The babies are.......

Today I had a doctors appointment & kept having a small sliver of hope that they would have to do an ultrasound to find heartbeats & that just maybe I could tell what sex they were.

Of course, the Dr. found the heartbeats within a second and there was no need for an ultrasound. As I was leaving he asked in passing "are you going to do a sneak peak for Christmas?" I didn't know he did those...of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So tonight we gathered family & had cake. It's a two layer cake & the possibilies were a white layer for "they couldn't tell". Two Blue layers for boys or two pink for girls, or one of each.

And one more interesting thing. I know I told many of you that they weren't identical. This was an assumption on my part because there are two sacs. I was told by my cousins wife a couple of weeks ago that wasn't true (she just had twins) & then the Dr. told me this today & told me not to rule out identical babies because we don't know if I dropped two eggs (if I had taken fertility drugs this would have been the likely case) or if my egg split. So these babies just might be identical.......unless below shows you a blue layer & pink layer:):):)

The NAUGHTY side!

After we put the Christmas stockings up Jaden immediately determined that one side was the good side & one side was the bad side & he rearranged them accordingly.

Jaden & Chris have personalities that conflict a little bit & they get frustrated with each other easily. Jaden has made these frustrations known by making Chris be on the naughty side since they stockings have been up.

Yesterday I went to lunch (Chris came home to watch the kids) & when I came home Chris pointed out that everyone was on the good side but him. As a side note Jaden & I have never been on the naughty side & Landon moves back & forth....it depends on whether they are best friends that day or are struggling to get along. Chris & I couldn't stop laughing over this & we asked him why daddy never gets to be on the good side. Jaden said that daddy gets mad at him all the time...I reminded him that mom gets mad too but he said I only sometimes get mad so it's ok. I should also mention that I brainwash Jaden about 5 times a day with "I'm the best mommy in the whole wide world" or when he asks me why I did something for him it's because "I'm the best mommy in the whole world." I gotta remind him how lucky he is:):):)

Lucky for Chris, Jaden said that if daddy helps him build something today he'll move him to the good side!

Landon.....a big boy!

Landon had the opportunity to attend a toddler lab this semester. It's a lab for 18mo-3 year olds put on by BYUI students. Unfortunately they won't hold it this next semester because they don't want their students driving on the roads in the winter. I didn't take pictures because the observing area is behind a one sided window but the students took tons & told us they were giving them to us at the end of the semester. I didn't realize it'd be in dvd format so I'm unable to pull the pictures off to post. They did print a couple from their printer & gave them to us...thus the poor quality scans below:)

He attended once a week for an hour & 15 minutes and it ended up being such a wonderful thing for him. He's overcome so much hestitation and shyness & he really enjoyed going each week. I remember a year and a half ago when I was completely overwelmed with my clingy boy & worried he'd never be independent. Mentally it was a challenge to have him there constantly, not be able to leave him, have to carry him everyone, no one wanted to take it him...it was really hard.

The activities were amazing & different every week. Some weeks they'd have a water station, sand station, & foam station. They had us leave an extra set of clothes because they told us they probably would get dirty. They had singing time & snack time too. It's crazy to me to think that Landon will be old enough to attend pre-school next fall.


His class & teachers. It was a great student/teacher ratio

He loved the water station & wasn't afraid to get wet!

This was a picture they took on his first day so that they could put it by his coat hook. He was so scared:)

Thanksgiving Week!

What a week of so many blessings!!!!!

I'm a big believer in a thanksgiving feast made from scratch...even if it isn't very good. My mom gave me the assignment of a pie of which I told her I was making two pies & two sides because she didn't need to cook the entire meal. Last year I made a pie & failed miserably at it so I tried again, researched recipes & they were super yummy!


All the food was delicious and for some reason being pregnant I have a hard time eating what I cook so its fabulous when there are so many dishes that others made to choose from. I'm a little fearful that I may have put on some weight.


I think Jaden is enjoying his thanksgiving feast!
Landon likes eating off my plate...for some reason it just tastes so much better:) Ignore my pale pasty face; I need some sun!

We were expecting many more but bad roads prevented those from out of state from making it....we missed you!After dinner we hung out, visited, ate more food, the kids played in the snow....Chris said he loves just hanging out not having to go anywhere.



To keep up with tradition at midnight we hit the black friday sales. There wasn't anything major on my list I had to get & thought about bailing but I love traditions. Unfortunately, my body didn't do so well & resulted in several near fainting spells where I had to sit on the floor in the middle of walmart throwing up in a a bag. To most I'm sure I looked like I was having an anxiety attack. One kind lady gave me tissues since throwing up causes my eyes to tear up really bad. I was a mess but finished the trip successfully!



Tonight we went to dinner at outback. Not only was it delicious but I found the babysitter of all babysitters. THIS IS BIG! Since Landon has been so shy we haven't done a ton of babysitters but as he's improved we've been getting them more often. After trying to get her to babysit on three different occasions & her being unavailable I gave it one last chance or realized I was going to have to find a different one...I really want to have a consistent babysitter. She was AMAZING!

Here's a picture of the two crafts they made & the pretzel treat they made. In addition she wrote a thank you note and the recipe down.

And there's more....I am usually disappointed when I get home & my home isn't as clean as I left it. For this reason I left the toy room a mess.....well it's now clean. My friends, I won't share her name because I always want her available to me. I can truly say that finding an awesome babysitter is a huge blessing I should definitely acknowledge, especially this week. AND thanks mom & dad for taking us to dinner; you spoiling us is a blessing too!!!

Moments not to be forgotten!

Today me & the boys are staying home from church because Landon has a nasty sounding cough...he appears to be 100% though. Since Chris is in the bishopric I couldn't send Jaden with him so we are hanging out in a warm house.

I realize I've been a slacker with any type of journaling and I realize how quickly I forgot things I don't want to forget. I want to make sure they are written somewhere so that I can still have that memory long after I've forgotten it:)

I still re-read my post about finding out I was having twins because it allows me to relive those feelings & emotions. I'm already forgetting that intial feeling and I want to etch it in my brain.

So here's some random things I want to remember but won't if they aren't written....in no order!

-This week I got to witness the birth of little Harper. Jenna did it natural (amazing!) & you would have thought she had an epidural until she was dilated to a 9 & couldn't get to a 10. Harper wasn't making it easy on her but after some crazy moves on Jenna's part she finally arrived. What a beautiful baby! And HEALTHY too!
-Later I took the boys to see Harper. My boys haven't been by a baby forever. I wasn't sure how'd they'd react or if they even be interested. I was amazed at the love they both showed her. Landon held her so tenderly & touched her ears, mouth, nose, everything. I think he was in awe of such a tiny little one. After breaking up a little tug-of-war between my boys I reminded them that I was having two babies & they could each have one:)
-Gracie came to the hospital with my mom & I could see the nervousness etched in her face. Her world had changed & I could tell she didn't know how to take it. She was planning on sleeping at Grandma's because Jaden had a school night but the only comfort she could find was with Jaden. It was so sweet. Her & Jaden are growing apart as their interests are changing so much but deep down they are each others best friend. When I told Gracie she could come & sleep with Jaden she was a changed girl. He was her comfort & they skipped away holding hands. I'm amazed that a 5 year old could provide so much comfort when no one else could. BTW, Gracie can't stop holding Harper....the initial shock just had to wear off!
-I feel like I need to document some of my pregnancy so here's little bit of that. Yesterday I was very sick & couldn't keep anything down BUT I have days where I have nearly no nausea. I told Chris that I think my pregnancies begin to run together & I feel like I haven't ever felt good and it gets discouraging. This has been my best pregnancy with morning sickness but I still get discouraged & wish I could do everything. Food is an enemy too. I have to eat all the time...for whatever reason it helps. In most cases nothing sounds good so I'm gagging something down just so I don't start throwing up. There is a positive though...as long as I'm sick I know I'm still pregnant. I do wish my body despided food while I wasn't pregnant....that would be an excellent diet.
-Today I was cooking brussel sprouts in Balsamic vinegar. I'm mentioning this because the smell of the vinegar made Jaden so sick. He could hardly breath & kept asking me what that smell was. He kept begging me to stop cooking...I kind of thought it was funny. I don't think I'll be getting him to try that dish any time soon.
-Right now as I right the boys are in Jaden duvet cover walking around as one. They are having a blast & think they are so funny. I'm so glad my boys are becoming such good friends. They do fight too....hopefully it'll pass!
-Last week we asked Jaden if he was ready for Landon to move into his room. We thought this next week would be good to create a schedule since Jaden doesn't have school & a late night wouldn't be a problem. Jaden informed us that Landon wasn't moving into his room until he turned 3. Although I've told this to Jaden on many other occassions when Jaden begged us to let Landon move in, he now is using it against us. Let's hope these babies don't come too early so that once Landon turns 3 they have a good little while to get used to it.

I'm sure my pregnancy brain is forgetting so much but I thought I better jot what little was there:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The gift of giving!

First of all, this is an excellent month to recognize our many blessings! Although I'm sure I won't take the time to do a daily gratitude post (I probably should) I did want to mention a project my sister has been working so hard on & how it's a good time to dig deep to help another in need.

In her blog she talks about it here. It's a little 1 yr old girl in Georgia that has cancer. There are several online auctions here. Although many of the items are specific to the area there are some great things that aren't so be sure to look or just donate. I wish I knew what I was having because there are some cute baby items. They have two more auctions after this one so be sure to keep checking back.

As I'm reflecting on giving to others I remember something a co-worker said to me that hit me hard one day. We had a giving tree at work and as she looked at the tree tears came to eyes at some of the items on the tree....a coat for a young child. She said that she had lots of credit card debt & spends money when she shouldn't but this is a time that it doesn't matter what it cost, she needed to give. Not that I'm suggesting we go into debt to give but I'm sure all of us can afford to give just a little...some maybe more.

HaLloWeeN fun

I'm realizing that halloween is a BIG holiday...lots of activities!

Here's some of what we've been up to.

Jaden saw spook houses at Sam's club one day & couldn't stop talking about wanting to do one. Not wanting to buy each boy a kit I told him they were too expensive. Jaden told me I didn't need to buy one & told me to buy chocolate graham crackers & halloween candy. Smart boy!!!

At school they did a halloween party & parade. It was so fun to see all the kindergartners going down the hall & getting high 5's from all the older kids. It's so fun to go to Jaden's school and get to know all the little kids. We also went to our ward trunk or treat. The boys were in heaven getting so much candy in one spot. And of course we went Trick or Treating. It's so fun going around and seeing all the fun costumes. The boys walked a long ways...we were tired by the end of the night.

2+2=4

/First off, I've been keeping a secret:)

Today I can't contain this secret anymore. We decided about 5 months ago we were ready to try for another little one.....so the trying began. 3 months later we found out we were expecting.

To back up prior to this I've told Chris forever I wanted twins. It's become a joke in our home because we didn't see twins in our future as a possibility since I've never had to go on fertility drugs & to our knowledge they don't run in our family.

So today I had a nice visit with the Dr. Afterwards I headed to the lab & then to ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. I've actually been nervous this pregnancy that things were different. I usually am deathly ill & this pregnancy I've been sick but more that of a regular pregnancy. I've been REALLY tired though & anti-social.

Within 1 second of the ultrasound the tech asked me if I was on fertility drugs. I immediately exclaimed "no, am I pregnant with twins." With a smile on her face she quickly confirmed & showed both little babies.

A thousand emotions came over me....I was babbling. Excitement, scared for two babies, all the sudden I'm high risk, were just a few of them. I made her double check everything to make sure they were both healthy...I become terrified that there would be something wrong.

The Dr. re-entered the picture at this news. I kept asking him how???? He said although the odds are low (2%) that I could get pregnant with twins without fertility drugs or having them run in the family.

The WHOLE office then crowded the halls. It really was BIG news! They all crowded around as I called Chris which by the way I was already planning on teasing him I was having twins so I knew he wouldn't believe me. I had to have the Dr. tell him. SHOCK!!!

Everyone still thinks I'm playing a big joke because that's what I do. But it's true....and it still doesn't feel real.

So today I found out I'll be going from a mom of two kids to four. I don't think reality has set in yet.

Fall is Here!!!

You wouldn't know it with the weather we've been having but Fall is here and so are all the activities that make life busy. I realize that without my camera (which I haven't used it near as much as I should) I wouldn't remember any of it. As I go through the pictures it reminds me of everything I need to still journal about so here I go.

A couple of weeks ago Chris was travelling with work & Jaden was having a tough time...you'd think he'd be used to it by now. He happened to have that Thursday & Friday off from school that week so we headed to see daddy! The boys spent the majority of their time swimming.

As I've mentioned many times Jaden is ALWAYS thinking of new ideas. Here is his lunch that he insisted he build one day. I had to make sure the veggies & cheese were cut perfect so that he could build his house. The roof is crackers...he gobbled the whole thing up.

This year was the first year his school did a carnival. I am so amazed at the parent involvement at his school. It was a huge event & very well attended. As they talk about all the budget cuts & how they are cutting aids in the classroom I've seen parents step up & fill the void. Jaden's classroom ran out of spots for parents volunteers & there were some parents that didn't get to participate because there is so much involvement. I've been going to Jaden classroom on Thursdays to do centers & have loved being involved & getting to know the children in the classroom. The kids in his class are great & have great parents...what a blessing!

This is becoming a fun tradition. We tried to plant pumpkins in our garden this year & I planted them too early & they froze. When I went to buy more seeds the stores were all out. I can't say I'm too sad because we have so much fun going to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. They also had train ride, a corn maze, & unlimited suckers!!!

Last night for FHE the boys got to carve their pumpkins. They were so excited. We also had great harvest pumpkin & chocolate chip bread for dessert...yummy!

Time sure is travelling fast but I'm excited as the holidays are approaching!!!

This Boy!

Wow! This boys mind exhausts me. It NEVER stops.

For the past 3 weeks our homes has been filled with Chain Reactions (I was going to upload one to show from my phone & can't figure it out.) Because of the mess they were creating I had to create a rule that he couldn't build another one until his last one was put away. These chains reach from one point of the room to another, sometimes off of table, & sometime they land in bucket of water.

The chain reactions & his other ideas are constantly in his thoughts....he even dreams about them & wakes up & tell me about it.

Some of the funny or not so funny things that he does.

-Jaden loves cars...it works out well that we own a dealership. Chris wrecked his car a month ago & we decided to replace it with a toyota prius; a very practical choice since Chris lives in his car & it gets 46 mpg. Jaden wasn't very happy about it because he thinks it's very ugly & refused for some time to ride in it. One day he decided to take the look of it in his own hands & build a front air scoop (I didn't know what these were until a month ago...you see them on race cars). So with a big rock in hand he went to work on the hood of the car. When I went outside I was VERY angry at the many scratches on the hood. He informed me he was working on building a front air scoop. This was one of those not so funny moments. If we see a prius on the road he's always very quick to tell us how ugly it is.

-Jaden loves to be the dealership & he usually is really good so he can often go when I or Chris work. Today Chris & I were there while a couple of people were looking at a car. We do try to keep Jaden away from the customers but he snuck around us & went & announced to the potential customers that "this car has nice tires." Thankfully they were looking at a car that he thought was "cool" or else I'd be afraid what he'd say.

-Today Jaden built 4 centers for me & Landon to do. They do these in kindergarten...they have science centers, listen centers, ect. Today his centers included BINGO (he got the idea from Kotter's b-day party); he created is own bingo cards. I was so impressed.

-This isn't a funny moment but one I LOVE...he always runs out of school with a huge smile & hug. I have yet to do a carpool because I want to see his face coming out of school. I'm sure I'll get over it soon:)

Sometimes his energy & mind overwhelms me but I'm grateful he uses his mind so much. I hope that as a parent I can steer him to do great things with it...I know he can be & do anything he wants. Currently he wants to be a race car driver...I definately will work on steering that in a different direction.

SPINNING!!!

Somebody is overcoming all their fears of strangers & guess who got to join the gym again. After 3 weeks of absolutely no excercise I wasn't feeling to swell.

I need A LOT of variety. The summer was great with all the outdoor things to do plus I've really enjoyed my eliptical but I needed change or else I knew I would quit. Chris & I decided to try a week guest pass to see how Landon did in child care. We left him for 20 min, then 30 min the next day, ect...you get the point & it worked.

Today I got a full spinning class in & he hardly noticed I was gone. What a wonderful feeling!!!

And the other great thing is that I've never done spinning because of my fear of "bike butt". I decided it was now or never since I've been riding my bike all summer I should be somewhat broken in. There was pain but we did a lot of hills which gave my rear some relief...not my legs though.

As much as I love my little guy...absence does make the heart grow fonder!

We've been busy!

We've been busy with many different activities but what has consumed most of our time is moving our dealership. We made the decision to turn to a traditional dealership vs. a car buying service so be sure to visit our new location at 705 N Holmes in Idaho Falls. We have much to still do like purchase a lot of inventory but we did get everything done with the state so...YIPPEE! One check mark on a whole list of check marks:)

Here's some of the fun...

A back-to-school treasure hunt by grandma.

A fun run. Jaden was so funny when we caught him at the water table & not running half way through the race he said "mom, my feet forgot to run." He's an easily distracted boy! Landon insisted on staying in my arms the whole time & I had an arm ache for a week. This kid is losing his naps. He still gets tired though so I usually set him on the couch watching Handy Manny at around 2:30 pm. Often this is the result. Aren't his chubby cheeks so cute!
This kids also loves to cook pretend food. I often get to experience & pretend to eat his creations!
Look whose a kindergartener now. What fun his first week of school was. I loved dropping him off & seeing his adorable face come out of the school when it ended. He's been bursting with excitement for school. I'm crossing my fingers that he remains excited to learn. He's been telling me for weeks he's got to go to school so that he can get some work done. He's so lucky to already have a bunch of friends that he knows in his class.
On Saturday we went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Jaden begged all day today to go back. The both loves RIDES & GAMES so they were both in heaven. Mom & Dad...not so much!

What a CUTIE!

This boy just makes my heart burst! Although his attachment issues have been draining at times he has such a special spirit and a tender heart.

So some of the adorable things I love about him.

HIS DIMPLES....those are the most adorable things ever.

He now enjoys nursery. After almost a year of being able to go we were able to leave him on his own a month and a half ago. It really makes for a much more spiritual sunday for me. Today, he seemed clingly & I always spend a few minutes to help him feel comfortable & to trust me that I'll come back (if you have a child like him, never sneak away, creating trust has made all the difference.) All the sudden he pointed at the door & yelled "go". I took his command to heart & was grateful my little guy didn't need me anymore.

He loves riding his trike & also tries to venture on this bike that's just a little too big. He LOVE being outside & I think winter will be really hard on him...maybe he'll take up a winter sport to help:)

He always ask me if I'm ok. He really is caring & loving.

He's becoming more aggressive...I'm not sure this is a positive but after being so clingy I worried he wouldn't be like a typical boy. He is; he now beats up on Jaden & doesn't put up with big brother stuff.

He still loves to snuggle. My mom still calls him a baby & I remind her that he's two & two year old aren't babies anymore....it's because he does love to cuddle & is a little more mellow. Mellow is good when you have a very UN-mellow 5 year old. It helps balance out the household a little bit.

I love you Landon!

Trail Mix

Yesterday Jaden was eating trail mix. He & his friend starting fighting over the m&m's & I was trying to teach them that you don't look but grab a handful & what you get is what you get. Unfortanately by this point most of the m&m's were picked out & what they got was a lot of nuts.

Jaden learned from this & did the cutest thing last night. I think it shows patience & self-control. He ate all the nuts first & saved the m&m's for last. Love you bud!

Post to come about Landon shortly! Some how I don't post about him as much but he's SOOOOO cute & I need to get some of that on my blog. His dimples are heart melting & he now how an adorable angry voice...I know that's not a good thing but it is so cute it makes me laugh.

Recipe HELP!

In this post I mentioned my system for working on my food storage. I've been spending hours combing through recipes that use items that are non-perishable. There are fabulouse websites but most contain many items that are perishable.

So...I'm hoping there are a few recipes or websites that you can share. I want my recipes to be pretty healthy. I'm finding many of the meals I'm putting together are similar & am hoping for some variety.

I'm happy to share what I already have. My simplest meals are sloppy joes (using TVP) & spaghetti (using whole wheat noodles) to some more complicated casseroles & soups.

If you have a recipes that contains one or two items that are perishable like cheese, that's ok. I figure that can be omitted if we truely did need to use our food storage.

The FUN never stops!

I feel like I have so many fun activities to post from this last week. I'm sure I'll miss many things but I'm doing my best to keep up.

Yesterday we all went to bear world. Since I was driving the car (Chris was at a baptism) I didn't get any shots of actually looking at the bears but my whole car load had their faces pressed to the glass.

If you haven't been to bear world it's a must if you are in this area. They have a mini-amusement park that is perfect for smaller children. The boys ran from one ride to another & Landon got to go on all of them. He was actually braver then Jaden on a couple. Their faces are priceless on some of the rides. Bear World also has a petting zoo. Jaden got to pet a deer & they got to look at chickens & their eggs. Awesome teaching moments about animals.

After bear world we ate at Craigo's & then Jaden & Chris went golfing with the guys. I wish I had pictures because Chris said Jaden did awesome & was so much fun.

We again had another evening of fireworks. My kids can't get enough of those fireworks from Wyoming.

My Grandpa would be Proud!

I almost forgot about these pictures from this last week.

Taylor is a girl that my grandpa taught how to ride. She's now offering riding lessons & I couldn't decide if it was something that Jaden would enjoy & could actually do. Taylor offered for a small fee to bring all the grandkids over to give it a try.

Jaden told me over & over he did not want to go so you can imagine my surprise when he insisted that he could ride all by himself. After Taylor riding with him for about 5 minutes he was off all by himself & did awesome.

When I now ask Jaden if he wants to take "riding lessons" he tells me he doesn't need lessons because he already knows how to ride a horse. I think we'll probably sign him up if Taylor can fit him on her schedule....if not for lessons, just to ride:)

Jackson Hole {pictureless}

Sadly, I forgot my camera on a really fun trip...but I did want to write down some of the memories before they erase from my mind forever:) My sister took many pictures that I will at some point steal from her so until then enjoy words.

My whole family, grandkids & all went to Jackson hole for a couple of days. One word describes that place...beautiful!

As we were driving there Jaden informed us that this room was different then other rooms we stayed at & we asked him why, he said "fresh air." I thought that was so funny to observe. It really does have lots of fresh air & if I was a dreamer I would say one day I would be able to buy one of their million dollar cabins so that my kids could enjoy all the fresh air they could ever want.

We love to stay in Teton Village. It's at the base of a ski mountain & the views are breathtaking, they have a fun little park with a small spray park in the middle. There are hiking trails, lots of para-gliders coming off the mountain, a small wading pond....lots of nature.

We stayed here & I over indulged on all the spa products in the room. I smelled like sage...YUM! We also took a ride up the tram which is by far the grandkids favorite thing to do. Every time the tram would swing they'd cheer in delight. Of course the top had breathtaking views & we got to witness para-gliders jumping off the side of the mountain.

We did lots of swimming which is always my favorite. Jaden has turned into a little fish & loves to swim also.

We ate lots of food too! Also a favorite!

Thanks to my wonderful mom & dad for a fun trip and all they do. The fun is not over as we have a fun-filled day planned for today also....I think we are spoiled!

A realization

Chris told me on Saturday that he finally gets it. He finally understands why I have such fond memories of spending time with cousins & why it's so important to me for my kids to have that too.

That realization came driving from Rexburg to home Saturday night after a very full day of cousin fun. Our kids were truely in heaven & I think it's hard to find a bond that cousins have.

In fact, our shy little Landon didn't care that he didn't know his cousins from Atlanta very well...they were his best friends. In fact, such good friends that he didn't hestitate to wrestle & jump on all of them....THUS resulting in stitches for a very deep gash to the head today. After a very sickening doctor visit with him strapped to a papoose board, numbing shots, & stitches we met back with all his friends at the zoo today:):):)

Here's some of the fun we've had this far & there is much more to come.

Utah FUN!

We went to Utah this weekend for my cousin Cameron's mission farewell.

Since our boys aren't fans of travelling we decided to spend the night & make it fun for them.

On Sunday night we took them to temple square. The loved all the water features & we had to check out every one. It was a beautiful & HOT night.
The next day we took the boys to a wave pool. I wasn't sure if it would be too big for them but I always loved them growing up & wanted to try. Jaden was a little daredevil & kept swimming into the thick of it without a tube...which is a no no. So I ventured out to the big waves with him & we had so much fun. Landon & Chris hung out in the shallow end; Landon loved having the waves knock him back. Overall, very successful & we'll do it again:)

Look what Jaden can do!

We've been noticing over the past couple of months that all Jaden's friends were starting to have their training wheels taken off of their bikes. Since Jaden is the youngest out of most his friends he started getting bitter when all of them turned 5 before him because he was taller then all of them & should be older. He made the connection that 5 years old ride without training wheel so once he turned 5 he decided it was time.

He tried a week ago & got frustrated & gave up....but he woke up Monday morning ready & determined to make it happen. Monday was VERY windy & our best efforts did not provide success. The next day, WINDY again & a repeat. But he was determined & went into the garage & declared to me that he could ride his bike on his own. I humored him but didn't believe him.

The next day wasn't windy as we heady out & he was right, he could ride his bike without training wheels. He was very wobbly but he pushed on....this was on his little 12 inch bike because it made him feel safer. His new bike is much bigger at 20 inches.

By evening he had progressed to his new green bike moving extremely fast down the road. My heart was very nervous on several occassions but it's so fun to see his excitement at accomplishing this.

Today I was riding behind him on my bike & a gust of wind rushed by him pushing him off the sidewalk, down the curb onto the road...I held my breath as I waited for him to take a big tumble but somehow he recoved, kept on riding, & started laughing. I think we have a lot of bike rides in our future.

Bedtime

Bedtime isn't the funnest time in our home. Quite simply, the boys want to keep on playing. Since Chris has been travelling (he's finally finished) I've needed an 8pm bedtime for my sanity. Both boys have been confused with so much sunlight at bedtime so I've been allowing them to stay up in their rooms but they can't come out after 8pm...they don't always stay in but that's the rule.

Last night Chris went to check on the boys & found what was obviously a bored Jaden. I guess when your toys are located in the basement you have to get a little creative.If you can't tell those are shin guards on his head & his lunch box in his hand (I think he snuck some toys in it). And I'm going to share a proud mommy moment:) Jenna's kids, Gracie & Easton, are slightly messy children so when they come & play I've become really strick in enforcing a mess in only one area at a time. The other day Easton was over & was playing in the basement & then headed outside. I asked him if the basement was clean & it wasn't so I sent him downstairs before he could go outside....yes, I'm a mean aunt. Jaden helped him clean up the mess. After he went home I got a text from Jenna saying that Easton was cleaning so good & she asked him where he learned and he said "Jaden taught me." When Jaden puts his mind to it he really is a good cleaner & organizer & I couldn't be more proud:):):)

~Delish~

I LOVE strawberry lemonades. Not the ones that are strawberry flavored but those that have REAL strawberries. The only problem is that they are LOADED with sugar.

Yesterday, it occurred to me that I really wanted one BUT I wasn't about to ruin my points to have one. SO....I made my own & it was soooooo good!

Here's how----

I took my blender, stuffed if full of ice, took a packet of crystal light lemonade, took a bunch of frozen strawberries (I froze fresh ones) & squirted in some sugar-free strawberry syrup (made my own so if you want all the info on how to do this, let me know) & blended!

I didn't take a picture BUT I almost completely drank the whole blender full by myself. The only calories were from the strawberries & those are good calories:) AND the frozen stawberries & ice made it super slushie! If I didn't know better, I would have thought I had consumed 1000 calories:):):) AH...thank goodness for the pretend calories!

4th of July celebrations!!!!

I've decided that the 4th of July is up there with Christmas. There's lots of family time, lots of celebrating, and lots of fun!!!!

Our fun started on Friday evening at a cul de sac in our neighborhood that throws a BIG party every year. Lots of snow cones, bouncy toys, hots dogs, face painting, live music, ice cream, cotton candy, popcorn & BIG fireworks made for TWO happy little boys. It really was an amazing party. I loved that they lined their street with numerous flags...it really was a beautiful sight.
On Saturday we started our cold morning with the parade. Landon spent much of the time snuggling with me but Jaden was in the thick of it & loved every minute.

Afterwards we headed to my parents for a yummy BBQ. My parents have a small pond that the kids decided they wanted to play in. It was so funny to watch them. At one point Jaden was jumping from the shore, missed the middle of the raft, hit the side, & did a back flip into the pond. He bounced up quickly shouting "I'm ok." Landon spent time on the 4-wheeler with daddy & napping.

That evening we decided to do the melaluca fireworks. Two cranky boys made us decide to leave early...they were tired.On Sunday after church we headed up to Island Park. It was nice to breath fresh air & spend time with family. Of course, we had to include fireworks in the fun since my boys can't get enough!

Thanks everyone for a FUN weekend! Can't wait until next year.

Cute Moments!

I love capturing fun moments on camera!

The other day I was watching my friend Jenn's kids & I had her leave her car seats in case I had to go somewhere. The kids all wanted snow cones (I have the best Sugar Free ones if anyone wants to try them) so I made one for everyone. As I was cleaning up I looked out the window & saw this....I was laughing so hard. They were just chilling in the car seats eating snow cones.
And meet the newest employee of MV Auto Buyers! Today I told our employee to take the day off & I'm working at the dealership. Jaden has joined me this last hour & he thinks he runs the place. We are getting lots done! If you need a new 7 seater, check out this one...I love it & am tempted to buy it for myself. AND since you know me I'll give you an even better deal although we have it listed way below blue book!

Food Storage Ideas

I'm sure I'm not the only one that finds food storage a little intimidating & overwelming. It's not supposed to be that way but I really want my food storage to serve a purpose & not be items wasted in the future....I'm sure we've seen some people that have items in food storage for 30+ years that in the end having to throw it all in the garbage...my goal is to not have this happen but to have an organized food storage that I use, keep track of, & know exactly how often I should be using it.

So...I came up with an idea that works for me, isn't overwelming, & won't break the bank. It's starting out small.

Every week I'll create a menu that only requires items from future storage. I'll make sure I have the supplies for 6 meals made from this menu. For example, this week is mexican casserole. There are two items (cheese & sour cream) that in an emergency I may not have so I put these on a seperate line since I'm NOT going to make sure I have enough of these for 6 meals:) If needed, I can omit these items & still have a very healthy & good meal. The 2nd part of my plan is to go through my food storage, subtract what I already have, & determine what I need to buy this week (each week I'll buy what I need for my 6 meals). I've put this on a spreadsheet and my meal I put together will add to this to determine total what my storage needs.

Are you following me so far???? I plan to create 30 meal plans. So in essence when I'm done I'll have a 6 month supply of food we already eat...food I can rotate into our nightly meals so we keep it fresh & in use. When I pull the item out of storage my spreadsheet will tell me I need to buy more:) There's more....the mexican casserole will last my family for 3 meals so with leftovers we actually have much more then 6 months worth of dinners. After I'm done with dinners I'll begin to focus on breakfast & lunch (so far, in an emergency we'll be eating bread & oatmeal for those meals w/ peanut butter & Jelly).

I hope this is the magic trick to finally get my food storage to where it needs to be!!!

Happy, Happy, Birthday Jaden Dear!!!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite 5 year old! He's so special that we had to do lots of celebrating.

Yesterday we did his cake with family and we gave him his new BIKE!!!! His old one was getting small & we wanted him to have a bigger bike in his favorite color. He was so excited & I was too....it will make it much easier for him to keep up with me on bike rides and I can barely pull him in the bike trailer anymore (my legs burn like crazy).

Today, his actual birthday, we had a bunch of little friends over to celebrate and it was a PERFECT day! Lots of swimming, games, a pinata, endless sno cones (some kids ate like 6, sorry moms) and lots of running made for a really fun party. Once Jaden opened his presents he was ready for everyone to go home so he could play with them but we reminded him that he had to wait until everyone went home. He's officially played with every single one...and he got alot!

We love you buddy! You are such a smart boy & you test my knowledge daily. I know you have any amazing future ahead of you & I'm grateful I get to be your mom as your enjoying it:)