What's Happening!

Autumn

2011-11-20T18:22:00.001-08:00

Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf becomes a flower.

What a smile!

2011-10-23T14:42:00.001-07:00

What spring????

2011-05-18T17:35:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn

2011-01-27T13:22:00.001-08:00

We love her even though she makes huge messes.

More Christmas.

2011-01-27T13:16:00.001-08:00

Christmas

2011-01-27T13:13:00.001-08:00

Our last 4 months

2011-01-27T13:06:00.001-08:00

Notice Parkers finger getting nibbled. OUCH!!!

Parker loves the zoo.

Julianne and Ryan both enjoyed the BYU football game.

For 7 weeks, we lived in our house without anything. We had to borrow everything.

At the last minute we decided to put all of our stuff in storage. We weren’t sure the deal was going to go through. But it did. Yeah!!!!!

Somebody had a Birthday recently

2010-11-15T14:17:00.001-08:00

Notice the flower and crown are partcially eaten. Hummm… Who would have done that?

Moving to Utah

2010-10-20T15:21:00.001-07:00

Moving to Utah

2010-10-15T19:34:00.001-07:00

We will miss our family and friends in Idaho. Our ward in Idaho was awesome. So many of you will be missed dearly. We have so many awesome memories with our friends.
We are very excited to experience a huge change. We definitely thought this change to Utah was going to be later then sooner. It has been a very stressful process but very exciting at the same time. We spent all summer looking for houses in Utah. It was a huge stress to keep our home in IF perfect all the time in order to show it on a whim with 2 hrs. or less notice. With a baby and a toddler that was a big challenge. But Julianne learned to power clean really good. Ryan did ok as well. It was super high stress though to have to get out of the house and leave it perfect for showings. I am glad that part didn’t last too long.
We were able to sell our house. What a miracle that was in this economy. Especially because it was a higher priced home. We were so glad we were able to enjoy our big yard all summer long. As we will not have the privilege of owning property like that in Utah. We will miss the size and privacy of our home in Idaho Falls.
In June we received such great news of a generous relocation package. This is a huge blessing. I don’t know how we would have moved on our own. With Brooklyn and Parker being so high maintenance, I wouldn’t have been able to get any thing done. Also moving big furniture would have been a headache. It was really nice knowing we didn’t have to worry about that.
I can’t remember the date we sold our home, I think it was August 20th? At that time we didn’t know what we were going to do. We had looked at everything available on the market in Utah and were just not finding anything we liked enough to buy. Fortunately I stumbled upon an open house in Mt. Green. We made an offer and we got a beautiful new house. Of course it was a little more complicated than that and still is, because we haven’t closed on the house yet. We are living here, but we are waiting for the sellers to get their title clear. Ahh the mess. It does have to be so complicated. We are glad were are in our new house, even though we are living on air mattresses and foam mates. We have been borrowing things to help us function somewhat. At the last minute we decided not to move our stuff in. We wanted to be sure the seller gets the title cleaned. It is a little mess but we know it will get worked out.
Julianne and Ryan transferred to their new schools. They transitioned better then I thought they would. I am so glad they have adjusted well. They both have made new friends and really like their teachers and school. This is such an exciting opportunity for them. I am excited they have had the “new kid in school” experience.

We have met many of our neighbors and they all seem so friendly and nice. We are impressed with their genuine concern and interest in us.

The fall weather has been fabulous. It is so beautiful here in Mt. Green. The mountains are all around us. Snow Basin Ski resort is 12 minutes from our house. Wow!! We are all going to have to become skiers.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to move back to Utah. The climate change will be so nice. The shopping will be fabulous. The opportunity for our kids to do so many things is awesome.

Good Memories

2010-08-09T15:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our 4th of July weekend. And some of the kids. We have spent the summer looking for houses in Utah. We are moving to Mt. Green. I am glad the house hunting is over. Enjoy the pictures.

Zion National Park

2010-05-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

We recently took our two older kids on Angels Landing in Zion. It is known as one of the best adventurous hikes in America, not to mention dangerous. One wrong move…..your dead. The weather was perfect. And the timing was perfect. It snowed on Angels landing the day after we left. We couldn’t have picked a better time of the year. What a great way to start the summer.

We enjoyed the views and also the challenge.

These next pictures are the last part of the hike. They have chains installed for your protection and security. 1500 cliffs on both sides. We were a little nervous. But we did it!!

Our baby is almost 7 months!

2010-04-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

Jeff and Amy Andrews

2010-02-11T20:53:00.001-08:00

I had the last minute opportunity to fly to Cancun and take wedding pictures of my friend Amy. Jeff and Amy decided to elope to Cancun. We had a great time. What a great time of year to take a break from my crazy life.

Somebody's being naughty!

2010-02-11T20:07:00.001-08:00

I of course didn’t leave the lid loose on the nestle quick. Parker was having himself some good time fun. What a mess!!! But what a memory.

Life is good.

2010-02-11T20:00:00.001-08:00

Oh my heck!! I actually have a moment to write about the past few months. Mike and I are busier than we have ever been. We are in the thick of BUSY!!!! I keep thinking life is going to slow down. But it doesn’t. On days that are crazy and I think I am going to loose my mind, I try to live in the moment and enjoy it. Life would be boring if we didn’t have the chaos.

I took pictures last week of what it looked like around our house. You would seriously be shocked. I was shocked. I do have the excuse of just getting back from Cancun. I was still unpacking. It amazes me how much time it takes to keep everything clean. A 2 year old and a new baby doesn’t help. Obviously.

This looks like it should be a teenagers closet. I’m bad!!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-30T09:51:00.001-08:00

We hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays.

Baby Blessing

2009-12-13T16:59:00.001-08:00

Last sunday was Brooklyn’s baby blessing. It was a wonderful day for us. We were glad to have the Grandpa’s and Grandma’s come up for that. We also had Uncle Steve and his darling friend Julia come . We were glad they could come.

Lighting

2009-11-20T21:27:00.001-08:00

Not exactly perfect. But it is my first time using studio lighting. It is a little tricky. More so than I had anticipated.

Halloween

2009-11-08T18:03:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn was our little kitty for Halloween . Doesn’t she look cute!

Parker was happy to be himself this year for Halloween. He was thrilled to get 1 licorice rope from our neighbor Mary. I’m sure he’ll want to dress up next year.

Autumn time.

2009-11-08T16:31:00.001-08:00

It’s autumn time.

2009-10-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

I sure wish we had a few more weeks with the beautiful leaves. Unfortunatly, they all blew away today. I took some darling pictures of Julianne, but they are still on my memory stick. I will post them later.

Time…..where does it go?

2009-10-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

Our baby story.

2009-09-30T13:26:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn Lily was born Sept. 24 at 10:00 p.m.. Weight 6.5 pounds. Length 19 3/4” long. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

We finally get a chance to write about our experience last week.

I went to my Dr. appt. on Monday. My amniotic fluid was an 8. Anything under a 5 in dangerous. Tuesday went by without any concern. Wednesday I woke up panicked because I didn’t feel much movement. I went straight to the hospital for an nst (non stress test). Everything looked great. I was glad I went just to be sure the baby wasn’t in any stress. The next day we went for our ultrasound and visit with the paranatologist. My amniotic fluid was a 6. The paranatologist recommended we get started ASAP considering my history. We headed right to labor and delivery. I was very relieved at this point. I was very glad I didn’t have to wait and wonder if this baby was going to come out dead. I had a hard time always being optimistic about the end of this pregnancy. I would imagine what I would do if this pregnancy resulted in another tragic still born. I am so glad its over. Labor and delivery went very well. I was so excited to finally bring this girl into the world.
Mike got the thrilling experience of helping the baby come out and got to be the first to hold the baby. It was just an amazing experience to see the baby come out and cry for the first time. I went from a 3 to a 10 within 2 hrs. Mike was at home tucking the kids in bed. I called and said you had better hurry, I am at a 10. She’s coming. We didn’t realize how fast I had progressed. I could feel a lot of pressure and sure enough the baby was ready to come out.
She has been home for 6 days. She is still very tiny. Yesterday she weighed 5 pounds 11ounces.
She is so cute. We are enjoying her so much.
Breast feeing however isn’t going well. I produce enough milk to feed a mouse. It’s pathetic.
Parker loves to kiss baby sisters head. He also likes her to hold his cars. He is going to be a good big brother.

Our new arrival.

2009-09-25T20:47:00.001-07:00

We are not sure what her name is yet. Our top 5 names are Brooklyn, Lily, Mckenzie, Marissa, Shaylee and Alyssa. Any suggestions??

We are very delighted she is finally here. We are so excited. I am so glad we were started on Thursday and didn’t have to wait and panic over the weekend.

Happy Birthday Mike!!

2009-09-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Summer

2009-09-03T20:08:00.001-07:00

We have all been enjoying the nice weather outside and haven’t had much time to blog.

Here are some random pictures of our summer events.

Grand Teton National Park. Parker helping take the peas up to the house.

Our dinner group friends! Jackson Hole-Snow King Hotel

Jenny Lake- Grand Tetons Bear Lake-North Shore

Ryan gets bitten by a dog on the butt. Summer camp fires are best.

Julianne and her friends.

Julianne new palm tree room.

I hope he keeps up with the smiles……baby sister is on her way to rock his world!

I can’t believe how many stink pots are in Yellowstone N.P.

Playing by the shore at Yellowstone lake. Boys, sticks, rocks and water= hours of entertainment!

Parkers birthday party.

2009-08-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

We had a fun birthday for Parker. I can’t believe he is two.

Did someone say CAKE!!

2009-08-02T22:00:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe how fast these two years have gone. What a joy it has been.

The Alaska Fishing Trip!

2009-07-25T20:59:00.001-07:00

We spent a great week in Alaska together with Dad and the Bros. The fishing was good and the company was great. These are just a few of the trips highlights. Everyone was burning the midnight oil, because frankly the sun doesn’t go down until after midnight. The only thing lacking on this trip was our beauty rest. Sometimes we were so tired that just sitting down somewhere for 10 minutes would put everyone into the twilight zone. Thanks Dad for making this possible. We ought to make it an every other year tradition.

Thanks Grandma for all the fun in Park city

2009-07-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

We all had a great time in Park city last week. All the cousins had so much fun swimming and enjoying their all day passes to the alpine/coaster slides and zip line. It was HOT, but they all had a great time. I am sure glad we made such awesome memories together.

4th of July weekend

2009-07-09T14:05:00.001-07:00

Mesa Falls

2009-07-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

We started out our 4th of July weekend by going on a drive up to Mesa Falls. We had a great time.

Happy Birthday

2009-07-09T13:39:00.001-07:00

Wicked Weather!

2009-06-26T22:40:00.001-07:00

The neighborhood got hammered by this crazy storm.

Our garden area was nearly washed out in this storm. These pictures show how much the drainage area at the bottom of our property can fill up. I’ve never seen it this bad since we built here. Mike said we got nearly an inch of rain in 45 minutes.

Congratulations Annette!

2009-06-13T17:33:00.001-07:00

My sister had a baby this week. Isn’t she adorable. I am so excited to have a girl.

Give me the BIG stuff!!!

2009-06-11T20:04:00.001-07:00

I love capturing these kinds of pictures. I love seeing the imagination of a one year old.

In Memory of Wesley Wayne DeVries

2009-05-31T16:44:00.001-07:00

Three years ago today, we went to the hospital, excited to deliver a sweet baby boy. When we got there, the nurses couldn’t find a heart beat.

This day we want to remember that our third child has already come and gone from this earthly experience.

We love you Wesley.

No broken foot.

2009-05-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

We were almost 100% sure her foot was broken. But yesterdays x-rays showed no broken bones. Julianne is SO relieved. She just couldn’t bare the thought of missing out on her exciting adventurous life for 6 weeks. I am so happy for her.

What a rough day!

2009-05-25T20:52:00.001-07:00

Julianne broke her foot. We are feeling so sad for her, she is devastated.

Ryan fell off his bike and had to get stitches. Thank heavens, it was in his chin and not his cheek or eye.

Parker luckily was safe today. Three down would really be a stream of bad luck.

2009-05-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

A windy day!

2009-05-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

I thought the wind would go away. Guess I was wrong. At least the temperature is nice.

Julianne made the extreme ballroom dance team. Yea!!! We are so happy.
Last friday we had our piano recital and it went great. Unfortunately, Ryan didn't get to perform because he had a baseball game. I was disappointed because he even had his piece memorized.

Last week Ryan sang in his Tavaci concert at the Civic. It was a great performance. He also got to have a speaking part during the show. He did a great job.

I made salsa today. It turned out not so great AGAIN!!! I followed a recipe from allrecipes.com that was rated 4 1/2 stars from about 225 people. I really want to learn how to make a salsa that I love. I guess I'll keep tyring.

Here is a quote that I keep reading and applying in my life. I really like it. It is by Dr. Seuss
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who don't mind matter and those who matter don't mind."

Oh Baby!

2009-05-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

We are having a girl. We are so excited.

Great News!

2009-05-02T21:38:00.001-07:00

We are expecting a baby this October. We are very excited and can’t wait to find out what it is. We are 17 weeks along and the ultrasounds look great.

Happy Birthday Grandma Healy

2009-04-23T09:22:00.001-07:00

DeVries BBQ

2009-04-23T09:20:00.001-07:00

One day all these cousins will be adults. These pictures will be priceless.

2009-04-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

My sweet neighbor Mary, who is like a true Martha Stewart, were talking talent, talent, talent. Well she made me a birthday cake out white chocolate roses. It took my breath away. It was so elegant.

Jeni’s Birthday

2009-04-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

Mike and I went on a spectacular flight over Alpine, Jackson Hole, and The Grand Tetons. I had always wanted to see what it looked like from the air. It was fun to see our house from the air as well.

Great weather!

2009-04-21T14:32:00.001-07:00

I got sunburned on my arms from being out in the sun yesterday. This weather feels great.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when all my bulbs come up. They are about ready to bloom, which mean snow must be on its way.

Parker

2009-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

What a big boy! I can't believe how big this baby is!

Little Savannah!

2009-03-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

I sure enjoyed taking pictures of my neice. She is such a cutie.

La Jolla Cove

2009-03-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

La Jolla Cove

2009-03-17T08:06:00.001-07:00

2009-03-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

Disneyland

2009-03-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

2009-03-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Corona Del Mar

2009-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Vacation!

2009-03-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's always hard to come back from vacation. We really enjoyed ourselves. We were gone for 10 days and we could have stayed longer. The warmer weather was great although it didn't reach the mid 70's like we had hoped. It still felt nice. Our first day there we went to Corona Del Mar beach. We love this beach because the kids can explore the tide pools and play in the waves. The rocks along the shore provide such a pretty sea scape. This was the perfect day. Parker had hours of fun throwing sand and poking his finger in the squishy sea urchins.
We spent 3 magical days in Disneyland. It smelled like a floral shop because of all the spring blossoms everywhere. It was very refreshing to be in such a springy climate.
Ryan overcame his fear of falling. He got the courage to face his fears to ride Tower of Terror. He loved it and was so glad he decided to go on T of T.
Parker enjoyed playing with the garbage cans, chasing birds and ducks and riding "It's a small world" , oh yeah we can't forget the "Tea cups". He was a lot of fun. He probably won't remember anything of Disneyland but we'll remember him at Disneyland.
Julianne couldn't get enough of the big rides. And I have to admit, neither could I. The screaming roller coaster is so much fun.
After three days in Disneyland, we spent 2 days in San Diego playing on the beach. We found a great little beach called La Jolla Cove. This cove had big waves, and we loved playing in them. Ryan couldn't get enough of the sand and waves. It was so relaxing to be at the beach. I could spend a whole week there.
I will post pictures tomorrow.

Sick!!

2009-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

I have mucus on my lungs, a mild headache, and am VERY tired. I haven't been sick for about 7 years. The only thing I have had is maybe a runny nose on occasion. I had strep about 8 years ago. So this is really putting me out for the day. Hopefully tomorrow I feel like I am getting better.
I helped Julianne clean out her closet, under her bed and her two junk drawers today. Even though I was sick and tired. We loaded 3 large garbage sacks full of junk and my car trunk is full of DI. She is a pack rat. It was scary to be in her closet. Now she can put her shoes on a shelf instead of the floor and she has 3 empty drawers. We counted 11 journals, 5 of which had a few entries....ridiculous! Don't give journals as gifts, kids now days have too many.
Poor Parker, he isn't getting anything....ever. I am sick of the toys, junk and collections of rocks, candy, trinkets, useless memorabilia.

It's a cold day!

2009-02-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I thought it would warm up a little. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Latley, I have been up to just the normal routine, cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, teaching piano lessons, playing around with my new lenses and working out. I did try Emily's recommended new enchaladas on her cooking blog. The family loved them. It is always fun to try new dishes.
Yesterday we had our friends over for dinner group. We fixed tempura veggies, tankatsu, and bulkogi. It turned out really delicious. We put our deep fryer out on the deck so our house didn't stink afterword. I was glad I tried that.
I started a diet about 4 weeks ago and have lost 3 pounds. Yes, not much, but I do fit in my smaller jeans now. I feel great. I am finally over my addiction to chocolate daily. You know how it is after the holidays. Gotta have that chocolate fix. I am proud to say that I am not only over chocolate but sugar in general. Yea!! HOw long will this last??? Probably not too long.
It is a saturday afternoon and it's nap time. I have been so tired latley.

Hair cut

2009-02-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I took Julianne to get her hair cut. We discovered she has a lot of natural curl in her hair. We are happy with the cut. It's such a nice change.
Parker has been so pleasant. He is just one happy kid. I can't believe he'll be 2 this year.

Julianne get a hair cut

2009-02-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

December

2009-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun with all of you. It is too bad we all live so far apart.

3-d snow flakes

2009-01-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

These are really easy to make. Just google 3-D snowflake. We did these for achievement days today too.

Grandma's Christmas Party

2009-01-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at Grandma Wimmers. My brother Bryant cooked a prime rib that was delicious. My mom made all kinds of homemade treats. She is such a good cook. She goes all out for us. We opened presents and then of course played some cops and mafia. The funnest game in the world. My mom gave Parker a present with monkeys on it and he loves the monkeys. He carries them everywhere he goes. It was great to see Nate and Annette from Arizona too.

Snow

2009-01-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

At the last minute Mike decided to try and beat the storm moving in and head to Ogden on Christmas day.
We were going to go the day after but Mike wanted to leave suddenly on Christmas day. We ended up driving two extra hours, white knuckled all the way to Ogden. It was a nightmare. We were glad to be alive, considering all the big semi’s plowing thru the snowy roads next to us.
In Ogden, the children loved riding around the yard on Grandpas snow machine. We went bowling with Scott and Michelle. Played games with Bryant and Mindy. Just hung out and played. We took our kids to the Jazz game too. Mike Thinks Larry Miller should get us season tickets because Mikes never seen a loss yet in the Delta Center, Sorry ( Energy Solutions).
We came home one night from Greg and Emilys house and the wind had been blowing so much our driveway was totally snowed in. I waited about 15 mintues in the car while Mike cut a path and then put a blanket around Parker and walked up the driveway. There was a lot of snow.

Body Worlds

2009-01-09T17:29:00.001-08:00

This is something I saw on TV and it looked amazing. Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS 3 & The Story of the Heart presents the form, function, complexity and beauty of the human body. Featuring a unique collection of more than 200 authentic human specimens including whole-body plastinates, organs and translucent body slices, this exhibit offers visitors profound insights into the human body, health and disease, and the intricate world of the cardiovascular system. All the bodies are real. We decided to take our family. Luckily Parker slept in his stroller most of the time. Julianne and Ryan were amazed at the whole exhibit too. Here are some interesting facts. Your heart pumps 1800 gallons of blood through your body every 24 hours. There are 60,000 thousand miles of veins/capillaries running thru your body.

Christmas Tree

2009-01-09T17:26:00.001-08:00

We bought a white flocked tree on clearance last year and I was determined to not let the years go by without decorating it or waiting for the clearance ornaments after Christmas. I decided to go to Tiapan in Layton and just do the whole tree. When Mike saw the 3 large bags of ornaments, he thought I’d over bought, but I told him if he wants the full tree look which he has always wanted in a designer tree, full of ornaments he’ll have to pay for it. It turns out we didn’t have enough ornaments to do the back side of the tree. I was excited about the color combination, Lime green, ocean blue and silver. I still need to add a few more porclein snowflakes. I was really happy about our new tree for the living room.
Last year we threw out our old artificial tree we’d had for a number of years. We decided to buy a tree permit and cut down a real tree. Mike bought a permit in Swan Valley and decided to spend the afternoon searching for the perfect tree on his way home from working in Jackson. He said it was real fun walking around the forest all by himself checking out the trees. Mike said its actually a challenge to find a tree that isn’t flawed in some why and is the right height (12 feet) for our great room. Unfortunately ,we couldn’t hang most of our ornaments on the tree because the branches were so weak, they would just pull the branches way down. Julianne was mad, because the ornaments we couldn’t hang on the tree were so sentimental. She decided to hang them from hooks and nobs around the kitchen instead of putting them back in the box. A little cluttery but she thought it was great.

Cookies

2009-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

I took the month off of piano teaching and enjoyed making cookies, making Christmas cards and playing around the house. Ever since my neighbor Mary Adams taught us how to do the cool sugar cookies a few years ago we always make a few big batches of cookies. The kids love to decorate them. Our kitchen stays messy though, it seems like for weeks, because of left over frosting waiting for the next batch of sugar cookies.

Our newsletter

2008-12-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

The Short version
Julianne: basketball, Piano lessons, girls softball, gymnastics, Pinebasin summer camp, and tons of homework, going to Utah and playing at the Holdens Lake. Ryan: basketball, gymnastics, piano, Tavaci Singing group, baseball, homework. Jeni hosting 6 summer barbeques, lots of piano students, serving in primary, and serving as ward Organist (yikes). Mike bought a 4 wheeler, works in BIG yard, Bear Lake, summer walks. Did I mention Mike enjoys working in a BIG yard. Disneyland and SanDiego with kids. Carmel California, just the two of us (heavenly). Jeni rolls the car on icy hill. Mike’s job (still has, thank heavens). Parker: turns 1, busy, super fun, read books, finally learns to walk @14 months. Birthday parties. Rexburg Temple. Ryan Shupe Concert. Thriller SLC. BYU Christmas Concert. Sugar Cookies. Mikes garden (beets, broccoli, corn, peas, green beans, potatoes, carrots, onions and tomatoes). Taking pictures of family/photography. Monthly dinner club with friends. Tuachan St. George Les Miserables.

The Long version
This year has been a great year. We are thankful we have been healthy and accident free this year. Some of the highlights this year: Our Disneyland and San Diego Vacation. The weather was perfect and the crowds weren’t bad at all. Parker was fun to watch with the Disney Characters. Julianne and Ryan loved all the rides and there was a lot Parker could go on too. It is such a magical place. San Diego and the beach were spectacular. I love being outside and enjoying nature, so the beach and sand and natural beauty of the earth is great for me. Unfortunately we didn’t go on any big hikes this year.
Julianne and Ryan are busier this year than ever before. We decided it was time to enroll them in a few extra curricular activities aside from the normal piano and basketball routine.
Ryan and Julianne are so cute with Parker. Parker loves his big sister and brother. It is interesting having an eight year gap but the dynamics of our family are really fun. I love having an 11 year old baby sitter.
Mike and I took a nice vacation to Carmel, California. We toured the Winchester Mystery house, Hearst Castle and walked around tiny $5 million dollar homes in Carmel. We played and relaxed at the beach, ate and great restaurants, stayed one night at a quaint bed and breakfast. We also stayed at two other hotels that were amazing. This was such a relaxing vacation. I think I’m ready to go again.
I have cut back on my teaching schedule so I can spend more time on the things I really enjoy. I am excited to learn more about photography and am almost ready to take the leap and get a nicer digital slr than I have and all the fancy lenses too. I am totally excited. I also decided to scrapbook all 2008 digitally. I love digital scrapbooking but I still like the old way too.
Mike does a great job helping me out. He is the best husband and I’m thankful my children have and know their father. He is supportive to me and the kids and we love him so much. He is a hard worker at work and at home in his big yard. He spends a lot of time making his yard look as good as it can in this dry and harsh climate. Well, I’d write more, but I am tired. Good night and Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

2008-12-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2008-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2008-10-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Photoshop is amazing. It kind of give you the creeps doesn't it.

Happy Fall

2008-10-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

San Diego

2008-10-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

I love the beach! I love watching the waves and the surfers. I also like watching Mike get hammered by the waves, actually it made me nervous, I didn't want him to drowned. Julianne learned to boogie board. She was hesitant at first because of the waves but really got the hang of it. Ryan for some reason didn't care for the boogie board, but loved the waves and water. He also spent a lot of time just playing in the sand.

Disneyland

2008-10-15T20:09:00.001-07:00

The kids had a blast, including Parker. Parker loved the characters. Oct. is a great time to go to Disneyland. The weather was perfect and the crowds weren't bad.

South of Carmel California

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Monterey California

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Our first day in Monterey California

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These photos are for our kids so they can see our day to day activities.

P turns one.

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We just celebrated Parker turning 1. We had some friends over to help celebrate this little guys big day. He loved his cake and as you can see made a big mess.

Fishing with Grandpa

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Thanks Grandpa for the great time fishing. Sorry about the pole.

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Minnetonka Cave

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Bear Lake

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A day at the beach. Now we need a wave runner!

Bear Lake

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Parker is clearly having himself a good time. The sand tastes great!!!!!

Boise

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Boise has an awesome waterpark called Roaring Springs. We enjoyed playing in the water, going on all the slides and getting sunburned unfortunalty. We also met up with our friends Ben and Jen at the Cheesecake Factory.

4th of july

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These are pictures of our 4th of july bbq. We had a great time.

Parker turns one

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Invitations for Parkers 1 st birthday party.

card ideas

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I recently did a card class for a group of my friends. We rotate houses each month and learn different things, anything from how to make bread to how to make jewelry.

J Birthday Party

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J and her friends. What a party!

Cake idea

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Julianne's birthday cake. The palm tree trunks are just bread sticks. I put frosting on the teddy grahams for their swim suits. I need some cute cake ideas for a 1 year old. Any ideas?

Hilton in SLC

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Staying at the hilton in SLC. This was actually in april, but I thought the layout turned out cute.

The Holden Plant

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This is where we spend a lot of our summer. It's called the Holden Plant. My friend Lori invites us up to her dads private lake in Rexburg. We have a blast.

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Our sweet baby is finally crawling. At 11 months he finally gets it. Yea!!

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Isn't he handsome. These pictures were taken on our way up to Pinebasin.

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The life of an 11 year old. Life is pretty good when all you have to worry about is having fun. These pictures turned out great. J did a good job of giving the right look.

Bear Lake

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We went to Bear Lake at the end of May. The kids loved the beach.

Finally!

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I think blogging is going to be a lot of fun. Welcome family and friends to our life......in detail.