"Married With Children"

Diabetes Walk for Corbin

2012-02-03T20:45:00.002-07:00

August was our annual "Walk to Cure Diabetes" for our Corbin.  It's always nice to meet up with those who are going through what he is and to have the support of everyone!

Choo choo!

2012-01-30T13:38:00.003-07:00

Such the boy.

Christmas

2012-01-30T13:33:00.002-07:00

If only they were still playing with their new stuff....sigh.

Ahem....yes, a Thankgiving post late..

2012-01-23T12:05:00.002-07:00

Better late than never right? This I have to say was our best Thanksgiving ever. We decided to stay home and do our own and everyone loved it! Now to post Christmas..

A Kael Concert...

2012-01-05T19:51:00.002-07:00

Of course it's more fun to play the piano with things on your fingers, why didn't I think of it?

Kael found a "white board"...

2012-01-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a white board just use the fridge...and washable markers!

For fun...

2011-09-13T15:28:00.002-06:00

Corbin and Tayah tried their hand at a little photo-shoot of Jared and I.

A day in the life of a two year old

2011-06-18T17:58:00.000-06:00

Making Amara caress him to sleep

Had to take a bite out of each piece of french bread

Got hit

Snuck up to my bed to eat a nutella sandwhich

Pulling weeds and said, "too hard, ugh"

More Girlz pics!

2011-05-20T09:29:00.000-06:00

While my sister was here she showed me a fun new craft of sautering these cool necklaces! It was fun to learn something new and make them!

Kael was being such a stink while we were taking pics! He kept trying to make an appearance...and there he is.

Girlz Weekend Getaway!

2011-05-17T09:45:00.000-06:00

For the first time EVER I had a getaway with my mom and sister, it was awesome!!! We went shopping and didn't care how much we spent because we know these opportunities don't happen that often! We were able to eat out without kids screaming, and sleep through the night without crying/sick kids in the middle of the night!

When we went shopping Carrie and Mom had the misfortune of trying on some awful clothes so we snapped a pic of the skirts they couldn't zip up! My moment came later without a picture thank goodness! I bent down to pick up some clothes and didn't realize my back side was below the changing room curtain...I don't think I can show myself there again!

Mom sporting her 'Roberts Senior Citizen Card' that we intended to use for our craft day!

My dad and brother's had to come up and visit Carrie before she left so we took some family pics.

Pamper time!

Our fancy new cuts, although the girl styled me like "Tiffany" with massive bigness! My sister said she was spraying me with the hairspray without even looking!

On Carrie's last night here we celebrated with a fancy dinner of grilled cheese sandwich's, Martinelli's to drink and watched "The boy that could fly." Remember that old one? So fun!

2011-05-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

Kael in his 'roo's'

2011-05-17T09:35:00.000-06:00

We're not getting too far with the potty training but he loves to wear his 'roo's!

Tayah's 'new room'!

2011-03-23T14:41:00.000-06:00

I woke up Saturday morning and decided I was going to redo Tayah's room that day. I'm so crazy when I do these things on a whim! Tayah's room was bright pink, cute but I'm done with it. I wanted to tone it down so I went with a soft taupe color and I love how it turned out! It's kind of hard to tell with the pictures but in person it looks so much better.

We decided to take one last picture before we covered it all up. While I was painting Tayah said, "I'm going to miss my pink room." Kind of made me feel bad but really, the room radiated it's own light! She loves how it turned out though. Plus I made her a new quilt and pillow's for her bed. I think I went to bright with those, oh well. I'll make her something else later!

Sledding!

2011-03-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

We finally got a couple good storms to go sledding! The kids had a blast and Kael has no fear!

A weekend visit with my mom!

2011-01-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

My mom came to stay with us a couple weeks ago for the weekend. The kids love it, Kael obsesses over her and takes her everywhere. She has been bringing crafts to do with my girls to try and teach them things they can do independently. My girls tend to fight pretty bad... so we decided that they could spend time by themselves doing something fun on their own. She has taught them how to Crochet and this last time embroidery. She ironed the patterns on to tea towels and they really had fun doing it!

Amara really wanted a purple hat with a flower so mom also made that for her!

Tayah being "alone."

Kael being ever so cuddly!

Amara really wanted to take our picture

Head massage courtesy: Kael (It actually felt really good!)

Christmas Eve Dinner

2011-01-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Tradition in our family is to have a Cheese Fondue Dinner on Christmas Eve! It's one of our favorite meals to have. I was introduced to this meal when Jared and I first started dating. I think this was my initiation into the family, if I didn't like it I think it would have been a problem! We serve it with cut up french bread, celery, carrots, granny smith apples and non-alcoholic sparkling apple drink.

Christmas finally posted

2011-01-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

I figure I'd better get Christmas posted before Valentine's! All the kids reluctantly got to sit on Santa's lap. Amara absolutely refused until later but I can't find that picture!

The anticipation leading up to Christmas this year was a bit much for the kids. On Christmas Eve they kept getting out of bed all night long. By morning Mom and Dad were a "little" grumpy. We finally gave in at 7:00 and let the kids come down the stairs to see the presents that Santa brought. The kids played with their new things and Jared and I went back to lay down!

Jammie Jeans!

2011-01-17T17:12:00.001-07:00

What can I say, I'm so proud to have found a knock-off of those expensive "Jammie Jeans" off of T.V! They don't say that they are Pj's, just "Imitation Jeans." I thought how cool it would be to pretend I got ready early in the morning to take my kids to school and be wearing them! I got two different kinds for only $9.99 at Kim's Fashion's!

Kid pics are hard to do!

2011-01-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

No wonder why I dread taking kid pics! It is so hard to get them all to look at the camera and stay in one spot. They get tired and ask every two seconds if your done yet!

At least I got a few taken, now to try and get one with Jared and I in it! Should be fun....

Corbin's post to pass of a Cub Scout Achievement

2011-01-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last wednesday I had a den meeting it was fun. We got to play nerf guns and shoot each other, it was very cool. I threw my darts it was the funnest thing I ever did. Scouts is very fun because you can pass achievements and learn all about stuff.

A day in the life of Kael!

2010-12-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

This little man brings much joy, energy and exhaust to our lives! A minute doesn't go by without something "fun" happening!

Family Hike

2010-09-14T13:56:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago we went on a hike to a near by Canyon. The kids love going on hikes! One of the highlights as we were going up there was a man hiking while riding his horse. Tayah thought that was so cool, she's somewhat obsessed with horses!

Kind of hard to hike with a 2 year old that want to stop and rub his hands on the path every few seconds- hence, the piggy back ride!

Corbin's Walk for JDRF

2010-08-24T13:13:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who donated this year, we raised $1300 for JDRF! Our Walk for "Corbin's Crew" was this last Saturday at Wheeler Farm, the turn out was huge! They had some of the mascots there and the Jazz Dancers, (sorry no pic, like I want a pic of them!)

Along the route they have pictures of kids with Diabetes posted, we found Corbin's!

Kael was so cute when he saw Corbin's pic!

After the walk we went back to Grandma Marlyse's to eat and hang out, a combination of water and technology toys made the day!

Amara and her painted crown from the walk, our Princess!

Till next year when we try to come up with another incentive for donations to come in. I was thinking I could dye my hair pink or something since Jared shaved his head bald!

Bald is Beautiful!

2010-08-16T16:08:00.001-06:00

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk is coming up and that is the time where we ask for donations for this cause. This year we set a goal of $1000 and told people that IF we met our goal...Jared would shave his head! Well, it happened!

Thank you to all who donated in Corbin's behalf!

The Zoo

2010-07-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

Our yearly Zoo excursion, I don't think I could do the zoo more than once a year! Here's our fun pics of "family time!"

Ensign Peak Hike

2010-07-30T14:26:00.000-06:00

We took the kids up to Ensign Peak a couple weeks ago and they loved it! That's one of those hikes that the kids always get excited to do. Although at the top you have to watch them to make sure they don't climb over the rails and fall off the cliff! Yikes!

Tayah's 8th Birthday!

2010-07-22T07:55:00.000-06:00

You only turn 8 once and in our family that's when you are officially "accountable" and can acquire a much anticipated Nintendo DS! We disguised it in a granola bar box so she wouldn't know! She was very happy to finally get one!

She got her "8" cake in pink and was thrilled! Happy Birthday Tayah!

Corbin's 10th Birthday!

2010-07-22T07:06:00.000-06:00

I'm way behind on many postings so here is Corbin's 10th Birthday. I wasn't able to throw him a Birthday party in April when it was his birthday, but promised him before school got out he'd have a party. Well....the very last day of school we did it! The last couple years he's kind of been shafted on a birthday party with friends but we made it up to him! He had a water party and definitely had a fun time.

Happy 10th Birthday Corbin! We hope you had a great time!

Tayah

2010-07-15T11:36:00.000-06:00

I was cleaning out the van this morning and found this note written on the Doodle Pro:

"Mom, I'm running away. Love Tayah"

She's only 8!!! I can't even imagine her teenage years!

Corbin's accomplishment!

2010-06-15T08:04:00.000-06:00

What an exciting Day! Right before school let out the 4th grade competed in the Math Olympiad. Corbin entered the Speed Stacks Competition and our school got 2nd place! They were so excited!

This is his buddy Bridger

Good job Corbin! You were awesome!

Super Cute Necklace!

2010-06-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd share this super cute necklace I made!

Head band necklaces!

2010-05-20T11:45:00.000-06:00

I did a Boutique a couple weeks ago and one of the ladies was selling these cute head-band necklaces! They are easy to make and way more durable than something you buy in the store. I am tired of spending seven bucks on a necklace from Claire's that breaks the same day!

Girls just wanna have fun! Right?

Mother's Day!

2010-05-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

For Mother's Day we had dinner with Jared's family at his sister Tara's. The kids love it when we get together since we don't do it that often. They ate a few bites of dinner and spent the rest getting in as much play time as possible!

All of us

Jared and I goofing off!

Where's Jared? Look closely...

The guys

I know, I'm awesome!

Me and my SIL's

Amara and her cousin Ammon

Tayah and Alia

Amara and Brooklyn, those two are inseparable!

Tayah's bike accident story

2010-04-27T13:01:00.000-06:00

With the weather warming up the kids are so ready to play outside. But with that are consequences. Last Sunday the 18th we were all outside enjoying the weather. The kids were playing on the driveway and sidewalk riding bikes and scooters. All of a sudden we hear Tayah screaming and run to her. She had fallen off her bike and hit the side of her head on the cement. She was clutching her head and by the sound of her screaming you could tell she was in shock. We got her in the house and on the couch. She continued to scream and cry clutching her head. She kept asking repeatedly, "Why does my head hurt? Is my head split open? Am I going to die? Am I alive? What day is it? I would answer her same questions over and over and she would continue to ask the same ones. She couldn't remember anything of the entire day! She didn't even remember riding her bike. I did that for an hour and a half until she fell asleep. During that time I had been on the phone with a friend who is a nurse trying to decide what to do. She said that memory loss is sign of a concussion. She said to watch her and it was ok to let her sleep for no more than 2 hours. She woke up an hour and a half later crying again, asking the same questions and nauseated. I called my friend back and she said to take her to the Hospital. I took her and they did a CT Scan and found that she had a fractured skull and a epidural hematoma on her brain. They then called Life Flight to come and fly her to Primary Children's Medical Center. When they said they would have to do that I thought it must be bad. I couldn't believe it. I had to watch them take her away and follow the little red light in the sky to meet her there. We called family and they met us there. They did another CT Scan and said they needed to admit her to the Intensive Care Unit. I stayed and slept by her. They checked on her all night and she felt worse the next morning. Her nausea was bad, and the Neurosurgeon thought at first they would have to do surgery. By afternoon the nausea started to subside and they were able to move her to the floor. We stayed another night for more observation. The Neurosurgeon came in and thought she was doing well enough to go home but to watch for symptoms of it getting worse. No physical activity for two months, which is completely frustrating her. We kept her out of school this whole last week and started her again yesterday. She only made it half day, she started to get frustrated with the noise in the class.

Tayah's new gifts with their own injuries!

She had her own menu to order what ever she wanted to eat!

Spent her time coloring books our sweet visitors gave her.

Her sweet teacher from school.

Tayah and Mom!

I am so grateful for everyone that jumped in to help our family. The support has been unbelievable! We a truly blessed with good family, friends, and a wonderful ward. My only advise to everyone now is to put a helmet on your child even if your just in your driveway piddling around. I always put them on our kids for "Bike Rides" but thought nothing of it with what we were doing.

Tayah's Baptism!

2010-03-31T12:56:00.000-06:00

Tayah was Baptized Saturday March 27th. She was so excited for this day. Having the dress, her hair done, and all the fixings made it so fun for her! These are some of the pics of the day, thanks to my sweet friend Hilary for being willing to take these for us!

We're proud of Tayah and her decision to be Baptized, we hope she'll remember how much we all love her and hope she will remember how great of a day it was.

The Pathology Report

2010-03-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

I hate to talk about myself but figure I need to brag a little bit...not. For a little over a month I felt like my stomach looked different to me. Like getting bigger...I took a "test" and it was negative which it should of been. A couple weeks ago started to feel some pain on the left side of my abdomen which was familiar to me....it was 19 years ago I had that pain and found out I had an ovarian cyst 5 lbs. 4oz. Needless to say it was removed and was determined it was a Dermoid. Which means it had hair and teeth in it and could be cancerous. I've had cysts over the years but was able to take "pills" to shrink them down. When I went in two weeks ago we did an ultra sound and I could see it immediately. My first question was, "How big is it?" The Doctor said it was the size of a tangerine and that it had a solid mass growing in it that concerned him. He said we didn't want to wait on this one and we needed to schedule surgery ASAP. We did that last Wednesday, and it sucked! I hate surgery! I was in so much pain when I woke up and the nausea was horrible. I couldn't even take a pain pill till the next day since I couldn't keep anything down. I'm sore and I look like I'm 5 months preggo. Tayah even came up to me asking if I had a baby in my tummy...nice. Oh well.

I got the call today from the Doctor on the Pathology Report. He said he had "good" news for me and that it wasn't cancerous! I was actually already planning my funeral in my head. They ended up taking out my whole left ovary and the cyst. He said it was two cysts in one. At least it's over with and I can look forward to hopefully not going through that again. Another thought, I don't recommend Davis Hospital.

Amara's view of me...

2010-02-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

I was really sick with the Stomach flu last week, Amara made the comment, "Well, since you're sick mom that means we need to get another maid!"

I'm glad I'm of value to my family!

He got a word in

2010-02-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I went grocery shopping the other day, as I was checking out the cashier said, "Did you find everything alright?" I didn't have a chance to respond before Kael chirped in and clearly said, "Yeah." The cashier and everyone in ear shot started giggling. Such a big boy being my helper! It looked funny coming from a baby in a carrier since I'm lazy and still keep him in it!

Here he is proudly standing on my bread machine as he's dumped out the entire pantry! This is a daily task for him, so much fun to clean up!

Grandma's here!!!

2010-01-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma's here!!!! Finally, she moved to Alaska five years ago which I must admit I wasn't happy about one bit! She had lived in Colorado on a ranch I grew up visiting and when I heard they were going to sell it and move to AK I feel like I lost my childhood with it. I haven't seen her since she moved since it's a bit out of the way! At least before it was a nine hour drive, no biggy. So now I'm glad she's here so we can go visit anytime we want! Yeah!!!

All of us

Mom and Grandma

My Aunt and Uncle with Mom and Grandma

Just admit it, it's awesome!

2010-01-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

I actually never thought I would buy a Snuggie until..... I saw this BYU one. I had to get it for Jared's Birthday! I'm sure he never saw it coming, can you read into his excitement? Actually he thought it was pretty cool! He went and bought one for my B-day and the kids for Christmas.

How handy to have your arms free to hold a remote! LOL!

Tradition

2010-01-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

In our family we have a Fondue dinner on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition adapted from my husbands side of the family, and the kids love it! They feel so important with their "wine" glasses!

Thanksgiving

2010-01-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is past but I still wanted to post it. Amara was my brave one in helping me with the turkey. The other kids took one look at it and said," That's turkey? I'm not eating that, gross!" I made them watch as I pulled out the "goodies" from inside. Needless to say, they left in a hurry! But Amara didn't seem bothered at all by it, she rubbed and patted the turkey with the seasonings and thought it was just great!

Our tradition after Thanksgiving dinner is to decorate for Christmas, the kids are so excited to do that and I just let them decorate the tree like they want to. I used to have glass ornaments on the tree and would stress about them touching it. I learned to just buy unbreakable decorations and let the kids have a good time with it. I want them to have fond memories of Christmas and not memories of a mom that said, "don't touch!"

The Mommy Hook!

2010-01-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

My sweet SIL is always sending me things and this is the latest, The Mommy Hook! I'm so excited to use it, I'm going to make a special trip to the mall so I can try it out!

It's massive!

OH MY HELL!

2009-12-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

There are some things you think your children will never ask or do. Sometimes they ask questions like Tayah did they other day. She was practicing the song Silent Night and asked, "Mom, what's a virgin?" I had to take a minute to think about it, my husband was of course very interested to hear my response. I told her," It's a mom that hasn't had a baby yet." I thought I did well with that one.

Now I have a bedtime story to share. We're getting the kids ready for bed. Kael comes to me and wants me to pick him up. I picked him up and naturally I kiss my babies whenever I pick them up. But when I picked him up his breath STUNK! I mean like BAD. So I admit I put him down and thought how strange. I continued to round up the kids for family prayer in the girls room. We were all kneeling down and we notice a "raisin" on the floor. Jared picks it up and smells it and it is not a raisin....it is poop!!! It was very MOIST! And then it dawns on me why Kael's breath stunk so bad! OH MY HELL! He put it in his mouth and apparently spit it out. GROOOOSSS! My first reaction was gag, dry-heave, and running to the computer and googling how to disinfect your mouth! I have NEVER had a child have any sort of a "poop" accident! So the younger child who had a "minor" incident shall remain nameless. For some reason they were preoccupied by their new McDonald's toy and couldn't put it down for 2 minutes!

Halloween a bit late...

2009-12-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween!

We started off Halloween with our Jack o' lantern Pizza!

The girls digging through their "stinky" pumpkins!

Corbin oblivious to the camera, that's a boy for ya!

Corbin's

Tayah & Amara's

Corbin as a masked Phantom....

Tayah the Witch

Amara the Fairy Princess

All of them together! Kael sported his Buzz Light Year P.J.'s

School Parade pics, Amara joined in Corbin's class line to walk through too!

Corbin's Diabetes 1 year Anniversary

2009-12-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last November Corbin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It's been a rough year trying to learn and live with it. I can still remember like it was yesterday and how our lives fell apart so suddenly. Never thought I would see one of my children having to suffer with something on a daily basis. Things have improved, but there is still frustration with understanding how to control his blood sugar. We started out giving him 6-8 shots a day, which equals about 1,800 for 10 months until we got him on a pump.

Here is 10 months worth of shots.

His pump arrived in September

Pricey little gadget, only $6,600! He'll never get a car!

Sporting his electronics!

Jared took Corbin and his friend C.J. to a BYU foot ball game to "celebrate"

They had a great time, blew a bunch of cash on junk-food. Perfect for a diabetic, when he got home we checked him and he was 518! Oh what fun....

I want Corbin to know how much we love him and are proud of how he has dealt with all of this. He's been a great example of long suffering, we admire and hope that he will continue to have patience with this. We hope and pray for a cure one day so he can feel "normal" again.

A year and a half of some updates I neglected...

2009-12-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

It's been 11 years! We went back to where it started for some family pics. I'm amazed at how much has happened in the 11 years we've been married. It's a dream come true, 4 wonderful kids, a house that needs cleaning everyday, demanding Church callings, a diabetic son, a busy baby that doesn't stop to even sleep, a husband that loves sports, That's our life!

Our newest family picture, these are not easy to do!

We love 'em all!

Jared & I re-inacting our engagement on the bridge in Memory Grove.

The super kids at their best!

We had Dakota visit us while he was off track so we thought having smore's would be fun since he'd NEVER had one! Needless to say, HE LOVED IT!

Where's my marshmallow?

Baby face!:)

So proud of himself!

We went to Jared's sister's house and we were able to take a couple snap shots of the family.

Christmas 2008!

My brother Brandon teaching Amara how to knit, I didn't know he was so talented!

Twister time! This was such a random activity I didn't think I would be in a picture! So close your eyes to the P.J.'s and pony-tail!

Every time my kids go to bed they all have aches, pains and some sort of complaint. So every one of them have a kleenex box for crying, nosebleeds, allergies etc. A "puke" bucket, there's always someone saying they think they're going to throw-up! And they need to have a wet wash cloth, for some reason that heals all sorts of ailments! You can see in Tayah's bed she has racked up the most for the wash-cloth prize!

Santa 2008 at Jared's work

Me and Jared

Our 10 year Anniversary already?

The kids thought it would be fun to make a cake with a "10" on it.

Our tradition of having a cheese fondue, the kids love it!

Hello?

Being stationary is drawing to a close!

Yep, he can roll around now!

Ahh, sweet boy.

Tayah's 7th Birthday!

Hair flowers in goblets

Can't do without pink cupcakes with rings in them!

It's a girl party! They were all darling and Tayah had a great party!

Corbin's 9th Birthday!

When he got into bed that night I had cut up a bunch of little papers with "9's" on them!

Darling! Jared's sister Tracee sent the kids sports shirts.

The kiddos!

Me and Kael

Tayah and Kael

New pic

2009-11-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's what they look like on...I'm not the best model!

My cute little man!

My weekend crafts

2009-11-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

I made a bunch of fabric hair flowers with cute buttons.

The pictures don't do justice, they're better up close and on!

I made my kids rice bags for Christmas since they always steal mine! Thanks Janai for the "original!"

Fall leaves!

2009-11-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Big Hug!

Kael giving Tayah a kiss!

Here we go!

This is one of my favorite seasons, I love the leaves in the fall! The kids get so much joy in jumping in the leaf piles it makes me want to do it too!

Don't feed the ducks!

2009-10-27T12:11:00.000-06:00

For FHE last night we took the kids to Beus Park. It has a pond with ducks and geese.....I didn't get pictures of the geese because we had to hurry away from them. They were so aggressive! We learned our lesson, don't feed the ducks! My family raised them when I was young. The ducks were fine but geese... are a whole other issue. They're horrid! Other than the geese issue, the park is very nice! There is a trail that goes all the way around the pond with lots of places to take pictures. Our camera was acting funky so these are not very good but the kids had fun.

Kael's first Birthday!

2009-10-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to our big boy Kael! I can't believe he's one! My last little bundle of joy is getting big fast. When we sang Happy Birthday to him he clapped along with the rest of us. We had a little family party for him on Friday and then another with Grandparents the next night. I made an actual cake so no, he didn't get jipped! He is the first one of all the kids that actually tore into the cupcake without any hesitation! He loved it! I think he had a stomach ache that night though. He didn't sleep too great.

He couldn't eat it fast enough!

His five 0'clock shadow!

The wrapper is just as inticing as the cake!

I made him a Halloween cake with Tombstone sprinkles, much cuter in person!

Make a wish...

Grandma and Grandpa Fowler

Corbin and Dakota

Amara's expression is so funny!

Mom and Kael

You always need a bouncy ball!

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you!

That boy...

2009-10-14T22:16:00.000-06:00

Kael is seriously a crack-up every single day! It was cute, I was walking down the stairs today and he looked up at me and said "Mommy." To realize he actually knows who I am now. Something you always love to hear coming from such a little thing!

I cleaned out the pantry today with his help of course. It took way longer than it should of! Each nice new organized area turned into a new play area for him. I turn around at one point and Amara says," Mom, Kael has all our puppets!" He took all of our lunch bags which we mostly use for puppets, and spread them all over the floor! And if I try and straighten the table chairs...he's taking one and pushing it across the room to the other side.

Amara had a cup of milk that I think got knocked from her hands by him. It seriously took him one second of looking at that milk on the floor and he was swimming in it! He belly flopped on top of it and his arms and hands were doing large strokes over the milk! He was loving it!

When I put him to bed tonight I heard him still messing around. I went up to check and as I walked in the room was lit up bright! He had touched my "touch" lamp to the highest setting and had no intention of going to sleep, little stinker!

Oh well, I really can't complain. He's so cute the messes are worth cleaning up after!

2009-10-13T21:01:00.001-06:00

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Conference Weekend

2009-10-12T11:14:00.000-06:00

Conference Weekend started out wonderful! The kids had their Bingo's and it was very enjoyable just sitting together as a family.

Kael enjoying President Monson's talk

Tayah and Corbin sitting so nicely...

Kael with his Conference Bingo and Smarties

Happy for now..

2009-10-12T11:02:00.000-06:00

Totally goofing off

Whatever...

Dad blowing a Ping-Pong ball in the air

Amara had it! Enough is enough!

Cute pics!

2009-10-09T15:22:00.000-06:00

Kael is so drawn to those drums! Whenever someone starts to play guitar Hero he's definitely not going to miss out on being a part of it!

Little drummer boy

Just the four of them

Smile baby!

Doing the big No, No...

This kid....

2009-10-05T13:36:00.000-06:00

This is the little guy that keeps me running all day! I was cleaning up after him in the front room and heard him banging things in the kitchen.....those tamper resistant powdered drinks aren't immune to an 11 month old!

GUILTY!!!

Yummy, yummy!

Oh man, a bath?

The lid drawer

The daily kitchen mess!

First day of School! (2 weeks late!)

2009-09-10T11:35:00.000-06:00

Hip Hip Hooray, the kids are back in school! They were soooo excited to go back and I have to admit I shared in that excitement. Sometimes the summer can seem longer than it really is! Here they all are including Amara, she thought she was going too! There was some disappointment when I told her WE were dropping the others off.

It's funny how they all tilted their heads on this one!

Our stud Corbin!

Tayah and Amara all smiles!

Our First Walk

2009-09-01T12:23:00.000-06:00

This year was our first "Walk to cure Diabetes." This walk was at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake. I couldn't believe how many people were there and how BIG this really is. During the walk there were posters of children with their pictures and diagnosis date. It is so sad to see so many little ones with this, but at the same time we know we're not alone living with it. I am grateful for the technology we have today, and pray for a cure in my son's lifetime. Thank you to everyone who donated or walked for Corbin.

Corbin

Corbin and Grandpa Woody

Kael....

Nothing like a nap sitting up!

Our Family, we made it!

Walk to Cure Diabetes

2009-08-17T22:23:00.000-06:00

As a parent of a diabetic I'm writing to you to ask for your support in a very special cause. Last November Corbin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since then he has had to check his blood sugar levels thro...ughout the day, count carbs, and multiple insulin shots each day.

Please visit the link below...

http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=87375811

Amara's 4!

2009-08-10T10:40:00.000-06:00

I can't believe our Amara is 4! She is so sweet and has such a fun personality. It's so fun to watch her grow and learn. For her Birthday we did it at Grandma Marlyse's house. It was last minute but one of the best day's ever. She was so excited to have a pink cake. That was a must have!

She took a bite of the cake and I wasn't sure if she liked it or not!

Present time!

She was soooo excited to open her gifts! It was so much fun to watch her face with excited anticipation!

Happy Birthday big girl!

A funny comment or two.

2009-07-21T12:48:00.000-06:00

I love random comments from kids! After Amara finished her breakfast the other day she picked up her bowl and put it in the sink. She then said, " Jesus told us to put our bowls away."

This isn't very nice but it's funny anyways, Jared was getting after Tayah to get ready for bed. It takes like twelve times of asking for her to hear it once. After asking several times he then said, " Are you retarded or something?" She looked at him and replied, "yes, I'm super tired!" Ha, Ha, we laughed over that one.

Corbin's Crew

2009-07-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Corbin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last November. We are putting together a team, "Corbin's Crew" for the Walk to Cure Diabetes. If you're interested in participating and joining us in the walk please let me know. Any donations for this great cause would be greatly appreciated. Check out the link below...

http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmID=87375811

New Fort

2009-05-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

The kids have a new fort! I knew they were outside the other day but it got quiet after a bit. Usually when it's quiet...there's trouble! I went out to check and I couldn't see them. Then there they were, hidden in the jungle of unmowed grass under the tramp!

Creative minds! At least they're doing something! By the way, the rest of the yard is mowed! So no one call the city please!

Random baby pics

2009-04-28T12:44:00.000-06:00

Kael in awe as he has discovered toesies!

A little sassy...?
Peek-a-boo!

Kael motivated by "Biggest Loser." Actually, it's just drool!

Just plain cute!

Yea! A family pic finally!

2009-04-13T09:31:00.000-06:00

We have an "Artist!"

2009-03-31T14:15:00.000-06:00

That's right! Our Tayah came home from school one day with this Masterpiece. She told me she knew right where to put it. As she walked proudly into the house, she proceeded to the front room. She then said,"I want it right there on the "Blue Wall." So, since I have nothing on the walls yet, that's where it went!

Donations will be accepted for those wishing to view the "Artist's" work!

It's not what you think, really!

2009-03-25T12:47:00.000-06:00

So a couple weeks ago Amara was coming down the stairs yelling for me because she got a paper cut on her finger. So this how she showed me where her "owee" was. The camera was close so I snatched it up! So I promise I'm not teaching my children obscene hand gestures!

She kinda looks like the guy from KISS with this pic!

Make the last one count

2009-03-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm just eating it up right now! Since Cael's our last one I can't seem to get enough of him. I love how when I walk in the room he spits out of excitement because he sees me. I love how when I walk out of the room he cries because I've left him for just one second. Because seriously, I just left him to throw a diaper six feet away! I can never replay this time as much as I wish I could. His soft little face that tears into mine when he's hungry. His fat, obese legs that I love to squish in my hands. His cry that I only I can fix. The sweet nature of just hearing him play, his squeals of delight at random moments. The expression in his eyes when he sees me, he REALLY KNOWS I'm mom.

My ode to being a mother.

It's amazing to just be in his world, it makes all the stesses that I have on a daily basis just evaporate. How blessed I have been to have the children I have. I really wouldn't have it any other way. That through this last one I can remember how it was with the others since they've grown up so fast.

Cael's Baby Blessing

2009-02-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know, I'm behind in trying to post things! But here's our cute Cael (Kael, we still plan on changing the spelling!) in his boxing pose. Gotta love it!

Grandpa Woody, Corbin, Dad & Cael.

The kids squishing him!

Cheese!

The Fam! Am I really that fat?! I swear I'm a size 5 right now!

Voila!

It's funny how they say it.

2009-02-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

The more I hear my kids talk the more I realize they can't! Corbin made a grocery list for himself and on it was streen cheese. And that's how he says it. So I spelled it out for him and said it the right way and he had an aha moment. Another one of his notes I found was an apology on paper, it said something to the effect that they always scroo around. Another correction. Then there are the anger words, really not that bad but sound funny when they're said. Dane it, crub for crap. The girls on the other hand seriously can't talk. They sound like they're from New Jersey. Tayah's favorite meal is busgetti. They wewey wike wainbows, and love to be Pwetty Pwincess's. They enjoy going to whybary's, or libarys. I'm also reminded that I "never wisten to them." Pretty much, I can't understand them!

Then they get things mixed up. Yesterday Amara told me she needed contacts for her teeth. She got mad when I told her it's floss she needs for her teeth not contacts. Tayah was teaching Amara "school" yesterday and showed me what it was. She wrote this on the white board, " Amara can LRN." And yes she will, the wrong way! About a week ago at dinner we were teaching counting to the kids in Spanish, French, and Romainian. They pronounced those numbers much better than the English ones!

Amara

2009-01-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder if you're actually teaching your kids anything? It seems like every day is a fight to just get the kids to do one thing and then this happens. I walked in the girls room a couple weeks ago and heard the cutest thing. "Ok brown horse, it's your turn to bare your testimony. Now say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." and the horse said, "Amen." How sweet is that? Our new little "Sunbeam" is teaching her toys! Love it! I guess we are good parents sometimes!

My Little Man

2009-01-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

I don't' know how to explain it but it's the best feeling in the world to have that little baby right up to you! We are having so much fun having another little one! I'm not saying that it's all fun, sleep deprivation is at the top of my "dislike" list right now but the "likes" definitely out weigh the "dislikes" by far. If I could make one wish, it would be to slow down the baby's first year.

Our Corbin

2009-01-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is the reason for not being able to blog for a while. Corbin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on November 17th. It was something that I never thought one of my kids would ever have to go through. Emotions were close to the surface and I think it took three weeks for me to stop crying about it. This is his story so hopefully it could help someone else out there that wouldn't otherwise have a clue to the symptoms of Diabetes. Corbin for a few months now had been eating quite a bit. If I made tacos he would have 6-8 out eating Jared. I shook it off as a growth spurt and that was it. But then one week he came home from school saying he had to use the restroom at the school which he NEVER does. He hates public restrooms. So I let it go thinking nothing of it. Then that week when he was getting ready for school he kept running back to the bathroom right after he'd already gone. He just said he had to go again. But it was constant. Then he started waking up in the middle of the night saying he'd wet the bed! He's never done that ever! I thought I can't take it anymore. I was sure he had a UTI, so I made an apt. with the doctor. I took him in and just told the doctor that I needed him to do a urine test to check for an infection. Of course Mom's know all right? So after the test came back the doctor looked worried and said I need to do another test. He came in with a kit of some sort and pricked his finger to check his blood sugar. And there it was, his count was at 340. The doctor then did another blood draw and told me that Corbin had diabetes! He asked me if Corbin had been sick and I said no. I was in complete shock. He said I needed to go straight up to Primary Children's Medical Center. So I called Jared totally upset and headed up there with Corbin. A thank you to all of my friends that dropped what they were doing that day to take care of my girls for the time we were at the hospital. While at the hospital we all had to be educated in the disease and were completely overwhelmed with the information. I never read a food label in my life until now. I can't believe how much it changes things. Some days are good others are not. Corbin has been really tough about the whole thing I'm so proud of him.

Corbin and Cael.

Sweet get well cards from friends.

Corbin's teacher Mrs. Rees came to visit him.

For my TWILIGHT friends!

2008-12-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already seen this but if you haven't here it is! I'm a Twilight freak just like everyone else and had to share. So first a thank you to my friend Ashley for sharing this with me because it is her sister that is in the video! She was also in Napoleon Dynamite as Trisha, the girl Napoleon took to the dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0fVb0SA0qs

Drum roll please.....

2008-11-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

So I know it's been forever but I think we're naming our baby Cael. Except the other day Jared said he wants to change it from Cael to Kael. He said since his middle name is Charles his initials would be "C.C" and it sounds like "sissy" to him. So then we get to go through the hassle of filling out paperwork to fix it. I think we'll wait till after he's blessed just in case Jared decides to name him something totally different!

Ok, it's between these two

2008-10-30T13:41:00.000-06:00

We're still having a hard time but we've narrowed it down to either Rhett or Cael. One problem with Rhett is that both my girls can't say their "R's." So it comes out "Wet!"

Um..no

2008-10-28T11:49:00.000-06:00

Yeah, everyone is asking so this is the name update. Not yet. The hospital is putting pressure on us to have a name by Wednesday. So...we'll see. What a tough kid!

Any Suggestions?

2008-10-24T13:03:00.000-06:00

Ok, we are now opening up the name search to our friends! We still cannot come up with anything for our little guy. If anyone has any "great" names out there would you please share?

Hip Hip Horray!!!

2008-10-23T11:24:00.000-06:00

That's right! We had our baby! He was born on October 16th at 1:30 in the afternoon. We still have no name for him yet, by far our hardest to come up with. He was 7lbs. 10oz. and 21 inches long. He was also our biggest baby. The kids are just loving him to pieces! He'll never lack any attention!

My labor story: So we went in at eight in the morning to be induced. I wasn't feeling well and was anticipating my epidural. As the pain was getting worse the nurse informed me that they bumped me again off the list! I was not happy about it. So finally at 1:00 they get me it. And within 15 minutes it's worn off! So they dosed me again, and the baby came 5 minutes later! So...I really feel like I had this kid natural, not my plan.

All in all, we are glad it's done and happy to have another little one around!

Oh What Fun!

2008-10-13T09:05:00.000-06:00

What's more exciting than to wake up and see several inches of unexpected snow!? The kids were so excited they thought church would surely be canceled! Imagine the looks on their faces when they were told they would have to wait till after church to play in it! So first thing, we get home we start going through the garage bins to find our winter snow clothes.

The kids had a blast building their snowman, then they made a ramp to sled down the yard. Since our yard is slanted it works perfect!

I would call myself "Mom of the Day" by this point! After fun in the snow we made our "Spooky Halloween Cookies."

Hmm.. which cookie cutter to pick?

And the best part of all, the frosting! No wonder we have dental issues!

Princess Tayah proud of her work.

What a priceless bite! The frosting was on so thick it was dripping off the cookie!

What a fun filled day, the kids will sleep great tonight!

Rock On!

2008-10-08T09:29:00.000-06:00

Presenting the Family Room Rock Band! One of our kids most favorite things to do is for Jared to put on super loud deafening music. Once the kids hear music, they turn into super rockers!

Is it any surprise that Tayah is the lead singer?

Painting Update....

2008-10-06T21:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, as of tonight I can't post any photos because I screwed up!!! I guess you need a primer for RED! So after doing what I thought was three awesome coats, you can still see paint lines!!! So guess what I'm doing tomorrow? If I can even move, talk about being sore!

I'm Painting!

2008-10-06T13:51:00.001-06:00

Yes, I'm painting my family room today! Why do I do these things when one I probably shouldn't be and two, I really don't feel like it!? Oh well, at least it will be done before the baby is here right? If I left it for "someone else" to do, it most likely would never happen, lol! If it works out I'll take a picture of it, I hope it turns out!

An Amara Moment

2008-10-02T12:59:00.000-06:00

Amara always has a way out of things, her little mind seems to have a solution to everything. She got kind of bored today and dumped out the crayon bucket. I asked her to pick them up and of course she said "no." I said, "Mommy has a big baby in the tummy, I can't bend over and do it." She said, "I can't do it either....Dad doesn't have a baby in his tummy, him can do it when he's done with work!"

I am "Sick" of it!

2008-09-29T09:42:00.000-06:00

I'm so sick of being pregnant! It's never ending right now, I know I sound like an old woman but seriously, my joints and feet hurt so bad I can barely walk! And I keep swelling, is it weird that even my tongue is swollen? There are teeth marks actually imprinted in it! I really miss my cute clothes and looking nice everyday. I know that sounds vain but I've suffered long enough looking frumpy and just feeling lousy all the time! There will be a maternity clothes and T-shirt burning party scheduled in the near future!

Road Trip!

2008-09-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

We made it! The road trip to Oregon was definetly a lot of work but we knew it would be that way. Just wasn't planning on being 9 months prego doing it. I just have to say that without technology the way it is now, it would have been impossible! So I'll just take this moment to thank the people that invented air conditioning, junk food, nintendo and the DVD player! I hate to admit it but we did end up purchasing 12 happy meals to keep the kids happy with new toys as well!

We stayed at a really nice beach house on the coast. The weather for the first few days was really foggy but it then cleared up and we could actually see the beach! The kids loved running in the water and building their sand castles. I for the most part had to play a beached whale! They got to ride the dune buggy, hike, and have a blast.

If I could do it over again, I wouldn't be 9 months along riding in the car for 17 hours! That was kind of rough, especially on the way home. We went through some gorge between Baker City and Boise that was really long and the elevation was absolutely killing me! I felt like I was in complete labor, the pain was soooo bad and I was just waiting for my water to break! I really didn't want to have the baby in the car. We finally made it out of the gorge and the contractions started to cease.

So I can breath a little better now that I'm home and close to a hospital where the luxury of drugs is readily available to me!

The Event we've all waited for...Tracee and Chris!!!

2008-09-23T11:40:00.000-06:00

This is the event we've all waited for! Congratulations Tracee and Chris! The wedding went very well, we were worried about the weather at first but our faith prevailed! They got married at Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast and we all had a great time. The kids sang a song they had been practicing all week for them. We were glad that the kids made it through the real thing without knocking each other down since the practices were full of drama! So with a bribe promised, it worked out!

These kids ripped up the dance floor, it was like "Saturday Night Fever!"

We went to an Aquarium while at the coast. They had these large tunnels you could walk through and the fish would swim over. The kids loved it!

The kids were also asked to participate in a research study,they had to wear microphones and were video taped while they played in the tide pools. They got a prize after, that's the only reason they did it!

This place is beautiful! It's so secluded and quiet. It's amazing how perfect the temple grounds are, nothing out of place.

Cape Perpetua, a little scary but what a view!

A stop at the falls for a little hike

Jared amazingly found time for golf too!

Corbin having fun
Jared and his Dad

Their first Dune buggy ride and they loved it!

Everyone that got to ride

Corbin loving the beach sandbox!

Grandma playing in the sand with the kids

Grandma Marlyse flying a kite

They don't even feel the cold water!

Jared and Amara running up and down the water

The only way I can enjoy the Hot Tub, feet only!

What did she say?

2008-09-12T09:13:00.000-06:00

Last night we were doing some cleaning and I think Jared told Amara to do something but I didn't hear what it was. In response she said,"Maybe my dad is stupid!" We looked at each other and were like what did she say? Where she got that, who knows! What a stinker she is!

A Day in the Life....

2008-09-08T17:01:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my good friend Janai tagged me! This is my first and it's proof that I'm not perfect! So the rules are you have to take 10 pictures of the following things and you have to do it right away. No cleaning, fixing yourself or the kids, etc. These are pictures of right now! Look at the bottom of the post to see who's tagged next.

Closet: I picked the cleanest one!

Shoes: It's a funny thing to have a shoe basket for shoes and where do they end up?

Me: I hate pictures of myself especially when I'm pregnant!

Fridge: I had actually just cleaned it out, phew!!!

Laundry Room: And lucky again on this one, I cleaned it this last Friday!

The Kids: They were sitting at the table laughing at Tayah because she was throwing a tantrum! If you look closely at Amara she's actually making a naughty sign! And if you're wondering, we don't teach our children that stuff!

Tayah's tantrum

The Bathroom: this is as close a look you're going to get!

Favorite Room: only because it usually is the most presentable room most of the time!

The sink: pretty good, and it's only about noon!

Dream Vacation: Still a dream!

I tag Cami and Candace!

The Mall

2008-09-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

Can I just say I know why I never go to the Mall! Today I decided to go look for shoes for my girls. Jared's sister is getting Married in a week so yes, I have a week to find shoes that go with their dresses. Tracee I hope you're not reading this! Number one, it is a huge effort for me to do anything extra right now because I just don't feel good. So anyways, I'm walking store to store with my youngest and some guy comes up to me from one of those hidden kiosks and asks me, "Can I ask you a question?" I already had my foot tapping and grudgingly said "yes." And then I can't understand what in the heck the guy is asking me. He's obviously foreign, and I kept telling him, "I don't understand what you're saying." and then he grabs my hand and that's when I lost it. In my pregnant and hormonal state said, "I am pregnant and don't have time for this!" And I walked away mad at the beginning of my shopping day. AHHG! The next time I go to the mall I'm wearing a "No Soliciting" sign!

Baby got "Bling"

2008-09-07T16:32:00.000-06:00

My baby got "Bling!" I had to take Amara into the Dentist Saturday to be put out and have some work done. Poor girl, she didn't like it too much and they had to work fast because she was fighting the sedation. So the rest of the day we catered to her every need giving her what she wanted to eat, and making sure she didn't fall down the stairs! She kept wanting to do things and made funny comments when she wasn't all "there."

What a trooper!

She finally gets it!

2008-09-04T10:06:00.000-06:00

We were driving the other day to Salt Lake. As we got to the Woods Cross area we hear Tayah shriek from the back, "That's how clouds are made! I get it now!" So mystery solved, those Smoke Stacks really do serve a purpose!

2008-09-04T09:59:00.000-06:00

So now you know!

Camping!

2008-09-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

Jared, Corbin, and Amara around the "smokey" fire. It was burning our eyes so bad, Amara came up to me with her eyes closed and said she needed glasses!

2008-09-04T09:42:00.000-06:00

Jared, Grandpa, Tiffanee, and Tayah.

Labor Day Weekend, not without meaning!

2008-09-04T09:27:00.000-06:00

Our summer was no fun according to Jared so he planned a camping trip this last weekend. It is seriously so much work with kids! I thought I would go into labor just taking them back and forth to the "prestine" bathrooms! Ugh! At least Jared got his hike in up to Cathrine's Pass with the two oldest. Corbin decided to turn back when Jared and Tayah wanted to go to the "very top." So kudos to Tayah to keep going up rough terrain!

Mmmm Cookies!

2008-08-29T09:26:00.000-06:00

This is one of our favorite "Past Times," once Amara hears the beater start she's got her chair pulled up to the counter ready to help. Poor kids, they were spoiled making them every other day before "the fetus" took over our lives!

2008-08-28T18:08:00.000-06:00