Family Home Evening Blog Giveaway!

I stumbled across this fun little blog, that is full of fun family home evening ideas! They are having a great giveaway right now and I REALLY want to win it.


Scripture study in our house is non-existant. We'd have to hog tie our children to actually make them do it. But with this, I think they would really enjoy it. Click on the button above to go their site and get registered. Contest ends on Thursday. It would be a great birthday present to find out on Friday that I won!! Good luck!

I Must Be Crazy

We have 4 chickens. My kids are beside themselves. I think we must be crazy, but then agian, we already knew that! They will have to live in my house for 5 weeks. That is the only reason I will be anticipating summer vacation. They are cute and fluffy, though. They are scared to death of Piper, but I don't blame them. I'd run too! J.D. and Tyson are both really good with them and excited to have them. Should be an interesting adventure!

Happy Easter

Let's not forget the real reason that we celebrate Easter.

A Rainey Easter Egg Hunt

Rainy, cold and miserable. And yet thousands of people stood in the rain, so their kids could grab a handful of candy-filled easter eggs, that aren't really hidden, just lying in plain sight. Next year I'm buying my own bags of salt-water taffy and tootsie rolls and holding my own!

They gave each of the kids in Piper and Tysons division 2 eggs to begin with. Parents were allowed to help these little ones. There were so many parents that I couldn't get through with Piper, so we only got 2 additional eggs. Which is fine! Refer to the post below!

Tyson made a haul! He ran straight for the middle and I think he got about 12 eggs. We should have counted them. But he was so pleased with himself!

I didn't even get to see J.D. do his hunt. They were all at the same time, so I was helping Piper. He only got 7 and he was so disappointed that Tyson got more than he did. He's the younger one in that age group though.

A Trip to the Dentist = A Trip to the Hospital

We took Piper to the dentist on Tuesday, and discovered that the girl has AWFUL teeth! So this morning we went to the hospital and had 10 cavities filled and 4 root canals and caps placed on her molars. I PROMISE, I BRUSH HER TEETH! The girl just has bad teeth. So we spent the morning at DRMC, because they had to put her under for the procedure. We forgot the camera, so this is just one off of Josh's phone. I was trying to capture her giggling, because the Versed, made her have the giggles, and possibly hallucinations. She was pointing at the walls and laughing! She did so good and she bounced right back. She's already been fighting with Tyson today and is stripped down running around my house eating a Popsicle. I am so grateful it went well and hopefully we won't have to do anymore trips like this, ever agian.

Jumping Beans and Buttock's

Tyson is obsessed with jelly beans, but he calls them jumping beans. It's so stinkin' cute, I can hardly stand it.

He's also obsessed with the word buttock. I think he got it from me. I told him one day that he was a pain in my buttock and now he talks about his buttock constantly. Tonight I had him in the bath and I gave him the wash cloth and told him to wash his whole body. I was in their room and I could hear him in saying, "Wash my stinky foot and my stinky buttocks!" It's so funny. You have to hear him say it, in his little boy voice. Cracks me up every time.

He's also walking around calling everyone Sir Buttkiss, off of Bedtime stories. He gets mad at you and he says "you Sir Butkiss." As defiant as it is, it's funny. He's so cute!

Cousins

J.D.
Brannigan

Ashton

Tyson

J.D., Brannigan, Ashton, Tyson & Piper

We took a walk today around Marysvale and had some fun snapping pictures at some of my favorite places! I love this picture of all of the grandkids! Riyo was missing, because she wasn't feeling well. Cute, cute kids!

What A Stud

J.D. loves to ride his dirt bike, but we don't get to do it often down here. We have to load up the bikes and drive out to the desert to ride and Josh works a lot, so there isn't really much time when we can do it.

Here is Uncle Austin helping him get going the first time.

J.D. is riding Brannigan's bike. We should take his with us next time we go to Marysvale.

What a stud!

Tyson in Disneyland

For Tyson, Disneyland was MAGICAL! He loved everything about Disneyland. Okay, not everything, he hated the Haunted Mansion and Pirates. He was so excited to see Bolt. It was the one thing that he was looking forward too. Every time we would go back to the hotel, he would be sad because he hadn't seen Bolt yet. We went to the Pixar Play Parade and Bolt is the very first float that comes out and Tyson was jumping up and down screaming and he turns to me and said, "I so excited!" and he almost fell off the bench because he was so excited! It was one of the moments that I will remember forever! It makes me tear up just to think about it. My sweet little Tyson. And then, Tyson got to do the Jedi Training. I didn't think he'd have a chance to do it because I thought they would pick older kids, but he got to and he will never forget it. He looked so cute in his Jedi robe and he had to put the hood on and it was so big on him. But he looked so cute! He got up and fought Dark Vader and to quote Tyson, "I KICKED DARK VADER'S BUTT!!" So cool! He also got picked to drive the Mark Twain Paddle Boat. He loved ringing the bell and blowing the horn. I loved how he waved to all of the characters in the parade. He was also super excited to see Woody and Buzz, because they have been his favorite forever. He bought a big Woody doll with his money and he wasn't going to be swayed to do otherwise. So magical to see Disneyland through Tyson's eyes!

J.D. in Disneyland

J.D. had a blast! He spent a lot of quality time with Josh. He rode all the fun rides, that mommy wouldn't ride! He went on Space Mountian, Tower of Terror, and Splash Mountain. He also went on the roller coaster at Stateline. BRAVE LITTLE GUY! J.D. said that his favorite ride was Space Mountain, Soarin over California and he loved the Tarzan Tree. Dang tree! It's a lot of stairs to climb! J.D. was so excited to do the Jedi training, but when we got there, he teared up and didn't want to do it, because I think there was to many people watching. He loved getting to drive the Mark Twain River Boat and he also got to talk to Crush at Turtle Talk. During the Pixar Play Parade, he turns to me and say's, "I want a job here." So cute! It would be the greates place to work, wouldn't it? J.D. was hungry the entire trip. Five minutes after we'd eat, he'd ask, when we were going to eat agian! A growing boy! It was so much fun to see it through J.D.'s eyes and to watch him and Josh spend time together.

Piper in Disneyland

I am so glad that we took Piper. Originally we were going to leaver her behind, but she was so good and had so much fun! She was wide eyed the entire trip. It's amazing to see things through her eyes. I love the way she would cover her eye's and then put a hand over her mouth. Pirates scared here, which, okay, you kind of figure it would, but Pinocchio and Snow White scared her to. She LOVED the teacups and King Arthur's Carousel. She got to enjoy a whole variety of yummy sugary food such as ice cream and cotton candy. Her and Tyson were my little buddies the whole time. I have tons of pictures of Tyson and Piper together and they had so much fun. They both had these darling backpack/leash harnesses on. Those things are indispensable. It was nice that they got to get down and walk and not just sit in the stroller. Piper loved the parades and especially the bubbles during the Pixar Play Parade. The one picture here of her grouchy was when I buckled her on the Carousel. Silly girl, you've got to be safe! They had a blast playing in the It's a Bugs World part of the park. Piper and Tyson loved running in the splash pads and getting soaked. I know she won't remember it, but I am so glad that she was with us and we have so many great memories.

We're Back!!

Oh my gosh, it really is the happiest place on earth. Coming home was bittersweet, but we WILL be going back to Disneyland. We had so much fun! I have around 500 pictures, and I know I can't share them all, but you'll get to see my favorites! Even though Josh and I had never been to Disneyland, there is something magical about watching it through the eye's of your children. For J.D., it was fun and it was magical to some degree, but nothing compared to what it was for Tyson and Piper. Tyson was absolutely beside himself the entire time. There were lots of times that I would get choked up, just watching the joy on my kids faces. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to do this. We made so many great memories. I will be sharing lots of pictures throughout the rest of the week! I just have to show you how cute my kids were!! But, for now, here is a teaser! I'm sooooo tired and need to go to bed! See you tomorrow!

And We're Off

Be back next week! Miss us while we're gone!

Random Ramblings

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, MOM!!! There are day's when I swear, that if I hear the word, MOM, one more time I am going to abandon ship!! Tyson is in a phase of saying, MOM, constantly! That and he hits me every time he needs something, "Mom, I need juice," hits me in the leg. "Mom, I need a fruit snack," whacks me on the back. "Mom, I play pbskids.org," hits me in the shoulder. AAAAHHHHHH!!

J.D. has been sick and not very happy. He had a melt down today at soccer practice. That's embarrassing, even though every kid does it. It's so hard when they don't feel good. The wind has been blowing and I shouldn't have even had him outside, but what do you do? The wind always blows in Ivins.

Piper, aka Evil Troll, has been her evil self. Lot' s of laughs and fun though! Had to have a plumber come out and snake my toilet, because it kept backing up. Not just a little, but every time we used it, it would need a plunger. A toothbrush and a battery! Yeah!! But dang, she's cute! I mean, stinkin' adorable and cute. I love the way she lights up when she see's me and how she is so snugly and lovie! All my kids have been snugglers and for that I am grateful. J.D. still likes to snuggle, although he's getting much to big. The kids a tank!

Saturday, we are leaving for DISNEYLAND! I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. My kids are unbelievably excited! Only 2 more nights in our beds until we can leave and go the Happiest Place on Earth!

Had a great activity tonight with the YW. We took them to the temple and had a great guest speaker talk to them about their individual worth and divine nature. Then we took pictures of them in front of the temple and had them write nice things about each other on a piece of scrapbook paper. It turned out really good. The temple is so beautiful!! It is a happy place and somewhere, I need to go more often. A different season of life, I suppose.

Just random ramblings and thoughts! Sorry, there is no pictures, but we all have those day's. It's rare that I don't take a picture of my kids at least once during the day. They change so swiftly and I want these day's to last forever. Beautiful, amazing little spirits. I love being their mom!

The Many Faces of Piper

They Dazzle Me

My Son, The Vampire

For those of you who don't know it, I am a tad bit obsessed with the Twilight series. Okay, not just a tad, but alot. I tend to get hooked on something and I jump on the bandwagon! I also have a crush on a fictional vampire, by the name of Edward, but it's okay, because he's fictional right??

So I went to Walmart at 12:00 a.m. this morning to get my copy of Twilight. I went with Mandee, Kris, Maggie, and Kim. We had a blast!! I'll try to post some of those pictures tomorrow, if I remember.

Anyway, J.D. know's about Twilight. He's seen my books around and every time the commercial comes on, I all but have a heart attack. I finally sat down to watch the movie, this afternoon as I folded the million batches of laundry that have piled up on my couch. J.D. had a friend over and they were in and out of the house and J.D., being the curious child that he is, started asking me questions about vampires. The first thing he said, was that vampires drink blood. So he and his friend start chasing Tyson around, trying to suck his blood. Imagine if you will, the squealing of a 4-year-old boy in my tiny little house. So in an effort to put an end to that little game, I told J.D. that the vampires on Twilight only drank animal blood. "Okay," they said, and disappeared outside to play. Tyson, meanwhile is standing at the screen door yelling, "hey, come suck my blood!" He thinks this is a great game. So, J.D. and his friend come back in about 10 minutes later and tell me that they sucked the blood out of a rabbit. NICE! They then proceeded to get a box, some string and some carrots from the fridge. They built a trap in the driveway, trying to catch a rabbit. About 30 minutes later, they came in and told me that they had sucked the blood out of a mountain lion. Now what?

J.D. had to tell Josh all about it and he told Nicole, my neighbor all about it! I'm betting money, that he is going to tell his primary teacher tomorrow!! That will make for some interesting conversation when I go to visit teach her this month. My son, the vegetarian vampire!!

Then tonight, I could hear Tyson mumbling in his sleep. So I went in and he was mumbling the word "vampire". GOOD GRIEF! They've never even seen the movie!! People are going to think that my child is going to grow up to be like a serial killer or something. Well, good night everyone. I'm off to devampire my house.

Pirate Island

Catching Up

What a crazy week we've had! Piper has been so sick and yesterday we found out that she has a double ear infection. She's doing really well considering all that is going on! Our spring break is this week and we have been trying to stay busy, doing something fun every day! Pile on a healthy dose of Young Women's and Alison's Pantry and you have my week in a nutshell. Scroll down and check our what's been going on in our world!!

New Bikes

People will probably think that Josh and I are crazy, but we bought the kids new bikes, just because they needed them. Well, J.D. was going to get one for his birthday, but I kinda backed Yukon over the top of Tyson's bike last week. It kind of necessitated the need for them. They are my sanity savers thought, J.D. rides his bike all day long! It's what he loves to do! They were so excited. I wanted to buy Piper a cute Radio Flyer bike, but it was $42.00 and Josh put his foot down. So she got a ball that was $2.50. It's just about as big as she is, but she was happy!!

The kids just had to ride them and after a few adjustment's they did! At 10:00 o'clock at night. Bet the neighbors loved that!! We only let them do it for about 10 minutes, but tomorrow should be a blast!! Yeah, hopefully I won't need to entertain tomorrow.

Cousins and Friends

Feeding The Ducks

For the first day of spring break, we headed out to Bloomington to feed the ducks! Always a blast and the kids love it! Grandpa came with us and had fun watching the kids. Tyson thought that since Piper was throwing rocks into the water, he could throw them. I had to keep getting after him. There are also tons of coy in the pond and once the ducks swam away they would surface for the left overs. It was a lot of fun!

Oooh Yucky!!

So gross, but yet so comical! Piper was eating pizza and I was eating some Mexican dip with chips. I was also making cookies! Piper got a hold of a handful of chocolate chips and set them on top of her hot pizza, which melted them into the pizza. Then she was stealing chips and dip off my plate and piling it on top of that! She then proceeded to squish it all in between her fingers and eat it! YUMMY!

3 Little Cowboys

Last week at preschool it was Western Week. The kids got to wear their cowboy clothes and had a blast making these fun hats and buckles! Aren't they stinkin' cute?

Giveaway at My Other Blog

Over on my other blog, we are having 5 FABULOUS GIVEAWAY'S! Go check it out. There are darling ties for little boys, a darling dress for little girls and a fun, fun tutu!!!! Also, we are giving away a Cansolidator from Shelf Reliance!

Consuming

That's my new word of the week, consuming! I have so many different things that are consuming my time and my energy. My calling in Young Women's is consuming so much of my time. I am the beehive advisor and am sort of the unofficial assistant camp advisor. It's weird and complicated, but I was asked and I said yes, because I AM CRAZY! I love Young Women's, but it is mentally and emotionally draining, and time CONSUMING! But I love it, most of the time!


Alison's Pantry is also consuming my life. So much work for so little pay! But hey, it buys the fun food and it builds up the food storage.

My other blog, Some of This and Some of That has been consuming a lot of my time this past week. We are having a huge giveaway next week and coordinating it has been a little crazy. Come check it out on Tuesday, it's gonna be awesome!!! Lot's of great prizes. My hobby has turned into a job!

My yard! UGH!! I love to be out and work in my yard. I find this strange satisfaction in growing things. I am working on my lawn and cleaning up the leavers that fall from all my neighbors trees! I NEED to work on the garden, and it's on my list. Again, consuming my time!

What would I do if all of these things, didn't consume my time? I'd kick my feet up and read a book! That's what I'd do. I'd find me a great series and read away my day. I'm a sucker for a good romance novel. A clean romance novel, anyway. I'm trying to stray outside of Harry Potter and Twilight. I love them, but oh my, it's time to move on and read something new.

Anyway, a random post about the things consuming my life. What's consuming yours?

Randomness

What happened to my little boy?

He's not so little anymore!! WAHHHHHH!!! Last Friday, I let J.D. ride his bike to school for the first time. I followed him down, only because he has to go through 2 crosswalks at the roundabout by my home. It's the main intersection in Ivins, the one 90 percent of people use to get out of town. He did great getting there. Although, I have him so scared to death of the roundabout, he was a little hesitant to cross. I took him and showed him how to use his new bike lock.

Well 3:30 came and I wasn't sure if I should go down to the school and hideout somewhere in case he needed me. I decided to let him do it on his own and he had 15 minutes before I would go looking for him. I walked out and looked down the street and saw him coming. The school is about 1/2 mile from our house, but it's a straight shot. I can see straight to the school. So I feel pretty safe about letting him do it, but the roundabout does scare me. Nobody pays attention and they hardly ever slow down.

It's fun to see your kids venture out and get some freedom!! WAHHHHHHHH!!!!