Happily Ever After

I Still Feel You

2010-12-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

I Still Feel You

By: Mark D. Taylor

I still feel you all around me in quite moments when I wake

Your laugh and smile are with me

In every sunset mother nature takes

Sitting, laughing, crying and talking late into the night

I remember you my brother

Together, your illness and it's demons, we vowed to always fight

I still feel your acceptance and the love you always gave to me

You taught me about forgiveness and told me I was tough

Then carried me when I was bleeding in places no one else could see

You shared your thoughts of God, his understanding ways

Then exercised more faith in expressing honest doubt

Never really losing the Son’s warmest rays.

I still feel your acceptance and love never feign

We confided in each other

We shared a common pain

I can still feel you my brother, your wisdom and embrace

I thought that I could save you, and hope you will forgive

My failure to act differently, to change your course and pace

I remember you existed, long before you came

I know you would have stayed if you could undue the past, even with you gone

Your forever in my heart, my brother, friend and confidant, always just the same

In loving Memory of my brother Sean D. Taylor

Sean, I kept a piece of you when you left this world;

and you took a piece of me with you. I miss you Paco!

Lesson Learned!

2010-12-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

I was looking through pictures today so that I can FINALLY update my blog and I found these pictures that were taken at the beginning of the year.

I LOVE these pictures...they make me smile and laugh every time I see them! I remember the moment so well. The giggling and laughing so hard that you can't breath, the squeals of my cute delighted children, the physical energy it takes to (try) and man-handle a twelve year old boy and the pure joy of just being silly with my kids!

It all started when we were in the kitchen and Matt said something that made me so full of motherly pride that I said, "Matt, you just made me so happy I want to kiss you!" Being a twelve year old boy, he immediately objected which only made me want to kiss him more!

As I leaned over to smooch him on the cheek he pushed me away and yelled for his siblings to come to his defense. I chased after him, unwilling to be defeated, only to be met by "The Band of Taylor's". I put up a great fight but, in the end, my lonesome self was not enough to overcome the force of brothers and sisters working together to overtake their mom! Secretly I think I was just laughing so hard I couldn't fight anymore!

Somewhere amidst all this, Mark found the camera and started snapping away. We were all oblivious to the photo shoot, but grateful to have the memories!

The problem...I don't remember what Matt said that was so wonderful I just had to KISS him!

One thing my kids need to learn: In the end Mom ALWAYS wins!!!

Later that night I had Mark hide the camera behind his back and call Matt into the room as if he needed to talk to him. I pretended to be preoccupied, then turned around and STOLE MY KISS!

Anyway, my lesson learned...blog immediately...or you'll forget!!!

Lucky Leprechaun Day!

2010-03-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

We love "Lucky Leprechaun Day"!

Our tradition of going out for pizza on St. Patrick's Day is something we all look forward to! We also look forward to coming home from pizza and finding a trail of candy left by the Lucky Leprechaun that always leads to a fun treasure!

Jackson, Maya and Mark at Sweet Home Chicago Pizza
Jamie, Macie and Matt enjoying fun family conversation!
YUM!!!
Rushing through the door to follow the trail...
We LOVE that the Lucky Leprechaun knows that Dove chocolates are our FAVORITE!!!
So many to collect!
Jackson spies the treasure!
Maya and Macie are more concerned with collecting the most chocolates!
Fun!
Everyone is happy...except for Maya...apparently the Lucky Leprechaun didn't bring what she was hoping for!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Birthday Catch Up

2010-03-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

We had quite a few milestones with birthdays this year! Here are some of the highlights!

In May Matt turned twelve...old enough for young men's...crazy! We were actually in Disneyland on his birthday so he got to celebrate with the family a few days early! He also had a party with a "few" of his friends. A girl from his class lives down the street and she was having a birthday party, too, that night. Before I knew it both parties were at our house and our yard was filled with about 25 twelve year olds! They had a great time playing night games and just running around having fun!

This face is telling me, "I know what I'm getting!"

Yep, an ipod! (Spoiled!)There are WAY too many candles on that cake!

In September Jackson turned 10...double digits! He wanted to go to Chili's for his birthday so we just decided to have his party there! We were a large and wild group, but tons of fun for a party! Jackson also had a birthday party with his friends. They had a great time eating pizza and running around playing night games!

"Finally, an ipod!"
Boys...need I say more?!
Money and IBC root beer...everything a kid could ask for!True happiness!
Definitely Jackson!

At the end of November my baby officially became a big girl! Macie insists that at five years old she is no longer the baby! She had a great day! First she got the dollhouse she had been so desperately wanting. Then she had a party with her friends. She had wanted to go bowling for her party, but I didn't know how well that would go over with a circus of five year olds so we decided to have our own bowling alley in the basement! She absolutely loved it! That night she wanted to go to Texas Road House for dinner so she could sit on the saddle while they sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She was so adorable!

So fun!
Taylor Bowling Alley
Definitely having a good time!
Loving the pinata!
Mae designed her own cake!Macie's famous picture face!
Birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse!

Maya turned 17...I mean, 7 and she loves it! She had a party at the house and invited every girl in her class and then some! It was "totally" fun! Maya absolutely loves art and is constantly creating! Her portfolio and art supplies were starting to take over the house so we got her a new desk and hutch that she absolutely loves! She had no idea she was getting it, but knew it was something big because she could hear Daddy building it. She was so shocked when she saw it, she was screaming and kept saying "I'm shaking, I'm so excited!" It was so cute! Of course she chose Texas Roadhouse for her birthday dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight during the birthday song!

One very happy birthday girl!
The party cake...made of cupcakes!
Party Girls!
Pinata time!Fishing for party favors!
"The" desk!So excited!
Awesome!
Loving Texas Roadhouse!
Maya's "custom order" cake from Aunt Kellie
One year older and wiser, too!

Is There Anything Better?

2010-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Today's perfection:

Jackson, Maya and Macie bustling around the kitchen putting away their lunch dishes as quickly as they can. The conversation consists of the amazing creatures that will transform outside in mere moments as their "shapeshifting" begins. As I start to load the dishes into the dishwasher Jackson begins to belt out his rendition of "We All Live In a Yellow Submarine" and soon we are all singing at the top of our lungs.

The moment is perfect.

Yes, there are about 50 loads of laundry waiting for me upstairs, sheetless beds needing to be covered, crumbs all over the floor because our amazing "vacuum" dog has decided he would rather munch on ice than crumbs, 4 different places I need to be to tonight (all at one time, of course!), filing and organizing that NEEDS to be done, I'm already about four hours behind for the day and dinner really should be an actuality at this time rather than a dream, but for now the moment is perfect.

I can say in all honesty that it doesn't get better than this and I am truly grateful!

Thank you, thank you, thank you honey for making it possible for me to have such perfect moments as this!

Monster Bashing!

2010-02-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Macie LOVES boxing with Matt. Though, she has yet to get the correct terminology, she thinks it's called "Monster Bash", who knows why!

Thankfully, Matt is an awesome big brother and a great sport because he just basically has to sit there and let Mae beat on him! When she first started punching him he would yell out, "Augh" and try to fight back. She informed him that he can't do that, the rules are that when she hits him he has to fall over and "die"! What happened to my "girly girl"?!

In Court with Dad

2009-12-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Recently, Mark has been volunteering as a judge for Small Claims Court and absolutely loves it! We thought it would be fun for the kids to go and see their Dad in action so one night we went and watched a few cases. The kids may have found it a little boring, but they thought it was pretty cool to hear Mark referred to as "Your Honor" and to see him making rulings!

Matt, Maya, Mark and Jackson
Macie apparently found it extremely boring!

Uncle Thomas

2009-12-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

All of our kids just LOVE their Uncle Thomas. He is the fun, cool uncle that all kids long for! I love these pictures because you can just see how much they love eachother!

Maya, Thomas and Macie
Thomas and Macie

Maya, Thomas and Macie
I am so grateful that we are blessed with such an amazing family!

Merry Christmas From Maya and Macie!!!

2009-12-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Guardian Angel

2009-12-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that this day has actually come. A year ago I honestly didn't know how our little family was going to make it through the next day, let alone an entire year. As this month crept upon us, Mark and I both knew that the 1 year anniversary of Sean's death was drawing near. Neither one of us wanted to focus on this, and so we agreed it would be just another day, just like any other day.

"Any other day" for our family actually includes many memories, conversations and gratitude for Sean. Sean had and still has a great influence on us and our children and very rare is a day that goes by without some sort of mention of him...sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always grateful. The other day Macie and Mark were playing with a pretend cell phone while I was in the next room, not paying much attention. Without me knowing Macie handed Mark the phone and said, "Dad, it's for you. It's Uncle Sean." In the distance I heard Mark say, "Hey Paco! How are you? I miss you!" My heart about jumped out of my chest! I was so confused...relieved and pained at the same time...knowing what I wanted to be real and knowing it to be impossible. As I rushed into the room I could see the same emotions in Mark's eyes. Looking at each other, we were silently comforted knowing that one day it will be real again.

Consciously paying no attention to dates and living as normal, having our occasional talks and memories of Sean, we were sure this day would be "just another day." However, it wasn't as easy as we thought. For some reason your mind tends to take you back in time, no matter how hard you try to resist. Eventually you give in and the emotions come. Crying, reminiscing, going over the what could have been and should have been...eventually turning to God and feeling His love and Sean's love, undeniably, ever present.

Last weekend Maya asked if she could give our family home evening lesson on Monday night. We asked her if she would like help preparing it and she said no, she already knew what she was going to talk about and said that she wanted it to be a surprise. She was so excited all day and was about to burst as we all sat to listen to her lesson. With emotion in her voice and with a spirit much wiser than that of a six year old little girl, she proceeded to tell us that the Friday before she was lying in bed listening to her primary songs when a song came on about families being together forever. She started thinking about Sean and began to feel sad. She decided to say a prayer. She said that suddenly she could feel Sean with her and that she heard him say, "Don't worry Maya. Everything's okay, I am watching over you, I am with you." With tears of peace and comfort in her eyes she testified to our family that she knows that Sean is with us and that we can feel him in our hearts whenever we need to. It was such a blessing for our whole family and something we never will forget!

It has definitely been a year of learning and changing. We have been blessed by God's love and his miraculous ability to take something so tragic and bring about blessings and miracles to help us move on.

One of the greatest things we have learned and felt throughout this year is gratitude. Gratitude for Sean's life. Gratitude for the memories. Gratitude for the many things Sean taught us during his life. Gratitude for the miracles God can perform. Gratitude for incredible blessings. Gratitude for peace. Gratitude for how much better we are having been loved by someone so incredibly amazing. Gratitude for the knowledge that we will be together again.

Thank you, Sean. Thank you for staying close to us. Thank you for the blessings you have brought about in our lives. Thank you for watching over us.

We love you and we miss you!

I Want a Hamburger...With Everything On It!!!

2009-12-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Mark took Macie and I to Market Street Grill...one of my most favorite places! Mmm!!! The best ever clam chowder on such a cold, snowy day!

Macie wasn't too thrilled when we vetoed her idea to go to McDonald's so I did my best to get her excited about Market Street (poor girl, her life is so hard...having Mom all to herself every day, going to lunch...oh, the life of the youngest!) She and Maya are currently really into Fancy Nancy books so I told her we were very lucky because Market Street is a "Fancy Nancy" restaurant and we had to be extra "Fancy"...according to Fancy Nancy, "fancy" is a special word for nice. That seemed to satisfy her and off we went to our "fancy" lunch!

Lately every time we go out to eat Mae wants to go somewhere that has a "sandwich(hamburger) with everything on it...except ketchup!" (I don't know how she thought she was going to get that at MD's!) So, of course, she ordered a hamburger kid meal with fries and a diet coke with lemon.

I wish I would have had a video camera going when they brought her hamburger out...she was so excited! The hamburger was huge and juicy and "everything" was on the side so she could build her own hamburger...definitely "fancy"! She was very particular about how and where she placed "everything" and by the time she was ready to eat I wasn't sure she was going to be able to fit the hamburger in her mouth!

So excited!
The finished product!
The first savory bite!
Two happy, spoiled girls!
Priceless!!!

Thanks for a great afternoon and an awesome memory, honey!!!

Red Rock Challenge

2009-12-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

This summer Mark participated in The Red Rock Challenge as part of a team with all of the guys in the Peterson family. The Red Rock Challenge is a race put on by my parents ward in which you have to mountain bike for about a mile to the Draper Temple, run a mile to Red Rock on South Mountain, climb Red Rock, then run down the mountain to the finish line. The guys all did great and Mark, being in his new athletic shape, came in first on the team!

Mark, running through the finish line
Macie Mae and MarkThomas at the finish line
Kevin at the finish lineJosh at the finish line
Mom and KatelynCole, Silly Miss Maya and Emma
Kenzie, Jamie and Julie
Katelyn, Kenzie, Jamie and MarkTHE TEAM
Thomas, Josh, Dad, Mark and Kevin
Can't wait 'till next year!!!

Our Little Cheerleader!

2009-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

This fall Maya was a cheerleader for the Riverton Silverwolves little league football! She totally loved it! She did it with one of her best friends, Rachel, whom she has known pretty much her whole life! Rachel actually lives in our old neighberhood in Draper, but they still get together almost every friday. In fact, fridays are know as "Rachy day" around our house!

Maya loved going to cheer practice, but didn't like the actual games as much, they were pretty unorganized! Her very most favorite part of the entire season was getting a cheerleader trophy which she proudly displays in her room!

Rachel and Maya
I love how you can totally see her attitude in this picture!
We may have a professional cheer leader in the making!

My Own Private Concert

2009-10-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Mark and I took the girls to the Taylor Swift concert. They had a ton of fun, but were a little dissappointed that we were so far away from Taylor. We were literally only about three rows from the top of the arena (Since I opted for the "expensive" tickets in order to be close, I'm just wondering exactly where they put the people who bought the less expensive tickets)! Normally I don't think being so far away would have been a problem and the girls would have been happy to just be in the same room as Taylor, but Maya had seen the pictures of me at the Martina McBride concert where I was literally standing next to the stage! She was a little dissapointed and confused at first, but ended up enjoying the show!

Star Struck!
The music was just a little loud for Mae!
Sorry, no pictures of Taylor Swift, our camera had a hard time focusing in on such a small speck!

...So back to the private concert...the other day Macie asked if I would turn on some Taylor Swift music so I did and the next thing I knew Macie was putting on a concert on the kitchen counter!

Warning: This video is sideways ( I always forget I have to keep the camera straight when recording) and kinda long, but very cute!

Sing away!

Slapping hands with the "fans"

Sinking into the trap door on the stage!

Collecting flowers from the fans!

So Fun!!!

Maya's New Coloring Blog!!!

2009-09-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that Maya now has her very own blog! She has always been fascinated with art, especially coloring and painting. She will literally spend hours coloring picture after picture using exquisite detail. She creates so many pieces that we never have enough room to display them, so often times they get filed away in her art folder without having the opportunity to be enjoyed. Recently she decided, all on her own, that she wanted to have a blog where she could display her art for everyone to see! She was so cute! She named and designed her blog all on her own! I'm really quite proud of her, everything on her blog is exactly what and how she wanted it. Be sure to check it out!
www.coloringpopsout.blogspot.com

A Day At the Beach

2009-09-16T17:16:00.001-07:00

We recently discovered the beach at the lake in Day Break. It's so much fun! The kids and I went for an afternoon and it almost felt like we were at the ocean in California, we just needed the huge waves!

Playing in the water!

Buried alive and Sand Castles!

Soaking up the sun!
Water fight!
(The small splashes of water between Macie and Maya is Matt trying to escape the inevitable attack!)

Camp "In"

2009-09-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

The other night the girls wanted to have a compout in Matt's 2-man tent, however, they did not want to sleep "outside". Matt and Jackson, being the awesome brothers they are, resolved their dilema by setting up the tent in our upstairs hallway. The girls loved it! At first I didn't think they would go to sleep because they were so excited, but after they read their stories they each snuggled into their blankies and fell right to sleep. So cute!!!

OCD Heaven!

2009-09-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

I know this is silly, but my new food storage shelves give me such a "high" every time I look at them! I recently joined my friend's food storage program and have been very happy with the fruits of my bargain shopping labors! I just love getting a good deal! (Another one of those weird things that I literally get a "high" out of! When Mark was in law school we were extremely poor and I did anything and everything I could to save money...some of the things I did were quite funny and ingenious...my Dad still makes fun of me for being so "cheap"!)

Anyway, it wasn't long before my great bargains started giving me quite the dilemma. After only a few weeks of starting this new program my pantry was absolutely full. We have a cold storage area in the basement, but it only had one small shelf and it, too, began to overflow with food, so much so that I just started piling grocery bags of food all over the basement floor! It started making me so anxious that I wouldn't even go downstairs to get the food I needed for recipes! Ridiculous, I know! So I finally broke down and bought some shelves from Costco that I totally love! Mark and Matt put them up for me and then we all stayed up until wee hours of the night organizing our food storage. I love it so much! Seriously, I love to just go look at how organized it all is, it makes me so happy... one of the highlights of having an OCD personality!

These pictures were actually taken a few months ago. Our food storage has grown significantly since then. I love being able to grocery shop right from my own basement! I would put an updated picture, but unfortunately I spilled water all over the camera while in Arizona this weekend so we no longer have a working camera:( I think I'll have to get a new one, which I'm HAPPY about...Mark, not so much! The old camera took the worst pictures! If anyone knows of a GREAT camera, let me know!

If anyone is interested in the food storage program you can check it out @ dealstomeals.com

It's That Time Again!

2009-08-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Yep, as much as I wanted to pretend that summer is not coming to an end, I had to face the reality that once again my children are back in school! I contemplated running off with them to some beach house and never coming back, but after seeing how happy Jackson, Maya and Matt are with their new classes and teachers I have to admit, staying home was the right decision!

I know, I know...what a little stud muffin! Watch out girls..or rather watch out Mark and myself...I think we might have a little bit of trouble on our hands!
The first thing Jackson said as he ran through the door after his first day of school was, "I have the BEST fourth grade teacher in the whole school!" Such a relief! This year Jackson got the only male teacher in the entire school and the word was that people either hate him or love him...on the first day he told the class that he doesn't assign homework...hence the BEST teacher in whole school. I think that constitutes best teacher in my book, too!

Such a beautiful princess! The sun was shining right in her eyes and it was making her cry so we didn't get very many pics...we wouldn't want puffy eyes on the first day of school!

Maya is in first grade now and goes to school all day! It's been quite an adjustment for both of us, but she has a really sweet teacher and that has helped a lot. She has a ton of friends in her class this year, which is nice especially after having only one other girl in her class last year! The only negative aspect of first grade is the dreaded "school lunch"! I honestly don't think it's that bad, but her extreme pickyness combined with her brother's constant reminders of how "nasty" the school food is the poor girl is starving! She wants me to send a lunch from home, but she doesn't understand I can't send top ramen!

Talk about handsome! Take note of the shirt...I was actually able to convince Matt to get something other than t-shirts this year and I have to say he looks great!
I can't believe that Matt is in middle school all ready! He seriously is growing up way too fast! He is enjoying the freedoms and different environment that middle school provides. He especially loves lunch. He said it's like fast food and there's at least six or more choices, I'm glad he has something to look forward to everyday! He is definitely taking his classes very serious. My Dad wanted to take him dove hunting for a day and I told Matt it was his choice if he wanted to miss school. He actually asked my Dad if they could go on a Saturday or after school, I'm just wondering where my Matt went to because normally he would jump at any chance to miss school!

All in all it's started out as a great school year and I'm sure with the right attitudes we can keep it that way!!!

Fresh Veggies!

2009-08-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

I just love all of the fresh vegetables that are available this time of year! It's so fun to make new recipes with vegetables from the garden, they're just so yummy and healthy! Thanks to my parents and a new fresh produce farm down the street from our house we will be cooking up and bottling lots of yummy favorites in the next few weeks! Salsa, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, soups ~ I can't wait!!!

*FYI: The fresh produce farm near our house has TONS of yummy, just-picked veggies at great prices! Check them out! Petersen's Family Farm 11800 S. 4000 W. (No, it's not my family...my family is spelled Peterson!) :)

2009-08-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I went to The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point with my sisters, thier kids, and my parents. Today was $2 Tuesday so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take all of the kids without spending a fortune ~ WRONG!!! It seems the whole world had the same idea! My parents were the first ones to get there and stood in the entrance line for almost a half hour! Crazy, the things grandparents will do! Despite feeling like we were in an overcrowded zoo, I think all in all everyone had a pretty good time! Of course all the kids had to soak themselves in the water at the ark, except for Matt and Jackson, they are simply too cool for such childish games!!!

Macie and Maya climbing on the ark
Macie dancing in the water
Macie, Maya and Emma

Unfortunately, I ran out of room on my memory card so I didn't get very many pictures! I wish I could have gotten pictures of the big waterfall and the kids rolling down the huge grassy hills with Aunt Katie, it looked kind of fun, I might have to try it next time!

I did get one picture of all of the kids together, definitely not the best picture, but hey it has everyone in it!

Katelyn, Emma, Cole, Macie, Maya, Matt and Jackson

Definitely a fun day, but next time I think I'll fork out the money for regular price admission and enjoy without the crowds!!!

Summer Nights

2009-08-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

I love that every evening as I do the dinner dishes I see this:

It makes me so happy to see all of my kids playing together! I love it so much that I don't even mind them not helping with the dishes! Grandpa and Grandma Taylor bought the swing and the airplane for them about a month ago and now every night as soon as the kids finish eating they run outside for one last adventure of the day! As I watch them through the kitchen window, I am filled with gratitude and an absolute love for fun, carefree summer nights!

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Taylor!!!
And thank you to my kids for giving me more happiness then I thought possible!

Seriously So Blessed!!!

2009-08-10T15:33:00.001-07:00

The other day I was upstairs doing laundry when I received a picture message on my cell phone and this is what it was! Mark had come home early, snuck into the house with these flowers, taken a picture of them and sent it to me! I was a little confused since I had just been downstairs and there were no flowers and Mark was supposed to still be on his way home! It was such a great surprise! He even got my favorite ~ gerber daisies, in my favorite colors ~ pink and yellow, so sweet :) I am so blessed to be loved so much by someone so wonderful!!! Thank you babe!!!

Yellowstone Adventure!

2009-08-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Our family in front of the Grand Tetons

Last weekend we escaped to our annual Peterson family river rafting trip! We actually haven't been able to go for the last couple of years so our entire family was extremely excited to go this year! We didn't think that Mark was going to be able to come because of a HUGE trial he had coming up, but at the last minute he was able to settle it (definite answer to many prayers!) and was able to come - thank goodness, because I am NOT a camper and was not too thrilled at the prospect of doing the camping thing without him!

The first two days we camped along the Snake River, just outside of Jackson Hole. The camping actually wasn't too bad. Matt and Jackson filled their time hunting for squirrels. Several years ago when Matt was just little Thomas taught him to make squirrel traps using all of our treats as bait. I think Matt and Jackson have mastered the art of squirrel hunting...poor squirrels! Maya and Macie loved being able to roam and play in the dirt with their cousin Emma! As for Mark and me, we just enjoyed watching our children and had fun talking and laughing with my family!

My parents have their own raft to go down the river in, which is so nice because we are able to go on our own without guides and strangers in the boat. Plus our raft is smaller than the commercial rafts so going through the rapids is much more fun! This year was Jackson's first time going down the entire river and he loved it! Maya and Mae are not quite big enough yet and could only go down the mild part of the river and were pretty upset that they didn't get to get soaked by the rapids! Matt, on the other hand is now older and has to help row down the river and through the rapids. It was definitely tons of fun!

On our third day we all drove up to Yellowstone. I was so excited for our kids to go to Yellowstone for their first time. When I was younger my family went every year and I couldn't wait for our kids to go to all of the places I went to while growing up.

Our first stop was Old Faithful and as tradition goes, my dad bought us all fudgesicles afterwards at the gift shop. It was totally windy and raining on and off, and though we were nearly freezing I loved being with my entire family, enjoying our traditional treat!

Macie, Matt, Maya and Jackson waiting for Old Faithful
Macie, Emma, Katie, Katelyn, Jackson, Matt, Mark and Maya
Old Faithful
Julie, Kellie, Mom, Thomas, Dad
Kevin, Katelyn, Emma, Katie, Kenzie, Maya, Mark
Jackson, Matt, Cole, Kevin Julie, Kellie, Katelyn, Emma
After Old Faithful, we went swimming in the Fire Hole River. I feel so bad because I completely forgot to bring the camera down to the river with us! We had so much fun! The weather was still not that great when we got to the river, it was actually raining, but because the river is so warm it felt better in the river than out! There is a spot where you can jump in the river and the current just carries you down the river to where you can swim and play around. We were able to convince all of the kids to do it and they all loved it! Way FUN!!!

That night we stayed in a hotel in Yellowstone. (So much better than camping!) On our last day we got our fill of the stinky hot pots!

Jamie and Mark in front of the steaming hot pots

Macie loved the white wild flowers on the side of the path so I risked the outrageous fine and picked some for her!Maya enjoying a hot pot that didn't stink!

My favorite adventure of our whole trip was the hike through the forest down to the beach of Yellowstone Lake and playing around on the beach. I laugh when I say "hike" because truly, it's only a five minute walk, but before we got there I was complaining about it being so long. I haven't been there since before I was married and for some reason I remember it being a huge, long hike. I have such good memories, I think some of my best memories, of this particular hike through the forest and along the beach to our families' fishing spot. It is the exact same place my dad used to go fishing with his mom and dad when he was younger and our family has carried on the tradition through the years. I can still remember the thrill of walking through the trees with my cousins, being excited, yet at the same time a little scared of the "unknown" that might be lurking in the forest. I can still feel the nervousness of walking past the moose on the beach, whispering to each other that if they charge toward us we can just run into the water (guess I didn't realize moose can run into the water, too!). I remember the fun conversations of giddy young girls and the bonds that were made on the "long" hike down the forest trail. I am so grateful for the opportunity to re-live this experience and for parents who provided me with such amazing opportunities and memories!

Mark backpacking Macie through the forest. Kenzie, Maya and Thomas using their own two feet!
My Mom, Matt and my DadKatie and Maya
Mark, Macie, Aunt Zan and Uncle Charlie
Matt standing on the beach
I love this picture of Jackson. I think it shows the pure innocence and discovery of a young boy.
My Dad teaching Jackson how to skip rocks.
Jackson in action! I love how you can see the rain hitting the lake in this picture!
Maya practicing cartwheels on the beach
Macie loved playing in the volcanic sand of the beach. She totally dove in and became "one" with the sand!

Jamie and Maya
The best family ever!!!
Matt and Maya frog hunting

Can't wait 'till next year!!!

Freakin' Hillarious...Quite Ingenious!!!

2009-06-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

The other night we were having family movie night and Mark popped popcorn for everyone to eat while we watched the movie. Normally we don't allow anyone to eat in the family room and we especially don't allow drinks in the family room, but since it was "movie night" we made an exception and had the popcorn and some water bottles. Just as I started getting into the movie I noticed that Matt was drinking a can of Mountain Dew. I would love to say that being the nice, wonderful mom that I am, I ignored the sugary, sticky beverage and just let him drink it, but, not so! I have learned my lesson on this one WAY too many times! I reminded Matt that he had to drink his Mountain Dew on the tile in the kitchen and the next thing I knew he was standing on the edge of the tile, leaning over the back of the couch enjoying the movie with his Mountain Dew in hand. I told him that still wasn't going to cut it and he had to drink it at the table. Just as I got back into the movie I looked over and saw the funniest thing! Matt had made a contraption that allowed him to sit on the couch and drink his drink while the drink was still actually on the kitchen table! Too funny!

I Just LOVE My Kids...They're Just So STINKIN' Cute

2009-06-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

At precisely 3:00 this afternoon, Macie and I pulled into the driveway after running a quick errand. I heard a cute little sigh from the back seat and then in the sweetest little voice ever, Macie informed me, "I think today is over, I'm tired!" If only it worked that way my little sweet pea! She is definitely my little girl!

I just love being a mom and being blessed with the opportunity to be at home with my kids! There is nothing better than being here for sweet little moments like these!

The Rest of Our Disneyland Vacation!

2009-06-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I have to redeem Mark's reputation and explain the infamous "Carousel" picture! Macie loves the carousel and waited patiently nearly ALL day to go on it and when she did she insisted that her Daddy go with her. She was so excited! She watched the carousel go round and round while we waited at the front of the line. Little did we know that she was picking out the exact horses that she and Daddy would go on. As soon as they opened the gate she ran right to the horses she had chosen. She insisted that Mark sit on his own horse rather than stand beside her...so cute! Matt found it totally amusing that Mark was riding his own horse and had to get a pic of him on it...I think he plans on using it as leverage at some point!

The longest line we had to wait in was the line to see the princesses and when I say wait, I mean WAIT! It was crazy, but so worth it! The girls were so excited because they got to meet the princesses individually, have them sign their books and then get their pictures taken with them. We lucked out because each of the girls' favorite princesses were there, and Macie was especially happy because Cinderella was NOT there, she DOES NOT like Cinderella! Who knows why!

Macie with her favorite princess, Aurora

I love this picture of Macie looking at Snow White, it's like she is in awe and can't believe that Snow White is actually real! So sweet!!!

Maya with her favorite princess, Belle
Maya was sooo excited to see Iradessa and get her signature and picture. Iradessa is her favorite pixie!
Macie with her all-time favorite, Tinkerbell!!!
Macie's favorite ride on the WHOLE vacation was the bus ride we took to get to and from Disneyland...Seriously!!!

The kids enjoyed Sea World, especially the boys...they loved sitting in the "Soak Zone" of every show!

Baby Sharks at the Shark Exhibit

Sharks swimming above us and to the side of us while we walked through a tunnel in the shark tank. They are huge!!!
Scary!!!

Tired parents!
Infamous Shamu!

Matt and Jacks getting TOTALLY soaked by Shamu!!!

Macie after she got soaked! (She sat with me in the dry zone from that point on)

Mark and I at our favorite sea food restaurant in California
Yum!
So delish! They have the BEST mashed potatoes EVER!!! The crab was delicious, too!

We went to Universal Studios for the first time and while the older kids enjoyed it...the younger ones, well...not so much! Frankenstein had some sort of fascination with our family and would not leave us alone. The girls were terrified of him and for some reason he thought this was funny, the poor girls were screaming their lungs out with tears rolling down their faces!

Fortunately, Dora did not appreciate the treatment the girls were receiving and came to their rescue! (This pic was taken before our Frankenstein encounter, hence the happy faces!)

Macie was too short to go on most of the rides at Universal so she spent her time getting pictures with all of the characters...so many, in fact, that they will have to have their own post!

Matt with this way cool car at Universal (I'm sure there is something significant about this car, like the movie it was in or something, but I'm not quite sure...I'll have to get that info from Matt! He sure looks pretty cute standing next to it, though! (Are you allowed to say that about a 12 year old? Oh well, he's my son...he'll always be cute to me!)

This is #2 of the only 2 family pictures we got on our whole vacation. For some reason the nice person who took it for us was more interested in taking a picture of the big globe than of us, I've already cropped out about 3/4 of the picture!!!

Every body's favorite part of our vacation was the beach. The kids loved the beach so much they said that next time we go to California they want to spend one day at Disneyland and the rest at the beach! Sounds good to me! I love our pictures from the beach so I'm including a ton! I also took a few videos of everyone having fun!

Macie making a "Sand Monster" and Maya cooking up "Mud Pie"
(Sorry it's sideways half the time!)

Matt Boogie Boarding

Mark Boogie Boarding

Macie loving the wet sand!

Macie Boogie Boarding for the first time!

Maya Boogie Boarding for the first time!

Jackson Boogie Boarding

Matt Boogie Boarding

Mom, Macie and Maya building sand castles

Maya playing in the ocean
I love how this picture captures her happy, free spirit!
(It wouldn't be Maya if she wasn't dancing!)

Even away from home, Macie can't help create interesting outfits!
I love this picture, she looks so cute and care free..."Macie Style"!

Mark and Me on the beach

Matt and Mark

Jackson and Mark

Maya and Mark

Me and Macie

My Sweet Boys!!!

I just have to say that I am so blessed to have the BEST family ever and to be able to have the opportunity to spend such amazing times together!

Our vacations just keep getting better and better. I can't wait to see what the future holds...actually... what we make of our future!!!

So Fun, So Fun!!! Can't wait to do it again! Next time we will definately spend our days lounging and playing at the beach! Beach house, anyone?!

I Was Lost and Now I'm Found...Hopefully!!!

2009-06-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize I am WAY behind on my posting! It seems that I am WAY behind on a lot of things these days! The laundry (our dryer went out and it took FOREVER and a day to get the new one here!), grocery shopping, house cleaning, posting on and revealing my new recipe blog (well, really not so new, just not so updated!),oh, and Jackson just called, yes, literally just called and said we are $18 behind on his lunch money! How ironic!

I was recently scolded by my sweet sisters who let me know I needed to get my act together with my blog so here goes.....

Get ready for an overload of what's been happening in the world of "Happily Ever After!"....Just as soon as I finish this next load of laundry!!!

Fun Times in Disneyland!!!

2009-05-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics from Disneyland today...I'm tired! Maybe I'll post more tomorrow after we get back from Sea World!

Playing in Tarzan's Tree House

The Princess Castle!!!

Matt loved catching Mark on the Carousel!Macie running as fast as she can for the last roller coaster of the night!The wishing well in Minnie's backyardMaya sitting in a car in Toon Town

Jackson "hitching a ride" after a long day!

(This picture is so cute! I wanted to zoom in on it, but I don't have my cool photoshop tools on this computer, so try to click on it to make it larger...such a cute kid!!!)

Not many pics of Matt, he decided he wanted to be the photographer for the day!

Hi from California!

2009-05-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! We're finally here in warm, sunny California! We are staying in such a nice hotel, it's more like a condo with a kitchen and separate bedrooms...no fighting over the TV!

Last night we stayed at Aunt Danielle's new condo in Las Vegas. The kids were so excited to be in warm weather that all they wanted to do was swim. Unfortunately, it wasn't "swim" warm and it was totally windy, but of course, they didn't care and froze their butts...well more like their bodies off! After we went to In N Out Burger for dinner...it was delish!!! Danielle was so nice to let us stay, especially since ironically, she was in Salt Lake for the weekend! We missed seeing her, but fortunately she's letting us stay next weekend on our way home, so we'll get to see her then!

Today we stopped in San Bernardino to see Mark's Brother Jesse and his wife Claudia and their kids Zachary, Stephen and Nathan. The kids were so happy to see their cousins and Mark and I enjoyed our visit with Jesse and Claudia, we miss not being able to see them more often!

This evening we went to dinner then shopping for our groceries. The only grocery store we could find was a hispanic grocery. It was so fun! They were playing hispanic music and we were all dancing in the aisles, we probably looked pretty silly, but we were having too good of a time to care!

Everyone is so excited for Disneyland tomorrow that I don't know if they'll even be able to sleep!

Devil Children or Angel Children?

2009-04-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

The other night we went to one of our favorite hamburger restaurants, JCW's in Lehi. I know, eating out...again! While we were there Matt mentioned that he couldn't wait until he was old enough to move out so that he could make the decision to NEVER go to church again! He informed us that he believes in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, he just doesn't believe in their church, meaning the actual attendance of church, not the religion...it's just too long and BORING!

With so many opinionated people in our family, this stirred up quite the conversation. Though, I have to say, as usual, Jackson and his quick witted nature took the cake! Jackson in all seriousness put on his best "devil" act and told Matt that all of Matt's children would be "devil" children, while Jackson's children would all be "angelic". With this, Jackson put forward his best "angelic" look. Matt, of course, fought this argument and Jackson concluded that Matt's kids would end up being half devil and half angel...which also came with Jackson's impression of a "half devil, half angel" child.

Just watching Jackson take the form of "devil", "angel" and "half and half" had Mark and I laughing out loud! I'm sure everyone else in the restaurant thought we were crazy, but hey, who cares! It was just too funny!

Jackson's "devil" impression
"Ahh!!!"
Half devil...half angel
My cute "devlish" family!
Maya, always the ever-so-sweet angel!
Of course, I'm an angel!
Macie Mae-The true, one-and only half devil...
half angel!!!
She plays the part so well!!!
I love that there is never a dull moment with our kids around!!!

Water Fight!!!

2009-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's off track time again and fortunately for us the weather is perfect! The kids couldn't wait to get outside and play today. I knew the weather was nice, but I had no idea it was "water fight" nice! I think the kids idea of warm weather and my idea of warm weather are two totally different things! I was completely shocked when they all came running into the kitchen soaking wet and ready to get a refill on ammo! I couldn't resist getting some pics since we have been waiting FOREVER to play in weather like this!

Macie decided to attack me while I was taking her picture, you can't see the water, but she totally drenched me!!!

The Instigator: Jackson, a.k.a. "Mr. 007"

Miss My: "Can I put my bikini on?"

Macie Mae: I'm here for the party!

Good Times and Sunshine, it's what we live for!!!

Best Friends

2009-04-09T10:20:00.001-07:00

Jackson and Boston

The other day Mark found Jackson and Boston hanging out in Boston's favorite spot just soaking up the sun. I love to see Jacks so happy with Boston, I especially love that smile in the picture above, it makes my heart smile! You can just feel his happiness!
Boston loves to look out the front room window and watch the world pass by, wishing the whole time he was out there in the middle of it all. It was so sweet to see Jackson share this simple moment with Boston. I LOVE the little things in life and I love capturing them and making them last a lifetime!

I think this might be my favorite picture of the day. The sweet serenity and contentment in Jackson's face is priceless, there is nothing like it. I love that look in his eyes, it makes me melt...every time...it makes me remember why I love being his mom!Thank you for blessing me with the gift of YOU in my life!

What A Cutie

2009-03-29T23:37:00.001-07:00

Maya looks so stinkin' cute and grown up in these pics, I can hardly stand it! She also had a famous Aunt Danielle cut, in fact we cut nearly 10 inches off! Her hair is still so long that you can hardly even tell! I love this new dress and sandals...they totally fit her personality, not to mention the sunglasses! So CUTE!!! She's my little Maya pie, Swiss Miss Mocha...it doesn't get much better than this! Love you baby!!!

This is why we go to vegas for haircuts!

2009-03-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

When Macie decided that she was going to be a "hair cutter" before ever going to cosmetology school and decided to be her own first client everyone's first question was, "What are you going to do, where are you going to take her?" Which was kindly followed by, "Oh, she will look so adorable with a cute little bob!" What?! Two secs...give me a minute to compose myself...Are you K I D D I N G me?! There is absolutely no way I am taking my little girl anywhere to have her hair chopped off!!! If you know me then you know hair is not just a little thing! Fortunately...well maybe unfortunately...my girls have adopted the same opinion. They love their hair.
The first day that Mae cut her hair I was so upset with her that I told her we were going to have to cut it all off and she was pretty upset. Later that evening we were walking into Target, as we often do, and as usual I was carrying Mae. We happened to pass a little girl about her age who had a short haircut...I can't exactly say what kind because her hair was quite disheveled...Macie looked at her and immediately buried her face in my shoulder. She was so upset she wouldn't even talk, I, however knew exactly what was wrong...she did not want to look like that little girl. (I have to say, having the little girls hair so messy certainly helped with our little object lesson that we were learning!) At the time Mae didn't know that I had taken a closer look at her new "do" and realized there actually might be a chance at saving her luscious, long locks!
Of course I also knew that in order to save those long locks we would have to visit Danielle in Vegas - she is the only person who is allowed to touch our hair. As luck would have it we didn't have any trips to Vegas planned for at least 2 months, but I didn't care...we would wait. So we stuck to pulling her new side "thing" into a clip or wearing ponies everyday.
Fortunately, Danielle made a quick trip to Utah this past weekend and...viola..problem solved! Macie now has her beautiful flowing locks and you can't even tell she hacked away at them!
Thanks Danielle! We love you!

Just a reminder of what Macie's hair looked like beforeAnd After!!!*Don't ask me what's up with her smile, cause quite frankly I have no idea!*

First Day of Spring!!!

2009-03-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

The girls and I were so HAPPY that the first day of spring FINALLY arrived and that it actually turned out to be a WARM day! They had so much fun running around the yard, jumping on the tramp and cruising the neighborhood in their mustang! The rumor is that the warmth won't last long so we took full advantage of soaking up the sun before it is chased away by the crazy Utah weather!

Macie, Brynne and Maya

Macie Mae
(Don't you love her ensemble? She is now dressing herself and has found a style all her own! I know I should do something about it, especially when she goes out in public or to church with a WAY cute dress only to be accessorized with some sort of odd, random sweater/jacket, bright striped ankle socks and a totally unmatching beanie on her head, but I've learned something I wish I would have learned years ago...What does it really matter? Other people's opinions certainly don't so just let her have fun, express herself and let her discover who she wants to be!)

Brynne and Maya

I wish I had pictures of Matt and Jacks to share, but Matt has now hit the "I'm too cool to hang out with my family stage" and is never to be seen around our house and I just couldn't keep up with Jackson to even get a shot of him! He had, I don't even know how many friends over, and they were all running wild shooting at each other and who knows what else. Boys are just wild and FULL of energy...I'm just glad that they are now able to release all of that energy outside rather than up, down and around our 2 different staircases...that is a sight to see and something you don't even want to hear! (I love it though, I wouldn't have it any other way!)

Little Mommies

2009-03-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Macie was so excited on Christmas morning when she ran downstairs to find that Santa had actually really brought her the Baby Alive doll that she had been wanting for months. She was able to sit on Santa's lap a couple different times before Christmas and each time she saw him she would say all she wanted for Christmas was a doll that eats and drinks and really pees and poops! She would also always end with, "and a pink rope for Boston!" What a sweetheart, being so concerned about Boston and what he wanted for Christmas!

You can only imagine the devastation two days after Christmas when Macie found "Cindy" (I think it's supposed to be Sydney, like our cute neighbor girl, but after only two days with her in the family the best I could decipher was Cindy!)...anyway...the devastation when Macie found Cindy mauled and abandoned on the floor! Poor baby Cindy had bite marks all over her and her face was completely torn to shreds...her skin was literally lacerated and peeling off in huge chunks! Definitely abuse! Committed by none other than our infamous chewing, property destroying Boston! I think he must have been feeling jealous when he climbed up on Macie's bed and viciously attacked Cindy! Mae was so upset, I think this is the last Christmas she will ever be concerned with what Boston wants for Christmas!

I was so furious! I so wanted to make everything better and replace her sweet baby, but I was not about to just go out and plop down sixty bucks on a new baby! Heck...that's why Santa is the one who brought it in the first place!

As always, life went on and we survived life without Cindy, but Mae would always talk about her and how she was going to ask Santa for a new Baby Alive next year. How sad! So the other day we were at our favorite store, Target, and I saw a Baby Alive that was just like Mae's other one and it was on clearance! Of course I bought it, I'm a bargain shopper!

This is the video of Macie and Maya feeding Gabbrie (short for Gabriella) for the first time...they are going to make the BEST mommies someday!

Have I mentioned recently that I want to have another baby? Umm, SCRATCH that idea! Fifteen minutes of feeding and taking care of a peeing, pooping fake baby is enough for me! It totally reminded me of exactly why I decided no more babies!

Maya and Macie, on the other hand, loved it!

My First Digital Scrapbook Layout!!!

2009-03-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of month's I have been taking a digital scrapbook class using adobe photoshop elements. It has been way fun, but there is so much to learn - it's crazy how much you can do! I have been collecting papers, embellishments, alphabet letters, etc. off websites that offer free scrapbook material downloads. There is so much, it's overwhelming! I'm really excited because I found a company that will actually have a "tutor" come to your house and give you personal, one-on-one instruction, I can't wait! This is my first actual layout, the word is that digital scrapbooking is much easier and faster than traditional, but this baby took me three days! I'm pretty happy with it, but I'm sure in time I will look back at it and wonder what I was doing, just like I do now with my first traditional pages!!!

Jackson's Great Find

2009-02-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Jackson picked the BEST card for Mark's birthday! All of the kids loved it so much they decided it would be from all of them. You should have heard Jacks and Matt in Target as they read it aloud to each other and the girls, they were laughing so hard, it was hilarious! Even the girls were repeating phrases from the card, I'm sure others in the store thoroughly enjoyed the comical entertainment! I've never seen the kids so excited to give something to their Dad. Their happy chatter, laughter and beaming faces were better than any gift they could have ever given!

Mark found the card just as humorous as the kids and the whole "Target" scene was reenacted at home, only this time Mark joined in! My kids are so lucky to have such a fun Dad! We had a great night of laughs and the kids enjoyed reciting phrases from the card for days after!

I've Been Tagged!

2009-02-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Six Things That Make Me Happy

1. My absolutely adorable family

2. Summer - sunshine and warm nights

3. My relationship with my siblings

4. Hanging out with the girls
5. My Scrapbook Room, or as I like to call it, My Sanctuary

6. The feeling of my just cleaned house

(Hasn't happened in a long time, so no picture!!!)

I Tag:
Julie, Heather and Audree

My Worst Fear Come True

2009-02-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Macie Cut Her Hair!

I don't know if I have ever been so upset with any of my kids as I am with Macie right now.
Matt, Maya and I were in my scrapbook room setting up Matt's face book account and I thought Mae was watching a show on TV. Little did I know, she was watching TV with a pair of SCISSORS!!! Normally this wouldn't be a problem. She loves to just sit and cut a piece of paper into a thousand tiny shreds, which I always thought was fine, it kept her very entertained and helped develop dexterity. Unfortunately this time her HAIR was cut into a thousand tiny pieces.
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach when Maya left the room and I heard her gasp and say in a very worried voice, "Mom, I think Macie cut her hair!" I ran into the family room to find Macie looking at me with very nervous eyes, half her hair GONE and a pile of hair with scissors on the coffee table next to her.
Of course, I started crying! I immediately picked her up and stuck her in time out. I told her that we should NEVER, NEVER cut our hair and that now she wouldn't be able to have braids (which are her favorite), pony tails or curls. I asked her if she felt sad about cutting her hair off and she said "no", can you believe that?! I know darn well she feels bad, she had silent tears streaming down her face, she's just so dang stubborn she won't admit it! I, on the other hand am torn between throwing up and kicking her!
I so hope that this is fixable or blendable . . . something!!!

February is a Crazy Month

2009-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

Mark and I both celebrate our birthday this month! In fact, our birthdays are only four days apart. It's totally against the "rules" to marry someone with your same sign, but for us, two Aquarius's is a match made in heaven!

Boston is celebrating his first birthday on the 12th. All the kids are really excited for his birthday. Macie wants to have a birthday party for him and invite all of his dog friends from the neighborhood. She wants party hats, doggy treats - the whole works - so cute!Last, but not least, is Valentines Day. Our kids especially look forward to Valentine's Day because they are always visited by a "mystery admirer" who leaves them fun surprises on the doorstep! February 14th was also my Grandpa Bert's birthday. Each Valentine's Day I am flooded with childhood memories of going to his house to celebrate his birthday and exchange valentine's with all of my cousins - for me, it was as exciting as Christmas! The memories are definitely bitter-sweet, but I would not trade them for the world! I only hope to give my children the opportunity to create such meaningful memories!

Happy February!!!

Mark's Dream Come True!!!

2009-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember, Mark has wanted a dog. Not just any dog, but a little dog that would live in our house. For those of you who know me, a "house dog" was out of the question! No way in @*## was I going to have a smelly, messy, furry creature living in my house!

For almost twelve years I was able to stick to my guns, but one wonderful Sunday evening my sweet sister, Julie, had to knock reality right in my face! As we sat together as a family having our usual Sunday dinner, Mark brought up the fact that now that we had a bigger house and a large backyard he wanted a dog. I, of course, went on with my usual spill of why we would NEVER get a dog. Suddenly Julie pipes up and in an oh-so-innocent way, reminds me of what a wonderful husband Mark is and that he gives me absolutely anything and everything I want! Usually my being spoiled by my husband works to my advantage, but this time I knew he deserved to get what he wanted!

The very next weekend we took a little trip to St. George with the kids. At some point during the trip Mark and the kids got online and found a litter of Boston Terriers that were for sale in Price, UT. According to Mark it was meant to be because a Boston Terrier was exactly what he wanted and Price was right on our way home - yeah right! I've driven home from St. George dozens of times and I don't recall EVER going through Price!

Needless to say, we took a short detour through Price where Mark found the puppy of his dreams! The puppy we took wasn't exactly the one that we intended to take when we were looking at the pictures online, but when we got there we all fell in love with this puppy's demeanor. He was so calm and sweet, you just couldn't help but want to cuddle him. As we drove home we all gave our input as to what his name should be. For some reason food names and girly names just weren't working, so I, with my brilliant insight, suggested that since he was a Boston Terrier, we name him Boston. Thankfully everyone agreed and our cute little new family member had a name!
We were so lucky to have chosen Boston! He was such a good puppy! He immediately slept through the night, which was a very good thing because I was NOT about to get up with him, I already did that with the other four kids! He potty trained right away, which was my biggest concern and he even put up with a VERY jealous Macie. Plus he was EXTREMELY cute and cuddly!

Our anniversary is in May and so for Mark's present I had professional pictures taken of Boston with the kids and me. He was totally surprised and loved them! These are just a few of our favorites!I have loved watching Mark fall in love with his dog! He treats him just like one of the kids. He is always buying things for him; cozy little beds, chew toys, treats and even a special winter coat! Mark and Boston have a special spot at the bottom of the stairs that lead into the kitchen. Whenever Mark sits down on the stairs Boston comes running from whatever he is doing to get his massage and "one on one" time with Mark. It's one of the funniest things ever! Mark totally spoils him, I like to tease him and say that he treats Boston better than he's ever treated our kids, sometimes it's true!

I have to admit, as much as I didn't want a dog, I am grateful that Boston is a part of our family! He has made a special connection with each one of us and has shown me how important a relationship with a pet can be for kids. He truly is one of the best things that has ever happened to our family!

New Years Resolutions?

2009-01-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not really a fan of New Year's Resolutions. In my opinion they're pointless. If they were something people were really going to do, they'd already be doing them! Generally people try these crazy new "goals", which are not enjoyable, if they were, like I said, they'd already be doing them! Then they fail and just end up feeling bad about themselves - pointless! So I came up with a list of resolutions that I should make, but most likely won't - why set myself up for failure?!

1. Wake up earlier
2. Save more MONEY!
3. Exercise more
4. Drink less Diet Coke w/lime - that would help with #2
5. Eat healthier
6. Keep my house cleaner
7. Eat Out less...a lot less - that would REALLY help with #2

If you know me well, you know that this is likely NOT going to happen! Well, I'll probably find a way to save more money, but not by cutting out my Diet Coke w/lime or eating out less - it's just not in me!

I did, however, hear of a New Year's Resolution that sounded FUN, so I decided to do it! The goal is to take a picture every day of the year to document the "happenings" of our daily lives. Since I love pictures and I love scrapbooking, I knew this was the resolution for me - definitely something I can accomplish!

I know you might think a picture a day could possibly get boring, I worried about that myself. Fortunately, I have found it to be enlightening. It has helped me to pay more attention to the little things that happen in our life. Things that five years down the road would most likely be forgotten, but now that we have them documented, will be treasured for decades to come! Here's a glimpse of the past few weeks!

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse on New Year's Day

Bargains galore at Gymboree!!!

We were "Heart Attacked"

One of our favorite salads - spinach w/ grape tomatoes, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette

Check him out!!!

New Pasta Recipe - Yum!Maya, Jackson and Macie making scones for dinnerMatt, Jackson and Mark working out with Mark's "early Birthday present" he bought himselfFuzzy dice that Jackson hung in my car - I now have the coolest SUV around!Jamie, Macie and Maya having a "girls day out" at Chili'sHas anyone noticed that food seems to be our constant theme? Maybe I should have made a resolution to exercise more!!!

What the...

2009-01-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

This is for all of you who just love to say that my house is always clean!

Holy Crap! What happened?! Where was I? I definitely couldn't have been BLOGGING! And I certainly would NEVER leave my sweet girls unattended long enough to make such a mess!

It's a mystery, but made for a very good "picture of the day!"

Miss Crockely the Platypus

2009-01-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right, Crockely the Platypus! Macie has recently decided to rename herself. She no longer likes "Macie" and started calling herself Crockely a few weeks ago. It took me awhile to actually figure out what she was trying to say because when she says Crockely it sounds more like "cwockewey", which makes no sense because she speaks absolutely perfect English, except for when she says "Crockely". After about ten minutes, several mispronunciations on my side and an absolute loss of patience on "Crockely's" side I was finally able to decipher the new name. Today she informed me that she was now Crockely the Platypus and we can call her Crockely or Platypus or even both, but absolutely NOT Macie! I asked her if she even knew what a Platypus was and she said it was her. Who knows where this child comes up with her silly ideas!!!

Today Crockely also informed me that when she grows up she is not going to have any kids because she does NOT like babies. I asked her if she was going to get married and she said "No! I don't like babies!" At least she realizes babies and husbands go hand in hand! I then asked her what she was going to do when she grows up since she doesn't want to be a mom and she said she wants to "paint nails and make people's hair a different color they want." I'm glad she realizes what is really important in life! She also said that she is going to babysit Matt's kids, but only Matt's, no one else's. She will also live with us, since she won't have a husband, I'm glad she loves me soooo much!

Crockely is the best little girl ever, I am so happy she is in our family! She is always making me laugh and smile. I love her so much! And look at her pictures, she is freakin' CUTE!!!

Happy Birthday Maya!!!

2009-01-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Maya is finally six years old! She waited for this day for soooo long! Fortunately it turned out to be all that she wanted...and more!

For her friend birthday party she chose to go bowling. At first I thought, no problem! Then I called to book the party and realized we might have to take out a 3rd mortgage just to afford it! I told her if she wanted to go bowling she would have to narrow her invite list to only 5 people. She was so sweet about it, after she narrowed it down to her 5 most favorite friends she said she would even go down to 4 because she knew it was so "spensive". How sweet! That is one thing I just love about her, always putting others before herself. She ended up having a great time bowling over and over and over! She's great at it, she walks right up there and just chucks the ball down the lane like she's throwing a huge boulder across the yard! She even got a few strikes - granted, she did have bumpers, but hey, a strike is a strike, right?! She and her friends also enjoyed pizza, barbie cupcakes and running around like giddy six year old girls with 1 four year old joining in as if she were one of them!

Macie, Akaysha, Katie and Maya
Maya and Jamie

Mark and Maya

Maya wanted a doll house for her birthday because everyone has one except her. We kept telling her we couldn't afford it because her bowling party cost so much. She was so cute and accepting when we would tell her that, but you could see in her face this little glimmer of hope that we might be teasing her. After we got home from bowling we made her stay down stairs while Mark, Macie and I put her "present" together in her room. Macie kept telling her it was BIG, so, of course, she thought is was her doll house. I kept insisting that it wasn't, but that she would still love it - the poor thing was about to go crazy with suspense! When she finally came into her room for her surprise she couldn't stop screaming, it was the best squeal I've ever heard! She was so happy I think she almost cried!

Maya wanted to go to her favorite restaurant for her birthday dinner so we all headed out to Texas Roadhouse! She wanted to share this experience with as many people as she could so she invited Grandma Tracie and Grandpa Ed, Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Bob, Aunt Julie, Uncle Kevin and Cole, Aunt Kellie, Emma and Katelyn, Thomas, Katie and Kristin and of course Matt, Jacks, Macie and Mom and Dad. Imagine a birthday party of that size at Texas Roadhouse - presents, cake and all! Her favorite part was being able to sit on the saddle while everyone yelled "YEE HAA!" She didn't even order dinner she was so excited, she just kept asking, "when are they going to bring over the saddle?" It was so worth it, just look how cute she is sitting there!

Aunt Kellie made Maya one of her famous cakes and Maya loved it! Maya couldn't decide what kind she wanted so she asked Aunt Kellie to surprise her. Maya said it was the cutest cake ever!

Happy Birthday my sweet little princess! I hope you have the best year ever - you deserve it!

2008 Travels Around the World...Or so it Seemed!

2009-01-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

This year Mark and I were very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel...a lot! I honestly got to a point where I told Mark that if I saw another airport I was going to scream! The airlines seem to not like us very much and have a tendency of losing our luggage or having the plane take off without us! Never-the-less, all of our trips were full of adventure and extremely fun!

Our first trip was to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. My parents have a time share at the Pueblo Bonita, one of the most amazing resorts I have ever been to! We have so many pictures from that vacation that I will have to do a whole separate post to include all that we did that week! For now here's a little sneak peak!

The famous arch off the coast of Cabo

Mark - The Surfing Pro!

He really did surf more than just the first two feet of the ocean, I'm just a little camera challenged!

Yeah! Jamie finally got to swim with dolphins!

After three trips to Mexico, Mark finally agreed to let me swim with dolphins! I did, however, have to accomplish my goal of finishing my scrapbook room, which probably would have taken me at least a year, rather than my amazing six months - I was extremely motivated! I was definitely rewarded with one of the most amazing experiences of my life!!!

Cabo Night Life at El Sqid Roe and Cabo Wabo

There is no such thing as too much dancing!

~ August, 2008 ~

In September Mark had to go to Seattle, WA for work so I decided to tag along! We were able to have fun exploring in the evenings and at night would walk among the "posh" homeless people who read classics with their dogs while sitting outside Starbucks. Seriously, I have never seen such sophisticated, well-off homeless people in my life! During the day while Mark was working, I did what I do best - SHOPPED!

Pike's Market - Absolutely the most beautiful flowers for amazing prices!

Fresh Seafood of every kind - YUM!!!

That shiny silver thing is a fish - what a fascination, flying dead fish!

View from the Space Needle

A Romantic Dinner Above the City

From Seattle, we flew to San Francisco, CA. Mark also had to work there, too. I spent my time reading Breaking Dawn at the window of a cute little cafe overlooking a sunny California courtyard. So storybook, I know!

When Mark wasn't working we were able to take the famous San Francisco Trolley to the bay. From there we took a boat ride that went to the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. It was freezing, but definitely worth the adventure!

~ September, 2008 ~

Our next adventure took us to Austin, TX to spend a fun-filled weekend with Sean and Leeza. Mark has always looked forward to his trips with Sean, so I know this one topped his list of vacations for the year! I loved getting to know Leeza better. I loved her from the time I met her over the phone, but just being with her you can't help but be amazed by her, I will forever consider her my sister!
While in Austin we stayed with Sean's good friends, Bill and Chris Wallace, whom we truly came to love. We all had the best time boating on Lake Austin, well maybe all of us - poor Leeza was 8 months pregnant! Whenever Mark was driving we would have to remind him that we didn't want her having a baby on the boat! We also checked out the nightlife of downtown Austin and visited an amazing winery/restaurant which was nestled among beautiful vineyards. I truly fell in love with Austin - it's lush, green, absolutely beautiful and most important - warm!

The best part of this vacation was seeing and feeling the pure joy Mark felt just being with his brother, his hero. After Sean passed away, Leeza told Mark that Sean said our weekend in Austin was one of the best experiences he ever had, we would definitely have to agree and look forward to many more in the eternities! We will forever be grateful to Sean for inviting us to Austin and giving us the precious gift of one last adventure with him during his journey here on earth.

~October, 2008~

Our final vacation for the year was to Las Vegas, NV. We stayed at the Bellagio, which is like being in a royal palace! The room, the service, the pampering...need I say more?

We had a great time hanging out with Tim and Allison. It's so good to have friends who are so fun and who can keep you laughing and enjoying yourself even when you lose your $20 winnings from football betting to playing 21! We also were able to spend time with Danielle, which is always a good time!

~ November, 2008 ~

Yes, we realize that our kids are not in any of these pictures! Honestly, I don't know how this happened! A whole year of vacations and not one of them included our children! How rude! They were, however, well taken care by my wonderful family and our awesome nannies, Katie and Andee. And no, you can't have my nannies info, they're the best and I just don't think I want to share them! J/K, well... maybe not! Anyway, our kids have also realized this extreme unfairness and so all will be made up to them with a trip to Disneyland this spring! I guess as all good things, our time of selfishness must come to an end!

Yes...There Truly is a Happily Ever After

2008-12-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Not long ago, I was talking with one of my best friends and she said that sometimes she hates looking at people's blogs because it makes her depressed to see everybody else's "perfect life". Naturally, that is what we as human beings put forth for everyone to see - all the good. We wouldn't want anyone to know that we have problems or that our life is not perfect, that might make us look weak or unsuccessful. The more I thought about it, I realized this was true and that even I was guilty of "putting on a show". I made it my own personal goal to show our life as it is - the good and the bad.

When Sean died I understood the apprehension of showing the world our "not-so-happy" side. Not because I wanted to hide it, but because it hurt. It took me days to actually write about that experience, even though I had it swimming around in my head non stop. Putting those thoughts and feelings out there for everyone to see made me feel vulnerable, everyone would see that we are not always strong and confident, we have struggles that sometimes are so hard make us question our own faith and ability to continue on.

After sharing our experience about Sean I had a hard time continuing to share our life's journey. I couldn't bear the thought of looking at our blog and not seeing his face, like I shouldn't or maybe even couldn't continue. How wrong I was.

I am so fortunate to be blessed with a husband, who during his darkest hour, has the ability to help me recognize and understand all of the amazing miracles that have come from our hardships. He has taken the hard, bad things and has learned from them. Instead of dwelling on the pain, he has taken that energy and found ways to become a better person. He has taught me that life does go on, regardless of our circumstances and it is our responsibility to decide what we are going to do with the situations that are handed to us in this life. He has helped me understand that "Happily Ever After" is not determined by our circumstances, it is determined by our attitude and what we do as a result of our circumstances.

I want my children to look back on this and see that life is full of ups and downs and good or bad we keep on going and somehow we make it through. Most important, I want them to know that they have the ability to create their own "Happily Ever After".

A Tree to Remember

2008-12-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

This year we didn't put up a Christmas tree because we were planning on spending Christmas and the New Year in El Paso, TX. We didn't want to take any chances with a dried out tree left in our house for over two weeks while we were gone! We did, however, decorate everything else in the house to help bring in the Christmas spirit!

As we were driving home from El Paso after Sean's funeral my sister, Julie, called me to see how we were doing. As we were talking I realized that Christmas was only a few days away and I started rambling on about how much I still needed to do to get ready. I remember crying to her that I felt so bad because my kids didn't even have a Christmas tree and I had no idea how I would find time and honestly, the motivation, to decorate a tree for them. Little did I know that my wonderful family had already taken this into consideration and I had nothing to worry about.

Two days earlier my youngest sister, Katie, realized I was going to run into this problem (in my opinion, I think she was inspired). She was determined that her nieces and nephews were going to have a tree for Christmas and she was going to make it happen. As a result, my parents, my sisters, their spouses and kids, my brother and his sweet girlfriend had family night at our house and decorated a tree for our family.

When I walked into the house late that Tuesday night all I could see was Mark standing in our kitchen, facing the family room with a look of awe on his face. At first I was worried about what could be wrong, but then I rounded the corner and was greeted by the warm glow of our Christmas tree, or as I like to call it, our Christmas miracle. I know it might seem a small act of kindness, but for our kids who came in screaming with excitement over something I could not provide them with, I like to call it a blessing.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for raising such amazing children who are always looking out for each other and who have been taught the true meaning of love. I know that it is through your example that small miracles like this happen in our family all the time. Thank you to my brother and sisters and their families for loving us so much and for doing all that you do! My family is truly blessed because of you.

I cannot even count the many blessings and acts of kindness shown to us during this difficult time in our life. Our shoveled walks and driveway, the breakfast and dinner left on our porch, the meals brought in, the phone calls of concern, the listening ear and many, many other responsibilities taken on by others to help make our load lighter. Mark and I would like to express our thanks to all of you, you know who you are and we are grateful for the angels that you have been in our life.

My heart is full of gratitude knowing that God lives and that he watches over us in our times of need. He provides miracles and blessings and most important he fills our hearts with love - not only to those who are in need, but to those who give of themselves and it is my hope and desire that you feel of God's love and ours.

THANK YOU!!!

In Loving Memory of Sean D. Taylor

2008-12-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

On December 9, 2008, Mark's brother and best friend tragically passed away. There is no way to describe the heartache and devastation felt by this loss. Although we miss Sean dearly, we know that he is at peace and that brings us great comfort.

There are so many things that we are going to miss about Sean. His unconditional love, his friendship, his great sense of humor and his example. I think one of the things I will miss most is Mark and Sean's daily phone calls. Mark would always get this cute smile of complete happiness and excitement and greet Sean by saying, "Hey Paco!" I don't even know what "paco" means, knowing the two of them it could be some naughty word in Spanish! Regardless, that phrase will truly be missed in our household.

Sean has been a great influence in our life and in the lives of many others. While we were in El Paso we were able to meet many of his friends and employees who all had nothing but wonderful things to say about him. He was always willing to help any one of his friends in any way that he could whether it be giving advice, providing others with things they otherwise could not afford or just lending a listening ear. Sean always made it a point to end every conversation with, "Is there anything you need? Or is there anything I can do for you?" and was always sincere in his asking. He truly desired to do all he could for others. It is our desire take his example and carry on his legacy of being genuine and thoughtful of those around us and doing what we can for others.

We are so grateful for the many wonderful people Sean brought into our life. Leeza is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. She is strong, courageous, caring and full of unconditional love. I know that she is an angel, sent to be with Sean during his last days on this earth and I know that he loves her with all of his heart and is full of gratitude for the friend and companion she was to him. I also believe his son Christian, is an angel sent to Sean and Lisa. He may be a cute little baby, but his spirit is strong and comforting. I will always treasure the spirit that we felt just being with Leeza and Christian as we sat in Sean and Leeza's room talking about Sean and all of our great memories of him.

We are also happy to have all of Sean's friends surround us during this difficult time. He truly has amazing friends who are all just as caring and giving as he was. We cannot express the gratitude we feel towards those who came and supported us during those first difficult days and who continue to each day. We have made new friendships with so many people who we now consider our close friends, even though we have only known each other for a short time. We heard it said several times that Sean had many friends and they were all friends because of Sean. It's like he was the "hub" of all of the friendships and kept everyone connected together. In honor of Sean we would like to continue those friendships and are happy to be the "hub" that links everyone together!

We love you Sean and we miss you! You will always be in our hearts and in our thoughts! Thank you for being the wonderful person and friend we could always count on. During our hardest moments I like to think of the chorus to one of my favorite songs by Kenny Chesney. I hope that it can also bring comfort and peace to all those who are also mourning your loss - "...the only thing that gets me through is I know, I'll see you again someday."

Sean and Leeza

Mark and Christian

Bill, Sean and Mark - Austin, TX ~ Oct. 2008

Leeza, Sean, Jamie and Mark -Austin, TX ~ Oct. 2008

Mark and Sean - Lake Austin, Oct. 2008

Martina McBride Concert with the Girls!

2008-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

Clear back in August when the sun was shining and the days and nights were warm my sisters, my mom, Katie's friend, Kristen, and I went to the Martina McBride concert! It was so fun! Probably one of the best nights - ever! I love Martina McBride, her songs have been so inspirational and uplifting to me throughout my life. I would have to say one of my favorite songs is "I Have Been Blessed" I call it "my song" because it describes my life perfectly, I even insisted that we have a hardwood floor in our house to go along with the song! Fortunately I have a wonderful husband who pretty much complies with whatever I want! I love you, honey!!!

The concert was absolutely amazing! Julie was able to get awesome tickets on the floor, only a few rows back. Katie and I wanted to get some pictures so we walked right up to the stage and no one stopped us so we stayed there. Soon everyone else joined us and we danced and sang all night long! It was so fun to be right up front and feel the energy and excitement of the band and the crowd. It was fun to actually have Martina see us and wave at us! Katie, Kristin and I were even on the big screen several times - call us vain, but it was fun to see ourselves on the huge t.v.!!!

I am so lucky to have such a close family! I love that we are all best friends and that we enjoy hanging out and doing things together! You guys are the best!

Martina McBride

Jamie, Kellie, Julie, Mom (Tracie)

Martina, again!

Katie, Jamie and Kristen

Katie, Julie, Tracie, Kellie, Jamie and Kristen

Happy Birthday Macie!!!

2008-11-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Macie is already four years old! She had her first "friend" birthday party this year and it was fabulous! We went to Chick-fil-A, along with 8 of her friends and had a great time! She loved having her friends and cousins there, and all of the fun new presents were an added bonus! She was even more excited to give out the party favors we brought for all of her friends, I love that she is so giving! She and I were at the store on her birthday when she found the cute birthday hat she is wearing in her pictures. It looked so cute on her that I couldn't resist buying it and I'm glad I didn't because she wore it all day and looked absolutely adorable! Aunt Kellie made her a real homemade cake for her party! She was so happy and so was I! I hate making cakes, probably because I'm not very good at it! I usually go with store bought cakes or brownies, so when Kellie offered to make her a "real" birthday cake I was elated! Macie wanted a pink and blue purse cake and was very happy with the results! Watch out Kellie- I have 3 other kids who are now going to want "real" birthday cakes!
Mae also had a family birthday party that night at our house and was completely spoiled, as usual. We got her the Cupcake Maker she has wanted for about 2 months. She was so excited when she opened it that she started screaming! She also received tons of baking accessories from Grandma Tracie and Grandpa Ed, I think our kitchen is going to turn into "Macie's Bakery". Her many other gifts included Tinkerbell and Hannah Montanna products galore, barbies, magnet dolls, clothes, a little piano and of course, princess goodies!
It is so amazing to see her grow and watch her turn into such a beautiful little girl! She is not at all a baby anymore and I am just not ready to let her grow up yet! To me she will always be my sweet little baby! I am so proud of her and love being her mommy!
Macie is full of life and energy and is ready explore this new world of being four! I know she will enjoy every moment to it's fullest! Happy Birthday my Little Princess!!!

Life Is Good!!!

2008-11-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Mark and I went to LasVegas the first weekend in November for a DRI convention. I know that sounds boring and quite frankly, it is! Who wants to go sit through legal mumbo jumbo when there is so much other fun stuff to do?! Really I'm not complaining, it's actually pretty awesome! Each year Mark's firm sends us to one of these conventions and we get to choose where we go. After going to places like Miami, San Diego, New York and resorts in Arizona (where I want to live-in the hot, hot sun!), I was quite disappointed when Mark forgot to book our trip and we ended up headed to Las Vegas. We can drive there any day!

As usual, when I have a pessimistic attitude, Mark proves me wrong! We had such a great time! We stayed at the Bellagio, which is absolutely amazing! The morning that we left, Salt Lake had it's first HUGE and unexpected (at least to us!) snow storm of the year. After sitting on the road for forty minutes in stand still traffic, getting the kids to my parents and the dog to the doggy sitter we missed our flight by ten minutes and had to buy new plane tickets! Needless to say, it was wonderful to walk into our executive tower suite that over looked the city from one side of the room and the pools from the other side. We even had a huge window with an awesome view over the jetted tub! Talk about relaxation!

Tim, another attorney at the firm, and his wife, Allison were there also. It was so fun to hang out with another couple and tour the city together! We had tons of fun shopping, eating out, sight seeing and yes, even a little gambling! Mark bet on the U football game and the Denver Broncos while we were there and I was totally stressed! Both teams played at the same time so we went to the ESPN Zone for dinner to watch both of the games, they were both losing for most of the night and finally in the fourth quarter they both came through for us and won. I think Mark will be betting on a lot more games in the future because for the first time I was actually into the game, yelling and everything! Football is much more interesting when money is at stake! We took $20 of our winnings and I learned to play 21, which I am not very good at - we played $2 tables and I lost, won and then lost all $20 within two hours! Allison, on the other hand, is a pro - she more than doubled her money! I am so happy to have made such great new friends! Thanks Tim and Allison for such a fun time!

We also went to dinner with one of my best friends ever! Danielle and I have been friends for over fourteen years and it was so great to spend time with her! She currently lives in Vegas and knows all of the "in" places to go! She even took us dancing at a club with a live band - way fun! We love you Danielle!

I think the best thing about this trip was that Mark and I were able to spend a lot of time together just talking about life and kids and all of that other stuff that we sometimes forget when we are trying to survive this crazy thing called raising a family. It was nice to refocus on all that we have and what a wonderful life it really is! Our children are amazing and Mark is absolutely incredible, he has to be, he has me for his wife! We truly have been so blessed with such an amazing family! I am so grateful to be surrounded by family and friends who are absolutely the best ever! I really have to say "Life Is Good!"

Our first day atBellagio

Tim, Allison, Mark and Jamie

Jamie and Danielle

Pumpkin Pictures!!!

2008-11-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

This year we didn't have time to go to the pumkin patch for pictures and I was so stressed out! Difficult life, I know! I was so determined to get the pictures that the day after Halloween I insisted on dragging everyone to the pumkin patch for the yearly ritual, which I think was skipped last year - maybe that's why I was so stressed about it! Anyway, we went to the deserted patch and gathered up as many good pumpkins as possible and staged our own little photo shoot. It was quite stressful and I think everyone thought I was about to rip their heads off, which may explain all of the painful faces!!! We did discover that the pumkins are FREE after Halloween, which Maya and Macie took full advantage of!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween!!! The kids were off track so Matt and Jacks were able to play at the tree house with their friends and, of course, with their PS2. While the girls were at work with Mark I was able to spend the early afternoon visiting with our neighbors, the DeMie's - how relaxing! After Mark and the girls came home we went to a late lunch at one of our favorites - Red Robin! Yum!!! When it was time for trick or treating the boys informed us, in a round about way, that we are no longer "cool" and they insisted on heading out with their friends. Mark and I had a great time watching the girls run from house to house getting their treats. Macie was so funny, if someone gave her a candy she didn't like she would sit down then and there and take the candy out of her bag and give it to Maya - we wouldn't want it to contaminate the good candy! Maya tired out pretty quick, but Macie was not giving up so easy. She kept saying, "Next one!" then would run off without Maya, who was in her dress up shoes and simply could not run. She was a princess and everyone knows that princesses just do not run in their glass slippers! In the end though, the desire for more candy kept Maya going long after Macie had Daddy carry her home!

Two New Attorneys to Help Dad!!

2008-11-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Macie is always begging Mark to take her to work with him. On Halloween Mark was only working for half a day so he brought his two little attorney helpers. They were elated!!! They love going to his office and coloring with highlighters, which is something they can only use at Daddy's work. They also love being adored by Mark's secretaries and getting sodas out of the office fridge, for some reason they taste better! Mark is such a great Daddy!!!

I would definately say this is happily ever after!

2008-10-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Cabo San Lucas, August 2008

Yeah!!! We finally have a blog! Thank you Heather!!!

2008-10-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today Heather Baldwin, my friend since 2nd grade, helped me set up my blog! I'm so excited to finally be "in" with everybody else! I'm so computer challenged that I thought this would never happen! Thanks Heather for being such an awesome friend! I can't wait to share my cute family and our happily ever after with all of our friends and family!