Easter Weekend=F.U.N.

We had a super fun Easter weekend. Kris and the kids colored eggs with Kole, Tabitha, the twins and our niece, Charlie on Friday. They had lots of fun. I, the photographer, had to work so sorry no pictures.....
On Saturday morning we went the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the park. It was super cold but the kids were troopers and ended up with lots of candy:)

After we were finished at the park we drove to Orderville for the day. We had lots of fun there too. Madison and Kooper played in the dirt.......

Karter with his loot....

We got lots of fun things during our annual scavenger hunt. (Every year my mom and grandma put on a little scavenger hunt for the kids. They have to figure out the clues from the Easter bunny and they got lots of treats through out the hunt and at the end they each get a new outfit and beach towel)I remember doing this when I was a kid. I am so glad that we still do it now that I have kids of my own. Always lots of fun and the kids love it!!!!

Kooper with his loot.....

Madison with her loot.....

On Sunday we decided to go on a little hike in Zion. It had been forever since Kris and I had been hiking there so we thought it would be fun to take the kids there for the day. The weather was perfect and the kids did sooooo good. Even Kooper enjoyed it. YAY!!

Posing for the camera:}

After our hike we went and ate lunch in Springdale and then went to the movie, "Treasure of the Gods". And then finished the afternoon with ice cream. It really was such a fun day.

After we got home we headed over to Kole and Tabitha's house for a yummy dinner and spent the night relaxing.

-BEST BUDS-

Karter idolizes his Uncle Kole. They have so much fun together and have a very special relationship. Karter was the kind of baby that wouldn't go to anyone other than Kris and I. He would just cry and cry and he hated being around a lot of people. It was pretty rough on Kris and I. We couldn't leave him with him a babysitter, not even someone from our own family. Karter didn't meet his Uncle Kole until he was about 10 months old. (Kole is in the National Guard and was deployed at the time.) Kris's entire family was there to welcome Kole home and we were nervous how Karter would react. Well......it was perfect. He went straight onto his arms and fell asleep on his shoulder and Kole just carried him around......PRICELESS!!! And the rest is history. Kole is one awesome uncle, not just to Karter, but to all of his nieces and nephews:) Unfortunetly, Kole is being deployed again and we hate seeing him go. But we just want him to know how much we love him and how proud we are of him as a brother,son, uncle, father,husband and soldier!!!! Oh and as Karter's BEST BUD!!!! WE LOVE YOU KOLE:)

We're Alive......I think

I LOVE this picture of Kooper. He thought he would like eating the grass....

Another one of my faves

Our little Koopy Koop at 6 months

Our little stud muffin, Karter

And our sweet princess, Madison

So......it's only been about ten months since my last post and I finally decided to stop being lazy and update!!! I feel completely overwhelmed by everything I haven't blogged about so instead of going back and trying to catch everything up I am just going to start over fresh:)

I am going to tell you all the biggest things that have happened in our lives. One of them is the addition to our family. Kooper is the cutest, sweetest baby ever and any hesitation I had about having a third baby has gone out the window!! I was so nervous and scared but now I couldn't imagine living without him. We just love every minute and Madison and Karter are the best big sister and brother EVER!!!! He is now 8 months old. They truly do grow up way too fast and I wish I could him a baby forever.

Madison is in second grade now and is the smartest little girl in the whole world. If you dont believe me just ask her she will tell you its true. LOL!! She is the best big sister EVER and is such a big helper. She is now wearing glasses and looks absolutely adorable in them:) And she is only 8 but the drama has already begun. Little girls are so funny and everything is soooo dramatic:)

Karter is our easy going little boy!! He is so relaxed and just enjoys hanging out at home. Especially if the WII or XBOX is turned on and Uncle Kole is over playing with him. Him and his Uncle Kole are best buds and have so much fun together. They have their own little jokes and sayings they say to each other. I love it:) And I just registered Karter for Kindergarten. I'm a little sad he is growing up so fast!!!

As for Kris and I we are just trying to keep up with everything. Kris works during the day and then I go to work at night. I dont like it very much but it saves on daycare and I get to be home with the kids during the day so we try to make it work. We are just loving life and staying busy, but loving every minute of it:)

So I think I have brought everyone up to speed on what we have been up to. And I will do better with picture taking and blogging.....I hope

FINALLY....SOMETHING

So it has been quite some time since my last post. It's not that I don't have anything to blog about. We have been doing some super fun things. I have been a real slacker in the picture taking department and just have no real motivation to update my blog. I have been reading everyone else's though and appreciate the updates. I guess it's about time to return the favor:) So this is not going to be a super long post with tons of pictures. That will come at a later date in time. But I will tell you some things that have been happening and keeping us busy!!

• WAY BACK IN MARCH (I KNOW THAT WAS 3 MONTHS AGO) WE FOUND OUT WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!!
• WE WENT TO IDAHO FOR SPRING BREAK AND HAD TONS OF FUN
• WE HAD A SUPER FUN EASTER WITH OUR FAMILY
• WE SPENT TIME WITH KRIS'S BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY WHILE THEY CAME TO VISIT
• I HAD A VERY NICE MOTHER'S DAY
• MADISON FINISHED 1ST GRADE!!!
• AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST OUR BABY WIL BE HERE IN 8 WEEKS OR LESS!!! I STILL CANT BELIEVE HOW FAST THE TIME HAS GONE

So now it is summer and both the kids are just enjoying their time at home. We don't have anything too exciting planned but I will post pictures of some of things that I remember to capture with my camera but until then.....enjoy my update

Memories

So as I start to mentally prepare myself for another baby I look back at a few of my favorite memories when my kiddos were younger and I remember what life is ALL about!! Man do I love these two!!

They have got be two of the cutest kids I know:)

#3 HOLY COW!!!

Okay so here it goes. As most of you have read on facebook we are expecting another baby. I love all the comments I have gotten and I have been getting tons of text messages too. Everyone must be as schocked as I am. I appreciate all of the support we have received so far. We were really nervous what everyone was going to think. I was SCARED TO DEATH to tell my mom. I mean after 41/2 years of not having kids I think everyone thought we were done. We sure did. We told everyone we were, that's because we thought we were. We weren't planning on having another baby and it actually took me a little while to get used to the idea. Actually I am still getting used to the idea. Kris is EXCITED!! He tries to hide it but he is really excited. Madison just has so many questions. Such as, "Really mom, really you are having another baby. I dont believe it." Or "I sure hope its a girl, I cant handle another little brother." She had to tell everyone at school. She is the funniest little girl ever. Karter on the other hand I think is trying to ignore the fact that there is going to be a NEW baby. He is my baby. He is such a mommy's boy so this is going to be a huge adjustment for him. To be honest, I am little worried about him. I hope he gets to used to it and learns to love the idea. We'll see. My mom took the news pretty well and I left it up to her to tell the rest of my family and all of Kris's family seems to be really excited. Now that it is out in the open I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

As for me, I haven't felt well for a long time and I have been extremely tired. Work has been hell. I have been an emotional wreck and I have been trying to put on a brave face because nobody knew until yesterday. I am also nervous about the weight gain. For the past year I have worked so hard to shed almost 90 pounds and to think some of that weight is going to come back scares me. But I will do what it takes to stay healthy and deliver a healthy baby.

I am also nervous about having 3 kids. I also just pictured myself with 2 so I hope I have it in me to do this. I keep thinking we dont have the space, the money, the time, the energy and then I stop myself and say: This is happening for a reason. Kris and I are GREAT parents and have beautiful children. Everything else will fall into place. Plus our family and friends are a great support system. This is all going to be okay and I just need to stay positive for myself and for my family:)

Well I have rambled on enough but thank you all for your love and support. I will keep you all posted on my progress. I dont know about pictures of my belly. I have never liked the camera while I was prego so we will see.

So as of January 13th: I am 11 weeks along
My due date is July 30th (But we are hoping it happens before then)
I heard the heartbeat
I haven't gained weight yet but I know that day will come too soon
I have been super sick and tired, Yuck!!
And certain foods make me want to gag (I wont list them becacuse there are too many)

Where have I been??

Madison showing off one of her many gifts

Karter doing the same thing

My crazy kiddos on Christmas Morning

Okay so its been forever since I have blogged. I check everyone else's pretty much daily but I guess I have just been too lazy to post anything. Plus I have been super bad at taking pictures and I know everyone just likes to see pictures:)

We had a great Christmas. We got spoiled like usual and we decided to stay home this year and do our own thing. It was different for us. Luckily we had Kris's brother and his wife to keep us company so that was nice. On Christmas eve we went and saw the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie and then came back to our house for an awesome dinner. We also played card games and just hung out and had a good time. Christmas morning we got up and opened presents and then Kris's brother and his wife came back over for breakfast. We got a WII and so did they so they brought over Mario Kart and we played that for a while. Later that afternoon we went to Orderville and had Christmas dinner at my Grandma Karen's house. It was a funfilled day.

For New Year's I worked and the kids didn't make it to midnight like they had planned. I got hime in just enough time to ring in the New Year with my hubby. Maybe one of these years we will do something fun and eventful but it didn't happen this year.

That pretty much sums up our holidays. Madison is back in school(thank goodness). We were both about to go crazy. Everything is back to normal and we are just staying busy. I promise I will do better taking pictures and keeping up on the ole blog.

One last thing I just realized this was my eighth Christmas with Kris. I cant believe it's been 8 years. And something else I can't believe Kris is going to be 28 is a couple of weeks!! Holy cow we are getting old:)

Oh Christmas Tree

We put our Christmas tree up and got it decorated. Madison and Karter were big helpers. Notice all the decorations in the same spot. I stayed up after they went to bed and fixed it. We think it turned out pretty cute

Madison Turns 7!!

This past Saturday we had a birthday party for Madison. Her birthday was actually on Monday the 7th but in order to get the family together we had it on Saturday. It turned out to be so much fun. We ate pizza and lasagne, decorated cookies, opened presents and ate a delicious ice cream cake coutresy of Dairy Queen. Everything was delicious and everyone had a great time. I still cant believe that Madison is 7!!! She has grown up so fast. She is a such a sweet well mannered little girl. She loves school and she cant hold still to save her life:) We sure do love her!!! Karter enjoying some cake:) for some reason Karter decided to be the red power ranger for the party!!

Madison after Laci shoved her head in her cake. Laci always shoves the kid's faces in their birthday cakes. They love it. The funny thing about Madison's cake is it was made of ice cream so it was really hard. Her head just bounced off the cake.

Her head bouncing off her cake:)

Blowing out her candles

Her pretty cake!! We were going to do a Candyland cake but I didnt think that all the candy on top of the cake would taste very good so we just got this one from Dairy Queen. They did a great job and she loved it so that was all that mattered

She recruited her two friends that came to her party as her "present helpers"

After opening her Nintendo DS from mom and dad. Her reaction was priceless. Needless to say she loved ALL of her presents

Charlie and Dakota enjoying the sugar cookies

Madison and the two friends that she invited to her party enjoying some cookies. These girls are too cute

All the kids hanging out and having some fun

Turkey Day

We had a great Thanksgiving. I of course didnt get any pictures but we did end up having a great day. We started out the day in Kanab at Kris's moms house. We hung our for a few hours and the kids snacked on some food and played some games. After that we went to Grandma Ramsay's house. She had just gotten out of the hospital a few days before so Kris's dad came up to hang out and cook for her. We enjoyed visiting with them and Grandma Ramsay was doing really well for just having surgery so we were happy to see her.
After we were done visiting with everyone in Kanab we headed to Orderville to spend the afternoon with my family. My Grandma Karen cooked our family a yummy dinner. Let me just say how nice it is to see both of our families on holidays. We LOVE it!! The kids had fun playing with my niece and nephew. Kris and I had to work the next day so we drove home that night. Let me just tell you how bummed I was that Kris had to work. I look forward to Black Friday more than the actual Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately he had to work really early in the morning so I missed out cause there was no way I was going to drag my kids out in the craziness. We both had Saturday off so we spent the day putting up our Christmas lights and just hanging out as a family. Then on Sunday Kris cooked his first turkey while I was at work and it was delicious. He did such a good job. And that pretty much sums up our Turkey day and weekend:) Hopefully next year we will have some more time off so we can enjoy it a little more. Sorry I have no pics. I was a huge slacker but there will be pics to come of Madison's 7th B-day party soon so stay tuned....

I almost forgot....

I almost forgot to post about our HALLOWEEN!! We had a super fun day.... It started out with a birthday party for Hunter at Staheli Farm....

and it ended with TWO SCARY VAMPIRES!!! Karter had a hard time keeping his teeth in

And the day before we carved some pumpkins...... We love Halloween. I still cant believe that Thanksgiving is in one week and then its......... Christmas!!

Thempi's Wedding

This past weekend my little sister, Thempi, had her wedding. We had so much fun. It was such a cute wedding. The night before all of the girls went out to dinner but of course I didn't have my camera, so sorry no pictures. And then at the wedding my camera's batteries died so I had to borrow my dad's camera and use the pictures he took. My mom and I loved shopping for her wedding . She had a "fall" theme. My sister's (Alicia) two kids and my two kids walked down the aisle. The girls were so cute in their dresses and the boys were so handsome. My sister, Alicia, and I got them a room in Springdale that night and then this weekend they are going to Disney on Ice. We are so happy for them and so happy with how the wedding turned out. Congrats Tawn and Thempi!! Thempi dancing with the little girlsThempi with Karter, Austin, Madison and CharlieThe kids enjoying the refreshments. We had pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin cookies and cake and apple crisp. It was delicious!!

Making it official

The ceremony

My proud dad giving Thempi away

My dad walking Thempi down the aisle

The centerpieces. My hubby and my sister in law, Shiloh helped me with these. I was really happy with how they turned out. We also had leaf shaped plates with hershey kisses wrapped liked candy corn on the tables.

We had all the guests sign this picture frame instead of a guest book. Now they can hang it on the wall and look at it every day. Plus the picture frame is super cute

Her cake was so cute. I LOVED it. Crystal Heaton does an amazing job!!

Between my sisters, my cousins and myself we have 7 kids. So we had to get this picture. It is 5 generations!! Yes that's right my kids have a GREAT GREAT grandma. And she is one AMAZING woman!And this is her with Madison and Charlie

Me and my CRAZY Karter

The cute little flower girls, Madison and Charlie

The Fam

My cute lil fam

My mom and her girls

*Sisters*

My grandma Karen had a lunch for the family before the wedding and course Madison is always willing to pose for the camera. Notice the missing tooth. She lost her front tooth 3 days before the wedding. She was a trooper though and was always willing to smile!!