W Evans Family

My not-always-girly Little Girl

2011-12-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

This girl loves to play sports. So we signed her up for football. At her age it's just a class to learn all the basics. They never actually played a game, but she loved every minute of it.

The Beautiful Evans Girls

2011-12-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

Remember when Genevieve polished her own toes? Well, she is now a make-up artist and an amazing hairdresser.

I bet you all wished you could look as gorgeous as us.

You know what the best part of this event was? Well, besides laughing with my girl.....

It was when Wayne's mom decided to call us on Skype.

Yeah, that was hysterical....for her!

Birthday slash Halloween

2011-12-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

I love birthdays! I love all the surprises that come with them. This year I woke up to a well decorated birthday chair, Thanks, Honey! As well as a yummy breakfast made by my kids. Tyler put together some amazing muffins while Genevieve and Hayden made a great fruit salad. It was a wonderful way to start off my day.

I sent the boys off to school and later went to lunch with my mom and Genevieve. We then headed back to my mom's house to work on a cute Halloween craft. Wayne had planned on taking me out roller skating in Mesquite, but we discovered that the rink is out of business. Shoot. So, on to plan B.....
We decided to pick up some pumpkins and get to carving.

I loved every minute of it!

And I think they turned out pretty great.

Not bad for my 31st birthday.....

So since I'm blogging our pumpkins, I figured I'd add our Halloween photos as well.

My kids are all very into Harry Potter. Genevieve wanted to dress up as a Hogwarts student as well, but then I found this cute owl idea on pinterest and just had to make it for her.

I picked up a few thrift store t-shirts to create it. I loved how the t-shirts curled up at the ends.

If you asked Genevieve what she was for Halloween she would reply, "Tyler's owl."

She was hooo-ing and flying all night long.

Tyler was so proud of his mail-delivering-owl.

We had a great Halloween......

Space Derby

2011-11-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting our pack to experience a space derby for quite some time. I finally found someone to build a track for us and we did it!

Having never done a space derby before, I did a lot of online research. I read that you should use a potato peeler to carve your wood. It worked beautifully.
Then I came across these cool treats that I just HAD to make for all the cubs.

Since we only have 6 cub scouts, we invited the families to make their own ships as well. I'm not sure who was more excited about that....Genevieve or Wayne.

On to the race.....

To keep the younger kids busy, Sister Wood brought a cute space bean bag toss board.

Wayne and his X-Wing Fighter.

All but one of my cubs and their ships.

It was a fun event that we plan on doing every year now that I have a track!

It's great to be eight!

2011-11-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

We are so proud of Hayden and his choice to get baptized last month.

Thank you to ALL the family that made it out! It really means a lot to have family support.

And thank you to a spectacular friend/photographer who knew I needed a silly face photo.

It was a great weekend!

The last of the summer nights.

2011-11-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

What do you do with five energetic kids on a warm summer night? You send 'em outside.

What a fun night! The kids loved the wagon rides Wayne gave them.

And of course, he, being the biggest kid of them all, needed his very own turn in the wagon.

Look at those kids WORK!

Genevieve and Ty are so cute together.

Wayne was pulling the wagon soooo fast that Ty and Genevieve were barely keeping up.

This is Ty saying, "Karen, Karen, Karen, watch this!" Ty has so many "tricky" moves.

So fun!

leaving room for improvement

2011-09-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

I love it when Genevieve lets me girly her up for church on Sundays. However, last Sunday she was determined to paint her own nails. So, I covered up her dress with an old towel and pulled out the camera because this was going to get interesting.

Not bad for a first timer.

Then, of course, she had to pick out the darkest red I have for her fingernails. Which, when applied by a three year old, looks a little like blood clots.

I'd have to say, she did a pretty good job.

It's that time of year again.....

2011-09-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? I have a 2nd grader and a 5th grader. Crazy!

I figured I'd better take some photos of this special day.

Aren't they so handsome?
They're not only handsome....

They're also a bit goofy....

And I LOVE them for it!

our summer

2011-09-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little behind. So, here's our whole summer in one post.

Are you ready for a load of photos?

Genevieve practiced skateboarding.

Wayne played lots of softball.
We went hiking.

With friends.

Apparently, the kids didn't want to take a photo......

Except for my always photo ready Hayd.

We spent time swimming with cousins.

And shot off fireworks down by the river.

Got creative with sparklers.

Took a trip to California. We stopped off at the temple.

Where we took time to enjoy the view.

And smell the flowers.

We tried to pose for a photo or two.....

but chose to play air guitars instead.

We enjoyed popsicles

And spending time with the Great Grandparents.

We played lots of baseball through out the entire summer.

And many other outdoor games.

We loved hanging out with cousins!

As well as eating some of the most amazing BBQ cooked by my brothers.

We took a not so very relaxing pedal boat ride.

We took some time to kiss a frog.

and kill it....oops.

poor frog

We made sure to fit in more swimming.

And a little show off time.

Here's a close up of the kids. They're in awe.

Unfortunately, there were a few belly flops.

But not too many.

Our girl learned to swim.

We took our first trip out to the lake.

And wondered why we haven't been out there before.

It was beautiful!

Last but not least, we created our own bubble...

In our jammies. It was quite exciting.

The end.

I'm so happy!

2011-07-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

I love my garden!

It makes me so happy to be able to go out back and pick out fresh fruit and veggies for our meals. Today we decided to pick half of our carrots and beets.

Aren't they beautiful?

We also picked some Anaheim peppers, bell peppers and tomatoes for our turkey chili that's in the crock pot as we speak. My house smells AMAZING!

Last week Tyler and I made kosher dill pickles. We have to wait until Saturday to open them and it's practically killing us.

And today I made my first batch of pickled beets. They are so tasty!

Things from our garden don't always have a happy ending.

We picked our first watermelon.

We were SO excited to eat it!

Apparently it wasn't quite ready to be harvested.....

We're still learning!

A New Smile

2011-06-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Look who has a new smile.

My Hayden will be having a strawberry milkshake for dinner tonight.

Blue vs Yellow

2011-05-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is Genevieve.

She's on her Dad's team.

They create a plan.

To make many touchdowns.

To pull many flags.

And to stay out of harms way.

Part of their plan failed.

She got hurt.

But it didn't stop her.

The end.

2011-05-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I miss this family!

Genevieve and I flew out to Illinois for Tommy's baptism.

I loved meeting this cute girl for the first time.
And seeing this fun fella again! He became Genevieve's best friend! They played so well together.

I loved watching the love this family has for one another.

It rained the first two days while we were there.

We were so grateful for the sun we received after that. We headed right over to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Joe - 3 years old

Spencer- 5 years old

Genevieve - 3 years old

This post is a little out of order, but I have no desire to fix it.

We left Vegas at 1:40am! This girl was so excited to go on her first airplane ride. The plane was driving over to the runway and she kept asking, "Are we flying?".... "Are we flying right now?"

I'm pretty sure she was out right after take off and slept the whole 3 1/2 hour flight. If we add that to the hour she slept in the car to the airport....that's a total of 4 1/2 hours of sleep for this 3 year old. We took a long nap that afternoon.

I was so glad that my mom came too. It was fun bunking with her and getting silly with her. You see, we were so sleep deprived that everything was funny. She had me in tears laughing a few times.

Grandma let Joe and Genevieve do her hair.

She listened to Tommy read.

And she helped Spencer climb a tree.

We were glad that we had the chance to watch Tommy and Spencer play baseball.

Tommy played really well with Genevieve.

We spent one day at a huge zoo. These geese made our day!

I've never seen a giraffe lick a tree.

It was sad saying goodbye. We sure enjoyed out visit!

Disney Cruise Day Six

2011-05-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Our last full day on the cruise was full. We made sure to fit in all that we could possibly fit in.

We were up at 8:15 and quickly got ready for our Character Breakfast. Our servers made us silly napkin hats to wear. I've got Daisey Ducks bow and Wayne's Goofy.

Then we went to the lab for "Gases in Action" for the boys. Genevieve played on the computer and made a bracelet in the lab.

After the lab we went down to learn how to make origami frogs.

We had one last chance to see all the princess'.
Genevieve only likes them from a distance.

She became very clingy.

We spent some time sun bathing, swimming, and playing in the arcade one last time before it was time to pack up all our stuff and head down for our show.

So, the ocean was VERY rough on our last day. I loved all the movement! It was soooo fun walking on the front of the boat and jumping while we rocked down. It felt like we were totally floating. Amazing!

I was amazed that these performers were able to dance with all that rocking. The fella below was even able to balance 6 chairs on his chin. So cool!

You see the fireworks in the background? Very impressive!

At dinner we were kept entertained by our servers. Emma made Genevieve a flower out of the kids menu.

While Putu made butter disappear.

Look! Hayden's awake!

Hayd and Gav were doing their best to make their butter disappear.

While Ty tried making his Chicken disappear.....

He threw it over his head and said, "Ta Da!"

Hayden may have made it to dessert, but Genevieve didn't.

Baked Alaska.....yuuuummmm!

Then it was time to say goodbye to our servers. We sure did love them!

The end!

Whew, I finally finished!

Next post? My trip to Illinois with Genevieve.

Disney Cruise Day Five

2011-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I should finish what I started....

Back to the cruise. We were up at 7:15 and guess what we enjoyed....

this

Beautiful, right? But that's not all, we also saw many beautiful fish while on a glass bottom boat on our way to Lovers Beach in Cabo.

However, what I got to experience next was not so beautiful. In fact, it is quite ridiculous! You see, the water at Lover's Beach is pretty powerful. The glass bottom boat couldn't get all that close to shore to drop us off. So, we had to jump. I was the last one off the boat and the ONLY one to look so lame.

Yep, that's me...in the water. And, yes, that's Wayne.....totally oblivious to his wife.

I kid you not, I felt totally and completely retarded. Every time I stood up, I was knocked right back down. Check out those waves!

I know what you're thinking, Wayne finally noticed me.....struggling. I'd like to say he ran out quickly to save the day, but I can't.

He kept walking.

Oh wait, LOOK...I'm up!

Hahaha - tricked ya! I'm back down again. But look who turned around....

Geez, all I needed was Wayne. I'm finally out!

After that whole ordeal, I was terrified to let the kids anywhere near the water. So, I pulled out the paper cups I stole from the ship and we played in the sand.

Run, Hayden, RUN! Get away from that water!!!!!

I love when they play together.

I thought I'd be nice to you all and crop out Hayden's "plumber" side.

Travis was reliving his childhood with Spiderman.

My favorite photo.....

I caught Hayd throwing up the sand with all kinds of enthusiasm.

Before our boat came back to pick us up we took a walk to the other side of the beach. I was amazed at the size of these waves.

We headed back to the ship around 1:00 for lunch and swimming. Hayden and Dad decided they needed some time together in the arcade before going out dancing.

Then it was time for our show. Poor Vieve fell asleep before it even started.

But I made sure to wake her up in time for her favorite princess, Ariel.

Can I just tell you how amazing all our shows were? I'm tellin' you....totally. worth. the money!

After that show we went downstairs to check out these cool German Plate Spinners.

Of course, what would dinner be like without Hayden falling asleep.

Check out our table, I had two entrees. Some Soba noodles with portabello mushrooms and some blue cheese and asparagus risotto. AMAZING!

To keep the kids from getting too rowdy under the table.....

Our server, Emma, showed us a cool trick. That's right, it's 4 forks hanging from 3 toothpicks. So cool!

Then it was off to our room where we found this cute bunny.

After all that food, I couldn't just climb into bed. So, Tyler took charge of his siblings while Wayne and I walked 3 laps, one mile, around the track on deck 4. So romantic. It was very peaceful out there under the stars with no one else around. Anyway, back to reality, we then watched a little of Wall-E before turning the lights off at 10:45.

Vieve's green thumb

2011-04-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

I' m interrupting the cruise photos to bring you this:

My girl has a green thumb!

She ran into the house to get me so that I could see the flowers she planted. She was so proud of herself.

She must take after her Great Grandparents....

they're fake flowers.

Oh, and did you notice the batman cape that she wears All The Time? I thought she'd break that habit after being gone on our cruise without it for a whole week...nope.

Disney Cruise Day Four

2011-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Day four started at 7:15am with room service delivering our breakfast. We ordered room service so that we could make it to our 9 o'clock movie on time. We were so excited to see Tangled in 3D. It was a great movie! Much better than Gnomeo and Juliet that we saw on day one.

Then we were off to the mickey pool. We spent a long time swimming since we were at sea all day.

The boys kept on teasing this cute girl. It's a good thing she's tough.

We sure miss seeing this smiling kid everyday!

Genevieve misses him being her protector.

This was our pirate night. We all dressed up and took photos with a few characters.

The story behind this photo....

We were all in line to see Pirate Mickey when Wayne remembered that we wanted the autograph book. So, he and Tyler ran up 5 flights of stairs to our room to find it. I just let people go in front of us so that we could wait for Wayne and Tyler to return. Once we were the last ones left and Mickey was about to leave I decided to take the photo without him. Anyway, Wayne returns and says he couldn't find the book. I then remembered that it was in the camera bag....on my shoulder. You should have seen the look Wayne and Tyler gave me. They ran 5 flights up and 5 flights down for nothing. So sorry Wayne!

Peter Pan

We had an hour or so before Captain Jack Sparrow was going to be out for autographs so we headed up to the Oceaneers Club for some St. Patrick's Day crafts as well as face painting.

After pictures we went to the lounge for some Irish dancing. That was fun! I never knew Travis was so good at the river dance! We worked up quite an appetite for dinner. After dinner we headed up to the pirate deck party where we danced some more, ate more dessert, enjoyed the fireworks, and watched a little of The Pirates Of The Caribbean on the outside screen before heading off to bed where we found this cute little fella.....

We were in bed at 11:45.

Disney Cruise Day Three

2011-04-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Another early morning. We were up at 7:15 to watch as we pulled into Puerta Vallarta. Check out the pirate boat.

We spent the morning shopping at a flea market. It was fun haggling for our souvenirs at first. Then I just got a little tired of wondering if we got the best price we could.

We went into town a little and found this very colorful building. It was great for taking a few photos.

Hayden LOVES his new cowboy hat!

Hayden and Gavin were showing each other all the cool stuff they bought.

This was a little frightening. Check out those guns!

We headed back to the boat for lunch and swimming. I'm not sure much swimming was done. The kids pretty much just sat in the water and watched Wall-E on the big screen.

We dried off and sent the kids to make chocolate chip cookies in the lab before going to our show, Toy Story the musical. So cool!

After the show we headed up to the top of the ship to watch us leave Puerta Vallarta before going to dinner.

These kids were sooooo sleepy. This is the one and only night Genevieve fell asleep at dinner. I wish I could say the same for Hayd. The poor boy only made it to dessert twice. He fell asleep at 5 out of 7 dinners.

Every night we looked forward to seeing what our towels were made into. This might have been our favorite one....the monkey.

Well, it was another long day....up at 7:15 and back to bed at 10:45. We would always say that we were going to sleep in, but we were just way too excited to sleep. There's just so much to do!

Disney Cruise Day Two

2011-04-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our day started at 7:30. The boys were out on our veranda checking out the view as we were heading into Cabo San Lucas and guess what they spotted? Dolphins! I kid you not, there were at least twenty of them swimming alongside our boat. AMAZING! I was so sad to not get a photo of them. We did get some video though.

After all that excitement it was time for breakfast. My kids totally got used to these huge meals and donuts every morning. Spoiled - that's what they are!

Check it out - Mickey Mouse waffles. They were also a must every morning.

By the way, I have to apologize for my girl. She likes to point with the wrong finger. We're going to work on that someday, but for now we just find it hilarious!

While waiting to arrive in Cabo we decided to play a little ping pong.

While in Cabo we took a glass bottom boat around for a tour. The kids loved seeing all the fish under us. So cool!

We headed back to the boat for lunch and naps for the little ones. The older boys went to the lab to make volcanoes while the dads headed over to the arcade. Then we had our show and dinner.

These two were sooooo cute together!

Tyler takes after his mom with the addiction to Pina Coladas. Delicious!

(check out the sun set)

After dinner I took Hayden and Genevieve back to our room for bed at 10:30 while Tyler and Wayne headed down to the theater to watch Tron in 3D. They didn't get to bed until 12:45 or so. Tyler loved all the late nights. Me? Not so much.

Disney Cruise Day One

2011-04-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

I'm telling you that a Disney Cruise is the best way to spend a vacation!

Here's photos from our first full day on this magical ship. -

Of course you have to start your day with a huge breakfast while over looking the ocean. Beautiful!

Next up - Shuffleboard on deck 4.

We have no skills, but it was still fun.

The kids wanted to go to the lab to make flubber with Inga Bazinga. She's Disney's very own Mad Scientist.

While the kids were making flubber Wayne and I got a little time to ourselves. It was spent playing in the arcade. An ARCADE.....on a SHIP. It still amazes me that this boat even floats.

You know what else they have on this floating city they call a boat? Four pools! This one was our favorite - the Mickey Pool. It was only 1-2 feet deep and had a cool slide. While Wayne watched the kids, Amber and I headed over to the Adults Only pool. So peaceful!

Tyler was in complete awe over meeting the captain of the ship, Captain Gus. He was dying to ask him what a knot is in miles per hour. He got his answer - 1 mph = 1.15 Knots

On to the show

The Golden Mickey's

Amazing!

Our shows were nightly from 6:15-7:15. We had an hour to kill before dinner.

We spent it dancing....

and getting bowling pins tossed around our head. Oh wait, that was Amber. Haha! Way to volunteer! ;)

- Tyler and Gavin were laughing a whole lot....

at Amber's expense.

- All that fun was exhausting for a 3 year old!

2011-02-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

You probably would never guess that this is the cover of one of Wayne's textbooks, but I can reassure you that it most certainly is!

And this would be all the pages....
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In case you were ever wondering.... you shouldn't let a textbook go through the washer.
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If you do let one in then this will be your clothes.
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What a mess!
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Lesson learned - always check the washer before throwing in all the dirty clothes.

Pinewood Derby

2011-02-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

Tyler's second pinewood derby. This year he won first place in the Bear den which means that he'll be moving on to race at the Scout Expo in April.

I'm not sure who's more excited about that

Wayne? or Tyler?

We decided to have the families race their own cars this year since we have very few cubs. Hayden was so excited when I told him the news. He quickly drew a design for his car. He calls it the Shape Shifter. Tyler used our families ages all added up for his car again this year....

84, wow we're getting old!
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With the help of my Mom's husband, Dennis, I was able to make these cool stands for our awards. I only cut myself six times in the process. My boys told me to wait for Dad to get home, but then I felt like I had something to prove....so I finished them MYSELF!
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Here's my favorite photo of the event. It was a close race, but

Tyler won!
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The day was made even more special with Grandparents there to cheer on my boys.

Did you notice my GIRL in her batman cape and carrying her sword? She's soooo girly.

So many holes!

2011-02-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

This boy has FIVE vacant spots in his mouth. Three in front and two in back. I'm amazed that he can even eat!

There's a funny story to go along with his last lost tooth. I'll tell you the shortened version.....

Miss Genevieve was so kind to knock it out for him. It bled a lot. Hayden felt dizzy and had to sit immediately. You see, he's a fainter. Poor kid.

Just so you know, he's had one tooth gone for over a year now and the new one just doesn't want to come in. The dentist took x-rays and it's definitely in there.

I'll say it again,

Poor Kid!

2011-02-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

Do you ever take too many photos and have a hard time deciding which ones to post?

Cause I do!

So, here's another loaded post.

We had snow a few weeks ago.

I had this brilliant idea.....

Who needs a sled?
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Hayden looks so comfy.
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SNOWBALL FIGHT
Hayden and Genevieve were at war!
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Genevieve helped decorate the snow man with a spray bottle filled with blue water.

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A snow angel on the fort.
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Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Now we have to wait another year for a snow day.

For Time and All Eternity

2011-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is one super long post filled with way too many photos, but I'm doing it for all the family that missed Kayla and Bowe's wedding day.

Here are just a few of my favorite moments captured....

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Genevieve said that Kayla was a princess.
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And of course every princess needs a prince......

However, I think Genevieve has claimed him as hers.
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Seriously, How cute are they!
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Genevieve wanted to make sure her dress didn't get wet or dirty as she walked down a few steps. I think I'll teach her how to do it in a modest way next time.
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Mother of the Bride
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=
Genevieve wanted nothing to do with these flowers or all the cameras. If you look closely at the photo above you will see that I had to hold the flowers for her. And, yeah, looking at the camera was way too much to ask of this tired 3 year old.
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But taking a minute to have a picture taken with Bowe.......
We didn't even have to bribe her.
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I sure am glad I have a sister.

Thanks for listening to me whine tonight!
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It was so fun having our brother, Jason, around! I especially liked that his hotel room was right next to ours so that my boys could bang on his wall at 7 am. It was fun having you here Jason!

You would never believe what kind of position Jason was in while he took this shot of my family. Thanks Jason! I love the angle!
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Occasionally Hayden takes a moment to "walk like an Egyptian"
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Hayden wanted to stand in the reception line to congratulate the married couple. Genevieve was the smart one....she jumped in the line when Hayden was almost there.

I love that he shows her affection by playing with her hair....

and by putting his hand on her shoulder.

On to the cake.....

Awww, how sweet.
=

Time for some dancing!
Genevieve insisted that Hayden dance with her.....

and dance with her......
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and dance with her some more.
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Finally Hayden had had enough.
This picture makes me laugh. Hayden is pointing to Tyler. Tyler is pushing them away. Genevieve is screaming for someone to dance with her.

What great memories!

I had to bribe Tyler with a dollar to dance. He used it to buy a soda at the vending machine in the hotel. Totally worth a dollar....I mean, look how happy that girl is!
=

Such a happy night!

Genevieve has reclaimed her prince.
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Again...Tyler had to be bribed.

Whew, have I bored you yet?

There's just one thing left to say...

I love you Kayla & I'm so happy for you!

Needing a little attention?

2011-01-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

Were you feeling left out, Honey?

What are we going to do?

2011-01-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Bad news....

Brushfire is now closed.

I'm sooooo sad!

It's been a tradition for us to go on each kids birthday for the last 5 years.

So, here it is

Our last Brushfire experience.

Blowing on her bowl to help it dry faster.

In case you were wondering, those are balloons in the middle. And one of them is special...

It has TWO strings!

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Check out that concentration.
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The finished product.
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Genevieve thought that my name needed to be on the back too.
So, she wrote it for me.
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Well, it was fun while it lasted!

Pretty Pretty Princess

2011-01-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

I just looooove having a girl!

Genevieve received a ton of dress-up stuff for her birthday. The boys are having just as much fun with it as she is. They love dressing her up in all her costumes.

Our Christmas

2010-12-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

The Evans family had a great Christmas!

We spent time reading many Christmas books at Grandma's house.

Grandma and Genevieve went out shopping for some fabric to make a blanket for Baby Jesus. They had a chance to work on it Christmas day.

Tyler bought these fighting bugs for Hayden. They kind of creep me out seeing them crawl all over the floor. Hayden claims that they are his favorite gift this year.

Well done Tyler!
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This girl.....how can you ever say no to that face?
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Tyler and Hayden received binoculars from Great Grandma and Grandpa "Power". Tyler loved checking out the beautiful scenery in Grandma's backyard.
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Then it was time to do some shooting.

This gift was for the boys from Santa, but we all enjoyed using it!

Hayden was a natural. He hit the target on his second try.
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I sure love this man!
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Wayne pretty much amazed us with his mad skills.
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My turn....two out of four hit the target. I think I need more practice.
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Apparently I make HORRIBLE faces while shooting.

I should work on that......
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After seeing those ridiculous faces I felt the need to console myself with this delicious pumpkin cheesecake with the best praline topping ever.

Much better!

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I hope you all had a great Christmas too!

look what I did

2010-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

I am soooo stinkin' proud of this crocheted flower I made yesterday. I am totally in love with it!

Now I have to make more....

in every color and every SiZe.

Ouch!

2010-11-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

So, here's Genevieve's head after she took on the coffee table/chest. It's looking a lot better now, but the staples will have to stay until Wednesday.

I'm so creeped out by the staples.

It's a little Frankenstein-ish.

Dear Toothfairy

2010-11-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hayden had his first dentist appointment (I know... I'm a horrible mom) a few weeks ago. The good news - no cavities! The bad news - he has two permanent molars that grew in crooked and were pushing on two baby molars. So, the dentist had us come back on Tuesday to pull out Hayden's baby molars. He was such a trooper! I was so much more nervous than he was.

Now we get to go to the orthodontist to have him straighten out the permanent molars.

Here's Hayden's letter to the toothfairy:

Dear Tohfare, my theth got plde out today. it cinda hrt. But I dild with it. Just so you nowe the rots are stil ther. They wor pld out bekus the prmenit theth wer goring in. Win my non prminit theth wor stil ther.

forom, Hayden

thancs for leveng sumthing.

TRANSLATION:

Dear Toothfairy,

---My teeth got pulled out today. It kinda hurt, but I dealed with it. Just so you know, the roots are still there. They were pulled out because the permanent teeth were growing in when my non permanent teeth were still there.

From Hayden

Thanks for leaving something.

Turkey Triathlon

2010-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

These five fellas are amazing!

They are now Triathletes!

Or as some people like to call it....triathlon-ers.

Hayden finished in 23:18

He swam 50 yards in 3 minutes and 20 seconds

Biked a mile in 10 minutes and 40 seconds

Ran a half mile in 6 minutes and 44 seconds

and finished 83rd out of 90 kids

Tyler finished in 20:19
He swam 50 yards in 2 minutes and 21 seconds

Biked a mile in 8 minutes 29 seconds

Ran a half mile in 6 minutes 47 seconds

and finished 58th out of 90 kids

Wayne finished in 56:8

He swam 200 yards in 6 minutes

Biked 5 miles in 28 minutes and 51 seconds

Ran a mile and a half in 17 minutes and 58 seconds

and finished 83rd out of 116
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I'm so proud of my boys!

Oh, and did I mention that the pool is 13 feet deep? Yeah, kinda scary! I was so glad that we took the kids there to practice once before the big day. While we were practicing there were scuba divers down at the bottom getting certified. How cool is that!

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I do have to give a special thanks to Genevieve's favorite person, Bowe, for helping out with her while I ran around taking pictures.

You're awesome Bowe!

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What an amazing day!

It's official

2010-11-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 a few weeks ago!

I feel so grown up...well, kind of.

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Anyway, I had the BEST birthday probably EVER! It started with us running a mile to help raise money for breast cancer research. It was so fun to do that with the kids. I was so proud of them for running the one mile! Hayden made me laugh when he said, "I'm going to be skinny after this." Then he made us proud when he sprinted through the finish line. Tyler did an amazing job seeing that he was struggling with his asthma the night before. Genevieve was happy sitting in her stroller. Anyway, we had a great morning!
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Then we headed over to Mom's to hang out with Kayla and Bowe. We ate an enormous lunch at 2:00 then we had cake and ice cream and watched a little football *yawn*. At EXACTLY 5:00 we HAD to leave Mom's to go play Rock band at my house with Kayla and Bowe. Suspicious? Not yet. Well, we pulled up and I noticed that my lawn was mowed. I knew Wayne didn't do it because it was mowed the opposite direction. So, I thought, "how nice of someone to mow my grass for my birthday." Suspicious now? Nope. We head into the garage and I notice that our 6' and 8' tables are missing.....a light bulb goes off..... I kind of panic when I see the light under the laundry room door telling me that the kitchen light is on. I tell Wayne, "I don't want to open the door. I don't want to open the door. I don't want to open the door." I finally do and SURPRISE!!!! I have the best friends ever! Can I just say that I'm not good with surprises or anything that gives me too much attention from too many people. But I felt soooo special! Thank you soooo much for making my birthday amazing! I was a little bummed that my stomach couldn't possibly fit another bite in it after that amazing lunch, cake and ice cream from my Mom's house. However, I did manage to eat a slice of the best chocolate cake ever at my party.
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Okay, so my birthday didn't end there. My actual birthday was the next day, Sunday. Wayne was gone early for bishopric meetings and I was sleeping in. Tyler peeks around the corner to see if I'm awake. I tell him to come on in. He has a sneaky smile on his face. He had a plan and I couldn't know about it. So, I took my shower, dried my hair, gave Genevieve a bath and got her all ready for church. FINALLY I was allowed to come downstairs. Tyler and Hayden had made me breakfast all by themselves.
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The recipe is for blueberry muffins, but Tyler told me, "we didn't have blueberries so I figured I'd use cranberries instead." Such a smart boy! I'm so glad I have him help me in the kitchen so often. That breakfast was fantastic! He even cut up some apples to go on the side. I'm all about eating a balanced meal and he knows it.
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I'm such a lucky old lady...I mean...girl!!!

What do you see?

2010-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

I stepped out of the shower after cleaning the bathroom a few days ago and this is what I saw.....

Are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Or am I seeing things?

It's totally a sleeping baby with a little smile all wrapped up in a blanket...

right?

another birthday....another plate

2010-10-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

You're really going to have to click on the photo to see the finished plate up close.

Hayden did an AMAZING job!

Beauty and the Bruiser

2010-10-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here's our little Beauty all ready for church.

Did you notice the headband?

I made it myself and totally adore it!

And here we have our Beast....oops, I mean Bruiser.

This is what happens when you take on Dad and Tyler at the same time. I love when they all wrestle, but someone usually gets hurt. This photo was taken 4 days after the incident. You know, in the ugly greenish yellowy gray healing stage.

I'm sure it won't be his last black eye,

but I can hope, right?

2010-10-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

I am loving the cooler weather!

Genevieve and I decided it was perfect weather for hot chocolate and what goes best with hot chocolate?

Homemade Marshmallows, of course!

They are totally worth the sticky mess.

Oh, and I came across a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice marshmallows yesterday. Can you imagine pumpkin marshmallows all melted and gooey in a cup of hot cocoa? Yeah, that's gotta be amazing! I'll let you know soon.

seven years old

2010-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? My Hayden is seven! CRAZY!
Wow, that means I'm like.....well never mind.
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Hayden woke up (at 6:45 very excited to start his celebration!) to this delicious baked french toast thingy. It was so yummy.
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Then we opened presents. Dad and I gave him 12 date cards. He can choose to take me or Dad on these dates throughout the year.
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Tyler picked out this star wars guy.
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Genevieve should never have gone with Dad to pick out presents because she really couldn't keep her mouth shut! I kept telling her to shhh and that it was a secret. But the next thing I know, she's saying....quite loudly and too clearly for a 2 year old...."I got an idea, give Hayden PEANUTS!" So, this next present was not a surprise at all.
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He loves peanuts and especially when they're in their shells.

Let the party begin!

We had a birthday party for Hayden on Friday. He was soooo excited! He decided to have a Halloween themed party.

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It seems as though all Hayden's friends knew how much he LOVES Star Wars. What a lucky boy to have such great presents from fantastic friends!
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Thanks to Kayla's fella, Bowe, we taught Hayden's friends how to sing Happy Birthday in Mandarin Chinese. They all just looked at us like we were totally crazy.
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This girl thought I wasn't looking and helped herself to another cupcake. Two cupcakes doesn't sound all that bad, but when you add in all kinds of candy plus a juice box....yeah, she was pretty sugared up!
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And here they all are with their pumpkins all dressed up like bats. It was a fun craft that I could not have pulled off without Teresa's help! Thank you Teresa for sticking around!!! You are my hero!
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Well, it looks like I am next on the birthday list. Hip hip hooooray!!!

I love birthdays!!!

all dolled up

2010-09-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

So, I was doing my hair and this cute girl comes in to get some supplies. She then sat outside my door and played beauty shop.
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Don't worry - the curling iron wasn't plugged in.
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Here she is.... all dolled up for the day. Lucky me had to take her out of the house looking like this. She insisted that she looked beautiful.

Which of course she did......

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from the front.

The back was.....let's just say.....interesting.

After our detour....

2010-09-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the reason for our whole vacation
Shane (on the left) was baptized and we wouldn't have missed that for anything!
We're so proud of you, Shane!
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The boys sure do love hanging out with their cousins.
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And Genevieve enjoyed following Cadence around. Cadie is 2 years older, but they're pretty much the same size. It was cute to see them interact.
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And of course it's always great to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa! Genevieve is still talking about feeding their horse a carrot.
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I really have nothing to say about this photo except....
HOW CUTE IS SHE???
I love that she's finally got enough hair to play with.
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We need more excuses to drive out and visit with family. It just doesn't seem to happen enough.

a little detour

2010-09-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

We were headed to Arizona for a baptism last weekend, but we decided to stop off at Disneyland first to use our free tickets we earned back in February. I'm so glad we did! There was hardly any lines on any ride. We waited 10 minutes at the most. It was amazing! Tyler's favorite ride of the day was Space Mountain. He had to ride it twice. Hayden hated Space Mountain, He said it made his cheeks fly backward. His favorite ride was a toss between Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain. Genevieve rode all kinds of rides that were a little scary for her. You know, even Snow White's ride is a little freaky for a 2 year old. However, the moment we got off the Pooh Bear ride she said, "That ride not scary!" She loved it! So, we jumped in it again.
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I was so excited to finally have a little girl to take to see all the Disney Princess'. She LOVES all the princess, but her favorites are Tiana and Ariel. She loved the idea of me taking a picture of her with the princess' until it was finally her turn to go up and talk to Tiana. She freaked out! So, sadly there are no photos to share. She did get to see all the princess' from a distance though. That was enough for her this year.
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Tyler brought along our autograph book. He made sure to get a few new ones in there. Genevieve and Hayden were in line to take pictures with Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore too, but they both chickened out at the last second. So, my 9 year old had to go meet the babyish characters all by himself. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind too much.
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Finding Nemo....Genevieve's first Disneyland ride ever. She loved it!

Dad took her on a big boat around Tom Sawyer's Island while the boys and I rode Big Thunder. I think she loves her Daddy time.
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I LOVE all the dizzy rides! Wayne, however, chose to stay off of this one.
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My Hayden and his silly personality.

We got it going really fast and Genevieve wasn't lookin' so hot. Apparently I thought it was funny.
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Hayden got a chance to drive a car in Autopia with me. He was a HORRIBLE driver. I was afraid we were going to jump the track several times as well as come home with all kinds of neck pains. He loved every minute of it though. Near the end of the road we let Genevieve have a turn driving. I figured she couldn't possibly be any worse than Hayd. Yeah, she was an amazing driver. Wayne and Tyler drove the car in front of us. Apparently Tyler shouldn't have a license any time soon either.

After all that Hayden took me for another ride in a space ship. We were going up and down a lot. I'm thinking his goal for the day was to make me sick.

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We headed over to the parade. There were all kinds of characters coming up to Genevieve for a high five. She wanted nothing to do with any of them. But this gal came down to her level and chatted with Genevieve for a little bit. I loved that! But at the end of their chat Genevieve still wouldn't give her a high five. Little bugger!
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Tyler and Hayden got to bang on a drum while the dancers danced. I think they liked being a part of the parade.
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So, it looks like I never took any photos of my Wayne at Disneyland. Shoot. I guess we'll just have to go back.

Peaches, peaches and more peaches

2010-09-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

I love getting free stuff! My Mom and Dennis went out to the church orchard Saturday and picked a bunch of peaches. I was so grateful that they were willing to share since I was out of town and not able to pick any for myself. I spent the next 24 hours do everything I could think of to preserve these little suckers.

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I made 4 batches of this delicious Peach Butter (I'll be posting the recipe on Delicious Dixie)
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Tyler thought it would be fun to make mini peach crisps to put in the freezer for a rainy day. Good thinkin' Tyler!

I also had plenty of peaches to jar 7 pints and freeze 5 gallon-zipper bags. Yeah - I think I'm done being little miss food storager for a while. Well, at least until another great deal comes along.
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Thanks again Mom and Dennis!

37

2010-08-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Wayne feels the need to remind me of the wife I used to be. When we first were married we ate out A LOT! Then we decided that we were wasting too much money and started buying frozen meals. A few years later our dinners went from frozen to boxed. Seriously, our most common meal was Pasta-Roni with a can of veggies, usually green beans, and if Wayne was lucky I'd throw in some rubbery chicken. The only spices I had and used were salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon and our old favorite....season all...which we used on EVERYTHING. I'm proud to say that I've evolved into a much better cook and now own 37 seasonings! Not just do I own them, but I USE them....quite often, in fact.
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I have learned that many things can be made from scratch. Like marshmallows, graham crackers, cheesecake, salsa, lasagna.... and our new favorite thing to make.... Bread and Butter Pickles. Tyler and I have made 4 jars of them so far. We love them!
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And so does Genevieve.
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I've also been taught how to jar apricots, thanks to Amber. And I've made many batches of freezer jam over the last few years.
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Who knew that I could be so domestic! I love making new foods and posting them on www.deliciousdixie.blogspot.com If you haven't checked it out yet....you're really missing out. There are some fantastic recipes on there from me and some of my favorite friends.
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Oh, and I think I'm rubbing off on my Hayden, who dreams of one day becoming a chef, because today he decided that he had come up with the best recipe that we needed to try. So, he and I whipped up a batch of Zucchini Butterscotch Brownies. It really was delicious. Who knew? Well done, Hayden! Keep the recipes comin'.
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Anyway, it's official, I can no longer say I can't cook.

Angel

2010-08-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is Angel.
She is a great dog.
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She loves to play in the water.
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And drink from the hose.
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She is great with kids.
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It was fun taking care of her for a weekend, but in the end....we are still not dog people! Hayden even said it himself.
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Thank you, Sawyer Family, for letting us enjoy your dog every once and a while.

Zion National Park

2010-08-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

We took Wayne's Mom to Zion so that she could experience the Narrows, but first we stopped off at a natural slide.

I guess the water was a little cold.

Don't even think about it, Tyler!
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Tyler's turn....

Tyler decided to jump off the edge - which is so out of character for him - the water came up to his neck and was pulling him backward. Very scary! Thankfully Wayne was right there to pull him out. This is a photo of Wayne reminding Tyler that you NEVER jump into water when you have no idea how deep it is. It looks like he was yelling at him, but he really wasn't.

Hayden's up next.
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After going down the slide many times we headed over to the Court of the Patriarchs where Genevieve had a great time showing everyone what the term "terrible twos" means. Thankfully we will never see any of those people again!

On to the Narrows....

After Genevieve almost got away from me after falling, I decided it would be a good idea to tie her life jacket strap to my belt loop. She was loving the water!

She had a skinny stick that broke, so Hayden gave her a new one. She loved it even more! Hayden is such a sweet big brother.

Wayne took the boys across some deeper, swifter water to check out this mini cave.

Tyler had a tough time keeping balanced while walking on all the invisible rocks.

I told Wayne that I was waiting for him to fall so that I could capture it on "film". He never did, but he still made me laugh by pretending to fall.

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We ended our day with Japanese food, ice cream and a movie.

It was an exhausting, but great day!

we're growing gills

2010-08-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

We love water!

I think we've spent most of our summer staying cool in a pool. Most of the time it's Grandma Bingham's pool, but we've also spent many hours at the rec center pool. However, for the last few days we've had the chance to swim at the hotel pool where Grandma Judy stayed while visiting us. It's been so fun! The boys have gotten really good at swimming and Genevieve is very much at home in the water. She loves to put her head under water and even opens her eyes under there so she can watch the boys. Crazy girl!

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Tyler loves his snorkel!

I love that I can hear him laugh under water through the snorkel while he's trying to sneak up on me. It makes me laugh.

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Genevieve really enjoyed swimming with Grandma.
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And I think Grandma enjoyed it too.
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It was a great visit!
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Brotherly Love....or is it?

2010-07-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Big brothers

can talk their

little brothers

into doing

anything.

Super Cute!

2010-06-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

We are so glad Jeremy and his family came to visit! The kids had sooooo much fun together. My boys NEVER play with girls because...well, as you know....girls have cooties. I think these two cute girls changed their minds. Girls can't be all bad if they're willing to sword fight and shoot you down with Nerf guns.

Hayden and Becca were pretty much inseparable.

It all started when I overheard Becca tell Hayden, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're cute? Cause I think you're cute." Oh boy...you should have seen Hayden melt in his chair. He was embarrassed and flattered at the same time.

We sure enjoyed the visit!

You guys are welcome back anytime!

Portion Control!

2010-06-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

This girl is determined to do everything herself. But really... there's no way she'll be able to eat this much cereal. So I dumped the whole bowl full back in the box and she got what was left on the table.

15 bucks!

2010-06-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

Holy cow.... we have produce coming out of our ears! This is the largest bountiful basket we have ever received! What do you think....is it worth $15? By the way....what do you do with fresh coconuts?

Grandpa's are the best!

2010-06-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Bingham kept Genevieve very happy during Hayden's last baseball game. She LOVED climbing all over him, playing catch, and dressing him up in her glasses. It was so cute to watch them bond.

Tyler joined in the fun.
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Another GREAT summer day.

summer fun

2010-06-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

We love the things that summer brings.....
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It brings us fresh veggies from our garden.
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It brings with it many hot days to play in the sprinklers.
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And more hot days to play on the slip n' slide.
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And even more hot days to play in the kiddie pool.
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But most of all it brings fun! No school....no schedules....just lots of fun!
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Oh, the joys of these lazy summer days.

Baseball Season!

2010-05-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

A Mission Favorite

2010-05-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

For some reason Wayne and the boys think these are fantastic. Genevieve and I....well, we know good food and this just doesn't do it for us. What is it? A banana? Nope. Fried plantains. The only time you will ever see Wayne in the kitchen cooking is when he is cooking up some of these. They taste more like a potato than anything else. So, the boys like to dip them in ketchup just like a french fry. Gross!

He really wanted me to post this on Delicious Dixie (our recipe blog).....sorry Wayne, but that will never happen.

A little odd....

2010-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

I find it very strange that the kindergartners had their graduation on Friday yet there is still two weeks left of school. Anyway, the kids kept us entertained with all their singing and rhyming during their program. I especially loved when they sang an I love you song and Hayden looked at me every time they sang the I love you part. Yeah....I had to pinch myself to help hold back the tears. I really don't like to cry in public. Thanks Hayden! You made my day!

13 inches

2010-04-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Zion

2010-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Amber and I took the kids up to Zion last week. The clouds had been threatening to burst all day, but we got lucky and stayed completely dry. Well, except for when we walked under the Weeping Rock.....and when Ty fell in the mud....other than that, we were dry!

Genevieve was very interested in listening to the people chat in their native tongue while on the bus. I really wish I knew what she was thinking. I kind of wonder if she thought she was going a little crazy.

I brought some baggies for the kids to collect treasures in. It was funny to see what they thought were treasures. Like an old battery and a rubber band. However, that rubber band turned into a fantastic slingshot that kept little Ty entertained for quite some time!

I learned an important lesson that day.....

Don't pick up a cactus. Even if you think you're being smart and only touching the roots, or what appear to be roots. It will cause you a little pain.

It was a great day!

Exploring

2010-04-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

My brother, Jason, and his family came to visit us last week. When they got here we dicided to take all the kids for a walk down to the river behind Grandma's house. We thought they could use a little running time seeing that they drove here all the way from Illinois.

It was our first adventure......

This is Genevieve's little buddy Joe. Who seems right at home down by the river.

This is the position Spencer stayed in the entire time we were by the water. He loved it down there!
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I'm not so sure this girl is in her best mudding attire.
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Tyler's slow motion throw.
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Sticks, mud, and water.....lots of fun!

Tommy seemed pretty proud of his muddy hand!

ECHO-O-O-O-O

Genevieve loved hearing herself.
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I think you all know, but just in case you forgot....

I LOVE THIS GIRL!

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I just wish I could photoshop her skirt down.

Straight to Kinky in two hours

2010-04-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Look who got all dolled up for church today....

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She wouldn't take her eyes off of He-Man for a picture.

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I got a little freaked out when I saw these tight curls after only two hours. Wayne and I had a great laugh! Now I just needed to tame these wild things!

This is as good as it gets.....

I love all the expressions this girl makes.
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Are you DONE taking my picture yet?
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I LOVE HAVING A GIRL!

And he's off....

2010-04-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hayden was a little bummed about not being able to do the triathlon last week with Tyler. So, a friend told me about this 1k for kids. You should have seen Hayden's face when I told him about it. He was so excited! It was finally his turn! We only had a week to get him ready. Unfortunately we were pretty busy that week and so he "trained" only once with Dad.

That night he wrote this in his journal:

I did a 1k. Hadre thin I expeted. I wokt a letl bit thin I jogd. I finshd.

Translation: I did a 1k. (It was) harder than I expected. I walked a little bit then I jogged. I finished.

I'm so proud of you Hayden for trying something new!

A Chilly Birthday

2010-04-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

We had a blast celebrating Wayne's birthday on the ice. Tyler and I went ice skating for one of his school field trips a few months ago and had so much fun. We really wanted to come back with the whole family before it closed for the season. Plus he needed to skate for one more hour to earn the Ice Skating belt loop for cub scouts. Anyway, it took Tyler and I a minute to warm up while Wayne took right off like a pro. Hayden walked out like he thought it was going to be a piece of cake....he woke up from that dream pretty quickly. It took him some time and a few tears of frustration to finally figure it out. Then he was off with Tyler while Wayne and I stayed back with Genevieve. We took her around in the stroller for the first 30 minutes or so. Then she decided that she NEEDED to get out and skate herself. So, I rented her some skates. She surprised us....she was not afraid to fall and really didn't like having our help even though she totally needed it. And boy did she throw a fit when we came off the ice for a picture.
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After skating we headed home for some birthday cake and presents. It was a great night!

Happy Birthday Wayne!

Swimming, Biking, Running....oh my!

2010-04-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Look who did a triathlon!

He swam 2 lengths of the pool, biked a mile and ran half a mile.

I love the photo of him running. Did you notice Wayne in the background? He looks so proud. And, just so you know, he does know how to swim, but he was a little nervous about doing it in such a deep pool. So, he chose to wear a life jacket along with some other kids. We'll work on the swimming more this summer so he'll be more confident for the next triathlon in November.

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Grandma and Aunt Kayla came to support our boy.

I couldn't be more proud of Tyler!

Tyler loved his number..... He's nine years old and if you add up the ages of our family it equals 77. We know this because Hayden had to do it for his homework last week. Cool, huh?

Fiesta Fun

2010-03-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

We spent our first day of spring outside playing miniature golf. Tyler was very proud of his 3 hole-in-ones. And Genevieve surprised us with a hole-in-TWO.
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Check out that face!
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Of course, Genevieve was a HUGE cheater.....like all 2 year old golfers.

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Do you know what happens when you set your ball down on a little hill?

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It will roll between your legs and you will try to get it and fall on your bum.

See what happens when you cheat, Miss Genevieve?
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Here's My handsome Tyler
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And My Silly Tyler

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And My Cutie Pie Tyler
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After golfing we headed over to the bumper boats so Wayne could be a kid again.
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I can hear the laughter while looking at these photos. I sure love these three handsome fellas!

They came out totally soaked and a little chilly. So, we headed home to cuddle up under some blankets and watch.....NEW MOON!

I sure do LOVE hanging out with my family!

Boys are OUT OF CONTROL!

2010-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

We had a crazy house last Monday night. Tyler invited his friend, Emerson, over to spend the night. They were out of control! I loved hearing all the laughter though. These two are great pals.

The story of their friendship.....

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These two were friends in kindergarten. However, Tyler was a little bummed when Emerson moved across town and they lost track of each other. Then last fall they ended up being on the same flag football team and Emerson's dad was the coach.

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Then when school started back up in January, Tyler found out that Emerson had moved back into the neighborhood.

The best part was that they were back in the same class at school again. The teacher sat them next to each other, but they were way too noisy. So, they now sit across the room from one another. But I here that they like to throw things at each other when the teacher isn't looking.

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I know, it's hard to think of Tyler as being naughty, but this kid brings it out of him.

It's fun to have a friend to be silly with.

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And that's the end of my story!

Crazy Hair Day

2010-03-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

The boys refused to have their hair cut until after crazy hair day at school last week. They wanted it to be long & wild! So here it is......

LONG and WILD!
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Don't you just love the crazy faces they produced? I guess they're sticking to their theme.

CrAzY!
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Genevieve was lucky enough to have her crazy hair day a few days early. This is what happens when you stick your entire head in a bowl so you can eat every last marshmallowy rice crispy in it.
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Oops...she missed two.

She got a bath early......

Look who had another birthday....

2010-03-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

We love rainy days!

2010-03-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Brushfire

2010-02-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

I love our birthday tradition of painting pottery. This was Genevieve's first time and she was so fun to paint with! I was a little nervous because she isn't always super gentle, but she surprised me at how well she listened to my instructions. I sure adore this girl of mine!

pine wood derby

2010-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

Tyler's first time down the track wasn't anything to brag about. His car was way behind, but we did do a lot of cheering after that! He won the next 5 races.

Tyler won the award for the most futuristic looking car. And do you know why he picked number 76? It's all our families ages added up. Good idea Tyler.

Tyler also earned 4 belt loops: baseball, flag football, marbles and video game. As well as another silver arrow.

WAY TO GO TYLER!

Baseball

2010-01-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

So...Wayne and Hayden spent some time playing catch in the backyard last night. Hayden missed one of the balls and it hit him right in the nose. What happened next? Well, my Hayden is a bleeder. So, Tyler was up next. However, after seeing what happened to Hayden he did ask that I play instead of Dad. But I reminded him that Dad's aim was much more accurate than mine, therefore, he would be in a lot less danger. Anyway, I was so proud of Hayden for getting back out there with Dad after his nose stopped bleeding. So, I pulled out my camera and got the best shot! I'm still laughing about it!

This is Hayden

full of confidence......

Uh-Oh, he's having a flashback

WATCH OUT HAYD!

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By the way, did you notice the bloody nostril? My poor Hayden, he's such a good sport!

10 years....

2010-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today all these wonderful people showed up to witness.....

the sealing of these two YOUNG people

which brought tears to some

and smiles to others

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This handsome fella stole my heart and promised to never tease me.....
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the way these three fellas always had
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I have no words for this photo....what is so funny?
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Two families now combined

Thanks Honey for choosing me!

Happy Anniversary!

lovin' her cousin

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

Genevieve is having so much fun playing with her cousin, Calin.

Silly Calin! Thanks for keeping Genevieve happy at the restaurant!

Happy (early) Birthday Grandma!

2010-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a delicious dinner in honor of Great Grandma "Power". This lovely lady has such a big heart! We sure love coming to visit her and Grandpa as often as we can.

Happy Early Birthday Grandma!

We sure do love you!

What's a blog without Christmas Pictures

2009-12-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

Besides laying down all day and taking pictures from one location, the couch, I had a pretty awesome Christmas! I just can't wait for this staph infection to heal completely! Maybe in time for the New Year!

Thanks Honey......I love my new camera!

And the Zoom lens works great!

Maybe next time you will just smile!

Love ya!

Gross!

2009-12-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Wayne and I were in Mesquite for his work Christmas party on Tuesday. We apparently parked under the wrong tree. Seriously, we were there for less than two hours. How gross is this!

My first stop on Wednesday morning was to the car wash. I was so embarrassed to even drive this car around looking so disgusting!

2009-12-01T21:05:00.000-08:00

Every year for their birthdays I take the kids to Brushfire to paint pottery. Hayden spent a good 15 minutes or more trying to decide what to paint....a plate, bowl, mug, Christmas ornaments......We usually paint plates, but this year Hayden chose a monkey mug. The monkey was 3-dimensional. His front side is on one side of the mug and when you turn it around you see his bum and tail. It's a really cute mug. Hayden is very good at paying attention to details. He took well over an hour painting his mug and I'd have to say that he did a VERY good job!

It was fun having Gavin and Amber join us this year. We all had a great night!

2009-11-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a fun night last night until Genevieve took a dive into her chair and split her brow. Then it was a little scary. She held her breath until she got so weak that she just lay limp in my arms. She was so ghostly white. It really freaked me out. Tyler was a huge help running to get me a bag of frozen corn and then some tissue to clean off the blood. Then he ran back downstairs to get her some milk so she would lay still while I played doctor. Then he ran to get the phone so I could call Dad and the doctor's office. The nurse told me to see if I could pull it open and check how deep it was. YUCK! That made my tummy churn, but I did it anyway and noticed that it really wasn't that deep. So....no stitches or visit to the doctor were needed. THANK GOODNESS! I still didn't put her in her bed for many hours so that I could keep an eye on my sweet baby girl.

Why does it always look worse in person. I swear - with the blood and the bruise and puffiness - it looked ten times worse than it does in these photos.

This is Genevieve this morning. She woke up yelling, "owie, owie, owie..." until I came in to get her. She pointed to her eye to show me where she hurt. Poor baby!

It was about this time last year that she got a black eye from falling into our desk drawers. We'll have to see if this is a yearly thing for her. I sure hope not!