Monica, Kennedi & Brayden

A Honkin' Huge Update...

2011-04-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

{MOST Important}

Trip to San Antonio to see

"Our Hero", DADDY...

While visiting Quinn, we had the opportunity to spend a couple days with my brother and his family who live in Houston.

{Sea World}

{River Walk}

Kennedi's Winter Dance Recital

{January, 2011}

Happy 5th Birthday Kalamazoo!!!

Easter Festivities

{City Easter Egg Hunt}

{Jensen Family Easter Egg Hunt}

{Easter Egg Coloring}

{Easter Morning}

Lights, Camera, Action....

2010-07-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

If I could, I would take pictures of my kids everyday. But we all know that I really wouldn't torture my kids like that. {Or myself!}

Thanks to amazing people who have the patience to capture those special moments, I'll remember my rascal's teeny tiny years, their cute personalities, their amazing spirts, the love and happiness they bring me, and the smile they put on my face {every} {single} day.

Although it was a scortching hot day, my kiddos were amazingly great sports and we managed to get some great shots.

Happy Happy Birthday Kalamazoo!

2010-04-28T15:17:00.001-07:00

With the help of many family and friends, Kennedi celebrated yet another birthday, yes her 4th! Here are some pictures of her fabulous day(s).

How many people does it take to light birthday candles?
Apparently more than two when the wind is blowing! But look at all that pressure I was under!

Kennedi is sure shy, but secretly she loves to be the center of attention. This is when we were singing happy birthday to her. Look at that smile on her face!

She was so proud to have her own cake.

Not real sure what we were pondering about, but it must have been deep!

Yes, that's my cute Bugaboo right there in the front. I love him more than anything!

Kennedi and her best friend Allie.

Looks like Mom was sure pleased with the gift!

Surprise! Her new bike from Mommy!

For Kennedi's actual Birthday, she got a Cupcake for breakfast. Lucky girl!

...And another one for dessert after lunch!

Brayden wasn't as excited as she was about it.

Happy Birthday Kalamazoo! I hope it was a memorable one! I love you, always and forever!

Happy {Healing} Bugaboo!

2010-04-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is what you get when you try to ride a Fisher Price fourwheeler down the cement stairs...A happy, handsome, cute lil' guy with a face full of raspberries. And yes...I call him mine! Happy {healing} little guy, sorry I wasn't two steps closer to save you!

Kids say the darndest things!

2010-04-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Also...notice where her hand is. Isn't she CUTE!?

Easter Happenings with Kalamazoo and Bugaboo...

2010-04-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

Yep! Here we are...finally. I know I'm longer overdue for a post but I have no excuses other than when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is turn on my computer to upload pictures from my camera. My kids want to play and of course so do I! We had a fantastic Easter by coloring Easter eggs and spending the weekend at my parent's house. Here's the pictures of my rascals that you've all been waiting for!

Coloring Easter Eggs

{Before the adventure began.}

Kennedi is all ready to go, paint brushes in hand.

Brayden was a bit preoccupied at first...

...until he decided the paintbrush was alright.

Kennedi could hardly wait!

"What do I do Mom?"

Kennedi loved it!

Brayden still wasn't quite sure about it.

But they both sure did do a fantastic job
{With a little of Mommy's help}...

{Ta Da!}
Have you ever seen anything like it?

Easter Morning
@ Grandma & Grandpa Eberhard's

The Easter Bunny found us again!
Are my kids spoiled? {Honk} no!

All Kennedi could talk about for weeks was
finding the Easter eggs the Easter bunny was going to hide!

Really all Brayden cared about was the candy...
{this was a forced picture, look at his mouth, he's sucking on candy!}

...See!

Kennedi quite enjoyed it herself.

I think she counted how many pieces of candy she got.

Now this is what we need warm weather for!

{Anyone wanna go run through the sprinklers? I DO!}

Kennedi modeling her new outfit from the Easter bunny.
{Oh, and her sun glasses too.}

Isn't he a STUD!?
{He gets it from his Mother}

I hope you all had a Fantastic Easter!

We all know how much I love Ellen...

2010-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2009-12-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Nicole at Nicole's Pixie Dust
for her amazing work!

Please know that it was seriously freezing cold when we were taking these pictures, and I later found out that poor Brayden had an ear infection. What a trooper! Do I get the "Mother of the Year Award" yet? Well, my kids should at least get the "Most Amazing Kids" award. They are pretty great!

{I love you little rascals!}

{Click on the pictures to view them larger}

The Real Meaning of Christmas...

2009-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

I'm emotional as it is, but that really brought a tear to my eye, or maybe several.

I'm definitely going to make a point to have Kennedi watch this. Isn't this the real reason for Christmas? Maybe she should know this.

Whoot Whoot!!

2009-12-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

He did it...

{Sorry the quality is poor, I did it with my cell phone.}

Way to go Bugaboo!!
Boy, do I love you!

Dancing Queen

2009-11-29T07:31:00.001-08:00

Kennedi danced for her very first time this past weekend at Novemberfest. She did such an amazing job and she looked absolutely georgous!

Here are some before showtime pictures...

Emma, Ellie and Kennedi

{Kennedi's cousins}

Kennedi & Mommy

Isn't she cute?

Showtime...
Dancing to Itsy Bitsy Spider

{She's the third one from the left}

And after...

I think I'll claim her and keep her. And this little rascal too...

I did it!

2009-11-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

I made it TWO whole weeks at my new job and this is what I've managed to do so far...

1. Only get 15 paper cuts, seriously.

2. Traveled to Idaho.

3. Be welcomed by a group of great Engineers!

4. Have my Business Membership to Sam's Club paid for by the company.

5. Made it to work by 7:30 AM EVERY morning {which is a result of getting up at 5:30 AM}.

6. Survived the first week with a terrible, nasty, dreadful cold!

{It's the 5:30 AM mornings!}

7. Get holiday pay for Thanksgiving AND the day after {and get off at 1:30 PM the day before}. This job ROCKS!

8. Laughed so hard at this hilarious email that it made me cry. And I'm still laughing about it almost 24 hours later.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Mixed emotions...

2009-11-09T10:36:00.001-08:00

I'm having a real tough time deciding how I feel right now. I'm SO excited to move onto something new, but yet I'm SO sad to end a part of my life that has forever changed who I am.

As I'm typing this post I struggle to keep the tears from dripping down my face. My days at Sunshine Terrace are quickly coming to an end and I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone who has been a part of my life there. I have made a lot of friendships, not only with co-workers, but with residents, family members of residents and especially my mom and sister. I know a lot of people say they couldn't work with their family, but I have to say I have been one lucky person to be with them almost every single day and to be able to talk with them when I needed them most.

{Thanks Mandy and Mom for all your support, encouragement and love!!}

My door at Sunshine Terrace will soon close, but I strongly believe that I have so many doors ahead of me that have and will open. I cannot thank everyone at Sunshine Terrace enough for the great support the everyone has given to me.

I owe thanks to everyone single one of you...Dan, Courtney, Trina, Jennifer, Vivian, Sasha, Cody, Carolyn, Doug, Kris, Jan, Debbie, Kallee, Michelle, Edd, Cindy, Lisa, Leanne, Diane, Sharee, Konie, Rod, Shawna, Margee, Angie, Karmon, Trevor, Danny, Erin, Karina, Lyle, Heidi, Sue, Cheryl, Nathan, David, Chris, Paula, Char, Johnson, Rebekah, Alyce, Todd, Justin, Nancy, Ashley, and e very single resident. The list could seriously go on and on. I have learned so much from all of you and it is truly a blessing to have known each one of you.

I also have to thank the rest of my family and my friends for the support they have given me. This decision was one that I made on my very own and I have had such great support from everyone! I definitely could not make it through everything I have without the support of all of you.

Goodbye Sunshine Terrace Foundation. I will miss you.

Hello J-U-B Engineers!!!

Black Eyed Brayden

2009-11-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

I have nothing more to say other than I think Mom is more worried about it than Brayden is.

I feel terrible!

We were supposed to have pictures taken tomorrow. Nice huh?

{Oh, and a side note...This picture was taken right after it happened, so it's now had time to blacken up some more.}

It's {was} your birthday...

2009-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Shout hurray!
Happy happy {belated} Birthday to my baby boy!!!

1 year stats:

25 lbs. 10 oz {95%}
30" long {58%}
Just in case any of you are wondering, yes...he's a BIG boy. Just call me super mom. Oh, and don't make me mad at you, 'cause I'm real strong!

Sorry that it has taken me forever and ever to get Brayden's birthday and party pictures posted. I had some issues with getting them off my camera. {But really, I've just been super crazy busy and haven't had time to really try.} Now that things have slowed down, here they are...finally!

This was Brayden's actual birthday. Due to the fact that I had to work that day and we didn't have his party until a couple of days after, I tried making the day a big deal, as much as Kennedi and I could by ourselves. So I decided to get us Wendy's for dinner, he LOVES chicken nuggets!

All the kids {I hope} had a good time at Brayden's party. They seemed to enjoy playing Twister. His party theme was polka dots, so I thought Twister was a good idea.

This was his AMAZING birthday cake. I was really concerned about how it was going to turn out, but it turned out great! I was so glad.

...and as expected, Brayden didn't dive into the cake, he much preferred the ice cream Grandpa Eberhard was feeding him. {Silly kid}

He got lots of fun presents for his birthday and loves them all. He {as well as Kennedi} loves to ride his new four wheeler around. He's even gotten the hang of pushing the red button to make himself go all on his own!

I tried to be the mom I've always wanted to be and bake some cupcakes to take to Brayden & Kennedi's day care for his birthday. I thought they turned out pretty alright, and they said the kids enjoyed them. {They probably don't know any better though.}

Thanks to the Jensen and Eberhard clans for making Brayden's first birthday such a special and fun one!!

I've been thinking about some of my favorite things about Brayden that I could list, but in all reality the list could go on forever. BUT, I do know that it's kinda fun to share a few things about him, so here they are...

EVERYONE knows how mellow this kid is, I'm one LUCKY mom!
He picks the marshmallows out of the lucky charms and eats them first. {I know this is normal for kids to do, but for a ONE year old?}
The way he naturally crosses his feet when he's sitting down.
He never gave me ANY problems when I took him off the bottle. {The binkie may be a different story.}
The way he loves his sister and misses her when she's gone. They really are the best of friends.
His first {and only} word is Mama.
His BIG blue eyes.
The way he smiles when I go pick him up from day care is the best feeling in the world. He's always so excited.
I know I have a best friend for life.
He's my baby boy and always will be.

Dang!

2009-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know my kids are cute...

{click on pictures to view them larger}

But dang! How much cuter can they get?

P.S. I know I'm a little behind on Brayden's {BIG} day, but I PROMISE I'll be getting the fun party pictures up soon!

{Along with his one year stats!}

"Dance like no one is watching"

2009-09-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Kennedi started taking tap and ballet lessons last week. She was lucky enough to get into a class with two of her cousins, Emma and Ellie.

The first week ended as I typically would have expected it to, in tears.

{But I'm hoping that things will get better in the weeks to come.}

She defintely loved what she stayed calm enough for to learn because she's been acting like a ballerina everyday since.

All I know is that she sure is cute in her leotard, tights and ballet & tap shoes.

{I'm still looking for a cute tutu. Any suggestions or recommendations?}

Parades, fairs and rodeos, oh my!

2009-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yep! It's that time of year again and I LOVE it! I don't have much to say other than we had a great time! I'm sure you'll be able to tell by all the pictures...

{If you want to look at the pictures bigger, just click on them}

Parade

Ethan, Kennedi and Dylan

Brayden, boy what a trooper...this is after two messy diapers and counting...

{Yes, he was a sick boy!}

This is my boyfriend

{Jk, he was just smokin' hot! Which is why I didn't get a picture of his face, I was too busy staring!}

Fair

{We had the time of our lives!}

Sorry, I had the wrong settings on my camera and forgot to tell my sister to change them.

{They're sure still cute pictures though!}

Oh Bugaboo...If you're asking if he was asleep in this picture, I don't know. I was laughing so hard! It was a semi-hot day but not too bad really. I actually think he's just REALLY enjoying his lemonade!

This is the ONE good picture I got at the rodeo. All the others didn't turn out, sorry!

{Thanks KIDDOS for such a fun weekend!!}

Mamma said there'll be days like this...

2009-08-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

We all have bad days. I admit it, I have them more than not. {See post below} But, I'm so grateful for the good days I do have. During those bad times I always tell myself things could be worse.

You MUST check out this girl, NieNie's (Stephanie) blog. WOW! What an inspiration she is to me and many others. Her and her husband were in a private plane crash one year ago where they both survived. The majority of her body was burned and has had to go through a lot to recover. Sadly, she'll never fully recover. Everytime I think about her story I seriously cry.

NieNie...if by some miraculous chance you read this post, I hope you know that you are seriously AMAZING!
{I sure do look up to you}

In the mean time, I want everyone else to know that it's people like NieNie that keep my spirits high and gives me that can-do attitude. Can we all try to be more positive like her?

In my opinion...

2009-08-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I ran into this book and thought about buying it. I decided against it, but now I'm having second thoughts.

I SERIOUSLY hate dating.

Where have all the good men gone lately? There is a weak selection of good, available men out there! I’ll say it again: THERE IS A WEAK SELECTION.

I'm really not asking for much when it comes to dating, why does it have to be so difficult?

Photo Shoot

2009-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to take my kids to the park yesterday to try and shoot some pictures of them. Ha, funny! A LOT easier said than done. Kennedi didn't want to cooperate at all and all Brayden wanted to do was crawl all over the grass and pick up the garbage. I managed to get a few decent ones, nothing professional I know, but they'll do for now.

Wondering where a picture of the two of them together is? Keep wondering, it was IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Ready, Set, Go....

2009-07-28T10:59:00.001-07:00

Yep! Believe it or not, Brayden is FINALLY crawling! My bug is so dang cute. He makes me smile, he makes me giggle and he makes me laugh! Where would I be without him?

Of course, I can't forget my Kennedi either, Kalamazoo. She has such an amazing spirit about her and she never fails to amaze me by how much she grows...mentally, physically and spiritually, every single day. And her huge personality, where does she get it from?

I definitely have two best friends for life!

I'm seriously the luckiest mom out there, thanks to my two amazing angels!!

It's Time...

2009-07-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

...for another Ellen clip

This one might be in my top three.

Who doesn't like a Give-Away...

2009-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sharee does an amazing job at making anything and everything. This week she is doing a give-away on her blog and will be randomly choosing someone to give one of her bracelets to. Follow this link and make sure to leave a comment on which bracelet you'd like to have if you're the big winner!

Be sure to check her blog often as well (So Very Thankful). She has some very inspirational, creative and interesting posts! She has something new every single day to say. What an incredible gal she is!

Thanks Sharee for your friendship, positive attitude and great advice!

Because of You...

2009-06-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

It's a song by Kelly Clarkson and I like it so much. I love ALL of Kelly's songs.

So, I went to her concern last week at UVU with my sister, Mandy, and a couple other friends. Wow, we had a great time! The video above is Kelly singing that song "Because of You" at the concert. Here's some other pictures from our adventure!

Mandy, Myself and Shannon just before we headed down to Orem.

Waiting in line to get in. It was general admission but we were lucky enough to get right up front next to the VIP.

There she is...Kelly Clarkson!!

Myself, Mandy, Shannon and Cali
Yeah...tons of people there, look at them all behind us! And that fence...I have bruises on my legs from hitting the fence from all the jumping I did.

After the concert we headed up to Park City to stay the night so we could do a little shopping the next day. After a hilarious night of talking and laughing in our room, the next morning we decided to head up to the Alpine Slide to try the zip line before we headed to the outlet stores.

Mandy, Myself, Cali and Shannon on the ski lift headed up to the zip line.

Cali, Myself, Shannon and Mandy at the top of the hill getting ready to go down the zip line.

The zip line was so much fun! I think the funnest (and funniest) part about it was seeing Shannon's reaction when we were at the top of the hill looking down and. She was hilarious! Thanks for the laughs Shannon!

Thanks so much to Mandy, Shannon and Cali for such a great couple of days! It was a nice little get-away and I enjoyed every minute! (Even though I did miss my kiddos a little.)

5 Things Tag...

2009-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

5 years ago I was:

1- Living at Garden Court at USU
2- Going to School
3- Enjoying a trip in Florida
4- Only 22 years old!
5- Planning my wedding (Haha, funny...I know!)

5 things on my to do list today-

1- Go to Wal-Mart (I NEED MILK!!)
2-Go to a Safety Committee meeting at work to take minutes.
3-Attend an in-service on office safety and ergonomics.
4- Mow my lawn.
5- Wax my eyebrows

5 Things I would spend a million dollars on:

1-Pay off my house & car
2-I might have to get a few clothes and a few other fun things!! :)
3-Invest it.
4-Visit those places I've always wanted to visit (South Africa, Australia, and London)
5- Give some to family and friends

5 Places I've lived

1-Tremonton, UT (18 years!!!)
2-Rexburg, ID
3- North Logan, UT
4- Logan, UT
5- Hyde Park, UT

5 Jobs I've had:

1- Babysitting
2-Grocery Store Checker
3-Cutco Salesman
4- Receptionist
5- Administrative Assistant (yayyyyy!!!)

5 Years from now

1- Hopefully be remarried. (Say a little prayer for me)
2- Have another rascal or two! (Say another little prayer for me)
3- Be more self-confident (Maybe just one HUGE prayer will do!)
4- Possibly attend Massage Therapy School
5- Own a boat

5 People I tag:

1- Shannon Rhodes
2- Cody Boucher
3- Amy Merritt
4- Denise Routson
5- Lindsay Peterson

Road Trip!

2009-06-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

...well sort of. I decided it was time to break from the dating life (ugghhh!) and get out and have a good time with my good friend Asia. And yes, I dragged my wonderful kids along, we had such an amazing time!

Asia and I decided that we wanted to hang out and go down to Provo to eat at our most favorite restaurant, Los Hermanos. Yum is all I have to say. If you didn't know me any better, you'd think I was half Mexican. I know it's kinda of random, but hey...Monica + Asia = Random!!! We did make a stop at the South Towne Mall in Sandy so Asia could get her so cute pink purse!

Here are some pictures from our crazy day.

It's against the law to text while driving, so I assumed it's against the law to take picturse while driving also, so yes...I did pull over to take this picture!

Never have I ran out of gas, and I don't ever want to, so we had to make a quick gas station stop!

Don't miss cute lil Brayden in the background!

Yep..We ARE nerds!

I will admit that we did KIND OF get lost. I'm usually pretty good with directions and addresses, but when you're looking for a PROVO address and you're in Orem, it doesn't quite work out. Boy we were sure excited to see THIS sign!

Here she is. AMAZING-Los Hermanos!

Really, I don't get embarrassed too often, but obviously I was here. Asia told our waiter that it was my birthday (a week late!). Never was I expecting that he would announce it to the ENTIRE restaurant. Well he did, with a few other workers, and they all sang me happy birthday.

We had such a great time! Thanks Asia for a break from all those boys, a day outside of Cache Valley and for such a fun time with you and my kiddos! I can't wait to do it again!

I'm a Mom and I'm PROUD of it!

2009-05-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

I love Mother's Day because I love honoring my mom, who is absolutely AMAZING, but how come we don't have a Children's Day? Obviously I wouldn't be a mom without the two little rascals that I have. Really...they bring me so much joy and happiness every single day!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

2009-05-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I saw then I opened my front door to go outside yesterday evening. I know this isn't the best picture in the world, it was taken with my cell phone because my camera broke. I just can't help not sharing it because it really was a beautiful rainbow! The picture seriously does not do justice as to how pretty this rainbow really was. I have this thing for rainbows because I think they're amazing, hence one of my favorite songs, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow!"

I thought about going to look for the pot of gold, but I didn't have my shoes on. :) Maybe next time!

Sometimes I need a little pick me up...

2009-04-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Ellen. She is absolutely HILARIOUS!! So sometimes I do need a little pick me up, who doesn't these days? When I do, I turn on Ellen and I seriously don't stop laughing for the next hour, and sometimes longer. Here's what I'm rolling on the floor about today (and for the past few weeks)...

Happy 3rd Birthday to MY Princess Kennedi!!

2009-04-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated Kennedi's 3rd birthday with a princess party and had 6 of her very best friends celebrate with her. The party turned out great, the kids had a lot of fun and I have to say that I did as well.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Kennedi's 3rd birthday a memorable one, one I'm sure she'll always remember.

All the princesses getting ready to eat their yummy pizza!

Princess Kennedi and her mother (that would make me a Queen, :) right?)

Attempting to decorate the princess dresses...

...the Princess dresses were too much to handle for the little princesses, so while the adults worked on them the princesses decided to do ring around the rosies.

The pinata was a real hit (or should I say pull?)

Kennedi waited patiently ALL day to open her presents...

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Princess Kennedi, Happy Birthday to you!"

Kennedi LOVES her new trampoline she got from my family...she hasn't missed a day jumping on it yet!

Beware...Extra Long Post

2009-04-12T21:11:00.001-07:00

First all...Happy Easter! I love any and every excuse there is to get together with family. Yes, I LOVE spending time with my family. Here are some pictures from our great Easter and some of the Easter festivities from the days before....

The Easter Bunny found us at the Jensen home!

Coloring Easter Eggs

Kennedi, Brayden and I really had a great time coloring Easter eggs!
And I think Kennedi did a great job decorating them.

We wore poor Brayden right out!
Coloring Easter eggs is hard work!

Easter Egg Hunt in Grandma & Grandpa's Backyard

Brayden...he's always happy!

It was so beautiful outside, I just wanted to stay out there all day.

Let's go fly a kite!

This is Kennedi flying the kite...

...and this is the kite flying

Kennedi took a break to jump on the trampoline,
she LOVES the tramp!

Or, why not hula hoop?

Or take a tractor ride with Grandpa and Ethan?

City Easter Egg Hunt

I tried explaining to Kennedi that once they told her she could go, that she was supposed to run out and get two Easter Eggs (even though they were bags of candy and not eggs) and then to come back to me and Brayden. Well after patiently waiting they finally said it was time to go. But of course, guess what she did? She stood there screaming and crying wanting me to come and help her. But I had Brayden in the stroller, so after waiting for the area to clear out I "happily" walked out there with her and helped her pick up her bags.

I'm sure Brayden would have been happy to help if he could have.

Twilight Party

Oh Edward...

I was nominated to have a Twilight Party at my house. So of course I said, party? Come on over! I've never even read the book nor seen the movie before the party.
We had a GREAT time, we should do it again girls!

Temple Square and Park City Olympic Park

A few weeks ago we had a family friend of ours from Denmark, Christian, come and visit. He is attending school in Seattle and was on his spring break so we took him to the Olympic Park in Park City and Temple Square. It was a long day, but we really had so much fun and the weather was great!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we didn't ride the bobsled...

...but we did ride down this crazy thing...the zip line!

Whew! Boy, it was sure fun!

Pictures from Temple Square

Grandma & Brayden

Aunt Cindy's Visit

A few weeks ago my sister Cindy came to visit from Pennsylvania and surprised the whole family! We had it planned for quite a while, so it was fun to keep the secret and see everyone's reaction when they first saw her. We had a really fun time together...boy do I miss my sister Cindy!!!

Aunt Mandy, Aunt Cindy and Brayden

At dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Cafe Sabor!

I'm not sure if this is the best picture to end my post with, but here it is anyway.

...Don't ask!!

The 6th Photo Tag

2009-03-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've been tagged...

Rules:

Go to the pictures folder on your computer
Choose your 6th file
Choose your 6th picture
Blog about it.
Tag 6 more people!

This picture was taken last summer. I had the best opportunity to spend a lot of time with my two sisters, Natalie and Mandy, Mandy's boy (Dylan and Ethan) and my mom last summer when the road between Tremonton and Logan was closed for construction, so they spent a lot of nights at my house. We had tons of fun and made great memories. I really love spending time with my family. Really, what would I do without any of them? They're AMAZING...every single one of them!

I tag Tawna Perkins, Ashlee Bair, Shannon Rhodes, Stefanie Kierstead, Chelsie McCorristin and Angie Andreasen! I can't wait to see all your photos!

Happy Birthday To My Baby Boy!!

2009-03-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yep...believe it or not my baby boy is already 6 months old. Wow! Has the time flown by. I have his six month appointment on Monday, so I'll be sure to post his stats.
There is so much I love about Brayden...I could go on forever, but here are a few things that come to my mind first:

His smile. How much cuter can a smile be?
I love that he is always so happy. He rarely EVER cries.
He has slept through the night since he was 6 weeks old.
His chubby cheeks, and legs, and arms...his whole body!!
That he loves his big sister so much, which is exactly what I hoped for. They'll definately be best friends for life!

Like I said, I could go on about him forever, but we'll stop there. Here is a slideshow from the past 6 months.

Catching Up...

2009-03-09T09:10:00.001-07:00

The other day I was looking through the pictures on my camera and realized that I had some pretty cute ones that I haven't posted yet. They are all sort of random, but here they are...

Just because there is snow outsides doesn't

mean we can't go play on the swings!!
I was sure that Brayden stayed warm. He obviously was comfortable.

When it's just too cold to outside and play, I try to find different ways to entertain my kids. I'm not much for just turning on cartoons for Kennedi, I just don't like the idea of watching too much television! So this is what we came up with for the night, Kennedi's hut. She LOVED it. We had tons of fun making it.

Brayden had fun watching too!

Oh my sweet little Kennedi...

Yes, this is her asleep...in the hallway! For anyone who knows Kennedi, this is a rare occasion for her to fall asleep anywhere but in her own bed. I must have wiped her out. She is actually laying in front of the door to Brayden's room. I was in the putting him to bed and that's what I walked out to.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (and again and again...) but I have the best kids EVER. I love them so much!

Dennis Quaid Interview on Ellen

2009-03-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

I cannot stop laughing at this episode of Ellen. It was on way back in October when I was on maternity leave and I could not stop laughing! If I need a little laugh or something to cheer me up I usually try to watch an episode of Ellen. She is hilarious! One of these days, I will make it to her show...no doubt!

Little Miss Betty Crocker...

2009-02-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

At Kennedi (and Brayden's) Preschool/Daycare they had a party the Friday before Valentine's Day. Since I'm not working Friday's they asked if I could bring Kennedi so she could come to the party. I decided that we would make cookies for her Valentine's to all of her friends and teachers. Kennedi and I had so much fun making them together! I'm not much of a Betty Crocker myself but I do think they turned out great!! Kennedi was so excited and called it her 'Cookie Party'. She keeps asking to have another one!

You've gotta lover her apron!

Bugaboo

I finally did it! I got a picture of Brayden smiling. He is trying so hard to crawl now, I imagine he'll be cruisin' along any day now. He's still growing like a weed. 2 weeks ago he weighed 20 lbs. 3 oz. Believe me...I'm strong!!!

My kids are the best. What more could I ask for?

Not a better way to celebrate...

2009-02-15T10:03:00.001-08:00

I have to admit. I was NOT looking forward to Valentine's Day. But honestly, I cannot say that there was a better way to celebrate it than I did. I had a fabulous day!

I started my day off by heading down to the Bountiful Temple to do a session with my good friend Sasha. The drive down was AWFUL. The roads were terrible and there were cars sliding off the road everywhere! But I was determined to get there and I did, I made it and even on time! Thanks so much Sasha for inviting me and letting me share such a special day with you and Ben!! And thanks to my family as well for watching my kids so I was able to go.

Fortunately the weather on the way home was much much better! Thank goodness because I do NOT like driving in the snow. When I got back home my parents wanted to take us out to dinner for Valentine's Day so they took me and the rest of my family (those who were available) to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Ell Parrel. It was so yummy! Here are a few pictures from our fun time.

Mommy and Kennedi

Aunt Mandy and Ethan

Mommy and Brayden

Kennedi and Aunt Natalie

Grandma and Grandpa

Ethan and Brayden

A little of my work...

2009-02-03T09:46:00.001-08:00

I absolutely LOVE making collages. If you or know of anyone who needs something made, I would be happy to see what I could come up with and help them out. I can do anything from wedding and baby announcements, shower and birthday invites, Christmas cards, a collage of children and families, or whatever else you can think of. Here are a few that I have created. If you want to see a larger version of each one, just click which one you want and it will load up a larger size.

Kalamazoo and Bugaboo...

2009-01-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love calling me kids that. But Kennedi always tries to correct me and says, "No mommy, I'm Kennedi (Kalamazoo) and that's Brayden (Bugaboo)." My dad also tries calling Brayden "George", but Kennedi always corrects Grandpa on that one too.

I don't have much to update on other than my kids are fantastic. I love them so much. Kennedi always seems to find a way to make me laugh. She's been on a kick lately with some of her phrases. Some of my favorites are:

"Mom, will you do me a favorite?" So then I have to tell her it's "favor" and not "favorite". She just giggles, it's the best.

If I get hurt, she's always right there to tell me that "It's ok, it will be just fine. It will get better soon." Does anyone know where she got that from?

"Can I have my sikky pup please?" You can try and guess what a sikky pup is. Yes, her sippy cup. The reason why this one is so funny is I catch myself saying the exact same thing. I've gone over and over it with her on the correct way to say it, but in the end we both end up laughing because she can NEVER get it right. Oh well. I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

Brayden is a HAM! He is getting so big. I'm a little bit late on getting his four month stats up, but here they are. He weighed 18 pounds 6 ounces (97%) and his height was 25.5" (74%). I can't believe how fast he is growing up. And I found last night...he is getting a tooth! You're probably saying, "WHAT?" Yep, that's exactly what I said. A TOOTH. A little bit early, but I certainly have no way of stopping it. I'm not going to lose sleep over that either. He is smiling so much, but unfortunately I can't catch it on camera. I WILL lose sleep over that.

Christmas at Disneyland

2008-12-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

...Well sort of. We didn't exactly spend Christmas Day there, but a few days before. Kennedi, Brayden and I were able to go with my sister Natalie, and my other sister Mandy and her two boys, Dylan & Ethan, to California to spend a day at Legoland and three days at Disneyland. Thanks to my sister Mandy who invited us to come with! Wow! What can I say? We had a BLAST! It was super super busy, and we were constantly on the go, but we still found ways to be happy and to have a good time. Why wouldn't you at Disneyland, right?

Here are some of the pictures of our fun time. Please know that in some of the pictures it had been raining, so I look AWFUL. Kennedi also was a little nervous about the characters but I bribed her to be in the pictures with me. She was so brave. Brayden wasn't in too many pictures, but boy was he a trooper! He was sleeping a lot of the time or if he wasn't he was in his stroller snuggly warm.

Princess Castle
Mommy & Kennedi

Mainstreet, Disneyland

A HUGE Christmas Tree
Mommy, Kennedi & Dylan

Santa, Mommy & Kennedi

Pictures with the Characters & Princesses
(We had dinner with the princesses, the other characters thanks to my sister Natalie. The other chracters we saw around Dinseyland)

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Belle

Cinderella

Ariel

Mickey Mouse

Goofy

Donald Duck

Silvermist

Tinkerbell

Pixie Hollow
Where we met Silvermist & Tinkerbell

Fun Pictures
Here are just a few random pictures of our trip that I though I'd share...

Kennedi & Dylan with their 3D glasses on to watch "It's Tought to Be a Bug"

We met Guy Fierri from The Food Network and he was kind enough to let us take a picture with him. He said he was at Disneyland to film a show.

Kennedi & Dylan posing for the camera (and cheesing it!)

If he was awake, he was happy!!

Kennedi & Aunt Mandy on the Disneyland Railroad Train

Kennedi & Aunt Natalie in front of Mickey's House

Brayden & Mommy by Mickey's mailbox

Our Trooper, Brayden

Kennedi & Dumbo

Even after an exhuasting 4 days (LONG days, and SHORT nights) and a messy face, Kennedi was able to find the energy to smile for me!!

Thanks to Natalie, Mandy, Dylan, Ethan, Kennedi & Brayden for such an AMAZING time at Disneyland. It wouldn't have been the same without any of you!!! I love you ALL!!!!!!!!!!

Never a dull moment...

2008-11-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

Do I really need to explain...

She loves to look at the good ads in the newspaper!!
But never did I imagine that she'd tear it apart this bad!

Notice that Brayden's diaper, pants and socks are sitting to the side of her. She was attempting to take off his onesie. Isn't she a good helper? I only had said that Brayden needed his diaper changed, and left to go get a diaper.

I guess she wanted to do the dishes so she pushed a stool over and started washing away!

Brayden obviously didn't want to share his crib with her. Don't ask me how she got in there!! As far as I knew Brayden was sound asleep just 30 seconds before I found her in there!!

Yes, it's dental floss!!

How can I help but to laugh
at my cute little Kennedi?

Happy Halloween (Better late than never!)

2008-11-25T14:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get these pictures posted from Halloween. Life has just been extremely busy!!! Here are my cute kids dressed in their Halloween costumes. Weren't they cute?

Brayden was a cow! Moooooo!!!

Kennedi was a lady bug.

Is Brayden big Mommy?

2008-11-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

...that's a frequent question I get from Kennedi.

Everyone knows it...I have a big boy on my hands. I took Brayden to his 2 month appointment yesterday, and wow, the results are finally in. He weighed 14 lbs. 6 oz. and was 24 inches long. The doctor's exact words were, "He's growing like a weed. No! A Bamboo!!" His weight was in the 97% and his length in the 86%. So I guess he got a good mix of his mommy's weight and his daddy's height. Boy, he sure is cute!

So, to answer Kennedi's question, yes sweetheart, Brayden is a big boy; and you'd better be careful because someday he's going to be a lot bigger than you! And thank you sweety, for being such a GREAT helper for mom...You are the best big sister Brayden could ask for and you are "My SUNSHINE"!

Brayden's Blessing

2008-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had Brayden's blessing. It turned out great! Didn't he look handsome? Just a sign of what's to come!

Thanks to everyone who was able to come to Brayden's special day!

Big Sister, Little Brother

2008-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've had many people ask me how Kennedi like's being a big sister. My response to everyone is that she absolutely loves it, but I think these pictures will speak for themselves.

Believe it or not, Brayden is under there somewhere!!

Kennedi is hillarious when it comes to changing Brayden's diaper; she has to do whatever she can to help. This is the after picture (the after being after I stated that "Brayden needed his diaper changed") . Unwrapped from the blanket, pants & socks off and onesie unsnapped. I can't complain, she really is a good helper!

Kennedi's 1st Haircut

2008-10-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

I finally did it...I got myself to make an appointment for Kennedi to get her hair cut. For any moms out that who have daugthers will probably understand how hard it is to do! I kept swaying back and forth between growing her hair out and then cutting it...obviously I decided to get it cut. We didn't cut much, just enough to "clean" it up. I thought it turn out great. Kennedi didn't enjoy it too much, but I expected the exact reaction we got...screaming and crying. Thanks Angie for doing such a great job!!

After a little work and some hairspray...here are the cute results!

For those of you who are wondering, I have yet to see what it will look like curly, but I've got plans to try!!

Brayden's Pictures

2008-10-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

I got Brayden's newborn pictures back today, and I just can't get over how adorable he is!! There were so many cute ones that it was hard to decide which ones to post! I wish that Kennedi would have cooperated and been in some with him, but she didn't want to.