Ayers Natural Bridge

This weekend we had our annual Elders Quorum camp out at Ayers Natural Bridge. The pictures is one that is off the Internet- I didn't have enough time to take a picture of the actual thing while feeding Brennon!- but it's the most beautiful place. It's a rock bridge with the river running under it. The weather was perfect. We drove the 45 minute drive to get there at 6:15, leave at 9:22, go back at 7:15 and leave again at 12:50. It was a ton of driving, but all well worth it.
The kids made their way down to the river. This bridge is not as cool as the natural bridge, but a little more safe for the kids! Shelby wanted to go to the other one I guess!!
The kids found a stick bug. Can you see it? It was a fun thing to watch and find. They had a blast with it. Caden wanted to bring it home, but he left it to live in the wilderness.
The kids had such a good time on the toys. We really enjoy this tradition. Maybe next year we'll camp. We'll see how the kids do- or me, since I'm the one that makes the decision!
Thanks to all that made this trip possible. It was so nice and relaxing. I'm still glad I didn't have to hear the racoon's!

Summer Pleasures

Summer is the best time for many things. Shelby loves having cereal and milk. She has her own way of eating it though. She puts a "Trix" on the end of her straw, lifts the sippie, and drinks milk. She'll then crunch the cereal and begin again.
Here we are having Brigham City corn. Living up here in a land lock, we have all of our corn shipped, so it is the worst basically. When Randy was in Utah last week, he surprised me with a dozen ears. Shelby threw such a fit, we gave her one. We didn't even have time to get her a plate!
But she doesn't really care or need one! She has such a good handle on it now anyway!

Party Princess!

On Saturday we had Keilie's party. Her theme was Disney Princesses. She wanted her hair down, so I made her into a princess! Doesn't she look so beautiful? We sure think so.

I bought her cake from Smith's. It's cupcakes. This was so easy to serve. I love this idea.
Here is the group. Top: Caden, Keilie, Dylan, Breanna. Middle: Carter, Carson, Trevor, Hailey. Bottom: Abby, BriAnne. We also had Madison, Kennady, and Layla there, too. We sure had a blast.
We had so much fun beating this pinata. It's a tiara if you can't tell. Hailey was taking a whack. Isn't her hair adorable. I just had to show everyone. Great job Kimberly! Side note- Keilie was the first to get a piece of candy out. Caden was the one to finally bash it all out!
Here they all are looking at the lit candles. They all ended up blowing them out. Thank you all for coming and making Keilie's first birthday party a blast. We sure appreciate your friendship and love. Happy Birthday Keilie!!!

Keilie's 5!

On August 22, Keilie turned 5. She was lucky to be able to spend the day at Kindergarten. She loved it. We opened a present in the morning. New earrings. She got them pierced for Christmas and got her first pair changed out on her birthday.
She chose to go to the new Sanford's for her birthday dinner. They have such a fun atmosphere there now- still the same great food. We were lucky to get half price appetizers. Cheap and good- can't beat that.
This shark was lucky to get some good eats, too.
This T-Rex sure got a cute meal. We love you Keilie. Happy Birthday. We still can't believe you're only 5!

Who are you?

( x) Gone on a blind date( x) Skipped school( ) Watched someone die(X) Been to Canada(X) Been to Mexico() Been to Florida(X) Been on a plane( ) Jumped out of a plane( ) Been on a Helicopter(x ) Been lost(X) Been on the opposite side of the country() Gone to Washington,DC(X) Swam in the ocean(X) Cried yourself to sleep() Played cops and robbers() Recently colored with crayons(x ) Sang Karaoke(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?(X) Made prank phone calls() Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue(X) Danced in the rain(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus( x) Been kissed under the mistletoe(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about(X) Blown bubbles(X) Gone ice-skating(x ) Gone Skiing ( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors(X) Made out at the movies(X) Been to a drive-in movie
I want to know more about you.
1. Any nickname? Steph, Stephy- only to Grandpa Kimber, Mommy, Honey, Bliss
2. Mother's name? Rachelle
3. Favorite drink? Water, Rootbeer, Cream Soda
4. Tattoo? None
5. Body Piercings?
6. How much do you love your job? Best one in the world. I also have the best employer
7. Birthplace?Ogden, Utah
8. Favorite Vacation spot? Maui
9. Ever been to Africa? nope
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yep, not too long ago.
11. Ever been on TV? Yep, a couple times.
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, if any of you know how Randy drives, you'll understand
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4-door
15. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch
16. Favorite pie? Apple or Banana Cream
17. Favorite number? 3
18. Favorite movie? Enchanted
19. Favorite holiday? My Birthday- it's a holiday for me!
20. Favorite dessert? Brownies
21. Favorite food? Chicken
22. Favorite day of the week? Monday Mornings- I clean like a mad woman
23. What do you do to relax?Read
24. Favorite toothpaste? Pronamel. It tastes weird at first, but really helps with sensitivity.
25. Favorite smell? Fresh baked bread
26. Favorite sound? Silence
27. Favorite way to spend your day off? Spend it with my family.
28. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Caden Driving, Keilie begging to date, Shelby almost a Beehive, Brennon a surprisingly not-annoying 10 year old boy, 2 more kids- maybe, and Randy and I still living the life I always dreamed as a girl.

Picky Eater

So, I made a hotdog for Shelby on Tuesday. I cut it into "fingers" so that she could hold them and take small bites. She would NOT eat it. She would clinch her lips shut, turn her head, and push my hand away. Well, on Wednesday, I had a stroke of genius. I know she likes hotdogs because she eats them out of corn dogs. So, I cut the hotdog into "coins." She ended up eating two for lunch. So, it's all about preparation for this girl!

Airhead Moments

So, I'm not saying I'm the most intelligent, but I do claim to understand some things pretty well. Well today I had one of my "Air head" moments and started laughing at myself. Here are some that have happened in the last 10 years or so, even though some of them happened in my teens- the time we know and understand it all!

1. A man had bought some rubber cement from Ben Fanklin Crafts. On the pricing ticket it says it was put on the sales floor in 1984. I was flabbergasted that we'd had it out that long without anyone buying it- or staff throwing it away! The man brought it back because it had done its purpose- turned to cement. I was even more blown away that he'd saved the receipt!!!!!! From the day before. Oops. I had it in my head that he'd saved the receipt from 1984!


2. After Shelby was born, I was so tired one night that I watched the bottle nipple turn in the microwave while I held the bottle in my hands. I shook up the bottle and was so ticked that the milk was still cold after the 25 seconds it'd been in the micro!


3. I was in a hurry taking Caden to Kindergarten. We'd rushed all morning and flew out the door at exactly the right time. I had driven half way down the street and panicked wondering where I'd left my keys.


4. I was washing my dishes yesterday. I hate wet hands that prune, so I put on my yellow gloves. I got the dishes washed, and was going to wipe down the countertops. I normally put on my gloves to wipe them down, so I automatically went to look for them. I got so frustrated that I couldn't find them. The funny thing was that I was using my yellow hands to look in the cupboard under the sink and didn't notice them on.

What's Your Airhead Moment?

Memory Keeper

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Take me on trip down memory lane.

Shelby's New Outfit

While in Denver we stopped at the Carter's outlet. I loved it. I got this outfit for Shelby and was going to get her pictures taken in it today, but Brennon was too tired to go. So, I took a few of her on our bed. This one turned out so cute.

She got a little tired in the three minutes I was capturing her adorable face!
Then, she came in with her choice of shoes. This has been one of her favorite things to do for so long. It doesn't matter if she has her own on, she'll take them off and try new ones on. So, you can imagine how hard it is to keep the shoes on the rack with this little one taking off with them. It sure is cute to see her in Randy's! I guess if she's going to be wearing flip-flops, I should paint her naked toenails. Sorry Jamie- I know how much you hate that!

Keilie's Kindergarten Update

She came out of the doors after school yesterday and was screaming to me how much fun she had had. She couldn't wait to tell me about coloring, eating chicken nuggets, and playing out on the toys. She had a blast. I wondered if it would last until this morning. It did. She got up, ate breakfast, rode her bike, and came in to dress and leave for school. She ran down to Breanna's house for a ride, and couldn't wait to get there. Liz told me that when Caden and Breanna got out of the car, she asked Liz to pause the DVD that was playing so she could watch it tomorrow. Cute. DVD's in the car are a novelty to our kids! I'm glad she loves school. I knew she'd do great!

Thank You GSK

So, today I filled up my Trailblazer for the first time this summer. That's right, one time in 3 months. I'm so thankful to GSK for the free gas in Randy's car. It makes it nice to drive whenever he's home and I need to run a quick errand. It sure adds up fast. We'll see how quick this tank lasts now that the kids are back in school and I have somewhere to be every day at 3:30 pm.

First Day of School!

Today was Caden's first day of 2nd grade and Keilie's first day of Kindergarten. We went with Liz, Greg, and Keilie's best friend, Breanna- who is in Kindergarten, too- and played on the toys for a little bit...
Then we got to go into Keilie's class and listen to a story of "The night before kindergarten." Keilie had tears in her eyes most of the book, and broke into sobs as we were leaving. I know she'll do great. I was coming home screaming that I have two in all-day school and two babies at home... what a relief. I love school. Oh, and Caden was so excited he actually woke up, ate breakfast, and did his chores without being asked. That's a first!

Camera Overload

So, you may have noticed I haven't posted a family post since July. When I went to download from Denver, I found some from July. So, there is a camera and blog overload. Enjoy the next 4 posts. It may be the last one's you get for a while! LOL

Elitch Gardens here we come!

On the 8th of August, we joined our new neighbors on a road trip to Denver. We got a babysitter to stay with Shelby and Brennon. It was hard to leave them initially, but as we drove with no crying from the kids, got out of the car with independent kids, and slept with no interruptions, we were pretty happy. We missed them, but had a blast without them. It's a catch 22! Here's Denver's downtown!
We had a blast at Chuck- E- Cheese. The kids only wanted to take one bite of their food and said they wanted to starve the rest of the night so they could play. We had to force them to eat one small piece. We found one game where we were able to win ourselves more than 400 tickets in one play. It was fun. We ended up walking away with 824 tickets and a ton of "fun" prizes. It was a fun first for Caden, Keilie and me.
Here are some of the prizes they got. Caden and Lucas have on the fun faces, Dylan's making a fun face, and who knows what Keilie's doing. She must love that cup!
We stopped for slurpees at 7-11. We don't have them in Wyoming. I want you to look at Keilie's earrings too. She got them as a prize and we loved them so much we had to get a picture. She was so fun.
Randy didn't want to take the camera in and have to worry about it on all the rides. So we got a fun family picture- minus the babies- in front . We had such a fun time. It was the perfect degree of warmness until it was time to go. We left at 6:00 and had the 4 1/2 drive home. We were pretty tired that last half hour, but it was well worth it. Thank you Melissa, Burt, Kenisha, Lucas, and Dylan for such a fun time.

No back neighbors!

So, when we moved here they told us we'd never have back neighbors. Um, I think they were mistaken- or just plain lied! What do you think?

Brennon's Photo Shoot

It's been a while since we've had any pictures of our growing Brennon. Since I took Keilie and Shelby in for their check-ups, I decided to weigh Brennon too. Shelby is 18 months weighing 19 pounds 12 ounces. Brennon is 5 months weighing 17 pounds 12 ounces. They're close in every way. Here are some of our favorite pictures of our baby boy, Brennon.

Mommy just loves her little snuggler!
Look at those cheeks. You can't see it very well, but his legs have a hard time fitting in that Bumbo. You have to pick him up just right to be able to get his legs out.
I found this shirt at Walmart. I wish they had one for Shelby in 2007 in pink. This is one of the pictures with a smile and no fingers in his mouth.
He's such a little smiler. He loves to smile and coo!
I love these types of pictures. He just looks so cute.

Mission Weapons

The Elders came over for dinner and ended up staying to help us put trim on our shed/barn. How many of you that have been on a missions can say you shot a gun?

Elder Neilsen was showing us some of his moves. We're sure glad he didn't break his neck.
Thanks Elder Eck and Elder Neilsen for helping us tonight.

Don't get me started if you don't want to see me obsessed

Well, I couldn't wait any longer. I am now the proud owner of TWO books. One has yet to be shipped to me. I got it and read it in 13 3/4 hours. I knew so many things that were going to happen. I love the book and the way it ends. I now will go back and read it to get every detail. I'm one that skims over the imagery details for the literary details. I can't wait to get more out of it the second time. Go Stephanie Meyer!

Twilight to my brain

I'm sure most of you know what a freak I am about this! I'm almost tempted to bite my nails! Almost! I'm waiting anxiously for my book to come pre-ordered in the mail, vocally wishing I hadn't bought it online. All I can say is if it doesn't come today, Amazon will have a few choice words from me! And by choice I mean well thought out, not cuss. You can guarantee that I'm going to be one to pre-order my tickets to the opening show in any city it requires- since Casper is behind more times than not. Any takers on the seat right next to me?