Olivia is 2!

Livy had a birthday, shout hooray! We celebrated her birthday a couple weeks ago. She is such a big girl now! I can't believe my baby is 2!

The birthday girl showing off her spoils.

She had a blast! She got lots of presents and lots of attention!

Time for cake!

Caleb is 6!

Caleb's birthday was back in August, but I am just getting around to posting the pictures.

It's great to be 8

Posing for a picture for the baptism

Another shot

Opening presents for his birthday, he got his own scriptures.

Showing off his Boise State jersey

My favorite one, and the one we framed for display at his baptism.

Singing in the rain

We got rain in Midland, finally. So Hannah got to try out her rain coat and boots. She was a happy camper!

Memories

This month marks 2 years since my Dad passed away. I have been having dreams(or nightmares) about it all. The memories have come flooding back and they usually come at a not so great time. I find myself tearing up at the store, in the car(a song triggers it), and it usually is in front of one of my children. They still look at me like I've grown a third arm or something if they see that I'm crying. Hannah was only two, so she doesn't remember him. Olivia wasn't even born yet, but I like to think that Grandpa got to tell her about our family and get to know her. Maybe that is why she is such a good girl. Hopefully my boys have some memories of him, I need to help them remember. I just made a photo book of Grandpa for them, from when he was a baby to an adult. I hope we look at it often and remember the good times. I miss him a lot and I need to be better about teaching my kids about him. It's been 2 years, but my heart still aches. I really feel sad for my Mom, she hasn't had the easiest time with all this. She is still struggling and I wish I knew how to help her. I guess we have to want to be happy, before we can really BE happy. I read a quote somewhere recently and have made it my new motto.

"Now and then we have to pause in our pursuit of happiness, and just BE happy."

I also had a really awesome RS lesson a couple weeks back about choosing happiness. It was a real eye opener. We can make our lives what we want them to be. It is through our decisions and actions that it happens. There was a quote in the lesson that I really liked (I'll probably slaughter it). It went something like this, "It is our reaction to our adversities, not the adversity, that writes our life story." I wrote it down somewhere, but can't find it. I'll have to email the lady who gave the lesson and get an exact quote. I have been suffering from depression lately(off and on) and this lesson really has helped me. I know I need to be happier, and I am trying. I always have to count my blessings, because I have been very blessed. It is usually through our trials that we realize what we have.

School starts.....

The boys started a few weeks back, but I am just getting around to posting the pics. Kylan started 3rd grade, he has Mrs. Parker. So far he is doing really well. Caleb is in 1st grade this year, he has Mrs. Butts and she is amazing! Hannah just started preschool. She is going to Step by step preschool and she has Mrs. Melanie. She told me this morning that she loves her teacher, so it is going great!

Caleb on the first day

Kylan on the first day

Hannah on her first day

Slideshow of our trip

This photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

this is the birthday cake, a giant cupcake

The birthday girl having fun on the swing

modeling her birthday shirt and matching tutu I made for her, it has a 4 and a ladybug(go figure, right?)

This is what she asked for, a ladybug girl doll, she also got a camera, a tangled dress, some books, and a movie

she was grinning the whole time we sang to her

make a wish....

kinda blurry, but maybe Grandma got a good one :)

A little piece of heaven...

Here in Morgan, UT, we are surrounded...

by mountains....

on all sides...

it is really nice compared to home, where it is flat and not green at all :)

Yummy treats

S'more Cups


The campfire is optional--these little treats can be enjoyed anywhere.

Ingredients:

7 whole graham crackers (1 cup/250 mL finely crushed)

1/4 cup (50 mL) powdered sugar

6 tbsp (90 mL) butter, melted

4 bars (1.55 oz or 43 g each) milk chocolate candy, divided

12 large marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs using Baker's Roller®;. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in Small Batter Bowl. Using Small Scoop, place scant scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups with Mini-Tart Shaper. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs using Baker's Roller®;. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in Small Batter Bowl. Using Small Scoop, place scant scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups with Mini-Tart Shaper. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

2. Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using Professional Shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are just slightly softened. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.

3. Break remaining candy bars and place in (1-cup/250 mL) Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40 minutes-1 hour or until set.

Yield: 24 cups

Nutrients per serving: (1 cup) Calories 100, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 60 mg, Fiber 0 g

Cook's Tips: Dipping the Professional Shears in cold water before cutting the marshmallows helps minimize sticking.

The time it takes the chocolate to set varies depending on weather conditions and room temperature. You can refrigerate the cups briefly until the chocolate is set; store them at room temperature.

Store the cups in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Freezing is not recommended.

For a richer chocolate flavor, substitute dark chocolate candy bars for the milk chocolate.

The Fourth of July

Liv didn't know how to hold the flag :)

We love the U.S.A.!

Hooray!

Proud to be Americans!

Sparklers!

Cheese!

Cache Valley Cruisin'!

I took a picture of some of our favorites...

a white mustang, with a blue stripe

a mater-like truck

Bumblebee, zoom in and you can see the Autobots symbol

the delorian

Kit, from Night Rider

some monster trucks

got some Porches for my Dad :)

Herbie :)

We had a lot of fun and the boys really enjoyed it!

Swimming fun...

We got to go swimming at my cousin's community pool.

Livy is ready to dive in!

If you look closely at Caleb, you can see his purple ring around his mouth.  He had a lot of fun with a gatorade bottle, and had a bruise for a few days :0)

Bittersweet memories...

This was the first time I had been to my Dad's grave since he passed away.

It was also the first time to see the headstone.

It was really hard to see, usually being out away from my parents it was easy to forget that he wasn't still here.  Then you see the dates on there and it hits you.  It's still really hard.  When I think about him, I have a huge ache in my heart.  I love and miss you Dad!

Raindrops keep falling on my head

It rained while we were at my Mom's house, Livy couldn't quite figure out what to do with the umbrella.

But she sure was stylin in her new rain boots!

Isn't she so cute? :)