Treat with the weather still so warm.

We decorated yummy sugar cookies at Erin's house. They were seriously the best frosted sugar cookies I have EVER had!

The pic of Oakley is from Erin's camera...hopefully I get one of those for Christmas! hint..hint...Ben :)

The kids painted pumpkins at one of our playgroups this month. After their creativity with ALL the colors...ours ended up Black.:)

It isn't Halloween unless you carve pumpkins in your underwear....kids idea!

Oakley's school had a Halloween day and they invited the whole fam. Cam got to hang with the Kindergarteners for a day and enjoy all the activities. He loved it but was REALLY worn out. They had a fun day with a Parade through the school, decorating sugar cookies and painting pumpkins. He has such a fun class and LOVES his school. He has a little crush on Madeline...he gets so embarassed when you ask about her...so funny! Luckily they are our neighbors so he sees her quite often.

We had our Trunk-or-Treat the weekend before Halloween and then on Halloween Ben's school had a party with Blow Up slides, Trick or Treating and balloon making for the kids. It was SO busy and the kids LOVED it.

Here's my Optimus Prime...

This is my BumbleBee...

every yellow car he now sees he says it's Bumblebee.

This is my attempt at a pic with all 3 of them...they are NEVER all looking at the camera at once. The center pic is Oakley on the slide with his crush Madeline. On the right the boys are Trick or Treating with cute Olive.

Here is my frog. I am looking in a reflection in a window with the camera turned around to take his pic and apparently I think if you smile REALLY big in the window with their back towards you it will make them smile...well it kinda worked.:) It's the ONLY one I have of him smiling so I'm stuck in it!

Another reason for my wanting a new camera for Christmas...it has a flip screen! :)

The kids were loaded with candy from all their activities and they had a blast celebrating all month with all their friends. As for Ben and I, he was in shorts and I was in flip flops trick-or-treating...we were satisfied!

Oakley Soccer

2011-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

Oakley started Soccer the beginning of October when it finally starts to cool down here. First game he was a little rusty, I admit it was a tad bit hard to watch. But with team practice during the week and kicking the ball around with Cam and I at the park almost everyday, he's actually gotten really good.

He's the shortest AND fastest player on the team. It's so great he understands the game and to see his improvement from last year.

The coach makes them run a lot at practice, mostly to exhaust them so they'll listen. When he was done with practice one night he comes over out of breath saying he needs to practice running with mommy on the treadmill so he won't be so tired. Funny kid!!

Visitors and The Grand Canyon

2011-10-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

My parents came into town this weekend and the boys were SO excited to see them and show them our new place. They got here Thursday night and we went out to dinner. Friday we took them to the Pheonix Zoo with our passes. It was in the low 90's so it felt good to us, but you could tell it was still too warm for them since they have been used to Salt Lake weather. We then had them at our place for dinner on Friday night. Saturday morning we headed up to the Grand Canyon. We had never been before and we loved it. It is only 3 1/2 hours away from us and it was BEAUTIFUL. We walked around an overlook of the canyon and the boys were of course SPOILED by Grandma and Grandpa with ice cream and gifts. We had a yummy dinner back at the hotel and took the kids hottubbing. Sunday morning we headed into the park again to another lookout. We said our goodbyes and my parents headed through the park and back to Salt Lake. We stayed for a little while and walked around with the boys. The canyon was SO gorgeous, Ben and I want to go back without the kids so we can hike around and camp. We had to keep a tight grip on the kids as it was kind of nerve racking being on the edge of the canyon as you never know what kids are going to try to do. Especially Cam in his AWFUL 3 year old stage.

Did I mention Cam is in this awful 3 year old stage? He doesn't like getting his picture taken, or anything else I would like him to do....stubborn child.

Oakley is in a FABULOUS stage. He's become such a smart, sweet 5 year old. I think a tiny bit of that daddy's boy has started to prefer mom, probably since we've bonded the last 2 months with Ben in school. It's crazy how we are SO alike.

He loves to be right by Grandma and tell her about what he's learned in school, I think he tries to impress her since she's a teacher...funny kid!

When they left he asked how long until he gets to visit them. He was REALLY excited that it's only a short month until Thanksgiving. We all had such a fun mini vacation, it felt SO good to get away and have some fun visitors. We all got spoiled with my parents visiting. It's crazy we don't see them everyday anymore. I can't believe that it's been 2 months since we have seen them and we are REALLY excited to see them for the Holidays.

2011-10-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Look who got his first tooth this week....

The first one came in easy and surprised us one day.

It's a different story for this next one.

Poor baby Jax.

Haters are my Motivators...

2011-10-18T11:06:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to catch a little of Ellen the other day and in one of her stories she said "Haters are my Motivators". Of course I thought it was quite creative AND true.

So, we've been here for about 2 months and I have been working out at the Gym at Midwestern, where Ben goes to school. I won't include all the details as this story would be a novel, but there are signs around the gym that if you are a guest, not a student, you should be with a student. Of course Ben and I can't workout together because of the kids. So, I would get this guilty feeling when I would go because I'm not a student so I asked Ben to talk to student services about me working out there. They said it was fine and had no problem with it. I have been going to spin classes in the morning and the instructor is a SUPER nice professor and his wife. So I asked them if it was a problem that I was coming to the classes and the gym even though I am not a student. They said it was no problem at all and they liked the attendance because it doesn't get used a lot.

Now to the actual story....
There are these 3 girls that stare me down and whisper sbout me EVERY time I see them there. So last week I asked one a question and she gave me this very RUDE, smart alec remark for an answer. I NICELY explained my question and she was then a LITTLE nicer in her response, since I was TRYING to be SUPER nice and not give her a real reason to dislike me, which she already does. REALLY hard for me to not be a smart A back to her!! he he.... She then asked if I was a student and I explained that my husband was and what program etc..etc... She never said anything about working out there, but I am pretty sure she was wondering that from the beginning. She then seemed more approachable and told me they were all in the Dental program. So, still trying to be SUPER nice and interested I asked questions about their studies etc..etc..

I then go this morning to the gym and a new girl is with them, she asks one of the girls about me....still not sure why they even CARE who I am. I don't care who they are. So one of the girls I had already talked to proceeds to tell this new girl all about me as if I'm not standing right next to them! Total conversation about me....REALLY...are we in middle school? I was honestly shocked at how immature they were and why do they even HATE me to begin with? I DID NOTHING to them, I guess running next to them on the treadmill gives enough reason to hate someone these days?!?

I then went to the Spinning class and obviously had THE BEST workout because they got me fired up, which I'm not proud of the fact that I let them in my head. I told the instructors about the whole thing and how crazy the girls were. They were SHOCKED and said if the girls ever commented about me working out there to say I got the OK from them and they could go talk to them about it if they had a problem with it...since they are professors.

Anyways....for some reason they are my haters which then motivates me to get there every morning at 5:30 for my usual workout. I won't be changing my routine just because of them, it's their problem it bothers them SO much! I will of course be SUPER nice, as it might make them wonder why they are SO RUDE to such an overly friendly girl who they don't even know.

2011-10-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Oakley, Olive and Camden on our walk today. Fabulous they get along so well.

Pheonix Childrens Museum

2011-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Pheonix has THE BEST Children's Museum! The first Friday of every month they have a free admission night from 6 until 10. We had never been before but since we had a membership to Discovery in Salt Lake I have really wanted to take the boys to the museum here. So we gathered the boys Friday night and headed into Pheonix, the building is AMAZING to say the least! It has this huge play house type thing in the center of the building that goes clear to the top. Every level offers exciting and educational exhibits for the kids that keep them quite busy.

This was Jax and me the ENTIRE night. He had just had his 6 month shots so he wasn't feeling too great and since it was free admission night, there were TONS of people. It was quite loud so I was constantly bouncing him and whispering to him in his little ear...poor babe!

This is to document Ben with us! :) He gets one night a week out with us and we are SO glad he got to come to the museum. The boys and I always LOVE it when he gets to come with us on our little adventures in this new city.

We can't wait to go back to the museum, the library has a culture pass to this museum and hopefully we'll get lucky enough to check it out since it's the most popular. It's quite expensive for one visit and for our FAB student living these days so we are crossing our fingers! The boys would love to spend ALL day there. Maybe one year we'll be lucky enough to get a membership...maybe!

Jax at Six Months

2011-10-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

AHHHH! My baby boy is ALREADY 6 months! It is SO crazy how fast this time goes and how sad I am to see him grow up. I was packing up his 3-6 month clothes and was really sad he won't wear them again, he won't EVER be that small EVER again! He is such a sweet happy boy. I wish he would just stay a baby FOREVER. Before I had Jax I had never been a big fan of the baby stage, he has totally converted me into a baby lover! I just love the feeling of him needing me for everything. Something I never really liked with Cam and Oakley. I guess when you see your others get older and not NEED you anymore....you LOVE it when someone does! The simplest things make him happy, his big toothless grin is SO contagious. Everytime he sees me he has the biggest grin on his face, makes me feel like I'm doing something right these days!

Some things I want to remember about our baby Jax at 6 months are:

He weighs 14.12 lbs...in the 8th percentile, although to me he looks quite CHUBBY

He is 26.25 inches long...in the 35th percentile, he may be our tallest yet

He is rolling over to both sides

He LOVES his bottle and food, he's a HUGE eater

He LOVES his sleep, it's a struggle to keep him up until 7

He sleeps 10-11 hours before he wakes for a bottle, then he goes right back down...SO GREAT!

He is a thumb sucker and blankie snuggler

He LOVES to snuggle and give big, open mouthed, slobbery kisses whenever he can, he looks like he's trying to eat you

He can watch his brothers ALL day long and be entertained

He has the deepest belly giggle while watching his brothers run around, then they want to do it more

He loves to listen to himself baby talk and scream his high pitch squeal, especially in small confined rooms that echo (ie...the drs. office...I think they hurry faster when he does it because he's SO loud)

He ALWAYS, without fail, sticks his hands in his mouth after his first bite of food then wipes it on his tray to "paint"...he LOVES the colors and probably the mushy feel

He is SUPER spitty...always has been. You can usually find him chewing after he spits up..So gross, but pretty funny to watch.

He LOVES his car seat, stroller, baby bjorn...he's a take-me-anywhere baby!

Chillin' in his car while I clean the boys' room

Ben took this one morning, the reason for the messy hair of the other two...

Trying to master the crawl..he loves tummy time. I love those cheeks!

We are so in LOVE with this little guy and can't imagine our busy days without him. He has added SO much to our little family in the last 6 months. Looking forward to many more with his sweet personality.

The last few reps.....

2011-10-03T14:23:00.001-07:00

If you have ever done a P90X workout video the guy always says the last few reps are the ones that will make a difference in your body. That you shouldn't quit before those last few reps and you need to push yourself harder to get to the place you want to be. For some reason I have had this stuck in my head since I did a video a few days ago, but I haven't been relating it to working out. I have been self talking myself from the hours of dinner time until bed time. At home I would leave for work at 4:30, when Ben would get home from work so he did dinner time, bath time and bed time and I would get home when the kids were fast asleep. You might think that leaving for work after a busy day with the kids would just make you more exhausted, but it actually revived me, gave me a burst of energy. To get away from kid things and only have to think about myself was the break my mind needed. I could actually put my mind to work on different things that weren't child related. It was FABULOUS!! I obviously love my kids but I LOVED my break, my mental break.

So, with Ben in school and studying at night I very RARELY get a break. I think this has been one of the BIGGEST adjustments for me as I try to push myself into making it those last few reps between dinner, which I never had to even think about, and them finally sleeping. We are really busy during this time with Oakley's homework, soccer, swimming, walks and bike rides with friends and then the usual bath time bed time routine. But my mind is still in kid mode, as with any job you work at for 12-13 hours straight, your mind needs a break. Those last few hours seem more of a "rep" than the rest of the day. I'm not sure if others feel this way about that time of day, I'm just not used to it from working evenings and getting a MENTAL break. My work made me feel balanced as a mom, I have a busy mind so I loved feeling like I could be home with the kids in the day (most rewarding and hardest job I'll ever have) and not miss these years that go SO fast, still have the bonding time with them that I love and wouldn't trade for anything, still get housework done and still use my mind to work in the evenings for my PURE enjoyment.

I just keep repeating that phrase "the last few reps will change you" hopefully I can get to a place where they have changed me and I won't think of that time as the last few reps. Is it weird I related that saying to my motherly duties? Maybe I'm just going crazy as I wonder why I think so deeply about the P90X guys' saying and relating it to my life. My new life in Arizona, where I am still adjusting with my 3 chaotic boys. Maybe having 3 kids is hitting me harder now than when I did get my mental break going to work? No complaints....just adjusting! Hopefully soon it will all feel normal again.

Dear Jax

2011-09-30T12:23:00.002-07:00

You melt my heart every time I look at your sweet face...

and every time I look at that sweet face I hope you NEVER turn 3!!!

Busy Boys

2011-09-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Since it's still 100+ degrees down here we are still swimming almost everyday. The majority of our neighbors are students so the wives get together with all the kiddos and have playdates almost everyday. Every Monday we get together with everyone in the morning, then in the afternoon Cam goes to a Mini Movers class with his new best friend and future wife Olive (such a cute name for such a cute girl). Olive has a little sister named Madge who Jax will probably marry when they get older. They are THE cutest girls and I am so in LOVE with their names! The whole family looks like they just walked out of a magazine. They are SO nice and we are pretty lucky we met them. They came from New York so of course Erin, their gorgeous mom, has THE cutest, most stylish clothes, bags, shoes etc....can you tell I'm a little envious of her attire?!? Her husband, Jordan looks like he could be an abercrombie model, so of course their girls are GORGEOUS! Jordan is in the Dental Program at Midwestern so we are excited they will be here while we are...such great friends!

This is Cam and Olive at a gymnastics gym for the playdate. This isn't the greatest picture, it's crazy how hard it is to get two 3 year olds to hold still, look at the camera AND smile. I will forsure get a better one soon, they play together almost everyday...it's SO great they get along so well!

I just had to add this pic of Jaxon's wrinkley, rolly bum. Everytime I give him a bath I can't get over how cute it is! I wanted to document that he is finally getting some hair...yes, it is blonde...but it's there!

The boys playing at a splash pad at this way cute shopping center in Scottsdale. So nice to have a splash pad in the middle of the shopping...gives me something to bribe them with while we are in the stores. And Oakley swimming at our pool one morning, they can never swim too much.

Arizona Science Museum

2011-09-19T09:27:00.002-07:00

Our Library has these Culture Passes that you can check out for a week and it gives you 2 FREE admissions into different exhibits. So we checked out the Science Museum pass and went down to see what is was about. Ben had an exam to study for so the boys and I headed down for the day. It was SO great! We spent 5 hours exploring 4 floors of hands on exhibits for the kids. The Museum covered the body and brain, solar power, recycling, magnetics,the Solar System, building a house which showed all the pipes in the home and the electricity, the digital world, music, Earth and forces of nature. They have a huge IMAX screen and Planetarium. All the exhibits were hands on so the kids could do everything. The kids were at the perfect age to actually understand things so they had a BLAST!

If you are ever in Pheonix you need to visit this Museum. It was SO great...the kids were exhausted after 5 hours! They're favorite exhibit was probably the HUGE stomach and intestine slide. The kids would go through the stomach and it would go over digestion and when they would go down the slide it would make LOUD farting sounds. My boys were in HEAVEN! I stood kind of far away while people wondered whose kids they were because they would not get off the slide! :) Their laughs were just as loud as the farting noise...CRAZY BOYS!

Zoo #2

2011-09-12T08:46:00.001-07:00

We decided one Saturday to explore the Zoo again since we only got through a third of it the first time. Again, we were there for 3 hours and made it through another loop. There are 3 loops in the Zoo and we still haven't seen everything. It is really nice that you see all new animals than the time before. We still can't believe how big it is. The boys played in the splash pads to help cool off, rode the train (it's on actual tires instead of a train track so it covers the whole Zoo) and then they rode a Camel. They were pretty excited when they saw you could ride them.

Do they look alike???

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I was going through pics and I never realized how much Jax and Oakley look alike. Funny how they are similar pictures in the bath tub. We thought he looked like Cam at first, but I think he's starting to look more like Oakley.

This first pic is Jax

This second pic is Oakley

This third pic is Cam

Oakley's face is a little more round than the others. Crazy how they all have blue eyes even though Ben and I both have brown.

"Patty"

2011-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have never "blogged" before so I am apologizing now if it is not up to "blogger" standards. I just wanted to add a few things to this lovely blog that my wife has put so much time and effort into (this is Ben by the way, so I hope she doesn't delete this!)

Patricia Johnson Young

Patty (aka Tricia) has put up with me for the last 13 years and I wanted her to know how much she means to me. I am so grateful to have her in my life!

Here are a few things that I like most about Patty:

She is incredibly patient and an amazing mother
She Loves me
She is very organized
She is a great friend
She thinks I am funny (but tries not to laugh at my jokes)
She is still SO HOT (Never guess that she had 3 kids!)
She likes the same things I do (or at least pretends to)

I could keep going but I better stop now before I get in too much trouble for messing with her blog.

Thanks for the last 13 years, I can't wait for the next 13.

I love you Patty!

Jaxon 5 months

2011-09-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this guy is already 5 months! Where does this time go? It makes me SO sad he is growing SO quickly. He is such a sweet baby, we LOVE every minute with him. Some things about Jax at 5 months are:

He is always SMILING

He has started to baby talk, which is SO cute to listen to

He LOVES his brothers, he smiles at Oakley but gets nervous with Cam (for good reasons)

He LOVES his crib, he has the biggest grin when I put him down for bed

He sleeps 9 hours straight at night! SO GREAT!

He rolls over on his own

LOVES bath time, splashes everywhere

LOVES to go swimming

LOVES sucking his thumb

LOVES having his blanket with him all the time, even if it's 110 degrees outside

LOVES his swing, first child of mine to actually like the swing...so glad we can finally use it!

LOVES to cuddle

Of course I could go on about our baby Jax. It's crazy how the baby stage seems so new even if he's our 3rd baby. I feel like he's our first with every new thing he does....you forget what babies are like when your others are older. He makes me SO happy! I am SO lucky to be able to be with him all day long!

Pheonix Zoo

2011-09-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pheonix Zoo and it was AMAZING!!! I still can't believe how big it is and how many animals they have to see. We were there for 3 hours and only went through 1/3 of it. There are a few splash pads for the kids to run through which is genius for the kids to cool off. There is a neat petting zoo with cows the kids could milk. There is a sting ray exhibit for the kids to hold sea creatures. All the exhibits were so exciting and big for all the animals it didn't feel like they were in a Zoo. They had a bunch of little trails where it felt like you were walking through a Jungle with all the huge trees. The boys were SO excited and happy to be there. They had paddle boats you could ride in the lake. We got there at 10:30 in the morning and were there until 1:30 before we were all exhausted and soaked with sweat! We bought a membership so the boys and I will have something to keep us busy while Ben is at school and doing homework at night. It will forsure keep us entertained with how much there is to see and do. We are already excited to go back and see the rest of the animals when it gets a little cooler. Which will hopefully be in the next couple weeks! We are REALLY looking forward to this Winter when we can go in December and we won't have to bundle!

So far we have loved it here! I feel like I was meant to live here with this sunny weather and all these Palm Trees. The scenery is gorgeous, the red rock and the sunsets and sunrises are amazing next to the blue sky! Some days I wish it was about 10 degrees cooler, but I would forsure rather take a really hot Summer and milder Winter over snow anyday. It would be perfect here if they had decent mountains and not these burnt, little hills they call mountains, but I guess nothing is perfect!

Sea Life Arizona

2011-09-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

We headed over to Sea Life Arizona the other night. The boys LOVED it. They had sharks, sea horses, sting rays, starfish the boys could hold, crabs, jelly fish and of course many other fish that I can't name. They had a little theater where the boys could watch Sponge Bob and rest a little from all the excitement.

Bike Riding and Early morning walks

2011-09-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Since we finally got settled in and unpacked we have been going to new places and trying to find our way around town. I went running one morning and found this really neat trail that goes behind our Recreation Center. I knew the boys would just love to go explore it on their bikes. So one Sunday morning we headed out. It was 8 in the morning and already around 90 degrees. The boys had a great time, but were quite hot by the time we finished.

This next set of pics is another early morning, the only good time to play outside before it gets too hot. Oakley rode his scooter through these neat walkways which lead to his school. We fed the ducks at this little pond which also had turtles and fish. We were surprised to see so many turtles and some of them were quite big. They were excited to stop and touch a cactus.

The Big Move

2011-08-25T22:22:00.003-07:00

We moved out of our place July 31st. It amazes me how much stuff we accumulated in the 3 years that we lived there. A HUGE THANKS to everyone who came and helped load all our junk into the trailer. It was such a LONG, exhausting weekend! Ben stayed at work until the 16th so we stayed in my parents basement until the 18th. They were probably excited to have their house back after the 5 of us took over their house for almost 3 weeks. During the 3 weeks we kept pretty busy with family, friends and Ben and I having date nights almost every other night, it was SO great! A HUGE THANKS to my mom and dad for letting us stay and letting my kids take over! I'm not sure why, but I always love going back home...it feels so familiar since I grew up there.

Ben's sister Angie invited us to the Zoo for the member night where the kids got their faces painted and decorated shirts. The kids loved it and of course they loved being with their cousins.

We had cousin camp at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. The kids loved it, they could play there for hours.

We enjoyed some Miniature golf with our good friends Luke, Amy, Blake and Callie. We sure miss living next to them! The kids had such a fun time. It was a perfect night with the weather and the kids had so much fun!

Luke and Amy organized a Pizza party with our friends. THANK YOU!!!! It was great to see everyone before we left town. We sure miss them and all the kids! Every time I look at the picture of the guys I can't believe they have been friends since Elementary School. SO CRAZY!!!

We headed up Millcreek Canyon with Ben's family for Dinner and S'mores. It was fun to get together with everyone and the kids always have a blast roasting marshmallows!

My younger sister Stephanie came into town and we all went swimming. The boys LOVE her. When we were leaving the pool Oakley asked Stephanie if she could move to Arizona with us.:(

When Stephanie went back to Colorado she took my baby girl Aspen with her. Our place doesn't allow dogs and we couldn't find another place within walking distance from Ben's school that would take dogs. It was a SAD day for me! I have had her for 13 years and even though she isn't the nicest dog, especially to kids, she was still my first baby. It breaks my heart to know she thinks I abandoned her. I will get to see her at Christmas, but I still get SO SAD every time I think about her. I miss her SO much everyday!

Angie's little girl, Megan had a fun Birthday party where we went to a Movie in the Park afterwards. It was so much fun to bring blankets and pillows and just lounge under the stars while the kids watched the movie. They had such a fun time with their cousins! We also had a goodbye party at Angie's house the night before we left where they gave the kids backpacks STUFFED with fun activities and treats for them to enjoy for the long ride down. They were LIFESAVERS!!! The kids did SO good in the car because of those backpacks! THANK YOU!!!!!

So the drive down was of course long and it didn't help to know that when we got to our new place we still had to unload my dad's trailer in the Arizona heat. These pics are of the kids with the HUGE backpacks from the cousins and on the drive. I think the kids were SO worn out from the previous 3 weeks they slept and were content in the car to just sit and play games. Even baby Jax slept a good amount!

My FABULOUS dad pulled his overstuffed trailer for 2 days down to our place and helped us unload. HE was our lifesaver! He headed straight back home after we unloaded. Such a LONG drive and we were so lucky to have all his help with all our moving. He was probably exhausted and 10 lbs. lighter by the time he left from all the moving and sweating in the 100+ heat.

We had the HUGEST mess when we were finally done unloading. We had one little trail through our place amongst all the boxes which towered over our heads. And we still had 2 crazy boys to entertain and a baby to tend to. It was quite a stressful week and we just barely emptied our last box.

Of course it's been super hot here, but it hasn't bothered me as much as I thought. I only miss the cooler weather when I am out on my morning run and it's still 95 degrees. At least the sun isn't out yet so it's easier to handle. I actually like to be in the heat (dry heat) and I haven't been cold once since we got here. It's another story for Ben though, he showers morning and night because he's always sweating. We have been swimming every day, the kids LOVE the new pool. The kid part of the pool has a sand entrance so it feels like you are on the beach. They will play there for hours. There is a cute ice cream and yogurt shop that we'll walk to at night and they have misters on their patio that the kids love. They will eat their ice cream and run around in the misters to stay cool.

When we first got here Oakley saw the Palm Trees and asked if we lived on the Beach. :)

The neighborhood is really nice. Very kid and exercise friendly, which is SO great since that is what I loved about our last neighborhood. Ben's school is right across the street so we see him more.

This happy guy is getting SO big! I had to stop nursing him while we were staying at my moms, he just wasn't getting enough. Probably from all the stress of moving. Since then I feel like he's gained a pound and is growing like crazy. We started giving him baby food which he loves and the boys love to help feed him. He now sleeps from 8 until 6 every night which is SO fabulous!

Oakley started Kindergarten the Monday we got here. He is still adjusting being the new kid since he started late. I am hoping he enjoys it more than he seems to right now. It was such a big change moving and starting Kindergarten. He still talks about his Preschool teacher and how he likes her more than his new teacher. He sure does have A LOT more work this year, he already has a good amount of homework every night.

I am just getting used to the new place. It really took me a few days to stop thinking of everything I am missing; our families, Aspen, my job, my neighborhood, my friends, our old place, my SIL Angie...my personal trainer for the past 2 weeks (I REALLY miss our 2 hr morning workouts)! It has been an adjustment for ALL of us, but now we are all unpacked and starting to get in a schedule I finally have the feeling that I can handle this change and make the best of it! I was really sad the second day we were here and Oakley came up to me and said "Mommy, I'm really sad we had to move too" it was really sweet to see him notice how I was feeling and it was the first time he had ever said anything about moving the whole 3 weeks.

It has been fun to find new things to do in a new place. Simple things like the Library, the new Rec Center, the new pool and new trails to look for lizards and jack rabbits on are so exciting for the boys. We are hoping to take them to see some Professional sports games since they have them down here. Hopefully they adjust well and soon enjoy our NEW winters here!!

Bored Boys

2011-07-20T14:26:00.002-07:00

What do 2 busy boys do when their mom is going crazy and stressing trying to get things packed for our move in a week and a half?

Squeezing into an empty tupperware full of water in their boxers

Washing their house and table in their PJ's

Feeling guilty about their activities the last 2 days, we made it here to let them burn off some energy

And maybe make it so mom doesn't seem SO crazy while preparing to move.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

As always, our 4th of July weekend was super busy, but SO much fun with these boys. On Saturday we went to the Eaglewood Golfcourse for the big Firework show. The kids loved them!

Taking a walk before the fireworks, it was PERFECT weather

Ben and Jax waiting for the fireworks to start

The kids decorated their bikes and rode in a parade with their cousins. They had a yummy breakfast afterwards and the kids loved seeing their cousins bright and early.

Oakley on his bike, I have to grit my teeth everytime he rides it, he goes SO fast it's nerve racking for me to watch him.

Cam riding in the parade. This is his old bike, he puts up a good fight when we want him to ride his bigger one. We usually just give in, especially when we are trying to get out the door.

This is an early morning, no shower picture of me and the babe. He looks pretty tired in this pic too!

We took the kids to the new splash pad that opened up right by our house. We all loved it, the kids ran around and we got to relax on a bench and watch.

We had a fun 4th of July and Fireworks are a lot more fun with the kids this age. They actually LOVED staying up late to see the big ones and they loved celebrating every day with fireworks and fun activities with their cousins.

Cam's First Broken Bone

2011-06-19T20:26:00.001-07:00

Cam unfortunatley broke his first bone today. Oakley and Cam were chasing each other, as usual, and Cam fell, or was pushed from behind, and landed into the side of the couch. He immediately screamed and we new something was wrong. His body was twisted in a weird way so I thought his shoulder was out of socket. He held his breath and passed out like he does when he gets really hurt or mad. When he came to we tried to touch his shoulder and he would just scream, so of course on Fathers Day, Ben took him to the ER and the xrays showed it was his collar bone. It was broken. Since they don't cast them they sent him home in a sling. He was super sad when he got home and I am dreading the night...hopefully he sleeps. This is not the greatest way to start the Summer....poor guy!

He will forsure be excited to go shirtless though, he LOVES to be naked and this gives him an excuse to be topless for a little while!:)

This years first camping trip

2011-06-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Lava Hot Springs for a Family reunion this weekend. It was Jaxon's first camping experience and he did great! He was a little fussy in the evening, as usual, but when he crashed at 9:00 he was out for the WHOLE night. He of course slept with me in my sleeping bag which kept us both toasty warm since it was quite cold that night. The boys had a blast with their flash lights, getting filthy dirty and playing with their cousins. They loved staying in the tent and are already asking when we can go again. We had some delicious Dutch Oven for dinner, yummy s'mores for dessert and fabulous eggs and pancakes for breakfast. I'm not sure why, but I think camping makes everything taste better. We then headed to the pool the next day to go swimming. The weather wasn't the best, but the boys had fun. We enjoyed some very filling sandwiches and homemade cookies for lunch. The cookies were SO good I think I took down at least 5...I splurged quite a bit!!! We then headed home and we were ALL exhausted. The kids and I were asleep by 8 o'clock, so Ben took advantage and of course played his Call of Duty game. We took a lot of pictures but half of them somehow got lost when we went to view them....hopefully we will be able to find them...seriously SO UPSET!!!

It was great to see all of our cousins from Idaho that we never get to see. They are all so nice, we wish we lived closer! It was also VERY nice to have Grandma Alane and Aunt Nicole for some extra arms to hold baby Jax. You never realize how much babies need to be held when you are away from home and your bouncer, swing and crib. It was really nice to have the extra help around...I wish I had it everyday!:)

We Are Moving!!!

2011-06-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

It is FINALLY official! Ben got accepted to Midwestern University in Glendale Arizona for their Dental program. School starts in August so our place is up for sale and we plan to head down there Mid-August. SO excited to get out of Utah's 8 month Winters, kind of nervous for the HOT Summers, but we plan to come back and visit as we aren't too far away! Probably visit A LOT during the Summer months as Ben will be on break and it's deathly hot down there! So excited to start this NEW ADVENTURE with my boys!

Summer Swim Time

2011-06-05T20:04:00.004-07:00

The pool opened last weekend and it has FINALLY been warm enough to enjoy it. We have gotten a lot of use out of my Discovery Gateway membership since it has been so rainy, the classes there are fabulous, but the kids have been anxiously waiting for the sun to shine. So have I, especially since Oakley has been out of school for 2 weeks and he is never ending. So, every warm day this past week we have been at the pool. SUPER nice the kids are at fun ages to swim with their life jackets while I hang out with Jax. It also makes it great to have fun neighbor moms to share the pool with so we can hang out and gossip while our kiddos play all day in the sun.

Love Oakley's big smile in this pic. He is such a daddy's boy and LOVES it when Ben is able to join us at the pool.

Cam is such a tank! He is only 2 lbs. lighter than Oakley. Crazy how different they are, I sure love his little fat rolls!

I sure LOVE it when Ben joins us at the pool too, I get to lay with this little guy while Ben plays with the boys and secretly snaps pics of me looking LAZY! I tell him I earned the lounging from taking the boys swimming all week which is definitley fun but of course NOT the most relaxing when he's not there.

I just LOVE these 3! There's nothing I enjoy more than watching Ben play with his boys! They are obsessed with him and he is the most FABULOUS hands on dad! We are SO lucky to have him and we appreciate all the hard work he does for our little family! The boys get tears in their eyes when he leaves for work and they count down the days until the weekend! They are ECSTATIC when he walks in the door after work! Jaxon ALWAYS has the BIGGEST grin on his little face when Ben is around!

This little guy is already 2 months! Crazy how time flies when you are SO busy!

Jax is such a sweet boy at 2 months. He is 10 lbs. (15th percentile) and his height is under the 5th percentile. He is going to be short like his brothers. He eats like a champ, sleeps like a champ, smiles like a champ! We are finally seeing a breakthrough in his colic at night! YAY!!!!

Jaxon 5 weeks

2011-05-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Crazy how five weeks just flies by when you are watching your baby grow, but it drags on when you are actually pregnant with them! I have been trying to take more pics of this little guy, it's just the last thing on my mind in the day with 3 crazy boys.

He's 4 weeks in this pic. He loves sleeping on his side or his tummy, hardly his back.

Hanging out while the kids play with their new Pirates of the Carribean Legos from Grandma...I now know why I have NEVER bought Legos. They do keep them entertained but so many tiny pieces.

He's all bundled in the stroller ready to go for a run. Love running with newborns...they sleep the whole time!

We are loving this lttle guy. He is going through a tough, colic stage right now but hopefully it will pass soon. He sleeps great at night, between 5 and 6 hours before a feeding which certainly makes my nights more enjoyable!

Cowabunga Bay

2011-05-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

I won free passes to Cowabunga Bay and the kids (and Ben) were so excited. The weather was PERFECT at 75 degrees. The kids had a blast and such a great way to start off the season, especially since it was FREE!

Jax just slept the whole time. SO glad he LOVES his carseat. Made it a relaxing day for me to work on my tan! It ALMOST makes up for these colicky evenings!:)

Pre School Grad

2011-05-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

Oakley has graduated from his 2nd year of Pre School. He LOVED his teacher Miss Beth and he will really miss her. She was the best teacher! He has mastered his ABC's, numbers, writing his name and he now knows sign language. He is really going to miss all his little friends from his class, they were all so cute. Miss Beth loved working with these kids and she showed it every day. For the past week when they would leave class she would get tears in her eyes. At graduation she gave them all hugs, told them she loved them and was really choked up about not seeing them again. We are really going to miss her! She told Oakley to come see her after his first day of Kindergarten to tell her all about it. I hope all his teachers will be like Miss Beth, but I highly doubt it. She was really one of a kind!

I can't believe he's going to Kindergarten in the Fall!

The day has finally come!!!

2011-05-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

I seriously thought this day would never come! Camden, my extremely emotional, tender hearted, stubborn 3 year old is FINALLY potty trained. We started trying to potty train him in March when he turned 3 and a month BEFORE Jax was to arrive hoping we could only have one child in diapers this time around. We weren't very successful as he had NO interest in trying to be a big boy like Oakley and being able to go to preschool in the fall. Then, much to our surprise, last weekend he decided for himself he wanted to be in big boy underpants, just when I honestly thought he would be in diapers for the rest of his life. We are SO proud of him and ecstatic we are back down to only one child in diapers!

Easter

2011-04-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter we decided to try out an Egg hunt at our Rec Center. It was a swimming Egg hunt and the kids thought it was really fun. They got to collect eggs in the indoor swimming pool and then play games with the Easter bunny. We had never tried this before so we weren't sure what they collect their eggs in as they were in water. Cam's age group went first so we sent him in with his bucket, he filled it up with eggs and then it dipped in the water and filled up so all his eggs floated out of his bucket. We sent Oakley in to help him get the water out of his bucket, but most if his eggs floated away. It was so sad watching him try to get them all back in. He still walked away with a good amount of eggs to turn in for treats. So when it was Oakley's turn, we followed everyone else and sent him in with a plastic bag. It worked much better. They got tons of treats, Oakley would save his to see how full his bag would get and Cam would eat the treat the minute he got it. It is SO funny how different they are.

They woke up Easter morning to Easter Bunny pancakes and treats from the bunny. Oakley kept asking me how the Bunny got into our house because Santa comes down the Chimney but Bunny's don't and we always keep our doors locked. I told him he came when mom and dad were awake so we let him in. We then made Rice Crispy treat Easter Eggs and decorated Sugar Cookies with the kids. It was a weekend full of sugar!

Jaxon

2011-04-25T11:44:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted anything about Jaxon since he was born. Our days are crazy busy and they just fly by with 3. I still don't understand how 1 little body can triple my laundry for the week. He is such a sweet, easy baby. He sleeps really good. I only get up with him once in the night, the second time I feed him is around 4:00 which is when I am waking up to go to the gym anyways, so it works out great. Especially since I need to empty my chest before I run since my boobs are D's in the morning! Seriously...SO HUGE!! This little guy is already 3 weeks old. At his 2 week visit he weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz., he had already gained almost a pound! I can already tell he is growing too fast, I am loving this newborn stage with him. I am really liking the change it brings to my schedule, it has given me something new to add to the daily routine on top of the other two which can get quite hectic at times, but I am surprisingly loving it! I don't stress about getting out the door fast because I usually have 4 diapers before 9, 2 feedings, breakfast, clothes and shoes for the other 2, and all buckled in ready to go along with my own routine of getting ready which is hopefully done before they wake if I get up and go to the gym. If I go to the gym later I take them with me and usually don't get a shower until around 1:00. It's crazy how adding just one more tiny body can make your life feel 10 times busier. It's a good thing newborns sleep a lot, especially when you have toddlers. I have taken the boys to Discovery, the Zoo and we have even made it to a new movie, and Jax usually just sleeps for our whole outing. SO GLAD he is a happy, easy going baby!

Jaxon Robert Young

2011-04-08T20:34:00.006-07:00

This post is mostly a journal entry for me to look back on later so I can remember. So it will be long and detailed so don't feel you need to read the whole story.

       We got to St. Marks at 7:15 for me to be induced. We got started and they got me on the fluids at 7:30ish and took my blood for lab work and to check the clotting levels because I have been on blood thinners with this pregnancy. They had me stop my Heparin Monday morning so it would be out of my blood 24 hours later. They started the Pitocin around 8:30 and we were on our way. I had been debating all week whether or not I wanted an epidural because with Cam's birth I could still feel the contractions on my left side and I thought it was helpful, and a little painful, when I needed to push. I also liked the thought of being able to walk and use my legs after the delivery. I told my nurse I wanted to go as long as I could before getting the Epidural. She said Ok and gave me some useful tips because she delivered one of her kids natural. They checked me and I was dilated between a 3 and a 4. We all thought I was going to go pretty quick because with my other 2 deliveries once I got to a 4 I went to a 10 within 10 minutes. So the contractions start and they were pretty big on the monitor but not painful, just uncomfortable. I used the birthing ball and was able to move around which was nice. About 10:30 the anesthesiologist came in with my blood level results and said my blood was too thinned out to get an epidural and they would redraw it in an hour. She went on about the risks of doing an epidural while your blood was too thin which included a lot of risks but the biggest was permanent paralysis from the waist down. I then decided I was going to go all natural. They retook my blood just in case I decided later on that I need one. My Doctor came in to break my water at 12:30 and I was still only dilated between a 3 and 4. SO DISAPPOINTING!! So we just kept hanging out and waiting and deciding on a name for this little guy. The contractions started getting stronger but not too painful yet, but I knew I was progressing from how they were every 1 1/2 min. apart and I felt they were a lot lower with my water being broke. The anesthesiologist came in and said the Heparin was finally out of my body and gave me the OK to get an epidural if I wanted one. I wasn't in any pain so I decided I would still wait and try to do it natural. Finally 2:15 came and my nurse checked me and I was finally at a 4. So disappointed it was only a 4, I thought I was going to be there all night. I let the nurse know that with my previous deliveries I went from a 4 to a 10 within 10 minutes. She decided to get the baby table ready just in case the same happened. I started walking around and using the birthing ball and then the pain started. The REAL PAIN. They were coming every minute but I thought since she just checked me 10 min. ago I wasn't there yet. Another extremely painful 10 minutes went by and Ben was trying to help me get through the pain, but my body was so tired from trying to relax that all my muscles were shaking between each contraction. They were starting to get really hard to get through. I told Ben I was getting exhausted and I didn't know how much longer I could last without any pain meds if I wasn't a 10 yet. We decided to call our nurse for some meds and she needed to check me before she could give me something to take the edge off the contractions. So it had only been 20 minutes since she checked me when I was at a 4, when she checked me again she said I was at a 9 and I wouldn't be able to get any meds. She hurried to call my Doctor in but she wasn't sure he was going to make it in time because I was feeling such a strong urge to push and I was just getting worn out from trying to manage the pain and hold in the baby during the contractions so she was also calling the on call doctor. My Doctor ran through the door and threw on his gear just in time to numb me for the episiotomy all while telling me not to push. He came out after just 3 pushes, but the pain was still really bad that I didn't realize they had placed him on my stomach. After they weighed him, he was 5 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 inches long, they gave him to me to feed and finally hold. Jaxon's temperature and glucose levels were low so they had me feed him again and they put both of us under the heater and heating blankets. He warmed up but my muscles were still shaking from all the work I just went through so they kept the heating blankets on us afterwards. We were finally moved to our room and were able to enjoy our new little boy.
       Even though I was only in extreme pain for the last 25 minutes or so, this delivery was the hardest thing I have ever been through. I asked my nurse if it was normally this hard and she said no because people who plan to go natural usually don't go on the Pitocin which makes your contractions much worse. Just talking about it with people then next few days would bring tears to my eyes because I can remember the pain and only the pain, not the joy of just giving birth. I honestly didn't think it was ever going to end and I thought my baby was never going to get here. I couldn't have gotten through it without Ben's help and my fabulous nurse. I don't think Ben has ever seen me in so much pain and I can't even remember what I was like those last few minutes.
       Even though it was the most pain I have ever been through, this little guy is SO worth it. He is definitely worth going through the most miserable pregnancy, all my shots, the billions of doctors and specialist appointments. We are so in love with this little guy, all I want to do all day is hold him. I know how fast this newborn stage goes so I figure that I'm going to hold him though this whole stage because I'm going to be so sad when it's over.

Jaxon brand new

Right after the delivery

I can't believe we are a family of five! I look awful and tired, the boys don't look interested and Ben obviously looks the happiest. Lucky he's a guy and doesn't have to Labor a child.

Day 2 in the hospital. I could lay with him all day

Loving Dad

The boys came to take us home

So far he likes his Binky, hopefully this will last

Dad getting him dressed to go home

The Big 5

2011-04-07T08:33:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Oakley is 5 already! We have decided to throw birthday parties for the kids every other year and the year off from a party the kids get to choose what we do as a family. We were kind of lucky this was the no party year as I had Jaxon 2 days before Oakley's birthday. This year he spent most of his Birthday week with relatives. He did get pretty spoiled though. He started off the week with Sunday dinner at my moms where we celebrated the April Birthday's. He opened his gifts from his cousins and was spoiled with new toys, DS games and puzzles. Then on Tuesday he spent the day at my mom's while we were at the hospital. On Wednesday he spent the day with Ben's mom, sister and cousins. They took him to see the movie Hop and went out to dinner. His grandma Alane gave him the Mario Kart on the Wii with the steering wheels which is his new favorite game. On Thursday, his actual Birthday, he woke up to balloons covering his bed and his new, bigger, no training wheels bike from us. He then picked me up from the hospital and he thought it was pretty cool to have his new little brother come home for his birthday. Ben then took him to lunch at his favorite place, Cafe Rio, and shopping to pick out his birthday cake.

Luckily it turned out to be a fun week for him and he doesn't feel it was forgotten with the new baby coming home. A big thanks to relatives for taking him out during the week and making it memorable.

Some things I want to remember about Oakley at 5....

He is forsure a Daddy's boy, anything daddy does he wants to do too

He LOVES food, he is eating all day long but still manages to only be in the 10th percentile for weight

He is EXTREMELY active, always bouncing off the walls

He is VERY competitive

His favorite color is Green

He loves to try new things

He loves playing games, Go Fish, Hearts and Checkers are his top 3 right now

He loves learning new things, he's really into sign language right now (luckily that was my 2nd language in high school)

He is SO excited to start Kindergarten next year, he talks about it everyday

He is super smart, he understands things quick and remembers everything

He loves to do things himself, doesn't want any help with anything

He LOVES his brothers! He is a HUGE help with them!

(These pics are taken with Ben's phone, our Camera was with me at the hospital)

He is forsure my headstrong, stubborn, wildest, most difficult child and gives me a run for my money EVERYDAY. We LOVE Oakley so much and can't imagine what our days would be like without him!

D DAY!!!

2011-04-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

We finally get to meet this little guy tomorrow. We are SO excited. This has been my hardest pregnancy so hopefully the delivery isn't as bad. I feel like I am more nervous for this one than I was the others. Not sure why, hopefully it's not a bad sign. I have been SO sick the last few days so it will be such a relief when he finally gets here and all the pregnancy hormones and meds leave my body! Today was my LAST doctors appointment and it felt good to get it done. For the past 8 weeks I have gone to my OB once a week and the specialist once a week. Then the past 2 weeks I have gone to my OB once and the specialist twice. I had some sort of doctors appt. every Monday, Wenesday and Friday mornings. It was such a relief last Friday when I was done with the Specialist office and then today for my last OB appt.
This is my last pregnancy as I don't think I could handle another high risk pregnancy with all these shots, appts. and meds. I also hate the thought of having another miscarriage or the possibility of losing a baby later in the pregnancy. This pregnancy really made me crazy toward the end because of all the risks of losing him so late in the pregnancy. I am terrified of delivering a still born so I was always trying to count his kicks, which was hard because they sleep so much. It makes me a little anxious and sad knowing that this is my last delivery and my last newborn as they grow so fast and I forsure don't want to regret the decision of not having one more. Lately though I have been having guilt for having a third because I feel like my other 2 need so much attention right now that I'm cutting them short. Does the guilt ever end? I asked Ben to take this pic and he was really surprised and thought I was joking as I don't like taking pregnancy pics. But since this is my last, I thought I would want one to remember it.

Swim Lessons

2011-03-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

Now that Cam is finally 3 he is able to start swim lessons. It was SO nice to have them both in lessons instead of just Oakley. Cam was SO excited to be able to start his own lessons. I was just glad I could hand him over to the teacher instead of me trying to teach him as it seems like a lot of work with a very rambunctious 3 year old. It was a relaxing hour for both Ben and I.

The two just melt my heart. I love how they are best buds!

I LOVE Cam's little toes sticking straight up in the air.

I love the little skin rolls on his tummy. Kind of sad how big he's getting.

The Big 3

2011-03-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

My little Cam turned 3 and I can't believe it. He still seems so little to me, probably because he's my momma's boy. We have been counting down the days all week until his birthday. We snuck into his room before he woke up and covered his bed with baloons. He was so excited to open his gifts right when he got out of bed. Then Grandma Alane came over to give him her gifts. She gave him some more books to go with his leapfrog tag book reader that we gave him. He LOVES it. He could read books all day. She also gave him a train set with a remote control train and he has it constantly going when we are home.

That night we headed to Fat Cats for some bowling, pizza and games. He loved it. He would dance to the music after each time he bowled. After 3 pieces of pizza, he is a HUGE eater, he enjoyed playing some arcade games. We then enjoyed his Spongebob cake at home.

I can't believe he is already 3! He is such a tender hearted little guy, such an opposite of Oakley, I want him to stay little forever. Some things I just love about him that I want to remember about this age is his love for everything and everyone. He says I love you to everyone and is so polite. He will hand me something and say your welcome before I can even say thankyou. He is very protective of me, he doesn't like Ben to hug or kiss me because he says I'm his mommy. He is always telling Oakley to "say thanks" and reminding him to be polite. He is so clean with everything. He has to have a napkin with every meal so he can wipe his hands and mouth after each bite. He is a bit OCD with not being messy and dirty. He always has to kiss my tummy, the baby, before he goes to bed. He SAYS he is so excited to have a little brother, but I think it is going to be a HARD adjustment for him. We had such a fun day celebrating with him and we are looking forward to MANY MORE YEARS!

Diapers

2011-02-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

What do you need when you are having your 3rd boy? Not a lot, except for diapers. Ben's mom took us to dinner last night and gave us these diapers that she has been saving up since we got the news we were expecting.

There is a total of 978 diapers from Newborn to size 3! She kept telling us she was collecting these diapers, but we didn't realize how MANY she was talking about. They will forsure come in handy when this little guy arrives! Thankyou, Thankyou Alane!

Playing Catch Up...again

2011-02-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Since Christmas we have been trying to keep these kids busy. We all go crazy when we are stuck inside, even for just the afternoon. I am finally posting some pics of some of the activities we have been doing, at least the ones I remembered to bring the camera.

Incredible Pizza...the kids had a blast. We were there for 4 hours playing games and eating dinner. The kids didn't want to leave. It wasn't busy at all so they had all the games to themselves.

Discovery Gateway...we have a membership so we go all the time. This was a day I actually brought my camera.

We went to a cousins Birthday party at the Splash Zone at the Cottonwood Rec. Center. The kids always love this place. They always love to play with their cousins.

We headed up to Nick and Laura's cabin for 2 nights to snowmobile and lounge around. The kids had a great time and it was fun to get together for games.

We have had a fun Winter so far but we are all ready for Spring to come. Hopefully this next month will fly by so we can all play outside without having to bundle!

8 Weeks Left

2011-02-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I have 8 weeks until I get to meet this little guy! At my visit today I was telling the girl doing my ultrasound that I thought his nose looked so big in all the profile pics so she did a 4D ultrasound. Kind of funny I even thought about his nose! :) So I was relieved it doesn't look huge like it does in the other pics. He looks just like Oakley and Cam in their newborn pics. He is doing great and weighs 2 pounds 5 ounces and everything looks really good! He will be small, at the most 5 pounds when he is born, but so far so good and we can't wait to meet him the beginning of April! Feeling REALLY good these days so I hope he stays in there until then. I am already in LOVE with his little face!

Christmas and Yellowstone

2010-12-25T12:28:00.002-07:00

Sad to say I hardly took any pics of Christmas morning. We video record it every year so I ALWAYS slack on taking actual pictures. The boys had a blast opening their gifts Christmas morning from Santa. Oakley got a Nintendo DS with games and travel pack, Cam got a Leapster with games and carrying case and they both got some new Wii games and Wii controllers. I was kind of worried they would miss not getting any actual toys but they are both big gamers they didn't even notice. I have not missed having anymore toys around either. The games have been a life saver at the gym, store, car etc... I'm not at all regretting getting them games. We then enjoyed going to Grandmas for dinner and presents on Christmas night.

We headed up to Yellowstone the week after Christmas for some snowmobiling. The boys did really well on the snowmobiles this year. They loved to go sledding and build snowforts with all the snow up there. It was SO cold this year, but they did awesome out there. Once they were bundled they were ready to go with no complaints!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T12:11:00.002-07:00

Every Christmas Eve is spent with our little family, so we are starting our own traditions. This year the boys decorated a Gingerbread house together. They had so much fun we will now do it every year. They were so excited to show it to all our visitors.

After decorating the Gingerbread house we headed down to Temple Square to see all the lights. It was a cold night but the boys loved it. They are at such a fun, easy age that sometimes I wonder if I am ready for the challenges a newborn brings. I think I am just getting nervous!

Christmas party with the Young Family

2010-12-19T19:24:00.002-07:00

This year we celebrated Christmas with Ben's side of the family at Jen's ward. It was fun to get together with everyone and open gifts. We didn't get a lot of pictures, we seem to be slacking with our camera lately, but we had a great time playing games and the kids loved doing the crafts and decorating Christmas cookies.

Nogger

2010-12-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Every year we have an ugly Christmas sweater party with our friends. This year Ben Schneider took home the trophy with his chestnuts roasting on an open fire t-shirt. It was quite creative and deserved the award. It is fun to get together with every one around Christmas time without the kids so we can enjoy ourselves. Thanks to Matt and Michelle for hosting this year.

Gallivan Center

2010-12-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Every year my cousin rents out the Gallivan Center and we go ice skating. This year Oakley was actually old enough to enjoy it. Cam still needs another year or so. It was so fun to be down town, ice skate and enjoy the donuts and hot chocolate.

A little catch up

2010-12-12T20:01:00.002-07:00

I am needing to play some catch up with some pics and get caught up before Christmas gets here. The boys have LOVED the snow so far and want to play in it everyday. Kinda glad my body temp. runs warmer when I am pregnant so I can keep up with them while they play outside.

Last Sunday I heard about the Museum of Natural History being free to the public for the weekend so the boy and I literally DRAGGED Ben along to see what it was all about. The boys had a great time digging for dinosaur bones and looking at the bugs, Ben pretty much just came along for the ride. When we left Oakley said we should come back every day, glad he liked it and so glad it actually had things they were interested in.

One Saturday when I was working, Ben went with our good friend Amy and her girl Blake (Luke was stuck at work), to their church for breakfast and to visit Santa. A HUGE thanks to Amy for the invite! I wish I could have made it, but really glad the boys actually sat on Santa's lap and Ben took some pics. When I got home from work they were so excited to tell me all about it.

And last of all we get to see this little guy every month and he is getting quite big. He measured 11 oz. at my last visit and is doing FABULOUS! Making me miserable, but it will all be worth it in the end. We are so excited to see his cute face and so far he is perfectly healthy, no kidney problems that Oakley had and no heart and kidney problems that Cam had. If he cooks in there until April, we may be in the clear of not having to visit Primary's when he is born. Crossing our fingers he stays in there that long. I have finally started feeling better, not 100%, but doing better. I have still been able to keep up my running, down to 5 days a week, but SUPER glad I can still keep going! Only 4 months to go!

2010-11-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

It turns out my instincts were right! We are having a Boy! I will be forever outnumbered as this is my last, but I really don't mind being the only girl. I just hope my house doesn't get too chaotic with 3 crazy boys running around. The boys are excited to get another brother now I just have to think of a name. Any suggestions would be helpful as I am out of boy names!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-11-05T16:55:00.001-07:00

We got our family pictures done this year by our friends Kim and Tim. I was really worried that I was going to look pregnant, but then figured if I did, oh well, I WAS pregnant. I just HATE prego pictures of myself! Luckily Kim and Tim are fabulous photographers and editors so we kept my baby bump hidden in the pics. We were REALLY pleased with how well they all turned out. There isn't one we don't like. They always do a fabulous job. Here are a few to share. It's fun to see how much these kids change each year.

Oakley is going through this weird smiling stage but it's funny to look at how different it is in every picture. You can find info for the photographer at timandkimphotography.blogspot.com. They are so fun to work with.

GOING PRIVATE

2010-11-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

It is time to make this blog private. SO SORRY to make you sign in! If you would like be a reader leave me a comment with your email or email me at tbyoung00@hotmail.com. Thankyou!

Halloween

2010-10-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

This year our Halloween lasted all week long. I was sure glad it was done with, although the kids could have celebrated all month long. Our Halloween week included pumpkin carving, Pre-school costume day, Trunk-or-Treat with our neighborhood, neighborhood parties, family parties and another Trunk-or-Treat with our cousins neighborhood. The kids obviously were LOADED with too much candy and they were exhausted by the end of the week. We had an awesome Halloween with all the activies.

2010-10-28T19:54:00.001-07:00

15 weeks and my Pregnancy Palate is now in FULL swing....

bought this 80 oz. jar of pickles today and my taste buds haven't been more pleased in 4 months. With this being my 6th pregnancy, this is the first time I have craved pickles. Crazy what these babes do to us! We find out what this babe is in 10 days. I am thinking boy, Ben is hoping girl...guess we'll see who is right!

85 LOOOOONG Days....

2010-10-11T12:07:00.001-07:00

85 long days of

2 painful shots of Heparin in my stomach morning and night
trying to stomach 12 pills
severe nausea and throwing up, the meds are finally working and I can keep down water
Doctors appts. and Ultrasounds every 2 weeks to check on this babe
Constant worry it won't be there the next visit
Pure EXCITEMENT when I see that little heart beating

I am finally 12 weeks, but they have been so awful I've been counting the days.
Hopefully we get to see this little one in April.
Due the end of April, but the Doc says the longest I'll go is 37 weeks.

Boy or Girl we are SO excited to meet them!

The Firehouse

2010-10-07T19:14:00.001-07:00

I was going through my pictures and I had completely forgotten about these. Each year the firehouse down the street has an open house during fire prevention week. They had a blast trying out what the firefighters do.

Off to Pre-School...Round 2

2010-09-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Oakley started his second year of Preschool today and he was SO excited. He has been asking when he gets to go back to school all month. We get to send him off 3 days a week for 2 hours a day. I love how much he enjoys it and his new teacher this year is adorable. When we dropped him off Cam started crying and pointing at him, he really missed his best friend. I think he'll get used to the one child attention soon enough.

A little summer catch up

2010-09-01T11:08:00.003-07:00

I needed to play catch up with a few posts I would like to remember....

Level 3 swimming lessons for Oakley. He learned to swim on his own with his head in the water, hold his breath all the way under the water (his favorite), back and front floats. I think this level is the first level that I have seen obvious achievements. He loves the water anyway so the previous levels he could already do most of the things they were learning. Excited for the next levels.

This pic was taken with my phone, so it's awful. I was battling my terrible two year old so I only got one. Oakley is swimming to his instructor by himself.

We had a BBQ at Amy's farm and rode their horses. The kid LOVED it as always!

We went to the Davis County Fair. Not a lot of pics, but the kids had a great time at the Rodeo and the Petting Zoo.

We invited some friends for a night up at Ben's Cabin. We had a great BBQ and fun time playing games.

Oakley started his first year of Soccer. They are the Blue Sharks and he's lucky enough to have his dad as his coach. He gets so excited when he scores the goals he runs to the side to give us all a high five. They are so fun to watch and he has such a great time with his team mates. Ben is his coach which has added to his busy schedule, but he LOVES his game and practice time with the boys.

We went camping with Ben's family and the kids had a blast. They LOVED sleeping in the tent and they slept so good! They had a great time hiking, roasting marshmallows and playing with their cousins.

We are sad to see Summer coming to an end, it's been really fun and it always goes by too fast.

Snowbird

2010-08-07T13:38:00.002-07:00

We spent the week up at Snowbird with my family and the kids had a blast. It was so nice to get out of the heat and head up to the mountains. I love that it's such a short drive for such a great get away!

We went swimming everyday, hiking almost everyday, rode the Tram to the top and the chair lift down a couple of times, took morning walks to enjoy the sunrise, stayed up late for the beautiful sunsets and of course played with the cousins non stop!

I obviously took a ton of pictures! These boys are at such a fun age with each other and they had such a fun time playing for the whole week. They are already asking when we get to go back. A HUGE THANKS to my parents for letting us come stay. We had a blast!

Our 24th

2010-07-26T11:35:00.003-07:00

We started out the Weekend with a Friday morning hike up Mueller Canyon to Elephant rock. We had never been to the top before so we didn't know how long it really was until we got there. It ended up being 7 miles total with the kids on our backs. The kids LOVED being up in the canyon. It got us really excited for our Snowbird trip next week. We were all really exhausted but we had a great time and got a great workout!

We made it home just in time to head to Angie's for a BBQ, bike ride for the kids and fireworks.

All the kids on their bikes.

Most of the Adults. We were missing Travis and Lindsay.

Cam and Ben watching the Fireworks. I love Cam's face!

Cam with his dirty face and the fireworks.

Oakley and Nathaniel. Such great friends.

Saturday we went swimming with Angie's family at the Cottonwood Rec Center. The kids loved it.

After swimming we watched the parade at Butlerville Days with the cousins. The kids were loaded with candy.

The kids enjoyed the bounce houses in the fields. Cam was SO exhausted since we went swimming during his nap time so he was being quite the stinker in the bounce houses. He would climb to the top of the slides and just sit there and not go down. It was SO hot and the kids were so worn out.

It finally cooled down when we were waiting for the Fireworks to start. The kids did really good staying up for them. Oakley crashed right at the end of the Firework show.

We had a fun, busy Holiday weekend with the family. It is so fun to hang out with all the cousins, the kids always have a blast! So sad that it's over. I love July and all the Holidays!

Our 4th

2010-07-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th we took the kids to a Children's party on Friday night and a Parade and Fireworks on Saturday night. They had such a good time. The Children's party had a bike parade, popsicles, kid games and bounce houses.

Saturday evening we went to the Sandy City parade. Oakley was so excited to fill his bucket with candy and Cam eventually got the hang of it. We were there for an hour and their buckets were completely full and the parade was still going. We then headed to the Eaglewood Golf Course for the big fireworks. It was a stretch trying to keep the kids up that late, but when the fireworks started the kids loved it. I was so glad they stayed awake to see them. I think all the parade candy helped keep them up but they immediatley crashed on the way to the car.

I had to add this last picture of Oakley. He is out of the napping stage so he just has quiet time, but the minute we get into the car he is asleep.

Every. Single. Day.

Family Reunion

2010-06-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

We had our annual Family Reunion with my Mother-in-Law's side of the family. This year it was up in Rexburg, Idaho. We had a good time with all the cousins that we only see once a year. It's crazy how much our families grow each year. Within the past 3 months there were four new babies. Triplets to Dereck and Tasha and Rachel had a little boy 3 months ago. We of course slacked on the picture taking, I am going to have to borrow some of everyone.

This is Cam on the drive up. His sunglasses are a little big on his nose so he likes them upside down so they stay up higher. I just love that he figured this out on his own, whenever we put them on right he always changes them.

These are some of the games we played at the reunion. We had fun cookie races and leg races. The kids had a blast.

Love this cute pic of Ben and Cam doing the leg race. He just melts my heart!

Oakley and Nathaniel doing the leg race. They had such a fun time together.

Me and Nicole lounging and probably gossiping after our yummy lunch. It was fun to relax while the kids played all day. It was a lot cooler up there as well so it felt so refreshing not being in the 90's.

This last pic is for Annie whom we missed at the Reunion! This is our cousin Rachel doing the cookie race. The pics during this race weren't flattering so of course I didn't post the one of me with whipped cream all over my face and shirt! HaHa!

I wish we would've taken more pics and especially one of everyone together. We love to see these cousins every year and catch up. We also celebrated our Grandpa Burgener turning the big 80! We had a great time, came home stuffed from all the yummy food and EXHAUSTED from all the playing. We are looking forward to next year.

Quick visit to the Cabin

2010-06-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

We took a quick, last minute visit to the cabin a couple weekends ago. It felt so great to get out of this heat. The boys are at a perfect age to actually enjoy it and let us enjoy it too. We took them to the Lake and they had a blast. I love that they are so easily entertained by collecting sticks, rocks, looking for bugs and wildlife. They are forsurely ALL boy.

2010-06-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Love this age. Love that they are BEST BUDS.

PreSchool Graduate

2010-05-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Oakley is done with his first year in PreSchool. Time flies so fast. He LOVED his teacher, Miss Charity and all his cute classmates. He had a cute PreSchool graduation with all his friends and he was so excited to give us his alphabet book that he has been working on all year. He is really going to miss his class during the Summer break.

Friend for the Weekend

2010-05-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Mason came and stayed with us while his parents went to Vegas (lucky them). Oakley was so excited to have him come stay. They had a blast, but were SO worn out by the end of the weekend that Oakley and Cam went to bed at 7 on Sunday night. Mason is such an easy kid and it's always nice to have him around because Oakley tries to act big like Mason when he is here. I LOVE IT!! Every thing he does by himself he says "I'm doing it like Mason". When Oakley went off to Preschool Mason would ask every 10 minutes when he would be back so they could ride their scooters and bikes. We took them to Kangaroo Zoo on Friday night and they had such a great time. This was the first time that Cam would climb up the slide AND go down by himself so it was VERY relaxing for us. Oakley just followed Mason around the whole time, it was so great for him to have an older buddy.

We went to Liberty park on Friday to have lunch, feed the ducks and see the baby geese. The kids had a great time and tired themselves out at the park. We headed back there on Sunday with Ben because the kids had such a great time and wanted to show Ben the baby geese and ducks. So happy it was such good weather for them to play outside.

After Oakley's swim lessons, Ben took Oakley and Mason swimming at the Rec center all afternoon on Saturday while Cam took his nap. They said they had a great time but of course there are no pics because I didn't go. They came home super tired. After dinner and a little rest time we went out on the scooters and bikes around the neighborhood. They all slept great that night, they were all exhausted. I wish I would have gotten more pics, but I slacked with the camera this weekend. I would always forget it when we left the house due to getting 3 kiddos out the door. They had a great time and Oakley is now asking when Mason will come and stay again.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

I came across this article and I absolutely LOVE it! Hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day!

Salt Lake Marathon

2010-04-17T14:02:00.005-07:00

I ran the Salt Lake Marathon today and it was such a perfect day for a perfect run. I was nervous for it because I wasn't as trained as I like to be. I had only ran one long run in the past 6 weeks and was debating whether I should attempt the full. The decision was made when Ben took it upon himself to sign me up for the Full and let me know after the fact that I was running 26 miles in a week. I am super glad that he did and I came in with a new time of 3 hrs. 35 min. My watch said 3 hrs. 33 minutes and I was SO EXCITED for that but I had forgotten that I stopped to use the restroom and the watch stops counting if you stop. So when they posted the results it was 3:35, which was 5th in my age group. It was still a new record for me, and I am SO HAPPY I had no problems and felt GREAT the whole time. The miles just flew by so fast it was unbelievable! I was even more ecstatic when I hit the half way mark and I felt fabulous so I was really glad I did do the full. I LOVED seeing my hubby, kids, parents and Grandma cheer for me at the 10 mile mark and at the finish. Ben made a cute sign for them to hold and it really made the run much more fun when I got to see them! A HUGE THANKS to my sister for letting me borrow her running GPS, it made it so nice. I could tell what time, mile and pace I was running at and it made it so nice to be able to chart where I was and for the count down at the end. It really helped me push myself knowing how much time and miles I had left. I LOVED IT! I will forsure be purchasing one of these. I don't ever want to run another race without one again.

This is a picture of the boys with the sign..it says We Love You Mom. Love these kids!

And another gross post-marathon picture.

A HUGE thanks to Ben for having the kids all morning, it was an early one for all of us as he dropped my cousin and I off at the start line. Then dealing with them through the whole race. They get so restless and hard after the long races, he was probably just as tired as I was when it was all done.

Oakley turns 4

2010-04-07T20:00:00.002-07:00

I still can't believe I have a 4 year old. Crazy how fast they grow! We celebrated his birthday with a friend party at the Kangaroo Zoo. He had a blast! The kiddos ran around and played, ate pizza and cupcakes and played some more. He got spoiled with all the gifts from everyone and he is in pure bliss with all his toys. We started off the day with him opening gifts from us which included his scooter and somehow he is already pro at riding it.

We then met our friends and some cousins at the Kangaroo Zoo for some party time. He had a blast and was so excited to see everyone.

I love this picture. He opens a present, not sure what it is then he finally realizes it's a Wii game and gets so excited.

The cake didn't turn out like we planned, but he thought it was cool anyways. It looked more like a mushroom than anything else. Oh Well!!!!

Some things I want to rememner about Oakley at this age are...

He is never ending, has SO much energy.
Because of this energy I feel like he has learned a lot from his exploring.
He is always willing to try new things.

Loves riding his bike, scooter and just running around outside looking for bugs.
He loves to help Ben cook.
LOVES food. Not picky about anything!

Is a complete Daddy's boy, he wants to be just like him.

Is very stubborn, he has to make his own decisions without suggestions from anyone.

He will do the opposite of what you tell him because of his stubborness.

Loves his little brother, he takes good care of him and includes him in everything.

Does not sleep in...wakes up ready to go bright and early.

Is so smart, picks up on anything and memorizes EVERYTHING!
Is very affectionate, says I love you with hugs and kisses at least 10 times everyday.
He is 33 lbs. (25%) and 39 in. (25%)

I finally feel like Oakley has passed his terrible 2's and trying 3's and we are now onto fabulous 4's. Over the years he has definitley taught me a lot. I have learned how to have more patience and that I can't be in control of everything (that was a hard one). I still have to bite my tongue and let him do his thing, but in the end we all get what we want. He has always been my more difficult child, but I am so happy we are finally at this much nicer stage. We are so happy to see his little mischievious grin everyday and are looking forward to these upcoming years ahead.

Activities for the boys and Easter hunt

2010-04-05T14:19:00.003-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I have blogged. I had to get these pictures up before I forgot and ended up really behind. Oakley has started swimming lessons and he absolutely loves them. It is a huge help that he listens to his teachers better than he listens to his parents.

While Oakley is in his swimming lessons we take Cam to the climbing wall and let him burn some energy off. He is starting to be more like Oakley with his high energy level. He LOVES this wall and is actually pretty good at knowing where his hands and feet should go.

Oakley has been taking a sports class at The Little Gym and he LOVES it. He goes every Friday and it teaches him a new sport every month. He has learned Hockey and Golf and is now onto Baseball with Soccer and Football to go. It is a great way to let him run around and get him familiar with all the different sports. Every 3rd week they let siblings come into the classes for the last 15 minutes and Cam loves these days. I of course don't have any pics of Oakley in his classes, he is ALWAYS running so I can never get a great one...I will hopefully get one before the class session ends.

The kids love the Zoo. I hate that it's so cold, but if we bundle up the kids could play there for hours.

Due to the cold weather over Easter Weekend, our Easter Brunch and Egg hunt ended up in Ben's sister's church. It didn't quite feel like an Easter hunt with it being inside, but the kids had a blast and we all stayed much warmer.

Camden is TWO

2010-03-10T09:16:00.003-07:00

I can't believe my baby is already 2. It seems like yesterday that we just had him. He enjoyed waking up to his presents this morning even though he didn't really understand why he was opening gifts. Some things I would like to remember about my little 2 year old are...

He is SO tender hearted. His sad lip quivers whenever you tell him No.

Always so nice to other little kids and never tries to fight over things.

Is still NOT talking. Hopefully soon though!

LOVES to play with Oakley. His big brother is his idol.

Loves to cuddle. I LOVE having a cuddler!

Loves to help me clean, cook, do laundry, empty the dishwasher etc...

Always tells Oakley to shush! He is aware he has a LOUD big brother!

Is a HUGE eater! Loves anything you stick in front of him, especially if there is ranch to dip it in.

Has a HUGE imagination. I love to just watch him play and am amazed at what his mind comes

up with.

LOVES being outside! I think he gets depressed when it snows.

Is still just a little guy...he weighs 24 lbs. (15th%) and he's 32.5 inches tall which is in

the 10th % and his head is still in the 90th%.

Is a HUGE Momma's boy. I LOVE IT!

These are just a few things we love about our little Camden, the list could go on and on. So happy to have this little guy in our home and we can't imagine our lives without his sweet personality and smile!

2010-03-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

Cam had his tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in his ears yesterday. My sweet, easy going boy turned into a mean, impossible to handle monster. He is a BIG eater and you can't feed them before the surgery so he was letting us know how mad he was. They gave him the tranquilizer as soon as we got into the room to change him, but we still couldn't get him into the gown. They had 3 nurses with us to try to distract him with toys and games, but he was just too mad. He was throwing those embarassing, arms and legs flailing, rolling on the floor, screaming and shaking, red faced, hitting and kicking everything in sight tantrums that you hope your kid will never do in public. We never got the gown on so he went back in his normal clothes. The surgery went well, but when he was coming out of surgery he woke up just as mad as he went in. He would hold his breath to pass out, like he does at home, when they would try to take his blood pressure. Luckily the tranquilizer medicine is an anti-seizure medicine so he wouldn't go into his seizures, which was reassuring. His heart rate was in the 200's and his oxygen was really low, he was kicking and screaming and trying to pull his IV out and it took 3 more nurses to pin him down to get things in place. They eventually wrapped boths hands and feet so he didn't know which one to pull off. They gave him more morphine, but still didn't help. After about 30-40 minutes of this he tired out and FINALLY fell asleep. We were finally able to go home. He is doing good now, he just gets so mad because he can't eat like he usually does. Glad to have the surgery over with and REALLY glad that he's feeling better today.

This was before his big melt down. He loved this big Thomas.

He finally crashed after a long morning.

2010-02-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Cam is almost 2 and still NOT talking.

He is scheduled to get tubes in his ears and his tonsils and adenoids out.

Which will hopefully speed up his speech process.

It is starting to look like he will probably be potty trained BEFORE he even talks.

Sorry for the blurry pic...it was taken with my phone.

2010-02-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

I usually don't do posts like this, but I wanted to share this with you. I read this blog last night, stakerzxposed.blogspot.com, and I bawled the whole time (and I'm not a crier)! I had dreams about it and I keep thinking about it. So if you would like to read it go to the site and scroll down to the start of the story on February 1st. VERY SAD...you will cry! It is certainly a wake up call for me as I feel like I need to finish all my to-do's and don't really think about what could happen. So check it out and it may be a wake up call for you.

2010-01-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

I came home from work last night to find this...

Ben had changed Cam's crib into the toddler bed. I wasn't sure if he was ready for it, but he slept great! I guess it was me that's not ready for him to be in a bigger bed. He gets so excited and loves to run in and jump into his bed. I still can't get used to the idea that he's no longer my baby in his crib and how fast the time goes with these kids.

2010-01-15T13:57:00.005-07:00

Love this place during the winter.
REALLY love that it's 2 minutes away.

REALLY REALLY love that my kids are content to run around together.

Such a great way to wear them out when the weather is so crappy!

2009-12-30T16:25:00.003-07:00

This Christmas was so much fun with these two boys. I love the Holidays with kids, they make it so much fun. We celebrated our Christmas with Ben's side of the family early in the week. The boys had a great time and of course were spoiled with gifts.

The boys loved their sugar cookies they decorated.

Getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve in their matching Christmas jammies.

Christmas morning opening their presents.

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson brought them these cute animal pillow beds that they just love to cuddle on.

The day after Christmas we headed up to Island Park for some snowmobiling with the Johnsons.

These guys were troopers on the snowmobiles. They loved riding over to Big Springs to feed the fish.

It was SO cold. We had to bundle up just to walk outside. We went out to dinner on Monday night and the temp. was 3 degrees. Too cold for this family.

We had a delicious Christmas dinner at my mom's and a fun little vacation after. We love getting away after Christmas and letting these guys ride on the snowmobiles. They had a great time playing with their cousins and getting bundled to play in the snow.

And The Winner Is....

2009-12-20T15:43:00.005-07:00

We had our annual Nogger sweater party at our place this year sans kids and there were some great Christmas sweater/costumes. Nick is always dressed in the BEST holiday decor and this year was no different. He took home the oh so lovely Santa trophy which has been floating around my house all month just WAITING for a new home until next year. We are ecstatic to give it away, he certainly deserves this award with his Rudolph costume! Somehow I slacked with the picture taking and didn't get a group picture or even a picture of all the couples, but there were some great ideas and the company was fabulous! Here are some pics that we did manage to get, so SAD I didn't get one of everybody! If someone did (hint hint Kim and Tim) I would love a copy!
The best is the background of this picture, Ben Schneider is squeezing Nick's rudolph nose.

Me and Amy enjoying Laura's delicious brownies

Chris and Laurie

Me in my cute Christmas jumper and Ben in his too small turtle neck.

Nick the winner with his most clever wife, Laura

I missed getting pics of Ben and Carolina, Kim and Tim, Amy and Luke all in their Christmas best and Jake and Debby in their clever Snugglie costumes. It was a fun party,especially since we didn't have the kids we could actually enjoy a fun game. The night went way too fast for how much fun we were having. Thanks to everyone for coming and we are looking forward to next year!

California Vacation

2009-11-23T15:06:00.014-07:00

We took a trip to California last week and we all had a blast. We spent 3 days at Disneyland and California Adventure, a day at Sea World, a day at the San Diego Zoo and a day relaxing in the condo and on the beach. I took over 600 pictures so it was hard to pick the ones to share.
When we first arrived at our condo in Solana Beach we headed right to the beach so the kiddos were still in their regular clothes, they still had a great time with their pants rolled up.

We headed to Disneyland on Sunday. The kids were so excited when we arrived. Disneyland is now decorated for the Christmas season. It got us really excited for Christmas even before Thanksgiving. Oakley was tall enough to go on most rides and Cam could go on all the kid rides. They had a blast and were exhausted at the end of each day. Their favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride. I think we went on it everyday at least twice. Sunday was the busiest day so the wait was about 20 minutes on a couple rides, but on the other two days we were walking on the rides, it was great.

Some of the pics look small, you can enlarge them if you click on the picture.

The second day at Disney we also headed over to the California Adventure park. Most of the rides were too big for the kids, but they had a great part with all the Disney characters and Monsters inc. and Toy Story. The kids were loving every minute.

We headed to Sea World on Monday and it was not busy at all. It was so great. The kids loved to pet the dolphins and hold the star fish. They just loved to run around the park and exhaust themselves.

On Wednesday we headed to the San Diego Zoo. Ben's cousin, Annie, lives in Oceanside which is about 10 minutes away from where we were staying. They spent the day at the Zoo with us. She has 2 kids the same age as ours so it was really fun for them to have some friends. It was fun to see them and catch up since we don't get to see them often. Some how I didn't get a group shot, but we got tons of the kids playing. We then went out to dinner later that night and all the kids were exhausted.

Friday we spent the day at the beach. Oakley LOVED the beach and could play there all day. Cam was nervous with the waves. He wouldn't get too close to the water. He did love to play in the sand though.

This was our view. It was gorgeous. I am so jealous of the people who live there. The air was so fresh and clean smelling and our skin was so soft from the moisture in the air. The weather was perfect. I could totally live on the beach someday. We all loved it. Too bad a 1 bedroom shack goes for about 1.6 million in this area.

This was the funnest family vacation we have ever taken. We loved all the time we got to spend with eachother. The 10 days went by SO fast. It was really depressing coming home to the 40 degree temp and the snow. We are looking forward to our next family vacation and this was the first of many more Disney trips to come.

I have to add a Happy Anniversay to Ben. We have been married 7 years and we've been together for over 11. I can't believe how fast the time goes when you are having fun. We were traveling home from our vacation on our anniversary, but while we stayed in Vegas we managed to get each other a little something at my most favorite outlets (my idea of course)! He is the absolute BEST husband in the world and I am so lucky to have him. He is truly my best friend and I love this life we have together. I love that he is such a FABULOUS dad to his two boys. He is the most unselfish man and always takes care of his little family. Happy Anniversary BABE and I am looking forward to MANY more!

Halloween Activities

2009-11-01T08:48:00.011-07:00

Halloween seems to last ALL month long with how many activities we go to. The kids love it and they get great use out of their costumes. We had many Halloween parties, Halloween activities at Discovery Gateway, Carving Pumpkins, Parade at Pre-School, Trick-or-Treating at Ben's work, and the usual Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood. They got TONS of candy and toys and they couldn't be happier.

Halloween party with the cousins

Decorating and eating their sugar cookies

Carving pumpkins

Trick-or-Treating at Discovery

Cam was done with his ears by this time

Cam was exhausted from trick-or-treating so he would just sit in his stroller and hold his basket and point when the doors opened. It was funny he still wanted the candy with how tired he was.

2009-10-17T13:02:00.005-07:00

We took the kids to Gardner Village to see the Witches and then off to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out their pumpkins. They had such a good time seeing all the Halloween decor.

Oakley LOVES being with Ben. He says everyday that he wants to grow big like daddy. I can actually get Oakley to do things if I tell him that daddy does it too. It is so cute!

Oakley picking his pumpkin

Cam loved playing on this tractor.

Oakley loved to ride in the wheelbarrow when we were paying for the pumpkins.

2009-09-28T12:53:00.008-07:00

This past weekend we watched my sisters kids again. My kids always love going over there to play with all their cousins and their fun toys. Every day is a party from the minute they wake up. The weekend was very busy so it flew by really fast.

We started off with the Circus Parade down at the Gateway.

Followed by a little playtime outside while the others were at school...

Then came the Soccer games...

Walks to the firehouse (a house that caught fire in their neighborhood) the kids love to go see it...
Cam and Addie in the playroom before bedtime while the other kids went to see the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The kids really liked it.

And it ended with the Circus on Saturday night. Oakley really liked the elephant show.

The kiddos had a blast and were of course exhausted by the end of the weekend.