Lake Hill

Madison, Jake & Tyler Norris & my boys

We are so spoiled being able to hop on our 4-wheeler and be in our mountians in less than 5 minutes. I was being pretty sponatneous (not a usual thing for me) and asked Kev if he wanted to go on the mountain for dinner that night when he was home for his lunch break. I knew I didn't really have to ask to know what he would say. I made tin foil dinners and had everything all ready. Then I decided it would be more fun to have friends with us, so then I drug our neighbors the Norris' up with us. We have the best neighbors! The kids had a ball and there were lots of laughs. It was absolutely gorgeous with the leaves changing colors. The moms took the kids on a hike around the pond while the guys got the fire ready. Colt was obsessed with the ducks and kept trying to get in the pond to get them! Then we ate yummy food and ended it with smores & roasted Starbursts. Yum! What a fun night! We need to do it more often!

Soccer!

Well, after tonight, soccer will officially be over! It has gone so fast! Troy had a rough time getting into it at the begining but now, he is so sad for it to be ending. He loves running around and loves even more, playing out with all of his friends. He is usually the one goofing around. He doesn't like to kick people so he usually isn't right in the middle of the pack. But he loves being gollie and LOVES the treats at the end of the game. I remember that being the ONLY reason I joined soccer when I was 4...only lasted 1 year though!

Meet Gertie :)

Kev & his brothers: Brett & Brian. Aren't they all so handsome!? The boys, not Gertie.

Kev & Jared Anderson...the man who saved the day :)

Yuck. Kev said he sat on him and blood poured out of his mouth. Ugh.

Well the day was finally here, and it was actually pretty exciting on my part too! Kev has been waiting to shoot this elk for about 5 months since he found out he got this tag, which apparently is a very special tag that not a lot people get. Everyone was excited to go with him hunting this year! Kev and his brothers were on the mountain for a week without having any luck getting one. Then our friend, Jared, told me that he could lead him right to one. So I said, "Where were you a week ago, Jared!" Long story short, Kev got his elk and we are all happy. It is a 6x6 (the points on his horns) and is huge in my opinion. I guess I think he is huge cause I have no idea how he is going to fit on our wall in our living room. Yes, I finally gave in. I was SO against it for so long but Kev finally came with the argument that my hobby is scrapbooking and I have my own room for it. And his hobby is hunting and all he wants is one elk on the wall. What could I say? He spoils me in every way so I had to honor his one little request....on 2 conditions of course. #1. I got to name him....a girl name. Meet Gertrude. #2. I get to dress him up for each holiday....he can wear goggles in the summer, a Santa hat at Christmas...etc. I thought my mom would appreciate that one :) I am just glad this hunt is over. Congrats, Kev!

Kiddie Kandids Pics

Am I the only mother who has bad experiences getting professional pictures taken? I swear, I must just have bad luck. These pictures turned out pretty dang good considering the kind of day we had. It was a very busy day at Kiddie Kandids in Provo. The lady in front of me had 4 little girls who would not cooperate and she left the studio bawling without buying any pictures. So I guess my experience could have been worse! I just looked at the lady next to me and said, "That's why you don't have 4 kids." and she full heartily agreed with her 2 little kids next to her! I am so bad! Back to the day...Kev was on day 8 of STILL hunting for his elk (he finally got the one he has been waiting for tonight, a post will be coming on that.) So I decided to take the kids to Provo to do pictures to pass the day away. We always have to get pictures in their Halloween costumes and I am very proud of myself that we have the costumes and pictures are done way before the end of September! Troy wanted to be a bat and I looked all over online to find a "cute" bat....and finally found one on Old Navy. This will probably be the last year I can get away with matching Halloween costumes :( I love dressing up my pretend twins :)

The not-so-highlights of the day included:

-chewing out the Kiddie Kandids girl for deleting my favorite picture of Colt without asking me. Agh, I am still ticked! He is just NOT photogenic (unlike his brother) so I was completely bummed I lost the adorable pic of Colt with his blankie :(

-chasing the kids ALL over the studio since their playroom was EMPTY! They were tired of the toys getting stolen so they emptied the thing out. Seriously? In a child photography studio there was NO PLAY AREA?! What dummies!

-locking my keys in the car and the police havinh to come save me (first time EVER doing this!)

-having to pull over on the freeway TWICE for Troy having to go pottie. When he has to go, he HAS TO GO I have learned!

All in all, it was a good day with some good pics. The prints I got are a lot better than these...since they did all the retouching, cropping & coloring. Oh, and I did apologize to the poor photographer for yelling at her after I was happy with how they turned out overall.

Enjoy the pics!

8 Things about Me...

~Thanks for the fun tag, Amberly~

8 things I am passionate about:
1. My sweet husband
2. My sweet boys
3. Scrapbooking & Cardmaking
4. Traveling
5. My parents & siblings
6. "Lost"
7. Church History
8. Sarah Palin :)

8 words or phrases that I say often:
1. COLT!
2. TROY!
3. Hi Honey
4. Can I have an extra large Diet Coke and that's all. (Troy always says this while we wait in line at McDonalds drive-thru!)
5. Thank you!
6. OK?
7. You know what I mean?
8. Like

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. See "The Lion King" on Broadway
2. Drive down the East Coast on a Fall Leave Tour
3. Go on a church history tour on a bus (why does this sound fun to me??!)
4. Go on a "girls trip" with my friends on a plane to ANYWHERE! Maybe NYC :)
5. Send Kevin on an Alaskan hunting trip with his brothers to get a moose for my wall :)
6. Own a black convertible as a "runaround" car
7. Send my boys to college and pay for it
8. Go on a mission with Kevin

8 things I have learned from my past:
1. Don't judge anyone, there is always a story behind why people do what they do.
2. Gossip hurts.
3. Lies hurt.
4. The Spirit is real.
5. "Don't give up what you want most for what you want now" (quote on my mirror all through high school and it still applies to my life today.)
6. If I got what I wished for when I was 16, my life would be a disaster.
7. If I got what I wished for when I was 18, my life would be a disaster.
8. When you have found your soul mate, you just know it.

8 Places I would love to go or see:
1. Go visit my BF Erin in Switzerland (#1 right now)
2. Visit Greece
3. Take my kids to Mexico to a beach resort while they are young
4. See Payton Manning play in the NFL
5. Take my kids to Disneyland every 3 years
6. Go on the "Sex in the City" tour around Manhattan
7. Go to Australia
8. Go to Hong Kong

8 things I currently need or want:
1. A Diet Coke
2. A Twix
3. a Cafe Rio Pork Salad
4. Stuff from Stampin' Up's new catalog
5. an elliptical machine
6. the windows tinted in my car
7. new Ugg boots before they are sold out everywhere for the winter
8. window treatments for my basement windows

8 people I tag:
1. Aubrey
2. Erin
3. Mandie
4. Kathi
5. Stacey
6. Amber Mower
7. Amberlie Mott
8. Cass

I Love Sarah Palin!

2 weeks ago, I had a very different opinion on this political race and how things were going to turn out. I consider myself to be an Independant voter and at that point, there were things I liked and disliked about both Obama and McCain. Then, out of the blue, I was watching MSNBC while getting ready in the morning and they got word who McCain picked as his VP. First, you gotta love a little drama on the cable news channels and this certainly stirred some drama up! But as they started stating the simple facts about who Sarah Palin was, I instantly felt some relief. And now that I have read pretty much everything on the Internet about her and heard her monumental speech on Wednesday night, I have to say I am a huge fan of hers. I am so relieved there is a HOPE to have someone like her in the leadership of our country. I love everything she stands for and more importantly how she stands up for it. She is a feisty woman and politician by day and a wonderful mother and family "woman" by night. With all the drama about her daughter being pregnant, like she said in her speech, they are a normal family with ups and downs but they are there for each other through it all. I didn't mean for this to turn into my "soapbox" but I guess it did! And it doesn't hurt that Sarah is a fashion diva with designer glasses and designer shoes and loves to shop :) Love her!

And if you haven't seen this clip of kids Piper & Trig at the speech, it's hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GliQjmuf8_s

First Day of Preschool!

Troy started his 2nd year of preschool today! He is going to Busy Bee Preschool with his teacher, Mrs. Jennifer. Lucky for me, it's right next door :) I am watching Jen's little boy, Tyler (2) while she does preschool so I don't have to pay all year either! Again, lucky for me! Colt & Tyler love to play so it's actually a big help to have someone entertain Colt instead of me! I can't believe how fast my little guys are growing up. This picture kinda makes me sad...I am afraid time will only go faster from now on. Guess I better enjoy today, even if I am pulling my hair out!

Our Big Boy!

Climbing the "rockwall"....I don't know when or how he learned this, but he started doing it on his own a few weeks ago.

At the top...

Sends his matchbox car down the slide....

And then it's his turn!

The boys love their playground in the backyard...and I love my big windows in my office where I can open the window and hear/see if there are any fights or problems :) Colt loves the slide and will do his little routine over & over & over again....it's so much fun to sit and watch him and his determination!

Our Relaxing Labor Day

We had an awesome Labor Day yesterday...just relaxing and spending time as a family. It has been so much fun being able to finally enjoy our yard now that the grass is all in. It took us over 2 years to get it all done! We enjoyed a bbq of grilled chicken & pesto and noodles (Shrek Noodles) for dinner and let the kids play.

Jack, a smart dog, is always around when the boys are eating...and we wonder why he never eats his dog food!

My cute little herb garden that my mom helped me with. I will only have to replant my basil & parsley ever year and everything else should come up in the spring. Yeah!

What's left of our garden....tomatoes, carrots & corn. We had lots of lettuce & spinich this year which was a lot of fun.

We have learned quickly that a house and a yard is a never ending project....we have plans of what we will add next year but I'm sure there will always be something else to do!

Here comes Gustav....

Have you ever seen Bourbon Street so calm?! I sure haven't! Poor, Poor, New Orleans...

As most of you know, I have lots of family that live down on the Gulf Coast of Texas & Louisiana...so you are not surprised by this post. Hurricane Gustav is headed to shore and sadly, he is headed directly inbetween the 2 towns where my family lives. I have grandparents in Houma, Louisiana (outside New Orleans) and Beaumont, Texas. I am dreading the morning when I have to turn on my TV to see what the devastation is. It seems like yesterday when I did the same thing with Katrina. Luckily, I know everyone is safe. My grandparents have made it to Memphis, Tenn to a hotel and will stay there til things calm down. Even though I know everyone will be safe, I am still scared to know that the houses I grew up visiting so often could be destroyed. I have so many memories of these 2 places, that I would be heartbroken if any of these homes are damaged beyond repair. Please pray for my sweet family members! May Heavenly Father protect them all.

Baby Maddox!

I can't believe I haven't posted any pictures of Baby Maddox, my newest little nephew! Kevin's little brother Brett & Jenna had him in July. He is the sweetest little guy & I hate having to "share" him at family events. So I was thrilled when they came over for a visit Wednesday night and I had him all to myself! (They only live 10 minutes away but that doesn't mean anything!)We had a fun night of playing Rock Band and I got to hold him the whole time! These pictures don't even do him justice, he is much sweeter in real life! Doesn't help that my camera looks is taking crappy pictures lately, hint hint b-day present Kevy ;)

Arggg! Happy Birthday, Troy!

We had a pirate party to celebrate Troy's 4th birthday! Troy has LOTS of friends, I only invited his "best" friends and we invited 24 kids! Luckily, only 20 came :) It was so fun though. There is a family in our neighborhood who has a pirate ship as their playhouse in their backyard. Their kids have grown up so now it's the perfect spot for parties! I got horrible pictures for some reason so sorry! I forgot the candles for the cake so Troy had "magic, invisible, pirate candles." I don't know if he bought it! Happy birthday, Troy-Boy!

Small Town Fun!

So this is what we do for fun! It looks kinda silly if you are from the "city" I am sure! Our friend, Jared Anderson, partisipated in the crash car derby this year so I took the boys to cheer him on! (Kev was out of town with his bros and dad to see the Braves play in Pheonix.) Jared pained his car to look like Lightening McQueen and he did such a good job! He won best paint job-the boys loved it too! Colt was up way past his bedtime so he got kinda cranky by the end. The only thing that saved me that night was Colt's "leash"! All of the kids wanted to walk him! Jared got 5th out of 40 cars so we are proud of him! We'll see you there next year!

Update

Thank you to everyone who has expressed love and concern for our friends, and especially Brock. I just wanted to give you an update, now that it has been over 2 weeks, things are starting to calm down a little bit for everyone. Lindsey's family recognized Brock at the funeral and said that they loved him and that it wasn't his fault and that he was a good friend. I think that really helped Brock with his guilt, even though it's still there. We are now just waiting to see if there are any charges pressed against Brock's dad, since it was legally his responsibility. We are all just praying that doesn't happen so everyone can start to heal and move on.

Prayers Needed!

Just wanted to share some sad news tonight and hope that you can include our sweet friends the Butterfield family in your prayers. This picture is of Troy and Brock...Brock is 11 years old and tonight was involved in an ATV accident that killed his next door neighbor. He was driving and none of the kids were wearing helmets. A simple drive through the neighborhood ended with Brock hitting a curb which led to the ATV landing on his neighbor, Lindsay. I just feel awful for everyone involved. Lindsay's poor family for their loss and the Butterfields for the guilt that they now will carry for the rest of their life. We were in the temple with the Butterfields on Saturday and was reminded what wonderful people they are and how grateful we are for their friendship. Bad things happen to good people. So please keep our small little community in your prayers since this will be a hard one for everyone involved with to deal with. I love you all!

Bye Bye Van!

I don't know why I get so emotionally attached to my vehicles! Kev and I had made the decision a while ago to trade in our van for a car for many, many reasons. The main one being that gas scares me to death and I don't see it leveling out or coming down any time soon. I hate putting so much money into a car when you think of payment, gas & insurance. My van isn't the best on gas and with it being the 4 of us, I kind of felt like there was a lot of wasted space in it. (And no, there will not be any new additions in our family ANYTIME soon so don't ask!) I loved my van a lot, more than I thought I would but after 18 months in it, it is kinda fun to be in a cute car again :) We traded it in and got a Honda Accord (2 years old) that is in perfect condition. Oh and 32 MPG is sounds REALLY nice to me right about now :)

So bye, bye, bye Honda Odyssey. Hello Hot little Accord!