The Haskell's

Busy Life

2012-01-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

We had our first Christmas in Arizona this year! It was different not having any snow and 70 degree weather but a nice change. I didn't take any pics of christmas morning so these are from Kylie's new camera!

Easton got a new razor trike, cranky the train set, football,soccer ball, playdoh,etc. Kenadie got a video camera, purse with wallet,robe, movie, etc. Kylie got a mountain bike,camera, purse with wallet, etc. Tyler got a hunting wii game with guns, video game, nice basketball, etc. We just enjoyed the day together and played with toys. We left early the next day for Utah and stayed 6 days. I was nervous about going back home, I was afraid I would get homesick. We enjoyed spending time with family, visiting with friends, sledding, going to the Funpark, shopping with my sister and mom, etc. As much as I enjoyed visiting,I was ready to come back to warm weather. I realized this is home now and I really enjoy it! Since then we have been getting back into the routine of everything and am so glad the kids are back in school. Here is an update on each of us:
Eric-He still works 4 days a week,is a cub scout leader,and coaches Tyler's basketball team. He just finished his nutrition class and is a straight A student so far. He is now doing microbiology online and has at least a couple more classes before he can apply to nursing school.
Katie-I work 3 days a week, am a Beehives leader, and stay busy trying to decorate and organize this house! I recently read an awesome book called "Organized Simplicity" and I highly recommend it! It's all about decluttering and creating a simple life.Since then I have been organizing and dejunking cabinets and closets. I also am looking into going back to school to get my Bachelor's degree since it is more useful and wanted out here.
Tyler-He loves school and was recognized by his teacher and school for being a outstanding leader. He is invited to go to Washington D.C. with a group to tour the sites and learn more about leadership but I am not sure we will do it. He is on two different basketball teams,one coached by Eric and a competitive team in Gilbert. He loves to play and is obsessed!

Kylie-She loves school and activity days. She loves to play with friends and be silly. We recently found out that she has bad vision and will be getting her glasses shortly.
Kenadie-She also loves school and going to church. She loves to play with the neighbor girl who looks a lot like her! She is an awesome reader and is in advanced math. She loves to watch the boys play sports and help me cook.
Easton-What a crazy kid he is. He is playing soccer for the first time and is a natural! He has scored 14 goals in the first 4 games and the coach has to make him stay back. I don't know where his talent comes from,neither of us played soccer but we enjoy watching him. He continues to stay funny things and is a great reader.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we got to see both sides of the family! First we spent the night in Henderson which is just outside of Las Vegas. Grandma Pat drove from Colorado and Eric's brother Chris and his girlfriend Reyna cooked a yummy meal. We did make a short trip to Circus Circus and saw a beautiful cactus garden that was decorated with Christmas lights. It was good to catch up with family but we wish we could of spent more time with them. Next, we headed up to St George, Utah where my parents have a second home. Both of my brothers and their families were able to come down also. The kids loved to see their cousins, climb on the red rock, go swimming,and have a second Thanksgiving dinner. We are spoiled!

It was a little weird when it was time to come home and we left in the opposite direction! I truly love the Arizona weather and I can't imagine going back to the yucky snow. We will adventure all the way up to Cache Valley for a whole week after Christmas. The kids are looking forward to going snowboarding, sledding, seeing old friends and neighbors, and spending time with family. Life is good!

Halloween

2011-11-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our first Halloween in Arizona! It was different in the fact that it was 75 degrees and the kids didn't have to wear a jacket or coat. Queen Creek had a big "trunk or treat" at the community park that we went to and then the kids trick-or-treated around the neighborhood. They got oodles of candy and had fun. Tyler and Easton wanted to be ninja's, Kylie was supposed to be a corpse bride, and Kenadie was a butterfly. We even dressed up Riley in a witch costume, she looked so cute! (yes, I am one of those people :)

Life is as busy as ever, the kids are enjoying school and playing with friends. It is really starting to cool down here and it is so beautiful! I am now working 3 days a week and it is Heaven! I have some time during the week to clean and get things done. I enjoy my job and the patients. A lot of the snowbirds (that's what they call the people who live here during the winter months) have come back and we are getting busier. I also am serving in the young womens with the Beehives and do enjoy that.
Eric is working 4 10 hour shifts a week and doing online school plus scouts once a week. He will be going to the night shift at work but we are told it won't be for several months.
Tyler is in Middle School and is super excited to start basketball this next month. He is growing like a weed, he wears a size 7 in MENS, and is showing signs of being a teenager :)
Kylie loves school and is a straight A student. She has made many friends at school and has a really good friend that lives close by. She loves to learn how to cook and help me with the other kids. She loves doing cartwheels and summersaults and is talking about trying cheerleading. We will see....
Kenadie is a handful lately, very emotional about weird things, but has made some good friends. She loves to read and is in accelerated reading, math,and spelling at her school.
Easton is just a ball of energy. He loves Kindergarten and is way ahead of the normal at school. He is reading well and continues to keep us entertained with the things he says. He is starting soccer in January and is so excited. He still loves trains but has a new passion for Mario cart and making video's with Tyler on the ipod touch.
I am enjoying decorating/painting this house to make it feel like it's home. It is a work in progress and we have only touched the surface! We are looking forward to going to Las Vegas and St George for Thanksgiving and seeing family!

I'm Back!

2011-10-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

Since we moved 800 miles away from Cache Valley I decided it was time to get back into posting. I have had a lot of people ask why we decided to move so here is how the story goes....
Back in March 2011, Eric's Grandpa died. I wasn't able to go to the funeral but Eric went to Phoenix for a couple of days. When he came back he just kept telling me that we should move to Arizona. You see, we had been talking about moving somewhere warmer for years but it never seemed like the right time. The house prices were cheaper here and a lot of jobs for nurses. I liked my job in the wound clinic but I was still missing home care and the money that I was making. When Eric found out that Schreiber's had a plant in Tempe and he could transfer it made it more realistic! It made me nervous to make such a big change and I wanted to do the right thing for the kids. I can honestly say it was one of those times in my life that I had my prayer answered so strongly that there was no doubt. I knew that it was the right thing. I had only been to Arizona once and it was ten years ago so I wanted to see if it was a place I wanted to move. Eric and I came down in April and looked at a lot of different neighborhoods and houses. We loved it! We went home and put our house up for sale within a couple of weeks. We were surprised and blessed to have our house sell within 3 weeks! We flew back down to Arizona in early June and found the house we wanted to buy. We then moved down the end of July. It has been a whirlwind when I think about it but things are finally settling down. It was a major leap of faith. I didn't have a job. I have never lived outside of Cache Valley. I didn't know who was going to watch the kids. I didn't know what direction was North, South, etc. I was extremely blessed to be offered a job the second day after we moved here for a home health company. It has been wonderful to do what I love and make money! Eric likes his job and it is a lot easier for him physically. The kids have adjusted very well and love their schools. They are closer now because they had to be each other's best friends for the first while. There are things that I miss about Utah. I miss the leaves changing in the fall, my wonderful neighbors, my house that we built, the park, the long summer days, my friends, the kids being close to their grandparents and cousins. There are a lot of things that I love about Arizona. I love the weather of course but there is so much more! I love my job, having a pool, our ward, living close to the freeways, lots of good shopping, more diversity, lots of things to do, etc. I do have to admit that I did have one day where I was so homesick. I woke up on a Sunday and I just felt so sad I can't even describe it. I think I was mourning my old life...the good, the bad, everything. I wanted to be back home but at the same time I knew that it would never be the same. I know that we could move back at any time if we wanted to but it still wouldn't be the same as it was and that is just life! Moving here has strengthened my testimony of the Church so much! It's amazing how the church is the same no matter where you go. I got called to serve in the Beehives (12-13 yr old girls) and I am really enjoying it while Eric got called as a scout leader. There is a big Mormon population out here but I am still amazed at how many people still don't know what it is. Eric is one of only 3 mormons at his work out of 150 people. He has had to really stand up for what he believes moreso than he ever had to in Utah. My testimony of the word of wisdom is so much stronger. I never had a real problem with this but you can really see the difference especially with some of the patient's I see. I asked the kids what they like about living here and they say the pool, our new house, the schools, etc. They have adjusted really well and that is such a blessing. We hope to visit Utah sometime in December and see some old friends and family. It is my goal to update weekly so we can update on what we are up too!

Long time...no see!

2010-08-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

This picture describes how I have felt lately....Crazy! Summer has flown by and now it's time to start getting back into a routine. I feel bad that I have neglected this blog and nobody probably checks it anymore. I will try to post some more pictures lately but here are a few.

Kylie turned seven a few weeks ago. Where does the time go? She is such a blessing to our family and reminds me daily to be silly and laugh a lot. She is really starting to blossom and turn into a pre-teen. She loves everything makeup, boys, girly, etc. She is very social and has LOTS of friends. She is outgoing and a sweetheart. For her birthday we surprised her with a scrapbooking kit. She has watched me for many years and has wanted to start on her own. She has loved this kit and has made MANY pages.

Eric has been busy doing scouts and coaching tee ball this summer. He also has decided to go back to school and has been taking two classes. Between working 45-50 hours a week, homework, etc he has stayed very busy!

This summer was Tyler's first year of minor league baseball. He improved greatly and had some awesome hits! He mainly played short stop or third base but he loved playing catcher. Here is their team picture minus some boys who left early.

Eric loves to spend time with the boys and do "guy things." This picture is of their daycamp.
Things with my job situation have finally been settled! I am "officially" working 32 hours a week at the hyperbaric and wound clinic in Cache Valley Specialty Hospital. It is a fun job with awesome people. It will be an adjustment working this much but I had to seize the opportunity while I could. Nursing jobs in Cache Valley are few and far between right now. I have to admit it...this past 8 months have really been a trial for me. I left a job that I loved, that paid well,and that allowed me to be home with my kids quite a bit. I left due to Medicare cuts and ever since then it has been a struggle. I haven't had any benefits or any paid time off. I have had 3 different jobs at the same time to try and equal one income. Every pay check was a different amount. Then I got sick and spent four days in the hospital. I was stressed because I didn't know how we were going to make ends meet! Through all of this I have gained such a testimony of tithing. This has been a long lesson for me to learn but I finally "get" it. We have kept being full tithe payers and have somehow made it. I am so thankful that we have lived within our means, had some savings, and have no debt other than our van/house. If not for this we would of been in big trouble! Despite all of our struggles we have been blessed to keep paying extra on our van and will have it paid off in two months! I don't know how, but we kept to our goal. I have learned that it's not toys or having nice things that make us happy, it is being secure with who we are.
I will try to keep more up to date on my posting!

Dance Recital

2010-06-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

The girls had their end of the year dance recital last week. It was fun to get them all dressed up and girly. They loved every minute of it! They both did really well and want to do it next year.

Don't I have the most beautiful girls?

Life has been especially crazy lately! I have been working full time at two different jobs and it has been difficult to balance everything! I am working two days a week at the wound clinic and I love it! I am still doing home health 1-2 days a week plus I just got called into scouts with my husband! Tyler is playing baseball 1-2 times a week and both girls are in Tee ball with Eric as their coach. I also am called as an activity days leader to top it off! Eric has been talking about a huge career change that would require a lot of sacrifice on our family financially and time wise. On Tuesday, I pretty much had a breakdown in front of all of my neighbors and friends. I guess when I'm stressed I don't hold it in very well! It has been hard dealing with my job change especially since I didn't see it coming! We have had to take about $1500 a month pay cut while working more hours per week and daycare costs. Just when you think life is going to get easier then you get hit with a curve ball. We have been very blessed though and I know that things will work out!

Our trip to San Diego

2010-05-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to post about our recent trip to San Diego! I screwed up my unloading of pics so they are in the wrong order! Oh well, that's what I get for not posting for so long:)

The last big thing that we did was go to Legoland! We had a mix up about our go San Diego cards and ended up having to pay extra for it. I am still mad about that one but that is a story for another day! We had fun riding all the rides but by this point the kids were all fighting as well as Eric and I bickering. I think we had just been together too long in such a small space! Isn't that what family vacations are all about?

On Sunday, we went to Oceanside beach. The kids enjoyed putting their feet in the sand and water. We walked along the pier and at the end is a cute 50's diner. We ate there and enjoyed looking at the ocean.

On Saturday was the big wedding! We went to San Diego because Eric's cousin was getting married. It was beautiful and so nice to get to see all of Eric's cousins, Aunts, etc. The reception was at the Hilton with the Torrey Pines golf course. It was so gorgeous! The kids loved the reception, especially dancing. I couldn't believe how much Tyler liked to dance and be crazy with the other boy cousins. Kylie danced until midnight and got to sleepover with Grandma. She loved it and says that was her favorite part of the whole trip!

After we saw the Padres stadium and lunch we took a tour of the USS Midway. It was extremely crowded due to a special event but it was still interesting. It's hard to believe that men stay on those boats for 9 months! I was surprised at how big the ship is and they have everything that we have! A barber, movie theater, etc. Tyler especially liked to look at the different airplanes.

The second day we went to the Padres Stadium per Eric's request. We did a behind the scenes tour and it was really interesting! We got to go in the press box, dugouts, and even by home plate! I think Eric was in heaven the whole time! We walked in the Gaslamp District and ate at a really cool Spaghetti Factory.

The kids were so excited to see Grandma Pat and be in San Diego! Our first full day we went to the Wild Animal Park. It's kind of like a zoo but it has animals more in a big habitat. We enjoyed seeing all different kinds of animals and our favorite was a 25 minute long safari ride!

We left on a Tuesday after the kids got out of school and me off work. We thought it would be better to drive to Las Vegas and stay one night rather than drive it all in one day! We ended up not getting to our hotel until 11:30 because the wind was blowing so hard against us the whole way down there! When we woke up the next day we went to the M &M store, walked around the block on the strip, saw the little circus show, and let the kids play carnival games. It was actually kind of fun! I am not a huge fan of Vegas but early in the day it was a lot better! After lunch we drove the rest of the way to San Diego!

Ever since we got home it has been crazy! The kids will be out of school soon, Tyler is starting baseball, the girls have a dance recital, the kids need to take swim lessons, and I have started training at the hospital. I have trained in the wound clinic and the medical/surgical floor. It is different then what I am used too but that is good. I am still working at home health and I am just trying to balance it all until a permanent position opens up. I am hoping it will all work out!

Easton's Birthday

2010-04-24T09:03:00.005-07:00

This past week has been a busy one, like usual. Easton turned the big 4! I know I always say this but I can't believe how fast he has grown up! He is such a sweet, affectionate boy, loves to wrestle and get dirty, will play house with the girls, and loves to follow Tyler around. He is the only one of kids that wasn't breech and was a easy baby. He still loves trains but has expanded his obsession to include SpongeBob and Cars. He loves to play the Wii and is better than me! Ok, that isn't very hard but still! His favorite food is mac n' cheese but he also loves banana's and apples. He is just a special child and we are so lucky to have him in our family!

Easton was so excited to celebrate his birthday with his best friend and neighbor Bridger. These two love to play together and we are so sad that they are moving next month!

I love this pic of him. It says it all!

Just an update on my job situation: I am working in home health at SST Homecare but it has been slow so I got a job prn (as needed) at the Specialty Hospital on the Medical/Surgical floor. I am also prn at Alpine(my old job) and am just helping out here and there. So that is 3 jobs but none of them have set hours! I also interviewed at another homecare for part time yesterday and I feel like it went really well. I did apply to another job at the hospital as a operating room nurse and I would REALLY love to do that! So who knows! I am praying that something steady will come along! Besides all of this we have been trying to get ready for our vacation to San Diego! We are so excited and are very ready to do some relaxing and fun stuff!

Easton

2010-04-24T09:03:00.003-07:00

Easton

2010-04-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

Easter and such

2010-04-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have FINALLY got around to posting about Easter. The past few weeks have been a blur and I think I lost some time while being sick. I have just started to feel like I am getting better but I still feel weak and not able to do all that I want. During all of my illness was Easter. The kids had fun finding their baskets, dying Easter eggs, and doing a Easter egg hunt outside.

The kids got candy, little purses, glow sticks, bubbles, etc, etc. I love Easter because it doesn't take much to please and I love that!

Tyler got to "rock the halls" at school. I was not well enough to make it but Eric went and supported him. Tyler had earned enough AR points from reading to run around with a bunch of kids and the principle. They got a medal and a tee shirt. We are so proud of him! He is a silly, annoying boy most times but a good kid!
We are looking forward to our big trip to San Diego at the end of the month! We are going to Legoland, SeaWorld, Eric's cousins wedding, Las Vegas, and just hanging out. We are excited to get out of town for a little bit and have some fun!

MRSA

2010-04-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

This past couple of weeks have been a blur. I ended up in the hospital last week very unexpectedly and have been trying to recover since. It all started last Tuesday with a boil on my chin. I was at work that day and noticed that I felt a lot of pressure in my chin. I didn't think much of it until it got more swollen by dinner time. I was worried about it but decided to go to the dentist first to rule out a tooth problem. On Wednesday, I went to the dentist and they determined it was infection in my soft tissue and gave me some antibiotics. I thought that would be the end of it....Boy, was I wrong! By that evening it had swollen even more so Eric insisted that we go to the ER. They put me on another antibiotic, numbed the "boil" and scraped off the top of it so it could drain. As soon as I got home, I started shivering very hard and just didn't feel good. I was able to fall asleep but woke up at 11:30 and the swelling had spread. By this time I started running a fever. Eric had been up since 3am for work so I knew there was no hope trying to wake him up so I drove myself to the ER. The same doc was still there so he numbed my face all over with an injection, made an incision, gave me a shot of ANOTHER antibiotic, and squeezed as hard as he could to get some drainage out. It was so painful! I was crying because it hurt so bad even with it being numb! I didn't want them to give me pain meds because then I would have to call Eric to get me or wait in the ER until I could drive home. I left the ER at 1am with some gauze inside my cheek and was told to come back the next day. When I returned at 5pm the next day (Thursday) I knew it was not getting better. I still had a fever, was shivering, and had been throwing up all day, and my pulse was in the 130's. They started IV antibiotics after a CAT scan to see if there was an abscess they couldn't get at. Thankfully, Dr Blotter, who is a ear, nose, and throat specialist; was at a meeting. He took one look at me and said, "you have a raging infection." They determined I didn't have an abscess but just really swollen tissue. They admitted me to the hospital immediately. I ended up spending 4 days in the hospital. They found out from a culture that I had MRSA which is a Staph infection that is resistant to a lot of antibiotics. So, all of those antibiotics they had been giving me weren't doing anything! I struggled with horrible headaches from the narcotics, couldn't eat, and still was very nauseous. Thank goodness I was able to come home on Sunday with an IV, administer antibiotics twice a day for a week, and with packing in my cheek. After a couple of days in the hospital, my cheek started to drain nasty green/yellowish drainage that just oozed out when you put any pressure on my cheek. Dr. Blotter decided he needed to do a little "bedside surgery" and cut my cheek open a little more. I was so scared! They had to numb it up with more injections and then he packed gauze in the pocket in my cheek that was appr 2/3 size of a golf ball! Since I have been home Eric has been helping me administer these antibiotics that cost $90 a dose! It takes appr 2 hours in the am/pm and they are really hard on my veins. My cheek has been doing really well and you can hardly see where my incision was. Hopefully I am on the mend! It is so hard being a mom and sick but Eric has been wonderful! We have awesome family, friends, and neighbors that have helped so much. We are truly blessed!

Tyler's Birthday

2010-03-07T18:11:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated Tyler's ninth birthday! Since I have been so busy at work, I didn't make his cake from scratch or even get him a birthday present! He really wanted to go see "Lightning Thief" so we all went and he was able to take a friend. It really was a good movie and he loved it! On Saturday, we went down to Layton and let him pick out his own present at Toys R Us. He decided to get a small Lego Star Wars set and the Sorry Sliders game. We ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Ogden and came home to eat cake and ice cream. Last year was his big party so it was nice to just have a low key day.
Tyler is so excited now that he is a Bear in scouts. That also means that Eric is his one of his scout leaders!

Tyler's friend gave him this laser tag set. He loved it! I just had to take a pic of these two monkeys!

As I said earlier, things at work have been crazy. I do like my job and it is pretty much what I was doing before. They hired a nurse to help me out so I am hoping that in a couple of weeks I can cut down. This new job has been a change for us but I am so thankful that I was able to find one so quick! We are truly blessed! Eric has had to pick up a little slack and has been amazing! He is such an awesome husband. I come home to a clean house and he does great at keeping up on it, doing carpool, etc.

Happy Ninth Birthday Son!

2010-02-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today is Tyler's birthday! I can't believe he is nine. Where does the time go? I know we all say that but it just seems like yesterday that he was born. I remember how excited and nervous I was to be a mom. Tyler was very planned but I wondered how would I deal with no sleep, discipline, and being tied down. Sometimes I feel bad because the first year of his life was such a trial for me. I had postpartum depression for a whole year and wasn't coping very well. I was young and naive and thought that if I tried hard enough, I could deal with it. After many, many tears and frustration, I finally went to the doc and got on some medication. To make a long story short....I soon learned what a joy it is to be a mother! I still struggle at times, wondering if I'm doing good enough but I think we all have those feelings. I realized I'm not the typical mom. I like to work. Sometimes I can be too harsh. I need alone time everyday. But, I love being with my kids. I love to joke with them. Sometimes I say things that a typical mom shouldn't say. I am trying my best. Tyler has always been such a joy to our family. He wasn't a typical baby in the fact that he hated to get dirty, he hated to have his clothes off, and he loved to sleep 12 hours a night. It has been the most wonderful thing to see him grow and develop his personality. Yes, he is a Swanson! At times it drives me crazy! He loves school, sports,and playing video games. He is a typical nerdy boy at this age but we love him! I look forward to see how he continues to grow! Sorry about the long post.....here are some of my favorite pics of him as a little baby/boy.

New Job

2010-02-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking again! This time I do have a good reason...a new job! I haven't taken any new pics so I found this one from last year. It was Kenadie's preschool Valentine party. This picture makes me smile.

As I said earlier, I got a new job. Since our pay was being cut, I decided to find a new job as soon as possible. To my surprise, there wasn't very many nursing jobs in the valley. I got hired on at Sunshine Terrace Home Health prn(as needed). It wasn't enough work to quit Alpine so I did both for two weeks. I soon realized that SST (sunshine terrace) was just in the very first stages of getting started and things were a mess! I didn't know whether to run or to stay. Sometimes things in life happen for a reason and soon this new job turned into something more. I ended up totally quiting Alpine, going through every chart, getting things organized, admitting new pt's, and doing visits. This last week I was very busy and after much hard work....things are starting to come together! They hired a new Director of Nursing who was my coworker at Alpine, my neighbor, and friend Stacey. She is doing a great job and things are looking up! I will work roughly three days a week, do visits, admit pt's, and continue to audit charts. I will have to put in more hours than I did at Alpine but that is ok. I was really worried when Alpine announced the pay cut because I didn't want to lose ground on our financial goals. Eric and I have a goal to have our van paid off in 9 months. This will be difficult but we feel we can accomplish it. Our next goal is to set up an emergency fund which will require saving for 1-2 yrs. Next, we want to invest in mutual funds, college for the kids, and pay extra on the house. We didn't know if we would be able to do any of this! Since finding this new job, I feel confident that we can keep doing these things. I am said to leave a job that I put over eight years in and worked so hard at. I am thankful that I was able to do it while my kids were really little. I am looking forward to this new adventure!
Some of the other things that have been going on:
I have a new calling as an "activity days" leader for the 10-11 yr old girls. We did cooking at my house on Friday. It was fun and we enjoyed eating our treats!
Tyler is doing basketball and was the second highest scorer yesterday! I love watching him play and he is a good kid. Tyler wants to do competitive basketball team in the spring but I'm not sure how I feel about that. We are looking into it.
Tyler is moving up to the Bear's this week. That means that Eric will be his scout leader now. Good luck! Tyler starts math club again in a couple of weeks and is looking forward to it.
Kylie and Kenadie are still doing dance once a week. They both love it and are practicing for an upcoming recital. Kylie is turning into a really good reader and likes to read on her own. Yes! Kenadie is in preschool and is ready for Kindergarten. She knows all of her letters and sounds. She still has MAJOR attitude and it is a daily struggle.
Easton is as wild as ever and loves to play wii, cars, trains, and with the neighbor boy, Bridger. He will be doing preschool next year....it makes me want to cry! My baby is growing up! Easton tells me about 100 times a day that "I'm your boy mom!" He insists that he doesn't love Eric even though we tell him he can love both mom and dad. I don't want him to grow up!

Some New Pics & Changes

2010-01-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

My mom took some pictures of the kids sledding while my sister was up from Oregon. They are so cute! She got some good pics of the grandkids. Here are some of my favorites.

I love the look on my mom's face! Priceless!

I found out this past week that due to Medicare cuts my pay at my job will be cut by 2/3. This has been a huge surprise and something that I never thought would happen. I love my job and don't want to leave it but it seems like there is no other choice. I am hoping and praying to find a good job soon!

oops....

2010-01-11T13:33:00.001-08:00

sorry about my mix up with the pictures below

Naughty Kids!

2010-01-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was just one of those days.....Eric was at work, I had to get four kids ready for church, worrying about my work situation, and then dealing with fighting, naughty kids! Tyler and Easton wanted to take a bath together in our tub with the jets on. Seems harmless, right? Since Tyler is almost nine, he doesn't like me to see him naked. I trust him with Easton so I let them play until it's time to get out. I was getting ready for church in the other bathroom when I heard, "help,help." I opened the door and this is what I saw....

I almost lost it! Tyler decided it would be fun to have some bubbles so he went into the shower and poured about a gallon of shower gel. Needless to say, they had a mess to clean up!

I made some coasters for the grandma's for Christmas. I liked how they turned out so I decided to make me some! I wanted them for our nightstands but I didn't want any kid pictures. I decided to use pictures from Hawaii and our cruise. I think they turned out pretty good! It made me ache to go on a vacation again. Anyone? Anyone?

Colorado

2010-01-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

This past week we headed down to Grand Junction, Co to see Grandma Pat. The kids were so excited and it was nice just to get out of town! We did some shopping, went out to eat with Eric's sister Niki and brother Chris & Reyna, painted pottery, and went swimming at the hotel. My favorite part was when Eric and I went on a date to "New Moon" (for the third time and yes, I had to drag him) and all the kids stayed over at Grandma's. These pics are of us painting pottery. All the kids got to pick out one thing to paint. I can't wait till we can see the finished product!

Now that the holidays are over it's time to get back to normal life. The kids are back in school, dance starts again, scouts, and winter basketball. I am happy knowing that spring is only a few months away!

2010-01-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Since I didn't do a Christmas card this year with a update about our family, I decided to just post on the blog. Lazy, I know!

2009 started out awesome with two trips in January. Ok, two for me, one as a family. I went to Oregon with my mom to visit my sister. We went to the zoo, Spencer's preschool program, toured the underground tunnels in Portland, and just visited with my neices and nephews. Our big trip was going to DisneyWorld for two weeks. It was the longest we have ever been on vacation and just plain awesome. We enjoyed 7 days at the different parks. We stayed at a awesome townhome where we cooked our meals, swam in the pool, and relaxed. We then traveled to Eric's dads house about 2 hours away. We visited and the boys enjoyed Kennedy Space Center. In March, we went to Grand Junction to visit Grandma Pat. As always, the kids enjoyed Grandma and her spoiling them! This past year has been one of health issues. Kylie had to have surgery to replace tubes in her ears, Eric had a stress fracture in his foot, I suffered a miscarriage, and Kenadie had her tonsils out. Whew! We are hoping this next year is full of happier times! We are very blessed though to have four happy, relatively healthy kids.
Eric: He is still working at Schreiber's on the day shift. He does get up extrememly early but enjoys having 3 or 4 days off a week. He took a trip with the "guys" to vegas to a concert. He is a bears leader in scouts and enjoys it.
Me: I am still working full time at Alpine. I have cut back a little and just work three days a week. I love my job and feel very lucky to have it. I did go to a scrapaway in February and to Park City with some neighbors overnight. I am so blessed to have an awesome husband who is willing to have his wife gone sometimes! I love to read,scrapbook, craft,and travel.
Tyler: He is in second grade and loves school! He loves to learn about science and math. He enjoys basketball, baseball, flag football, playing video games, eating, playing with friends, and watching the history channel.
Kylie: She is in first grade. She is becoming such a good reader and is our happiest child. She is silly and loves life. She did Tee ball again this past year and truly enjoyed it. She loves to dance, sing, listen to music, play with the cats, play with friends, and sleep in.
Kenadie: She is in her second year of preschool and loves it! She just missed the deadline by 3 weeks so she is one of the oldest in her class. She has discovered her attitude and has been a challenge lately. She loves to play with her babies, mother Easton, and play with friends.
Easton: I can't believe how big he is getting! It's killing me! He is such a talker and tells Eric, "I'm mommies boy." He loves all things trains and cars. He loves to cuddle and tells me about 20 times a day that he loves me. I need to enjoy it while it lasts!
That's our year in review and hopefully next Christmas I will be on the ball!

Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a lot of fun, but exhausting! I started to post pics and realized it would take forever so I did a slide show. My sister came into town last Saturday and ever since then, it has gone by in a blur. We enjoyed the cousins party, church, Michelle and I went shopping, sledding, Christmas Eve together, and Christmas. The kids were so excited but said several times, "we are celebrating Jesus' birth." We are so thankful to have a wonderful family, friends, and neighbors! We hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas Party

2009-12-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

We had our annual Christmas Cousins Party this past Saturday at my parent's house. The kids look forward to it every year and it is one of the few times that I get to see my cousins. We had yummy food, opened presents, and all of the adult cousins got to play a present game. Tyler got a new hat, Easton a Chicks Hicks car, Kylie a poly pocket car, and Kenadie a poly with some clothes. It was a fun night!

Kenadie has done really well since her surgery and even went to preschool on Friday. She still doesn't have her usual appetite and talks a little funny but I'm sure that will get better. Hopefully we can go without some medical bills for awhile!
I have been wanting a churio for some time and I finally found one on KSL for $60. It was kind of ugly but solid oak. Well, it has sat in our garage until my WONDERFUL husband decided to work on it. (He just LOVES my projects for him!) It took him four hours to sand it all and a couple to paint. It looks awesome! I am so glad my husband is handy. Now....what project is next?

Happy Birthday Sis!

2009-12-13T08:52:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish my big sister a happy birthday! Man, we are getting old. I have many memories of being together. Such as: playing "big" dolls, making up dances in the pool at the hotel, scratching her with my nails, playing barbies in her room for HOURS, etc, etc. We are different in a lot of ways, yet alike. I admire these things about her:
she is a good mom to FIVE kids under the age of 8
she has a strong testimony of the church
she is a better cook than I
she has taught her kids to read before Kindergarten
she plays the piano

I hope you have a happy birthday and I will see you later this week!

Dance Recital

2009-12-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Kenadie had her first ever dance recital. She is our child that needs LOTS of motivation to do things. She is kind of shy and likes to be home. She finally agreed to take dance because her friend, Megan, was doing so. We have been so surprised! She has loved it! She is excited for Mondays and always asks, "Is it time yet?" It was fun to watch her on stage and really enjoy it.

We found out this past week that Kenadie needs her tonsils and adenoids out! Kylie had surgery a little less than a month ago, with the same doctor. Kenadie's tonsils are HUGE so we decided to have them out before she starts school and before the year is over. I hope she does as well as Kylie, fingers crossed! This past week has been very busy with dentist appt, doctor appt, scouts, work, making bracelets with women in my ward, and my first activity in my new calling. Me and two other women are doing "Achievement Days". It is for girls 8-11. They have to pass off different things and then we do some fun activities. We decorated sugar cookies and it was fun! It will be a nice change from primary and a little more relaxed. Eric and I enjoyed a nice date yesterday seeing "New Moon" for the second time and going out to dinner. To make it even better we were able to sleep in this morning! Now I better get off the computer and finish our Christmas cards and teacher gifts.....

Past two weeks

2009-12-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

I just can't seem to stay caught up with the blog lately....dang facebook! Eric and I went to Layton the Saturday before thanksgiving and got all of our shopping done! It helps me feel a lot less stressed to get it done early. We finished so early in fact that we went and saw "New Moon." Oh my gosh, it was awesome, and it had some good eye candy. It was nice just to be together. Alone. Thanksgiving was kind of a let down. We spent it alone at our house. We made all of the good food and spent a quiet evening at home. On Monday, Kylie had a dance review. It wasn't a formal recital, we just watched what they have been working on the past few months. Kylie looked so cute and I'm amazed at how much she has learned. She loves dance and looks forward to it every week.

Kenadie has her dance recital this Saturday so I'm sure I will post pics of that. Eric has been working a lot since this is the busiest time of the year. He is working over 60 hours this week and did the same two weeks ago. We hate to complain that much since it is nice to have some extra cash. We ended up having to buy a new TV for our basement and Easton put a nice crack in the windshield with his head. No injuries thank goodness.

2009-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking lately! The time just goes by so fast and before I know it, it's time to update again. A couple of weeks ago Eric and I got released from our primary teacher calling. We had been in two years but it really took me by surprise. It has been nice to have Eric at sacrament (he would come on his break from work to teach) and go to Sunday School and Relief Society again. I do miss the kids though. We already have new callings. Me working with the 8 & 9 year old girls on Faith In God award and Eric is a scout leader for the Bears. We also got a temple recommend again after nearly 7 years of not having one. (Or has it been longer????) Anyways, we are excited and look forward to going to the temple soon.
Last week I took the girls to Disney on Ice. It has been a tradition the past three years to go with just the girls and enjoy an evening together. I wasn't going to take the girls this year since I WAS supposed to take Kenadie to Disneyland. Since we ended up not doing that,due to illness, I thought it would be fun. It is quite expensive especially if you want to get good seats. We are trying to not spend as much so I never bought the tickets. Then about 3 days before the show I got an email from Travelzoo. They email the top 20 travel deals every week and a few tickets to shows. They had Disney on Ice tickets for half price! I got our tickets for $11 a piece and we sat in row 17. We ate at our favorite place, Costa Vida, and enjoyed a night together.

Today Kylie had surgery to get tubes put in her ears. She had it done about a year and a half ago. She complained of her right ear hurting one night and when I looked at her ear I could see that her tube had fallen out but was stuck in her ear canal. We went to the doc and he said she had another ear infection. After some antibiotics and three weeks we went back to find that she already had fluid behind her left ear and mucous behind her right. This morning we got up bright and early. Kylie did well but has thrown up a couple of times. I was able to watch the surgery on a TV and was shocked at all the pus in her right ear. Poor girl! Hopefully, she will feel better soon and should be able to go to school tomorrow.

Halloween & Kylie's Room

2009-11-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love all the kids dressed up and it's just fun! This year was Tyler's first year going without parents but he went with a big group of boys. I took the rest of them but only made it to the end of the road before Easton was done. After I took him home, the girls and I went all over the neighborhood. We were so tired when we got done. The girls got so much candy that it filled up their bags. We had to stuff it in our pockets and Kenadie used her witch hat to hold it.

We finally painted Kylie's room. I picked out the paint and surprised Eric. He wasn't too excited but it didn't take very long since one wall was already painted pink. I was going to do stripes but I never could decide on what I wanted so I just went with plain brown. This picture is on her little wall when you walk in.

I already had this board so all I did was add a little glitter spray. It's behind her door and it's nice for her to have a place to hang her purses and jackets.

We changed her room around and I really like it this way. I think it just opens it up.

I made these little frames with sayings on them. I just spray painted some frames I already had white. Then I used my cricut (love it) to cut out the letters. I already had the flowers so I just put them on the wall.

I got this shelf at Hobby Lobby for $8. I just painted and put glitter spray. I hung up her baby shoes and her outfit that she wore when she came home from the hospital in. I may add a thing or two later.

I really didn't buy too much. Mostly I used things from around the house or that was already in her room.

Now I want to redo the "play room" and my scrapbook room. I guess that is one good thing about the winter.....now I can concentrate on the inside of the house!

Fall Traditions

2009-10-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we enjoyed doing some of our fall traditions. We went to the pumpkin walk on Saturday, then ate at Grist Mill, and home to carve pumpkins. The kids all love the pumpkin walk but were scared of the witch handing out cookies. It makes me sad to think that in only a few short years the kids probably won't be as "into" it.

I was able to get some things done on my list which included going through ALL of the kids clothes and switching them for the season. It truly horrified me to see how many clothes they have! I have been doing really good the past six months on not buying stuff but I guess I'm still finding clothes that I bought a year or two ago. I even found some things in Easton's closet that still had the tags on it! I even did some Christmas shopping! Yes, it is never early enough. I usually am almost done by now but my goal is to be done my mid November. I also am planning on FINALLY painting Kylie's room. If anyone has any cute ideas on stripes let me know. Hopefully, I will get it done this week and can post some pics. That's all for now!

Update

2009-10-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

It seems like things are finally back to normal. I feel so much better than I did even a week ago and am still trying to get caught up on cleaning. Since I don't have any new pictures to post, I thought I would give just a little update on each of us.
Eric: He has been busy working at Schreiber's since it is their "busy" season. He has mandatory overtime every week but the extra money is nice. For those of you who don't know, he has a stress fracture in his right foot. It is healing though and is finally starting to feel better. He is busy watching all of the sporting events and loves his fantasy teams.
Me: I am back to work and glad to get back into the routine of things. Of course, I have a huge list of things I need to do like Christmas shopping, scrapbooking, and going through all of the kids clothes. It seems like my job is never ending, like most moms. I am very excited for the "New Moon" movie that is coming out next month and I've been reading the series over again. I also started to help in Kylie's classroom once a week with reading.
Tyler: He is our most active child. He loves school and especially math. He is in the top of his class and got invited to a math club once a week. He just finished flag football but has started basketball. He loves to play any sport and run around. He also has scouts once a week so he is a busy kid.
Kylie: She has really surprised us this year by loving school. She has really taken off in her reading. She loves taking dance and all things girl. We found out this week that she will need new tubes in her ears and will have to have surgery pretty soon.
Kenadie: She loves her new preschool and her teacher. She has also surprised us by loving her dance class once a week. She has been full of "attitude" lately and her goal is to tease Easton everyday. We are working on her behaviors and hopefully it is short lived.
Easton: I can't believe he is 3 1/2 years old! He talks constantly and is my shadow. He loves to go play at friends house and hang with the older kids. He is still obsessed with trains but has also included Spongebob and "Bolt." He is always saying funny things and keeping us on our toes.

Kenadie turns 5, CornBelly's, and feeling like crap

2009-10-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I finally am feeling well enough to give an update on what has been happening around here. Kenadie celebrated her fifth b-day the end of September. She got her ear's pierced and got to pick a place to eat with just mom and dad. Since this was her main present, she only had one present to open on her actual birthday. She got Hello Kitty PJ's from us, a gift card from Grandma Pat, money from Aunt Niki and Grandma and Grandpa Swanson, and a savings bond from Grandpa Ray and Janine. I think she did pretty well! She is looking forward to going to Walmart to pick out something....a baby I'm sure! Our big surprise for her was a girl trip to Disneyland with our neighbor and her little girl. We made reservations for a princess character dining, ordered princess dresses, etc, etc. Kenadie was very excited and so was I! I can't believe she is fine:( I still call her my baby girl and I'm sure I will continue to do so. She is a mellow child and just kind of goes with the flow...a lot like her dad. She also is very stubborn which is a lot like dad! Here are some of her favorites right now:
Favorite Show: Biggest Loser
Favorite Movie: Coraline
Favorite Food: Ramen noodles, applesauce, torilla's
Favorite Toy: Babies, of course!
Favorite thing to do: Playing with friends, Preschool
Favorite color: Rainbow color
Drink: Sprite
Subject: making puppets
Place: funpark, San Diego
Want for Christmas: purple camera
When grow up: a mom!
She was our easiest baby and our only "unplanned" pregnancy. She loves to cuddle and gives kisses. She is very mothering, especially to Easton. She is a great helper and loves to pretend to do "mom" things. She also is getting sassy and is full of attitude lately. She says funny things and keeps us on our toes! We love her!

Over UEA weekend we went to SLC and got to see Grandma Pat and Aunt Niki surprised us! We stayed over night in a hotel which is always the kids favorite. We ate yummy food at Spaghetti Factory and then headed to Thanksgiving Point to Cornbelly's. We had never been down there so we didn't know what to expect....but it was awesome! They had so many things to do. Corn mazes, pig races, jumping pillow, paint ball shooting, slides, tractor train rides, princess area with dress up, and the list goes on and on. I think we ended up being there four or five hours and there was still plenty more we could of done. I highly recommend it! Unfortunately, my head started to hurt pretty bad but I still felt able to do everything....more on THAT later. The next day, after much deliberation, we decided to go the Museum of Natural History. I didn't know what to expect but we were so surprised! They have lots of exhibits about bugs, rocks, earth, and dinosaurs. Tyler especially loved it! He is always reading books about history, rocks, space, and dinosaurs. It was educational, affordable, and fun. My favorite was the dinosaur lab where they actually work on getting the bones out of the plaster. Very interesting. We enjoyed seeing Aunt Niki and Grandma and wish it would of lastest longer.

Now for the "feeling like crap" part. I apologize for those of you who have already heard this but since this is my journal......My head had been hurting for several weeks on and off but I was able to work, take care of kids, etc. In SLC it started to hurt bad and I was pretty sure I had another sinus infection. Coming home really bothered my head and my ears so as soon as we got home I went to Instacare. They diagnosed me with sinus infection and sent me home with some meds. Sunday (conference) it got really bad and we ended up going to ER due to the pain was so bad. My head was throbbing all of the time and started to effect my vision, appetite, etc. They did a CAT scan, labs, but everything was normal. They sent me home with 3 more meds and to come back if it got worse. That night I started throwing up and was unable to keep any liquid or food down. It got so bad that we went to ER again on Monday. They didn't know what to do with me so they sent me over to my primary doc's office. He immediately gave me a shot of antinausea/pain meds plus prescriptions for more meds. The next couple of days were a blur of laying in bed, throwing up, fever, headaches, and the worst neck pain ever. I took pain meds, antinausea meds, muscle relaxors, etc, anything to try and feel better. It took all I had just to get kids off to school, Kenadie to Preschool, and make a quick lunch. My poor husband did everything while I layed in bed. Everytime I got up my head would feel like it was going to explode and then the dizziness and throwing up would start. We were getting worried that nothing was getting better, that I hadn't ate in five days, and that I might have meningitis. Finally by Thursday, I couldn't take it anymore so we headed up to the ER for the THIRD time. They did another CAT scan, gave me some fluids, a lumbar puncture, and tried to get blood. I was so dehydrated they couldn't get any blood out of me even after two different people and being poked six times. The results: everything was normal! So frustrating! So we went home completely worn out. That night I was able to eat and feel a little better. Friday I felt quite a bit better but still not even close to normal. I couldn't even drive since I would see spots and feel dizzy. Everyday I feel maybe 10% better but not quite normal. On Friday we went to a Chiropractor and he really helped relieve the tension in my neck. I've never heard such a cracking noise....especially when he cracked my neck. Then he put these electric nodes on my neck with ice and had me lay like that for 15 minutes. Heaven! I am so thankful for all of the help that we have received. We have the BEST neighbors, friends, family,, and co workers. It helped to have dinners brought in, laundry put away, anything to help relieve Eric's load. We are especially thankful for our neighbor who came over on a moments notice to give me a Priesthood blessing. THANK YOU EVERYONE. The real bummer to this is that Kenadie and I can't go to Disneyland:( We were supposed to leave tomorrow but it's just not fair to anyone to try and go when I don't feel 100% I am thankful that Stacey and her girl are still able to go and I hope they have soooo much fun! Kenadie is being a good sport and I promised her we will go soon. I am hoping this week is much better and I can get things back in order. Sorry for the long post!

Update

2009-09-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

This past week has been packed with school, work, homework:(, lessons, practice, etc, etc. This has become normal life for us and will only get worse as our kids get older, and will cost more money.
The girls both had dance on Monday and are enjoying it so much! I have been impressed with Sky View's dance and would do it again.
Tyler had a flag football game and even though he enjoys it...I don't. I think it's a waste of time but he likes it. Even though I thought tackle football was wayyyy to big of a commitment and too competitive at least they actually practiced and did plays. In rec sports every coach is a volunteer, which is awesome, but some just don't quite do the job. Wednesday, Eric and I took Kenadie out for her birthday. She wanted to get her ears pierced and go out to eat with just mom and dad. She chose her favorite, Costa Vida. I could tell she was nervous, sitting in the chair, but she did such an awesome job. She didn't even cry or make a face. All night she kept saying, "mom, I just can't stop looking at my ears. They are so cute." We let her pick out something out at Claire's and that is all she is getting! I can't believe how expensive ear piercing is! Her actual birthday is this week so I will post more pics shortly.

On Thursday, Tyler had his first basketball game of the school year. For once he wasn't the tallest but he is with the fourth grader's. It took awhile for him to get warmed up but did really well. He had numerous rebounds, steals, and scored 8points. As soon as we were done with that, he had to shower and go to his first Pine Wood Derby. I don't know who was more excited. Eric or Tyler? Probably Eric. Even though his car didn't win he got "best paint job." I almost fell asleep but managed to tough it out.

I can't believe my kids are getting so old! It is fun to watch them grow and see them doing activities that they enjoy!

Preschool and financial goals

2009-09-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on the blog lately! Here is what has been going on at our house.
Kenadie started preschool last week. She was so excited and couldn't wait. She went to the Sports Academy preschool last year, which I loved, but it was just too expensive this year. I heard about a preschool in Smithfield that a bunch of my neighbors were going to. It is by Melissa Mortensen who was in our old ward. She is very smart and has a degree in elementary education. Kenadie has loved it so far and is excited when it's time to go.
Look at these cutie's all excited for the first day....

The traditional first day of school pic....

Eric and I made the decision to sell his motorcycle in order to pay our car off...and no, I didn't make him! I have always been interested in finance and love to read about it online, in books, and I love the Suze Orman show. We don't have any credit card debt but we haven't been as good about saving, being on a budget, etc. One of Suze Orman's BIG things is to have 8 months worth of emergency fund. This has overwhelmed me and seems like such a hard thing to do but we are determined to get this in place. Our goal is to start with four months of living expenses saved and then go from there. We got a computer program that helps with a budget and has really kept us on track. I couldn't believe how much money would just disappear and we wouldn't know where it went! Any extra that we make goes to savings and we have already increased our savings by a couple of thousand dollars in just a few months. Since our car is paid off we will be able to make triple payments on the van and it should be paid off in 18 months. After that, we will make double payments on our house. Our goal is to have our house paid off in 11 years. I am not writing this because I think we are better than anybody. I am just writing what has worked for us. I think too many people try to live outside their means and that is why our economy is in the state it is in. I am trying to live on less and hopefully it will all pay off some day!

Hogle Zoo

2009-09-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

As soon as the kids got home on Friday we headed down to Hogle Zoo. Even though we go every year it still is fun to see all of the animals. My favorite was the new baby giraffe that is only 4 weeks old! So cute. After we looked at all of the animals we rode the train and then went to Spaghetti Factory. It was a fun night!

Our New Magnet Board

2009-08-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Remember me posting that Eric and I were working on a new magnet board? Well, probably not. But anyways, here it is! I saw this idea on a craft website and just knew I needed it. It hangs on a big wall in our mud room so the kids see it everytime they come in. It just helps me keep track of who is doing what and when.

First we decided what size we wanted and then Eric had Ipaco cut it. The sheet metal was $15. Then, we bought wood and Eric nailed to the wall. I think the wood was $12, most of the cost was for the decorative wood corner pieces. Then I printed out all of the names, activities, days of the week, etc. Next, I laminated them. Can I just say how much I love my laminator? I think everyone should have one. It is so handy for so many things and especially if you teach Primary like us. Ours was under $30 at Sam's. I put magnetic tape on the back and I was done. Tyler, for example has scouts on wednesday and practice on Tuesday. This week he has a game and scouts on the same day. I also make some for when dance starts, no school, basketball, field trips, etc. For now, Eric and I also have our own spots too. It is nice to not have Eric constantly asking me,"when are you working this week?" I also left room to put up school papers, etc. IF we ever do have more kids then we will make adjustments at that time. I LOVE it and we did it relatively inexpensive.

12 Years

2009-08-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Back to School

2009-08-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

This past week has calmed down a little bit especially since the kiddo's are back in school. The other night I went to check on Tyler and this is what I found.....I just LOVE the High School Musical eye cover.

While I was at work one day, Eric heard a big crash in Easton's room. This is what he walked in on:

And the culprit! Thankfully he wasn't hurt but it gave him a good scare. Hopefully he won't do that again!

Last Thursday was time for the kids to go back to school. Tyler was so excited he woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep until 5. I can't believe he is in third grade! He is a kid that loves structure and especially learning. He is also excited that he gets to ride the bus this year.

Kylie is in first grade this year! She has transitioned really well to all day school and loves her teacher Mrs. Miller. She, on the other hand, is a bear to get up in the mornings.

I haven't done as much "crafting" this past week but I did re-do a little bit in Kenadie's room. This is the before pic:

And the after. Not a big change but just added some ribbon and flowers to her name. It took maybe five minutes but I think that small changes can make a big difference.

I am excited about my latest project though. Eric has been making a huge magnetic board for our mug room and hopefully it will be complete tomorrow. I also have been trying to get caught up on scrapbooking and just finished some pics from January. Still a ways to go but I'll get there.
Tyler starts flag football next week and Kylie starts dance. They keep us busy but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Some crafting going on....

2009-08-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I was on a crafting kick? Well, this is what I accomplished this past week:
This is what Easton had above his bed

They were cute but since we all know Easton has an obsession with trains I wanted to somehow incorporate that into his room. I bought three little cute wood cutouts of an airplane, car, and train. Eric removed the back from the frames which was a major job in itself. I sanded, stained, and attached the wood cutouts to some scrapbook paper. Wah lah.

I had this frame already so I just used some more scrapbook paper and a couple of my favorite pic's of when he was little.

The total cost:
3 wood cutouts $1.80
scrapbook paper $3.20
=$5. I also mod podged a big letter "E" with some of the paper and put it on his shelf above the bed. I am still working on the other wall so I will update when it's done.
Now this next one I LOVE. I had been wanting/thinking for months now of what to put on this wall downstairs. I used to have all of the kids updated school pics but I didn't love it. I saw this idea on a craft blog called The Creative Crate.

Eric was helping me by putting the vinyl saying on the wall but he didn't put it on exactly level! It's not that noticeable but just enough to bug me.
The total cost:
board with hooks(which I already had laying around) $6.00
Star-I already had so I don't remember
Vinyl saying $9.99 at Hobby Lobby (which was 50% off)
Total: $16
I also plan to put two pics on each side of the kids when they were babies.
Other things I did:
Had Eric hang up a large Temple pic that I took
Removed our door between our mud room and kitchen. We never closed it so it just took up room
Mod Podged Kylie's name to put on her wall after I paint it
Had Kylie draw a pic of our family, stamped "family" on scrapbook paper, added some ribbon, and hung on the wall
Mod podged the letter "T" for Tyler's desk.
I have plans to make a large magnetic board with dividers for each child and hang in our mud room. I saw it on another blog called The Idea Room. Eric is getting tired of my projects and is probably hoping it ends soon!

Past Week

2009-08-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this past week! On Thursday we took the kids and one neighbor friend swimming at the Aquatic Center. We were only there for about an hour when they kicked everyone out for lightning. We decided to go over the fair! We spent three hours looking at the animals, crafts, had a snowie, and each kid got to pick one ride. After we were done there, we went back over swimming. It was so nice since almost everyone had left. Tyler's favorite was the "straight slide" and as soon as he would get off he would go back to the top. Eric and I couldn't believe how easy it was! We sat in the shallow water and just watched them play.
Yesterday, Eric and I had a date to Lagoon. It was my work party and many thanks to Grandma, we spent the whole day. Alone. We went on all of the "big" rides that you can't do when your kids are little or too chicken. (Tyler) I loved floating in the lazy canal and going down the slides with the tubes. We left early and ate at Olive Garden. We ended up getting home early and were able to just relax. Kylie asked me why we were going alone. My response was, "so we can remember why we got married." I think we accomplished our goal!
For the past while I've been thinking a lot about my kids getting older, working so much, etc, etc. So....I've decided to cut down at work. I know I have said this in the past many, many, many times. I have always had a fear that I won't be able to provide for my kids so I have worked as much as I could. But lately I've decided I just have to do it. We financially can afford it and my husband has always been willing to work extra if I want to be home more. He is so awesome! I talked with work and will work 3 days a week. I also will work set days. This will help when I'm trying to make appointments, etc. I still will be considered full time but at my job, this is not a 40 hour work week. Can I just say I work at an awesome place? For the most part, my job is ideal.
Lately I've been getting way into crafting and wanting to create different things to decorate my home with. After two years of living here and I need some change. I mentioned the word PAINT to my husband and he cringed! (He painted our entire house when we built it!) I just need some change and want to create more personalized things. I have found so many awesome websites to get ideas from and will share some projects as I get them done! This first one took approximately 10 minutes. So easy! I already had this simple wood frame that you can buy from Michaels for $1. Add some mod poge, scrapbook paper, and a little ribbon. It's not perfect but think it turned out ok.
I made this for Kenadie's room for her shelf.

I found the cute bunny at Hobby Lobby for $3. It was in the garden clearance section but I think it works well in this space.

Kylie's Birthday

2009-08-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I was at Walmart and saw a bunch of Luau decorations on clearance. I immediately thought of Kylie's birthday and luckily she agreed. So, for her sixth birthday she had a swim/luau party. It took me all day Wednesday to get ready but it was worth it!

We had pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, kool aid, and smoothies while the girls played in the water.

Our awesome neighbors let us borrow their inflatable water slide.

Once again, her cake didn't turn out the way I had planned but she didn't care. All of the kids loved the gummies on top.

All of the girls at the party.

Eric and I gave Kylie a jewelry box, necklaces, earrings, and some play makeup. She got lots of cute jewelry, watch, purse, and dress up stuff. After the party, the girls had fun playing with all of the new stuff. Kylie kept telling me thank you over and over. It was a lot of fun but exhausting.

Fireworks

2009-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't see the main fireworks on the fourth, we decided to head down to Willow Park for the 24Th celebration. We found a nice spot along the driving range and let the kids run and play until the fireworks started. I still wasn't feeling very well so it was more like torture to me.....but the kids liked it.

This pic is of Kylie's team. She really enjoyed Tee ball and did really well. She did great at getting ground balls and throwing to first base. I think it finally started to click, which was nice since Eric had worked a lot with her. She is excited to play next summer!

I forgot I had taken these pics but discovered them when I was uploading our fireworks pictures. Eric coached Tyler's baseball team and really enjoyed it. Even though he was really nervous the first few games he did a great job. It seems like the kids always love him no matter what we do!

Sigh......

2009-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report. No new pictures. I've been sick for the past five days....why is it always me? I am starting to feel better but only about 75% better. My house is showing the signs of it too. I think every time that we have been going, going, going my body makes me stop and try to slow down.
Crystal and I went to Hamilton's for our birthday lunch. We both were sick and to be honest I don't really remember a lot of it. Probably all of the drugs I was taking. I always have a good time with her just chatting. In other news..
Easton is FINALLY going poo in the toilet now. Yeah! My last child is officially potty trained. Kind of sad that I can't call him by baby anymore.....but also kind of excited that I my diaper changing days are over....It's only been 8 1/2 years since I could say that.

Birthday Fun

2009-07-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

This past week has been full with work, baseball/tee ball games, visiting with my sister, and my mother-in-law visiting. My 30Th birthday was Saturday. I can't believe how time flies! Eric's gift to me was some money for shopping and TIME ALONE to go spend it. I was proud of myself that I actually found some good stuff and spent every last dime of it! Pat came up and the kids helped decorate the top of this cake for me. Beautiful, isn't it?

Grandma enjoyed a motorcycle ride with Eric. I think she looks right at home, don't you?

My WONDERFUL sister and bff Crystal threw me a party at my parents house on Saturday night. I was kept in the dark for most of it and Eric did a good job of not spilling the beans. (He usually can't surprise me.) They did such a wonderful job and it was nice just to eat yummy cake and visit. Eric put together a little slide show that the kids just loved.

And now my turn to give a shout out to my bff Crystal! It is her 27Th birthday today! We grew up as next door neighbors and been through it all with each other.

Here are some of the reasons why she is soooo awesome:
she is creative
she loves to plan parties for other people
she is gorgeous!
she gives awesome hair cuts
she handles four boys under five! I don't know how she does it!
she is a blast to travel with
we share the same perverted-like humour
she always makes me laugh
I can tell her anything!
she is always there for me no matter what kind of a day I'm having

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRYSTAL. I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AWESOME DAY AND JUST WAIT TILL YOU TURN 30! Pay backs are a b***h. Love ya!

Busy ,Busy, Busy

2009-07-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on the blogging lately but it's been because we have been soooo busy! That's not a bad thing though...I will just update on what we have been doing since July 1st since my memory doesn't go back very far. On July 1st, Wednesday, our family and my sister's kids all went to Lagoon. It was perfect! There wasn't very many lines and the weather was good. It was kind of comical to see how many kids we had between the two of us...seven to be exact! We swam the last two hours when the crowds went down a little. Easton's favorite part was the train, of course and swimming is always a hit.
I had my mom try and get a family pic but the kids just weren't having it!

I can't believe how old he looks. Not a baby anymore.

I would of got a pic of Tyler but he is to the age where he hates it and it wasn't worth the fight.

On Thursday I had to work, went shopping with my sister, and then went straight to Tyler's baseball game.
Friday I worked, watch Cory and Jen's kids, then went to my parent's house for a bbq. We attempted to get a family pic but it's hard with all the little kids. We were so exhausted we just went home and didn't even watch the fireworks.
On the fourth, we went to my Grandma's in Hyrum to celebrate her birthday. We came home and did a few little sparkler's.

Sunday was church and teaching primary. We had a quiet night at home for once...
Monday-Eric worked, then I worked, then I took three kids to Kylie's teeball game while Eric took Tyler to his softball game.
Tuesday-I woke up at six am to take the kids to the Oquirrh temple open house in South Jordan. Eric had to work so it was me and four kids. Scary!!!! It was so special to see the temple as I drove around the corner and all of a sudden it was there. It is built on this beautiful mountain overlooking the valley and the inside was just as pretty as the outside. Kenadie kept saying "mom, it was so beautiful." It was a neat experience to be able to just walk through it all. So what did we do after that? Go to Chuck E Cheese of course! The kids decided to spend some of their allowance money on pizza and arcade games. It wasn't crowded so that made it a lot more tolerable.

And during all of this we decided to potty train Easton! He is doing really well and has only had two accidents so far...except for #2....that is a whole other issue. I got to spend half an hour in Target changing poopie underwear...in a skirt. Anyways. All in all it has been fun, exhausting, etc, etc. The rest of the week brings dentist appt, doctor appt, work, baseball, my birthday, and Pat my mother in law visiting. I love July!

Downata Hot Springs

2009-06-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Since my sister and her family is up from Oregon we decided to go camping. We headed up to Downata Hot Springs in Idaho. The kids loved it! Other than the expensive swimming it was a blast. The kids loved to sleep in a tent, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and just run around with the cousins. Tyler and Derek slept in their own tent...I can't believe how old he is getting! All and all it was fun!

It's Been Awhile!

2009-06-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

This past few days....ok, two weeks, have been especially busy. Ever since the kids have gotten out of school it's been one thing after another! Tyler and Kylie did a sport's camp for two hours a day/four days a week/for two weeks. It helped introduce all the kids to different sports and how to play each game/have good sportsmanship. Tyler loved dodge ball and now wants to do a separate camp just for that. Kylie loved hockey, which was a surprise. I think it was a good transition into summer since they still had to get up and dressed but then they had the rest of the day to play! Tyler and Kylie have also been doing a movie every Monday with some friends. They play different kid movies all summer for only $5. Kenadie and Easton haven't been doing too much other than just playing. I made up a chore chart and they have a list of things they need to do everyday. If they do them then they make it on our sheet. At the end of the month they get an allowance (they have to pay tithing on) to spend on whatever. So far it has helped keep the mess in the house controlled somewhat. They have always had chores but when school's in I don't require as much. I knew I needed something that was more strict for summer! Kylie started Tee ball and has two games so far. She loves it and has been working on her hitting and catching. Tyler started Coaches Pitch with Eric as his coach. This has been both a good and bad thing. Eric likes to be with the kids but Tyler takes it as a opportunity to goof around more. Tyler just likes to be active no matter what it is. Yesterday he said to Eric, "I wish school wasn't out." He's a little bit like someone in the family.........
The other day Tyler told Eric he wanted a Mohawk. After we took this pic Tyler decided to just get it buzzed. I think he was a little embarrassed.

Sunday's are pretty low-key at our house. Since Eric is working and we have church at 11:15 we just hang out/get ready. This morning my kids all decided to make "Lego guns" and go around shooting.

I just wanted to let Eric know how much we appreciate him on Father's Day. He is the ultimate dad. He loves to play with his kids, he likes to teach them, he is funny, he is easy going, he's a hard worker, he is a good helper, he is a good example...most of the time. He does let some curse words slip, like everyday, but he always feels bad when our kids repeat them:) I love him so much, especially since I haven't been feeling good lately. He helps keep on top of things and is my best friend. Happy Father's Day!

Schreiber Party!

2009-06-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Eric's work had their Summer Party this Saturday at Merlin Olsen Park. They had about ten different bouncy area's, a rock climbing wall, big slide, etc. The kids all got balloon animals or I should say swords and crowns. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and all you could eat snow cones, cotton candy, and churro's. We ended up staying over three hours because the kids were having so much fun. Later that evening they had free swimming at the Aquatic Center. We were so tired that we only stayed 40 minutes but the kids still enjoyed it. WE LOVE SCHREIBER'S! They treat their employee's well and try to go out of their way to show it.

The kids are done with school! It is nice to be able to go places and do things without worrying about homework, etc. Tyler and Kylie are doing a sport's camp at the Rec center the firs two weeks of summer and doing a weekly movie at the theater. Coaches Pitch and Tee ball also start next week. Eric is coaching Tyler's team and Tyler is so excited. Eric is also playing softball once a week with some guys from work. It seems like every night we have something going on. Oh well, that is life with a bunch of kids!

Misc

2009-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

It seems like this past week has been a whole lot of miscellaneous. Eric turned the big 3-0 last week. Eric chose to go out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. We don't usually take the kids there so they were excited. We ate out on the patio and enjoyed the nice weather. All Eric wanted was money. So that's what he got.

After I picked up Kylie from Kindergarten yesterday we went to Willow Park. They loved looking at all of the animals especially the momma duck with babies. After we got ice cream and then went home to rest. Kylie had her last day of school today and Tyler's is tomorrow. I'm excited for no homework for awhile!
This is what we woke up to this morning. All of a sudden a horrible storm hit. We had lots of hail and rain. It was pounding on the windows so hard I thought they were going to break.

If you look close you can see a whole bunch of our wood chips got taken all the way down the sidewalk to the bottom of the street. Other than that and my flowers looking beat up....we were lucky. Some of our neighbors had water in their basements so we are very grateful.

What Can You Get For Eight Dollars?

2009-05-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

All of this! Just wanted to share my exciting shopping experience last week. There was some awesome sale items at Albertson's and with the help of GrocerySmarts....It excites me that I can build up my food storage and pantry for cheap. I only wish I would of started it sooner!

This is what Kenadie was doing the other day. This is our old computer monitor and then she cut some "coupons" and was being like mom. How cute!

2009-05-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

It seems like everything is coming to an end. Dance. Preschool. School. Kylie had her dance awards night on Thursday. She got to perform one last time then they handed out awards to all of the girls. We also got Kylie's dance pics which turned out pretty cute!

Kenadie had her last day of preschool on Thursday. They sang some songs and then they gave each of the kids their own scrapbooks. The kids had been working on them all year and of course we loved it! I will have to post some pics from it because they are so cute. We got to eat cupcakes and visit afterward. Kenadie is excited to go next year for three days a week.

On Friday we decided to get the heck out of here and go to SLC. We went to the children's museum in the gateway. We hadn't been since it was at the old building so I was impressed. I really wasn't looking forward to it but it turned out to be fun. The kids loved the water, helicopter, the house, and building things. We then went to eat at Spaghetti Factory which was yummy! Then it was time to come home.

Saturday we spent cleaning out the girls closets and organizing the toy room. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and ready to sit and watch basketball.

Cute Bums....literally

2009-05-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

I am loving this weather! The kids are loving being outside and playing later. On Saturday we went up to first dam and had a picnic. We took our time, walked around, and just let the kids run! It is always fun to watch the ducks and I even got some good pics. These ones I took with my new little powershot. I was surprised at the quality since the camera wasn't very expensive. As soon as we got back my kids went over the neighborhood park and played for five hours! Boy, they slept good that night:) I just love this time of year and can't wait to do some fun summer activities!
What a ham!

Kenadie had her "show off" day at preschool for swimming. She is a little fish! All of the parents were able to see them do a swim lesson. I love that the class sizes aren't very big and they take time with each kid. Kenadie loves to jump off the deep end and swim to her teacher. I think she will be sad when preschool is over this month. Oh well, she will have a whole other year since her birthday is in September. She just seems so much older than other kids in her group! I love this picture of the girls in her class. All but one of them has a wedgie!

Busy Week

2009-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

BEWARE! This post has a lot of pictures in it! I borrowed my mom's nice camera to get an idea of what kind of camera I wanted to buy. So I ended up taking a lot more pictures than usual!
I usually dread mother's day but it was actually a good one this year! Since Eric works every Sunday we did it Saturday. I got to sleep in which is always a treat. We had a lot of parade stuff to do and then I had to work. Eric cooked me dinner and got this cute cake. We enjoyed a quiet dinner and the kids loved cake and ice cream. I also got a new camera! No this is not a camera I mentioned the other day...this is a new Canon Rebel that came with two different lenses and a bag. I have always wanted a nice camera and am thrilled to have this one for special occasions or vacations! We also got a new laptop! Christmas came early this year! It isn't fancy but suits our needs well. The kids and Eric got me a special necklace that has all of the kids birthstones on it in little people, boy or girl, based on your children. I love it! I've wanted one for a long time so I'm excited. On Sunday the kids all made me cards and put what they love about me. Tyler's read: I love you because you are very nice and work hard. How sweet!

Kylie was in the Health Days Parade this year for her dance class. She was so excited and the other kids were excited to get candy. They also performed later on in the day. She loves dance and will be sad when it is over at the end of this month.

Kenadie had her "parent show off day" for tumbling. All of the parents got to watch the kids do different tricks and at the end they gave each one of them a plastic medal. Kenadie has been wearing it every day since.

And poor Easton. Sometimes I think he gets a little ignored with all of the other kids activities. He will have his day soon though. This particular day we were all hanging out outside. He put Tyler's helmet on and would tell me, "I'm going to work." Then he would give me a kiss and ride away. So cute. I'm going to miss when he won't let me kiss him anymore.

I am also getting so excited for summer! It is my favorite time of year. Sunny days, playing until late, fun outdoor stuff to do, etc, etc. Only a few more weeks left!

The past week

2009-05-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

This past week to seems to of flown by...except for Friday and Saturday! I will get to that in a minute. We did all of the usual stuff. Work. Clean. Dance. Scouts. Tyler was excited for pack meeting because he got his Bobcat. He loves Scouts and we are so proud of him.
I took this pic of the girls during "rest time." This is something that we do almost everyday while Easton is napping. When my kids are too old for naps we do rest time instead. It gives them a chance to relax. They have to be quiet but they can watch tv, play quietly with each other, or play with toys. It also just gives me a break! The girls lately have been obsessed with the show "Jon and Kate plus Eight." We have seasons 1-3 and they love to watch them. They even play with their babies and name them after all of the Gosselin kids.

We got Easton a bike! (thanks to grandma and pa Swanson and Niki!) He is learning how to pedal but doesn't quite get it. He does look really cute!

I love this picture because it shows just how close Kenadie and Easton are. She likes to mother him but I'm not sure how much longer he will allow it!

So, back to my loooooong Friday and Saturday. Eric left very early Friday morning to drive to Las Vegas,with two of his friends, to go to a concert. I didn't mind that he was doing this since I have had my fair share of getaways... And for the most part it was fine. We rented a movie, Tyler had a birthday party, and I took the rest of the kids to Mcdonalds. Saturday was a little slow and it was raining so we couldn't really do much outside. The last 3 hours was the worst and I was just so out of energy. Eric had a lot of fun and he really enjoys it. Their group had passes to meet the band and hang out for two hours. This is Eric's lovely picture with the whole band that looks horrible!

I've been telling Eric for months that we need a new camera because it has just started to suck after 3 years. Well all of a sudden after taking a few pictures of his own....now we can get a new camera. I am excited for the new camera to arrive and I ordered it the same day he told me about the Vegas pics. It should be here soon. It's red (my favorite color) and is a Canon Powershot. It has good reviews so hopefully it will take awesome pics.

A Good Weekend

2009-04-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to the weekend! For several reasons: I don't have to work, Eric has Saturday off, no getting up early to get the kids ready for school, and it gives us a chance to go somewhere or catch up on projects at home. Eric worked early Saturday morning for overtime but was home by 10am. I had an appointment in town and then was able to run some errands. We were planning to do some yard work but it was raining/snowing. After we had a nap, we decided to go for a walk along the Logan River. I love walking around there because it is pretty, next to the golf course, and it has a nice wide paved trail. We walked a mile which is pretty good considering our kids. Kylie was whining, of course, by the end of it but we had a good time. The kids asked lots of questions and we got to see some wildlife. We were pretty cold by the end of it so we then ate some yummy soup at Grist Mill. We came home and watched the Jazz game. Even though the Jazz sucked it was still a good day. Sometimes it's fun to go places but sometimes I just like staying home and hanging out. On to another week!

Happy Birthday Easton!

2009-04-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

For Easton's birthday it was all about trains! He is in love with Thomas and worships him. He had a train cake and I bought him a train that morning at Walmart. He lost one of his trains in Colorado so I bought him a Thomas one that goes when you put a battery in it. Easton got a couple of train movies, sheet set of Thomas, two trains, and a mack truck with three race cars. Grandma and Grandpa Swanson gave him money that will go towards a bike and Grandpa Ray got him a savings bond. Thank You! It makes me sad to think that he is getting bigger everyday. Today I asked Eric, "Can't he just stay little?" I love that he calls me "Mon" instead of mom and gives me kisses whenever I ask. He is a true boy through and through. He loves to laugh if everybody is laughing even though he doesn't know why. He loves to follow the older kids and be my good helper. I just love him and I think the more kids you have the more you appreciate every stage because it doesn't last!

This is what Easton does all day-play with cars and trains.

Update

2009-04-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Eric: Still working hard at Schreiber's. I feel so bad because he has to get up at 2:30am and by the time I'm waking up he's been at work for four hours! I love him getting home by 3:30pm. It makes time just fly by. I have many projects for him to do, one of them being our yard! It still is a work in progress.
Katie: Last week was a bit of a struggle. I wasn't feeling well again and on Tuesday I didn't even get dressed! I had very bad muscle aches, horrible sore throat, and headaches. I finally went to the doc on Wednesday and he put me on antibiotics. I am starting to feel better but my throat is still sore. I worked quite a bit last week and am anxious to get some spring cleaning done at home! Every day it seems my list gets longer and longer!
Tyler: He still loves school and is so excited to be in scouts. Next week they are hiking to the SV. He has been complaining of an earache on and off so I think I need to take him to the doc. He is excited to do coaches pitch this summer and has already started practicing.
Kylie: Every day Kylie tells me that she hates school but as soon as she is there she is fine. She just wants to play with friends all day everyday. She is getting to be quite the reader and does well in school despite her attitude. She is still taking dance and loves it. She is excited to do tee ball again and has been practicing as well.
Kenadie: Kenny loves preschool and swimming. She is our best swimmer and loves to jump off the side of the pool. She loves to play babies with Kylie and play at the park but she is a homebody. After a little bit of playing she'll come home and just want to be by me.
Easton: I can't believe he'll be three tomorrow! My baby is three? He loves to follow his siblings and play trains everyday. He has been going potty a little bit but nothing consistent. I really need to get him fully potty trained!

Colorado

2009-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

The kids were out for Spring Break so we made the trip to Colorado to see Eric's family. The kids did pretty well on the drive down but we did have to stop FOUR times to pee. Nobody threw up though! The kids loved swimming at the hotel and just hanging out with Grandma.

Look at these two old ladies!

Grandma had to work on Friday so the kids were trying to find some entertainment! These are Aunt Niki's from her work.

The kids enjoyed doing all of the Easter stuff especially dyeing eggs. The Easter Bunny even came to Grandma's house!

We went to the train station and watched the train coming into town from SLC. Easton was in heaven! They have a restaurant next to the train station called the PufferBelly. They had yummy food and lots of trains which Easton enjoyed looking at.

Uncle Chris works at the small airport in Grand Junction working on airplanes. He gave us a little tour and even let us get on some of the planes. Most of them are owned privately and you can't believe how nice they are! Seriously, who has that kind of money? Tyler especially loved it and asked lots of questions. It was very interesting.

We had a good time but it is always nice to be home. We only had to stop twice on the way home and seemed to make good time. I've spent all morning trying to catch up on laundry and putting stuff away!

Spring Fever

2009-04-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post a cute picture! This is from March of last year when we went to Riverdale. Easton loved Tyler's goggles and didn't want to take them off.
This past week has been pretty normal. We had our first family home evening. I know it's a shock to all of you! We have been talking about how we need to start but then neither of us put forth the effort. We realize we need to keep it short and simple with all of the little kids so we are starting with Bible stories. They listened well and hopefully will remember some of it! Eric and I made a goal to go back to the Temple so we are working on it. It has been awhile since we went and I think we just need to be good examples for our children. I enjoyed listening to conference yesterday and had it on the radio and tv. I cleaned the house TOP to BOTTOM and went through the kids closets. I don't think my washer and dryer stopped all day. The best part was that I stayed in my lounge clothes all day.
We sold Tyler's old bedroom set on KSL! I love it! After they picked it up we had to go by a dresser. We have been looking for while but we wanted something that was sturdy and going to last awhile. We had looked everywhere but couldn't find anything to match his new headboard. We headed to Shopko for a last ditch effort and surprisingly we left with a new dresser and a chair for our room! I was so excited and they were both on sale!
My kids have been saying some interesting things lately. Kylie and Kenadie are especially into noticing certain things. Kenadie said, "I have nipples." I said, "Yes, everyone has nipples." Kylie said, "Even Jesus has nipples." Well, there you go! The kids are especially excited to go see Grandma Pat, Aunt Niki, and Uncle Chris this next week. I am too if we survive the drive!

Kylie's Dance Recital

2009-03-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

Kylie had her first "official" dance recital last night. She was sooo excited to get all dressed up, get her hair done, and makeup. She loves to shake her thing so it was funny to see her on stage. Tyler ended up having pack meeting at the exact same time so Eric and I had to split. I'm sure this will be the first of many times to come but it made me sad. I was able to see the tail end of pack meeting. Tyler loves scouts and being with his friends.

This week has been pretty normal other than a few kids with colds. I took Kylie back to Dr Wood this week since she has been draining constantly from her nose the past two months. He found she has a sinus infection and put her on antibiotics. Her tubes are still in and she will need to go back in a few months to get them checked again.
We signed Kylie up for Teeball and Tyler for coaches pitch. They are both excited to play again and Eric is going to assist. I don't look forward to the four games a week though.
Easton has started to pee in the toliet but nothing consistent. We try to make a big deal about it and cheer to make him feel good. If you don't ask him though he doesn't go on his own yet. It's a work in progress. I dread potty training but you would think I would be all excited since he's the last one. It's just so much work and effort!

Having Fun

2009-03-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Now this is my idea of fun! Anyone who knows me well knows that I love Pinching Your Pennies website. I started appr. a year or so ago and I became addicted. Since having four kids costs a lot of money I realized I needed to be more smart about how I shopped. I also wanted to build up our food storage but I didn't have a lot of extra money to do it. I wait until there is a good sale then I use my coupons along with it. That is what make's a great deal! I got all of this stuff for $50. I saved more money then I spent! I got toothpaste for $.25, pads for $1, and even some of the Quakers for free! Some items like the fabric softner and chicken nuggets usually never come on sale but I did get them for a pretty good price. Since I've started to stock up on items when they are on sale my regular grocery bill every two weeks has decreased. I used to spend about $200 and now it's more like $60! It does take some effort and planning but it is well worth it. I like to think that it allows us to have more money for the fun things, like vacations!

Besides groceries, Pinching Your Pennies has great links to online deals. I have bought numerous things and for way cheap. Some of the things that I have bought recently are: Thomas the train movies from $3.25 each, cute girls plaid OP shorts for $1.50, fitted sheets for $1.99 each, $120 worth of diapers for $44, and most of the time I get free shipping! I already have Easton's birthday taken care of and all of my kids summer and winter clothes.
Some of the other things that I do to save money:
I buy twenty loaves of bread at a time, when they are on sale, and freeze them
Always buy clothes for next year at the end of the season
If there is just a few grocery items on sale that week from different stores have Walmart price match
I always look for online shopping codes to get free shipping or extra discounts
Don't buy it unless you will really use it-this one I'm still working on
Stock up on the things that you know you will use-like shampoo, toliet paper, etc.
Use coupons!
Pay your credit card balance every month or don't use at all!
Our kids have been having a blast on our new trampoline! We have been promising them that we would get one ever since we moved in. I kept telling them that when we had grass and now finally we do! Eric bought it while I was at scrapaway and somehow managed to fit it in the trunk of our car. It took awhile to set up but it was worth the wait! The kids have been playing on it all weekend and just having fun being outside.

Girl Getaway's & Being Sick

2009-03-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking lately with this whole blog thing. I went to a Scrapaway with 11 other women last week. It was fun but I ended up being sick the last day. For those of you who know me-it seems like I get sick often when I'm away from home. It really sucks and I hate it. Anyways, I did get 40 pages done but I was really hoping to get caught up. I didn't even start our trip to Disney World which is 180 pictures in it self. It was nice to stay up late, sleep in, have someone cook our meals, clean, etc. After I came home I felt a little better on and off but still really dizzy and nauseated at times. THIS week some neighbor girls and friends went up to Park City overnight. We did A LOT of shopping at the outlets and hung around the condo. We stayed up late talking about girl stuff and went to bed around 2am. We had to be out of the condo by 10 so I was tired. We did MORE shopping at the outlets and I really started to feel yucky. In fact, I about threw up three times in the bushes outside of the stores but I didn't. Well, my wonderful neighbor ended up leaving earlier than I'm sure she planned so I could get home. I felt better by the drive home but still not right. Eric picked me up in town so they could do even more shopping. It was fun but once again, I hate being sick! Here are the only pictures I took:

Yesterday I had to work and once again felt very dizzy and nauseous. I just want to say: I AM NOT PREGNANT! At least if you're pregnant being sick is for a good reason! I ended up having to come home for awhile and then I finally realized why I've been sick. I have a sinus infection. I have had several in the past couple years and have felt this same way. So, I'm taking antibiotics and hopefully will feel normal soon.
I have been really struggling not to plan a vacation but Eric did this time. We are going to a UFC fight in Las Vegas in May. Eric and I love to watch the fights and often get the pay per views. We have talked a lot about going to a fight but it just hasn't ever worked out. Eric bid on some tickets on eBay and even asked his mom to watch the kids. It will just be a night or two but just enough to get away.
The kids had parent teacher conferences and everything was great! Tyler got four out of four stars and she didn't really have any complaints. His teacher said "I can tell that he is loved and cared for." That made us feel good and like we are doing our job. Kylie's conference went well but her problem is that she tries to finish her work too fast and ends up not doing it as well. So we will be working on that. Both of them have good reading skills and Tyler is the second best reader in his class. Well, hopefully this week will bring better health!

So Thankful.....

2009-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened lately that has just made me realize how blessed we are. We know many people right now who are struggling financially, with health issues, etc. I just wanted to list some of the things that I am thankful for:
Our kids health
wonderful neighborhood
awesome friends & family
Our jobs
a home
our church

On another note, I am going to go scrapbooking for 3 days and I am SOOO READY! I just need a break from all the chaos that has been happening lately.

Tyler

2009-03-01T14:35:00.001-08:00

I thought that since Tyler had a birthday recently, I would write more about him and his personality. Tyler is definitely an oldest child. He is ultra responsible, almost to the point of being annoying! He loves structure, rules, and being in charge. Don't get me wrong-he still disobeys but it is pretty rare. You can usually talk him through things but whatever you do, don't pressure him to make a decision in a fast manner. It seems like the faster he needs to go the more he slows down. As a baby/toddler, he hated to get dirty and would actually wash his hands in between eating, playing, etc. He has always been a good sleeper and rarely comes in our bed. He is such a good helper. Almost every morning he is already showered, dressed, eaten breakfast, and is ready to go by the time I get up. He loves school and over holiday breaks gets bored. He loves all sports and likes to be active. He will make up games with the other kids and loves to include everyone. He has quite a few friends but can get a little bossy at times. (we are working on it) He loves to tease his sister's and his favorite thing is to steal their dolls and throw them around. He is very gentle with Easton and animals. All of our animals gravitate towards him because of this. He loves to learn about space, sports, science, animals, etc. He brings all sorts of library books home and loves to study them. He is such a blessing to our family and I don't know what I would do without him! I think heavenly father definitely knows what children to send to what families because he has taught me so much. We love you Tyler!

Tyler Turn's Eight

2009-02-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today is a very special day. Tyler got baptized this morning. He was nervous but very excited. We met as a Stake and had a little program. Then they called us back by ward to the font. When it was Tyler's turn he yelled, "the water is warm!" Eric did great and then we met back in the chapel for a little program. It was just Tyler and the bishop's kid named Ryan. I gave a short talk about the holy ghost and Ryan had a little talk from his uncle. Eric was probably the most nervous for the confirmation but he did great. Eric doesn't get very emotional or show feelings very often but he did get teary eyed. Eric said it was very neat to baptize his own child since he didn't get that opportunity and he said he could feel the spirit strong. We are excited that he chose to become a member of the church.
We gave Tyler scriptures for his birthday

For Tyler's actual birthday yesterday we went out to his favorite place, "Ruby Tuesday's." It was basically a nightmare and it reminded why we don't take kids there. My favorite tradition that we do for birthday's is watch their birth video. I love to be reminded of that day and how tiny he used to be! Tyler got a purple light saber and a Simpson's video game. Grandma Pat and Aunt Niki each got his four books that he got to choose. Grandma and Grandpa Swanson gave Tyler money, which he loved! It makes me sad that he is eight and so big! It just seems like time flies. It just reminds me to enjoy each day with them because it goes by so fast.

Star War's Birthday Party

2009-02-21T17:32:00.001-08:00

Today we had a birthday party for Tyler's 8Th b-day. We had NINE boys over from the neighborhood. They each made their own light saber from a pool noodle, then we played "keep the meteor up." They had to see how long they could keep a balloon up and the winner got a prize. We then played "pin the light saber on Yoda." Eric free handed a picture of Yoda and the kids took turns putting their drawn light saber on it. Next was "destroy the death star." We had appr 25 balloons and each had a piece of paper in it. The kids popped them and the one with a star on it won a light saber. We did presents, cake, and had Yoda soda. It was fun for the kids but a lot of work and exhausting. The kids each got a goodie bag with a glow stick, milky way, starbursts, pencil, and glow in the dark stars plus they got to take their light saber's home. Eric hung black plastic all along a wall in our basement, had one hanging in the doorway to the basement, put stars and moons, and had black lights for galaxies. It made a cool effect and the kids enjoyed it.

This is Tyler's "light saber" cake.

I feel relieved that it's over with but now we have the baptism next week. Tyler is very excited for it and is looking forward especially to having Grandma Pat come up from Colorado!

Easy Bake Oven

2009-02-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad got Kylie a Easy Bake Oven for Christmas with a bunch of mixes and a cute apron. We FINALLY got it out and baked a few things! Kylie made a sugar cookie and cake mix with frosting for her dad for Valentine's Day. It didn't look very edible but Eric said it tasted ok.
Eric and I didn't do anything big for Valentine's but he did get me some chocolate's, asphalt pie from Winger's, and a short nap (the best gift :) I made him a coupon for a back rub (his favorite:)

.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303472497841708818" />

I tried a new do on Kenadie for Valentine's. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it too but not so bad for a first try.

I also became an Aunt for the 10th time yesterday. Ryan and Kirsten had a baby girl and her name is Veronica.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T08:33:00.001-08:00

Ever since we got back from vacation it seems like we have been going at super speed. My list of things to do is getting so long I just don't know how to accomplish it all. Tyler is turning eight at the end of this month so I've been planning his birthday party and making invitations for that. He also is getting baptized so we've been trying to plan for that. I am making Tyler a baptism book and I haven't even started on it! The kids did valentines for school so we put together over 70 of them! Ahhh! I am so happy that our kids are close in age but now I can see why people spread them out! Tyler started scouts so that is one more thing that he does each week. He is so excited to get started but I am having a hard time keeping track of all of this. Let alone working and getting all of the stuff that I need to for that. So why am I blogging? I just had to post these cute photo's of Kenadie's Valentine party yesterday at Preschool. The parents came and we decorated cookie's, made a craft, and then the kids sang and gave us a heart key chain. So cute! I love this age and I just love her preschool. They always do such cute things.

Valentine

2009-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

Florida/Disneyworld

2009-02-05T18:50:00.001-08:00

I finally feel like I have a free minute to blog! We had a wonderful vacation to Florida and we enjoyed almost every minute of it. The weather was around 75-80 degrees the first 4-5 days then we had some rain. We were gone a total of 11 days so we were ready to come home back to normal life. We spent 7 days at the Disneyworld parks. Some days we did the parks all day, some we got up early and left by 3, and some days we slept in, swam, then stayed till the park closed. The kids did amazingly well but we did have some tantrums, whining, etc. For the most part it went well. We loved our townhouse that we stayed at! It was only 12 miles from all of the parks, we had a washer/dryer, kitchen, and 3 bedrooms, and the resort had a water slide, multiple pools, and a lazy canal. I highly recommend it if you need to save money and just need a little more space than a normal hotel room. We LOVED magic kingdom and animal kingdom. Epcot was fine for one day but we pretty much all hated MGM Studios. My favorite was animal kingdom. It was just so beautiful, had a wonderful safari ride, everest ride was awesome, cool shows, etc. We also did a character breakfast there and had a all you can eat buffet while character's danced and visited all of the tables. It was spendy at $100 but worth it. I would recommend it if you haven't ever done it. Tyler loved epcot, star tours, and splash mountain. Kylie was generally the most happy the whole time, loved to hug all of the characters (I know, you're surprised), meeting the princesses, buzz ride, and collecting autographs. Kenadie was very daring and took me on the everest ride, space mountain, splash mountain, etc. She loved the petting zoo at the animal kingdom and the aladdin ride. She wanted to meet the characters but would end up hiding behind me. She is just so shy. Easton had his moments of not wanting to walk, whinning, etc. He didn't nap any of the days so I'm sure that had something to do with it. He loved all of the rides and would just sit and watch. I think we really saved a lot of money by eating breakfast at home, packing a small cooler full of snacks, drinks, and sometimes sandwiches, and then we just ate out once a day. The kids had been saving allowance and birthday money for six months so they used that to buy whatever they wanted. It was nice since we didn't have to fight over what to get. Most of the kids had close to $80 so they were able to buy a few things. After we left Disneyworld we headed appr an hour away to Titusville where Eric's dad lives. We enjoyed a couple of days with them watching the superbowl, going to the beach, and just hanging out. The kids loved Grandpa and Grandma Janine and especially Uncle Hunter who would tease them. They even took the two kids overnight so we could have a little quiet time. Eric and I also went on a date to a nice Mexican restaurant while they took the kids to Mcdonalds. It was time to come home and let me say it was a trial. I can't believe how rude people are! I heard several comments about kids and a guy sitting in front of Kenadie on the plane was just rude. Anyways, it was wonderful and we are so thankful to be able to go. We even came home with $500! Now that is amazing considering it was Disney. Now I just need to plan the next vacation....:)

Crazy Times

2009-01-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to this morning.....

To say the least it was a difficult morning. I woke up coughing, feeling like my head was going to explode, kids home from school and bored, no caffeine in the house, a long list of things to do, and a messy house to clean. After I started picking up things I realized the girls had been quiet for some time....I found them in Easton's room with open suitcases and "packing." ALL of Kenadie's clothes everywhere and you couldn't even see the carpet. After some yelling, cleaning, a trip to the gas station for a drink,and some medication...I am feeling much better. There is still a long list of things to do before we leave. The kids are so excited they can hardly wait. I asked Kylie yesterday who she wanted to see the most at Disney World. Her reply: Hannah Montanna. I told her I didn't know if we would see her so she thought a princess would be OK. I'm probably the most nervous for the airplane ride and how the kids will hold up. Once we get there I'm sure it will all be worth it. Well, off to do more things on my list before I go to work!

Awesome Deals

2009-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Oh man, what a good week for some awesome deals! Old Navy had their once-a-year mega sale which is 50% off the lowest clearance price. JcPenney is also having some awesome deals on coats and clothes for girls. This is what I got:
Easton: 2 coats, 7 pairs of pants, 2 sweatshirts
Girls: 2 coats, 2 pairs of gloves, hat, 3 pairs of jeans, 4 sweat like pants, 6 shirts, 2 sweaters, jean jacket, 2 nighties, 4 sets of velour pants/hoodies, 2 fleece hoodies, and one set of pant/hoodie
Tyler: 8 pants, coat, 4 shirts
Me: 2 shirts, a nice Columbia coat, and a church coat
I also bought 3 baby outfits for gifts.

I got all of this for $270! I saved over $1200! I also got six pairs of shoes at Kmart for $40. All of us should be set until next year. January is always such a good month for buys. I love a good deal!

Oregon continued

2009-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

I started to post last night and then got busy. So now I will add some writing to my post! On Wednesday of last week my mom and I flew to Portland to see my sister. My sister lives in a town outside of Portland and has for seven years. It was only my second time going up there and let me tell ya, it's much better to fly than drive. By the time we got there and drove in rush hour traffic we just had time to eat and talk a little bit. On Thursday we went to a children's science museum, did some shopping, went out for dinner with just the girl's, and then we headed off to a large mall and did more shopping. Friday we went to my nephew's preschool Christmas program, out to lunch, and drove appr 45 minutes away to an outlet mall. That night we went on a tour of these tunnels that are under the buildings in Portland. People would kidnap men and women and hide them in these tunnels until they were sold on the boats and the women were sold as prostitutes. It was very interesting but sad. Saturday was an interesting day to say the least. Our plane was due out at 6pm so we rode the train in the morning to the zoo. It was very cold but fun. We went back to my sister's to hang out until we had to take the rental car back. I got on my email to just make sure of the time of our flight. Just as I was done looking at the email my mom said, "wait-that says our flight is tomorrow!" I got the sickest feeling in my stomach and realized we weren't set to leave until Sunday! I don't know how I made that mistake but we tried to switch flights but it would of cost us over $300 just to leave a few hours earlier. All of the flight to Utah were already gone for the day. So we had to get the hotel for another night, return the rental car and borrow my sister's, and I had to call Eric and tell him the bad news. He was really good about it but that meant he would of had five days with the kids and teach primary all by himself. Sunday my mom and I did more shopping (I know, you're shocked!) and just hung out until it was time to go. Our flight home was smooth and we got to Utah even a little early. I am very happy to be home and I missed my hubby and kids. It was nice to see all of my niece's and nephew's and especially my new niece Kara. Yesterday Tyler was sick and ended up staying home from school. I took him to the doc and he has strep throat and now I'm getting it! Hopefully, we will all feel better before our trip. The kids are sooo excited but I'm not looking forward to getting on a plane with four kids.

Oregon

2009-01-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Resolutions

2009-01-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm a few days late but better late than never. I am a goal type setting person/list person so I thought I would write some of my resolutions for 2009. I would like to be healthier. This doesn't just mean losing weight but learning how to eat better and snack less. I want to not yell as much at my kids, finally get to my childhood scrapbook, stay organized, talk nicer to Eric/kids, and just do fun things as a family. Last year I wanted to play more and I definitely did that! I also have been just PLAYING more with my kids whether it's a board game, letting the girls do my hair, or playing trains with Easton. I also want to just CHERISH every age of my children and realize it will go by so fast.

On another note, Tyler started another basketball league and had his first game yesterday. I always love to watch him and he is sooo excited to be playing again. He is the tallest kid on the team-in fact, we have been measuring him and marking it on the wall in the garage. He has grown an inch in two months! No wonder he is always complaining of being hungry. I am glad that school will be back in session tomorrow, along with dance and preschool. My kids love have a routine and being busy.

Happy New Year's!

2009-01-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already 2009! It seems like this past year has flown by so I thought I would write down some of the highlight's: (In no particular order)
Trip to Colorado in Feb
Eric and I go on a cruise to Mexico with friends
Easton turns two and gets a big boy bed
My friend Amy dies-definitely not a highlight
Kylie gets tubes in her ears and tonsils/adenoids out
Lagoon
finish our yard-still kind-of a work in progress
All sorts of sports-football, baseball,basketball, soccer, tee-ball, swim lessons, dance, etc
We celebrate 11 years married
Kenadie starts preschool, Kylie kindergarten, and Tyler second grade
Kylie and Kenadie learn to ride without training wheels
Our road trip to San Diego-sooo much fun!
Eric on day shift at Schreiber's-we love it!
Me still at Alpine-now 7 1/2 years!

That is quite a bit in the last year! It seems like it will keep getting more busy as our kids get older. Some of the things I hope to accomplish or look forward to in 2009 are:
Tyler getting baptized
Kylie being in school all day
Tyler going to Summit Elemantary
Finishing the final touches on our yard
Increasing our savings and not spending money on things we really don't need (ok-not as much!)
Paying off our car
Easton becoming potty trained
Eric and I both turning thirty!
Going to Oregon with my mom to see my sister
More sports
Hopefully a short getaway with Eric
and of course our Disneyworld trip! Only 23 more days!

Christmas @ the Haskell's

2008-12-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

Ok.....this is going to be a lot of pictures....Here I go! We had a really good Christmas this year, one of my favorite's, in fact. It was more quiet and stay home and I think we enjoyed it. These pic's are a little out of order but stay with me.

This is what it looked like after we were done opening...

We went over to my parent's on Christmas day and ONCE again they did too much. All of the girls got these really cute aprons in their stockings.

Tyler got a authenic Jazz jersey and video game. He was so excited to wear it!

Kenny's favorite thing was her swimming baby. She had to use it in the tub that night!

Kylie got an easy bake oven with some cookie mixes but for some reason I don't have a pic. They also got really nice camp chairs and money from Grandma and Grandpa which is going in their "vacation money."
Eric and I got all of the kids a Disney shirt and the girls got princess towels and water shoes. They are soooo excited to go!

Tyler's main gift was a camera but it also does video and games. He has been going around taking pics/video's of the cats fighting, all of the kids, grandma and grandpa, etc, etc. He also got a couple of games, Kung Fu Panda, air hogs from grandma and Niki.

Easton's main gift was a train table. He also got some trains, story reader books, remote control car from Niki and trains from Grandma Pat. Grandma and Grandpa Swanson got him a cool new train set for his train table.

On Christmas Eve Eric made enchilada's (which none of the kids would eat), sprinkled food for the reindeer's out front, read a Christmas book, and we let the kids open new pj's from us. Eric's mom was able to join us this Christmas and it was so much fun. The kids just love it when she comes. She spoils them with so much attention that after she leaves they are crazy!!!!

We are so blessed to have awesome neighbor's, friend's, and family. We truly get spoiled every Christmas. Even though it's fun, I'm always glad when it's over and back to normal life.

Kylie's Dance Recital

2008-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Kylie had her first dance recital last week. Since her teacher had a baby in September she didn't start until October. They usually have a more formal recital but instead they went to the retirement home dressed in their PJ's and sang a Christmas song. I tried to upload my video but once again, it won't so here is a couple of pics. Kylie wanted to where her Hannah Montanna nightgown with some weird Capri Jammie's underneath. I tried to get her to wear some of her cute pj's but she was determined!

Cousin Christmas Party

2008-12-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

We had our annual Swanson Cousin Christmas Party last week. Of course, it was snowing and scary driving up the canyon but we finally made it. The kids got to decorate their own ornaments, decorate the tree, sing songs, and get a stocking from my Grandma. They were thrilled to get a whole dollar! We all brought gifts for our kids: Tyler a spider man memory game and art set, Kylie and Kenadie each got a princess bath set and Tinkerbell to share, and Easton got a Diego camera. All of us cousins brought a $10 gift and played the present game. I got bath and body works lotion and Eric got a extra soft blanket. (The kids have all been fighting over it!)

The girls were being so funny this night. They keep bending over saying they were "old men"

School Events

2008-12-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been forever since I've posted! It just seems like every time I go to update something happens or I get distracted. Before school was let out for winter break we had a couple of school events. Kylie had the usual Kindergarten Christmas program and Tyler had a school play. I tried to post some video but I couldn't ever get it to upload.

Happy Birthday Sis-Yesterday!

2008-12-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say happy birthday to my sis! She is only 18 months older than me so we played a lot as kids. Some of my favorite memories are playing Barbie's in her room for hours and trying to scare her by hiding in her closet very frequently. I also remember a few good cat fights but we always seemed to get over it. Even though we are very different we are alike in a lot of ways. Happy birthday!

Chuck E Cheese, Temple Square

2008-12-13T17:42:00.001-08:00

One of the benefits of having Eric work at Schreiber's are his 12 hour shifts. He has every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and every other Wednesday off. Tyler gets out of school early on Friday's so we headed down to SLC. We surprised the kids with a trip to the new Chuck E. Cheese in Layton. The kids had soooo much fun playing games and eating pizza. Tyler and Kylie made it clear that they could go around by themselves. I liked this new one because we could see everywhere from our table. The kids especially loved the horse ride and roller coaster simulator ride. After we finally left, we headed down to Temple Square. It was very busy but so beautiful. I think the kids enjoyed seeing all of the lights and the temple. Of course, a trip to SLC wouldn't be complete without a stop at Target. We got home late and tired but it was fun.

New Family Pics

2008-12-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

This past week and a half has been extra crazy! I feel like there is not enough time to get what I need to done. It seems like all I've done lately is work, clean, work, clean, work, drive kids around, plan primary lessons, work, etc, etc. Last Saturday my awesome friend, neighbor, and co-worker Stacey took some family pics of us. Eric absolutely hates the annual trip to kiddie kandids for some family pics so this was a much better solution. We drove around to a few locations and snapped some photo's. It was a little chilly but I think they turned out well. I'm so excited to get them enlarged and on my wall! Thanks Stacey, you are the best!
Kenadie had her last day of preschool until January 6Th. They got to wear PJ's yesterday, sit on Santa's lap, and decorate sugar cookies. She made me a gift but says it's a secret and I can't peek. Kylie has her Kindergarten Christmas program next week and a dance program at the retirement center. Tyler has a play on Monday night that he has been working on for school. So basically, next week is going to be crazy. We are hoping to go to Temple Square tonight and do some shopping. Eric has never been to temple square and I haven't been in at least 11 years. I hope the kids will enjoy it.

My favorite family pic:

Thanksgiving Week

2008-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our Thanksgiving at my mom's house this year. We traveled ALL the way to North Logan. The kids enjoyed flag football with Grandpa, Uncle Cory, cousins, and dad. After we came home we started to decorate outside. Eric gets waaaayyy into putting up our lights and even drew a map of what he wanted where. We still need to get a few things to complete the outside. Over the weekend I really didn't feel good but we all went to the Jazz game anyway. We were second row from the top but the kids just enjoyed the atmosphere. I woke up at 3 am the next day throwing up. Eric went and taught the primary lesson while I rested at home. I have such an awesome husband.
Here is the kids tree downstairs:

Mom and Dad's tree

Our stockings:

Thankful for.....

2008-11-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm kind-of in a blogging slump. It just seems like life is so crazy lately especially with work. I have just felt bummed out for a couple of weeks and I don't know why. I think it has a lot to do with the season change. I'm such a summer person and all of this cold, kids being inside, getting dark early, etc gets to me. I got home from work tonight and we decided to make a gratitude turkey. We did this in sharing time on Sunday and I think it turned out well. All of us wrote four or five things that we were thankful for on a feather. We then each said ours and put them on the turkey. I realized after we were done that I felt better and not so grumpy. I guess sometimes we have to stop and think about all of the good things in life.
On another note, my friend/pinching your pennies website told me about this huge clock at Deseret Book that was 70% off. I got it for $40 instead of the original price of $130. We put it above our fireplace and I love it.

2008-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

So here is my attempt at TRYING to get some pics of the kids for our christmas card. They didn't turn out too well but then again, I'm not an expert.

This is what we did on Friday, ALL DAY! We cleaned our cold storage and our regular storage room. We went through every box and then bought a larger shelf to put our food storage on. This is what our food storage looks like now! Can I just say that I love organization?

On Wednesday the girls, my mom, and I all went to Disney on Ice. We went last year and really enjoyed it. This year....It sucked! The stories weren't as good and I found myself watching everything around me and not the show. The important part is that the girls enjoyed it and it is always fun to do something without the boys!

I've been Tagged!

2008-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my bff Crystal to write some of my quirks. Some of you already know these and some you probably don't.
1-I have to fall asleep on my stomach. I can't get into a good sleep unless I'm face down with my pillow kind of folded under. When I wake up I am almost always on my side or back. I also can't fall asleep if Eric is touching me. Even if it's just his leg, it drives me crazy! Eric likes to put his leg or arm around me at night and I just have to tell him, no way.
2-I can't live without my planner. I keep it in my purse at all times and write everything in it. When I work, Eric works, appointment's, payday, lessons, overtime, exercise, etc. I also have our budget in there too and look at it almost everyday. I also have to have our checkbook balanced. It's a part of my anal behavior.
3-I have talked with my neighbors at length about this one. I can't have any food on my plate touching each other. I have always been this way and I can't explain it. When I was younger I would even wipe my fork in between different foods. I am getting a little better and now I just lick.
4-I always have to have something to look forward to. I think this is why I love to plan trips. I love having something to get excited about. Sometimes the everyday life gets depressing. Vacations rejuvenate me and love to look forward to them.
5-I love a good bargain. Every week I look at all of the food ads, my coupons, etc and plan out where I need to go. I have been a part of pinching your pennies and I highly recommend it. People post online deals, grocery deals, deals around town, etc. This is where I have found the majority of our Christmas shopping and have stuck to $50/kid. I already have Kylie and Kenadie's costumes for next year. I also buy my kids clothes a year ahead of time. I already have coats for all of my kids that I bought last winter. I think because of this I save a ton of money. One of my main quirks is that I can remember how much I paid for every item. I remember how much I paid for pants that I bought two years ago. I try to get Eric excited about it and tell him how much I saved but he just doesn't get it. Men.
Now It's your turn!

Halloween

2008-11-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

We had a fun time on Halloween this year. I honestly think it is one of the best so far! Tyler was batman, Kylie a pirate, Kenadie Snow White, and Easton a ninja. I dressed up like an old lady with these huge, hanging boobs (not my own might I add) and Eric was Indiana Jones. This was the first year actually taking the kids door to door. It was fun to see them all run from house to house together. We had a ton of kids this year come to our house and we ran out of candy. We had to start taking from our kids own buckets. My kids have been on a sugar high since. When I woke up Saturday morning all of the kids were awake eating candy for breakfast. They decided to let me sleep in so they could eat all the candy they wanted. (eric was doing overtime) Halloween is my favorite holiday and I've already bought plenty of stuff for next year.

Pumpkin Walk

2008-10-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite traditions this time of the year is the pumpkin walk. The kids loved it and I even made them get some fall pics in. I think the pumpkin walk gets better every year. My favorite scene was the hospital. I loved the pumpkin on the operating table with seeds coming out of it and the old lady with the walker throwing up more seeds. I am excited for Halloween and to see all of the kids dressed up.

Doesn't he make the perfect Yoda

cute art

2008-10-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

When my kids bring home art projects from school, I scan them and throw them away! I hate having papers everywhere. Then, I print the pictures and do a scrapbbok layout for the year. Here is some that Kylie has done so far this year: I especially love the halloween ghost!

Not to brag or anything, but I just finished my x-mas shopping for the kids today. I only have two relatives left then I will be done completely! I love being prepared:)

San Diego

2008-10-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

This past week we took a family vacation to San Diego. We left tuesday morning at 3:30 and got into California about 4:30pm. The kids did really well and there was virtually no fighting, crying, etc. Thanks to Grandma Pat for sitting in back and keeping them entertained! I can't even count how many times I heard the words poo, pee, butt, fart, etc. On Wednesday we went to Seaworld and had fun all day seeing all of the animals and a few shows. They even have some rides now, which was a nice change. They had a whole Sesame Street area where young kids can play, bounce, and play in water.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The second day we went to Legoland which was in Carlisbad, about 20 minutes away. None of us had ever been and I was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome! I highly recommend it if you have a few young kids. It had only a couple of rides that Kenadie wasn't tall enough to ride on. Easton was able to go on a good amount and the kids loved it! We really needed two days to do everything but we managed to get in most of it. That night Grandma was nice enough to watch the kids in the hotel room so we could go out to eat by ourselves. We went to Red Lobster and it was wonderful!
The last day we went on a Harbor cruise, saw a model train museum (which Easton loved), went to science museum, and to Eric's Aunt's house for a bbq. We had a nice time visiting and the kids loved running around. The food was awesome and we are so grateful to have awesome relatives.
We came home Saturday but I could of stayed a couple of more days. Tyler asked if we could move there but I reminded him not everyday would be like that. It was a fun vacation and it is making me even more excited for DisneyWorld! We called it our dry run to see how the kids would handle the amusement parks, walking, food, etc. It went well but it is always nice to sleep in your own bed!

Kylie's Dance

2008-10-11T19:41:00.001-07:00

We had a busy couple of days. Friday is our "movie" night tradition. We usually get a movie at the redbox then pop popcorn and just veg on the couch. We watched "Ironman" and I loved it! I don't usually like those type of guy shows but it was really good. Kylie went to a dance camp today at Sky View. It's basically a fundraiser for the Vistauns. They teach the girls a dance, have lunch, and then perform it for the parents. Then, in two weeks, they will perform at half time.It was so cute to see the three year-olds. They had no clue what was going on but it was fun to watch. I couldn't believe how many girls were there! I would guess appr 200. We decided to be brave and attempt a movie again at the theater. If you remember the last time we went to "Indiana Jones" and ended up leaving halfway through. We went and saw "Wall E" and once again it was semi-torture. Easton didn't want to sit any longer after about 30 minutes and the Kenadie wasn't even watching it. Eric ended up taking the two younger ones for a drive the last 30 minutes of the movie. I thought it was really cute but Tyler stated Ironman was better. We got some exciting news yesterday! Eric is moving to the day shift, starting tomorrow! It was kind of out of the blue since it took six months for him to move last time. He will work the same days of the week just 4am-4pm. I think it will be better for him to be home at night and I will be able to work some evenings when Eric is working.

Busy with Kids

2008-10-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tyler was so excited to receive this medal at his football banquet. He even wore it to school yesterday after much pleading.

Kylie started dance yesterday at a ladies house in Smithfield. She does a mixture of jazz, tap, and ballet. Kylie was so excited to get all of her dance gear on. She keeps asking when she can go back. I told her it's only once a week and she said she wants to go everyday.

A little video of Tyler playing basketball. He had four points this past game but did a really good job of passing to other kids. (I hate it when they have one kid that always takes the ball.)

It's Finally Over!!!!!

2008-10-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

Tyler had a basketball game on Tuesday and did pretty well. He scored eight points and I think it comes more naturally to him then some other sports. Either way we are glad he is doing something he enjoys.

Tyler had playoffs yesterday down in Roy. Needless to say, I was not thrilled to go. It was pouring rain and miserable with three little ones. Tyler's team won their first game and then we had to wait an hour until he played again. They played Roy in the semi-finals and when they had played each other during the season Roy killed us. The game was really awesome and close down to the very end. Tyler played the whole game on offense, which he was sooo happy about. He blocked really well and did his part. It came down to overtime and whoever got the most yardage in four plays wins. Sky View got 50 yards and Roy ended up just getting enough on the last play. It was such a good game and we are so proud of Tyler. I am glad that is over with but we still have a banquet tomorrow then we get to turn in all of his stuff.

We decided it was time to get Kylie off of training wheels. We thought it was going to be a big production but before Eric could put his tools away Kylie jumped on the bike and rode off. We both looked at each other in amazement! Who knew it was going to be so easy! Tyler took forever but I think he was just so afraid of getting hurt. Kylie has no fear and it worked to her advantage. We took Kenadie's training wheels off also but she will need a lot of work.

A busy but fun week

2008-10-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

We had a busy week! I went to scrapaway with 12 other women, including my bf Crystal. I got a lot of scrapbooking done, ate wonderful meals, and even took a nap. It was awesome and we had a ton of fun, especially staying up until 3am talking. Kenadie also had her b-day. I can't believe my youngest daughter is four! She got a new baby complete with car seat and diaper bag, magic bottles, a Tinkerbell wallet and purse, a huge coloring pad with crayons, and money from Grandma & Grandpa Swanson. We had a fun day and even ate Kenadie's favorite meal, ramen noodles!

Tyler took this pic of us and I think it turned out pretty good, minus the dumb dog!

Kenadie wanted a pink cake-sorry about the sideways pic.

Kenadie with my mom.

Tyler started basketball last week. He is really enjoying it and has improved a great deal since last year. He had a game yesterday and scored 8 points. We are so proud of him.

Tyler had his final game at Sky View field on Saturday. I was so glad it is finally over then I found out they have playoffs! This Saturday will be the last of it. Tyler wishes he could keep playing but I keep reminding him he has basketball.

Grandma's Funeral

2008-09-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

This past week Eric flew to Phoenix for his Grandma's funeral. It was a quick trip but he was happy to see his family and be able to go to the funeral. I wish that I could go but it was just so expensive and so hard to leave with all that the kids have going on. Here are some pics of Grandpa and the Haskell clan together.

I missed having Eric home but it really wasn't that different without him since he's been working so much lately.(and sleeping) Eric and I worked in the yard almost all Saturday and I finally planted in my boxes in our park strip. The only thing left is an area in the backyard where we are attempting to put in a waterfall. We will see how it goes. Tyler only has one more football game this Saturday! Thank goodness! I won't get much relief since basketball starts this week. I am very glad that it isn't near as competitive. I asked Tyler if he was happy or sad that football is almost over. He replied, "I wish I could play football all year round." Thank goodness it doesn't!
This is my third week of working out at 5am with some neighbor friends. I am surprised at how much I enjoy it and how far I've come in a short time. Last week I had to miss a day due to Eric being gone. By 10 am I was having such anxiety about not working out that I ended up hopping on our treadmill. It definitely isn't the same since I had to get off once to wipe Kenadie's butt, talk on the phone (thanks to Kenadie answering it and bringing it to me) about a patient, and keep yelling at Easton for getting too close to the treadmill. It is just so much easier to get up and work out without any distractions.
I am very excited about this week since I have scrapaway! It will be very crazy until I leave. Tyler has basketball practice, football practice everyday, and a game on Saturday. Kenadie has preschool on Tuesday and Thursday and has the snack bucket, Kylie has Kindergarten everyday and I need to finish buying her dance stuff, the girls and I all have to go to the dentist tomorrow, and I have to work, get a haircut, pedicure, finish getting my photo's uploaded, do laundry, get all my scrapbook stuff together, and pack. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it. Well, off I go!

Having Fun

2008-09-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

We finally celebrated our anniversary this past Friday. It was my turn to plan it so I had my mom come over and watch the kids. Eric just thought we were going on a date but did I have a surprise for him! I blindfolded him and off we went. He kept asking me where we were going and he was getting really nervous. I took him to the golf course so we could go hit balls but they had just closed:( Eric felt bad and told me he thought I was going to take him to get a pedicure! He really does need one though. After that we went to his favorite place to eat, El Toro. We walked on the Logan River Walk, got an ice cream cone, and drove around. Then I blindfolded him again and when I took it off we were at the Anniversary Inn. He was so excited! We stayed in the Swiss Family Robinson room and it was so fun. I think it was my favorite room so far. We loved the huge tub, waterfall shower, and especially the twinkling star lights. We slept with those on all night and you really felt like you were outside. It was the perfect amount of time to get away and a big thanks to my mom.

Afer we got home on Saturday, it was time for another football game. It was down in Clearfield and I'm so glad it was the last away game. It was a good game and the younger kids loved the playground. Sky View won and Tyler had fun which is important. Only two more weeks then it's on to basketball. I tried to kind of talk Tyler out of basketball but he insisted on playing. Thank goodness it's not as competitive.

A side note: My sister directed me to this really cool website on different ways to do your girls hair. Its shedoeshair.blogspot.com. Check it out!

Preschool

2008-09-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Kenadie was so excited for preschool on Tuesday. It was actually her second day but I forgot to take a picture. Bad mom. Anyways, she looked cute and had to pick out a new shirt for school.

Since I was taking Kenadie's pic then all the kids had to get in on it!

After I dropped Kenadie off yesterday, Easton and I decided to do some shopping at Walmart. What an amazing experience! I only had one kid! It has been 5+ years since I've done that and it was so much easier. My sister is having her baby today! She is being induced and hopefully all will go smooth. She is the ultimate birthing machine, 5 kids in 7 years! She always has smooth labors and large babies. (usually 81/2-9 lbs) I'm glad it's her and not me:)

Same Old, Same Old

2008-09-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing really exciting has happened the past week. Just regular life. I have been trying to cut down a little at work and I could really tell a difference this week. I just kept feeling like I didn't have enough time to keep on top of the house cleaning, laundry, paperwork, and try to find time for myself. Now with the two eldest in school and Kenadie in preschool it just seems like I'm always running them around, doing homework, driving to practice, etc. etc. I finally managed to get some of my fall decorations up and I think it looks pretty good-another thing off of my list! Kenadie started preschool at the sports academy on Thursday and I can't believe I forgot my camera! She had a great time and I hope she will not be so shy. Tyler had a football game on Saturday and even though they lost it was a good game. I have a hard time watching it because I can't always find Tyler in the pile of blue jersey's. We tried to get some yard work done with wood chips but it just seems like there is never enough time. So, I have a large pile in my driveway and I'm guessing it will stay there until Eric has another day off. I'm sorry this post is especially boring! One last thing. Yesterday I went to the gym with my awesome neighbor Stacey. I had not exercised in about six months, gross! Stacey and I did treadmill for 30 minutes and weights for another 30. Stacey kicked my butt and she didn't even laugh at me! We are going tomorrow at 5am. Yes that is extremely early but it seems like the only time we can do it. Wish me luck!

First Day of Kindergarten, Rainy Days

2008-09-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kylie was so excited for Kindergarten to start on Thursday. We all walked her to her class and she just went right in, put her backpack up, and talked to her teacher. The next day Kylie said, "I don't want you to take me to my class." I guess she is getting too old for that:) Now I have two kids in school!

When it started to rain yesterday, my kids wanted to go play in it, of course! They had so much fun splashing in the puddles. I was folding laundry, watching from the window, when I looked out and saw my kids barefoot, filling their shoes with water and dumping it on their heads. I let them play for awhile then they all had hot showers and hot chocolate. It was kind of nice for a change but I still love summer.

Happy 11th Anniversary

2008-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 11 year anniversary. I can't believe it! Time goes by so fast. We didn't really do anything exciting other than go out for breakfast. I have a surprise date for Eric planned but it's not until September. It's so funny how different our marriage is now than when we first got married. Some of the things that I could think of are:
I used to just dread when he was gone, now I just want alone time
His "quirks" used to be so cute but now they are just annoying
We have better communication now
We aren't dirt poor and live in a trailer
We drive vehicle's that have ac, power doors, etc
I can actually cook some meals now
I'm more plump and he actually has body/facial hair
I crave cleanliness, especially since having kids
and, I definitely love Eric more now since seeing him as a dad
He is my best friend, my partner, someone who makes me laugh, cry sometimes, someone who "gets" me, my perverted sense of humor, he balances me out and encourages me to do things for myself.

We were in town yesterday and bought Easton a train. When we got home I took out our train set and for about an hour all I heard was, "mom. Train. Mom. Train track. Mom. Choo-choo. Mom. Train." He was so cute and even had to take some into bed with him last night. I love that little boy.

The Worst Mother In the World

2008-08-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering why I put that title to this post. Well, it all began on Monday when I decided to take the kids to Walmart to grab a few things. Kylie was sitting in the cart, Kenadie was walking, Easton was walking and screaming, and Tyler was at home with dad. I was in the baby section looking at some clearance stuff when I noticed that Easton had grabbed a package of pull ups. Kenadie offered to take them back so I told her I would wait for her. After a minute or two I started to wonder where she was and walked around the section looking for her. I tried not to panic but after almost ten minutes I felt like crying. I searched the girls section, boys clothes, shoes and was ready to go up front when my cell phone rang. It was Mitsy(another mom of some kids at our old daycare). She asked me if I was missing a child and said that she was up front at customer service. I told her I would be right there and hurried to the front. After passing about ten people waiting in line, with glares in their eyes, I'm sure thinking what kind of mother loses her child in Walmart, and there was Kenadie. She had a sucker with a scared look in her eye, sitting on the counter. Needless to say, I am not taking my kids shopping with me by myself anymore. Easton is a major handful and I just can't enjoy shopping anyway.

Tyler had his first day of school on Thursday and he was soooo excited. He couldn't go to sleep the night before and was up and ready at least 30 minutes before he had to leave. He likes his new teacher Mrs. Aschroft and I love that she doesn't believe in homework on Fridays! Kylie is super excited to start Kindergarten this coming thursday and get out of preschool. She had her assessment with Mrs. El-Bakri on Friday and did really well. She knows all of the letters, sounds, and can count to 39. She was sitting on her teachers lap by the end of it and can't wait.

Eric had a golf tournament today with some guys from Schreiber's so he wasn't able to come to Tyler's football game. So I had to take four kids all the way down to Clinton by myself. He had to be there an hour early before the game even started. The kids were bored and he probably only played ten minutes on Defense. He did have some tackles and one really good one. They won so he was happy about that and had fun. I just can't get into it and I realized I was sitting there hating every minute of it. By the time the game got over it was 1:30 and none of us had eaten. I had to take all the kids to eat and by the end of it I felt near insanity. I told Eric, next game it's your turn!