A Rich Life

Rich Christmas Party

2012-01-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

For the Rich Christmas party we pick names and then make gifts for that person. I always curse the tradition until I can come up with an idea of what to make and it's done. Once I'm at the party I love it!! It's so much fun to see what people have made for each other. This year Brad and I made Mike and Karrie a personalized game of Guess Who. I saw it on Pinterest and had it all figured out. That is until I opened the games the night before and found that they had totally re-done the layout. Panic!! I calmed down and figured out that I would just take a little bit more time. After finally coming up with a template that works on Excel I resized all the pictures and hurray! I was done. They were a hit!
Brad got a really neat book from Rob with pictures of the Timpanogos hike they went on and of course Rob's annual family calendar. I got an awesome personalized scripture cover from my nephew on a mission in Mexico and a really cute picture.
The kids got some great toys and loved playing with their cousins. Before the party we met up at Airborne and played dodgeball and jumped on all the tramps. We had so much fun and I can't wait until the next party!!

Christmas

2012-01-23T20:28:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was a first for us! The first time we stayed home all day. Well, other then church. It started out the same as our other Christmas days. My boys were so tired from Christmas Eve that they slept all morning. We finally had to wake them up at 9:30 to make sure they could check out Santa's gifts and eat some breakfast before church. After our yummy breakfast we hurried to get ready and headed to church.
After church we came home and got back in our jammies and the fun began! We opened all our presents and got to sit around and play all day. It was so relaxing. To top it off my parents came to visit that evening and we had a yummy dinner. Not only did we eat but we got in a few rounds of Just Dance 3. The kids were so cute playing and it was hilarious to watch my dad and Brad.
It was such a perfect Christmas! We are so blessed!

Sawyer was done at the end of the day. Don't you just want to tip his head up?? We left him like this only long enough to take a picture.

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Christmas Eve

2012-01-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Logan on the 23rd because Brad wanted to take Coop skiing. He didn't take any pics but Coop did awesome and he loved it. (Well, most of the time.) We celebrated Christmas Eve with my family this year. We had to decide how to do things differently because we finally decided to stay at home for Christmas so we wouldn't be seeing my family on Christmas Day. We decided to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. It actually worked out really well. We opened presents from each other and had pizza. Afterwards we played games until it was time to head to Kent & Robyn's house for dinner. My parents even found some pretty sweet do-rags at the dollar store for the boys. Eddie (gave-then took back) a pretty awesome hot dog roaster too.
We've been going to the other Buttars' house on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. It's so fun to see all the cousins. We don't see each other as much as I would like so it's fun to visit and catch up.
After dinner we came back to my parents to open our Christmas PJs and get ready to go home. On the drive back the kids were looking for Rudolph's nose and might have found it but they fell asleep too fast. I guess that's a sign they had a great day!!

Sawyer's Blessing

2012-01-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

We blessed Sawyer the first Sunday in December. It went so great. Brad did such a good job with the blessing and Sawyer slept the whole time. I always get nervous my kids will end up crying through the blessing. The most stressful part of the whole thing actually happened the night before. I was re-decorating our Christmas tree Brad had decorated because he had put all the ornaments on one side. Well, I got the tree done perfect, laid Sawyer on the floor and headed downstairs to help Brad clean up the basement. All of a sudden I heard a loud thump and Sawyer started screaming. I ran upstairs and saw Sawyer's little legs poking out from under our Christmas tree. I lifted it up and started yelling for Brad. He finally came upstairs and grabbed Sawyer. After brusing the pine needles off his face he quit crying and was perfectly fine. We were so lucky because we had a huge tree!! Once I realized he was fine I started laughing even though I was shaking still. I could finally see the humor in the situation. It took Brad quite a bit longer to see the humor. The tree had already fallen over once before and he'd re-decorated it and told me not to touch it. I just couldn't leave it looking lopsided though! :) After that we secured it to the wall and didn't have any more problems.
We had so many family members that came and supported Sawyer and our family on that day. It is so nice to be reminded how blessed we are!

Leave them for just a minute...

2012-01-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

We put the boys in the tub and came back to find the whole bottle of foam soap in the tub with them. They thought they were so funny and had such a great time it was hard to get mad!

Preschool Party

2012-01-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

We dropped in with cupcakes at Coop's preschool for his birthday. They had a little party for him and he was pretty pleased. His class sings to him and he gets to wear a crown and pick a prize. He loves his preschool class and his friends he's met there!

Happy Birthday Coop!

2012-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

Cooper turned five on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We had the traditional birthday breakfast and of course Coop couldn't wait to open his present so we told him he could open one before church. Well, one turned into all of them. He was so excited for his "IPad". We decided to get Coop a tablet for his birthday....(we decided to get our family one but it worked out to give it to Coop for his birthday). Another present he loved was his Home Alone DVDs. They watched them over and over laughing so hard!

My parents came down with Stephen and Chelsey and Coop was so excited they were here for his big day. After church we had a birthday lunch and he opened his presents from them. He loved his Star Wars legos from Stephen and Chelsey and his blanket from my parents. After lunch they had to take off but we had Brad's parents and his brothers families over for some cake and ice cream that night. He's really into Star Wars legos these days so we had to make him a Star Wars lego cake. Wasn't my best work but he thought it was great. :)

I seriously can't believe I have a little boy that's five. The past years have just flown right by. Being the oldest I feel like I expect him to act at least 10 half the time and I have to remind myself that although he is my oldest, he is still just a little boy. He is so loving and is always ready to give me a hug and tell me how much he loves me. I am so blessed to have this little boy!

Thanksgiving

2012-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we were in Lewiston. We had a yummy dinner and then the fam headed outside to play in the snow. They built a snowman that is still standing the first of January!

Ryker was super happy that Brad didn't want to hold him on the tramp. :)

Our Christmas Tree

2012-01-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving was the day we decided to head up and cut down our Christmas tree. We've cut down a few before but this was by far the most fun we've had doing it. We rented a couple snowmobiles and traveled up to Idaho to find the perfect tree. It didn't take too long until we found one and chopped it down. It survived the trip home and looked beautiful all through Christmas! Brad wanted one that was really tall because we have a vaulted ceiling so he got his wish. The only problem with a tall tree is that they fall over!! Only happened twice so we are lucky. Even with all of that I still feel like real trees are the way to go!! :)

Ryker

2011-12-04T17:09:00.001-08:00

We check on the kids at night before we go to bed and this is what I found. Ryker fell asleep with his dog right on top of him. We got a good laugh.

First Snowfall

2011-12-04T16:59:00.001-08:00

I always have to get a picture of the kids playing with the first snow of the season. This year it was November 5. They get so excited to go outside. It's usually the first thing they ask to do when they get up in the morning and realize it's out there. It usually doesn't last too long because soon they remember how cold snow is!

Halloween

2011-12-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

Once again, we had a wonderful Halloween this year. The weather was so warm and so we bundled up Sawyer and headed out to go trick-or-treating with the kids. It was fun to get to know the neighbors a little bit better, even though we've been here almost a year. The boys had a great time and got just enough candy that I didn't have to take and eat too much of it. :) This was the first year that I couldn't just choose cute costumes for them. Cooper wanted to pick his own and he decided on Darth Vader. He looked pretty neat. Ryker got to be a dragon. I'm glad he doesn't care too much about what he is for Halloween. I'm sure the time will come when I have to buy him his own costume to but he is content with Coop's old ones now.

Party

2011-11-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

Coop's primary program was the Sunday before Christmas and my family decided to come down to watch. We decided to have a small party that evening for Halloween so my parents could see the kids in their costumes. The day was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside. It was fun to spend time with the family.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

The Friday before Halloween the Simmons came over to carve pumpkins with us. This has been a tradition for quite a few years and we had to keep it up. The night started with pizza and ended with roasted pumpkin seeds. What could be better?!!

Grandpa

2011-11-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

We can't forget Grandpa Buttars! After I posted all of my pics from the hospital my dad let me know there weren't any pictures with him. The next time he was here I made sure to take a picture of Sawyer with Grandpa. Then the other boys had to jump in also. Love ya dad!

So Far So Good

2011-10-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Brad went up to Logan Friday night to stay with the boys and my mom came down to stay with me. I've been feeling so good that yesterday we went to Walmart, Target and Taipan. Michelle came and met up with us. Sawyer did great and slept the whole time in his carseat.
Nights have been okay. He likes to wake up about every two and a half hours. It's a little rough, but it could be worse!!
The boys have loved holding him today. Coop keeps saying how cute he is. He was holding him and saying he was never going to stop holding him. Such good helpers!

Hospital Stay

2011-10-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love staying at the hospital as long as possible. Yeah, the bed isn't the most comfortable and the food isn't the greatest, but I get to lay there and have people do everything for me. Who wouldn't love it??
We had visitors while we were there which I love! It was fun to visit and show off Sawyer. :)
My parents came and brought the kids down Wednesday afternoon. The boys loved seeing Sawyer. Ryker couldn't wait to hold him. Coop decided to pass. They brought Sawyer the cutest little dog. Sawyer gave Coop some Lego's and Ryker a truck. Of course the boys loved that!!

Just after my parents left Bill and Carol came down. Sawyer is the twenty-seventh grandchild. We were so glad that they came down and got some great pictures with them. Todd, Karrie and Reagan came while they were here also. It was so fun to visit!

Thursday night my girls came to visit. They brought some of the cutest gifts and one awesome Dr. Pepper cake. It was so fun to see them and visit. I miss living right by these gals!!

We headed home Friday morning. I was finally ready to come home. This recovery has been by far the easiest.

Sawyer William Rich

2011-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

He's here and we couldn't be happier!! Especially me. So nice to not feel like I have a basketball in my stomach anymore.
Tuesday afternoon I headed in to my appointment with Dr. Spencer. I was feeling ready to have a baby, but he hadn't said anything about inducing me so I wasn't sure what would happen. With my previous babies I've had high blood pressure, but this time around I didn't so I didn't have an induction date yet. Two weeks before he'd checked me and I was a three but he hadn't checked me since. Well, he checked me and said I was a five plus. Then he asked me if I wanted to head to the hospital to have a baby. OF COURSE I DID!! He was nervous that I would go into labor and I wouldn't have time to get my full course of antibiotics because I was GBS positive this time around. I called Brad so excited and he came and picked me up and I headed home to pack. When Coop heard that I was going to have Sawyer he said, "Today is the most awesomest day ever!!" So cute!
Coop had his last soccer game that evening and luckily my parents were coming down to watch. Brad headed to the soccer game and waited for my parents while I packed everything at home. My parents got there and my nice dad filled in as coach so Brad could come back home and get me.
We arrived at McKay Dee around seven and they got me checked in and started on penicillin. They told me I couldn't have the baby before 11:15 because the antibiotic has to run for four hours. I was having some contractions but not a ton and was feeling pretty good. Around nine I started to have a little bit of pain so I asked for my epidural. I wanted to make sure I had it. They put it in and I was feeling great. At 10:45 they broke my water. I could tell the contractions started coming fast because I could still feel the pressure. Then the pain started coming again and I started to get nervous. I was pushing my button but nothing was happening!! Oh no!! I started getting flashbacks of Ryker's delivery. I told the nurse I was in pain and she paged the anesthesiologist. He came in an gave me a quick push of medicine and it kicked in about ten minutes later. Good thing because a little bit after that Sawyer was born!! I found out that I dilate so fast at the end that the epidural doesn't keep up with the pain. That's why he had to come give me more medicine. The MD came in and gowned up and I was more then ready to push. It was hard to wait. Two pushes later Sawyer was here. Easiest delivery ever!! He was born at 12:21 am on Wednesday, October 5. Weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, 20 inches long. He is my littlest baby and didn't have any bruising or cone head because everything went so fast. So perfect! He was wide awake for two hours after. He kept making these little moaning noises and squeaks. Thankfully that has stopped!

Me Before:

Happy family!

Dr. Spencer

Right after his first bath. He loved the heat lamp.

Farmington Flash Part Two

2011-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

So, after a lot of thought we decided to put Coop in fall soccer. Spring soccer was a little bit of a struggle, but this time his friend Carson was going to be on his team so we felt a little bit better about our chances. We were glad we did because Coop ended up really liking it. He even scored a goal! We were so proud. He hustled with the best of them. He did have a pretty awesome coach to help him out. (Brad)Still not the most aggresive player, but he liked playing this time and that's what counts!!

New Neighbor

2011-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

We discovered we had a new neighbor outside one day. He kept popping up on our driveway for a few days in a row until one day we went out and found that someone didn't like having him around and got rid of him. I stayed as far away as I could and so did the kids. It was fun watching him though. Coop wouldn't get any closer for the pics.

Apple Days

2011-10-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

River Heights had their annual Apple Days festival in September. Coop was excited to decorate his bike and ride in the bike parade.

After they had a parade with floats and the kids got a ton of candy. They had a great time at the festival playing games after and we had a great time at the Aggie football game that night. They won!

Cute Ava and Ryker. They were born the same day! Practically twins. :)

I love how Ryker has scooted all the way forward in this swing. That can't be comfortable!

First day of Preschool

2011-10-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Coop started his second year of preschool the day after Labor Day and he loves it. He goes to Little Ranchers Preschool with Miss Angela and Miss Denise every Tuesday and Thursday. It's really close to our house which is so nice. I was worried because there were only three boys including him, but he has found a really good friend named Max that he says is his best friend. I hope he continues to love it!

Quiet Time

2011-10-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Coop quit taking naps a few years ago, but he still has quiet time in the afternoons. One day I didn't hear him yelling to see if he could come out so I went in to check and started telling him he could come out before I realized he'd fallen asleep like this. Don't ask me how!

New Sandbox

2011-10-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to put our yard in so that we can use it by next spring. We finally got our sandbox in under our deck. We got a ton of sand and it's awesome. The sand is so soft, it feels like you are at the beach. The kids have had a great time playing in it. I've found mounds of sand all over my house, but it's totally worth it! :)

Happy 33rd Birthday Brad!!

2011-10-09T11:09:00.001-07:00

Brad turned 33 in August and we had quite the party! Not really, but he did get a pretty neat Jenga set. :) We went out to dinner at Tucanos and watched Planet of the Apes at the Gateway that night. I can't remember why Brad had his Russian hats out. I think we were using them for some reason in our primary lesson. The kids had to put them on though.
We love Brad so much!! He's an awesome dad and I couldn't ask for a better hubby!

Gotta love Coops face in this picture.

Davis County Fair

2011-10-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

I met up with some friends at the Davis County Fair in August. The fair ended up being right by our house. I didn't know quite what to expect. It was quite a bit smaller then the fair I'm used to in Logan, but they had an awesome petting zoo and fun activities for the kids. Coop was so excited to hold the tarantula. He wasn't scared at all. Ryker wouldn't get near the thing. Coop also wanted to hold the snakes, but he settled for petting them instead.

It's gone

2011-10-09T11:00:00.001-07:00

I can't say I was too sad to see it go but I will admit it was a good car. Right now we are a one car family until my parents find a car and we buy their Yukon. I guess that's about the only positive thing about Brad owning a motorcycle!

We LOVE visits!

2011-10-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Michelle, Carson and Sophie came and stayed with us for a few nights in the middle of August. The boys had a great time and got along for the most part. :) We knew we had to plan fun things for them to do because they can go stir crazy. We let them finger paint but I think their favorite things to do was get in our tub and watch movies. They could've stayed in there forever!

Liberty Park

2011-10-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

In the middle of August we met up with Ashley and Janette at Liberty Park to let the kids play and catch up. I had never been there before and the kids had a lot of fun running around. I love Coop's happy hands in these pictures.

Carson wasn't too excited to get his picture taken until Coop took this awesome picture of him.

Popcorn

2011-10-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

One of the boys favorite things to do on Sunday evenings is pop popcorn. Coop was so excited he couldn't even take his eyes off the popcorn for the pictures. Like always, Ryker is cheesing it up.

Mud!!

2011-10-06T19:31:00.001-07:00

We love playing in Lewiston in the garden. It was really hot one day and it was my idea to re-create a moment in childhood. We turned the garden hose on and dug some holes and the kids had a blast playing in the mud. They would've stayed out there forever. Coop was a little concerned when we were done. He looked down at his clothes and said, "Mom, do we have some Oxi-Clean?" Gotta love those commercials!!

Peas and a Rainbow

2011-10-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

Ryker loves fresh peas from Papa's garden!

We get so many beautiful rainbows. This was an amazing full double rainbow. I couldn't get the whole thing in a pic, but it was beautiful!

Primary Parade

2011-10-06T19:22:00.001-07:00

Our primary put together a little parade at the park right around the 24th of July. You were supposed to dress like a pioneer and walk or bring wagoons. We decided to make ours a literal covered wagon. Coop was so proud pulling it. I can tell he thinks he's pretty cool stuff when he won't look at me when I'm trying to take his pic. They loved waving their flags and being the center of attention.

Days of '47 Parade Floats

2011-10-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

My talented Sis-in-Law Lori was in charge of the Draper float this year for the Days of '47 parade. They spent many long hours getting this float ready and we couldn't wait to see it. They displayed the floats at the convention center before the parade and we went and checked them out. They were amazing!! Of course our favorite was the Draper float!!

Swimming in Highland

2011-10-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Time to play catch up! Caught up with the girls and headed to the splash park in Highland back in July. The kids loved playing with their friends. Wish I would've taken more pics!

Ryker

2011-07-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is what we found when we were checking on Ryker before bed the other night. We had a good laugh. I can't believe he actually fell asleep with them on. They always look like they are squeezing his head when he wears them. So uncomfortable! Let's just say he has a big brain.. :)

Rich Pyramid

2011-07-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had our first ever Rich family combined FHE. Bill had to end the night with a traditional pyramid. I think it was a success!

Farmington Festival Days

2011-07-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Since we are now residents of Farmington we decided to take part in the Festival Days. Saturday morning we went to the parade. It was so HOT but the kids still had fun. We managed to pick one of the only spots without shade. I guess it worked in our favor because we were kind of by ourselves and the kids got a TON of candy. We really got to the point where we didn't want to pick it up anymore. Crazy I know.

We went home right after to cool off, but then headed back up to the park for some music and lunch later on. Nothing beats the food at those things! The kids even got to pet some goats. We skipped the fireworks that night. We'll save them for next year!

Logan Pool

2011-07-17T18:31:00.001-07:00

I stayed up in Lewiston after the Fourth because my parents ward was having their swim party and my parents wanted my kids to go. I was boring and didn't get in the water, but my parents and brother swam with the kids. I love the Logan pool. It is so great for kids! I feel bad I only got pictures of Ryker but Coop and my dad were there too!

Fourth Of July Weekend

2011-07-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Almost caught up!! For the Fourth we headed up to Logan Friday and went to the "Freedom Fire" at Romney stadium and watched Diamond Rio perform. I was a little worried about the kids sitting that long but they loved it. It worked out great because my family sat right in front of all Brad's family so I got both! I was surprised how many songs I knew that Diamond Rio sang.
The next morning we headed up to the cabin in Bear Lake. The weather was perfect for us this time. We went and sat on the beach and went boating. Bear Lake is so nice because it's just a relaxing trip. The kids can get a little crazy, but we always have such a great time up there. We even celebrated Bill's 75th Birthday. Happy Birthday Bill!! He is such a wonderful father-in-law!

Monday afternoon we headed over to Lewiston to catch a BBQ with my family. We got there just in time for some delicious food! My dad had purchased a bunch of tickets at the little festival at the park so we headed up to use them before the blow-up rides got taken down. By this point they were so hot the kids almost didn't want to play, but we forced them. :) I even went down the giant slide with Ryker. I'm sure that was a pretty sight with my huge belly. I almost topled backward climbing up the thing. It wasn't easy!! Ryker wasn't too sure about the ride that takes you up high.

He kind of whined the whole time, but he's a trooper!
After that, there was a huge waterfight. Michelle, my aunt Sonya and I, against Brad and Eddie. I would say it was a tie but Brad still contends that we are dirty players. He might have broken his toe also...oops. We were all pretty drenched, that included the inside of the house. Sorry mom!! That night were the fireworks. They were awesome as ever! Still love being able to sit right underneath them every year. My parents bought a bunch of fireworks and we went home and lit a few off before herding the kids to bed. Such a great Fourth!

Our attempt at a family pic. Ryker spilled water all down him. Nice of Eddy to join us. :)

Ryker getting nice and comfortable.

Cute Sonya & Rod

Big Boy!

2011-07-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ryker has decided to start dressing himself some days. He came out of his room like this so pleased with himself. He had put both legs in one leg of his shorts and pulled them all the way up.

This kid is definitly the ham of the family. Always ready to laugh or cause a good laugh!

Downata

2011-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

On the 18th of June we had a Buttars family reunion up at Downata. I wish more people would've come, but we still had a great time. We had a barbecue first and then jumped in the pools. The kids had a fun time swimming, but we were disappointed when we learned that you can't help kids down any of the slides. There was no way my kids would go down by themselves. I remember forming huge trains when I was little down those big, blue tube slides. I think it is ridiculous all the rules they have now days. Okay, enough of my soapbox. I hadn't been up there since Young Womens camp in high school and it had changed a little bit but we still had fun!

Awesome goggle lines.

Ryker was ready to take it all off...

Willow Park

2011-07-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

While I was up in Cache Valley I was able to meet up with some of my favorite friends for lunch at Willow Park. It's crazy to see how many kids we have! :) It was fun to let them run around and play together and catch up with my friends. We even got a group picture thanks to Nikki's little boy Karsten.

Lewiston

2011-07-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

The next week in June we didn't have anything going on so the kids and I decided to head up to Lewiston. We had a great time helping grandpa in the garden and riding the tractor!

Lagoon

2011-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Our busy week ended with Lagoon on Friday with my family. We were going to get season passes this year because we live so close, but decided since I have to pay the same and can't ride the rides that we'll wait. My dad got ten dollar tickets so of course we were in. The kids loved it. We tried to get there right when they opened which was good because that day was so CROWDED!! We were able to get on a few rides pretty fast before the lines got too long. We decided to leave around four with the intent on going back later that night. We got back that night around eight and the lines were still LONG. I guess it didn't help that we went on a Friday. We were able to catch a few rides before it closed. I can't wait until next year when I can actually ride the rides! Coop's favorite ride was the Bombora. Brad took Ryker on that along with the Tidal Wave. He was barely tall enough to go on them. I had to explain to Brad that just because Ryker could ride the rides, didn't mean he necessarily should. He had the tightest grip on the Tidal Wave and he couldn't even hold his head up on the Bombora. He was a trooper though!

Coop was NOT HAPPY about being wet from the HydroLuge. He still smiled for the pic though.

Hogle Zoo

2011-07-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday of that week we headed to Hogle Zoo and met up with some friends. It was a little chilly, but other then that, it was a great day. They had a really neat dinosaur theme going on that the kids really liked. The dinosaurs moved around and roared. Most of the pictures I got were of the kids looking at something. When we were waiting for friends to get there, we were checking out the prarie dogs. There was a huge one that just sat right in front of the plexi-glass staring at all the kids. Ryker thought it was hilarious. It was fun meeting up with friends and seeing the animals!

Gateway Museum & Fountain

2011-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

The second week in June was a busy one for us. I was watching my two nieces Taya and Tatiana and nephew Tanner for a few days and I wanted to make sure they weren't super bored so I planned stuff every day that I had them. Tuesday we decided to head to Gateway Museum and maybe hit the fountain. I convinced my mom to come down and come with us. She brought Carson with her and we all had a great time at the museum. I'd never been before and it was fun to see what they had there.

After the museum we decided to go get some ice cream and head down to the fountain. I didn't bring the kids swimsuits but that didn't stop them. Ryker was the only one that steered clear of it. He doesn't like spraying water.

Farmington Flash

2011-07-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

We signed Coop up to play soccer this past spring and it was a learning experience. Brad decided to coach and we both had no idea to expect. Well, we soon realized that bribing Coop with goals was not realistic. We finally told him we'd buy him some Legos if he didn't end up crying or sitting picking grass the whole game. (Yes, we resorted to bribing). It worked for the most part. It drove Brad crazy to be the coach and have the kid that didn't want to play. He did end up making one goal, even if it was for the other team. :) Call us crazy, but we did sign him up again in the fall. He was actually asking to play and this time he will have his friend Carson on the team. Here's hoping for a better season for both Brad and Cooper!!

Memorial Day

2011-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

We spent Memorial Day up at Bear Lake this year and it was COLD! We woke up to snow on Sunday, but we still had a great time hanging out in the cabin and playing games.

Coop's Preschool Graduation

2011-07-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Coop graduated from preschool! He was so excited to sing the songs and play the cymbals. He learned so much and had a great time with his cousin Taya. We put him in Miss Lori's preschool when we moved to Farmington the end of December. It helped to have Taya in there, but he missed his old preschool for quite a while. He finally adjusted and ended up thinking it was pretty great!

Sophie Anne Hutchison

2011-07-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

My cute niece Sophie was born on May 21. I am so excited for a niece. It seems I'm on the path to having boys so it is fun to see pink! We stopped to visit and meet her a few days after she came home from the hospital. The boys loved holding her. Especially Ryker. He couldn't get over the fact that she has a binky just like him. (Yeah, we're working on that one :))

Matt's Open House/Wedding

2011-07-14T08:34:00.001-07:00

Wow! I'm trying to play some serious catch up. I think I'm still clear back in May but I need to get these on here.
Our nephew Matt got married on May 20. A few days before he had an awesome open house in Logan complete with some bull riding. It was so much fun to watch. The kids weren't quite sure about it, but Brad sure got into it! :)

Matt and Jenny got married a couple days later and the wedding was beautiful! The flowers were so pretty at the Salt Lake temple and it was fun to take the kids on the grounds.

They had their luncheon and reception at La Caille. I'd never been there and it was beautiful. The grounds were so pretty. There were peacocks everywhere that the kids loved chasing. The boys also enjoyed hitting some golf balls on the green. They had their luncheon and reception in this atrium area that was full of gorgeous flowers and greenery.

Snowbird

2011-06-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

So Brad and I had talked for a while about going up to Snowbird and spending the night. They have pretty good deals at their lodges in the spring and so we headed up. Brad had planned on taking Cooper skiing but that didn't quite work out. I tried taking them sledding, but the snow was really wet and we were soaked before too long. After a few hours hanging out with the boys in the hotel room, while Brad skied with my dad and brother, I was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. Well, they closed the mountain early because of rain so Brad came back and took the boys swimming and gave me some time to myself to read. It was beautiful up there!! We will definitely go back!

Mothers Day

2011-06-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was awesome this year! I didn't have to change any diapers or do any dishes. I got to relax and enjoy myself. How many times does that happen?? That is worth so much to a mom!!

Easter

2011-05-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year we headed up to Cache Valley. Saturday morning we made it early to the Lewiston easter egg hunt. We had to make sure we were on time!! Fortunately we made it in time, but for some reason my kids weren't quite as excited as I was. When the time came, I got a little too excited and I might have "encouraged" Ryker a little too much. I gave him a little push to go and he toppled right over. Then Carson (my nephew) fell right over him. It was pretty funny. My mom finished helping Ryker out until he got the hang of it and I headed over to check on Cooper.
Coop did really good and got a ton of eggs. The sad things was that he didn't get a "P" egg. A prize egg. He was pretty upset about it and didn't want to take any pictures after. We were all laughing because it was pretty funny. I did go up afterward and ask if they had any leftover prizes. Luckily they did, which helped a little bit.

After the Easter egg hunt. My parents had an Easter party that was so much fun! First we stopped at the farm to see some baby calves and kittens. The kids weren't too sure about the animals but they warmed up to them and even held the kittens.

Afterwards, we had a great lunch and on to the games. They had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and the adults. The adult game was pretty competitive and my brother Stephen came out the big winner but I do have to say we all ended up pretty well off! They put so much work into it and hopefully it turns into a tradition! Coop even found a hidden egg a week later.

The Rich Easter party was next but before we headed there we stopped at Old Main hill to roll some Easter eggs. I love watching the kids with there little legs running down the hill as fast as they can. They think it's so fun to see the eggs exploding all over the hill.

We got to the Rich household just in time for an awesome Easter dinner. After dinner we were all stuffed but we had even more running to do because there were more Easter egg hunts to go on. The kids were first and Coop and Ryk did great. They got more cash to add to their loot and they were in heaven. The adults were next and it got competitive. The guys were nice enough to give the girls a fifteen second head start and we were off. We all found our eggs and both Brad and I were happy but we weren't the big winners...oh well!! :)

Easter day I woke up early to get ready for church. The boys had been up late so we decided to let them sleep in. I was so excited to see the boys find their Easter baskets but Ryker was the only one up before I left. I made Brad promise to take pictures when Coop woke up. Brad met up with me after sacrament meeting and then took off a little early from church with Ryker because Ryks wasn't feeling well. When I got home Brad had already put Ryker to bed for his nap so we didn't get a picture in our Easter clothes, but Coop and I got one.

My parents came down for Easter dinner. I was so excited they came. It's alwasy fun to spend time with them. After dinner they climbed into bed with the kids and I took this picture. I love it! What a great ending to a fabulous Easter weekend!!

A New Haircut

2011-05-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, I totally thought that since I had boys I wouldn't have to worry about scissors in their hands. Well, turns out I was wrong. I left the kids in the kitchen for some innocent coloring and came back to find that Cooper had something else in mind.

I have no idea where this came from. He's never even talked about cutting his hair! I guess it's a good thing he's a boy though, because that would have been very hard to fix with a girl!!

Surprise!!

2011-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Not really! Most of you have probably heard already, but we are having another BOY in October!! I figure I'm destined to have boys. I'm slowly getting used to it. :) They are tons of fun so I guess that helps. My cute friend Georgana, who is having her third boy in September told me that she figures she'll save money that way. It's true!! These boys are good investments. :)

Antelope Island

2011-05-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

For some reason Brad has wanted to go out to Antelope Island for quite a while. Me, I've never really felt the urge. We do have a great view of it out our back windows, but I was content just looking at it everyday. Nevertheless we found ourselves heading out there one Saturday in April. There is actually more to see out there then I thought.
We headed out to the Fielding Garr Ranch first and saw some animals, neat old farm equipment and old houses. I even found a plaque with my Great Great Grandfathers name on it. He was one of the original ranchers Brigham Young sent out here.

We headed to the beach next. I had no idea people go out there to swim, but there were showers and even a hamburger joint. Fun times!! Brad is all gung-ho to head back in the summer so they can actually swim. He's always wanted to try swimming in the Great Salt Lake. I think I might pass on that one. It kind of stinks out there...

The Visitor's Center was next. There were a few neat facts in there, but the neat thing was that there were buffalo outside. The kids really liked seeing them.

At the end of the day we were done and ready to be home (or at least I was), but it was good to get out as a family. Now I know what I'm looking at when I look out our windows. I'm also really excited to go back in another twenty years. :) Brad will be back this summer though. He's pretty pumped!!

Bear Lake

2011-05-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

We hadn't been able to make it up to Bear Lake all winter so we decided to head up conference weekend with the Allreds. Saturday we took the snowmobile to the sinks sledding. The kids really like it but were nervous going down the hill. Since the snowmobile is probably over twenty years old, it took some talent getting it back up the hill but we worked it out. We stayed for a little while then it started rain/snowing and we headed back to the cabin.

When I got back to the cabin I realized my phone was missing. Crap! It wasn't in the car so I knew it must have been in my pocket sledding. I drove back up there praying the whole way. Well, once I got out of the car it was miserable. Blowing, and wet snow was coming down. I kept my eyes glued to the ground. I asked one lady if she'd seen one and she said she hadn't. I walked to the bottom of the sledding hill when all of a sudden I heard that same lady yelling at the top holding a phone!! I ran up and it was mine. She said someone had put it on one of the signs that I had walked right by! I had my eyes glued to the ground so I didn't see it. I guess she had felt bad for me and was coming to help me look when she saw it. I am so thankful for the power of prayer and nice people!!

Farewell Tyler!

2011-03-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

Last month we drove up north to Logan to attend my nephew's farewell. He headed to Ft. Worth, Texas for his mission on April 6. The farewell was at 8:30 in the morning. It was a rough morning (Ryker screaming while being changed in the parking lot, Brad dropping the glass bowl and shattering it full of granola for the brunch afterwards, not being able to find clothes), but we made it! Tyler did an amazing job on his talk. The spirit was so strong in sacrament meeting. He will make a great missionary!

We took some pics of Ryker and Ava. They are basically twins. :) They were born the same day. They didn't love having pictures taken...typical two-year-olds!

Sneaky Leprechauns

2011-03-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

On St. Patrick's day the leprechuans found us!! They even hid a bunch of green goodies under a chair that Cooper and Ryker had to find. Not only that, but they dyed our milk and eggs green. They might as well have just thrown it away because for some reason no one could eat or drink it after that! :)

Las Vegas

2011-03-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

We packed up the fam and drove down to Vegas for the WAC tourniment the second weekend in March. We stayed at the Ashcrofts Wednesday night in St. George and drove to Vegas on Thursday. What a BUSY city. We stayed right on the strip but at the far end in some condos so we didn't have to deal with the casinos and it was so nice since we had our family there. We spent the weekend eating yummy food, watching the Aggie's win the tournament, shopping, walking, walking, walking and walking the strip (it's so much farther then you think...especially with kids!), swimming in the pool and visiting the Secret Garden at the Mirage. We even saw a celebrity...if you can call him that. We saw Scott Disick...Kortney Kardashian's boyfriend filming part of their reality show. He looked just like he does on TV...greasy.
Almost everyone in Brad's family was there along with everyone in my family so we were surrounded by great company. I would love to go back but I think we'll leave the kids. It's not such a kid friendly place. Wish I would've taken more pics!

Dad's 54th

2011-03-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

My dad turned 54 on March 5 and we celebrated with a luau. It was so fun to spend time with the fam. We played Minute to Win it after the dinner and everyone did awesome!
We are so grateful that he is still with us and are reminded about that everytime a special even rolls around. It is so crazy to reflect on what he went through and what we went through as a family and realize how far we've come. There were times there when I was so scared my dad would never be the same and now we have the same wonderful father and grandpa back with us but. Not only that but he's healthier then ever. His cardiologist in Salt Lake told him that his cholesterol numbers were the best he's ever seen. We are so proud of you dad!! (Hopefully someone got better pics then i did :))

Love this one of my dad if you can ignore the huge light in the way. Did I REALLY not see that when I was taking the picture??

Snow Cave

2011-03-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

My bro-in-law Eddie built his little boy Carson a snow cave in their back yard. Of course my boys had to climb in and play. It took him quite a while to make and was such a cool thing!

Help Me!

2011-03-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ryker doesn't talk a ton but he knows these two words. Help Me! When he says it, it sounds more like "Elp Me" in a cute little voice. I heard these words the other day and went to investigate. Somehow he got in, but he couldn't get out. Silly kid!

Ryker's 2nd Birthday

2011-03-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ryker turned two on February 23. He is getting so big and starting to look so much like a little boy instead of a little toddler. The night before his birthday I was baking his cake. I decided to bake him a little mini cake he could have for himself. I covered it and set it aside so that I could frost it the next day. I took a quick trip accross the street to deliver dinner and got back and found that Ryker had got a chair and found his cake. Early birthday cake for him. No remorse at all. :)
Ryker is really into the "No, David" books right now so I decided to make him a "No, David" cake. He loved it and kept pointing saying David. That evening we had family over for dinner and cake then Ryker opened his presents. He loved opening his gifts and I loved when it was over! :) We had a great time.

The guilty culprit

Birthday Breakfast. Waffles with raspberries and whipped cream. Yum!

The big party

We love Ryker so much! He is FULL of energy at this age. He is starting to talk quite a bit more and loves to say prayers. He is now in a big bed and we had to put a child lock on the handle because he just kept coming out. (Don't worry...we open the door once he's asleep). When he wakes up in the morning he usually has about ten books, ten blankets and ten stuffed animals scattered around him on his bed. What a fun little boy!

Cancun

2011-02-20T20:30:00.001-08:00

Last week we were lucky enough to spend time in Cancun! Brad worked so hard last year that he earned this reward trip. We headed out on Saturday morning and arrived in Cancun that afternoon. We stayed at this really nice hotel called the Gran Melia. It was all-inclusive and I think that's the way to go! The first few days we just hung out at the hotel. The weather was a little on the cool side (around 75) but still so much warmer then home!

Monday was awesome!! I finally swam with the dolphins. I have wanted to swim with dolphins ever since I watched the Full House episode clear back in the 90s. :) We decided to do this "Trainer for a Day" session at this place called Dolphinaris. It was a program from 9:30 until 5:30 where you spend the day with the trainers and swim with the dolphins. It was better then expected! We got to get in the pool with the dolphins, learn signals and train them, went diving with them in the pool, grabbed their fins and laid on their belly's while they swam. The best part of the whole days was the foot push. The trainer blew her whistle and you waited at one end of the pool. All of a sudden you see two dolphins swim underneath you and put their noses on your feet. Then you speed accross the pool like superman. Such an awesome day!! I wish we could've got the video but there was no way we were going to spend $80!!

Tuesday our first stop was Chichen Itza. We had been with my family about six years ago, but there was a lot we hadn't seen. Our guide knew a lot and was able to tell us really neat things that coincided with our belief that Christ came to the American continent.

The second stop of the day was my favorite! We ate and then went swimming in a cenote. It was beautiful! The water was so refreshing. It's crazy to think there are so many all over the Yucatan Peninsula.

The last stop of the day was Ek Balam. These ruins were really neat because you could climb on them still. So amazing to see! It was interesting to note that in Chichen Itza the Aztecs invaded their society and shared their beliefs and soon the Mayans turned to human sacrifice. (Crazy!) But in Ek Balam you have a Mayan community where the Aztecs never had any influence and they never had any human sacrifice among them. I didn't know that! I thought all Mayans turned to that! There was another really neat picture painted on the wall he showed us where there was a white man standing among the dark skinned people teaching them. So cool!! They also told us that any hill you see in the Yucatan is most likely ruins because there are no natural hills there. You can even see some in the pictures I took. It's crazy to think there are ruins underneath!

The painting on the wall

You can tell the hills that are most likely ruins. Right above my head and right behind my back.

More ruins underneath the trees

Steep Steps!!

They call this tree the Tree of Life. Look at those thorns!!

Thursday we went on this jungle tour. You went wave running out to the ocean and snorkeled. We saw a really cool parrot fish and a squid. We sadly didn't get pictures of that... That night we went for a walk on the beach. There were these crazy pelicans diving into the water for fish. It was pretty cool to watch.

Dinner with the work clan

Our hotel

This is from the balcony of our room. The view was awesome!

I can't believe how fast time goes by when you are enjoying yourself so much! It seemed like we just got there and the week was over!

Big Boy Bed

2011-02-20T20:22:00.001-08:00

Guess who now sleeps in a big boy bed?? This is Ryker's third night and he's doing great. He comes out of his room and has fallen out of bed a few times but overall the transition has been great. He turns two Wednesday so it's about time. Now onto getting rid of his binky!

Swimming Lessons

2011-02-20T19:56:00.001-08:00

We decided to put Coop in swimming lessons at the Bountiful Rec Center right after we moved in. It took him a while to decide that he liked it. The poor kid has no fat on his entire body and his lips were purple by the time the lessons were over. He passed the first level so we'll start again soon. We decided to stay after and swim as a family a few times and the kids loved swimming and going down the slides. We can't wait to go again!

Goodbye

2011-01-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to Saratoga Springs and moved to Farmington on Tuesday the 28th of December. I do not recommend trying to move in December right around Christmas but that is just what worked out for us. My emotions were all over the place in December. We knew we were moving and I was excited but I was so apprehensive and nervous to do it in the same sense. There is something so comforting when you have been somewhere long enough you know who lives in each and every house in your neighborhood. It took me quite a while to meet friends and neighbors when we first moved to Saratoga but once we did, we knew we were in the right place. We made so many wonderful friends while we were there. Friends I know I won't be able to ever replace but for some reason we knew we weren't supposed to stay there forever and now was the time. I was so sad to leave my cute house. This was the first house we owned, the house I brought both my babies home to. The house where Brad finished the basement and shot a nail through his fingers. It's like a house becomes just another part of the family and I had to say goodbye to it too.

We started looking for houses around September. We looked at this house in Farmington and thought it was nice, but we just started the hunt and wanted to keep looking. Well, for some reason we decided to go back and look again a few weeks later and we decided that this was it. It wasn't our perfect house, but there were so many things we really liked about it. There were so many times along the way I thought it wasn't going to work out. Then there were the times when I saw the Lord's hand in our decision. Right when we decided to move Brad's work area opened up to basically all of Utah, he wasn't just in charge of South Salt Lake and Utah County anymore. He also got a raise which was a happy surprise. We asked WAY below the listing price and got pretty close to what we offered. We listed our house for rent, and had a family we felt good about rent it in two days. All the while I had been praying and knew it was the right decision. There were times when I wondered if this was right. Mainly when I received a new calling a couple weeks before moving that really had me questioning myself and the move. Once again I was reassured that this is the Lord's path for us.
I was sad to have to move Coop. He is at the age where he has some great friends he plays with, but now we are surrounded by boys his age in our new ward. I'm sure he'll make friends fast. We've met quite a few people already. I'm already planning on heading to book club with some gals from the ward and everyone has been so nice and welcoming. I decided I really enjoy starting over in a way because I get to meet all these new people and learn about their life. It's almost like each ward is it's own little community and has it's own personality and I get to figure that out and become part of it. I'm still at the stage where I wonder if I'll ever make good friends here, but I can see a start. Luckily we already had some great friends living in Farmington and close by that has helped make the transition easier.
This post has probably seemed like a jumble of thoughts but I did want to write some of them down. I want my Saratoga friends (if anyone even reads this :)..) to know that they were a huge influence in my life the past (almost) five years. I grew so much as a person because of the influence of people there. It seems like this is a farewell, but really I plan on staying in touch with all of you!! Thanks for being a part of my last five years!!

Christmas

2011-01-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Once again we had to wake our kids up at around 9:30 Christmas morning. The whole Christmas Eve late night thing does them in. They were excited to come down and get their presents though!
It is so fun to have kids that get so excited to open presents. It brings that special something to Christmas again that you lost along the way somewhere.

Michelle way excited to open my present.

So thankful my dad was here with us for Christmas. His heart gave us quite a scare and I think all the time how lucky we are he is still here!

This picture isn't what it looks like. No, we did not give our child Rum. We had so many boxes because we were moving at the time that this is the one that was used for his toy. haha

The kids loved playing outdoors with their new jeep that grandma and grandpa got.

That afternoon we went back over to the Richs for a wonderful breakfast. After visiting with them Brad headed home and I came back up to Lewiston. That night Ryker, who has now started climbing out of the pack n play, fell asleep right behind the bedroom door. When I went up to check on him before bed, this is what I found:

My dad had to come up and help me move him. My arms weren't long enough to reach around. I am always so sad when Christmas night comes because I know it's all over for another year. This one was so much fun!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve this year was held with the Rich family. We started out with a wonderful meal then headed downstairs to play some family games.

The grinch stopped by again and tried to make everyone mad that Christmas was the next day. Didn't work!

Ryker couldn't wait to sit on the Grichs lap to get a candy cane.

Brad was just bubbling over with excitement!!

We finished the night with a nativity that the kids participate in. Well, they decided to let Ryker be the "baby" Jesus. Well, Baby Jesus role in the nativity is to lay there and let's just say Ryker didn't play the role very well. There was a certain shepard that decided to torment him the whole time. My kids contributed to the "worse nativity yet" as put into words by one of the family who will remain nameless. :) It's the thought that counts right???

We ended the night with a picture by the tree with our new Christmas PJs on.

Rich Family Christmas Party

2011-01-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Dec. 18th, the Rich Family had their Christmas party. We exchanged cousin gifts and also make-gifts. They are always a hit! Brad's family decided a while ago not to give gifts but to do make gifts. The party is always fun but I will say that I am usually stressed when November hits and I have no idea what to make. We had a military theme going on also because it was Carol's birthday that week and this was a party for her too.

Grandpa Bill leading in the troops

This year Brad and I, came up with the idea to give Double Snuggies. We decided to sew two snuggies together and give them with a poem. Blake and Ryan were way excited I'm sure! :)

The couples in their Snuggies.

Tiara had Brad this year and made him an awesome frame and Jazz blanket.

Lori made me some really neat Christmas bulbs with our name in vinyl on them.

The boys loved their presents too.

New York City

2011-01-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

We headed to NYC with the Bowens the second week of December and had such a great time!! After our crappy red eye flight Wednesday night we were ready to play. We crammed a lot into a few days and it was so much fun! Brad and I hit up the Late Show, sight-seeing in NYC, driving down the Jersey Shore, great food (Shake Shack, Rosa Mexicano, Grimaldis), Broadway, double-decker bus tours, Canal street shopping (which the Brads LOVED), and of course staying in Madison with Mike and Emily's family. I have decided that New York is a girls trip so next time I think I'll be going with the ladies!

My Crappy Gloves

Jersey Shore

The REAL Jersey Shore haha

Times Square

Brooklyn & Brooklyn Bridge

Brad's Finest Moment

Coop's Friend Party

2010-12-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Coop had a few of his friends over for a birthday party. He had a great time and I hope the rest of the kids did too. Just ignore me in the pic. I had to use this one because all the kids were looking at the camera and smiling.

Happy Birthday Coop

2010-12-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Coop turned four while we were in St. George. He was so excited to have a party with all his cousins. He wanted a lego party this year so I decided to make him a lego cake. Well, let's just say I ran out of frosting and it didn't go quite as planned but Coop loved it anyway! I guess that's all that mattered!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

We headed down to St. George for Thanksgiving this year. We had so much fun hanging out with the Rich fam. Rob rented us a house and it was awesome. There was enough room for us all and the kids didn't drive us crazy.
The boys played a little football on Thanksgiving before the big feast. The kids even had their own football game. So cute!

The grinch came Thanksgiving night and handed out a few prizes. Ryker walked right up to him and held out his hand. He wasn't scared at all.

I even convinced some of the sis-in-law's to go out shopping on black friday. I don't think they'll do it again, but it was quite the experience. We went to Walmart at midnight and it was CRAZY. Julie was a little worried we might get trampled but once she felt safe she grabbed at the "deals" too. We went to bed and shopped the next day too. The deals were great!

Coop's Party Number One

2010-12-05T19:49:00.001-08:00

Since we weren't going to be around my family for Coop's birthday we had an early party for him. He got spoiled and loved it!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah, a little late but Ryker was my Halloween star this year. He was the first to the doors and was off after grabbing as much candy as he could get. It was a little cold so Coop was done pretty fast but they got plenty of candy!

First Snow

2010-12-05T19:27:00.001-08:00

Of course the kids had to get all dressed up to play in the snow. It takes longer to put them in their clothes then it does for them to play outside.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-12-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

Of course we had to keep the pumpkin carving tradition up with the Simmons family. We loved seeing little Owen and Addy again. Always a good time!! Thanks for coming over guys!

Mick with their miracle baby, Owen

Pumpkin Walk

2010-11-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Of course we had to hit the pumpkin walk while we were in Logan. We tried going Friday night but the line was so long we turned right around. We went on Saturday during the day and it was great. We all loved it and of course the best part are the pictures at the end.

Buttars Halloween Party

2010-11-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday we drove out to Lewiston for my parents Halloween party. On the way I saw they were doing corn so I took my kids out to run on the corn pit. I used to do this growing up and it was one of my favorite times of the year. I'm so glad my little family could experience this.
The party was great. My parents put a lot of work into it and the kids had a blast. We had a yummy dinner, the kids bowled, the adults played the ghost game and of course we had to ghost hunt outside. Thanks mom & dad!

Rich Halloween Party

2010-11-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Logan the weekend before Halloween for some exciting Halloween parties. Friday night was the party with the Rich family. We had a costume parade, great food, games and ghost hunting. So much fun! Thanks Carol & Bill!

Itty Bitty Football

2010-11-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

Itty Bitty Football was in October and Coop had a great time with Tate, Carson, and Chase.

Boating in October

2010-11-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

We couldn't believe it either. Boating at Hyrum Dam in October. I didn't really want to get in, but I did because Brad told me he'd give me fifty bucks. :)

Is he really asleep??

2010-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

I went in one night to check on Coop before he went to bed and this is what I found.

The quality of the picture is bad because I didn't want the flash to go off and wake him up. I turned on the flash in the second picture and that's why he woke up.

First Day of Preschool

2010-11-15T20:55:00.001-08:00

Coop started preschool in September. It's going so great and he loves it.

River Heights Apple Days

2010-11-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Coop rode in the bike parade for Apple Days. He loved it and right now he's in the stage where he has to be cool so he can't smile or wave at us. It was so funny! He had to be in the front of the pack the whole time.

The whole clan

Coop won't smile or wave

Brad and Ryker bringing up the rear

Bear Lake

2010-11-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

We spent Labor Day in Bear Lake with Brad's family. I didn't take too many pics, but we had a great time with family and the kids had a great time with their cousins!

Lion King

2010-11-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

In September I headed to the Lion King with Michelle and my parents. It was amazing!!

We took this pic right before getting in trouble for taking it...

Brad's 32!

2010-11-07T14:17:00.001-08:00

Brad turned 32 on August 26. He's getting up there. Just kidding babe..:) We opened presents and had the traditional birthday waffles and whipped-cream breakfast. Afterwards, we drove to Highland splash park and played. Brad jumped right in with the kids and they had a great time. We stopped at Cabelas to see the fish and then headed home. We couldn't have Brad's birthday without his favorite Raspberry Cheesecake. Happy Late Birthday Babe!

Rich Campout

2010-11-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Just like every year, we met up with some of the Rich fam and had our campout on August 20. I went up for dinner with Ryker and left Brad and Coop to sleep over. We had a great time like always!

Alaska Part Four

2010-11-07T13:18:00.001-08:00

I had a friend (ahemm...Tara) tell me she was sick of Alaska and that I need to blog about something else. Well, I have to finish Alaska and then I'll blog about something else. This is the last post I promise!

Thursday our ship headed to Skagway. We planned to rent cars and drive into Canada which is a good thing because Skagway itself didn't have too much to offer. On our way to Canada we stopped at this overlook. It was beautiful. You could see all the way back to Skagway and then there was a huge waterfall and bridge you drive over.

We hit customs on the Canadian border and turns out Julie forgot her drivers license. She had her birth certificate but they wouldn't take just that. The Costco card wouldn't do. I guess she looked pretty dangerous because they wouldn't let her in the country...um okay. Her and Greg turned around and on we went. We saw a black bear not too far into Canada. Unfortunately for Brad this is the only bear we saw the whole trip. At least we saw one!
When we rented our cars, the man there told us about this "amazing" lake that was about an hour and a half into Canada. We decided to find it. There were beautiful views the whole way but after too long we realized we must have passed it. Come to find out we drove right by it. I guess we were all thinking of something a little more spectacular. It was pretty, just not-three hours with half of that spent riding backwards in a van-pretty. We headed back down because Brad was intent on seeing a Grizzly...no luck. Oh well!

The only bear

Lori and I stuck it out taking turns riding backwards in the van...we're troopers!

The amazing lake we couldn't miss...but did.

The gorgeous view the whole time...lakes and glaciers. This was a different lake we passed on the way.

Friday we were at sea again. We spent time relaxing and hanging out with the fam.
Saturday morning we had a program for Bill and Carol. It was so fun to celebrate their fifty years of marriage. Everyone wrote a little something for them and they were so fun to hear. We also watched a slide show of their marriage. I'm hiding a little in the pictures because of course I grabbed Ryker's shirt instead of mine and there was no way that thing was going to fit me!

That evening we pulled into Vancouver and headed off the boat to Butchart Gardens. I wish we had more time here. It was beautiful but we had to hustle because the fireworks show was starting soon and it was getting dark. We made it to the fireworks show just in time. The fireworks show was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The colors were beautiful and the displays were so cool. Everything was coordinated to music. I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

The coolest tree. It was some ancient pine tree.

Sunday morning we pulled into port and took off. Rob and Aki along with Mike and Em had later flights so we decided to stay together and share a car. Well, the rental company had no bigger cars available so we were crammed in along with our suitcases. We decided to hit the airport to drop off our luggage only to be told we couldn't because we were to early. Well, after a lot of haggling, Mike was the only one successful which helped lighten our load in the car. Emily and I met Robert Pattinson...well almost. Mike called Em and told her a Twilight guy was in line in front of him. We freaked out a little bit and I spotted him. There he was. We walked up to him only to realize from about four feet away it wasn't him. He could have been his double I swear! There were even people taking pictures with him.
After that we headed out to see a waterfall, went to see the temple, went to Pike Market Place, had lunch, maybe went to H&M (it was a Sunday).. and finally headed back to the airport to go home.

This trip was so much fun! I was on an emotional rollercoaster the whole time but I had so many wonderful experiences that I'll never forgot. I love Brad's family and am so grateful we can spend a week together and get along so great. Let's start planning the next one!

Part Three

2010-10-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning we headed up the Tracy Arm Fjord to a beautiful glacier. We got up early to watch the beautiful scenery and hopefully try and see some whales. We passed ice bergs on the way up and they were so beautiful! As we were headed back out on our way to Juneau we decided to hit up the hottub with the Plummers, and the other two Rich families. It was so great to be sitting in the hottub in the back of the cruise ship while watching the sights.

A little while later we pulled up to Juneau. We all piled into two vans and drove out to Mendenhall glacier. We hiked a trail up to the glacier for a closer view of it and a beautiful waterfall right next to it. We were lucky enough to see the glacier calve also. The water looked so cold and for Brad and his brother Mike, the temptation was too much. On the hike back to the Visitors Center they decided to jump in the water. It was the funniest thing ever! They went right in. I do have video if anyone wants to see it come on over. It might be a little too revealing to put up on the internet. HAHA!!

After the glacier we headed back into town to a Fish Hatchery and learned all about salmon and why they come running back up the streams. We decided to head to Walmart to get all our souvenirs then hit up downtown Juneau for a little shopping. I was so glad to be able to get back to Juneau. It is such a cute little town.

Alaska Part Two

2010-10-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Day 3:
On Tuesday we were in Ketchikan. This is such a beautiful part of Alaska. We started off the morning with some deep sea fishing. We met our captain (I think his name was Mike...but can't remember) and headed out to sea.

While on the way to our fishing spot we spotted the Time Bandit. Anyone that is a fan of Deadliest Catch will get excited...Brad sure was! :)

I spotted my house on the boat ride. I can dream right?

We started salmon fishing at it was a little slow but picked up. Before long Brad felt like he needed to go. Well, he asked Mike where to go. He pointed to a toilet at the front of the boat and said it was for the ladies. He then proceeded to grab a plastic pitcher and said something to the effect that the boys go up to the front of the boat, fill up the pitcher and then dump it into the ocean. Uh..okay. It was one of those times when you aren't quite sure if they are joking or not. Well, I took it as serious and Brad took it as joking so when the time came for Brad to go, he asked Mike again and Mike gave him some crap saying Brad was the first to ever complain. He finally told him to go on the toilet. Okay, he was joking about the whole pitcher thing. NOPE! A little while later he ordered everyone to the back of the boat because he needed a potty break. What? Well, he moved to the front of the boat about three feet away and filled the pitcher. Yes we heard everything. There is a first for everything! The famous pitcher below...

We kept spotting eagles on the beach. Bill got a rock fish and Mike told us to watch. He yelled, threw the fish back in the ocean and an eagle flew off the top of the pine tree, swooped down, grabbed the fish and flew back to the shore. It was so cool!! You don't see that everyday. I'll have to add the video later. You can see the eagle's white head on top of the pine tree in the picture below.

We caught around fifteen fish; fourteen pinks and one silver. Mike was really concerned about blood on his boat so he didn't like us to take too many pictures after pulling in the fish...that's why they aren't that great and I'm really cheesin it...

I do have to say that I think Mike was more interested in visiting then fishing. I know a lot about him now. I know about his childhood, family and even his Diet Coke addiction. I found out he knows who my cousins are in Vernal because he hunts also. Here he is telling his stories:

We decided to have the fish fileted and shipped to our house. We've been enjoying it ever since. As we were coming back into shore all these sea planes started landing on the water around us. It was so much fun to see. Next time we'll have to take a tour by these sea planes.

Afterwards we headed to Creek Street to walk around and see the salmon running. This was such an amazing thing to see. The river is almost pure black with all the salmon in it. It was so crazy to think that these salmon can swim up some of the obstacles that they do. You can see the fish jumping up in the first picture below. In the second one if you look closely all the little "bumps" on the water are fish.

As we were walking back to the ship, we looked out toward the ocean and there were so many fish jumping. It was so much fun to watch.
As the ship pulled away from Ketchikan I couldn't help but think how gorgeous it was. I don't think I could live there all the time, but the mountains, water and trees were breath taking.
This was also the day my dad had his open heart surgery so while it was such an amazing day, I was not myself. So thankful for prayer and cell phones!

Alaska Part One

2010-10-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Finally!! I'm finally getting around to blogging about Alaska. I can't believe it's been almost two months since we left. We had the best time and even though I was going through a bit of a hard time while we were there, I have such good memories that I will always remember. I have so many pictures that I decided to break it down into a few posts.
First off, we got to go on this awesome cruise with Brad's family because of Bill and Carol, Brad's parents. This past July was their fiftieth wedding anniversary and to celebrate they took us all on an Alaskan cruise. I know...they're awesome!!

Day 1:
We left August 8th which was a Sunday morning. We had to leave about 4:30 in the morning because of our early flight. We were staying at the Richs and planned to get up at about 4:00. Bill decided that we were waiting too long and decided to wake us up at 3:45 by coming into our room, flipping the lights on and loudly declaring it was time to get up. I'm just glad I was covered. :)
We arrived in Seattle and it was freezing! It was raining and we grabbed a shuttle and headed to the cruise ship. We got there and were lucky they were letting us board the boat early. My sister-in-law Lori realized then that she had forgot the passports for herself and her husband. Luckily, they were still able to come on the cruise by answering some questions. :) We boarded the boat and of course headed straight to the buffet. The buffet was pretty good on this cruise but I'm just not a huge fan of buffets. I feel like there's quantity, just not a ton of quality...
We left port at 4:30 and had to hurry and get ready for sacrament meeting which they were going to have on the boat. Brad's parents booking their cruise through the Cruise Lady and they were able to arrange all this for us. They had asked me to play the piano for the meeting so I had to be there early. Michael Ballam was the headliner for our group and I walk in and he's playing all these beautiful arrangements by memory...I had to take over and there was no hymn book for the prelude. Great!! I am no Michael Ballam that's for sure. Luckily they were ready to begin. I found out right before we were to start that the man that was to lead the music was President Spencer Kimball's son. So neat! During the sacrament meeting they started passing the sacrament. I can't tell you how many times people forget me when I'm up by the piano. I had to get their attention.. Finally the water was coming around. These were different trays then they use at home and all the cups were there waiting for me to pick. I grabbed one, put it up to my mouth and tipped it in. It was empty!! What??! The man passing the sacrament looked down at me and said, "That one has already been used." Oh yummy!! So, that's how you do it. The next one I took I made sure was full..haha! Gross.
That night we went to the formal dining room and had dinner. So yummy! I love that you can choose anything you want and most of the time it tastes so good! We then headed to the welcome show they always have and played cards in the buffet room until we were too tired and had to go to bed. Brad's family is always into cards and it's so much fun.

The Sapphire Princess-our ship

Sailing Away from Seattle

Day 2:
Monday was a stressful day. It was the day I found out everything that was happening at home with my dad. Although I was so worried about my family back home, I did manage to have fun on the ship. We were at sea all day Monday. We filled the day with some intense ping pong games and that night was one of the formal nights.

Itty Bitty Soccer

2010-10-03T11:49:00.001-07:00

I put Coop in Itty Bitty Ball again and this time they played soccer. Coop seemed to really like it and actually participated most of the time...I might have enjoyed it even more then him because of the good friends that were there with me. We have so much fun talking while the kids are playing and then heading to the park to eat lunch. I'm looking forward to the next time!

Diamond Mountain

2010-09-19T14:24:00.001-07:00

In July we headed up to Diamond Mountain for my Grandpa Jude's 80th birthday party. We had a great time up at the cabin...but I might stay in Vernal from now on. :)
We arrived LATE Friday night and found that we weren't alone. A guy and his daughter that were working up there were staying there also, AWKWARD. Right when we finally go inside Ryker pukes all over. FUN!! After getting him cleaned up I headed outside to get the luggage. Well, I grabbed one load and brough it in then came back out and realized how much easier it would be if I backed the car in. I got the car in reverse and revved the engine because we were in gravel and it wasn't moving that great. Well, as I was going I look and see my dad yelling at me to stop. I had run over his bag that was set behind the car. GREAT! Luckily nothing was ruined and a book that also took the brunt of my backing skills was still readable. No problem. We got the kids in bed and my mom went around looking for her suitcase. We couldn't find it anywhere. Wait a second...I walked over to my car and looked underneath and sure enough there is was! After tugging and pulling my dad finally got is dislodged from underneath my car and this time the suitcase was ruined, a few of my moms shirts were shredded and some jewelry was done for. NOT SO GREAT! Oops...Sorry mom!
Well, after this whole fiasco we were just looking at each other and laughing because we finally felt like we were over with the worst of it. We're almost in bed when we hear YELP YELP. And then more and more by the second. Well, my cousin has hound dogs--seriously about thirty I swear, in cages by the side of the cabin. What we were hearing was little hounds puppies that had gotten loose and were not yelping for us outside the cabin and they are NOT quiet. We figured the only thing we could do was go outside, grab the dogs, throw them in the back of my dads truck, drive them to the cages and get them inside. After a little while--mission accomplished!! Yeah! Finally we were able to get to bed!
The next day our fam drove to the fish hatchery before the party and the kids thought it was great. They loved seeing all the baby fish. That night was the party for my grandpa and it was quite the affair. My dad cooked up some dutch oven and we had a feast. We topped the night off playing the annual cousins soccer game and some card games. It was so fun to be together with all my family from Vernal. We don't see them a ton, but when we do we have a great time. Thanks guys!

Bear Lake

2010-09-19T14:07:00.001-07:00

We spent July 24th in Bear Lake with family. I'm normally not one to get cold...but I was wrapped up in towels the whole time we were at the lake. It wasn't really freezing, but it was windy. While we were at the lake we got in trouble for parking too close to the water so we had to move our cars. It was supposed to be a $350 ticket but he let us off, and he let us know it. Well, we were far away and we had a ton of stuff to haul home so Bill (father-in-law) decided that we would pack everything up in a pile and someone would hurry and drive up, throw it in the car and then leave. Well, I left to take some of the kids back up to the cabin and I heard what happened when Brad called. This is how the conversation went:
Brad: "Where are you?"
Me: "Back up at the cabin, why?"
Brad: "Well, dad got the car stuck in the sand picking up the stuff."
Me: Thinking in my head how I don't want to but saying, "Do you need me to come down?"
Brad: "No, we'll figure it out."
All I could think of was that ranger that told us how he let us off by not giving us a ticket. I was sure he was pulling up right then to the car, once again too close to the water. Turns out another ranger came and told them that the car better be moved before he gets back. A man parked next to us on the beach kindly pulled the car out and they were on their way. I figured we got pretty lucky that day!

Carol pushing the kids on the swings.

This is what we call Ryker's stink face. He pulls it all the time. :)