The Meier Family

I'm feeling sorta... Wicked!

2011-12-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Pantry House

Me and JoJo

Me and Javier Colon

Oh.my.goodness! First let me just say that I am so spoiled! My bestie Brooke called a couple months ago and asked if I wanted to go with her and some girls from her ward on a weekend trip to Cali to see Wicked! Well, after much "convincing", I decided to go! ;-) It was scheduled for the weekend after my birthday so it was the perfect excuse to give Ben! Happy Birthday to me!

We had so much fun! We left St. George Thursday morning and headed to LA where we would check into our super sweet hotel, get some dinner and then head over to Pentages to see the show! Wicked was a.ma.zing. It blew every expectation I had out of the water. Seriously. I still find myself thinking about it. I cannot wait to see it again! After the show we wondered around to the back to see if we could see any of the performers but we grew impatient and decided to grab some delicious Pink Berry instead! Yum!

Friday we slept in and then went and grabbed a delicious breakfast at a little diner called The Pantry House! They had huge portions and yummy yummy food! I LOVE places like that! We then headed over to the Fashion District where we shopped until we literally dropped! So fun! We actually just hit up Santee Alley because some locals told us that was the best place to shop. It was like a little Mexico! Lots of knock-offs, purses, make-up, shoes, toys... We did some pretty good shopping that day! It was lots of fun though. Later we met back at the hotel so we could grab some dinner and then head over to a tree lighting event they were having at our hotel. While we were in the elevator one of the girls asked this guy if he was a singer because he was carrying a guitar... I looked up and it was Javier Colon from The Voice! Ahhh! He was so nice and took pictures with all of us! He was actually staying in our hotel and was performing at the tree lighting! So fun! That night we went to dinner and then over the tree lighting which was so fun! Then later we were getting ready to go to one of the other girls room when we saw JoJo! No one knew who she was except for me but it was still so fun to stop and get a picture with her. Don't mind me in the picture. I look special. I was just so excited!

Saturday we got up and headed back to Santee Alley to get some last minute deals. Then we hit up a sweet fabric store that Brooke had heard about! Then last but not least we headed to Ikea where we spent literally 4 hours at!! Ah! We did not leave LA until like 5 pm. We had so much fun though and I made some great new friends!

A huge shout out to "brown" grandma for watching the kiddos for me while I went! Thank you!!! The kids just love having you so close and so do we! Thanks to Ben for letting me go too! He is such a great husband and dad! And thanks to Brooke for the invite and for the great friendships I made while on that trip!

Benson's Bday party

2011-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

I swear I threw this party back in September for his actual birthday! I'm just a little behind in the blogging department! I wasn't sure if I was even going to throw him a party but I came across this blog and basically copied ev.er.y.thing about it! (I'm good at that!) Besides, it made it so easy! The boys had a blast! I made them robes. For lunch they had galactic pizza and yoda sodas! They played pin the light saber on Darth Vader, keep the balloon off the ground with light sabers and they went on a "mission" to find their goodie bags! They also had quite the fight when Darth Vader himself showed up!!

To finish the party off, we had cupcakes that were lined up to look like a light saber!

The boys had a blast!

We are so blessed to live in this fun, close knit neighborhood! Every single friend he invited has or does live here and will be a life long friend!
I also hold a special place in my heart for all of these cute "little" boys!

Check check...anyone out there?

2011-12-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Sadie was blessed on September 3rd, 2011.
We did our traditional Saturday blessing at my parents ward building. It is so nice to be able to do our own thing! We don't have to worry about the circle being too big or being on time... haha. Anyway, we had a great day. The guys that were in the circle were:
Ben, Grandpa Joe, Grandpa Wade, Great Grandpa Bradshaw, Great Grandpa Swensen, Great Grandpa Meier, Kirk, Uncle Spencer, Uncle Levi, and Great Uncle Craig.

We had a nice luncheon afterwards with some yummy chicken salad sandwiches, chips, fruit and some mini cup cakes. Thank you thank you to all those that helped and are always so willing to lend a hand. Thanks to my mom for being a rock star like always and making things happen!! :-)

On a side note, Miss Sadie Lou is actually named after Ben's grandpas mom. So his great grandma. After the blessing, his grandpa was so sweet and shared some of her history with us. Here are just a few things that I wanted to jot down for journaling purposes.

Her full name was Sadie Peay Meier and she was born on July 15th, 1898 in Kentucky. She was born in July like our Sadie and also had an older brother and an older sister. In 1925, Sadie and her husband Rob attended there first sacrament and were later baptized members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints.
Then in October of 1943, they moved their family of 6 kids to Utah!
We are so proud that we could name her after such an amazing woman. The stories of her are always of service and kindness.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween this year! My mom came down so she could be with us and see the kids! We did our traditional "dinner in a pumpkin" which was so good! Next year though, we decided we'll do that the night before Halloween and pizza the night of! Ha!
Benson was Darth Vader, Hiley was a cheerleader and Miss Sadie was a little witch! We went around out little neighborhood and got loads of treats.
I'm pretty sure this is Hiley's favorite holiday! :-)

Sadie's Photo Shoot

2011-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about this little beautie! I love her... we love her! She has been so much fun! It's funny though. You think with your 3rd that you know everything there is to know. Hmmm. I was wrong. She has/had thrush. My other two didn't. What. a. pain! I've also had some nursing issues which have also never come up before. Ugh. Sadie also likes to spit up. A lot! Oh and cry... Every night. At 8 p.m. Without fail. This too is also new to me. What the?? People who have babies with colic.... I don't know how you do it. Seriously. I give you mad props!

I, however know that I am so blessed to have a happy, healthy baby.

She has started to smile which melts my heart. She has the "Bradshaw" mouth. Long upper lip, tiny bottom one. She reminds me of my grandma. I'm sure she had her hand it that! ;-) Sometimes I think about how much she would love this baby and how she would have loved to hold her! But then I remember how she does and did. My grandma loved and held her before I did! How sweet is that knowledge?

Sadie is so lucky! She has so many people in her life that love her so much!

Anyway, she weighed in at a "whopping" 10lbs 11oz at her two month appt. last week! She is growing just like she should. She also had her first set of shots! (which do not get easier with each child, I might add!)! She is doing great and is so stinkin' cute! Now if I could just stay caught up on laundry! Man, who knew such a tiny little thing could produce sooooo much laundry! ;-)

Ok click HERE for a link for my photographer. She is a.ma.zing!

Click HERE for the headband info too! My friend Heather makes them and they are so cute!

Children of the Corn

2011-10-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

(please ignore the orphan-like state of my children.)

Here's the story:

At the end of last school year, Benson went on a field trip to Staheli Farms. It's a pretty cool farm here in town. Anyway, while there, they received some seeds. I had no idea what they were or anything about them really. Well, I had to work the night that he got them but when Ben got home, he told Benson they could plant one. So off they went to the back yard where Ben tore a hole in the weed mat and literally pushed the seed into the ground... That's it.
He did this just to appease Benson.

Fast forward 4 months and what do we have??
One single corn stock. We couldn't believe it! Benson was so proud of his corn. I wasn't convinced however. I totally thought it was a big weed. Nope. It was totally corn. It has, to our disappointment died, but not before producing 2 tiny ears of corn. How fun!

One day, when we have a place of our own, I would love to have a garden!

Benson

2011-09-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Let's just say I had a hard time with this. A really hard time. Anyone can tell you I'm not the most emotional person there is. I bawled... like a baby. The day before I mentioned to Benson that when I got ready to go to school, my dad always gave me a blessing. I sorta just mentioned it in passing. As soon as Ben got home from meetings that morning Benson said, "Dad, will you give me a blessing so that I can go to school?" I was so proud of him. Anyway, that night during the blessing I couldn't hold back the tears. (I must still have some pregnancy hormones! ;-) ) Ben gave him such a sweet blessing. Of course Hiley wanted too. She is usually very squirmy and ADD but she sat there so quiet with her arms folded like she was taking in everything her dad was saying. It was awesome. Benson kept telling me not to be sad that he wasn't scared and that I would be with Hiley and Sadie. So funny! I told him they were happy tears but he didn't seem to buy it! Anyway, I did really good the next day... up until the bus pulled away! I decided that I didn't like this job of being a mom anymore and I hated the idea of having to let my boy go into this BIG BAD world of ours. I just hope and pray every day that we have done the best we could with teaching him everything that the schools do not. I really do like this job by the way, just not the hard stuff... like letting them grow up!!

Some of Benson's favorites right now:

Color: red
Food: pizza
Treat: cookies
Movie: Star Wars
Best Friend: Tryston
Thing to do: play with friends and play the Wii

Summer

2011-09-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun busy summer this year. I can't believe how fast it went. Now it's Labor Day and summer is over.... {sigh} We did lots of swimming, lots of traveling, lots of hanging with the neighbors! We also had lots of visitors when Sadie was born which was so fun! My mom was here for almost two weeks! Lindsey, Lauren and Carter came down. My dad also came for a couple days. Ben's mom has been living down here so it was nice to have you around to help, along with Brown Grandpa! Anyway, when Lauren and Carter were here they took the kids "night riding" one night on their bikes and skateboards! They had so much fun! We actually got them out of bed and let them go in their pj's! Good times!
Now it's back to school, football season and hopefully cooler nights! Here's to fall....

Introducing...

2011-07-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sadie Lou Meier
July 26th, 2011
7 lbs. 13 oz.
19 inches
10:48 a.m.

Hiley is in love with her and has been such an awesome
helper!

He's going to be such a good big brother to his two sisters!

Proud Daddy

Not excited about her car seat... :-(

Well, I think it's about time I get this story written down. I cannot believe how fast time goes... Sadie is such a blessing in our lives! She is so sweet and has been a great baby!

Alright here it goes... I had my membranes stripped the Friday before in hopes it would help... I'm not really sure it did. Anyway, there was no movement all weekend. Lame. However, I had set an induction date for Wednesday, July 27th so at least there was some light at the end of the tunnel. My mom came into town on that Sunday just so she could be here and not have to worry about driving down.

On Monday, Ben and I went to the temple. It was so nice. We sorta went in hopes of getting some inspiration as to what to name this baby too! (We had struggled with her name the entire pregnancy!) Anyway, that afternoon we went to wal-mart to get some last minute shopping done. We were there for about an hour. Walking. I'm pretty sure that's what did it... Later that night, Ben and a neighbor gave me a blessing. Again, I was so grateful. The contractions started shortly after that. I wasn't too worried about them so we went to bed. They finally woke me up around 3:30. I timed them for a few minutes and decided I'd better take a shower and pack my hospital bag since I hadn't done that yet! :-/ I took my time and decided to wake Ben up around 4:30. We finished getting our stuff together and then headed to the hospital around 5:30 am.

I was worried I wasn't going to be dilated and they were going to send me home. However, when they checked me I was a 6 and 90% effaced. Ya! I was going to have this baby! They admitted me and moved me into my room. I had my epidural by about 8, the doctor came in and broke my water and things were looking good until my contractions completely stopped! What??! Soooo amongst all the chaos that was that morning with them delivering 6 OTHER babies in 2 hours, they gave me a big dose of pitocin and left. 30 minutes later it was on. I told Ben he needed to go find someone because this baby was coming. The nurse came in, checked me, told me NOT to push and then laid me flat. The Dr. was on his way... I'm not sure how long it really took but it felt like an hour! It was awful. I was bawling. I've never cried before. Finally, the Dr. came in threw on his gear and she was out in 3 pushes. Ohmigosh, I have never felt relief like that. I don't ever want to feel what I felt again. I'm still not sure if the epidural wore off or what but it was not fun!

Anyway, she was perfect. Perfect head, perfect skin. I loved her instantly. You can try and tell someone a million times about what it's like to have a baby but until they experience it themselves, they will never know. I mean this in every sense... whether you adopt or use a surrogate or have a c-section. When they place that baby, your baby in your arms, there is nothing else like it. Nothing. How truly blessed I am!

Later that day my mom brought the kids over! They were so sweet with her! Hiley kept telling everyone she saw that her "baby came out"! Benson was TOTALLY freaked out by breast feeding. Too funny. He says to me as serious as possible, "Mom, what are you doing? Don't do that!" He's still getting used to the idea. Hiley keeps asking me if there is more milk in my boobs. Kids are so funny! I was really worried about Hiley and how she would react but it's Benson who has surprised me! He asks 1,000 questions every day and always wants to hold her. Hiley doesn't really want to hold her but is the best helper ever!!! She has been great with that!! Anyway, we are so glad she is here and can't believe how much she has grown and changed already! We love you Sadie! xoxo

Hiley's Story

2011-07-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

**Hiley Jo**
April 29th, 2007

Here's your story:

Your dad had gone to San Antonio, Texas for a few days to help your Uncle Adam move into his new house. He was going to fly into Salt Lake on Saturday, April 28th. I decided to drove up there and spend a few days while he was gone and then be there to pick him up. My doctor knew nothing of this little impromptu trip of mine. Anyway, after driving they fell a little behind schedule so he thought that he maybe wanted to try and stay in Texas for a day longer so that he could see the city and their new home. We talked about it and I just mentioned that he should just come home unless he was 100% sure that he could get on an actual flight and not a stand by. He wasn't sure so home he came. They literally drove him right to the airport. Poor guy. Well... on my way to the airport to pick him up on that Saturday afternoon, I started having contractions. I wasn't really sure if that's what they actually were so I watched/felt them for a while. They were about 20 minutes apart and the same intensity. I told Ben about them and he wanted to drive all the way to Cedar City! I was like there is no way I am risking that! So anyway, we just continued to watch and time the contractions. Around 8, we decided to go to dinner with my parents and Lauren. We went to Texas Roadhouse. It was good to get out... While we were there, the contractions started to get closer together. When we got home, we went for a walk to see if that would help. I also took a hot bath to see if that did anything. Well, we decided to try and get some sleep so we went to bed. I couldn't sleep. They were more intense and closer together. Finally around 1:30 I woke Ben up. Him and my dad gave me a blessing and we headed over to the hospital. They watched me for a few hours and gave me some morphine to see if that would help with the pain. It did a little but it also made me dilate. At 5 am they admitted me. They gave me my epidural, I got a tiny bit of sleep and then you were ready. I only pushed for about 15 minutes and out you came.... just as the doctor was walking in at 7:17 am. You were beautiful. So healthy and perfect!!

I still can't believe you were born in Salt Lake! So on your own schedule... which honestly hasn't changed since! It seems we are always waiting for Hiley! ;-)

Part II

2011-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Drummond, MT: My favorite place on earth.

Lindsey-Me-Lauren-Grandpa-Kenzi-Kamery
All the grand-daughters!

I know I always say this but it's true. I sometimes worry that there will be a time in my life when I will never go back... I won't have a reason too. It literally makes my heart hurt. One of these times, I am going to photograph everything though. I don't want to ever forget things... Like the barn or the streams or the house on the hill or the dark cool basement. :-)
It seemed weird to be there this time without my grandma. She was the reason we went. She loved when we came to visit. We loved to visit. It was hard explained to B and H about where she was and answering the 1,000 questions that followed. They knew she was in heaven but wondered why her body was in the ground.... I know for sure she chuckled at the many death comments that Hiley has made along the way!
Anyway, we had a great visit. We went over Memorial weekend so that we could be together to remember her, my grandma. She spent so much time preparing for this day. She would tidy up and put flowers on the graves of loved ones. Her headstone looked lovely. It is perfect for her and there is a nice spot for my grandpa when it's time to place him beside her.

Can I just say though... it is was c.o.l.d! Like, November cold. We didn't get to play outside much but we did venture down to the barn a few times to feed to horses. We also hit up the local high school rodeo and parade. The kids loved that! We also went to Kung Fu Panda 2 and of course Hoagieville! Mmmmmm. Delish!

_________________________________________________

To wrap up spring, we had a fun dance recital with Hiley. She cracks me up. She actually seemed do better this time around. She loves the idea of getting dressed up but then gets a little distracted when it comes to the "dancing" part! Anyway, she did jazz, tap and ballet. I think I'll do one more year of dancing and then see if she'd like to venture out and try something a little more "fast/ competitive"!
Benson did his first year of baseball and loved it. Ben got him a glove and some new cleats. All the boys on the team were from the neighborhood so he had a blast! It was soooo much fun to watch them learn to play and figure things out.
We'll for sure be playing baseball again.

__________________________________________________________

CARTER GRADUATED!!!!

Holy smokes! We are so proud of him. It was so awesome to see him do this. We had a very nice day with a yummy BBQ and lots of family time!
It sure aged me quite a bit though. Yikes! I graduated 10 years ago...

___________________________________________________

Vegas Baby!

How about another sweet Vegas trip with the girls?
As always, we had so much fun...
Lots of eating (The Wynn Buffet) and shopping (The DI) and driving! ;-)

The highlight? Seeing The Lion King at Mandalay Bay! Ohmigosh. It was a-ma-zing. I want to take my kids back! Thanks to a little birdie, (Spencer!) we found out that with a student ID, you can get killer prices on seats soooo with the help of Suz and Brooke, we were able to get FRONT ROW seats for like... next to nothing!
**The top picture is us with the two little kids who played Nala and Simba at the very beginning of the show. Talk about talented!**
So if you ever get a chance to see this show, go! You will not be disappointed!

Thanks again ladies for another fun get-away! As always, I had a blast!! And thanks to my husband who... wait a minute! Ben totally lucked out and didn't have to watch the kids this trip!
They were up north with my mom soooo...

A HUGE "shout out" to her for watching my kids for the ENTIRE week!! You are always so thoughtful and never think twice about helping us out. These two just love you so much and could not ask for a better grandma! Thank You, Thank You for all your help!!!!
I love you, mom!!

Oh and I almost forgot...
While we dined at The Wynn Buffet,
we ran into this "movie star"...

Ham from The Sandlot!

Haha. Brooke was the only one brave enough to ask for a picture.
It was so funny to see him all grown up though! :-)

Lately....

2011-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I happened to glance at the date of my last post and could not believe it was in March. I am such a slacker!! We've been pretty busy though lately so I guess I have a little bit of an excuse...

Here's what we've been up too: (Beware picture and info overload!)

We're going to call this Part I...

First we have Easter! We were able to spend it up in Salt Lake and the kids had a blast hunting for eggs in "Black" grandma's backyard! We also got to spend this weekend with "White" Grandma and Grandpa down from Idaho! For some awesome reason I'm sure, I didn't get any pictures of the kids baskets or egg hunting. :-/

Next we have Hiley's 4th birthday! I cannot believe how big she is getting. She cracks us up daily and can go from zero to sixty in no time at all! This girl is a total bag lady and loves, loves her treats! We had a pretty low key day. We met up with some friends at McDonald's for lunch and then she headed over to her BFF Londyn's house for the afternoon! As always, she got spoiled rotten with Rapunzel dress-ups, an alphabet book, new glitter shoes and lots of goodies from the grandma's! We sure love this sassy little thing!

Nothing kicks off summer quite like the Cotton Days here in Washington. We went to a movie in the park, the "carnival" and watched the awesome fireworks. The kids love it and so do we! The movie would have been a little better if it wasn't for the dang wind that kept blowing the screen over... Yikes! Anyway, it was fun none the less. They showed Tangled that night so the above three little princesses were in heaven!

I can't not mention my dear friend Suzanne's surprise 30th birthday party! Her husband and I were quite the schemers in planning this little shin-dig! We had so much fun and I hope she did too! There were lots of friends and family there. (She is quite popular actually!) Anyway, she is such a great friend and I'm so glad we were able to celebrate this BIG day with her! ;-)

I'm a preschool smartie!

Benson and Hiley wrapped up another year of preschool with Miss Katie, who both of my kids adore! She has been such a great teacher! Benson was sad to learn that he won't be back in the fall! They each had their own little ceremony with the class that they've been in where they sang songs and showed all the parents their progress from the year. Hiley has come so far. She can identify every letter in the alphabet and knows all their sounds. Benson has always been a good learner and loves to show us his skills as well. He can write his full name and Hiley's. He also loves to draw and socialize!

Benson's Story

2011-03-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

(I cannot find the file that has his newborn pictures on it. This is the earliest I could find! Hopefully it shows up!)

When I found out I was pregnant, I could not believe it. I literally took 4 home tests. I then went into SUU's health center and had them give me a test as well. Wow, talk about needing to be convinced! It was the end of December when I found out. Note to self: never take a pregnancy test right before class and when your husband is not home! What was I thinking?! Anyway, I went to class as usual but didn't remember a single thing that was talked about that day! As soon as it was done, I ran to Walmart to pick up the aforementioned tests! ;-) When I told Ben, he couldn't believe it either. We had literally just briefly talked about maybe "trying" to have a baby... Ready or not!

We waited until Valentine's day to tell our families about this little baby. We wanted to make sure we were in the "safe" zone. I was so nervous! I can still remember that night. You would have thought that I was an unwed 15 year old about to tell her parents that she was expecting. Holy smokes. It was so fun though! We gave them both a book called "Grandparents are Special"! Benson was the first grand child on both sides. Not to mention the first great-grand child for 3 sets of our grandparents! So exciting!

We were living in Cedar City at the time and attending SUU. Ben was very involved with football and school at the time. I was also going to school and working for a physical therapist. We were seeing Dr. Jarid Gray and really liked him. My due date was September 24, 2005. I expressed my concern of this little guy being born right during football season! In fact, my due date was during a weekend the team would be away on a road trip... Dr. Gray was awesome and settled my nerves by letting me schedule an induction date for the week before when we knew Ben would be around. :-)

My pregnancy was really pretty good. I remember being a little tired in the beginning. I ate a lot of hot dogs and I LOVED pepperoni pizza! I was never sick and I don't think I ever threw up. I shouldn't brag but I really have been so blessed to have easy pregnancies. I did a lot of traveling while I was pregnant. I went to Boston in the spring. Back and forth to Salt Lake and we went to Island Park. I am also almost 100% sure he was conceived in Chicago. (that counts right?)

Well, Benson came into our lives on September 19th, 2005 at 11:11 p.m. He weighed 7lbs. 9oz. and was 20 inches long.

Delivery= Wow. People can tell you over and over again what its like or how it was for them but until you do it.... you will never truly know. It is amazing and awful, beautiful and gross, wonderful and hard. Wow... We got to the hospital, Valley View Medical Center, at midnight on the 19th so that I could be induced as scheduled. They gave me two doses of some medicine to help soften my cervix. Then at about 11:00 am they started the pitocin. They had to keep upping the dose though because nothing was happening. I was dilating but very slowly and there were no contractions. At about 1:30 pm Dr. Gray came and broke my water. There was no turning back at that point. This seemed to help a little because I started to move a little faster. Around 5 pm they came and gave me my epidural. YEAH! However, still no baby. He must have been pretty comfortable in there because it wasn't until about 6 hours later with 2 hours of pushing that he finally came out. It was 11:11 pm. When he came out he wasn't breathing and it took them about 45 seconds to get him going. His cry was music to my ears. Ben did get to cut the cord though. He was absolutely perfect. He really is a beautiful baby. It was a very, very long day but we are so glad that he is here. It's amazing!!

Here are some of the notes that I wrote down in his scrapbook about that day...

You are absolutely perfect. After an extremely long day, with almost 24 hours of delivery, you came! You are beautiful and I cannot believe that you are MINE! You had so much hair and a perfect little face. You were very handsome right away! Everyone said that you were a perfect combination of me and your dad. You were delivered by Dr. Gray and your dad was such an amazing coach... I couldn't have done it without him! It was so funny because during your delivery there was a football game on and so in between each contraction the boys would watch some of the game so it'll be no surprise if you love the game as much as your dad! We had a very hard time naming you. We went to the hospital with a few in mind but nothing we loved. After you were born, the birth certificate lady kept coming and asking if we had a name yet... we felt a lot of pressure so we decided to name you. For about 12 hours you were Brady Benjamin. Your dad just did not feel good about it so he went for a walk. When he came back, he begged me to let him name you Benson Parker. I couldn't say no and I cannot imagine you as anything else. Benson is so perfect for you. It means "son of Benjamin" and "brave heart"! It couldn't be more perfect. You are the sunshine in our lives! We both love you so much! More then we ever knew possible.

Our little peanut...

2011-02-27T17:47:00.001-08:00

So my sweet mother-in-law just got done with her radiology program and was able to take these awesome ultra sound pictures for me! She took a ton of them but these were my favorite and by far the best ones! Thanks Leslie for doing this! They are so fun to have!!

So we (as in I) have a couple names in mind for this little girlie girl! I'm really into boys names for girls right now. Well, I always have been but more so now then ever. Also, I've had a hard time with matching our last name with a good first name and something that flows with these other two goofies! ;-)
Anyway, here are a few I love... Let me know what you think!!! I love getting comments and suggestions! (and reactions. haha. :-0)

1. Taytum
2. Lyla
3. Jaymes
4. Cooper
5. Zyon
Ok, that's all I can think of right now but I know there are more.... I'll try to remember!

Out Numbered...

2011-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

So I guess it's about time I announced that baby #3 is on its way... you know, since I'm 15 weeks and all. I kept convincing myself that something was wrong so that's why I have waited so long... but nope! We are expecting a perfectly healthy baby GIRL! Ohmigosh. Another Hiley? Someone get me a xanax! :-) Benson was so funny when the tech said girl. He let out a groan and then said "But mom, that's not fair!" Too funny! Hiley was so happy! She's called girl all along! So did I actually. There wasn't any reason as to why either. Huh? I am however, so in L.O.V.E with the idea of her having a sister!

You know what's so cool though, with the first two I didn't have a blog so this will be fun... well for me anyway! Soooo on that note, this has been the "hardest" pregnancy and it wasn't even that hard in comparison to some of the stories I have heard. I was sick for about 3 solid weeks and I have been exhausted. The headaches have just started to come more frequently now which is by far the thing I dread the most. Tylenol? Really? I might as well eat a tic-tac! Lameness. I am older this time around too and have 2 more to chase. (How do people do it with more?!) I have recently cut back at work though which I think will help tremendously... so I'm now working 3 days instead of 4 to 5! As of right now, I am due July 25th! Holy HOT!!! It is good because Ben will be out of school but bad because I live in St. freakin' George and it gets bloody hot!

2011-01-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Guys! I want a silhouette so badly! My mom got one and they are AWESOME! I'm totally going to win this one! haha. We'll see! ;-) Anyway, click on the link above and check out all the details for this give-away. Or don't. That's fine! Better odds for me!!!

Tiny Dancer

2010-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hiley had her first dance recital on Saturday and it was so fun! I absolutely loved watching her! She loves, loves tap and the jazz part of it. I think she might be just a tad A.D.D for ballet! ;-) During that number, she got distracted by the back drop and didn't dance for a minute. So funny. Typical Hiley!
She loves to put make-up on and get her hair curled!
She had quite the audience there too
with her mom, dad, brother, two aunts and grandma and grandpa there!

Dad said next year, we are trying soccer! ;-)
Anyway, we are so proud of her and think she did a great job!!

Lately....

2010-11-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

This year for Benson's 5th birthday we went all out
with a Batman Themed party!
This kid is C.R.A.Z.Y about superheros right now and
thought this would be the perfect way to celebrate!
With all his buddies there,
we decorated gift bags,
had PB&J's, purple kool-aid and
bat poop... (aka cocoa puffs!)
We played pin the bat on batman, "bat, bat, joker"
(instead of duck, duck, goose!) and they hit the pinata!
The kids had a blast and I was exhausted
so you know that means all was a success!
The kid got spoiled and also loved having G&G Meier in town to help celebrate!
(P.S. This party was in September sooo I'm just a little behind in posting this!)

In October, I took a much needed road trip to Vegas with 4 of my FAVORITE girlies! First stop? The DI! Love the thrift stores right now! We had so much fun shopping, eating, laughing, and shopping, oh and eating! The highlight?? Mmmm, wouldn't YOU like to know?
Haven't you heard the saying?
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!!!
**I just quickly have to say that I absolutely love these girls. I know that they have not been in my life for very long but I cannot imagine it without them now. Girlfriends are so important to me and I am so lucky to be able to call them that. They have made me a better person and make me want to try just a little harder to be more like them. They each bring such awesome and amazing qualities to the table

and like I said before I am so blessed to know them
and I don't know what I would do without them!**

Thanks ladies... for everything!

So my dear sweet awesomely talented friend Brooke over at
All Things Thrifty has pretty much given everyone I know the bug...
the decorating bug.
(Wait until you see what we have in the works
RIGHT NOW, ahhhh! I can't wait!!)

Anyway, so I must admit I sorta liked to decorate but
never really LOVED it.... so this project was my very first and I am.in.love!!

I bought this bad boy about a month ago at the DI.
I had NO clue what to do with it. All I know is I wanted it. Want to know why?
Because it cost me EIGHT DOLLARS!
That's right! $8 big ones!
And it was sooooo cute!
So I brought her home!
(and hid it in my neighbors garage so that Ben wouldn't see it.
I knew he wouldn't see the vision like I did. Haha.
I didn't have a vision, lets be honest.)
I just thought she was soooo cute! Anyway, after I gave her some
serious LOVE...
stripping of the paint, sanding, priming and spray painting
she is gorgeous!
I love it! She now sits in my living room as my coffee table.
It's perfect because we have ZERO extra room but
because its not very wide, it works perfectly!
Thanks Brooke for giving me the bug....
I now have approx. 5 projects in the works right now!!! Yikes!

Pardon me...

2010-10-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

So, I have been so torn with the idea of posting another blog entry, one which will push my sweet grandma down on my page. It's been hard deciding what to write about too but that picture that pops up every time I log on really tugs at my heart.... Seriously, though you can bounce whenever you want. My post today is LAME! :-/

Anyway, I've been sort of numb lately. Not sure why... A lot of things I suppose. It's so weird what death does. I came home and immediately started looking for anything with my grandmas handwriting on it. Recipes, notes, birthday cards. Why now? I should have been cherishing these items a long time ago. How about the blanket she made us when we got married? Now I don't want to use it. I want to save it in a box and never get it out. (She would be so mad at me if I did. I can actually hear her saying "If you don't use it, who will?!" :-)) I miss her so much.

With all this though it has made me think. It has made me think about how we spend our whole lives trying to obtain all these material things. Working to make ends meet. Trying to get what everyone else has... but what do we take with us when we go?
A whole lot of nothing.

As sad as this has been for me, it has opened my eyes (and my heart). I am so so grateful for the gospel and how much comfort it has brought me. I needed a blessing due to a "task" I was asked to fulfill. How grateful I am to have a husband who holds the priesthood and who was able to help me feel peace and comfort at a time I didn't think was possible. How awesome it has been to know that she is whole again and is reunited with those that have gone on before her. How awesome it is that I KNOW that I will one day be united with her.

OK, I'm done. However, my sweet friend Jamie had this little poem on her blog. She lost her brother and had this for him. I loved it. :-) I'll leave you with it now....

"Wish Heaven had a phone so I could hear your voice again. I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake, from which I'll never part...God has you in his arms. I have you in my heart."

Gram

2010-09-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mary Frances Bradshaw

How do you say good-bye to someone you love with your whole entire heart? Someone who has been a part of your life since the day you were born. How do you let go of someone so dear to you that it physically hurts when you think about it? Then how do you go on with life when the slightest thought of them brings instant tears? How do you keep it together for everyone around you when all you want to do is crawl into a hole and never come out? How do you explain to your children why you are so "sad"? And then how do you explain to them where "white" grandma is?

I've never done this before. I'm not very good at it so I'll just say this... You don't say good-bye, you say "I'll see you soon". You don't ever really let go either. You deal with the pain for awhile and then carry their memories with you, forever. You go on with life, tears and all, because you have to. Because you do have children and because you know that that is EXACTLY what they would have wanted you to do. You keep it together for all the "outsiders" but for those few who are dear to your heart, you let them help you. You let them pick you up off the floor and out of that hole because that is why they are in your life. And one day, they will need you to do the same for them. You tell your children exactly why you are sad because they do actually understand what is going on. You let them know that even though you are so sad, its OK because you're happy too. No more suffering, no more heartache, no more pain. And then you tell them that "white" grandma went back to live with her Heavenly Father. That she is whole again and that one day we'll get to see her!

Words cannot express the love that I have for this woman.
She is a rock. She is a wife, a mother, a grandma, a great-grandma, a friend, a saint. She was positive and wise. She was hilarious and charming. She was mean. ;-) She was honest. She loved with her whole heart. She was talented and generous. She was caring and she was thoughtful.
She IS everything I would like to be.
Gram, I love you so much and will miss you more than anything.
Until now and then, til I see you again, I'll be missing you, Love Me

2010-09-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

I officially feel old. How do I have a 5 year old? It's crazy!
No more toddler. Just this sweet, sweet "boy".
He's a little kid. I don't know how I feel about it. :-/

Let me tell you a few things about this "kid"...

- Oh man, do I love him!
- He HATES to be in trouble and really is such a good boy!
- He loves his sister, Hiley!
- He would eat pizza all day, everyday if I let him!
- He's kind. For example: "Hi, mom. How was your sleep?"
- He LOVES to play with his friends. And again would play ALL day and night if allowed!
- His favorite treats are oreos and well, anything sweet really!
- He does not like dogs.
- He loves his grandmas (and grandpas!) but mostly grandmas! ;-)
- He is totally into super heros right now!

Well, like I said above, I just love him so much. He's just a cool, laid-back kid.
He's had his share of melt-downs but they are few and far between and I am so grateful for that.
I am even more grateful that he is mine.
I love you Benson Boy.
I hope you had a good birthday!

Summa Time...

2010-07-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

These are out of order date wise but you get the idea... :-)

...Slacker...

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I feel as though I need a major event to take place in order to blog. Then on top of that, I find myself being envious of all these other cute blogs that just post about whatever... nothing too important to everyone else but just to them, personally. I need to do better with that. Ya know, with not being so concerned with what everyone else wants to hear about! I do wish though that I was a little "wittier", a bit more funny with my ramblings and what-not! Like my friend Chanel, for example. She is HilArIoUs!! (I'd link her but she's private!) I love to read what she has to say and hear about her cute, sweet family and LAUGH!! But seriously, I need to stop with the comparison game and just be better at posting because I mainly do this for my mother. ;-)

Here's what we've been up to:
(in no particular order! :) )

Happy Birthday Hiley!

2010-04-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, where to begin with this little girl?
Just looking at these pictures makes me exhausted! ;-)
And her too!
Can you see all the ones where she has fallen asleep?
She is one busy little bee!
I can't believe she turns three today!
Where does the time go?

Some things that we LoVe about {Miss Thang}...

*She loves her big brother.
The two of them crack me up! They are the best of friends.

*She can hang with the boys!
We are surrounded by about 7 little boys and she has no trouble keeping up!

*She loves to EAT!
She sorta reminds me of Brad Pitt in Ocean's 11...
Eating in every scene??

*She loves music and loves to sing!
In fact, we got her a CD player for her birthday.
I know a little silly considering she's only 3 but she won't leave mine alone!!!

*She is a girly-girl when she wants to be!
Loves to have her hair done and nails painted but isn't afraid to get a little dirty either!

*She's a great helper!
She loves to help load and unload the dishwasher and put away her big girl pants!

*She LOVES all of the neighboring moms...
ie. Suzanne, Leslie and Cari! She always wants to show them a new outfit
or some freshly painted toes! ;-)
...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hiley!
...
It's amazing how many different emotions you can make me feel in one day!
You are so beautiful and I'm so glad you are mine!
Thanks for coming into my world three years ago!
We love you turkey!

Day Two: Catalina Island

2010-04-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

Catalina Island was gorgeous!
It is such a quaint little town!
We had a great time looking in all the little shops, eating fish and chips on the pier
and putting our toes in the sand and water!
That night we went to the country show and the comedian that they had.
Both were so awesome!

Lets Cruise...

2010-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Don't worry that I've been home for almost a month and
am just now getting around to posting pictures from my cruise!

Just be warned there are a ton of them!
Here it goes:
My mom, Lindsey and Lauren headed down to St. George on Saturday, March 13th so that we could head south to Long Beach on the 15th. Lets just say we had a lot of fun on our drive down!
We had so much stuff between the four of us
that I didn't think we were going to get the trunk closed!!
We stayed over in Vegas on Sunday and then headed the rest of the way on Monday morning!
We were so excited to finally be here and going on this long awaited cruise!
We've had this planned since last August so it was TIME!
Monday afternoon we checked out our ship, had dinner in the dining room
and then went to the show they had that night!
The highlight of the day:
the emergency meeting they made everyone go to!
That was fun! ;-)
Oh and becoming instant friends with the guy at the 24 hour pizza parlor!

Happy Birthday Babe!

2010-04-06T09:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to the sweetest man I know!

I am so glad you came into the world 32 years ago.

No one can make me laugh like you can.

You make my life complete, better!

Thanks for all you do...

For being a husband and a daddy. A hard worker and a peacemaker.

A priesthood holder and a friend.

For putting your family first.

For trying so hard to make us happy.

You're such a great example and I look up to you more than you know.

...I'm so lucky to have a "HaRd 10"!! ;-)...

I LoVe you!

HaPpY bIrThDay!!!

Weekend Get-a-Way

2010-03-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

I just love weekend get-a-ways! Especially when they are spent with my main guy!

Ben and I had such a great "kid-less" weekend!
Thursday we were able to meet
my mom in Fillmore so she could take the kids up north for a few days!
A HUGE shout-out to her for all her help! Thank you mom and Auntie Lou!!
Anyway... Friday I spent pretty much ALL day shopping...
(well looking is more like it.)

It's so weird doing that without kids! Really weird.
Friday night though we went to Cafe Rio for dinner and then
to Colbie Caillat's concert and let me just say it was freakin' awesome!!

This is the third time I have seen her in concert and I seriously just love it!
There is just something about her music that I love!
So after the concert, we were walking
towards our car and noticed her tour buses...
long story, short we waited outside them for about half an hour until she came out!!

I got her autograph and a picture.
I know, I am SUCH a dork! It was so fun though!
Saturday after work ,we headed down to Vegas
where we met up with Ben's brother and SIL.

We had a delicious dinner at Maggiono's and then caught Avatar in 3D.

Thanks Spencer and Heidi for letting us spend the night! :)

Sunday we did some shopping, ate out some more and saw Valentine's Day.

Sunday night we stayed out at Green Valley Ranch.

Monday however, we had to head back to the real world!
I had to work and Ben picked up the kids!

I was actually so ready to get them back!
I really missed their little faces!
Well, until our next mini-vacation...

I love you Babe! Thanks so much for that much needed down time! :) xoxo

Here are a few pictures so you know that I'm not making anything up!! ;)

Smiley Face

2010-02-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

(Sorry about that awful glare!)

The other morning Benson spilled some of his cheerios on the table and got a little creative.

He called me over and said

"Look mom, its happy! It's a smiley face!"

So minor but it made my whole day! :)

2010-02-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of the kids outside while we were in Montana. It was so cold, your snot would freeze. Seriously! It was so sad because they would fall into the snow to make snow angels and the snow was so hard and frozen, it was like landing on the side walk! They only lasted about 10 minutes but had fun anyway! :)

Such a slacker...

2010-02-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Don't mind that it is now February, almost Valentine's Day actually and I am just now getting around to posting Christmas. I wouldn't even bother if I wasn't planning on turning this into a book.... someday! Regardless, I should jot down some of my thoughts from that holiday anyway. We had a great time. We always do when we go to Montana. Something about that place on the hill makes me smile and sorta warms my heart, even though it was in the negatives most of the time we were there! :) My grandma, who has recently had part of her leg amputated due to diabetes, managed to have so many cookies and treats that it made Candy Land look amateur. (All of which she made and baked by herself!) She's amazing and I love her.

The kids had a blast this year. They both finally understood what was going on and totally enjoyed all the attention and presents. Benson's highlight was the sa-weet Transformer bumblebee scooter that Santa (ie Black Grandma) got for him. He also became the reigning Whack-a-mole champion! Hiley loved her soft new pink blanket and baby carrier as well as the Tinker Bell hair stuff. Ben and I decided to get new cell phones for Christmas so I got my iPhone a little later and we are still looking for one that Ben just has to have!

It was so fun spending time with my Uncle John and Aunt Jeanette who were visiting from Alaska! We also hung out with Kamery and Hayden, Kenzi, Cory and Kim. Lindsey and Zach were able to join us for a few days too and that was fun hanging out with them!

All I can say is that I ate wayyyyy too much this year but had a blast none the less. I was sad to leave. I always am. I just always feel so grateful to have such an amazing family and I always, always worry that it might just be the last time I get to see them. My grandparents are getting up there. They are both in pretty good shape, it just worries me. I'm a freak I know and I just need to take in and love the time I have with them. I can't wait to get back to the house on the hill. Hopefully, in March! :)

Family Pictures

2010-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post some of our family pictures we had taken for our Christmas card this year. If you like what you see, go here and get in touch with my very sweet and talented friend Tiffany!

So many Santa's so little time....

2009-12-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

A whole new level of hardcore...

2009-11-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

There's this movie that just came out. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called New Moon? Hhhmm. I don't think it's very popular. Oh well, I decided to go ALL OUT for it anyway!!! Talk about being crazy. My husband thinks I am. I'm ok with that! So first, before I say anything else, I need to give my sweet, talented friend Brooke a huge SHOUT OUT! This girl is A-MA-ZING! She helped me with about 75% of this "project" and didn't get any of the credit so with that said... THANK YOU Brooke! You're the bomb!!!

Ok, so back to New Moon.... I hosted bunko this month and thought it would only be appropriate to have a party centered around the movie premier. We had a blast. (Well, I did at least!) I did a La Push type setting with "real" drift wood that Brooke and I went and loaded by ourselves from the river. We had a fog machine and a sa-weet moon with a wolf in the back ground. I hung up blue vinyl to give it an ocean-y feel and then to top it off , the New Moon soundtrack was playing in the background. Home-made pizza was served with a tossed salad and Bri made some awesome wolf cupcakes! I also made "puppy-chow" since Jacob is sometimes considered a "dog"! The top two winners won Twilight themed necklaces from Nordstrom's and the third place was the New Moon board game. Everyone left with the new Twilight scented lotion from Bath and Body that was decorated with a Moon. We also had Jacob covered water bottles and IBC root beer!

After we played our bunko game, we headed over to the theater to catch the midnight showing. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours before it started but had a great time talking and laughing before hand!
All in all, it was a great night! I'm just so glad it's over! ;) Thanks again to everyone who helped... especially Suz, Brooke and Ben! You guys rock!! Oh and hello. My sister Lou came all the way down from Salt Lake to see the movie with me and the bunko gals! Thanks Lauren!! It was so fun having you here!

P.S. I seriously loved the movie. I have always, for the most part been Team Jacob but now I know I made the right choice! ;) But seriously, I cannot wait to see it again!

It was dang good! Fantastic! Um, Edward who?

Now, just how many more days until Eclipse exactly???

To see some more pictures of this awesome night, click here http://allthingsthrifty.com/!

Who doesn't love free stuff??

2009-11-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

All right girlies, if you haven't checked out this site yet you need to head over there pronto! The girls at All Things Thrifty are having an awesome give away and you need to check it out. There are some fabulous Christmas decorations, pillows, and home decor. Hurry over and get entered to win!

However, I call dibs on the turquoise mirror! :)

K, go here!

2009-11-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

This was the first Halloween where everything

actually went pretty smoothly!

We started the festivities off on Thursday

with Benson's school party!

I was able to be a room-mom and help out!

We played Halloween games, made "mud pies" with worms!

They also got to do some trick or treating and then

sang us some sweet Halloween songs!

Friday, we went to the Ulrich's annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

(I totally forgot my camera for both of these events)

Ben carved a sweet pirate pumpkin and the Transformer sign.

They had tons of {DELICIOUS} food

and as always it was a great time!

Saturday, we were really lazy and didn't do a whole lot.

I made pumpkin spice scones and

then we had "Dinner in a Pumpkin" with our neighbors the {P's}!

We headed out early and the kids had a blast trick or treating!

Benson was a pirate and Hiley was a witch!

They both looked totally cute!

I need to give my mom a HUGE shout out for

making Benson's awesome costume

and Hiley's cute cape!

Thanks mom! One day, I will learn how to sew!

Hope everyone else had a safe and Happy Halloween! :)

Ugg...

2009-10-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love you boots.

Maybe one day we will meet but until then, know that I am thinking of you!

2009-10-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday,

Maren, Mel and I went to lunch at Maggiono's and then did some

window shopping at Fashion Show Mall.

Melanie is a manager at Nordstrom's

so we went and checked out the New Moon Line

that B.P. is going to be selling!

I was in {L.O.V.E.} with the life-size Jacob cut out! So hot!!! ;)

Ben decided to join in on the L.V. fun so we picked him up

and went to Town Square where we hit up H&M!

Later that night we went to the UNLV/Utah game!

That was so fun! Ben was in heaven

especially since we got to tail-gate before hand!

We got to meet up with Spencer and Heidi too!

("Speidi"- everyone loved that!!)

Afterwards, we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory

and then headed over to the Drop Bar at GVR.

Good times!

Vegas Baybeee

2009-10-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I got to go to Vegas!

It was so fun!

You know those friends, that even though you literally haven't

seen each other for years but when you do see them,

its like you're [RIGHT] back to where you left off?

(Does that make any sense?)

Well, that's these girls!

I have been friends with Maren since about the 4th grade.

(Mel and I since the 8th grade.)

They have {A LOT} of dirt on me! ;-)

We grew up in Las Vegas together and have managed to stay

pretty close throughout all this time.

Anyway, this was Friday night. First, we went to dinner at

Dos Caminos where our good friend (and server) Rachel

got us some fabulous hook-ups

and treated us like celebs! So fun and seriously so DELICIOUS!!

Next, we headed over to TAO which is a club in

The Venetian and also got VIP treatment!

(In Vegas, it's ALL about who you know!)

Kim Kardashian was there celebrating her birthday so that was fun,

you know hanging with the famous and all!

We were outta there {pretty} quick though.

Way too many people and I was pretty sure I was going to

end up with the Swine Flu! Haha!

(Seriously though, if you want to really feel your age, just head on over to one of those places.)

Friends

2009-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

I L.O.V.E bunko!

I know that I have said this before but... it's TRUE!

Once a month I get to have a girls night out. Just the girls.

We eat, laugh, talk, catch up. Swear! ;)
If there is one thing I'm sure of, its that I could not exist without

really GREAT girlfriends!

(This picture is for you Adri... you can sorta get the idea of me with long hair! :))

Happy Birthday Benson!

2009-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

(I totally suck. I know but I still need to post this right? :-/)

Benson Boy turned four last Saturday, the 19th and I cannot believe it. It seriously seems like yesterday we were driving to the hospital in Cedar City to be induced. Ah, 23 hours later he made his sweet arrival to start our little family. He is such a good boy. He loves to be with his friends especially Lucas! He's a great helper and loves, loves his sister Hiley.

He had a great birthday. We decided to keep it low key and celebrate at Pirate Island Pizza with our awesome neighbors {The P's}. Thanks so much for coming you guys! :) "Brown Grandma" was also sweet enough to come and celebrate with us! Then on Sunday, we met my parents in Fillmore where we had a fun picnic and opened more presents. I think he had a great day and got totally spoiled with all his TRANSFORMERS!! AAHH. The kid is obsessed!!!

Anyway, we LOVE you Benson and are so glad you are in our family! :)

Pre-school

2009-09-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

(His facial expression cracks me up!)

I'm a little behind in posting this but Benson started pre-school last week. He missed his first official day the week before due to a random fever but was finally feeling good enough to go this last Tuesday! Well, he was pretty excited until he found out I was "dropping him off". He was so not having that. Miss Katy literally had to pry his little fingers off my arm. I'm usually pretty tough. Not today. When I got in the car I called my mom and we both sat there and cried for a minute. It was REALLY hard to leave him. I don't know what the rules are or even what to expect with this whole school thing. However, when I picked him up, she said he did awesome and only cried for about 30 seconds. Yah!!! Thursday was so much better and when we got there he said, "See ya mom, thanks for dropping me off!"

A different little girl...

2009-09-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

So about a week ago, I decided to cut Hiley's hair. It was getting so long and was always such a mess. My cute friend Paige came over and helped us out by cutting it into a cute "bob"! It looks so cute on her! I love it. It seriously makes her look like a different kid, like an actual little girl... No more baby! Anyway, it's darling and she loves it!

The many faces of...

2009-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

ME!!

Party Time

2009-09-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday, we attempted to throw my mom a surprise birthday party. We actually did pretty good considering we were still trying to figure things out until about an hour before the party actually started! :) Anyway, we had a good time and a good turn out. The best part of the party was when we gave my mom her BIG present which is.... A CRUISE! Yahoo! We, as in us 4 girls, are going on a Mexican Rivieria Cruise in March! I cannot wait! :)

Again, Happy Birthday, mom!

Hope you had a good time and were a little bit surprised!!

50 years ago...

2009-08-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

August 26, 1959

I cannot believe my mom is 50 today! Holy cow! What an amazing woman she is though! I've never met anyone quite like her. MY mom is hilarious, generous, smart, truthful, strong, devoted, dependable, beautiful, emotional. She would do anything for anyone. I'm lucky to be able to call her my best friend. Looking back, I cannot think of a time when she wasn't there for me, she always had my back. Always.

MY mom never compared the 4 of us. We're lucky that way.

She is the sweetest, best grandma a child could seriously ever hope for. I wish people could see how much my kids LOVE you! They too are so lucky!

Happy Birthday day, mom! I love you so much and I hope that you have an amazing day because you truly deserve it.

Here's to another 50 years!

This and That

2009-08-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is just about over. Kids are back in school.

Ben is already substitute teaching . The nights are cooler. NFL pre-season games are on.

(I must admit, I am a little excited for football season!)

Benson will start pre-school in September. I love this time of year. I also L.O.V.E school supplies! I so miss that part about school. I could seriously browse the stationary aisle forever.

Anyway, here's what we've been up to:

Benson and Hiley pretending to be cowboys with some cute hats and lacross sticks. Girls night out in Salt Lake with Lauren, Sam and Paige.

Mom and Lou coming to visit! While they were here we did some SERIOUS coupon shopping. We spent $94.00 but saved $300. Crazy but so much fun!!! I also got extensions which have been interesting... I'm still getting used to them. Its weird to see myself with long hair. I'll try and get some pictures posted. Anyway, things are going pretty good. :)

6 years ago today...

2009-07-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

(Sorry this picture is so cheesy. My actual wedding pictures were too big to download!)

I married my guardian angel. No seriously, I'm pretty sure that Ben saved me from a long road of heartache and bad decisions. Most of you reading this know our story. It's actually a pretty good one if I may say so! :) Anyway, I've known Ben for 10+ years and have had the privilege of being married to him for 6 of those. We've had a lot of fun together. He can truly make me laugh like no one else. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't always been easy or perfect, but we make it work. With him by my side, I can pretty much get through anything. He's the logical one in our relationship. He's also the quiet easy-going one. We pretty much balance each other out. We now have two beautiful kids and I can't wait to have a couple more! :) Babe, you truly complete me. I love you so much more than I did on that day 6 years ago. You're the glue that holds our little family together and I can't wait to spend eternity with you. Thanks for all you do for us and most importantly, thanks for loving me back because to me, that's all that matters!

Our 4th

2009-07-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our fourth was pretty hilarious this year.

We ALL slept in. Not one of us wanted to get up for the morning festivities.

My sister Lauren was in town with her b.f. Palmer so that was fun. They went swimming during the day while I worked at Chili's.

That night we went and got some last minute fireworks because I'm such a procrastinator! We then went and got Cafe Rio for dinner and took it over to the Dixie College to eat while we watched the fireworks.

Well, Hiley started crying before they even started. Seriously crying... She was finally ok to be in the car. Then in front of where we were sitting was this tree that we thought wouldn't get in the way... wrong! The fireworks were NOT very high and so we could hardly see them. Anyway, it was pretty funny. That night at midnight, my sis and I with my neighbor Suzanne went and saw My Sister's Keeper. Um, pack some tissues if you venture out to see that one! :) Hope you all had a safe and fun holiday!

Playing catch...up!

2009-07-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

So much to catch up on.... Well for starters we've had a really great summer! Kinda low key but that's how we like it! We went to Island Park about two weeks ago with Ben's family. As always, we had a really fun time! We rode four-wheelers, had camp fires, and rolled around in the dirt. :) We went to Big Springs and fed the fish, took a drive into West Yellowstone and had lunch and finally pulled Ben's new .22 out and broke it in a little bit! Benson loved going on "treasure hunts" with his grandpa to find Geo cash's ???? He also loved playing with his cousins Staley and Jack! As always, that's the best part... being able to spend some time with family that we don't get to see very often! Anyway, we had a great time. Thanks to Wade and Leslie who always put so much time, money and effort into making sure we have a good time! We love you guys!

P.S. We sure missed Spence and Heidi this year! Hope you had a great time in Hawaii :)

Lou DID IT!!!

2009-06-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

So our {LiTtLe} Lauren Ranae did it!! She finally graduated high school! AH!! She has come such a long way and I {cOuLd nOt} be more proud of her! Lou graduated from Murray High School on June 5th, 2009. It was a really good day! We had lots of family in town and my {amazing} mom made some seriously delicious food! All in all, it was a great day and way to celebrate.

Here are just a few reasons why I absolutely {LOVE} this girl:

*She can make me... well anyone, laugh SO hard

*She's 100% genuine
*She would do anything for {aNyOne}

*She has proved A LOT of people wrong

*She is drop-dead gorgeous

*She loves Benson and Hiley so much
*She is the {BeSt} Aunt

*She is the {bEsT} sister

*She can text like no one I have EVER seen! :)
*She works SO hard to get the things in life that she truly wants

*If only you could see this girl {DANCE}

Lou, I love you and I look up to you more than you will ever know! You have accomplished so much and I hope that you continue to make goals and keep on the path you're on!

I Love you, Annie ;)

Grandma and Grandpa Swensen and Kirkus
Friends since elementary school: Kelsey and Lauren

The Siblings: Me, Carter, Lauren and Lindsey

Me, Lauren and Ben

One of Lauren's BFF's: Alexis

*The Whole Gang*

LOL. Man, I am cute!

Proud parents with their Little Lou

Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw

{FAR OUT} 80's PaRtY!!

2009-06-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

We had such a blast at this {TOTALLY AWESOME} 80's Party!!

Our good friend Brooke threw it for her husband's 30th Birthday!

We played some [RAD] games and had some [SWEET] food!

Seriously though, the best part was trying to find our outfits!

The D.I. truly has some gems!!!

Ben went as {Miami Vice}!!

I think I was a mix of Madonna circa [Like a Virgin] and whatever else she had going on at that time!

Ben and I actually won {best dressed couple}

and I won {Best over-all outfit}!!!

Anyway, we had a great time! Thanks you guys for such a fun party!! :)

rAndOm.

2009-05-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

So here's what we've been up to...

We are lovin' summer here in St. George. The weather could not be better right now! We've been spending a lot of time at our neighborhood pool and it's been great! Oh and the kids love it too! ;) Ben just finished up his last day of subbing and is currently looking for a job. Lame! Hiley is a MoNsTer with a capital M!!!! We recently decided to put a lock on our fridge because it is so not worth the fight. (we've had a lock on our pantry since she could walk!) Anyway, she really is ALWAYS eating!!! Oh, so the reason behind locking the fridge, she opened three things of yogurt last week at 5 a.m. and ate only one of them.... with a fork!!! AH!! Benson is getting so big and is always making us laugh! He is obsessed with Cars and loves Frank so we went and got him one the other day because he was so good while getting his pictures taken. ;) My most favorite thing though is how MUCH he loves Hiley. They are the best of friends and I seriously L-O-V-E it.

I have picked up two new hobbies!!! The first one has actually been a lot of fun. I started making watches with the sole intent to make them for myself and it has sorta just escalated. I've probably made around 50 of these babies since I started. It's been fun though!!! The second one is COUPONING! Who would of thought??? It's been a challenge for me to get this down because it does take a little time but it is SO worth! Big shout out to Brooke who has held my hand through this learning process. The thing is, is there are a bunch of methods and ways to do it, so you just have to find one that works for you. It is seriously awesome though! Oh, and I also won the BIG prize at Bunko... for the third time in a row!! Gotta' love it! :)

Peace...
Below are pictures that document our happenings!!

If you look closely, you can see Hiley in the background getting into my Bunko treats. Weird...

Ok so I know I am a TOTAL nerd for taking this picture but this was my first SOLO shopping trip and I was really proud of what I came away with. So here are the results:

(Pictured here is my Wal-mart shopping only but I also went to Albertson's that night...)

So.....

I spent a total of $128.94 but I SAVED a total of $137.77!!!! Holy crap that's awesome!

Look @ these...

2009-04-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Happy #2, Hiley! We love you!

This last one is my {favorite}!!!

Thank you Brooke for taking such darling pictures of Hiley!

You did an awesome job!!

Here is Brooke's link if any of you are interested in having an amazing photo session:

http://www.snatchandsnapphotography.blogspot.com/

{BRING IT ON}

2009-04-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

Miss Hiley Jo turns {2} today!!! AH! Although, the "terribles" have long ago started, I can't believe my {LiTtLe GiRl} is already 2! As a matter of fact, at this very time, two years ago Miss-miss was beginning her arrival! :) What would we do without this little...

{sassy, feisty, funny, charming, little PrIncEsS?}

She seriously makes us [laugh] so hard!

Anyway, we {LoVe} this little girl so much and are so glad that she came into our lives two short years ago!!

**HaPpY BIrtHday, HiLeY! We LOVE you!!! **

In loving memory of Barbara Sessions

2009-04-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ben's {sweet} Grandma Barb passed away on Monday, April 20th. She was a feisty lady with a heart of gold. She was the kind of grandma who never forgot your birthday and always had a treat for you on special occasions!!

Grandma Barb loved her great-grandkids! She would talk to you for hours about them! The last memory I'll have of her is seeing her eyes {light up} as we walked into her hospital room with Benson and Hiley. She was so excited to see the two of them.

She had a lot of struggles but you would have never known due to the simple fact that she {never} complained about them, which is something I could stand to learn.

Barb lived a {good life} and was 79 when she passed away.

We love and miss you Grandma Barb!

I shoulda been a cowboy....

2009-03-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

My favorite place in the entire world is {Drummond, Montana}. It's a tiny little town on your way into Missoula (which is where I was born). If you blink, you'll miss it... I promise. The population of this little place is around {400 people} (not including livestock)! Anyway, my grandparents live there on about 50 acres. I love to go and pretend to be a {cowboy} for a couple days. It was still SOOOOO cold while we were there so we didn't get to spend a ton of time outside but we did have a good time. My kids {loved} the horses and loved to "throw rocks in the water"! On the day we left, it finally warmed up and melted all the snow. Of course!

The best part about these trips though is the time I get to spend with my {sassy, swearing, old} gram! Mary is truly one of a kind! I love her to the stars and back. She's seriously hysterical! In the picture with Hiley in the sink you can see her on the left. Anyway, we had a really good time and can't wait to get back and play again!

Us in Missoula having lunch at Hoagieville! It has the most amazing hoagie sandwiches and cheese fries!

Hiley would not take a shower for some weird reason while we were there so we had to bathe her in the sink!

Smokin' Hot Babe!!

2009-02-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

She's done it again. My amazing "up and coming" photographer friend Tiffany took my "little" sisters senior pictures and they look so... well amazing! My sister is gorgeous anyway and I can not believe my little Lu is going to be graduating high school in just 5 short months. AHHH! Anyway, Lu I am sooooo proud of you. You have seriously come a long way and I am so lucky to have you as my sister and my best friend! I love you, Lu. (Oh and I sooooo wish I looked like you! :) ) Oh, please click here http://photographybytiffanyd.blogspot.com/ to see these FABULOUS pictures!!

Where have you Ben?

2009-01-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Ben!

He called me the other day and out of the blue was like "Why am "I" never on your blog? Its always about you and the kids and Twilight and Vegas. Its like I should get my own Facebook account!" I just laughed! I didn't really think he cared much. Anyway, I just wanted to give my "honey bunny" a quick shout out!

Ben is truly my guardian angel. I met him when I was a junior in high school. At that time, I wasn't running with the best crowd or making the best decisions. He is the reason I'm where I am today. He has the best heart. I've never met someone like him. He NEVER says anything bad about anyone and doesn't have an enemy in the world. (Its sorta annoying actually :) ) He also always tries to see the best in people and in situations. He's a leader and an example.

He's an amazing husband and an even better dad.
He is the most chill person ever and he never yells or gets too mad. Ben does laundry and vacuums!

Ben is obsessed with ESPN and will watch the same reports over and over again. He also loves to watch the food channel. When he is into something, he is so passionate about it.

Football for example. I wish I could be so passionate about something, anything, the way he is about that sport. He has taught me to love football too!!

He is the most patient person I've ever met! My mom calls him on a regular basis... always asking him advice or questions about this or that. He is always so sweet to her!

(even though I KNOW it drives him crazy! )

Well, I think I have gone on long enough. I was actually kinda worried I wouldn't have much to say! ;) J/K!

Babe, I love you so much! You are the best part of my day!

Thank you for being you and for helping me be a better person. Thank you for being such an amzing dad and for being so supportive of this family!

I once heard...

2009-01-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

So 2009 is here and I haven't even posted any pictures of Christmas or anything. In my defense we got a virus and so our laptop wasn't working but now I can't get any pictures to upload... oh well. December is long gone now so time to move on I suppose.

I once heard that "A goal is just a wish until you write it down" so with that said I want to jot down a few New Year's Resolutions I have. Some are personal but I feel that if I put them "on paper" so to speak I'll be more likely to try and achieve them!

1. Get back on track= WEIGHT WATCHERS!!
2. Pay your tithing "regularly".
3. Get kids on a good routine/schedule ie. No more late nights!!!
4. Try and hold FHE on Sunday's instead of Monday (since I'm usually working that night.)
5. Start a really good food storage! (The once a week plan)
6. Apply for Mohave's nursing program (and get in!!)
7. Be a better wife and mom!
8. Have Hiley out of diapers by February 28th!
9. Try and plan out weekly meals in advance.
10. Just be a better person/friend/neighbor/employee in general (there is always room for improvement!!)

I need lots of help with these so any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. I hope you all had a safe and Happy New Year's!! 2009 here we come!!

Tagged by: Brooke

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Here's how to play:
1. Link your tagger (Brooke) and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here it goes...Again, I'm not very good at these so...

1. I can say the alphabet backwards... fast. I can also recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. That's pretty much all the Spanish I know.

2. I HATE to buy things that are generic. I don't know why but I just do. If you look in my pantry or other closets you will see that I'm telling the truth. I especially hate generic peanut butter, mayo and salad dressings. Also, there's just something about "Dr. Thunder" that just doesn't sit well with me. My mom is the same way so maybe that's where it comes from?

3. I LOVE to shop! Its terrible actually. If I have only ten dollars to my name I will find something I just have to have for that ten dollars. I love to shop for my kids too! It's the best therapy there is!!! :)Its a very bad "habit" though and I'm trying really hard to change my ways, especially since we're so poor right now...

4. I recently lost 45 pounds. I know this seems weird but it was such a HUGE accomplishment for me. I actually haven't been this size since I was a senior in high school. It's something I'm very proud of and I hope to lose just a little more but with the holidays knocking at my door, we'll have to see how that goes!! :)

5. I, (like Brooke), spent a lot of time on a farm. I was born in Montana and my grandparents have a huge chunk of land. I love to ride horses and get dirty. I've also driven a swather and bailed hay! There really is nothing like waking up at 5 in the morning to go "change pipe"! :)

(ok this is getting harder...)

6. I'm extremely O.C.D. I hate when I lose things or can't find them. I like 'order' and I tend to get anxiety when things aren't that way. I totally think that there's a place for everything and everything should have a place.

7. I love to travel and see new places and try new things. However, I have never been out of the United States and don't even own a passport. Ha! Hopefully one day though!! :)

I tag: Tiffany Drury, Katy Huntsman, Brooke Droubay, Kim Corser, Kate Meier, Suzanne Papa, Jenny Dildine

BAH HUMBUG

2008-12-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

So I decided to stay up late tonight and put our Christmas decorations up. I've been working so much lately that I haven't had any extra time and I just wanted them up. Now I don't. I just don't have any Christmas spirit right now... I changed my background, started to put together a Christmas playlist, blah blah but nope, nothing there. Oh and can I just say here that I HATE all my decorations. Let me just tell you that I have somehow started a "BELIEVE" theme. Not quite sure how but I have about 10, that's right 10 random things that say believe... even my actual tree decorations say it. What the heck? I think it could be ok if every square inch of my little house didn't say BELIEVE in huge letters. I picture someone coming in and being like, "Ok, we believe, geez just don't hurt us!!" Also, tonight at BUNKO cute Amanda did a whole Christmas thing and I just was not into. I am QUEEN of BUNKO. I freakin' love that game and I was just so grumpy... Hmmm. Maybe its this nice St. George weather thats freaking me out?? Who knows...
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions on how to get into the Christmas spirit just let me know. But for now BAH HUMBUG.

Tagged: Fours

2008-11-25T08:42:00.001-08:00

This is my first official tag... we'll see how it goes.

Four things I love about my Hubby:

1.Ben can ALWAYS make me laugh!
2.He's an amazing dad
3.He is always so willing to help me out with whatever I need
4.He's a hard-worker

Four Jobs I've had:

1. Zumiez's
2. American Eagle
3. Lucky Bun's (don't ask...)
4. Chili's

Four Movie's Watched More Than Once:

1. Dirty Dancing
2. Cars
3. Legally Blonde
4. The Harry Potter's

Four TV Shows I Watch:
(after I've ti-voed them)

1. The Hills
2. Grey's
3. Ellen
4. American Idol

Four (cool) Places I've visited:

1. Boston
2. Florida
3. Chicago, IL
4. Seattle,(Forks) Washington

Four Places I've lived:

1. Missoula, MT
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. Cedar City, UT

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Taco's
2. French Fries
3. Raspberries
4. Chicken Alfredo

Four Places I'd Like to Visit:

1. Hawaii
2. New York
3. Jamaica
4. Europe

Four People I Tag:

1.Chanel
2.Brooke
3.Tiffany
4.Jamie Jo

If you don't do this tag...bad things WILL happen to you!
So go.......go post this tag!

VERY Late Halloween Pictures...

2008-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

So our Halloween was, lets just say, disastrous! Benson was sick and WOULD NOT put on his costume. Actually, he did put it on only because I literally forced it on. He cried for two blocks and wouldn't go up to any doors. I finally gave in and took it off. He was Peter Pan and he looked so cute in all the trial runs. Dang. I think I was most upset about it because this was the first costume I actually made and I wanted to show it off. :( Oh well. Hiley was Tinkerbell and looked soooo cute. I got her costume off ebay! Too cute. Anyway, halloween pretty much sucked this year. At least we didn't have to deal with any candy!

Stress not...

2008-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I haven't had much to blog about lately. Lots going on but nothing of real interest. I found this picture though and I loved it! It's probably how the majority of us feel! So much going on, constantly busy... its a good thing, right? :) Anyway, things are good here in St. George. I look forward to seeing all the adorable Halloween Costumes that I'm sure are to be posted soon. Ours will be posted as well. I'm excited! Anyway, I was soooo sick of seeing that VisualDNA thing so this is the best I can do for now...

Benson's Birthday Message...

2008-09-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

I'm a little late but better that then never right?

So last friday was Benson Boys third birthday (which I can't even believe by the way)! So I just want to give him a quick "Shout out".

Benson, you are seriously the love of my life. You can make me smile like no one can. You are so dang funny and freaking adorable. When you were born (after almost 23 hours of labor) I was instantly in love and you have been my best buddy ever since. You absolutely love your sister Hiley. I cannot believe the bond that you two have. Right now you are totally into "cars" and will tell anyone who will listen about "kachow" and "lightning mcqueen"! And you love to go to "Donalds" (a.k.a. McDonalds) with dad when moms at work. You can "sing" all the words to Spongebob Squarepants. You also LOVE your little friends... Kodi-Dagen, Cohen, Dallon, Jaggar and Belle and you pray for them every night without fail. You are such a good boy and an amazing helper.

I love my little Benson Boy and am so thankful that Heavenly Father entrusted me with your sweet little spirit. I hope that I continue to teach you as much as you've taught me. I love you Benson!!

Our Family Photo Session

2008-09-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Be prepared for some seriously cute pictures!! Sorry there are a lot but I just couldn't decide which ones to post!! ENJOY!
P.S. If it stops before you see them all just refresh your screen.

Family Photos...

2008-09-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Get a sneak peek of our family pictures done by Justin Bowen!!! Just click on his link on the left. I'll post the others as soon as I get them from him. I can't freakin' wait!! Isn't this one amazing? Oh and did I mention that I MADE that tutu Hiley is wearing! Isn't it so dang cute!! With that said I must give a shout out to my girl Tiffany who showed me how to make them!!! You're amazing, Tiff! Let's start our boutique! ;)

We are alive

2008-08-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all. We are all moved down to St. George but just don't have internet yet so I will be posting news and pictures soon. Everyone come and visit us!!! We LOVE company!!! :)

Quick update...

2008-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who haven't heard... we are moving. AAHH! It has all happened so fast and I can't really believe we're going through with it. Its just to St. George, Washington actually so not too far but we are so excited and really ready for a change. We move August 15th so if you're free.... J/K! Anyway, Ben is going to be substitute teaching at the high schools and I'm just transferring Chili's for the time being. We're both so excited and will keep you posted...

Fun in the Sun

2008-07-09T15:15:00.001-07:00

Staley, our cousin, was
in town from Texas
so we went to the
Fountains at the Gateway
mall and let the kids run
around for awhile. They had
so much fun and it was good to see
Kate, Staley and Jack. We miss you guys!

Chili's Annual Softball Tourny

2008-07-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

So every year, Chili's has a softball tournament with all the Chili's in the state. It goes all day and is sooooo fun. Ben and I were on a league this spring and so we decided to join up and play with these guys too. We got all the way to the finals and... lost! Second place isn't too bad considering we played 8 games straight. We started at 10:30 a.m. had an hour lunch and did not stop playing until 8:30 p.m. We had a lot of fun though and we can't wait to win it next year.

Fourth of July Fun!

2008-07-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

We didn't do a whole lot for the 4th. Ben had to work that morning so I ventured out with the kids and my good friend Billy Jo to the Cedar City parade. I'm not sure what was more entertaining, the parade itself or the very interesting crowd that it seems to draw out! :) That afternoon, we took the kids to see Wall-E and then had a BBQ with the neighbors. Later, we went to the fireworks and got milkshakes from the local Artic Circle. Nothing too exciting but fun nonetheless. :) Hope you all had a good fourth.Hiley and dad watching the fireworks together. Check out her pointing at them. :) Best Buddies: Kodi, Benson and Dagen getting ready to watch the fireworks.
Hiley at the Cedar City Parade.

Hiley and Cohen just hanging out before the fireworks.

BEWARE: PICTURE OVERLOAD!!

2008-05-16T14:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, so here it is. The past 4 months or so. This going back stuff sucks so from now on I am going to keep up on all my posts and events!! Hope you don't get too bored looking through the endless amounts of pictures and crap!! Enjoy!

Holy April Birthday's!

2008-05-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

So in the month of April my dad turned 50, Ben turned 30 and Hiley turned 1!!! We had a busy month and lots of celebrations. I threw a huge party for my dad which in return was a huge success!! We had lots of family come into town from all over and had such a good time. Scroll down to read about the other parties and the good times we had!! :)

Hiley Jo turns 1!!

2008-05-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

Princess Hiley at McDonald's for her birthday lunch. I say princess because check out the toes up on the table!
Enjoying a little birthday cupcake!
Hiley you are the light of our lives! We love you sooooo much and are so glad you came into our lives a year ago. Your daddy wasn't sure about having a girl but now you hold his heart in the palm of your hand. We love you, Princess!

Surprise Ben!!

2008-05-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Amidst all the chaos of my dads party (that I started to plan back in February), I planned a surprise party for Ben's 30th birthday also. I feel so bad though, I was too busy catching up with old friends that these are the only pictures I got. It was so fun though. We got to see friends that we haven't seen in a long time. Anyway, I Love you, Ben!

2008-05-16T13:48:00.001-07:00

The Daughters! The whole family.

More Party Pictures!

2008-05-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Daughters! The whole family.

Surprise!! Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

2008-05-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

SURPRISE!!! HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY, DAD!! (He swears he had no idea!)

Some Easter Pictures!

2008-05-16T10:20:00.001-07:00

Benson wasn't feeling all that great the day we went on an easter egg hunt. Poor guy. I think they had fun anyway!

Snow-shoeing...

2008-05-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

These first couple pictures are from when Ben and I went snow-shoeing with his dad. I don't even remember where we went its been so long ago. :) Check out Ben's outfit!

He looks like an extra in a Nutcracker Production! HA!

Things to do...

2008-04-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

So with today being the last day of one of my classes, I decided to get the most out of the that last hour and fifteen minutes and write a list of all the things I am going to do once school is over!!!

1. Get caught up on all my shows that I've TiVo-ed!!!
(ie. The Hills, DHW, American Idol, etc etc!!)
2. Scrapbook
3. Clean out hall closet
4. Figure out what to get my mom for Mother's Day.
5. Read a "non-school" book.
6. Get a pedicure!!
7. Update Hiley's babybook with all the little scribbles I have on my calender
8. Take kids for a walk, to the park, McDonalds, library... anywhere really.
9. Bake some cookies
10. Decide what to do with the rest of my life
11. Write in my journal
12. Start a new project
13. Fix broken magnet board.
14. Plan Hiley's 1st birthday party (which is going to be late due to finals)
15. Watch a movie without falling asleep
16. Write Thank you's to friends and family for numerous reasons
17. Go on a date with Ben
18. Play with MY friends
19. Do some serious spring cleaning
20. Go to bed before midnight!!! :)

Let the count down begin...

2008-04-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

So I have not posted for far too long due to lack of this thing called time. HOWEVER school is almost over!!! Two more days of "actual" school, three finals and I am done... Well, just until July! Ha! Anyway, you will all be happy to hear that I will be posting soooo many pictures and fun things that you won't even know what to do!! With that said, please pray for me as I go into finals week completely unprepared. :)

** Side note, for those of you who haven't heard, I did not get into the SUU nursing program. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason" and therefore I am seeing this as a challenge (or someting like that?!?) Anyway, no big deal. Ben is currently trying to find a job as a school teacher so we'll go wherever he can find one and I'll look into other programs there.**

2008-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

60 Random Things: (thanks Brooke!)
This was way hard. Everyone should try it...

1. I hate when people wear black and brown together.
2. I love Starbucks!
3. I believe lip gloss is a totally necessity
4. I was born in Montana.
5. I have a serious weakness for purses and diaper bags!
6. I'm kinda addicted to itunes.
7. Cowboys are totally sexy.
8. I love to fold laundry, just don't ask me to put it away.
9. I'm not allergic to ANYTHING.
10. I cannot go to bed knowing my kitchen is a mess!
11. I was on a competitive soccer team.
12. I love to dance... anywhere.
13. My first kiss was while playing truth of dare in 6th grade.
14. I wear flip flops pretty much year round.
15. I drove a mini-van with wood paneling all thru high school!
16. I met my husband while he was a substitute at my high school.
17. I love to cook.
18. I love red stars.
19. I totally HATE when people are flaky.
20. I went to Boston with my favorite person, Tahlu. (my lil sis)
21. I once flipped off my father-in-law...to his face! :)
22. I LOVE pedicures!
23. I could wander around Barnes and Noble for HOURS.
24. I believe that french fries are a food group.
25. I hate when the toilet paper is under the roll and not over.
26. I worked at a fast food joint called "Lucky Buns"!
27. I was married in the Las Vegas Temple.
28. I love names that mean something or come from "somewhere"!
29. My best friend is Ben.
30. I've never had stitches or broken a bone... (knock on wood)
31. I love CHICAGO!
32. I've never been out of the United States... I don't even have a passport.
33. I love to go tanning.
34. I love meeting new people.
35. I love old friends.
36. Speaking of friends, I miss the TV show FRIENDS tons!
37. I once saw Kobe Bryant at Caesars Palace but was too nervous to talk to him!
38. I make a delicious salsa!!
39. I love horseback riding.
40. I want a new kitchen table worse than anything right now!
41. I actually really enjoy watching a good football game.
42. I read the "Twilight" series in about 4 days!
43. I believe everyone should experience New Years in Vegas at least once!
44. I miss my old body! :)
45. I've been doing Weight Watchers for about 9 months now.
46. I really enjoy going to school.
47. I sometimes miss high school. (who says that?)
48. I love to workout.
49. I wish I had my very own room to scrapbook in!
50. I wish I had more time to scrapbook.
51. I love projects.
52. I like to do everything by MYSELF. I don't delegate well.
53. I'm not real competitive.
54. I love to laugh!
55. I can't wait to move out of Cedar.
56. One day I will visit New York!
57. My family is my WHOLE life.
58. My feet are oh so ticklish!
59. I love to shop!
60. I am a total perfectionist. Big time OCD!

20 is the new 15

2008-02-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ok so please forgive me if I offend anyone but I feel that I need to vent. For those of us who have been living in the 21st century for sometime, know that if your server does a really GOOD JOB you should leave a really GOOD tip!! Just a little piece of info... in the state of Utah, we servers do not make minimum wage like in other states. We make $2.17 an hour.
Come on guys, if you take your children out and they leave the biggest mess ever, tip accordingly; and if you use a gift card, tip off the TOTAL amount not just the amount you were "charged". Tip your server 20% if you received good service. There is no reason not to. If you weren't happy then don't, but at least let them know and see if they can fix it! For all of my fellow servers out there, you know what I'm talking about. And to be completely honest, if you can't afford to leave an appropriate tip, go to Wendy's!

"Snow" Fun.

2008-02-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

So January seriously sucks because Christmas is over and time s-l-o-w-s down. Then the depression really starts to set in, especially since all the stores have their swimsuits and flip- flops out... come on, really?!? Anyway, I am so ready for spring... or any kind of weather other than snow for that matter. Ok so moving on, a quick update....as of right now I am going to school full time, working weekends at the local Chili's Bar and Grill (ha) and trying to spend some quality time with my kids. Its tough... a lot more than I ever thought.... I have got to get through this though. I put in my application for the Fall Nursing program and we are currently waiting to hear back. As soon as I get a "yes" (or no) we'll know more about what we're going to do with our lives. Ben is being Mr. Mom and is loving it... NOT! No, he's doing good and I think that its very good for him to get an idea as to what its like to be a stay-at-home mom. Anyway, now that I've gone on and on I think I'll wrap this up with some commentary about these pictures I've posted.... after that big snow storm we had last week, our neighbor hooked their sled up to their four-wheeler and took all the kids for a ride. (Thanks Tara for taking one for the team and holding ALL 4 of our kids!!) Anyway, they had lots of fun despite the freezing cold temperatures!

Christmas morning... ok so i'm a little behind...

2008-01-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

Nothing is much sweeter than watching two kids open presents on Christmas morning!

2008-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Oh man, it has been far too long since I last posted. Here are a few pictures from Christmas, Benson and Hiley in their little "church" outfits. The other picture is one of the whole family. Ben, Me and Hiley, My Mom and Dad and then on the bottom is Lindsey, Lauren and Benson and then "little" Carter Boy.

Halloween!

2007-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, how we just love Halloween. First, it really is the best time of year and with this beautiful weather we've been having it was a great night to be out trick or treating! We carved pumpkins this year and really did have a good time. Benson was the cutest freaking cowboy ever and Hiley was our little lovebug! (gotta love Old Navy costumes!) We had a good time. Went to about 4 houses and called it good! Benson just wanted to eat whatever they put in his bucket and didn't bother with much anything else! :)

2007-10-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

How sweet is she? She is starting to roll EVERYWHERE and on this particular day she got caught up in her blanket! I hurried and grabbed my camera and took this shot. Priceless! She is seriously so cute!!

Benson turns 2

2007-10-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see we just celebrated Benson's 2nd birthday on September 19th! Bring it on!!! No, he's been very good so far. We have transitioned to the "big boy" bed and that went way smoother then I ever anticipated! :) Now on to potty training- ha ya right. Soon though! Hiley will be six months soon and she is far too mobile. She rolls everywhere! She also transitioned to the "big" crib and is doing very well. Now I can get some sleep! (If Ben would just quit snoring!)

Hello!

2007-10-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally "with it"! I have figured out how to blog! I really like these things but have never done my own until now so hopefully you enjoy it! It is now October 1st and so as most of you know, we are into the football season 100%! Sad as it might be, our teams aren't doing so hot. SUU, Chicago Bears, Murray High School... man oh man. They are all struggling but the season is not over yet so hopefully they can get things turned around! HA!!! Well, hope all is well! Hit us up with a note or two!

The Meier Family

I'm feeling sorta... Wicked!

Benson's Bday party

Check check...anyone out there?

Happy Halloween

Sadie's Photo Shoot

Children of the Corn

Benson

Summer

Introducing...

Hiley's Story

Part II

Lately....

Benson's Story

Our little peanut...

Out Numbered...

Tiny Dancer

Lately....

Pardon me...

Gram

Summa Time...

...Slacker...

Happy Birthday Hiley!

Day Two: Catalina Island

Lets Cruise...

Happy Birthday Babe!

Weekend Get-a-Way

Smiley Face

Such a slacker...

Family Pictures

So many Santa's so little time....

A whole new level of hardcore...

Who doesn't love free stuff??

Ugg...

Vegas Baybeee

Friends

Happy Birthday Benson!

Pre-school

A different little girl...

The many faces of...

Party Time

50 years ago...

This and That

6 years ago today...

*Our 4th*

Playing catch...up!

Lou DID IT!!!

{FAR OUT} 80's PaRtY!!

rAndOm.

Look @ these...

{BRING IT ON}

In loving memory of Barbara Sessions

I shoulda been a cowboy....

Smokin' Hot Babe!!

Where have you Ben?

I once heard...

Tagged by: Brooke

BAH HUMBUG

Tagged: Fours

VERY Late Halloween Pictures...

Stress not...

Benson's Birthday Message...

Our Family Photo Session

Family Photos...

We are alive

Quick update...

Fun in the Sun

Chili's Annual Softball Tourny

Fourth of July Fun!

BEWARE: PICTURE OVERLOAD!!

Holy April Birthday's!

Hiley Jo turns 1!!

Surprise Ben!!

More Party Pictures!

Surprise!! Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

Some Easter Pictures!

Snow-shoeing...

Things to do...

Let the count down begin...

20 is the new 15

Our 4th