Marli and Jake helped Jesse open his presents.

I love how much fun Grandpa Reuel was having. He loves his grandkids.

Ryan was so cute with Ashley. He had her laughing and smiling.

Ashley is so sweet. She is so good.

I love this picture of Ryan with Ashley. They have the same forehead.

Jesse wanted Grandpa Reuel and didn't want to get down to eat. I love that Grandpa doesn't care if he gets pizza in his hair.

Oh Lukey you are so adorable.

Melissa made Jesse's birthday cake. Wow! It's a real Thomas the train. She did an amzing job.

I love this picture...Jesse and Erin have the same exprsession.

Jakey's Turn For Treats

Monday at Jake's game it was his turn for treats. Grandma Bette Filled a cooler with cute little bottles of water and a huge selection of individual bags of chips. (Thanks mom for doing that for us)

Before the game they had pictures. Once they got their picture taken they stood in line to practice hitting the ball.

I was trying to take Ryan's picture with Jake and Marli thought it was funny to stand in the way. NERD!


Jake hustled today and really tried to get the ball when it was hit to him out at shortstop.

It was the first game I was able to go to. I was glad Ryan was there to help me pass out the treats.

It's A.......

We found out Friday that we're having a boy!!! Well we're pretty sure at least. The ultrasound tech said she wasn't positive ,but pretty sure. Nice! I was in shock for a couple days. I still don't know if I believe it. In my heart I really thought it was a girl. I honestly don't care either way. I just really hope and pray that this baby is healthy. Growing up without a sister I always felt like I missed out. It seems like everyone I know has at least one sister. I really wanted that for Marli. Ok so here are a couple of the ultrasound pictures.

The first two pictures you can see the babies head,body,arm and hand. The tech was pushing hard on my stomach,the baby didn't like it and was punching back. You can see the little fist punching upwards.


The third picture is his cute little foot.My favorite part.I love baby feet and toes.



Lastly this is a bum shot look careful and see if you can see a boy part.She labeled this picture"boy". I still think it's the umbilical cord.

Weird Things About me

OK so Kim tagged me to share some weird things about myself. I hope you'll all still be my friends after you read this.

#1 I hate wearing shoes and socks. 1st thing when I get home they come off. I love going barefoot.

#2 I Love to sing. Yes I am very aware that I am tone deaf. My husband points it out to me regularly. In the car or at home I blast music and sing my heart out. The kids and I will pretend we're in a rock and roll band and head bang.

#3I love reality t.v. especially Bravo t.v. It's fun to watch people make idiots of themselves then wonder why no one likes them.I love watching M.t.v too,but Ryan gets mad at me and tells me to watch something else.

#4 Post it notes are my best friend. If it's not wrote down it's not going to happen. Especially now that I'm pregnant...I am totally brain dead.Ryan teases me and says we are screwed if I can't remember cuz I'm the brains of the operation. He forgets even if it is written down.

#5 I hate clutter. If I walk in the house and there's piles of stuff I get upset. I like everything organized. There is a place for everything. Put it back when your done. I'm like that at my office too. It's probably hard to work with me,cuz I am a neat freak.

#6 I do not like cheese on hamburgers. If you put cheese on it I will not eat it. If I'm at home I like miracle whip and lettuce on my burger,but if we're somewhere else I like ketchup & mustard. I also will not eat ham & pineapple pizza. It's gross to me. I used to think pancakes were gross until a couple years ago. Ryan loves them and would always try to get me to eat them. Finally I started making different kinds and I love them. I put peanut butter on them as well as on my waffles. We have pancakes almost once a week at our house.

#7 I have a hard time throwing away my scraps when I'm scrap booking. People tease me and even give me their scraps. I have containers full of scraps. I think it's because growing up we were told to never waste anything.

OK so there ya have it. I hope I didn't scare anyone. Wish me luck today after work I'm going to the doctor. I have been apprehensive about the ultrasound. Worried something might be wrong with the baby. So I'll be happy when it's later on today and I can rest assure that everything is OK.

Wager Anyone?

I go to the doctor Friday at 1:00 and we'll have the ultrasound then to find out if we're getting a girl or a boy. I thought it would be fun to see what all of you think we'll be having. So place your wager.

Ryan,Jacob,Marli and I all think it's a girl. So who will be right?

The many yummy faces of Lucas

Erin,Mark and Luke stopped by Grandma Lyn's while we were there. We always love seeing them. Luke was so excited to see the kids. He even jumped on the tramp. He worked up a appetite. He was sitting in the highchair eating. He would randomly laugh and make the cutest/funniest faces. My shutter delay on the camera made me miss some of the funniest faces. These are a few that we captured.





We had such a fun time. We even got to talk to Carrie on the phone. As the evening was winding down my kids found the sprinklers and even though I told them to not get wet...they ended up soaked. As we were loading the kids in the car Marli told Kamri she loved her. Grandpa Reuel was standing there and Marli looked up at him and said I love her! I helped her get in the car and she said mom I really love Kamri can she and Koby come live at my house? Marli looks up to Kamri so much. I love to watch them together.

Marli fell asleep in the car on the way home. Jake was dirty and cold so I put him in the tub. As I unloaded the car he played and about fell asleep in the tub. The kids and I had a slumber party in the blue room. We read Beauty and the beast and fell asleep. What a marvelous Monday. Thanks to everyone who made today truly re memorable and meaningful.

The kids were hiding out under the trampoline. I thought these were so cute.


Grandma Lyn made cupcakes inside ice cream cones and then let the kids frost and decorate them. They were a big hit. My daughter thought she needed to eat all the cupcakes she decorated. She would lick off all the frosting and then get another one. This reminded me of Aunt Carebear and Jaxon...they would lick off all the frosting on doughnuts and leave the doughnut. Carrie would say"The doughnut is the vehicle to get the frosting to your mouth"!

The girls were so cute together. Marli absolutely adores Kamri. I thought these were so precious. They're just hanging out under the tramp.


I love this picture of Kenzi...she looks like a magician her legs disappear when she jumps so high

McKenzi is such a doll. I love her so much. She is so full of life. I truely enjoy watching her. When I first saw her tonight I picked her up and asked her for a hug,she put her head in my shoulder and gave me a hug...I told her how much I love her and she gave me a million dollar smile. She melts my heart.


Here's a group shot of the amigo's.

Marvelous Monday

I came home for lunch,fed the kids and got them ready to go to my office with me. Grandpa Reuel was going to pick them up and take them out to his house. On the way to my office I needed to stop at the Ups store. I told the kids we needed to run in and mail Aunt Carebear's birthday card at the mailbox store. Marli asked "Where's Carebear's mailbox?" I told her in front of her house. Marli asked "Where's her house?" I told her in Coeur d A'lene. Jake said "Mom I didn't know Carebear lived next to The Muffin Man!" I didn't say anything and then a moment later Jake said " The muffin man lives in the forest in Coeur d A'lene" (Dreary lane/Coeur d A'lene) I love the things he comes up with. So aunt Carebear please tell your neighbor the muffin man Jake says Hello!

Grandpa Reuel picked the kids up and they were off to play and have a good time. Cousins Koby,Kamri and Kenzi came over to Grandma Lyn's later on to play. When I got off work I met Aunt Kimmie at Reuel and Lyn's for Pizza and fun. Thanks Aunt Kimmie for getting pizza and root beer for everyone. The kids had so much fun together. I finally got to meet Miss Hailey our newest addition to the family. Why didn't I get a picture of her? I swear I am half brain dead these days. Hailey is beautiful. I got to hold her. She slept most of the time,every once in a while she would wake up just enough to look around and see what was going on...then she'd fall sound asleep again.

Jakey's 1st T-ball Game

Today was Jake's first T-ball game. The Yankees vs The Panthers. His game was at 9:45 a.m. and I was at work. Thankfully Ryan didn't have to go to work until 1:30. So dad got to go to his first game. I packed a backpack full of stuff they would need. Including the camera. Ryan took a ton of pictures.

Jake first time up to bat

Marli is watching her brother she looks like "Little Red Riding hood"

Jakey's position was 1st baseman

Ryan said he had to tell Jake to scoot back a little and give the runner some room. He was standing on the base. Ryan told me a few funny stories about the game. The one I enjoyed most was the coach from the other team was yelling at her runner to go on to 2nd base. Jake thought she was talking to him. He ran to 2nd.

Here's Jake trying to give his teammate five

The Panthers bench

Jake and marli

Hit that ball jake

Nice action shot Run Jakey poo

The Bistro Is Open

Saturday evening we went over to our neighbor Gary's. He'd invited a couple of our favorite neighbors and some of his friends. His wife Linda is in Virginia going to the same rad con school as Ryan went to. She'll be home in September. She's one of my card making buddies. They don't have children. They have two beagle dogs Hannah and Jessie.

Gary is Italian and when we sit out front on his patio he calls it "The Bistro". My friend Nikki bought them a sign that says Bistro. So it was fun to have a Bistro night. We called Linda and talked to her. I haven't heard her voice in quite a while. I was the first to talk to her. I got teary eyed and realized how much I miss my friend. She'll be home for the 4th of July weekend.So it'll be fun to see her.

Gary's here with all the kids and the dogs. I thought this was such a cute picture of all of them. Thanks for a fun Bistro night neighbors.

Birthday Cards & Colors

Today I needed to make 18 Birthday cards for the ladies in my ward. It's part of my calling. I got them made,addressed and in the mail. I scanned one of the cards I made Unfortunately it didn't show up really good. Each card was a little different. The colors I used were pumpkin orange,rust,ivory and a violet.


I have been studying colors lately and they're meaning. My dad copied me some cool color meanings,and their symbolism. I thought it would be fun to post a few.
Red symbolizes: action,confidence,courage and vitality. Red is the warmest of all colors. Red is the color most chosen by extroverts and one of the top picks of males.(Jaxon loved Red) Red roses symbolize passionate love. Red is the color of blood,and as such has strong symbolism as life and vitality. It brings focus to the essence of life with emphasis on survival.
Orange is a power color.It is one of the healing colors. It is said to increase the craving of food. It also stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. Orange means vitality and endurance. People who like orange are usually thoughtful and sincere.(Jacob's very favorite color) Orange is associated with the benign warmth of the sun.Curiosity is a driving characteristic of orange,and with it comes exploration of new things.
Purple is the color of good judgment. It is the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind.Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery,as well as royalty. Being the combination of red and blue,the warmest and coolest colors,purple is believed to be the ideal color.Most children love the color purple.(Jaxon's other favorite color)
Violet is the color of purpose.Violet is a combination of blue and red. Red is a focusing,dynamic and active energy while blue is cooling,calming and expansive. Violet brings a new dynamic to the expansion of blue and the activity of red. Red brings practicality to the undirected expansiveness of the blue,and allows more creative energy to emerge. For this reason,violet is associated with imagination and inspiration.
Green is the color of nature,fertility,life. Grass is green and the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning,growth and harmony. Green is favored by well balanced people. Green symbolizes the master healer and life force. (My brother Kyle's favorite color when he was younger was green).
Pink symbolizes love and beauty.(Marli's favorite color)
Yellow symbolizes wisdom,joy,happiness and intellectual energy.(Yellow was Jacob's first favorite color)
Blue symbolizes youth,spirituality,truth and peace.
OK so there is some food for thought for you. I love learning what colors mean. Then it's fun to see what colors the people we love like best.Carrie and I have always had the same two favorite colors purple and green. I never liked the color pink until Miss Marli came into my life. I started liking red more when I saw how much Jaxon liked it. I think we can change how we feel about colors when someone close to us loves a color we may not like at all.

Rain Rain Go Away

Jakey's first T-ball game was supposed to be today. Unfortunately it was canceled due to the rain.

I saw this picture and it reminded me of Jake. He was disappointed that his game was canceled. He was very optimistic though. He told me if it cleared up before it got dark,then they could play. I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't going to happen. He was sad,but he didn't let it get the best of him.

I love the earth after a good rain. Everything is clean again and smells fresh. I love to see how the rain effects people. Some don't like it at all,they get depressed. Others remember that it will be gone soon and the heat will return,so they enjoy it while it lasts. Kids love the rain. I think we forget how amazing it is as we get older.


I made homemade stew for dinner tonight. It turned out yummy. We we're eating dinner and it was quite. Jacob was staring into his bowl of stew and a big smile came across his face. He exclaimed "Hey I got a apple in mine". Ryan and I laughed so hard. I didn't say anything. Ryan finally explained to Jake it was a red potato. I asked Jake what if I put apples in the stew? He said I think it would be good. I love that kid.By the way Marli loved her first dance lesson. She listened to her teacher and did her best. There are six little girls in her class. Marli is the youngest,but she is the tallest. When the lesson was over she came out I gave her a hug. She said "Mom did you see those two naughty girls?" There were two girls who didn't listen to the teacher and played on a little trampoline in the corner. I thought it was funny that Marli thought they were naughty. I was also glad that it wasn't her. I asked her what she thought of dance. She said "Mom I love it".