Catching your dreams and reeling them in

4th of July celebration

2009-07-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July was such a fun one. We had a hectic activity packed day but it was a blast. The day started at 6:00 in the morning when I had to get myself ready for the day so I had plenty of time to get all the kids ready. Maddy had her 1st dance and cheer performance that day so we had to make sure her hair was done and curled before we left for the parade. We went to the parade around 8:30 a.m. to make sure we had a place to park so we could hurry to the park after to get Maddie there on time. We of course got stuck behind parade traffic because our planned route ended up being the beginning of the parade but luckily we had set up our seats the day before so we didn't have to worry about finding a good place to sit. The parade started around 9:00 am and it was so much fun for the kids. They got way too much candy but that's what it's all about. They had a blast with their friends and cousins. We arrived at the park around 10:30 a.m. and got Maddie ready for her cheer performance. As soon as her cheer performance was over we had to rush to get her into her dance costume for her little dance performance. And all the while we were hoping we wouldn't get rained on. Luckily the storm passed and it turned out to be a perfect day. It was so dang cute to watch her dance. After the park we went home to try to rest a little and visit with each other while the kids played. We had a BBQ that evening. Brandon rotisserie Tri tip and it was awesome. Cooked to perfection. Sharon came down from cedar city to watch Mataea her grand daughter and Maddie dance. Janet and her family was there and so was Brittany and Nick and Jamie and Krissy. Dinner was great. Afterwards everybody thought it would be funny to surprise me and sing Happy Birthday to me since I was turning 31 on the 6th. I didn't find it all that funny but the ice cream cake was good. After that we sat out on the front lawn to enjoy fireworks that Brandon let Braydon and Maison light. It was pretty scary but with his supervision it turned out great and safe. It was a pretty fun day and I am so glad I got to spend it with some of my family. Below is a little slide show of our time at the parade. Enjoy!

2009-07-07T14:00:00.001-07:00

Maddie's 1st cheer performance

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

This is Maddie and her cousin Mataea's first Cheer performance. They were so cute and did such a good job.

This is Mataea doing her stunt she is the one in the center getting ready to be lifted. It was so cute. Maddie was on the other side doing the same thing but we couldn't get pictures. Maybe next time.

Here is Maddie poseing in her cheer uniform. She better get some good use out of it because it was not cheep.

Maddie and Mataea poseing together right before the performance. What cute cheer leaders.

The girls showing off their angles.
I think I am having way too much fun with all of this. I guess I should since she is my only girl.

Maddisons 1st dance performance

2009-07-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

This a Maddie's 1st dance performance. She did pretty good for only being in dance for less that two months but she still has a lot of things to learn. Here she is trying to watch the teacher so she is a little bit behind the others.

Maddie is in the far back corner. I think she is pretty cute myself.

This is Maddie and Mataea who is in the same dance class. They have a lot of fun together. Arn't they cute?

Maddie poseing in her costume. What a little princess.

And again what a poser. She loves it!

The Most wonderful vacation in the world.

2009-04-24T19:14:00.001-07:00

The begining of April we took a cruise to the Carribean with My brothers Rob and James and their wives Ginger and Dayla, My sister Janet and her husband John and My neice Brittani and her husband Nick. We had so much fun. We spent the first day at sea and it was great. All the food you could possibly eat at any time of day or night. Room service whenever we wanted and midnight buffets. Yes I gained six pounds on this trip but who cares. How often do you get to eat gormet food like that. I could live like that forever. It went by so fast but is something we will never forget. The first island we visited was the Grand Turks. This was the most beautiful island. We took a catamaran boat ride and went snorkeling. That was great fun and I even had a dolphin pass right in front of me. That was soo cool. Brandon and Nick went diving for those huge conk shells and almost drowned in the process but they were successful in finding them, we came home with 4. The next Island was Puerto Rico and boy was it beautiful. We toured the island and the Bicarrdi Rum factory which was quite interesting. We went to a fortress that surrounded part of the island. It was amazing. We went shopping and I,m telling you the streets were narrow. The next island was St. Thomas. It was so much fun going threw all the little shops and trying to get the best deals on souveniers. The last island we went to was Holland Americas own private island in the Bahamas called Half Moon Kay. It was by far the most beautiful. We rode horses in the ocean, snorkeled, and just soaked up the sun. 7 days is not long enough for a cruise. It went by way too fast and was the most fun I have ever had. We will definatly be cruisers from now on. The next one will hopefully be Alaska. I have already posted some of the pictures of the islands but will soon be posting more when I get more time. There are so many fun pictures I want to share but not enough room for them all so give me more time and I will finish posting what I can.

Chillin on the Ship

2009-04-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Have no clue what Brandon was doing here but we were all sitting on the back of the ship waiting to disembark from San Juan.

Brandon and I just relaxing. something that don't happen at home. We enjoyed every minute of it.

Brit and Nick enjoying the night also just relaxing and having a good time.

James and Dayla actually hanging out with us. It was such a fun night and the weather was perfect. What more could we have asked for?

2009-04-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

San Juan, Puerto Rico looking down from the Fortress that was along the islands coast built to protect the people from intruders. It was awesome to see the hard work that was put into it. It took the people who built it 150 years to complete it. Amazing!

Brandon and I sitting on the top of the fortress looking out over the ocean.

A view from the fortress looking at their government building back behind.

A gorgeous picture of the island looking out into the ocean. It was so beautiful there.

A picture of their government building that was built out of solid marble inside and out.

Snorkeling at the Grand Turks

2009-04-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

All of us chillin on the catamaran before we dove in the ocean for some snorkeling. Brandon is in the far left corner. Then the rest of our party is towards the center. Starting with John in the life preserver, Nick next to him, then Brit, and then me. Don't know the rest of those people and Rob, Ginger, James and Dayla were sitting on the edge where you can't see them.
James jumping into the ocean for the first time. I think it was a bit cold at first.

Isn't that cute? Rob and Ginger snorkeling while holding hands.

Brandon and I standing next to "Jimmy Buffetes" Margaritaville bird.

Our very first sunset on our cruise. I think it was the only sunset we got but it was pretty.

The Cruise'n life

2009-04-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

Our Cruise ship looking at it from the Island "Grand Turks" what a beautiful site! Another shot from the beach. This was definatly what I call paradise. I could have stayed here forever!

looking at the island from the ship.

A shot of our ship looking up from the dock. It was so huge. I have never had more fun.

looking at the ship from the dock.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot has gone on in our family since my last posting but that is pretty normal for us. We are about the most boring people I guess. We are pretty excited for April to come though because we are going on a cruise to the Caribean. I cannot wait! We have been trying to get everything ready now so we don't have to worry about it later. I know it seems a little early to pack but what can I say I can't wait. Who wouldn't want to go on vacation with NO KIDS for 10 days to a tropical paradise. Time is definatly going by way too slow but then when it comes it will fly by like it never happened. I havn't ever even been out of the U.S. except for Mexico so this is a new expierience for me. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!! Oh and I am so glad Ginger and Robert have decided to join us along with James & Dayla, Janet & John, and Brittani &Nick. It is going to be a blast.

Just call me a slacker

2009-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ok so I am just a slacker. I have not even looked at the blogs in over a month. I have been so dang busy with everything. So much has happened and I havn't even blogged any of it. I didn't even get Christmas photos posted but o well that is how life goes I guess. Maddison turned 5 years old last month. I can't believe my only little girl is 5. How time flies. Oh ya and I got a Job. Yes after 10 years of being a stay at home mom I finally got a job. As if staying home and raising children isn't enough work. Well my job isn't hard at all and I only work 4 hours a day but best of all I get to take my kids with me so I still get to have them with me. Ok so it sounds to good to be true. Well it isn't the greatest job in the world but it works for me. I work in the playroom at the new Golds Gym. Ya I know as if I don't get enough of the bawling screaming kids at home all day, i had to just add a few more bawling screaming kids to my day,but its not so bad. The pay isn't the best either but at least I get free Gym membership. Life is great. That is pretty much all I have been doing lately but it definately keeps me beyond busy, along with the many other jobs that comes with raising children. I know I am crazy.

Say good bye to the Puppies

2009-02-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here is one last look at our little bundle of puppies. They are now 8 weeks old and ready to go to their new homes. Arn't they just the cutes puppies ever? The little boy we call Todd is still available and the Little black girl we call sparkles is the studd fee dog but the rest of the pups are sold. I had no clue how many people would want these pups but they were sold fast and I had people fighting over some of them. But they will all go to good homes. This little girl gets to stay in the family because she is now Janet's puppy and her name is Lexie

This little girl went to her new home on monday and she now lives in Salt Lake. Her name is Tubby. AKA Tub Tub.

This little girl will be going to Alaska on the 12th. Not Maddy just the puppy. Poor puppy. Hope she stays warm. But her new family will be so good to her and she will be happy. Her name is Cherry coke.

This is our newest addition to our family of dachshunds. his name is Jessie and he is a longhaired dachshund. The father to the puppies looked just like him so the next batch should be just as cute. He is 2 years old and has the best temperment. We absolutely love him.

The Big # 5, Maddy's Birthday Party

2009-02-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

Maddison's 5th birthday party. Opening presents, what a spoiled child!

After the pinata, Maddy is showing off her sack of candy.

The birthday cake. She had to have a Tinkerbell party so of course that is what she got.

I can't believe our little girl is 5. Where did the time go?

Maddy's Birthday cake. My 2nd time working with fondant. I guess it turned out ok but I definatly need more practice.

2008-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Here is our christmas tree. More christmas pictures will be posted later. But I had to show my tree. I am so proud of it since my real one died about a week before christmas so we almost didn't have a tree until I found this one on clearance at cabelas. I had to have it because it looked so real and is a nine footer. I love it.

Lilly finaly had her puppies

2008-12-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

Lilly feeding her new pups. She is such a good mom!

All five puppies sleeping they are now three weeks old.

Arn't they so cute?

Family picture

2008-12-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

I know it is about time I put a family picture on here but it took us a while to finally get them. With 4 kids it is almost impossible to get all of them to look at the camera at the same time without at least one of them crying.

Our newest pictures

2008-12-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

Braydon, Maison and Landon just kicken back Braydon, Maison, Maddison, and Landon

Daddy and his boys

Mommy and Maddy Jo

THE PUPPIES ARE COMING!!!

2008-11-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

Lilly is our papered creamy piebald dachshund. She is very rare and was bread with a purebread chocolate piebald long haired.

She is due Dec. 10th and hopefully she has a lot of puppies. They are going to be so cute.

She is the funniest dog and full of energy. So if anyone is interested in her puppies let me know. You can see her and the father on this website

www.CountryGardenDoxie.com

go to upcomeing litters and click on Lilly. Cocoa is the father.Not sure pricing yet it depends on color and if smooth hair or long haired.

First time at the Dentist

2008-11-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Landons very first dentist appointment.

He was such a trooper. He did so good.

He let them clean his teeth and everything. He didn't even cry once and held really still.

He thought that the suction thing was so funny. He laughed every time he closed his mouth. We have the best pediatric dentist in the world. They are so good with little kids and the kids absolutly love them.

Halloween

2008-11-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Kambri as a dead football player and Kaitlyn as a vampire queen. Grandma Wilcox was there. We had a party at Janets house. We had chili and bread bowls. The neighbors and family and friends showed up. It was actually really fun.
Maddy and Landon out trick or treating.

Shay dressed as a cheerleader how cute is she?

Candy is so much more healthy than food!!! Right???? Thats what they thought

All the friends and cousins having fun.

Halloween Party

2008-11-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

Maddison as a cheerleader. She was so excited to be a cheerleader

Braydon as a clone trooper and maison as some green monster or something.
The boys and their friends and cousins

Brittani, Me, and Krissy all dressed up and being cheezy

Landon being a puppy the only costume I could get him to wear. He was scared of everything else.

Deer Hunt Fun

2008-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Everybody setting up camp and getting ready for the big day.

Brianna and I locking up the dogs so they won't run away.

Brianna, Braydon, and Maison getting ready to hunt

Braydon all decked out in orange and camo and ready to hunt

Maison thinking he is so big. He actually is pretty good on the 4 wheeler

Deer Hunt Experiment

2008-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

This was an experiment that Brandon,Trevor, and Tyler put together to keep campfire smoke from hitting everybody.

It worked ok, but we still had some smoke hit us

They were so proud of their work

What a contraption but it was good entertainment watching them put it together.

Brandon and Trevor admiring their contraption.

LANDON'S WORK OF ART

2008-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

So here we have it, Landon's newest work of art. Ya got to love the terrible two's.
Isn't it funny how when you have children you wish for peace and quiet but when it gets quiet you know something is going on and it won't be anything good. Well here it is, the footboard of my bed with yellow crayon. Even though it came off with a lot of scrubbing, you can still see the mark from the wax.

Its a good thing I was in a good mood that day and was able to laugh about it. Lisa I think you still have one up on me but we definatly have some compitition with our two year olds.

Hunting with Dad

2008-09-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

What mighty Hunters! arn't they cute?
Maison camo and all. Ready for the long hike trying to find "THE BIG ONE"!
Braydon taking a bit of a break but still no "BIG ONE"
What troopers! they hiked all day long up hills most of us would never attempt.

One tired boy. He couldn't even make it out of the chair to his bed. What did dad do? Whish he could make them that tired at home.

Sand Dune Fun

2008-09-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

Maison and the Blaster still learning how to ride
Braydon and the Blaster and he thinks he is a pro
Brianna and Taylor, they are pros
Don't mess with Jenny while cleaning
Left top to right: Christopher (neighbor), Taylor (cousin), Dillan and Marty (twin neighbors)

Left bottom to right: Mathew (neighbor), Taylor (neighbor), Gage (neighbor) and Maison

Trip to the Dunes

2008-09-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

Landon and his Daddy
Maddy and Mackenzie
Daddys little helper
The whole crew neighbors and cousins what a fun group
Arn't we just the cutest girls ever

Landon's experiment with the electrical socket

2008-09-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

So here was the excitement for today. I was getting the boys ready for school when I hear Landon's usual pounding on his bedroom door to get out except this time his scream was a little louder and more urgent so i send Braydon up to open his door. ( since we have to keep a child door knob lock to keep him in his room at night.) Braydon comes running down the stairs telling me that the light is not working and neither does the plugs he only knew this because the music box light was off. So i assume that a lightbulb is burnt out and the music box is unplugged, but i decide to check it out anyway. This is what i found. As I see this, Landon as serious as a 2 year old can be, sais, "MOM! BOKEN! YIGHT!
So there ya go a nice blown up socket. Landon thinks it is fun to pull the night light in and out of the plug and then put the cover back on it. well the cover had a metal bar that he put directly on the metal part of the plug that was part way plugged in and well you see it. Luckily Brandon put a safty ground breaker in the bedrooms just for this reason so if your children are like mine and put things where they don't belong the breaker flips saving your child from a terrible shock. Needless to say there was still a burnt spot but a safe little boy and no fire. Thank goodness! Yes this i'm sure is only the begining of Landon's future adventures since he is by far my most accident prone kid.

Trip to Idaho Falls

2008-09-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my sister Janet and I decided to make a quick trip to Idaho Falls to see my BFF Sarah. It was the longest ride up there because all the kids did the entire time was fight. we thought we were going to go crazy. But we made it without dropping any of them off the side of the road although we would have loved to. I have not seen Sarah for over two years and missed her terribly. We became friends about 7 years ago when Sarah moved into the house behind us in our first Tooele house. We became best friends soon after that. She then moved away but we stayed in touch. When Brandon got transfered to Phoenix we moved there and 6 months later Sarah moved there with us living with us for about 3 weeks until she found a place. Our friendship grew into more like sisters. We were inseperable. To make a long story short we have been best friends since and even though we don't get to see each other often we still stay in touch. We of course moved back to Tooele and She moved back to her home town Idaho Falls. so any how we had the best time catching up on everything we missed and the kids had a blast. They acted as though they see each other every day. They are all the best of friends. Sarah and I as always stayed up until 2 in the morning just talking about anything and everything. Janet got a little tired and fell asleep around midnight. We had so much fun we hated to leave but as always good things always have to come to an end. The ride home was thankfully pleasant the kids slept most of the way and actually stayed interested in watching dvd's. What a great weekend. Hope to see you soon Sarah. Enjoy the pictures below. What cute kids!!!

Kids enjoying the scenery at Idaho Falls

2008-09-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Maison
Landon
Maddy Jo
Braydon
Shaydree, Janets daughter

Sarah and her kids

2008-09-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

My BFF Sarah, Sadie 9yrs old , Kennedy 7 yrs old

Hadley 5 yrs.old, Griffin 3 yrs old. Austin, who is Sarah's 2nd child isn't shown here because he and Braydon and Maison decided to go on their own adventure down the river to find a certain waterfall with an eagle on it. Needless to say it was too far for them to find. They decided it wasn't neccesary to tell us so we spent about 20 minutes going up and down the river looking for them. Kids! got to love their adventerous personalities.

Maddy Jo's first day of preschool Sept.2,2008

2008-09-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

So excited to start preschool.
Landon thought he was going also. He was quite disappointed when he had to stay home

What a cute girl and so grown up.

Maison's seventh birthday

2008-09-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

A singing card from Grandma W.
How spoiled am I? A nintendo DS.

My army cake that mom made. Blowing out the candles! All 7 of them. What a fun day this was.

Landons second birthday

2008-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Presents! oh the excitement! Cake! even Better!

And I enjoyed every single bite.

It's great to be two.

Getting Started

2008-09-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well this blog thing is so new to me so i have been slacking, but I am getting the hang of it and will hopefully keep up with it. I am starting by introducing my children and will hopefully get better at it so I can post some cool stuff.

Introducing Our Children

2008-09-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is Landon who is 2 years old. He is the youngest child and is also the toughest. He is definatly in his terrible two's. Landon is so full of energy that it is hard to keep up with him but he is so fun and always has a new word to say. He loves his older brothers and sister and thinks he is as old as them. He is the biggest climber and has already split his head wide open between his eyes. What a cute kid.

2008-09-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is Maddison she is 4 years old and is our little princess. Being the only girl you can imagine how spoiled she is but don't let that fool you, with 2 older brothers and 1 younger brother she can hold her own. She is a girly girl who loves to dress up and play dolls but is not afraid to get dirty. what a sweet girl. there's nothing like a little girl in a pretty dress playing in the mud with the boys.

2008-09-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

This is Maison our 7 year old he is so full of life and always has something funny to say he keeps us entertained. He is very outgoing and can't stand the thought of not playing all the time.

2008-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is Braydon he is our oldest child and is 9 years old. He is growing up so fast and has become such a great help especially with our youngest child Landon. He enjoys spending time with his dad and is so excited to go hunting with him this year.

4th of July

2008-07-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Princesses posing for the parade

The anticpation of candy arrival

Way to much work for me, I will just sit and you suckers will bring me candy

Ryan, Kolby and Tiff

Melt downs!!! Do we need to say more