The Guymon Family: Finding Joy in Our Journey

2012-02-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Larsen Christmas Party

2012-01-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas comes early every year for the Larsen family! My mom always hosts a Christmas party for all of my siblings and their families, and it truly is something we look forward to each year. We start with a big dinner and lots of conversation and catching up. It is fun for the adults and the cousins who haven't seen each other in a while. Then we have a nativity play presented by the Grandkids with a narration that we have of my Grandma Sitterud reading the Christmas story. It is a neat way to incorporate her into our traditions even if she is gone. Here is the entire cast of Larsen grandkids.

I'm not quite sure what part Cambree was playing. she insisted on putting her costume together herself.

Kaden as the Donkey, my nephew Dylan as a shepherd, and Brennen as a wise man.

My sweet nephew Eastyn.

My niece Brielle as Mary. She took her part very seriously.

Aubree as a shepherd.

Brennen as a Wise Man.

My sister Larissa and her sweet baby Chloe.

All my living Grandparents: Grandma Retta (Larsen), Grandpa Dee (Larsen, and Grandpa Sitterud.

Making ornaments for Grandma's grandkid tree.

More craftiness.

Christmas Bingo.

Finally opening presents. The kids get to open 3: one from a cousin (we draw names), one from Grandpa and Grandma, and one from Grandma's "elf" who finds our party every year. It must be because there are so many good boys and girls there.
Cambree was so excited about Backpack. She also got a Tiana doll from Brielle, and a baby doll from the elf. She calls it her Cambree baby because it has red hair like her.

Brennen got Mater legos from Grandpa and Grandma, Cars Legos from Eastyn, and a remote control Lightning McQueen from the elf.

Tyson got a Hero Factory set from Grandpa and Grandma, a hero factory set from Macie, and a remote control car from the elf.

Kaden got a Lightening McQueen Lego set from Grandpa and Grandma, a Nerf football from Rikelle, and a remote control car from the elf.

Aubree got Blendy pens from Grandpa and Grandma, a Young Women value necklace from Dylan, and a manicure set from the elf.

I am so grateful to my mom for putting this together each year. she is such an amazing mom and I have a wonderful family. I am truly blessed to belong with them! I'm also grateful to know that families can be together forever.

Christmas Tree

2012-01-22T18:20:00.001-08:00

We always have fun decorating the Christmas tree.

Aubree caught off guard

Cambree showing off her ornament.

Brennen discovered how funny his face looks in the ornament balls!

Tyson going crazy with the tinsel.

Kaden going more crazy with the tinsel.

The finished product. Merry Christmas!

Hey Santa!

2011-12-29T19:23:00.001-08:00

So it can't be Christmas until we sit on Santa's knee and tell him our wish for Christmas! This year we saw him early, the week before Thanksgiving, at the Enchanted Forest.

Brennen's wish is for a Buzz Lightyear gun, which is different from what he told us previously. The rule in our family though is once you tell Santa, you can't change your mind, so Santa still had plenty of time to pull it off!

Aubree's wish is for the new Harry Potter Scene It game with all 8 movies. Or pretty much anything to do with Harry Potter.

Tyson's wish is for an iPod. Can Santa do that? I guess so, if you are very good!

Cambree is still not much of a Santa fan, but she still managed to tell him she wanted Dora.

Kaden thought he was too cool for Santa (Gosh I hate this growing up stuff), but was informed that if he didn't talk to the big man, his wish may not be granted. So he stood there (too big for his lap mom!) and told him he wanted a General Grevious Lightsaber.

Fall Fun

2011-12-29T18:51:00.001-08:00

We have 7 huge trees in our yard along with many smaller ones and bushes as well, so fall raking is no small task. Luckily, my kids think it is the most fun job ever!

Halloween

2011-12-11T17:56:00.001-08:00

Carving Pumpkins

2011-12-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about Halloween? Carving Pumpkins of course!
You gotta scoop those guts out! Sometimes it's a two handed job!

This little girl had way too much fun getting that pumpkin ready!

Caution: Artist at work.

Not so sure about this!

Big brother may not like it, but Tyson finds the grossness facinating!

And the finished products! Cambree was so proud of her pumpkin!

Tyson loves spooky! His scary Jack o Lantern had 11 eyes!

I don't know what weird face this is, but Aubree did a great job carving all by herself!

Brennen had a MAD pumpkin!

Kaden and origami Yoda.

All set to spook!

Sister's Weekend

2011-11-20T18:00:00.001-08:00

In Oct, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend a weekend with my mom and three sisters. It was os much fun! We went out to eat, went shopping, stayed in a hotel, went to a (grown up) movie, and just had an all around good time. I am so blessed to have these amazing women not only as my sisters and mom, but as some of my best friends!

Smile for the camera!

This is how we really are -- WEEEEEEEET!

Cheerleader pose!

Checking our Facebook!

Stylin at the mall!

Out to lunch -- and no one needed their meat cut up! How nice!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-19T17:33:00.001-08:00

The weekend I took off with my sisters, Bruce took the kids out to his sister's house in Herriman to see their cousins who just moved here from Cambodia. While they were there, they wen to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins for Halloween. I wasn't there, so I can't really describe the pictures, but they are cute and it looks like they had a lot of fun!

I'm so grateful that my kids have such a great dad who will take them while mom gets her batteries recharged.

Soccer

2011-11-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Late summer and early fall mean soccer season at our house. This year we had 3 boys playing.
Kaden had an awesome team this year and they had a lot of fun! He learned so much about the game and how to play the different positions. His best position was defender, which he got pretty good at. Their team only lost 2 games and those were close games.

Tyson had a great time in soccer. Not only did he learn and improve, but 2 of his best friends were on the team with him. He also loved playing defender, but I think it's because he didn't have to run as much. They don't keep score in his age division, but they had a pretty good team and his coach gave him defender of the year award for his team.

It was Brennen's first year playing and his dad was his coach. He was the youngest kid on the team and it showed. He would get really distracted and forget a lot what he was supposed to be doing, but he had a great time and was especially excited that he got to have treats after every game!

Cousins

2011-11-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

The last 2 months have been filled with fun times with cousins!
We got to go out to Pleasant Grove to see Chloe, our newest cousin on the Larsen side, on her blessing day. All the cousins on the Larsen side were there!

Catching up over lunch!

Brielle was not too happy about pictures, but the rest of us were pleased to get a picture together!

In Oct, Our Uncle Paul brought his family over to the US from Cambodia, and we were so excited to spend some time with cousins we'd only seen on Skype! Here we all are waiting at the airport for them to arrive!

Hanging out at Aunt Shannon's

After a super fun day at the pumpkin patch. (I will post about that later. I just wanted to get the pic of all the cousins up!)
I'm so grateful for families and for our Heavenly Father's plan for families to be together forever. Heaven wouldn't be Heaven without the ones I love most with me there!

Super Delicious!

2011-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

So it has been way too long since I have blogged anything due to my computer dying on me, and then being overwhelmed at all the many things I need to blog about. But I guess I need to start somewhere, before I get even farther behind.
These are some great pictures I got of Brennen and Cambree sucking water from puddles after the sprinklers had been on. Crazy kids! Sure do love these little turkeys!

P.S. If you have ever watched kid history on Youtube, you will understand the title from Episode 2. If you have never seen Kid History on Youtube, you are totally missing out!!!!!

Back to School

2011-09-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

It is back to school time again, and as sad as we were to see summer go, all the kids were ready for their new school adventures!

Aubree is in 6th grade this year and off to Jr High. This brings so many new adventures, such as walking to school, lockers, and playing in the band (she is playing the flute). Her teacher is Mindy Elliott. She is growing up so fast and turning into a beautiful young woman. She still struggles with anxiety and emotions, but is learning how to handle these a lot better. Along with playing the flute in the band, she is still taking ballet and piano lessons.

Kaden is in 5th grade at King's Peak Elementary (the school for 3-5 grades) and loves being the king of the mountain! His teacher is Lori Olson and he seems to be really enjoying her as a teacher. He has so many friends and is really outgoing and social. He loves being in Webelos Scouts and is working towards his arrow of light. He is also playing soccer right now and is looking forward to Basketball this winter.

Tyson is in 2nd grade at East Elementary (grades K-2) and like Kaden enjoys being the top of the school. His teacher is Amber Gordon, and he seems to really like her. He is super smart at Math and is at the top of his grade there. His reading is also really good and he keeps improving. He seems to be pretty well liked by all the kids and I can't walk down the hall at school with him without 3-4 kids stopping him to say hello! He is playing soccer this year also, and will play basketball and baseball in their respective seasons.

Brennen is back to preschool and thinks he is pretty hot stuff being in both classes, but that is the advantage of having mom as the teacher. He is really working on being a big kid and has come a long way since last year. On days that there is no preschool, he is mom's buddy and big helper. He started soccer this year and loves having his dad as his coach!

I can't leave Cambree out! She doesn't go to school yet, but she goes to the babysitter and she loves it! She is also a typical 2-year-old, sweet as suger the one minute, a raging tornado the next. But we do love and she brings a special light into our lives that I can't imagine not having!

Misc End of Summer Fun!

2011-09-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

We did so many fun things at the end of summer this year, and since I am getting behind on this blog, I am lumping them all into one gigantic post!
The library hosted a Harry Potter birthday party at the end of July. Kaden dressed as Hagrid (and won 3rd place in the costume contest), Aubree was Ginny Weasley, Tyson was Voldemort, and Brennen was the Troll (his costume consisted of carrying a club)

We did sparklers for UBIC while we waited for fireworks to start. We are so lucky to be able to see the fireworks from our backyard.

Bruce and I ran the 5k for UBIC this year. We also ran the school district's back to school 5k.

The youth of our ward went rafting on the Green River and they invited the 11 year olds to go. Aubree had such a great time with her dad!

Aubree is on the front right of the boat.

The Saturday before school started we went to the Vernal rec center and went swimming. They have a really awesome indoor pool!
Cambree loved going down this little red slide.

Aubree playing in the water features.

Brennen took the time to stop and pose. I love that he isn't afraid to get in the water this year.

Tyson finally was brave enough to try the water slides. After that, we couldn't get him off!

They had a obstacle course set up in the lap pool. Kaden had a lot of fun with that.

Bruce wanted to do the climbing wall after we were done swimming.

Then Aubree surprised us by wanting to try it too! She made it all the way up and rang the bell! I was so proud of her! She is growing up so fast!

I am so grateful for the time we spent together this summer. My kids are growing up so fast and I feel like every moment I get with them is precious. I am so grateful that they still like to do things as a family and for the bonds that it builds. I was listening to a talk today about a mother who felt like it was so important for her to help her children build relationships with each other, because those are the relationships that will be the longest in this life. Even when we are gone, our children will have each other. That really hit me and I want to make that a priority to help them to learn to love each other and enjoy being together!

Cambree Turns 2

2011-08-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Cambree turned 2 on Aug 19th. I am sitting here wondering where the last 2 years went! It seems like only yesterday that I held her in my arms for the first time. We did a Pinkalicious birthday for her this year. If you have never read the book, it is about a girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she turns pink. It is Cambree's absolute favorite book.
For her cake we made her a giant pink cupcake.

Blowing out the candles.

The outside of the cake.

The inside of the cake. I tried to make it pink. I should have used "more, more, more" pink!

Opening the first present.

It's Goldilicious, Pinkalicious's pet unicorn! Cambree already has a Pinkalicious doll, which she loves to death. Now she has the unicorn.

Opening her next present.

It's a scooter! She is always trying to ride the big kids scooters, so we decided to get her her own that is just her size!

I'm so grateful to have Cambree in our family. Heavenly Father knew our family would not be complete without her and her spunky little personality. I thank Him everyday for this wonderful, surprise gift I received.

UBIC Kids' Triathalon

2011-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

This year Kaden decided he wanted to do the kids triathalon for UBIC. I was so proud of him for doing it, but also so nervous, so I didn't go watch. I made Bruce take lots of pictures though. They don't keep times or anything, it's totally just for fun, which I love. He did the Sprint division which consists of swimming the length of the pool down and back, a one mile bike ride, and a half mile run. (They also have an Olympic division which is 3 lengths of the pool, a 3 mile bike ride, and a mile run, which Kaden wants to do next year.)

Kaden and his dad at the end of the tri.

Kaden with his friend Danny and Danny's brother William. They all think they are pretty tough. And they are!

These are all the kids from our ward who participated.

Getting ready to swim.

Running the last part. Bruce didn't get any bike pictures.

All the kids who participated. I'm so proud of Kaden. He is starting to become quite an athlete, now that he has discovered how important it is to practice in order to be good at something! I'm proud that he dared to try something new, which makes him a winner!

Sitterud Reunion 2011

2011-08-20T10:24:00.001-07:00

The weekend of the 24th was the Sitterud Family Reunion. This was the first year we have been able to attend and I was so excited! We grew up down the street from Grandpa and Grandma Sitterud and had most of our cousins close. So these are the people I grew up with!
The theme of the reunion was "All because Neldon and Lola fell in Love" My grandparents had the most amazing love story, so it was really fitting to celebrate that.
This is Grandpa Sitterud in the yellow hat. Grandma has been gone for 4 years now, but we still miss her a lot!

Planting a wildflower garden for Grandma. She loved flowers. We also painted prayer rocks and put together puzzles and bracelets.

Uncle Kirk and Aunt Karen were in charge of the reunion, and we are so grateful for all the work they put into it. (And thanks to my cousin Jen who took most of these pictures!)

It wouldn't be a Sitterud reunion without a sawdust pit! All the adults empty out all their spare change and throw it into the sawdust. Then the kids have a turn to search for as much money as they can find in 3 minutes. We did it as kids and now it's fun to watch my kids have a turn!

Even the adults got in to the action!

I'm so grateful for the heritage that I have. I am grateful for the wonderful family I was raised with and the influence it has had on my life. I was so blessed to live so close to such wonderful grandparents who have such an impact on my life! I loved and admired my Grandma for as long as I can remember, and my Grandpa continues to be one of my heroes in this life! I am truly truly blessed!

Camping at Uintah Canyon

2011-08-14T17:07:00.001-07:00

The last weekend of July, we actually had a free weekend, so we decided to take the kids to Uintah Canyon for a quick camping trip. We had a super time, so I'm glad we squeezed in one last camping trip of the summer. The best part for me is no cell phone reception, so we get our dad all to ourselves for a few days!
Brennen and Cambree discovered this little cupboard under the bed not long after we set the trailer up, and it became their little "clubhouse". It also made them filthy because it is where we put the fire wood when we pack the trailer. Oh well, part of being a kid.

One of our favorite parts of camping is hiking. We don't take insane long hikes, for obvious reasons, but we enjoy exploring this beautiful place where we live.

We actually hiked part of the King's Peak trail. King's peak is the highest peak in Utah, and it is right in our backyard. We hiked about a mile and a half up it. Someday when the kids are older, maybe we will hike to the top!

We take a lot of water and rest breaks. Sometimes I think it drives Bruce crazy, but long hikes are hard on little legs!

Brennen has a crazy thing about bridges. He loves them! So we have to cross every bridge we see. (and doesn't my husband look hot with the baby backpack? I think so!)

Our other favorite thing about camping is throwing rocks in the river. Don't ask me, it is a little strange, but it is something we started with Aubree and Kaden, and they can't seem to get enough of it. Even the big kids!
Aubree taking a photo break. As girlie as she is, she still loves playing in the mud!

Brennen with a stick. Dad taught them a new game to launch a stick in the water and then try to "bomb" the stick with the rocks. Hours of entertainment, I tell you!

Cambree had to be where ever her sis was!

Classic Kaden face! What a character!

In Tyson's mind, the bigger the rock, the better!

As I sat next to my husband that day by the river and watched my kids find so much joy in these simple little things, I couldn't help but to thank my Father in Heaven for all these blessings in my life. I thought to myself that this is what life is really all about, these simple moments that remind me how much I have to be thankful for and what a blessing my family is!

Swimming Lessons

2011-08-14T16:53:00.001-07:00

Another summer means another round of swimming lessons.
Aubree did level 4, which caused a little drama, because she never passed level 3, but there were no spots available in level 3, so I put her in level 4. She did pretty well, but she just needs to learn to trust herself.

Kaden did 2 weeks of level 4, passed it, so then did 2 weeks of level 5. He has really become an amazing swimmer this year.

Tyson did 2 weeks of level 2 and passed so then he did 2 weeks of level 3. He might have passed level 3, but he is still afraid of deep water.

Brennen did the preschool level and probably made the most progress of all the kids. Last summer, he wouldn't even get in the water, so to see him not only get in, but put his head under the water and jump off the side was amazing!

Fackrell Family Reunion 2011

2011-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Some of the highlights of the 2011 Fackrell family reunion....
Riding the horses.

Kaden going solo

Cambree's first time on a horse!

Brennen -- What a change from last year when he screamed and was petrified!

Aubree with her dad. She rode by herself too, but I was changing the camera batteries and didn't catch it.

My husband looks good on a horse !

Tyson was really scared to ride the horse and the only person he would ride with was uncle daryl. Here is the begining of the ride....

And here he is hanging on for dear life at the end!

It wouldn't be family reunion without the water fight! Kaden and Tyson were right in the thick of it.

Brennen and cousin Conner on the tractor. These two boys got to be pretty good buddies!

Of course Cambree had to take her turn!

Jumping on the trampoline is always fun.

The kids loved going for rides with Aunt Maxine!

One morning I walked around the house and saw these boys lined up and just giggling. I wondered what was so funny. I kept walking and soon I saw what was going on.

The big boys were launching water balloons at them and they were just loving it! Too fun!
We always have a great time at the Fackrell family reunion and are so grateful to Uncle Kenny and Aunt Bobbie for opening their home and for everyone else who works so hard to make it a success!

A Good Old Blanding 4th of July

2011-08-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

There is no place on the earth that our family would rather be for the 4th of July than Blanding, UT. We look forward to it each summer.
The weekend started on Saturday with the Will and Hattie Guymon family reunion: 100 years in Blanding. It was a neat day spent with family from all over. They did a neat tribute program to the family, but it was a little long for my little ones, so this is how we kept them entertained.

It's amazing how entertaining a hat and a pair of sunglasses can be!

Here are the kids at their Grandma Guymon's headstone at the Blanding cemetary.

At the Will and Hattie Guymon cabin. We are so proud of all the hard work our Grandpa Gary has put in to restoring it.

Grandpa telling a story about when he was 4, so he had Brennen come up so everyone could see how big 4 is.

Cambree had a blast playing in the cabin, but I had a hard time getting a picture of her because she wouldn't hold still!

Brennen and his cousin Karlie sure had a fun time together!

On Saturday the kids had the opportunity to ride on the Guymon family float in the parade. Tyson and Cambree decided not to. (Well Tyson decided. Mom decided for Cambree.) So here they are with their balloon animals waiting for the parade to start.

Aubree riding the float with cousins Crystal and Karlie.

Kaden on the float. You can kind of see Brennen if you look close. He was hiding under the wagon. He told me after it was the only place to sit that wasn't hot. (I'm sure it didn't hurt that there were cookies under there either!)

After the parade and other festivities, the kids decided they wanted to go to the Bluff fort. It was a holiday, so most of it was closed, but we were still able to walk around the grounds.

Cambree saw me taking a picture of the plaque, and decided she needed to be in the picture.

We really had a fun weekend in Blanding and can't wait til next year!

Jazz Player Clinic

2011-07-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of playing Jr Jazz for my kids is getting to meet a Jazz player at the Jr Jazz clinics. They don't care that it's a guy who doesn't get a lot of playing time, just the fact that it is a Jazz player is enough for them to be starstruck. This year they sent Jeremy Evans again. I was very excited. He came last year before he had ever played a game in the NBA, and was just such a neat kid. We've followed him all year and were excited to have him back. Playing in the NBA has not changed him. He is such a humble down to earth kid, and he really gets in there and enjoys being with the kids. My boys each took a friend with them and had a ball!

Brennen thinks he is one of the big boys and during a game of lightening was trying so hard to make a basket. Jeremy saw him struggling and ran over and lifted him up to the basket for the dunk! It was so exciting for Brennen!

He got right in a played with the kids and had a good time!

Q&A time. Some of the questions the kids ask are so funny!
Afterward when he was signing autographs and taking pictures, I told him that he has 4 kids who are fans as long as he is with the Jazz!

Finishing Mosiah: Hiking

2011-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Our reward for finishing the Book of Mosiah was a family hike, since so many people spend a lot of time hiking in the wilderness. We hiked to Upper Stillwater Dam in the Uintah Mountains. And being such a good mom, I forgot my camera! Luckily, dad had his phone with him (never thought I would say that! LOL!) and so we snapped a couple of pictures while we were on the Dam.

The Pirate Ship

2011-07-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

My boys have been really into Pirates lately, so when Bruce fixed our back gate, they decided that with the leftover lumber they were going to build a Pirate ship. And since they have the coolest dad, he took one evening and helped them build one! I honestly don't know who had more fun, Dad or the kids!

(Do you love Cambree with her can of banana chips just hanging out?)

Complete with our own flag. In case you couldn't tell, it's a G for Guymon!

Sadly this week we had a massive windstorm and the sail and the flag blew over. Hopefully dad will be able to help them fix it!

St George Trip

2011-06-26T16:35:00.001-07:00

My sister Kacie lives in St George, so I decided to take the kids and go visit her for a few days the first week of June. So we left dad home so he could go to work and headed to where it was summer.

We cannot go anywhere without checking out their Dinosaur museum. This is actually a place where a whole bunch of dinosaur tracks have been found. My niece was pretty disappointed that there were no skeletons anywhere. She told her dad that night, "We went to a dinosaur museum that had no dinosaurs!"

We also went to the splash park at the town square. I love that they had this and that it was FREE!!!! The kids had a blast!

Cambree and Brielle sneaking chips. These girls had a lot of fun together!

I'm grateful to my sister and her husband for letting us come and crash at their place. It was such a good week! The kids were grateful to get away to somewhere new for a few days (even if we did have to drive 6 hours to get there!) and I loved being able to visit with my sister, staying up late into the night talking. I miss all my sisters so much and wish they lived closer!

Also apologies for the poor quality of the pictures. I left my camera home, so these are all from my phone, which doesn't take the greatest pictures.

What's Missing in This Picture?

2011-06-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right! Tyson lost his 2 front teeth. I hate everything having to do with loose teeth and teeth falling out. It grosses me out to no end. But I love the little toothless grins that are produced! So I must take pictures to document this oh so sweet precious childhood look!

Baseball and Tball 2011

2011-06-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

We had 2 boys of summer this year. Tyson played pitching machine league and Brennen (finally) played Tball.
Tyson had his first year of pitching machine and he had a great time! He had an awesome coach who really worked with the boys on fundamentals and the basics of the game. He was on the Pirates team.

His coaches wife did team pictures.
This is my favorite picture of Tyson. He just looks so dang cute!

This is Tyson's favorite one because he says he looks tough!

This is his team picture. I love that Coach Troy dressed as a real pirate! He is so much fun!

Each boy got the chance to play catcher at least once. Here is Tyson taking his turn. He said he didn't really like it that much though!

Batting. He actually hit the ball really well when he would watch the ball!

Way to hustle after it!

Baseball ready!

Brennen finally got to play tball after watching his brothers play all these years! Of course he was most excited about getting treats at the end, but can you blame him?
Brennen at the bat!

I'm amazed that we got such a good shot of him catching the ball because usually in the outfield.....

He was doing this.......

or this.

But this picture really captures the reason I love watching my kids play sports!
Yes!!!!!

May 2011

2011-06-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

May has been a busy month in our house (and I'm sure everyone else's too!) The month started with our cousin Hillary's wedding in the Orrqurih Mountain temple. For soem reson, my kids think that dancing is an essential part of any good wedding, so they started some impromptu dancing of their own.

Aubree and Kaden

Cambree being not a happy camper having to wear a dress and a flower.

Tyson and cousin Crystal

Brennen and cousin Karlee (aka Bugga. Brennen will not believe me that her real name is Karlee)

Tyson had his spring program for Musical Mustangs. He and his buddy Kaleb were so excited to sit together and be "cowboy fish."

Silly Pose!

I put sponge rollers in Aubree's hair on Sat nights to get her hair curly for church on Sunday. Cambree decided that she didn't want to be left out.

Brennen had preschool graduation. This is a stressful night for me, as I am the teacher, so I make Bruce video tape it so I can go back and watch it as a parent. He has come so far in preschool this year, and I'm excited to get him going next year!

For Cub Scout Pack meeting in May, we had the Cub Olympics. These are the cookie medals that we made for treats. 751 is our Pack number. I have really enjoyed my calling as Cub Master.

I got to go to school with Tyson on the last day of school. He wrote a story about his year in 1st grade and got to read it to his class. His Teacher, Miss Eberhard, is in the background. She was an amazing teacher for Tyson.

Tyson set a goal at the beginning of the year to get perfect attendance so he could stand on the stage on the last day of school. I told him if he reached that goal, I would take his picture and post it on the blog. So here he is getting his perfect attendance award. I am so proud of him for setting that goal and acheiving it!

Brennen and Cambree swinging at East Elementary. They have been such troopers through all the craziness. I sure do love these little munchkins!

Star Wars Party

2011-05-29T19:05:00.001-07:00

I think the whole birthday party thing is getting out of control! I love birthdays way too much! Kaden wanted a Star Wars birthday party this year, so this is what we did.

We had about 15 kids that came, mostly boys. As they came, they made their "lightsabers". I bought pipe insulation and wrapped the end in duct tape. Then I had colored tape that they could use to decorate their light sabers.

After all the light sabers were ready, we had lightsaber training. Each child had a balloon that they had to keep in the air using only their light sabers. This got a little tricky when the wind picked up, but it was still fun! Then they each picked a partner and had a duel. The only rule was only light sabers could hit light sabers. No hitting people on purpose.

After light saber training, we had blaster training. Each "padawon" was given a blaster and had to use it to shoot at pictures of different star wars villans. Each villan was worth a different amount of points. The kids probably could have just played water guns for the rest of the party and been happy. They had a lot of fun with those.

Next I divided them into teams and had each team build a death star with chalk. Then they had to use their blasters to destroy the other team's death star.

The original plan was to use water balloons, for bombs, but I ran out of time to fill the water balloons. It would have worked better to use water balloons, because the kids got frustrated with how slow it was.

Next they had to free Han Solo from Carbonite. I froze little army men in blocks of ice, and they had to get them out however they could.

We then took a food break and went to the Cantina for Jabba Hut pizza and Yoda Soda. They could choose to have their Yoda Soda with or without Dagobah Sludge (lime sherbet.)

Next we had training with Master Yoda. I set up an obstacle course they had to complete with Yoda on their backs. They had to battle the Storm troopers (buckets with pictures of Storm troopers they had to kick over.)

Fly their fighter into a black hole ( a frisbee with a picture of a star fighter on it they had to throw into a bucket).

Make it across the lava planet ( a red tablecloth with paper plates for stepping stones.)

Finally they were ready for battle. I made a Darth Maul pinata by buying a Spiderman pinata and spray painting it black, then taping Darth Maul's face to it. It turned out pretty creepy. The little girls I was tending that morning were pretty freaked out.

They were blind folded so they had to use the force to fight Darth Maul. It worked out perfect because the last boy to have a turn was the one who broke it open.

We ended by eating light saber cupcakes. The boys got to take home their light sabers, blasters, and all the candy they got from the pinata.
Kaden said that it was his best party ever ands thanked me for being the most awesome birthday mom! That's why I do these crazy parties. It is worth it to see my kids so happy and to be the most awesome birthday mom!

Kaden's Birthday

2011-05-27T18:06:00.001-07:00

Kaden's Birthday was pretty much a party all weekend. His birthday fell on a Sunday, so we had his friend party on Friday. On Saturday we went out to see my sister Larissa's new baby and he went shopping to spend all his birthday money and out to dinner. Then Sunday was his actual birthday. It was also ward conference that day and the Stake President invited the bishopric over that evening for dessert and socializing, so everyone there sang to him too. What a fun weekend!

Blowing out his candles.

His Star Wars cake.

Opening presents. He got an Air Hog Chopper and a Star Wars Transformer.
I cannot believe it has been 10 years since he was born. Where has all the time gone? Kaden is a great kid; he is just naturally good. He always does the right thing, not because we want him to, but because it is the right thing to do. I don't know if that made any sense, but I really don't know how to explain it. He is also so kind and is always concerned about everyone's feelings. He doesn't like it when people are being picked on and stands up for others. His teacher this year always commented on the amount of integrity he has and how unusual that was for a 4th grader. He is a straight A student, especially excelling in science. Happy Birthday Kaden! We love you!

Gone Easterin'

2011-05-06T17:31:00.001-07:00

Easter for us Emery County folk is a big deal, and because of that , I have always loved Easter weekend! We have always done all the Easter Bunny/ Easter Egg stuff on Sat, so that Sunday could be all about our Savior and His resurection, and that is something I have continued with my own children. In fact, we have always gone to my parents house for Easter, but because of Aubree's ballet recital Friday night, this is the first year the Easter Bunny had to find us at our house. Tyson was really worried about this, but luckily he did find us, so he was quite relieved! He did have to find new hiding places for the candy, because we weren't at Grandma's

Dividing up the booty. Glad I look so cute in my PJ's!

Cambree was more interested in what was inside her basket. She didn't waste any time breaking into the candy. Each kid got a movie and a book.

We then headed over to Grandma's for some good old Emery County Easterin'! It really is a verb where I come from. Everybody heads out to the San Rafael for good food and a whole lotta egg rollin'! I was so excited that all my siblings and their families (other than my sister Larissa's husband who was in the Bahamas) were there for the weekend. We have so much fun when we all get together! Here are all the kids (other than Brennen and Cambree, who were asleep in the car) at Buckhorn Wash. It is a cool place with some Indian writings.

After Buckhorn wash, we found a hill to roll our eggs down. In the Larsen family, the term roll is used loosely, as the eggs always seem to end up flying through the air. I blame my Grandma Sitterud for that one; she always used to start the egg fights when we were kids! Here are Bruce, Aubree, and Cambree with some cousins rolling eggs.

Tyson making the hike back up the hill. Grandpa picked a really steep one this year!

Kaden plotting his next move.

Brennen after a really good throw!

No trip to the desert would be complete without a stop at the wedge! We actually haven't been there for a few years, so my kids were way excited to go again!

Aubree's Recital: "The Magic Coat"

2011-04-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Aubree had her ballet recital in April. I love watching her dance and I love the studio she takes dance from. She takes from Heather Wilson at Discovery Dance Works, which is a classical dance studio. Heather is the most amazing dance teacher ever! This year they performed "The Magic Coat".

Aubree had 2 parts in the show. First she was a Traveling Sailor. (She looks stressed out because a piece of her costume was missing and we were scrambling to find it.)

She was also in the scene 'Calming the Storm'.

Traveling Sailors. Aubree is 4th from the left.

Calming the Storm. Aubree is on the far right.

Curtain Call. Aubree is the 4th from the left.
I am so proud of Aubree. Ballet is her favorite thing in the world and she works so hard at it. I love watching all that hard work pay off. Good Job Princess. We love you!

Tyson Art Night

2011-04-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

East Elementary had their annual Art show. This is a night where all the art work that they have been working on in Art Class is displayed throughout the school. Each class also does a little 15 minute presentation in their classrooms. Tyson's class performed a couple of songs.

The first was "Who Let the Letters Out" which was like "Who Let the Dogs Out" but with all the letter and letter sounds.

The second was "Too De Ta" which was a hillarious song with a little dance that went with it.

After the kids performed it, they got to invite someone from their family up to perform it with them. Tyson picked his dad.

Cambree just sat so quietly in the desk watching.

Jacob Enos Jarom Omni Words of Mormon

2011-04-17T18:29:00.001-07:00

Our reward for finishing the book of Jacob was a treasure hunt. I tried to make the treasure low key and relevant to the scriptures, so I got them each a bookmark and marking pencil for their scriptures, and picture of the Savior blessing the Nephite children, and a few pieces of candy. With the treasure I put a note reminding them of Jacob 2:18 and that our true treasure is the scriptures, because they lead us back to our Father in Heaven.

Our reward for finishing the book of Enos was a late night party, because Enos prayed all day and all night. Tyson didn't make it past 9:00, and Aubree, Kaden and I were the only ones who finished the whole movie. Even dad wimped out at about 10:30. But it was still fun having a sleepover in the front room.

Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon are the 3 "bridge" books, so what better way to celebrate than under the Arches. We had dinner at McDonald's! (Dad had to miss out on this one because of School Board Meeting.)
Our journey now continues into the Book of Mosiah. We are excited to read about King Benjamin, Abinadi and King Noah, and Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah!

Finishing Second Nephi -- Banana Split Party

2011-03-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Our Journey through the Book of Mormon continues. We finished 2nd Nephi, so we treated ourselves to a Banana Split Party because sweet are the words of Nephi (and sweet it is to finish all those tricky Isaiah chapters!)

Misc March Happenings

2011-03-25T15:23:00.001-07:00

Here is just a bunch of random stuff we have been doing this month.

Brennen is obsessed with toys lately. I blame it on his obsession with the Toy Story movies. This is what my couch usually looks like by the afternoon.

Brennen got it into his head recently that he wanted his own room, so he pulled the toy boxes away from the wall and made himself a bed there. He slept there for about a week until mom declared he was too cranky from not sleeping well and made him move back to his bed.

Aubree and KAden had Dr Seuss week at their school. I didn't think about taking pictures the first few days, but I did get a picture of "nerd day". Aubree went the classic route with big glasses and hiked up pants. Kaden thinks outside the box though. We printed off a picture of nerds candy and pinned it to his shirt.

Dress as your favorite Dr Seuss character. Kaden is the Cat in the Hat and Aubree is Fox in Socks.

Cambree had a run in with a tile when it fell off the shelf and caught her in the cheek. We are very lucky it wasn't worse than it was!

Aubree did a state project on California. For part of her presentation she had to bring a food from her state. The only thing I could think of was California Rolls. However, I didn't think 5th graders would appreciate sushi very much. I remembered seeing these in Family Fun magazine last April for April Fool's Day. They are made from Rice Krispy treats, gummy worms, and fruit by the foot. They were way fun! (Although we about gave the teacher a heart attack when she thought we brought in real sushi!)

Indiana Jones Party

2011-03-13T18:23:00.001-07:00

Tyson is all about Indiana Jones because of the Lego Wii games, so he decided to have an Indiana Jones party this year. I wish I could take credit for all these brilliant ideas, but I can't. I got the ideas from 3 different blogs.
More than Mulberries Who also emailed me the invitation template -- Thanks again Kristen!, A Lemon Squeezy Home, and malinate. Just want to give credit where credit is due.
As the guests arrived they were instructed to select a satchel containing items every good adventurer needs (all ordered from Oriental Trading. Where would I be without them?). As we waited for everyone to arrive, we put together our compasses.

The party was divided into different "sections" (for lack of a better word) of different things that Indy and all true adventurers have to do. I put each activity clue on a map and they were found at the end of the previous activity. The first clue was in Tyson's satchel.

Clue #1 Scour the Earth for Treasure
I had a planter box filled with dirt set up in the kitchen and in the planter box were "jewels" the kids had to find. I gave them 5 minutes to find as many treasures as they could, but I think 3 minutes would have been better because that's about the time it took for them to find them all.

Clue # 2 Conquer your Fears
What is the one thing that Indiana Jones is terrified of? Snakes of course! In the kitchen I had a "snake pit" that the kids had to get across. It was just a wooden plank with rubber snakes all around. If they fell off the plank, they would get "bit" and would have to go back and start all over. After they all had crossed, I let them each pick 3 snakes to put in their satchel to take home.

Clue #3 Be Quick on your feet.
I took the boys downstairs. On the stairs was placed an Idol about 4 stairs up. (Thank goodness hubby had a scary looking wooden guy from his mission in Brazil.) Then on go they had to get the idol from off the stairs without getting hit by a "boulder" (orange beachballs from OTC thrown down the stairs by big sister and big brother). This was the big hit of the party! They wanted to keep playing over and over! It was a blast! Everyone also got a "boulder" to put in their satchel.

Clue #4 Be able to land a plane.
I had Bruce come show the boys how to make a paper airplane and then we had airplane flying contests.

Clue # 5 Use the weapons of the Natives
I had 1/2 inch PVC pipe cut into 6 inch pieces. They were our blow guns. They boys used them to shoot mini marshmallows at pictures of the bad guys I had hanging on the wall. We had one bad guy from every movie, so 4 total. This was also a big hit with the boys (and the baby liked picking all the marshmallows up and eating them!). I let them shoot for as long as they wanted and then they got to put their shooter in their satchel.

Clue # 6 Return artifacts to their rightful place.
Around the yard I had scattered 20 "crystal" skulls. (They weren't really crystal, they were 1 inch plastic skulls ordered from OTC.) They had to find all the skulls and return them to the well of souls (a cake pan I had wrapped up fancy). After all the skulls had been returned, they each got to put 3 skulls in their satchel.

Clue # 7 Know when to relax and take a break.
We headed inside to Club Obi Wan (the living room) for a little break. We sang to Tyson and he blew out his candles. Then we ate cupcakes and drank Sprite. After everyone had finished their treat I yelled "Oh No! The Sprite has been poisoned!"

We had to go out to the clubhouse and find the Holy Grail (an old plastic vase I found in my basement) which held the antidote! I filled the vase full of candy and each of the boys had to eat a piece to be saved from the poison and then they had to put some in their satchel in case their symptoms came back or if they got poisoned again!

Clue # 8 Find the Lost Ark
I took a styrafoam cooler and spray painted it gold to make the lost ark. I filled it full of treat bags and hid it in the yard. They had to work together to find it and bring it to safety. They couldn't open it though because we didn't want anyone's skin melting off! So they brought it to me and everyone covered their eyes while I opened it. Then everyone got to take a treat bag and put it in their satchel.

Tyson then opened his presents and the boys played for about 10 minutes until parents came to pick them up. They all got to take home their satchel filled with their "treasures" It was such a fun day and I love that Tyson had to wear his Indy costume! I love birthday parties!

Tyson's Birthday

2011-03-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Much to my dismay, Tyson has had another birthday. I say to my dismay, because as much as I love birthdays (a lot) I hate the fact that my kids are getting older. He turned 7 on March 8th. Of course his birthday this year was all about Indiana Jones.

These are the cupcakes I made for his class. I got the labels from a lemon squeezy home

Opening presents. He wanted a CD player so he got that along with a CD, some legos, and an official Indiana Jones satchel.

His Indiana Jones cake. It is supposed to be the bridge scene from Temple Of Doom (which is his favorite Indy film).

Blowing out all 7 candles. I am so proud of my Tyson. He is such a smart kid, always at the top of his class in reading and math. He is also very kind and polite. He loves Indiana Jones, Legos, Star Wars, and playing the Wii. He is such a big help to me and his dad, and we are so glad to have him a part of our family

Finishing 1st Nephi

2011-02-13T17:53:00.000-08:00

So we recently started reading the Book of Mormon with our children. This is not a new thing to our family as we have read it through a couple of times already, but this time through, I wanted to make it a little more exciting for my kids to help them be excited about reading the scriptures, but at the same time tie it into what we are learning. Then while blog hopping I found this Book of Mormon reading incentive. It got me really excited. I probably am not going to use all of her ideas, but it really got the wheels turning in my brain.
We finished 1st Nephi this week and decided for our reward to sleep in a tent, since they "dwelt in a tent" through most of 1st Nephi. Now we live in Roosevelt, so sleeping outside in Feb. was not an option, so Bruce set up the tent in the basement and the kids had a sleepover party in the basement. (Bruce and I opted to dwell in our beds. We are too old I guess).

Pigtails, Program, and Pinewood Derby

2011-02-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the fun things we had going on in January.

Cambree's hair finally has grown long enough to do a little pony tail. She is so stinkin cute and just growing up way to fast!

Tyson had his 1st grade program. The theme was Winter Wonderland and each class did a different Winter theme. Tyson's class were penguins and they were dang spankin cute too!!! They said a little poem about penguins and then they did a penguin dance. There was a part in the song that talked about slipping and sliding on the ice, and Tyson was hillarious doing a little pratfall every time. He is a little comedian.

Kaden had Pinewood Derby in January. He made his car look like Bumblebee from Transformers. He and Bruce took what they learned last year and applied it to this year's car and he ended up taking 2nd place over all!!! It was my first pack meeting as cubmaster, so I was very nervous but I think everyone had a good time. I'm grateful for our Bishopric and all they did to help. I guess being married to the Bishop can have it's advantages!

Harry Potter Party

2011-01-30T17:34:00.001-08:00

I love planning parties for my kids! I get such a thrill from making these fun memories for them. My mom used to do the coolest parties for us, so I guess I am carrying on the tradition for my own kids. Aubree turned 11 this year so this was her last party she gets to have, so we went all out!!!! We have Harry Potter fever at our house, both she and I love the books, so we decided to do a Harry Potter party. She invited 5 girls, plus she and her brothers. As he guests arrived, they took the sorting quiz! I used the one found on the Scholastic website, just typed up and printed out.

I dressed as Professor McGonagall and took them through the process of being new students at Hogwarts. Our first stop was Madam Malkims Robe Shoppe. I made each of them a "house Scarf" made from black felt. Here is Aubree getting "fitted".

The Next stop was Ollivander's for their wands. These were made from wooden dowels, spray painted gold and wrapped with electrical tape at the bottom. I told them that the wand will choose them, so they had to try them out until they found the one that felt right.

Next we had to go through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4. I hung a sheet in the doorway that they had to go through and then down the stairs to Hogwarts.

When we got to "Hogwarts" we had a sorting ceremony. The house they were put into was based on the quiz that they took earlier. After they were sorted I gave them a pin of their house to put on their scarf.

We then had all our classes at Hogwarts (Due to an unfortunate accident involving a troll, Professor Snape was unable to teach Potions. We were going to make silly putty, but I ran out of time and didn't get it put together.) First we had History of magic. We played a matching game involving all the key characters from the first book and what their significance was.

Next was Charms class. We were practicing the Stupefy charm. I played some Harry Potter music, and when the person practicing the charm yelled "Stupefy!" the music would stop and everyone had to freeze.

In Transfiguraion class, everyone was "transfigured" into someone from the book and they had to ask questions to figure out who they were.
For Defense Against the Dark Arts, we had a dementor piniata that they had to yell "Expecto Patronus" as they hit the piniata and try to destroy the Dementor. Inside the Dementor were gold galleons that they got to use later.
For Herbology, we played herbology bingo that was put together by a friend of mine for another Potter Party.
Then we had our Great Feast! We just had Chicken Nuggets and Fries and a Vegetable Tray, but I bought IBC Root Beer and Cream Soda and labeled them as "Butter Beer" The girls thought that was Awesome!!!!

For dessert, we had the cake that Hagrid baked for Harry on his 11th birthday in the 1st book.

When the party was over, we took a trip to Honeydukes Sweet Shop. Here the kids used their Galleons to buy Caldron Cakes, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Fizzing Whizby's, Acid Pops, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, and Licorice Wands. This is what was most time comsuming, was making the labels and labeling all the treats. But it was worth it because the girls were mezmorized.
It was a fun memorable night!

Aubree is 11!

2011-01-23T17:02:00.001-08:00

Honestly? Where does the time go? I can't believe it has been 11 years since my Aubree was born! I hope she had a great day!

She decided she wanted a Hogwarts Cake from Harry Potter. She loves the books. It turned out pretty good!

I had to laugh as she was opening her presents, because she is at that weird age, where she's not a little kid anymore, but not a teenager yet, so she got a barbie doll and some Pixos, but also nail polish and hair stuff!
I am so proud of Aubree and the Young Woman she is turning into. She has had some struggles with shyness and anxiety, but she also works so hard to overcome those things. She is an incredibly smart girl who loves to read. In fact, at PT conference her teacher said that she has to remind her all the time to put her book away and finish her work!!! IF that's the worst problem she has, we are in good shape! She loves Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, anything Disney Channel, and cranking up her music and dancing around! I love watching her grow up and experience life! Love you Princess and are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday Brennen #4!!!

2011-01-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

My baby Boy turned 4 on January 11th. I can hardly believe it! We had such a fun couple of days celebrating his birthday with him.

Lately he has totally been into Toy Story, so we decided to get him a Toy Story bike, since the little bike the other kids used is completely hammered. He was pretty pumped to see that big present there for him to open!

This is his "Bumble" cake. For those of you who may not know what a Bumble is, it is the snow monster from the Rudolph the red nose reindeer TV special. For some reason this year he fixated on the bumble, and it continued after Christmas. So the week before his birthday when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, I thought he was going to say Toy Story or Mickey Mouse, so the Bumble completely caught me off guard. But I LOVE how this cake turned out! And I love that he is probably the only kid in the history of the world to have a bumble cake!

After we had already bought his presents, I saw this stuffed Bumble at Build a Bear, so I decided instead of giving him the birthday money Grandma sends, I would use the money and order this for him instead. I'm so glad that I did! He is in love with this little guy and takes it with him everywhere!
I feel bad that I didn't get any pictures of his party that we had with his friends. It was a pretty wild event, but very very fun!

I sure love my little Brennie! He makes me crazy sometimes, but for the most part he is pretty sweet and lovable. He always has to wear a costume, as you can probably tell from the pictures. He loves the color blue and loves to eat pizza and chocolate. He loves being in preschool and is learning a lot. We are grateful to have him a part of our family!

Of Things That Matter Most

2011-01-10T19:55:00.001-08:00

I have always loved general conference! I love hearing the prophets and apostles speak to us and learning at their feet. Especially since I took a Teachings of the Living Prophets class at institute, and learned how to really effectivly study their words. However, this last conference I literally had a life changing experience due to one of the talks. And when I first listened to it, I thought it was a good talk, and I liked it, but as I reread it in my Ensign a few weeks ago, I had this huge epiphany (I love that word) and have literally changed my life because of these words. The talk was by Pres Uchtdorf and it is titled Of Things That Matter Most . If you haven't already, take the time to read it. I think the reason it means so much to me is because of so many things that are going on in my own life right now. And lately I sit and think how overwhelming it is to be a woman and a mother in the church. I have felt like we have so many responsibilities. not only do we care for our husbands and children (which in and of itself is a HUGE responsibility) but we have everything that goes along with being a saint. We have visiting teaching that needs to be done, we need to get to the temple more often, we have our callings to do, we should go to those Relief Society activities, we need to do service for our neighbors, etc etc etc. Then put on top of that I work part time and also want to be involved in my kids school, there is extended family things and the list goes on and on. And I feel like the things that I do never measure up either. Then I read this talk, and what I heard President Uchtdorf saying to me is KEEP IT SIMPLE! He even says "It is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions."

As I pondered this talk (and reread ad pondered it more) I thought, "Why do we make living the gospel so complicated?" Yes, I need to do my visiting teaching, but I don't need to make a cute handout and a treat in order to go. All the sisters need from me is a visit! Yes, I need to teach that lesson, but I don't need to do all the crafty handouts (that will probably go in the trash anyways.) Yes I need to spend time with my kids, but we don't always need to be crafting or cooking or going on outings. Some of the most fun times we have had as a family lately have been just sitting down and playing board games, or acting out scripture stories, or just being silly together!

So I guess that is my New Years resolution, to simplify my life. I know it's not a measurable goal, but it is something that really means so much to me. So if I don't put on the most elaborate PAck Meetings as Cubmaster, or if I tell you "No I can't be on your PTA commitee, or if my visiting teaching sisters don't get treats, know it's not because I don't care. It is just because I am doing what I can to reduce the clutter of my life and focus on my relationships, with my Savior and with my family.

The Dating Divas Giveaway

2011-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I don't usually do these contest things, but I just recently found this website and I love love love it!!!! They have so many fun ideas. This week they are doing a whole week of giveaways and they have some really cool stuff. The site is called The Dating Divas, so go check it out. And hope that I win!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T12:10:00.001-08:00

So rather than trying to do a post for everything we did this month, I am just going to do one GIANT post to highlight a little of everything. We had fun with our calendar, but I didn't take pictures of everything, and some of the days we had to skip due to the general business of our lives. so here is our Dec in a nutshell!

We made Hot Chocolate spoons to stir our hot chocolate on a cold night. Above are the spoons, and below is us enjoying the creamy, chocolatey goodness.

We made these fun foam marshmallow snowmen from Oriental Trading. We agreed next year, however, we are using real smores ingredients rather than foam, so we can eat them up!!!

We made angels with CD wings. Here is the link to the craft idea.

Tyson had his first Musical Mustangs program "Melton the Warm Hearted Snowman"

We went to Grandpa Rick and Grandma Debbie's the week before Christmas for the Larsen family Christmas party. It is so great that everyone could be there. The cousins all acted out the nativity (which was a nightmare to try and get pictures. This is honestly the best one I have) and we got to open presents too! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

We made gifts for our teachers -- Cookies in a Jar

We made ginger bread houses and were so excited to each get to make our own!!!!
Brennen's house.

Kaden's house

Aubree's house

Tyson's house

A few days before Christmas eve, we got a TON of snow, so on Christmas Eve, we went with our friends the Timothy's up to Constitution Park to do some sledding.
Kaden and Carsten climbing the hill.

Tyson ready to roll!

Brennen's getting cold!!!!

Aubree trekking back up!

Of course on Christmas Eve, we have to decorate cookies for Santa! (And yes, this is really what Brennen wore. He has to wear a bathrobe and a hard hat every day.)

Cambree just likes eating the frosting!!!!
Christmas Eve, we had our friends the Butchers over for Christmas Eve dinner and then we acted out the Christmas story with them. Mom forgot to take pictures though.

Mom was able to find matching pajamas for the boys and matching pajamas for the girls this year! How fun! Even mom and dad got matching pajama pants, although we don't take pictures of that!

Kaden read everyone "The Night Before Christmas" before we all headed off to bed.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun and everyone got what they wanted along with some surprises! Here is Brennen in the midst of the Christmas chaos with his new Woody and Buzz!

Here are the kids sitting in their new bean bag chairs playing their new Wii games.
We hope every one had a Merry Christmas just like we did and we wish everyone a Happy New Year!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-12T18:28:00.001-08:00

I promise I haven't forgotten about my 25 days of Christmas. This past week has been crazy, and so this weekend we have been playing catch up. I will start posting on those again tomorrow.
This is our Christmas tree. It's not much, but I love it so much! Each ornament tells a story of our lives and our family. I never really wanted a big elaborate tree, just a little homemade tree with ornaments made by my children. And now that is what I have!

Day 6 -- Reindeer Cupcakes

2010-12-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

Make a yummy treat that looks like one of Santa's helpers.

I got this idea from "Family Fun" magazine. Here is the link.

This is Cambree. She just had fun eating the frosting.

Day 5 -- Nativity Puzzle

2010-12-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

Can you figure out this Christmas puzzle?

The first Sunday in Dec is always the First Presidency Christmas Devotional for our church. I wanted my kids to watch it, but I also know they would have a hard time sitting still. So tonight's activity was this puzzle they could do while listening to the Devotional. I found the puzzle here . We didn't do the scripture part of it, because we have another Scripture countdown we are working on with our family scripture study, but the puzzle was a lot of fun for the kids.

This is actually the puzzle that 6 year old Tyson assembled himself!

Day 4-- Santa

2010-12-04T19:11:00.001-08:00

Go and see Santa Claus today! Then come home and write him a letter to make sure he remembers what you want.

Day 3 -- Snowman Gloves

2010-12-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

Is there snow on the ground?Make some snowmen out of gloves!

These are kits I bought out of Oriental Trading. They have some fun cute stuff there. i love how everything is already cut out and all you have to do is glue them together.

Day 2 -- Star of David

2010-12-03T05:55:00.001-08:00

Tonight is the 2nd night of Hanukkah. Makea Star of David.

I do these every year in preschool, so maybe this was kind of cheating, but any opportunity to pull out paint works for my kids. I put the stars together using craft sticks, then let my kids go to town with paint and glitter. I planned to teach them a little about what Hanukkah is, but after a glitter accident and a meltdown, it just didn't happen. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Dec 1st -- Marshmallow Snowflakes

2010-12-01T20:40:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the 25 fun days of Christmas. Make white marshmallow snowflakes to hang on the tree.

So I had awesome directions to make these, but my kids all wanted to do their own thing. As Kaden so wisely pointed out, "No 2 snowflakes are alike Mom."

By the way, not one of these made it to the tree. They were just too yummy not to eat!

Advent Calendar

2010-11-30T19:13:00.001-08:00

I am so so excited about this project I have been working on, that I have to blog about it. I am so not a crafty person by nature. As hard as I try, it's just not me. But I saw this idea on parents.com and thought I would love to do something like that with my kids. Each day of December there is an envelope (which I made look all crafty!) and inside each envelope is a fun craft or activity to do together as a family. I hung it on the wall last night after i finally got it finished (it took way longer than I thought) and when the kids woke up this morning I told them what it was and they are now so excited for tomorrow (Dec 1) so we can start. I will (hopefully) post each day with the craft or activity that we do, because I am so being prideful over this my crafty adventure!

Jazz vs Hornets

2010-11-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to get to go to the Jazz vs Hornets game the night before Thanksgiving. We were clear up at the top, but the kids don't seem to care! They love going to the game and they all have fun yelling and cheering for the Jazz! The team played awesome and beat New Orleans 105 - 87. We love it when they win!
It was fun to take Grandpa and Grandma Guymon with us and even Cambree got into it! If we said, "bad call" she would ball up her fists and make an angry face! It was cute!

Aubree's Testimony

2010-11-07T18:14:00.001-08:00

This is my beautiful daughter Aubree. I absolutely adore her! She is very shy and quiet, and really has a hard time speaking in front of people. However, recently I have discovered that every fast Sunday, she gets out her notebook during testimony meeting and writes her testimony down. For her it is a way for her to bear her testimony without being overwhelmed at the thought of standing at the mike in front of everyone. This is what she wrote in Oct after we had been to see the Joseph Smith movie on temple square in Salt Lake.

"I believe that Joseph Smith was a good prophet. He wrote the Book of Mormon. He faced percicution and death so the church could be restored. I would like to follow his example and be a better person. He saved what he loved and I would like to do that too."

I am so blessed!

Halloween Corn Maze

2010-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

In order to keep our kids entertained all day until it was time for Trunk or Treat, we took them up to the Bluebell Corn Maze. I think it is great to have such a fun experience here in our little community! We haven't ever been as a family, because the kids always go with their class at school and I always bring a group up for preschool, but this year Aubree didn't get to come for school because the 5th grade doesn't get to go to the corn maze = ( . I'm glad we decided to come because the kids had a really great time!

Sriously! What an awesome dad to take his baby girl down the slide! That's one of the many reasons I love him so much!

Halloween Costumes

2010-11-04T18:35:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of my kids and the costumes they put together this year!
Cambree did not want to hold still for any of the pictures! All my little spooks!

Kaden the Pirate. He was actually sick this whole day, but was not about to miss trick or treating!

Cambree the little monster. We just bought a sweatshirt with a monster face on it. I was being lazy, but it sure turned out cute!

Aubree the rock star. Actually she is Mitchie from the Camp Rock movies, but a lot of people didn't know what that was, so she just started telling everyone she was a Rock Star!

Brennen as Thomas the Train. He saw this costume in the Target ad and had to have it!

Tyson as Indiana Jones. He had this costume planned since spring. I ordered him a sweet leather bomber jacket, but it was on back order and didn't come in time. Luckily my friend Amanda had a brown hoodie that was the right size she let him borrow!

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-31T17:21:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite family traditions is carving pumpkins the Family Night before Halloween. The kids have a blast designing their pumpkin faces and having Mom and Dad carve out the faces.

Aubree

Who's scarier, Tyson or the pumpkin?

I don't know why Kaden is kissing his!

Cute pumpkin for a cute baby!

Brennen

All the kids with their Jack o Lantern's all lit up!

Cambree's 1 year portraits

2010-10-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

So here are just a few of the highlight of Cambree's one year old pictures. Lindsey from key daisy photography did the pictures for us and she is awesome! Seriously, if you ever need pictures done, she does a great job and her prices are very reasonable! Next year I think we will have her do our family pictures. Any way, is this baby cute or what?

UEA Weekend / Hogle Zoo

2010-10-24T17:05:00.001-07:00

For UEA weekend, we took the kids out to the city to the zoo. (I apologize for the pictures, there was a smudge on my camera lens) We had such a fun time and the weather was perfect!

The main reason that we went is because I wanted to see Zuri the baby elephant. She was born 2 weeks before I had Cambree. It was not disappointing; she was adorable!

The kids had a ball riding the train! It is always a highlight of the trip!

We also love riding the carousel. Do you love Kaden's "Rock On" sign?

Aubree on the carousel!

Tyson and Brennen loved this elephant statue. Through the whole zoo Brennen kept saying he wanted to see the "sneeze elephant". Here is Tyson getting sprayed full on.

Here is Brennen seeing how he measures up to the gorilla's.

Cambree was not so sure about the carousel, but she seemed to have a fun time through the rest of the zoo.
We are grateful to our dad for taking a few days off work for our little mini vacation. We also hit Temple square, but of course I forgot my camera. We took our kids to see the Joseph Smith movie, which had a huge impact on them. I love seeing my kids testimonies grow through special experiences we have.
The weekend ended with our annual trip to Chuck E Cheese. Fun for the kids, endurable for mom and dad. A great weekend overall!

Fall Soccer

2010-10-24T16:49:00.001-07:00

The boys just finished up their fall soccer season. It has been a fun year, and we were really blessed to have such great weather this season.

Kaden has really improved as a player over the past 2 years. He really shines as goalie. He only let 4 or 5 goals past him the whole season. Too bad he didn't play goalie on the day I brought my camera.

Tyson had a fun year on a team full of girls this year. There was only one other boy on his team. Bruce ended up coaching him again this year and so that was a lot of fun. He really gets in there and gets after the ball. He even scored a few goals this year!

Truffle Cupcakes

2010-10-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

So these are totally my new favorite dessert! They are so yummy! I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine.

To make the truffles:
In a small saucepan melt 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat; stir until blended. Remove from heat and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Put into a small container and refrigerate covered at least 1 hour.

For the cupcakes:
1 package devil's food cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups oil
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients and beat until well blended (about 2 minutes)

Fill paper lined muffin cups about 1/3 full. Roll truffles into 1 inch balls. Drop a truffle into the center of each cupcake. Top with remaining batter, making sure truffles are covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-22 minutes. Cool and then top with whipped cream.
These are pretty simple to make, but oh so yummy! My husband told me they were the best cupcakes he has ever eaten!

Pepsi

2010-10-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

Cambree has decided that she loves Pepsi! I don't drink it very often and I only drink caffeine free, but if I walk in the door with a cup in my hand she is all over it!

Family Night Bowling

2010-10-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

For family night we decided to go bowling. What a fun night we had!
First we had to get the rockin shoes! The uglier the better!

Aubree is such a ballerina! She is so graceful even when she bowls!

Kaden got a strike on his first frame. We all thought we were in trouble! Alas, it was beginners luck.

Tyson was so fast it was hard to snap a picture of him! The best part of the night for him was the fact he beat his big brother by 2 points!

Brennen was a riot to watch! He just had so much fun! He didn't care how many pins he knocked over, he just liked to roll the ball!

The biggest challenge was keeping Cambree out of the way! She wanted to be right in the thick of things!

The proclamation on the family states "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." I think sometimes we work so hard in teaching our children these other principles, that we forget to include these wholesome recreational activities! Our children had such a great time, and I think things like this open up the lines of communication because we can let loose and just have fun with our families!

1st Day of School

2010-09-07T18:18:00.001-07:00

5th Grade fashionista. We had to do a full body shot to get the shoes in. Her teacher is Miss Angus, who is a brand new teacher from Michigan.

4th grade and too cool for school. He wouldn't even let me walk him to his class. His teacher is Mrs Romero.

1st grade and ready for lunch. The whole first week of school when his dad would ask what was the best part of the day, he would say "Lunch!" His teacher is Miss Eberhard.

He's waited his whole life for preschool. I have taught preschool since before he was born so he is way excited for his turn. Miss Amy is his teacher; )

Lola's Place

2010-09-03T14:01:00.001-07:00

My Grandpa Sitterud owns some property at Upper Joes Valley that he calls Lola's Place and every summer my brothers and sisters and I try to get our families together and go camping. This year most of us didn't camp, but we all made it up for the day on Sat for a fun little reunion and get together. I didn't take too many pictures, but we had fun riding 4 wheelers (Bruce even got me to drive one) having a delicious meal and just catching up.
It is always fun for all the cousins to get together. It is not fun trying to get them all to look at the camera.
From left to right Brennen Cody Easton Tyson Dylan Macie Brielle Kaden Cambree Aubree.

There are 10 grandkids on the Larsen side and 5 of them belong to me!
We also had a little party for Cambree since this was 2 days after her birthday. I made a cake and brought it up and Grandma Debbie had a present for her to open. It is a new baby doll and she loves it to pieces.

I love my family and am grateful we were able to have a fun day together. Sorry that Merrill and Jason ha to miss it, but we still love them anyways.

Cambree' s 1st Birthday

2010-08-25T08:35:00.001-07:00

Holy Cow! My baby is one! I'm sitting here wondering where the last year has gone!
Cambree in her birthday dress. I love this picture, and I have one of me at the same age that looks almost exactly like this one!

Opening her presents. The kids didn't mind that she needed a lot of help.

Her teddy bear cake.

We had a heck of a time getting a picture of her with her cake because she kept snitching the frosting!

Nice frosting mustache!

Eating her cake. A little tentative at first.

Warming up to the idea.

Finally getting the hang of it at the end!

Happy Birthday to my Cambree Doodle. We love you so much, and can't imagine our family without you! You light up a room with your smile and the kids love having a baby sister!

Larsen Reunion

2010-08-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

The second weekend in Aug brings the Delyle Larsen family reunion. This year Grandpa turned 85! I love him and my Grandma so much, and am so glad at the role they have played in my life.
It is always a fun time to catch up with aunts, uncles, and cousins and see how much everyone's kids have grown. The kids have a great time playing games too.
Cambree and mom hanging out and visiting.

Brennen playing the doughnut game. He kept forgetting he wasn't supposed to use his hands.

Tyson eagerly awaiting the water balloons.

Ice blocking. Kaden waits all year for the Larsen reunion so he can go ice blocking!

Aubree's favorite game is now M&Ms and straws. They played it at activity days and she wasn't very good at it, so she came home and practiced and preacticed until she got really good at it. It was a good lesson for her too, that you don't have to be the best the first time you try, that practicing pays off.

Thanks Aunt Dana and Uncle Kerry and family for a fun day!

Friends

2010-08-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

Friends are the Chocolate Chips in the Cookie of Life.
Brennen and his friend Cade after a long day of playing together.

Yellowstone

2010-07-31T09:09:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun on our big vacation to Yellowstone! There are a lot of pictures on thias post, but it was hard to decide which ones to put up.
The first day we did Old Faithful and the geyser basin. This is Bruce and the kids at Grotto Geyser.

We made Brennen walk a lot. He was pretty worn out. This picture is just too funny!

Watching Old Faithful. We actually saw it blow 3 times from 3 different angles. Pretty cool!

The second day we did the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. On the way there we stopped at the Mud Volcano area. This is the Dragon's Mouth. It was pretty cool. This was actually one of my favorite areas.

The family at Lower Falls. We hiked from Lower Falls to Upper Falls. It was a beautiful area.

This is after the hike. I told the kids to act like they were tired after hiking.

Day 3 was Tower Falls and Mammoth Hot Springs. This is us after hiking down to the base of Tower Falls.

Black Bear we Saw by the petrified tree. We also saw a Grizzley while driving through the Tetons, but of course, the camera batteries were dead.

Elk on the lawn at the visitors center at Mammoth Hot Springs. Brennen wanted to pet them.

The boys thought the idea of Mammoth Restrooms was pretty funny.

Traffic Jam at Yellowstone. The boys decided they wanted to be Buffalo Crossing Guards.

The boys in their coon skin caps.

Getting their Jr Ranger badges. They did a lot of work to earn them.

Our last day in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge.
Aubree

Kaden

Tyson

Brennen

Cambree

By the Yellowstone sign on our way out.

We stayed our last night in Jackson and went to the Bar J Ranch. Here is our wagon ride.

Bruce and Cambree enjoying the show.

Fackrell Reunion

2010-07-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

We always have a good time at the Fackrell Family reunion in Mountain View. WY. We are grateful to Uncle Kenny and Aunt Bobbie for opening their home to all of us every year.
This year, Uncle Kenny took the kids out to ride the horses. This was such a treat for my kids!
Kaden not so sure at first, but soon got the hang of it!

Aubree was a natural! It made me wish she had the chance to ride more often.

Brennen was NOT a fan, and just got more and more mad.

He and another cousin decided to scoop poop instead.

Uncle Kenny and Aunt Nancy.

Tyson really tried to be brave.

Brennen would rather hang out with Uncle Darryl than play games.

Waiting for the games to begin! Aunt Laura did a great job and had some fun water games!

Slime!

2010-07-31T07:08:00.001-07:00

My kids have been bugging me all summer to make slime, so we finally did! It was a ton of fun and kept them entertained for quite a while.

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-31T06:53:00.001-07:00

The kids had a lot of fun at swimming lessons this year.

For Brennen, his biggest accomplishment was the fact that he got into the pool. The first week, he sat on the side and just watched. So the second week on Monday, I had to get into the pool with him and he was OK after that. He decided being in the water isn't too bad after all.

This was Aubree's first year in Level 3. She struggled a lot, but mostly because she doesn't trust herself. She progressed so much though, and I am so grateful she had an awesome instructor who was such a big cheerleader for her!

Tyson is my little fish. He loves the water. This was his first time in level 2 and he almost passed! This is a picture of his teacher trying to dunk him. Tyson loved to egg him on and try to get dunked. What a funny kid!

Kaden was in level 3 this year, and he passed on to level 4! Great job! He also conquered his nemesis, the diving board. It has been the biggest stumbling block for him for 3 years, but he finally took the plunge! It helped having his best friend in his class with him for encouragement. Now all he wants to do is go off the diving board!

4th of July in Blanding

2010-07-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

This year we went to Blanding for the 4th of July. To me, there is nothing better than a Blanding 4th of July. The celebration is huge, but still has a small town feel. (plus it's the only place to get a Jim Dandy Navajo Taco.)
On Friday, Grandpa Guymon took us to the fort in Bluff and taught us about the Hole in the Rock pioneers. If you hve read the book "The Undaunted" by Gerald Lund, Bluff is the town the Hole in the Rock pioneers settled. There is a neat feeling there at the fort. I'm grateful we had the chance to experience it.

Grandpa Guymon teaching the kids at the Fort.

Cambree on the grass at the fort.

Inside the meeting hall at the fort, we held a family meeting where Grandpa shared his testimony with us. Brennen decided to be the chorister for the opening song.

On the hill overlooking Bluff. The town hasn't changed a whole lot in the last 100 years.

That afternoon we took our kids and went to the dinosaur museum.

And to the Edge of the Cedars museum. The kids are down inside an actual Indian Ruin.

Friday night we had a big family dinner at the park. Uncle Darryl decided to see how many kids he could put on the see saw with him. The kids were laughing so hard. It was fun to watch.

Saturday morning was the big parade. Here are my kids with their cousins waiting for it to begin.

Cambree just slept in Grandpa's arms through the whole thing. Grandpa didn't mind, because that is the only way she will let anyone hold her.

We came home Sat afternoon so Bruce could be here for church on Sunday. We made it back to Roosevelt in time for the fireworks. While we were waiting for the fireworks to begin, the kids played with sparklers. Cambree didn't quite know what to think (especially since I wouldn't let her touch it) but the other kids had a ball!

I am so grateful to live in this great nation, the United States of America. I am so grateful to those founding Fathers and Mothers who risked everything to give us the freedoms we enjoy today!

Pig Tails!!!!!

2010-06-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, Cambree's hair has finally gotten long enough to put in pigtails! I love the little Pebbles Flintstone look! We've been doing them like this for a couple of weeks.

Today for church I tried two. Holy cow it turned out cute!

I love this Baby!!!!!

Camping at Rock Creek

2010-06-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

We bought a new trailer this year for our big Yellowstone trip in July, so we decided to try it out. We went up to Rock Creek and had a blast! There were all kind of hiking trails and the kids seemed to have so much fun!

Cambree riding on Daddy's shoulder's! Too cute!

Most of the pictures I got were of Tyson and Brennen, because Bruce took Aubree and Kaden and hiked from the Dam back down to our campground, about 4 1/2 miles. They did so good and I am so proud of them for accomplishing something so hard. I took the 3 other kids and played in the creek for a while when they were gone.

Summer Fun

2010-06-27T18:08:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to be a good mom this year and do something "fun" with my kids every day. Most of the time it has just been stuff like going to the pool or the library, or getting out the slip and slide. I need to do better at taking pictures though. We did go over to Vernal to the Dinosaur museum. We happened to go on the day they were redoing the coat on the Mammoth which was pretty cool. Also, when we were at the gift shop, Kaden got to meet the head Paleontologist, which is like Rock Star status to him. I thought it was neat that he took the time to talk to Kaden and answer some of his questions.

This is our Flag Day craft that we made. They turned out pretty cute and the kids had a ton of fun making them.

Crazy Brennen

2010-06-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the crazy antics of our little guy!

In March we went to Disney on Ice. This kid has Mickey Mouse Mania, so he was so excited to see this!

His babysitter went to Disney Land in Febuary and brought him back some Mickey Mouse Ears. He LOVES them! This is him not even wanting to take them off for bedtime!

One night he put my pot holders on his feet and told me they were his slippers.

He went with me when I took my preschool to the fire station and had a ball. Every time we drive by he lets me know, "Mama, there's the fire station!" He thought he was pretty cool wearing the helmet!

May Happenings

2010-05-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

So May has been a CRAZY month in Guymon land. We have so much going on along with adjusting to Bruce as the bishop. But it has been all good and we made it through the month.

First, Kaden earned his wolf badge. He has worked so hard and he has really loved scouts. I have really enjoyed being his scout leader and getting to have that special time with him.

Pack Meeting was also Space Derby, so that was a lot of fun. It was the first time our Pack has ever done SPace Derby, and hopefully it won't be the last. Kaden's rocket is the one that is in the lead.

Kaden had his last Musical Mustangs program. The program was called "We're Nuts" and Kaden played a walnut/walnut tree. It was a cute program about where trees come from and how they grow.

Aubree had her ballet recital. They did a story called Pezzitino. It was a beautiful program. Aubree was one of the swimming ones, and also one of the flying ones. She looks so beautiful when she dances, I always get a little chocked up. She has a wonderful ballet teacher who we just adore! I am so glad we found her, because Aubree's favorite thing in the world now is ballet. She hopes to eventually dance on pointe.

Kaden played spring soccer this year instead of baseball. It was a lot more fun for him I think. He is not a naturally competitive person, and baseball has gotten to intense for him. Soccer has been a lot more fun, and he has really learned a lot the past few years and has improved so much!

Tyson plays Tball and he loves it so much. He has some fun coaches this year. He is one of the bigger kids on the team and loves that he gets to play 1st base a lot. He is great at throwing and catching, and his hitting is getting a lot better.

Cambree and Brennen have just been along for the ride. They have made it through so many programs and ball games, most of them without dad. I am so grateful that they are such good kids and put up with it all.

Kaden's Birthday

2010-05-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Kaden turned 9 on May 15. Where oh where does the time go? The best part of his birthday was Father's and Sons campout. It is pretty cool to go camping with your dad for your birthday! He also had a soccer game when he got home, thus the outfit. He saw this scientist cake in a magazine and decided that it is what he wanted for his cake. It is supposed to be a science flask. We got him a pocket knife for his birthday and 20 minutes later he sliced his thumb. Guess it is time for pocket knife safety.

We had a science party for his birthday a week later because of father's and sons. I have to say this was one of the funnest parties I have ever done! 8 and 9 year old boys doing cool science experiments. It does not get any better. This is the cornstarch slime we made. They had so much fun squshing it.
We also launched Alka Seltzer Rockets, which they got a kick out of.

We grilled some burgers for dinner, then for a grand finale, did some coke and mentos.

Here is his cake at the party. On his birthday, we just stuck some cotton candy in the top to look like smoke, but for the party I got the brilliant idea to frost some PVC pipe and then we put dry ice and water into it to make it really smoke. It was a big hit!
All in all it was a fun day, even though it is hard to see my kids get older. Happy Birthday Kaden! We sure do love you!

Dad's in Charge?

2010-05-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Dad is in charge and he falls asleep!

Brennen Update

2010-04-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

So as some of you know, Brennen has been having some problems with his ears lately. I took him in to the specialist on Monday and this is what is going on. He had tubes put in almost 2 years ago. The Dr said they would fall out on their own in 1-3 years. Well, the left tube dislodged, but didn't fall out, so all of the fluid in his ears built up and built up until it basically exploded and burst his eardrum. The eardrum looks like it is healing itself, but we have to go back in 6 weeks to check. The right tube hasn't come out yet, so the Dr wants to go in and surgically remove it so the same thing doesn't happen again. Then if the left eardrum hasn't healed, they will repair that at the same time. Good news is his hearing is just fine, which is a huge relief. Please keep our little boy in your prayers at this time so hopefully the eardrum will heal itself and won't need surgically repaired.

I just threw this cute picture in of Brennen "helping" make Bruce's birthday cake.

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Our Easter is pretty much the same thing every year. We always go to grandma Debbie and Grandpa Rick's in Orangeville. I hope they don't get sick of us, because according to my kids, it wouldn't be Easter anywhere but there. Friday night we color our Easter eggs.

In honor of General Conference, Kaden made a Thomas S Monson egg.

Tyson's agent egg. He was crying because I took a picture of Kaden, but as soon as I turned the camera on him, he smiled. I just thought this was a cute picture.

The Easter bunny came Friday night and hid all the candy. I think this is Tyson's favorite part, seeing all the crazy places the Easter bunny hides the candy every year.

What a great mom! This is the only picture I took of Cambree at Easter.

MY favorite tradition is taking our eggs out to the desert and rolling them down the hill. I thought that is what everyone did, until I met my husband and he informed me that this is weird. Well, weird or not, it is a blast! Brennen had a grand old time "hatching" his eggs.

After we were done with the egg rolling, Aubree climbed clear to the top of the hill. I was so proud of her, because it was a scary thing for her to do, and she conquered her fears!

Cambree's New Portraits

2010-03-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

So here are Cambree's new pictures. I know that there are a lot, but this baby is just so gosh darn cute!

What were you doing.....

2010-03-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

I got this off my friend Melissa's blog and thought it might be fun. It was a little harder than I expected though.

TWENTY years ago I...
1. Was in 7th grade
2. Had really bad hair
3. Was obsessed with New Kids On the Block

TEN years ago I...
1. Had my first baby
2. Graduated from college
3. Celebrated my 2nd wedding anniversary

FIVE years ago I...
1. Finished my first year teaching preschool
2. Moved to the house we now live in
3. Watched my husband get his Master's Degree

THREE years ago I...
1. Had my 4th baby
2. Survived a very cold winter in Roosevelt
3. Got released from the Primary Presidency

ONE year ago I...
1. Found out we were having one more baby
2. Discovered Facebook
3. Became a Cub Scout Leader

So far THIS YEAR I have...
1. Got a new Cell Phone
2. Lost all my baby weight (Yay!)
3. Freaked out over my kids getting older

YESTERDAY I...
1. Went to Vernal with Tyson
2. Prepared my Relief Society Lesson
3. Made Visiting Teaching Appointments

TODAY I
1. Taught Relief Society
2. Wrestled my baby all through church because she was so wiggly
3. Went Visiting Teaching

TOMORROW I will...
1. Do the Laundry
2. Try to rest and get over this Sinus infection
3. Make a yummy treat for family night

In the NEXT YEAR I hope to...
1. Run a 10k
2. Get some scrapbooking done
3. Have a better attitude about Cub Scouts

EVERYDAY I..
1. Try to be a good Mom and wife
2. Cook delicious meals for my family
3. Try to study and ponder the teachings of the gospel

Tyson's Birthday

2010-03-14T17:22:00.001-07:00

Tyson celebrated his 6th birthday on March 8.

We had a Secret Agent Birthday party with his friends from school. We had to complete a bunch of training missions in order to earn their agent packets. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun and Tyson told me it was the best day of his life!

His present this year was a little tricky. He loves the Lego Agent sets. Well they were discontinued at the end of last year. He was dying to get the Evil Robot set. We searched and searched for one. Bruce finally found one when he was down in St George, and we are so glad! He was so excited when he opened it and saw what it was!

This is the Lego Agent cake I made. It turned out pretty neat.

We sure love Tyson. His whole life he has been full of energy and excitement! He loves Kindergarten and is becoming a great reader. He loves Legos, trucks, Hot Wheels, and playing the Wii with Kaden. He wants to be a secret agent when he grows up and then the president of the United States. He keeps us on our toes, and says some funny things! Happy Birthday Tyson! We all love you buddy!

Cambree 6 months

2010-03-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

My baby is growing up too fast! She is now 6 month old and is full of personality. She is rolling over and sitting up. And of course her first word is DAD! Grrr. Every one of my kids says dad first. We love this baby girl!

Honest Scrap

2010-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

So I got tagged to do this forever ago, and I am finally getting around to doing it.
List 10 honest things about yourself, then tag 4 people to do the same.

Here goes....

1. I love being a mom. Yes I murmer a lot about it, but when all is said and done, I absolutely love being a mom! I wouldn't want to do anything else!

2. My kids have got to be some of the funniest kids on the planet! They say the funniest things sometimes!

3. I totally hit the husband jackpot. I must have seriously done something awesome in the pre exsistence to have snagged this guy. Either that or the Lord just knew I needed major help and sent me the most awesome guy on the planet.

4. I have a love hate relationship with Cub Scouts. I really love working with the boys and having fun, but I hate how time consuming it can be. And sometimes the boys do drive me crazy. And their parents.

5. I hate the fact that I am getting old. I don't know why, but I do.

6. Even worse than that I hate the fact that my kids are getting older. I miss when they were all still little and I could fix everything with a hug and a kiss. Those dreaded teenage years are getting too close for comfort.

7. I have absolutely no desire to ever be famous. I love my boring life.

8. I watch way too much T.V. It is probably rotting my brain.

9. In my next life, i want to be a cake decorator. I love decorating cakes and coming up with fun ideas, I just wish I could be really good at executing them!

10. I wish I was a more confident person. I wish I didn't care what people think. I wish I didn't overanalyze everything and could just be me without worrying about it.

OK I tag
Kacie Erickson
Larissa Luke
Bobbie Larsen
Brittney Fenn
Vana Powell
(Yeah, that's 5, but I couldn't decide)

Pinewood Derby

2010-02-21T18:30:00.001-08:00

January was Kaden's 1st pinewood derby. He was so dang excited. I think it is kind of a rite of passage for little boys, especially in the church. Surprise, he made a car that looked like a dinosaur. He didn't have the fastest car, but he sure had a good time. The picture quality is not very great, because the lighting in the gym is not the best.
Kaden and the dinosaur car.

Getting ready to race.

Getting his "this car is not a nerd" award from Sister Gilbert.

All the scouts with their cars and awards. I sure love these boys.

Aubree's Birthday 10 years old

2010-02-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

OK I am making myself sit down and do this blog post. I have been so bad lately.
Not only can I not believe that my baby is 10 years old, I cannot believe I am old enough to have a 10 year old. Where does the time go, seriously?
We did have a great birthday with Aubree. She is getting so grown up. I told Bruce it is weird that she is as excited to get clothes as she is to get toys. I guess it is part of growing up. She also got the Littlest Pet Shop for the Wii and some High School Musical Barbie dolls.

This is the Tinkerbell cake we came up with. I was kind of nervous about it , because she had been sketching out what she wanted, but she seemed pretty happy with it, although it is not one of my best cakes.

We did a fairy birthday party with her friends and really had a good time! I love putting on birthday parties for my kids. This is some of the girls making fairy wands. We also made candy necklaces and ribbon barrettes. The girls had so much fun with the crafts we didn't even get to many of the games. But it was a lot of fun. After the party, her best friend Darby stayed for dinner and our very first sleepover. They had all these big plans of what they wanted to do all night, and then ended up falling asleep by 10 pm. Oh well, it was still pretty exciting.

I can't believe how grown up my girl is getting. IT is crazy to be sharing CDs and having some pretty grown up conversations. Aubree is such a smart girl. She loves to read, and has already read the entire Harry Potter series. She will read anything she can get her hands on. She also loves ballet. Her ballet teacher once told me that she loves to watch Aubree dance, because she can just see the joy she has when she dances and that is not something you can teach. She is also becoming a good piano player. I love Aubree so much and am so proud of the young woman she is becoming!

Brennen's 3rd Birthday

2010-01-17T16:09:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Brennen's 3rd birthday this month. I can't believe it has been 3 years since he was born! He was so cute and excited this year and told everyone we saw that it was his birthday! He wanted a Mickey cake, so this is what we came up with. He loved it so much, that when we cut it to eat it, he started bawling and said "My birthday is ruined!" He ate the cake anyways though.

Here he is opening presents. He got some play dough and play dough tools, a new outfit, and a stuffed Mickey with a blanket.

Brennen and his Mickey cake.

Brennen and his new Mickey. He loves it so much! It has to do everything with him. We had to put pajamas on him that night. He had to have a bowl of cereal the next morning, and it hasn't left his side since.

Brennen is such a smart little boy. He remembers everything and knows a lot of big words. He loves Mickey Mouse, Elmo, and trains. He has so much energy and is a pretty happy little guy most of the time. We love our little Brennie Boo Boo!