Chapter 15: Mirage or Miracle?

Well, for anyone who knows anything about Kennadee, you will without a doubt appreciate this chapter in our lives, so enjoy because who knows how long it will last.



Two twin beds with Headboards: $217.43



















Matching Armoire: $129.99





Bedspreads: $29.99 and $14.99 respectively






















Being able to see there is carpet: Priceless

Chapter 14: Saving makes "cents"

So the other day Scott and I were talking with the kids about a possible vacation to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole this summer, and we were explaining to them that if we want to go we need to save our money. Well of course the kids were all for the vacation, and they said that they already have money saved (Well, 2 of the 4 anyway), from birthdays and allowance and such. So Scott, being the wise old man that he is, said that we need to look for other ways to save money, and not necessarily just with coins and bills(yeah the kids had the same look too). So he explained that we can save money as a family by reducing wasteful actions, for example:

-when brushing teeth, shut off water.
-turn off lights when not needed.
-less t.v. and video games.
-make sure the clothes in the laundry are indeed dirty.
-eat all your dinner (do not waste food)
-do not stand in front off the fridge with the door open.

and so on and so forth, soooooooooo later that night I was cleaning up and Scott overheard the kids in one of their bedrooms, they had decided a good way to earn some money was for them to sale some of their things they no longer wanted or needed. GOOD IDEA!!! right, well except for the fact that they were just selling the items to one another. Huh! well at least it is the thought that counts, I guess they figured that way their stuff would still be around and they could just take it back if they wanted to.

So as if that wasn't funny enough, this morning before school, I was having the kids clean their rooms, and it is still dark enough in the morning that you do need to turn on a light or two. Well everytime I would go by the boys' bedroom I would turn on their light for them so they could see their "mess" better, and then when I would go back by their room the light was off again, after needing to turn on their light a few more times, I finally just asked Bradley (as he was using a dust buster to vacuum in the dark) why he wouldn't leave the light on. His response; "I am saving money by not using the lights and using the dust buster since it has batteries." Ha Ha, clever kid, sometimes their logic in doing things just makes me smile. Needless to say, after he went to school, I turned on the lights and drug out the big vacuum using all the electricity I could to finish cleaning their rooms. I guess we will have to see how this "family savings plan" pans out, and if the kids can keep up with their creative plans for saving.

The big and little of it

The big is the fact that it is my brother Galen's 30th Birthday!!!! Happy Birthday to a terrific guy, we hope you have the best time out at Dad and Mom's, (I think he was just scared we would have a party for him again, so he went out of town.) and eat a piece of strawberry shortcake for me. We Love You and appreciate all you do for everyone around you. You are the BEST!

and now for the little, Dwunder is now complete with working sound, so go back and read all about it.

Chapter 13: Our "Pappy"

When Bradley was just a little boy, he used to love to watch Rolie Polie, and on that show Rolie called his Grandpa "Pappy" and for whatever reason Bradley decided that Everett would be "Pappy", and since then it has stuck. Here are ten of our favorites things about Pappy;

1. Shoulder Rides
2. He always gives us popsicles
3. Camping
4. Beep, Beep
5. Sleep-overs
6. Whisker kisses
7. Hot tubbing
8. He always lets us build stuff
9. The Go-cart
10. He loves us!!!


---------HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPPY----------

Chapter 12: Dwunder

Dwunder by:
Dr. Meluess

What is a Dwunder you may ask?
Is it a job or a simple task.
What is a Dwunder you may say.
Does it come in April or May?
Is it something large or small?
Is it solid or bounce like a ball?
Is it something heard or seen?
Is it something nice or mean?
What is a Dwunder, can you guess?
Does it clean, or make a mess?
What is a Dwunder, you can't miss.
A Dwunder is simply this;

Chapter 11: "Two" never looked so sweet

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To two of my most favorite people, Grandma Deon and Aunt Veon.
We Love You Both, thanks for all the late nights, card games and funny stories.

Chapter 10: A tisket, a tasket.......

Happy Easter to All, I love this time of year, when the tulips are peeking out of their winter beds, when the buds are starting to show up on the trees, when the sun feels warm on your face and when you want to be outside for more than 5 minutes. But most importantly; when we all get to reflect on what took place 2009 years ago, when our Savior atoned for all our sins, and was crucified and then resurrected, with the promise that all can receive the gift of eternal life. Yes, I do love spring when the world seems to also come alive. Here are a few fun pics of how we spent our Easter Sunday.

Chapter 9: Final Day of Spring Break

On this day we were all kind of exhausted and just wanted a day to relax, play with friends and do one last important project. So with a little bit of butter, sugar, and eggs, we started molding our best Easter creations to date:

And so we went from this;












adding a little more flour and a lot more muscle;

























to end up with this:



Can't wait to bake, frost and enjoy them,
YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 8: Days 3 & 4

Okay, so my schedule got a little messed up, but for 2 very good reasons. The first being that my sister Erin is out from Maryland, and the second is that she brought her most adorably cute little girl Alesa and who in their right mind could do anything but play with the baby all day. So Day 3 found us at Kari's house having dinner with all the brothers and sisters in the Salt Lake Valley and then of course there were cousin sleep-overs, so as you will be able to tell from the pictures it was a fun filled chaotic 2 days, with many more to come I am sure.

Chapter 7: Day 2..........

Day 2 has dawned and it definitely smells like spring. With a slight breeze in the air and the temperature in the low sixties, we loaded our bikes into the back of the truck and set off for our next adventure. I had seen this bike trail off the side of Legacy Highway and thought it would be fun to take the kids to it, it seemed really family friendly. So as you can see we unloaded our bikes and set off on the trail, Bradley, Kennadee and Zachary each have their own bikes they rode and Lainee was behind my bike in a stroller, and cute little Sophie ran right beside me. As we were enjoying the weather, the horses, geese and seagulls, we realized that we had already rode 2.5 miles and although Bradley wanted to continue, Zacky and I thought we might be better off to head back to the truck. On the way out, it seemed really even and didn't have a lot of hills, so you can imagine my shock, when it seemed to feel like a gigantic hill I was trying to climb with 200 lb. weights tied to my feet on the way back. Lucky for me the wind was blowing so it cooled us down and even though it seemed to take forever to ride back to the truck, it was well worth the pain and anguish I had to endure in order to spend a little quality time with my kids. I wonder where Day 3 will take us??????????????

Chapter 6: Day 1

Okay so this is going to be a short and sweet blog with no Pictures, mostly because I forgot my camera, but today is the 1st day of the kids' spring break and this year I wanted to do something fun and inexpensive with them everyday this week, so we don't just get stuck doing the same o' same o'. So first thing this morning we got up and were out the door by 9:00 a.m. I know what most of you are thinking, that is just impossible, and just so you know, you are right if it wasn't because Zacky had a Dr. appt. we would not have been leaving quite so early. After the appt. I took the kids to the shoe store and returned some shoes, went to Downeast to return a shirt and then went to JC Penney to get some curtains (all kid stuff right)! Okay, Okay, then it was off to Chic-Fila for lunch and then we headed to the Utah Museum of Natural History for some fun with frogs, they had all their other exhibits but there was an amazing exhibit on frogs and toads. Do not fret I did not allow the girls to kiss them, nor did I allow the boys to touch them (for fear of warts:) Well, then it was time to be heading back, but we somehow did not want this afternoon to end quite so soon, so as I was driving I saw the SL City Library and never having been there before, asked the kids if they would like to look around. Holy Moly they had some cool stuff, a whole floor just for kids books, some play areas, glass elevators and an exit off the 5th floor roof that took you down to the street below, it was really fun to see Salt Lake from high above, and although the kids wanted to walk back up the ramp, I figured going down was enough of a work out for one day. All in all a great start to Spring Break, you will need to tune in later to see where our curiosity takes us next.............................................(to be cont.)

Chapter 5: Way back then..........

Many, Many, Many, Many years ago, there was a woman who was expecting a child, she already had a large brood, but she was eagerly anticipating the moment when she would greet this child into the world. The moment came; and the world got it's first glimpse of the man I would meet 25 years or so later on my own birthday. Who knew then what a wonderful Son, Brother, Husband, Dad and Grandpa he would become. Thank you for being you Dad, and here is to many more "OH, my hearts!" - Lots of Love on your Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love - All of us