Kids Activities

This year we have gotten our kids more involved in extracurricular activities. Paige started Jazz classes back in the fall and has had two recitals. She really loves dancing. This past week she had her spring recital and she did so good. We can tell a huge difference in her confidence levels since the last recital. John has always been a skeptic when it came to dance. He never really cared that she took dance and only went to the recitals to support his little girl. But once he saw her on the stage and saw how her face light up he changed his tune. While we were at the recital I became intrigued with the clogging team and asked Paige if she would like to learn to clog and she did so during the summer she is going to be taking clog. I am so excited. It looks so cool!We also have her involved in piano lessons which are going really well too. I have been taking lessons with her and she is really excited for her next recital because as she says "it's harder then the song you played mom at the Christmas recital". She is very proud and I am very proud of her too. Johnny just ended his first session of soccer. He started off strong and ended with well lets just say with not as much enthusiasm as he started with. But I'm glad he did it and got to see that it isn't for him. Coen on the other hand cried when he couldn't play. Every time we went to Johnny's games he whined to play. And after every game we were looking for him and sure enough he was out on the court playing by himself. That kid is a real athlete. He loves anything that involves a ball. Soccer, football and his favorite basketball. He can play basketball for hours. When we go to McDonald's all he does is play in the basketball court. And when it's time to leave he has to make one last shot before we can go and if he misses he won't leave until he makes it. Creed seems to be following in his big brother Coen's footsteps. He loves balls too. He will go into the boys room and get into their ball basket and play with the balls. He will play catch with John and I and it is so cute. He is starting to walk and is so cute. He takes a few steps and then falls and gets himself back up again. I have tried several times to get this on camera but as soon as I get the camera he won't perform of course. It is going to be so fun when that little boy can get around more with his brothers and play. Aren't little boys the cutest!

Creed's 1st Birthday

I can hardly believe it has been a year since my little boy was born. Time has gone by so fast. I love this little boy so much. He brings such a sweet spirit into our home. Creed was so funny today when we gave him his cake. He didn't want any of it. He kept picking it up and throwing it on the ground. By the size of this kid you wouldn't think he refused any food. What baby doesn't want their first cake. I guess he is already protesting mom's cooking! I made the cake and got a little adventurous. It definitely was not perfect but I will take it. All the kids seemed to love it so I guess it works. One more milestone down. It is kind of sad to think he will not celebrate another 1st birthday and this may be my last baby. Happy Birthday my blue eyed boy!

11 Years

Today we celebrate our 11th anniversary and it's 1-11-11. Isn't that so cool. I can hardly believe it has been that long. I seems like it was just yesterday I was hanging out at John's parents house with him and his sisters and we were making pillowcases to celebrate the new millennium. Remember the Y2K scare? We were being prepared to have no electricity and have a big camp out. It was so fun! And 11 days later we were heading down to Manti to get married. It was a cold day and snow was on the ground but I wouldn't have it any other way. Eleven years, many moves, several years of schooling, numerous jobs and 4 kids later we are here enjoying life and each other. I love my life. Don't get me wrong it isn't perfect but we take everyday at a time. Life is good and here's to another 11 years!

Adventures in Vegas

This Thanksgiving we chose to visit my homeland-Vegas. Here are some of the memorable things that happened in no particular order.

1. Left unexpectedly really early Tuesday to beat a storm that from the account of others was not "the storm of the century" as predicted. I obviously was not here so I can't vouch for that.

2. Getting to Vegas early since we left early only to have to take Creed to an insta-care because he had a fever of 103.2.

3. Getting to said insta-care and find out that the Dr. or P.A. there didn't see children under 2. What? They told me I had to take him to the emergency room and it wasn't until my mom and I protested and my mom stated that we were out of town and didn't have 6 hours to wait in a Vegas emergency room that a Dr. magically appeared and agreed to see him. Apparently the Dr. was only in to do some paperwork but felt bad for us and felt Creed needed to be seen ASAP so it all worked out. The whole experience was surreal. To the no children under 2, to the office staff acting like they had never seen a baby. I am not kidding. They didn't know how to weigh him, or get his oxygen levels. It was crazy. Then the topper was the guy asked me if 7 month olds threw up a lot. I then asked "do you guys never see babies" he didn't have a response for me. Needless to say I am so grateful for competent medical care where I live and people who know how to deal with children.

4. After getting prescription from the Dr. I went to a Walgreens to get it filled only to find out they didn't have that dose of amoxicillin. What? Isn't that like the most prescribed antibiotic. So we went to another Walgreens and had success.

5. Visited the Dam and the new bridge that takes you to AZ. Way cool.

6. Went to Circus Circus with the kids.

7.Went swimming in 42 degree weather. It was awesome in a heated pool!

8. Walking threw a casino and Coen pulling a slot machine while someone was sitting there and they won and looked to see who did it and saw a little 2.5 feet kid smiling. It was classic!

9. Going to Serendipity and getting their famous frozen hot chocolate. It was sooo good.

10. Going out to eat for Thanksgiving was great. No prep, no clean up and no leftovers to overeat on. It was AWESOME!

Close Call

As many of you know there was a fire in our neck of the woods last Sunday. It was actually pretty scary at times. We actually had no idea there was a fire until Julie called us and asked about it and I went outside and there was smoke everywhere. It all went down hill from there. Our house started to smell like smoke a little while after and we noticed the fire was moving at a very rapid pace. John went to take a look at the fire and came back and said he thought we needed to leave. I thought he was overreacting at the time. We went outside and talked to neighbors and they said that we were to be the next neighborhood to be evacuated. So we started to get our things together in case this happened. Luckily the winds moved and our neighborhood was spared. There were others that were not so lucky. But it really was a miracle that there was not more damage. This fire was so crazy. I have never seen anything like it and hope I never do. The firefighters that fought this fire were amazing. The fact only three homes were lost is really a miracle. Firefighters throughout the state and other states came to help. We saw a Lake Tahoe fire truck, that's crazy. The first few days no one who didn't live in our area could not come because they didn't want extra traffic so we had road blocks to our house. I definately will never forget this and I think my kids wont either. It definately gives me a new propective on being prepared! All those specks in the pictures are ash. No wonder they had to cancel school because the air quality was so horrible. We were breathing in that stuff!

(The day after)

(1 of 3 barracades we saw leaving our development)

Paige's Baptism

A know this is a little late. My little girl got baptized at the beginning of this month and she was so excited. She is the first to be baptized on John's side and the second on mine. It was her special day and it was special. She was so excited to get her own set of scriptures and has been reading them daily. She really is a good kid. I just love this little girl.

Johnny's Lost Tooth

The tooth fairy came to our house last night!