Boys Will Be Boys

Kason's Baptism

2010-10-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

It happened! My second child is already 8! Where does time go? When we moved here he was just a cute little 16 month old toddler with blond wild hair who REALLY loved his mama! (NOOOOOO.... MY MOM!!!!) The baptism was so nice! There is another boy in the ward who recently turned 8 and they got baptized together. We spent the day together eating steaks and preparing for the big day and I had fun getting to know them better! The baptism was crowded, maybe the biggest I've seen and I felt blessed to have the support of such family and good friends! We had an excellent talk by Grandma Jones and a little message from Grandma Houseman! It was so nice of her to think of my mom who lives thousands of miles away and can't be here.

Birthday Boy

2010-10-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tanner turned 3 years old on September 25th. He is getting so big and if you might have noticed, is a little obessesed with disney "cars" I can't believe I found a lightening pinata! I can't believe my little baby is 3, we love you tanner!!!

TRAINED!

2010-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

9 years, 6 months of chaning diapers, 2 years of those being double diaper duty and I am finally done changing diapers!! HAPPY DAY! Tanner has been my very hardest and most stubborn to potty train, but he is doing great and enjoying being a "big boy"!

First Day

2010-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

First day of school pictures for the boys: Jamison 4th grade, Kason 2nd grade, Ryder pre kinder, Tanner- joy school! Love these little boys, now stop growing up please!

Half Marathon

2010-10-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to run a half marathon for awhile, but it is hard to find one on a saturday and close by. So, when I was in Utah I noticed there was one right by my sister's house! I debated back and forth if I should do it, but when Shauna said she would do it with me, I decided to do it for sure! I am so glad, it was so fun and such beautiful scenery! It was all through hobble creek canyon. My goal time was under 2 hours and i finished at 1:56:54!

Summer 2010

2010-10-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Found a beautiful "zion's park" looking place right here 45 minutes away!

Bottled A lot of peaches and chile!

Rode Motos!

Here are some other things we did this summer: Went to utah and of course had to stop at the dinosaur musuem once again!

Got to see Brody sealed to his family and spend time with our cousins in Utah! We went up to Jamie's house too, but of course I hardly have any pictures of this trip!

My mom and dad were there too!!!!

A very special day! Sorry but I am still a lazy blogger and don't feel like fixing these pictures!!!

A Swim of a lifetime!

2010-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Jared must've been feeling generous on vacation because as we were paying for our family to watch the dolphin show, he started asking about swimming with them and the costs. I was thinking, "wow that's expensive", and then a minute later he handed jamison and kason their bracelets to swim with the dolphins! Kason got scared and Jared suggested I do it in his place! No complaints from me! This was seriously one of the most fun things I have done in a lifetime and I loved every minute of it! Ryder and Kason still got the dolphin interactive experience where they pet and kissed the dolphins. Jamison and I got to be "pushed" by the dolphins and raised up by the dolphins. I couldn't believe how strong these creatures were and also how smart they were.

Beach 2010

2010-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Why oh why have I been so lazy with my blog! I am finally catching up because this is the only journal I keep! This summer we went to san carlos with the kids. We stayed almost a full week and laid on the beach, snorkeled, fished, swam, and went to a wonderful dolphin show! We didn't want to come home!

Mother's day

2010-06-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

I love these paper's the kids bring home from school.... hand's down the best gift I always receive! I love how Kason drew me with a crown on my head, I like that I am the princess around here!

Dublan

2010-06-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

We're back in Dublan and what better way to kick off the summer than motocross races! Jared got 2nd in Intermediates and took 1st in Veterans (30 and up)! Jamison decided to race and did a great job. We didn't realize that all the other kids had racing motos and jamison just had a slow 4 stroke 50. He got lapped, but he still kept going and finished the race, I was proud! And I forgot just how dirty a little boy can get!

School Play

2010-06-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jamison was a cheetah in the school play! I thought it was so cool that out of all the schools and classes in el paso he ended up with two colony boys in his class! If I get ambitious I will post the video of his lines later!

Spring sports

2010-06-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

Spring brought new sports for the boys. Jamison was dying to try flag football and Kason wanted to try soccer. The first practice I took Kason to, he looked at the kids and said, "I didn't want to play soccer, I wanted to play basketball!" With a little encouragement, I got him out there and he started liking soccer. He had a great coach and he did a great job!

Jamison was on a football team that had been playing together for awhile and was the "new kid". The first game he was very shy and unsure, but after a good pep talk from his dad, he started getting more confident. After a couple of games, he scored his first touchdown and scored at almost every game after that. I was really thankful my kids had an opportunity to participate in sports in El Paso. They learned a lot and we had such a great time watching them!

Grandma

2010-06-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

My mom asked me to write something for my grandma's funeral, but i didn't get the message on time. I still wanted to honor and remember my grandma so i want to post this.

I miss you already

I never got to say goodbye

so many childhood memories:

eggs, bacon, all the chocolate milk i could drink,

red dirt milkshakes, porcelian figures,

southern drawl, and fried green tomatos, fried okra,

you were sassy, funny, and said what you thought,

even though sometimes it wasn't always very nice:)

watching E.T. with Kason,

going to the thrift stores,

pretty white hair, lipstick always on,

trying cafe rio, not sure if you liked it too much!

I love and miss you grandma, I wish I could've been around you more

I wish I got to say goodbye

Nacho

2010-04-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ryder has a book. It is a small bible. He calls it his Jesus book. He tells us stories from this book about Jesus's powers and Jesus's friends. He likes to carry it around a lot. I like it.

Ryder has a friend. His friend's name is nacho. Nacho only speaks spanish. He can only be reached by phone. Ryder calls him frequently. We all love Nacho.

Easter

2010-04-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many pictures of easter, but I did get a few at the annual easter hike! It was a beautiful day and maybe one of the first easter picnics that it wasn't extremely windy! It was wonderful to spend easter with family and friends!

Birthdays

2010-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I turned 33 this month and my first little baby is already 9! We had a great time celebrating! Jared got me my running watch that i have been wanting. It tells me how far i run, calories burned, how fast i am going. I LOVE it! I used to just measure out the miles in my car or run with other friends that had the nice running gadgets! Then, he let me go shopping and took me out to dinner that evening and even bought me a chocolate cake!

Jamison was able to celebrate his day with his friends in mexico because it was spring break! We had games, presents, pizza, and cake! happy birthday to my sweet little boy, you are growing up way too fast!

We didn't have a nine so i put 5 + 4... they thought it was pretty funny and kept saying 54- you're old!!
Air soft gun and money! yipee!

Cameron, Taylor, Matthew, Jamison, Hope, Annie, Gracie
Sophie, Sadie, Peyton, Kason
Tanner

March Madness

2010-03-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

March ended the basketball and soccer season for the boys. Jamison and Kason played basketball for the "wolverines" and Ryder played soccer. It was a good experience for all of them to improve their confidence and abilities. I can remember when Ryder first started playing, he just stood there with his hand in his mouth and by the end he was running and kicking the ball with the rest of them! Kason learned how to play defense and even made a basket during one of the games!! Jamison gained confidence and learned a lot about defense, offense, and ball handling skills. He became one of the high point makers on the team! So proud of my boys!

DS Junkie

2010-03-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

About 30 minutes after putting the boys to bed, i heard little noises coming from tanner's room. I peeked in and there he was laying in his crib playing mario kart on the d.s. I can't believe he can turn it on, select the game, choose his car and character, and race his car! He can probably play better than I can! funny boy!

RAGNAR

2010-03-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

In October my friend and neighbor came over and asked me to run a relay race with her. She said a girl dropped out and that I should do it. I said sure, mostly because it sounded fun to get away with girls! I had NO idea what I was getting myself into! Last weekend was the race and I have to say it was one of the worst and best experiences of my life. During my training, I also found out something about myself that I didn't know- I love to run! It will definitely always be part of my life now and I am hoping to run a half marathon and a full marathon this year.

I only knew 2 of these girls but we all became fast friends for sure!
The race was 204 miles in total, the miles were divided up between 12 girls, 3 legs each.
Decorating the Tahoe
Here we are the Jones cousins at the beginning!
Go Meredith Go! She is inspiring- having a c-section 8 months ago, now running more miles than most people do in their lifetime!
My first hand-off, i was soooo nervous and i don't know why? I run almost everyday, but for some reason in this setting it was scary!
It must've been adrenaline but i ran this first leg of 6.3 miles in my fastest ever time. At the end this guy was just a little bit ahead of me and my teammates were cheering PASS HIM PASS HIM, so I did! And thanks marisa for running along side of me the last little bit of this and cheering me on! I needed it!
After our first leg, we ate and found a nice cozy patch of Arizona grass to lay down in. Then it was on to our nighttime runs! It was definitely scary running on the freeway shoulder at 2 a.m.

After our nighttime runs we decided to try to sleep. We parked in our next exchange area- a highschool parking lot. I probably was able to sleep a maximum of 1 hour on the hard pavement.

Here are the girls in Van #1 cheering on meredith who was running. All of these girls were so sweet and inspiring! Thanks for making my experience even better!
Waiting for Marisa... ALMOST DONE!!!

My last leg I had to run. My body was so tired, physically and mentally, this run was definitely ALL mind over matter to keep my legs from not stopping. Very emotional experience.
Here we all are at the finish line. One poor girl hurt her knee so badly she couldn't walk over the finish line! The solution?? A shopping cart! This was a great feeling!
It's over!!!
We are SUPERWOMEN!!!

2010-02-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

Since we are here in E.P. I decided to take advantage of putting the boys in some sports programs. We put Ryder in soccer and he really loves it! After the first couple of games they put him as goalie and it turns out he is an AWESOME goalie! He stops almost every ball that tries to get in the goal (unless he is otherwise occupied i.e. doing twirlies, or playing with the net). I even hear people on the bleachers talking about how good that little goalie is..... I want to turn around and say "that is MY son" but i refrain.. hehe! I am happy too because his poor little leg has been bothering him a lot lately so i love that he doesn't have to run around in pain! Even little Tanner gets to join in the fun because usually someone from our team is crying or doesn't want to play, so he jumps right in and fills in. It is pure entertainment!

Farewell..... my friends

2010-01-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

I am not a dog person. I don't like to touch them because they are dirty. I don't like them to lick me because ewww.. we all know where that tongue has been. I don't like them to jump on me because they get their muddy paws on my clean clothes. I am not a dog person. But, Jared has always insisted we have a dog and I agree as long as I don't have to take care of it. But something happened... i began liking my dog. He followed my little boys everywhere they went, he got excited when i came out in the morning because he knew i was going running and he could come along. He ran happily by my side and i felt safe. He barked at night at all the bad guys. He was lost for 6 months, but still appeared in our back window as soon as he got free. He followed us to church, to school, to field day, and to grandma's house. My Echo had actually become my friend. We also had another dog, one of echo's puppy - named sayed or thriller, whichever you prefer. He was a beautiful puppy and turning out to be a great dog like echo. A few weeks ago they were killed and i had no idea how sad i would be. It broke my heart because I asked the boys the first thing they wanted to do when we got home and they all said "go play with echo!" but he wasn't there nor was our puppy. We found out later they had been bothering a horse and a foreman shot them.. so sad. So, here's my farewell to my dogs, you will be missed and never forgotten.
(Please keep this quiet from the boys, I have not told them).

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful christmas even though it was filled with a lot of changes! Here is the short story version of what we did.
Tried to take the annual christmas picture by the tree, BUT.... someone is missing?? Who could it be???
This guy, who turned from day to night from my sweet angel to my TERRIBLE, STUBORN, 2 year old who refuses to get in the picture.

Santa was good to us this year... the boys got all that they wanted even after CHANGING their lists at the last minute!!! (Good thing we were in El Paso). We had 4.. oops, i mean 5 very happy boys this year! (oh and a happy mama too)
The star wars force trainer, this thing is hillarious! They have to become a jedi knight and concentrate to move the ball in the tube. Look at Jamison's concentration!
Santa hid 4 bikes all around the house and suprised the boys!

He even surprised this little boy too!
Happy little "gamers"

GINGERBREAD HOUSE FUN
We also made a gingerbread house, hmmmm... i think they ate and messed more than they helped!

Whew, I was sure glad when that was over!

After christmas we headed out to a very COLD Utah to visit friends and family there! We had a great time visiting with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandpas, and grandmas.

Moab

Cocoa on a cold wintry day, thanks aunt trisha!

I think tanner and Logan look a lot alike in this picture!!

Love his cute smile here!
Thank you all who let us crash at your house, we had a great time !!

Bongo Boy turns 4!!

2009-12-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's been a LONG time since I've blogged, but i have been VERY busy lately and pretty much have not had any time. So, bear with me as I try to catch up on all of our happenings! First, we celebrated Ryder's 4th Birthday! We had a bike party and let the kids ride their bikes and race their bikes in our driveway.

The boys went fishing!

Next, we came to El Paso for some Thanksgiving fun! We got to see all of our cousins and had a grand time at grandma's and grandpa's el paso house. We went swimming, hot tubbing, and the boys even got to go to white sands.

Now, sadly, we are here in El Paso for awhile. It has not been an easy adjustment for Jared and I, but we are hoping it is temporary so that helps! The boys have adjusted very easily.. they love their new school and have tons of new friends. We all miss our house, our dogs, our yard, and most importantly all of our good friends, who if they are not already related to us somehow still feel like family to us! More picture of our new little "temporary" life to come!!!

future author

2009-11-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Kason's First Book:

2009-11-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here is what we have been up to lately:

we visited the cemetery for the mexican holiday dia de los muertos. Grandpa brought hot chocolate and donuts and the kids got to learn some things about the relatives who they didn't get a chance to meet. I love this picture of grandpa telling the kids about "roddy" his younger brother. they loved hearing all about him and what he was like.

How does our family look with a girl??? this little cousin baby decided she wanted to be in our picture!

How does our family look with 2 girls??? it sure looks odd seeing jared holding a baby wearing pink!

I think i'll just take the boys! One day my 2 littlest boys decided to make a mud hole and jump and play in it! instead of getting angry i decided to just let them go out in their swimsuits and have fun in the mud. I don't think i've ever seen this dirty or this happy!!!

I came home from the grocery and almost had a heart attack when i saw little "bebe" tanner riding the moto all by himself! i couldn't believe he could steer it so well... maybe he will be the next james stewart! go bebe tanner go!

October Happenings!

2009-10-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here's what has been happening this month.. i definitely have been a LAZY blogger!
First and most important KASON TURNED 7. I can't believe he is already 7, when we moved here he was only 1 1/2. Time goes by too quickly! Here are some pictures of his halloween themed birthday party:
Grandpa Jones and Kason share a birthday.. here are the two birthday boys!

Every monday night we seem to have formed a tradition of going to ride at the race track. dad gets on his moto, jamison gets on his and I take the boys on the 4 wheeler and load up the wagon with their bikes! the boys ride their bikes up and down all the hills and it's a great time until ryder gets a concussion from wrecking on his bike. That kid gets hurt ALL the time.

We went to pick out pumpkins at "Riley's pumpkin store". The kids were very excited... then jamison, kason and ryder all drew a pumpkin and helped dad carve them!

Tanner drank a whole bottle of dimetapp one sunday morn as i was putting on my make-up. He had a runny nose so i bought it the night before to clear his nose so he could breathe easier while sleeping. He didn't want to take it so jared told him it was "moto juice" and would help him go fast on his moto. I put it in the windowsill of the kitchen and for some reason the bottle had no child proof lid?!?? he pushed a chair right up to the counter, climbed on the counter and drank the whole bottle! He was just fine though... no side effects at all suprisingly!

Had the annual ward halloween party... i have no pictures of kason because he was helping his dad set up.. and the pics are blurry because my camera has a broken flash.. time for a new one!!
Jamison the mummy.. didn't get jamison a costume on time this year so we had to make one! i think it turned out awesome!

mad monkey did not want his picture taken

My baby is 2

2009-10-04T16:49:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby turned 2. Time really does go by so fast and i don't want to forget the little things so i made a little list of the top 10 little things i don't want to forget about tanner this year:

1. when asked the question "what is your name?" he always responds... "bebe tanner".
2. walking down the hallway carrying his "dee dee" (blanket)
3. his big blue eyes
4. finding him on the couch watching diego with his moto googles on.
5. jabbering in his car seat the whole way home from san carlos
6. how much he loves his brothers and how much they love and take care of him.
7. riding his diego bike on the drive way with his feet going 100 mile an hour
8. getting jamison's moto helmet on and running around the house like he is a moto... he even does a little kickstart.
9. his big hugs and open mouth kisses
10. cleaning up his toys in his room and singing softly "keen up keen up evybody evywhere"

Happy 2nd Birthday to my "bebe tanner"

like father..... like son

2009-09-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

my boys love to put on their moto gear like dad and race their "moto's" around the driveway.... so cute! i especially love the "ramping" shots!

2009-09-21T06:02:00.001-07:00

Toni and Dan came to visit so when they had to fly out we all headed out to el paso and decided to check out the el paso zoo. It was a cute little zoo and not crowded at all which i really liked. Our favorite were the sea lions. There was one in particular that "played" with us for about 30 minutes. He keep coming down and trying to bite our hands, he was so cute!

And while toni was here she found out she was having a baby BOY! I am so excited to have another cute nephew!

august 24th

2009-08-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

August 24th, august 24th, august 24th.... this thought crept into my mind everytime i heard the boys fight, when i heard them say "mom I'm bored", or when i saw them sitting in front of the t.v. or computer for too long. The truth of the matter is i felt quite sad as i dropped them off at the school and said goodbye. i worried about kason not having any friends because he is the only "english speaking" boy in his classroom, but i peeked in after i took jamison to his class and he had a group of boys flocking around him checking out his new transformer shoes... this helped me leave with a smile, and i've been smiling ever since!

I love this one... it shows their true feelings about going back to school...

But i really did get them to smile about it!

Now i have more time to spend with the "little" boys. They found a fun new game that they like.. hide and seek in my cupboards. it was quite entertaining!

my harvest

2009-08-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

ok ok don't think i am bragging, i just DID NOT think I had a green thumb and am so proud of my garden and flowers!!! (and thank you to my husband who really does have a green thumb)
here is some of the yummy delciousness we got from the garden
here is a picture of my flowers too...

july has come and gone

2009-08-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that july has already come and gone! It has been a fun and crazy month for us... here are some of the things that have been going on!

We got a puppy, still need to name him. and yes, he is a boy, just like our cat, our other dog and all 5 boys living in my house!!

Went to a grand 4th of July party!

Kason won first prize in the boy category of the 4th of july bike parade (thanks to uncle carlos!)

Got muddy.... A LOT!

Lost a first tooth

Doing wheelies with the kids - if you look closer little tanner is on there too, and yes i cringe every time i see this!

Went on a girl trip to see WICKED which was great!
Went on the mother of all road trips! 24 hour drive to Ohio to see my family.... crossed through some beautiful states and crossed over the mississipi and ohio rivers! Because we took 2 different routes each way we ended up crossing through 9 different states! Saw cities like dallas, tx, memphis tn, nashville tn, louisville ky, cincinnati oh, indiapolis and st. louis mo. The kids were wonderful... even this little guy was an angel!

Played every day with their cousin Evan
Played in a pond

played in the park
watched daddy race his moto at the county fair

spent time with one of my 2 nieces (i have yet to meet the other one but they are both little dolls!)

Met Dora the Explorer!! (tanner was deathly afraid of her... can you blame him look at the size of her head!)

Met spongebob too!!!!

Rode rides at Kings Island amusement park.. Jamison and Kason rode their first roller coaster ride as well! (no pictures though)

Jared brought his moto to ohio and made some friends and went riding with them... he also raced in the county fair pro class and won 3rd place

played in the river with uncle justin and evan

played with more cousins we NEVER see :(

On the way home the we just happened to pass right through the base cody is stationed on. He was able to leave base for a couple hours and go swimming and eat with us!

Also found a motorcycle track on the way home off the freeway that jared got to ride on... it was beautiful!
We had such a great time visiting with my family, wish i could've stayed longer, but the farm was calling us home!

my little monkey

2009-06-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

have you ever seen those children that just quietly sit there, smile and are content to do that? i have, but i just have never gotten one of those- not even as a baby. they have all been little busy bodies and i guess i can't blame them for getting that gene from their dad! tanner has been pushing the kitchen chairs all around the house and has gotten into everything! his favorite place is where we hang up the keys.. aunt cathy found my car keys in her driveway once! needless to say we don't keep our keys there anymore. his next favorite place?? the medicine cupboard.. well he thinks it is the candy cupboard- he loves to eat the vitamins like candy! he's fallen off chairs, fallen into the sink, but does he stop- NO!! everytime i turn around he has pushed his chair somewhere else! what would i do without my little monkey?

this is when he fell into the sink! i know i am mean i took a picture of it!

scary bald man in my garden!

2009-06-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

If you know my husband you know he is known to pull a lot of pranks and jokes. Well, every summer he likes to shave his head so this time when he shaved the first piece of it he got an idea. He shaved it just like it would look if he were going bald... don't worry it was only for a day!!

And i said i would post more of my garden so here it goes. Don't think i am bragging, i have just never had my own garden before. I really can't call it MY garden anymore because the person who does most of the work is getting mad!! Hey, he grows things for a living- of course he is better at it than me! So here is more of OUR garden:
Ryder, Kason, and I enjoyed the first cucumber the other day. I always think of my dad when i eat cucumbers, we would just take the salt shaker outside and munch on cucumbers! So that is exactly what we did!
I also used my lettuce to make my cafe rio salad last night.

I also love having our little garden because it is a great place to teach children to work!

Big Boy Bongo

2009-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

No more training wheels for bongo and he is oh so proud of himself! I can't help being a little sad, they grow up way too fast! Check out my cute little garden in the background- i am oh so proud of myself for my first time garden (i'll have to post more pictures later).

cub scouts and school plays

2009-06-03T09:27:00.001-07:00

Jamison received his bobcat and wolf award in cub scouts- i am so proud of him especially because i am the scout leader too!!

The mom's get pins too!! yay! Can you imagine how many pins i will have when tanner is a scout?

Kason was Mr. McGregor in the kindergarten peter rabbit play yesterday.. it was so dang cute. Here is a clip of him doing his part

Kason with the girls

Birthday Boy

2009-05-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here's my little birthday boy with his present, long blade freediving fins, mask and snorkel... he was like a little boy when he got it! Good thing we are headed to the beach next week so he can try it out!

My Favorite Gifts

2009-05-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite gifts i got for mother's day:

As we were getting ready for the mother's day lunch Kason asked me "what can i give you for mother's day? I told him he could make me something so about 10 minutes later he brought me this picture and gave me a hug and said "i love you sooo much mom."

A subway sandwich bar prepared by all the men with cake and ice cream. No cooking or cleaning, what more could a mom ask for?

Ryder got to say family prayers last night and said a prayer so funny i had tears from holding in my laughter. His prayer included things like- aliens, stories about his day, "tooting", swimming, and family.

After we tucked the boys into bed i went to put something away in the boys room and couldn't find jamison in any of the beds. I finally went into tanner's room and found him fast asleep with his baby brother.. what more could a mommy ask for?

Presents i didn't like so much:

Tanner throwing a tantrum in the middle of jared's song during the mother's day program

Ryder missing the toilet by 6 inches and having to clean it up off the floor

The Wedding.

2009-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

The last Tony Jones family wedding was held last week! I am sure when it was all over with tony and chris had a big sigh of relief! We were so excited for toni marie and dan, they are such a cute couple and very in love. Everything was great except the evening was very cool, too cool, just plain cold. Congratulations toni and dan!!!!

One of my favorite things

2009-04-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of one of my favorite things- all 3 boys in the truck to go to the farm all morning with dad! One of the perks of living here in mexico- dad can take the kids to work!

Spring Break

2009-04-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

I needed to get away so i packed up all 4 boys and drove to Utah.. they were such great travelers i would definitely brave the trip again- but not for awhile! The boys had so much fun visiting with their cousins and i had so much fun being with my mom and sister! Here are some fun things we did! This might be picture heavy!
First we went to jumping jacks- where there are a bunch of "brinka brinka's" to jump and slide on

We hunted for easter eggs

The boys rocked out to guitar hero

We went to the dinosaur museum - my personal favorite as was kason's too

Visited Angie afterwards (she lives right by the dino museum- kason's dream!) and she fed me a delicious dinner and molten chocolate cake!! yum

Hung out with cousins and grandma

Visited the Easter bunny and colored eggs (no pics of easter bunny tanner was terrified by him!)

And celebrated easter

We had a great time - thank you aunt "kir kir" for letting us stay and entertaining us! Glad you house is quiet once again! The boys were happy to get home too, we all missed dad!

Windy march days

2009-04-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's windy here in Dublan and with the windy season also come church basketball season. My boys love it and i have been so proud of them for doing so well. Kason runs his little heart out trying to get the ball and Jamison has made a few baskets every game. They also had field day and did great too! Here are some pictures of our windy march fun!

P.S. The Relief Society team I am on is ranked #1 undefeated, we play in the finals this week!!

Kason ended up coming ahead and winning this race he has some serious skills in sack hoping!

Yes, echo followed us... he is a stalker dog

Onlooker Tanner

Couldn't resist posting this picture of onlooker ryder picking a winner!
Tired Kason after a hard played game!

Video of Jamison making a basket at the primary tournament, can't believe i caught this on film!

Why do I have 3 beds?

2009-03-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

It started with Ryder wanting to sleep with Jamison.. then Kason decided their was enough room for him too! I think it is sweet and hope they continue to be best friends their whole lives.
Here they are in the morning:

Paranoid?? I don't care!

2009-03-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, after the dentist scheduled to pull Kason's tooth in 1 week, I started reading online about abscessed teeth. I typed in "complications of abscessed tooth" and here are some of the things that came up
"12 year old dies from abscessed tooth"
"A tooth abscess complications includes tooth loss, jaw bone damage, neighboring tooth damage or loss, sinus problems, brain abscess, heart damage, hospitalization, coma, and even death"
"Facial Disfigurement as it eats away the facial bones; teeth falling out as the tooth abscess destroys the jaw holding the tooth; the picture is pretty gruesome."

He had a huge lump under his neck and his jaw bone had a big bump on it. Needless to say, I started getting paranoid. I was thinking, "why are we keeping this tooth in for one more week?" I finally just called the dentist and told him the antibiotics aren't working and i was worried about further complications if his tooth didn't come out. He agreed and pulled it out that night. Since then, his cheek and jaw swelling have decreased and he seems a lot happier. Sometimes it pays off to be a paranoid mom!

Tooth nightmare

2009-03-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've never had a cavity, braces, nothing... but Kason has made up for all that these past weeks! Poor guy started screaming with tooth pain for two nights until we could finally go to the dentist on Monday morning. Turns out he had a tooth infection underneath his filling the dentist put in a few weeks ago. So, the dentist took out the filling, gave him a pulpotomy, and some antibiotics. He ran a high fever for a few days and things looked like they were getting better, but then I noticed his cheek was still swollen and puffy and there was a ball of something under his chin. So I took him back and the dentist now has to pull the whole tooth out! Ouch! He hasn't lost a tooth yet so this will be his first visit from the tooth fairy. Poor boy!

Baptism

2009-03-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

I felt sad and depressed all day long of "the big baptism day." I don't know why.. maybe because my first baby is growing up too fast, maybe because i was feeling old, or maybe just because it was my first baptism and i was feeling nervous and overwhelmed! Whatever the reason, the feeling disappeared as we arrived at the church. It was such a perfect baptism and couldn't have gone any better! Then we had friends for pizza and cake afterwards. After all the party and fun, Jamison said, "This is the best day EVER". I was afraid to ask him what was his favorite part because I thought he would say the party, but I asked him anyways. He said his favorite part was getting baptized and then his second favorite part was getting confirmed! I was so proud. Then we started talking about how he now needs to repent. He asked "what if you are standing up in the back of the truck? Do I need to repent for that" (I am assuming he was doing that on the way home from the party). I told him he didn't have to repent for that, and he seemed to be relieved he was still "perfect". It really was the best day EVER!

Today my baby is 8

2009-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jamison! I can't believe my first little baby is already 8 years old. I am feeling sad and I don't even know why. Jamison has always been such a smart and responsible little boy. He is always watching out and worried about his little brothers. He is always responsible- the second he gets home he does his homework without anyone telling him too. He reads his scriptures and says his prayers without anyone reminding him too. He is a wonderful big brother and a wonderful son! I can't believe you will be baptized today. We love you!!

Ready...... GO!

2009-03-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

The new driveway is poured and already getting put to good use! The boys have been roller blading, biking, and running up and down. Here they are having a big "moto" race... they even have me count laps and hold up a flag when it is their last lap. Every time they start tanner says "ready, go!" Hmmmnn.. I wonder where they get that from?? We are STILL waiting for the fence to be put all the way up... how long will this take?

Mess or Playground?

2009-02-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'll bet you've never seen this in your backyard!

We've been making a new gate around our house and now Jared brought in the back hoe to tear down old trees and walls. The kids are enjoying climbing on all the rocks and tree stubs, who needs a playground when you have this????
Of course i had to use the opportunity to take pictures of the kids. Jared was embarrassed I was out there snapping photos in front of all the workmen, but oh well... tractors make good backgrounds!

MOUNTAINS

2009-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone want to come over and help me tackle this mountain of laundry? They were working on our plumbing the last few days and this is the result! (this is just the darks pile). Don't count on seeing me out and about today!

Lashes... anyone?

2009-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Shallow post warning!
I was watching Rachel Ray the other day and they had a plastic surgeon on. He started talking about this brand new product called latisse that you just apply on the bottom of your eye lid by your lash line and it in8-16 weeks you grow thicker, darker and longer lashes! Sounds like a dream come true to me!

"Ski-ning"

2009-02-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have been a lazy blogger lately but my kids have been sick for weeks it seems. We finally got away last weekend and went to Ruidoso to go skiing or ski-ning as Ryder called it. We all had so much fun. Jamison went a few times with Grandpa and then just took off and started skiing on the harder hills all by himself. Kason had some lessons with Grandma but then we had an "accident" getting onto the ski lift and he was a little scared after that. Ryder loved it and went with Jared. And seriously, this is my kind of skiing. Man made snow and 60 degree weather, no cold toes!! Here are some pictures of the fun! We also went to a tubing park the next day and the boys LOVED it. Even Tanner went down the "baby hill" and would not get out of his tube. I pulled him around for an hour! We plan on making this a yearly tradition!

I took the boys on the gondola ride up to the top of the mountain

Living Room Remodel

2009-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

I still need new carpet laid and my wall hangings all put back up, but here is my new living room so far. I like it, I am just not sure about the fireplace being darker brown. Maybe it's not the right shade?? Any opinions?

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

After having 4 boys, a male cat, and a male dog it is finally a GIRL. Introducing the newest member of our family "foosa" as jared is calling her. Isn't she cute?? She is Echo's puppy and since i just LOVE dogs why not have another one (ha). I am finally not the only female around the house!

Blankie Love

2009-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

When i was little i loved a blanket, his name was "blankadine". He was blue and pink knitted and how i wish i still had him :( Seems like someone has taken after his mommy when it comes to blankets. This little boy carries his blankets around everywhere too! But, he is a picky blankie boy- only the minky blankets will do. Sometimes he carries 2 or 3 around with him. When he is upset he asks for "din dee" He even found a drawer of my sewing fabrics with scraps of minky and carries around the scraps too! I love my little blankie boy!

Christmas fun

2009-01-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our christmas fun, sad it is over but looking forward to a new year! Sorry this might be too many pictures but i don't know how to make those collages yet!
COUSINS!
Kason ran right up to santa to tell him what he wanted

Ryder telling santa to bring him a "blue flashlight"

Dad starting the christmas morning fire

Cute baby nephews!!

Tanner is thrilled with his moto
Couldn't wake this boy up to open presents!

More Cousins!!

The boys enjoying their cool star wars book from grandma

The First Snow... (well sort of)

2008-12-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

A few days ago the boys woke and and began screaming, "it snowed, it snowed!!" They were so excited they rushed to their rooms and begin putting on their winter coats, gloves, and hats. Then they rushed outside to play in the snow. They have been waiting and even praying for it to snow so they were so excited. It was more like a "light frost" but some had accumulated on the trampoline so they got on there and made snowballs. It was gone by 10 a.m. but they were sure happy about the "first snow."

Christmas Dance

2008-12-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Last night was our annual Grade School Christmas Program. All the classes sing a song and do a dance. It is so much fun to watch, they work really hard and do such a good job! This year's theme was "Christmas around the World" Each class had a different country or region. Jamison's class was spain- they did the matador dance and Kason's class was Hawaii. Kason loved it so much he kept performing his dance for us over and over. He also said "I wish I could go do that dance again, i loved that!" Maybe he will be some sort of performer! Jamison was not happy he had to dance with a girl and his facial expression shows! Here are a few videos and pictures of the night.

Can you guess what this says?

2008-12-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

Kason wrote this note to Jamison the other day and it is funny how it is spelled but it is spelled pretty much how it sounds to a 6 year old. Can you guess what it says??

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

This is what the top of my Christmas tree looks like:
And this is what the bottom of my christmas tree looks like:

I gave up trying to put the ornaments back on... oh the joys of having a one year old.

BACK TO REALITY!

2008-11-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

We are back home..... no more sleeping in, taking a shower anytime i want, no more people serving ME, no more quiet days roaming shopping malls and hotels, no more date night every night! Needless to say we had so much fun in VEGAS! There was so much to see and do.. we ate a lot, i shopped a lot, and we saw Criss Angel and KA. At the criss angel show we saw david copperfield who was in the audience but better yet, HOLLY MADISON, his girlfriend (formerly hugh hefners girlfriend) as she was in the audience too. We even went swimming and relaxed around the pool. Poor meredith was sick a lot(she just found out she was pregnant) but Jared found a wheelchair that the hotel let us borrow and we pushed her around vegas! Good times, Good friends, Good Food, Good Fun.....

Happy Birthday Bongo

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

3 years ago today............. i had my chubby, 3rd baby boy, all 9 lbs and 5 ounces of him. Bongo is truly one of a kind and we couldn't live without him. I love you BONGO/ ryder/ spiderman/ wimp/ jones.

New "big boy" bike!

Learning to ride down the hallway

Party TIME!!

Little Bug Zander, we had a bug themed party

Blowing out the candles

Vegas Vacation

2008-11-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Jared and I are headed off to VEGAS for a late 10 year anniversary celebration! Vegas is where we spent our honeymoon and we haven't been back together since. We have been to the beach a lot so we thought it would be fun to go somewhere exciting with lots of entertainment. (Plus we found good deals on flights and hotels!) I can't wait to get away and THANKS to this wonderful woman....

we can get away without any children for 4 nights! THANK YOU you are WONDERFUL!! We haven't been away without any kids for 1 year and a half so needless to say we are excited. But, as usual have that sad, dooming feeling we always get when we leave our little boys behind.

My Superheroes

2008-11-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Almost daily, Kason and Ryder come into the kitchen and announce, "we are going to save the world" I am sure glad I have all these superheroes to protect me.... and one in the making too!

Off to save the world
Super hero kicks!
Superhero in the making...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I am so sick of candy i could scream but we had a fun time at our annual halloween party last night - here are some pics of the boys.
my little monkey
cuter from the back!

The "real" spiderman, as ryder called it
Obi Wan and Batman (kason had several parties and each one dressed up as something different. I would ask, "what costume are you wearing today?" and he would say "it's a suprise!" He was spiderman, darth vader, batman, and a ninja!

This is what i get when i try to get all of them at once, oh well....

Oh and here are jared and i at our "couples" halloween party, we had fun!

Bill O'Reilly

2008-10-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Meredith was telling me about Bill O'Reilly's new book and how the on the cover was a picture of him as a little boy and that he looked just like Kason. I forgot about it, but last night i saw him on Dave Letterman and I couldn't believe the resemblance! Strange!

I guess this is what Kason will look like when he is old!

Happy Birthday KASON!!!

2008-10-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Kason, you are a special boy. When you were born they heard a heart murmur and kept you in the hospital. It was so sad for me to go home without my little boy. You had tubes up your nose and stuck to your face. Thank goodness you were just fine and we got to take you home a day later. We have loved having you in our lives these 6 years! Happy Birthday!!

Wow I was brave, I invited the whole kindergarten class to the party this year! There are 21 of them but in Mexico it is normal to bring along the whole family (brothers and sisters ) to stay too! (I did not know that) So we had TONS of kids. But I just ordered pizza, had some games, a pinata and cupcakes. Very simple but I am still glad it is over. Also, I will not be doing that again anytime soon!

We played a mummy game, it was so much fun!

I thought these 2 girls did such a good job!

CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Letters

2008-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

This has been going on for over a year now, the exchange of heartfelt drawings stuffed in envelopes, hand delivered back and forth. By the looks of this drawing Kason is in love with a curly haired girl! (Too bad they are cousins). So cute, I wanted to keep at least one of these for memories.

Homecoming, Reliving the Glory Days!

2008-10-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

This post is for my dear SIL Jamie, i sure wish you were there to relive the glory days, but here are some pics of the fun!
Friday the JSA held their annual homecoming but had no one to play against. They asked the older alumni and of course they were more than happy to play and relive their "glory days" as high school football stars. They rounded up as much gear as they could, they had to tape on knee pads, had mismatched jerseys, and most wore bball shorts but they were ready to go! With no practice at all the "dinosaurs" as the team was so dearly nicknamed went out on the field. They did well and won with a score of 16-13. The young lobos gave them a run for their money but in the end the old men got the best of them. Jared is number 7 and here are some good shots of him in action. He made a 2 point conversion and lots of yardage as the running back. Thanks Laurice for the pictures!
Here is the whole team before the game
Here they come!!! Look at those hot supportive wives!

Jared is the first to rip through the sign

Yeah! go alumni dinosaurs! I think that is cade, danny and jared out in front

Sidelines

Go #7 Go!

Down he goes

Jared gets a fast break - is that what they call it in football????

He almost went all the way with this one but his "old man" legs just couldn't keep up a sprint after 40 yards!

Book Of Mormon Fun

2008-10-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Friday after school, Jamison went to his good friend Eric's house. Today I got an email from Eric's dad entitled "Book of Mormon Fun" He said after having a snack and finishing their homework it was time for some FUN!! They whipped out their book of mormons and started reading together! Maybe they will continue this friday night tradition until they are teenagers, wouldn't that be great? Or would it... hmmmmm...

Somedays i really am supermom!

2008-10-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

I have been called "supermom" often and everytime i hear it i just think to myself "ha ha, if they only knew, i am no supermom not even close!" But once in awhile you really do feel like a supermom- i got so much accomplished today i don't know what came over me! Here's what i did:
exercised
made bacon and eggs
gave the boys chores
cleaned up breakfast
Bathed and dressed 2 youngest children
organized closets and put all the fall clothes in closets while listening to conference
put up tanner and ryder's room decorations (after 1 year it's about time)
Did 3 loads of laundry
Washed everyone's sheets (5 sets)
Played outside with the boys
Made lunch
Cleaned, swept, and mopped kitchen
organized my shoes
Cleaned the bathrooms
Read Ryder some books
Put all the sheets on and made beds
Showered and got dressed (somedays that is quite an accomplishment)
Listened to conference as i dressed, put on makeup, and did hair
Took the boys to watch dad ride the moto
Changed 6 diapers
Made dinner
Made homemade bread
made a pumpkin roll for tomorrow
Bathed 4 boys
Put pj's on the youngest boys
Put the little boys to bed
Cleaned up the kitchen
Put the big boys to bed
Now I am going to sit down and relax and watch the rest of conference that i recorded in peace and quiet!

Do they look alike to you?

2008-10-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

I was looking through Jared's baby photo album and I think Ryder looks so much like him as a child. Do they look alike to you???

I also think Jamison looks a lot like him too!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

2008-09-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a year since I've had my baby Tanner? I really can't believe it, it feels just like yesterday. Jared says it feels way longer than a year. This little baby has given our family so much love and happiness - happy birthday tanner! We love you!

PUMPKINS FOR SALE!

2008-09-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

Grandpa grew some pumpkins at his farm and thought it would be fun for the boys to go out and pick them, load them, and sell them. They had a great time with grandpa at the farm working and fishing. When they came home they were so excited they had to go out and sell them right away. They sold most of them and made quite a bit of money, but not enough for the Wii Jamison would love to buy! Monday we will attempt to sell the rest of them! Thanks Grandpa for helping us teach our boys how to work and the value of money earned!
First customer!!

Something's Familar

2008-09-15T14:23:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of organizing pictures into photo albums and came across some funny pictures of Ryder.

I guess some things don't ever change. I knew his personality when I was pregnant with him. I could feel him kicking me at 12 weeks and he hasn't slowed down since! This little ball of energy has been getting into things, getting hurt, and making disasters since he was born! His most recent disaster was craft paint, yes craft paint, all over my living room carpet. I was rocking the baby to sleep and decided he was just too quiet. I headed down the hall where i found this:

Then I found the culprit:

Oh no, please not the carpet, i thought! But, of course that is the place all the paint went, not the tile floors, but my carpet. (THIS IS NOT ALL THE DAMAGE EITHER!)

It is a mother's nightmare, but it does have one plus to it. Jared said we could just replace the carpet instead of trying to get all the paint out. I did hate that carpet, i hurried to replace it with whatever i could find when we first moved in because hot pink carpet didn't go with my decor. It is too light and stains too easily. Don't tell Jared but I already have full living room remodel plans- hey since we get new carpet, why not redecorate the whole room, right??

The next michael jordan??

2008-09-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jared's been working with the boys on playing football this week and every picture i got of jamison he has his tongue sticking out. I never understood the tongue thing, i guess it is a guy thing.

It HAPPENED!

2008-09-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Since I've had Tanner my life has been turned upside down. I've never been so tired in my life nor have I ever been so busy! Don't get me wrong, he has been a HUGE blessing in my life, but it has just been hard for me to divide my time among 4 small children. School started and it turns out Kason has afternoon kindergarten. I decided I would try to reschedule Tanner's nap for the long afternoon nap instead of the two naps he had been taking. Well today it happened! Tanner was so exhausted by noon that he feel asleep in his highchair. Ryder went down at one and it is after 3 now and I have had the afternoon to myself! I took a short nap, got some things done, and now i am enjoying some computer time!

The Frog Poop Mystery

2008-08-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Ryder came running in the house crying. He told me he had frog poop in his nose! I was busy putting together the railing so he won't fall off his big bed so I just ignored it and kept working. A few minutes later, he started crying, hard! Then Kason came in and said his eyes were stinging and it felt like bugs were biting his eyes! Now I started freaking out. I ran outside and went to the empty swimming pool where they were playing to make sure there were no chemicals around the pool. No chemicals, just a puddle of dirty water and frogs. Meanwhile, Ryder starts screaming louder and louder. Kason's eyes are stinging but just a little. I took him into the house and he could not open his eyes. Whatever started in his nose was now into his eyes. He said there was a "coca-roach" on his eye! (I love how he explains things). I took him into the bathroom and flushed his eyes with water and my contact saline solution. His eyes were bright red and he still could not open them. I started freaking out more because now I also remembered that earlier they were making make believe cakes with mushrooms, dirt, and leaves. Had they eaten some of the mushrooms and they were poisonous? I took the other kids to the neighbor's house and rushed to the church where Jared was in a meeting. By now, Ryder was lethargic and passing out! My crazy mom reaction was "my baby is going to die!" Jared first took Ryder to the swimming pool and made him open his eyes under the water to really clean out his eyes. After about 30 minutes he started to calm down and feel better (but still could not open his eyes). Then he feel asleep. We made him sleep in our bed just to make sure he wasn't going to die on us at night. When he woke up, his eye was all crusted over and swollen but with some warm water he opened them and he was fine!
So, it's a mystery, what happened? Was it mushrooms? Was it that nasty swimming pool water? Was it frog poop? Was it a frog? An aunt said that it happened to her boys once playing with frogs- she says they secrete posion in their urine (gross, I know!) Has anyone heard of anything like this? Maybe the mystery will never be solved...........

Today is the day......

2008-08-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have 5 lbs. 5 lbs that never came off after having that last baby. Cute, cute, skinny jeans that don't fit me STILL! Have you ever said.. Today is the day i am starting my diet, only to be found eating a whole bag of chocolate chips by 2 p.m.? Yeah, i do it almost every day. Well I thought of a great plan. I am starting an 8 week body challenge for all my family and friends, whoever is interested. This will get me more motivated to really start the diet and stick with it. So, i am starting a blog called www.8weekbodychallenge.blogspot.com. I used to be a personal trainer and graduated in exercise science so i thought i could write a diet plan and exercise plan for myself and anyone else who is interested. We can also all comment and encourage each other or talk about our progress.
Jared built this gym in our garage so I have no excuses now!!

The site is still in the works but go visit and all the diet plans should be up before the start date- September 1st. Come one Come all and get back into your skinny jeans too!

Walking

2008-08-22T13:38:00.001-07:00

It started on sunday, I knew it was coming... the day my baby (and possibly my last) wasn't such a baby anymore. Here he is in action.. oops sideways but i have no idea how to fix that!

Are These my Babies??

2008-08-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe i sent my second child off to kindergarten this year. It was easier this time, but it still was hard to watch him wave goodbye. Why couldn't they have stayed like this just a little while longer?
Kason was excited to go to kindergarten, but when the day was over he was already sick of school. We are in for a LONG year!!

2008-08-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Whew....... my laundry is done, my boys are ready for back to school, and church is over with so I can finally blog about my beach trip. We had a great time in San Carlos. We stayed in some condos right on the beach and mostly just played on the beach for 3 days. The beach was called playa de delfins (dolphin beach) and we soon found out why. The dolphins jumped around and played right by our shore every day. I LOVE dolphins so Jared took me and his mom on the jet ski when they were out and we watched them up close. They followed our wake and jumped around right beside us. The boys LOVED the sand and the ocean, especially Tanner, who mostly just tried to eat all the sand. On the last day, Jared treated me to a hour and a half massage at a local spa, it was AMAZING!! Here are some of the pictures of the fun.......

Jamison and his prized seashells

Bongo playing in the waves

Tanner loved the sand and water
Kason was an expert seashell hunter. He also went up and down the beach with perfect strangers finding shells with them!

All good things must come to end.......................

Little Helper

2008-08-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today I looked out the window and saw Bongo mowing the lawn right alongside the yardman. It was so cute i had to snap a few pictures of it.

More Summer Fun

2008-08-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

What is it like being stuck in the house all summer with four (and sometimes more) boys?? Loud, messy, and Crazy!! But I am surviving and happy to announce I am off to el paso this weekend and our family is off to the beach next week! Hooray!
The boys made a clubhouse by turning my couch over and taking off all the pillows
Don't worry, they have to clean it all up

Tanner getting in on some of the fun, i love this baby!

Crazy 2 year old swimmer

2008-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

JJ took the boys swimming and took some really cool pictures. I had no idea my camera could do such cool things!

Here is a video we took of Bongo, mostly for my mom, but we can't believe he can swim by himself and jump off the diving board at 2 years old. He is such a daring little child and has never been afraid of anything. I am afraid I will be in the emergency room with this one someday!

CREATURES

2008-07-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

My boys love to find pets and with this wet weather they keep finding frogs, frogs, and more frogs!!! They bring them in the house and they jump around my kitchen until we gather them all up and I make them take their "pets" outside. They also went "fishing" in the ditch for mouse fish. It turns out mouse fish are little tadpoles. So outside on our wall we have a bucketful of tadpoles who are starting to grow their feet. It is actually interesting to watch. Never a dull moment or a clean kitchen floor!

Tanner 9 months

2008-07-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

The other day Jared took Jamison, Kason and Ryder to the escondida and I was extremely bored here in the house. So, I set up a little studio and took some cute pictures of tanner. I realize some of them are blurry, but that kid moves fast and that is the best I could do with him. He has these 2 huge front teeth right now that show up in his cute little grin so I had to capture them for memories. Tanner is already 9 months and the time has just flown by! He is standing alone and has taken 2 steps already. I wish I could slow down time somehow...... We just love this little boy so much, he brings so much love and joy into our home.

Tagged

2008-07-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ok so I was tagged by Shelley to name 6 things about me that are either boring or quirky. And since I am a pretty boring person this was easy!
1. I enjoy reading cookbooks when I am bored or have free time. I know I am a loser, but I saw my mom doing it too while she was here, so I must get it from her!
2. I go through sewing obsessions. Every 6 months or so I go through sewing obsessions and go way overboard. While I was preggo with tanner it was minky. I made him at least 5 minky blankets including this quilt which he loves!

Now it is hooter hiders. Who knew? I thought just using a blanket was great to nurse with but I used one and I am hooked. I am also hooked on making them, finding cute fabric for them, etc.. I own at least five because I make them for other people and like them so much I decide to keep them!

What is next? I think it will be aprons thanks to all of Shelley's inspiration!

3. I am a sucker for a bargain. Yet again, something I inherited from my mother. If I am shopping for something, I wait and wait and wait until I finally find the best bargain EVER!! Like this $400 double jogging stroller I purchased for only $100!! Yahoo for me!

4. I am also obsessed with swimsuits. At the beginning of this summer I told Jared I had no swimsuits to wear and had to purchase a few. He then preceded to my bottom drawer of my dresser and counted nearly 20 of them! Oops, I still ended up buying 3 more for this summer and I deserve it , I practically live at the pool with my boys. Here is the one I just bought and yes, she looks way better than me in it!5. I like to listen not talk. Most people (including Jared) think that is soooo BORING! I just like to sit at a dinner table and listen to everyone. Jared just doesn't get it because in his loud Jones family the rule is , "if you want to talk, talk louder than anyone else".

6. I am very hard on myself or a perfectionist at times. In second grade my teacher had to make up a song like this "Everyone makes mistakes oh yes they do... your father, mother, brother sister too. Big people, small people, everyone makes mistakes so why can't you?" Apparently I would cry at my desk everytime I messed up (Jamison seems to be inheriting this from me). I still do this as an adult, I will sit and think about all my organ playing mistakes for 3 or 4 days, etc. etc.

Well, this was fun so now I tag... MOM, TONI, KIRSTEN, AND CAMBRIA

Adventures in the rain

2008-07-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

For family night last night we went to see the river here in Dublan that is overflowing!! This is only seen maybe once or twice in a lifetime here because it is usually so dry. Here is a picture of the boys on the four wheeler, the river starts beyond the trees, but is flooding over into this orchard.

I can't believe how beautiful and green it is here right now. Before I lived here I was used to living in Ohio where rain and green trees and grass are just a given. I had NEVER heard of praying for rain, irrigation, or sage brush! I snapped these pictures from the back of the four wheeler, it just looks so pretty right now.

After our fourwheeler ride we decided to get into the hot tub in the rain, until the lightening started and I made everyone get out!

Tanner especially loved the rain, just laughing and squealing through the whole storm.

There is nothing more beautiful and needed than rain in the desert (unless you're a chile farmer!)

Summertime

2008-07-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Summers are for.................

Having lemonade stands

Playing in the rain (these boys also think it is winter)

Letting babies get dirty

Eating Paletas

Swimming

Going down water slides

Hanging out with my boys

Bathroom Remodel

2008-07-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Jared has still not put up the light fixture and the mirrors are not hung exactly how I want them, but I thought I would post some pictures of my newly remodeled bathroom. If you are not aware of what it looked like before think bright blue tile and rotting wood vanity! I love how it turned out and can't wait to do my bedroom next.

Proud Mama

2008-06-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Jamison received an honor eagle at school on Friday. This is only given to students who average a 96% or higher in their combined english and spanish scores. Only 5 first graders got it, so I am a proud mama!
Hug from Miss Irene
Jamison with his trophy
All the first grade honor eagles

Boys and their Toys

2008-06-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am surrounded by boys and I should be used to it by now because I had six brothers. Even so, I at least had my sister and mom to talk to! Now, it is just lonely me surrounded by boys! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy boys. I love how if they get hurt, they only cry for a minute then they are over it. I love how they are not dramatic about things. I love how they can get in a fight with a friend and be best friends again after 2 minutes. I love that they only need shorts, a tee shirt, and flip flops for a complete outfit. But, it sure would be nice to have some sort of femininity around here! But if you have boys, you have toys.. Here are some of my boys favorites!
This was Jared's birthday present he HAD to have- what is it you may ask? It is a spear gun to kill poor little fishies with... and here is his first victim:

After I took this picture a friend of mine said I will have an automatic ticket to heaven.
Another love is motorcycles and four wheelers:

Jamison on his little honda xr50, he is already learning to ramp and all I am thinking is "please don't get hurt, please don't get hurt"
Another toy of ours is the four wheeler. Ryder has to wear his goggles "just like dad". I enjoy this toy too although I almost ran over my poor baby Kason with it. I wonder what will be the next big toy obsession?????

COUSIN BABIES

2008-06-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

We took a picture of these four babies who were all born around the same time during christmas

Tanner looks like a baby giant at 3 months compared to the newborns! Tanner, Bridger, Kate, Clara
This weekend they had a baby cousin reunion and we had to get their pictures again, aren't they all just sooo cute??

Bridger, Clara, Kate, Tanner

Unexpected Father's Day Gift

2008-06-16T10:20:00.001-07:00

About 5 months ago, our dog, Echo, disappeared and we haven't seen him since. Then, Sunday morning we were eating breakfast and I saw a black tail swish by the kitchen window. I said to the boys, "Is that Echo?". I was joking, but I took a closer look and sure enough it looked just like Echo. I yelled to Jared, "You have to come see this, I think Echo is back!!" Jared ran to the door and confirmed that it was indeed Echo. I can't believe it and it all happened on Father's Day, a great gift for Jared who truly loved and missed this dog! Jared thinks he must've been stolen and finally got away and came running home! Even I, a non-animal lover, am happy to see him home again.

This is what we saw while eating breakfast!
Jared with his present and cool tie the boys made at a primary activity
Happy to see his dog again!
Ryder even gave him his cereal he was so glad to see him!

God Sent An Angel To Watch Over Me

2008-06-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

He worked through the day so that he could provide,
He taught me to pray as he knelt by my side
He guarded my childhood and all through the years,
he echoed my laughter, he calmed all my fears,
In the arms of my father, I came to believe
That God sent an angel to watch over me.
I am singing this song in church on sunday and I love the words. It is originally a mother's day song, but I changed some of the words to make it fit better for fathers because there are virtually no father's day songs. I took this picture a few days ago of Jared and the boys. He was putting them to bed and it turned into a wrestling match. I thought about how much I loved Jared and how great of a dad he was. I thought about how thankful I am for my wonderful life, husband, and boys. God really did send an angel to watch over these boys. Happy Father's Day Jared!

I'm a big boy now!!

2008-06-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Much to my astonishment Ryder is making HUGE strides in potty training this week. I can't believe it because just last week I would have to pin him down to put underwear on him and then he would take them right off. He had no interest whatsoever. So, I was thinking, he is really into ownership (as most 2 years olds are) and told him "these aren't your underwear, I will give them to Kason, their his" Wow did that work wonders, he immediately said, "no not Kason's MINE" I used the same psychology about his potty seat and now he has been wearing underwear and using the potty for almost a week now! He even tells me when he has to go. This is a great relief as I was changing 2 babies diapers around 12-15 per day. Here he is proudly on "HIS" potty seat eating a ice cream cone going pee, I know this is not too sanitary, but whatever it takes, right???? Also check out my new bathroom tile, I have completely remodeled my 50 year old bathroom, more pictures to come later (as soon as Jared puts up that darn light fixture!!!)

Goodbye Cody!!

2008-06-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to Cody on Tuesday morning as he has graduated from the Academy and moved back home to Ohio. We had fun being parents of a teenager and the boys all absolutely adored Cody. It was a great preview of what is to come- worrying where they are past midnight, dates with girls, figuring out if they were really going where they said they were going! They were sad to see him go and so was I! He is such a great kid. Here are some pictures of his last day!

Last meal- shrimp tacos and consume with Jesse and Axel

The 5 "brothers"

Jamison is sad

Kason not so much!

1st Grade Play

2008-05-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the First Grader's play. It was about a little white rabbit who wanted red wings. The kids did such a great job, it was sooo cute. Jamison was a frog and a narrator and did a great job with all his lines. Here are a few pictures of the big production!

Gracie, Taylor, Sebastian, Jamison and Luis

The cast with their wonderful teacher, Miss Irene!

Swimming Time

2008-05-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Although living in Mexico is not always the most glamorous we do have the luxury of swimming anytime we want at Grandpa and Grandma's swimming pool/resort. My boys are all little fishies and love to go everyday! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, what would we do without the swimming pool all summer????
Jamison Swimming under the water

Ryder putting on his sunscreen

This is how the boys dry off on a hot rock or step!

Tanner likes to go too!