Kayle's Weather Debut...

Here is Kayle introducing Three Falls Elementary and the weather segment for KCSG. He is on the very right when the camera pans, 2nd from the right on the 2nd row.

Here is the web address if you want to check it out!

http://www.kcsg.com/39532912.html

Weekend Project...

Here is a little of what I have been working on lately. Trista's room we have been turning into a Hawaiian getaway and it is 95% done, so I will post pictures of the completion soon. I just finished painting all the walls in Alayna's Ladybug Cottage and we have the build shelves on the one wall and do a few other things, but pictures will come when it is done. Here is a picture of her dresser. I took the boys' old dresser, painted it black, and painted the knobs to look like ladybugs. It turned out so cute! I was very excited and I can't wait to see how it looks in her room. Enjoy!

Disney Pictures Part II

Disneyland Fun...

Well, we did it. I finally convinced Richard to head back to Disneyland after a
3-year break. This time, we went in off season, waited until the kids were older, and planned ahead ALOT. Anyway, the trip was awesome. We had a great time. The kids loved it and even though it rained a little, we had so much fun! Rhett was able to go on everything minus two rides and the lines were so small that we only waited maybe 10 minutes for a couple of rides - the rest we walked on. Some we even rode a couple of times in a row. Wednesday we spent the whole day at Disneyland and we even ended the day by seeing Mickey and Minnie together. So the kids were able to get a picture. We were so excited! The funnest part for the kids was the Jedi training camp. The kids got picked out of the audience to go on stage and learn how to fight like Jedis. They got to dress up and fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul (Sorry don't know how to spell those). They gave them little graduation certificates and the kids were so stoked. That was their favorite part of the whole trip! Thursday, we went to California Adventures and had a blast there. We went on Toy Story twice in a row and the kids loved shooting the guns and the 3D stuff. It was pretty cool. Trista and Alayna loved Screamin' and they ended up riding it 2 and 3 times. We rode all the little kid rides in both parks as well as all the main attractions, I think we may have only missed the Mark Twain boat and the Dumbo Elephants. We did everything else so it was pretty cool! We all got to go on Tower of Terror twice in a row with no waiting and Richard really liked that ride. The boys were not so fond of it and we had to bribe them to go on it again. We are so mean...
Friday, we went downtown to do some shopping and went swimming and just hung out. Saturday, we went and did our Magical Morning and rode the Nemo Submarines and a few other rides we had missed as well as some of our favorites. It started raining pretty good right before lunch, so we headed home. We got home late last night and I can't tell you how much I love my own bed! Overall, we had a blast and hopefully we won't wait 3 more years to do it again! Here are some of the highlights from our trip!

Congrats to My Bobcat!

So my little man just received his bobcat badge tonight and he was so proud I had to take a cute picture of him. He loves his picture being taken - can't you tell? Anyway, I am a little new to the scout thing being that this is my oldest son and I have no brothers, so when they asked me to go up and get my mother's pin, I had no idea what they were talking about, but I'm sure I'll figure it out after my next two boys follow suit....How fun! Anyway, a big congratulations to my little guy and I want him to know how much I love him and I'm thankful for the example he is to his little brothers.

Blonde Ambition

So...I've always thought that I might one day, just one, try to attempt to go blonde. It's always been against my better judgement, but I thought, hey, I'll give it a shot - it's just hair. Wrong!!! Hair is much more a part of me than I have ever realized until yesterday. After 4 1/2 hours at the shop, 3 full bleach treatments, 5 touch ups to the ends, some low lights, 3 toning sessions, and 3 shampoos, this is what I looked like....


Not so fun, huh?

Anyway, it was a fun joke for a day, especially since I had to volunteer in Ethan's class that day, teach aerobics, and work at the school. So just about everyone saw me and had their fun for the day. Well, it was good for my tolerance and self worth building, I'm sure...haha. Anyway, after an hour and a half of weaving some color back into it and trying to salvage a little bit of the blonde, this is what came out of it, which, by many accounts is much better (the pictures don't really do it justice). Thank goodness for the miracle of color...Ahhhh....

Update, Update, Update...Can you believe it?

I apologize...time has once again gotten away from me and I feel like the world is spinning and moving around me. Thank goodness I have patient and understanding friends and family, right? Anyway, here is a short, and not completely total, update on what has been happening the last month and a half since I updated! Ugh!
Middle of December, drill competition started and I was up to Bountiful for a weekend. I drove through a blizzard and that was exciting. My sister came up to the competition to see me with the kids too! Matt and Nanette announced they were expecting their first child, which was very exciting news! We found my Mom a place close by. Christmas was fun. Richard was on call, so unfortunately, he was called out at 6 a.m. Christmas morning and did not return until 1 p.m., so I did the Christmas morning thing with the kids by myself, but my Mom came over and was there and I was just thankful that in this day and age my husband had a job to go to. The kids had a wonderful Christmas and were happy with what they received. Grandpa had a mini stroke Christmas Eve and then was hospitalized for a day with a UTI and a high fever. We got the message they had sent him to the hospital when we were coming down off of Kolob where we had spent the day snow-tubing (which was really fun and I totally forgot to take pictures). He is doing better now.

New Years Eve we spent at home with the kids. We made ice cream sundaes and since we had no TV, we watched a movie and then shouted "Happy New Year!" When our clocks said midnight. By then, half of the kids were asleep anyway. The 1st weekend in January, I was off to another competition in Richfield and Richard stayed home and poured another section of our back patio area. We are hoping to get the yard together this year! Finally! The next weekend was my EJ's birthday. He had a small get together with a couple of cousins. We went to see Hotel for Dogs and then we ate pizza and they had a sleepover. They were up all night and didn't seem to have any side effects from no sleep! Believe me, I did! Oh, and Ethan finally lost his 1st tooth 1 week before his 7th birthday - he was so happy. He was one of only kids in his class that hadn't lost a tooth and now he has a whole bunch loose!

Dance has started back up for the girls and the boys are now in piano. Soccer will start soon and there is always plenty to do. We have just been trying to get caught up from the holidays still and get a litle done around the house. I have been busy painting and getting Trista's room ready (yes, she is finally getting her own room and she is thrilled). She wanted a Hawaiian room, so I will post pictures when I get it all completed. It's going to be so cute! We are taking the family to Disneyland in a week and a half and it's going to be so fun! Hopefully I will post pictures before 2 months later! I'm not much of a photographer and I'm not very good at the blogging thing, but I'm trying. Thanks for being so patient with me!

Since January 5th, I have been doing Isagenix and this health challenge with some girls that I work with at the school. So far, I have lost 8 pounds and 12 inches and I hope to lose 12 more. People think I'm crazy, but I think I will feel so much better. I'm just happy to have all the vitamins in my system and that I am finally feeling a little healthier. I workout so much, but I don't eat well, so this has helped me get on track. It's been fun!

My cousin, Stacy, had her baby boy this week, and I can't wait to see him. We have 4 people pregnant on Richard's side of the family right now, so there will be lots of babies going on in the next 6 months. It will be fun. Everyone has been doing really well in school and in life. I hope all of your families are doing well and enjoying this crazy life. I know I am.

Weird, fun, snow in Southern Utah... (View of the Hay Barn)



Merry Christmas kids!



The kids with Grandpa Louis on Christmas day!



EJ's 1st lost tooth!



Happy Birthday my little angel!

The NFR 2008!

It's always exciting when the NFR rolls around and we get to watch Cody ride for 10 straight nights. He is doing well this year. He entered the NFR in 1st place in the world and he took 1st in the round Sunday night. Richard and I had the opportunity to watch him ride Monday night and we had a blast. Here are a couple of pics of Cody before and then us after. Richard was so excited watching Cody ride, that he forgot to take pictures and forgot to hand the camera to me! Cody ended up with a good ride, but the horse was so wild in the chute that by the time he came out, he was about done. It was a great night!

A Quick Trip to the LA temple...

Richard and I zoomed down to LA last Friday with a friend and had the wonderful opportunity of going to the LA temple to do a session Friday night. The temple was lit up beautifully and it was such a wonderful experience to see a new temple. I loved the atmosphere and I was so in need of the spiritual fulfillment it gave me. Here are some pictures of the temple during the day, lit up, and then Rich and I by this cool tree on the temple grounds. Isn't it beautiful?

The Decorated Tree!

I let the kids decorate the tree this year...all by themselves. Am I crazy? Well, we compromised because we put this tree down in the family room and we are having another tree up in the living room that I will put together. So we both win! Actually, the kids did a beautiful job and it turned out really great!

Gettin' a Christmas Tree...

Well, we packed up the kids Saturday afternoon and headed to the mountain to harvest us a Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day. It had snowed Wednesday and Thursday, but the day was sunny and calm up on the mountain and it wasn't that cold despite all the snow. The kids had a blast running around in it and we found two great trees pretty quickly. We took our cousin's little boy, Kai, and he had a blast too. The kids sure had fun having their cousin to play with. We saw tons of deer and even a couple of nice-sized bucks! All-in-all it was a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving! Turkey Bowl & Dinner...Yum!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a little family drama in our world, but our Thanksgiving became one of the best for me in ways of being thankful for the wonderful blessings around me and the people that really love me and watch out for me. I learned a lot. I am so thankful for all my family and friends out there who support and love me. Thank you!

Thanksgiving morning, Richard played in the annual Turkey Bowl Football Game. I thought he was crazy for playing, but I was not opposed to watching him run around in those sexy football pants! (You know what I mean girls!) Anyway, it was a rainy day, but it was fun to watch them. The married guys play the single guys and it's pretty fun. After that, we had dinner at Richard's Aunt Paula and Aunt Vera's house and visited with family. We had picked up Grandpa Hamel and he came along too. I was sad to see that Grandpa was the only one being picked up for a family dinner. The rest of the residents stayed in the home. He had a fun time with us. We sure miss him.

After dinner, we enjoyed the afternoon together. We watched movies and played games and just enjoyed each other's company. I hope all of your Thanksgiving was fantastic and I can't wait to read about it!

My favorite Thanksgiving blessing...



Remember the kiddy table? It's the best place to be!



The boys tried on Richard's stuff before the game...



That's my hot football player...#15!

Happy Birthday Muscle Man Kayle! And Happy Baptism Day!

What a wonderful day yesterday was...We got to celebrate Kayle's birthday, we remembered Richard's mother, Kaye (it was her birthday also - she passed away right after we were married and it would have been her 60th b-day), and my first son was baptized. It was a very special day!

We had arranged to have a private family baptism because we had originally planned to be gone the weekend of the stake baptisms, but it turned out to be a wonderful blessing because his and Kaye's birthday fell on this Saturday and we thought what a wonderful way to spend the day! The baptism was at 10 a.m., so our morning was busy. The night before, we were in charge of the little league wrestling tournament here in Hurricane, so it was a busy weekend altogether! It was a beautiful baptism. Lots of family and friends came out to support him. His Uncles gave talks and were witnesses and his Grandpas gave prayers. He was baptized and confirmed by his Dad and Richard and I were so proud of our little guy.

After the baptism, we had a wonderful luncheon at our home and lots of people came out and brought delicious salads and treats. Later, we took the kids to the movies and had a blast. Sunday, Kayle got to sit on the stand with the bishopric and he loved it. He looked so handsome in his little suit. I must say, he did get a little sleepy up there on the stand...what is it with that place?! All in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

Kayle, I love you, you are my little muscle man. You have a strong body, but a tender heart and I know you will always protect and love your sisters and me. Thanks for being such a good example to your younger brothers and for making my life better. I never thought I would have a son and now I have three wonderful boys! Happy Birthday, son. I love you so much!

Kayle's Birthday Party!

We had Kayle's birthday party on Wednesday. His birthday is actually Saturday, but he was getting baptized on his birthday and I wanted to make his friend party separate for my own sanity and preparedness reasons. He had a great time. I did end the day with a migraine (which I really think anyone would have after having 12 boys jump off couches doing flips onto your giant bean bag and watching them play baseball on the WII), but it was all worth it to see Kayle have such a great time! He had some of his great friends and cousins come and it was a great success! Here are a few from the day!


The cake...Courtesy of Dairy Queen...Yum!



This is what we got Kayle for his birthday...A Star Wars Leapster (Ah the joys of mixing games with education!)



Kayle playing the Baseball Target Throw...



Kayle blowing out the candles...



All the Boys Making a Dogpile! So Much Fun!

When Kids REALLY don't want to sleep in their own room...

So, Richard and I were chatting the other night, and Rhett kept coming in and trying to sleep with us so we finally shut our door. Well, then he would slowly open the door and peek in his little head and tell us the very expected "I'm scared, I can't sleep in my own bed, I miss you, I don't have a friend to sleep with" speech. So then, after tucking him in and convincing him he was okay a few times, we shut AND locked the door. Well, we didn't really hear anything after that, until we unlocked the door to go check on the kids and make sure everyone was warm before we actually went to sleep, and this is what we found...



How that could be comfortable...I'll never know! Bless his sweet little heart!

Happy Anniversary - 9 years and Counting!

I know this is a late post, but things have been too crazy lately to get on my computer much. I have had a hard time keeping up with my e-mails too! Richard and I celebrated our 9th anniversary November 6th. He first surprised me by sending flowers to my work at the school. They were beautiful and I was honestly so surprised (it is a rare occasion). Then, we went up to Salt Lake and worked at the South Towne Expo with some friends and had a great dinner at Tucanos (yummy). We had a great time together and I enjoyed having some time alone with my honey, even if we were working! I wanted to list 10 reasons I love my Hurricane Hottie!

1. He is my very best friend.
2. He is an awesome father.
3. He is an awesome brother.
4. He works harder than anyone I know and never gives up.
5. He is a spiritual rock in my life.
6. He loves to give to others and help others in need.
7. He is smart, strong, and fun!
8. He makes me laugh everyday.
9. He is a talented athlete.
10. He is very very sexy!!!


Happy Anniversary Richard, I love you more than I could ever explain, at least in this lifetime!

Birthday Dinner Fun - Happy Birthday Amanda!

I have been lucky enough to get into a fun group of girls that loves to go out and have a good time! They like to go out to dinner whenever someone is having a birthday for the month and we have a blast! They are so much fun! Amanda wanted to go to Olive Garden (which I was totally for). We gave the waiter a run for his money and he was a great sport! My dinner was brought out late, so in exchange, they brought Amanda a free cake. It was delicious! Thanks for a great night girls!

Wrestling Season Begins...

Here is a pic of the boys at their first wrestling tournament. We had to use our camera to record because our video camera ended up with a dead battery, so needless to say we did not get many still pictures. And...I ended up keeping score at one table because they had a shortage of help at the tournament. It was a crazy day, but the boys ended up with a silver for Kayle and a gold for Ethan. They were so excited!

Happy Halloween!!!

Here are some fun pics of Halloween. The kids had a blast and got way too much candy, as usual, and Rhett even ended up with some kind of stomach thing... It was fun until then. We went around a couple of neighborhoods nearby and then out to visit Grandpa Hamel at the home. He was excited to see us and I'm still not sure if he could tell who I was! He even tried on my hat for fun! What a fun holiday!