The Burton Family

August San Diego Trip

2011-11-27T20:01:00.001-08:00

I know I go often but its like a drug to me, if I dont get to my hometown of San Diego frequently enough I start to go crazy. These were some of the highlights.One of Shad's favorite parts about Sea World is visiting with the Sesame Street characters

Shad getting ready for the 3D movie, which he hated.

Vistitng the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center in Old Town San Diego

Washing clothes to old fashioned way

Panning for Gold

Checking out the Tide Pools, all we found were hermit crabs but he was happy with that as you can see.

Shad and Kai

2011-11-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

My best friend growing up was Chelsea and to this day we are still best friends. Her son is about 4 months younger than Shad and to our surprise and great pleasure they are becoming best friends too. These are some pictures of them during their last trip here. We just love how they could not be any more physically opposite. Kai has dwarfism so is obviously stocky and Shad is skinnier than skinny so I just love seeing them together.Enjoying a movie together, it was probably Cars

At a friends birthday party

Watching Cars 2 for the first time (Cars is both their favorite movie so this was much anticipated)

Shad is 3! (playing catch up)

2011-11-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

Shad is still very much into Lightning McQueen so naturally we had a cars birthday. We celebrated with the family on his birthday then again later with his friends.

Once a Trimester?

2011-11-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

I am noticing that my usual schedule is posting once a trimester since I just slid into my last trimester of pregnancy. The first trimesters two were ok, not a whole lot to complain about. Where I am right now on the other hand is a different story, I am so uncomfortable about 60% of the time and that percentage going up everyday. I did start doing water aerobics and that had kept me alive. As much as I hate exercising, I sincerely look forward to getting in that pool, despite that fact that I have to put on a swim suit. I am about half way into my 28th week and thought I would post a pic, Thanks again Stacy for taking our family photos, I love how they turned out.

6 Months REALY!?!?!

2011-08-20T21:45:00.001-07:00

Yes it is true I have not posted in 6 months and I feel pathetic for it. I guess I have been super busy and just dont take enough time for me...big surprise.

Well the biggest news I have is that Dan and I are expecting in Feb! This came as a huge surprise especially since we had that discussion about a month prior to finding out and Dan gave me a big fat NOT YET. Well I guess it just goes to show that us wives get what we want. And in case you were thinking it, no I did not get pregnant on purpose. A few weeks ago (at 13 weeks) we went into the office of a friend and got an ultrasound. I was dying to find out that it was a girl so I could finally go shopping for this little one. Well I guess the Lord had something else in mind since he gave Shad a little brother instead of giving me multiple shopping trips. I was worried that I would be a bit disappointed but as soon as I saw his little picture I knew that he was who was meant to come into our family next. I am very much looking forward to watching Shad dote on his little baby brother and dreading all the trouble they will get into in the future.

I am so lucky to have an amazing husband like Dan. He has been self employed for about 6 months and business is picking up but when we found out I was pregnant he went out and picked up another job for health benefits so we could avoid the $7000 maternity deductible. He works so hard to keep us comfortable and me at home with our son.

So far pregnancy has not given me much trouble. The first trimester was pretty ugly with complete exhaustion (I dont remember this being the case but then again I was not chasing and cleaning up after a 3 year old) and constant nausea. But now that the first trimester is behind me I feel just fine except for the occasional crap, ache or pain.

My weight update

2011-03-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a LONG time since I have updated on whats going on with my diet and it really does not mean that I have fallen off the wagon, really, I have just been crazy busy! I am actually doing really well. As of today I have been on the diet for 84 days and have lost a total of 45.8 lbs. About 20 lbs ago Dan agreed to buy me an ipad when I reach 50lbs lost. Little did we know that he would not have a job when that time came around so we will see if I get it when I hit the mark but I will get it eventually. In all reality I am very shocked that I have stuck with the diet as well as I have and actually lost as much as I have. I am now down 2 jean sizes and last time I measured 17.5 inches but its been a while. I will measure again at 50 lbs and maybe I will have to courage to post my before and after pictures.

I just love my little boy

2011-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

I really am having a hard time imagining loving another kid as much as I love Shad. Im sure it is possible but just not right now. Anyway I thought this was cute how he fell asleep reading. I guess I am doing something right. Oh yeah and this is one of my cute little chicken nesting under the stairs making me an egg.

New Addition

2011-02-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

This is Courtney and Violet talking to the Chickens through the window.

Well only for a month. A friend of mine was informed by her daycare provider that she would be out of town for a whole month and she would need to find someone else to watch her daughter, crazy I know. Well I am usually home all day anyway so she asked me to do it. It has actually been really great because she and Violet get a long really well so they just play together all day. When the other one is not here the other will ask if she is coming over and that she wants to play. The first couple days that Courtney was over she brought her Jessie and Woddy dolls and that is all it took for Shad to decide on his new best friend. I guess I know what he wants for his birthday, I just hope he can wait that long.
Shad and Courtney playing house.
Jump on it
Making necklaces

My little Baller

2011-01-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

I am in Young Womans right now and we have weekly basketball games that I attend. This particular week I had Shad with me and he was playing with Maya who is like 10 years old. He just loves copying older kids so when she sat on the ball he just had to do it as well, with some difficulty.

Christmas Day

2010-12-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

This was a great year even though my parents are still in Africa and Dan had to work on Christmas Day. For the most pare we celebrated the day before but on Christmas Day my brother gave me CHICKENS. I have been wanting some for a while but I was thinking like in the spring when its not so stinkin cold but it is a great gift and I am excited for FRESH EGGS! Dan also bought me a Nook. I have never really been a reader until the past couple of years and now a love it so this will make it really nice and convenient.

The wight is over....again

2010-12-28T04:46:00.000-08:00

I know I did this last year too but I am determined for it to work this time. When I got back up to my delivery weight I decided that it was time once and for all to get into shape. I am starting my journey by doing HCG. I know that this method is controversial but here is how I look at it. They have no proof yet that there are long term side effect to doing HCG so their may or may not be any issue with me doing it. However there are definite negative side effects to be overweight. I am just taking that chance and I hope that it will be worth it. I am hoping to stay on it for 5 month (I am doing drops so that I can stay on it longer than the 6 weeks with injections) in order to lose most of my excess weight, then I am planning on hitting the gym to hopefully lift all that has fallen if you know what I mean. I am going to try to keep my other blog updated so if you want to follow its www.keightsweight.blogspot.com

Just a little bit of Christmas

2010-12-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

My parents sent us some ornaments from Uganda so thats what we decorated with this year.
This was by far Shad's favorite toy he got for Christmas, to bad it was the first thing he got. It was hard getting him to open anything else.
On Christmas Eve Shad got to open his Cars pajamas, those are the only Jammie Jams he wants to wear now.

Crazy awesome Christmas lights that changed and played with music
This was Shad's first trip to see Santa

Shad didn't last long decorating as you can tell by whats on his house. He also decided to not bother with taking it apart first.

Black Friday

2010-11-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

I always love shopping on Black Friday and this year was no exception, it was actually one of the funnest shopping experiences ever. My oldest sister Heather actually started at Wal Mart the night before and was still at it when the rest of us woke up. We met her at Target to find her completely wired on energy drinks and not able to think or talk straight. She had a bunch of crap in her arms because she couldn't find a basket and was just wandering around the store talking to herself about weather or not to buy certain items. By the time we got to the mall at about 6:30am she had had a 5 hour energy drink, a coke, diet RB and a danish only to add pretzel dogs when we got to the mall..Im pretty sure she had the munchies. By the time we finished she was about the crash and the cab of the truck was so full it was hard to get in. We drove my sister home in fear that she would not make it in her condition.

Luke's Wedding

2010-11-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

It was a lot of work and cause a lot of stress but it was a success without to many problems.

Making gifts for Nana and Pop

2010-11-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

Since Nana and Pop are still in Africa this Christmas we decided to make them some ornaments out of clay. It was messy but kept them busy for quite a while. I still have no idea what happend to his face.

Shad and his Mobigo

2010-11-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I knew Shad would enjoy this video game but I wasn't expecting him to love it this much and be so cute playing it. We usually just bust it out when I need to get something done or on road trips.

Halloween

2010-11-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

Halloween was pretty crazy this year. We started the day at my brother's for a BBQ which was nice to see everyone. Then we went to downtown Spanish Fork where they do trick or treating at the shops on Main St., which was a little to crowded for my taste but Shad did win a full size pack of MnMs in a game of musical chairs. That evening we had truck or treat and soup at the church but it was pouring down rain so that was no fun til they took it inside where within a matter of minutes Shad was through with the crowd but it didn't matter since his bucket had been filled within that time as well. Luke and Teri wanted to get some free candy so they took Shad around a nicer neighborhood and it actually worked they got some free candy and Shad enjoyed most of it.
I wouldn't open any of Shad's candy for him so he was so excited when someone gave him an apple...so was I.
This is Juno dressed up as a Pirate

The Trip Home

2010-11-22T19:01:00.001-08:00

Because Shad and Violet are now 2 we had to buy tickets for them which sucks but it does make the flight experience much nicer with them having their own seats. Getting to the plane was by far the hardest part. Since I had two kids, two car seats and one large carry on bag my aunt was planning on helping me to the gate but I guess it is San Diego Airport's policy to not allow non travelers past security so I was on my own. It was Penny's brilliant idea to put the kids in their car seats and drag them. I must say it worked beautifully on the tile but it was nothing less than a workout once we were on the carpet, but it worked.

During our Layover in Phoenix Shad played on the plan but Violet had already fallen asleep. I was lucky enough to have both kids fall asleep shortly after our departure from Phoenix so I did get a little rest.

Violet had to sort her goldfish crackers before she would eat them but still refused to eat the green ones so I got those ones. When we arrived back home the couple behind us was so nice and offered to carry the car seats all the way to the baggage claim so I just had to worry about corralling the kids, it was so nice.

Sea World

2010-11-22T18:46:00.001-08:00

We got lucky with Sea World passes since when we were there they were offering buy one year membership get one year free. Since Shad is still free I took advantage of that deal. I love Sea World so I am excited that I can go for another 2 years!

I think watching Shamu, or as the kids call him an Orca (technically they are right, what kids calls Shamu by his real name), was Shad's favorite part aside of actually playing in water at the the tide pools.

We were also luck to get to see Elmo and Cookie Monster. shad could hardly contain his excitement, it was killing him to wait in line. When it was finally his turn he RAN up to Elmo and gave him a big hug, it was adorable. Violet wanted nothing to do with either of them.

San Diego Adventure

2010-11-22T18:12:00.001-08:00

Shad an I decided to join Penny on her trip back home to San Diego and since I usually watch my niece Violet a couple days a week we decided to take her with us. Shad really enjoys playing with Violet so it was good for us.

The trip there went surprisingly well, they both just played and chatted and of course napped.
They came up with a game of imaginary candy which they are holding in this picture. One time Violet stole some of Shad's "candy" and he had a full blown fit. He was so into it that he did not stop holding his "candy" even while he was sobbing. I really wish I got a picture of that.
We often visit Penny's friend's preschool classroom while we are in town. It took the kids a little while to get used to the structure but they eventually started enjoying it and still sing the songs they learned in the short 2 days that we spent there.

Little boys and worms...

2010-11-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

...I just don't get it. I don't think that I am a particularly squeemish mom but I must say watching Shad play with worms gives me the eebie jeebies. Every time we are out working in the yard Shad is right there asking for worms. I am pretty sure he killed the first one he played with by being to rough but now he is pretty gentle.

Halloween Prep

2010-11-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

We kicked off our Halloween decorating with pumpkin carving and sugar cookies. I don't know exactly why but I do love Halloween. I also used the branches from Luke's wedding to help decorate the porch. The kids did surprisingly well on carving pumpkins and it was barely worth the mess it made.

Teaching Toddlers

2010-11-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

I must say this is not the easiest thing to do but they did stay busy for a little while and well I guess its a good way to start with school, especially if I am going to home school I better get a good head start.

Those darn pink boots!

2010-11-07T17:16:00.001-08:00

Shad has this weird obsession with shoes and I can't say that it is not my fault but what can I say the only way to accessorize a boy is with shoes. Well his cousins have boots at my house and he LOVES them even more that his boring brown ones. I think it is hilarious but Im not sure Dan is as amused as I am.

Shad's best friend Mickey

2010-09-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Trash to Treasure

2010-09-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

I love love love my Aunt Penny for so many reasons I could not list them all. One of her wonderful characteristics is her focus on children and how to make them happy. This is just one of those small ways. We now have a few pairs of toilet paper roll binoculars one of which Lily decided to wear to church last week as part of her Pirate costume...yes for church.

Africa Safari!

2010-09-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Dan and I went to Africa, Uganda to be specific, to visit my parents on their mission. The first couple of days were spent on safari which was AMAZING. We were able to see so many animals and from as little as 10 ft away. I was in complete AWE most of the time. In the duration of the Safari we were able to see;
Giraffes walk across the street in front of us,
A really old Elephant right off the road eating and walked past our car (it looked like it was about to die it was so old,
Hippos in the lake,
Tons of Water Buffalo, some kind of dear and Wart Hogs,

and we were even lucky enough to get to see two Lions one male and one female.This is an actual lived in village on the reserve.

I have concluded that the sky is actually bigger in Africa

This is a termite hill, no joke it was taller than me, but it was raining so I didnt get a picture with it.

I thought this was a Komono Dragon but its actually a Monitor Lizard, I still don't see the difference.

A Blog or two behind

2010-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last night I got together with a few friends (thanks to Stacy) for dinner and it was so much fun! In our conversation we got to talking about our blogs and I realized just how behind I am so I have a feeling Shad will be watching quite a bit TV today while I try to catch up.

Baby Monkey

2010-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well since Shad developed a love for babies I decided we should buy him a baby doll. Upon shopping for a baby doll I quickly learned that all of them are expensive and in ALL pink, not my favorite color. While Dan and I were in Vegas on vacation we came across a Build a Bear location and I thought that was the perfect compromise. His "baby monkey" has is own blanket, sleeps with him and even wears diapers.

"I wanna go potty"

2010-07-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day Shad, out of nowhere, said, "I wanna go potty". Me, "um....ok?". So I pulled out the potty chair and put it in the bathroom next to the toilet and like he know what he was doing he just sat down, fully clothed, and said he was going potty. He then proceeded to tell me to go potty on the toilet, I obeyed in the hopes that maybe this was it! Well the next few hours were spent back and forth from the living room to the bathroom where he would "go potty" fully clothed. Needless to say it didn't really stick and he now only occasionally wants to sit on the potty. Oh well I know he will get it eventually and I don't want that stress so I will just wait until he is ready. Oh and the water on his pjs is just that water he we drinking.

Girls Camp

2010-07-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of going to girl's camp this year which turned out to be one the most rewarding yet challenging experiences I have ever had. I have always HATED girl's camp growing up so I would would get really anxious at just the thought of attending as a leader. Since I was the only presidency member that was able to attend I had a lot responsibility on my shoulders which in a way made it a little easier for me since I really wasn't allowed to time to think about myself. In the end it was an incredible experience for me and the girls. We have amazing young woman in our ward and I really did learn and grow from them. I really had no intention of my hair looking so bad but by day 2 I just went with it and the girls enjoyed it.

Singing at flag ceremony

During our "5 mile" hike (it was really only 3 miles) and it was beautiful!

Confidence Course

Spa Day (I guess it is a tradition in this ward but we never did this growing up)

Dani and Kate's reaction to Dani's paper plate award "The Talking Shusher"

My paper plate award which I loved "Spunked out leader with the Spunked out hair"

Lily is 5!

2010-07-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

My niece Lily turned 5 last week and we celebrated her birthday on Saturday. She is very much into Hello Kitty right now so of course the cake had to take that shape, I think it turned out pretty darn good.

Shad's Baby

2010-07-26T07:54:00.001-07:00

Shad found an empty plastic honey bear at the house and decided that it looked like a baby doll. So for a few days he was carrying this "baby" around the house giving it kisses, putting it to bed, wrapping it in a blanket, giving it a binky, taking it to bed with him to sleep on his pillow and one morning when he woke up he insisted I put a diaper on his baby and not him. I thought maybe I should buy him a baby doll but this was free and he may not be into dolls for very long. We will see.

California Adventure

2010-07-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

I loved California Adventure, I think it is a bit more for adults anyway. The best part of the day by far was the new show they have there called World of Color. If you are doing to Disneyland, do not miss this show for anything! We were unfortunate and got tickets for the second showing at 10:15 so we had to do a lot of standing and stay up late but it was so worth it. Just picture the Belaggio (in Vegas) water show on crack including colored lights and fire, amazing.

Its kind of a tradition in our family to get pictures with the letters in front of California adventure so I was very excited to see how they gave the letters an face lift.

It took a long time and convincing but he finally likes his Mickey hat.

Disneyland

2010-07-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

We had another great time at Disneyland, it was great going with the Kellers. Shad again loved seeing the characters and tolerated the rides. The night shows were a blast although he was to tired to enjoy them.

It was pretty cold that night so when we were waiting for the fireworks I put Shad's socks on but was to lazy to get out the shoes. Sorry to my little boy who has to live with this fashion no no for the rest of his life.

Happy 2nd Birthday Shad!

2010-07-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Since Shad's favorite character is still Elmo I decided to go along that theme for his birthday. Although he does love Elmo he was a bit upset when he saw his cake telling me he wanted Dora, how does he know at 2 that he gets a say in what his cake looks like. He did however get over it and finally blow out his candles. Later in the day was a bit rough since he had not had a sufficient nap but overall I think he enjoyed it (mostly the balloons) especially when all the kids left and he got to play with his new toys.

When we're helping we're happy

2010-07-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Shad has aquired a new love for water so when he saw my Aunt Penny cleaning the fish tank he was all for helping out.

Shad Loves to Sing

2010-05-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Shad has been spending a lot of time with his cousins (2 and 4 year old girls) who love to sing so naturally Shad has picked that up too. His favorite is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which sounds more like Cinco Cinco Cinco Star, maybe he is watching to much Dora. He also loves to sing the ABC's (if I say sing the alphabet is just sings the word alphabet over and over) but since he does not know his ABC's he just sings the tune and includes about every 5th letter. Wheels on the bus is a fun one for him, and the babies crying is his favorite part, he would skip the rest of the song if we would let him. He is slowly picking up Old McDonald and of course Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies" and that one he does with hand movements as well, its a real treat to watch.

Shad's Signing Time

2010-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ever since Shad was about 6 mo. old I have been signing to him and he has picked it up a lot quicker than I expected, I guess they are sponges at this age. At almost 2 years here is his signing vocabulary:

Milk
Bedtime
More
All Done
Let's Go
Please
Food
Drink
Water
Cracker
Strawberry
Orange
Grapes
Banana
Mom
Dad
Lion
Dog
Flower
Book
Car
Shoes
Socks
Bug
Silly
Ouch/Pain
Scary
Cute
Cold
Hot
Baby

I am so grateful that I stuck with it from the beginning it has saved me so may times during frustrating conversations with him. He is picking up more signs everyday, I am just hoping that I stick with it into his adulthood.

Bekah's Gradiation

2010-05-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

My sister Graduated from Chico State with her Master's in Social Work. I am glad we got to go out to visit her and celebrate with her.

Caper Acres

2010-05-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

We went to Chico, CA to for my sister graduation from Chico State with a Masters in Social Work (we are so proud of her). While we were there we rode our bikes, along with my new bike trailer, to an awesome park called Caper Acres. The park was great but the bike ride not so much since the seat was really crappy and I had a hard time sitting for the next few days. If you couldn't tell Shad was terrified of sitting next to Humpty Dumpty, I still don't know if it was the egg shaped head or the face that the wall was about 5 feet high.
Both Shad and Violet have become very fond of swings, although I am still weary of them.
"For ages 3-5" unless your parents are willing to risk you life and happiness for your entertainment. He loved that slide by the way. Although the 18 mo old that got sent down by her incautious father was not so thrilled.
This was a dragon shaped tunnel in which I was very surprised he would go through it on his own.I love that Shad is at the age where he can enjoy all that a park has to offer without to much help.I love how violet's hair reacted to the static, Shad's didn't do anything, I guess it is to thick.

Aquarium

2010-05-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law and I took our little ones to the Aquarium in Sandy, which I wish it were closer so we could take them more often. Both Shad and Mason absolutely love fish so it is a great activity when we want to get the boys out of the house.

Color me cute

2010-05-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Shad really enjoys coloring and I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to let him try markers but I did. I am actually glad I let him use markers since he enjoyed it so much. I am even more glad that I took his clothes off first considering how much he got on his hands.

Crack Attack

2010-05-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Recently Shad has discovered his diaper and his ability to pull it down. I am pretty sure that he now does this subconsciously and I get a good laugh from it every time.

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-05-12T21:37:00.001-07:00

I just love Costco, but I do hate unloading the car afterwords. Luckily I have my little boy to help out with the chore.
I think he got a little tired after the long walk to the steps, I guess that is a good place to take a break.

Mother's Day...UGH

2010-05-12T21:20:00.001-07:00

Growing up my mom always told me that she hated Mother's Day and this always upset me so much because I always tried so hard to make it such a wonderful day for her. Come to find out when I was older my mom told me that my dad said one year (when all the kids were still very little) "why do I have to do something for you, your not my mother" needless to say mom my straightened him out quick and he is one of the most loving supportive husbands I know. This story gave me some insight on what to expect for Mother's Day or should I say starting me dreading it. I do have an amazingly loving and supportive husband who did not feel the same as my dad however he is also a very hard working man so he often has to work on holidays including Mother's Day. Dan had some beautiful flowers sent to me to show his appreciation as well as let me buy my new bike trailer without having to lose the other 16 lbs needed to fulfill my part of the deal, but he has always said how much he loves me the way I am (that makes one of us).

Despite Dan's efforts it was a difficult day. I woke up early since I had to prepare a lesson, make breakfast for my sudo mom (my wonderful aunt Penny), get ready for church, start prep for dinner, and make some flower arrangements. When I woke up Dan was still up (he got home from work at 6am) and waiting for Shad to wake up so he could get him so that I could sleep in, what a wonderful gesture. Since I had to wake up anyway I sent him to bed. The rest of the day was rush rush rush, since church is not canceled for Mother's Day. When we got home from church it was straight to planning my Mother's Day meal because who else is going to do it. My wonderful husband was sleeping all day because he had to work again that night so I didn't get to see much of him, I was busier that normal since I had to plan things out for my mom while the rest of my siblings enjoyed their Mother's Day or were pampering their wives. I think that I need to just ignore Mother's Day altogether then maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

Best cake thus far

2010-04-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

So for the past, oh I don't know maybe, 7 years I have enjoyed learning new techniques for making cakes. My sister and I took a cake decorating class forever ago and ever since I have made out families and a few friends Birthday cakes. This one by far takes the cake (pun totally intended). It was (or should I say still is since we have some leftover sittin in the freezer) a chocolate with mint ice cream inside. I used fondant on the top to make a clean look and I am really happy with how it turned out.

Dan 4 Sheriff means BUSY BUSY BUSY

2010-04-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Dan decided to run for Utah County Sheriff, and I am fully supportive. As proud as I am of him in standing up for what is right and trying to make changes for the better for the citizens of this county, I never knew it would take this much time and be this exhausting to do so. Right now we are in the process of talking to all of the delegates for each precinct, which results in spending 3-4 evenings away from home which I hate because I don't get to put Shad down to sleep at night, I never thought I would miss him as much as I do especially because I spend all day with him. We have 2 weeks until the delegates vote on who they want to represent their party and we are keeping our fingers crossed that it is Dan.

This whole process has taught me a lot about politics and about people in general and not all of it is good. I am sad to see how money and power changes people for the worse. Because Dan is running against his boss, his work environment has become not so enjoyable. Dan continues to have co-workers come up to him and lecture him on how inapropriate it is for him to be running and that he should just wait his turn to be promoted. It is sad that all they can see is how this position will benefit Dan financially, completely ignoring the problems that are occuring in the Sheriff's department and how Dan plans to change all of that for the better and is not focusing on how it will benefit him. We just hope that Dan gets the chance to use his experience and talents to make a positive change weather he does that as the Sheriff or not.

Again I am so proud of Dan and his hard work and great ethics, and I am so lucky to have him as my husband. Dan, I love you and wish you luck.

Disneyland IS a magical place!

2010-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Over the 2 days we were at Disneyland I felt a little bad for Shad almost like we were dragging him around all day and forcing him on rides. Well after this experience I was convinced that Disneyland is a magical place! At the end of the 2nd day we went back to Disneyland to get Shad some Mickey ears well when we got to the store live Mickey was just leaving and Shad followed him to the back stage door and when he couldn't follow him though the door he looked very upset, so we decided to stick around and wait for Mickey to come out again. Luckily Mickey did not disappoint and came out about 20 mins later.

As soon as Shad Mickey him he ran to him and stopped about 10 ft away from him and just stared. Then proceeded to make different jestures which Mickey then copied (putting his hands on his cheeks, pointing, tilting his head to the side etc). It was so adorable that Mickey would do what it took to make my little boy happy. This went on for a little while until other kids started showing up so I tried to get Shad closer to Mickey to say "hi" and get a quick pic. As I took Shad closer Mickey came closer but Shad didn't want that, he wanted to show Mickey around so he pointed down the street and started walking away. To my surprise Mickey followed him down the street past Cruelella Devil who said "that rat is scaring kids again" and into a store. Mickey tried to get him to come out but Shad wanted to show him around the store. Mickey then gave up and went back to the 20 kids that were now lined up to see him. When Shad saw that he was leaving he followed him back out to talk to him. I am sure that the parents and other kids were so annoyed with us for taking so much of Mickey's time and Shad getting in others photos because he kept going back to Mickey to say "hi" but I was so happy with Mickey and Disneyland for taking the time and making the effort to give us a magical experience.

We were trying to distract Shad so he would let the other kids have their moment with Mickey when my sister spotted Minnie, so we decided to harass her for a while. Minnie was on her way backstage so we just let Shad follow her for a while and in the middle of her skipping backstage she did a little twirl to please the crowd and without any hesitation Shad did a twirl while following her then continued to stalk her. It was so cute to see how fascinated Shad was with the live characters and now know that Disneyland is a magical place for children and we will be returning any chance we get.

Disneyland

2010-03-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

Since we were going to be in the area we decided to visit Mickey and the rest of the characters at that magical place called Disneyland. We did our day of service for a free day at the park and since my sister is a So CA resident she was upgrade out ticket to a 2 day hopper for only $25 that was a sweet surprise. The first day we spent at Disneyland and for the first time Shad acutually enjoyed the rides we took him on and even got comfortable with the live characters. We first saw Mickey at his house in Toon Town which took him a little while to get comfortable but he warmed up to him and gave him a hug and high five, I was so excited that he was not scared of him. We went back to our room for a nap and lunch in the afternoon and headed back to the park for a few more rides and FIREWORKS. I have to say Disneyland has the best fireworks ever, they really dont use many but they are so well choreographed that you really enjoy the whole experience. Shad usually hates fireworks because of the loud sound but he loved the show.The second day was spent at California Adventure which was not nearly as enjoyable since Shad was sick. Over the previous few days his nose started running and he was getting warmer and warmer and by this day he was tired and wanted nothing except him mom. So I spent the day carrying Shad around while my sister pushed his stroller, my back was not happy with him but I wouldn't have it any other way. I was able to go on one ride, which is my favorite ride in the park, so I was happy with that.

San Deigo trip #2

2010-03-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

I must say I am very lucky to have the freedom to travel as much as I do, what can I say I have an amazing husband who spoils me rotten, and he was in training most of the week and didn't want to feel bad about not spending time with me. My sister went down for spring break and forced me to join her;) It was a crazy fun filled week. We did the usual; beach, Konos (our favorite breakfast place on the beach), balboa park, and even did some things we have not done in a long time like the old lighthouse in Point Loma, Tide pools, Ferry to Coronado, and Grunion Hunting. I think a sunny trip to sunny southern CA is a must during a UT winter. The weather was absolutely perfect and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Shad had sand everywhere, it was not fun to get off of him.

Watching surfers from Crystal Peir

Tuckered out after a long day touring Coronado

Christine, Cami (Bekah's friends from Chico) Me, Shad and Bekah
Playing with a Hermit Crab for the first time, after that he would just pick them up and throw them back in the water.

As far as Grunion Hunting this wasn't great but it was still fun.

It must be wedding season

2010-03-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I am so excited when this time of year comes around when I get to work with more flowers. Spring always has and most likely always will be my busiest time when it comes to my business and I must say I love it...the smell, the colors, the sense of accomplishment, it all does wonders on my sense of self. So far I have 2 weddings booked and of course am hoping for more. I wish it weren't so stinking expensive to advertise, any ideas.

Sad Shad

2010-03-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

As toddlers grow and learn how things work most of all their bodies they accumulate a lot of bumps and bruises but this one was far the worst we have seen yet so I had to share it.

How it happened: Lily my niece was swinging in the hammock when Shad decided that he wanted to get in too. He walked up just as Lily was swinging back and Shad, not so gently kissed the back of Lily's head resulting in a lot of blood and one fat lip. Luckily after a few minutes Shad didn't seem to bothered by it and just licked it the rest of the night.

San Diego

2010-02-26T20:48:00.001-08:00

We had a great relaxing trip to San Diego. Even though being out of town was really hard on my diet it was well worth the warmth.The first day we were there we went to our favorite breakfast place on the beach. Shad was able to enjoy the sand and not so much to cold water. He went running for the water as soon as we got down there but freaked out when the water came rushing toward him.

Shad and I went to Lake Murray to feed the ducks. At first he did not like it at all and kept saying "no why" which is actually no way.

He got into it after a while but decided that it would be quicker to dump the bag of popcorn instead of throwing a few kernels at a time.

At Seaport Village we tried the Merry Go Round which to no ones surprise he hated but at least calmed down when I gave up on getting him on the horse and sat down on the bench.

Chillin in our hotel watching the Opening Ceremonies for the Winter Olympics which was a huge disappointment.

We drove up to Chico to surprise my sister for her birthday. We were very successful at surprising her and had a blast hanging out with her and her roommates.

Success so far

2010-02-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

After dieting and exercising for roughly 7 weeks I am 10 lbs lighter and it feels great. I don't really feel it in my clothes yet but I do feel good physically. I have been about to eliminate most if not all cravings which makes it a ton easier to eat healthy. I do however still treat myself every now and then so I am still enjoying life. I get most of my exercise on the Wii Fit which surprisingly gets my heart racing and the sweat dripping. It is also a blast to watch Shad try to copy what I am doing, his favorites are boxing and running. I am determined to lose 30 lbs by the time we go to Disneyland in June so that I will win my reward of a new bike trailer and I think that I am on track to do that as long as I do not lose focus.

"E" is for Elmo

2010-01-08T11:56:00.001-08:00

Well for Christmas Shad got a few Elmo toys which he seemed to love at first but he still prefers his diapers, I really dont get it. He will stand on the chair in front of the bookshelf where we keep his diapers and take them all down then sort through them and take all the ones with Elmo on them to the hall or the LuvSac or the hammock, it is so cute. Sometimes he even asks to have them in his crib when he goes to sleep. One day I was going upstairs to hang out with Angie and he came running to go with and realized he didn't have any diapers so he ran back saying "melmo", grabbed a few diapers and ran back to me, he even made it all the way up the stairs with them in tote, I was very impressed. Now he has resorted to throwing a fit when I put a new diaper on him because he thinks that I am using his toys the wrong way. This is getting crazy.

Christmas at Home

2010-01-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Since we flew to Sacramento we decided to open our presents at home after we got back. Shad is still not quite getting the idea but it was still a lot of fun. My sister (who was in Uganda at the time) wanted to watch us, mostly Shad, open presents. Well considering how much he adores his Aunt "Gecka" he just wanted to talk to her and kept wandering back to the computer as we are trying to get him to open and play with his new toys. Shad has developed a love for Elmo in the past couple of month which is funny because he had never seen Elmo on TV until about 3 weeks ago so he learned who we wast from his leash and diapers, which he still drags around the house like they are a bunch of little toys. Dan says we should have saved ourselves some money and bought him a box of pampers. The highlights of Christmas were Shad got an Elmo tricycle from Mom and Dad and a talking Elmo from Aunt Penny. I really wished we did not have so much snow on the ground so Shad could try out his trike but as it turns out he actually gets a little scared when it moves so he just sits on it and pushes the buttons that make it talk and light up. Dan got me a much desired VitaMix well actually I ordered it but he approved it a guess, we are not very traditional when it comes to gift giving. Dan got new tow mirrors on his truck.
Im still not sure if Shad enjoyed his gifts or the peanuts that my gift was packed in better.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

This year we mixed up Christmas a little bit and decided to head out to Sacramento to spend it with Dan's family and I am very glad we did. It was really nice to get to know Dan's sister better and spend time with his nieces. Shad definitely go to know his cousins better and I can't say he loved all of it. Shad's cousins are 2 very loving and adoring little girls. Kaileigh is 4 and Kaidence is 5 so you can only imagine how much fun that had with a real live doll known as Shad. They were so excited every time he had a poopy diaper so they could help me change it or when it was getting late they would ask me again and again if they could put him in his jammies. They even fought over who he would help open their presents on Christmas. The night before Christmas I helped the girls get out treats for Santa and write letters, I had to include Kaidence's letter cause it was adorable! The weather was awesome...well maybe I only thought so because we came from a 20 degree snow storm so 50 degrees felt like paradise. Most of the trip we just visited with Dan's family and some good childhood friends it was very relaxing. The trip home was a little crazy only because of the attempted bombing in Detroit. We heard that check-in was super slow so were arrived to the airport 3 hours early only to find a normal paced check-in and a very delayed flight. I am so glad I had a laptop with me to help kill some time. The vacation was great but as with and trip I am glad to be home again and Shad is even more so, I dont think i have seem him so excited to be on familiar grounds. He keeps running in and out of this bedroom and playing with all the toys we didn't take. I cant wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!

I NEED HELP!

2009-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

So Dan and I have been talking a lot lately about being healthier and so far it has been that...just talk. Well Dan found a program that he thinks he can stick to and I think it is only because it is connected to MMA (mixed martial arts). We are going to attempt the 100 day fighters diet challenge. I is really strict so I am hoping my great friends will help me out with some meal ideas. We will be restricted to lean meats, veggies, fruits, herbs, olive oil and complex carbs. We cannot have any dairy products, processed food, sugar, or pretty much anything else that tastes yummy.We start on Jan 4th I think so let me know if you have any ideas and pray for me. I am really hoping we can make it the whole 100 days, I know it will make me feel and look better than I do now.

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-18T16:29:00.001-08:00

No more mascara!!

2009-12-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

A friend of Angie's is trying to get certified to do eyelash extensions so I thought I would try it out since she is charging less than half of what it usually costs and I have been wanting to do it for a long time. As it turns out I LOVE IT. Here are some pictures so you can remember what I used to look like. It was totally worth it.

Pre-Halloween Fun

2009-12-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

I know its a bit late, I am really behind on my blogging. Before Halloween I sat the kids down one day to make Halloween cookies. On this day I just got out a kit I got at Target (which I will never get again). The cookies were like bricks, the frosting was ok, the sprinkles tasted like wax but the kids didn't seem to mind, well until they got to the eating part and didnt eat much of the cookie which they would normally devour. One of the cookies fell on the floor and even Juno (Angie's dog) wasn't able to bite through it.
Violet was very meticulous with her decorating with was a lot of fun to watch.
Shad was already a royal mess after just the orange frosting so I figured what the heck he might as well enjoy the black as well. He probably didn't really care but it was fun to watch.
Yes the is a Pile O Sprinkles that the Lily decided would suit the cookie best.

Las Vegas

2009-11-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

A few of my siblings and I went to Vegas to see U2 in concert but we decided to make a weekend of it since we were there. We drove down Thursday morning, the drive was pretty uneventful which is actually really good considering we were traveling with 3 kids. Shortly after we got there we had to hit up a Buffet so we decided to go to the Bellagio since we had heard such good things about there buffet. The buffet was pretty good however I was a little dissapointed, the desserts were worth it. As you can see Shad LOVED the chocolate pie:)After the dinner we went outside to the fountain to see the water show. I was really excited to see how Shad and the other kids would like it. Well I am terrible mom to not notice that Shad was actually sitting on the speaker for the show so when the show started with a bang Shad was freaked out to say the least and refused to look in the direction of the fountains after that:( He was still freaked out when we made our way into the Bellagio gardens so he still would not look around. I am afraid that i have traumatized my kid for life and he will never like Vegas...I guess that is not such a bad thing.

I couldn't believe that Shad feel asleep on the way back to the hotel it was like a 5 min drive, and he fell asleep with his hand in his snack cup.
If you have not seen these snack cups you are missing out (well if you have a toddler). I think it is called a Munchie Mug and it is a snack cup that has an elastic type of material over the top of it so that the toddler can get his hand in but the snacks dont get all over the car, house etc.

shad had a lot of fun exploring the hotel room and found himself a nice cozy spot in between then sofa and the bed.
Yes this is the actual size of the pancakes they serve at one of our favorite places to eat in Vegas called the Hash House a Go Go. Needless to say Shad hardly touched it, well he actually touched it a lot but didnt eat very much.
The main reason we went to Vegas in the first place was to see U2. It was the closest to UT that they were touring so we decided it was worth the drive and IT WAS! This is the line we stood in to get into the concert although we found out when we got to the front that this was the General Admission line and we had assigned seats so that was a waste of time although we got to see a fight break out right in front of us so it was worth it in the end:)
The stage set up was incredible and over the top you could actually see it from outside the stadium from the freeway a few miles away.
I went with my sister Angie and brother in law Stefan who are both huge U2 fans as well so it was a blast. Dan wanted to go but he had to work so we will be going again in June to Anaheim so that he can see them in concert.
Even though it is fuzzy Im sure you call can recognize this dude. Overall it was an amazing concert especially because Black Eyed Peas opened for them and they were very entertaining as well. It was even worth the bottle of beer that got dumped on us by the hammered girl behind us.

The trip to Vegas was a blast I only hope that Dan can join us next time we make the trip.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T11:50:00.001-08:00

Goodbye Elder and Sister Beachley

2009-10-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

A few days before my parents left we got together at the park for my nieces birthday and to say goodbye.We got a new picture of all the grandkids with my parents as well as the whole family together, well except for Dan because he was at work:)
I let Shad enjoy a piece of cake and ice cream and instead of eating the ice cream he decided to man handle his cousins cake and eat it. I thought it was pretty funny but his cousin didn't think so.

I thought this was a cute picture of my Dad and the older grand kid Hannah.

Shad's first battle wound

2009-10-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

I love that Shad is now walking. He is having fun getting around faster and I love that he spends less time on the ground, it was especially nice while traveling. Well we have learned the downfall of walking and that is falling. A few days ago he fell and scrapped his nose on the cement. I thought it was just a little sore and red but a day or two later we noticed that it was a bit worse than that and turned into a scab. It is nice that he is such a tough kid.
And yes that is a dog toy he is playing with:) EWWWW!!

Trip to San Diego

2009-10-06T09:45:00.001-07:00

Shad and I went to San Diego but only for a couple days. We flew there then drove back with my aunt. The flight there was the best we have ever had...I LOVE JETBLUE! Because the flight was not full they let us have a whole row to ourselves and let me take on Shad's car seat even though I did not pay for a seat for him. It was so nice to have Shad in his own car seat because he was comfortable and sat up higher so he could see out the window. She did not cry for even fuss the whole flight. He watched TV, ate some snacks and stared out the window throughout the flight, I loved it.

I couldn't take a high chair with me since I flew so we had to made due with what we had and this is what we came up with. It worked ok for the few days we were there but not a long term solution, he kept crawling around on the seat and getting food everywhere.

While we were there we visited my aunts best friend who runs a preschool down in Chula Vista so he got to interact with some other kids and even did his first painting. It was a bit of a mess but worth it.
Overall it was a nice short getaway. My favorite part of the trip was on the drive home when we stopped in Primm Valley for a little shopping spree at my favorite store, William Sonoma Outlet! I got a bunch of gift cards for my birthday so to make it even better I didn't have to spend any money.

Fun with his cousin in the hammock

2009-10-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

Dont be fooled by the look on their faces, they actually dont get along very well at all I just got lucky with these shots.

Mason's Pirate Party

2009-09-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

My Nephew just turned 2 and they celebrated with a Pirate themed party and what would a party be without a few tats and bandannas?
Luke looks pretty legit as a tattoo artist, I think he could make a living at Chuck E Cheese.
Needless to say Shad hated his bandanna......and Im not so sure how Grace feels about her crack tat:)

Reading Time

2009-09-14T21:57:00.001-07:00

During the day I watch my two nieces, one is 4 and the other almost 2. The 2 year old just picks on Shad all day by stealing his toys, hitting, kicking him and any other way she can get him to cry luckily he is a tough little boy and doesnt think much of it. The 4 year old on the other hand...well you can see is a little bit more gentle. I caught them the other day reading together and thought it was so cute. And yes Shad spends a large portion of most days just in his diaper, what can I say he likes it better that way.

Dream Dinners

2009-09-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Due to Dan and my crazy schedule the last couple of months I decided to try Dream Dinners. If you have not heard of them before it is where you go into the location, put together your dinners with all the ingredients and recipes there then put them in your freezer so when you dont have time to cook or think of what to cook you just pull them out and pop them in the oven or on the stove. Anyway I want to have a Dream Dinners party where we would all go in and try a few of their meals and make one to take home if we want to. I wanted to see who would be interested in going and when is a good time for you. You can take your kids with too they will have a table set up for the kids to play on. Anyway let me know when and if you guys can come.

Dan is moving on up

2009-09-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just have to say how proud I am of my extremely hard working husband. Dan is working full time for Utah County Corrections as well as going to school full time to get certified to work patrol for the County. As if he is not busy enough he is also working to get his business up and running and it is finally paying off. We should be getting our first paycheck from the company next month and they just bought their first company car! The car may not be much but it will do the job and sad as it is, its only job is to impress prospective clients. Out her in Utah it is not an issue but in LA where his partner does all his work they are very concerned with image and some will not hire you unless you drive a beamer, they say "if you want to play with the big boys you have to drive the big toys" I think it is ridiculous but I guess we have to play the game.

Jackson WY

2009-09-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Before my parents left on their mission we decided to take one last big trip so we went white water rafting in Jackson WY and it was a BLAST but i dont know if I can say the same for Shad, although I do think he enjoyed himself. He is not yet crawling and I didnt want him rolling around in the dirt the whole time (do worry he spent plenty of time doing so) so we took a play pen and carpet along with his favorite toys and I think he felt pretty much at home.

We went down the river a few time and I loved it every time. All the kids that went were really good and everyone pitched in and helped where they were needed. As the first camping trip I planned I think it went really well. We will be taking this trip every summer now so if you want to join us next year let me know.

Getting Around

2009-09-09T19:33:00.001-07:00

Although Shad has not yet learned how to walk he has had no problem learning how to get into places he shouldn't be like the cupboard. I guess this shows me that we are a little late on child proofing our house....WOOPS

I hate being sick

2009-09-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Last week Shad was diagnosed with RSV, luckily he is old enough where it is not a huge health concern however it was miserable for both of us. He was so pathetic for quite a while and would fall asleep all over the house, of course I thought it was adorable to see him fall asleep while playing with his toys and was laughing uncontrollably most of the time and I guess I cant really complain about all the cuddle time I got from it. However I am complaining now because he passed in on to me:(

Happy Birthday to me

2009-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

This year I turned a whopping 27, and I think that I concluded that 27 is when you get old. Im not sure where I came up with this conclusion but I think it is because I am no longer in my mid 20s but now the late 20s but either way I do not feel old so that is good and to prove I decided I wanted a caterpillar cake for my Birthday and I love it.

Belated Birthday Gift

2009-09-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Shad has always enjoyed jumping so I thought it would be nice to have a mini trampoline for him to play on so thanks to Aunt Penny and Nana and Pop he got one. At first he was a little intimidated by it but now he loves it and just casually climbs up on it and hops a few times throughout the day its really fun to watch. And in case you were wondering no he is not walking yet but is jumping on a trampoline...I dont get it either.

First encounter with a horse

2009-09-09T19:19:00.001-07:00

While we were in ID we thought we would show Shad what a horse was. Considering his love for animals we thought he would love the horse....boy were we wrong. He was pretty much freaked out to say the least at the size of the horse but did have a few moments of bravery where her would touch the horses nose real quickly then turn away.

Shad found his ears

2009-09-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Shad and Kai

2009-09-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago a good friend of ours got married so we spent a few days in Driggs ID. As boring as Driggs is we had a blast spending time with the Juarezs. Chelsea (sister of the one that got married) was my best friend growing up. When we were really little everyone would get us mixed up because we looked so alike even so much that our own parents would call us by eachothers name. Well she had her third baby (boy) about 5 months after I had Shad and this is the first time we were together since so these are the pics of them together. In my opinion I think Kai is the only baby that gives Shad a run for his money as far as looks go. Unfortunately Shad didnt care much for Kai but Im sure they will be good friends later on in life.

Check it out

2009-07-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

I created a blog for my parents so we can all hear about their adventures in Africa. http://beachleyadventures.blogspot.com.

You may want to wait to check it out until my parents figure out how to actually blog. I hope you enjoy hearing about their adventures I know I will.

New Discoveries

2009-07-23T20:45:00.001-07:00

Well we knew it was only a matter of time before Shad discovered the mirror, we just had no idea that it would result in this.
I guess he is at the age where every texture is tested with the tongue, I guess he could be licking worse things;)

The cutest mess

2009-07-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Im not sure what my obsessions is with taking pictures of Shad eating, I guess it is always so cute to me and maybe I am a little envious that he can wallow in his food and get it all over the place and not look like a fool.Im pretty sure this is yogurt and crackers.
Waffle and yogurt
Earlier that meal

Neutella, Cheerios, and NectarinesJust before we cleaned up that meal
Strawberries, Crackers and oranges

Father's Day Tribute

2009-07-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

I know that it is a little late for a tribute to my dad but better late than never. I truly have the best dad in the world and feel very blessed to be able to say that. My dad had taught us so much throughout our lives, provided for us, supported and loved my mom unconditionally, and now is the greatest grandfather to our children. I love him so much and will miss him terribly while he is in Africa.

Happy Birthday Shad

2009-07-07T08:19:00.001-07:00

Shad never wakes up very happy even on his birthday...oh well I think he still looks freaking cute when he is crying. We celebrated Shad's Birthday with a jungle theme party and it was a lot of fun.

Shad enjoyed his own cake after all who would want any of that when he was finished with it

Mason (Shad's almost 2 year old cousin) was not happy with how messy Shad was after eating his cake and needed to clean him off.

As you can see Shad was not very happy with this gift, but I sure was Thanks Heather!

At the end of the day Shad was pooped I guess that is a sign that he had a great time. And Im not sure how it happens but he always manages to be pantsless at the of the day

Dan's Graduation!

2009-07-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Dan graduated the corrections portion of the Police Academy and even though he already started working in the jail we decided we still needed to celebrate.As you can see we spent a lot of time trying to entertain Shad but he still managed to fall asleep.

Shad's First Time Out

2009-06-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

So Dan and I decided that it was time to implement time out and for some reason we thought we needed to to remember the first time with a photo. Doesn't he look so pathetic.

Tutu fun

2009-05-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks Stacy for this idea and instructions. I finally got around to making these for my nieces and they turned out adorable, they had so much fun in them. Now I need to learn how to make the super hero capes...help me Stacy!

More CA fun

2009-05-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

I found some pics I forgot to blog about so I thought I would wrap up our CA trip a little late.

The last day of our trip was pretty fun too especially considering the fact that we were not at Disneyland. We woke up kind of early to head to Sprinkles which is an amazing cup cake place that we just had to check out and yes it was busy at 10 in the morning.
Dont these look yummy, if you are every in CA look up Sprinkles you must try them out DEFINITELY worth it.

Shad enjoyed it even though he didnt get a cup cake, though I did give him a little taste.

Later that day Dan had a meeting to go to so we spent some of the afternoon in the pool. At first Shad hated it and would not stop fussing and clinging onto me, but me being so determined to get him to like swimming stayed in the pool with him and eventually he was content, I guess that is all I will get for a while....I can live with that.
Just before we ate dinner we headed to the beach for a few sunset pictures and who knew the sun set so fast. It was sunny when we left the condo and by the time we got to the beach (15 min drive) we had about 5 mins of sun set. Oh well we still got some good pictures but most of them are on Adam's camera and these are the best ones I got.

All in all it was a great trip, maybe a little long but we all enjoyed it and cannot wait to go again.

Mother's Day and Freeze Dance

2009-05-22T02:00:00.001-07:00

I know I know it is a bit late for my mom's day blog but thats how life is as a mom. First of all I truely do have the greatest mom in the world and I would feel very accomplished if I could end up half a great of a mom as she was for me. I love being a mom more than anything and as crazy as it sounds I even loved being pregnant and look forward to doing it all over again (but I can wait a little while I am still enjoy life as it is, no need to throw in another ball;). I thought I would put in a little tribute to my mom, and those of you who know her might appreciate this.
So for mother's day we did the usual; woke up way to early to make my mom a delicious breakfast (isnt that great that I still live close enough that it is not a hasstle to do so), went to church, got together for a nice family dinner (made by dad), and ended the day with a great game of freeze dance...you know just the usual. The game was thouroghtly entertaining for all of us and it was great that Shad is now starting to understand dancing and joined in the fun (even though his way of dancing is just waving his hands and sticking out his tongue) man those Duggers dont know what they are missing. Oh yeah and I totally think that Sam's moves look a little like kung fu, I guess boys will be boys.

Daddy time

2009-05-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

The other day I caught Dan teaching Shad all about mixed martial arts. I think it may be a little young but anything that involves daddy time is alright with me plus Im pretty sure he was built for wrestling.

Luke's going away ROCK party

2009-05-12T12:06:00.002-07:00

Luke turned a whopping 25 years old this year and was leaving for Alaska for the summer to drive tour buses. We had a little Birthday/Going away party for him and he wanted to do a rock party and play Guitar Hero so of course we decided to dress up. We will miss Luke a bunch but we know he will have a blast.

California Adventure

2009-05-12T11:54:00.001-07:00

The second day we spent at California Adventure and it was more fun than the first day. We started waiting in line for Soarin Over California when I devised a plan to use the "switch pass" system to our advantage. Dan and I went up with Shad and asked for a switch pass then Sarah and Adam went up with Cole and got another one, then we never had to wait in line. We would go on a ride while they watched Shad then we would watch Cole so they could go. It was a much more enjoyable day with not having to stand in line at all. Even though Sarah and I do not like roller coasters, and when I say do not like I mean loath entirely, we decited to go on the big one at California Adventure because I remembered liking it last time I went. Well I was soarly mistaken I did not enjoy it at all and would actually rather pregnancy over going on that again...but I did it! We enjoyed a few other rides and shows, the weather was perfect and we did not exhaust ourselves, well maybe the babies but overall it was a blast.

Disneyland Fun

2009-05-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Shad and Cole kicking eachother at the condo, I think that is a sign that they like eachother

We arrived in LA on Thursday and just got settled in and went to dinner, and of course stopped by at the MAC store to check out their pigment eye colors and now I am addicted...Im sure Dan now is not very happy with Sarah for introducing those to me. On Friday we got to the park at about 3 in the afternoon (we decided to not spend ALL day there since we had little ones that would get tired and cranky, Dan included). The first ride we went on was Pirates of the Caribbean and we could take the babies on with us so that was fun..so I thought. When we got to the front of the line we encountered the gay pirate:) The pirate asked how many in our group so I said "four", he looked at us and said "four adultssss and two babiesss?"..."then theeatsss seeeax" (thats six) and believe me he said it with some attitude and Im pretty sure he gave me the pointer finger wave. After that we reffered to him as the gay butt pirate, needless to say he ended up seating us in four seats so I think I was right. Well I thought it would be fun to take the babies on the ride and that was true for Cole but not at all for Shad. Shad cried the whole time and clawed at my neck..fun. Cole absolutely loved it and was smiling and laughing the whole time. We then headed to get some good eats (it wasnt really that good but it filled our tummys). We wanted to get on Dumbo but it was a crazy long line so we went on Snow White, yet another big mistake, Shad hated that one too and I did too for that matter. Dan, Adam and Sarah wanted to go on the Mattehorn so I fed Shad while they went on and you wouldnt belive who we saw when they got off it was Dwight from the office. I said "oh thats cool" and kept going but when I turned around I saw the Adam and Sarah we hunting him down to get a picure. They had to wait til he got off the ride but it was worth the wait because they were able to get a pic of Sarah with him in the back ground. We then went on the Nemo ride and I thought for sure Shad would like that one, wrong again. Shad cried half way through and I thought the whole ride was toast but he fell asleep, woops I guess he was just tired. We did a little shopping while Dan and Adam went on Space Mountain and Star Tours then headed back to the Dumbo ride. By this time we were mostly spent but really wanted to see the fireworks so we hung around for a couple hours to see them. We snacked on muffins and cinnimon rolls while sitting on the curb on Main St just to hear that the fireworks would be canceled due to high winds. WHAT are you serious you cannot cancel fireworks, well they did and we were not happy. But all in all the day was tons of fun

San Diego Fun

2009-04-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Before we went to Disneyland we went down to San Diego to visit my aunt and help my sister pack up to move to Utah. I thought I would start Shad on sweets so he was prepared for his 1st Birthday party (not really it was just a really hot day and all we had to cool off was ice cream so I let my aunt give him some...and he loved it).

While we were in San Diego my aunt also took Shad and me to a place called "My Kids Clubhouse" and it was awesome I really want to open one here in UT Valley. The facility was pretty much all the toys and equipment that every family would want but cant afford and much more . They had a toddler area just for little kids, a small rock wall, changing area, nursing area and even a concessions stand serving things like juice boxes, string cheese, apple sauce, soda etc. The best part was the kids play area it was a lot like the tunnels they have at fast food restaurants but it was very clean and it was big enough for me to get through comfortably and even stand up in some areas...awesome! Let me know if that is a type of facility you would be interested in going to and if you get a chance to ask arount as well that would be great. I thought it would be particulary good during the winter so us mothers can avoid that cabin fever. I will be looking into opinging one up here in UT so if you have any info that may help (investors, business advice, business codes, wholesalers for play equipment...)please send it my way .

This is the toddler area (I didnt get pictures of very many toys..woops)

Basking in the sun

2009-04-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to leave a very snowy day on Wed. to go to sunny CA. The convention that I attended was in LA and I got some great training and am very excited to get my business going. Another perk to the 2 day convention was Dan gaining a new appreciation for everything I do all day. By the end of the first day he was telling me "I am getting the first flight home with Shad so he can sleep in his own bed and I can get some sleep". Luckily the next day was much better and he stuck it out and staying in LA with me. He also said that he loves being a Dad but not a stay at home Mom, I thought that was funny as well as very grateful because I love being a stay at home Mom and would not want to leave my little boy everyday to go to work. We come to sunny San Diego on Sat. morning and it was a whopping 75 degrees and Sun. it got up to about 90! I love the sun and am hoping that I can come hope with some nice color. Im sorry for all of you stuck in the snow, especially Stacy (who broke her foot on Monday) but at least you know you are not wasting any warm days inside.

Handbags, Beach and a Mouse

2009-04-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

I guess I should not have complained about being busy, I think that is God's que to throw on a bit more:) I am so excited for vacation or actually less like vacation for the first days. We are going to LA first for a gigi hill convention so I can learn more about the company and get a little training on what the heck I got myself into. I am really excited about that and think it will be fun. Then we are going to San Diego for a few days to relax and visit my aunt, then its off the Disneyland! I am really excited for all parts of the trip but I am having a heck of a time packing for it. I feel like I have to pack 3 different bags and on top of all that I have to pack for Shad for 10 days and feel like I am taking his whole nursery with us. I know the trip will be fun, I just have to get through the next day of packing and the roadtrip.

Juggling Act

2009-04-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well lately I have felt a little like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Now I know why moms dont work. Well that is if you want to get anything done. I just started a new business of selling handbags, which I love but it has taken up any free time I may have had before and some I didnt have before. I am so grateful that I am able to stay home with Shad and make sure that his needs are met, but I am having a hard time with there being a load or two of laundry constantly on the couch and dishes in the sink that I just can seem to get around to completing. On the possitive not Shad is still a total joy and is learning more everyday. He is getting a little closer to crawling (rocking on his knees) and talking more everyday. I am so blessed to have such a great family so close to me to help and support me. And the greatest blessing in my life now is my wonderful husband. I think that sometimes I take him for granted and I am trying to focus more on appreciating all the things he does for me and our family. Dan is such a hard worker and really seems to have the worst luck. Unfortunately Utah County has postponed hiring him yet again so he will not be working full time until May, which is very frustrating but nice since that will allow us to go to Disneyland in a couple weeks YEAH! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and other young mothers that help keep me sane and offer support when needed (thanks ladies). After conference I took a long hard look at my life and realize yet again just how lucky I am to live the life that I do and deal with the challenges that have been set for me. I know that my everyday experiences help me grow and learn and for that I am grateful.

Cuttest Bags

2009-03-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

I am so excited, I got my bags in the mail today. I just started selling handbags for a company called Gigi Hill and my bags came today and I cannot wait to start using them. Check out their website its www.gigihillbags.com/katie. In May I will be selling them at the Woman's Expo at UVU so you should come check it out or you can just give me call, I am always looking for ways to show them off. Let me know if you are interested.

Shads update

2009-03-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well I realized that I have not written a post about Shad in a while (that is very unusual). So I thought I would let you all know how he is doing. He had a very had time with going on the road trip to Chico and then recovering from the road trip to Chico but after a few days, all is well and even better. He has decided to trade in his (4) 30 minute naps for (2) 2 hour naps and I am loving it. He has also gone back to sleeping through the night and that has made the world of difference in my life. I is still not really crawling however he does do this weird inch worm type crawl, I thought you might like to see. Needless to say he is our entertainment these days.