the Nestman NEST

MARCH 23, Sommey Sue turns Cinco.

2011-04-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a little lunch date with some of Sommey's friends for her Birthday this year. McDonalds was the lunch of choice with nuggets winning out as top choice all around.It was still too cold for an outside picnic, so we covered the family room floor with blankets and improvised a bit.Later in the afternoon, I found a nearby candy store, which I thought would be fun for Sommer since she is CANDY's #1 fan. It looked super cute from the outside and not so cute on the inside...Well, it was cuteish, but didn't have much for Sommey to chose from. She looked around a bit and asked, "Mom, can we go to a gas station instead and pick a treat?" Later that evening, Grandpa and Mimi came over to help us celebrate with some gifts, cake, and dinner.!!!

A bit about Sommey @FIVE:

Her favorite colors are pink and purple

She loves to wear dresses and skirts

Will always tell you when she thinks you look cute or what she likes about your outfit

Learned how to read SUPER fast in preschool and reads her books as fast as she can

LOVES candy, especially skittles, suckers, and gum

speaks very clearly and surprises you with the words she will use

Loves to play with friends

Super dancer with great moves

Outgoing and happy, loves to make new friends

Sassy, cutest little lady

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOMMEY! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Christmas Season 2010-SNOW-Santa Clause and A Nestman Family First

2011-03-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

First snow of the year began with Sommer playing in our backyard bundled up in her winter wear. She managed to make the effort of getting in the snow gear worth it by making multiple snow angels, attempting a snowman, and running her bum off in the winter wonderland. We had our first visit from Santa at Lo's work party. In these blurry shots, Sommey and Drew had a chance to share what they wanted most, which was fingernail polish for Sommey and Legos for Drew.Drew told me that this Santa couldn't have been the real one because he was wearing shoes like him and the real Santa only wears boots.Santa came through with some Legos for Drew, and fingernail polish for Sommey,

and Aubrey was happy with everything she got too.

It was our first Christmas with just our own little family in our house for the Christmas morning events. Grandma Jane and Grandpa and Mimi came over later that day for a yummy Christmas lunch.

We had a very Merry Christmas! I think next year Santa should bring me a new camera.

FOUR FREE DOLLARS

2011-03-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

At the end of last year, Drew sold the amount of coupon books required to be in the MONEY MACHINE at his school. I was not going to miss this event, thinking that we were surely going to be hundredaires, and made sure to snap a few shots of the event. Drew did great, but lacked an outfit made entirely of tape, or syrup, which would have been such an asset.

Rules state that you must tuck in your shirt, so Drew is gearing up and getting ready to go.Drew grabbed the money as fast as he could and managed to grab $4 during the 20 seconds(Boooooooooo to the person that decided they only got 20 seconds) of money grabbing mania. Another cool part of the day was eating lunch with Drew at the cafeteria. I really wanted to follow him around for the rest of the day, but decided that would prove to be annoying to Drew very quickly.

Halloween Party-Starting all the way back in October

2011-03-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

We welcomed the Halloween spirits with a Halloween party for Drew and some of his friends.

Everyone came dressed in their Halloween best ready for games, treats and prizes.

We made sure the have a viewing of one of our favorite Halloween movies, Icabod Crane.

Although it is March, we couldn't move forward without mentioning our fall, Halloween fiesta.

TETONS and YELLOWSTONE

2010-10-19T12:08:00.001-07:00

We spent the long UEA weekend in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Our first stop was Old Faithful. We arrived just after it had erupted and we were not patient enough to wait around for the next eruption, so the bit of steam coming out was good enough for us.

We saw a lot of Bison on our trip. Bison proved to be a tricky word for Drew. He kept calling them Binos's and would correct Sommer if she didn't say the word just right.

We also saw a lot of Elk. Lo got this picture of this giant one just off the side of the road.

The Tetons are one of my most favorite places in the world. I have so many great memories of this Park and it always does my heart good to go back.

This is the new Visitor's Center in Moose. It was fun to see my old stomping ground and exciting to see the changes that have gone on since I was there.

We took a short walk around Jenny Lake. We threw a lot of rocks in the water and saved Aubrey's life a lot. She was determined to go in the water and we had to cut our stay at the lake short due to her determination.

Here is the one picture that I accidentally caught of myself in the rear view mirror. It proves I really was there on our family vacation. Beautiful surroundings, animal sightings, fun adventures and great company made for a really fantastic trip. It is always good to get away!

New Jazz Player-#19

2010-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Zion's Bank is a sponsor of the Utah Jazz and so Lo had the opportunity to play a little basketball with the Jazz coaches at the Energy Solution arena last night. They had 4 teams that played for the title of Zion's champ. We had a fun night. The kids, when they weren't running crazy in the stadium seating, loved watching their Dad play well and make some nice shots. I took a few unfortunately fuzzy pics of the game. GO #19!!

Broken Arm #2

2010-10-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

When Drew was 5 he broke his left arm riding his bike, so I thought we had "been there, done that" Unfortunately, last Wednesday, after soccer practice, Drew fell off the monkey bars and broke his right arm. He was trying to show his Dad a fancy trick and ended up falling awkwardly on both arms. In fact, Lo said that he wondered if Drew had broken both arms when he first got up from his fall.

So, we are not happy that he broke his arm, but we are happy that he broke only one. I am hoping we get more than a two year break from breaking the next bone. My vote is for NO more broken bones!!!

Midway for Labor Day

2010-10-05T07:22:00.001-07:00

Lo's parents invited us to spend Labor Day and Swiss Days with them in Midway. We spent a few nights at one of their friend's homes and enjoyed some crisp mountain air.

Drew and Sommey chasing their Dad up the hill as he took Aubrey for her first ride on the 4-wheeler.While the boys golfed, Janyce and I found a fun park by the golf-course where Sommer found some ducks to feed. She fed them all of the snacks we brought for us to eat, so the ducks were very full by the time we left.

I took this pic of the first sign of fall. There was one lone and bright orange tree on the hillside just above the home we stayed in.

We had a great time and were thankful Mimi and Grandpa invited us along to enjoy their weekend getaway!

First Day of School

2010-10-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sommer is in preschool this year. She is at Learning Dynamics and has Mrs. Buxton for her teacher. Mrs. Buxton taught Drew his last year of preschool and we love her. Sommer is loving school so far and just brought home her first book!

Drew started 1st grade this year. He is an "early bird", which means school starts at 8:00 am. His teacher is Mrs. Urrutia. She is a great teacher! To start, Drew said that he wanted to take a lunch one day and then eat at the cafeteria one day, and he did this for a couple weeks. Now he changed it up and wants to eat at the cafeteria and said he will take a lunch only when they are eating something "gross" at the cafeteria. I think that is a smart plan.

$2 Tuesday

2010-10-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we decided to devote our afternoon to Thanksgiving Point Gardens. It is an amazing place to spend the day and for $2 you can't afford not to do it. Here are a few glimpses of what we spent our HOT summer afternoon doing.

ONE Birthday Celebration

2010-10-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Aubrey had her very first Birthday party on August 20th. Although, she may not have known exactly what was going on, she seemed to "feel the love" for her first birthday celebration.

She got some great gifts and loved crinkling the paper and packages.

We ended the festivities with yummy chocolate cupcakes.

She began by delicately tasting her cupcake but soon...

after taking a few tastes made the mess deserving of a first birthday celebration!

Happy Birthday Aubrey! We Love You! We love watching you learn and grow every day!

What you are up to at ONE:

climbing everything(the computer desk is our favorite climbing spot)
finding treasures in the cabinets and leaving your binky behind as evidence of where you have searched
snuggling into your bed on your tummy with the blanket just covering your head
saying your name, Ahhhhhbey, okay and wow
pulling all of the wipes out of the container
helping me with the laundry by pulling all of the clothes out of the laundry basket or dryer
gathering shoes
helping me unload the dishwasher
running around as the busiest little lady ever

Lucky #7

2010-10-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Drew turned numero 7 on August 2. Seven is my favorite number and now my favorite little boy is my favorite number.

Drew decided that he wanted a lego cake, so we bought a lego airplane, put it together and I made a runway cake for it to take off on...easiest cake ever to make to date.

Drew had a great day. We celebrated with balloons, Spongebob decor, family and presents. Happy Birthday Drew, We LOVE You!

What you are up to at SEVEN:

You still LOVE trains
Cruising around on your bike like a pro
soccer, basketball and golf
Starting the 1st grade
Say the coolest things
setting up intricate railroad tracks for our train sets
Kindest, loving kid with the most sensitive heart and cutest face
Jumping ditches with golf carts...
and the greatest kid ever!

DAD 1944-2010

2010-07-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

I never fully realized the limits of the English language until this happened in my life. There are no words great enough to describe how much you really love someone and there are no words descriptive enough to explain the emotions that go along with the process of losing someone you love.

I was told on July 3, 2008 that my Dad had cancer. and on June 24th, 2010 was told that he passed away in the home I grew up in.

My father said from the very first diagnosis that "He felt good about things." he would follow that statement with "I don't know what that means, but I really do feel good about things."

My Dad's words were always a great source of comfort and wisdom. Whenever there was a crisis(or at least, what I thought was a crisis) in my life, I would call to chat with him. He had the ability to help put my challenges into perspective and calm life's"storms."

In true form, my father continues to teach me and ease my mind. I was reading some of the letters that he sent me while serving my mission in Mexico. I found this letter and have included a portion of its contents:

We are all doing fine and enjoying the blessings that Heavenly Father so regularly sends. We are proud of each family member and the progress you are each making. Heavenly Father has truly blessed us with great children, each of whom we love more than words can express. How fortunate we are to be so blessed, and to live at this time in the world.

May the Lord bless you in your labors and sustain you during those discouraging and trying times that will come. May he bless you with that great joy that comes only as we obediently serve him regardless of obstacles placed in our path. We love you Bizzy and pray for your protection and success each day. Work hard and be happy.

Love, Dad

I knew the Plan of Salvation was true before losing my father and only know with more surety of it's truthfulness after his passing. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness shown to my Dad, Mom and family throughout these past couple years. I am amazed and can see the Lord's care in the countless acts of kindness that have continued to be shared with our family during this time.

How lucky I am to know you are my Dad forever. I love you Dad.

SWIMMING LESSONS

2010-07-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

Drew and Sommer both took swimming lessons this summer. We have the greatest teacher! Drew learned the back stroke this year and did such a great job. He has a knack for swimming and catches on really quick.

Sommer loved the dogs, jumping to make a big splash, and doing the alligator. She did great this year and learned a lot.

Thanks Marianne for your great lessons!

AUBREY is almost ONE and more updates still to come

2010-07-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Since it has been such a long time since an update I thought I should also include a few shots of Aubrey as she gets closer and closer to her #1 Birthday.

Eating a little lunchWe no longer need assistance to walk. She and her fancy hair are officially walking all over the place.
Chillin' with her sister and brother.
What Aubrey's hair looks like if you dry it with the blow dryer.

Having lunch with Grandpa Poss during an Idaho visit:

A bit of what SOMMER has been up to: stitches, Gma Moss, messy lady, and Earrings

2010-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

First, Sommer was the first kid to need stitches. She was running up our basement(unfinished) stairs and fell and sliced her chin on the stair. Luckily, she only needed 3 stitches and she was super brave. (photos to come soon because I need to download them from my phone)

Next up are some cool photos with Grandma Moss during an Idaho visit. They dressed up in their most beautiful faces.

Being messy: She is such a cute girl and can make the biggest messes.

Here is an example of a simple spaghetti dinner with our Sommey Sue.

She has wanted to get her ears pierced for a little while now. So, while we were in Idaho, we decided to do it along with her cousin Katelyn. Here she is getting all prepped for the big moment.

She looks a little more serious as the actual piercing takes place but she never shed a tear.

DREW-Soccer, Basketball, Kindergarten Graduate and MUCH MORE....

2010-07-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Drew played Basketball again this year. His team was The Shooting Stars which was mostly made up of friends and neighbors, which was super fun.

Lo coached Drew's soccer team again and they had a great year. The Rockets ended up winning 16 out of 20 games.

While playing soccer and basketball, he also managed to become a Kindergarten Graduate.

Miss Elder giving him his graduation certificate.

and now for the much more......Drew's first BIG story of the summer is the Golf Cart incident. While golfing with his Dad and Uncles, he attempted to jump a canal at the Teton Lakes golf course in Rexburg. Drew is now famous at the course and already has a "greatest golf story" of his short 6 year career. I was glad he was okay and still wonder(Lo?) why he was driving the golf cart all by himself in the first place. He somehow escaped this mishaps with only a few bruises and Lo and I escaped a bill for a golf cart because the cart was miraculously undamaged.

Grandma J

2010-07-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I have updated my blog and the thoughts of updating it have overwhelmed me because of all that has gone on during my hiatus. This has been a summer to remember and I have learned and grown a lot through all of the changes.

I don't really know where to begin. One of the first major events was the passing of my Grandma Johnson on May 14, 2010. She was almost 91 years old when she passed away and lived every second of her life to the very fullest up to the very last moment. She was still weeding her flower beds, planting her plastic flowers, attending the temple, drinking Pepsi, and making plans for more parties right up until her last day here.

Here is her famous bathtub full of her flowers that never die.

The flower bed in front of her house that she had just put the finishing touches on.

Grandma J posing with her 90 pepsi cans at her 90th birthday celebration last year.

She was an energetic, fun and most importantly, a faithful lady that made a lasting impression on her entire family. I called her a few weeks before she died to see if she could help with my Relief Society lesson about strengthening the family. She sent me a letter that included her thoughts on this topic. In the final part of her letter she said

"I'm 90 and as I look back on the product of my Dad and mother I'm grateful to them for the teachings they taught us as a family and I see these things carrying on throughout the 51 now that are my family. I pray that everyone will realize that through the gospel and its teachings we have a plan to a happy life. I'm the last of my family and the last of my husband's, but look back with great satisfaction. We did o.k."

SPRING for SOMMER

2010-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Sommey's celebrating began with family on her Birthday. We invited Mimi, Mardi and her kids over for dinner, presents and cake.

Opening gifts:

Opening the Princess and the Frog: A present from Droozer

Blowing out the candles

Butterfly Birthday Cake We decided to throw a Spring themed Party for Sommey

Spring for Sommer

The Friday Friend PartyDuck, Duck, GooseTaking a swing at the flower Pinata

We love you Sommey!

favorites at 4 and what you are up to:

dress up
treats-wakes up and goes to bed asking for treats
makeup
riding her bike
playing with friends
super vocabulary
changing her clothes many times a day
miss sassy pants
pink and purple
let's you know if she does or doesn't like your style choices
singing and singing and singing
dancing
loves shoes

LATEST PROJECT

2010-02-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

I decided to paint a little something for Aubrey's room and this is what I came up with. I have seen so many cute bird prints on baby girl bedding, and clothing lately, so I decided to paint a few birds in a tree for Aubrey. I apologize for the pics. I need a new camera and better camera skills.

First Ski Trip------Sleeping UNDER the BED-----AUBREYis 6 mos.----CRAZY HAIR DAY

2010-02-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

RANDOM MEDLEY OF HAPPENINGS

Lo and his Dad took Drew up to Brighton for his first Ski trip. Lo put him in ski school for the first part of the day. The instructor said he did a great job and was willing to try anything she asked. Drew loved the entire day until it was time to take his skis back to the rental center. He thought it was super dumb to take his skis back after we had paid money for them.

Lo and Drew just before they took off for their ski day.

SLEEPING UNDER THE BED

Sommey was playing upstairs when it was suddenly much too quiet, which usually means trouble and messes of some sort. Lo took this picture of Sommey after he found her safe and soundly sleeping under Drew's bed.

AUBREY IS 6 MONTHS OLD

I need to take more pictures of Aubrey. We have 350 million baby pictures of Drew(firstborn) and 100 pics of Sommey(secondborn) and 7 of Aubrey (latest arrival) Here is a recent shot of the cutest little lady growing up too quickly with her stylin' old man hair. She has been such a fun little girl!!

CRAZY HAIR DAY

Drew's school is having White Ribbon Week at school. They kicked things off with CrAzy hAir day yesterday. We decided to go for a little Blue, Green and Red combo and, against my better judgment, I used food coloring mixed into hair gel. I recall my sister coloring her hair with green food coloring for Halloween and to her great surprise and sadness the green didn't come out completely. She had streaks of green hair for at least a month. Regardless of this memory, I colored Drew's hair and luckily the color came out completely. He is running around again blonde as ever.

CHRISTMAS REPORT IN FEBRUARY

2010-02-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

Time to finally catch up and report on what has been going since Christmas time. We managed to visit Temple square a few days before Christmas. It was so cold that night that we quickly made our way around most of the square in 10 minutes or less.
We had a very Merry Christmas. Grandpa, Mimi and Mardi and her family spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. Some of the major winners from Santa Clause were make-up and more tutus and wings for Sommer and Legos and a train set for Drew. Aubrey seemed very content with her travel backpack and diapers.
We had a very Merry Christmas; It just came and went too quickly.

PINK BLANKET, THANKSGIVING and SANTA CLAUS

2009-12-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

A report on what has been going on with us lately:

PINK BLANKET-

A couple months ago, we finally convinced Sommer to throw away her beloved pink blanket due to its serious shabbiness. I wanted to make sure we had pictures of how loved this lucky blanket actually was.

THANKSGIVING-

Drew was a "Native American" in his kindergarten feast that celebrated the first Thanksgiving. I told him he was lucky he got to be an Indian and he quickly corrected me and said he was not an Indian, but a Native American.....wow to political correctness beginning in Kindergarten. We were in Idaho this year for Thanksgiving. We had our yummy feast over at the church so that we could have more room to eat and for the kids to play and run around. We definitely had lots of yummy food to eat.

we took a lot of pictures of the kids eating and hanging out together:Sommey started out with few carrots and dip:Drew and Josh getting after the turkey legs:We chatted, played basketball, ate yummy food and exchanged ornaments:The kids even made the apple, gumdrop turkeys: Perhaps a few more gumdrops than apple:Lining up with the coolest turkeys ever made:

SANTA CLAUS-

Zion's Bank takes us out to the movie every December and we get treats, toys and a visit from Santa Claus. Drew,Sommey and Aubrey got to sit on his lap and talk to him about what they wanted for Christmas this year. I think this may be my first picture of Kris Kringle throwing out the peace sign or is he giving Sommer bunny ears???

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

AUBREY and HALLOWEEN------The Update Continues.............

2009-11-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

AUBREY:

Aubrey is almost 3 months old now. She will be officially 3 months old on November 20th. Here are a couple of shots of her relaxing on the couch with Sommer:She has been such a cute and GOOD little baby. Sommer and Drew were really cute babies, but not so great in the GOOD category. I now understand why many Mommas love the newborn stage.

HALLOWEEN:

One week before Halloween, we had our annual Halloween party with the Winder 9th crew. It is always so much fun to catch up with everyone and see how all the kiddies and families are growing. We got a picture of all the kids(all that would participate) on our stairs. Halloween quickly came and went. We went over to Drew's school for a Halloween parade, went Trunk-or-Treating, Trick-or Treating, visited Grandmas and Grandpas and dressed up as golfers, butterflies and caterpillars.

I wasn't quick enought to get a picture of Drew as he zoomed by me in his Halloween costume parade, so I got this picture of him during his class Halloween party. Drew and Sommey waiting to give treats to our neighborhood buddies in their butterfly and vintage golfer costumes: I got this shot of Drew before he went to school. This is one of the few pics that show his socks pulled up.I have a picture of Aubrey in her cute caterpillar costume, but I need to download it from my phone, so that is will be added in all it's blurry glory soon.

More update to come..............

The UPDATE of the CENTURY Begins with Rockets and Loose Teeth:

2009-11-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

ROCKETS:

Lo's friend Kerry builds rockets every year and invited Lo and Drew to come and check them out. Drew LOVED it and was able to launch 4 of them, which was very cool.Pushing the "blast off" button:Drew gathered the rockets after they parachuted to the ground so they can be used again next year. Maybe Drew will invent cool rocket parts for a science fair and have a movie made about him called October Sky 2.

FAREWELL FIRST TOOTH:

Drew breifly panicked when he noticed blood coming from the toothless hole left in his mouth , but the excitement of losing our first tooth soon outweighed the gory moment. Overall, losing our first tooth was pretty cool.

Update of the Century to be continued soon..........................................

Aubrey's Blessing Day

2009-10-12T19:22:00.001-07:00

Aubrey was blessed Sunday, October 11, 2009. She looked so pretty in her frilly white dress. These are her darling, handmade booties made for her blessing by her Grandma Janyce(Mimi). Somehow, we didn 't manage to ever look at the same camera. I chose this picture because 3 out of the 5 were looking at the same camera.We took some very fuzzy post blessing pictures of the family that came to celebrate the blessing day with us.....and we never did get one of everyone together.

It was a nice and sunny fall day to celebrate the blessing of a very cute little lady.

MY FALL PHOTO FEST...

2009-10-04T10:32:00.001-07:00

I LOVE FALL: The colors, fashion and crisp smell in the air make my heart happy. Here are a few of the pics of the Fall colors that I took while we were up in Sundance last Sunday.

Dear Fall,

Please stay as long as you can.

FROM ZERO to 90

2009-09-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

September 19, 2009 we celebrated Grandma J's 90th Birthday. My mom and her two brothers planned quite the party to honor and celebrate Grandma Johnson's big day. They invited the entire community to come wish her well and I really think they all showed up. It was a fun night and a party befitting such a cool lady!

Taking a moment to meet one of her newest great-grandbabies: Aubrey Jane Striking a pose by her stack of 90 Pepsi cans. She has been a big Pepsi fan for at least 40 years. It has been part of many family parties and always shows up for chats with family and friends at her kitchen table. Ninety really doesn't look like very many years in Pepsi cans does it??Part of the celebration included letting go of 90 helium filled balloons; It was awesome to watch them slowly disappear in the Idaho sky.

We ended the night with tacos, taffy, cake, pepsi, ......... and for the Grand Finale, we lit 90(I think more like 190) roman candles to finish the night off with a BANG.

Happy Birthday Grandma J!

We love you!

OUR LITTLE WALK to the FIRST DAY O' KINDERGARTEN

2009-09-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Drew started Kindergarten on August 27th. Lo was still home with us because of the maternity leave he gets with his job, so we all walked over together for Drew's Kindergarten debut. We got a lot of pics of his first day:

First picture was taken at our front door:We got this shot of Drew making his way to the school entrance: Waiting for class to start with some friends:

Lining up by the teacher's door and waving goodbye to Mom, Dad, Sommey and Aubrey:
The teacher letting Drew in to his first day of KindergartenSo far he has loved school. It was a lot easier for me to see him start Kindergarten, because he was so chill about the whole thing. If he would have been a mess.....then, I would have lost it. So, yeah for school and yeah for Drew's mellow and happy personality.

SHE HAS ARRIVED!!

2009-08-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some overdue pics of our newest little lady:
Aubrey Jane

8lbs. 3 oz. 19.5"

August 20, 2009 @2:43 pm.

Drew is 2+2+2

2009-08-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, was August 2nd which meant a HAppy BirthdaY celebration for Drew.Drew made sure that we knew that Transformers were to be part of the #6 Birthday party....and he ended up with 4 of them by the time he was done opening presents.....so he was very satisfied as they made their appearances.
NOTE OF CAUTION TO PARENTS: Some transformer toys, namely Optimus Prime, should come with a warning: "May take your entire day and every ounce of patience you have to transform from robot to truck.I found this picture of Drew at his 2nd Birthday party....he still has the same cute face and the same happy personality, just a much bigger body.....time really does go by too quickly!! It made my heart hurt to see just how fast he has grown!

WE LOVE YOU DREW!!

Here are just a few of the reasons why we love you so much:

cutest face
extremely kind-hearted
athletic skills to spare
very happy kid
smooth dance skills
gives the greatest hugs
wants to be friends and say hello to everyone
great buddy
great laugh
loves a good joke

Summer Catch Up Continued.

2009-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

4th of July GRAND MARSHALL:

For the 4th of July, we went up to Idaho to spend the holiday with Grandma Moss and Grandpa Poss. We wanted to make sure were were there to see our cool Grandpa/Dad as the Grand Marshall of the 4th of July parade. The kids lined up to see he and Grandma being pulled through the parade route by a horse and carriage.

Grandpa was also introduced that evening at the Rodeo. He and Grandma were pulled in their horse and carriage around the arena to start things off for the night.Next up was the DENVER ADVENTURE:
After our 4th of July celebrations, we headed to Denver with the Dickemore's to spend a few days with Kristin and Jon's families. We spent our first day at Elitches, an amusement and swim park(I didn't take my camera to the swimpark, so I didn't any pics of our day .)

We spent our next day at The Children's Museum, which kept the kids busy for a long time.

They played dress-up,were firemen in uniform on a real firetruck,played with trains,did a little grocery shopping,explored in the forest,worked on their painting talents,and built a few things in their workshops.It was fun to see everyone and and especially fun to play with the cousins. Thanks to the Bahr's for your home and hospitality. Also, Thanks to the Bahrs and Moss's for the Rockies tickets, golf and for showing us around the city. It made for a very fun summer trip!

It's Summer Catch Up Time......and more to come soon!

2009-07-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Catch up begins with SWIMMING LESSONS:Drew had 2 weeks of swimming lessons the last part of June. He had a great teacher who helped him learn a lot in a short time. Drew's favorite part of his lessons was the Rocket. Sommey's favorite part of Drew's swimming lessons was chasing the dogs and petting the cat. Next year, she will start her lessons, but the dog and cat my prove to still be more interesting than the lesson. Next up.......Our trip to KENNECOTT COPPER:
It was my first time visiting and it was impressive to see the size of the trucks and Mine. The trucks didn't seem too big as they drove down the mine path, however, when you saw the size of their tires a little closer it put things into perspective.
After a morning at Kennecott......that night it was off to the LEHI RODEO:

We had a fun time. Sommey stayed semi-interested as she danced in the bleachers and Drew seemed a lot more interested in the actual rodeo events than previous years. My pregnant belly/back was not a huge fan of the bleacher seating, however, when is bleacher seating ever the most comfortable place to be.

More summer catch up blogging to come very soon....

PAGEANT, Birthday PARTY, and a PADRE Celebration!

2009-06-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend! On Friday night, we headed to Manti to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant. Lo had a friend, that works at Zion's Bank (in Manti), save us some seats and he really came through for us. His wife is in charge of the sound for the pageant, so we had fancy, gated-off seating. We were lucky enough to be there the same night Elder L. Tom Perry was and he was seated right next to us. Very cool! Saturday was my Birthday, so we had a little party. We got home late from the pageant the night before, so we were pretty tired for our Saturday celebration. We decided to go up to Park City and have some pizza, treats and a Trolley ride. Drew took this picture of us on the Trolley. I look like I am 12 months pregnant in this shot. I took this picture of Drew, who is, perhaps, the biggest Trolley/train ride supporter out there. Sunday, we finished our weekend with a fun Father's Day. We had a great day that included Lo and Janyce, who came over to celebrate Dad's day with us.

A few of the reasons why Lo/a.k.a DAD is the GREATEST!:

He plays race car games
He plays golf with me
Gives us rides on the motorcycle
The most optimistic person I know
Watches fun shows with me
Knows how to make you feel important
Always ready for a party
He snuggles me
Daddy loves me very much
Mr. Personality

We Love You DAD!

Love, Your Biggest Fans!

Liz, Drew and Sommey Sue.

JUNE 12 was a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to LO!

2009-06-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Birthday party for Lo last Friday. We celebrated with Lo's parents, and Mardi & Terri and their kids. We had dinner at Cafe Rio, ate some cake, and opened presents.Here are a few of the V.I.P's that celebrated the big day with us:Drew and Sommey made these very fancy, personalized birthday cards for Dad to add some extra style to his party.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

AIR SHOW

2009-06-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we went to the Air Show at Hill Air Force Base. The pilots put on quite the show. We spent the day with Lo's parents, and Mardi and her kids.

I think Sommer's favorite part of the show was the animal crackers and pretzels.

Drew and Lo ended up touring the planes that were parked on the tarmac for a hands-on-tour: both were equally impressed with what they were able to check out and see.

I loved the Biplanes, because they did the coolest tricks.

Lo and I had to leave a early to go to a dinner, so we missed the Thunderbirds. We left our kiddies with Lo's parents, so Drew and Sommey were able to see the Thunderbirds end the show with an impressive finale. The Air show made for a great weekend activity!

I can't take credit for the above pic of the Thunderbirds......found this via the internet.

TWO LASTS & TWO FIRSTS

2009-05-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

LAST #1
We had our last soccer game with the "KILLER BEES." Drew had a fun season with some great kicks and a few goals. Lo was a great coach for the Bees and managed to stay very patient when Drew decided to play in "chill mode" instead of "mixing it up."

LAST #2:
Drew went to his last day Learning Dynamics Preschool on May 22. His last day was Circus Day. They made animal masks, ate animal crackers, watched movies, played games and the teachers all dressed up like clowns. His teacher, Mrs. Buxton,was the perfect teacher to help Drew get ready for Kindergarten.

FIRST #1: (may prove to be a last and a first all in one)
I planted tomato plants. I planted one "Sweet 100", two "Celebrity" and one "Yellow Pear"tomato plant. I am crossing my fingers that these will produce an amazing crop of delicious tomatoes and give me confidence to plant again next year. In truth, this is the last time I may see them alive, so I decided to take pictures of them before they decided to pass on, if that be their fate. FIRST #2

Lo and I had our first garage sale. Our HOA planned a community garage sale for Memorial Day weekend. They did all the advertising and we just had to be ready with anything we wanted to sell outside in our driveway that Saturday morning. Our big seller was baby clothes. We managed to make a whopping $76. It was nice to make a little cash for something I would have hauled over to D.I. We managed to pay for dinner and a movie with our "massive" earnings.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Drew had a Mother's Day program at his preschool on Friday. Lo, Sommey and I got to see him sing. He also gave me a great painting, card, and plant to bring home. The songs "I Wish I had a Little Red Box", and "That's My Mother." were a hit with all of the Mom's that were there. It was a cute day and he did a great job.

Sunday, for the "official" Mother's Day Celebration, Lo and the kids made breakfast for me and then we had a fun BBQ with Grandpa, Mimi and Mardi and her kids. It was a fun Mother's Day weekend! Thanks to Lo and the kiddies for making it a fun day! I hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day!

WICKED WEEKEND

2009-04-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Lo's parents gave us WICKED tickets for Christmas and it was "showtime" over the weekend. We went with Lo's parents and Mardi and Terry to the show on Friday night. First, we had a yummy dinner at P.F. Chang's and then went to the 8:00 show. It gave such clever spin on the famous Wizard of Oz story.......great characters and great music. It made for a very fun night! Thanks for the picture Mardi....I stole it from your blog due to my "lack of taking pictures problem!"

My parents were also here over the weekend to see WICKED. All of us married kids and Mikey=) gave them tickets for Christmas, and their show was Saturday night. They absolutely loved it as well. So sorry, but I have to say it.................................we all loved our WICKEDly fun-filled weekend!

ULTRASOUND TODAY.......I WAS 99.9% we were having a BOY and.........

2009-04-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I was very surprised!........

and we are all very excited having another little lady!

A Bit of "Catch up" please.

2009-04-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

We headed to Idaho over Spring break. We went up Monday through Friday to see what Gpa Poss and Gma Moss and Mike were up to. Mike planned a fun cook-out for all of us that was a good time. We found the perfect little spot to roast our hot dogs and toast marshmallows for our smores.

Drew took this shot of us enjoying the cozy fire. Drew and Sommey loved chasing the ducks and climbing trees. The night started out a little windy, but the wind soon subsided and we were able to enjoy our dinner and smores, let the kids run their hearts out, and chat around the fire as the sun set around us.

We had a great time. Amidst the snowy/rainy week, we did a little bowling, eating, more chatting, and managed to fit one more bonfire in before we left. We had a great visit.

EASTER

2009-04-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

We started the Easter festivities on Friday night with a neighborhood, nightime, Easter egg hunt. Every kid brought their flashlight to make finding the eggs easier and a bit more exciting....any activity that requires a flashlight for Drew and Sommey is pretty awesome.

We had a great Easter. I was not, however, a great photo taker that day. I did manage to get a couple shots of Drew and Sommer finding what the Easter bunny had brought them.

Lo and I were asked to speak in Sacrament meeting. It was a good opportunity to share our testimonies and reflect on something other than the many treats that I kept eating. Grandpa and Mimi came over to listen to our talks and help out with the kiddies while we spoke. We had a yummy Easter dinner and many delicious goodies to complete the sunny Easter day.

The Latest Project......for Miss Sommey Sue.

2009-04-03T09:44:00.001-07:00

My latest project began with something I saw in Land of Nod. It sparked the idea to paint the alphabet for Sommey's room. I decided to stray from the original idea I saw and make it more personal to her. So, this is what I ended up with:Sadly, I had a hard time taking a nice picture of it. I couldn't get rid of the darn glare. I really had a fun time doing this project and ended up giving it to Sommer for her Birthday. She has told me her favorite part is the monkey and the princess.

CONGRATS DAD!!!

2009-03-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

We were in Idaho this last week to celebrate my Dad's retirement. It was amazing to be part of such an incredible day and hear the great things that were shared by those individuals that worked closely with him.
We are proud of you Dad!! It was very appropriate to see you recognized for all of the amazing work you have done. We are excited for all of the fun adventures ahead now that you have a bit more time to relax, golf, fish, horseback ride, and do whatever else your heart desires. WE LOVE YOU DAD and GRANDPA!!!

SOMMEY SUE is NO LONGER 2!

2009-03-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

We had a very Happy Birthday celebration yesterday for Sommey. I can't believe she is 3 already! First, Grandpa and Mimi took us all out for a Birthday dinner at Olive Garden.Next, we headed back to our house to open presents.......Sommey got lots of cute new clothes, new pink Puma's, money from Grandma's and Grandpa's, new picture for her room,and even got some princess Walkie Talkie's from Gpa and Mimi(she is holding one of them in the first picture).

We planned on ending the night with cake and ice cream, but we were all so full from dinner, that we ended it with just a little cake and a birthday song for Sommey Sue.

Sommey had been telling me for months that she wanted pink cupcakes for her Birthday, so I decided to make one GIANT cupCAKE for her BIG day.

A fEW of My fAVOritE ThINgs ABouT sOMmeY sUE:

wants to be called Sommer Elizabeth in her new nursery class
talks like she is 13 years old, instead of 3 years old
has always loved shoes, clothes and will always ask people if they would like to take a look at her shoes or what she is wearing
calls me Mamasita, and Mamaliciousness
could eat treats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
loves pink and let me know recently she loves purple too
Will tell me when my shoes are "beautiful"
She is a great dancer and shows off her skills often
Sings her heart out many times during the day and night
Gives amazing snuggles to Mom, Dad and Drew

WE LOVE YOU SOMMEY SUE!!

HAPPY, HAPPY NUMBER 3!

NUMERO 3 Is On It's Way!

2009-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

We will be adding another addition to the family this year. Number 3 is on it's way and due August 23rd. If the babes comes on the due date, he/she could share a birthday with Grandpa Moss and Nestman.......pretty cool. Drew is hoping for a boy and wants to call him Thomas and Sommey is pretty indifferent about the whole thing. We are excited!

GORGOZA PARK

2009-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Dave, Jen and their little guy Jake came to visit from Phoenix for a quick trip on Monday, so we decided to make a day of it. We headed up to Gorgoza Park in Park City to take advantage of ALL the snow that has been falling here in Utah. They came from toasty and warm Phoenix to spend the day with us and we had a great time.

Jake was a pro, even though this was his first official snow experience. It was a great way to sled. A rope tow gently pulled you up the hill until it dropped you off for another ride down the mountain. I got a shot of Lo and I heading up for another sled ride.

Drew relaxing on his tube. He was fearless, which made it hard to keep with him. He would sled down the hill and get right back on the rope tow whether I was anywhere near him or not.

They had cute little tubes for Sommer and Jake that fit them just right. Sommer was a fan of staying in the tube between rides. So we would pull her from the ride down the hill over to the rope tow up the hill.

One last picture of the kids just before we headed back to warm up at our house. We had such a great time with our friends. We look forward to many more visits.

I was impressed that we all left injury free. It was a much more mellow sledding experience compared to those from my younger years. I think I always came home with some sort of injury any time me and my family and friends finished a day of sledding.

#34-BASKETBALLER

2009-01-16T14:49:00.001-08:00

Basketball started a couple of weeks ago and Drew is feeling it. He thought soccer was pretty fun too, but he seems to really feel the love for Basketball. So far we have had two games and he has made at least one basket per game, which is pretty cool.

Very blurry shot of Drew going in for a basket.

It is fun watching him be competitive and really go after the ball.................even if he tries to take it from his own team members.

Next up....New Year's Celebration

2009-01-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

This New Years Eve flew by. I really don't know where the night went. I hope that is not a sign of how fast 2009 is going to fly by.

In the few moments, that the night seemed to only be, I did manage to get a few pictures of our festivities.Grandma carrying one of her 3 foot sparklers to bring in the New Year. Notice her slipper flip flops for the freezing Idaho winter eve. You may also notice Drew's shoeless feet just behind her.

We all huddled up the Moss fireworks show. Our neighbors added a few of their own as well to add to the excitement.

The kiddies stayed up with us until the midnight hour and then settled in to bed after our midnight celebrations. Happy New Year everyone! We had a great night, it just went by way too fast!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-16T14:09:00.001-08:00

Since today is January 16th, I thought I should finally get around to posting our Christmas and New Year festivities in Idaho at Grandma and Grandpa Moss's house.

We had a great time and the Holidays were filled with lots of parties. It was fun to see everyone again and have some great food, fun and late night chats.

Drew's favorite present was his electric train from Santa-that thing was running almost non-stop for the rest of Christmas Day.

Sommey's favorite gift from Santa was her fancy Sleeping Beauty dress with jewelry and shoes. As Drew's train was continually chugging down the tracks, so was she forever prancing around the house in her lovely gown.

The Latest Project.....and it filled a lonely and empty spot

2008-12-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

My latest art project filled a spot in the kitchen that has needed a little something for a long while. As I thought what to put there, I wanted something cheap, unique and personal so I began to brainstorm and came up with this:

BEFORE: BORING EMPTY SPACE IN THE KITCHEN

AFTER: A ONCE EMPTY SPACE WITH A BIT MORE PIZAZZ

Greatest thing about this needed update is that I already had the paint and my Mom gave me the canvas. So, total cost for this project was $$FREE.99$$

Thanksgiving Day.

2008-12-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

We had a very Happy Thanksgiving with the Nestman clan. We all ate, chatted and laughed a lot. I cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey and it actually turned out really tasty. So, I was very Thankful for that. We were Thankful that Lo carved the turkey for us and Janyce supplied MANY yummy dishes for the meal.

Notice all of Sommies apples in the apple dip. I was Thankful that Dad caught her and asked her to stop with the apple dipping obsession.

We were Thankful to have Thar, Lo, Janyce, Mardi and Terry and family all join us for the day and help to make Thanksgiving a fun and happy day.

C'mon, Everybody cut, Everybody cut, FOOTLOOSE.

2008-11-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Who would have known I would be hangin' with Kenny Loggins last night? Lo was given some free tickets from Zion's, so we decided to make a night of it. We went and had a great dinner and then headed to the concert. My knowledge of his music includes the song from Footloose, and that Pooh Corner children's song. Now, I loved the movie Footloose so I was hoping he would get that song in, which he did. It really was a fun concert and I learned that he sings a lot of familiar songs that I didn't know were his. We got a backstage pass and even got to chat with him for a minute or two. He was a nice guy and really did put on a great show. So Kenny, Lo and I are tight now. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for his next hit dedicated to us.

Now it's INDOOR SOCCER TIME.

2008-11-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

Drew started playing in an indoor soccer league a couple of weeks ago. I do have to admit his indoor soccer has been a little more fun to watch than his Fall games with the Killer Bees for a few reasons:

1. It is a much faster moving game

2. Drew is moving faster along with it

3. Goal total for his entire Fall soccer season=1

and for his indoor soccer season(only 2 games so far)=4

4. The playing area is fenced off, so I don't have to ask Sommer to get off the field every other minute

1 negative: the team name is The Duckies. Am I a rude mom? I really should think that is a cute name right?

Halloween SPOOKtacular.

2008-11-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

October was full of MANY celebrations and it finally came to an end on Friday.

Thursday, we decided to add one more party to the list before the big day. We carved pumpkins, ate caramel apples, had orange hot cocoa, and watched Disney's, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with our pumpkins lit by the fireplace. Our kids were bouncing off the walls and Lo and I had sugar headaches by the time the night was over.

After sleeping off our sugar high it was officially Halloween time. Drew started the day with a party at his school. Everyone dressed up and brought treats to share with the class.

Drew and Mrs. Buxton

Later that night, and once Superman and our little fairy were in their Halloween best, we headed to Trunk or Treat at our ward building. There were A LOT of people there. We brought around 200 pieces of candy and ran out in about 20 minutes. Drew and Sommer happily ended the Trunk or Treat with bags bulging with goodies.

After the Trunk or Treat success, we went Trick-or-Treating to Grandma Jane's and then to Grandpa Lo's.

Grandpa Lo in his fanciest Halloween wig.

We had fun visiting with the grandparents and decided to call it a night. I feel like we celebrated Halloween around 50 times this year before the actual holiday finally came. I was a little relieved to see The Halloween spectacular finally come to a happy end.

NUMBER 8.

2008-10-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Lo and I celebrated our numero 8 last week. It is crazy to think that we have been married 8 years and at the same time it seems like it has been many more. We decided to go to Park City to celebrate the occasion for a couple days. We took Drew and Sommey along for one of the nights. We had a lot of fun together and played until they were worn out. Lo and Janyce were nice enough to babysit them for the next night. This is what Drew and Sommey were doing when they met us to pick up the kids.

Lo was thrilled when I surprised him by taking this shot of him in the hot tub. He will be even more thrilled that I am posting it on the blog. Love ya cutes.....sexy arm tan.

Lo surprised me with flowers the day we left. I think these will go down as one of my favorites. I love the colors. Thanks for eight great years and two of the cutest kids ever. I love you Lo!

Costumes, Carnivals, and Close Friends

2008-10-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we had some of our friends over for a Halloween Party. We decorated our unfinished basement for the festivities. I painted a few cardboard boxes and used some things that my mom sent me like the spider that hung from the ceiling to create a spooky ambiance.

We played carnival games and the kids won some really great prizes thanks to a load of goodies that my momma(Thanks Mom!) sent for the festivities as well. The games included: The Fish Pond, Bean Bag Toss and Hit Frank's Face(ball toss). The kids came in their Halloween best and looked very cool and cute. We had Superman, Supergirl, Snow White, Dash, Minnie Mouse, Spider Man, bumble bees, and Fairy's , to name a few of our fancy guests. Sadly, a lot of my pictures turned out a bit blurry and I never did get one of all the kids together.

Superman (Drew) and Supergirl (Paige)

Sommer started the party as a Fairy Princess and ended as a disheveled Snow White with Strawberry Shortcake glasses and lipstick smeared skirt -due to some prizes she won at the fishing pond.

We always have such a fun time when we get together. Thanks to everyone for bringing yummy treats, salads, and your cute families. We missed those that couldn't make it this time and look forward to seeing everyone again at the Christmas Party or sooner.

My Latest Project

2008-10-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

In a continuation of my efforts to decorate my home for as cheap as possible, I finished a new project this week. I saw this map in Pottery Barn Kids and loved it. I decided to attempt to re-create it for Drew's room. I thought it would be a good way to help him learn the states and also show him where his friends and family live across the U.S.A. and add a little flare to an empty wall.

Here is the progression of my efforts:

First I sketched the states out with pencil and then used acrylic paint for the states colors and names.

I was happy with the results and it was a really fun project.

I think the final cost was $16 for the canvas, $15 for supplies. So, $30 bucks for a project that I would have had to shell $100 out for through PBKids. Not too shabby.

Top of Utah Marathon-I DID IT!!!

2008-09-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

I ran the Top of Utah Marathon on Saturday in Logan. For my first marathon, my goal was to just finish. I ended up walking around 4 miles of the race, but still ended up finishing just under 5 hours. I met some really cool people, ended up seeing one of my great friends, and realized that I could actually make it to the finish line.

Lo got this shot of me around mile 25.5
He got another shot of me smiling as I see the finish line right in front of me.
........and then for the final shot as I crossed the blessed finish line. My final official time was 4 hours 58 minutes. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had and I really think I will do it again......not next week, but next year sounds pretty good.

Soccer-The "Killer" Bees

2008-09-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Soccer has begun and the "Killer Bees" are ready for action.

Drew had his first official soccer game yesterday. He is lucky enough to not only get one on one tips from the coach but to live with him as well. Lo volunteered to coach Drew's team and is doing a great job with the kids.

Drew loved his first game and got a few good kicks. He has practice every Wednesday night and will play 8 games over the entire season. It was pretty cute the see how the kids would run after the ball and then sometimes disregard it all together. Our team managed to make a couple of goals, unfortunately, a few less than the other team did.

GO BEES !!!

Preschool begins....guns and golf clubs...water parks....Birthday Parties.

2008-08-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

We are trying to keep the summer fun coming, although school has officially begun for Droozer. He started school on August 20th. He has an August birthday, so I decided to send him to one more year of Preschool before starting Kindergarten. His teacher is Mrs. Buxton and he is feeling good about being in school again.

SUNDAY SURPRISES

Grandpa and Mimi Nestman came to dinner on Sunday with surprises for Drew and Sommey. Drew scored some cap guns and Sommer got her own mini set of golf clubs. We had a fun dinner and watched the Olympics, while Drew shot up the place and Sommer checked out her new set of clubs.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

The night shots, although a little blurry, still show the kids partying the night away and helping Grandpa Moss blow out his candles.We were in to Idaho Friday and Saturday to celebrate my Dad's 64th birthday. We had a fun party in the Moss backyard that ended with some Boomland fireworks that my Mom bought on their fun trip.

WATER PARK

We also spent some time at the water park in Rexburg. The kids were huge fans up until the lady in charge had to clear everyone out of the water because some kid decided to be a literal "party pooper." Yucky.

Mamma Mia, 1/2 Marathon's, Dinosaur Museums, and $2 Tuesdays.

2008-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Mamma Mia-Ladies Night Out

Thursday night, the Cox ladies all gathered to enjoy a ladies night out. We went to Mamma Mia, which was a hit, and then to Hires to chat about random topics that included synchronized swimming, politics and Paris Hilton. It's always a fun time with the Cox ladies.

Race Day-Provo 1/2 Marathon

Next up, Kathy and family came to visit for a couple of days. She came to run the Provo Half Marathon with me. She was there to support me when I hit mile 11-I curse the 2.1 miles that looped to the finish in the Riverwoods shopping area!!

Dinosaur Museum

Kathy and I took the kids to the Dinosaur Museum while Lo and Chad headed to South Mountain to get in a golf game. The kids literally ran from one exhibit to the next, unfortunately for us, they ran in different directions.

We have had a couple of FUN weeks full of family visits and hope for many more to come.

$2 Tuesdays at the Children's Discovery Gardens

Drew, Sommey and I enjoyed a fun day in the sun on Wednesday. Notice the llama(I think it's a llama) in the window taking aim at the two cute and oblivious kiddos splashing their way around Noah's ark. Note to self: other people are aware of $2 Tuesdays -the proof is in the next picture.

Even amidst the million people participating in our day at the Discovery Gardens, we had a great time. There was a lot for the kids to see and do. Sadly, my camera ran out of power, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked of our fun day.

Visitors, VICTORY, and Birthday Parties

2008-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fun-filled week that started on Monday night. Kristin and Makaila came to stay the week with us and we kept our days full of activities. Some of our adventures included a visit to the Capital, Temple Square, an attempted hike to Bridal Veil Falls, BYU Museum of Art, Hogle Zoo, a Birthday party, and a peaceful stroll down the Jordan River parkway. Lindsay and Calvin also stayed over Saturday night and celebrated Drew's #5 Birthday with us.

AND THE FUN BEGINS:

TUESDAY- We headed to the Capital, which I somehow managed to get zero pictures of and then later that night went up to Cabela's where the kids enjoyed looking around and then shot some guns for a bit.

WEDNESDAY-We attempted to hike up to Bridal Veil Falls, but due to my neglectful news watching, I was unaware of the fire in the canyon. No one was allowed up the canyon trail because of the fire, so we let the kids play on a nearby playground and took some pictures by the river. We actually ended up going to the BYU Museum of Art which was fun to see again. They have some amazing art there. THURSDAY- We saw the sights at Temple Square. Drew took this picture of all of us at the Joseph Smith Building. He is all about taking pictures lately and did a pretty darn good job with this shot.

Sommer and Makaila looking pretty amongst the flowers.

We walked around the gardens and also stopped by the Church History Museum where we all loved the cute, and hands on, I am a Child of God exhibit. Joseph seems to have an uneasy look on his face. Perhaps he was expressing concern for his sheep.FRIDAY- We enjoyed a day at Hogle Zoo. We had a VERY hot, train, carousel, and animal filled day.

SATURDAY- AUGUST 2, Drew's Birthday. We had a little pizza, pinata, cake, and were finally victorious and found the little Train Station, we have attempted to visit 3 times previously, open for visitors.

Kristin and Makaila gave Drew a cool watch and Calvin and Lindsay brought a Pinata. The kids loved taking turns with the bat and were very happy when Droozer finally knocked the candy out.

Drew had taken 400 pictures by the 2nd day of his camera ownership. I will have to post some of the pictures he has been capturing on his cool orange camera. Some of the shots he has taken are hilarious.

SUNDAY- Sunday morning Kristin, Makaila, Lindsay and Calvin headed back to Denver. We loved their visit and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Lo was in the ALBQ for a friend's wedding and missed Birthday party #1 ,so when he arrived home in the early afternoon we had Birthday party #2. Grandpa and Mimi and Mardi brought some cool gifts and we all enjoyed a BBQ and more yummy Birthday cake. Drew was a BIG fan of the Birthday party repeat.

The Catch-Up Post....the longest entry to date

2008-07-28T11:06:00.001-07:00

We've been busy over the last couple of weeks and it's time to catch up and document some of our good times. The fun began with our neighbors new find: three homeless ducks that are sadly now down to only one.
I guess you could say our neighbor kids have, literally, loved them to death(sad, I know). They brought the remaining duck over for a visit and my kids were happy hanging out with it for a moment and perhaps loved it a bit too much as well.RODEOS
Next up were a couple of Rodeos: Fiesta Days in Spanish Fork on Monday night, and The Days of 47,on Tuesday night. Our seats at the Fiesta Days rodeo were right over the chutes. It was awesome to watch and hear the cowboys gear up for their event and have a bit of dirt hit your shoulder as the horses and bulls bucked their way out into the arena.

We headed to the The Days of 47 rodeo the next night and ended up leaving after the half -time show. I think we were a little tired after getting home late from the rodeo the night before. We still had a fun time and how often is it that you get the chance to see two Bison and a cowboy on top of a horse trailer???

SWIMMING LESSONS

Between ducks and rodeos, Drew was also becoming a pro at his swimming lessons at the Legacy Center. It was two weeks of swimming bliss and he passed with flying colors.

On the last day, his teacher made a train with the class in the water, which was an obvious winning combination for Drew. Can life really get any better??

TOUR of SALT LAKE CITY

Next up was our tourist day in Salt Lake City. Lo and I decided to head to Salt Lake on Saturday and check out some of the sites we haven't seen in a while. We started at the Capital.

We wanted to check out the renovations that were done over the last few years and it was really impressive.

Drew even managed to get in one of his sweet dance moves on the stairs.

After the Capital we headed to the Trax station to take a ride in the Free Zone and headed over to the city library, which I had not visited yet. Drew's face will give you an idea of how happy he was to be riding the Trax train.

We went up to the roof of the library to look out over the city. There were great places to sit down and some gardens that they keep up there..... Who knew?
We had a great time and the only thing we had to pay for that day was our lunch at Hires Big H and the $300 in gas for our 40 minute drive.

IDAHO

Our next destination was Idaho. We went up for the 24th Holiday and spent some time at Grandpa and Grandma Moss's house. Lo, Jake and Grandpa were MIA for most of the trip due to their many tee times at various golf courses in the area, but we managed to all have a great time together and on our own.The huge beach ball was a hit. Sommer and Drew fought over and played with the ball a lot.

We also went on a fun hike near Heise. It felt like it was 150 degrees that day, but we still enjoyed pretty scenery and yummy ice cream that rewarded us for our hiking efforts.
My Mom took us over to the gardens at the college where the kids ran around and we took some pictures.
On Saturday night and after a fun BBQ, Jake showed us all a great time. He has his pilot's license and reserved a plane for a couple of hours. He was nice enough to take us up for a little flight over Idaho. He even gave us a chance to try flying, which made me way too nervous.
Jake and I went up together and then he took Drew and Lo up together. Lo was A LOT braver than I was when it came to try flying the plane-he loved it. They said that Drew kept asking for his turn to try flying the plane. Notice Drew's cute little head peaking out behind Lo and Jake.
He looked so cute and smooth with his shades and head set. We all had such a fun time. I did get a bit sick right before we landed, but other than that I was good to go. Jake flew us over our house and my mom said that if we could have seen her, she was waving at us in our front yard. It was really fun time.
I got a couple shots of the plane as Jake took off with Lo and Drew. Thanks for a fun flight Jake!

FIREWORKS

After our fun flight, we headed over to opening night of the Dance Festival . We actually went over at the very end of the show so that we could see the fireworks. We ended up finding a spot right under the fireworks show. In fact, we were so close that they had to pause the show for a moment until we moved out of the way just a bit. So, if you were at the Dance Festival opening ceremonies, and wondered why the long pause in the fireworks, you can thank my neighbors and family for that. It was a great ending to a fun trip to Idaho and a busy and fun filled couple of weeks.

Visit to Temple Square

2008-07-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday, we decided to head to SLC and walk around Temple Square. It was a rather toasty day, but we still loved walking around and taking in the sights.

The tour guide at the Conference center made the mistake of saying that the kids could dip their hands in the fountains on top of the building. Drew's hands made it into a couple fountains and Sommer's went in every single one. She was lucky not to fall into the water half the time.

We had a fun and relaxing Sunday afternoon.

The Trooper has been a Trooper

2008-07-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sadly, last week we said farewell to our dear friend- The Trooper. It has treated us right over these last few years. I have to say it did break my heart just a bit as they towed it down the road.

Drew was not to sure about letting it go either as you will see in the posted picture. He sadly and continually asked me where they were taking our blue car as they hauled it down the road.

That car has been on countless trips to Idaho, all over Utah and who know all the travels it saw in it's previous home in the ALBQ. We donated it to Kars4Kids, and we hope she(lo says it's a he) will find a good home.

DAD

2008-07-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd, we found out that my Dad has prostate cancer. It is the last thing I ever expected or wanted the hear. I know that he will be amazingly strong through this ordeal and that we, as an entire family are available for all the help, support, and prayers needed at this time. He has an appointment scheduled on Friday at the Huntsman Cancer Institute to decide what will be required for treatment. I am freshly amazed by the power of prayers and fasting. We never know what we are going to experience in this life and the Lord is tender enough to give us tools to endure whatever comes our way. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, prayers, and concern in my father's behalf. We All Love You so much Dad!

4th of July Celebration Extravaganza

2008-07-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July holiday. Lo's parents rented a condo in Park City for a couple of nights that was just below the Olympic ski jump. It was fun to see it again and and remember all of the Olympic excitement of 2002. I took 'many a picture' over the few days we were there which you will get a sampling of in this post.

July 3rd we got settled in the condo and then headed out to hang out in Park City for a bit. We stopped by one of our favorite places to eat Main Street Pizza & Noodle where we enjoyed some yummy pizza. Next, we headed out on a trolley ride, which the kiddies always love and, I have to say that I think is pretty cool as well. We headed back to the condo to do a little swimming, playing, and relaxing. On the 4th of July morning we went to the parade, which was a good time. Sadly, gone are the days of candy throwing-I get that it is dangerous for the kiddos, but candy is why parades were the best growing up. A Karate group that was in the parade came up to Drew with a board and asked him to break it. Drew took a few punches and then finally broke the slab of wood on the third try with his awesome kung fu karate punch. (Thanks for the pics Mardi)

We then headed to a tasty restaurant for lunch, owned by some of Janyce and Lo's friends, and headed back for some more swimming. Later that night we watched the fireworks near the base of the Park City Ski Resort.
Before heading home, we decided to head up to Stein Erikson's lodge to look around for a bit. I had never been up there and it is amazing. It has the greatest views of the city and surrounding mountains. We all enjoyed a very fun 4th of July.

Freedom Awards Gala

2008-07-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

As part of America's Freedom Festival in Provo, individuals are celebrated that have demonstrated exemplary values of "honor, strength, tradition, freedom, and family values of God and country "at the Freedom Awards Gala. Lo and I were lucky enough to attend and it started off this 4th of July holiday in a great way.

These individuals were incredible. As I listened to the stories each one of them had to tell it made me grateful for the opportunities, history and caliber of individuals that are part of our great nation. It was impossible not to feel inspired to want to do and be more. The people that were sitting at our table recounted some of the stories of the individuals honored in past years and their stories were equally amazing.

The individuals honored at the event this year were: William Farley , Jack Thompson. Major Brian Shul, and Im maculee Ilibagiza. I highly recommend this event to anyone and everyone. We will definitely be back next year.

Father-Son Campout and Lehi Round-Up.

2008-06-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Lo and Drew went on their first Father-Son campout with our Ward on Friday. It was Drew's very first camping trip and the first trip that Lo has gone on since his days as a Boy Scout.

First, they loaded the Pathfinder, and then headed over to the Hart's to pick up Jason, Elli, and Mia, who were their camping buddies.
I understand Drew was one of the very last people to get up. Lo got a shot of him sleeping the morning away.

Posing with Dad after after we finally made it out of bed on Saturday morning.

Elli, Mia, and Drew getting ready for a canoe ride on the Lake. They had a great time. The first camping trip in the Blue Mountains, as Drew was calling them, was a hit.

Saturday Night-Lehi Round-Up Days: LEHI RODEO NIGHT

Drew brought out the cowboy hat for the big night.

Grandpa Nestman got a shot of us all watching the Rodeo events and Sommey and Drew loving the Rodeo concessions.

Notice Drew's perfect rodeo shoes(flip-flops) and I had on a pair as well----not smart. Lo is proudly displaying his pair of cowboy boots that were mandatory in order to attend the Roosevelt BBQ a couple years ago-now coming in handy for our summer rodeo's.

Tuesday Night with the OakRidge Boys.....

2008-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lo and I went, as Donnie and Marie sing it best, "a little bit country" this past Tuesday thanks to some free tickets from Zions Bank. It was a charity dinner/auction for the American Indian Services at Thanksgiving Point and The Oakridge Boys were the entertainment for the night.

My parents had a few Oakridge Boys records, so I remember listening to them growing up; when they sang Elvira and Fancy Free , I actually could sing along to their country tunes. We ended up having a good time and the charity raised over $125, 000.

Saturday BBQ with Friends: The coolest Winder 9th(with kids) Group.

2008-06-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Another Birthday Celebration.

2008-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

We had a fun birthday party yesterday and this time the celebratin' was coming my way. Lo and the kiddies got me some pretty flowers, fun presents and a yummy birthday cake. I also got Happy Birthday wishes from friends and family via cards and phone calls.

Lo and I ended up going out for a tasty and childless dinner of sushi and tempura veggies. It was a very low-key and great Birthday Party Day.

Off with the Cast.

2008-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Drew got his cast off on Monday. I had anticipated a much skinnier, dirtier, and nasty looking arm to be revealed, but it actually looked good; it only had a bit of dry skin and a tiny sore on it.
Now let us hope Drew's broken appendage is the first and last of it's kind;I really doubt it, but here's to hopin'.

Happy Dad Day

2008-06-15T20:14:00.001-07:00

Lo has had a pretty darn good week: Free TV's, birthday presents and parties, Father's Day celebrations and another present ta' boot.

Drew has a remote control truck that he and Lo have played with many a day. Lo usually ends up taking more than a few turns at the wheel, so to help Drew have more truck time, we decided to get Lo his very own truck for Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day Dad. WE LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LO!!!

2008-06-13T08:47:00.001-07:00

A Bonus Birthday Present

2008-06-13T08:18:00.001-07:00

We had a good time celebrating Lo's big 30. Drew and Sommey were happy to join in the festivities and loved the Sponge Bob Square Pants party goods supplied by our own Miss Party Lady: Grandma Moss.

Lo was also in a work golf tournament on his B-day and ended up winning a nice bonus present. They gave away a flat screen TV for the golfer that showed up in the most authentic 1920's golf outfit and Lo took 1st place wearing his golf get-up used for a Halloween costume. GO LO!!! I think he may have won two TV's if he would have shown up with the caterpillar and Superman.

Halloween 2006

Pots Project

2008-05-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am busy thinking of ways to liven up our home in simple and affordable ways. My latest project proved pretty easy and adds a nice little touch of color. I bought some terracotta pots, which I am a fan of just as they are, but I decided to try spice them up just a bit and make them more unique.

A Saturday Ride with Thomas the Tank Engine

2008-05-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Mimi invited us all for a Day out with Thomas adventure yesterday. We had a great time checking out the fun activities and especially enjoyed our trip down the Heber City railroad track aboard Thomas himself. Drew was in heaven and Sommey loved our train adventure too. The kids climbed on some nearby parked trains and we got some cute pictures of them in action.
Drew and Sommey waved at Thomas and the engineer just before we got to take our ride.
The weather was nice and the crowds were abnormally non-existent, so it was a perfect time to be there. Thank you Grandpa and Mimi for a fun day.

Green was the choice of color.

2008-05-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

Now only 3 weeks from now he will be cast free. He's was relaxing on the couch with his cool green cast, watching an afternoon cartoon(which explains what he is looking at in the above picture)with a bit of ketchup on his mouth from our Dino Buddies lunch.

OUCH!!! (training wheels and all)

2008-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

I was always dreading the first broken arm or leg and hoped my kids would, somehow, grow up broken bone free like I did. Saturday night Drew dashed my hopes and wound up with a broken arm due to a crazy fall off his bike----training wheels and all.

He broke it in two places and has to wear his sling/wrap until the Doctor casts it on Friday when the swelling has gone down.

In the meantime, he has been out swinging his golf clubs, riding his bike, running with friends; it is definitely business as usual, with a one-armed difference. He has been a trooper and so tough during the whole ordeal.

LOTTERY SHMOTTERY

2008-05-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

I registered for the St. George Marathon , ready and excited to run my first marathon, and was sadly one of the 3, 000 people DENIED a spot in the race-----darn that blasted lottery. Yes, I must admit a tiny part of me was a bit relieved, but the majority of me was much more sad than anticipated.

There is a small possibility I can get into the race through one of the supporting charities if I can grow a money tree. Also, Lo does have a work associate from St. George that knows the race Director that may possibly find an avenue into the race.

There is another marathon in Logan that may have to take it's place, but I have to say that I am just not feeling the love for the Logan race.

In the meantime, I will continue my training efforts and see what happens.

RACE for the CURE.

2008-05-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today we participated in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure in honor of our friends and family who are breast cancer survivors. I think that there were more than 16,000 participants. The pictures don't do justice to the crowd of people we had in front of us and behind us; it was amazing.

Drew and Sommer even took their turn running to support the cause.

AN EARLY M-DAY PRESENT.

2008-05-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

Drew put on quite the show at his Preschool today. I am a sucker for a cute school program and I found myself getting a bit misty-eyed as he sang his Mother's Day songs.

Drew even came bearing gifts: I got a hand painted bouquet of flowers, a fancy card, and my very own flower in a smiley face cup.

I am thinking Mother's Day is the coolest after today.

I love you Droozer!!!

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO DREW!

2008-05-01T13:39:00.001-07:00

Drew's Birthday is in August, which is why he got to celebrate his un-Birthday today at preschool. He took some treat bags and party hats to share with his class for the celebration. At school, he was lucky enough to have a balloon tied to his chair and to wear a birthday crown while the class sang Happy Birthday. Drew is always ready for a party, and was feeling pretty darn good about one being held in his honor.

I have a June birthday, so I remember celebrating my un-Birthday in school too. One celebration that stands out was 1st grade in Mrs. Mickelson's class: to celebrate your special day you got to have her fancy Miss Piggy puppet sit on your desk for the entire day and, needless to say, I felt like a million bucks.

So, although there was no Miss Piggy puppet involved today, Drew is feeling pretty good about his un-Birthday celebration too. Happy, Happy un-Birthday Drew!

Cuckoo Clock

2008-04-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

I found this clock a few years ago during one of my organizing escapades at my Mom's house in her garage cabinet. I remember it hanging in our living room when I was a kid and being reminded many times to leave the clock chains alone. I have finally chosen a spot for it in my house and am trying to get it to work again. It just doesn't want to cuckoo or tell time on it's own yet; at least it looks good as it lazily sits there on the wall.

Grandpa Ed

2008-04-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Ed Cox passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2008. He was 85 years young and sharp and strong enough to take on many more years. Ed was a Marine Pilot in WWII, worked for the Bureau of Land Management and also worked for the LDS church as a Cartographer. To be "on time" for Ed meant you arrived at least one hour early and he was also who to call first if there was any news to get out to the family. I remember: many parties at Robintino's, chats in his living room while he sat in his recliner, his fancy "red sports car walker", detailed stories from his past, singing There was a Forest Ranger and Johnny Verbeck, and a big smile welcoming you and his great-grandkids in for a visit. He was married 64 years to his sweetheart Jane, who has been a loving companion throughout his life. We will miss you and love you Grandpa Ed and look forward to chatting with you again.

TRAIN STATION-Closed for Business

2008-04-12T16:22:00.001-07:00

Drew is the world's biggest lover of trains, so when I saw that there was a little train station museum near us we were excited to check it out. We have attempted to go numerous times and always found the museum locked and empty. On one of the unsuccessful visits, we finally found a sign posted in the museum window that said "Museum open Saturdays 10:00-2:00 pm." So, today being Saturday, we decided to check it out around 12:00 pm. and sadly the museum was still not open. We will try again and someday I just know they will let us in.

Reading with Grandma Moss

2008-04-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

We were in Idaho over "Conference weekend". Here are the kiddies with Gma Moss. She always has a new fun book to read with the grandkids. We had a fun visit that included a few little parties and late night chats.

MERRY-GO-ROUND

2008-03-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have been visiting the South Town Mall to ride the Merry-Go-Round lately and the kids are huge fans. Our last visit was last Saturday which is when Lo and I took these pictures. What I love is that Drew always has to bring along his cowboy hat for the big ride. Also, notice Sommey's scary cat she is riding.
I remember loving the merry-go-round and now it makes me a little woozy. In fact, just looking at the spinning picture of the kids below makes my tummy feel a bit off.

The "Sticky Ring."

2008-03-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Drew has never been one to shove things up his nose until yesterday. After lunch, Drew seemed a bit distressed and was complaining about the"sticky ring" that he said was stuck up his nose. Without knowing what this item was we searched and searched his nasal cavity unsucessfully. Well, today at around 3:30 pm and with the help of my eyebrow tweezers the infamous "sticky ring" mystery was solved. The "sticky ring" was a not so little purple jewel that had fallen off of Sommer's princess crown a few days ago. Drew just had to see if he could fit the beautiful gem up his nose and the jewel decided to stay for at least one night. I really can't believe I couldn't see it up there; I have an entirely new appreciation for how deep our nose holes are. (Lindsay, I also have a whole new appreciation for your many efforts in rescuing Calvin's little nose from foreign objects.)

Sommey Sue is TWO.

2008-03-24T10:44:00.001-07:00

Sommer turned two on Easter Sunday. She had twice the treats and goodies on her 730th day, which she thought was pretty cool. I really can't believe she is two-years-old. Time goes by way too fast. Some of her favorite things at 2 years old include: shoes, treats, avocados, tomatoes, playing outside, making messes, chatting with everyone she meets, her blanket from Aunt Nancy, hangin' out with Drew, Mom and Dad and being as busy as possible.
Happy Birthday Sommey. We Love You!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

We began our Easter celebration by coloring eggs on Friday afternoon. Sommer and Drew did a pretty good job. I think four of the twelve eggs were left unbroken by the time we finished. You may notice Sommer peeling her broken blue egg to check out what was inside.

Easter arrived and the Easter bunny delivered some yummy treats and a new Sunday outfit for Drew and Sommer. They showed off their prizes in front of the fireplace on Easter morning.

Mimi and Grandpa Nestman, Mardi, Terry, Payge and Nate all came over Sunday afternoon for a yummy dinner. We also had a great Easter egg hunt in the backyard and even the parents got some fun Easter surprises thanks to Mimi and Gpa Nestman. Drew showed up for the egg hunt with his snake mask and an alligator puppet and Sommer was ready after she found her little stuffed snowman.

We had a very fun day and look forward to another Happy Easter next year.

A good sign from a roaming robin.

2008-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am hoping that this robin on my lawn is a sign that spring is finally here to stay. Yesterday was the first "official" day of spring and so I thought it was pretty cool to find this little guy wandering around my yard this morning. Although the robin may not be a sure sign of spring, I am going to take it and run with it.

Denim Blue

2008-03-14T16:28:00.001-07:00

In lieu of my diaper bag needing to be thrown away and not wanting to do so, I decided to give Rit Dye a go. Due to my anxiety to make any decision, however big or small in my life, much deliberation went into the color choice. I wanted to dye it brown, denim blue, or burnt orange. I finally opted for denim blue. Here are the before and after shots:

First, I have to say don't be fooled by these pictures. Somehow the after picture bag looks more worn out than the before shot. I promise that in person the denim blue is a much needed improvement. I also have to say that part of me wishes I would have gone for the burnt orange color.
This small project has got me looking through my closet for any clothes that may need a color change. Don’t be surprised if the next time you see me I am dressed in denim blue from head to toe.

A few glimpses at what we have been doing over the past few months........

2008-03-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Grandma Marilyn

2008-03-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Grandma Marilyn Nestman passed away February 17, 2008. I knew her for almost eight years and was impressed by her many qualities. Marilyn was full of smiles and laughter, spoke with flowery language and was quick to let you know how "wonderful" she thought you were. She had severe arthritis for over thirty years and must feel such relief to have a healthy spirit that allows her to move and be as she once was. She had previously been quite the athlete; she loved tennis and golf and raised five adventurous boys. An impressionable memory I have of her is Christmas Eve in her favorite chair; she had just kicked her tiny legs up over the arm rest and was proudly smiling as she looked over her family. This is a picture I took this same Christmas Eve night at her home with her cutest grandson Lo.

baby cupcakes

2008-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

It will come as no surprise to a few of you that these cupcakes made their way to my blog. I was pretty darn proud of them and thought they deserved a bit of recognition. Kliss and I threw a baby shower last week for Lisa and this is where they made their debut. I found the idea online and made a few changes which made them even easier to make. It is a easy idea for anyone who just may be throwing a baby shower in the near future.

The Blogging Society

2008-03-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally decided to become part of the new blogging society. My family and friends keep sending me to their cute blogs and so I figured it was high time to join the club. Now it is just a matter of figuring out how to maneuver my way around the layout and settings so I can keep up with the cute blog antics of my predecessors.