Happy Birthday to Me!

On Saturday, September 22nd...I turned 36 years old!

All I wanted for my birthday was to spend the morning in God's country up in the mountains and breath the fresh air and be in the company of my very best friend. :)

We drove up the Little Cottonwood Canyon to a place called Cathryn's Pass which is where we began our hike...the view was amazing...such a perfect gift!

 

 

 

We headed up the trail with plenty of time for conversations and laughter as we set our destination for Lake Mary. The first part of the hike was up the one side of the mountain, and when we came to the top, we saw the first of 3 lakes we would get to see on the way...Lake Cathryn.

Then we passed other hikers who were happy to visit, take pictures and pause to catch a breath. :)

We also passed a group of scouts as we passed the second lake...Lake Martha.

Then, I almost felt like the little kid in me was coming out when we came to Lake Mary...like I had just opened up the best of all of my birthday presents... :)

Lake Mary was the biggest and most beautiful of the 3 lakes...and smooth as glass...

 

 

 

I was so happy to be a little selfish that day and go and do something that was so enjoyable to me...

Being out amongst the beauty of Heavenly Father's creations makes me feel happy, at peace, and oh so grateful for everything that testifies of Him. Couple that with this sweet husband of mine and you have one truly happy Birthday girl! ;)

 I love you Clint! Thanks for being a gift to me every single day!!! ;* Mwa! :* XOXOXO



Happy 7th Birthday Gavin!

Happy 7th Birthday Gavin!

As another birthday came so quickly...so did the order of, "Mom...this year I want you to make me a Lego Star Wars Cake!" I'm not really sure how this tradition began of making whatever silly cake filled my children's imaginations, but it is a fun one nonetheless!

 

It's fun to work in the kitchen, sample the goods, AND have a perma~grin while I do so, as I imagine the giant smiles that magically appear on the faces of the little ones when they wake up and see their cake :)

 (Although, yes, I took the easy way out and just bought the cute little Lego Star Wars men and stuck them on TOP of the cake! ;) ~ I seriously need to start taking my cake decorating lessons from my sisters~in ~law!

Anyway, Gavin of course LOVED his cake AND the fact that he got a few extra presents with the toys that came on TOP of the cake! ;)

 

Here is the birthday boy with the family (minus Carew who was gone on his scout camp out)...

All smiles except of course for the Dad who HAS to always be the silly one ;)  I think he is trying to present Gavin with his Avenger Ball out of his mouth in some form of Star Wars martian mode...Love him too much :*

After opening his presents, Gavin was a very happy little boy! What did he get? Legos!!! `And a Lego Wii game, some "HANS Rolo's" from his brother Dallin :) , more Lego's from his brother Carew, and this totally awesome cross bow from the rest of us.

 Of course it became a competition to see who could shoot it the farthest since it said on the box that it would shoot up to 125 feet!!!

 I am very happy to report that although Clint held the record amongst all the children...I royally kicked his but when I shot it! ;) I shattered his record :) ...

 

Then we were off to Lagoon!!! We packed up our "Lego Star Wars" picnic in our "LEGO" lunch bags with "Yoda Soda," "Jedi Juice," and "Vader~Ade" to drink...and had all kinds of green silly snacks and Star Wars treats, AND those little Light Saber suckers that really light up, finger lights, and glow stick bracelets and necklaces that were loads of fun once it got to be dark...

 

 

We went on lots of fun rides together...and the weather was beautiful ~not too hot~not too cold~

and it wasn't very busy so most of the rides we were able to just walk on, with the exception of only a few rides...

 

 

(Before the falls on Rattle Snake Rapids...)

 

(AFTER the falls on Rattle Snake Rapids!!!)

 

Kierra even talked Clint into going on the Catapult Launch ride...all I can say is WOW. I was nervous and sick just watching them!

 

We also had a fun time exploring Pioneer Village which we haven't always taken the time to do...

Once when everyone was tired of walking, they all piled into the wagon for a ride. It was funny to see and a good little workout :) BUT it was even funnier when Clint and I kicked them all out and the 2 of us hopped in the wagon together! We made all of the kids pull US instead!!! :)

(We got some pretty hilarious looks from people...too bad I didn't get it on camera;)

 

Dallin, Gavin, Clint, and I all battled it out for a chance to win the Kung Fu Panda Bear at the water gun races... Dallin was the one that wanted Po the most, but knowing that it was his little brother's birthday he kindly accepted the green monkey and let Gavin keep Po instead :)

Gavin was so happy :)

 

We brought the little cake to share at Lagoon and saved the bigger cake to have with Carew the next day when he got home.

Gavin made a wish and blew out his candles... I'm not sure what he wished for...knowing Gavin it was either for everyone to be happy ~OR~ for more Lego's :)

I think it was probably both! :)

Sweet little Mr. Gavin, Happy Birthday!!!!

You are such a sweet little boy...kind, good tempered, and always happy :) ...

I hope that all of your birthday wishes come true!!!

And thanks for picking me to be your mom ;)

I LOVE YOU!!!



My Date with Carew...

On Sunday September 16th, Carew came up to me and said,

 "Mom, do you know what today is?"

I responded and said, "Yes, I do! It's your day for a date!"

 

I love that my children look forward to their "alone" time with mom or dad.

A long time ago when we first became parents we decided that one of the most important things that we wanted to do with our children was to have individual dates with them...often.

We tried many different ways to make this happen...everything from writing the day down every month on the calendar to filling out the whole year in advance JUST so that it was already on there. None of these ways seemed to work too well for us though.

BUT,

 I was NOT going to be defeated over something that was soooo important to me.

 

After thinking long and hard, and praying to Heavenly Father to know what to do to make this work for our family, I remember very vividly receiving MY answer...

 

"You will remember them every month on the day of their birthday."

 

So, from that day on, we have had successful dates with our children!

 NO we have not been perfect, but we have done extremely well in my book. I am a number person and so their numbers of their birthdays stand out to me whenever I look at the calendar...

2, 11, 15, 16, & 26.

Whether we have a chance to plan something elaborate, or just throw something together at the last minute...it doesn't matter. Whether it's on a Friday or a Sunday...it doesn't matter. The thing that DOES matter is that each of the children know that they are important and that we care about THEM.

We have time for THEM. Just THEM.

Our dates have been everything from building forts in our bedroom and drawing pictures together in them ~to~ riding bikes to Arctic Circle or the gas station for a treat ~to~ climbing trees and the roof of our playhouse being spies ~to~ locking the bathroom door for pedicures!

 We have gone on walks to the park to go swinging in the dark and gone out to the movies or to dinner or ice cream or lunch. We have gone to Jazz games, worked on scouting and personal progress, parked at the temple, rolled down the grassy hill, sat on the front porch to listen to the wind blow the leaves on the trees, early morning bike rides, and on and on and on!!!

 Like I said...it doesn't matter WHAT you do together as long as you do it TOGETHER! ~And now that it has become such a habit for us, if we ever think we are going to be "too busy" that day...our children will make sure they remind us of our priority!!! :) I. LOVE. IT!

 

So, on Sunday September 16th, Carew and I waited until all of the other kids were in bed and it was dark, and we carried out 2 big fluffy pillows and a big comfy blanket and spread it out on the front lawn and went star~gazing for our date!

It was so peaceful and beautiful and relaxing...and I cannot even tell you through words how good it felt to lay next to my son and have him talk and talk and talk.

 

I heard about everything from his wipe out crash on his bike and his scabbed up elbows and knees to his excitement behind spending his own money to buy Gavin a birthday present that he just KNEW would be his favorite! (And it was!!:) He pointed out new stars as the clouds would uncover them and even the fact that you could still find "happy faces" in the shapes of the clouds in the dark!

We had a wonderful night. I'm so thankful to be a mom and I am so thankful that my kids kind of like the parents that they've got! (Too bad if you don't because you are stuck with us for eternity!!!;)

 

I know that each one of us LOVES to feel loved and NEEDS to feel loved...so if we can do our best as parents to pass on that love, and show them even a portion of the amount of love that Heavenly Father has for them...then they will know it. Whatever we can give them, it will be enough.

 

Thank you Carew for being my son...for spending your time with me...for hugging me ALL of the time...and NOT being too embarrassed to give me a BIG hug and kiss when you are leaving for scout camp :)

Thank you for desiring to be good...for helping me learn how to be a good mom and for forgiving me when I'm not a very good one...

Thank you for trying to be a peacemaker when the little brothers can drive you CRAZY! ~And for always coming back in the house for one last hug goodbye and your happy smile as you head out into the world every day. You are good. You are special. You are loved....more than you will ever know!

A family heirloom...singing around the piano with Grandma!

I walked into the room from being outside with my dad and found little Kambriella singing her favorite song at the piano with Grandma Panter...

 

 ~ "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"~

 

It brought such a smile to my heart!

 I have so many good memories attached to music and my sweet and loving parents...

I just had to record it...this is one of those things that I never want to forget!

I love you mom!!! I love you Kambriella!!! :)

 

 

Having a Ball in the Fall...

As we have jumped from summer to school ~ Carefree to semi-responsible ~ and "hot" to cooler with some rain... To me, it definitely feels like fall!

 I know I'm a little early, but I can't help it! This time of year rolls around and I fall in love with every stimulus around me... the fun and activities, the sights and smells... it's SOOOO exciting to me!!!

 (I think it must be genetic...at least that's what I get for being born ON the first day of fall!)

So here are just a couple of fun things that we have been filling our days with lately...

Kierra and Carew got braces!!! Here are the "before" and "afters"

I know they are going to KILL me when they find out that I am recording this!!! BUT ~ I know that one day they will thank me, RIGHT? :)

The first few days we just had to deal with the soreness of chewing...but they are all used to them now. We all endured a full week of yogurts for breakfast, cottage cheese and jello for lunch, and soup for dinner every night! It's been well worth it to get them on their way to more confident smiles! ;)

Then, school started!!! The very next day after the braces were on was the first day of school! I didn't get very good pictures of Kierra and Carew in the dark so their "braces" picture will have to do...

But here we have Dallin and Gavin at the school ready to give mom a big hug Good-bye!

 This is Gavin's first year being gone all day AND eating lunch at school!

 And his sweet big brother Dallin was very confident that "He would help Gavin find his way and NOT get lost!" I love that these 2 brothers are such good buddies :)

Then with all of the kids in school except for little Miss Kambriella, we have found that we are lucky to enjoy all kinds of fun and one on one time together! It's like having a date with mom every single day! We are 2 lucky girls!!!

Then, about a week after school started, Mr. Gavin finally get his new glasses!!! We had gone in to see the Dr. a while before, but after some different testing, we found that he had a definite need (sorry Gavin! You got your mother's eyes!)...

 I let him choose the frames he wanted because I figured that he would be more likely to wear them better if he picked them out...

~ Then, on the day he received his glasses, Gavin told me, "Mom, this is the best day EVER!!!"

I was so happy to hear how excited he was to get his glasses! Probably both to see better, AND because one of his best little friends Parker has glasses too...and now they can be "cool" together!!;)

I think he is so handsome :)

We've had fun at scouts...

Doing 3~legged races...

Big brothers helping to put on nail polish ;) ...

Going to my nephew Jacob and Kira's wedding...

Waking up to a rainstorm and insisting on getting a drink of water from the rain ;) ...

 

These are just a few of the drops that have filled our bucket lately... we also have birthdays coming up and family coming to stay...we've been increasing our "preparedness" by working on our families supplies... I bought a juicer and a canner so I can learn how to take my grapes and make homemade grape juice and yes, it's almost time to pick our "peach-icots" and make some homemade jam!...

Our Primary Program is right around the corner, and I have had lots of fun helping 4 of my neighbors (all with daughters that are engaged:) to plan and help with their upcoming weddings AND I am excited to be able to start helping Heather and Cody a bit with theirs too!...

~BUT~

While in the midst of planning and decorating, I have found yard sales to be a very inexpensive source for hidden treasures that can be cleaned up and re-vamped into something beautiful! Mostly I have gone with one of my neighbors to find things for the wedding, but have also had luck in finding other hidden treasures for CHEAP!!!

I have always wanted a wooden ladder to put boards on and use for a shelf on my front porch, and GUESS WHAT? $2 at a yard sale!!! All I had to do was spend $2 more on some spray paint and now I have my shelf ladder! It looks a little sparse here because I am still trying to figure out what exactly I want to put on it...BUT...I love it! :)

 

Also at a yard sale, I found these cute red candlesticks (pictured below) for $1!!!!

Once again, I took a can of red spray paint and have a beautiful yet inexpensive new decoration! I love it too!!! ~ I also went to Swiss Days with my friend Susan over Labor Day weekend and bought that Cute white antiqued platter with the stand...and I think it is going to be one of my new favorite pieces to decorate with... I can do almost anything with it and put it almost anywhere AND at anytime of year!!! Yeah!!! So much fun!!! :)

~So~ with all of the many different activities and experiences that life can bring, I am so happy to find that "joy in the journey" all along the way. Some days hand us trials...some big, and some small... (like yesterday when Kambriella and I spilled chocolate milk all down the inside of the fridge and into the freezer! And then just after I got it cleaned up, I spilled hot soup straight out of the microwave onto the bar, the walls, the floor, and even all over the bar stools!) It was not quite how I wanted to spend our lunch together, but then we smiled and laughed as Kambriella complimented me on what BIG messes I can make!;) ...(And then what a good "cleaner upper" I am too ;)...

Yes, we definitely know how to have a "ball in the fall" but everyday of life can be enjoyed if we remember to laugh and enjoy the precious people all around us everyday!

~Until next time...Have a Ball!!!!!! :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

 

For Labor Day this year, we didn't really do much "laboring" at all! It was really more playing and relaxing...which is my kind of holiday :)

Clint had bought tickets for us to go as a family to a SLC Bees game quite a while ago, but with crazy summer schedules, we still hadn't found a good day to take in a game...

Lucky for us, we made it to the LAST home game of the year!

 YEP!  Labor Day was the LAST home game of the season.

 

I know that these views are some of Clint's favorite in the whole world!... The beautiful green field, and his cut kids enjoying the game...

And as much as the kids enjoy GOING to the game and BEING with their dad, I know all too well that they LOVE the concessions even MORE than their dad loves the field...

1st Inning: Pretzels and Hot Dogs

2nd Inning: Chicken Strips and Fries

3rd Inning : Dippin' Dots

4th Inning: Clint finally whispers in my ear..."It's a good thing this is the LAST game of the season or we would be broke!!!"

5th Inning: Clint tells everyone, "If the Bees are winning at the bottom of the 5th, I will bye everyone a giant slushy on our way home!"

Thank Goodness the Bees ended up winning and we only had to spend $10 dollars at 7-11 for 6 slushees whereas if we would have bought 6 slushees at the game it would have been $36 dollars!!!

 

It was ONLY about 95 degrees as we sat out there in the sun...

 I loved every minute of it, although the kids had to go into the restroom and soak their shirts with water so they would be cool out in their seats! Then, they took breaks and went to play on the playground for a bit where there was plenty of shade ;)

Then I took Gavin for a walk to find "The" Bee...

Lucky for him, we found him!

He was SOOOO happy that we found him!!!

Then, we happened to find the Balloon Lady that makes fun shapes for all of the little kids.

We stood by and watched her twist and tie, and then announce,

 "I AM DONE! No more balloons! I need a break!"

Reluctantly, I took a small step aside with Gavin as to try and ease into the disappointing fact that he would NOT be getting a balloon...when slowly everyone else cleared away and she called to Gavin to come over!

 I'm not sure if she could sense his disappointment, or if she just thought he was too cute like his mom thinks ;) BUT... He ended up with his beloved balloon sword!!! YAY!!! He was literally the last one the Balloon Lady would make until next year! What a lucky little boy!!! :)

 

Summer ending, school starting, Autumn leaves falling...

FUN STILL COMING ;)

Ya Baby!!!



~The Piano Guys! ~

I know that one of my very favorite things in all of the world is being with Clint...

It really doesn't matter what it is that we do as long as we are together.

We can have fun doing dishes, putting away laundry, or going to Home Depot at 9:30 at night.

 

In fact, now that we have children that are old enough to babysit for us, we try to take advantage of going ANYWHERE together and call it "a date!"

 

But this particular date that we went on was actually REALLY fun... and though it POURED rain on us and lightening filled the sky at times...we were so happy to be sitting in a beautiful place together and enjoying the moment. We both agreed that the rain just made it "more memorable." We will probably never forget our first concert to "The Piano Guys" at Thanksgiving Point in the storm...

We were in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater with the waterfall backdrop and a sea of umbrellas all around us! Here is just a glimpse of the crowd...but it was just this large on EVERY side!

 

 

 

So we found our plot of ground and cozied on in...

 

 

Then we started to get all CRAZY under the umbrella!!!

 (In lots of good ways;)

Lovely AND silly!!! :)

 

I know it sounds funny, but we were having so much fun under the umbrella, that I think we made for some great "Pre-Show" entertainment for the rest of the crowd!!! ;)

 

THEN...

Did someone say, "Piano Guys?!!!"

 

We were so excited for the concert to start and we smiled, laughed, clapped, and cheered all through the whole thing!

 Aside from our sore bottoms from sitting on the hard ground the whole time, it was an absolute delight and a real treat! (But then again, when you're with your best friend, it doesn't take much to get excited now does it? ;)

 

There were many songs that touched me, but one of my favorites was their version of

 "What Makes You Beautiful."

All 5 of the Piano Guys use the piano ~inside and out~ to create a rhythm and music. It was amazing AND it was their 1st ever LIVE performance of the song.

 (Which made us feel extra special of course ;)

 

So...after the dinner, the drive, the concert, and the rain...

we ran back to our car and held hands the whole way home.

 It was a lovely night.

I am so happy to be married to my best friend and that we have such a good time together. Clint ~ thanks again for all of the memories, I'm so glad I get to grow old with YOU!!!!!