Sunday, June 8

Today was a really hard day for me. Luckily, it ended with a birthday party for Ashley and I. I got to spend lots of time snuggling with this sweet little bundle of joy. It makes me that much more excited to bring baby sister home and get to do this all the time!

 

 

Saturday, June 7

After spending some time at our Muffett Family Reunion, my parents, Kenny, Simon, and I went out for my birthday dinner. We went to Tucano's at the Gateway downtown. It may just be my favorite restaurant and I got to go with some of my very favorite people. Happy birthday to me!

 

 

Friday, June 6

Oh happy day! I ran some much-needed errands this morning and then mom came over and washed my filthy windows. I can actually see out into my beautiful yard now! Thanks mom!!

 

 

Thursday, June 5

Poor little Zack has been needing some new sandals. He has flip-flops but they chewed up his feet so bad, I won't let him wear them anymore. Grandma Howard took pity on his little soul (no pun intended) and we went to Famous for some awesome new "Pider Man" sandals.

 

 

Wednesday, June 4

After living here over a full year and into 2 summers now, we finally have a fence! It's beautiful and gorgeous and I love looking out my window at it! Our back yard feels different now but I am getting used to it. In the meantime, no more tethering Dori to a stake in the ground or worrying about my kids running around the neighborhood when they go out back to play. YAY!

 

 

Tuesday, June 3

Nick had a wonderful scout activity tonight. They went over to our bishop's house and did a horse workshop. Each scout was able to ride a horse. This was Nick's first time ever riding a horse! The only small problem is he may be allergic. He came home with a pretty puffy and runny eye. :)

 

 

Monday, June 2

It was that time again to visit Dr. "Jo-Handsome" (my kids' words, not mine). Zack freaked out a bit when we got there but warmed right up when they put a Finding Nemo game on for him on the ceiling. Nick and Kendra both had x-rays and I'm happy to report, no cavities! Good job kids!

 

Sunday, June 1

We celebrated Grandma Sharon's 70th birthday in a big way! Here's the whole fam but this isn't the whole party. All of Grandma's siblings were there, Katie & Ryan, Matt & Joy, Amie, and even Kenny was able to come (I know he's in the picture but this is the first time we've gotten to see him in over a month). It was a fun BBQ to celebrate the birth and life of a wonderful lady!

 

 

Saturday, May 31

We stayed home pretty much all day waiting for Century Link to come out and fix our damaged phone line. All poor Simon wanted to do was repair some sprinkler heads. After the jerk guy finally came, the kids went to Viv's while Simon & I went to Café Rio for dinner then Home Depot to buy the new sprinkler parts. Simon asked the kids if they wanted to "help daddy" repair the sprinklers. Run around, get wet, AND spend time with daddy? Of course they did!

 

 

Friday, May 30

Three doctor appointments in three days...must be some sort of record for me! At my last OB appointment, I told Dr. Twelves that I've been having a little trouble breathing at night when I lay down for bed. She said it's probably nothing but sometimes late in pregnancy, you can develop fluid around the heart and/or lungs. She sent me to Riverton Hospital for an Echocardiogram. It was just an ultrasound of my heart but the tech that did it assured me that there was nothing to worry about. Whew! My sweet sister watched the kids while I had my procedure done and then when I got back, we had the kids make this garden stepping stone for Grandma Sharon's birthday. I think it turned out kind of cute!

 

 

 

Thursday, May 29

My darling Kendra missed her Kindergarten program a week or two ago because she was at home throwing up. I talked to her teacher and we got special permission to attend Graci and Jada's program instead...so she didn't miss doing a program entirely. It was a fashion show so lots of kids dressed up in favorite Halloween costumes and things like that. Kendra just wore her very favorite grey dress and Paparazzi jewelry. She's so beautiful!

In other news, we are getting our fence installed! YAY! I developed a sore throat last night around 10:00 and it was miserable this morning so I headed to the doctor after Kendra's program. Yep, I have strep throat!!! And the icing on that lovely cake was when our fence installer came to the door to apologize for having just cut our phone line. It not only knocked out our phone but our internet too...which in turn knocked out Netflix, basically our only television. So, the one day I want to just lay on my couch all day and relax and recover, I have no TV! :) Oh well, I survived.

 

 

Wednesday, May 28

I spent the day at Jenni's house today. I got some pictures off her computer, we sat and ordered some Shutterfly pictures, I did her gel nails, we had lunch...it was a super fun day! Here is a picture of her cute new pink nails all done!

 

Tuesday, May 27

Today was oh so busy! I ran a bunch of errands while Kendra was in dance then came home and got ready for a Scentsy party. The party was at Simon's branch so I had to be there about 6:00 to set up and be ready by 7:00. It was an awesome party but I was utterly exhausted by the end. Simon stopped after the party to look at a car so I was on my own getting kids to bed when we got home (around 9:45). I know you really can't see it in this picture but my poor little toes are like sausages and my feet were killing me! It seemed like a great night to sit, put my feet up, and enjoy a root beer float while I watched the news.

 

Monday, May 26

Happy Memorial Day! I have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of weeds in the back flower garden. I actually got anxiety every time I looked out back and saw the amount of work that needed to be done. I finally resolved to get out there and just do it. After about 20 minutes, I had only cleared one tiny little section and my back hurt so bad, I had to go in and lie down. I realized it was time to hire some neighbor kids to get the job done. The Cummings kids came over first thing this morning and spent an hour and a half pulling all of these weeds. When I offered them the money we agreed on, they refused and said that they were thankful for the service opportunity! Wow! They are amazing kids and are obviously being taught very well in their home. I am so thankful!!!

 

 

Sunday, May 25

My kids love every minute they are able to spend with their new little cousin, Baby Henry.

 

Saturday, May 24

Mom surprised Kendra with this new shirt and she was over-the-top excited about it. She tried it on right when she saw it then said that it is the prettiest shirt she's "ever had". She also said that she's going to wear it first after I do the laundry each week. On behalf of Kendra, thanks grandma for the awesome shirt!

 

 

Friday, May 23

I can't get away without a belly shot a few times. :) This is me at 35 weeks. I am dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced (which basically means nothing at this point). I can't wait for this baby girl to get here. I am beyond (physically) ready for her to make her appearance.

 

 

Thursday, May 22

We had Activity Days today so once the girls all left, I let Kendra, Graci, and Nick make chocolate covered pretzel butterflies with our leftover supplies. They had fun playing with the frosting and eating their goodies. You can't see him in this picture but Zack is standing next to the table vacuuming with our kitchen vacuum. He'd rather do that than eat chocolate and frosting!

 

 

Wednesday, May 21

Candace, Melanie, and I went to Red Robin for a girl's night out. I always really enjoy catching up with these cute gals and I was in desperate need of a mommy break today. Huge thank you to my sister for watching my kiddos while we went!

 

 

Tuesday, May 20

Nick is now in Cub Scouts and has been begging me to sew his patches onto Simon's old scout shirt before Pack Meeting tonight. I spent over two hours trying to get those darn things sewed on. In fact, I'm impressed that I managed a smile for this picture because I was SO DONE with it by the time I thought to grab the camera!

 

 

 

Monday, May 19

Today was our bowling banquet. It was at the South Towne Olive Garden. It is always fun to get together, give out prizes, and visit for one last time for the season with the ladies on our league. The only problem was that just before it ended, Nick called and said that he wasn't feeling well. He's never called from school before so I left the banquet a little early to go get him. He had a fever of 101* and complained that his stomach and legs hurt. Poor guy just moped around for the rest of the day and felt miserable.

 

 

Sunday, May 18

We had my traditional birthday dinner at my parents'. I got so many wonderful gifts but Simon really out-did himself this year. He got me a new sewing machine which I desperately needed! Dinner was fabulous (as always) and we even got to see Madison and Adam one last time before they move to Oregon. We are going to miss them!

 

Saturday, May 17

I spent a small part of my day "helping" Amie move into her new apartment. I quote "helping" because I really didn't help much. I like to think I was there more for moral support. Tonight, Simon had a MACU benefit dinner for the Sandy Boys & Girls Club. It was a very fun dinner with a silent and live auction, a gelato bar for dessert, and we ended the night watching the new movie "Million Dollar Arm". We loved the movie! It was a very enjoyable date night!! 

 

 

Friday, May 16

Nick had a book report today and his class did a "wax museum". He had to memorize and recite 30 seconds of information about Steve Jobs, creator of Apple, Inc. It was really cute and fun to go see him with Mom, Simon, Kendra, and Zack.

 

 

Thursday, May 15

Wow, I'm 30! Crazy!! Kendra, Zack, and I met Grandma Sharon at her house and she took us to lunch at Golden Corral for my birthday. Dave picked Nick up from school so I could stay in West Valley and teach Grandma's activity days girls to make hemp bracelets. We had so much fun!

 

 

Wednesday, May 14

Mom had me come teach a young women's cake decorating class. Even though the class went by quick, we had a great time! These girls are very creative and naturally talented. Plus, it was fun to see some of the girls that were so young and tiny when I lived there all grown up now!

 

 

Tuesday, May 13

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Awesome.

Yesterday morning, Zack was complaining that his toes hurt. Thinking that was a really weird thing, I inspected his toes and didn't see anything so off we went for the day. He developed a little fever again at bowling and was SO grouchy. On the way home, he pulled his shoes and socks off and was crying because his toes hurt. Upon closer inspection when we got home, he had cracks in the skin just under each toe and they were a little wet - like they were weeping. I immediately consulted Dr. Google and the wonderful ladies of the Facebook group Holistic LDS Sisters and figured out what it was. HFM is a viral infection that causes bumps and blisters on the hands, feet, and in and around the mouth (thus the very creative name). I also learned that there is nothing they can do about it but treat the symptoms. I gave him Tylenol and later Ibuprofen as well as rubbing some oils on his feet. These pictures are actually from day 2 of the illness which are way worse than they were yesterday. Poor baby! The big blister on his tongue makes me feel just horrible for him!

 

 

 

Monday, May 12

Before bowling, I decided to try out our new Gel Nail system that mom bought for us to do our nails with. It worked out pretty well. At bowling, we were playing the final championship games against The Do Right's to determine the first place winners for the whole season. We didn't have Amie's help because of her new job but we thought we were doing pretty well. We won the first game by 57 and the second game by 27 so we had a pretty commanding lead being up 84 points. However, they played AMAZINGLY in the third game and ended up beating us by 98. Because they had total overall points, they won first place! I am happy for them but sad for us. We've done so well this season. It has been a fun season either way though.

 

Sunday, May 11

Happy Mother's Day! My sweet kids and hubby surprised me with gifts in bed! We were lucky enough to go have breakfast with my mom and dinner with Viv. I am truly blessed by the mothers in my life. I am thankful for my grandmas, mom, Viv, Jenni, Ashley & Amie, to name a few. They are all amazing examples of loving caring motherhood and remind me to honor my divine calling as "Mother".

 

 

Saturday, May 10

My amazing family (Simon, Mom, & Jenni) threw me a fun 30th surprise birthday party! I kind of figured it out when we pulled into the parking lot but otherwise, I was oblivious!! So many wonderful people came to support me and wish me a happy decade. It was lots and lots of fun!

 

 

Friday, May 9

If I believed in Voodoo or wizardry, I would put a curse on the dumb person that came up with the idea of kids carts at Smith's! My trip to Smith's with 3 littles was so horrible, I couldn't help but take a pic! We were there to buy ingredients for this "Tangled" cake. I was up until 3:00 am finishing it but I was happy with the result.

 

 

Thursday, May 8

Zack and I volunteered again in Nick's class with Mrs. Joff's. She is always cute to get toys out for Zack to play with but he really likes to sit with Nick and pretend he's a big kid too. I thought it was sweet of Nick to put Zack on his lap and read him a book during centers.

 

 

Wednesday, May 7

I got to go to lunch and birthday shopping with this lovely lady right here! So it's not a pic I took today (I always remember AFTER the person I'm with has left) but it was a fun day to remember.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 6

I went shopping while Kendra was in dance because I wanted to put together a new centerpiece for my kitchen table. I wanted it to be pink and babyish in honor of baby sister to be born in the next few weeks. Here is my finished product.

Tonight, we took some dinner to Ryan and Ashley and let Kendra and Nick meet their new little cousin, Henry. Poor Zacky had to stay home with Dave & Viv because he had a fever and we didn't want to expose the baby to anything. The kids LOVE him though and it just gets me that much more excited to bring baby sis home.

 

 

Monday, May 5

I started my day off at Dr. Twelve's office for my bi-weekly check up. Everything looks great! We had a good day at bowling and I even bowled a 216! This is my 3rd lifetime 200+ game. Zack didn't want to go to the nursery at bowling so I finally relented and let him stay out with me. I was thankful I did because later this afternoon, I took his temperature and it was 101*! Poor guy!! :(

 

Sunday, May 4

Simon got a new calling today. He was the 3rd Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency but will now be the 2nd Counselor AND the Scout Master. I think he might be a little nervous about the Scout Master part but with his organization and drive, I think he'll do great! We got home late from Dave & Viv's tonight and here's what bedtime looked like; Kendra & Nick picking up 1,300 Legos from the family room and Zacky out cold.

 

 

Saturday, May 3

Mom, Jenni, and I (plus 3 kids) went garage saling this morning. We had so much fun driving around finding treasures together. We ended our adventures at the MOPS Mother's Day Boutique where I re-stocked my supply of Paparazzi earrings. :)

 

 

Friday, May 2

Dad & Trevan went rock hounding in the desert overnight so mom decided to throw an impromptu scrapbooking/pizza party. Simon came from work, picked up pizza for dinner, hung out with us ladies for a bit, then took the boys home. Jenni, Mom, and I worked on projects until about 11:30.

My sweet 2-year-old likes to dress himself but sometimes he doesn't get things exactly right. For example, about 95% of the time his shoes go on the wrong feet. Tonight was extra funny though because it was his pants that went on wrong. Jenni kept talking about his "front bum" and "back front". It was just too funny not to take a picture.

 

 

Thursday, May 1

This was our very last MOPS meeting of the year. I am sad to see it end. Especially because it ends a lot of things that have been regular in my life lately including bowling and hanging out with Amie on a regular basis. She starts a new job on Monday and won't be doing these daytime activities anymore. I am so thankful that I chose to do MOPS this year since it is the last year we'd be able to go together.

Back Row: Dana Breyer, Sara Broadhurst, Kyle Nelson, Meriann Cook

Front Row: Me, Amie, Vicki Wood

 

 

Wednesday, April 30

Week #32. I feel like baby sister has dropped and people keep saying that too. The good news is, I feel less uncomfortable with her lower. Here's to another 8+/- weeks.

 

 

 

Tuesday, April 29

Happy birthday to my bestie, Amie and my sweet new nephew, Henry Michael Pearson. Amie and I went to lunch for her birthday at Café Rio and while I was there with her, I got a text saying Henry was finally here! Poor Ash was in labor for about 30 hours and pushed for 2 hours before he made his appearance. We're so happy that he is here and that he is a healthy beautiful baby.

 

 

Monday, April 28

Induction day! Despite their happy smiles and glowing appearances, these two new parents wouldn't be parents until tomorrow at 12:44. Wonder Mom right there!!