Forsythe Family

Saturday Morning

2012-02-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that all I post about is the activities, holidays, and events we do as a family. So today my post is about a regular Saturday morning in our home.

First up was morning cartoons, games and waiting for dad to make pancakes. My boys had hauled up the play kitchen and chairs from downstairs to eat breakfast on this morning. The cup that is sitting in front of Mason is one of the greatest purchases I made. I got one for each of the boys and we fill them with water 2-3 times a day. It saves us from washing cups all day long, they always have a drink, no spills and they drink more water which is always good.

Dad is the pancake chef in our house. Since pancakes and buttermilk syrup is not on John's diet plan he also made himself a protein/fruit drink.

We have to shush Pilot out of the kitchen all day long so when he finally listens he takes the next best spot for fallen food, under the table.

Then off to one of our favorite free Saturday activities. A building workshop at Lowes. Today we made dinosaurs.

Then back home to watch a movie that we had rented for the boys from Redbox.

They sat on their play chairs holding and playing with their dinosaurs.

This gave me some time to paint some boards for a couple new baby gifts for friends that recently had babies. I should have taken pictures of the final product, but I forgot, sorry!

I also had time to plan a coupon shopping trip. So after the movie was over we headed off to the grocery store.

After looking at this photo I guess my boys are getting too big to both sit in the car cart. But it is nice when they are both contained in one spot so I can get my shopping done.

There is a normal Saturday morning in the Forsythe home.

Elephants, Monkeys, Tigers and More...

2012-02-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Last Wednesday of each month in the winter you can get into the Hogle Zoo for free. And usually in Utah any fun, free, family activity is so packed it is not worth it. But we have been lucky both last year and this year and have had a really good time.

First up was the monkeys. I do not know what is so entertaining about monkeys, but I could watch them all day long!

Then off to the elephants, that are always a favorite...

The boys love watching the elephants pick up their food with their trunks and stuff it in their mouths.

Then off to the tigers who always seem to be sleeping in the winter. I do not blame them I want to sleep all winter too! But one was sleeping right next to the glass and we got to see him up close.

You have to look close to notice the gorilla behind the glass. He was laying there covered in a sheet, cuddling up to blankets. It was fun to watch him watching us.

(Blake was our photographer, cutting off my head!)

Then some playing on a bronze gorilla,

In some caves,

And on the playground.

It was a successful day at the zoo and all I could think of was how nice it is to not have to be pushing around a stroller or carrying around a little one, which will change soon! I am enjoying this stage where both my boys can walk, keep up and stay with me. Not next year on our trip to the zoo with the new little one.

My 30th

2012-02-04T21:05:00.001-07:00

Decided to have a birthday get together last year for my 29th birthday in the hopes that this year I could keep my 30th birthday small and quiet. I was semi-successful:

Got to have a nice and quiet date night with my husband. We got a babysitter and went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, my favorite! We then walked around the mall where I could pick out a couple things I wanted for my birthday including a watch and sunglasses.

My actual birthday was on Sunday which was kind of fun because I got to see a bunch of my friends at church and they all wished me happy birthday. Plus my husband spoke in church and was sweet enough to wish me happy birthday over the pulpit.

Later my sister had us over for dinner then back home for some my favorite Cold Stone ice cream cake.

It was the perfect 30th birthday! Thank you to all the phone calls, texts, cards and gifts from my family and friends.

New socks and underwear!

2012-01-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

I brought home new socks and underwear for Blake and both of my boys were so excited. They immediately stripped down and put them on.

I would have understood if they were Tansformer underwear or something, but they were plain white.

I guess next time I should give new socks and underwear for Christmas or a birthday. I never knew they were such a great gift.

Plus after this they were jumping on the trampoline in their socks and underwear in January. The weather was really warm. Blake even asked if I could turn on the sprinkler under the tramp, I said we would wait on that.

Warm Winter

2012-01-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

It has been an unusually warm winter this year. There was not any snow on Christmas or for a few weeks after. My kids played outside much more than we are usually able to do!

The only problem is it got us all excited for spring and we are many months from that happening.

Well either way we enjoyed it for a few weeks and now we are back to normal winter freezing weather.

So bring on the snow...but spring, please come soon!

RANDOM

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos over the past few months that did not require a whole post of their own, but not be forgotten and left out.

Opening pre-Christmas presents a Grandma and Gramps' house. Mason love his angry bird from Uncle Tom, who is now in the MTC preparing for a mission in Hungary.

Nightly ritual of books before bed.

Love my cute Church boys in their Christmas sweaters.

Mason enjoying a Dunford doughnut at the park.

This is Mason and Blake's great grandparents on his Grandma's side and his Great grandpa and his wife on their Grampa's side. I just think that it is cool that they have great-grandparents!

My handsome 3 year old.

Pilot continues to grow and be the perfect dog, well most of the time!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

It was great to wake up in the hotel room with my family all in one room. Nothing to do, nowhere to be just enjoy time with my favorite boys. Another great thing is that the curtains made the room really dark so we got to sleep in.

Although there were not as many presents the boys did not notice. They were more than happy with what they did get to open.

One great thing about having young kids is you can get away with spending $50 on presents and still get them some great things.

I am worried for when they are teenagers and clothes or electronics can sure add up!

Playing games occupied most of the morning.

We then went to the hotel restaurant for a Christmas morning buffet. Anything and everything you ever would want for breakfast including waffles, lox & bagels, freshly made omelets and more!

We then had to get some photos in their new jammies. I will admit I had to bribe them with going swimming to get these photos. Recently it has been difficult to get them to stand still for a moment.

See what I mean?

Then off to the indoor/outdoor pool for a family swim.

Swimming is always a treat for our boys.

Yes mom got in too. I just need to be better at passing off my camera.

We then checked out of the hotel, went and picked up Pilot and headed to my sisters house for a simple soup and roll lunch.

We did have a whole Monday crammed full of activities for the next day. But when we were driving home we both decided that we were worn out and tired from the last three days. So on Monday we hung around the house and played with Christmas presents and relaxed.

Stay-Cation Day #2: PART 2

2012-01-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

After we got settled into our hotel room we bundled up and walked outside the hotel to TRAX. Riding the train is always a fun event for my boys even if it is a short trip down to temple square.

Once there we found a small hot dog stand and decided to have a snack.

The hot dog vendor was extremely nice giving us free hand warmers for the boys and a bag of cookies that my boys had asked for.

Then off to temple square to see the nativity scene and all the lights.

I am always amazed and how many lights they wrap around each branch in every tree. It really is a sight to see!

It was very clear without any snow or clouds so once the sun went down it got pretty chilly. I think the boys were fine, but I was cold.

But, it was worth a little cold to see these beautiful lights and the temple and reflect on the real meaning of Christmas on Christmas Eve.

We stepped inside the Joseph smith Building to warm up a little.

We then headed back to the hotel to let the boys open their new pajamas and to order in Pizza from The Pie (One of our favorites).

Perfect night with my favorite boys relaxing together as a family and making lots of memories.

Stay-Cation Day #2: PART 1

2012-01-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

The first thing Blake asked when he woke up is, "What are we going to do fun today?" After a good nights sleep they were ready to get going.

First stop was Kneaders for some all-you-can-eat french toast. Thick cinnamon french toast with caramel syrup whip cream and strawberries.

Then after a short trip home to pack and get the dog we were off once again.

We took Pilot to a kennel for 24 hours and then went to the Gateway mall in SLC to see the Arthur Christmas movie.

Although the movie was a little long for young ones it was very entertaining. Creative, cute and fun...we will be buying this to watch again during the holidays.

We then went and checked into the Little America hotel. It was classy, fancy and decorated very nice. Of course it is older than The Grand America (we have stayed there before) but we really enjoyed The Little America.

Lots of things for the boys to look at and space to run!

Stay tuned for our trip to temple square.

Stay-Cation Day #1: PART 2

2012-01-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

After our little revitalization trip home we packed up and headed down to Provo. Back to our old stompin' grounds with a trip to Fat Cats to go bowling.

(Mason is showing you how many pins he knocked down!)

We have never taken the boys bowling before and they loved it!

We played two full games and they enjoyed every bowl.

It was fun to be just a few streets away from our first apartment over 6 years ago.

(Mason got this Captain America mask and shield from Papa for Christmas and he plays with them every day!)

We then went to Sensuous Sandwich on Center Street in Provo. If you have not been here you have to go! It is our favorite sandwich place. Not even in the same category as Subway. If only we lived closer I would be there every day!

I forgot to take pictures of our sandwiches, I was too busy eating. I guess you have to go and see them for yourselves.

We then went on a River Cruise on the Provo River. Although it was cold we snuggled up with coats, hats and a blanket and enjoyed all the lights while floating down the river.

We even got a visit from Santa on a canoe who brought us some candy canes.

We had planned to stop by Thanksgiving Point on the way home to see the lights and Reindeer, but just a few minutes down the road both boys were asleep.

It was a successful, busy, fantastic day and everyone was worn out and ready for bed.

Stay-Cation Day #1: PART 1

2012-01-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Each Christmas we alternate between a traditional Christmas and doing something out of the box like a trip or activities. This was our non-traditional year so we decided to enjoy family time doing activities in the Salt Lake Valley. So here is how we started our family Stay-Cation:

First up was a trip to the mall to visit Santa Claus. Luckily we always have portable entertainment when waiting in lines with dad's games on his phone.

Of course they would not let us take photos with our own personal cameras, but that did not stop my 6'6" husband from sneaking a few!

Then off to one of mom's favorites restaurants, Cheesecake Factory.

Everything on the menu, and it is a big one, is fantastic!

Then we headed back home to let the dog out for a bit and rest a little before the second part of our day.

Quick Trip to the Fire Department

2011-12-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

After planning, emails, arranging drivers, getting booster seats we headed to the South Jordan Fire Department down the street. We had two nice firemen welcome us and talk to us about fire safety. When we were about to enter the department to get a tour, rrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!!

The firemen had to leave on a call. I have known that there is always a chance this could happen so I was not surprised. We rushed back to watch the engine and ambulance leave on their emergency and took a picture next to one of the trucks still there.

It was a fast field trip, but I do not think the kids noticed after I passed out the stickers they seemed to be pleased and back to preschool we went.

Happy Happy Birthday Mason Dear

2011-12-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Has it really been three years?

(The date was off on the camera really it was 12/14/2007)

We celebrated Mason turning 3! We started telling him a few days before that he is going to turn three and he was very impressed with himself when he could hold up three fingers and say "free". Except Blake was quick to correct him and tell him he was still two. so the argument would go back and forth "Free...two...I'm free...your two...NO FREE!!!" Good thing that did not last very long!

Powdered doughnuts for breakfast. Both the boys almost finished off the whole box!

Then off to a fun center with my three favorite boys...

Then to Red Robyn for Hamburgers and ice cream cake.

Home for presents,

And more cake.

(Did not plan on his PJs matching his cake :)

Happy birthday to my sweet, funny, stubborn, cuddly, courageous 3 year old!

Ward/ Neighborhood Breakfast

2011-12-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Always something to look forward to. Celebrating the season with friends and neighbors. I appreciate how our ward tries to stay away from Santa Claus and focus more on Christ.

(Kids dancing and singing jingle bells)

(Blake is getting to be quite the colorer!)

Carma's Christmas Party

2011-12-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Carma has been throwing a fantastic family Christmas party for almost 10 years now. We are always excited and looking forward to this each year. It is always a fun party and this year was no exception.

First was making our own tree ornaments.

Fun to just sit, craft and create.

All the kids got to choose a puppet and we sand Christmas carols with our animals.

Yummy food, great entertainment, family and lots of laughs. Plus she always packs a large bag of presents for each kid. So thoughtful and generous. We love you Aunt Carma!

Trim the Tree

2011-12-23T09:20:00.002-07:00

One of my boys favorite thing to do is to decorate the tree. They really do not bother with all the other Christmas decorations, but they are right by my side when I pull out the ornaments.

Christmas Tree decorating and music puts me right in the Christmas spirit.

One of the reasons why they might be so interested is they enjoy pulling out "their" ornaments. Every year everyone gets to choose one ornament that we write their name and the year on.

Then when they get married they can take their 20+ ornaments and decorate their first tree.

So although all the ornaments ended up in the bottom half of the tree we enjoyed a family night together decorating the Christmas tree and getting into the spirit.

(Mason is getting good at this grumpy scowl face!)

Forsythe Family Photo Session

2011-12-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Taking a family photo is always a challenge. But, try it with 2 grandparents, 2 parents, 9 kids, 5 spouses, and 14 grandkids!

My boys were in heaven because there were rocks to climb and sticks to play with.

The only problem was the best place to take the photo was in the shade of the mountain where it was bitter cold.

So as long as we kept the kids happy and warm things ran smoothly.

(No, I do not know why my husband has a knife, I think he was trying to spice up the event.)

Eventually Mason hit a wall and was done, luckily we had finished most of the photos.

Look at all those cute grandkids...In the end Success!

My sister-in-law Lisa did a fantastic job planning, organizing, taking, and editing the photos. Check out her photography blog here (Bakersfield, Ca.).

Turkey Day

2011-12-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

We headed down South to Richfield, Utah to spend Thanksgiving weekend with my in-laws. It was a fantastic weekend with lots of food, cousins, games, and family.

Pre-Thanksgiving

2011-12-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Since we were headed down South to enjoy Thanksgiving with my husbands family we decided to have a mini/pre-Thanksgiving at our home the Sunday before. Only my sister, I, and my dad live here in Utah but we were excited to hear my brothers family was also in town. So we managed to fit over 20 people in our house for a yummy meal.

John prepared and cooked the turkey by brining it 2 days before. Moist and yummy!

Always fun to have more kids around to play and entertain my boys.

The only problem was there were way too many phones in my house with Angry Birds on it. So Mason went around from phone to phone playing all night long. When I finally told him no more phones and tried to encourage him to actually play with his cousins this is what happened...

His obsession has been subsiding a bit since then.

Trip to California

2011-12-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

We always wish that we could visit family more and I was tired of saying someday and decided to take my two boys to visit some of their cousins in California. I kept my eyes out for a good deal on some plane tickets and when they came up I purchased them and looked forward to a weekend trip to Cali.

It was fun to see my boys so excited for their first airplane ride.

We were lucky to have my dad come along with us too. My boys love their Papa.

(I love Blake concentration tongue when he is working on something.)

Blake and Mason were not scared at all, they were just excited and entertained with the whole experience.

I told my sister to not plan any activities. All we wanted to do was hang out and let the cousins play.

Since it was already getting cold back in Utah we enjoyed going to watch cousin Ellie play volleyball and spend time at the park in the warm sun!

Plus this park had sand, why do we not have parks with sand in Utah?

We also enjoyed Sumo wrestling at the library. My boys thought it was hilarious seeing us wrestle in those fat suits.

They had to try on the suits too.

More playing with their cousins around the house.

And to the mall for lunch and an outdoor play area.

Then a final play time outside riding bikes and skateboards and wearing a frog costume.

Mason actually wore this frog costume to the airport on the way home. Such a cutie!

Looking back at these photos I realized what a good time we had because there are so many things I forgot to take pictures of, including any of me. (Always remember to pass off your camera!) Oh well, I guess we have the memories.

Thank you Heather for letting us come and visit!

Happy Halloween

2011-12-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

So what time did you start trick-or-treating? We went at 5:30pm when the sun started to go down and we were the only ones out! Everyone was fine with us ringing the doorbell but they seemed surprised that we had started.

Oh well, I figure we have young kids and we got done in enough time to finish up, go home and have dinner, then get our boys to bed and pass out candy to the rest of the trick-or-treaters who like to be cold in the dark!

This is definitely the most gorgeous tree on our street. It has every color leaf on the tree at one time.

Hope you had a fantastic Halloween as well!

Baby and Pumpkin Patch

2011-12-04T12:00:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed our entire Halloween Day. First we went to see the "baby in mommy's tummy".

For those who have not heard we are excited to be preparing for another Forsythe baby near the end of May. Blake was very interested in seeing what the technician was doing, Mason was just having a fun time playing with the new toys.

After seeing our new family member we headed to the pumpkin patch. It was pretty deserted. I guess most got their pumpkins before Halloween day.

Tractors, pumpkins, dirt, corn maze, wheelbarrows, goats and more...this place makes any little boy happy!

Then home to carve our pumpkins and to get ready for trick-or-treating.

(I promise only one more Halloween post!)

Pirates going to the Party

2011-12-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

(I know I am behind on my blogging! If only I could be like my friend Dara who has her posts up the day of each activity. So bear with me as I try and finish Halloween:)

The Young Women in our ward host a Halloween carnival each year. Kids love tradition and they look forward to the same party and games each year. Plus it is nice to be able to dress up in our costumes without having to layer clothes underneath and wear coats over the top like we have to when we go trick-or-treating.

( Mason crying about something, probably wants to play on dad's phone!)

Don't I have a cute pirate family?

Relaxing Afternoon

2011-12-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Just have to sit back and enjoy afternoons like this...

Preschool Party and Stitches

2011-11-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

Most of you know that I teach preschool out of my home 3 mornings a week. After teaching 4th grade for a couple years I had my first baby and knew I wanted to stay home. But after a year of being a stay at home mom I wanted to do something more. This is my third year of teaching preschool and I love it! Blake and Mason, my own 2 little boys, love it too.

I always have nervous anticipation for the Halloween party. Lots of cute kids in costumes with many pieces to lose, everyone has more energy, and after it is over I sit on the couch and put my feet up. This year went great with one minor hitch...

Mason is not in the above costume shots because he was at InstaCare with dad getting stitches.

He was stepping over some kids sitting on the carpet, tripped and fell into the white board. The metal tray that holds the markers has a sharp corner. At first I thought he missed it but then I saw under his chin and I knew right away it needed stitches. This is the first we have had an emergency like this in our house and I am thankful for two things, #1 that it was my own child and #2 that dad was home to take him while I stayed and finished preschool. Mason was a great boy and the chocolate on his face was from the ice cream cone he was awarded after he was done.

Glad that that first is not checked off the list!

College Girlfriends

2011-11-14T10:08:00.001-07:00

It is always great getting together with old college friends and catching up on each others lives. This was the 6 of us when we lived in Helaman Halls at BYU 2000-2001:

So many fun memories!

We are all married now and working on growing our own families.

We missed Rachel who lives in Georgia and Katie who lives in New Zealand...we love you girls!

We are all going to try and all get together this coming summer, cross your fingers that it all works out because there is no better medicine than for me to be able to spend time with my girlfriends.

Here is us trying to get a good picture with Millie having a laugh attack.

Oh good we finally got one! Don't I have gorgeous friends?

Witches @ Gardner Village

2011-11-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Took a ride on TRAX to Gardner Village to walk around and see the witches. We also got a treat at the bakery and rode "the train" back home. It was a nice family activity out!

Welcome Fall!

More soccer

2011-11-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

We have started a new era with our children playing sports. So get ready for many years of sporting highlights on this blog.

Blake enjoyed his last 4 games of soccer.

He even scored a goal in which he quickly said, "I need to tell Papa!"

This being his first year and the youngest age group they only play 3 on 3 which makes for a lot of play time since there were only 7 kids on his team.

Here in Utah they split the full season in two and we play 8 games in the fall and another 8 in the spring since winter gets in the way.

So we are looking forward to some more games right around the time of his 5th birthday.

Great job Blake on your first season of soccer, you always make us so proud!

Off to the park

2011-10-30T21:52:00.000-06:00

We are lucky enough to have at least 5 parks in walking distance from our home. So late afternoons when mom needs to get the kids out of the house we take Pilot for a walk to the park. I usually sit and read or relax in the sun, but on this day I carried along the camera.

Who can resist taking pictures of these sweet boys?

I cannot believe Blake will be starting kindergarten next year! Here are some facts about Blake:

His favorite toys are his Transformers. He saves up his job money to go to Walmart and buy another. It amazes me how he is able to figure them out.
He loves to do his best work in preschool. He will sit for quite awhile and use different colors, and take his time on all his worksheets and art projects.
He loves to go to friends houses and play. He asks everyday who we are going to play with.
He is amazing at puzzles, his favorite to put together right now is a 50 piece Buzz puzzle.
He is starting to figure out how letter, sounds, words and reading words. Right now he likes to figure out the first sound in a word and then tell us what letter it is.
He always wants to know what the full day plan is. He asks what we are doing and what we are going to do next.
Right now he is enjoying watching Pink Panther on Netflix and will play episode after episode if we do not limit it.

Mason is still in his stubborn terrible two stage. We have learned that we can not tell him to do something, we have to give him a choice. (ex: You can either pick up the trash or sit in time out...sometimes he picks sit in time out!) Here are some things about Mason:

Starting to talk a lot more now. We may be the only one who understand him, but he sure has a lot to say.
Loves to jump on the tramp even in his underwear when it is cold outside.
Enjoys wrestling with Pilot and pulling his tail.
Likes to look at the search and find books and will look at them over and over.
Is getting good at naming many letters and numbers.
Has a high pain tolerance, but likes to complain about every bump and bruise so he can get a kiss or hug.

We love our two little boys that keep us entertained and make us laugh every day.

End of the Summer

2011-10-27T20:30:00.000-06:00

Getting free tickets to an afternoon at The Cowabunga Bay water park was a perfect way to end the summer. The water park is right off the freeway and every time we drive by it, my boys point it out and ask, "can we go there tomorrow?"

My boys love water! They would swim all day every day if we let them.

They love water slides even more and run up and slide down over and over. We can not even keep up with them.

They are not scared of fast slides or rides. They would have gone on the largest slides if there was not a height limit. In fact they tried it a few times before being turned away.

It is a blast watching my boys have fun. It is like we get to be kids again living through our kids. Yeah for a fantastic summer!

Utah State Fair

2011-10-23T21:17:00.000-06:00

I do not know what it is but we have kept the tradition for 4 years now of attending the Utah State Fair. It must be the quirkiness of it all. The man walking around with his dressed up pet geese, deep-fried everything, drunk people showing off their beer bellies because their shirts are never long enough and lots more. Here are some things we saw, did and ate this year.

Looked at some paintings,

Played some games,

Looked at and petted some animals,

Sat on some large pumpkins,

Rode the Ferris-Wheel,

Ate some pizza,

Had lots of all you can eat ice cream,

It was another successful year at the fair!

Summer Camping

2011-10-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

May: It would be fun to go camping, but there is still too much snow!

June: Let's go camping...wow that month went by fast.

July: The weather is perfect to go camping, there goes another month.

End of August: OK let's just pack up the car and go camping...

The campgrounds were full so we chose an unmarked area that was perfect, but no bathrooms. you are going to laugh, but this is the first time my boys peed outside. So it was a entertaining learning experience.

First up was a nature hike. Open, nice, quiet and beautiful weather!

Then back for a dutch oven dinner and s'mores.

The best part was just watching our boys be boys while playing with sticks and stones and getting dirty.

Although it was fun we still had out share of tough learning experiences including a cold night with a crying little boy and burning breakfast. But those stories add to the memories.

The White Ninjas

2011-09-26T20:34:00.000-06:00

Blake has started soccer and loving every minute of it....well almost! The first game he could not understand why everyone was not sharing the ball with him. When we play at home everyone gets a chance to kick the ball and make a goal and the competitiveness of the real game was not fun for him at first.

He has now played 4 games and is starting to feel the thrill of working hard to kick the ball. Every time he gets his foot on the ball he turns to us and says, "I kicked it!" with a thumbs up.

He also loves being on a team and making new friends.

Along with enjoying his soccer uniform and gear. He puts it on hours before his game and keeps it on the rest of the day.

We have a good time sitting and watching him, but we have to keep a close eye on Mason who also thinks he is part of the team.

Oh and when we asked him what his favorite part of his first game was he said...the treats!

Declan's Baby Blessing

2011-09-25T20:17:00.000-06:00

Baby blessings, weddings and deaths bring families together. This time we were able to celebrate John's sister Jamie, who had her first. Jamie and Jonathon added the number 14th cousin to the Forsythe clan, baby Declan.

He has some cute cousins to look up to...

It was a beautiful day with lots of family.

I made John take a picture out the window while we were on the freeway...

Congratulations Jamie and Jonathon and welcome to the world Declan.

7th Anniversary Getaway: Park City

2011-09-21T14:03:00.000-06:00

John and I switch off every year with who plans our anniversary celebration. We both like surprises and this way we get a turn to sit back and enjoy what the other has planned every other year. This year it was my turn and let me just say John is going to have a hard time topping this next year.

I found a package with a nights stay at a very quaint, small, and intimate hotel, a hot stone massage for each of us, and a fantastic dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Here John reading the menu, we ate outside and the weather was pleasant...I guess until it started hailing and we had to move inside to eat our dessert.

I got macadamia encrusted halibut and John got a steak that was smooth as butter. We also enjoyed complimentary beignets.

The room was quite spacious and roomy, but this mural at the end of our bed was creepy!

I even convinced john to jump on the bed since there were vaulted ceilings. A lot more tiring then I remember!

The next day we ventured to Main Street in Park City. So quaint and fun to just walk around and look in all the shop windows.

There was also a Farmer's Market going on where we got some fantastic orange/cranberry bread and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

We had a nice and short getaway with just the two of us. Thank you to Grandma and Gramps for being so generous to drive up and stay with our boys over the weekend. I do not think they even missed us they were having so much fun!

Happy 7 year anniversary to the love of my life!

(I know that was kind of sappy, but too bad!)

Salt Lake County Fair

2011-09-11T18:27:00.000-06:00

Our yearly family activity to the fair. This is the county fair which is free and in South Jordan. Also the parking was discounted the night we went. It is hard to deter our kids away from the money sucking carnival rides. We usually let them go on one, but this time we enjoyed looking at the animals, a funnel cake and just walking around.

(Do not mind Blake, just being grumpy for a moment.)

( I love watching Mason walking around and interacting with the animals. No Fear!)

(The reptile house was their favorite!)

Another successful summer evening at the Fair.

Temple Square: Faith the Musical

2011-09-08T20:54:00.000-06:00

Our Stake put together a musical about the Saints immigrating from England to the Salt Lake Valley. There were even a large group of members that came from England to be in the production. We thought it would be a fun opportunity for us to take the boys to a cultural event. Well ,I guess it was a good idea to take Blake. Dad was out in the hall with Mason almost the whole time. Oh well, we made the effort and got some cute pictures!

(Blake looking at the program)

4,000 Lady Bugs!

2011-09-05T20:19:00.000-06:00

Got a great idea from my friend Dara to buy and release ladybugs as a family activity. So Dad brought home two bags of lady bugs with 2,000 bugs in each bag.

When you first look at the bag it is hard to believe that there are that many bugs in the bag.

But once we opened the bag they came out in a swarm.

We let most of them go in our cherry tree that had some Black Cherry Aphids and we heard that lady bugs like to eat them.

Not sure if the natural bug repellant worked because I think they were all gone the next morning.

It was a fun family activity, thanks for the suggestion Dara!

Random Photos

2011-08-28T21:18:00.000-06:00

Just a few random photos of what goes on around our home. These pictures were taken when I look at my kids and think, "how cute, I love when they do that, or what are they doing?" In these situations I almost always grab for my camera first. I encourage you to do the same because these moments do not happen more than once and our kids grow up way too fast!

This first one was when I was sewing in my craft room they came in dressed like this...

My boys love to collect and bring in the eggs and this egg was a large double yolk...

This is Blake with his favorite blanket that he made into a toga...

This is Blake showing off his new ruler/slap bracelet that he bought with his money...

Mason fell asleep in this position on the couch, I guess I wore him out...

Such characters...

Cousins came to visit and read bedtime books to my son...

This one was snapped by my husband of me enjoying the heat from the sun...

We all have had a great summer!

My boys are growing up too fast!

2011-08-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

Do you ever take a glance at your kids and think they must have grown since the last time you looked at them. I swear I can see my boys growing right in front of me.

Blake is almost 4 1/2:

Loves Transformers. Saves up his commission every week from doing his jobs to buy more transformers.
Watches TV and Netflix way too much, some of his favorites are Backyardigans, Spiderman, & Go Diego Go
He had his first soccer game and was worn out after the first quarter of playing. Not sure he has that competitive drive in him right now, still trying to figure out what he is suppose to do.
Loves building things with blocks
Always wants to know every detailed plan for the day
Very good at puzzles
Great helper for mom during the day while dad is at work
Loves to figure out and learn new things

Mason is 2 1/2

Going through a stage of terrible two and spends a lot of time in time out.
Very competitive he will not come to you if you tell him but will if you say "On your make, get set, go!" He will run and say "I win!"
Loves to play Angry Birds on dad's phone- a little too much
Doing fantastic with his big boy underwear
Wants to be big like his older brother so he can do what he does
Very tenderhearted and likes to give hugs
Treats Pilot like his own wrestling partner
Has his own language that we are starting to learn

We are very humbled that Heavenly Father has entrusted us with two of his precious children. We only hope that we can be good parents for them and raise them into the best that they can be!

Mason took this picture of himself with the camera on a tripod using the wireless remote. I thought it was funny!

The "Beach"

2011-08-24T20:18:00.000-06:00

I know the man-made Lake at DayBreak in South Jordan, Utah is not the real beach, but this is the closest I can offer my children without taking a 9 hour drive.

I grew up by the ocean and my summers were filled with waves, sand and sun.

I think my boys inherited my love for playing all day in the sand and water.

What is it about sand and kids? It can keep them busy and entertained for hours.

Pilot had a good time too!

8 Year Anniversary

2011-08-22T12:04:00.000-06:00

Who knew these kids...

Would do this...

And 8 years later would grow into this...

Thank you for treating me like a queen and making me your #1

Days of '47 Rodeo

2011-08-21T21:57:00.000-06:00

We thought that our boys would have fun at the Rodeo so we enjoyed a family night out together.

We were right, Blake and Mason are "all boy" and they loved the rodeo.

In fact they stayed in their seats for practically the whole event!

Who would not love cowboys, horses, and bulls?

We are glad you boys enjoyed the Rodeo!

Summer in Pictures

2011-08-18T21:20:00.000-06:00

By way of catching up on my blog here are a few fun activities we have done recently...

Only 2 1/2 more weeks until preschool begins.

Summer is practically over!

Normal Day in the Forsythe Home

2011-08-14T21:03:00.000-06:00

I am just giving you a glimpse of what a normal activity is around our house every day. It involves:

*costumes

*swords

*couch cushions

& a dog...

Snakes, snails and puppy dog tails...
that is what little boys are made of.

MATER!!!

2011-08-08T20:55:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Gramps live down in Richfield, Utah.

On our way down for a family visit we took a detour through Gunnison City to see Mater.

We did not tell the boys because we wanted it to be a surprise. We drove by him before we parked and got out of the car. Blake saw it as we passed and yelled, "Mater!"

The look on his face was shock and excitement.

Mater was sitting outside the Gunnison Movie theater to promote Cars II

It is fantastic to watch your kids so excited about seeing their favorite movies and characters come to life.

It is like you get to be a kid again through their eyes.

Thank you Gunnison City for having a fantastic attraction on your Main Street.

The Big 30!

2011-08-08T20:30:00.000-06:00

My hubby turned 30 last month!

I am married to a 30 year old.

I guess he will be able to say the same thing to me in 5 months.

Not sure how I feel about turning 30, but John sure took it in stride. The big day did not seem to phase him at all.

In fact 30 fits John well. He has always been more mature, handsome and intelligent then his age. That is probably why he takes it so well.

I got a babysitter and we went and hit balls at the driving range and played 9 holes of golf.

It was a gorgeous day and it was nice to be out with my man enjoying the time together.

I am glad I get to grow old with my best friend.

Happy Birthday honey, I love you!

Just a few more photos

2011-08-05T22:58:00.000-06:00

Well you may be tired of reading about and seeing pictures of our family reunion in Henderson, Nevada but... too bad!

There are just way too many cute cousins to not share these photos.

Family Jeopardy Match...my family is way too competitive, but we had fun.

Of Course more time at the pool. Did I mention is was over 100 degrees every day!

With 22 grand kids swimming in the pool we kind of took over the place. But they are such sweet kids I am not sure others minded.

One last picture of some cute cousins by the pool. Thanks to my family for another great year. Until we meet again in another 2 years.

I started a new Craft, DIY etc Blog

2011-08-05T09:03:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to start a seperate blog for quite awhile now.

In fact my summer to do list mainly had:

Potty Train Mason
Swimming lessons for Blake
Redecorate office
Start Blog

So here it is

http://lovemyelement.wordpress.com/

Go check it out and become a friend on Facebook.

These is still a lot I want to do with the site but with the help from my friend Kirsten she helped me realize I was over thinking it and just needed to start. So that is what I did.

Las Vegas Strip

2011-08-01T17:21:00.000-06:00

We did sneak away from the family for a few hours and the four of us took a short trip down to the Las Vegas Strip.

First stop was to see the Lions at the MGM Hotel (Thanks Dara for the idea).

Sorry for the horrible picture, there were a lot of people there.

It was a hot day and a lot of walking for two little boys, so we did not stay long but we did visit...

The M&M Factory. What kid would not love a wall of candy?

And even got to meet a red and green M&M.

There was a nice and cool indoor mall that had these water tornado tubes that kept the boys entertained for quite awhile.

We ended our excursion with a Las Vegas Style Buffet at the new hotel Aria. John loved that they had all you can eat king crab legs. I guess I was busy eating too because I only got this one picture of Mason drinking his rootbeer.

It was an adventurous walk down the strip. These memories will last awhile that we will not have to go back for another 10 years.

Weenig Family Reunion: Day 1 & 2

2011-07-31T12:05:00.000-06:00

Every other summer my side of the family gets together for a family reunion. In the past we have enjoyed our time in a cabin outside of Zion and Palm Springs. This year we met in the middle in Henderson, Nevada.

I am the youngest of 6 kids so my dad and Grandma Sharron, 6 kids, 6 spouses and 22 grandkids (there are 23 but, one is on a mission) makes for plenty of people to visit with, play with, and people around.

You will see plenty of pictures at the pool because that is where we spent most of our time. It was well over 100 degrees every day so it was the only way to cool off.

My favorite part about our reunions is watching my kids play with their cousins and get to know them better. The majority of them live in California so we do not get to see them very often.

The second night the adults went out to dinner at Pei Wei. I apologize to all the other customers in the restaurant. When you get our whole family together we get kind of loud and obnoxious.

When we got back to our hotel room this is how we found the boys. Sun, water and heat wear these boys out.

Stay tuned for part II of our vacation.

Your Dog Did What?

2011-07-16T18:00:00.000-06:00

Let me start back a couple years when we first brought home two chickens from Grandmas house.

I had always liked chickens to decorate with and seeing them at the petting zoo.

So we decided to have a trial period and see if real chickens are something that we would want to have.

And two years later we now have 9 chickens and a fridge full of eggs. So that must tell you how successful it has been. But those numbers can be deceiving if I don't explain how the number of chickens in our backyard have fluctuated up and down in the past years. Especially since we got a new puppy.

So before I tell you what happened and discourage you, let me show you some cute pictures to encourage you to have chickens at your house too...

So first 2 chickens became 8 when we bought 6 more chicks in the spring of 2010.

Then in November of 2010 we got Pilot the monster dog.

2 chickens got out, Pilot thought we had gotten him some new chew toys and we were back down to 6.

This spring 2011 I was excited to see that IFA, where we buy our chicks, were going to be selling Silke chickens.

So we made sure to make a trip and buy 4 silke chickens and a couple more high egg layers.

We were now up to 12 chickens. I know that sounds like a lot but half of them were small chicks.

Before we left for 4th of July weekend I was admiring how fluffy the Silke chickens were starting to get. That is when I took the pictures of Mason holding one of them.

We made sure to make arrangements for our dog including two separate family members coming to stay in our home to house/dog sit.

We thought everything would be fine until the phone call letting us know that Pilot had gotten into the chicken coop. We did not know the damage until we made it home and saw that there were only 6 chickens left.

I think John was most upset that his new impenetrable coop was invaded.

Now in defense of Pilot he does not eat the chickens or tear then apart. He just chases them, gets a hold of them and once he realizes what he has done he sulks away. Can you blame a puppy for chasing a small animal that is running away from him?

So this past weekend while visiting grandma she was kind enough to send us home with 3 more chickens that are already large enough to lay eggs. So we are back up to 9 chickens, the coop has been reinforced and there are new batteries in Pilot's shock collar.

Have I confused you or kept your attention?

I just thought I would share our history of the crazy chicken & dog retreat we have going on over here.

Come bring your dogs over to play with Pilot so he does not get bored and go after the chickens again!

IDAHO Part II

2011-07-15T22:07:00.000-06:00

So after our drive to Chester Idaho everyone was excited to get out of the car. My cousins cabin (Thank you Madelynne and Aunt Carma) is right on Henry's Fork of the Snake River. And I mean "right on". We could have jumped off the upstairs deck into the water.

It did make us nervous with two little boys so close to the water. So we kept very close watch on them all weekend long.

The next day we took a road trip to Mesa Falls.

Our boys love the outdoors. Sticks, dirt, and lots of space to run.

We went to the Mesa Falls Lodge that had some fantastic furs, skulls, and things for the boys to look at and touch.

We then hiked down to the lower falls and were pleasantly surprised at how close we could get and the expanse of the falls.

(Mason is putting the dandelion up to Blake's mouth because he can not blow it apart himself.)

We had a great weekend with just us 4...and Pilot the dog.

IDAHO Part I

2011-07-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

We took a last minute family trip to a cousins cabin in Idaho.

When we are home we try to eat healthy, but when we go on the road on vacation all those thoughts fly out the window.

And our trip to Idaho did not disapoint.

First stop was Krispy Kreme. We actually got the dozen doughnuts for free for bringing in an ugly tie for the ugliest tie contest.

Then Big Juds. This restaunt has been featured on Man vs Food and it was fantastic.

John tried to complete the 2 pound challenge by finishing this burger. He only made it a little more than 3/4th, but did not get the whole thing down. All of the food was very tasty.

Next up the cabin and Mesa Falls...

One of Debbie's Dolphins

2011-07-09T20:39:00.000-06:00

Last year I signed Blake up for a level one swimming class at the Rec Center and that is exactly what it was, a few fun classes on water exploration.

So this year I wanted something more. After some research I found Debbie's Dolphins in South Jordan. It was fantastic.

Debbie teaches the classes in her own backyard pool. She treats her area like a classroom and is very serious about actually teaching the kids to be more comfortable in the water and to swim. She has very high expectations and all of the kids improved and had a great time!

Blake did fantastic and improved in so many different ways.

(Blake getting a toy at the bottom of the pool)

He jumped off the side in the deep end, turned around and swam back to the wall.
Dove down to get toys off the bottom of the pool
Floating on his back
Gliding along the top of the water
Kicking and big arms
jumping off the diving board and swimming to the ladder
And learning how to love swimming even more

It was a successful year and we have already used some of his new found skills at the pool.

Great job Blake! We are so proud of you and your hard work.

Oh and Mason was a pretty good spectator, but I know he will be more than ready to take lessons next year too!

Garden Wedding

2011-06-22T21:24:00.000-06:00

Most of you know my mother passed away over 15 years ago.

My dad's main focus after that was raising his children.

Once we all moved out of the house, graduated from college and got married he became lonely.

So began the search for a friend to spend the rest of his life here on earth.

A year ago he met Sharon and the rest is history.

On June 4th, 2011 they were married in a simple and gorgeous backyard wedding surrounded by family and friends.

Sharon asked if my boys would drop flower petals and they were so cute, especially Mason who did not understand the whole spreading the petals until he had walked the whole way and stepped off to the side. Then he emptied his bucket.

It was special to have all 6 kids there to celebrate and support. Especially since not all grand kids were brought along so it was nice to sit and visit without other worries.

Of course my boys enjoyed themselves especially the large marshmallows.

It was a fantastic afternoon and weekend. Dad and Sharon we wish you the best and many years of friendship and love.

Lots of Family

2011-06-14T21:48:00.000-06:00

As most of you know my dad recently got remarried after 15+ years after losing my mom. Here are some photos from the family dinner a couple nights before the big day. Having a parent get married a second time can be awkward. You are not only bringing two people together, you are merging two families.

Sharron has 2 sons who are not married and a daughter with 4 kids who lives close. They are all easy going and fun.

Now my family is a different story. 6 kids 6 in-laws and 23 grand kids. We are loud, obnoxious and demand attention.

During this night Sharron saw how our family can be when we all get together. And we let her know that she still had time to get out.

So to Sharron and her 3 kids...sorry we are so noisy and boisterous and that our jokes are not funny. Welcome to the family!

Next up are pictures of the Garden Wedding...

A few Highlights...

2011-06-05T11:38:00.000-06:00

...so I can catch up on my blog.

Recently it seems as if life has sped up and is running away from me. I thought once preschool graduation was over that it would slow down and it has, a little.

But in the effort to catch up on my blog here is a summary of what has been going on.

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First up was John's cousins wedding. It was at a gorgeous restaurant up the canyon and the food was delish!

Great to see family that we normally do not get to see very often!

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Then John decided to build a treehouse and got it done in less than two weeks.

Of course I do not think it will ever really be done. This is just the skeleton. There are still slides, rock walls, nets, playhouse, and a doghouse in the plans. The boys are loving it!

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Next up was a preschool field trip to The Discovery Gateway Children's Museum.

There were around 20 parents and over 30 kids. It went fantastic, but I will be honest, I am glad I do not have to plan a large field trip like that for another year.

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Then a cute picture of Mason falling asleep on the floor of his room when we did not even put him down for a nap.

I guess he was tired!

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After that preschool graduation. I had a morning and an afternoon program. It was a long day, but I cannot complain because the weather held out for me. No rain and not too cold!

Blake does have one more year of preschool, he is going to be so ready and so sick of me, as his teacher, when it is time to go to Kindergarten.

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We were lucky enough to be the recipients of a hand-me-down trampoline. My boys love it and jump on it multiple times a day. Thank you Baggetts we have been putting the tramp to good use.

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That is it, for now. Until I download the over 200 photos from this weekend. Lots of family in town for my father's wedding, stay-tuned!

Alomst 4,000 page views on our Bull Mastiff?

2011-05-22T17:21:00.000-06:00

By far my most popular blog post has been this one. There are a lot of people out there who want to see pictures of bull mastiffs. So I thought I would entertain those almost 4,000 page views with some more pictures of our 8 month old Bull Mastiff-Pilot.

Yes, he is only 8 months old

and no, he is not done growing.

Here he is when we got him from a family who thought they were ready for another bull mastiff, but realized quickly that they were not ready for a puppy.

So we happily took over their pick of the litter and have enjoyed him ever since. (Except for all the toys he has gone through and the few times he had an accident downstairs.)

No but seriously he has been a very good dog. Here are some great things about him:

-We could count how many times we have heard him bark on two hands. Which usually have to do with tarps blowing in the wind, thunder, or birds.

- We have only washed him 2 times. His short hair just does not require a lot of mantinence.

-He is so amazing with kids. We have a 2 and 4 year old who lay on him, pull his tail, and stick their hands in his mouth and we have never had to step in.

-He has never snapped, bitten, growled or any of the above. He is so mild tempered.

-We have trained him to only do his business in one part of the yard. Up on the bark in the flower bed. It makes clean up so much easier, and you are not always worried you are going to step on a surprise.

We really have enjoyed our new puppy (even though at times I felt like it was a third child!) and we are looking forward to many more years with our Pilot.

And in case you were wondering what those cement blocks and posts are, they are our new tree house built by my handy hubby. It is Pilot's favorite shady spot.

He is Risen

2011-05-22T12:05:00.001-06:00

As our children get older we struggle with the balance of celebrating and teaching the real meaning of holidays.

We want to make sure that our kids still get to enjoy the Easter Bunny and candy, but have a knowledge of Christ's resurrection.

Our kids are still young so we started simple. After going through our Easter baskets we sat down in the family room and went through the popular Easter advent eggs found here.

We explained to our boys Christ's crusifiction and resurrection while opening each egg and reading out of the scriptures.

I will admit they may have just been excited to open each egg and see what is inside. But I know they got something out of it.

After our lesson we went outside for the Easter egg hunt. Always a favorite.

Plus we found that the candy in each egg was a great way to divvy out treats for the next few weeks until they were all gone.

It was very successful and we will try it again next year and continue to find the balance between Christ and the Easter Bunny.
(Look at those eyelashes!)

Really have to find a new place for the Nutella

2011-05-16T19:20:00.000-06:00

Once again my kids have helped themselves to breakfast!

Weekend Away!

2011-05-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

We had been planning a family get together in St. George for my mother in law's birthday. At the last minute there was a family emergency and it was changed to Richfield, Utah.

Although orignally disapointed to cancel a warm weekend by the pool everything turned out very nice.

As you can see I also take way too many pictures of Mason. I now have seen that I need to take more pictures of my oldest and what else is going on.

(He is actually sitting in timeout in this picture.)

But, Can you blame me?

We enjoyed spending time with family.

Lot's of laughs

Playing with cousins

Family dinner that was delish

Finished it off with a "Happy Birthday to Momma!"

How did 4 years go by so fast?

2011-04-30T22:34:00.000-06:00

Would watch movies all day long if we let you
Extremely good at puzzles!
Always playing make believe as Spiderman, Metro-man etc...
Want to go to a friends house every day
Very friendly with anyone including strangers
Very good at negotiating anything you want
Asks for treats too many times a day
Getting very close to reading, always asks what things say
Loves books and being read to
Can write your name and many other letters

Decorated the house the night before in Blake's favorite color, red. Then a morning of a donut breakfast and chocolate milk.

When I asked Blake what kind of cake he wanted he said, "one with lots of colors".

So I found the colorful cupcake idea here.

The family, candles, and presents. I love the look on Blake's face, he loves being the center of attention. And Mason does not seem to realize that we are not singing to him.

Blake we love you and we are looking forward to many more years of watching you grow.

Re-visiting Our Past

2011-04-23T11:07:00.000-06:00

There is something special about reliving your college/dating years. My husband and I decided to attend a Ball at the school that we met and graduated from.

We got a babysitter and spent the night together.

We attended the BYU Traditions Ball thrown for the alumni every year.

After we left the kids with a babysitter we went to one of our favorite restaurants. Wabi Sabi has fantastic sushi and this time we tried the flash fried ribs and lamb with chutney as well. DELISH!

I was so impressed by all the activities at the ball. Swing band, dancing, appetizers, photo booth, prom photos, dancing lessons, ice cream floats and the list goes on.

On our way home we even stopped by one of our favorite hang out spots and treated ourselves to some shakes at The Malt Shoppe.

It was a great evening with the one I love in the place where we fell in love.

Highlights of this Week...

2011-04-09T13:07:00.001-06:00

Around the Forsythe house we are getting excited for spring. Although the beginning of the week was high 60s and by the end of the week we got over 6" of snow.

But as we stay hopeful for warm weather this is what we have been doing...

So hopefully we will not see any more of this, like we did on April 3rd!

Off to Church

2011-04-04T17:38:00.001-06:00

I do not know what it is about my two sweet boys all dressed up in their church clothes, but I always want to pull out my camera and take pictures.

So excuse me while a post a couple of my little boys because before I know it, they will be opening up their mission calls and traveling far away from me.

Until then, I will still call them my little boys. I will continue to hug them and kiss their cheeks before they go to bed. I will even laugh at all the silly things they do every day.

And I will probably do these things even after they grow up into men!

Why do we celebrate St Patricks Day?

2011-04-03T17:35:00.000-06:00

Now that my 2 boys are getting older we have more motivation to celebrate holidays and create traditions. So when St. Patrick's Day came around I was kind of at a loss as to how to explain what the holiday was and why we celebrate it. So when I looked it up online this is what I found,

"Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? The primary reason for the celebration is to commemorate the feast day of Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary who later on became the patron saint of Ireland. It is held every 17th day of March, which is believed to coincide with the time of his death."

How am I suppose to explain that to my kids?

So this year I decided that we would focus on green, playing daily hide and seek with a paper leprechaun, and shamrocks.

They seemed to be satisfied with that.

How to get your kids to take a nap...

2011-03-21T20:42:00.000-06:00

Right now we are going though a tough parenting challenge with our littlest, Mason. He is always on the go and will not stop to take a nap or go to sleep at night. We have done it all. From bribes to spakings (yes, we spank our children!). We have even done the Super Nanny "place back in bed over and over again until he falls asleep". He lasted through that for over 2 hours. I am surprised I lasted that long. Anyways this day we discovered what works.

Let him play...

Until he crashes!

Yes, he fell asleep right in the middle of the floor.

Now for some moms this may not seem like a big deal. But my children do not do this! I look at other moms, in jealously, when their kids are quietly sleeping on their shoulder in the middle of church, while mine are spilling cheerios all over the floor.

So tomorrow we are going to the park, for a walk, attending a play date, the children's museum, taking the dog for walk, the grocery store, and on a bike ride.

Do you think that will work?

Gallery Shelves

2011-03-20T22:06:00.000-06:00

For some reason I have come up with an abundance of picture frames. When I started collecting them from closets and corners I realized something needed to be done. So I saw these gallery shelves and knew it was the answer for my collection of frames.

So I took this empty wall:

Convinced my right hand man to do this:

And this is how it turned out:

I love how I did not have to make sure they were all straight on the wall. It really is a fool proof solution to display lots of pictures!

Can you lose a child at the safety fair?

2011-03-18T21:56:00.000-06:00

I DID!!!

So I braved another activity alone with my two boys. I guess I do not do that very often because I know it is hard to keep an eye on two busy young boys. This time we went to the free safety fair. Everything was going great.

We were playing on the indoor playgound and I walked over to help Blake with the scooter. When I turned around, he was gone!!! How does that happen so fast?

Now this is a bad feeling for any mom. I scanned my eyes around and no Mason anywhere.

I grabbed Blake by the hand and went straight to someone who worked there and they told me to go to the stage so they could announce that he was missing.

5 minutes

So I quickly walked to the stage and around looking for anyone. There was no helpers there except for the "way too happy performers" on stage. I then spotted the Lost Child Booth. I hurried there and the old lady said, "There are no kids here right now". Well I can see that, but how can I get help in finding my son? She pointed me in the direction of the sound booth so I hurried over there with Blake in tow, I am sure wondering why I was pulling him around at such a fast pace.

10 minutes

They did make an announcement and I did remember what he was wearing (am I the only one who wonders if my kids get lost will I remember what they are wearing?)

15 minutes

I decided it did not help to wait there, I mine as well search myself since I am the one who lost him. As I was walking back to the scene of the disappearance I SEE HIM! He is looking at me out of the back window of a school bus with both hands on the window smiling. He had no idea he was lost or that his mom was frantically looking for him.

I hurried on the bus grabbed him and gave him a large hug and vowed I would never lose him again. But we all know it will probably happen again one day. Mason please forgive me for not being a perfect mom!

400th post...

2011-03-13T22:40:00.000-06:00

Here are some projects I have done recently:

These were the valentine treats Blake brought to preschool. The girls got lolly-pops with red lips, but Blake did not want to model those for me. Cute, easy and cheap idea.

I painted this after seeing a similar print on Etsy. I don't want to pay for something unless I try to make it myself first. It now sits right above our red timeout chair.

My sister had made me a similar one for Valentines Day, so we decided to make this St. Patrick's Day one together. It sure makes crafting easier when you have a sister with a vinyl machine. Thank you Tamara!

Last trip to Discovery Gateway

2011-03-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

I know I have had a lot of posts on The Discovery Gateway Children's Museum at the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City. But last year we invested in an annual pass.

So you have to suffer through one more post of my darling little boys!

We did enjoy having a pass to the museum and we would have renewed the pass if only it was closer. It took us 30 minutes to pack up, drive down there, and park. We only ended up going half a dozen times in the past year. Which still made the cost more than worth it.

As you can tell this is my favorite place of the whole museum to take pictures. It has fantastic filtered lighting through this large window. Plus my kids are REAL BOYS and they love building/contruction.

Our pass expired January 31st so that is when we went for one last day of playing. It is too bad that we will not be going back for awhile becuase the older my boys get the more they seemed to understand how to play there.

Blake even enjoyed a kids yoga class this time around...so much to do!

Even Dad liked it too.

We will be back Discovery Gateway!

A few more of the bathroom

2011-02-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be sick of seeing pictures of my bathroom. But I have had so much fun with the response I have gotten from all of you I thought I would show you a few more updates.

Shelf over the toilet (Made from book ends and discarded wood plank)

(Check out our engagement photos)

Shelves over the bathroom (It is nice to have a hubby with a chop saw)

Still need to fill these shelves. Still working on finding the right "stuff"

Towel hooks are the new thing. You do not have to worry about folding the towels right to look nice and they dry better!

And everyone needs a little motivation to stay positive before they take on the day!

Towel hook and robe hanger

And in case you think everything is done, here is our makeshift shower curtain until we save money for the glass for the shower: We actually moved it from the other bathroom because the boys only take baths in there anyways.

Don't mind the paint cans, still need to do some touching up and it is too cold in the garage to store paint. Also we are loving our duel shower head, feels so good and is perfect for two people showering together (shhhhh).

CUTE!

2011-02-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this photo that I took on our trip to the zoo of these two love ~~birds~~ monkeys. I just thought it was so cute how their tails are twisted. So this picture is to finish out out last few days of February. A month that always goes by fast!

Zoo in the winter?

2011-02-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

So last month I braved the zoo, in the winter, with both boys by myself!

Doesn't that sound like a for-sure disaster?

Well is was awesome! First of all in the winter the last Wednesday of every month is free. Which made me think the place would be packed. But no, I got a parking space right in front.

Also, you might think that in the winter all the animals would be hiding, but we saw plenty. Plus a lot of the exhibits are inside and my boys never complained of being cold.

It was a great way to get out of the house during the winter, while dad was away at work. I have found this to be a challenge here in Utah. I grew up in a beach town where the weather did not get warmer than 90 or colder that 55, so it has been an adjustment for me over the past 11 years. (Yes, I have lived in Utah for 11 years and I still complain! I swear my blood is thinner.)

In fact just today one of my college friends posted this on her facebook wall:

"I applaud all my friends and family members who have to entertain children in the winter! Here in sunny Southern California we can send our kids outside pretty much anytime of the year. It's been "cold" (the high was 58 degrees, brrrrr!) and windy here the past few days and we've spent a lot of time inside. I don't know how you do it, but if I were with you I would give you a pat on the back!"

Seriously, it is not easy. Today I practically pushed my kids out the backyard door and made them play in the semi-warm weather before they came back with red cheeks and fingers.

We will mark this day up to a successful outdoor activity in the winter because we all know those are few and far between!

Preschool

2011-02-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

I finally braved a fieldtrip with my 2 preschool classes. We went to Harmon's Grocery Store in the district and it was fantastic.

The kids got to sample, pasta salad, slice of cheese, cookie, bananas and take a balloon , coloring book and crayons home.

Even though it was snowing like crazy all day everything went off without a hitch. I sure love my cute preschool kids especially my cookie eating monster!

Growing Church Boys

2011-02-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

I do not know what it is about church clothes, but my boys grow out of them so quickly!

It probably has to do with the fact that they only wear them once a week.

Luckily we have been the recipients of hand-me-down church clothes and I have not had to purchase too many pieces. But it still seems like every sunday I put on the pants they wore the the week before and I can already see their ankles.

John says I will be saying that for quite awhile. He was the President of the "growing way too fast" club, when he was younger.

I am excited to see how tall my boys will be and will be proud when they pass my 5'9" stature. The question is... will they pass their 6'6" dad?

Is it OK to throw your own birthday party?

2011-02-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

So, Yes I turned 29 last month and I decided that I would rather celebrate my last year in my 20s then when I turn 30 next year! So I planned myself a birthday party.

In fact I saw a great deal on a party room online and I thought, "hey I can not remember the last time I had a birthday party for ME." So let's do it!

Ping Pong
Wii
XBOX Kinect
Pizza
Snacks
Soda
Lots of kids
Family and Friends

It took place at Noah's in South Jordan. We bought 6 hours of party time for $60!

The best part was that we did not have to clean up. Sometimes that is the worse part of a party at your own home is when everyone leaves.

Thanks to all my family and friends who made this day special for me by just showing your faces at the party.

I guess I should have passed off the camera on my birthday so that there are actually more pictures of me at my own party. I guess next time, whenever that happens? So here is the only picture I got of my hubby and me at the end of the night, be kind it was a long day!

And I guess it was a long day for my dad as well...but, if you know my dad this is a common sight. Love you dad!

***No pictures with Jamie and Jonathon, Lloyd family, Millie and Christian, Marv and Marie, Tom, Mike, Chris and Misty family, Madelynne...just wanted to give you guys credit for coming as well, thank you!

Great Girlfriends Always Start a Birthday Out Right!

2011-02-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

My close neighbor and friend suggest we go out for my birthday. So I suggested one of my favorite breakfast spots:

KNEADERS

They have the best french toast with caramel syrup, strawberries and cream and it is all you can eat! (Even though I was the only one who got a second helping, hey it was my birthday!)

I even got a free lemon cupcake dipped in white chocolate. And yes I ate that too, who is asking!

Unfortunately the sparkler candle burnt out before I could pass the camera and tell my friend to "look through the hole of the camera and push the silver button." That is the problem with SLR cameras everyone wants to look at the view finder to see what they are looking at.

Oh well , just imagine a little sparkle at the end of that burnt ugly stick sticking out of my cupcake!

Master Bathroom Reveal

2011-01-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? OK we are not totally done, but enough where I can take some pictures and show you what we have done for the past two months. Lets start with pictures of what the bathroom used to look like:

As you remember redoing our master bathroom was my Christmas present. My husband got a dog and he will be the first one to tell you that the bathroom was 6 times the cost of the dog. But, I have to put up with the dog for the next 10+ years and he will get to enjoy the bathroom!

The first step of this project was to build a new closet in our bedroom so we could expand the bathroom. Once that was done my husband had a fun time demoing the old bathroom. Amazing how the demo took one day and building it back up took 2 months! Then here is a list of what came next:

Hired someone to come and put up a support beam where we took out the wall to the old closet.
John framed the shower and tub
Tore out the floor and hired someone to come and move the plumbing to the two sink vanity, the corner where the shower will be now and to the new bathtub.
Friend came over and helped run wire for the new placements on the light fixtures.
Replaced the sub flooring and the dry wall
hired someone to come and tape and texture the new walls and ceiling
Tiled the floor with a hexagon square white mosaic. (Hard lesson #1: Don't use gray mortar, when you are going to use white grout. It will show when coming up through the cracks.)
Painted the walls and ceiling (yes the ceiling, new concept for me suggested by an interior designer)
Brought in new jetted tub (bought off KSL from people who never ended up using it in their remodel)
Nailed up the bead board, base board, and chair rail on walls and around tub and then painted all that white.
New Toilet (John did get to pick that out!)
Husband installed new lights and chandelier over the toilet
Hung Mirrors bought off of KSL classifieds ($60 each). These mirrors gave me the inspiration for the room.
Tiled around the tub with glass mosaic
Converted Dresser into a vanity by shortening some drawers and cutting holes for the sinks.
Contractor came back to hook all the plumbing back up and to pour a shower pan so the water drains correctly.
Then started the long process of tiling the new shower. I never would have imagined how many tiles and how long this part would have taken. Then when I was almost done I learned Hard lesson #2: Do not leave the grout on the tile too long before wiping it off. I thought I had enough time to go play a basketball and come back to finish the job. Well it was already hard as cement so my husband was nice enough to spend most of yesterday scraping it all off and out of the seems with me. Wow, I do not want to have to do that again!
Tiled the floor of the shower with pebble mosaic

Wow, even if you did not read every detail of that, just seeing the list makes me tired!

So here is is, the big reveal:

There are still some things we are planning on doing in the next week including shelves over the tub and toilet. Also little detail work like caulking around the shower and baseboards, touch up painting and hang the towel hooks. We also put an outlet right by my side of the vanity to put a round magnified mirror out from the wall. But the large parts are over and I love my:

Shabby Chic Spa Master Bathroom!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel

2011-01-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Yes we are still working on our master bathroom!

When I asked John when he thought we demoed the bathroom he said Dec 11th?

When I looked in my journal it was Nov 13th.

But we are happy to say that we are on the last part. We just have to finish tiling the shower walls and floor. (You can see I have a great helper!)

So I am off to go get my hands dirty again.

Christmas Morning!

2011-01-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like Christmas morning with little kids! It is like for a moment you get to live through them and feel like a kid again as they open each present with excitement. This year was no exception. Mason woke us early as always so we entertained him while we waited for Blake to regain conciousness. Finally we woke him up at 8:30am because we were tired of waiting. As much as Blake understood about Santa, presents and Christmas he still did not catch on to the wake up early thing which we were very grateful for. I am sure we will be saying different next time.

All of the presents were for our two boys this year because like I have said before John's present was the dog and my present was the remodel of the master bath. Which John has reminded me, the bathroom has costed 10 times his dog, but who is keeping track!

So now I am going to bore you with lots of pictures of our boys opening presents. But remember this is my family blog and I can do what I want:

I love the look on Mason face after he opened his buzz. He was in love. Too bad that after Blake opened his buzz that has wings and makes noise he did not want anything to do with hus buzz that was obviously broken!

This was a common sight with Dad trying to unattach the toys from their boxes. It is ridiculous how those things are secured. It takes a brain surgeon to get them out! At least the boys waited paitently.

Finally a Buzz that works! "To infinity and beyond!"

Now like I said John and I did not get each other anything except one present so that we had something to open. He got me backgammon and I got him a remote helicopter.

And the aftermath! I think our recycling bin was full for two weeks with all that packaging. It was a nice morning of family and good memories made. As much as I love a traditional Christmas morning I am looking forward to next year when we go on a trip somewhere. (Every year we switch off with traditional Christmas and then a vacation.)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas like we did at our house!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-01-10T20:39:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Eve we went to my dad's house. He and his girlfriend had planned a special evening with food, reading the story of Christ's birth and opening presents. It was a nice evening with the family and then back home to put the boys to bed.

Added info: I had thought about telling you the tradition behind the Hawaiian Christmas shirts, but when I sat down to write this post, I forgot. So here it is thanks to the question from my friend Kirsten. Reyn and Spooner comes out with a new limited edition Christmas shirt every year. In fact the year is printed in the material somewhere and can be found if you look closely. It was a tradition for quite a few years that my dad purchased for the boys in the family. But recently our family has gotten too big and the the shirts have gotten too expensive. Luckily there are enough shirts floating around in all the families to pass the shirts around. Thanks Tamara, I loved dressing my boys in them this year.

Jammies and Pilot

2011-01-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

We, like many others open jammies on Christmas Eve. Last year I bought these jammies for the boys at the after Christmas Sale at Old Navy. I think they were a dollar or two. So when I found out this year that Papa had bought the boys jammies too I pulled the Old Navy ones out and we wore them early. So we had to take a quick photo op with our puppy. Yes he is still a puppy! I know he looks like a full sized dog but he is less than 6 months old. Pretty Crazy!

We are enjoying Pilot. He is a very friendly dog and even though the boys lay on him, tease him, and chase him he has not bitten, snapped, growled or barked at them once. He must know that soon he will be 3 times their size! In fact he is pretty mellow. Right now as I am typing this he is laying by the window in the sun snoring. He does get very excited when new visitors come over and he likes to chew on everything. But since he has been trained to "go" in only one spot in the backyard we have forgotten those minor flaws!

Looks like Blake is choking him!

The Big 70!

2011-01-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last month my dad turned 70 years old. It has been a year since he has moved here to Daybreak from my our hometown of over 25 years, Laguna Beach California. It has been a pleasure having him live less than 5 minutes away. Although we do not see as much of him now because of his full time girlfriend we do look forward to visits from Papa and walks around the lake at his house.

We took dad and his girlfriend out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe and then back to my sister Tamara's house for a ColdStone ice cream cake.

Happy Birthday Dad, I hope there are many more!

Mason is 2!

2010-12-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

It happened way too fast but, my little boy is 2 years old.

-Loves to watch movies favorites are Cars, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc.
-Wants to do everything his brother does
-Over 100th percentile in height
- Very good eater, including broccoli
-Will not stay in his bed and it takes him a long time to fall asleep
- Can say momma, but calls dad momma too
- When he sees us doing anything cleaning dishes, writing a note, ect. he asks "Ba ba?" Still not sure what that means.
- Loves to say "ga coo" (thank you) and will keep saying it until you say "your welcome".

We love our little big boy. He makes us smile and laugh each day. Except when he has gotten out of bed for the 50th time. We know he will be successful at whatever he sets his mind to and it is fun to see him and his brother become closer and closer each day!

And now it is time for bed...

I may be crazy...

2010-12-30T20:00:00.001-07:00

This year I decided to throw a kids Christmas Party for neighborhood friends. Once I made the list of all the 2, 3, and 4 year olds it was quite long, but I did not want to leave anyone out. So on a Monday afternoon we had 22 little kids over and it was a blast. I told moms to go Christmas shopping, wrap presents, or go get their nails done. I am not sure what they all did, but I am sure the three hours of no kids was appreciated.

(We did not get too many pictures, we were too busy with all these kids.)

Santa even came for a visit too!

Thank you to my wonderful husband who helped every minute, I would not have been able throw the party without him.

Sneak Peek

2010-12-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

I know we have not had many posts of the the bathroom project. But, I promise you we have been working on it non stop. (Except for when I put a halt on all work from Wednesday to Sunday last week.) It is amazing how much work, time, and money go into a project like this. You do not think about all the small details. It is not quiet finished, in fact we have not started with the backerboard and tile in the shower. But everything else is coming right along. Here are some pictures to get you excited but not giving away the final reveal.

Now are you excited to see the final project. You are always welcome to come see it in person!

Aunt Carma is the Queen of all party Planners

2010-12-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is my Aunt Carma:

Even though we are distant relatives (her husband is my grandpas half brother) she has adopted us as her own. Every year she throws this spectacular Christmas party with everything planned down to the T. This year was no exception.

We had a full schedule that took up most of the Saturday afternoon.

We started with decorating cupcakes. Blake has two aunts who love to help my boys out. It is a nice treat when they are around!

Lots of treats, snacks, and a full dinner of soup and rolls with the yummiest honey butter!

Everyone had a great time!

Including Papa

GAMES

BASKETBALL AND MORE...

Thank you Aunt Carma, you are the best and we can not wait until next year~!