Water Pipes

Last Tuesday, the 22nd, I went into Paige's room and found the carpet by her closet wet. At first I thought maybe she had spilled a glass of water or something, but then realized it was a lot more water than that. I pulled everything out of her closet, turned off the water line, and called my Dad. He is mister fix it and I knew he would be able to tell me what was wrong. He left work and came over as quickly as he could. He cut a hole in the wall in the bathroom and then realized that there was a leak in the main water line from the main line to the toilet or the tub. He couldn't quite tell because the line lays under the floor in a cement slab that is the foundation. We called a restoration company and they came and cleaned up the water and called a plumber for us. The insurance adjuster came in and told us what would be covered and what wouldn't. The verdict was that I would be without water for a few days, maybe longer. They debated on what to do, whether to just replace the line in the bathroom or to replace the entire water line to the whole house. We didn't want to have to go through this again. So my dad decided it would be best to replace the entire line and to use "pecks" (I think that was what they are called) they ran the lines up on top of the wall where the ceiling and wall meet. My dad will then cover them up with some crown molding. So I am grateful that we were only without water for a few days and that were were able to stay in the house during the repairs. It would have taken a lot longer to repair them under the foundation and would have been extrememly expensive. You take for granted everyday things like running water and it sure makes a womam appreciate it when it is turned back on. I was so glad to have hot and cold running water when we got home from camping. I sure didn't want to wash all those muddy clothes by hand. I am grateful to a dad that helps take care of us, and know exactly what to do in a bad situation!!

Memorial Weekend Camping

Well I did it again, I say I will never do it again, but every year Matt and I go camping with the Keller side to Summitt Creek. It hasn't been nice weather for about 8 years we figured this year had to be the year of nice weather so we could play in the creek, ride four wheelers and get sunburnt! Well we were wrong!! As Matt and I were pulling into the campsite on Friday night there was about 2 inches of snow on the ground. It turns out it had snowed all day long and everyone spent the day in campers. Luckily this year we pulled Matt's Parents old camper out and we had something to keep up nice and warm. We did spend the rest of the weekend inside the campers, except for the occasional razor ride to the bathroom, that was cold!! Sunday we woke up to about 3-4 inches of snow and called it a weekend. Everyone loaded up and we were home by 2:00 pm. We still had a good time and made memories. The kids kids look forward to going every year and no matter whether it is rain or shine they have such a good time with all their cousins. We got wet, and muddy and I had about 10 leads of laundry to do when we got home, but we will be going again next year, and the next...to kids tradition alive and to continue making good memories. We will get a decent weekend one of these years...I hope!

Kindergarten Graduation

Parker had his Kindergarten program on the 21st. It was a Spring program with the kids singing all the songs that they have learned over the year while they were in computer labs. Parker isn't really a big singer, and doesn't really seem to pick up song lyrics very well, but he did a lot better than the Winter program. No matter what I do the night before to make him go to bed at a decent hour this kid is always yawning. He did more yawning than singing. It was actually quite funny, but I was wishing he would have been singing more. He gets distracted too easily and forgets what he is supposed to be doing. Nevertheless it was fun to see him with his class mates and for him to be on stage as a kindergartner. Now it is on to 1st grade at Stoddard!! Yay Parker!

Just Like His Momma

I have started all my kids young on dill pickles, and Paxten is no exception! He loves a dill pickle just like his momma. In fact all of my kids love dill pickles. In fact, between all of us we can go through a commercial sized jar of pickles in less that a week, about 3 days. We love to all have a dill pickle for a snack and I don't think there is anything wrong with that!!

Paige's Preschool Graduation

Paige graduated from her first year of Preschool on the 17th of May. She went to Smartie Pants Preschool this year and was taught by Miss Joni and Miss Allyson. Paige loved every day at preschool and is very sad that she won't be going during the summer. She has learned a lot and loves to share the things she has learned, when she decides she wants to tell you. The kids were each asked what their favorite part about preschool was and Paige's answer was Making Crafts. So for the graduation each child came to the front and said their line. Paige did awesome!! She wasn't afraid at all and she said the words into the microphone clearly so we could all understand. She was in a great mood at the beginning of the performance, but then got a little bit sad when she was having trouble with some of the word to the songs. Before I knew it she was crying on stage in front of everyone. I felt so bad for my little girl. I tried to calm her down and let her know it was ok, but she didn't seem to believe me. The rest of the performance she just kind of sat on her chair with a frown on her face, waiting for it to be over with. At least she has another year to practice her songs and to be able to stand on stage with a smile. She is a typical girl and I am sure this won't be the last meltdown she has....oh what am I in for??? We love you Paige!

Teacher Gifts

I wanted to do something fun, cute, and homemade for the kids' teachers this year and after searching and searching I found a cute idea on Pinterest (thank goodness for Pinterest!!). I modified the idea and made my own interpretation, but I thought they turned out SUPER Cute!!! I made these adorable owls on my Cricut machine and then the kids and I filled the bag with "summer survival items" that included: sunscreen, lip balm, mints, hand sanitizer, pain reliever, lotion, chocolates and for Parker's teacher some extra school supplies for next year. The tag on the bag says " 'Owl' miss you. Have a great summer. Thanks for making me 'wiser.' " I think they were fun and practical and most of all they were pretty easy to make!

Mother's Day

Mother's day was nice. It was a beautiful day outside, no wind and the sun was shining. After church we got together with my parents, Charyn, Mike, Jackson, and Zander and my Grandparents. We all pitched in and made something for dinner. My mom made salmon and baked potatoes, Charyn made a salad, Sharon made rolls, and I made dessert. It made it really easy to have a nice dinner, when the work is divided. We enjoyed each others company and great food. Matt and I got my mom a big hanging flower basket. It was really pretty and she was excited to have something by her from door. In the evening we went and delivered a flower basket to his mom, who wasn't home. We were bummed that we didn't get to see her and wish her a happy mother's day. We went out to Matt's uncle Keith's house where the Keller family was and wished Kerry a Happy Mother's Day. We hung out out there for a few hours and then came home. It was a great day full of family and wonderful women that I am lucky enough to call my moms!! I am super lucky to have 3 moms!! My mom, who is one of my very best friends and such a wonderful example to me. I am so grateful that we are close and that we get so see each other almost every day. She does so much for Matt and me and the kids. She is always willing to babysit and spoils my kids rotten. She is a wonderful grandma and it shows how much she loves each one of her grandkids. She is such a wonderful mother and person and I hope that I can be like her one day. Matt's mom Linda is also such a wonderful Mother. She is always giving to others and doing whatever she can to help her kids out. She is always more thatn willing to watch the kids and loves to play with them. Kerry is also a great mother and friend to me. I am really lucky that we get along so well and that we have fun together. She is always doing so much for Matt and I and the kids and loves to spoil the kids as well. My kids love to visit her house to play in her yard or on the swing, or to play her IPAD. She is super talented and puts forth a ton of effort in everything she does. She is a great example to me of a wonderful mother, friend, aunt, and sister. I am so glad that we have such a close family and get together often. Family means everything to me and I am so glad that my family is so close and that every body gets along. I thought that was normal when I was growing up, but as I have gotten older, I have realized that I am truly lucky to have that be the case. I think I have the best families in the world. Happy Mother's Day to all my wonderful mothers and my wonderful friends that are mothers as well!!

Parker's Talk

Parker happened to have a talk on Mother's Day in primary and I thought it would be nice for him to talk about mother's and what he likes about his mom. Matt helped his write it and then asked my Dad to help Parker on Sunday. (Matt had to work). It was so nice and I about started crying! He can be super sweet and the best little boy sometimes. I am amazed at how big he is getting and hoe grown up he acts sometimes. I love him so much. Here is his talk: "Today is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day Mommy. I love you. My mommy does so many things to help me each day things like, make me breakfast, help me get ready for school and even help me find my favorite cartoons on TV. My mommy also teached me how to choose the right. She teaches me that when I share my toys and play with my brother and sister, I am choosing the right. My favorite thing to do with my mommy is when she takes me and my brother and sister to play at the park. I love it when she pushes me on the swings. In Alma chapter 56 verse 47 it says, 'mothers teach us if we do not doubt, God will deliver us.' Just like the Armies of Heleman, my mommy teaches me to have faith in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I love my mommy In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

This Girl!!

We recently got new neighbors next door and both Parker and Paige are thrilled. They were sad to see the Hansen's move, but very excited when they found out that their friends Claire and Avery were going to be moving in. They have wanted to play with them every day and it usually happens. 2 weeks ago, after they had been moved in for a week, the kids were outside with Matt, who I thought was watching them. I was inside with Paxten, who had fallen asleep. Before I know it Parker and Matt came in for the night, but Paige was not with them. I asked where she was and Matt thought she had come inside. We looked in the house and she did not come inside. So Matt thought maybe she went to my parents house because my dad was outside earlier and Paige was talking to him. Matt sent Parker over to get Paige and a few minutes later my dad and Parker were outside looking for her. That got me very nervous that she wasnt with my dad and she wasn't with Matt. We all ended up outside looking for her. I went to the new neighbors house and knocked on the door, no one answered. So I then was getting very nervous. One of their vehicles were gone, so I thought they weren't home and then I was really wondering where she could have gone. My dad was walking around the neigborhood and block to see if the other neighbors had seen her. I was looking in the garage, in the car, under the cars, behind the truck, (and heaven forbid, under the truck) She was no where!! Matt even went down the street a little bit to the "sketchy" neigbors house and they hadn't seen her either. We were all begining to panic. I was calling her name and about in tears thinking that my little girl was lost, or kidnapped. I was about to call the police, when I decided to call the neigbors next door and see if they had seen her. I had remembered them telling me how thick their walls were and that they couldn't hear even the trains. Also that their doorbell wasn't working. So I frantically called Dave and as soon as he anwsered the phone I was frantically asking if he had seen Paige. He said no. I was then a wreck telling him how we had looked all over the place and couldn't find her anywhere. I walked up his stairs and then he said, "She's here." What a relief!!! He was downstairs in his "man" cave watching TV and his girls had opened the door for Paige and they went upstairs to play. He had no idea that she was there and felt so bad that we had been looking for her and she was at their house the whole time. I am just so grateful that that is where she was and that nothing bad had happened to her. When I saw her I told her she was in trouble and that she always needed to ask before going to someones house. She was like, "it's okay mommy, I'm okay!" Yeah this time!!! She got in trouble, but I just wanted to hold her and never let go!!! I am so glad that she was okay!! This girl has no been lost 3 times like that and she is only 4 years old!! She is going to give me a heart attack one of these days! I don't know what I am going to do with her!!!!

Enjoying Ice Cream

We spent the majority of last Saturday outside, getting some things accomplished at our house. It was a wonderful day and we all were enjoying the sunshine. Paxten love to be outside and sometimes he even tries to go outside when I am not looking. I am going to have to keep my eyes on him this summer for sure. After dinner this night we enjoyed ice cream cones, and Paxten thinks he is a big kid too, he will not share an ice cream come with me anymore, he wants his own to carry around as he is playing like the other kids. Usually he eats the ice cream to the top of the cone and then is finished, but today he ate the entire thing!! He loved it and his cute little face proves how much he enjoyed it!! I love his cute little face!! He even gave me a chocolate kiss! I will never turn down a kiss from this little guy, even if he is dirty and sticky!!


Paxten is now 15 months old and is a busy little guy. He can make messes faster than I can clean them up. He is full of energy and is definitely all boy! He loves to play with balls, cars, trucks, blocks, sticks, and get in the dirt. He loves to swing on the swing set and to go down the slide. He loves the grass on his feet and often tries to take his shoes off when he gets outside. He recently weaned himself from a bottle. I had been planning on doing it soon, but he decided on his own that it was time. One day he just kept shaking his head "no" when the bottle was offered to him and he went a whole day without one. After that I didn't even offer his one anymore and he hasn't even missed it. I think he wants to be just like his older siblings. He has been eating better since then, which is great, maybe he will gain some weight!! Paxten can say "momma" and "dadda" really well and sometimes he says words and I look at him like "did you really just say that?" and then of course he doesn't say it again. For instance, one day a few weeks ago I swear he looked at me and said, "momma I'm hungry." I looked at him with astonishment and asked him if that is what he said and he wouldn't say it again, but he did end up eating quite a bit. I think he is building up his vocabulary and one day he will just start speaking in sentences. He is such a fun little guy and we are looking forward to taking him camping this month and letting him really experience the great outdoors!

Baby Animal Day

Matt and I took the kids to Baby Animal Day this last weekend. It was one of the first nice days we have had in May. It wasn't cloudy, or windy and was nice and sunny. A perfect day to spend together as a family. Matt went golfing in the morning and the kids and I got the house cleaned. I told the kids if they didn't have their rooms picked up and vacuumed by the time Matt got home they weren't going. That was good motivation for Parker, he got his room picked up in no time and he even helped me out by vacuuming some other rooms in the house. It took Paige a little longer to get moving and I did end up helping her a little bit. Luckily as we were finishing her room, Matt arrived home. So she was lucky that she ended up going with us. It cost us $16.00 for our family, which I thought was a little pricey considering what baby animal day really consists of, but I guess it was was cheap considering some of the other things we could have spent the day doing as a family. The kids were being little stinkers and not wanting to be near any of the animals and Matt and I threatened to leave if they didn't stop having tantrums. Finally they were a little bit better and we ended up having a good time. We saw baby chicks, calves, ducks, pigs, bunnies, miniature horse, goats, alpacas, dogs, and sheep. Parker was the only one brave enough to pet most of the animals, as long as I went with him. Paige pet the chick and bunnies and Paxten grabbed the chick and squeezed him and pulled on a bunnies ears, I think he was a little too young to pet the animals, but he was sooooo excited to see them. We even were able to go on a wagon ride pulled by horses. The kids thought that was fun. It was a good time to spend together as a family and a good start to enjoying the warm weather! 

Scrappin Weekend Update

Lately it has been really hard for me to find the time to sit down and update my blog. I don't know where my days go, I get up and get the kids going and before I know it my morning is gone and it is well into the afternoon and time to start thining about dinner. My days seem to fly by, in fact this year is going way too fast as well!! I guess that is life, and I better get used to it. Scrapbooking with my mom, sister, and our friend Sheri was a BLAST!!! I seriously could have stayed another week and still not have gotten caught up, but I did make some great progress. I managed to get 40 pages done and made a big dent in the pile of pictures I had to scrapbook. We had a very fun time being together and seeing some of the other ladies that are there as well. I stayed up until 2:30 a.m one day working on some pages, and anyone that knows me knows how unusual that is for me. I am usually in bed by 11:00 at the latest and up fairly early. But I was one a roll one evening and didn't want to stop. I made really good progress that particular day and got 26 pages done in just that day!! Our weekend was full of laughter, too much food, music, more laughter, late nights, early mornings, and a LOT of supplies. It was absolutely perfect and I can't wait to go back again!!