THE DOUGLAS FAMILY

Treehouse Museum

2012-02-13T13:44:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, our family received a membership to the Treehouse Museum, from our good friends, The Boohers. In January, Addey came and stayed with us for a week while Steph and Paul were in St. George. We had such a great time with Addey. Clayton got to play with her every morning when Cooper would leave for school.
One afternoon, when Cooper got home from school, we headed to Ogden to go to the Tree house museum. It is a brand new location and the kids had a fun time. Clayton loved the "Thomas the Train" room. He also enjoyed the farm animals and barns.
Cooper and Addey had a good time dressing up like cowboys and riding the broncos and bulls. They also participated in making a craft and a Valentines Card. Another one of the centers the kids enjoyed was the the "Health Room". Here the kids could look at x-rays and also play with babies. Clayton thought this was awesome. He really loves babies right now!As we were getting ready to leave, they announced that the theater was going to put on a play. Cooper and Addey were so excited to participate in the "production". The did a play about the Chinese New Year. Cooper was a snake and Addey was a beggar.

We wrapped up the day with a cold Icee from 7-11. It was a fun museum with many activities. I will definitely be taking the boys back for more fun this year!

My Boys

2012-01-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

So far it has been a wonderful new year! I am so grateful for my husband and kids and I look forward to spending lots of quality time with them this year! I was looking through my mobile pictures and decided I wanted to post many of them.

Clayton absolutely loves his blankets. He is always carrying them around the house. He likes to wrap them around his shoulders, so that its up by his face. Every time we leave the house, he brings his blanket with him. Sometimes Bryce and I have made the mistake of forgetting to bring it when we go out of town....and that does not fair well for any of us.

One day I was visiting with my mom and some friends and noticed it was one hour past his normal nap time. I hadn't seen him in a while, so I went to his room and found him laying on a pile of his blankets that he had pulled down from the closet. He was fast asleep and so cute!Another day, we were in Smithfield watching one of Addey's basketball games. Clayton was tired and uninterested in the game, so I decided to take him outside for a few minutes. He put his blanket on the concrete and layed down on it! To help celebrate the new year and give the kids something to do, I took them to the movie, "The Adventures of Finn". It happened to be a 3D movie, so the kids brought home the glasses. We were driving in the car when I turned around and saw my cute boys wearing their glasses!
This past week it was time to get the boys in for their check up at the dentist. Cooper has always had a hard time at the dentist. He gets very anxious and in all the past visits, they have had to hold him down while they clean his teeth. So, I was nervous to take him and Clayton in this time. I told Cooper that he needed to be a good example for Clayton....and that's exactly what he did. They both sat well in the x-ray chair and let the nurse take all the x-rays and then they both did a great job while they got their teeth cleaned. It was so wonderful!Clayton had a pin needle cavity on the front of his tooth up near the gum line. I had to take him back two days later and get that fixed. He was such a good boy the first time, I told them he didn't need any anesthetic. I started to get worried the morning of the visit, but he was just fine.They put a little mask on him for laughing gas and he sat their and watched Cars 2. When the doctor came in, they didn't even have to give him the local shot. The doctor had it fixed in less than five minutes and we were done. I was so proud of him and he looked like such a big boy laying back in that chair!Cooper has become such a good reader. He reads alot for school and homework and so it seems to have come natural to him. Lately he has been reading to Cooper in the afternoons. They sit on the couch and Cooper reads to him. Its so much fun to watch them sit together. Clayton loves books and he loves his brother!Clayton has a couple of nieces who love to dress him up! Every time we go to Jacqui's house, Clatyon loves to play with Reese. She spends lots of time with him and she does fun little activities with him. She also loves to dress him up in her clothes, whether it be her shirts, swimsuits or dresses.He also goes to Steph's house and she has lots of "dress-up" clothes upstairs. A few months ago, he came down stairs with Addey and they were both dressed up. He looked like a cowgirl! Bryce just rolls his eyes every time he dresses up! Clayton loves to help me do most everything, especially baking, and cooking, and peeling. I let him help me crack eggs and scramble them. He loves to make cookies with me. Last weekend, we were at the Whettens house and Sis. Whetten let Clayton help her make cookies. She put a little Peruvian apron on him and he had a great time. Sis Whetten is like a second mom to me and so it was nice to see Clayton enjoy his time with her. And finally, Jacqui had her cute little boy, Cohen on January 2. He came into this world a little beat up from the vacuum, but he is such a handsome little guy. I have had to chance to spend lots of time with him the last two weeks, while Jacqui has been recovering, and he is such a precious baby! We are glad that he is finally here and they are both doing well!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-12-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

For our Anniversary this year, Bryce and I got a babysitter to watch the kids and we went to dinner and a movie. We ate at Applebee's, where we both had steaks and mashed potatoes. Afterwards, we watch Sherlock Holmes II. The first half was slow, but the last half picked it up. It was nice to spend the evening together. I am thankful that I have been married to such a wonderful man the past 11 years. The kids and I are blessed to have him in our lives. We have survived our up and downs the past 11 years, and I am happy that I have had Bryce by my side the whole time. Love you Bryce!

Sledding in a Winter Wonder Land

2011-12-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

The morning after Christmas, we took the kids over to Bear Lake to stay in Steph's condos. On the way, we stopped at Peter Sinks and went sledding with the Merrills. There was a constant breeze which made it chilly, but the boys stayed pretty warm once we got them bundled up and they started moving around. This was Clayton's real first experience with snow clothes and boots. This was also his first time to go sledding. After we got him dressed, he looked like the little boy on the Christmas Story. He looked like he couldn't move in his big jacket and boots. Bryce took Cooper down the hill for his first and his last time. Bryce didn't have his boots on the sled all the way, so Clayton got "dusted" from head to toy with snow all the way down the hill. He didn't think that was too great! When he got to the bottom, he had lost a boot, a glove, and his binki. Needless to say, he was done sledding after that experience.
Cooper, on the other hand, had a complete blast. He would just cruise down that hill whether he was forwards or backwards or sideways. And he would go way down to the bottom. I didn't think he would like it because of the hike back up, but he kept going over and over again.As soon as Paul pulled out his snow mobiles, Clayton got excited about that. He went on a few rides with Bryce and Paul, but decided it was too cold, so he spent most of his time in my arms. He let me pull him around on the sled for a few minutes.I went on a short snow mobile ride with Shaylee and Brittney. It was too cold for me and I did not have a helmet or a mask on. Bryce enjoyed riding the snow mobile. He used to own one back before his mission and would go all the time, so it was nice for him to have the chance to go again.Jaden, Addey, and Cooper had a great time going down one of the smaller hills. They would go over and over again. They were riding on a big sled, so all three of them would go down together. They would always crash at the bottom, but it was fun to see their faces as they raced down the hill. When we got to the condos, we got everything unpacked and headed over to Stephs condo for dinner. After that, we took the kids over to the pools. I sat by the baby pool while Clayton played and had a good time. Bryce took Cooper into the big pool where they played and had fun. Bryce would toss Cooper and Jaden across the pool. They thought it was great! The boys really enjoy swimming so that was fun to give them that opportunity, especially during the winter.That night, we went back to the condos and played games. We played "What If" with Paul, Steph, and the teenagers. The kids had a great time playing the "Cat in the Hat." The boys were tired when we got back to our room. As soon as Clayton hit the pillow, he was out! It was such a nice and relaxing day spent with our kids!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

2011-12-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

I really was wishing we had snow for Christmas, but there wasn't one flake this year. In fact, its been one of the driest Decembers' Utah has ever seen. This year, Christmas was on Sunday and we had church at 9 am. I got up a little early so that I could get showered and ready before the boys woke up. I noticed that Cooper was awake in his bed. I asked him if he could wait till I got out of the shower. He said, "Of course, I will just lay here and play my DS." What a good boy!!!
At about 8:15 we woke Clayton up and told him that Santa had come to visit our house. After a family prayer (new Christmas morning tradition), we headed downstairs to see what Santa had left for us. The boys were so excited!
Clayton really loves trains right now, so Santa brought him a "Thomas the Train" train and tracks. He can control the train with a little joy stick. He also received a train movie in his stocking, which he has watched almost every day. He had a great time going through his stocking and "unwrapping" presents. He kept saying "more presents?" He mostly just wanted to unwrap so he ended up unwrapping for Bryce and myself.Cooper came downstairs to find 2 baby frogs in a small ecosystem. He also got a transformer and some video games. We got him a bean bag to sit in while he plays his games. We also got him a rock and gem kit. He loved using his tools to chip away at the block of plaster to find 12 gems. Cooper received a journal in his stocking. Its a nature journal and he likes to write about things he learns about animals. After the boys opened their stockings and one gift, we had to hurry to get ready for church. We had a great program at church. The choir sang and the bishopric talked about the birth of Jesus. I was worried about going to church because many people knew about our failed pregnancy....and my emotions were still sitting on my sleeve. I tried to get out of their ASAP, but my neighbor caught up with me and I lost it. I cried so hard and it was great...Back home, we changed our clothes and continued to unwrap the rest of the gifts. Bryce got me a Home Base for my Ipod and some wind protectors for my four wheeler. He also got me some clothes and a running sleeve for my Ipod. Bryce received some clothes, a jacket, and some new basketball shoes. We had a good Christmas morning. It was fun to watch the boys and the excitement in their eyes.
At noon, we headed up to grandma and grandpa Coopers. We were able to visit with them before everyone else got there. We ate a light lunch with them, and then went to the Douglas' for the rest of the day. Its the first time we have all been to the Douglas' in a long time. It was nice to have almost everyone there and to be able to spend time with each other. We ate lots of yummy food and played games. Afterwards, we stayed at steph and pauls that night. Merry Christmas!

The Results

2011-12-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have done IVF, you know what the last three weeks has felt like to me. It's very stressful and its a constant worry, and waiting, and wondering. And then internally, you are trying to have hope and faith, but also protect yourself in case your expectations aren't met.
And no matter how hard you try to focus on other things (like the upcoming Christmas holidays) , in the back your mind, you have a weight tugging on your heart and mind and body....
and you feel like you are literally holding your breath for a few weeks...and then there's the emotional part of it....when you just can't take any more and you break down a cry for a few minutes....then your back on your feet again ready to face it all over.

Last Sunday was our big day to go back to the doctor to get my blood drawn and to find out if I was pregnant. They drew my blood at 8:45 am and then we headed home. Bryce and I paced the floor while we waited and waited and waited for the phone call. The call finally came in at 11:30. Our nurse, Heidi, proceeds to tell me that they like to see HCG levels be around 100, but that mine was at 67. She told me that I was pregnant and not to be discouraged. She said that they thought it might be the beginning of a pregnancy and that I needed to go get blood work done again in 48 hours.

Bryce and I really struggled for half the day. We weren't sure how we should be feeling...happy or sad....joyful or worried.....excited or cautious. We decided later that day that we would try to be positive and have faith. We called our family and told them the news. Everyone was excited. We told Clayton and Cooper and they seemed to be happy. The nurse told us we were pregnant, so that was something that needed to be celebrated.

This past Tuesday, December the 20th, I went to McKay Dee Hospital to get my blood work done. I was pretty antsy while waiting for the results. We were told we would know by noon, but I never received a call, so I called the doctor at 1:30....."I am sorry Jennifer, but I have bad news for you. Your numbers dropped to 30, so something is wrong with the pregnancy. Continue to take your meds and go get your blood drawn again in 2 days, just to make sure."

Well, I was literally shocked. That was completely opposite of the news "I knew" I was going to hear that day. It really rocked my world. I expected that everything would be fine and that nothing would go wrong. When you have these "expectations" that build for weeks and weeks, it is hard to pick yourself up after those expectations have been destroyed.

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for our family and I really hope that that plan includes more children. I really feel like Bryce and I will be blessed with another child, its just going to have to happen a different way. These past 10 years, we have tried every option, and with this last IVF, we have done everything possible to try to get pregnant. Its out our hands now and we can completely turn it over to the Lord. He will direct our paths and give us the peace and comfort that we need. I don't always understand why certain things happen in this life, but I know that they happen for a reason. Heavenly Father is all-knowing and he has a certain time line for things that happen. Our family has received many blessings and I know Heavenly Father will continue to pour out more blessings on our family. We have the two most amazing boys and we have been blessed with the greatest family and friends on this Earth. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have loved and supported us this past year. We wouldn't be where we are without each of you!

Birthday Blues

2011-12-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

On the 20th of December, Bryce and I found out that things went wrong with the IVF and pregnancy. It was a very hard week. I really tried to be happy but had a hard time making that happen. The next day was my birthday and while many friends and family sent me happy birthday wishes, it was also a day of mourning for me. I tried to make it a happy day that best I could. Jacqui and Bekka also helped by taking me out to lunch at Jason's Deli. I spent most of the day at Jacqui's and then Bryce and I went to a movie that night. We saw Mission Impossible. It was really good and helped take my mind off everything for 2 hours. Also, Bryce bought me a Polar watch that tracks heart rate and calories. I have been wanting one for sometime now, so I was very excited about that. Its a great watch and a perfect color for me. All in all, it was a good day....just a lot of ups and downs that day. Looking forward to a happier "Birth Day" in 2012!

Sorenson Christmas Party

2011-12-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Every year the Sorenson family has a Christmas Party in Smithfield. The Sorenson family is Bryce's mom, Marilyn's, family. We always meet at the club house for sloppy joes and yummy desserts. It's always nice to see some of the family that we don't get to see very often.
We also got to see Brandon and Jill and their kids. In fact, when I sat down on the couch, I got bombarded by all the kids...I still win the award for Most Favorite Aunt....just kidding! But it was nice to sit and visit with the kids. We played the white elephant games, which is a tradition at this party. With there being over 40 people, it takes quite a while and can get boring at times. It was nice to have Kassie and Jaden keep me company. Clayton was excited because he got a Thomas the Train engine. He kept running back and forth between me, Bryce, and Papa. He would drive his train up our arms or legs and then run off to play on someone else. Cooper got a transformer. He played Hide N Seek with the kids. We had a good time that night and we look forward to it next year!

Gingerbread Homes

2011-12-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

In the years past, I have never made gingerbread houses with the boys during the holidays. I guess I never thought to. But this year, we had the opportunity to make these houses three times. The first time was at Freedom Elementary with Cooper. We were allowed to bring our little ones, so Clayton came along to see what the excitement was all about!

They used little milk cartons for their base and they worked perfectly. I helped get Cooper started with the frosting and then he took off and did a great job. He made the front door out of pretzels. He made a chimney out of some soft red licorice. Clayton had a fun time decorating the ice cream cone like a christmas tree. I put on the icing and he put on the candy. They had so many different types of candy for the kids to decorate their houses. Clayton didn't eat any of it until the very end. I was so proud of him! It was fun to sit back and watch them be creative.The second time with made the houses was at Grandma Douglas' house. Cooper and Clayton got to spend time with their cousin, Hunter. After about 10 minutes, Cooper and Hunter were done making their houses, but Clayton worked on his for another 30 minutes. He had such a great time using the icing and putting peppermint candies on like a brick patio. After the patio was finished, he started stacking candy on top of the candy. This little project kept him busy and happy for a long time. I will have to do these every year or maybe a few times a year to keep Clayton happy. He loves to use his hands and he is very meticulous and OCD about how things should be done! Nothing like his mother!The last time we did houses was on Christmas Eve. Clayton was asleep, so me and Cooper headed to Jacqui's to do gingerbread houses with Reese, Jaxon, and Landon.....and let's don't forget Jared! He made a gingerbread race car

Christmas Party in Wellsville

2011-12-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

This year we had a Christmas Party at Grandma and Grandpa Coopers on the 11th of December. Everyone chipped in and brought food for a yummy lasagna dinner. After dinner, the kids had a great time playing all the fun games that Steph brought. They played Christmas bingo and everyone won a surprise. Another one of the games was an "elf dress up" activity where the kids were on teams and they had to race to see who could get dressed the quickest. Cooper wouldn't do it because he didn't want anyone to laugh at him. The kids looked so cuteWe also played a guessing game with the adults. It was a Christmas song game. Afterwards, grandma had me read the kids a Christmas story and then she wanted us to sing Christmas carols. It was nice to just sit there and sing songs and enjoys the Spirit of Christmas. Grandpa was having a hard time breathing that night, so he mostly stayed in the living room close to his oxygen. I love that even though Grandma's house is quite small, we can fit lots of people in it and everyone still has a great time!

All Aboard!!!

2011-12-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

Two Sundays ago, we took the boys to the Ogden Train Depot. There was an old steam engine that we wanted to show the boys. Clayton is so into trains right now. He plays with them all the time. He loves to put the tracks together and take them apart over and over again. He also is OCD about making sure every last track is used. He also gets upset if anyone touches his trains.

Anyway, both of our boys had a great time at the train depot. It was cold outside, so we didn't stand in the long line to see inside the steam engine, but the boys played on some of the old, "retired" trains and they thought that was pretty cool.We will definately have to come visit this place again when its not so cold and we have more time!

The Day of Transfer

2011-12-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 29th, I went in for an ultrasound. The doctor wanted to check the lining of my uterus and make sure it was thick and healthy. It is supposed to be at least 7 mm thick and mine was at 17 mm thick. That night I stopped doing the Lupron shot, decreased my estrogen, and started the progesterone shot.

One week later, on December 6th, Bryce and I headed down to the hospital for my transfer. They took us into a special room where I was prepared for the procedure. We had Dr. Petersen doing the transfer that day. He walked into the room, handed us a card with a picture of our 3 embryos on it and said, "Here are your babies." He preceded to tell us about their quality (1 being very low quality and 2 being good quality). He told us that he would feel comfortable transferring 2 or 3. He then told us it was time for a "family meeting" and that he would give us all the time we needed to decide how many to transfer. Bryce and I shared our thoughts with each other and then decided unanimously that we wanted to do all 3. We felt like if we transferred all three, it would give us a greater chance and we also felt like we didn't want to leave one of the embryos behind. I was really emotional during this time and my loving husband said, "Jenn, if it is supposed to work, it will....if it doesn't then we will be fine and we know that we have two boys who love us and we love them." I already knew this, but it was so nice to hear it from my husband.

The doctor walked in and we told him our answer. He said, "I think that is a good decision. I would have done the same thing." He gave me two Valium and then did an ultrasound on my stomach to find my uterus. The embryologist came into our room, had me verify the vial with my name and birthday and then handed it to the doctor. The doctor read my name and birthday to me and then the embryologist took it back to his lab and we got to watch him suck our 3 embryos into a catheter up on the screen. He then brought them to the doctor. The doctor put that catheter into another "guiding catheter" and transferred them into my uterus. They double checked to make sure the embryos were not left in the catheter and then we were finished. The doctor came up to me, shook my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, "Good luck. I will be praying for you." I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I was very impressed with this doctor. He was very caring and made me feel like we were the most important people to him at that moment.

After I rested for 30 minutes in the chair, a nurse (who helped us with our first IVF cycle) came into our room and helped me into a wheelchair and down to the truck. The employees who work there are great and I can tell they love their jobs and helping people like us to have families.

On the way home, my wonderful husband picked up some Little Caesar's pizza and bread sticks for us. We got home, ate lunch, and then I fell asleep till Coop got home from school. I was on bed rest all Tuesday and mostly on Wednesday. I owe thanks to so many people....Jacqui for always being there for us and for watching and caring my little Clayton, Holly for sitting with me for a few hours, Sallie, Rachel, Lori, and Julie for bringing food into our family....and the many, many family and friends' thoughts, prayers, and fasting on our behalf....I received so many nice texts and phone calls. I am so blessed to have so many people that love me and my family. Thanks for being so great to us. You are the best!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we rolled out a huge peice of paper on our kitchen table. We taped all the sides and then wrote "I am Thankful For..." on the top. It was alot of fun to sit down with the kids and write or draw pictures of the things we were thankful for. We just left it there for a few days and it continued to fill up. It was a nice way to give thanks and remember our many blessings.

On Thanksgiving morning, I was awaken at 2 am by Clayton crying in his room. I stumbled through the dark half asleep when I realized he had croup, yet again. This is the 7th time this year. We took our familiar drive to the Wee Pediatric where they administered a steroid shot, and we were back in our beds in less than 45 minutes! The good news is that we are getting quicker and quicker. Clayton slept well the rest of the night. On Thanksgiving Day, he wasnt' the most pleasant fellow to be around. The meds make him tired and emotional.

On Thanksgiving morning, Cooper and I went and participated in the stake 5k. Cooper rode his bike next to me while I ran. It was alot of fun and a nice way to spend some time with Cooper. He also had a great time and thanked me for inviting him on our way home. As I was running, it reminded me of when I was a young girl and I would go up to Texas A&M campus and run the Turkey Trot with my dad every Thanksgiving. Those were good times! It was nice to run in the morning so I could eat whatever I wanted throughout the day. I definately want to do it again next year.After the run, we headed up to Steph's house for the day. It was great to spend another Thanksgiving with family and especially Grandma and Grandpa Cooper. I won't get many more holidays with them, so it is always great to be in their presence. Steph and Grandma made the turkeys and the food was great, as always.
Kylee, my neice, is studying to be a massage specialist. She gave me a nice massage after lunch and it felt great. The kids had a great time playing with each other. Clayton was ornery and tired because of his croup. Later that evening, we continued to eat and watch the Texas vs. Texas A&M football game. The Aggies lost by one point in the last few seconds. What a frustrating game!We had a great Thanksgiving holiday this year. We didn't do the Black Friday shopping, which was kind of nice. On Friday, I went to CrossFit with Paul. It was nice to workout after all that food. Bryce took Cooper to the movie,"Dolphin Tale". After that, we spent part of the night with the Douglas' eating turkey sandwiches and playing card games. Later that evening, we put Clayton to bed and sat in the hot tub with Cooper. The next day, we headed back home so we could get our Christmas lights up on the house.

Preparations

2011-11-23T07:17:00.001-08:00

In late August, I decided that I better start "preparing" to get pregnant. I wanted to get my body back in shape and lose some weight before I hopefully got pregnant. I talked to my friend, Mandy, and she helped me lose 15 pounds. I am now working out 3-5 times a week and trying to eat a little better. I feel healthier and stronger.

I also went to my cranio sacral therapist two days ago to get my energy flowing correctly again and to make sure every thing is aligned. I love cranio therapy. I only need it about every four months but it really helps with my headaches. I also know that cranio therapy is helpful when trying to get pregnant. It was a really good session and there were many "future emotions" that were tangled up in my body tissues. We worked those out,but there was one emotion that she said was stuck. She felt like the emotion that I was having a hard time letting go of, was a feeling of helplessness. I talked to her for a second about my thoughts. Right now, I feel helpless. In the end, I can only prepare and do so much, and then it is up to the will of the Lord. So, in a way, I feel helpless. Anyway, this all might sound weird to someone who has never had cranio sacral therapy, but it is actually really neat work.

Last night, Bryce and I were able to attend the temple in Bountiful. It's always nice to go into the temple and feel the peace that resides there. I was able to put some names, along with ours on the prayer roll. I hope that through the faith of others, along with ours, our family, and our friends, we will receive help in this process.

I have also been trying to stay away from caffeine. I really love Dr. Pepper, and it is definately a weakness of mine. I will have a small glass or a sip now and then, but I have decided that the week before the transfer, I want to stay away from caffeine.

As far as the invetro goes, I have been on Lupron shots for 2 1/2 weeks now. Today I start taking 3 estrogen pills a day. I will continue this until next Wednesday. I have an ultrasound on Tuesday to make sure there are no cysts and also to make sure the lining of my uterus is thick and ready to receive the embryos.

There are so many things to think about when trying to prepare one's body to get pregnant, especially with the invetro process. I am two weeks away from transfer and I hope that I am ready, both phyisically and emotionally. This is something that never leaves my mind. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and Christmas is right around the corner. Its such a fun and busy time of year, but I am having a hard time focusing on other things right now. So, part of me wishes the invetro process would be here and gone, but then I don't want to wish my most favorite time of year away either. It just seems like the anxiety, worry, hoping, and wishing just builds up as it gets closer.

I just went upstairs to take my morning meds which consists of an estrogen pill and a Lupron shot. Cooper's friend is here and he saw me with the shot. He said, "You have to give yourself a shot? Doesn't it hurt?" Cooper says, "Yes it does hurt." Jaxson says, "Then, why would do it?" Cooper says, "Because my mom really wants to have a baby." I guess that says it all!

Bring Me Back

2011-11-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

November is National Adoption Month and so I thought I would share a few thoughts about adoption. I have been blessed to have two beautiful boys, one from adoption, one from pregnancy. I have often thought about the two experiences. They were both completely different, but equally amazing. Looking back, I would not choose one way over the other. They each have their positives and negatives, and I can say that I definitely felt the Hand of the Lord in the adoption and the natural birth. Both were very spiritual experiences and I am so thankful that I have had both these opportunities.

I am so thankful for such wonderful birth parents. They are such great people and they have shown us so much love. As I have gotten to know them over the past 6 years, along with their families, I have grown to love them as if they were my own siblings and family members. I am thankful to a birth mom, that to do this day, still supports us and stands by her decision to place Cooper with our family. Though she has rightfully chosen to step back and create some distance between her and Cooper, I still receive very touching and meaningful texts, emails, and notes from her. This has meant the world to me. She is married now to a wonderful man and she seems to be very happy. I will forever be grateful to her for that choice she made on that beautiful night of April 14, 2005.

I often look through my pictures, letters, and scrapbook from that night, and I tear up every time. It brings me back to that night. I think about the nerves, the tears, the smiles, the heartache, the joy, the pain, the look in others eyes, and most of all, the unconditional love that was felt in that room for Cooper. I will always treasure my pictures and letters from that day. They bring me back!

I am so thankful for a birth father who is loving, and kind, and supportive. I have witnessed the tenderness and love that is in this man. He has such a big heart and I see that is Cooper as well. I am grateful for a man that stood by the side of Coopers birth mom through her pregnancy and together, they made the difficult decision to place Cooper with us. Not very many men stay in this situation, but he did and that says alot about him. I was told by my caseworker, that this was really rare, so I knew he must be amazing. I will always have a special place in my heart for him.

I am indeed grateful for the birth families. I have had the opportunity to build great and lasting relationships with these wonderful people that I call family. They have really took us in and treated us so kindly these past 6 years and I will forever be thankful to each of them. We have been very blessed by adoption. It has touched our lives forever!

The Struggle, the Pain, the Hope

2011-11-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

Last December, Bryce and I started thinking about having another child. We didn't prevent from December to about April. I really thought that we might actually get pregnant. I have heard so many times that women who finally get pregnant after years of infertility, might have a better chance of getting pregnant again, because the body knows what it feels like. I was really hopeful and excited, but it never happened. Month after month went by, and nothing. Oh well, so we decided to start "trying".

Now, as I have said before, I don't like trying. I don't know if its because its already a very emotional thing to have infertility, and then to have to do temperatures, "have to" have relations every other day, take ovulation tests, stand on your head for a few minutes after the deed is done, and then think that every little thing that happens to your body over the next few weeks means your pregnant......but then you see that little color of pink and your hopes are dashed for another month.

Anyway, Bryce and I started trying for a few months. When I saw my doctor in December, he said, "you should be able to get pregnant within 3 months of trying. if you can't, come see me and I will help you." In July, we decided it was time for some other help. I started Chlomid in July and was on it for three months. Again, the doctor said, "if you cant' get pregnant on Chlomid in three months, it won't help and you will have to do something else."

With family in town during July, hotel stays booked with other family in September, and nights in relatives houses in August, we had a hard, yet creative time "trying" during that special week of the month!

The first of October, Bryce and I went back to the University of Utah Reproduction Medicine. There we met Dr. Erica Johnstone. She went over all of our information and told us about our 3 embryos that were still frozen. She told us that 2 of them were pretty good and one was kind of weak. We talked about the fresh cycle vs. the frozen (cryo) cyle. The % drops to 30 on a frozen cycle. We walked out the office feeling good and ready to start the 10 week process.

As soon as my next cycle started, the first step was to start birth control pills. I just finished a 3 week dosage of those on Saturday. I started the Lupron injections a week and a half ago and they seem to be going fine. Lupron makes you so you don't produce any eggs. I have only had one night of "night sweats" where I woke up completely drenched, but for the most part have been fine.

Right now and constantly, all I can think about is this invetro. I have thought alot about faith and hope and how they go together. Here is the answer I have come up with: I have hope that this process will work for us. Yet, I want to have the faith to trust Heavenly Father's plan for us, regardless of what happens. Honestly my thoughts drive me crazy most of the time. I assume that it will work, because it did the first time. But then I think, 'what if it doesn't work'. And I don't even want to go there. So, my thoughts are all over the place. I try not to focus on it too much, otherwise, it makes me emotional. I am trying to keep my thoughts and emotions on the surface, but it is going to become harder, especially with all the drugs that are going into my body in the near future. I start estrogen pills in 2 days and then progestrone injections in 2 weeks. Although it is difficult at times, I know that this is what I need to be doing right now.

I also feel like I am alone in this process right now. Bryce is not part of this at all. He will go with me to the ultrasound, but thats about it. I have so many emotions, thoughts, and feelings about it, but I feel like there is no one that understands. It just feels frustrating at times. Oh well. Life is good and soon this will all be over. I am so thankful for medical advancements and technology that give us this opportunity to even try to get pregnant. Its a wonderful process and can create wonderful results!

Happy Birthday, Jocelynn

2011-11-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

On November 6th, my sister, Jocelynn, celebrated her 40th Birthday. To help her celebrate, Steph and I helped Kyle plan a surprise birthday party for her. It was alot of fun. We had it out at the Paradise Town offices. Many friends came and we at pizza, breadsticks, and yummy dips. We ended up playing couples bunko and that was a blast. Jocelynn was very surprised and it seemed like she had a great time! Happy 40th! So blessed to have you as a sister and a friend!

Halloween

2011-11-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

This year we missed the ward Halloween Parade because we had Bryce's work party. On Halloween night, we went over to Jacqui and Jared's for trick-o-treating and taco soup. The boys had a blast this year. I didn't think that Clayton would like to dress up, but he was Ok with it.
When he realized that he was getting candy from every house, it started becoming very exciting for him. He loves candy. I know most kids love candy, but he LOVES candy. In fact, he would go up to every door, say trick or treat, thank you, and then run down the side walk saying, "candy, candy, candy."

Cooper really caught the "vision" of trick or treating this year. He and Jaxson wanted to keep going and going. They ran from house to house and got so much candy. Cooper doesn't really care for candy that much, so he still has a bag full sitting in his closet. They had a great time and it was so much fun to watch them be excited and it always brings back memories from when I was a kid! Happy Halloween.

More Wedding Pictures

2011-10-31T13:16:00.001-07:00

Chelsey's Wedding

2011-10-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

This past week, it has been fun to have mom and dad up from Texas, even though its been a short visit. Mom flew in 2 Saturday's ago on her birthday. The kids and I went to the airport to pick her up. They helped me make a sign for her and they were really proud of it when she saw it. On Sunday, we have surprise birthday party for her at Grandma Coopers. Every one came and it was so much fun to actually surprise her. It was hard to pull off, but we did it!
On Saturday the 29th, my oldest niece, Chelsey, got married to her boy, Justin Stuart. They got married in the America West Heritage Center. Her colors were turquoise and brown and everything was decorated so nicely. They got married in a barn and they had quite a few guests come to the wedding and reception.
Chelsey and Justin seemed to be very happy. I hope that they can make this marriage work and work towards the temple. The actual wedding ceremony only lasted less than five minutes. The bishop that married them, kept it short and sweet. I felt like he should have given them some advice, but to each its own. After the wedding, they had a small break to get tables set up and ready for the lunch. They had Coppermill cater the luncheon and the food was great. They served fresh fruit, green salad, BBQ chicken, roast, dutch oven potatoes, rolls, and raspberry cobbler with ice cream on top. As we were wrapping up lunch, they opened the floor for those who wanted to say something to Chelsey and Justin. The parents and siblings spoke first and then some of Justin's friends. Then, my 86 year old Grandpa Cooper got up and it went completely silent. He proceeded to tell us how much Chelsey meant to him. He told us that he gave Chelsey a priesthood blessing and that she was told that if her and Justin would keep the Lord's commandments, then there marriage would be successful. After grandpa finished speaking, there were not very many dry eyes in the room. He is such a great example to me. I was so proud of that man for getting up there and sharing his testimony with everyone. I guarantee Chelsey and Justin will never forget the words that he spoke that day!After the luncheon, they moved the tables back and got things ready for the reception. The reception went from 4-6. At her reception, they served ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, gourmet chocolates, turkey croissants, and lots of candy.During the day's activities, all the cousins had a great time playing at the Heritage Center. Thanks to Aunt Steph, the kids all had wristbands to go and do all the Fall and Halloween Activities. Cooper, Ty, and Jaxson had a fun time trying to walk the "plank". They kept falling in the hay.There was also a huge slide there and Addey and Cooper had a blast going up and down that slide. I think they were over there for almost 2 hours. Cooper was exhausted by the time the night was over. They also got to ride the ponies and go for a fun train ride. This was Clayton's favorite thing! They also have a section that is full of farm animals. The kids would pick grass and feed the little pygmy goats. They also found some old corn cobs and spent lots of time feeding the chickens. Its such a fun place for families and they have a variety of activities. Thanks Steph for being so thoughtful!All in all, it was a nice day. The weather warmed up and the clouds went away. It was great to see many family members and friends that I haven't seen in years. I know that Chelsey is happy, so that is a good thing. I enjoyed spending time with my parents and grandparents. And I loved spending time with Bryce and the boys while they enjoyed the "Fall" weather and activities!

"Owl" O Ween Cookies

2011-10-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

A week ago, we were up in Smithfield visiting grandma and papa Douglas. Grandma decided to make her famous Owl Cookie Dough so the kids could create the cookies. I love the actual dough better than the cooked cookies, but it was fun to watch the kids.

This was Clayton's first year to actually make them himself. He enjoyed putting on the peanuts and chocolate chips. He even had to stick his tongue out a few times so that he could really focus (got that trait from his mom)Cooper and Hunter had a great time designing their owls. Cooper liked to overload his cookies with chocolate chips! After they finished, grandma baked them, put them on a plate, and sent the boys home with their very own cookies! Thanks Grandma Douglas for making this a fun tradition every year!

UEA Weekend

2011-10-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Cooper had Thursday and Friday off last weekend for UEA weekend. Bryce decided to take both days off of work so we could spend some time together as a family. We decided that we would take the boys and stay in a hotel on Thursday night. It's always fun for kids to stay in a hotel. Cooper and Clayton enjoyed swimming in the pool and hot tub. When we first got there, Bryce took Clayton over to see the four wheelers at the store next door. He had fun sitting on all the four wheelers.

Later that night, we went over to our friends house, Renee and Gary, and had Chinese takeout. The food was great. We had a wonderful time visiting with them and the boys had a good time playing with each other. When we got back to the hotel, we all crashed for the night!
On Friday, we took the kids to Thanksgiving Point that is located in Lehi. They always have so many different activities there for families. This was our first time going there. We went to the Cornbelly Cornmaze and Pumpkin Festival. It costs us $11 a person and there were over 40 Halloween and Fall activities for the kids to do.

Cooper enjoyed jumping on the bouncing horses. After that we headed over to the little cow cart rides. Cooper really wanted Clayton to ride with him, but Clayton was scared. He ended up riding with Bryce. I was surprised that Bryce's long legs could fit in one of those, but it did and they looked really cute together!
We also enjoyed the duck races (water pumps) , a spider web the kids could climb on, the talking chickens, the color mazes and the wooden tractors, trucks, and trailers with slides. We were able to watch the pig races. The kids enjoyed the little pigs running round and round and the crystal suckers mom got them! Bryce and I were irritated because we got into our seats 15 minutes early, and when the show got ready to start, lots of parents let their kids come and stand right in front of us. Oh well, life goes on!
After the pig races, we got to do Clayton's favorite thing...go on the hayrides. He just loves tractors, so he was so happy to ride on the trailer. The kids got to sit in a older fire truck and pretend to drive. After that, the kids played in the "bounce" section. Cooper spent alot of time here. He thought all the bounce houses were fun. Clayton headed off to do some smaller slides with Bryce.The last thing we did, was to let the boys jump on the huge "pillows". These were filled with air and the size of a house. It was fun to watch Cooper have a great time on the pillows. Clayton, on the other hand, just wanted to throw sand on them! Why does he always have to act like his Uncle Shayne?!!! We definitely could have spent another few hours there, but we were getting hungry and Clayton was starting to get tired. The weather was perfect and even a little on the warm side, especially for October, but it was great! It's something we will have to do again next year.

Black Island Farms

2011-10-25T12:32:00.001-07:00

Last week, we went to Black Island Farms with Jacqui, Landon, Holly and Jaxson. There are many activities for the kids to do. There are also lots of places to take cute pictures, so I thought that was great.They have many farm animals there including pigs, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, roosters, peacocks, and llamas. Clayton thought the llamas were pretty cool. He stood next to the llama trying to poke it through the fence with his little fingers. Good thing they werent' spitting!
The next activity were the slides. Normally, they would be lots of fun, but on this morning, they had dew and frost on them, so the kids were getting wet and dirty from the hay. Clayton thought it was fun, but he had a hard time climbing up the ropes to get to the slide. We decided to head over to the corn box. Clayton enjoyed playing in the kernels but they stuck all over his clothes and shoes. He kept trying to take his shoes off! He played on the tires for a few minutes and then we headed over to the hayrides. He was so excited when we got there and he could see the tractors. This was definately his favorite part of the day. We sat in the front of the hay wagon and the driver gave him a little white boo pumpkin.

The tractor took us out pass the cornstalks and over to the carrots and cabbage patches. The driver let the kids taste both vegetables. Then we headed to the pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick their very own "pie' pumpkin. I guess the littler pumpkins are best for making pies. Clayton sang to himself the whole way back to the farm. He was so happy to be on a wagon ride!

Cabin Fever

2011-10-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Bryce and I had the opportunity to go up to Chris' cabin in Bear Lake. This time we were accompanied by Jared, Jacqui, Chris, Michelle, Denice, Kelly, Moriah, and Derek. These are all friends of ours that work with Bryce at Alpine. Thanks to Bryce's parents, we were able to enjoy the weekend without the worry of the little ones.
We dropped the kids off to Mom and Dad on Friday evening. Clayton knew something was up and did not want me to leave the room. He was really mad when we left. Mom said he stopped crying as soon as we pulled out of the drive. It is nice to be able to leave the boys with family that they are comfortable with. The boys love their grandma and Papa Douglas'. They had a great time!
When we got up to the cabin Friday night, it was already dark, so we couldn't see the beautiful scenery. Chris was working on a puzzle when we arrived, so I sat down and started helping on it. I love doing puzzles, but haven't been able to do one in a few years since Clayton was born. I'm pretty sure he would love to "help" me with a puzzle! We finally finished it two hours later. We crashed at about midnight after we watched TV for a while.
On Saturday morning, Bryce made everyone 3 egg omelettes. This is his specialty and something that he loves to cook. He does a great job and they all loved their breakfast and the fact that someone else cooked it for them.

After breakfast, we made lunches and got ready to go on a four wheeling ride. It was a little chilly that day with highs in the uppper 60's, so we had to make sure we were dressed warm. Bryce, Jacqui, and I were on wheelers while everyone else took Rhino's.
There was quite a bit of standing water up there and Jared had a blast driving through the puddles. It was pretty breezy, but it was such a beautiful day. This is my favorite time of year. The trees had all changed colors and they were a mixure of golden yellows, burnt oranges, and fiery reds. The trails were covered in leaves and it was so pretty.
We stopped up at Temple Peak and took a group picture. There was snow dusted mountains in the backgrounds and the mountains were painted with many colors. After temple peak, we headed down to the next trail.
This trail took us to a natural spring. It is located near some small ponds and beaver dams. It was gorgeous down there and this is where we decided to stop and eat lunch for the day. By this point, it was starting to warm up a bit. Jacqui is 7 months pregnant and so the ride was starting to wear on her belly. I ended up switching her four wheelers because mine rides alot smoother.
After we washed up at the spring, we took off for Old Ephraims grave. Many of our group had never been there, so they were surprised at how big the bear was in real life. It was a really nice ride for the most part. It was alot of fun and so nice to be out on the four wheelers again. I am hoping we can go at least one more time before the snow falls! When we got back to the cabin, we were hungry, so everyone brought out the food. We had fruit salsa (YUM), jalepeno popper dip, pumpkin bars, cheese and meat tray, fruit tray, pumpkin pie, chocolate, candy, and homemade salsa. Then we ate dinner, which was tender, juicy steaks, cottage cheese salad and green salad. The food was so good and I totally ate way more than I should have, but it was so wonderful. After dinner, Chris and Michelle had to head home, but the rest of us sat down to a fun game of "Five Crowns". Jacqui was so sore from the ride that she had to lay down for the rest of the night. At some point during the night, she had a rib pop out of place, but she ended up being able to get it back in. After cards, we watched tv and then hit the sack. It was such a nice and relaxing "gettaway". On Sunday, we woke up, ate cereal, washed our bedding, completed the "leaving the cabin" list and headed back to Smithfield where the boys were very excited to see us. Its always nice to have a break, but it sure is nice to come back to the kids!

Picture Perfect

2011-09-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I met Jocelynn in Logan so she could snap some pictures of my boys. I like doing it this way rather than buying "school pictures". The weather was perfect, and the boys were pretty good themselves. I always struggle with patience on "picture days".

Clayton found some sticks to play with and he really enjoyed putting them in his mouth. At one point, I had to throw a bunch of sticks in the air to get him to smile. Sometimes I would have to pretend there was a bug on Jocelynn's head and try to smack it.

The area we took the pictures at, was really pretty and the boys just wanted to explore instead of take pictures. Clayton kept trying to run off. I found a rock for Cooper to sit on for one of the pictures. It worked well because Clayton wanted a rock also. He sat next to his brother and put his hand on his knee....so cute!Everytime we would try to take a group picture, Clayton would be a stink. So, I decided I better just get a picture with Cooper and try Clayton on another day!

Day 3

2011-09-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, we all dragged ourselves out of bed and went down to breakfast. Most of us were feeling pretty tired and Nicki described as "full of lead." We were just slow moving. I don't know if it was the cold, rainy weather from the previous days that sucked the life out of us or the fact that we weren't sleeping in our own beds.
We left the hotel around 9:00 and drove towards Scipio. We weren't' quite sure which road to take, but we finally back tracked and made it to our trail around 10 am. The sky was blue for the most part, but it was kind of chilly. We could see our breath, so we knew we better dress warm. Most of us through on our rain gear to help block the wind. The skies started to build dark clouds and it threatened most of the day, but we ended having a dry day, which was nice since it was colder that day.The trail we took winded up the mountain through the pines and aspens. It was so pretty and green. There were even a few leaves that were starting to change colors. As we climbed, we could see just how far up we were going. I have learned that it doesn't take very long to climb up a mountain on a four wheeler. You can cover alot of ground in a short amount of time.The trail we took on this day actually connected to the trail that we took on Thursday. In fact, we met up at the same point on the trail from Thursday. There is winter cabin up there that was the meeting spot. It's a rescue cabin. Anyway, the wind was blowing good up there so we decided to go back down to a warmer spot to eat lunch.
I couldn't believe the mountain ranges in this area. Pictures do not even do them justice. It just seemed like the mountains went on forever. It was a good mixture of Moab and Logan Canyon. Richfield was such a beautiful area. I had never been there before, so I was pleasantly surprised. Both Bryce and I had a great time on this trip. It is definitely something we would love to do again. It was so nice to be able to spend that time together without kids and also to get to know the other couples better. We enjoyed spending the three days with Mom and Dad, and look forward to doing it next year!

Day 2

2011-09-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

We watched the news on Thursday night and knew that it was supposed to be extremely stormy on Friday. We made sure we were a little more prepared for the rain and cold this day. We got up early, ate breakfast, made lunches and then headed about 20 miles to the Max Reid Trail. This was such a gorgeous trail. This was definitely Bryce and myself's favorite all time trail. This first 13 miles takes you over the creek about 15 times. The trail is just wide enough to fit a four wheeler through. Marilyn described it best when she said "the trail looks like it is a path that has been carved right up the mountain through the trees. I love trails that are lined with trees, especially quaky aspens. When we got up to the top, we decided to put on our rain gear because it was getting darker and darker by the minutes. We stopped and took a group picture before we headed up the "rocky" path. There is a spot in the trail that is just big boulders and its fun to go over. By the time we got to the top of that trail, it started sprinkling and my hands were freezing.
We headed back down to an old mine that was there in the 1800's. There was a cabin there where a husband and wife raised their 10 children and housed the workers upstairs. It was still a pretty sturdy cabin considering it was that old. Roger, who was our trail guide and leader most of the time, really wanted us to go up to the 12,000 foot pass. About a mile into it, it started down pouring, so we pulled over under some pine trees to try and get some relief from the rain. We ate lunch here and waited for that rain storm to pass. After about 20 minutes, the rain stopped and a small piece of the sky was blue, so we decided to take off up the trail.
There were so many different landscapes and different types of mountains. Some were really sandy, others had red rock and many were covered in pine trees and aspens. When we got to the top of the pass, the wind was blowing good and it was quite chilly up there. I took a few pictures and told everyone I would see them at the bottom. My hands were freezing, so Nicki and I warmed them by the exhaust pipe. Bryce led us back down the mountain and he was going a pretty good speed. When we got to the part where we could go back to our original spot or go a different route, a huge lightning strike hit near us and it thundered really loud. We took off and headed back. We were going around 25 mph and by this point the rain was coming down good. I was trying to stand up for most of it, because I didn't want to soak my crouch again. It didn't work. When we got back to the trail head, the rain was sprinkling and we were all soaked. We made up our minds that it was time to head back to the trailers. By this time, we had been out on the trails for 6 hours and it was a fun ride, but dangerous to be in the storm. We had 13 miles back down the windy and beautiful trail. There was one part of the trail that was a little steep and slippery, but we all made it through safely.
On the way down, those puddles of water had turned into big puddles of water. When we went through them in the morning, I was careful not to get wet. But, on our way down, I was already soaked, so I had a fun time blasting through the water. When we got back to the hotel, Bryce and I hit the hot tub as quickly as we could. We were so cold and it took us at least 15 minutes to finally warm up. I went and worked out in the hotel gym and then jumped in the shower. For dinner, we went to a cabin looking restaurant and the food was awesome! We were so tired after dinner that we headed back to our rooms and crashed for the night

A Not So Warm and Dry Vacation...Day 1

2011-09-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Bryce and I went on a 3 day "four wheeling" trip with Roger, Marilyn, Bishop, Nicki, Sheridan, and Luann. We had planned this vacation almost a year in advance and had been talking about it ever since. As the time got closer, I was getting so excited for the trip. We had taken the boys on many rides, but had only been on one ride by ourselves this summer.

When I found out that my friends funeral was over the vacation, I was really torn up inside about what to do. After talking to his daughter and my close friend, she talked me into going on this trip with my husband. She told me that if she had learned anything in the past 5 weeks, it was that the only thing you can take with you when you die, are your relationships and memories. It was a very tough decision, but I ended spending the the three days with Bryce.

We headed out for Richfield Utah on Thursday morning. I dropped Cooper off at school and then went to the airport to pick up Sean for the funeral. Sean took my car and I jumped in with Bryce. We met the rest of the group down in Nephi at Subway, where we enjoyed a yummy, healthy sandwich and my first taste of Dr. Pepper in 5 weeks! It was great, so I gotta stay away from that stuff.
It took us three hours total to get to Richfield. We were a little early for check-in so they let us all put our stuff in one room till the other rooms were ready. We went on a shorter ride that first afternoon. About halfway up the trail, we started feeling raindrops so we decided we better get our rain gear on. The trails down there are called the Piute Trails. I don't know any of the history, but I am assuming the Piute Indians used to inhabit this area. There are over 1100 miles of ATV trails down there and most of them connect to each other.
The trail for nice and smooth. In fact, cars could probably go up the first trail pretty easy. When we started back down the trail, the rain down poured. We were soaked, but it didn't rain for too long. We noticed the rain gear kept us dry except in the "bum" region because the water pools up there and has no place to run off when we are riding.
When we were about 5 miles from our trucks, we hit a trail that hadn't been rained on, so there was dust. Dust, wet wheelers, wet clothes and wet goggles don't go well together. We were so dirty when we got back to the trailers.After we got cleaned up and dry, we went to dinner at a little place in Monroe about 8 miles down the road. Everyone enjoyed their food. I got a yummy turkey and bacon wrap. We wrapped up the night by soaking in the hot tub and taking a swim in the pool.

We Have a Birthday, Shout Hooray!

2011-09-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

On September 14, our little guy turned two years old. We can't believe he is two already. He is in a really fun stage right now, and we can't imagine life without him. Even Cooper always tells us that his life wouldn't be the same if Clayton wasn't around.
This past 8 months have been pretty rough for Clayton. He has ended up in the doctors office 5 or 6 times for Croup. His little airways must not be strong enough, because he keeps getting sick about every month. He has spent alot of time taking meds or breathing treatments and he is so tired of it. I don't think a 2 year old should even know how to say medicine, but he does.
Clayton has really found his love for four wheelers that last couple of months. Bryce keeps them on the trailer and everyday he asks about them. He would love life if we would take him on a ride every day! Clayton also loves tractors, trucks, and trailers. This summer he has really enjoyed hooking up his trailers to his trucks and pulling them around. He also points out all the tractors as we drive down the road. For his birthday, I made him a cake with tractors on it and then he received tractors, trucks, and trailers for gifts. Clayton does not enjoy shopping with me. If its a quick trip, then he is fine, but not it it takes me longer. He is in that fun stage where they don't really want to sit in the cart. But when he gets down, it doesn't take him long before he wants me to hold him. I tell him that he can sit in the cart because I am not going to hold him while I am pushing the cart. This is followed by him laying down in the middle of the aisle, crying, and sprawled out. It only last for a few seconds, and then I help him up and we are on our way! So much fun!We have spent a lot of time outside this summer because the weather has been so beautiful. He has loved being able to ride all of his toys. He is very fast and coordinated on them and it is fun to watch him go! He just learned how to ride his tricycle a week ago and I thought that was a big accomplishment considering many kids don't learn the pedalling motion till their older.

Clayton is not a very good eater. In fact, I heard that children his age actually only have one good meal a week. The more I pay attention, I realized that is true. Clayton picks at his food, but doesn't eat a whole lot. His favorite foods right now are: eggs and raisins for breakfast, he loves cheese, string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, grapes, avocados, peaches, strawberries, rice and beans. For Clayton's birthday, we had the Gabrish's over for homemade pizza, cake and ice cream. I made chicken-garlic-bacon-spinach-tomato pizza and a pepperoni-green pepper-onion pizza. Clayton got a hold of the cup of flour when I wasn't looking and was having a great time with it.After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to him. He was scared of the candles, so he wouldn't bend down to blow them out. He really just wanted the tractors to be off his cake, so he could eat the cake and play with them. I think he had a great birthday. We are so thankful that Clayton is part of our family and that Heavenly Father sent him to us two years ago!

Healthy Once Again

2011-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

About 5 weeks ago, I talked to my friend Mandy about starting to eat healthy again. It's been a few years since I have worked with Mandy (she is a dietician), but I had good results last time I did. Anyway, I know myself well enough to realize that I am weak and I needed someone to "answer to." Mandy sent me some information on my calorie intake and other dietary information. Well, I will wrap up week 5 tomorrow and I have lost 10 pounds so far. I feel so much better and it always feels great to notice your clothes are getting looser.

I also decided to join the gym 3 weeks ago and that has been alot of fun so far. I have enjoyed some of the classes like: kickboxing, pump fx, and spinning. I tried to do a step class but felt dumb through most of the class.....not because of the instructor....because I found myself turning in circles and being way off the beat. Not sure the step class is for me.

You know you workout at Lady Fitness when:

1. you pull up to park and notice half the vehicles are mini-vans.

2. you walk in the front doors of the gym and there is a huge room for babysitting services

3. you walk outside after working out and see a poopy diaper rolled up and sitting in the flowers (no trash cans outside the facility)

4. some of the ladies and instructors feel like they need to strut their stuff and show off their "custom made" ta ta's

Overall, it has been so nice to feel healthy once again. It's a good path to be on. I didn't think I would last this long, but it seems so easy now and I really enjoy it. I was so pumped that I went out and bought myself some new workout clothes. Now I just need to stick to it and continue to be motivated!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

On the night of 9/11, we lost one of our dear friends to a battle with pancreatic cancer. Brother Cliff Whetten passed away peacefully with his wife and children surrounding his bed. When I lived in College Station, our family and the Whettens were best of friends. We spent many holidays with the Whettens. They are like family to us. The Whettens moved to Utah a couple of years ago. They have faithfully served two missions and are loved and admired by many people.

Clifford and Rosalyn had been serving as the LDS Lima, Peru MTC president since January 2010. They returned to Utah unexpectedly on August 6th to receive medical attention for unusual stomach pains. A few days later, Cliff was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his pancreas and bile duct. After 5 weeks of fighting to be here with his family, Heavenly Father took Brother Whetten back home. From the time he got sick in Peru, to the time he passed away, it was about 7 weeks. He will be truly missed by so many. I am thankful that I knew Brother Whetten. He was a great example to us all. He left a wonderful legacy of service and devotion to the Lord and His work. I know that his wife and kids will carry on his legacy and make him proud as he watches and encourages from the "other side."

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

We had an action-packed labor day weekend this year. Bryce fixed our "pop-up" trailer, so we decided to try it out before the winter comes. We went up to North Fork which is located by our stake camp near Eden, Utah. It was the first time we camped up there and it was so pretty and the campgrounds were nestled back in the trees.
We picked out the perfect spot and unloaded our things and set up the trailer. As soon as we jumped out of the truck, we had to throw on some jeans and sweatshirts because it was starting to cool down. It wasn't long and we had a nice campfire. We all collected wood from around the area and the boys help Bryce start the fire.

We roasted hotdogs over the fire and added grapes, chips, and beans to make it a perfect camping meal. After dinner, we collected a little more wood and then sat around the fire. All of a sudden a guy pulled up on his ATV and told us that we were not in a camping spot. We were actually in a group reservation spot. The man was very nice and let us stay till 12 the next day, because he had a big group coming into our spot.

Cooper did not feel well at all. With him back at school, and around so many children, he picked up a cold and has been sick for a few days. He was constantly saying, "tissue". His sinus' were congested, his nose was running nonstop and he just didn't look good. I ended up giving him some benedryl and he sat on my lap with his eyes closed. It was so nice to be able to just hold him and cuddle him for a few minutes. I don't get that opportunity very often now that he is bigger. That night was a rough one. Between Clayton waking up twice and Cooper needing tissues and a midnight bathroom break, I think I was up every hour that night. But the good news is that the heat in the trailer worked very well and we all stayed warm and safe. We got up Saturday morning and Bryce cooked us breakfast. The boys had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. I decided to have a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. After we ate, we took the boys on a small hike around our big group campground. There were many trails and the kids had a good time. We packed up at 11 and headed home. It was a quick trip, but it was lots of fun and it was nice to spend that time as a family.
On Sunday, Bryce and I both needed to be at church for our callings. After church, we went to grandma's house to have a lite lunch with everyone. We sat our on the front lawn and enjoyed the nice weather and good food. Later that day, we went up and stayed with Bryce's parents. We had dinner there and enjoyed a fun game of Crowns afterwards.

On Labor Day morning, I decided to run over to Chris's house. It was a little over 2 miles and part of it was uphill. I didn't think I could do it, but actually did and it felt great. Every year, Chris (owner of Alpine; Bryce's boss) cooks a ginormous breakfast for anyone who wants to come. Last year, they fed over 700 people. Anyway, Bryce, the boys, and Roger and Marilyn, met me over there for breakfast. The food was great!

Overall, we had a great Labor Day Weekend! It was extremely busy, but that's what makes it fun. It was nice to be able to see many of our family and friends and also spend one on one time with our boys!

Aspens, Bugs, and "Fun Bumps"

2011-08-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Bryce and I had a fun but busy weekend. On Friday night, we met his parents for dinner at El Sol. The food was so good, but it upset my stomach. That night we stayed at the Douglas'. Saturday morning, we were able to go to the temple and do some work while Marilyn watched the boys for us. They had a great time with Grandma and she is always so good to the boys! After the temple, Bryce and I took the boys out on the four wheelers. We drove up Logan Canyon and turned off at Right Hand Fork. We parked there and then headed up the canyon. When we came to the split in the road, we went right and headed up towards Mount Logan.
This was definately one of my favorite rides. It weaved in and out of the Aspen trees and the trail was in great condition, so it was safe. This trail had many "fun bumps" as Cooper calls them. They are man made bumps but they are fun to go up and over. When we got half way up, we decided to stop in some shade and eat lunch. The boys had a great time climbing on all the fallen tree trunks and we took a few family pictures up there with Bryce's new camera. The bugs were loud and all over the place. We finally decided to take off because they were driving us crazy.
When we got up to the top of Mount Logan, we saw a huge patch of snow. We decided it would be fun to go down and play in the snow. I was carrying Clayton in my arms. I was going down a steep part of the mountain and it had lots of gravel on it. Needless to say, I slipped and my butt slammed into a rock and then we preceded to slide a little more down to the snow. I sat there for a few minutes trying to catch my breath and compose myself. I don't think I have ever fallen as an adult, but it didn't feel that great. I had a huge bruise on my cheek the next day and it is quite sore, but it will soon heal and be fine. Bryce reminded after the fall, that I am not young anymore and I need to be a little more careful!
Anyway, we all had a fun time throwing snow balls at each other. Cooper and Bryce tried to throw them out into the trees and over the cliff. I helped make snow balls for Clayton. He enjoyed throwing them at Bryce, but kept saying, "Cold, cold," while holding out his hands.
On the way up the trail and on the way down, Clayton fell asleep. He always takes naps on the four wheeler because it seems like we are always out during his nap time. Bryce found a back strap that he uses to strap Clayton to him when they ride. It's always cute, but makes Bryce's arm tired in the process.Our ride took about 3 hours total and it was a fun day. After we got back to Logan, we stopped up at the cemetary to say hi to papa and let the boys have a ride on the backhoe. Later that night, we attended an Alpine summer party at the park. We had good food and the kids had a great time playing with the water balloons.

My First 1st Grader

2011-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Cooper started his first grade year at Freedom Elementary. This year Cooper has a new teacher, Mrs. Engstrom. She seems to be very nice. She is new to Freedom but has been teaching the last 10 years.

Cooper hopped right out of bed yesterday morning when I told him it was time to get up. He said, "Today's my first day of school." He got dressed, ate his favorite breakfast (pancakes), spiked his hair, took a picture, and we headed to school.

As we walked into the school, Cooper ran up to the principal to say hello and give him a high five. After that, we finally made it to his classroom where we took some more pictures, helped Cooper hang up his backpack and then hugged him goodbye (trying to fight back the tears). As we walked out to the car, Clayton kept asking, "Where cooper go?" I have a feeling its going to be a long year.....for Clayton too!

Willow Flats...Mail Tree...Boss Canyon

2011-08-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Bryce and I took the boys up to Franklin, ID to do some four wheeling. As usual, Clayton could not wait to get on them. As soon as Bryce had them off the trailer, Clatyon quickly climbed up on one. We started on ride near Willow Flats. We went on a little windy trail that ran parallel to the main road. It was a fun little trail that weaved in and out of the trees.
After we crossed over the road and the river, we headed up a trail that took us through the beautiful flowers and green trees. We ended up stopping around 1 pm to eat lunch and let the boys run around for a few minutes. Cooper and I always ride behind Bryce and Clayton, so that the dust stays out of Claytons eyes. Anyway, Clayton loves to put his head under Bryce's arm so he can look back and see us. It is so cute and always brings a smile to my face.
There is a long stretch of road that goes from Willow Flats all the way up the "mail tree." We stayed on that road going bt 25-30 mph. It started to sprinkle a little and the rain was cold and stung the skin. At times, it was a little chilly, but for the most part it was a perfect day! We took the kids to the "mail tree". Years ago, before the postal service, the mail deliverers would take the mail in a big bag from Montpelier Idaho, Logan, Utah, and other surrounding areas, up to this tree. It was a big hollow tree and that is where they would drop off and pick up mail for their towns. The tree kept the mail from getting "weatherized". They have signs on the tree that say, "Do not cut down this tree" from the National Forest Services. The boys climbed around on the rocks while we were there and Cooper had a good time hiking up on a small cliff. After the mail tree, we headed up Boss Canyon. The trail started off kind of rocky! We had to go down a river rock bed, and then wind up through a trail that had been kind of washed out. There were a few spots that scared me, but the trail ended up getting better, so that made me happy!Because of many fallen trees, the trail winded through the trees. I thought it was a nice ride. We even went through a few creeks and over some small logs. As we got closer to the top of the trail, it started getting pretty rough. Its hard on the hands and wrists to fight the four wheeler, but we made it to the top, where the boys got out and inspected the "rescue cabin."The ride back down didn't take us very long, once the Jeep let us pass him. We stopped at the river on the way back and let the boys play in the water for a few minutes. Cooper also drove our wheeler back the last couple of miles. It was a nice ride that took us about 4 hours. We all had a great time. Bryce and I have decided that purchasing our wheelers last year was a good idea. We have definately gotten good use out of them and it has turned into our favorite family activ

Bountiful Peak

2011-08-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Bryce and I decided to take the boys and head out on the four wheelers. Its such a fun family activity and the boys seem to enjoy it alot. My riding partner is usually Cooper and Clayton rides in front of Bryce. Clayton is so intrigued by four wheelers right now. He wants to be on them constantly. We ended up going to Bountiful Peak. We were going to go up the Farmington way, but it was closed, so we went over to Bountiful. We rode for about 3 and a half hours. The trail takes you on a dirt road up and around the mountain peaks. It is really beautiful up there and it over looks the whole valley. The road was very level so it was safe for the kids. There was quite a bit of traffic and the dust was pretty bad, but other than that, it was a great ride.

We wanted to ride up to the Bountiful towers, but due to a landslide, they closed part of the trail and we didn't make it all the way up there. As soon, as we dropped over the other side of the mountain range, it was so green and there were a few little ponds. With the sun on the other side of the mountain, the temperatures were perfect. The boys had a good time throwing rocks into the pond.
On our way back, Clayton crashed out in Bryce's lap. Everytime we take the boys, he always ends up taking a nap. Cooper and I rode behind Bryce and Clayton so we were covered in dust when we got back to the truck....but it was well worth it because we all had a great time!

Tony Grove

2011-08-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Before my parents left for home, we decided to take a day trip up to Tony Grove. Tony Grove is located up Logan Canyon. It was so gorgeous up there. Everything was so green and the flowers were very pretty. My dad thought he was in heaven with all the plants, grass, trees and flowers.
We went with Steph and the kids and mom and dad. The lake was nice and full and the kids had a great time playing in the water. Jaden and Cooper spent their day trying to catch fish with their hands. Jaden actually caught three baby trout. As we were leaving, Cooper got bit by a horsefly. He was tough though and Steph came to the rescue some mud mixed with spit! After that, he was fine.
Clatyon thought he was such a big boy. He would march around looking like he owned the world. He went on lots of walks with Steph, Grandpa, and Grandma. He enjoyed throwing rocks into the water. At lunchtime, he carried his sandwich around and ate it like a big boy.
All the kids enjoyed spending the day with Grandma and Grandpa. We missed Jocie and her kids. Grandpa made sure to show the older girls some of the flowers he was taking pictures of. The weather was perfect up at Tony Grove and all of us had a great time.

Happy Birthday Babe!

2011-07-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Bryce turned 32 on his birthday. I decided months ago that I would get him a washer pressure to use on our 4-wheelers. I did some research on them and figured out how much I was going to spend on it. Well, I asked Bryce about two weeks before if he had something that he really wanted for his bday. He told me no and then asked me if I was going to get him a TV. I said, "I have something in mind. It's kind of expensive, but its not a TV."

Well, the week before his bday, I started thinking about a TV. We love to relax most nights in front of the TV, so a TV would be a good investment. I switched my plans and ended up getting him 47" Vizio. The morning of his bday, Jordan (my friend across the street) and Jacqui helped me change my natural oak dressor into a black distressed oak dressor. It turned out looking so nice. We changed the living room around and reorganized all the furniture.When Bryce came home from work, he went to his room to change for dinner and a movie (Captain America). When he came out, I asked him if he would go downstairs and turn off the TV. When he got down there, he was pleasantly surprised. He just kept telling me I was crazy. I think I really shocked him!

Hill Air Force Base Museum

2011-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad came into town on Thursday night and stayed with us for a couple of nights. It was so much fun to have them in our home. The boys have such a good time with them. On Friday, we went to visit the Air Force Museum. It was hot outside, so we had to do an inside activity!

Clayton and Cooper had a great time looking at all the planes and different aircraft. Some of the helicopters and planes were so big that its crazy to think those things could get up in the air. The kids education center was closed, so that was a bummer. After we finished looking at all the planes, we went outside and the boys enjoyed a nice, cold snowie. We have been living on them this summer. The boys think they are so good. Clayton would not let anyone help him eat his snowie. He had to do it all by himself!
Later that evening, mom and dad took Cooper on a date. First they went to Arby's for Cooper's favorite roast beef sandwich and then they headed to the Kaysville Theater to watch Mr. Poppers Penguins. Mom said Cooper loved the movie and that he also told them it was a special night for him to be able to spend time with them.

Camping Day 3

2011-07-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Monday morning, we got up and got things cleaned up. Bryce cooked omelettes for everyone and then we headed out on a four wheeler ride. Roger came up to go with us and we ended up having a really good time. The weather was cloudy and perfect. I had Cooper with me. Bryce had Reese and Clayton. Jacqui had Jaxson and Landon and Jared rode his motorcycle.
Clayton was so excited about the ride. Every time we would stop, he was trying to get us to go again. He also likes to turn the key ON for us when we are about to start it up. He could ride on that thing all day, if we would let him. In fact, he was very distraught when we loaded them on the trailer to head home. The ride was beautiful. It is still so green up there and the flowers and trees are so pretty. The only thing that was difficult was the dirt flying up. We had to stay back from each other, so we didn't eat dirt the whole time.

There were a few scary moments. Cooper and I almost tipped. There were some really deep ruts and I was trying to straddle them with my machine, but obviously didn't do a good job, and two tires came off the ground. I was a little nervous, but Jared and Roger helped me get back on the trail safely. We stopped a couple of times to let the kids run around for a few minutes. We were all covered in dirt. The kids had a fun time. We finally made it to the top of one of the trails and it overlooked Pine View Lake. It was gorgeous up there but the wind blew like crazy.

Camping Day 2

2011-07-26T14:18:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, we had planned to go to church, but realized we didn't have Cooper's clothes with us. Jacqui and Jared headed back home to church and then returned around 6 that night. We went to see Roger and Marilyn and few hours. We all took showers and got cleaned up. Then we enjoyed a nice cold Dr. Pepper and headed back to camp.
We went on quite a few hikes with the kids. They found lots of walking sticks and they really enjoyed the hikes. I am not really a hiker, but it was alot cooler up the mountain and in the trees so I went along with the kids. Clayton and Landon spent lots of time playing in the dirt and gravel. I brought up some monster trucks for them and they had a blast getting dirty! Cooper, Reese and Jaxson made a little fort and had a good time playing in the trees.

Cooper got really good at driving the 4-wheeler. WE went on many rides together and I would try to teach him about the importance of being safe on a four wheeler. He did a great job!

24th of July Camping Trip Day 1

2011-07-26T13:46:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, we went camping with the Gabrish family up to Mantua. I was worried about being out in the sun all day. It was packed up there, so we didn't get the spot that had lots of shade, but it ended up being just fine. We just made sure to stay in the shade made by the trailers and the kids were in and out of the little trees!
On Saturday, we pulled the trailer and the four-wheelers up to our spot and then got things set up and organized by 1. We ate lunch and then took a little ride down to the creek to let the kids play and cool down. Cooper, Reese, and Jaxson had a great time exploring down the creek bed. The rocks were slippery, but the water wasn't deep at all.

Landon and Clayton spent their time throwing rocks into the water. The water wasn't too cold and I even hung the kids up side down and dipped their heads in the water. It was a perfect spot to have a little shade and let the kids play in the water.
Later that night, Bekka and Ryan came up to eat dinner with us and hang out. The men went and gathered firewood and we started roasting hotdogs over the fire for the kids. Dinner was great. For some reason, it doesn't matter what you are eating, the food is always good when you are camping. The roasted hotdogs hit the spot and Bekka surprised us with some awesome 5 layer dip, a cheese ball, and cookies!
At 8 pm, Bryce set up his projector and screen to put a movie on for the kids. Then all the guys took off on the 4-wheelers and headed up to Inspiration Point. I wasn't thrilled that they decided to ride up there in the dark, but they made it back safely and they had a great time!
We spent most of Saturday on the 4-wheelers with the boys! Clayton wanted to be on it the entire day! He looked so cute in his little bike helmet. If Bryce or I took one of our hands off the handle bar, he would motion for us to put it back on!
While we were cleaning up from dinner, Reese and Cooper thought it would be funny to cover themselves completely in dirt. When they came around the corner, they started laughing and they looked like aboriginees! I had to take them up the spring (snow runoff and freezing) to wash them off before bed.

Family Fun

2011-07-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks, we have been able to spend lots of time with family. We stayed out at Jocelynn and Kyle's for a couple of days and the kids had a blast playing with their cousin, Ty. Clayton had so much fun riding with Ty on the little pedal toy (don't know the name of it).
We were also able to spend a few days over in Wellsville with mom and grandma and grandpa. The kids had a great time on the farm. Clayton and Cooper helped grandpa bottle feed a little calf. Clayton enjoyed filling up the trash pail with water for the cows. Uncle Clair took Cooper on a 4-wheeler ride up to the ranch to make sure the cows were still there!
It has been nice to spend time with mom. We stayed two nights in the trailer with her right outside of grandma's house. The kids love her and she is so loving and kind to them. It was good to let them have that one on one time with her. We took the kids down to willow park one day to eat lunch, play on the slides, and visit the zoo. Cooper's favorite animals were the monkeys and Clayton liked the ducks and birds.July 19th marked the 2 year mark that my Uncle Lynn passed away from a battle with cancer. That morning we took flowers up to his grave and then met all the ladies at Copper mill for a yummy lunch. Mom doesn't get many opportunities like that, so it was very special for all of us. I just really love my extended family and I am thankful that I have a good relationship with each of them!

Temple Fork

2011-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Mom watched the boys so Bryce and I could go on a 4-wheeler ride. We headed up Logan Canyon and then turned off at Temple Fork. In the 1800's, the mormon pioneers would go up this canyon to get lumber and rock to use on the Logan Temple. It was such a beautiful canyon. I really enjoyed this ride because it was slow and there was climbing involved. We went up rocky hills, in and out of pine and aspen trees, out through the bright yellow flowers, and way up to what felt like the top of the world. The weather was perfect.

We stopped at Temple Peak to eat lunch and the view was gorgeous. With all the moisture we have had this year, the grass and plants are so green. There is still snow on the mountains and we ran into a little snow here and there. At one point, we were overlooking the south part of Bear Lake. It's amazing how much ground you can cover in a short amount of time on a wheeler.
We stopped quite a bit along the way to take pictures or look at the beautiful scenery. Bryce's dad worked for the forest service for many years so he knew the "in's" and "out's" of Logan Canyon. At one point we stopped a fresh spring where we cleaned all the dirt off our hands, arms, and faces. The water was so refreshing and cold!This was probably one of my favorite rides. It took us 4 hours exactly to finish the ride. The last half hour was riding on a gravel road and I didn't really care for that, but all in all, it was a great ride! We went with Roger, Sheridan, Bruce and Hunter. Marilyn got sick and couldn't make it. It was fun company and everyone had a fun and safe ride!

Cherry Hill

2011-07-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Jaden celebrated his 8th Birthday at Cherry Hill. Cherry Hill is a water park located up near the foothills and there are cherry trees on the property. We went with Steph, Paul, and Mom and it was so much fun. Mom loves cherries, so she kept spotting the cherry trees but the cherries were too high up for her to reach them!
Cooper and Clayton had a blast in the lazy river. Cooper could touch the bottom so he would just hop in and off he would go! It had a small current to it, which made it more exciting. Our table was located right in the middle of the lazy river, so we would take pictures of Cooper everytime he floated by...sometimes he was on a tube and other times he was snorkeling! Clayton had fun in the Pirates Cove. He thought the pirate ship was pretty neat. He also loves going down the big slides. I would put him on my lap and then we would cruise down on a mat. I thought he would be scared because it was kind of fast, but as soon as we got out, he was ready to go again....such an adventurous little guy!
We had a dinner appointment with some friends at 6, so I was in a hurry to get showered and cleaned up. So I grabbed my stuff, headed into the shower, and started the water. I stayed in my swimsuit and had just poured some shampoo in my hand, when I glanced over to the mirror and noticed a young teenager BOY washing his hands...it was then that I realized I was in the Mens Bathroom! I grabbed my towel, covered my head and ran out of their as quickly as I could...its was then that I noticed the urinals on my left! Didn't see them when I walked in! Anyway, needless to say, I was embarrassed and hoped that no one saw me!

4th of July Pictures

2011-07-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

God Bless the USA

2011-07-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

On July 4th, I woke up at 9 am and Clayton and I headed to the grocery store. We came back to Steph's, where I decided to make "monkey bread" for breakfast. You make monkey bread by taking uncooked biscuits and fill them with a small cube of cream cheese, and a mixture of cinammon and sugar. After you seal them, you put them in a bundt pan and pour a butter-brown sugar mixture over them and bake them for 30 minutes. They are extremely healthy (not) but they taste good. By the time everyone woke up at 11:30, the monkey bread was ready to serve. Steph decided to try some "Daily Bread" scrambled eggs and bacon. They were just fine, though the kids didn't like them. We decided that we would head over to 1st dam up Logan Canyon and let the kids play for a while. We took some muffins to feed the ducks, but they didn't want any food. There was lots of bread crumbs floating in the water so they must have been over fed by everyone. We went over to the bridge to check the river. Jaden kept spraying everyone with his water gun and was asked repeatedly to stop. Finally, I chased him down, turned him upside down and gave him a nice cold dip into the river. He was happy with me to say the least! Later that day, all the adults went into Cafe Sabor to eat dinner and celebrate the 4th of July by eating Mexican food. The food was great but it was so nice to visit with everyonce and just relax without our children. After dinner, we headed out to Jocelynn and Kyle's to let the kids play and to roast marshmellows over a fire. It was gorgeous out in Paradise. The hillsides were bright green and sunset was perfect as it set over the Wellsville Mountains. I tried to capture some pictures but they don't do the "real thing" justice. The kids enjoyed swinging, jumping on the tramp, and eating sticky smores!
Later when it was dark, we headed over to the park and lit some of our own fireworks. The kids thought they were awesome, but some of them were loud and scared Landry and Landon. We went into Hyrum to see the firework show. Clayton would clap every time a firework went up in the air. He would also squeal. Cooper ran around with his cousins. It was such a fun weekend and it was packed with so many events. We were exhausted when we got home, but it was definately worth it. Clayton is still trying to recover. He has been taking long naps!

Lake Pictures

2011-07-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Glendale Lake

2011-07-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Glendale Lake for the day and it was so much fun. Its always fun to take the kids on the boat. Clayton loved the boat, but didn't care for the life jacket. Those little jackets really squeeze their heads and bodies. He eventually got used to it and had a great time.
The water was a little cold when we first jumped in, but it ended up being perfect. Clayton and Cooper loved the swim breaks. Its so much fun to have my little ones out swimming with me. Bryce even joined us a couple of times and the kids had a blast. I love to see the smiles on my boys faces as they enjoy the water! Its one of my favorite things!
Shaylee and I started off going knee boarding. I tried to teach her how to do a 360, but she was a little nervous about it! After that, we had Addey and Cooper go on the knee boards. Added let go right away and Coop went for a little while but was scared. When he fell, he didn't let go of the rope (oops, forgot to tell him). He was a upset little boy when he got in the boat, but he wanted to go later that day!
Bryce, Sean, Kellye, and Brittney all surfed behind the boat. Surfing behind the boat is kind of tricky but its lots of fun. Bryce did a really good job...there were times when he had lots of slack in the rope. Brittney made it look really easy because she didn't need the rope at all!
Cooper and Clayton enjoyed going on the green "tube". In fact, Clayton wanted to go faster than Coop and Addey and everytime we hit a bump, he would smile really big. Cooper had a fun time driving the boat with Uncle Paul and hanging out in the front of the boat with his cousins. When we got back to the shore, he would go out and swim just off the shore. Out on the lakeshore, there was a bunch of guys that built this big 'blob'. A person would go lay in it very carefully and then a big guy would climb up this ladder and jump on the back of the "blob". It would send the person laying on it flying in the air. Sean, Kellye, Britt, and Bryce tried it. They thought it was fun, but they were sore the next day from the whip lash!
I enjoyed watching all the cousins interact with each other on the boat. Everyone wanted to hold Landry. He had a great time looking at the water and watching everyone play. He also loved playing with the ski ropes! I think everyone had a great time out on the lake and hopefully we can do it again sometime this summer!
After the lake, we headed home for a quick shower and then headed in to town to eat dinner at the Copper Mill. It was the Logan Cruise-In, but we got there late so we werent' able to see many of the old cars. Dinner was great though and so was the company. After dinner, we went back to Stephs house for a movie in the theater room! What a nice day!

There was a Farmer who had a.....

2011-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

When Sean and Kellye came up, we decided to stop at Grandma Coopers and visit with her for a couple of hours. She just adored Landry. After grandma cooked us a wonderful lunch and we visited for a while, we took Landry and the boys down to the barn to see if we could find some cows.
Most of the cows were in the back, so we didn't get to feed them, but the boys had a good time climbing on the farm equipment. Sean got to experience that "wonderful" cow manure smell from his childhood. (actually, we both love that smell) It must be linked to our childhood memories of the barn.Grandpa was out in Mendon bailing hay so we took him some lunch and let the boys watch him drive the tractor down the field. Clayton wanted to ride so badly but grandpa said it was too dangerous, so he had to settle for a picture with brother on the hay bail.

Fireworks

2011-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

On the night of July 1st, Logan had their big fireworks show. Before we went to the fireworks, Steph had family and friends over for yummy taco salads and fruit-ka-bobs. The weather was perfect, so we were able to have it outside. The kids had a good time running around the yard and everyone passed Landry back and forth.
Cooper had a fun time playing swords with all the boys. Clayton stayed by my side for the most part until Steph brought out the cupcakes, popsicles, and cookies. Sean and I had a good time throwing grapes at the boys that were out in the yard!

It was nice to be able to relax and just sit and visit with everyone. After dinner, we headed in to the fireworks. The kids did sparklers before the big show. It was so crowded in Logan, but the fireworks show was great. Kellye was amazed by the fireworks...she couldn't believe how many fireworks they let off and how long the show lasted!

Soak up the Sun

2011-06-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to spend part of the day at Roy Aquatics Center. Originally the weather was supposed to be stormy and cool, but it turned out to be a beautiful day, so we headed to the pool. Clayton had such a fun time going down the slides with his cousins. Ty took him down the slide over and over again.
Cooper enjoyed snorkeling and wrestling with Ty and Jaxson. He is becoming such a good swimmer because of the snorkeling. I can't explain it but I guess it gives him more confidence in the water. One of these days, Bryce and I will have to take him snorkeling somewhere exotic.

Landry wasn't quite sure what to think about the water. It was a little on the cool side and he didn't appreciate getting splashed when kids would run by him. He looked so cute in his little hat and swimming suit. Clayton is getting so comfortable in the water. (I don't know if that's a good thing) He had a good time hanging on the bar and laying down in the water on his stomach like a shark. All that was sticking out of the water was his big brown eyes and mischievous smile on his face.

The kids had a great time with Sean and Kellye. Uncle Sean took some of them down on the slide. Our childhood friend, David, came to the pool with us and that was fun to be able to spend some time with him. It's always fun to go to the pool and watch the kids have a great time!

Sean, Kellye, Landry

2011-06-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

This past week we have had some family come into town and it has been so much fun! My brother, Sean, his wife, Kellye, and their adorable baby, Landry came to see us. It's been over a year since we have seen them, so it was such a "needed" reunion! Sean is four years younger than me and when we were young, we used to play together all the time!
I have some pictures of me holding Sean when he was a baby and Landry looks just like him. He has bigger eyes, but they still look alot alike. I used to be Sean's "protector" when I was young. He was kind of stubborn and mouthy at times, and I so I would always have to tell him to be quiet so he wouldn't get in trouble!
Sean is such a great guy and it was alot of fun to watch him be a dad. I always knew he loved children, but it was neat to watch him interact with Landry. And I absolutely love Kellye. It was so nice to be able to get to know Kellye better. They are both very patient, kind, and layed back.

Landry is so handsome. He is a pettite little guy just like his parents. He has a huge smile and I love catching his eye from across the room and having him put his arms out for me to pick him up. I had a good time trying to "tag team" feed him with Kellye. He is not a fan of baby food, but he loves ice cream, yougurt and slushies!I also enjoyed watching Cooper and Clayton interact with Landry. Every morning Cooper would come say hi to Landry and give him a hug. He also wanted to hold him alot. Clayton like to feed Landry and wrestle with him. They laughed in the car at each other as they sat in their car seats and blew spit bubbles at each other! Cooper and Clayton adore Sean and Kellye. I loved to watch them warm up to them quickly and feel so comfortable around them. Uncle Sean took Cooper out to get some candy the last night they spent at our home! Thanks Sean and Kellye for loving my boys! It really meant alot to me.
It was fun to have Sean and Kellye stay with us and then I got to drive them around so I was with them most of the time. I told Sean that in a "perfect world", we could all live next to each other. I wish I could see my siblings (that live in Texas) more often, especially after spending a week together and having so much fun!

Fathers Day

2011-06-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

For Fathers Day this year, we went to church and then headed up to G-pa Cooper's to celebrate with everyone. It was nice to be able to spend the day with my wonderful husband, boys, grandpa and the rest of my wonderful family. I try not to take for granted the times and moments that I get to see and talk to my grandpa. He is a kind hearted man and a great example to me!

I am so thankful for Bryce. He is such an amazing father to our boys. They are so blessed to have him as their dad. They are so excited when he comes home each day from work. I love to watch their eyes light up when they hear the garage door open. Bryce is such a patient, fun loving dad and I am so thankful to have him as my partner in raising our kids.

After we left grandpa's, we drove up to the ranch. Here is a picture of the beautiful Wellsville Mountains. They are so green and pretty right now!

Reunion Day #2

2011-06-16T14:44:00.001-07:00

We spent most of day two in the pool. We woke up around 8 am (at least those with small children) and started cooking the "famous" Douglas family scones for breakfast. They were good, as always. We had way too many left over, as always. And everyone ate till they were full, as always! We missed Carrie's salsa, but tried to recreate our own. Breakfast was really good.
At about 11, we got the kids dressed in their swimsuits, smothered them with sunscreen and headed down to the pools. The first pool was just filling up when we got there, so the temperature was perfect.

The second pool was freezing cold, but Cooper enjoyed swimming in it for a few minutes. They had three hot tubs, but they were burning hot. We eventually found our way over to the big pool where the temperature was nice. We threw the water balls around for a while and the kids enjoyed playing in that pool because they could all touch the bottom. We also had a fun time going down the water slides. Cooper put his life jacket on and was able to go down by himself. We headed back to camp around 1 to grab some lunch and take a little break. It was nice to just sit around and visit with each other. The kids played "Red Rover" and a little soccer. After a couple of hours, we headed back down to the pools again. This time I brought my snorkel gear for Cooper to try out. He loved it and he was definately a "natural" snorkeler. He spent two hours with his head under water swimming back and forth. It was so much fun to just watch him be so intrigued with the mask and his ability to breathe under the water!
We went back to camp for dinner where we grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. Marilyn brought a yummy fruit salad and everyone scarfed down their food. I guess thats what swimming all day does to you! After dinner, we went back down to the pools one last time. Cooper snorkeled a little more and then went on the slides a few times. Clayton had a fun time swimming in the water with mom, but he eventually started getting cold, so we showered and headed back to camp!Later that night, we put another movie on for the kids and they also roasted marshmellows. The adults visited and then watched a few minutes of Star Trek. The weather was a lot better the second night, so we didn't have to turn on our heater. The next morning, we got up, got packed, and headed home. We had such a great time and hopefully we will be able to reserve that spot again next year! It was so nice that the cousins could spend those two days together! Its always fun to watch them develop friendships and enjoy spending quality time with each other.

The Douglas Reunion Day #1

2011-06-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

So, I got home from the Bahamas on Thursday night at midnight and we headed out to the reunion around lunch time on Friday. It was kind of busy going from one thing to the next, but it was definately worth it. Originally, we were going to have our reunion up Blacksmith Fork Canyon in Hyrum, but due to the crazy weather we have had this Spring, we had to switch locations. Our first camping spot was under water, so we decided to head to Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville. We ended up getting the biggest and nicest camp spot in the park. We set up our tents and trailers in the grass and it was nice because it was clean and not muddy. We had a little pond and creek in our "backyard" where the kids would try to "catch" old tile peices from the pool.

Clayton loved to watch and feed the ducks. He spent lots of time down at the pond with mom, dad, or Papa and he thought it was so much fun to throw the bread and crackers to the ducks. He also enjoyed watching the backhoe drive around the park. We bought him a little bubble lawn mower and he was in heaven. He has this thing for mowers right now.
Cooper had a great time playing down in the water with his cousins. They found blue tile peices and even saw a muskcrat and some crawfish. We had only been there for a couple of hours when we noticed his eyes were red and extremely swollen. We got some benedryl in him quickly, but his eyes never fully recovered until after we got home. Cooper also enjoyed playing a little baseball while we were there.
The first night, we had a talent show. Jill showed everyone how she likes to "roll" and eat her brown licorice. Brandon read an article about his awesome police skills and how he got to taser someone. Kassie and Jordan played the violin for us. Brandon's boys rolled their stomachs, danced, and chugged their drinks down for their talents. Marilyn printed off some camp songs and led us in "I Saw A Bear in Tennis Shoes". I taught every one a song about Jesus and Cooper and Sara's girls sang a song. Jade played her piano and Easton drew us a pictures. The kids had a great time performing.
For dinner that night, everyone brought their own tinfoil dinners and we cooked them up in the fire. I will have to remember next time, that chicken doesn't do that well in the tinfoil. We cooked ours for a long time, but the chicken was still gross. Oh well, live and learn! That night, my wonderful husband, set up a movie theater with his projector, laptop, and speakers. We put a sheet up on the trailer and the kids watched "Gullivers Travel" and the adults watched "Just Go With It". It was a little stormy the first night. The rain would move in and out all night, but it was nice for the most part.

Cooper and Clayton just adore Grandma and Papa Douglas. They were so excited to see them. I just love it that they are so gentle and kind to my children and I am glad that my children love them!

Wrappin' It Up in the Bahamas

2011-06-15T21:45:00.001-07:00

It was so nice to be able to spend some time getting to know Kylee a little better. She is crazy and lots of fun (nothing like myself). I am proud of her and the decision she made to got to college. She has a great future ahead of her and I really enjoyed our one-on-one chats! Love you Kylee! In this picture, Steph and I are heading out to the Sports Bar and Grill where we watched the Mavs beat the Heat. There were lots of crazy people watching the game, but we got to meet Monique( 22 and cheering crazily for the Heat) and Wes(18 and just graduated from high school; the girls spent the next few nights hanging with him) while we were there.
This is a conch shell. We found it while we were snorkeling. It is a delicacy in the Bahamas and I think it is disgusting. Its chewy meat and feels fatty. Its actually a really gross looking creature.
Bryce loves to make fun of these girls because they are both blonds and kind of ditzy. Bryce said he was glad that the "other half of Kylee's brain" was going to be coming to the bahamas with us! In this picture, Katie is wondering how to use a cell phone and Kylee says, "I think you press the buttons with the numbers on them."

Last Day in the Bahamas

2011-06-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

It was really stormy the day that we ended back home to Utah. We kind of just hung out and got things ready to go. We finally boarded the plane at 3:30 and headed towards Atlanta. When we arrived, we had one hour before our connecting flight to SLC was going to take off. We quickly found the only Blue Bell Ice Cream in that huge airport. It was so yummy!

We boarded the plane at 7 pm and then sat there on the runway for one and half hours because of the bad weather. I had taken some dramamine, so I was completely drugged and sleepy for that whole part. We finally took off and I counted 28 planes lined up on the runway waiting for their turn. Anyway, we arrived home safely at about midnight. I got a few things unpacked and packed a few things for my next adventure....the Douglas Family Reunion!

Day #6 on the Beach

2011-06-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the pools and tried to get a tan. Most of us got burned, but the water was so nice. We layed around in the lazy river and went on a few tube rides. After lunch, we headed out to the beach where we bought a pina colada coconut drink from Lionel Jr. They tasted great and hopefully they didn't have anything "illegal" in them since we were buying them from "Bob Marley Jr".

The weather was really windy this day, because a storm was moving into the Bahamas. We decided to go play in the waves because they were big and it "looked" like fun. Well, it was fun for a few minutes until I got pummeled by this humungous wave that sent me all the way up to the shore. I got up coughing and choking and having to pull my skirt and top down. It scared me so bad that I was done swimming in the ocean. I had salt water draining from my nose for the next 10 minutes and I am blessed that it didn't smash me into some rocks.
Some of the gals got massages on the beach, while we went swimming in the pools and got rinsed off from all the salt water. Later that night, Steph and I went to the Sports Bar and Grill to watch Game 4 of the NBA finals. Mavs vs. Heat....I can't stand Lebron so I am glad that the Mavs won the Championship.
The Atlantis doesn't offer many activities at night....if you don't drink, smoke, gamble, or dance. All the pools close down at 7, which I think is dumb. Steph and I found ourselves back in our rooms most nights by 10 pm. The girls would go dancing at the Aura or go swimming in the ocean at night (don't sharks feed at night!).

Day # 5 in the Bahamas

2011-06-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

We ate at two different restaurants for dinner and breakfast every day. They were called Seagrapes and Marketplace. Steph and I spent most mornings eating breakfast by ourselves. These pretty waterfalls were located right outside the Seagrapes restaurant.

Right outside our condos, some men were cutting down the branches and the cocunuts off some of the trees. We had them cut us one and then they cut a hole in the top so we could drink the juice inside. It was clear like water and tasted really good.
We went parasailing after lunch. We worked a deal with one of the guys, so the pricing wasn't too bad. I thought I would be really scared because I hate the "straight down" slides that are tall. Anyway, this would gradually take us into the sky. I rode with Brittney. It wasn't too bad and it was neat to be able to see everything being up that high. The ocean was kind of rough, but it didn't affect us too bad. After parasailing, Britt, Steph and I went back to the little shops by the Corral tower. We found myself a sweatshirt and most importantly, a Dr. Pepper. They didn't have any Dr. Pepper at the Atlantis, so I had to search for one at the shops. It was so refreshing!

Day #4 Snorkeling the Ruins

2011-06-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Atlantis is so big that you take shuttles from towers to towers. There are the Cove, Corral, Royal and Beach Towers. We stayed at the Harborside Village. They were nice little condos that were nestled away from all the craziness. At the Beach and Corral Towers, they have a big aqaurium that is huge and it runs in and out of the hotels. You can walk down in caves to see the fish or just stand in the main lobby and see some fish.

There are over 2000 species of fish in the aqaurium. They call it the Ruins. We spent part of the day snorkeling in that aqaurium. We saw many fish and 3 zebra sharks. We also swam with a ginormous manta ray which was kind of frightening when it would swim right under us. At one point, Brittney tried to swim after it. They told us that the manta rays can swim like 60 mph when they are startled and jump way out of the water. The one we swam with was 10 feet wide and considered a baby. They will reach up to 25 feet wide when they get released into the ocean. After we snorkeled, we went on some of the slides. On one of the highest slides, I took some really pretty pictures. It is such a gorgeous place. The slides were pretty fun, but they were over in like 10 seconds. One of the rides took us though a huge tank full of what looked like bull sharks.Later, we took a ferry over to Nassau to shop at the straw market. This is a place where there are probably 100 little sections where the women are trying to sell purses, blankets, shirts, dresses, and little handmade trinkets. There was a little girl that sold me a wooden turtle for Cooper. She was so cute and so I just had to buy one from her.
The women would say, "Hey Bebe! What does the pretty lady want? It sells for $15...I will give to you for $10. I will work with you. Tell me what you want to pay." After we spent all our money, we grabbed a taxi and headed back to the Atlantis.

Day #3: A Taste of the Tropics

2011-06-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Steph's friend, EJ, invited us to go to her church on Sunday morning. She is a member of the Ebenezer Methodist chuch which was founded in the early 1800's. As we got out of our taxi, there were many nice people that came up to greet us. It just so happened that the day we went to church, was the day that they were welcoming many converts into their congregation (it happens only once a year). It was interesting how they conducted their meeting. The reverend couldn't even pronounce the names of some of the new converts. I thought that was strange.
One thing I loved about their congregation, was that everyone sang loud and with conviction. They also stood to sing every song. Here was the opening song: "Everybody Ought to Know, Everybody Ought to Know, Everybody Ought to Know, Who Jesus Is" (definately a song that gets stuck in your head). After church, we went over to EJ's house to meet many of her relatives and friends. She also cooked us a real Bahamian meal. There was conch salad, full snappers, groupers, macaroni and cheese and rice. Dessert was a mango bread with some sort of sauce on top. I finished my plate, but had a hard time getting it down. It wasn't bad, just different then we are used to.
I thought it was very kind of EJ to make this meal for us and to invite us into her home. They are great people and I enjoyed visiting with everyone. We learned that the minimum income per week is $200. They don't pay taxes in the Bahamas. The Atlantis imports 100% of the items they use (no wonder, it was so expensive....get us out on an island and jack the prices up). 70% of the Bahamas national income is tourism. The crime rate is really high in Nassau. All the small islands are called family islands because that is where alot of people raise their children.

They dont have air conditioner in their homes, so we were sweating like mad. Kylee's feet and face started to swell up, so we decided after about 3 hours, that we would head back to our hotel. When we got back, we hit some of the local little shops and then ate dinner at Johnny Rockets!

Day #2 in the Bahamas

2011-06-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we spent part of the day playing in the ocean and floating down the lazy river while we waited for our turn to swim with the dolphins. It's the second time I have swam with dolphins and this one was way better. There was more interaction with them and the instuctors let us feed them and do tricks with them.
Dolphins are such amazing animals and they are so smart. The Atlantis resort had lost all 16 of their dolphins when Hurricane Katrina hit, but somehow, the dolphins found their way back and now they have 38 there at the park.
The dolphins would push on our feet and propel us qucikly through the water. At one point, Katie was going really slow, so the instructor was telling her to hit the "turbo button". She starting slapping the water around her as if there were some turbo button in the water! What a dork....they made fun of her the rest of the day!

We were able to use these little self propellers that would take us through the water next to a dolphin. We had snorkel gear on, so that was nice to be able to swim close to them. I love to watch all of their tricks. They are so graceful as they fly through the air.

Bahama Mama Day #1

2011-06-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

About a month ago, my neice, Kylee, called me up and asked me if I would come with her on her senior graduation vacation. It just so happened that she was going to the Bahamas. I couldn't turn her down and Bryce was supportive about me going with her. I went with Steph, Kylee, Katie (ky's best friend), and Brittney!

We left on June 3rd. Our first flight was into Atlanta and then on the Bahamas after that. I took half a dramamine and then decided to read the book, "Heaven is For Real". I finished the 160 page book on the 3 hour flight, but I paid for it the last 10 minutes of the flight. As we were landing (there was lots of turbulence), I started getting sick and was sweating really bad. All of a sudden, I threw up in my sweatshirt, bc I couldn't find a bag. Eventually Steph found me a bag and I threw up one more time and was fine after that. That's the first time I have ever thrownup on an airplane! We landed in Nassau at about 5 pm and then met Steph's friend, EJ, at the airport. She rode in the bus with us to the Atlantis. She is from the Bahamas and a very kind lady. She helped us get checked in to our rooms and then she went home. The first night, we went to eat dinner and we got to take a ride in a big SUV limosine. It was so sweet inside. After dinner, Steph took me on a tour all over the Atlantis resort. We then retired for the night and got a 'good nights' sleep.

Brittney

2011-05-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, my niece, Brittney, came to stay with us for a few days. It was so much fun to have her here. I didn't realize how awesome she is with children. Cooper and Clayton had so much fun with her. It took Clayton a while to warm up to her. After a day, she couldn't believe his fun personality, cause he never shows it to anyone but us.

Brittney was so nice to Cooper and he had a great time spending time with her. One night, she took him to Wendy's and got him a frosty. Another night, we went to the Roy Pool with Brittney and the kids enjoyed swimming with her. Cooper was so sad when Brittney had to go home. Brittney was good to help Bryce and I one night with the kids while we went to a movie. Before we left, she did my eye make-up with her new make-up. It was great to spend a few days with her. Thanks Brittney, for being so loving and kind to my boys. That really meant alot to to me!

Down on the Farm

2011-05-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin, Jamie asked everyone to come and help clean up grandpa's barn and the surrounding areas. Many of us met yesterday to start working on the project. It turned out being a big project thats not even half way finished, but we got alot accomplished.

We organized the junk into three different piles....wood, scrap metal, and trash. We took 2 loads of green waste to the dump. We took 2 loads of trash to the dump and the ended up getting a fire pit and burning all the remaining wood and green waste. At one point, Steph found a bucket full of old water and some manure in it. She was walking around with it asking everyone if they wanted some fresh manure. When she put it down on the ground, she kind of dropped it and the water and poop sloshed up and all over her! It was awesome and kind of shocked her a little!
As we walked from place to place, we would dig up old fences, old pitchforks, lots of wood, and bail twine. It didn't really feel like work, because we were having such a good time with each other laughing and telling stories. I just thought it was neat because we spent so much time at the barn when we were younger, and now 20 years later, a bunch of cousins are back together, cleaning up our old stomping grounds.
Bryce got the job of leveling out some old manure and hay piles. He got to drive a nice red tractor. Clayton spent lots of time with him in the tractor. He was in heaven. They also dumped some manure up in grandma's garden, so that she could get ready to plant her veggies. Later that evening, we continued to burn the wood. Cooper, Jamie and I roasted hot dogs over the fire and they turned out so yummy. Clayton even ate two all by himself. After dinner, we headed back home. It turned out to be a very fun day. I was exhausted when we got home, but it was nice to be able to help them get things cleaned up. Another day we might attempt to tackle the big shed that's down at the barn!

Fishin'

2011-05-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

Uncle Paul took Cooper fishing yesterday with his cousins, Addey and Jaden. They had a great time. Paul would bait the hook, toss it in the trout farm pool, wait till the bobber moved up and down, give a little jerk, and then hand the pole to the kids and say, "start reeling it in." We brought the fish to gma Cooper and she fried it up and ate it for dinner. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of trout, but it wasn't too fishy. Leave it to gma to put loads of butter on it and fry it up!

"Trying"

2011-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

WARNING***This might be one of those post where I might be sharing "too much" information and feelings, but I sat in bed last night and had so many of these thoughts rushing to my head. I will try to put them together so they make sense. I just feel like they need to be written down, because it was really upsetting to me last night.

One of our challenges or trials, is that we have a hard time getting our children to our family. We "tried" for 3 years before we got Cooper. We "tried" for 2 years before we got Clayton. So, here we are again being met with the decision of when to "try" for another baby. We have tossed the idea around for the past 8 months, not really knowing when the right time would be.

Can I just say that I hate the words, "trying to get pregnant". For the average couple, "trying" means not preventing, having "relations" on a normal basis and then the next thing they know, they are pregnant. So, is that really "trying" to get pregnant? Then you have another couple that actually has to plan which nights they are going to have "relations", lay propped up for a few minutes after the before mentioned "relations" and then hope and pray that it worked night after night and month after month. Is that "trying" to get pregnant? And then I think of my friends who have to do in-vetro or adoption to have a baby....is that "trying"?

I have to admit that even though we have been blessed with two beautiful boys, it does not change the fact that it is still hard to "try" to get pregnant. It just brings back all the emotions of the struggle with infertility. Its like I never skipped a day of infertility and its all of a sudden fresh in my mind all these years later. I honestly thought it wouldn't be a big deal to "try to get pregnant" again, but boy was I wrong!

I have decided that I need to stay positive and take it one day at a time. The Lords plan for our family will never fail. I just need to be patient and have trust in Him.

Hoagle Zoo

2011-05-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Coopers Kindergarten class went to the Hoagle Zoo in Salt Lake City. The kids rode down on the bus and I took Clayton down with me. I was worried because it was rainy, overcast, and cold. I just didnt want to get stuck in a down pour.

Anyway, we got down there and the kids had a blast. We hung out with Braden Patterson and his dad for most of the day. Clayton thought he was such a big boy walking around following Cooper and Braden. He did not want to sit in his stoller. It was cute to watch him strut around with a little bounce in his step.
The zoo had lots of dinosaurs scattered here and there. Some of them would spray water out of their mouths and Cooper thought that was great. Cooper liked the dinosaurs and the giraffes the best. I enjoyed watching the tigers sleep on their backs and devour the pile of raw hamburger. We also enjoyed seeing the elephants and the rhinos. These are huge animals and it was fun to watch them. The kids had just as much fun climbing on the rocks as they did seeing the animals. The weather ended up being perfect. It did sprinkle off and on for part of the day, but the temps were great.

Promontory

2011-05-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, we decided to go four wheeling. We lined up a baby sitter for Clayton and then took off up to Promontory Point in Northern Utah. We took Cooper with us and Jacqui took Reese with her. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there.
We were supposed to be on a trail that runs next to the old railroad. The ranger gave us bad directions and we ended up on some trail that seemed to be personal property, because it had "No Tresspassing" signs on it. Anyway, we only had one hour to ride, so we took off and had a good time. We had to dodge lots of cows and cow pies, but it was a nice little ride.
We rode up to the top of one of the hills and ate a quick lunch up there. It was pretty and Reese and Cooper had a good time exploring up there. All of a sudden, a strong wind came out of nowhere and we had to head back to the truck. It was a nice ride, just wish we had more time!

Brothers

2011-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Cooper and Clayton enjoy spending time together. As Clayton has gotten older, Cooper has realized that he can "get under his skin". For example, Clayton gets upset when Cooper touches his car seat. Clayton loves to bug Cooper as well, but then he will turn around and hug Cooper the next minute. He just adores his older brother!
The weather has been so rainy that we haven't been out much on our wheelers. Mine is parked in our back yard where Clayton is tempted by it everyday. Last week when he wasn't feeling well, I took him and Cooper around and around in our backyard. Any chance they can get, they want a ride from mom or dad!

Cooper loves stuffed animals and he has a monkey that he plays with every now and then. Well, the other day we decided to get Clayton his monkey off of his shelf. The boys played with their monkeys and had a good time! Cooper is careful with his stuffed animals...

Clayton loved to throw his monkey around.....

And then lay on it! These boys are completely opposite of each other in many things!
Every day, Cooper sits up to our bar to eat his lunch. The seats are kind of high, but recently Clayton has wanted to sit up there next to his brother. As they sat there and ate, Clayton kept stealing food off of Cooper's plate and then he would smile....he's so full of it!

Clayton 20 Months

2011-05-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Clayton loves to wear hats. Bryce has a hat stand in our room and Clayton loves to go and grab hats off of it. His favorite hat is my pink Aggie hat. He always wears it backwards. Clayton also loves to play inside Yoda's kennel when I am doing laundry. I think it is gross, but he loves getting in there and shutting the door.

We spend lots of time out in our front yard. I either pull a chair out or spread a blanket on the lawn. Clayton loves to ride his little red toy and his tractor. It's so cute to watch his little legs move so fast. He also enjoys playing in my car. I know its not the safest, but I open the windows and keep the back door open as well.
Clayton loves to have me read him books. His favorite books have trucks, tractors, and fire trucks on them. I always know when he sees a truck, tractor, train, or bus while we are driving down the road. He loves to say the word, "truck" right now.
Clayton also enjoys playing in the back yard. If I have not opened the door for him, he will just climb through the 'doggy door' when he wants to go out to play. Clayton has very expressive eyes. Alot of times, I can tell what he wants by his eyes. Clayton is very shy around people. It takes him quite a while to warm up to others.Clayton loves to play in the water. He sits on my kitchen counter and plays in the sink. He also loves to stand on the toilet in my bathroom and brush his teeth while I get ready for the day. Clayton likes to "do" his hair. He will get the water on his hand and then put it on his hair. Its so cute to watch him spike his hair!

Clayton is trying to say lots of words. He mimicks alot. He "says" : all done, tractor, bubble, trucks, papa, uh-oh, and many others. I love trying to get him to say new words. If I could keep that dang binki out of his mouth, he might start talking more.

Sick Clayton

2011-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night, Clayton came down with a low grade fever. Bryce put him to bed and gave him some Motrin to help the fever break. All day Wednesday and Thursday he continued to have this fever if he didn't have Tylenol or Motrin in him. On Thursday and Friday, he woke up with swollen eyes and they were blood shot. On Friday night, he started coughing alot and it was keeping him awake.

Saturday morning, he woke up with a fever and that's when I decided to take him to the Urgent care in Clinton. The doctor looked him over...checked his ears, throat, and chest. He told me that he thought it was just allergies. So, I went to Walgreens and got him some Zyrtek and Benedryl.
By Saturday night, Clayton was really sick. He fell asleep at 7 and woke up 30 minutes later having a hard time getting a breath. He was really heaving and straining to breath. That's when I decided I better take him back to a different urgent care. When I left our home at 8, I gave him some Motrin for his fever. When he got checked in and they took his temp at 9, he had a fever of 102. The doctor checked him out and we found out he had croup and an ear infection. I was irritated with the doctor that checked him out in the morning, but soon found out that these kids can come down with an ear infection or croup that quickly. Anyway, they gave him a shot of steroids and then I fought with him for 6 grueling minutes as I tried to get a mask on him as he received a breathing treatment. We were so exhausted by the time we got home that night. We got some anitbiotics started that night. He was so tired the next few days that he would just crash out right on the floor! Poor guy....Glad he is back to himself!

Treasureton

2011-05-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day weekend was full of many fun and exciting activites. On Saturday, after Bryce and I went to the Logan Temple, we headed up to Treasureton Idaho to go four wheeling. Marilyn and Roger watched the boys for us, which was much appreciated. Plus, I am glad the boys got to spend some one-on-one time with grandma and papa.Jacqui and Jared came wheeling with us. It took about an hour to get up there. The reason we chose Treasureton, is because we were trying to pick a place where we wouldn't run into lots of snow. Anyway, after much preparation and loading of the machines, we finally arrived up there and started out on our journey.
It didn't take long before we ended up in snow. Almost every path we took eventually landed us in snow. We tried to push our way through, but mostly ended up getting stuck over and over again. But, that was exciting for Bryce, because it allowed him to use his new winch.There was lots of water and snow up there. At one point, Jacqui peeled out right in front of me (on purpose) and splattered mud all over me, my machine and my new helmet. There was a payback in store! About 45 minutes into the ride, we realized that Jared's machine was almost out of gas, so we took it back and they both shared Jacqui's machine. We were off on a trail going over little streams when I decided this was my chance to get Jacqui back. So, I took off fast and came up next to them through a big stream and covered them with water. It was pretty fun and not like myself to do such a thing! It was a little chilly after that because I managed to get my right leg and foot completely drenched!We were able to ride for a couple of hours before it was time to head back to Smithfield. For the most part, it was a lot of fun. Hopefully, we will be able to go on some longer rides as things start to warm and the snow melts!

Cooper's Craziness

2011-05-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

This month, Cooper has been able to do many fun activities. Last week, they had a talent show in Cooper's Kindergarten class. When he originally heard about it, he was upset because he felt like he didn't have any talents. Bryce and I talked to him and told him all the wonderful talents he had. We decided that he would "crack eggs" for his talent. He always helps me cook and he has been cracking eggs for me for a long time. The class thought it was cool (I am sure most of their moms have not let them crack eggs). After he cracked them with no shells in the bowl, we handed out cookies to all the kids. Good job, Cooper!
The weather has been cool enough that Cooper has really enjoyed playing outside between the rain storms that come and go every few hours! Anyway, he is learning how to ride his new bike and he is doing a great job. He has crashed into a mailbox, a dumpster, and the side of the road. But, he gets back up and tries again (mostly, because his mom makes him). He is also enjoying his new scooter. He loves to try new tricks on it. A few weeks ago, Cooper, Reese, and I were able to go watch Addey's tavaci performance. Tavaci is a nationwide performance where the girls and boys dance and sing to various songs. It was so cute and Addey was definitely the best one out there. She can dance and sing very well. I was glad we could go and support her. Afterwards, Cooper gave her a rose! Last week, the entire Kindergarten had a Hawaiian day at school. I was able to go and help with one of the stations. I had to help teach the kids how to do a dance with sticks. It was not so much fun, but the kids enjoyed it. They made skirts for the kids and then afterwards, Ms. Clark showed them how to do a Hula dance.

Down on Grandpa's Farm

2011-05-01T22:48:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love my Grandpa Cooper's farm. As a child, I spent many days down at the barn. I have always enjoyed feeding the cows hay and when I was younger, I can still remember spending time with my grandpa on the tractor or out in his fields. I also remember grandpa taking the time to help me bottle feed a baby calf that we named peaches.

In fact, all these years later, I still love the smell of the barn! There is nothing like the smell of fresh manure blowing up from the barn. When I was younger, grandpa had dairy cows so we used to help him milk the cows and I can remember the big tank of milk!
Now, I enjoy taking Cooper and Clayton down to the barn. Cooper loves to feed the cows, but Clayton got scared when they started "mooing". It was really loud so they must have been hungry. I am surprised Cooper still likes to feed them, because last year one of the cows head butted him through the bars!

Cooper and Clayton love to play in Uncle Clair's bus. Cooper pretended to drive it and Clayton enjoyed running up and down the aisle. Kids love buses!
We also let Cooper and Clayton sit up on the tractors and pretend to drive them. Clayton was in heaven, especially since he loves tractors right now. He kept pointing to the big tires and walking around the tractors!
Bryce and Clayton also took the time to feed the horse. This was the first time Clayton had ever really been close to a horse and at first he was a little nervous, but he finally bent down, picked up some grass, and tried to feed it to the horse.
It was such a perfect day and fun to take the kids down and let them enjoy the things that I enjoyed back in the days! There is nothing like a barn full of animals and farm equipment!

Easter Sunday

2011-05-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday, I had the assignment to teach the lesson in Relief Society. I originally had been given a topic that had nothing to do about the Resurrection or the Atonement, so I got permission to change it. Anyway, after a month of thinking and praying about how I wanted to approach the lesson, I finally put it all together just before Easter.
It is interesting how my lessons will evolve and change from day to day as I prepare them. I wanted to do a lesson that was based solely on Jesus Christ and I wanted the Spirit to be present in the room. So, I finally put together an arrangement of video clips, music, and quotes about the Savior and His life.

Bryce was so good to help me set everything up with his computer, projector, and speakers. On Sunday morning, my lesson could not have gone better and I was so thankful to have the Spirit in our classroom to testify and touch the hearts of those present as to the truthfulness of the Resurrection. I love that the gospel of Jesus Christ can answer the question: "Is there life after death?" It is so comforting to have the knowledge that because of Jesus Christ, we can live again after we die. And more importantly, that we can live with Him, our Heavenly Father and Mother, and our families and friends. Is there anything greater than that?
After the lesson, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Coopers for Easter dinner. Steph, my sister, read a book about an Easter Hunt that involved finding things that reminded us of the Atonement and the Resurrection. I enjoyed going outside and helping Cooper and Addey find objects in the yard that helped them remember the true meaning of Easter.
It was nice to be surrounded by friends and family on Easter! I always cherish the moments that I get to spend with my grandparents. These moments will be gone before I know it, so I take every opportunity I can to be with them and to feel the love that they have for me and my kids!

Alpine Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

On the Saturday before Easter, Bryce's work put on the 1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt and lunch. It was so much fun to eat lunch with everyone and to let the kids hunt for eggs. Jared grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone and the rest was potluck. The food was great and it was so nice to visit with some of the families.

Angie and Moriah hid hundreds of eggs. The weather was a little on the chilly side, but the sun was still shining, so that was a blessing.
This was the first time Clayton kind of knew what to do. He carried his basket like a big boy, but when he would pick up an egg, he would shake it and then wanted the candy inside of it. We had to encourage him to continue to pick up more eggs. After a few minutes, he just started throwing them....(it didn't help that the eggs looked like footballs, basketballs, and soccer balls). He absolutely loved all the candy that he found inside the eggs! It was so much fun to watch him react to the eggs on the ground. He came away with a basket full! They divided the egg hunt up into different age groups and Cooper had a fun time searching in the high grass for the eggs. Him and Jaxson had a great time helping each other find eggs.
Bryce and had a fun time watching our boys and seeing the excitement on their faces as they found each egg. We also didn't mind the candy either!

I Know that My Redeemer Lives....

2011-04-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Backhoe with Papa

2011-04-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

On Monday, when we came through Logan, we had to stop up at the Logan Cemetary to visit Papa Douglas. Papa had been digging graves for many years up at the cemetary. He has amazing skills when it comes to using a backhoe!

Clayton loves tractors and trucks right now. A few weeks ago, he saw my Uncle Clair driving a tractor down the street and ever since then, he gets so excited when he sees anything that resembles a tractor. He lets off this cute little squeal and then points to it.

Well, when we got up to the cemetary, Papa was nice enough to take the time to pull the backhoe out of the garage and take the boys for a spin around the cemetary. They both thought it was pretty amazing! He also let the boys pull the gears back and forth to make the scoop move up and down.

After that, he took the boys into the shop where they got to sit on the riding lawn mowers and pretend they were driving them. They also got to play with the snow plows. They had a great time playing in the garage with Papa. Thanks Papa for taking the time out of your day to show the boys what you do each day! They love you very much and are lucky to have you as their Papa!

Look Who's 6 Years Old

2011-04-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

On April 11, Cooper turned 6 years old. He is growing up way to quickly. It seems like he was just born not too long ago. Bryce told me that the other day he was looking at pictures of Cooper when he was Clayton's age and it made him sad bc Cooper is already 6 now. Cooper had been so excited for his birthday to come. He has been asking me everday, "how many days till my birthday".

Last year we did a big party, so this year we just kept it nice and simple (which he didnt' understand or appreciate). We woke up at the Condos on his birthday. He unwrapped some of the presents that Bryce and I got for him. He was most excited about a "How To Train A Dragon" egg and dragon volcano set. When we got home, we made the egg hatch and the volcano explode. The boys liked that.

When we got into Logan, Bryce took him to the movie, "Rango". We had heard that it was really NOT a kids show and that there were a couple of bad words in it. Cooper had been so excited to see it, so we let him decide. He went to Rango and he loved it. Bryce said he sat on the edge of his seat the whole movie. When he got in the car, he said, "mom, it was awesome and I didn't hear any bad words". I thought in my head, "that's because you don't know what the bad words are yet." I guess thats a good thing!

We also bought Cooper a "kids meal" for lunch. He loves kids meals because he likes to play with the toys. Most kids throw the toys away, but not Cooper. He will play with them for a long time.

When we finally arrived home, Bryce went out to our shed to work on a "surprise" for Cooper. When he got all finished, we brought Cooper out to see his brand new bike. Bryce actually got this bike from Discount Tire before Cooper was even born, but we kept in the box for the last 6 years, waiting for the perfect time to open it up. I know Cooper is 6, but he is just now becoming interested in riding a bike. The last few days, we have been out riding his bike. I have been running by the side of him, while he peddles and learns to balance, turn, and slow down. Clayton, in the mean time, wants to get on it when he can get the chance. He thinks he is just as big as Cooper. But, Cooper is good to let him sit on it!

Cooper received lots of birthday wishes from family and friends, but he told me that he loves it when people sing him happy birthday. He said, "It makes me happy and it makes me smile."

We invited Reese, Jaxson and Landon over to help Cooper celebrate his 6th birthday. I baked a cake and then I let the kids decorated the cake with "icing markers". They had a great time coloring the cake and then eating it. We had tacos for dinner, which is one of Coopers favorite foods (crunchy tacos that is).

On Tuesday, when Cooper went back to school, I brought in some donuts for his class to celebrate his birthday. He was really excited because I kind of surprised him. His class sang to him and then told him thanks for the donuts. It made him happy! Here is a picture of Cooper and Ms. Clark.

I hope Cooper had a fun time on his big day, even though we didnt' have a "real" party. Bryce and I really enjoyed spending the day with him. Bryce took work off that day and it was nice to just spend the day all together. We are so thankful for Cooper. He has such a sweet spirit about him, and he blesses our home everyday. He is such a great example to Clayton and to us. We love you Cooper.

Spring Break

2011-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's kind of weird because I finally have a child old enough to be in school. They past few years, Spring Break has meant nothing to us, but now we get to actually have a family vacation for Spring Break. Cooper had Thurs thru Monday off this year, so we decided to go over to Bear Lake and stay in the WorldMark Condos.

Even though Ogden Condos are an hour and a half closer, we chose Bear Lake because of the nice indoor pool and hot tub. Well, Jacqu and her family stayed at Bear Lake on Thursday night. On Friday morning, they went swimming before they had to leave. While they were at the pool, the pool guy accidently mixed muratic acid with chlorine and it created a toxic gas that went through the vents and water. To make a long story short, Jared and the kids had to be taken over to the Logan hospital in an ambulance because they were exposed to the gases. They ended up being fine after they wore oxygen mask for a while. The fire department closed the pools down on Friday.

Well, we got there on Saturday evening. We kept wondering what we were going to do for 3 days without going swimming. We ended up being able to go down to the city hall where they had an indoor pool and hot tub. It was really nice and the kids had a great time playing in the water. Cooper enjoys swimming and Clayton found a ball that he kept throwing around.

The next day, we spent the day doing different activities. Cooper slept till 10 am, so he must have enjoyed his queen size bed all by himself! We went on a walk down to the clubhouse, where we chose a couple of movies to watch.

Bryce pulled off some icicles from the condo and the boys chomped on them while we walked. The weather was a little chilly but clayton loved it. We even saw a few deer come down and graze on the hill right in front of our rooms.

There was another family that was leaving on Sunday morning. We were outside in the front when they came out to pack their van. There were 4 boys and 1 baby girl. Cooper had a good time climbing on the hills with them. Bryce had a good time throwing snowballs at them. He even hit the four year old right on top of the head! I have never seen Bryce move so quickly as he did up that hill to make sure the boy was OK! Good thing mom and dad werent' outside when it happened!Later that day, we read a few books with the kids and then put Clayton down for a nap. Bryce, Cooper and I watched Marmaduke. After the movie, we went on a ride to pick up some vinegar so we could dye some eggs. We stopped by the Hodges Cabin to visit with them for an hour and the boys had a great time playing with their toys!

When we got back to the Condo, we mixed the colors and the boys dyed the boiled eggs. Clayton wanted his egg to just sit in the yellow dye and if I tried to move it to a different bowl, he would get upset. Cooper and dad made tie-dyed eggs that turned out really cool. I have been enjoying egg salad sandwiches since then and they have been yummy!

Sunday afternoon, Bryce and I watched New Moon while the boys played around the condo. Bryce grilled us some tasty chicken and we had a wonderful meal. I took the boys on another walk down to some bridges. They had fun walking through the snow and Cooper kept pointing out the deer "droppings" along the way!

Monday morning, we sang Happy Birthday to Cooper and then Dad cooked us bacon and eggs for breakfast. We got things packed up as quickly as possible so we could get into Logan to celebrate Coopers Birthday!

It was such a fun weekend to just spend time with our family. Its not very often that we get opportunities like that, but it was so worth it! Hope we will try to this more often through out the year!

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks, the weather has been so crazy. One day it is in the 50's and the sun is shining, then the next day it is cold and rainy. Well, when the weather was beautiful one day, we decided to take the kids to the park in Clinton.

I love to watch my kids have fun. It really brings me lots of happiness to see the smiles on their faces. This is the first time that Clayton has really played at a park, so he was in heaven. He kept following Cooper and Landon everywhere. He thought he was just as big as them.

Cooper was such a good big brother to him. He helped him climb the ladder and then took him down the slide. After that, Clayton decided that he could do it all by himself. I turned my head for a second and next thing I know, he is half way up this 15 ft ladder. Then, he turned around and when down the slide backwards.

Cooper had a good time climbing on all the little toys. He also enjoyed going down the really tall slide. The kids had such a great time there and it was nice to have them get out of the house and get a little exercise and sunshine!

Gotta love the park!

Rock N Roll Party

2011-03-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a Rock N Roll party at our friends house, the Ecklunds. They decided they wanted to do something different than just hanging out, so they made it a "dress-up" party. Originally, Bryce and I did not dress up at all. When we got to the Casebolts to pick them up and drop off our boys, Holly talked us in to blue hairspray and eyeliner for Bryce!

I actually think Bryce quite enjoyed it, because he like all those weird, crazy bands like KISS. Holly and Aaron were dressed like Sonny and Cher. It was kind of fun to see everyones costumes. Everyone brought food to share and it was so good.

We spent a few hours playing Rock Band. Personally, I enjoyed playing the drums. They are kind of challenging and I had a lot of fun on them. I didnt know any of the songs well enough to sing them (imagine that, rock n roll songs). Bryce spent most of his time on the mic or guitar.

I Love to See the Temple

2011-03-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I captured this photo as we were coming down the hill from Logan Canyon. It is such a beautiful temple. Just reminded me of the day we got married and the day we sealed Cooper to us. Couldn't have happened in a more beautiful and majestic place!

Cooper listens to church music every night when he goes to bed. The other night he told me that this is his favorite song. He said, "It reminds me that I want to go to the temple some day." Sometimes he puts the song on repeat and it plays over and over again while he plays in his room.

18 Months and Counting...

2011-03-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Clayton turned 1.5 years old on the 14th of March. Before his appointment, we took him to the Health Dept where he received 3 shots. He knew what was going to happen the minute we walked in the room...smart little thing.

At the doctors office, he weighed in at almost 24 pounds and is 31 inches long. He is in the 75% for his height and 25% for his weight. This is definately one of the funnest stages. He is starting to be more independent. With the weather starting to warm up, I just leave the back door ajar so he can go in and out as he pleases. He loves to run around in the grass and explore the garden with Yoda.

Every morning I let Clayton pick out what kind of cereal he wants to eat for breakfast. WE have a big variety, but he always chooses Frosted Wheat's. I cut them in half, pour milk on them and the Clayton devours them. He usually puts his spoon down and drinks the milk out of the bowl. He then says, while holding his bowl up, "mo, mo".

I bought a bunch of the individual yogurts last week and so everyday, Clayton likes to climb on the bottom step of the fridge and reach up to get a yogurt. He is funny because if I don't' sit in the same room as him while he is eating, he will pick up his yogurt or cereal and come find me.

Clayton is starting to eat a lot more. He loves cheese enchiladas and black beans. The other day, I made fresh salsa and after trying to use a chip a few times, he decided to pick up a spoon and start shoveling the salsa in his mouth. He wasn't going to waste any time!

The doctor says that Clayton should be saying at least 10 words right now. Well, he can't say 10 words yet, but he is starting to mimic me. Right now, he says: Mom, More, Ball, Bird, Pop, and Yoda. As we read books together, he tries to repeat what I say. Its cute to listen to him try to copy me.

Clayton is really into balls, tractors and trucks right now. He likes to try to play basketball in our basement. He also squeals in the car when he sees a truck or tractor on the road. It's such a great stage because he is starting to notice the birds and airplanes in the air and dogs and cats walking down the street. He is very animated when he sees one of these things.

Things Clayton loves to do at 18 months old:

* go on walks (we either put him in the wagon or he will hold one of my fingers while he walks)

* brush his teeth and try to spit in the sink

* steal Coopers toys when he isn't looking and then RUN!

* pester Yoda

* loves to climb on chairs, couches, tables, and even tall, tall ladders

* put grapes or small items in the back of his tractor (even yogurt one time)

* help mom put the clothes in the dryer

* throw things away

* loves to go through trash cans and find food (we call him the "trash digger")

* lay on Cooper and give him lots of hugs and kisses

*grabs his blanket and comes sits on moms lap (loves things up by his face when tired)

St. "Punch"ricks Days

2011-03-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to go help in Coopers class at school. I always look forward to these days when I get to see Cooper at school and get to know his teacher and fellow students. Well, today is St. Patricks Day, so all of the kids were so excited and hyper. They all had on their green clothes and when I came in, they were finishing up a project.

Each table was given a gold coin that they had to put on their table. Then they had to make a trap, in case a leprechaun came to steal their gold coin. It was a lot of fun to watch just how creative each table was with their traps. As soon as they were finished, they headed out to recess. While they were out there, I helped Ms. Clark take the gold coins from each table, turn over all the chairs, scatter paper all over the room, put Leprechaun "footprints" on the tables, and write a note to the class from Mac, the Leprechaun!

The kids came running back in after recess and they were so surprised and exciting about the missing gold coins. Well, I was looking around the room for Cooper, but could not find him. Finally, Ms. Clark came up to me and said, "Cooper is in the office....he got into a fist fight with a classmate at recess."

My thoughts: "Awesome! (Not really) Never in my life have I ever been to the Principal's office. In fact, when I was younger, I was terrified of the Principal. But, here I am. A mother of a son...wait....a kindergartner...who is in the Principal's office for fighting....what are the chances? How do I react? What should I do?

Well, when I found out who the other classmate was, I knew that Cooper was probably just defending himself. I walked down to the office to talk to him. (A side note: 2 of my friends are the secretaries for the school) The head Secretary, Kristen, smiled at me when I walked in. I sat down and here is how the story happened:

"What happened, Cooper?"

"Well, I was playing with Brayden. Sebastian thought I was hurting him, so he came up and slapped me across the face. I didn't even see it coming."

"So, what did you do?"

"I punched him in the eye. I was crying and the recess leader came over and took us to the office." (I had to turn away and smile because I was proud of my boy for standing up for himself)

"Well, you know you are going to have to go in there (office) next?"

"Do I have to talk to the Principal?" (tears filling up in his eyes)

"Yes. Just tell him the truth."

I went back to his class and the recess teacher told me that the other kid had started it. The Principal brought the boys back to the class and they have to sit in the class for recess tomorrow and think of something nice to do for each other. What a crazy day!

Clever Clayton

2011-03-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

Clayton is almost 18 months and he is so full of spunk! He is one of those babies that thinks he needs to be right by my side at all times during the day. If I am cooking, he wants to be sitting on the counter next to me. If I am eating cereal in the morning, he sits right on my lap and we share frosted wheats. If I go downstairs, he wants to hang on to my arm while I walk down to the basement. If I get in the shower, he sits in my bathroom and goes through all of my things. If I am putting on my makeup, he stands on the toilet and pulls down all of my perfume and Bryce's cologne and puts them on the vanity. I know this is sad, but sometimes I will even sit him on my lap while I am peeing because he gets really upset when I put him on the floor (this doesn't happen very often, but every now and then)!

I like to put him in the bath, because it is one thing that he loves and it keeps him occupied for a few minutes so I can get ready. And he enjoys getting in the tub with Cooper before bed. Sometimes he get fiesty with Cooper if he thinks he is in his way.
He has started to enjoy books a little more. When he was younger, I would read to him and he loved it. But then he went through a stage where he couldn't sit long enough to look at a book. Now, he brings me books or sits down and looks at them.
Clayton loves to obey small commands and its kind of fun for me to watch. After I change his diaper, he wants to throw his diaper away. When we are about to go somewhere, I tell him to go find his shoes and he walks straight to his room and then brings his shoes to me. He is really into feeding himself right now. It is such a disaster when he gets done, but it gives him something to do and he loves it!In the last 3 months, he has gotten lots of teeth. He now has 10 teeth and I think he only had 3 at Christmas time. He has had a runny nose and cough off and on since first of the year, but he seems to be doing well right now. Today, he bit Cooper for the first time and then he bit Landon a few hours later. He thinks its funny, so I will have to put an end to that!
Clayton loves to be a pest. He will do things that he knows annoys Cooper just to get a rise out of Cooper and then he smiles or laughs. I am trying to teach Cooper to ignore him sometimes because Clayton will stop doing it if he knows it doesn't bother Cooper. He also loves to bug Yoda, but she just takes it. He likes to sit and lay on her. If he knows that something bothers you, he will do it! And he thinks it is so funny.
One day, we were babysitting for Steph and Clayton dissappeared for a few minutes. I kept calling his name but I couldn't hear him. Next thing I know, Yoda comes running up and she has white stuff all over her back. I run to the kitchen and Clayton has dumped out some pancake mix on the floor and is picking it up and throwing it at the dogs! And all the while he has a big smile on his face!

Cooper's Craziness

2011-02-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

Cooper is going to be six before we know it and he is getting too big and smart. Cooper is enjoying kindergarten. He is continuing to do a great job on his reading skills. He loves to read the words that are on signs, in commercials and on boxes and toys. He is struggling a little with his numbers, but I know he will pick that up as soon as it clicks in his brain.Cooper has such a sweet spirit about him and he never stops amazing me with some of the things he says. He is so loving, kind and tender hearted....and he still gets frightened by loud noises. When we went on our cruise, we turned off the water to the house. We all know the sound the faucet makes when water is trying to come threw the pipes again. Well, Cooper was up brushing his teeth, when all of a sudden he comes into us and he couldn't breathe because he was crying so hard. We finally deciphered the words coming out of his mouth and realized the water shooting through the pipes was loud and scared him!

I think one of my favorite things about Cooper, is the prayers that he gives. Children say the best prayers because they come straight from the heart. On Sunday, Cooper had to give the scripture and prayer in Primary. I had talked to him about how we pray for groups of people versus ourselves. Well, he gets up and says: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you we could come to Primary today. And thank you everyone could come to their classes today. And thank you for the teachers. And thank you for all that God had done for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. It was so cute and at that moment, I couldn't have been more proud of my boy. I just stood their thinking, "That's my son."

Cooper has really enjoyed the playstation a little too much this winter and it has been my goal to limit his time on it. Bryce and I have to laugh because he is really cooridinated when it comes to playing games on the PS. In fact, he tells people that he is a video game boy. I told him one day that he shouldn't tell people that because that is not something to be proud of. I always tell him his brain is going to turn to mush if he plays too much. So, on occasion he will say, "mom, is my brain smooshed?"

Cooper is such a nice older brother, even though Clayton loves to pester him. In fact, we are kind of worried because Clayton looks and acts alot like my brother Shayne did when he was young. That could mean trouble for all of us! Anyway, Cooper is starting to play chase with Clayton and show him more attention.

Playing in the Snow

2011-02-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Cooper did not have school on Presidents Day and it just so happened that it snowed quite a bit the day before. On Presidents Day, the weather was perfect for sledding. This is the first time we had been out this winter to play in the snow. It is too cold most of the time, but the temperature was perfect. Clatyon stayed home with dad and took a nap. Both of them were sick.

We went up to Roy High school and the kids had such a great time sledding down the hills. I love to watch Cooper because he gets the biggest smile on his face when he is on his sled. Reese, Landon, and Jaxson also had a great time. We could make perfect snow balls and we would try to hit the kids as they went down the hill, but we never could get them.

Pizza! Pizza!

2011-02-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

So my friend, Heidi, gave me an awesome recipe for pizza crust. And to be honest with ya'll, I have never made dough (I know...that is sad, but the truth). Anyway, I decided to make it last week. For the toppings, I added Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce, a can of cooked chicken, peices of cooked bacon, chopped tomatoes and Spinach. I threw it in the oven for 15 minutes and here are the results!

So good. Thick, yummy crust and loved the white sauce instead of the red!

Happy Valentines

2011-02-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

For Valentines Day, we went to dinner with the Gabrish's and the Casebolts to my favorite restaurant....Texas Roadhouse! I just love that place because it kind of reminds me of home...friendly atmosphere, peanuts on the floor (reminds me of dance halls), and then the country music.

The food was great as always...I ordered a sirloin steak and it was wonderful. We also enjoyed an onion blossom and some yummy cinammon butter rolls. We had a good time just relaxing and enjoying the evening with each other and with our friends.
On Valentines Day, I received some flowers from Pro Flowers that were delivered in a box to my front step. At first, they didn't look like they were going to make it, but a few days later, they were gorgeous and they still look beautiful today!
Jacqui and I also did a fun little scavenger hunt for the kids. They ran all over the house and yard looking for clues and candy. They ended up each getting a little gift from mom and dad. They had a great time and it was fun to watch them get excited!

Cleansing the Inner Vessel

2011-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

We went to a class called "How to Lose Your Abs" the last day on the cruise. Well, it really had nothing to do with Abs at all, but talked about detoxification. It was actually a very good class, but they were trying to promote thier "detox" program that is very expensive.

Anyway, so I decided when I got home that I would do a detox. I talked to my friend, Mandy, who is a nutritionist, and she told me to do an "all natural" detox. I was told to eat ONLY fruits, veggies, 100% juice, and water...absolutely nothing else. (no salt, no pepper, no ranch!)

I started on a Wednesday. I woke up and had an orange for breakfast, followed by a mid morning smoothie. For lunch, I had a bowl of carrots, brocoli, cucumbers, and green peppers. I helped get those down with a glass of V8. It was not fun. In the afternoon, I had another fruit and veggie smoothie and then 6 oclock rolled around and I was getting very "weak".....mentally, that is...I kept thinking of pizza, hamburgers, fries, chips, Dr. Pepper. And that's when it all went down hill. I was done with my 3 day detox. The problem is that it only last 10 hours. But, I guess I ate healthy for one day, and I am now making the healthy smoothies regularly and my boys also drink them with me.
Don't you worry, I will try a detox again in the near future, but I dont' know if it will be "all natural". I am looking into some different options!

Day 7 on the Cruise

2011-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Last Day At Sea

We finally got to sleep in on this day. We went upstairs to eat breakfast, which normally consisted of omellettes, french toast, chocolate milk, orange juice, bacon, and fresh fruit. It didn't take us long to realize that the boat was extremely rocking and swaying. There was a small storm with high winds the last day. It made me realize that even though the boat seems huge, it is nothing compared to the sea.
After breakfast, we went upstairs to our "meeting place" to play Five Crowns. In the main dining area, there were tables upstairs where nobody every ate, so we decided to use it as a meeting place for lunch and playing cards.
We decided to head down to our rooms to get our bags packed up. They had to be outside the door by midnight. While packing, we noticed the side rudders on the boat were loud. Also, the boat was continuing to rock like crazy. I had to lay down for a while to stop the dizziness. When we went up for lunch, we found out that our ship had rescued 3 stranded Americans, and their cat, that were in a small boat.
Every night on the ship, photographers come around and take pictures of you at dinner. You can also get pictures taken during the day. It was always fun to go see how the pictures turned out. One night, us four ladies ended up with Jason(our bishop), so we decided to stop at a beach backdrop and get our pictures taken with him. He would bend his head down so it looked like he had a double neck. He did this all during our cruise and it was so funny, bc other people really thought he looked like that...we decided that every time he did that with his neck, we would call him Jimmy! Later that evening, I ended up taking two motion sickness pills, because I was getting really sick. I decided to go up to dinner with everyone, but almost "lost it" in the bathroom. I tried to compose myself bc I didn't want everyone to hear me (when I throw up, it sounds like its coming up from my feet). I ended up feeling much better half way through dinner and was able to have some yummy rolls, a baked potato, and fresh fruit for dessert.
Later that night, we went to a show in the Ivanhoe Theater. They had people on the ship try out for different vocal starts like Garth, Brittney Spears, and many others. The people then sang their song during this "Celebrity Show". Most of them were horrible, but it was still somewhat entertaining. After the show, we went up on the deck for one last look and then back to our rooms to get some sleep.

Day 6 on the Cruise

2011-02-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Roatan, Honduras

Carnival has its own port in Roatan called Mohagany Bay. They have lots of little shops there. We got off the ship and walked down a road to find our guide for the private tour of Roatan. Her name was Cynthia and she took us all over the island of Roatan. She showed us the biggest house on the island. She took us to one of the highest spots on the island to take pictures. She told us that there are about 100,000 people on the island. Many of them work on the mainland of Honduras and it takes about 1-1/2 hour by boat to get there. People also go to the main island to do their shopping and go to the doctor. Occupations that make the most are captain of a lobster boat and construction workers.
I thought it was beautiful in Roatan. It was so green and the water was beautiful. There were two shipwrecks right off the coast. The coral reef that surrounds the island of Roatan is the second largest in the world.
We also went to park where we got to go into cages with monkeys and parrots. The monkeys would just jump on and off you. They loved the sunflower seeds that the guides fed them. The parrots had really sharp claws. The men had holes in their shirts after we left the bird cage!
We were told that the iguana is becoming extinct in Roatan and that many people will eat them. We heard that they taste like chicken. If we would have had time, it would have been interesting to taste it.We spent an hours on the West Bay Beach, the prettiest beach on Roatan. It was so breathtaking and fun to play in the water. It's just amazing that water can be that clear and blue. We were hoping to find big waves to body surf, but there weren't very many coming in.
There were lots of little kids walking along the beach trying to sell things to the tourists. I bought a sea horse for Cooper from a little kid. He told me that he caught the sea horse himself. He was cute and I was glad to help him provide for his family. Plus, Cooper loves the sea horse.
After we played on the beach, we headed back to Mahogany Bay to do a little shopping before we had to get back on the ship. That night was our second formal night. We decided we would all get virgin Daiquiris this night. They were really good, but expensive. Every night, when the lights would dim, the waiters and waitresses would dance and sing to us in the main room. It was always a fun time to watch them and to listen to our Maitr' D, Pablo!

Day 5 on the Cruise

2011-02-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Belize, Belize

We had to be up at 7 am ship time which was 5 am utah time to eat breakfast and be in line so we could be tendered over to Belize for our excursion. It was about a 15 minute boat ride over and once we got there, we had to find our guide. After we walked on the pier for a few minutes, we finally made it to the VIV tours. We got checked in and then waited for our driver and tour guide to show up. Some crazy man name Gary came up and put his arms around me and told me I was his new wife. He also wanted a picture with me. It was kind of weird...something about my blond hair I guess.

Anyways, originally we were put in a van with a guy by the name of Kareem, but ended up being switched at the last minute to Junior. One thing I loved about our excursions, is that we were always together in the vans and it was just our group. Well, Junior was from Belize and he had two children. He told us some interesting facts about the country. The average yearly household income was $7000. Gasoline is $5.50 a gallon. Almost 33% of the country's income comes from tourism. Most people there do not drive. Many of the people speak Creole, which is a language that was created by the slaves when they were coming across the sea in the big ships. They made it up so the ship masters couldn't understand them. It was neat to hear Junior speak in Creole. We did not understand him. Its English, but slurred together really quickly.

The group of us that went on the cruise were all LDS (Mormon) and so when we said we were from Utah, Junior asked if we were Mormons. Come to find out, he actually has the missionaries over to his house once a week and he is learning more about our religion. It's a small world.

We drove out into the country where our first activity was ziplining in the jungle. Our guides were great and fast at hooking us up to the lines. We would climb up this hill and then zip line down. The longest line was 750 ft. I really thought it was fun and not scary at all. We ended up going down 7 linesRachel loved to scream when she would go down the line. Kristyn loved to put her legs out staight like "Mary Poppins" and the rest of us were pretty normal. It was gorgeous on in the jungle and so greeen. It was also very humid, which reminded me of home. It was actually nice to work up a sweat.
After the zip lining, Junior took us on a 45 minute walk through the jungle to get to the caves. He knew so much about the vegetation. He told us that the soil was only 4 to 5 feet deep so the trees roots had plank rooting system. He told us about poison wood, which would eat right through your skin if you get the sap on you. He told us about the "shedding" tree that could cure the poison wood burn. He told us about the tree that couldn't survive without the ants and the ants couldn't survive without the tree. He showed us the vines that grow and the liquid on the inside of them could cure pink eye.
He showed us mango trees, pineapple plants and many other beautiful trees. One of the trees had little nuts on them that they actually use to make chapstick. Junior said most of the people there still use plants from the jungle as remedies.
When we got to the river, we put our tubes down, and Junior let us dive into the river and swim for a while. The water was so blue-green and clear. It felt so good and it was definately one of my highlights of the trip. We swam for quite a while and then got in our "luxurious" tubes and floated down the cave. We were all hooked together and Junior did all the work pulling us through the caves.
He showed us the bats up on the ceiling. He showed us the stalagmites down on the ground. He showed us Crystal Cave, which is a cave that goes 7 miles down into the earth. It was dark in the caves, but not scary. We had lights on our helmets. I actually almost fell asleep in there because it was quiet, dark, and I was so tired. It was so beautiful when we came out of the caves and just floated down the river.
We got back to the main building when we were done and went up to eat a lunch buffet. The food was great and my favorite was the carrot cake. We visited with Junior and he told us about how the dried leaves on the roof could last up to 7 years.
It was a good experience to be able to drive into Belize and to see some of the country. Its a very poor country. It made me feel grateful for what we have here in the US. Alot of the homes were little shacks. Many of the kids were on there way to school. They all wear uniforms to school.