This and That

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...

(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*

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!

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!!!

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!!

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.

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!